Black women's wellness Your "I've got this!" guide to health, sex, and phenomenal living
Book - 2022
"Black women carry the worst prognoses and suffer the least successful health-care outcomes for diseases many other women survive. As if that decades-long burden isn't enough, now comes a pandemic that affects Black people and other minorities in disproportionate numbers. Despite the abundance of medical data that those most afflicted need to know, there is a dearth of books written for Black women, by Black women, or by Black MDs, especially as it pertains to Black women's health. Authored by ob-gyn and media contributor Dr. Melody T. McCloud, Black Women's Wellness fills that void. Written in a conversational tone, with illustrations and schematics about head-to-toe medical conditions, the book presents the ever-presen...t physical challenges of killer diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, heart disease, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, and more. It also provides the often-overlooked linkage to the psycho-social factors-the micro-aggressions-that in turn cause elevated stress hormones such as cortisol and catecholamines that adversely affect Black women's hearts and result in physical maladies that can even lead to death. The book's goal: to help Black women be happier, healthier Black women. Filled with professional medical advice, sexology, sociology, psychology, dashes of pop culture, and doses of personal responsibility, this is a book that will be the indispensable resource for Black women everywhere"--
- Subjects
- Genres
- Instructional and educational works
- Published
-
Boulder, CO :
Sounds True
[2022]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- ix, 307 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 24 cm
- ISBN
- 9781683648765
- Introduction: This Is Your Time To Be Healthy, Fit, and Fine!
- 1. The State of Black Women's Health
- Societal Stress and the "Rejection Connection"
- Medical Advances for Women
- Ethnic Health Disparities
- Leading Causes of Death
- Facts and Stats of Living Black
- Part 1. The Top Five Medical Conditions Affecting Black Women's Lives
- 2. Diseases of the Heart
- The Expressway to Your Heart
- Heart Disease: The Number One Killer
- Myocardial Infarction
- Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease, and Stroke
- Be "Heart Smart" in All You Do
- 3. Obesity and Diabetes
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Obesity
- Diabetes Mellitus
- 4. Maternal Mortality and Perinatal Loss
- Pregnancy-Related Deaths
- Miscarriage and Stillbirths
- To Be or Not to Be … a Mom
- Pre-conception Counseling
- Vaccinations and Pregnancy
- Complications of Pregnancy
- 5. Cancer
- The "Big C"
- Catch It Early
- Many Black Women Don't Have to Die
- Breast, Lung, Colon, and Gynecologic Cancers
- 6. HIV and AIDS
- Is He on the Down-Low?
- Treatment and Prevention of HIV
- Trust, but Verify
- Part 2. Your Unique Womanly Form
- 7. Your Feminine form and the Conditions that Affect It
- Pelvic Structure and Function
- The Brain/Body Connection to Menstruation
- The Menstrual Cycle
- Gynecological Conditions
- 8. Menopause
- What Is Menopause?
- Menopause and Osteoporosis
- Menopause and Heart Disease
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Ethnic Response to Menopause
- Your "Secret Garden": Use It or Lose It!
- Foxy and Fine after 49!
- 9. Conditions that Affect the Rest of You
- Eye Conditions
- Lung Conditions
- Genitourinary System Conditions
- Musculoskeletal System Conditions
- Multiple Sclerosis and Sickle Cell Disease
- Part 3. Sex, Sensuality, and Relationships
- 10. Let's Talk about Sex
- Sexuality 101
- Proven Benefits of Sex
- Overcoming Hang-Ups to Get the Hook-Up
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- 11. Sexual Healing, Reclaim the Feeling
- When Pain Prevents Pleasure
- You've Lost That Loving Feeling?
- 12. Black Women and Marriage
- Still Waiting to Exhale?
- Blacks and Marriage
- Everybody Needs Love
- Interracial Dating and Marriage
- Multiracial Trends
- "Manless" Does Not Mean Mindless
- Support from Sister-Friends and Family
- 13. Pearls of Wisdom to Heal Your Relationships
- First, Do No Harm
- Ensure Adequate Nutrition
- Never Underestimate How Much Someone Hurts
- Remember That Men Feel Pain Too
- Don't Leave the Tourniquet on for Longer Than Necessary
- When You're in Over Your Head, Call for Help
- The Earlier the Diagnosis, the Easier the Treatment
- Sometimes Surgery Is the Only Option
- You Are Part of a Team
- Even the Best Can Make a Mistake
- It's Easier to Repair a Straight Line Than a Jagged Edge
- Your Words Can Have a Powerful Emotional Impact
- It's Easier to Stay Out of Trouble Than to Get Out of Trouble
- Check Vital Signs Regularly
- Learn from Your Mistakes
- Listen
- If You Can't See the Problem, You Can't Help with the Solution
- Don't Ignore the Signs and Symptoms
- 14. Domestic Violence and Divorce
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Signs of Intimate Partner Violence
- To Divorce or Not to Divorce?
- Part 4. Happiness
- 15. Dream It. Believe It. Achieve It.
- Moving Beyond Stereotypes
- Don't Let Others Define You
- 16. You Are Beautiful
- The Key to Real Beauty
- The Skin You're In
- Nail Care
- The Mane! The Mane!
- Dental Care
- Plastic Surgery
- Make the Best of What You've Got
- 17. A State of Mind
- Mental Health Disorders
- Your Brain
- Aging and Mentation
- Dementia vs. Alzheimer's Disease
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia
- 18. Racism's Effect on Black Women's Health
- The Lasting Impact of First Experiences
- Emotional Pain and Depression in Black Women
- The Effects of Social Rejection
- 19. Financial Health and Money Management
- The Pain of Poverty
- Envision a Path to Financial Success
- Managing Your Money
- 20. How to Survive, Thrive, and Stay Alive
- A Loving Prescription for Black America
- Life Lessons for Your Daughters … and Theirs
- Engage Your Phenomenal Spirit
- Epilogue: Take Time to Take Stock
- Afterword
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix: Health Questionnaire
- Glossary
- Notes
- Resources
- Index
- About the Author