Many of us raised in Hispanic families have been brought up with the saying, “If we have our health, we can do anything.” True enough – if we have our health, we are able to work, study, and take care of our loved ones. But even when we are healthy, what if we have to take care of children with their own health issues, hold down a job, and do it all as a single parent? 

Do you have time to do one more thing? It seems like we – women, Latinas – are often asked to do more, even when we are already busy juggling full time jobs, raising children, and maintaining our homes. 

Ismael Cala talks about the benefits of meditation.

In the United States, we’re fortunate to have a relatively low incidence of cervical cancer. We have the medical technology and methodologies to screen patients for cervical cancer and even prevent it through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations and early detection of pre-cancerous states. Even so, cervical cancer rates could be even lower, especially in the Hispanic population where it still presents a serious problem. According to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health: “The incidence of cervical cancer for Latina women in the United States is almost twice as high as non-Latina white women” and “Latina women have the 2nd highest mortality rate from cervical cancer.”

In the largest study to date of hearing loss among Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States, researchers have found that nearly 1 in 7 has hearing loss, a number similar to the general population prevalence.