Marla Ahlgrimm, a veteran women’s health expert and retired compounding pharmacist, says heart disease isn’t what happens when you lose your first love. It’s the #1 killer of women and should be taken seriously from an early age. Here, Ahlgrimm answers a few questions about the condition.

Q: What is the most important things women should know about the heart?

Marla Ahlgrimm: I would encourage young women to take steps to keep their heart — and their entire body – healthy. Heart disease kills more women than any other health condition but it may be thwarted by a lifetime of healthy eating and the right amount of exercise. And women who do eventual develop heart disease can stave off many of its symptoms by modifying their lifestyle.

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Medicine has been a male dominated industry since the 1400s. Marla Ahlgrimm, one of the most prominent pharmacists and women’s healthcare experts of the last century, says that women have always played an important role in healthcare. Here, the author and speaker shares a peek into the history of two of the women who paved the path to her own career.

Prior to the 1400s, women were heavily involved in the health and medical care of those in their community, says Marla Ahlgrimm. That changed when Europe declared that only those with a university degree could practice medicine of any kind. At the time, and largely throughout the next 500 years, women were not allowed to attend college and therefore were ineligible for medical licensure.

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Sweet treats, tiny goblins, and pumpkin spice everything mean one thing. No, not Halloween. October heralds a message far more important than free candy, says Marla Ahlgrimm. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of the spooky feel of the season, Ahlgrimm demystifies a few of the myths surrounding this still-mysterious disease.

Myth: Any changes to the breast are likely cancer.

Fact: Marla Ahlgrimm explains that, while all lumps and physical changes should be monitored, not all tissue changes are cancer. Breast tissue can change throughout a woman’s lifetime. For instance, breastfeeding mothers may notice that their breast become hard and lumpy if it has been a while since their baby has nursed. This is typically caused by engorgement, a painful side effect of overabundant milk stores.

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Sleep is a luxury that eludes many women, says Marla Ahlgrimm. The retired hormone specialist explains that women’s bodies require an average of 20 minutes of additional slumber compared to their male bedmates. But they aren’t getting it and that’s a problem.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, women lose sleep for many reasons throughout each stage of their lives. During pregnancy, hormones (and a growing midsection) can lead to insomnia. In the first few years after giving birth, women sleep lighter than before, ostensibly as a biological response to having offspring to care for. Hormones make their presence known at night again during menopause. This time, it’s hot flashes that unveil the unrest.

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Estrogen is well known for its role in the sexual development and physical maturation of women. However, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, new research indicates that it may also serve to protect the female brain from trauma.

There are a number of research papers which suggest that women develop posttraumatic stress disorder more often than men, despite lesser exposure to harrowing traumatic events.

A recent study performed by Emory University in collaboration with Harvard Medical School indicates that estrogen may play a role in reducing the development of PTSD. Estrogen, which is essential for its role in female sexuality and pregnancy, may have further reaching effects than originally believed, says Marla Ahlgrimm.

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Men’s and women’s bodies are not the same, says women’s health advocate, Marla Ahlgrimm. For this reason, many health issues common in both sexes affect women differently. Even when symptoms are the same, women may require significantly different care than their husbands, brothers, and sons.

Below, Marla Ahlgrimm lists a few health conditions and how they affect women.

Alcohol abuse

More than 5 million US women put their health and safety at risk by over-consuming alcohol. And though men are much more likely to become alcoholics, the effects of alcohol abuse are more pronounced in women. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, women who abuse alcohol are at a greater risk of heart disease and breast cancer as well as fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause brain damage to their unborn babies.
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