It’s an election year (gee, had you noticed?), and one of the hot-button topics off and on through the campaigns has been the state of health care in the U.S. Add to that the first woman to have a serious shot at the White House, and time is ripe for an increased emphasis on women’s health.

What is often missing from discussions of women’s health, or of health in general, is the acknowledgment that personal health is a responsibility as well as a right. Responsibility of this type requires timely and dependable health information.

How can we, as women, take charge of our own health without some way to sort out the barrage of information coming our way? What actions do we take to preserve our health when every day brings new reports which seem to contradict last week’s latest and greatest?

The purpose of this column is to serve as a focal point for news and information in women's health, and so help all of us to make better choices as we try to take charge of the care of our own bodies. Women of all ages, as well as the men who care about them, are invited to join me in exploring the issues which confront us as we take responsibility for our own unique needs.

Who am I to interpret and present this information for you? Since this is my first column, I’ll take the opportunity to introduce myself.

For the last few months I’ve been an obstetrician/gynecologist in Muskogee. This means that I have the background and access to information which helps me fill a column with women’s health news, but it also means that I am passionate about caring for women and their health needs.

Passion cuts both ways, though. Passion can be inspiring, but also tends to be (sometimes) annoyingly insistent. My patients in Muskogee are quickly learning that very few of them escape a discussion of their lifestyle choices when they visit, whether it’s a question about exercise, vitamin and mineral supplements, or when they plan to stop smoking.

I’ll be writing in the future about topics which you can use to make those lifestyle choices you need to improve your health. Ever wonder how often you should visit your doctor, and what tests you should expect? Do you need help making sense of the confusion of diet advice? Are you basically healthy, but wonder if there is more you could do to stay healthy your whole life?

Information is power, if we make the effort to use it wisely. I’ll bring the information. Join me every other Tuesday and bring your wisdom. I promise to take my own advice, and to only be annoyingly insistent when absolutely necessary.

Dr. Janet Matthews is a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Women’s Center of Muskogee Regional Medical Center, www.muskogee health.com.