healthy living for women + their families
Ten years ago at the age of 44, Liz Gorka was stunned when she was diagnosed with a disease she had never heard of before. Systemic sclerodema is a progressive disorder that causes the hardening of connective tissues and can seriously damage vital organs. As the Mayo Clinic site puts it, "For unknown reasons, the immune system turns against the body . . . Scleroderma has no known cure."
How many times have I heard variations of this in the last two weeks? “I can’t understand why Whitney Houston would overdose/abuse drugs/get so drunk, when she had been through treatment and achieved sobriety, a child who needed her, a great career, people who loved her, and such a strong faith.” In fact, I was sitting next to a Miami news anchor at dinner the other night who said the same thing.
One of our favorite experts, Marie (Dr. Marie) Savard, M.D., confides that back when she gave birth for the first time, she ended up with a huge hemorrhoid that made having a bowel movement exquisitely painful. "I was so preoccupied with my sore bottom that I could barely enjoy my new baby," says Dr. Marie. She adds, though, that this incident inspired her to teach her patients how to prevent and treat hemorrhoids, also called "piles." Here is what you need to know about this nuisance ailment that strikes an estimated 90 percent of us at least once.
No one is in a better position than a nurse to give you insider information about your hospital stay – unless she's a nurse who went on to become a doctor. Marie Savard, M.D., medical contributor to Good Morning America and the author of Ask Dr. Marie and How to Save Your Own Life, offers these tips for taking charge of your healthcare when you're going to the hospital:
