Marla Ahlgrimm | Women And Smoking

50 years ago, men and women had very different risk levels when it came to smoking, says Marla Ahlgrimm. However, today, a man and a woman share the same risk as many women have begun smoking.

Q: Which demographic of women consumes the most tobacco products?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Unfortunately, low income, those with mental health disorders, and women of color tend to be the most active smokers. These are also those at a higher risk of other issues, such as obesity and heart disease. They are also the group least likely to understand the full scope of health effects associated with tobacco, and especially that of cigarettes.

Historical Pandemics and Epidemics | Marla Ahlgrimm

In light of our recent health crisis, it is easy to forget that many of us have actually lived through other pandemics and epidemics. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, some of these have had an even greater death toll than COVID-19. Here, the retired women’s healthcare expert shares insight on a few from recent history.

Asian Flu – 1957

In 1957, the world fell into chaos when more than 1.1 million people grew ill with what became known as the Asian Flu. Like the coronavirus, Marla Ahlgrimm reports that the Asian Flu came from China, and it was an unexpected blend of avian flu strains. 116,000 people died in the United States. The primary difference was that, because it was a combination of known strains, it was easier to develop a vaccine.

AIDS – 1981

With an estimated 35 million deaths since 1981, AIDS continues to be an ongoing pandemic. Caused by the HIV virus, AIDS transferred from primates to humans sometime in the 1920s. Today, there are 40 million people in the world living with AIDS. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, science has made it possible to live a long and healthy life after an AIDS diagnosis, whereas it was formerly a death sentence. Emerging medicine has actually cured two patients of the disease as of 2020.