Unit V

     The block of reading interested me mostly because I'm currently going through menopause.  I looked forward to learning what these different studies brought to the forefront about aging, menopause, and how it's perceived.  Some of the information surprised me, and the information about taking care of ourselves made sense.
     In "Healthy Lifestyle Triggers Genetic Changes: Study," I was amazed with the results of the study.  "After three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes-including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off."  I had no idea we had the ability to change the settings on our genes!  I did understand about turning on and off switches, and have tried to reprogram my body since this change has begun.  It's a long drawn out process, yet this study saw changes in three months! This has given me renewed hope!
     Not surprising, the "Excerpts from Ourselves, Growing Older" focused on the "male domination in medicine, researchers have emphasized general problems or male problems, without noticing that women experience aging and illness differently."  While it was noted in one of the readings that more emphasis has been given to remedy this problem, only a small portion of legislation that was submitted was actually passed.  Sadly, we still have much work to go in this department.  "We have been discriminated against in treatment settings and excluded from research in ways that have been dangerous to our health and survival."
     I knew the United States didn't have the best medical care, and in "US Life Expectancy Lags Behind 41 Nations," the information there only confirmed my belief.  With Americans eating on the go, fast food has been a number one killer for this country.  "Adults in the US have one of the highest obesity rates in the world.  Nearly a third of US adults 20 yrs and older are obese according to the National Center for Health Statistics."  This information should not surprise anyone.  What was also confirmed was the fact that we lag in healthy births.  With all our technology, we lag behind even underdeveloped countries when it comes to infant mortality and ensuring their survival.
     The"Ancient Bodies, Modern Lines,""Like Mother, (Not) Like Daughter:The Social Construction of Menopause and Aging," and "Menopause is the 'Good Old'" all discussed the feelings of women in different age groups and how they perceived menopause.  This age group used baby boomers and their mothers as the focus.  I could understand and even feel for the older women not seeing it as a time where they saw a loss.  This group would have been chastised like the women sent to a mental ward and issued pills to control her depression, or as the doctor described it, suicidal.  It must have been difficult to go through this period without any support system, understanding in the medical community or even the ability to voice the problems.
     Not much has changed however when it comes to understanding that we want answers.  I would think not so much because we fear getting old, but more to the point, were not ready to consider ourselves old.  The doctor laughing at you because you thought maybe you were pregnant, instead of this understanding this cycle in your life is uncalled for.  More education should be provided prior to this phase of our lives.  We should start effecting those healthy life choices earlier than the peri-menapausal stage.  This is where our doctors should prepare us better for this chapter in our lives and help us with that transition.  It is unacceptable to hear the typical, "your getting older, what do you expect!"  I expect the way they ensure men's quality of life past age 50 is upheld, would apply to women too.