On 5 November 2011 in Złote Tarasy in Warsaw, the final of the nationwide pro-health campaign "Beauty in Health" organised by the "Zwierciadło" monthly magazine was held.
The event was hosted by Katarzyna Montgomery - editor in chief of the "Zwierciadło" monthly magazine and Agata Młynarska - the star of the advertising campaign for LaciBios femina - the first oral gynaecological probiotic in Poland.
The pro-health campaign "Beauty in health" was yet another impulse to for women to take care of themselves and learn to listen to their own needs. It is one of the few initiatives aiming at the promotion of preventive health care referring both to the body and mind.
We all know that preventive health care is extremely important, but in our everyday busy life it is frequently very difficult to find some time for ourselves and our health. That is why such campaigns as "Beauty in health" play a truly important role. They are addressed to all people who are aware of the necessity of taking care of one's health, and to those who want to learn how to do it.
The guests invited to the meeting encouraged all people visiting Złote Tarasy in Warsaw to treat themselves and their bodies with special care. Special emphasis was put on preventive measures and basic medical examinations which everyone should definitely have at least once a year.
During the meeting, experts in psychology and medicine, such as Wojciech Eichelberger, Maria Rabiej, Preeti Agrawal, Katarzyna Bosacka gave advice how to take care of our health, beauty and our everyday life comfort.
There were also discussions on health, beauty and taking care of oneself with recognised and very popular actresses, artists and models, such as Anna Dereszowska, Agnieszka Maciąg, Reni Jusis, Paulina Przybysz, Paulina Holtz, Maciej Miecznikowski, Jolanta Fraszyńska, Monika Mrozowska, Julia Pietrucha and Kinga Rusin. They all encouraged women to take care of their beauty and health despite the pressure of everyday tasks and responsibilities.
All of the invited guests wrote down on a special chart what beauty in health means for them. There were as many various answers as many guests.
However, for all of them health was an invaluable gift that should be taken care of and protected.
How should we do it?
One could find out by visiting the experts' stands. ASA was one of the campaign's sponsors; everyone visiting the company's stand could obtain information materials and pro-health preparations. The participants of the event could also consult an expert - Maria Rabiej, MA, a midwife and lecturer at the Medical Academy in Warsaw, who reminded people visiting our stand what prevention of female-specific diseases - including neoplastic diseases - consist in and what every woman should always remember if she wants to stay healthy.
Ms Rabiej said during the meeting: The basic preventive measures are periodical gynaecological examinations which every woman should have at least once a year. I think that personal hygiene should also be important for every woman. Vaginal infections are very often bacterial infections. The pathogens migrate from the anus to the vagina. Escherichia colli can be an example. Also, bacteria from public toilets can enter the vagina in a similar way. To put it simply: a woman should always wash her private parts in the direction from the pubes to the anus, and she should never sit on any public toilets.
Another problem is protection against risks dictated by the natural vaginal ecosystem. In proper conditions, the vagina is inhabited by lactic acid bacteria (95%), while other pathogens constitute only 5%. The former are natural guardians of the woman's intimate health. Unfortunately, it is very easy to upset the vaginal ecosystem, for instance during antibiotic treatment, pregnancy, frequenting swimming pools, or using hormonal contraception. When the amount of lactic acid bacteria decreases, other pathogens start multiplying. That is how bacterial vaginitis develops. In the prevention of women's intimate health problems oral gynaecological probiotics, such as LaciBios femina, should always play an important role.
The host of the event, Agata Młynarska, also encouraged women to take special care of their health.
I would like Polish women to treat their own bodies with respect and not to be ashamed of asking questions concerning their intimate health. I do want them to learn what is good for them, and to be happier, and their families as well. That is why I cooperate with ASA advertising LaciBios femina.
The meeting entitled "Beauty in health" made many people aware that there are diseases in which there are no symptoms in the early stadium, but which can finally be very serious, or even life-threatening. It is our duty to take care of our health. Health is a true value, and prevention is better than cure.