REGION: Vieira to moderate women’s health forum

By Stephanie Vaccaro, Staff Writer
   Whether by nature or nurture, women often become good at caring for others while often not taking the time to care for themselves.
   A Healthy Woman’s Forum to be held Wednesday, June 1, is a space for women to take time out from their busy schedules to engage in a dialogue about healthy practices with other women and a variety of health professionals.
   It was born out of a conversation between psychologist Sharon Powell and Joyce Hofman, head of Princeton Weight Loss. They thought that, in the larger Princeton community, it would be valuable to have a forum across generations to come to the same place to talk with each other and to meet with doctors, mental health specialists and health care service professionals.
   ”We thought we’d culminate the day with a panel discussion,” said Ms. Powell. “And if we could get someone like Meredith Vieira, who is so respected by women of all ages, from The Today Show to come and moderate – she’s so good at interviewing people and so tuned in to the healthy needs of women – if we could get someone like Meredith to come, that would just be the icing on the cake. And we were very lucky, she said yes.”
   With Ms. Vieira’s announcement this week that she is leaving The Today Show, it’s likely that this will be her last public appearance in the foreseeable future, said Ms. Powell.
   ”The Today Show got so interested in the idea that they are coming down,” said Ms. Powell. “They’re going to film what happens that day and do a segment on healthy women, the challenges and opportunities for women around health.”
   ”We’re also so excited that women in their 30s and 40s see the relevance, but also women in their 60s, 70s and 80s are coming,” said Ms. Powell. “So, our plan is to have women across ages meet and be invited to sit at tables together to meet and talk about what we have in common across the ages and learn from each other.”
   The breakout workshop topics include: heart health, weight loss, healing through acupuncture, midlife and beyond, raising children with less stress, breast health, and facing anxiety and fears.
   Dr. Kate Thomsen, an integrative/holistic women’s health physician in Pennington, will present “Midlife and Beyond: Balancing Hormones, Emotions, Nutritional and Metabolic Needs” with Dr. Maria Sophocles, an OBGYN in Princeton.
   ”This is a very interactive and engaging type of conference,” said Dr. Thomsen. “We’re going to give you the latest food for thought, as well as the latest in news to use.”
   ”News changes every two weeks and we have to go back to some basic truths about how to balance our life,” said Dr. Thomsen. “We want to make it a fun day for everyone, so it will be both useful and enjoyable.”
   The lunchtime panel will feature a number of medical professionals who will share their personal experiences.
   For the lunchtime panel, Dr. Thomsen will share some health issues that she’s struggled with that seem to pop up every time her life is out of balance and how she uses them as messages to get back into balance.
   The forum will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 1 at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village. It costs $75 per person, which includes the forum activities, a continental breakfast and lunch. Participants should register by May 20. For more information, see www.healthywomansforum.com.