If you haven’t already checked on these articles and resources, I’d recommend it. Sorry I’m behind schedule a bit – some are from last week.

“The Women’s Health Initiative and the Body Politic” looks at our perception of women going through menopause. We treat this “condition” as an illness with various treatments including hormone therapy (estrogen and progestin) and hysterectomy. These treatments can be controversial and sometimes harmful for the patient, including a higher risk of breast cancer for those taking both hormones.

A couple articles on exercise: “What’s the Best Exercise?” and “Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?”

There seems to be much controversy about how one should exercise and how much. Is walking  better than running? Do you really need 30 minutes 5 days a week? Part of the problem seems to be that anything considered to be outside “thin” is seen to be abnormal by most people. I can think of sitting through many an exegesis by particular people I know about the “problem” of “fat people who don’t exercise.” Exercise may seem to be obvious, but it’s not. Bodies vary in ability, thyroids process differently.

I also came across this feature in the Health section of the NY Times called “Patient Voices” that chronicles experiences of various diseases/disorders including HIV/AIDS, lupus, OCD, ADHD, and many others. It’s multimedia with video interviews. If you’re interested in other patient forums specific to your illness/etc., you can try PatientsLikeMe. I originally wasn’t accepted into the forum because my particular condition wasn’t included. However, I received an email from the site that finally accepted me! There is also healthtalkonline as a resource too.