Blog #5 Contraception

Someone’s cultural and/or religious beliefs can prevent them from using contraceptives which may result in unwanted pregnancies. For example in chapter 5 it says that the Roman Catholic Church is against contraception. I am Catholic and I know the use of any type of contraception is against my religion. I have used birth control even though I know my religion does not allow the use of it. As stated in the book when I used contraception and I would have probably not admitted it to the church if asked. I was using birth control before I got married because I did not want a baby out of wedlock. So really I was breaking two rules, sex out of wedlock and birth control. Once I got married I stopped the use of birth control.

In my family we did not talk about sex or contraception by any means. In High School they did talk to us about STD’s and the use of condoms but they did not discuss any other contraception methods. I have a sister two years older than I am and she has a 17 year old daughter that she openly spoke to about sex and being responsible once she makes the decision to have sex. I was very proud of her because she did not ignore the subject like our parents did, instead she was very honest and open with my niece. She spoke about the importance of abstinence, but my sister knows life happens so she also was open about sex and birth control. 

 I am not sure if being Catholic was one of the reasons sex or contraception was not discussed in our house. To this day I do not feel comfortable talking about this subject with my mom or dad. I am glad my sister broke that cycle and I hope when I have children I can do the same.

Thanks for reading!

Yadira Gomez-Cheatham

Blog #4 Menarche

My first menstrual cycle was in the summer of 86' when I was in Mexico visiting my grandmother. My parents were back in Dallas at home. One day I felt weird pains in my stomach all morning and thought it was just a stomach ache.  About mid morning I went to the restroom and found blood in my under garments and freaked out. I ran to my grandmother and aunt and explained what happened. Up to this point I had never heard anything about menstrual cycles. My grandmother and aunt laughed and told me that I was a women now. They explained what was going on with my body and why women have menstrual cycles. They showed me how to use sanitary napkins and explained the importance of staying clean while on the cycle.

I was mortified and embarrassed, but my grandmother made me some tea and reassured me that it was normal and every women goes through the same thing. I was pretty bummed out because I could not go swimming or climb trees like I used to with the boys. I felt weird and thought the boys might notice the difference.

It was hard for me because I was so far from home and did not have my mom to talk to, not even by phone. I had to wait until the end of summer vacation when my parents picked me up to share the news. I cried and told my mom that I did not want this menstrual stuff and wished I was a boy because they didn’t have to go through this. My mom reassured me and spoke to me about conceiving and how without menstrual cycles I could not have a baby later in life. She also told me the one thing I will never forget, she said “this is the one time of the month you can be mean and get away with it”. Once she spoke to me a little more I felt better.

I thought I would share my story because it was really hard for me when I started my menstrual cycle. I was scared that I would not be able to do the things I did before. At the time I thought it was the end of the world. I hated the cramps, bloating,  and the sanitary napkins. It took a lot of time for me to get used to it, but eventually I had no choice but to deal with it.  To this day I still hate TOM (time of month) and curse it every month.

Thanks for reading,

Yadira Cheatham

Blog #3 Self Assessment

I rate my preventive practices as being good since most of my answers were yes. One of the big improvements that I am constantly working on is eating healthy and getting my fruit and vegetables servings that are needed. I know I need to improve both my husband and my fruit and vegetable intake. Well really we need to work on the whole nutrition pyramid. I know we do not consume the right amount of nutritious food that is needed. I would like to start this because we are working on having our first child and I would like to instill the value of eating healthy into our child’s life. I would also like to start exercising again. I need to start utilizing my gym membership and quit using the “I don’t have enough time” excuse. For now I am playing soccer once a week and this helps relieve some stress. Stress effects my health because when I stress I grind my teeth, over eat, and I do not sleep well at night. The way that I can improve my stress is by improving my time management and saying no more. I stress myself out because I put too much on my plate then I am rushing to get the things done I have committed myself to. I am getting better at saying no to family members when they need help as well as not raising my hand as much when volunteers are needed at church, work, or our neighborhood association. I have many ways I can improve my health and after reading chapter three it is worth it to sit down and come up with a good “preventative practice” plan. By having a good preventative practice it will help improve not only my health but my husband’s as well.

Blog #2 Healthcare Reform Systems

I reviewed the video “Sick Around the World” and I was very impressed by the Health Systems that the five countries that were visited have in effect. I was left with the question why can’t the USA figure out a system like one of theirs. With Obama’s new reform put in place I think the US is definitely heading in the right direction, but it is going to take some time to get it on track and work the kinks out. The five countries that the reporter T.R. Reid visited were; Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. These countries have implemented what I think are great programs, but they are not perfect and have their down falls. But in my opinion the positive out weight the negative. The biggest positives I found to be in these countries were that everyone has health coverage and cannot be denied coverage, no citizens in these countries have ever file for bankruptcy due to medical bills, and there is a longer life expectancy and lower child mortality of a result of these countries health systems. It was a real surprise to me to hear that no bankruptcy is ever filed. Here in the US it is common for people to file for bankruptcy due to medical bills. In Switzerland Reid interviewed the President and asked if anyone has ever filed bankruptcy due to medical bills and he said if they did it would be a scandal. Here in the US it is not a scandal it is a norm.


Some of the negative I saw in these countries health plans was waiting list to see a provider, hospital deficits, gatekeepers and disgruntled medical providers. In Great Britain they have waiting list to see a provider which can delay your medical treatments. As stated in the video though Great Britain has cut their waiting time and it is not as long as before. In Japan one of the worries is that the hospitals are in a deficit because of the low cost of treatment. I was shocked to hear the cost of a shared hospital room was $10 and $90 for a private room a night. One of the doctors interviewed in Great Britain said he experienced the US health system first hand when vacationing in Las Vegas. He had a heart attack and was in the hospital for eight days and was handed a $67,000 bill. In some of these health systems you have to go through a gate keeper before you see a specialist. I see the good and bad in this because I know it can save money, but having to wait to be referred especially when your sick would be frustrating to me. Another negative and the one negative that I thought was very interesting were medical providers not feeling as they are getting paid enough for their services. In Germany one of the doctors flat out said he does not think he is paying paid enough and he cannot raise his prices since they are negotiated by the government. He said he makes half of what a US doctor makes.

The one system that impressed me the most was Taiwan’s Health System. Taiwan looked at other countries systems, picked and chose their plan basing it on the failures and success of the other countries plans.  Everyone is forced to join and pay for health coverage and they do not let the rich opt out as in some other countries. There is no waiting list and no gate keeper to refer you from one provider to another and clinics are opened on the weekends. They also issue out smart cards to each citizen that keeps their health history, monitors coverage usage, and is used for billing. The smart card is used basically like a credit card, the doctor takes it and uploads your information to view your history and then automatically bills the government for your visit and the bill gets paid instantly. The smart is also used to monitor your coverage usage and if used more than 20 times a month you have a visit from the government, which I found a little disturbing, but I guess it stops abuse.

I think the US is heading in the right direction with the reform that will take place soon. We have a long way to go, but if done correctly we could be like one of these countries where all citizens have coverage that they can afford, no more bankruptcies, and a longer life expectancy.

Blog #1 HS

The health issue that concerns me the most is high cholesterol and diabetes. I have read and heard that the Hispanic culture is at a higher risk of having high cholesterol and diabetes. Growing up we ate mostly home cooked meals, but thinking back the meals were not very healthy. Now as a grownup I worry about these diseases because several of my elder family members including my father have cholesterol issues. Fortunately we do not have any diabetes issues as of now. Unfortunately in my family we do not take the time to educate ourselves on healthy eating or take the time to think about the food we cook. We simply turn the other cheek and live by the words “It’s in our culture”. As I have grown older and read more about staying healthy I try to be conscious about the food I eat and try to stop the tradition of eating unhealthy. I am more conscious on how I cook our food. Although frying everything and covering it with cheese is delicious this will not stop the cycle of high cholesterol in our family.

I asked my mom, age 55, Hispanic, the question of her health concerns and why the worry her. I was not surprised to find that her concerns are the same as mine. Mom does not her or dad to die at an early age because of their eating habits. My parents have gotten a lot better as well and are healthier conscious. Mom works out more and tries to cook healthier. Dad just goes along with eating what mom cooks but still refuses to work out. Dad works very hard and is tired when he gets home and says the last thing he wants to do is exercise.

My sister, age 37, Hispanic, has different medical concerns that mine. She is concerned about Flu virus because there are so many types now that it concerns her there will not be an antibiotic that will help her immune system. Breast cancer concerns her because under the age of 40 unless you specifically ask for the test you do not receive it. Her two main concerns though are weight gain and acid reflux. She currently has to take acid reflux medication and is concerned she will have to take pills the rest of her life. Weight gain because hormones are always changing and with that she fears her weight will fluctuate up and down.

I also asked my soon to be step daughter in law, age 24, white, what her health concerns are. She is concerned about vitamin deficiency because she is breast feeding. She says she knows she is not getting all the nutrients she needs from her diet and wishes she could supplement without taking lots of pills.

My last interview was a co-worker, age 45, black about her health concerns. She most concerned about cancer because it is very strong in her family on both sides. Her paternal grandmother died from cancer and her mother is a 3 year breast cancer survivor. She also mentioned that several other family members are survivors or died from the disease.

I was suprised to see how my concerns differed from the ladies I interviewed.