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Medical Missteps
What you know can hurt you. You'll be less at risk for disease the more you educate yourself about your body and your history. Mistakes 
Not knowing your family health history
Not taking your pills with water
Not applying sunscreen on your calves
Not doing breast self exams
Being uneducated about heart disease
Not Changing Your Toothbrush
Mistake: Not Knowing Your Family Health History If you're unaware of your family medical history, at least two generations back, you're depriving yourself of possible early disease detection and treatment. Not knowing when the relatives were stricken with the disease or illness can hurt too. Remedy: Do your research. Know the specifics of when and what illness your relatives developed — there's a big difference between a woman diagnosed with cancer in her twenties and a woman in her eighties. Make the lifestyle changes necessary. Mistake: Not Taking Your Pills With Water Taking medication with just any drink can affect the way the medicine reacts in your body. Grapefruit juice has been shown to increase the levels of some heart and blood pressure medicine making them too effective. Milk can decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics. Remedy: Unless your doctor specifies, you should take all medications with 8 ounces of water. Mistake: Not Applying Sunscreen on Your Calves The back of the legs is the most common area for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. It's also the place many women skip when applying sunscreen. Remedy: Reapply often, at least every two hours. To cover your entire body, a shot glass full is a good amount. So if you're on a 10-day vacation, one bottle of sunscreen is likely not enough. Mistake: Not Doing Breast Self Exams Usually you get a breast exam once a year when you visit your doctor for an annual check up. In the meantime, you run the risk of not detecting a breast mass early. Remedy: Give yourself a self exam at least once a month. Many women in their twenties don't give themselves self exams — but breast cancer can strike at any age. Mistake: Being Uneducated About Heart Disease We often think of it as a man's disease, but heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the country. Some women have thought they had heartburn or indigestion when they were having a heart attack. Remedy: If you smoke, quit, and start eating a healthier diet too (consult a physician or nutritionist if necessary).
Mistake: Not Changing Your Toothbrush Changing your toothbrush is just as important as using toothpaste, when it comes to maintaining healthy teeth. Splayed or bent bristles are not effective for cleaning, nor are hard bristled brushes that can wear-down enamel and cause receding gum lines. Remedy: Change your toothbrush every two months and use a soft-bristle brush for optimal care. From the show Health Mistakes Smart Women Make |
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