Women's OBGYN of Ramapo is proud to feature an up and coming women's health entrepreneur. Chrystal Miller, created Haute Health as a trendsetter approach to health, representing a progressive and comprehensive approach to health, wellness, and lifestyle. Offering a unique, holistic approach to health that incorporates lifestyle...Haute Health provides health guides, recipes, fitness exercises, nutrition facts, health tips, juices, cleanses, and so much more, tailored to benefit you, no matter what your health goals may be. 


So, join us on the movement to becoming healthier and haute! Your mind and body will thank you for doing so.

             In today’s culture it seems that we are extremely obsessive about the lives of people who we will never really know or who are nothing like us. To be honest, a  celebrity mom splashed across a magazine cover at the grocery store is not a fair representation of everyday pregnancy. But yet, it seems that many people look to these people as a sort of blueprint of how things should be. Recently, an article I read on Huffington Post entitled “Exclusive: There is more to motherhood than A Post Baby Bod” touched on the disconnect between what motherhood entails compared to the imagery mass media promotes. Interestingly, as this was one of the side blog columns on Huffington Post, the main headline read “Baby on The Way” referring to Kate Middleton finally giving birth to her baby. Throughout the pregnancies of both Kim Kardashian and Kate Middleton, the media focus has been on many of the superficial aspects of motherhood instead of the deeper questions of what it means to bring another person into the world. While on one hand it is nice to bask in the celebratory aspects, there is also a larger sphere of important questions beyond the elaborateness of the baby shower or the seemingly inappropriate maternity wear. As I read the article, I reflected on how inundated we have become with understanding motherhood within a superficial image obsession instead of the true gift and responsibility that come with raising another person in this world. I believe to truly see motherhood for what it is would entail looking beyond the superficial aspects of the “post baby bod” or which mother can drop 30 pounds in 30 days, but instead analyzing what it means to maintain the mind, body and soul, not just the body.  Each person is different and it is important to find the regime that will truely bring peace.

To see more please read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-spencer/there-is-more-to-motherhood-than-a-post-baby-bod_b_3623460.html

As a young woman growing up in the United States, I have been blessed with the ability to pursue the educational and professional endeavors I desire. Despite this freedom, there remains significant work to be done in the United States to truly empower women, and even more work to do internationally. As a current law student, I believe that an important responsibility of becoming a lawyer is using my legal skills to benefit the wider community and ensure that the underserved have access to justice. Earlier this year, along with seven other students participating in Penn Law’s Pan-Africa Project, I ventured to Accra, Ghana for an annual pro bono legal service project.

While in Accra, my fellow law students and I worked with the Legal Resource Center on Violence Against Women (LRC), a non-governmental organization that is committed to law, justice and development in Ghana. The LRC works to ensure that every human being lives in dignity and believes that human rights are an essential tool in that vision. During our spring break, we worked with the LRC to prepare a legal resource handbook and workshops to train women from different rural villages throughout the country. These women, some of whom traveled hours to meet us, volunteered their time to become legal literacy volunteers so that they could be a voice for other women in their villages. We conducted workshops to educate the women about relevant Ghanaian law, including understanding the court system, alternative dispute resolution, property law, children’s rights, and marital rights. Throughout the presentation, I saw that the women eagerly took notes. Their excitement was evident when they energetically asked questions on each topic. As the women practiced how they would disseminate the information through activities we prepared, I could see how grateful they were to be able to serve as advocates for themselves and other women in their villages.

Overall, it was an extremely rewarding experience to have the opportunity to equip these women with the knowledge and tools they needed to help empower other women like themselves. These women now offer guidance and insight to women who otherwise would not have the means or ability to seek any legal advice. Their determination and enthusiasm to help others truly highlighted for me the importance of giving back whenever possible. We each have the ability to help others learn, grow, and become more effective in their personal and professional endeavors. Together, citizens around the world from all backgrounds can work toward better futures for all.

There are many opportunities, whether domestically or internationally, to get involved and empower other women. What are other ways to support women’s empowerment?



To see my original blog post please visit:

http://swsg.org/giving-back-the-inspiring-strong-women-of-accra-ghana/#comment-19993

While doing some very late spring cleaning I found a folder filled with pictures and remnants of a study abroad trip I went on almost three years ago from today. As I rummaged through the scraps of admission tickets, foreign currency, and free maps from the 15 countries I visited I couldn't help but reminiscence and think how my life would have been different if I never spent that period traveling and learning about different cultures. Luckily study abroad has become very popular among college students but there are still many Americans and people throughout the world who have never stepped foot outside of their own region let alone their own country. 

Stepping outside of one's comfort zone into a new culture or way of living teaches us something about ourselves that we can only gain by embarking on a new journey. Many of us are in our daily routines with many aspects of our day being very predictable. Beyond helping us understand ourselves better, travel allows us to understand the world we live in. As we become more connected through technology we are all global citizens in a world filled with countless customs and languages. Many people think travel is unattainable but with proper planning and budgeting taking a trip to a new place can change your life forever.

Today there are many ways to find affordable travel options for you and even your families. Even a small trip to a new city or a new part of the country can bring a perspective that would be otherwise only a figment of your imagination. There are many ways to travel affordably using the resources right in front of you, your computer. Below I have outlined four of my favorite travel sites that I browse once in a while to find travel deals and inspiration to plan my next vacation.

Groupon Getaways
www.groupon.com/getaways
Groupon and Expedia partnered to offer discount travel deals. These deals have expanded to include local stays as well as international tours and vacation packages. For those familiar with Groupon be sure to shop around to make sure the discount is worth it! Buy your voucher and redeem for future travel. 

Living Social Escapes
www.livingsocial.com/escapes

Living Social's take on affordable vacationing is similar to Groupon Getaways but also includes local adventures and excursions that are perfect for a day out. Past deals have included things such as sky-diving, wine tours, group ski trips, mountain climbing and other activities that may be within driving distance of your home for a quick "daycation!"

TravelZoo
www.travelzoo.com
My favorite part of TravelZoo is their "Top 20" deals they send out every week highlighting highly discounted escapes all over the world which range from domestic flight deals to multi-day safari's across the Amazon. Not a week goes by that I do not read the "Top 20" deals although I do not always book it is fun to imagine a day in the future lounging on the beach in Bali!

Jetsetter
www.jetsetter.com/

Jetsetter is a spin-off from Gilt Groupe's member only site that offers luxury hotel accomodations and vacation homes at discounted prices. What makes Jetsetter stand apart is that they actual curate each of the properties and are extremely picky about picking truly luxury stays. If you are looking for a five star vacation at a fraction of the cost, join Jetsetter I promise it will not disappoint.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been both praised and criticized since it was first introduced into Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. The act includes many different parts including the controversial Individual Mandate that was recently held up by the Supreme Court earlier this summer. Another controversial part of the Affordable Care Act has been the changes the act has on women's health which some have seen as a attack on religious freedoms because of the contraceptive mandate on health insurance plans. Regardless of whether you support or oppose the Affordable Care Act it is our current law and the law includes various parts that are becoming effective as we speak. Today, on August 1, 2012 the law expands coverage for women's preventative care and well-being services under health insurance plans. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, called August 1 "a new day for women's health."
 

What is female sexual dysfunction?

Sexuality, and specifically society's understanding of female sexuality has evolved over time and is slowly becoming less stigmatized than in the past. Still, many women are reluctant to discuss their sexual experiences and especially any dysfunction or difficulty associated it. Once Viagra hit the market the taboo behind limitations in sexual performance was lifted although for women it took longer for science and society to address that women also can have issues relating to sexual engagement. 

In December 2010, MTV started it's season of True Life with an episode titled: "True Life: I Can't Have Sex." In this episode they followed three young women who showcased their lives living with chronic pelvic pain and the impact it had on their sex lives. In addition to their sex lives the episode does a good job of showing how pelvic pain and difficulty having sex can disrupt other parts of life including emotional balance. There are many psychological, interpersonal and physical factors that interplay during a sexual experience all of which can be affected with sexual difficulties. As more attention is being paid to female sexuality it is important that as women we look beyond mainstream coverage and learn about issues that can affect us. 

Studies say that somewhere between 30-45% of women have had some type of sexual dysfunction symptoms or sexual difficulties yet many of us are unwilling to discuss these issues. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?  Contact your local OBGYN or Dr. Saunders today to discuss treatment options or solutions that can help you!

Watch the MTV True Life Episode to learn more about the experience of these three young and brave women!

Interestingly on Huffington Post today Jilly Cooper, an author, brought forth the claim that women no longer want to have sex and cited lines of women in doctor's offices because of their low libido. 

"Doctors’ waiting rooms are absolutely brimming these days with women suffering from low libidos. Ours is now a terribly under-sexed society. I have talked to a lot of young women about this and they just don’t seem to do it any more. Honestly. I suppose it’s because we all have so many other demands on our time now."


To read more visit Huffington Post