In celebration of Women's Health Week (May 8-14, 2011), let's take the time to rejoice in life by tending to our health! Did you know that there are 1,219,744 women dying each year needlessly of preventable causes? It's understandable that, as the primary caretakers in the home, women can easily put their own health on the back burner. Today, make the choice to make a change and give YOUR health the number-one priority in your life that it DESERVES.

	Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health by Nieca Goldberg
	A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind: Loving Your Body, Accepting Yourself, and Living Without Regret by Karen Linamen
	The Strong Women's Guide to Total Health by Miriam Nelson PhD and Jennifer Ackerman

Women are UNKNOWINGLY overlooking symptoms that are putting their health at risk. According to CNN, there are seven common "hidden" diseases secretly attacking women's health to date. These diseases include:

1. POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME:
   One in every 10 women of child- bearing age will develop this condition, which is the leading cause of infertility.
2. FIBROMYALAGIA: Affects three to six million women in the U.S. alone.
3. CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: Women, especially in their 40s and 50s, are four times more likely to experience this disorder than men.
4. LUPUS: Women make up 90% of its victims.
5. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS): Women are three times more likely than men to develop MS and it generally appears between the ages of 20 and 40.
6. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA): Women make up three-quarters of RA cases and usually peak between the ages of 40 to 60.
7. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: 20% of Americans suffer from IBS but it is two times more likely to affect women.

Let's celebrate health and not overlook it. Women's Health Week encourages us not to ignore signs but to be informed and take the proper steps in order to prevent disease from derailing your life. The rewards and benefits of good health aren't just the chance to live longer, but also the freedom to live BETTER and create more amazing memories with your family and friends!

Join your local Spirit of Women Hospital in their crusade to spread good health in your community. Your health is a choice - choose to feel great!

Make a choice for better health.
Visit spiritofwomen.org.

Take a Loved One to the Doctor is powered by Spirit of Women®, a national network of hospitals and healthcare providers across the United States that ascribe to the highest standards of excellence in women's health, education, and community outreach.