Blog #5 Working conditions for Women

I was overwhelmed with a strong sense of sadness, disappointment, and anger after reading the article “Violent debate on women’s right in Pakistan: Female Minister of Welfare Shot Dead.”  I was extremely sad for Mrs. Usman’s husband and family because they lost a loved one who was trying to help the public.  I was also saddened by the acts of violence women face in Pakistan and the way their government handles these attacks on women.  Although the government says they are “handling the situations” women are still being attacked for working and the men who commit these horrendous acts of violence still continue to go unpunished which disappoints, angers, and disgusts me.  People are bombing girls’ schools in addition to threatening female health workers while the offenders receive a slap on the hand for killing women and female relatives.  What are they going to do when they kill off the female population? It’s disheartening to know that women in Pakistan whom work outside their home have to be worried about being assassinated just as much as women in politics.  These women are working to take care of their families and being murdered for it.   I am also angered by the fact that the man who killed Mrs. Usman used religion to justify him murdering her.   I think Mr. Sarwar should have let his God pass judgment on Mrs. Usman instead of killing her in cold blood based on his interpretation of the Koran.  It also angers me to no end that Mr. Sarwar was not in jail since “he confessed to killing at least 4 women and wounding 4 others” (Montero).  He’s killing someone’s mother, daughter, sister, child and/ or wife.  These women are not hurting anyone so I do not see the point of all this violence against women who work. 

Montero, David. “Violent debate on women’s right in Pakistan: Female Minister of Welfare Shot Dead.” 

Blog # 4- Mental Illnesses

I have a cousin who has been diagnosed with several mental illnesses.  He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar.  The most recent diagnosis is paranoid schizophrenia.   He has been declared mentally disabled and is receiving social security since he is unable to work.  What the family did not know until recently is that my cousin had been diagnosed mentally disabled during his teenage years so he may have other mental illnesses that I am not aware of.  My cousin has spent most of his life in prison as a result of the three strike rule.  He was sentenced to life in prison and always claimed he was innocent which resulted in a review of his case and his release.  By the time he was released the damaged from years in prison had been done.    Before interacting with my cousin, I researched the different types of schizophrenia so I had a better understanding of his behaviors, possible actions and reactions.  To be honest what I learned scared me and had me walking on eggshells around him.  I was always polite and stayed away from controversial topics that I thought might anger him.  Apparently I was not the only person who felt that way because my mom said the same thing.  We both know my aunt won’t tell my cousin “no” because she’s afraid of making him angry.  I don’t know what medications my cousin is taking or if he’s even taking his medications but I hope he is because he is a danger to society if he doesn’t.  My cousin is like a walking time-bomb and you never know what will make him explode. 

Blog 3: The Media and Our Body Image- Option 6

I think the media plays a huge role in the way we feel about our bodies because it’s everywhere.  There are pictures of thin people on the cover of magazines, TV commercials, movies, even commercials on the radio advertise about various workouts and diet supplements that people can take to lose weight.  I was watching the morning news on channel 5 and saw a commercial for weight loss surgery by Dr. Kim (don’t remember his first name) 6 times in a 1 hour time frame.  I lost count after the 6 time the commercial came on.  I remember wondering if this is how people are brainwashed.  The thing people do not realize when they have these weight loss surgeries is that it is a life style change and they have to change their eating habits.  No more carbonated beverages like soda and beer, they cannot eat pizza, wings, and other types of fast food every other day (I have a friend that continued to eat like this and gained all the weight back and then some).  These things are what I consider the “fine print” of the weight loss surgeries that the media constantly advertises. 

I think health educators can help prepare effective messages to counter this negative images and ideas by turning off the TV, becoming more active and engaging their students with more physically active lessons like planning a day to teach class as they walk around the school track, or having a class field day where they participate in educational events that are set up in the class room.  Students tend to remember the material from the fun lessons and it is very important for health educators to lead by example.  It’s difficult to take a lesson about how to lose weight seriously when the teacher is obese.  I also think health educators it would be awesome if health educators could set aside 5 minutes a week per student to discuss how that weekly lesson pertains to the student’s life as well as how the student perceives themselves because this would provide the educator with the opportunity to counter negativity on an individual level based on their conversation.  I think conversations like this would help the students trust the educator enough that they would feel comfortable discussing problems like bullying or eating disorders.  I know the teachers who impacted me the most were the ones that I was able to communicate with about anything whether it was a problem at home, work, school, another subject, or just life.  They were able to help me grow because they left that door open and took the time to form bonds with all the students in their class.

I think the media is embracing more diversity in regards to body shape, size, and color than what was “acceptable” years ago, but they still have a long way to go.  The advertisements that embrace diversity are not shown as frequently as the advertisements with the “Barbie-doll” models.  For instance, there are tons of Victoria Secret commercials that play all the time but you rarely see a Soma Intimates commercial. The H&M commercials include their “smaller” models and not their “full figured” models. I didn’t know they had a “Big is Beautiful” line until I read the “One Size Definitely Does Not Fit All” article.  Although the media has started to use more “realistic” models in advertisements, there are still diet pills advertisements every few pages in magazines. The media is slowly evolving their image of women which is gradually changing society’s image as well. 

Blog 2 : Contraception Influences

A person’s cultural beliefs and practices can influence what form of contraception they use if any.  In some cultures practice a religion that believe the only acceptable form of contraception is the rhythm method and any other forms of contraception are considered sinful.  For example the Catholic Church believes in using the rhythm method after marriage and abstinence before marriage which influences what contraception method many Catholics use.  It ultimately depends on what the individual considers to be the most important thing to them.  According to my grandmother Jehovah’s Witness are ok with contraception as long as it does not terminate a pregnancy. Since that is information that my grandmother told me I’m not sure if all Jehovah’s Witnesses feel that way about contraception but I think that makes it easier on people who practice that belief because they don’t have to worry about the sin they commit using birth control.

Now in my home I was raise as a Christian but not part of a specific religion so there were not any religious beliefs or practices that played a role in contraceptive decision making in my home, it was more of a logical decision on my mom’s part.  My mom’s thought process was “now you’re able to physically reproduce, what is the most effective way to stop you from doing it while you’re living under my roof.”  My mom’s solution was putting me on Depo-Provera when I turned 14.  I was livid because sex was the last thing on my mind at that time but my mom response was “teens are going to have sex, that’s just what they do, at least this way I didn’t have to worry about having a baby if the condom broke and Happy Birthday!!” That was not my idea of a great birthday present but looking back at it now it was a smart decision on my mom’s part.  Once I got over being angry at my mom, I actually enjoyed being on the shot because I didn’t have to deal with PMS or my period.   I had a lot of friends who ended up as teen mothers and I know things would have been differently if their parents had done the same thing that my mom did.  My mom chose to take an active role in ensuring that I did not become a teen parent.    I actually understand my mom’s perspective even more since having my daughter.  My daughter is 6 months old now so I have some time to decide how I am going to address the issue of birth control with her.   

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Alexander, L.L., LaRosa, J.H., Bader, H. Garfield, S.  (2010). Dimensions in women's health. (5thEd.).  Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett

Blog 1: Our Healthcare System

My current feelings about the present state of health care in the United States is sadness, disgust, and disappointment because we live in what is considered to be the most successful democratic country in the world but keeping the citizens of this wonderful country has not been a priority.  Our healthcare industry is in need of a major overhaul.

 I have work in the healthcare industry for the last 4 years and it is heartbreaking to know how many people have chronic diseases but cannot afford the medication to treat it.  I have had people on the phone crying because they cannot afford their cancer medication for that month and they are in the Medicare “donut hole” so they have to pay full price for their medication, which just happens to cost $12,000.  Now last time I checked, 20% of $12,000 is still a lot of money, especially when you are a senior citizen over 65 years old and retired.  That could easily be my grandmother on the phone crying because she cannot afford her medication. It’s just not right any way you look at it.  I can guarantee that it does not cost $12,000 to make that medication but the pharmacies love to charge that price.  That’s just one of many medications that are priced like that.

 The pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies are all getting disgustingly rich on all the sick poor people that we have in our country.  The sicker people are the more money they make, which is why I think we should adopt Great Britain’s idea of paying doctors more for having well patients.  I bet you we would have more healthy people in our country with longer life expectancies and better quality of life.   People in federal prisons receive better treatment than the elderly citizens in nursing homes and we have not done anything to change that (I stayed with my grandmother in a nursing when she had neck surgery to ensure they were taking care of her). (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/)

I am disgusted to know that everyone could have healthcare; good, quality, healthcare for a fraction of what we currently spend in the healthcare industry.  There is a way for people to live their lives without medical bills and the fear of bankruptcy because of medical bills but companies are too greedy to allow that to happen.   My husband had an emergency appendectomy a couple of weeks ago and we’re looking at about $3000 in medical bills with insurance.  So to know that is something that our country has the ability to change but has not made any progress towards resolving the issue really disappoints me.   I honestly do not understand what the issue is on why our great country cannot appear to find a health system that works when less successful countries can create a system what works more efficiently and costs less.  The healthcare industry needs to start seeing citizens as people and not dollar signs. Healthcare should be a right for everyone not a privilege.

Palfreman, Jon (2008, April 15). Sick Around the World.  [Frontline]. WGBH Boston.

Retrieved on January 25, 2012 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

Introduction

My name is Celicia and I am 30 years old. I have been married to my amazing husband for 2 years and I am very proud first time mother of a 4 month old little girl. Those two people are my heart and soul, they make my life complete. Before “Munchkin” arrived, my husband and I had animals but that quickly changed. Shortly after “Munchkin” was born, our animals went to live with my mom while we adapted to life with our new addition.  At first I was heartbroken when we agreed to let my mom keep our animals and now I’m appreciative as well as thankful that my mom decided to keep them for us because I honestly don’t think I could have survived taking care of “Munchkin” in addition to 3 dogs and 2 cats. My husband and I determined it was more economical and beneficial for me to stay home with “Munchkin” so I resigned from my position in October. In my spare time I enjoy reading, traveling, yoga, dancing, crocheting, cooking, laughing, and spending time with my husband, “Munchkin,” and the rest of our family.

I have spent the last few years working in the healthcare industry and decided to pursue a degree that will help me in that industry. I am currently pursing my second Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies and a stay at home mom. I plan to start graduate school once I complete my degree. Once my education is complete, I would like to eventually open a non-profit organization that helps children.  This organization has been a dream of mine since I was about 10 years old and it has expanded over the years. So now I am organizing my ideas so I can start creating my business plan. It’s overwhelming at times but I know it will be worth it in the end.

One thing I hope to learn in this class is how things have changed for women since the early 1900’s, like the life expectancy and the factors that have contributed to that change, as well as how this compares to other countries.  

One thing that most people don’t know about me is that I have a phobia of snakes. My usual nightmare consists of me being in a room full of snakes and my husband has woken up to me screaming “Snakes! Snakes!” while jumping on the bed (still asleep). I will not watch movies that contain a lot of snakes because they give me nightmares.