Is women's healthcare equal to mens?
In my opinion, women’s health has never been equal to men’s.
So says me - and more importantly countless academics, politicians and almost every woman who has had an encounter with a medic. This isn’t an opinion piece; it’s a brief picture of the background to healthcare as we know it.
I could bang on here about the inequality of society and all that goes with it, but let’s save that for a 1-2-1 over a coffee. I’m here to stand up and speak for the women who, like me, are testament to these experiences.
So many women share the same dissapointing experience
Every time I speak with a group - specifically women - they tell me how they are repeatedly battling with their GP or the medics in the health system. Initially they’re trying to be heard and understood and then, of course, treated, helped or cured.
From these collective experiences it would seem that something is going wrong with the system.
I’m not here to bash the medical profession. They’re doing their best within a system that I think is more fundamentally flawed. When we take a look at the background, I think you’ll agree.
The foundations of modern medicine
It came as a surprise to me to learn, quite recently, that the science of medicine is based on studies carried out almost exclusively on men.
The early physical studies were such - and I can see why. Thinking about the position of women in society and their role, imagery and expectations, we can see how the foundations of health studies were not going to be on an equal footing from the beginning.
Men were the scientists. Women were home and baby makers. Our uterus ensured our role.
Hormones: A recent discovery
Add to that, the endocrine system - which controls hormones - was only discovered at the start of the 20th century. In the history of medicine, that’s yesterday. Our understanding of hormones, their role in women’s wellness, and the huge part they play in menopause is new. No wonder we can still feel as though we’re shouting in the wilderness or that we are not understood. I’m thinking, it’s amazing that HRT has got as far as it has.
The story of HRT
In the 1980s, HRT was made using pregnant mares’ urine. I remember being outraged at the cruelty of this practice and deciding that no matter how good it may prove to be, I for one would never use HRT.
Disclosure - I did for a while, but that’s not for now.
Slowly HRT developed and in the nineties it was becoming more widely available and accepted.
However, in 2002, following a misreported study, the uptake of HRT crashed - and the subsequent interest in its development crashed with it. Some of you will be aware of the breast cancer scares that were in the press at the time.
For perspective, here’s coverage from BBC News in 2006: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6182445.stm
A contrast: Viagra
As a contrast, the discovery of Viagra and its pathway to market has been very rapid.
Synthesised in 1989, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998 - it is now available over the counter.
HRT, on the other hand, has not had the same attention or the same trajectory.
It isn’t speculation to say that men’s health has always come first.
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study
Here’s a later example.
In 1958, a study began in America called the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging - a commendable cause.
Trouble was, for 20 years they studied 13,000 men and not women.
Yes, it took 20 years before women were included in the cohort.
Learn more: https://www.blsa.nih.gov/
Why I'm saying this
As I said at the beginning of this piece, I’m not here to bash the medical profession. I’m here to encourage you to be curious, do the research, become empowered. Because with knowledge you can advocate for yourself - and in doing so, you are advocating for women everywhere.
My daughter is 40. I remember being 40. She’s much smarter than me at that age. She knows a great deal more about her own health than I did back then. More information is available now and she and her generation are taking advantage of that knowledge. I’d like to think my encouragement has some hand in it, that I’ve encouraged her to be curious and to ask questions.
We owe it to our daughters and our granddaughters, don’t we?
Where are we now?
Here’s a powerful article from The Guardian which explains some of this background brilliantly:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/13/the-female-problem-male-bias-in-medical-trials
Where are we now?
Well, it makes me even more determined to keep talking about women’s health and raising awareness about the needs of women in order to help us all. Our bodies are as individual as our DNA, so understanding the available options for any healthcare need, is important.
Herbs of Grace isn’t a medical foundation, but we are here because of the history of medical herbalism and the possibilities it can offer all of us as we navigate our own journey.
As a complementary option for any part of life, we can call on the legacy of the herbalists who came before us - and the current studies that are part of herbalism - to make informed choices about our own health.
I urge you to take better care of your health and to learn more about the power of herbalism.
Knowledge is empowering.