Baby, It’ s Cold Outside
How to take care of yourself during the winter doldrums - and year round for that matter.

It’s cold, I’ve got cabin fever, and I feel like I’m chapped from head to foot. What a great time of year to turn inward and focus on taking care of ourselves. The Boulder Valley Women’ s Health Center is dedicated to helping you do just that.

For those of you who may not know us, we are a group of women health practitioners who provide the full spectrum of women’s health services from puberty to menopause. We have a free Teen Clinic if you need confidential family planning or gynecological care and are under 20, and we have a gynecology clinic for your annual exams. The cost of your exam is proportional to your income. Dr. Ann Mattson, our board-certified holistic Ob/Gyn, is available for more complex gynecology services as well as your routine needs, and is an authorized provider on many insurance company panels. Also, we can provide abortion services when a woman facing an unintended pregnancy so chooses.

Trisha Bosak, RN, MS, CNM, our medical supervisor, offers the following suggestions for keeping yourself healthy and happy during the doldrums of winter and throughout the year.

• Once you are sexually active, you should get a PAP exam to screen for cervical cancer yearly. Your annual exam is also an excellent opportunity to discuss any health concerns you may have, get your breasts checked for lumps, and discuss with an expert whether your contraceptive measures are meeting your needs.

• Mammograms are recommended at age 40 and every 1-2 years thereafter, until age 50 when you should receive a screening mammogram yearly.

• If you have a family history of heart disease, get your lipids screened while in your 20’s. If your levels are normal, screening every 5 years should suffice.

• A family history of diabetes means you should have your fasting blood sugar screened while in your 20’s, and then appropriate follow-up depending on the results of that test.

And how about combating the ravages of winter? There is no more effective way to counteract the dryness, itchy skin, and chapped lips than to drink lots of water! 8-10 glasses a day! Get out of doors every day to counteract seasonal affective disorder and boost your Vitamin D. Exercising in cold weather burns more calories, so kill two birds with one stone by exercising outdoors.

A good daily multi-vitamin is important. If you want to supplement, 400 IU of Vitamin E will help your skin, and protects against heart disease and cancer. If you are in your childbearing years, 1000 mg. of calcium daily is recommended, 1500 mg. if you’re menopausal. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis and also combats PMS symptoms.

And finally, pick up a good book. Dr. Christiane Northrup’s "Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom" combines traditional medicine with a more holistic approach to women’ s health, that recognizes the mind-body connection and the many unique factors that impact women’s ability to achieve and maintain wellness.

Susan Levy, RN, JD, is the Executive Director of the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center. Be socially conscious by receiving your women’ s health care at BVWHC, a non-profit health care provider. Your fees/insurance payments help defray the cost of providing family planning and health services to indigent women. For an appointment call 303-442-5160. To reach a member of the admin team call 303-440-9320.