Mail Call: Trying to Stay Healthy.(Letter to the Editor)

See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me

Responding to our May 10 cover story on women's health, readers stressed the importance of maintaining your health--and weighed in with a ton of medical advice. On the subject of heart disease, a nurse cautioned that "risks start early, so preventing childhood obesity is crucial to combating our national epidemic." A nutritionist cited a recent study whose findings pointed to "poor food choices dramatically raising the risk of heart disease and breast cancer," and added, "Why not start with a breakfast of fruit and high-fiber cereal" that won't clog arteries. One woman, grateful for the guide to tests and vaccines, ruefully said, "Now all I need is health insurance and I'll be just peachy." As for the pursuit of youthful looks, an observer noted dryly: "While the taut, trout-lipped, perpetually surprised visage that accompanies trips to the cosmetic surgeon may indeed be wrinkle-free, it is hardly looking good."

Thank you for your wonderful May 10 cover package, "The New Keys to Women's Health." You have touched on so many issues of importance to women of all ages, and have clearly pinpointed many of the answers to health questions that traditionally have been difficult to nail down. This is a resource that is long past due.

Mary Oldfield

Gig Harbor, Wash.

Thank you, thank you, for the article on urinary incontinence ("An Unspeakable Affliction"). This is a huge problem that many people don't think is a medical condition and don't discuss with their physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Many patients have symptoms for years before seeking treatment; I have seen some who struggled with this problem for as long as 15 years before they asked for help. It is tragic to see how diminished these women's lives become as they give up their favorite activities, including exercise. However, incontinence is not a disease solely of elderly women. I see patients as young as 26. And over-active bladder, characterized by urinary urgency, frequency and often-urge incontinence is almost as common in men as in women after the age of 65. There is treatment available. Just ask.

Martha P. Geisheker, R.N.

Portland, Ore.

My grandmother was a plump Italian woman. She ate whatever she wanted (lots of fat and carbs) and drank as much wine as she liked. She didn't worry about calories, cholesterol, sex appeal or (God forbid!) aging. She enjoyed her life instead of spending all her energy trying to…