Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Piedmont Hospital Invites Women to Spirit Girls Night Out

Health Screening and Education combined with Fun and Pampering

Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta's exclusive Spirit of Women hospital, today announced the details of its second annual Spirit Girls Night Out, an evening of health screening and education combined with fun and pampering. Spirit of Women is a partnership of hospitals and healthcare systems from across the country that aims to drive health and wellness opportunities for women and their families.

Spirit Girls Night Out is Thursday, October 15, 2009, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at The Foundry at Puritan Mill located at 916 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., Atlanta, Georgia 30318. The event, emceed by well-known television health expert, Dr. Randy Martin, will feature health education on women's cancers, digestive health and incontinence, as well as health screenings and flu shots (available at no additional charge). Also included are mini-spa treatments, great door prizes, delectable food and beverages, and a chance to “ask the doc” that important health question. Event entertainment includes international speaker extraordinaire Renee Rongen presenting Life's Your Legacy…Live it!

Reservations for Spirit Girls Night Out for those age 21 and over are $10 until October 12 through online registration or by telephone and $15 at the door. Register at piedmonthospital.org/spiritofwomen or toll-free at 1-866-900-4321. Proceeds go to women's educational programs at Piedmont Hospital.

“At Piedmont Hospital, we are excited about this signature event and helping women take advantage of the many benefits of our participation in the Spirit of Women program,” said Denise Ray, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Piedmont Hospital. “Bring your mom, sisters, daughters and friends to learn, get pampered and celebrate being women!”
Spirit of Women educational guidelines are updated annually and guided by the National Standards of Excellence for Women's Health and the Office on Women's Health. Because women make up to 85 percent of household healthcare decisions, the educational and motivational efforts of Spirit of Women positively impact the well-being of the entire family and community as a whole.

Piedmont Hospital provides a variety of Spirit of Women inspired events throughout the year that not only include the education, screenings and support groups that will reach women in all stages of their lives but also fun activities like mini-spa treatments for stress relief, dance lessons to get the heart pumping and Ask-the-Doctor social hours.

Women who register for Spirit Girls Night Out will receive complimentary memberships to Piedmont's Spirit of Women Rewards program. Rewards members will enjoy discounts and benefits from program partners including: the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Opera, Bette Care (professional home care), Chick-fil-A, Fox Theatre, Natural Body Spa and Shoppe, Piedmont Hospital Health & Fitness Club, Publix Apron Cooking School, TaylorMade Performance Lab at Reynold's Plantation, The Welch Experience (personal training, self-defense, etc.) and WNBA Atlanta Dream.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Atlanta's Top Wedding Experts Announce Another Boutique Bridal Experience

Paisley Umbrella and Atlantan Brides Magazine present Save the Date: Toast to Fall Wedding Style on Thursday, June 25th from 6-9pm at Paisley Umbrella's design showroom located at 2971 N. Fulton Drive in Buckhead.

The bridal experience is an intimate evening of inspiring ideas for Fall wedding design, styled and presented by the wedding experts of Paisley Umbrella, Atlantan Brides magazine and some of the top names in the bridal industry. Guests will enjoy a wine tasting experience, cocktail buffet from Added Touch Catering, live music and a chance to mingle with Atlanta's most creative wedding professionals as well as register to win wedding giveaways.

"Our Save the Date events are showcased in an intimate setting where brides can meet with vendors on a more personal scale as our platform is built on creative custom design," said Paisley Umbrella and Olive owner Katriesa Raines. "

Outside vendors like the intimate backdrop of the space and the styled setting created to show how each vendor works together to make a beautiful wedding day story."

Paisley Umbrella partners include Olive, Ashley Baber Weddings, Ann Roth Shoes, Nichola Jewelry, Petalscapes, Blend Custom Parfum Studio, The Little Cake Bakery, The Hungry Peach, Linvites Stationary and Invitations, Mama Gifts and Favors, Hollie Lytle Photography, Tracey Tirrell Bridal Hair Accessories, Kimberly Mack Beauty Group, Ahnna B Designs, Couture Cakes Inc., Spectrum Entertainment, Added Touch Catering and more.

Admission is complimentary with RSVP to www.paisleyumbrella.eventbrite.com. The first 50 brides to respond will receive a fabulous gift bag. For more information about the event or Paisley Umbrella, visit www.paisleyumbrella.com.
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Friday, May 15, 2009

Mayo Clinic Researchers Say Agent Provides Treatment Option for Women with Hot Flashes

A pill used for nerve pain offers women relief from hot flashes, Mayo Clinic researchers report at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO).

They say the agent, pregabalin, decreased hot flash severity and frequency about 20 percent more than did a placebo agent. Thus, pregabalin appears to offer about the same benefit as gabapentin, an older, related drug, as well as newer classes of antidepressants.

"Hot flashes are a major problem in many women, and for those who opt not to take hormonal therapies or antidepressants, pregabalin appears to be another treatment option," says the study's lead author, Charles Loprinzi, M.D., a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

While pregabalin offers about the same benefit as gabapentin, women who use it only need to take two pills a day, versus three for gabapentin, he says. Side effects can occur with the use of either drug. However, in this study, they were not severe enough that participants stopped using the active study drug any more often than did patients who were taking placebos, researchers say.

Dr. Loprinzi has pioneered the field of nonhormonal hot flash therapy, which he began researching decades ago to help breast cancer patients using tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen treatment that creates symptoms of menopause. He is the first researcher to test the use of antidepressants, compared to placebo treatment, for hot flashes.

Gabapentin, an agent that has long been on the market to treat pain caused from injury to nerves, has been shown to decrease hot flashes more than do placebos. This drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy and for shingles; anecdotal evidence suggested that menopausal women who used it had a reduction in hot flashes, Dr. Loprinzi says. Multiple placebo-controlled studies have since demonstrated that this drug decreases hot flashes.

Gabapentin and a variety of antidepressants are now commonly prescribed for treatment of hot flashes, although these agents are not specifically approved by the FDA for such use.

Pregabalin is a newer version of gabapentin. "We thought it might also relieve hot flashes and thus was worth testing," Dr. Loprinzi says.

So, using funds from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Loprinzi and colleagues set up a 207-participant study conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG). The study was a Phase III double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial, testing three different treatment arms: a placebo versus daily doses of 150 milligrams (mg) of pregabalin (75 mg twice a day) and 300 milligrams (150 mg twice a day). Patients getting pregabalin started off with lower doses which were increased weekly to the eventual full dose.

Participants, who reported having at least 28 hot flashes a week, kept a "hot flash diary" in which they recorded the number and severity of hot flashes they had each day while taking their study drug — the content of which was unknown to them.

In the study group, 34 percent were using anti-estrogen therapy — either an aromatase inhibitor, raloxifene, or tamoxifen — to help prevent the recurrence of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.

The researchers found that for the 163 patients for whom information was available, both doses of pregabalin reduced hot flashes to about the same degree, but that toxicities, such as cognitive dysfunction, were increased at the higher dose. Other reported side effects included weight gain, sleepiness, dizziness, coordination troubles, concentration troubles, and concerns regarding vision changes.

They found that, after six weeks of treatment, women using a placebo agent reported about a 50 percent decrease in their hot flash score (severity), but the change was greater for those who used a 75-milligram twice daily dose of pregabalin (65 percent decrease) and a 150-milligram twice daily dose (71 percent decrease). The declines in hot flash frequency were 36 percent for placebo users, 58 percent in women who used lower-dose pregabalin, and 61 percent in women given the higher dose.

"All in all, this study demonstrates that we have another agent to add to the list of medications that offer benefit against hot flashes, even in women using anti-estrogen therapies," Dr. Loprinzi says.

Pfizer, the company that manufactures pregabalin, donated both the drug and placebo tablets for this study.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Over 8,700 Unnecessary Cesareans Endanger Metro Atlanta Women and Babies Each Year

May 16 Rally To Raise Awareness of Cesarean Dangers and Prevention

Over 35% of new mothers in Metro Atlanta have a cesarean section, but as many as 75% of those surgeries are avoidable. Up to half of women having a cesarean will experience some kind of complication, including infection, extensive blood loss, even cardiac arrest. To help reverse this alarming trend, the Georgia Birth Network and the Atlanta Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network are co-sponsoring a rally outside of Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4 pm. An information session will follow at Life University in Marietta from 5-8pm to educate the public about the risks of c-sections, and how to avoid them.

The rate of cesarean surgeries in the United States has risen steadily, from 20.7% in 1996, to 31.8% in 2007 according to the CDC. The rate for metro Atlanta is even higher – 35.1% in 2007. The World Health Organization recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% as optimal. The U.S. Healthy People 2010 goal is a 15.5% cesarean rate by next year. Some studies show the rate could safely be as low as 5%.

C-sections can save lives in emergencies, but when used for the wrong reasons, they expose mothers and their babies to unnecessary risk. After cesarean surgery, a mother is at a significantly higher risk of infection, extensive blood loss, nausea, vomiting, blood clots, and, in extreme cases, death. Mothers having a cesarean always require a longer hospital stay, need 2-6 times as much healing time, and are twice as likely to be re-admitted to the hospital for complications. A newborn delivered by cesarean has a higher risk of being injured during delivery or having trouble breastfeeding. Many will spend time in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit for breathing problems, which may continue into childhood as asthma.

Additional problems may arise years later. In subsequent pregnancies, there is a greater risk of placenta problems, uterine rupture, and other complications, putting both mom and her future babies at higher risk. Over 90% of women who have a cesarean will have this surgery for every following birth. Risks to the mother increase dramatically with each cesarean.

To help women avoid these risks, the Atlanta chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) and the Georgia Birth Network are co-sponsoring a cesarean awareness rally, “Cutting Through The Fear.” The rally will be on Johnson Ferry Rd. at the entrance of Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4pm. Each participant will receive a free t-shirt, to be worn at the rally. The general public is welcome to participate, but please leave small children home because of the proximity to a busy road.

An information session and discussion will follow at Life University (1377 Barclay Circle, in Room 127 of Annex C) in Marietta from 5-8 pm. Elaine Mills, president of the GA chapter of ICAN, will speak on how to prevent cesareans, a birth film will be shown, and local childbirth professionals will be available to answer questions. Families are welcome at the information session, with food available. For more information about cesarean risks and prevention, please contact either GBN at 678-264-4944 or www.gabirthnetwork.com or ICAN of Atlanta at 404-609-9873 or http://atlanta.ican-online.org.

Please research all information and any organization prior to donating or contacting. The Georgia Front Page and the Fayette Front Page share information as provided from a variety of sources. We do not necessarily support, endorse or research the legitimacy of the various organization's information prior to including. We can not be held responsible for the reliability of the information or outcomes if you choose to donate or follow up with the organization (s).

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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Cancer Survivor Barbara Dooley to Speak at Women's Forum

Barbara Dooley will bring her witty and captivating story to Georgia Southern University’s Women’s Forum on Thursday, April 2.

Married to Vince Dooley, legendary former head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia, she will share tales from her decades spent as a football coach’s wife.

Adding another important dimension to her presentation is the inspiration Mrs. Dooley brings as a breast cancer survivor. Her story is powerful, moving and motivating to others who are battling challenges of their own.

Co-sponsored by Georgia Southern's Continuing Education Center, the University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and the Magnolia Coastlands Area Health Education Center, the women-only program will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building on the Georgia Southern campus. The forum provides an opportunity for women to socialize, network, and address issues that face women.

The $25 fee includes the cost of lunch. To register, call 912-478-5551 or visit http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/womensforum.html.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Women for Hire Career Expo

The Women For Hire Career Expo will be held Tuesday, March 31 from 10 AM to 2 PM at Cobb Galleria (free admission). Meet face-to-face with more than 50 top employers with great jobs at Atlanta's most popular, high caliber recruiting event for professional women. Register in advance for an exclusive early morning seminar with Women For Hire CEO Tory Johnson and Good Morning America’s Workplace Contributor to get a jump-start on your job search success! Business attire and resumes required. Free resume critiquing throughout the day. Learn more details at www.womenforhire.com or by calling 212-580-6100.
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Friday, March 13, 2009

Afghan Women Celebrate Culture, Achievements at Women's Day Event

More than 100 Afghan women and girls celebrated their accomplishments and culture during an International Women's Day celebration March 8 in the Bazarak district of Afghanistan's Panjshir province.

The event, organized by the Panjshir director of women's affairs, featured a series of speakers who highlighted economic, political and social challenges, as well as accomplishments of the valley's women.

"Panjshir has very smart women," Deputy Gov. Abdul Kabiri said. "They are working beside the men for the development of society. With education, we can have doctors and teachers. ... Our society needs everything."

One of the most popular presenters, a former Afghan judge named Rahila, was recognized as "Panjshir's Woman of the Year."

Rahila spoke about the Afghan education system during her speech. "We tend to pay more attention to boys, valuing them more than the girls, who are often uneducated," she said. "Women are half of the society. They can participate in whatever they want."

The judge acknowledged that during the majority of her 17-year career, men were displeased with her role. "Don't be discouraged," she said. "One day your daughters can be like me."

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dawn Allison-Hess, intelligence noncommissioned officer for the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team and representative of the PRT's women's affairs section, shared a similarity between Afghan and American women.

"The reason I can stand before you as a woman serving in the U.S. military is because of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of countless women who came before me," said Allison-Hess, who's deployed from Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. "I am grateful for their dedication, as I know your daughters and granddaughters will be grateful to you for selflessly striving to secure their futures."

Following the speeches, the women and girls feasted on a traditional Afghan lunch of pilau, a rice dish made with raisins and carrots.

"This was an opportunity of a lifetime to meet with the women who influence the lives of Panjshir," said Air Force Maj. Valerie Trump, the PRT's nurse practitioner, who is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

"The female judge and the doctors impressed me the most because of their hearts and their powerful minds," she said. "It was a proud day for me to be a part of their celebration. I believe the Panjshir women are the key to affecting change in their families and, ultimately, this will improve the quality of life here."

(Author Air Force Capt. Stacie N. Shafran serves with the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team.)
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