All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today
by Elizabeth Comen
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Couric’s channel hosts author in talking-head format + photos
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Jun, 2024
Spoiler:
Dr. Elizabeth Comen gives examples of how women’s health has been historically ignored or chalked up to “hysteria.” She says women are fundamentally different from men in ways that go far beyond the obvious difference in our reproductive systems; for example, the angle of women’s hips as related to their knees is different, which has implications for ACL injuries and recovery. She asserts that medicine needs to catch up on how to study, image, and diagnose women. Women tend to chase “wellness” on the internet because they are not being heard by their doctors.
3:08
Good Morning America hosts Dr. Elizabeth Comen
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Feb, 2024
Spoiler:
In this short, sit-down interview, breast oncologist and author Dr. Comen says she based the book on her own experience as a patient and on the thousands of women who have been her patients. She emphasizes that women are not “small men” but are fundamentally different in their physiology and health care needs. She suggests bringing a friend or family member to medical appointments, arriving with prepared questions, and changing doctors if you are not happy and/or comfortable with the care you are receiving.
44:12
SHE MD podcast interview with author Elizabeth Comen
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Apr, 2024
Spoiler:
Dr. Comen reflects back on her medical training, commenting that most information was taught by referencing a 70 kilogram white male, even though women are built differently. While heart disease is the primary killer of women in the U.S., lab experiments testing new heart drugs are predominantly conducted on male cells and/or male mice because women are thought to be too hormonal. She says that our society has taught women to be ashamed of their bodies and that she could tell heartbreaking stories about women on their deathbeds apologizing to her for basic bodily functions like sweating.
56:31
92nd Street Y welcomes author for live conversation
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Feb, 2024
Spoiler:
Dr. Comen notes that medical students in the U.S. are taught that women’s symptoms for heart attacks are “atypical” (presenting sometimes as jaw pain, fatigue, or gut problems) and asks how women can be atypical when they make up over half the population and heart disease is their number one killer? She calls for changing the lexicon for how we refer to women’s health and how we address female patients. She mentions the Ozempic weight-loss drug craze, saying that “skinny fat” (that is, being thin but having a higher percentage of fat than muscle) is dangerous for women.
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Dr. Elizabeth Comen is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She also serves as an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Comen holds a BA from Harvard College and an MD from Harvard Medical School.
Publications
The New York Times: A Brief History of Sexism in Medicine
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