Gender Disparities in Healthcare

** WARNING: This post might make you feel frustrated beyond belief.

Here's a not-so-fun fact: 1 in 5 people on this planet suffer from chronic discomfort, and 70% of those sufferers are women. That's the vast majority, yet no one really seems to talk about how often (and how intensely!) women are physically hurting.

Between menstrual cramps, headaches caused by our hormones, backaches, muscle aches, chronic conditions and afflictions – you name it – studies have shown that women feel discomfort more intensely than men. Some believe that this is due to the fact that women's bodies have more nerve density and therefore have a greater natural response to stimuli, while others believe that hormones are to blame – higher estrogen rates in women leading to a more intense response, and higher testosterone in men leading to a less intense response.

Interestingly enough, even though 70% of chronic discomfort sufferers are women, the vast majority of relief studies are performed on men or male mice, which leads to a pressing question we have for the medical world: If all humans don't experience discomfort in the same way, why do we continue to treat it the same?

Knowing now that women are more likely to experience higher rates of discomfort, this next statistic is certain to make your eyes roll: According to Harvard Health, "a 2000 study published in The New England Journal found that women are seven times more likely than men to be misdiagnosed and discharged in the middle of cardiac arrest." WHAT!!? 

Ladies... If this doesn't prove to you that it's time to raise your standards for relief, I'm not sure what will. Find doctors who will listen to you concerns and take you seriously. Find relief options that are actually going to WORK for you and not cause more harm to your body. Take a stand and advocate for yourself and your health. If you don't do it, who will?

If you're ready to unlock the possibilities that exist in a life without discomfort, it's time to Meet Jovi.