Women’s Health Center of Excellence Update
March/April 2003, Issue 39
Women’s
Awareness Fair
In celebration of Women’s
History Month, the Social Workers at the
April Breastfeeding
Classes
Join a Certified Lactation Consultant for breastfeeding
classes and get your questions answered. Classes are scheduled for Thursdays in
April (3, 10, 17, 24),
* Remember: The PPII lactation room is open
New
Research Workshops
Register now for new research workshops on grants and manuscripts. Sessions include: An Insider's Guide to Budgets; The Anatomy of a Grant; The Anatomy of a
Manuscript; and an NIH Study Section Panel: Insiders Scoop on Reviewers. For more information and a
registration form, visit the upcoming events page on our website at www.wfubmc.edu/women.
The
Role of Physical Activity in Women’s Bone Health Conference at Graylyn
The
Women’s
6th
Annual Excellence Triathlon
Mark
your calendars for this sell-out race, scheduled for
9th Annual Graylyn
Conference on Women’s Cognitive Health
Save the date for this
conference scheduled for October 29-31 at the
Women’s
Health Research Seminar Series
March 4 – “Factors Influencing Physical Activity in Women
of Color,” presented by Sara Wilcox, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department
of Exercise Science, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of
South Carolina, Columbia.
April 1 – “Measuring Quality of Care From Women’s
Perspective,” presented by Carol Weisman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of
Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health.
May 6 – “Smokeless Tobacco as a Risk Factor for Osteoporosis Among Older Women
In the South,” presented by Sara Quandt, Ph.D.,
Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, WFUBMC.
Seminars
are held at
Feature
Article
March is National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness
Month. Turn over to learn more
about this preventable disease.
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
The early sign of this
illness is a strong and noticeable fatigue that comes on suddenly. CFS is
diagnosed two to four times more often in women, possibly because of
biological, psychological, and social influences and affects all racial and
ethnic groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that as
many as 500,000 people in the
How CFS Begins, Its Symptoms and Diagnosis
For
many people, CFS begins after a bout with a cold, bronchitis, hepatitis, an
intestinal bug, mono or during a high stress period. In order to receive a
diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria: 1)
Have severe chronic fatigue for six months or longer; and 2) concurrently
have four or more of the following symptoms:
· Headaches of a new type, pattern, or intensity
· Tender lymph nodes
· Impaired memory and/or inability to concentrate
·
Weakness
·
Muscle pain or
aches
·
Multi-joint pain
without swelling or redness;
·
Insomnia or
un-refreshing sleep
· Discomfort or "out-of-sorts" feeling after
physical exertion
How to Cope with and Manage the Illness
Learning
how to manage fatigue may help improve the level of functioning and quality of
life despite symptoms. Health experts recommend maintaining good health by eating
a balanced diet and getting adequate rest, exercising regularly but without
causing more fatigue and pacing oneself physically, emotionally, and
intellectually.
Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Education - Learn to
adjust activities and behaviors that may aggravate the illness.
Prescription Medications - Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
for relief of pain and low-dose tricyclic
antidepressants to improve sleep.
Physical Activity - know
how much to do and when to stop the activity.
Therapies may
contribute to feeling better, but they are most effective when combined with
physical activity. Therapies include massage
therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic or therapeutic touch.
Similar Medical
Conditions
A number of
illnesses have been described that have a similar spectrum of symptoms to CFS.
One of these is fibromyalgia (FM). It is not uncommon for a person to have both
FM and CFS. Some experts believe that the two conditions are variations of the
same disorder. Both have pain and fatigue as symptoms, but FM patients suffer
from "tender points" in specific areas of the body that are painful
when pressure is applied to them.
Information for this article was provided by the National Women’s
Health Information Center, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Nemours
Foundation.
To
learn more about chronic fatigue syndrome and other health issues that affect
women and what you can do to prevent them, visit the Women’s
