JCC Center Women Put a Spolight on Women's Health

Women Living Healthy in 2011, a women's health and wellness fair organized by the Center Women at the and took place on Thursday.

"We wanted to do something that was open to everyone, something that would give back to the community," Risa Raich, president of the Center Women, told Patch. "Center Women is for all ages, for all women, it's an inclusive group that is looking to build community. We may be a fundraising organization, but there are multiple pieces to our mission."

Center Women fundraises to support two JCC programs: JumpStart, an early child education program for children with special needs, and the Senior Lunch Program.

Thursday began with a number of health screenings available throughout the day.  Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Rudolph Taddonio offered a seminar about spinal health and registered dietician Christine Silkowitz offered a class on shopping and eating well.

Two free fitness classes were offered in the morning. A kettlebell class took place at 8:30 a.m. and at 10:45 a.m., Jimmy Locust from Locust Performing Arts Center taught a hip-hop class.

"He's a phenomenal personality, just a lot of fun," Raich said.

Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe in Fairfield gave a raw foods demonstration at lunch time. VitaMix donated a brand new blender for the day to ensure that the demo adhered to kosher guidelines and another VitaMix blender was raffled off during the day.

The day came to a close with a panel of experts, moderated by Dr. Shira B. Vadel, Internal Medicine, and including Dr. Bismruta Misra, Endocrinology; Dr. Daryl Wieland, Uro-Gynecology; Dr. Donna-Marie Manasseh, Breast Surgeon; Dr. Evelyn Cusak, Cardiology; and Dr. Joseph Feuerstein, Integrative Medicine.

"For those of us who have experienced not being well, we know that there is nothing more important than health," Wendy Hoak of the Center Women said as she welcomed the audience.

As she introduced the panel, Vadel opened the conversation by stressing the importance of regular check-ups, knowledge, and preventive care — a theme that would come up again and again throughout the next hour.

"Many women worry about what we're going to do to them if we find something, but you don't know what that cancer's going to do to you if we don't find it," Manasseh said.

Cusak, a cardiologist, began with a simple concept: it is possible to protect yourself from both heart disease and cancer through simple preventive steps. She is optimistic that recent studies have identified differences between men and women when it comes to heart health and that women are becoming increasingly aware of risk factors. Cusak also stressed that a diagnosis is not a death sentence.

"Agressive medical management works," Cusak said. "You can live a healthy life with diagnosed heart disease. There's a lot we can do."

Feuerstein, who works with doctors at Stamford Hospital, specializes in alternative medicine integrated into treatments, including acupuncture, herbal supplements and lifestyle changes. 

"Everyone's excited about taking as many vitamins as they can — people come in with bags and bags of them," Feuerstein said. "If we look at the levels of vitamins, we find that many are off the charts. Most vitamins have a bell curve effect, if you're too low you're going to get sick, but if you're too high, you can also get sick. You want to know that you're taking a logical level... don't be too high, don't be too low, just be normal."

Raich anticipates holding more of these community programs in the future as a way to educate the public about Center Women and about relevant topics. She hopes that a poll of Thursday's attendees will reveal some key areas for future women's health and wellness seminars and workshops.

"There's such a need for it and so many areas we haven't even touched," Raich said.