how to get good medical care as a woman?

this is pretty stunning:

The United States isn't making the grade when it comes to women's health, a new report contends.

The report gives the country an overall grade of "unsatisfactory" because it meets only three of 27 benchmarks for women's health. Those benchmarks are the percentage of women aged 40 and over who get regular mammograms; the percentage of women who visit their dentist annually; and the percentage of women aged 50 and over who are screened for colorectal cancer.

Not one state received an overall "satisfactory" grade in the area of women's health. Three states -- Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont -- received "satisfactory minus" grades, down from eight states in 2004.

Eleven states, as well as the District of Columbia, received failing grades -- Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia -- double the number that failed in 2004.

All other states received a rating of "unsatisfactory," according to the report, released Wednesday by the National Women's Law Center and Oregon Health and Science University.

"As the years pass, states are further behind in the quest to meet national goals for women's health," Judy Waxman, vice president for health and reproductive rights at the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), said during a teleconference. "States have made some progress in adopting policies that could advance women's health as opposed to past report cards, but we still have a long way to go because once policies are in place, it takes a while to make an impact on health status."

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said she was "absolutely appalled by this study. We're running around the U.S. talking about women and heart disease, and here we have in all states an increase in obesity, and 46 states got worse in diabetes. This should be on the mind of every single presidential candidate."

The report, Making the Grade for Women's Health: A National and State-by-State Report Card, is the fourth in a series of triennial report cards analyzing benchmarks of women's health in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The 27 benchmarks were based on goals set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 agenda.

Obesity was the only indicator that worsened in every state since 2004.

"The implications for that are enormous," Dr. Michelle Berlin, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University, said at the teleconference. "Rates of diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases are on the rise across the U.S. and obesity is a clear link to that."

Link

Thu. Oct 18, 10:45am

don't seek MDs

My family and I have sought out care by M.D.s for years only to misdiagnosed at our expense physically and financially.

We now are going to an osteopath who, through blood work, has diagnosed us with everything we thought was wrong. I refuse to subject my family to medical doctor who are controlled by HMOs and the FDA. No thanks! And this article proves that it's not worth it anymore to go to the doctor.

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 11:29 AM

where did you find the article? in a magazine? online publication?

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 11:35 AM

There's a link there (new poster). Didn't you see it?

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 12:14 PM

it is a site run by the US government and the information tends to be very good and up to date.

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 12:16 PM

i did see thelink, but i don't click on links without being sure where it's going...my computer is kinda weak and i'm not very knowledgable with computers. i've been advised not to click on too many links unless i'm sure where they lead. thanks!

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 12:34 PM

with links you can usually mouse over the link and you'll see the url. In this case the domain is .gov which is considered pretty safe.

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 12:43 PM

thanks

Friday, October 19, 2007, 3:05 PM

Wow, scary stuff!

Friday, October 19, 2007, 7:12 PM

Related Content: How To Lose Weight- The Basics Weight Watchers Points System The Fat Smash Diet The Eat To Live Diet The Beck Diet Solution How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight		How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer How To Burn Fat Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? Tips On Using PEERtrainer Visit The PEERtrainer Community Diet and Fitness Resources
Fitness Weight Watchers Meetings Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are Writing Down Your Daily Workouts Spending Money On A Personal Trainer? How I Became A Marathon Runner		Preventive Health How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot? Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer? Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy Reversing Disease Through Nutrition
New Diet and Fitness Articles: Weight Watchers Points Plus How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program		Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne: Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough How To Delay Short Term Gratification How To Stay Motivated How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule
Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight? Are Protein Drinks Safe? Nutrition As Medicine?		Everyday Weight Loss Tips How To Eat Healthy At A Party How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight The Three Bite Rule Tips On How To Stop A Binge