Women breast cancer and other burdens

CEBU, Philippines – Women are generally regarded as the weaker gender. Their bodies are perceived to be more "fragile" than those of the men. And they are supposedly emotionally softer, too.

There's no problem with this collective image of women - until certain things about them are thoroughly considered. Delicate jobs that require piercing meticulousness are usually assigned to women. And to whom does God entrust the most enormous task of childbearing?

Research findings reveal a very prominent social position of women in the olden times. Paleontologists, anthropologists, and genetic scientists have found that "from the dawn of the human race until recently women were the primary inventors," according to By Stephen Chernishe, MS in his book "The DHEA Breakthrough." The author, who's a distinguished biochemist, cites, "The first tools, it turns out, were not the weapons of men but the implements of women, which clothed, fed, and transported us through the ages. It turns out that tribal organization of humankind, which spans 97 percent of our history had women at the helm."

The social setup has not really changed much to this day. The fact that the essential position of women in society has come to be a bit downplayed is perhaps only because, in general, the popular view of history is male-oriented. Expectedly, this has affected social behavior and the social traditions towards women.

But while today's women may have come to accept the role of just being support to the men, their function in the basic social structure has barely changed. Women continue to be mainly responsible for the crucial task of rearing children in the family. And yet they are taking on jobs that are supposed to be "for men only."

Indeed, women do play a major role in every aspect of life, from dawn till night. They are full-time home managers, mothers, wives, co-breadwinners etc. - all in one. Unfortunately, it seems that women today are more stressed up, despite the supposedly much-improved social conditions.

"I believe that this is very relevant to any discussion of twentieth-century health and wellness simply because women today are on their own," Chernishe proposes. "Our society promises a woman that she can 'have it all' but forgets to mention that she [also] has to 'do it all' - by herself. And while it may be nice in theory to run faster and jump higher, most women just want to accomplish more without feeling that any moment they're going to burn out or collapse."

In the most fundamental sense, human survival today is no different from what it has been for 1.6 million years. Only the pressures have changed - particularly with women. The change has come about as a result of the incredibly fast pace of modern life. "And the effect on women had been devastating," Chernische surmises.

"Today cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and lung cancer are increasing causes of premature death in women," he continues. "All three have significant stress, diet, and lifestyle factors. More telling is the fact that auto-immune disease is also increasing dramatically, and 70 to 90 percent of its victims are women. More than 75 percent of chronic fatigue patterns are women, a figure that holds true for those diagnosed with depression and fibromyalgia."

"There is no simple explanation for these alarming figures, but one thing is certain: Women today are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and are facing that burden without the support systems that once enabled the human race to survive."

Chernishe shares recent scientific studies conducted to evaluate the effect of care-giving on a woman's health. "These studies show that social interaction - or tribal activity - is an extremely positive factor in helping a woman balance her care-giving role with her need for self-expression and health maintenance. Equally important is the ability to deal effectively with stress."

A woman must never take it lightly when a doctor tells her that "you're just stressed." It may just be a doctor's language that's borne out of over-familiarity with the problem. It shall not in any case be taken to mean "no cause for alarm."

Stress management, according to Chernishe (although he prefers the term "stress revision"), is key, stress being a major contributing factor to the depletion of vital hormones that would have bolstered the body's auto-immune capability. Professionals in preventive medicine also advise proper diet and healthy lifestyle, in addition to learning to relax.

Apparently, society as a whole needs to support its women in this regard. A good way to start is to support women suffering from certain illnesses, especially patients and survivors of breast cancer, the illness for which public attention is directed at for the whole month of October. The gesture need not be something overwhelming; those without the capacity to offer cure or healing may just present their sympathy for the afflicted.

Simply attending the "Pink October" activities, at the malls or elsewhere, is already good gesture. It, in itself, helps send the message to breast cancer sufferers - that they are not alone in their suffering… that others are there for them. Even if the most the others can do is wish they could somehow assuage the suffering.