Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell: The Black Woman's Guide to Health, Sex and Happiness

by Melody T. McCloud

Overview

Sex, health, happiness and wealth...you know you want it! And there's no better time than now for having it all and 'getting' it good! But sometimes factors get in the way, and it can be hell.
Disparaging images in the media. The subject of misogynistic lyrics and derogatory comments from famous celebrities and bloggers unknown. Colorism. The largest demographic of women who live as head-of-household and a growing shortage of marriage-minded (and marriage-worthy) Black men. These are just some of the ways Black women proverbially 'catch hell' in today's society.
As if the attack on their image and psyche isn't enough, Black women also disproportionately suffer from killer diseases such as diabetes, cancer, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and more. Yet despite all the psycho-social attacks (the 'hell') Black women face, they have the lowest rate of suicide compared to other demographics and many live phenomenally well as cherished wives, trailblazing professionals and entrepreneurs.
But these struggles are rarely validated, and these successes rarely acknowledged. Living Well, Despite Catchin Hell is a book that does just that. It provides head-to-toe medical advice on heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, fibroid tumors and other medical diagnoses, and it acknowledges the direct effect such social rejection and attacks (the 'hell') that Black women experience on a near-daily basis have on their psyche and physical health. How some Black women hurt their own lives and well-being will also be examined.
The physician-author's groundbreaking 'Rejection Connection' flowchart clearly demonstrates how these social stressors significantly contribute to the continuing state of Black women's health. It serves as a much needed eye-opener, not only to women readers, but also to media executives, health professionals, sociologists and others who seek to understand and mitigate the causative factors adversely affecting today's Black woman.
With an upbeat approach (and with health as the common thread woven through each section), Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell is professional medical advice, sexology, sociology, psychology, dashes of pop culture and hefty doses of personal responsibility. It is the one-source, go-to health reference Black women need in order to live healthy, happy, long and strong in the 21st century. (An E-book [abridged] version will be available soon.)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780964355477
Publisher:	New Life Publishing GA
Publication date:	12/01/2010
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	3 Months

About the Author

Dr. Melody T. McCloud is an obstetrician-gynecologist and the author of Blessed Health: The African-American Woman's Guide to Physical & Spiritual Well-being and the e-book, Melodies of the Heart: Poems of Life & Love. She is a media consultant, a health expert consultant to the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and lectures across the nation discussing women's health, sex, Black women's imagery and social issues.

Table of Contents

LVING WELL, DESPITE CATCHING HELL
Table of Contents

Dedication
Foreword/Pauletta Washington, Actress
and wife of Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington Introduction

HEALTH

1 ? Just the Facts, Ma’am
Is it Still “Open Season” on America’s Black Women?
A Lifetime of “No Respect” is Not Funny
Societal Stress and Black Women’s Health: The “Rejection Connection”
The State of Women’s Health—Present and Future
Ethnic Health Disparities
Facts and Stats of Living Black

2 ? Medicine’s “Top Five” affecting Black Women’s Lives

The Heart of the Matter
Heart Disease: The Number One Killer of All
The Expressway to Your Heart: Blood Vessels and Circulation
Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease and Stroke
Be “Heart-Smart” in All You Do

Diet, Exercise and Black Women’s Health
The New (not so “hip”) MOD Squad: Metabolic Syndrome,
Obesity and Diabetes
Black Women and Obesity
Diabetes: A Closer Look
Smart Ways to Live Phenomenally Well

Infant Mortality and Black Women:
You Can—and Must—Reverse the Trend
Prenatal Care: The Path to Changing Generations
Complications of Pregnancy
Once They Survive, Help them Thrive
You Don’t Have to Get Pregnant if You Don’t Want: Contraception

Cancer Deaths and Black Women
Black Women Don’t Have to Die
What is Cancer—The “Big ‘C’”?
Before It Walks, It Crawls; Catch It Early
Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Breast, Lung, Colon
and Gynecologic Cancers

HIV and AIDS
Black Women and the HIV/AIDS Crisis—Is this for real?
Is He on the “Down-Low”?
Trust, but Verify

3 ? All Woman, All the Time: Your Female Body
Pelvic Structure and Function
The Brain/Body Connection
Gynecological Diseases in Black Women:
Fibroids, Infections and Pelvic Pain

4 ? Menopause
This is Not Your Mother’s Menopause
Definition, Signs & Symptoms
You’re Still Hot—It Just Comes in Flashes!
Osteoporosis
Hormone Replacement Therapy: A Modern-Day Ball of Confusion
What’s a Woman to Do?
Alternatives to Hormone Replacement
Ethnic Responses to Menopause:
Black Women just Don’t Sweat It!
Your “Secret Garden”: Use it, or Lose It!
Foxy & Fine after 49? Yes, You!

5 ? Conditions-at-a-Glance

Leaks & Tweaks
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary Urgency
Pelvic Relaxation

Sarcoidosis Lupus and Asthma
It’s Not Easy, Trying to Breathe
The Eyes Have It—If Only You Could See What It Is!
Eye care
Glaucoma and Cataracts
Macular Degeneration

Flexible Points and Aching Joints
No Bones About it: The Latest Word on Osteoporosis
Arthritis, Fibromyalgia

SEX

6 ? Let’s Talk About Sex

Sexual Healing...Reclaim the Feeling
Celibates Be Aware: Sex can be Wonderful for Your Health!
Sexuality 101
The Benefits of Sex
Overcoming Hang-ups to get the Hookup

You’ve lost that Loving Feeling?
Love isn’t Supposed to Hurt…Physically
Exploring Sexual Dysfunction
A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and…Viagra?
Don’t Put Your Men on “Pause”

Sex and Your Health
How Will I Know? The Sexual “Disease Watch”
in the 21st Century

Working My Way Back to You, Babe
Romantic Moods, Foods and Attitudes
Erotica Noir

HAPPINESS

7 ? Enjoying Life without the Strife
Don’t Let Others Define You
Celebrate! Phenomenal Black Women Living Phenomenal Lives

8 ? Where is the Love?
“Ain’t I a Woman?” Trends in Black-on-Black Love
Still Waiting to Exhale? Marriage Statistics of Black Women
The Crisis with Black Men: “Man Up, Bro!”
The Crisis with Young Black Girls: Some Ladies Hurt the Cause
Everybody Needs Love, Oh Yeah; Everybody Needs Love
Is Interracial Dating for You?
“Man-less” does not mean Mindless
Smile, Girl! No Man Wants an Angry Woman!
The Gift of Support from Sister-friends and Family

9 ? Relationship “Recovery Room”
First Do No Harm: 10 Phenomenal Tips to Improve Your Relationships
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

10 ? You are Beautiful…and Even if You’re Not
Media Images and the Realities of Black Women
Make the Best of What You’ve Got
Hormones and Beauty: The Effect of Aging on Skin,
Hair, Nails and Teeth
The Skin You’re In:
Skin Care for Women of Color
The Mane! The Mane!
Long-Term Effects of Rage and Age
Love is in the Hair! Proper Care of Ethnic Tresses
Nipped, Clipped, Tucked or Sucked:
Black Women and Plastic Surgery

11 ? A State of Mind
Your Brain—Use It or Lose it
Alzheimer’s Disease and Senile Dementia in the Black Community
Emotional Pain and Black Women’s Health
The Pain of Poverty…and Don’t Some Black Women Know It
First Experiences and Black Women’s Pain
Engage Your Phenomenal Spirit

12 ? The Future of Black Women in America and Beyond
What Black Women Must Do to Survive, Thrive
and Stay Alive in the 21st Century
Life Lessons for Your Daughters…and Theirs
It’s the 21st Century: Forget about “Reparations” and “Apologies”
A Tough Love Prescription for Black America…Ouch!

Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: Age-Specific Health-Care Calendar
Appendix C: Sources (chapter by chapter)
Appendix D: Resources

Index

Acknowledgments

About the Author

What People are Saying About This

Dr. Jeff Gardere

This book clearly lays out the physiological and psychological stressors that negatively impact Black women's lives, how these women have historically turned their pain to power, and how you, too, can...live a phenomenal life! -- (Dr. Jeff Gardere, psychologist and TODAY Show contributor)

Cynthia Y. Hooper

Dr. McCloud has been in the forefront of the movement to empower and educate women. Her new book, LIVING WELL...is the only one of its kind to deal with both the physical and psychological factors that continue to impact African-American women. --(Cynthia Y. Hooper, Presiding Officer, The National Organization for African-American Women )

Robert M. Franklin Jr.

Dr. McCloud is an excellent ambassador for health advocacy and women's public health concerns. Her books are sophisticated, data-rich, yet easily relatable. I offer my highest, most enthusiastic endorsement. --(Robert M. Franklin, Jr., Ph.D., president, Morehouse College)

Edelin

A wealth of up-to-date information; very important and valuable. An enormously important book. Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell needs to be read by all Black women and the men who love them. -- (Kenneth C. Edelin, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University)

Pauletta Washington

A comprehensive guide to help us ensure total health. Each chapter contains a thorough look at the issues Black women face, and offers several solutions to many of these issues. I dedicate my voice to support Dr. McCloud in reaching our Black women. --(Pauletta Washington, musician and wife of Denzel Washington (from the foreword))