In SIDELINED (How Women Manage and Mismanage Their Health), author Susan Salenger talks about six common ways women have been known to undermine their health and healthcare. She relies on interviews she conducted with a group of forty women and cites a variety of studies to support her theories, some of which include surprising statistics. Salenger claims that women tend to put the health and welfare of others before their own. They spend more time taking care of their children, their husbands, other family members and friends than they spend taking care of themselves. One study claims that 78% of their female participants were guilty of this. Another problem women have is that they are too quick to defer to their doctor’s advice without getting a second opinion, even when their gut tells them the advice isn’t right. Salenger refers to one study that claims 87% of second opinions resulted in a different or refined diagnosis.

Self-blame often plays a role in women’s illnesses. In some cases, women believe they unnecessarily allow themselves to become depressed or overly anxious about things in their daily lives, and this brings on certain medical conditions or makes their existing conditions worse. Others blame their gender or ethnicity on their illness, ignore or downplay the symptoms, and then regret it later. According to Salenger, some doctors are too busy with their own agendas to effectively listen to women as they communicate what they’re going through. She recommends that women come prepared to all doctor visits with a list of questions and/or a companion for back-up if needed. She also advises women to fully understand what they can expect following a new medication or surgical procedure. Failure to do so can result in unnecessary stress, and stress can negatively affect recovery.

The last topic Salenger addresses is the pharmaceutical industry and the importance of understanding what the drugs prescribed to women are supposed to do, their potential side effects, and whether they are actually needed. It is shocking to learn that the United States and New Zealand are the only two countries in the world where direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is legal. One study shows that after seeing an ad for a drug, two thirds of the people take some kind of action, and the ads target women. A resource directory in the back of the book lists many websites for readers to further their knowledge on the subject of women’s health and healthcare. Endnotes provide sources Salenger used to support statements made throughout the book. A complete bibliography lists her sources for assorted topics researched.

Using actual cases as examples, Susan Salenger’s SIDELINED (How Women Manage and Mismanage Their Health) sheds light on some of the mistakes women make when it comes to managing their health and healthcare.

~Florence Osmund for IndieReader