Boardash: Women for Monday February 1, 2010

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Women
For You
Monday February 1, 2010

Health and Beauty Tip -- How to Eat
AI: Burkinabe pregnant women bias deadly
Annie's Mailbox
Quote of the Day
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Health and Beauty Tip -- How to Eat

If you're trying to eat healthier or lose weight, remember that how you eat is just as important as what you eat. Avoid eating anywhere except the dinner table, and don't work while you eat -- this helps you concentrate on what and how much you're eating. How quickly you eat is also a factor; if all else fails, try eating with the opposite hand you usually do!

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AI: Burkinabe pregnant women bias deadly

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (UPI) -- Pregnant women in Burkina Faso are dying because discrimination bars them from accessing health services, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Amnesty International's report, "Giving Life, Risking Death," indicated many of deaths from pregnancy and childbirth could have been prevented if the women could access healthcare in a timely manner, the organization said in a news release

Burkina Faso government figures indicated more than 2,000 women die from complications arising during pregnancy and childbirth annually.

"Every woman has the right to life and the right to adequate healthcare, and the government should redouble its efforts to address preventable maternal death," Claudio Cordone, interim Secretary General of Amnesty International, said in a statement.

Most women in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, are subordinate to the men in their lives and have little or no control over key decisions, including medical, despite having equal status under Burkinabe law, Amnesty International said.

The Burkina Faso government has developed strategies that lowered maternal death rates in some parts of the country, Amnesty International said. However, the effort is undermined by spotty implementation and a lack of accountability among medical personnel.

Amnesty International called on the country's government to expand and improve access to family planning services, remove financial barriers to maternal healthcare services, ensure an equitable distribution of health facilities and trained staff countrywide, and set up a well-publicized and accessible accountability mechanism to combat corruption and mismanagement.

"Maternal death is a tragedy that robs thousands of families of wives, mothers, sisters and daughters each year," said Claudio Cordone. "So long as women are not allowed control over their own bodies, they will continue to die in their thousands."

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Annie's Mailbox

Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: I am happily married to an amazing lady who has been my best friend since the day we met 25 years ago. Our kids are all away at college, and we love our empty nest. We keep physically fit, are in great health, are financially stable and have a satisfying social life. The only problem is in the bedroom.

Menopause hit about five years ago, and it has devastated our intimacy. We both visit our doctors regularly and have been to a counselor twice. Our doctors say everything is normal, and the counselor tried to give us some helpful advice, which my wife followed. She does her best to be there for me physically, and I do everything I can to be a great husband for her.

My question has to do with what the counselor told me. She said I need to accept the fact that at our age (48), and after 24 years of marriage, an exciting and fulfilling sex life was an unrealistic expectation.

Annie, I am having a hard time accepting this. While we are still intimate, its like making love to a mannequin. And after all these years of being faithful, its getting harder and harder to brush off the continuous opportunities to stray.

My wife and I have discussed this in detail. She cant understand why I am not able to simply turn off my libido the way nature has turned off hers. Is the counselor right, or is there hope that our great marriage can become complete again? -- Happy and Sad in Oklahoma

Dear Oklahoma: The counselor is wrong. Your sex life might not be what it once was, but there is no reason it cannot be fulfilling and satisfying and still include passion. We understand that menopause has taken a toll on your wifes libido, but she needs to make the effort to work on intimacy because she loves you and values her marriage. Please see a different counselor who will work with both of you to improve those things you can, instead of encouraging you to give up.

Dear Annie: Yesterday, I celebrated a big birthday and received cards and well wishes from many friends. One in particular sent a nice card. However, I was a bit disappointed there wasnt more. Two years ago, when she celebrated the same big birthday, I wanted to make it special and sent a card with an enclosed gift certificate.

I was surprised she didnt reciprocate. I would have been happy if she had just sent a note saying, I will take you out to lunch or something similar. It hurts that she made no gesture at all. I considered us very close. Am I being foolish to feel this way? -- Janet in Reno, Nev.

Dear Janet: Not foolish, but perhaps overly optimistic. It was kind of you to send a birthday gift to your friend, but it was unsolicited, and your thoughtfulness depreciates substantially when you think she owes you as a result. All she owes you is a thank-you note. She apparently isnt the type to exchange gifts. Now you know.

Dear Annie: This is in response to Upset in Santa Cruz, whose stepdaughter-in-law accused her of abusing her son because there were bruises on him.

Unexplained bruises can be the result of a rare, heritable connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. One sign of EDS is tissue fragility, which results in unexplained bruises. Unfortunately, these bruises often create the impression that the child has been abused.

Please inform your readers, especially teachers, parents and medical professionals, that easily bruised skin can be a symptom of EDS. Additional information can be found at Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Network C.A.R.E.S., Inc., (ehlersdanlosnetwork.org) P.O. Box 66, Muskego, WI 53150. -- J.R.

Dear J.R.: Thank you for educating our readers -- and us -- about this rare condition. Unfortunately, when there are bruises, there is often a less benign reason.

Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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Quote of the Day

Cathy Guisewite

Mothers, food, love, and career, the four major guilt groups.

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