Marla Ahlgrimm | Autoimmune Diseases

The human body contains an amazing series of cells and organs that defend against foreign invaders, including germs and bacteria. But, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, the immune system isn’t always reliable. Here, the retired pharmacist and women’s health entrepreneur answers questions about autoimmune disorders, which affect women more than men.

Q: What are autoimmune diseases?

Marla Ahlgrimm: There are more than 80 types of condition considered autoimmune diseases. These happen when the body can no longer make the distinction between normal germs and bacteria and those that cause disease.


Q: Why are autoimmune diseases so widespread?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Autoimmune diseases, in various forms, affect more than 23.5 million men and women in the United States. They are considered the number one cause of disability and death. Fortunately, many of the worst are quite rare while others, including Hashimoto’s disease, affect a significant chunk of the population.

Marla Ahlgrimm | False Positives Common with Mammogram

Despite advanced technology, or perhaps because of it, there are a few things that can trigger a false positive on a mammogram. Marla Ahlgrimm explains in this brief post.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, the process of the modern mammography has saved countless women from succumbing to breast cancer. However, the more sensitive testing equipment becomes, the more it picks up on non-cancerous malformations hiding beneath the tissue. The most common are cysts, dense tissue, benign tumors, and calcium deposits. However, misdiagnosis may also be triggered by outside influences.

Breast implants, reports Marla Ahlgrimm, can make it difficult for the machine to read the entire breast during an imaging session. Silicone and saline fillers increase breast tissue density and can result in further testing. Women who have had a breast augmentation procedure should specifically seek a mammogram clinic specializing in women with implants.

Marla Ahlgrimm Explains Skin Color Changes

Often harmless, many women experience mild to moderate changes in their skin pigmentation throughout their lives. However, as Marla Ahlgrimm explains, dermal anomalies are worth checking out.

Vitiligo

Marla Ahlgrimm reports that one of the most common reasons for loss of pigmentation is vitiligo, especially in people of African or Southern European descent. Vitiligo often start out as a slight bleaching of the skin and gradually becomes more noticeable with age. While not harmful, vitiligo may indicate other issues, such as a thyroid disorder.

Pregnancy

Melasma, the mask of pregnancy, is the opposite of vitiligo. When a woman is pregnant, her skin cells sometimes produce more pigment, which can result in a brown to gray-brown tint on the face. 90% of melasma cases are in women and it is widely believed to be associated with hormones, says Marla Ahlgrimm.

Facebook Rules for Relationships | Marla Ahlgrimm

It isn’t just tweens and teens that broadcast every minute of their days to their social media feeds. Marla Ahlgrimm says women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s use social media sites multiple times per day. And while this level of connectivity has brought the world together in many ways, it can also ruin a relationship. Here, Ahlgrimm covers a few Facebook faux pas to avoid if you want to save face with your partner.

The premature status change.

It’s common knowledge that making a relationship “Facebook official” is a big step. However, Marla Ahlgrimm asserts that declaring your status online before your off-line relationship has had a chance to grow may send your potential partner on another path.

Marla Ahlgrimm Lists Top 5 Countries for Women’s Health

American healthcare has come under fire in recent years for exorbitant costs and lack of maternity benefits. Marla Ahlgrimm says these issues may be why the USA doesn’t make the cut on the list of top countries for women’s health. Which countries did? Read on the find out.

#5: Canada

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, Canada has made great strides over the last several decades to protect women’s rights and has even included the issue in both its domestic and foreign policies.

#4: Netherlands

The Netherlands ranked as one of the top 20 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2016. In addition a narrowing gender gap, women in the Netherlands enjoy excellent education and a significant political presence. Marla Ahlgrimm says the Netherlands is number four in women’s health as the country provides maternity benefits that include dedicated nursing care, which is largely covered by insurance.

Marla Ahlgrimm Outs Women’s Health Myths

Marla Ahlgrimm spent her 40+ year-long career in medicine dedicated to women’s health. She has seen a lot changed since the 1970s and has watched science prove and disprove dozens of common health myths over the decades. Here are a few of the more persistent myths relating to women’s health.

Myth: Women can’t get pregnant naturally after the age of 35.

Myth: While fertility does decline with age, a number of studies have found that 38- and 39-year-olds were still capable of getting pregnant naturally 80% of the time within six months. However, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, the general consensus remain that the chances of conceiving after a woman’s 40th birthday drop to less than 5% each cycle.

Marla Ahlgrimm: Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk

There are two primary types of oral birth control available in the US. Both are prescriptions formulated with synthetic hormones. One type, combined oral contraceptive, contains progesterone and estrogen. The second, the mini pill, contains only progestin, a synthetic progesterone used for contraceptive purposes.

Scientists know there is a link between naturally occurring sex hormones and the growth of certain types of cancers. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, it is suspected that since birth control pills contain these hormones, there may be a link between these cancers and contraceptive use. Interestingly, the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer appear to be reduced in women who regularly use oral contraceptives. Adversely, the rates of liver, cervical, and breast cancer are higher in the same demographic.

Breast cancer risks

Marla Ahlgrimm explains that a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is dependent upon numerous factors. Many of these are related to her natural hormone production. Early menstruation, late-onset menopause, advanced-age pregnancy, and not having children all increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. In 1996, a collaborative study found that women who were recent birth-control users had a slightly elevated risk of breast cancer, says Marla Ahlgrimm.

Marla Ahlgrimm Explains Hunger and PMS

If you have ever wondered why you can’t seem to put the candy and chips away just before your period, read on for information provided by Marla Ahlgrimm, retired pharmacist and hormone expert.

Sex hormones an appetite stimulant

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, females across most mammalian species, including humans, tend to experience nearly insatiable hunger in the days before their “active” period stage.  Many women crave carbohydrates and sugars with an uncharacteristic urgency. This binge eating is triggered during the premenstrual phase by the release of progesterone – the pregnancy hormone.

Sex hormones also appetite depressant

Ironically, another hormone associated with reproduction, estrogen, is a known appetite suppressant. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that estrogen peaks in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, just before ovulation. This happens about two weeks into the cycle.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy | Marla Ahlgrimm

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), which was formerly referred to as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is a type of hormone treatment specifically administered to treat the symptoms of menopause, explains industry pioneer Marla Ahlgrimm.

Hormone therapy works to regulate the body’s systems and can reduce hot flashes, slow bone loss, and treat vaginal symptoms such as dryness and discomfort during intercourse. Hormone therapy may also lessen the effects of mild depressive disorder when triggered by waning estrogen levels. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, menopausal hormone therapy is often used as a short-term treatment until the body transitions. It is rarely prescribed to treat osteoporosis and other age-related diseases.

Who should not take MHT

Menopausal hormone therapy is not for women who may be pregnant or who plan to become pregnant. Marla Ahlgrimm asserts that those with bleeding disorders and women who have had breast and uterine cancer should not use hormone therapy. Additionally, women with heart and liver disease or blood clot disorders should speak to their doctor about alternative treatments.

Marla Ahlgrimm: What You Need To Know About Your Period

Marla Ahlgrimm answers questions related to the menstrual cycle on the following brief question-and-answer session.

Q: What is menstruation?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Menstruation is the time of the month when a woman bleeds. It is the body’s way of shedding the uterine lining. The menstrual cycle occurs on average in periods of 21 to 35 days and is marked by shifts in hormone levels.

Q: What happens during this cycle?

Marla Ahlgrimm: At the beginning of the cycle, estrogen levels begin to rise. Estrogen, also known as the “female hormone,” is essential in allowing the lining of the uterus to thicken and grow. Once a woman ovulates, her egg travels through the fallopian tube, alternating month-to-month. Her hormone levels rise in preparation of pregnancy. If conception does not occur, this uterine lining is released through a small opening in the cervix and expelled through the vagina.

Healthy Aging QA with Marla Ahlgrimm

In today’s brief interview, women’s healthcare expert, author, and entrepreneur Marla Ahlgrimm answer some of the most common questions related to healthy aging at different stages of life.

Q: How can a woman in her late teens and early 20s establish lifelong healthy habits?

Marla Ahlgrimm: One of the most important things you can do is begin a routine of having an annual well-woman visit. Most health insurance plans cover this visit 100% so, chances are, you won’t be anything out-of-pocket. Maintain a balanced diet and make sure you get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Don’t forget about your sleep, women at this stage need seven to eight hours of sleep every night for optimum health benefits.

Q: How is self-care different between your 20s and 40s?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Women in their 20s and 40s have similar health care needs, with the exception of those entering to menopause. These women may need to speak with their doctor about ways to mitigate the negative effects of waning hormones. This could include dietary changes or hormone therapy.

Hormone Therapy an Innovative Breast Cancer Treatment | Marla Ahlgrimm

More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States every year, says women’s health expert and hormone therapy pioneer Marla Ahlgrimm. Read on for more information about how hormone treatment can help treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers.

Q: What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Often, women experience no outward causes of concern. However, nipple discharge, swollen lymph nodes, inverted nipples, and breast tenderness are common. It’s important to have a mammogram according to your doctor’s recommendation and to perform self-breast exams every month.