Month: February 2018

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Tired Of Feeling The Burn? Try These Remedies For Razor-Burn Relief

Think quick: What beauty routine do you spend the most time on, completing almost every day? Which grooming habit can make you feel instantly put together and poised? If you’re like most American women, the answer to both these questions is shaving. Over 99 percent of American women remove body hair, most commonly by shaving.  
We shave to feel smooth and sleek, but there can be an unintended—and counterproductive—side effect if we’re not careful: razor burn. This “burn” actually consists of that all-too-familiar series of small red bumps. Sometimes they itch or sting (hence the burn part of the name), but other times they just look unsightly.
Here’s what you need to know about preventing razor burn and treating it when it happens.

What is razor burn?

Razor burn is caused when a razor blade pulls and twists one or more hair follicles, damaging your skin. In addition to the irritation it causes, razor burn can also cause a twisted hair to grow back under the skin, which is known as an ingrown hair. This is uncomfortable and can lead to more pesky red dots and even infection.
You might have noticed that razor burn occurs more frequently in your armpits or on your bikini area. That’s because we have different types of body hair. The hair in our armpits and pubic areas—and on and men’s faces—is a thicker, coarser type known as terminal hair. Since terminal hair is tougher, it’s more likely to be pulled by a razor and to come back ingrown.

Preventing Razor Burn

The best way to avoid razor burn is to prevent it, and the most effective means of prevention is to use a sharp razor. If you’re shaving with a dull blade, it’s more likely to pull on your hair follicles, irritating your skin.
Another way to prevent razor burn is by keeping your skin well-moisturized before, during, and after shaving. This means using plenty of shaving cream, or even switching from a shaving cream to a shaving oil, which can provide more lubrication. Whatever you use, make sure you’re reapplying often. Also, avoid going over the same area more than once in a session. After shaving, moisturize again.

Treating Razor Burn

You hop in the shower to quickly shave your armpits, only to feel that burning sensation later in the day. Maybe you didn’t use enough shaving cream or you had a dull blade. Whatever the reason, now you’ve got razor burn. What next?
Luckily, there are plenty of treatment options. Try soothing the area with something cooling, like aloe vera gel (or better yet, aloe directly from a plant). To avoid having your hair follicles become infected, apply lemon juice to the area. Although it might sting if you have any small nicks, lemon juice is naturally antibacterial and can keep harmful bugs at bay.
If the bumps are large or bothering you, try dousing them with a topical anti-inflammatory. Witch hazel is a great natural option: Just put some on a cotton ball and dab the area. For something a bit more powerful, apply a hydrocortisone cream, which can be purchased at any drug store.
While you’re treating razor burn, it’s best not to shave the area since that can further irritate your skin. Practice patience and give your body time to heal!
[related article_ids=8718]

Categories
Motherhood

A Rose By Any Other Name: What Parents Name Their Baby Matters

In 2008, a New Zealand couple made national headlines when a judge granted the court temporary custody of their 9-year-old daughter. The parents’ offense could possibly make this case one of the most unique tales of custody loss to date. Custody was granted to the court so that the nine year old could legally change her name from “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” to something a little more normal.
According to reports published by The Guardian in 2008, Rob Murfit, a family court judge, made the decision after learning of the child’s embarrassment. Apparently, she had taken to telling her school friends her name was “K” just to avoid revealing the truth. The reasoning behind the court’s decision was that strange names set children up for bullying, giving them a disadvantage in life. And Murfit accused the parents of poor judgement and putting the child in a position of social handicap.
Although losing custody might seem like a harsh consequence for giving a child a weird name, it’s important remember that what parents name their children matters. Of course, parents don’t need to be constrained to choosing from the top ten baby names of the year. They should, however, practice restraint when they begin to adventure into extremely unusual names and consider the potential consequences of their decision.
HealthyWay
“When choosing a name for their child, parents should consider how the child will feel bearing that name during childhood and in adulthood,” says Fran Walfish, PsyD, Beverly Hills family and relationship psychotherapist, author of The Self-Aware Parent. “Too often parents seem more preoccupied with their own name preferences.”
https://twitter.com/kait_nichols18/status/954077978169958405
“Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” might be among the most outrageous names out there, but it definitely isn’t the only strange names parents have tried to get away with. In this case alone, the judge mentioned records of names like “Fish and Chips,” “Sex Fruit,” and “Keenan Got Lucy” as examples of some of the worst names parents had given their child. Take a look at a few more of the most unusual names out there.

The Strangest Baby Names Out There

In 1994, the Los Angeles Times reported on a couple from Japan who were in a legal battle with the Japanese government over what they had chosen to named their son. They had given him the name “Akuma,” which translates to “Devil” in Japanese. Although the family was initially allowed to legally give out this name, the Prime Minister’s cabinet eventually got involved. The family was ordered to select another name for the child, stating fears that the child would face bullying in the future.
HealthyWay
In New Zealand, naming a baby requires a stamp of approval from the government. After denying a multitude of strange and cruel names, they chose to release an official statement sharing all of the names that are strictly off limits: Lucifer, Messiah, 4Real, and even Anal made the list, according to CNN.
France is another country who has a history of putting strict regulations on baby naming. Until 1993, parents actually had to pick from list of names provided by the government. Although they relaxed the laws after 1993, parents still can’t get away with trying to use an exceptionally strange name. According to Huffington Post, parents have recently been turned down when trying to name their child “Nutella” and “Strawberry” in France.
HealthyWay
In Sweden, one couple chose a strange name for their child to make a point. Sweden has very strict naming laws and vetos names that don’t comply with those laws. This family decided to fight back, naming their child “Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116” in protest, according to BBC. The Swedish government did not approve it.

The “Why” Behind Strange Names

When you hear stories of outlandish names, you can’t help but wonder what exactly was going through the parents’ heads at the time. It’s one thing to want to make a point, but giving your child a name that could become a source of humiliation for the child is another story entirely.
In general, it seems parents who are willing to let their child suffer because of their unusual name are driven by self-centeredness. In fact, Walfish believes parents who pick extreme names are downright narcissistic.


“Parents who name their kids really extreme names like ‘Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii’ have a piece of narcissism in their character organization,” she says. “People who are narcissistic, or have narcissistic traits, are missing the computer chip in their organized personalities to imagine the impact of their own behavior on others or empathize with others.”
Empathy is an important character trait for all human beings, but especially for parents charged with raising a child. Without empathy, many relationships are at risk of ruin. Feeling empathy is essential to returning the emotional needs of another person to make sure they feel understood, accepted, and validated, according to Walfish. And parents who aren’t able to empathize with their children are more likely to make foolish decisions without considering how it could harm their children.
https://twitter.com/madimae68/status/959150387499491328
Kerby Alvy, PsyD, clinical psychologist and author of Parenting Errors agreed, saying that many parents who choose unusual names for their children are more concerned about how that name with reflect back on them. They have certain thoughts about their own reputation or the reputation they would like to maintain, and naming their children is one more way to confirm that reputation.

How Strange Names Impact Childhood

“The name a child is given is a major shaper of one’s existence or one’s futures,” says Alvy. “There’s a history within certain cultures of naming kids with characteristics they want to see develop and actually work with their kids to develop those characteristics. So it’s not unusual in certain cultures that the name is actually given to try to bring out characteristics in their children.”
HealthyWay
This is one of many reasons Alvy believes what parents name their children matters. A name shapes what a child believes about themselves and often how they are perceived by others. What a child is named is a central part of their self-identification, according to Walfish.
HealthyWay
“Around age 3 to 4, every boy and girl needs to make a positive self-identification,” she explains. “If the child gets negative messages from his peers … and it makes the child feel self-conscious, it risks the child feeling a negative sense of self related to his or her name.”


And when it comes to incredibly strange names, they can become a source of shame for children. In schools, bullying is incredibly common. Kids with unusual names are prime targets for bullying, according to Alvy, and parents should consider this before they select a name for their child. Parents must realize that a strange name makes their child an easy target, and that they might be responsible for putting their kid in harm’s way.
https://twitter.com/sohollywood___/status/955250385119309824
“When parents want to be too creative and different, that’s when they can get into trouble,” adds Walfish. “It’s hard for a child to go through school and escape being bullied … Kids in school look for opportunities to tease and torment their peers. Having a name that’s unusual is a perfect opportunity for a mean kid to pounce on another.”

What Parents Need to Know About Naming Their Child

Naming a baby is hard. Multiple parents share with HealthyWay their own struggles to find the right fit for their child. One mom says she dislikes her daughter’s name, while another hates the nicknames friends and family have created for her son’s very traditional name. My husband loves to joke about being called “the baby” for several days after his birth while his parents debated about name choices. Some parents, like Amy, a mom of two, might find themselves hating the name they once believed was the perfect choice.
HealthyWay
“We had ‘Ariel Elizabeth’ planned for kid two,” she says. “After she was born, we tried it out at the hospital. No one could say it without puckering up their mouths.”
Another mom, Nikki, pushes back on the assertion that unusual names are always a bad choice. She shares that they chose “Beowulf” for their first child, despite criticism from family and friends and has never regretted the choice.
https://twitter.com/Knewbettersum/status/955226908064735234
Although most parents won’t try to get away with naming their child “Metallica,” all parents should carefully consider the name they are giving their child. A good place to start, according to Alvy, is an honest look at the motivation behind their naming choices. After identifying those motivations, he also suggests examining any possibilities for a specific name to put the child at risk of teasing, shame, or insecurity.
In some situations, parents who have made a naming choice they have come to regret might consider taking extreme measures to make amends: allowing their child to legally change their name.
https://twitter.com/Amaarah7/status/957921282682703872
“As long as you’re consulting honestly with your kids about their name, a child might very well say, ‘Oh, mommy, I have a lot of trouble with this. Kids are making fun of me,'” Alvy says. “I think that it’s a good idea to ask your child what he or she would prefer to be named.”
Ultimately, parents have to be willing to have honest conversations with their children, according to Alvy. They have to be willing to hear the criticism their child offers up about their parenting choices, be willing to apologize, and make the changes necessary to improve their child’s life.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

What I Wish The World Knew About Fighting Cancer

Cancer. Just the word can strike fear into our hearts. It’s no wonder: Each year about 1.6 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States, and close to 600,000 people die of the disease. Nearly 40 percent of Americans will have cancer at some point in their lives.
However, there is good news. In the United States, cancer deaths fell by 13 percent between 2004 and 2013. That’s in part because treatment has advanced. It’s also because more people are catching cancer early, while it is still more treatable. Educating yourself on early cancer detection could save your life.
These advances mean that more people than ever are living with cancer for years or even decades.
We talked to seven cancer warriors and asked them one important question: What do you wish the world knew about fighting cancer? Here’s what they had to say.

Act normal, please

Amber Fallon, 34, is a horror author, podcaster, and lover of dogs. Just before she turned 30, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. When her thyroid was removed, doctors told her the cancer has spread to the surrounding tissue. Here’s what she wants others to know:

We won’t break. Hug us. Talk to us. Don’t treat us differently because we’re fighting cancer. Normalcy can be the best gift sometimes.

[pullquote align=”center”]“Even though having cancer asks you to be strong and to live more boldly than ever before, we all benefit from our loved ones being able to recognize how vulnerable we feel.”
—Stephanie McLeod-Estevez[/pullquote]

We can’t always be strong.

Stephanie McLeod-Estevez, 43, was diagnosed three years ago with stage 3a breast cancer. Her children were 5 and 7 at the time, and the diagnosis was especially scary since her own mother had died from cancer when McLeod-Estevez was 26. That loss had an impact on McLeod-Estevez’s decision to become an art therapist specializing in working with cancer patients.

The one thing I wish the world knew about fighting cancer is that it impacts your body, mind, spirit and sense of self: It is not just a medical problem. Cancer survivors often feel lost, confused, and traumatized by the process of being diagnosed and treated. Even though having cancer asks you to be strong and to live more boldly than ever before, we all benefit from our loved ones being able to recognize how vulnerable we feel. Healing emotionally from cancer is possible; however, it takes time, attention, support, and processing of what we went through in order to feel like we are whole again.

There’s a lot that goes into wellness.

Kelly Gallagher, who describes herself as “ageless,” was first diagnosed with cancer in her twenties and has survived the disease five times. Now she produces health documentaries that focus on a holistic approach to wellness.

I honestly wish the world knew about all of the natural remedies available. I want people to understand that their food and environment impact their immune system. And that dental issues and emotional components are issues that need to be addressed if we want to regain optimal wellness.

I’m still me.

Courtney Parizo, 39, has battled chronic health issues for all of her adult life. But when she was diagnosed with cancer last year, she was shocked at how differently she was treated.

I wish I’d known the stigma that seems to be attached to people hearing that you have cancer and the way people seemed to immediately treat me differently, like I was suddenly made of glass where I had been concrete before.
I wish I could have worn a sign or handed out instructions to people that said, “Yes, I have cancer. No, it doesn’t mean I’m going to die or that I suddenly need to be sheltered or not told about the problems my friends and family are having. I don’t need to stay in bed all day, can still do most things I did before, but yes, I am often tired and worn down. I don’t need your sympathy, your platitudes, but I could probably use your help!”

[pullquote align=”center”]“I do not wish cancer on anyone, however I wish the world could understand how hard we fight to maintain a “normal” life despite living with cancer. Maybe the world at large would stop and realize the insignificance of petty things and maybe we as a society would be more humble and kind.”
—Fabianna Marie[/pullquote]

Fighting for your life is hard.

Fabianna Marie, 40, was diagnosed at 27 with metastatic (incurable) breast cancer. She has become a national speaker and advocate for cancer patients.

The one thing I wish the world knew about fighting cancer is that it is a full-time job that involves not only body but mind and spirit as well. I have devoted nearly 13 years to fighting, all while continuing to learn and grow as an advocate, mother, and wife. I have fought for my rights as a cancer patient, to have my voice heard by my doctors, and to have my choices for my body be acknowledged. I have learned that cancer does not define me as a person. Cancer has made me stronger spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I do not wish cancer on anyone, however I wish the world could understand how hard we fight to maintain a “normal” life despite living with cancer. Maybe the world at large would stop and realize the insignificance of petty things and maybe we as a society would be more humble and kind.

It leaves a lasting mark.

Lindsey, 36, was first diagnosed with leukemia when she was 10. She underwent three years of treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she now works in fundraising and awareness. She is now cancer free and participates in studies about the long-term effects of treatment for childhood cancer.

The one thing I wish the world knew about fighting cancer is that long after the treatment ends, the impact of cancer remains. Even though much of the physical effects of the illness and treatment may heal, there is a lasting mark that is left behind. Most often, these traces of my cancer journey are not visible at first glance. However, my cancer has changed the way I engage with the world and those around me.
While I refuse to allow my cancer to define me, it does deeply impact the way I experience life. I hold a little tighter, I laugh a little louder, and I take time to pause…to take a breath and find the beauty and wonder in that moment. Yes, the hectic schedules and the infinite pile of laundry and homework are all still there. However, I cherish that fact that I am able to experience all of life, with its joy and sorrow, with my children, with the love of my life (and fellow St. Jude survivor), and with my family and friends. This celebration of life is what called me to return to the hospital that saved me. As a survivor, it is my privilege to pass this gift along so that other children have the same opportunity to grow, to love, and to live.

[pullquote align=”center”]“I found out while sick the second time that of all the government money that goes into cancer research, childhood cancer receives less than 4 percent. I quickly realized that I was not only battling for my health, but battling for my worth. While I was lucky enough to go on to live a healthy life, many of my fellow ‘head shavers’ were not—and I can’t help but believe they are worth more than 4 percent.”
—Devin Duncan[/pullquote]

Kids get cancer too.

Devin Duncan, 25, was diagnosed with leukemia twice—once at 3 years old and once at age 17. She now lives in New York City and works in public relations. She hopes to raise awareness about childhood cancers.

The one thing I really wish the world knew about cancer is simple: Kids get cancer too. I’ve noticed through years of talking to people about my illness that nobody wants to talk about sick kids—it’s sad, it’s negative, and it’s downright scary. But it’s real.
I found out while sick the second time that of all the government money that goes into cancer research, childhood cancer receives less than 4 percent. I quickly realized that I was not only battling for my health, but battling for my worth. While I was lucky enough to go on to live a healthy life, many of my fellow “head shavers” were not—and I can’t help but believe they are worth more than 4 percent.

Categories
Motherhood

From Push To Pool: Birthing Techniques Pros And Cons

Giving birth is one of the hardest, most rewarding things I have ever done. I carried three babies and then welcomed them into the world. Each experience was wildly different: one induction, one short labor and delivery, and one long birth that stalled so many times I thought he’d never arrive.
At the same time, in the grand scheme of things, my births were all very simple. They were unique and special for me, but there was nothing extraordinary about them when compared to the huge spectrum of potential birth experiences. I had contractions, I got an epidural, and I pushed until my baby joined the world.
Birth is an experience that is different from mom to mom. It’s completely natural and typically follows the same pattern of events, but it can also be unpredictable and unexpected. For new moms, or moms who simply want a different experience from their last, there are seemingly endless birthing decisions to make. Will you have your baby in a hospital or at home? Will you get an epidural or use other methods to manage the pain? Here are the options.

Getting Things Started

Unless you are scheduled for a cesarean section, your body has to go into labor before you can actually give birth. Modern moms are offered the option to wait for spontaneous labor or have their labor induced, typically through the use of a drug called Pitocin.
HealthyWay
When it comes to getting things started, there are many benefits to letting nature take its course. It is generally accepted that spontaneous labor is associated with a lower risk of intervention, specifically decreasing the risk of needing a c-section or an epidural, as documented in a study published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine. Elective induction, meaning induction without a clear medical need for it, is found to increase the risk of needing a c-section, having an epidural, and causing concerning heart rate changes in the unborn child.
At the same time, benefits of induction do exist for mothers who are over 41 weeks gestation. For these moms, who have carried longer than typical pregnancies, elective induction actually reduces the risk of a c-section compared to moms who wait for spontaneous labor past 41 weeks, according to a medical data compiled by Stanford-UCSF Evidence-Based Practice Center.
HealthyWay
Of course, there are also cases when induction is no longer considered elective because the mom or baby’s condition requires an early delivery. In some cases, such a placenta previa, a scheduled c-section is required to protect the baby and the mother’s help, according to James Betoni, a leading high risk maternal fetal medicine OB-GYN Boise, Idaho.

Does environment matter?

We’ve covered the question of when a mom gives birth, but what about where? Moms can choose between a hospital birth, home birth, or birthing center. Although the popularity of home births has increased over the last decade and a half, most mothers still plan to have their babies in the hospital. Home births accounted for .89 percent of all births in 2012, the last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data on this subject, and .39 percent of moms chose a birthing center.
It’s difficult to compare the benefits of in-hospital and out-of-hospital births. For instance, a 2015 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine did find differences existed between in-hospital and out-of-hospital births, but they were not only insignificant, the study also noted that negative outcomes of births were very low in both situations. More specifically, fetal death was more likely in an out-of-hospital births, but only slightly, and the difference was not enough to be considered statistically significant. One thing worth noting was that obstetrical intervention, specifically c-sections, were more likely in planned hospital births than in planned home births.
HealthyWay
Even so, the choice to deliver a baby at home or in a birthing center is a controversial one. Although the United Kingdom has taken an official stance on the subject, encouraging low-risk mothers to consider home births, the United States is more resistant to the idea.
“For low risk women who are properly screened, home birth is a safe option,” says Christina M. Kocis, certified nurse midwife and doctor of nursing practice, director of the Division of Midwifery at Stony Brook University Hospital. “I think we don’t have an infrastructure or a system here that supports that as they do in the UK.”
HealthyWay
She also notes that because the UK supports home births, these births tend to be attended by certified midwives who are actually part of the national healthcare system; this isn’t the case in the United States. Of course, it is possible to find properly trained and licensed midwives in the United States, but mothers should be aware that there are lay midwives practicing here and ensure that their home birth team has received proper licensure.
In addition to the choice between hospital, home, and birthing center, there is the choice of water birth or giving birth in bed. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of research available on potential negative outcomes associated with these two choices. One study, published in 2016 in The Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, found no risks for babies associated with their mother choosing a water birth but noted that moms might be at an increased risk for genital tract trauma.
HealthyWay
Of course, risk factors aren’t the only thing worth considering. For moms who are looking for alternative pain management options, a water birth might be an appropriate choice since it is believed to offer the benefits of added comfort and helping to calm the mother, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Drug-Free or Pain-Free?

The next choice moms have to make might be among the most debated of birthing choices. Should mom get an epidural, or should she opt for a birth free of pain medication?
HealthyWay
There are some downsides to electing to have an epidural, according to a study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology International. Research suggests that having an epidural is associated with a slower second stage of labor which may increase the likelihood of c-section. And mothers who have an epidural are at an increased risk of an assisted delivery, meaning medical instruments are used during the delivery to remove the baby from the birth canal.
HealthyWay
There are no risks associated with giving birth without pain medication, however, as Kocis points out, physiological effects are not the only thing to consider in this decision.
“There may be patients who need pain medication who, as a result of using pain medication, may … have a birth that, in retrospect, was either calmer or, in their opinion, may be less traumatic for some women,” she explains. “But the same can hold true for women who get the medication.”
This choice is one that is difficult to generalize, according to Kocis, and that seems to be true based on what moms who have experienced either an epidural or a drug-free birth share with HealthyWay.
HealthyWay
“The whole experience was fantastic. I was fortunate to have a quick labor, but I really appreciated being in control of my body,” shares Betsy Larson, a mom of one who opted out of an epidural for her planned hospital birth. “I wasn’t confined like I was concerned I would be with an epidural.”
HealthyWay
In comparison, Erin Heger, a mom of one who also had a planned hospital birth without an epidural, says that the advantage of being in control and having the support of her doula was great, but it wasn’t worth the pain and exhaustion she experienced.
“I will not be doing it again,” she says of her drug-free birth.

Laboring Techniques

An epidural isn’t the only method for managing pain during labor. When it comes to laboring techniques, HypnoBirth and the Bradley Method seem to be the most popular among today’s moms. Much of want is known about the benefits of these laboring techniques is anecdotal, according to a comparison of the two written in The Journal of Perinatal Education.
HealthyWay
However, this research does make it clear that each of these methods holds benefits for moms with specific desires and circumstances. HypnoBirth, for instance, is heavily focused on pain management through self-hypnosis, making it a great option for women committed to managing their pain themselves or who are without a supportive partner.
HealthyWay
In comparison, the Bradley Method is all about the partner, teaching the significant other to be the laboring mother’s coach through the labor and delivery. Each of these methods can be incredibly helpful to laboring moms, according to Kocis, but much of the success is dependent on the mother (and her partner) and their ability to commit to really learning the practices of the technique.
https://twitter.com/pwilsonnn13/status/955837893683138560
Ultimately, when it comes to making choices about how and where a mom will labor, the choice is all about her specific medical needs and her preferences. What one mom wants or needs may be vastly different from another mom’s hope for her birth, and it is important to spend time reflecting on that before making a decision. Most importantly, moms should be sure they are educated so they can make good choices for themselves and their baby.


“There is no one answer,” explains Betoni. “Every patient is different and every story is different. When there is an option, as long as the patients are educated, the mom should have a say.”

Categories
Nosh Nutrition x Advice

5 Things About Obesity That Everyone Still Gets Wrong

The conversation about obesity in America is filled with loaded questions and misconceptions. Even worse, discussions carry an element of cruelty that’s proven frustratingly hard to eradicate. We don’t just mean adolescents on social media and wanton fat shamers in the media; even doctors can harbor prejudices. Even weight-loss gurus can paint the issue with an overly broad brush.
No one knows this better than Cheryl Springer. The graphic designer, who struggled with her weight for years, says that, too frequently, doctors look at an obese patient and stop searching for other health problems—potentially leading them to miss life-threatening diagnoses.
“People, especially women, are dying because doctors can’t see past the fat,” Springer tells HealthyWay. “They fail to diagnose cancers and other diseases because they only want to talk about weight (in a way that shames patients and without any practical advice on how to actually lose the weight).”    
The science backs Springer up. One study suggests that doctors’ bedside manner suffers when confronted with overweight and obese patients; they are literally more compassionate to their thinner visitors. Another uncovered evidence of anti-fat bias in the healthcare community. A significant portion of health professionals in that study harbored stereotypes about their obese patients, associating them with laziness, stupidity, or even worthlessness.
HealthyWay
There are all kinds of myths surrounding health and weight, and they can be deadly. Our list is far from exhaustive, but here are five things that we continue to get wrong about obesity:  

1. It’s all in the genes.

If someone is overweight, their genetic makeup is obviously to blame, right? While there is some evidence of genetics playing a role in how some bodies store fat, it’s not the end-all-be-all answer to the question of obesity. This is much more complex than “It’s just your genetics.”
HealthyWay
The rate of obesity in America has increased so dramatically over the years that it would be impossible for genes to be the only cause. While obesity rates vary depending on geographic location, community, gender, and race, America has been dealing with increasing obesity levels for decades. Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980, and adult obesity rates have increased by about 30 percent from 1990 to 2016.
The State of Obesity report is a yearly study administered by the medical nonprofit Trust for Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Lately, the report has begun to suggest that the rate of obesity is finally stabilizing rather than shooting upward year after year. However, with 38 percent of American adults currently considered obese, we still need to change our approach. The genetic component won’t fix the problem alone.

2. It’s all about willpower.

Another seriously damaging misconception is that overweight people simply can’t control themselves. If they could muster up more willpower, all their problems would be fixed, says this myth. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
HealthyWay
One reason willpower isn’t the answer to losing weight is that there are many factors that contribute to success when it comes to self-control. You might think each person chooses to eat unhealthy foods or take those extra bites of dessert—that they can just stop eating like that and lose weight. But studies show that self-control is actually limited. When people are presented with tasks that require strict discipline, they are more likely to give in to urges later. In fact, our brains don’t function well when we’re under stress—or when we’re feeling lonely or hungry.
HealthyWay
So while it’s a nice idea that we are always in control to make healthy choices, the truth is that our brains are often working against us and want us to seek out comfort food. Biological differences also play a part in this as well. Multiple individuals can subscribe to the exact same weight loss plan, and all have completely different outcomes—regardless of effort or willpower exerted.
More to the point, diet is far from the only root cause of obesity. You can have the will of an ascetic and still end up overweight or obese.  

3. It’s all about dieting.

Dieting goes hand in hand with the myth of self-control: If someone can restrict their calorie intake, they’re bound to lose weight. That’s true in the short term. The bad news is that most people who lose weight by severely limiting their caloric intake will gain back the weight eventually.
HealthyWay
And lose-weight-quick schemes like fasting, skipping meals, or using laxatives are associated with feeling more depressed and despondent throughout the weight-loss journey. That often ends in a weight loss staycation.
There are also physiological factors that can cause certain bodies to stop reacting to calorie-restrictive diets. Joseph Proietto is an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes and obesity. For years, he has helped people lose weight at his facility in Australia, only to see almost everyone gain back every pound they worked so hard to shed. Proietto believed there was more to this weight gain than people not trying hard enough, or not following their diet plans.
HealthyWay
In 2009, Proietto recruited 50 obese men and women to participate in a study. For eight weeks, the participants replaced “all three of their daily meals with a very-low-energy dietary formulation … and 2 cups of low-starch vegetables, according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, which provided 2.1 to 2.3 MJ (500 to 550 kcal) per day.” After 10 weeks, the 34 remaining dieters lost an average of 30 pounds. Despite being counseled by nutritionists and working toward maintaining their lower weight, each participant slowly started gaining back all the weight they lost.
After they lost weight, the participants found themselves feeling hungrier and more obsessed with food than they were before the study. Proietto discovered that, even a year later, the participants’ bodies were still in an altered state from the weight loss. Their bodies were literally acting like they were starving, showing an influx of the ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” and low levels of the appetite suppressant hormones leptin and peptide YY.
HealthyWay
The diet put each person’s body into a strained metabolic state that is completely different from those who hadn’t attempted dieting at all. Proietto’s study may have been small, it does shine some light on how little we actually know about treating obesity. 

4. Losing weight is always healthy.

Tying into what Proietto found in his study, sometimes weight loss comes at a price. Hormones change and fluctuate as our bodies change. When we use unhealthy or extreme tactics, we subject ourselves to serious health risks.
HealthyWay
Extremely low-calorie dieting is not only impossible to keep up long term, but it’s been shown to increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Chronic stress isn’t great for the body, which brings us to an important point: Mental health issues also come into play with weight loss. Not only can psychiatric disorders lead to weight gain, they can damage self-esteem, making it harder to get motivated to actually lose weight. You can’t understand the body without understanding the mind, it seems, and vice versa.
Donald Hensrud, MD, writing for the Mayo Clinic, recommends weight loss of one or two pounds per week for most otherwise-healthy people. Any more than that, he writes, and you could be veering into unhealthy territory.  

5. Doctors always know best.

Over at the healthcare journalism site Stat, columnist Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu tells the story of a young woman who complained of the symptoms of a growing lung tumor for seven years. The doctors consistently attributed her increasingly debilitating cough to obesity-related disorders. Finally, after years of this treatment, a doctor ordered a CT scan of her torso, revealing the tumor. By that time, it was so advanced that they had to remove the entire lung.  
HealthyWay
In a chilling sentence, Okwerekwu writes, “Fat shaming … cost her a lung, and it could have cost her her life.”
This story would sound familiar to Springer. She knows too well the frustration and sorrow caused by doctors who focus on weight to the detriment of all else.
“Because of misconceptions about obesity, I have suffered deeply in my life,” she tells HealthyWay. “No matter what issue you see a doctor regarding, they assume it is weight related. This has caused deaths. And it caused me to lose my child. This has been the running theme throughout my life.”
HealthyWay
Springer suffered from chronic low blood pressure, but during her pregnancy the opposite occurred, and all of a sudden she was dealing with high blood pressure. “It wasn’t taken seriously because obese people have high blood pressure. As it turned out, what I had was pre-eclampsia,” Springer says. “I was 38 weeks pregnant and my child passed away in utero specifically because I had pre-eclampsia that went undiagnosed because my blood pressure wasn’t that bad for my size.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“It was my own doctor’s willingness to listen to me … that opened the door to real conversations and finding a medical solution.”
—Cheryl Springer[/pullquote]
But the news isn’t all bad. Susan Besser, MD, practices at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and is board-certified in obesity medicine. She says that an open conversation with patients is crucial to good care.
Doctors should ask questions and listen to patients to create as honest of a medical history as possible. “We are all trained to do that, but frequently due to time or other constraints, it doesn’t happen,” says Besser.
HealthyWay
It’s also incredibly important to talk about weight along with everything else. Whether it’s fair or not, patients might need to push the conversation to places their doctor isn’t leading. “The basic problem, as I see it, is that most patients (especially obese ones) do not know how to advocate for themselves,” says Springer. “They experience so much shame, they don’t even know where to start.”
“You as a patient are your own best advocate,” Besser tells HealthyWay. “You need to take an active part in your health care, communicate with your doctor. Many patients and doctors are afraid to talk about obesity because it has such negative feelings—treat it like the disease it is, not a moral weakness.”
That advice explains how Springer finally began to lose weight. Her success was possible because her doctor listened to her.
HealthyWay
“It was my own doctor’s willingness to listen to me that I was not eating whole pizzas and washing them down with 2-liters of soda that opened the door to real conversations and finding a medical solution,” Springer says. “It turned out I had a medical problem whose only known solution was gastric bypass (as my issue is insulin related and only a bypass can fix it). In 15 months, I am down 190 pounds.”
If you feel like your doctor isn’t taking your health seriously, it’s time to find someone new.
“Many of us medical professionals were not trained to deal with obesity. It just wasn’t really discussed in school in the past,” says Besser. “So, if you feel you aren’t making progress with your doctor, look for another [primary care physician], preferably someone who is comfortable treating obesity.”
Hopefully, someday soon, that will describe every physician.
“Lives are depending on it,” says Springer.

Categories
Motherhood

The Weekly Tea: How To Prioritize Self-Care As A Mom


Check out the first episode of The Weekly Tea, HealthyWay’s women-first talk show for moms. Researched but relatable, the ladies of HealthyWay and their partners in wellness discuss the latest in motherhood.
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Categories
Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Self-Love Is In The Air: Advice From 4 Self-Love Leaders

From the nearly 13 million mentions of #selflove found on Instagram to the thousands of books, articles, and research papers on the subject, no one can say that self-love has been neglected—at least the concept of it hasn’t.
But putting it into practice? That’s another story altogether.
We’re finding that loving ourselves (and the manifestation of that love through self-care) is more than just massages, face masks, and yummy candles.
It’s looking at what we each really need as individuals. It’s accepting differences in how people look at the world—and at themselves. It’s finding ways to make ourselves a priority, each and every day.
To find out how to make self-love a priority in our lives, we spoke to four women who are active in the self-love movement about how they see the purpose (and process) of loving yourself in today’s world: fitness instructor and mom Nadia Murdock; goal-setting coach Kingsley Delacato; wellness coach Lauren Bondi; and singer, YouTuber, and #bootyrevolution founder Meghan Tonjes.

What does self-love mean to you?

Nadia:

Taking care of yourself in a compassionate, non-judgmental way so that you can be the best version of yourself.
From treating yourself every so often [in ways] big and small to be[ing] accepting of the mistakes you may make … honoring your imperfections and avoiding self-judgment or hate is inclusive of what I consider self-love.

Lauren:

Self-love is the thread that weaves all experiences, all emotions, all beings, all lives together. In my opinion, love is the most powerful emotion in our human capacity—and when this is directed inward, we can move mountains.
Throughout the years, I’ve learned that offering myself genuine compassion is not a luxury, but rather a requirement. Self-love means showing up for myself in every season of life and embracing whomever that woman may be. This love is as strong as it is soft. It heals trauma, mends broken hearts, pours light into the pain, quiets fears, ignites passions, manifests dreams, cultivates connection, and—perhaps most importantly—mirrors an undeniable worthiness to take up space in this world.

Kingsley:

Self-love to me means knowing when to say yes and when to say no. Realizing that in order to be able to put energy out into the world, I need to give myself the input of energy that I deserve. Giving time to myself and doing things that make me feel like me. When I am practicing self-love, I feel like the truest version of myself.

Meghan:

Self-love is incredibly individual. It doesn’t look the same for any two people. Self-love is actively holding space for yourself, your emotions, your traumas, your desires and practicing kindness and honesty within those.

HealthyWay

How do you practice self-love on a daily or weekly basis? How do you integrate it into your life?

Nadia:

Self-love has become a part of who I am, so it’s gotten easier to weave practices into my regular habits. I like to utilize my positive mind cards as often as possible during the week. I pull three cards that will remind me to do things like forgive, smile, and basically enjoy the simple things in life.
I always pat myself on the back if I have done a good job—from teaching a killer barre class to overcoming a fear. I strongly believe small actions in your everyday life will lead to a seamless incorporation of self-love.

Lauren:

In my present chapter … self-love is absolutely a daily necessity. With the strong sense of emotional awareness and somatic attunement that I’ve developed throughout the years, the specific practices vary [based] on what I need most. One day, it may mean a loving-kindness meditation. The next day, it may mean lighting several candles and feeling my body melt into a steamy bath. Every day, though, it entails starting my morning with an affirmation and ending the night with gratitude journaling. These are practices I recommend to everyone, no matter their circumstances.
As I wake up and pull myself out of bed, I take a peek into my heart and ask myself what I need to hear. Without analyzing or forcing, I allow whatever comes up to intuitively act as my guide. One whisper that many of us may feel calling from our authentic selves is “I am enough.” Say I choose this as my affirmation. Well, I then walk up to a mirror, close my eyes, place my hand over my heart, and breathe into the space. With five-second inhalations and exhalations, I feel the sweet peace start to wash over me. I open my eyes and meet my gaze in the mirror, then recite aloud, “I am enough.”

Kingsley:

Self-love for me looks like spending time with myself. It means reading a book, getting a little extra sleep, working out, spending time with someone I love—even if it means scheduling an appointment with myself in my calendar and blocking off that time … realizing that I am just as important as anyone else in my life and that I need to take care of myself first so that I can show up for those around me as well.

Meghan:

For me, self-love doesn’t look the same week to week or even day to day. The biggest thing I do is check in with myself. I do a lot of journaling and that’s a great way of tracking how I feel, what I want more or less of.
Once you can be honest with yourself about what you’re actually anxious, sad, or overwhelmed with, you can start problem solving. If I’m feeling sad, maybe it’s important that week for me to reach out to friends and spend time outside of the house. If I’m overwhelmed, maybe I need to take a day off and fine-tune my schedule so I feel less anxiety about my days.

HealthyWay

Do self-love and self-care differ for you? If yes, how so?

Nadia:

I think in many ways they overlap, but to me there are a few distinct differences. Self-love to me is being mindful of loving the person I was, am, and will be. So many times we live with regret or fail to live in the moment. Loving the person that has brought me here today and will shape who I am in the future is so important to me especially as a fairly new mom.
Self-care is about indulging in and paying close attention to habits that will keep me relaxed, healthy, and focused, for example massages, exercise, meditation, journaling, diet, and sleep.

Lauren:

Personally, I feel that self-care is simply an outward expression of self-love. While I can be madly in love with myself, it takes much more than vocalizing the emotion (although this is undoubtedly important). Imagine you’re in a long-term, committed relationship. You would certainly need your partner to demonstrate his or her love through appropriate actions, correct? The same applies to the relationships we’re actively creating with ourselves!
Self-care is one expansive umbrella term for every way this may be done. Weekly aromatherapeutic baths and meditations … are wonderful examples. While self-care is a budding topic in today’s society, it goes far beyond the “bumper sticker” of getting [our] nails done. It also means eating a nutritious diet, moving our bodies, declaring boundaries, vocalizing needs, and removing from our lives what is no longer serving us. Like I said: expansive!

Kingsley:

I see self-love as just that: doing the things that I love for myself. Self-care I see as taking care of the things in my life that make me feel supported, successful, and healthy. Self-care is doing what you need to do in order to take care of yourself, in order to operate from a place of abundance rather than depletion or exhaustion.

Meghan:

Self-love and self-care are pretty integral to one another. …Self-love is really the thought process: my desire to find more kindness and patience for myself. Self-care is the action.
The majority of wanting to love myself and feel good inside my own body is mental. But my ability to give my energy to that pursuit comes down to daily acts of self-care and the choices I make to support the wants.

HealthyWay

How has self-love impacted your life?

Nadia:

I had heart surgery at the age of 18 years old. I had an atrial septal defect that needed to be corrected. As a young girl, I [placed a lot of importance] on how I looked, so the idea of scars just before heading off to college was not easy for me to handle. It took a long time for me not to be embarrassed by my scar or have it define my worth.
Fast-forward to 2015 when I again had to have a major surgery. This time it was my thyroid. Growth definitely helped dramatically when it came to my attitude with this surgery, but also learning to love myself no matter what I looked like and being less superficial. I am more focused on what’s on the inside. Experiences like these have drastically impacted me.

Lauren:

My path towards a regular self-love practice was rocky, at best. Growing up, it was an altogether foreign topic. When a therapist first broached the topic with my deeply hurting self, I immediately huffed and puffed—admonishing something so lax. After all, how the bleep was self-love going to get me and my array of perfectionistic tendencies to XYZ?
This is a belief that many women share, which is precisely why these campaigns are so necessary. Moving from self-hate to self-acceptance to self-compassion to outright self-love took time, and allowing it to unfold in that order was the only way to make it genuinely feasible. Now having made it to the other side, I can honestly say that self-love saved me. Without it, I never would have healed from my trauma, my disordered behaviors, or my limiting narratives. I would have remained stuck in a cycle of terrifying self-destruction, tearing myself to shreds believing that it was this unforgiving nature that would eventually raise me into “enoughness.”
However, that wasn’t my fix; nor would it ever be. As it turns out, my own love was what I had always been searching for. Because of this realization, I have my life. Despite what many of us are conditioned to believe, we need not be our harshest critics. There is undeniable power in being gentle, and in this gentleness, I found I could be fiercely in love with myself and my purpose. That same fire is what has kept me—and will continue to keep me—going.

Kingsley:

Self-love has helped me love myself through both the good and the bad times. It’s one thing to love yourself when everything is going well. It’s another thing to love yourself when things feel really hard.
Those moments of self-love and self-care help you stay connected to yourself and remember how special you truly are.

Meghan:

Self-love allows me to grow into the best version of myself and know that I’m enough. With it I’m less worried about other people’s opinions about my body and my choices. I’m able to trust my intuition. I’m able to advocate for myself in ways I didn’t before I valued my own needs.
The world often tells you how it sees you, how it wants to see you. Self-love has helped me feel strong in telling the world who I am and how I’ll be seen. It gives me strength in putting myself out there, allowing myself to take up space in life and online. I wouldn’t feel as comfortable showing my body or being proud of my accomplishments if I didn’t fundamentally believe I deserved to be seen.

HealthyWay

What advice do you have for someone wanting to establish or strengthen a self-love practice?

Nadia:

It’s hard to achieve self-love if A) You are not surrounding yourself with people that acknowledge the importance of self-love themselves, or B) You haven’t truly committed to loving yourself.
Avoid self-hate talk, not giving yourself positive chats, etcetera. Keeping company with people that will build you up will only make it easier for you to continue to build yourself in a positive way.

Lauren:

My few pieces of advice are to start small, be patient, and make it your own. Your self-love practice is as unique to you as your fingerprint. Don’t look to others when trying to cultivate a “perfect” routine. Instead, take a deep look inside and get your hands dirty. What do you need most?
Your first dip into the ocean of self-love may be as simple as asking those questions and sitting with what comes up without judgment. Feel your full spectrum of emotions and acknowledge what makes you human. Then celebrate what makes you you. Set aside a block of time each week to do something nice for yourself. If … affirmations or gratitude journaling [resonate] with you, these are wonderful places to begin. Find your flow with them and ride that energetic wave wherever it may lead.
When you master the weekly practice, try it three times per week. Nail it? Great, move on to a daily practice. Remember, though, we’re developing self-love. Within this, there is no such thing as perfection. You may set a few intentions, but these are not deadlines or obligations. Love is a priority, but it should never be a source of shame. Show up with what you need as best you can and watch yourself blossom.

Kingsley:

Follow what feels right. Listen to your heart and your intuition. Don’t be afraid to put yourself first. Being successful in anything starts at the source, so take good care of yourself so that you can then go out and be great at all the things you want to achieve. The way you love yourself is the way you teach others to love you. So make sure you give yourself the time, love, and energy that you deserve. 

Meghan:

Pay attention to how others do it. Take notes. Narrow down the things that work for you, that feel good and right to you. Rearrange and practice until it feels like the right combination. Most importantly, be patient with yourself. Your practice isn’t going to look exactly like anyone else’s and it’s going to be constantly changing as you grow up and dig deeper.

Looking for more self-love inspiration?

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Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

“I Had Cancer In My Twenties”—Here’s What It’s Like

There’s no good way to find out you have cancer. With her toddler in her arms and her infant daughter in a car seat on the floor of the doctor’s office, Kara Passante started to yell at her husband to please just get their daughter out of the room so she didn’t have to hear that her 29-year-old mom had breast cancer.
“I was in shock. I was terrified and furious. I was in a state of confusion that can’t really be explained. Everything I thought was normal was flipped upside down,” the co-founder of cancer charity Ride 2 Survive recalls. “It felt like a movie where everything suddenly goes in slow motion.”
There’s no good time to be diagnosed with cancer. Passante doesn’t wish it on anyone of any age. At 29, with a fairly new marriage, two small babies, and so many dreams yet to be fulfilled, she says it felt like being robbed of her future.

The Faces of Young Adult Cancer

Cancer in young adults is rare in America, where the median age of cancer diagnosis is 66. Annually, a quarter of the Americans diagnosed with cancer are already of retirement age.
And yet, rare does not mean non-existent. Rare does not mean women in their twenties are guaranteed a cancer-free decade. In fact, an estimated 2.7 percent of new cancer diagnoses made this year will be in people ages 20 to 34.
[pullquote align=”center”]“I was terrified and furious. I was in a state of confusion that can’t really be explained.”
—Kara Passante, Co-Founder of Ride 2 Survive[/pullquote]
The medical community calls them AYAs, adolescents and young adults. They’re people like Passante. People like Allyson Strong, who was a 24-year-old graduate student when doctors diagnosed her with small cell cervical cancer. People like Erin Mast, who spent the first few months of her twenties applying a cream to her vagina that would burn through the cancer cells on her vaginal walls—a cream that killed the cancer but left her unable to walk without extreme pain.
The cream was still in a clinical trial phase, and the side effects were excruciating, Mast says, but it was her only hope of having kids. At 19, when she was diagnosed, her doctors told her she could undergo radiation and chemotherapy to kill the cancer in her vagina, but it would almost definitely render her infertile. She opted for the cream instead.

Decision Making in the Face of a Cancer Diagnosis (as a 20-something Woman)

While older women are typically past their childbearing years, a cancer diagnosis for a woman in her twenties often means suddenly having to face egg retrieval and egg freezing (which can be costly and is rarely covered by insurance), or giving up the possibility of ever having children and grieving that loss.
“I was considered ‘lucky’ to have already had children,” Passante recalls. “I was told cancer treatment would destroy my ability to have any more. So what if I wasn’t so ‘lucky’? Chemotherapy wrecks havoc on the reproductive system of both women and men. These young people are potentially being stripped of their ability to produce children. That’s a huge, terrifying concern when you’re young.”
Fertility is just one of the issues that sets cancer in a person’s young adult years apart from cancer during any other life stage, says Barbara Strong, CEO of the Allyson Whitney Foundation, a national non-profit that provides grants to young adults battling cancer.
[pullquote align=”center”]“These young people are potentially being stripped of their ability to produce children. That’s a huge, terrifying concern when you’re young.”
—Kara Passante, Co-Founder of Ride 2 Survive[/pullquote]
Strong is Allyson Whitney’s mom. She lost her daughter in 2011, just 14 months after her diagnosis. She knows, as a parent and advocate, what it’s like for a woman in her twenties to have her future ripped out from under her.
“Emotionally, you’re isolated,” Strong says. “You’re going to these places where you’re not going to see [familiar] faces in the lobby, in the waiting room.”
Other cancer patients are typically much older. People your age are in college. They’re having bridal showers and welcoming babies. You’re getting a port implanted in your chest for chemotherapy. You’re shaving your head so your hair doesn’t fall out in clumps.
Even your friends don’t know what to do, Barbara says. “You come back [home], and your friends have never experienced having a friend with cancer. They don’t know how to talk to you,” she says.
For many young people, a cancer diagnosis comes at a time when they’re just beginning to establish themselves in a career. Sick days are few and health insurance limited.
[pullquote align=”center”]People your age are in college. They’re having bridal showers and welcoming babies. You’re getting a port implanted in your chest for chemotherapy.[/pullquote]
If they’re lucky, Strong says, they can move home to live with their parents, but their parents are still typically young enough to be in the workforce. The parents of AYAs with cancer often find themselves turning their own lives upside down, taking time away from work to care for their adult children.
“It’s your child,” Strong says. “You’re stopping life to get this done.”
The rates of survival for AYAs vary depending on the type of cancer they face. AYA survival tends to be worst for those with female breast cancer (regardless of estrogen receptor status), acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). When compared to survival rates for younger and older people with the same diagnoses, AYA rates in these cases are the worst.
In part, misdiagnosis is to blame. When a woman in her twenties walks into a doctor’s office complaining of pain, cancer is not the first thing doctors think of. Mast was diagnosed first with pelvic inflammatory disorder, then a spastic colon. Neither diagnosis was accurate. Ultimately, it was her family physician who trusted Mast’s gut and referred her to multiple specialists who eventually diagnosed her correctly.
[pullquote align=”center”]“It’s your child. You’re stopping life to get this done.”
—Barbara Strong, CEO of the Allyson Whitney Foundation[/pullquote]
In Passante’s case, it was her own advocacy.
“In your twenties, mammograms aren’t even a thought,” she says. “It’s never okay to be given a cancer diagnosis, but in your fifties and sixties there are known risk increases, so prevention is more diligent. In your twenties, you are going in blind, and by the time it’s determined cancer, it’s often progressed to an advanced stage because there was no prevention at all.”

A Message for Women

With World Cancer Day taking place on Feb. 4, Passante, Mast, and Strong have a message for women: Trust your body. Be your own advocate. If you feel something, say something.
The American Cancer Society lists these signs of cancer that are most likely to occur in the AYA stage:

  • An unusual lump or swelling in the neck, breast, belly, testicle, or elsewhere
  • Unexplained tiredness and loss of energy
  • Easy bruising
  • Abnormal bleeding
  • Ongoing pain in one part of the body
  • Unexplained fever or illness that doesn’t go away
  • Frequent headaches, often with vomiting
  • Sudden eye or vision changes
  • Loss of appetite or unplanned weight loss
  • A new mole or other spot on the skin, or one that changes in size, shape, or color

If you or a loved one receives a cancer diagnosis, Passante offers this advice: “One day at a time. Break it all down. When you’re in your twenties and you hear cancer, chemo, medi port, surgery, radiation, hormones, drugs, reconstruction, etc., it is beyond overwhelming. Everything in your life suddenly becomes about what doctor you have to see next, what procedure is next, what’s next, what’s next. Break it down. One day at a time. Don’t obsess over the whole picture: It’s too much. One day at a time. Little victories.”   
If you’re facing a cancer diagnosis in your twenties and need somewhere to turn, the Allyson Whitney Foundation’s Life Interrupted grant applications are processed twice a year. If you’ve battled cancer and come out the other side, The Samfund offers financial assistance and other forms of support to help you get back on your feet.