Blogs

Office on Women's Health Deputy Director Nicole Greene sat down with Jennifer Donelan in February to talk about women's heart health.

I can admit it: I love food.

Content warning: Rape and sexual assault

Ed. note: This blog is cross-posted from the White House Blog. The original post date was January 28, 2016. Read the original post.

Happy 2016! The new year has been here for a few weeks now, and we at OWH are excited about what's in store. We're especially excited because 2016 marks OWH's 25th anniversary!

I have worked in the health field for over 30 years. When I tell people I work at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they often start asking me questions about their health. "What do you think I have?" "Where can I find information on my disease?" "I've been taking this medication. Is there something better?" It recently occurred to me that during my career, only one person has ever asked me about clinical trials. Clinical trials just don't come up in casual conversations. Well, I want to change that. I want to get women talking about why it is important for us to participate.

When you think of human trafficking, you might think of women from impoverished countries who have been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. But human trafficking also happens right here in the United States. Essentially modern-day slavery, human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to make victims take part in commercial sex work or labor against their will. That can include domestic work, farm work, factory work, or food service labor in addition to sex work. Victims of human trafficking are usually women and girls, but men and boys are also affected.

If you're a parent, you know kids grow and learn quickly. They learn from friends, teachers, and public role models. But as a parent, what you say and do really matters — even if your kids are getting older and more independent. The lessons you teach them now will influence the decisions they make for the rest of their lives. The Office of Adolescent Health's Think, Act, Grow initiative, reminds us that kids with parental oversight, support, communication, and connectedness are less likely to engage in risky behaviors than kids without those supports. So as you look to make this a healthier, happier year for you and your family, set aside time to talk with your kids about topics that will make them healthier for years to come.

The bladder isn't given much thought. Unless it demands our attention, we simply ignore it. And we rarely talk about it… except to make sure our kids use the bathroom before a long car ride. But ignoring the bladder has costs.

Ed. note: This blog is cross-posted from the HHS.gov blog. The original post date was January 11, 2016. Read the original post.