10 Writing Ideas Concerning Health

Melanoma

In 2018, the National Cancer Institute estimated there would be 91,270 new cases of melanoma in the United States, and 9,320 people would die from the disease.

That's rather stunning.

We worship the sun, slathering tanning lotion all over our bodies and basking in it. When we can't do that, we crawl into a tanning bed and get bronze artificially. Our vanity is killing us.

Teach the A-B-C-D-Es of identifying melanoma. You'll find info online at cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/skin.

Osteoporosis

Did you know that your body's peak bone mass is reached at about age 30? After that, bone resorption begins to exceed new bone formation. If you aren't taking measures to ensure bone strength, you could develop osteoporosis.

You've seen older people who are bent over. That's what osteoporosis can do. The disease makes your bones porous and prone to breaking.

If you're a woman nearing menopause, this might be an appropriate topic for you to write about. It could change your life. Bone loss is fastest in the first few years after menopause.

Research links to get you started:

• Bones.nih.gov
• Menopause.org
• National Osteoporosis Foundation

Autism

You hear a lot about how many children today are affected by autism. If you don't have a child with autism or know one, it can be a confusing disease. And remember, children grow up. Plenty of adults are autistic.

Research links to get you started:

• The U.S. National Library of Medicine
• Autism Speaks
• Autism Society

Obesity

Obesity is a big topic all by itself, pun not intended. We all know that obesity is becoming a national epidemic in the United States, and the myriad complications are said to be one cause for soaring health insurance rates. The issue is complicated. Choose one aspect of obesity and focus on it to research and write about.

Ideas:

• Should you use diet pills?
• The Body Mass Index Calculator
• What you need to know about weight loss surgery
• Obesity and exercise

Heart Attack

When a woman has a heart attack, her symptoms are different than a man's. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and many don't realize it. If you ask a woman, she will probably say breast cancer is at the top of the list. 

Womenheart.org notes, "one in two women will die of heart disease or stroke, compared with one in 25 women who will die of breast cancer."

Research:

• Women's heart attack symptom's different from men's
• Symptoms of a heart attack
• The American Heart Association

The Power of the Mind

Not all health topics have to be related to disease. Wellness is a fabulous topic to write about, and the power of the mind is something many people have no clue about. Do you? Do you know that you become what you think about?

Ideas:

• The Secret
• Earl Nightingale
• Dr. Wayne Dyer

Incontinence

There's nothing more embarrassing than weeing in your pants when you laugh too hard or sneeze. Yet, many more people than you would ever guess have a problem with urinary incontinence for a variety of reasons.

There are solutions, and that's what your paper is about.

Research links to get you started:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• The American Urological Association
• American Urogynecologic Society
• National Association for Continence
• The Simon Foundation for Continence

Breast Cancer Topics

Options for women with breast cancer continue to evolve. Dr. Suzanne Klimberg, for example, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, has developed several new procedures that help women preserve a natural look after mastectomy and preserve the function of their lymph nodes, avoiding lymphedema.

To help some women keep their hair during treatment, there's a procedure common in Europe called cold capping, which essentially puts the hair follicles into hibernation during chemo treatments. It's FDA approved in the United States but little-known (possibly because it's not widely paid for by insurance), so a paper on the topic could stir up the cancer treatment landscape and help anyone who reads it. 

One in eight women will develop breast cancer.

Research links to get you started:

• Breastcancer.org
• National Cancer Institute
• Cold capping

Menopause

Menopause is another topic that is not a disease, although if you're a woman over 50, you may beg to differ. Women are all destined to go through this phase unless something in their life has interrupted the usual schedule.

Choose menopause if you're a female nontraditional student close to 50, and you will add an aspect of authenticity to your paper, especially if you have started to experience symptoms.

Here are some ideas:

• Menopause symptoms
• Natural remedies for hot flashes

Health Insurance

Wow, is health insurance ever a big issue. If you're bold enough, explore the Affordable Care Act and take a side, pro or con.

Ideas:

• Health Reform in Action
• Myths & Facts
• Obamacare by the Numbers by John Cassidy
• Understanding the Obama Health Care Plan
• Effects of the Affordable Care Act in its first years of implementation
• Changes in Obamacare during the Donald Trump presidency
• How Obamacare is related to Romneycare, from Massachusetts