European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your health do doctors perform too Many hysterectomies by sue Miller Baltimore evening Sun a bout 550,000 hysterectomies Are performed every year in the United states country in which a woman has about a 50percent Chance of undergoing this major surgery before she Dies. The average age of an american woman having a Hysterectomy is 35. From then on premature aging sets in unless and until action is taken to prevent it. Women in the United states have hysterectomies by the age of 44 at five times the rate of women in six european countries where the rate is 4 percent. Those facts Are disturbing and cause for concern particularly because Hysterectomy is not the innocuous procedure that Many women Are led to believe it is says or. Winnifred b. Cutler a reproductive biologist researcher and author. She blames the continued High incidence of Hysterectomy on Many women and doctors who believe that the uterus is of Little value beyond enabling the bearing of children. Over and above that she says there remains within some areas of the medical Community a Lack of perception and awareness of the often serious physical and emotional problems experienced by women who undergo Hysterectomy and  in her new Book Hysterectomy before and after a comprehensive guide to preventing preparing for and maximizing health after Hysterectomy Cutler discloses critical new scientific evidence of the intimate interaction Between the uterus ovaries and the  she explains there s an internal Cross talk Between these three parts of the Triangle and if you remove one of these parts if you Cut it away it s got to have a profound effect on every part of the  this View is being acknowledged today but for years doctors believed this surgery had no effect on the body. And when women would ask their physicians about the Side effects of Hysterectomy physicians would reply it won t affect your sex life. If you had a Good one before you will have a Good one  but not so says Cutler. Sexual dysfunction often occurs in both the woman and her partner As a result of the surgery. For the woman there is a loss of libido for More than half of the women it s a loss that does t respond to psychiatry or oestrogen although it does respond to testosterone. Most women who have a Hysterectomy she says can expect problems with vaginal lubrication within a couple of years unless they Are receiving hormonal therapy. And even if they Are taking therapy they May still have problems. There Are orgasmic losses for Many women after Hysterectomy. Some men have complained that the sexual anatomical fit Between the partners is no longer As Good As it used to be. A woman s most serious concern after Hysterectomy should probably be cardiovascular disease which claims the lives of More than 450,000 women each year in the United states she says. Moreover Hysterectomy increases the risk of atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries and dying of a heart attack rises three to sevenfold Over that of age matched women who have not had the  other deleterious effects of Hysterectomy according to Cutler who based her Book on a review of some 3,000 scientific studies Are a High likelihood of serious postoperative depression which appears in 50 percent of women As much As two years after surgery. Alteration of a woman s hormone Levels including oestrogen progesterone testosterone and the Beta endorphins. A deterioration of Bone health which can Lead to the Bone porosity and fragility of osteoporosis. Increased incidence of urinary incontinence. Asked when a woman should have a Hysterectomy the scientist says after she has empowered herself with the knowledge of How her body works and when she knows she will do More Good for herself by removing her uterus than by any other path to overcome  women have time she says when they have disease to find out what is wrong diagnose the problem and consider All the alternative cures before surgery is considered. If we do decide we need surgery because the other methods do not work for us we remove the smallest amount of body tissue possible not the largest amount she stresses. Women who follow that path according to data in the medical literature 90 percent of the time probably won t need a  and there is More Good news says the co founder of the women s wellness program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I did t write a Book to cry Wolf she says. I wrote a Book to help with each of those Hysterectomy related problems. They can be overcome. It takes action. It takes knowledge and it takes Energy. A lot of women Are not aware they can be overcome. And even if they have a sense they can be overcome they Don t know where to go for  not Only women but also physicians should read her Book she says. More than half of physicians Are currently unaware that Hysterectomy increases a woman s heart attack rate three to sevenfold or that Hysterectomy itself even when the ovaries remain promotes Bone loss or that Hysterectomy produces biochemical changes that Lead to depression she contends. That information she says is not yet out into the consciousness of the medical  Eye stress and fatigue can be relieved with proper room illumination and frequent rest periods. Relieve vat Eye stress not associated press millions of eyes today Are focused on computer monitors or video display terminals whether at work Home or school. While studies have shown no indications that these monitors cause vision problems the american optometric association has some advice on ways to reduce Eye stress and fatigue when working on the terminals with prolonged concentration. Take a 10 or 15-minute rest break every hour. Use glasses with a mild near vision prescription for Wear Only when using the video display terminal. Tuesday january 17, 1989 room lighting for video display terminal work should be about half that recommended for general office work or a 30 to 50-foot Candle level about the equivalent of a 60-Watt bulb in a Small room the Light source should not reflect directly on the screen. For maximum Comfort and ease of seeing flexibility is the key you should be Able to adjust the table chair screen brightness and contrast Monitor position and keyboard to meet individual needs. Copyholder should be adjustable to hold reference material at the same height and distance As the screen eliminating the need to change focus when looking from one to the other. The stars and stripes Page 17