National Women's Health Week

As we continue to socially distance here in Chicago and all across the United States, it is important that we remember the importance of maintaining our health. Social distancing cannot be confused for inactivity, especially heart disease continues to be the number one cause of death among women in the US. 

From Womenshealth.gov:

"Heart disease and stroke are important health issues for all women. Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, and stroke is fourth. While heart disease is most common in older women, most women between 40 and 60 years old have at least one risk factor for heart disease. The good news is that you can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke at any age."

Tips for remaining physically active during the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. Use your body weight. When possible, walk around your house or outside with a mask. Try lunges or squats with your body weight, or even incline push-ups on a table or couch armrest. Walk up or down stairs just for fun if you can.
2. Stretch. There a a number of Yoga and Pilates videos that can be found online or even On Demand on your television. Carve out 30 minutes a day, 5 days per week to stretch or perform dedicated physical activity.
3. Be mindful of snack time. Make nuts, low calorie popcorn, fruits and vegetables your primary snack and drink plenty of water, especially before snacking as this may help control portion sizes.

COVID-19 is thought to be primarily a respiratory disease, menaing a disease that affects the lungs. We learn something new about the virus daily. Globally are starting to see a rise in stroke, blood clots, inflammatory disorders and other ailments related to the virus. Keeping your body as healthy as possible during these times has never been more important.

Social distancing is also of supreme importance at this, even as we seem some areas of the country with decreasing numbers of new infections. A large proportion of COVID-19 transmission comes via assymptomatic transmission. That means that most people who spread the virus, don't even know that they have it. For this reason, avoiding large gatherings and wearing a facemask that covers your mouth and nose are supremely important.

A person who is assymptomatic can spread the virus by laughing, talking, or even simply breathing due to the droplets that are present in the moisture that comes from our lungs. If you must resume work or be around people, covering your mouth and nose decreases the likelihood that you can pass the virus.

This is why we are requiring anyone who comes into the office to be seen wear a face covering. This helps to protect you, the staff and doctors and other patients. Other steps that we are taking to minimize potential viral transmission in the office are:

1. We only allow the patient to come into the office. No guests or children are allowed unless the patient requires physical assistance.

2. We are spacing patient volume in order to not have too many patients in the office at the same time. 

3. We have rearranged seating int the waiting room to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

4. We have screening questionnaire that every patient must complete before coming into the office and we take every patient's tempurature once in the office.

5. Our staff also wear masks and clean every item in the waiting room and exam rooms to ensure that we are minimizing cross-contamination between patients. 

Remember, the doctors of Women's Health Consulting are slowly resuming in-office visits. We are also available for Telehealth visits for a number of medical concerns. Your health and safety are our primary concern. 

We look forward to seeing you again and be safe.

Author

Women's Health Consulting Physicians Board Certified Obstetricians and Gynecologists practicing at Women's Health Consulting in downtown Chicago.