Women's Health

This blog post was inspired by my findings whilst clearing out my handbag, such a mundane task. Anyway, I was flicking through my random crumpled up papers and found two letters with invitations to attend my first smear test. The irrational part of my brain told me to just tear it up, sure I was young and healthy was I not? Was there any need to put myself through something so uncomfortable for no reason? These thoughts are incredibly foolish, I know that, but justified it by my having a bad phobia of most things medical related. Whether it be a needle or a speculum, I severely dislike any foreign objects going into my body and especially loathe the agonising week long wait for results. I doubt I'm the only one who feel this way.

I did the right thing though, I rang the clinic and made myself an appointment for my smear test and also for full STD/HIV check up. The ordeal was no where near as bad as I had suspected and I'm glad to report, I'm clean as a whistle. So why is it so many young women are being foolish and putting their health at risk? A smear test lasts only a few minutes but can save thousands of lives, as some diseases are silent killers with no symptoms. I feel, overall, women are quite overly relaxed when it come to their health, young, newly independent women of today particularly. This generation smoke too much, drink too much, drug it too much and have unprotected sex too often without much care for the repercussions, it's a distinct lack of responsibility that overshadows the lifestyles of this modern age, that feeling of being invisible and having no fear that is becoming detrimental to us.

A few years ago, a relative of mine was very poorly in hospital and was bed bound for months on end. I visited twice a day, every day and can honestly report that only about 10% of the overall hospital visitors bothered to use the antiseptic hand foam clearly on display when arriving and leaving. And the public wonder why there are so many outbreaks of disease and virus within the health systems. We live in a convenience age which is actually making us rather lazy as a species, much more lazy than we were fifty years ago that's for sure.
I believe our diets play an essential part in our health and wellbeing and it's no surprise that we are as unhealthy as ever, with illness' such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, chronic pain and cancer all being linked to a poor diet of too much of the wrong foods. Even our skin and hair lack the lustre they should, along with mental health disorders such as depression being linked to our diets is more than the wake up call we need to change.

Personally, a few years ago I was rather unhealthy with eating too much processed, high salt, high fat crap food, not getting enough exercise, binge drinking, smoking and occasionally dabbling in legal highs. This all manifested itself together and I felt awful most days, I regularly got chest infections, was on strong antibiotics several times a year, suffered mild depression, was a few stone overweight and was constantly tired. I knew I needed to change my life and be honest with myself, so, I invested in electronic cigarettes, stopped the drinking, started running and began to cook all my meals from scratch and I honestly have never felt better. My mind feels healthy, which is the most important thing for me, and I'm now going for regular check ups to my G.P and GUM clinic to keep my body in check.
It's time we start putting our health first and look after our bodies whilst we are still young and are still in control of it.
For more information on women's health, please click this link.