October Spotlight- Disparities in Women's Health
October is known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, encouraging women everywhere to get checked early, fund research, and support women who are cancer patients and/or survivors. The Canadian Cancer Society states that:
“Roughly 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Early detection significantly improves survival rates.”
Therefore, talking to your doctor and screenings are necessary. However, scheduling these talks, mammograms, breast ultrasounds, biopsies, and other women’s health check-ups is a whole other story… And that’s what this article focuses on, including other health disparities.
Health disparities are defined as unequal access to medical care or health outcomes across ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic lines.
What if some of this gap is caused by women VS women?
What ever happened to women supporting women?
The Main Disparity
When it comes to taking an appointment or expressing an additional concern in the medical system, women do not feel heard, and they feel rushed… especially by other women! For instance, call it what it is, but most receptionists are females, and they can be extremely rude. They can be talking to another woman on the line, who is trying schedule a mammogram or gynecology appointment, and instead of helping each other out, they are very quick to dismiss the woman in need.
Sure, they might be overwhelmed with calls, but that’s their job. Maybe they must follow standard procedures and can’t give more time than “what is allowed” …but that’s where the medical system must be a little greyer, and a little less black & white. True health happens in the grey zone, where each person is treated as an individual, not a number.
Furthermore, it's extremely unsettling when it’s the technician, radiologist, or doctor themselves dismissing the woman. I have heard stories about the woman’s breast or vagina is literally in their hands, and the technician or doctor chooses to be rude or dismissive in this moment. Talk about bad timing.
Not to mention how bedside manner is needed when women are being read or told their medical results. The delivery of a message is powerful in any case, and I believe more genuine care and attention still need work (yes, even in the year 2026).
Am I being dramatic? Unfortunately, not. I have experienced this myself and I hear from a lot of my clients who end up emotionally distressed and wanting to cry when they tell me the story about their medical experience.
In holistic care, we hold the time and space for our clients to speak and actually finish saying what they have to say. Furthermore, I believe we are more empathetic to those in need. In massage therapy, when someone asks me to book a session because they are experiencing frozen shoulder or TMJ or sciatic symptoms, I am immediately drawn to help. Two simple reasons for this:
1: They are in pain, now is not the time to be rude.
2: I have felt these similar physical pains myself and know how much better it will be after a therapeutic massage.
If I can be mindful of this, then workers in the healthcare system can too. When a woman calls explaining she has been experiencing heavy periods, abnormal bleeding, swollen breasts, or any other female symptom, the woman on the other line should reply with a resounding: “I got you girl!”
At least that’s my opinion. A little compassion goes a long way.
Other Disparities
Studies from Canadian Medical Association Journal, NIH, and the Canadian Public Health Association all published studies referencing the following gaps between women and the healthcare system:
Race: Women of color fear how they will get treated in the doctor’s office simply because of the color of their skin.
First Nations: Access to healthcare is not always nearby.
Caregivers: Women who take care of children, elders, or others in need of assistance often delay their own check-ups due to their other responsibilities.
Myths: The notions that PMS, debilitating pain, mood swings, nausea, and dizziness are all a part of a normal period, are not! Something is causing imbalance in the body, and lifestyle factors like sleep, hydration, nutrition, and exercise must be addressed.
The Most Understudied Disparity
Menopause: all women will go through menopause, that’s half the population.
“Major clinical and scientific gaps persist in menopause research, leading to widespread under-treatment and misdiagnosis” -Harvard Medical School quotes.
Across 16 medical school in Canada, only 7% of research focuses on women’s health. That’s less than 10% of all the course content, which includes pharmaceuticals that were studied on men but being approved for women.
Women are not “small men”- we are hormonally different genders. Women follow a 28-day cycle, like the moon, while men follow a 24-hour cycle, like the sun. This means our bodies vary significantly.
In Canada, untreated symptoms by women who feel unheard costs the Canadian economy $3.5 billion dollars per year, according to data from the Menopause Foundation of Canada. Rather than knowing what’s really happening, the signs are being missed, women get worse, they reduce their hours at work or need a leave of absence all together, they may end up with emergency procedures, and all these factors cost billions of dollars (with a B!) in the economy.
Therefore, how can we give women what they need at this stage if the research is not there to support it?
The Fix
Women, we must use our voices! We must be persistent and insist on being heard. Break down system barriers by demanding extra time, tests, and attention; they cannot refuse.
We must also be our own best friend and make the effort to care for ourselves before others will. Fill up your cup with a proper movement, hydration, and nutrition. I live this way and by this motto and it helps to keep me moving forward day after day.
We have control over our day to day. When women regulate their sleep, food, and exercise schedule, many things start to balance in the body and mind. For example, the practice of food sequencing on how to eat your meals can improve nutrient absorption and insulin regulation.
For the proper order on how to eat your meals, read my article here: https://www.thebodyblog.ca/post/the-correct-order-of-eating-food
Other diet factors that women often get confused about are intermittent fasting, the keto diet, carbohydrates, and high intensity interval trainings (HIITs), which you can read about here:
While we do our part, science must follow us. Research must include us more, which is why October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and our donations do make a difference.
If you would like to donate to a wonderful group of people who raise money and awareness each October, please give to my friend, Ali Zaarour from Zaarour & Associates. This year, they not only reached their goal of raising $5000, but they doubled it, raising over $10k! Now they’ve decided to push even further and aim for another $5000 before the end of the month of October. Read their story and donate here:
I conclude with this quote:
“When women get together as a group, it’s immensely powerful.” — Annie Lennox, Singer/Songwriter, Activist
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