Women’s Health is Important in Naples

More than two dozen physicians will share the latest in their respective fields, according to this article from the Naples Daily News, at the sixth annual Women’s Health Forum on Saturday (March 1) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in downtown Naples.

The free event, sponsored by the Collier County Medical Society, is called “Live Longer, Live Better,” with topics ranging from nutrition, depression, women’s imaging, successful brain aging, if prescription medications may actually be harmful and more.

Capacity is limited to 300 attendees at the Telford Center for Continuing Education, 350 Seventh St. N., where the forum is being held, and all seats are reserved with a waiting list of 50, April Donahue, executive director of the medical society said.

Anyone on a waiting list is advised to come midmorning to see if they can get in, she said.

Physicians submit an application to be a presenter. This year, organizers unfortunately had to turn some doctors away due to limited capacity for speakers, Donahue said.

Dr. Daniel Deutschman, an internist and psychiatrist in Naples, will speak about depression, anxiety and alternative approaches to treatment and medications.

Important from the start for depression is a correct diagnosis and the potential that an individual may also have bipolar disorder, he said. Some people with depression may actually enjoy some symptoms bipolar disorder, such as a feeling of euphoria, but it needs to be addressed, he said.

“These things are a welcome reprieve for depression but being bipolar is like having a touch of pregnancy,” he said.

Another of the two dozen speakers is Dr. Dennis Hidlebaugh, a gynecologist oncologist and chief of staff at Physicians Regional Healthcare System. He will talk about genetic testing for the BRCA genes that mean women with one of two of the genes may be at greater risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

The topic is timely because of actress Angelina Jolie’s decision last year to have a preventive double mastectomy. CNN news anchor Zoraida Sambolin and co-anchor on E-News Giuliana Rancic also had double mastectomies last year.

Hildebaugh also will talk about how the Pap test for detecting cervical cancer has vastly improved and testing for the human papillomavirus, HPV, is increasing.

“The technology of the Pap is so much better than 10 to 15 years ago,” he said. “We are doing more specific HPV high-risk typing with the Pap and ask to follow certain categories of patients more at risk.”