African-American adolescent girls have far lower use of tobacco than Caucasian adolescent girls. African-American teenage girls have a lot to teach us. That changes the ways we need to look at women's health. The Institute of Medicine compiled In Her Own Right to look at women's health and health care through a different lens, to find what's unique to women. Women and men often respond differently to the same health challenges.
Women often turn energy inward, resulting in mental illness and addiction.
Men more commonly direct that same energy outward, resulting in antisocial behavior and violence. We're learning more about how genetics and hormones contribute to these differences. Women and their health providers need a new relationship. Replace the old paternalism where doctors made decisions on women's behalf, replacing it with doctors who listen and share mutual responsibility with women. Segment 4 Doctors must now treat whole people, not just diseases.