Summary of Grown Woman Talk by Sharon Malone: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy

By GP SUMMARY

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This book does not in any capacity mean to replace the original book but to serve as a vast summary of the original book.

Summary of Grown Woman Talk by Sharon Malone : Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy

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Dr. Sharon Malone's Grown Woman Talk is a book aimed at women feeling marginalized or overwhelmed by the healthcare system. It provides practical guidance on aging and health, real-life stories, and encourages discussion and accurate medical insights.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9783989838321

GP SUMMARY

GP SUMMARY get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.

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INTRODUCTION

The author shares her experiences as an OB/GYN in the US, highlighting the challenges women face in their health journey. She shares her own personal story of her mother's unplanned late-in-life pregnancy and the impact it had on her family. Her mother was a strong, wise woman who had no agency over her own healthcare, and her grief was raw and suppressed.

The author has treated more women than she can count and is grateful for the victories they have scored over the years. She shares many stories in this book to help others become their best primary caregivers, so that their own experiences will not be theirs.

The author emphasizes that advocating for oneself medically is neither easy nor instinctual, and the challenges faced in doing so will be complex and ever-changing. The medical system is broken, especially for women, people of color, rural Americans, and those of limited means. The COVID pandemic has exposed the inequities that have always been percolating just below the surface, and the magnitude of those disparities is being discussed in the public square.

The author invites readers to join her in this much-needed talk about themselves, their health, and the agency they must exercise to have the life and get the care they deserve. By sharing her personal experiences and stories, the author hopes to empower women to regain confidence and control around their health, vitality, and future.

The foundation of modern medicine was not built with women in mind, with women's healthcare being a deeply problematic field of study. Dr. J. Marion Sims, the Father of Gynecology, invented the field of gynecology by operating and experimenting on enslaved women without anesthesia. Women's bodies were considered unclean and contemptible, and their value was tied almost exclusively to their ability to reproduce. Medical research did not routinely include women in clinical trials until 1993, and the Women's Health Initiative, the largest and most expensive study ever to investigate health in menopausal women, was commissioned by Dr. Bernadine Healy.

Despite the need for a fundamental overhaul of medicine and research, there is still a lot within women's control. This book aims to provide tools to encourage more efficient and satisfying interactions with the healthcare system, helping women become better caregivers, health consumers, and advocates. It also encourages understanding how their history, susceptibilities, and behaviors may get in the way of being their best self as they age.

The book encourages cultivating greater self-awareness and resiliency as women age, slowing or preventing premature decline, and becoming familiar with the term health span. It encourages women to live long and prosper, and to protect their peace of mind.

Solid

The text emphasizes the importance of having a team of reliable healthcare professionals, including internists, gynecologists, and colonoscopies, to better control your health and live a better life. It also highlights the need for convenience and familiarity with doctors, as socioeconomic status, politics, gender, and race can hinder good care. However, as a primary caregiver, you are the most important factor in your health care.

The author's hometown, Mobile, Alabama, is both urban and urbane. It was a beacon of hope for those fleeing oppressive poverty and lack of opportunity. The author's parents, Bertha and Willie Malone, left the Black Belt in 1944 to find jobs at Brookley Air Force Base and create a home for their family. Their neighborhood was unique, with remnants of whiteness around them. They lived next door to an old Marine hospital that treated both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The hospital was repurposed into a tuberculosis asylum, and the author watched TB patients scale the brick wall to keep them in.

Old Mobile General, a city hospital, provided separate and unequal medical care for Black patients. Black patients entered through the colored only entrances in the rear and were attended by white doctors and staff in segregated wards. In the 130 years of its existence, no Black doctors were allowed to admit patients there.

In conclusion, understanding one's background and experiences can help individuals make better decisions about their health and well-being.

The author discusses the historical and current challenges faced by healthcare in the Jim Crow South, highlighting the persistence of geographic, economic, and cultural barriers that shaped healthcare in the past. The author's family's experiences with healthcare in rural Alabama during the 1920s highlight the lack of access to hospitals, doctors, and effective treatments for most illnesses. The author's mother's beliefs in hard work, education, and the power of God influenced her children's suboptimal approach to medical care.

Despite the advancements in medical technology, the author believes that geographic and economic inaccessibility, lack of representation, inadequate facilities, lack of information, and lack of trust still persist. This general point of view still exists, especially for those who are poor, people of color, elderly, female, or residents of remote areas.

The author encourages everyone to take full charge of their health and healthcare, acknowledging that no one is coming to save them. The author emphasizes the need for individuals to adapt to the changing medical landscape and embrace the emerging landscape to effectively negotiate its inefficiencies.

Overall, the author emphasizes the importance of understanding and embracing the emerging landscape to improve healthcare for all, regardless of their background or circumstances. The systemic corporatization of medicine