Tag: social

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Mindful Parenting Motherhood

Infant Ear Piercing: Experts And Parents Weigh In

Nothing guarantees a dramatic, viral response quite like posting about a controversial parenting choice on social media. Parents of the internet love to share their feelings about everything from breastfeeding to wrangling rebellious teens, and a single post on Instagram is enough to create a massive response.

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That’s exactly what happened when Katie Price, an English television personality and mom with 1.8 million followers on Instagram, shared pictures of her infant daughter in 2016. In the pictures, her daughter is sporting brand new earrings, and her followers had a lot to say about her choice.
One photo, captioned “Gorgeous Bunny bops,” has since received nearly 7,000 likes and numerous comments debating baby ear piercing. Some commenters went as far as to accuse Price of child abuse.
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“…it’s pointless pain for what?” commented @chloeforde6. “Children should be allowed to communicate what they need…hopefully the UK will review the laws around this.”
Other users took to Price’s defense, calling baby ear piercing a normal practice and sharing their own stories of piercing their kids’ ears. One mom, posting under the username @mommajosieb, shared that her daughter’s ears were pierced at her pediatrician’s office.
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Another user, @shann_fitz, shared that her mom had her ears pierced as a baby, and she said she was glad for the experience. “I can’t thank her enough because I wouldn’t have anything else pierced cause I’m scared,” she wrote.
Price isn’t the only mom to get negative attention for the choice to pierce her baby’s ears. In 2017, a video of an infant getting their ears pierced was shared on a page devoted to piercings; it received 3.6 million views and a landfill of negative comments accusing the mother of child abuse. The video has since been removed, but the controversy lives on.
Viral posts like these draw attention to a longstanding debate—are baby ear piercings a harmless practice, or are they unethical acts performed before the child can consent?

Are piercings traumatic for infants?

The main argument for those who criticize the choice to pierce an infant’s ears is that it is a traumatic experience for children. Because it is a painful experience, many believe that children should be allowed the opportunity to consent to the procedure. This means waiting until the child is older, perhaps in their teens, when they can weigh the decision themselves.
As it turns out, child development professionals are pretty split on the debate.
“The actual memory of painful procedures such as piercings may be forgotten, but that does not mean that the trauma of the event is without psychological consequences for little children,” says Elizabeth Berger, MD, the author of Raising Kids with Character, who personally believes that piercings should wait.

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“This is an area which is not fully understood scientifically, but most experts feel that children should be spared pain whenever possible.”
Mayra Mendez, PhD, a licensed marriage and family therapist, takes a different stance. She notes that infant ear piercing has been practiced for thousands of years by some cultures, and she doesn’t see the evidence that there is any lasting trauma associated with the practice.
“Do we see long-lasting trauma effects or anything that’s notable to speak about in terms of compromising emotional regulation? I have not seen anything along those lines, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” she says.
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Sharon Somekh, MD, a pediatrician, parenting consultant, and founder of parenting resource Raiseology.com, shares her own experience as a pediatrician who has performed many ear piercings in a medical setting.
“When piercings are done at a young age, I usually recommend between [the ages of] 4 and 9 months, the babies will not remember it,” she says. “The pain is truly limited to the moment of piercing, and within one to two minutes, babies are usually as happy as they were before.”
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Somekh warns against waiting until the babies are older. After the baby is a year old, she says, they’re more active, and this makes the piercing more difficult and potentially traumatic.

What are the risks of baby ear piercing?

Piercing your baby’s ears doesn’t come without risks. No matter the age of the child, piercing comes with the risk of infection. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents wait until the child is old enough to care for their ears themselves, keeping them clean to avoid infection. However, given that the vast majority of piercings take place in a sterile environment, Somekh cites the risk of infection as minimal.

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The development of keloids (the round, solid scars that sometimes develop on earlobes) is also a risk associated with piercing, though they’re most common between the ages of 10 and 20. People who are prone to keloids should avoid piercing their child’s ears, according to John Hopkins Medicine, but if this isn’t an option, they should do it before the child turns 11.


There is also a risk of an allergic reaction. Sensitivity to metals commonly used in earrings, like nickel, are fairly common, according to the Mayo Clinic. Typically, a nickel allergy is characterized by a rash, itching, and blisters.

The Societal Stigma

Infant ear piercings have a long history of stirring up controversy on and offline.
In 2015, a petition in the United Kingdom gained serious traction. Petition creator Susan Ingram addressed her plea to the UK’s Minister for Children, calling piercing an infant or toddler’s ears “a form of child cruelty.” Although the petition hasn’t resulted in action, it is still being signed and has reached 86,664 signatures since it was first posted online.

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Controversy also occurs on a local, social level. Parents might get pushback from their family or, like mom Jessica Zeehandelar, they might be criticized by their friends or support systems.
“I had my daughter’s ears pierced once she turned four months old,” she tells HealthyWay, explaining that she chose that age because she knew her baby wouldn’t be able to tug on her earrings. She wanted to be in control of keeping them clean and free of infection.
As she expected, it was a low-drama event. Her daughter cried for less than 30 seconds and still has healthy piercings two years later. What did surprise her was the pushback she received from her online breastfeeding support group.
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“I had no idea this was such a controversial subject,” she continues. “There were women who were outraged at the mere thought of piercing a baby’s ears. Many of those women claimed that this is the body of the baby, I shouldn’t be making these decisions for her, I should wait until she is older and can decide for herself.”
Despite the criticism, Zeehandelar is happy with her choice and is certain she would make the same choice again if she were to add another girl to her family.

Piercing Tradition

Another aspect worth noting is that baby ear piercing is often a cultural practice. For most parents, this isn’t a choice they make on a whim. Instead, they are honoring a longstanding tradition.
“[Infant ear piercing] is very much culturally informed,” says Mendez, “and we need to respect the cultural boundaries of the family.”


“It’s such a Latin thing,” Karla Martinez de Salas told Patricia Garcia of Vogue. “In the U.S., it’s more of a coming-of-age thing. But in Mexico, it’s just like, you’re a girl, your ears get pierced in the hospital.”

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Infant ear piercing is common in Latin American countries in general, Garcia wrote. Her ears were pierced when she was a few days old, a common practice in her native country of Venezuela.
Nadra Nittle, an African American who has had her ears pierced since she was an infant, wrote for Racked that ear piercing is common for girls of color. In her family, it is a practice that extends back many generations.

Keeping Little Lobes Safe

For parents who do decide to have their baby’s ears pierced, safety should be the primary concern. There are risks associated with the practice, but they can be mitigated when parents are educated on safe piercing and upkeep of the piercings.

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“For the most part, if we look at cultures that actually do practice baby ear piercing as early as within those first weeks, two weeks of birth, the conditions just need to be right,” says Mendez.
Like any piercing, infant ear piercing should be done by a trained piercer in a sterile and sanitized environment. After the initial piercing, parents should clean the piercings twice a day—the Mayo Clinic recommends using soap and water, while the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends using an isopropyl-dipped cotton ball or swab. Before touching the piercings—some experts, like those at the AAD, recommend twisting the earrings a few times a day to keep the hole intact—parents should always wash their hands.
One additional note: Should you decide to pierce your infant’s ears, go to a professional. Make sure they don’t use a piercing gun (they aren’t recommended by the Association of Professional Piercers for a number of reasons, ranging from the fact that they can’t be completely sterilized to the fact that they can cause blunt force trauma to surrounding tissues), and instead ensure the piercer uses sterile hollow needles.
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In Mendez’s professional opinion, avoiding trauma associated with piercings is all about the diligence of keeping it clean. If the piercing becomes infected, the baby can experience lasting pain and discomfort, and this is much more serious than the initial pain associated with the piercing.
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“If the parent doesn’t take care of it, then we complicate the matter,” she says. “But the procedure in and of itself … it’s forgettable. It doesn’t really last as a traumatic memory.”
Ultimately, this is an individual decision. Parents can and should be trusted to weigh the risks of practices like baby ear piercing, making the decision they believe is in the best interest of their child.

Categories
Healthy Pregnancy Motherhood

The Joy Of Labor: Experts Reveal How To Love Giving Birth

Giving birth can be beautiful. Just ask moms like Natalia Meddings, who wrote for The Daily Mail about her joyful labor and delivery as well as the experiences of other moms like her.

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Medding’s article isn’t about gloating over her good fortune. Instead, she’s advocating that moms can take very specific actions to set themselves up for more fulfilling birth experiences. She doesn’t believe that birth has to be a fear-filled, miserable experience. Instead, she believes that moms can enjoy their child’s birth.
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Admittedly, her claim is a little hard to believe at first glance, given that it is contradictory to common cultural messages about giving birth. In movies, mothers are portrayed covered in sweat, screaming in pain, and hurling insults at the father of their child in the delivery room. Many mothers are conditioned to expect unbearable pain and even danger through stories of nightmare births from friends and family. It’s good enough to birth a healthy baby. A lovely childbirth, on the other hand, almost seems like too much to ask.
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Is it really possible to prepare for an enjoyable birth? Experienced moms and childbirth experts share their thoughts and experiences about giving joyful and fulfilling birth, along with a few helpful ideas for preparing to welcome your new baby to the world.

Moms share what made their births enjoyable.

“I never would have thought labor to be enjoyable when you think about the mechanics of what’s happening,” Crystal Henry, mom of two, shares with HealthyWay.
She says her first birth matched her expectations. Henry had an induction and an epidural. In hindsight, she calls the experience painful and long. Her second birth, however, defied her expectations. She reports experiencing incredible pain, but the pain was accompanied by a euphoric high that made it all worthwhile.

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“It was absolutely one of the most enjoyable moments of my life,” she says. “I knew our family was complete, but I wanted to experience that high again. So I offered to be a surrogate for a couple who had been devastated by cancer.”
Henry’s third experience with birth was just a enjoyable as her second. She felt a euphoria so intense, she says she never would have believed it unless she experienced it herself.
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Maggie Yount believes it was her mindset that made the birth of her first child so enjoyable. She had prepared with hypnobirthing, a popular technique for managing pain through self-hypnosis.
“Contractions would come and go, and I would just kind of sit with them and breathe through them,” she shares. “I was in such a positive headspace that I really just flowed with it and lost track of time.”
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In Yount’s mind, a fulfilling birth has a lot to do with setting yourself up for success. She devoured childbirth education during her pregnancy, taking just about every class available to her. She also credits her connection with her partner, who made her feel supported and loved, as something that made her birthing experience so enjoyable.
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Lastly, Yount shares that her perspective was one essential part of her birthing mindset. Years before her pregnancy, she almost lost her life in a horrific car accident that left her in a coma with 14 broken bones.
“As a contrast to my accident, this was discomfort I was feeling and intensity, but it was not pain,” she says of labor and delivery. “I knew pain.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“I was so proud because no one else did it but me. I was solely responsible for the birth of my kids, and that is truly awesome.”
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When she was pregnant with her first child, Kate Anderson, mom of two, knew she didn’t want to let negative perspectives on birth scare her about what might happen. Although she does report feeling a bit nervous, she was also incredibly excited to give birth.
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“I had done a lot of reading and research and wanted to personally try to eliminate the ‘scare tactics’ that are so commonly shown in our culture and actually try to enjoy it,” she says. “I was so proud because no one else did it but me. I was solely responsible for the birth of my kids, and that is truly awesome.”
Having an ideal birth or uncomplicated pregnancy isn’t the only opportunity for a fulfilling birth experience. With enough planning and preparation, moms who choose or need cesarean sections can also have a satisfying birth experience.
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“While I’d never characterize birth as enjoyable, I was very happy with my experience,” says Eliyanna Kaiser, who had a scheduled c-section for the delivery of her double-breech twins. “I got to have a playlist in the OR, my doc, who I love, was there, my wife and my best friend supported.”
Kaiser says she is aware that planning a c-section can be problematic in certain circumstances, especially if things don’t go as expected. She admits that a certain amount of luck and good health was part of her easy birth experience, and she is grateful for her outcome.
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Like Kaiser, Anne Wolfe Postic had enjoyable experiences during two of her three c-sections. Although her first c-section felt scary because she was dealing with HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) syndrome, a type of preeclampsia, she loved her other two c-sections. She says having an amazing team of care providers was a big part of her positive c-section experiences. She also knew her top desires for her delivery, including keeping non-essential personnel out of the delivery room and keeping mother and baby together after birth.
“The biggest piece of advice I have for people who think they might end up with a c-section is to have two birth plans: one with all the bells and whistles and one with the three to four things that are absolutely essential,” Postic says.

How to Prepare for an Enjoyable Birth

If Medding is right, moms experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy can prepare themselves for an enjoyable birth. In her article, she talked about how she has helped other mothers get the best possible outcomes from their labor and delivery. She suggested that mothers who educate themselves on the process of labor can use that understanding to ease their anxiety.
It’s an important perspective, and birth experts share a few specific steps mothers can take to achieve a more positive birthing experience.

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Amy C. Peters, DO, OB-GYN at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, suggests preparing for pain management during labor as one of the first steps any expecting mom should take. Even if the mother expects to have an epidural, Peters wants all mothers to prepare for the possibility that they may not have an epidural or that it might not work exactly as planned.
“Taking a course such as Hypnobabies can help a woman achieve an enjoyable birth experience without all the drama,” she says.
Peters says a supportive birthing partner is another essential aspect of preparing for childbirth. This could come in the form of a significant other or another close relationship. A doula can serve as a supportive partner as well.
Birth education can be a powerful tool for removing fear of the unknown for expecting moms. Yen H. Tran, DO, OB-GYN, who practices at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, shares that, even as a doctor, she experienced anxiety about her first birth.
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“Don’t be shy to ask your physician questions,” she says. “Even though I am an OB-GYN, I found reading books about pregnancy and childbirth to be helpful and good for me emotionally.”
She adds that mothers should remember that pregnancy is a natural experience. Mothers rarely experience complications.
Caring for your body before and during pregnancy is another important aspect of preparing for birth. Labor is often long and exhausting, so staying active can help you to stay in shape during your pregnancy. This can set you up for a more enjoyable birth experience, Tran says.
Lastly, expectations about birth matter. Every mother is different, and every birth is different. Getting in touch with what you want from your labor and delivery can be helpful as you begin to prepare for the big day.
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In her professional experience, Peters has witnessed how what a mother expects from childbirth quickly transforms into a self-fulfilling prophecy, pointing out that anxiety often intensifies the pain experience.
“As a resident, it was interesting to see how different cultures responded so dramatically differently to the same event,” she shares. “I was so impressed with my Hmong patients, seeming to have such easy births. This contrasted so significantly against the excruciating births of women from other cultures, including mainstream American.”
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Because of this, Peters recommends that all expecting mothers get clear about their expectations, creating a birth wish list and then reviewing it with her healthcare provider in advance.
Giving birth is a momentous occasion and the beginning of a brand new life. It is okay to want more from childbirth outside of nothing going wrong. Don’t be afraid to voice your desires for your birth to your support system, including your birthing partner and care providers.
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“Women are amazing, strong, and self-aware,” Peters says. “They deserve support with their birthing days whatever way things turn so that they may have an enjoyable outcome: healthy mom and healthy baby.”

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

What Do "Organic" And “Natural” Really Mean When It Comes To Your Beauty Products?

The phrase you vote with your dollars rings true in every facet of retail. You have the option to shop at businesses that practice sustainability, to devour food from companies whose morals align with your own, and to slather on face creams made with naturally-sourced ingredients.

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That said, there’s a tricky element here that many people may not consider. When you really get down to it, how transparent and honest are all these companies, and just how true are their claims?
As an example: According to USDA guidelines, the term “free range” on your carton of eggs simply means that the poultry has been allowed access outside at some point in the day. For some husbandries, that may equate to letting chickens into ultra-cramped outdoor quarters for an hour a day—not quite the vision of jolly, free-range chickens frolicking in rolling green pastures we all have in our heads.
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Naturally, we were curious about whether these lax, often misleading label regulations also apply to the skincare market. What do “natural” and “organic” really mean when it comes to your beauty products? And how do you make sure you’re spending your dollars in the right place?
For the answers to those questions, we consulted the FDA guidelines (spoiler: they’re pretty nondescript) and a handful of experts, including a beauty chemist, a product developer for natural skincare brands, a celebrity esthetician, and the co-founder of a natural skincare e-commerce site.

How “Organic” and “Natural” are Defined in the Beauty Industry

Every expert we spoke to about this topic agreed that the terms “natural” and “organic” are very loosely defined by brands in the skincare market. This is largely because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes a very hands-off approach to the topic. In fact, they explicitly state that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements for the use of the term organic is “separate from the laws and regulations that FDA enforces for cosmetics,” and that the FDA doesn’t even have a legal definition.

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With no definition, there’s very little—if anything—to enforce.
“It’s the Wild West when it comes ‘natural’ beauty products,” says Amy Regan, founder and CEO of the skincare brand Skinfix. “There really are no regulated guidelines of what constitutes a natural product, and the word is definitely overused. Each brand defines what ‘natural’ means to them.”
At best, this creates buyer confusion, and at worst, it can translate to thoughtless manipulation, notes Alicia Freed, co-founder of natural and organic e-commerce site Living Earth Beauty. The website curates 100 percent natural, raw, and vegan products and is notably discerning when introducing a new product to their store—even their packaging materials are green. In that sense, they’re true experts when it comes to shopping for natural products.
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“While some companies may be using the term with integrity, what ‘natural’ usually implies is that they have used at least some natural ingredients, or naturally derived ingredients, in their formulations. However, this does not guarantee that they contain only natural ingredients,” Freed says. “Being green, clean, [and] non-toxic is very trendy these days, and many companies are jumping on the ‘green beauty’ bandwagon in order to cash in. This is what many refer to as ‘greenwashing,’ and it is a very popular tactic that seems to be gaining more and more momentum.”
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She adds that many of the largest players in cosmetics are releasing new products that use phrasing and imaging to convey a clean and pure approach, but in countless cases, these are just reformulations of the same conventional products with a “green” spin.

How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Real Deal

If buying natural or organic skincare is important to you, then you must be especially astute while shopping. Though you might be feeling understandably overwhelmed at this point, don’t fret. There are a handful of ways you can feel confident in your natural skincare purchases.

Look for Labels

One of the easiest things you can do is look for certification seals and stamps. For example, while the FDA doesn’t regulate organic and natural labels, the USDA’s definition has become a standard in cosmetics. If you see “certified organic” by the USDA on a label, that indicates the product meets the government’s regulated organic guidelines.

United States Department of Agriculture (via Wikimedia Commons)

“The term ‘Certified Organic’ describes the way agricultural product is grown and processed,” explains celebrity esthetician Biba de Sousa. “The National Organic Program … , in 2005, produced guidelines for organic products. In essence, growing, handling, and processing of the source ingredient involves no pesticides, no hormones, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, [synthetic coating], steroids, antibiotics.”
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There are three primary categories, says de Sousa, including 100 percent USDA Organic, 95 percent organic, and “made with organic,” which means 70 to 90 percent of the product is made with organic ingredients. This category cannot use the organic seal anywhere but can list organic ingredients in the information panel (marked by an asterisk).
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You can also look for additional certified organic labels, which follow carefully stated standards. Each country has its own label, for example, and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements’ Family of Standards is an internationally recognized seal as well. There are also seals by NATRUE, the Natural Products Association, Ecocert, and Demeter. While the standards for each of these companies vary, seeing their labels means the product contains 90 to 100 percent organic and natural ingredients.
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All that said, we highly suggest doing research on any certification label you see to make sure their standards align with your own. There are some certifications with lax standards, and it’s important to note that there have even been cases where brands incorrectly use certifications. Remember—it’s the Wild West out there!

Check the Ingredients

When in doubt, start reading.
“At the end of the day, the most foolproof way to protect yourself and make the most informed decisions is to do your research and always, always read the ingredient [lists],” Freed advises.


She notes that the lists can look like a lot of gibberish at first—especially if you’re new to reading them. To minimize the initial confusion, you should familiarize yourself with the ingredients you shouldn’t be using.
For example, Freed says it’s wise to avoid parabens, glycols and butyls, sulfates, aluminum chlorohydrate (often found in antiperspirant), toluene, nanoparticles, and hydroquinone.

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Chemical SPFs also aren’t ideal if you’re seeking all-natural products. Those include oxybenzone and octinoxate, two ingredients that were recently set to be banned in Hawaii due to their damaging effects on coral reefs. You can replace chemical SPF with physical SPF ingredients, which include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
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Fragrance, perfume, and parfum are also words that should raise your all-natural seeking eyebrows. Even though they sound harmless, these ingredients are often used in the skincare industry as a blanket term that encompasses a host of other ingredients that probably aren’t natural or organic.
“If you still have questions [after reading the label], contact the brand,” advises David Pollock, a beauty chemist for top beauty brands, including Lancome, SkinCeuticals, and Smashbox. “More and more brands are becoming transparent. If the brand won’t communicate with transparency, consider sticking with brands that empower you to make the right decision for you.”

Sift Through the Marketing-Speak

If there’s one point we want to keep reiterating, it’s that you should always be ready to read. Without some research, it’s easy to fall for gimmicks or to think that just because a product is sold at Whole Foods or the farmers market, it’s all natural.

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“When a brand uses words that sound nice in their advertising, branding, and packaging such as ‘nature inspired’ or ‘made with 100 percent [ingredient],’ take a moment to think about what they are actually saying,” Freed says. “Does their choice of words really say anything about the quality, content, or efficacy of their products? Likely, they are using words to evoke feelings of purity, but that’s usually not backed up by the content of their products.”


Another important thing to note is that phrases such as vegan, cruelty-free, sustainable, non-GMO, gluten-free, sulfate-free, and paraben-free don’t necessarily mean that all the ingredients are natural. If the aforementioned labels matter to you, seek such products out, but do be aware that the labels only indicate as much as they state and nothing beyond that.
To draw a comparison, if a cupcake says it’s sugar free, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you or that it doesn’t contain gluten or fat. It just means that it’s sugar-free.

The Bottom Line On All-Natural Cosmetics

At the end of the day, our best advice is to try not to let yourself get tricked by flashy advertising and to always do your homework. What ultimately matters—even more than where a product is sold or their feel-good promises—are the cold, hard facts, which amount to clean ingredient lists and trustworthy certifications.

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We understand this requires a fair amount of research and therefore a notable investment of your time. However, if buying natural and organic is important to you, then it’s ultimately worth going out of your way to selectively spend your dollars on brands that meet your standards. Won’t it feel good to be able to slather on your new serum with the same pride and enthusiasm as you get when slapping on an “I Voted!” sticker?

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

The 7 Early Signs Of Aging (And How To Prevent Them)

If there’s one inevitable fact in life, it’s that we all get older.
Each birthday, we add another number to our age—this is chronological aging. But when you take into consideration how we live—including diet, sun exposure, exercise, stress, and sleep—we’re not all aging at the same speed. This explains why some 30-year-olds can’t walk a block without dry heaving, while a 60-year-old might run a marathon. This is physiological aging.

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“Your physiological age, or ‘real age,’ can reveal a great deal about your general health and the rate at which you are aging. It measures the real biological state of a person by taking lifestyle factors into account,” explains board-certified dermatologist Julie Russak, MD, FAAD, founder of Russak Dermatology Clinic and Russak+ Aesthetic Center. “Through exercise and good nutrition, for example, you can actually be physiologically younger than the average person of your chronological age.”
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This concept is so widespread you can even run a simple Google search and find quizzes that will tell you how old your body actually is. But aside from those quizzes—which, let’s be real, are probably just ballpark estimates—is there any other reliable measure that gauges your physiological age?

Aging, The Unavoidable

First, let’s confront the obvious. We all get older no matter how healthy we are, which means certain changes are inevitable.
As we age, we see a lot of natural changes, including skin getting more lax and loose and a redistribution of fat, whether it’s more or less of it, says plastic surgeon Andrew Ordon, MD, co-host of The Doctors. “We can’t stop the process of aging, and over the course of years, we are going to have sagging, wrinkles, brown spots, aches, and pains.”
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With that said, if you notice these signs over the course of a short period of time, it might be a sign that you could use a lifestyle shift, whether it’s a healthier diet or increase in exercise.

The 7 Early Signs of Aging

Your skin (and any other part of your body you can see with the naked eye) is the “mirror” that reflects the health of the inside. Simply noticing any changes with your naked eye is an effective way to tell if your physiological age is higher than your chronological age.
Before we start, it’s worth noting that for many of these signs of expedited physiological aging, there’s one major culprit: the sun, says Russak.

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“UV rays are the primary cause of wrinkles, uneven pigmentation and sun spots, reduced skin elasticity, the degradation of skin texture, and other visible signs of biological aging.”
Now, let’s explore some of the early signs of aging:

1. Dry or Dehydrated Skin

Dry skin means you’re low on oil, while dehydrated skin is caused by the loss of water. Signs of dry/dehydrated skin include flaking, itching, redness, and more pronounced wrinkles.

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“Sun damage, the natural slowing of cell renewal with age, and ineffective skincare will cause skin to get more dehydrated as you age,” Russak tells HealthyWay.

The solution…

“Live like a coastal European!” advises Russak. “Walk more, eat fresh and local foods, and eat it slower. Prioritize rest and balance, and rid your lifestyle of the obvious age accelerators such as tanning beds, sun exposure, period. [Adopt] a consistent skincare regimen that includes retinol, antioxidants, vitamin C, and a collagen supplement.”

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Known as a “fountain of youth” of sorts, collagen supplements are particularly popular these days. The idea behind collagen supplements is simple: Replenish the collagen your body naturally produces to keep your skin taut, uplifted, and plump.


Since collagen production decreases with age, purveyors say taking a collagen supplement will keep your body looking youthful. There has been some promising research, such as this double-blind placebo-controlled study that found that women who took collagen regularly for two months saw a 20 percent reduction in wrinkles. Note, though, that not all experts are convinced they work, especially for those who already maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet.

2. Dull Skin

As we age, our cell turnover rate slows down. The top layer of the skin becomes dull, and we lose our glow. “Dull skin is one of the first signs of aging, as cell turnover renewal decreases significantly,” explains Russak.

The solution…

Russak suggests incorporating glycolic acid, a chemical derived from sugarcane that helps dissolve the “glue” that bonds dead skin cells together.

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She also recommends a supplement with ceramides (natural lipids found in skin that help keep it moisturized) and hyaluronic acid (another substance in skin that retains a thousand times its own weight in water) to help hydrate the skin from within.
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“Also, look for salicylic acid to exfoliate the dead top layer of the skin to prevent it from looking dull.”

3. Puffy and/or Red Eyes

The skin in your eye area is thin to begin with, and as you age, the skin thins even more. This can can make issues like dark circles or puffiness even more apparent.
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The biggest cause of tired eyes? The sun, for one. But there’s more, says Russak.

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“… the loss of the body’s ‘lubricators’ with age, such as the water component in our eyes, also cause dryness and redness. As skin thins with age, it is more vulnerable to external stressors, such as pollutants, allergies, and hormonal fluctuations which end up showing up in puffiness.”

The solution…

Take care of the eyes just as you would exposed skin by wearing sunglasses that offer high UV protection, suggests Russak.

4. Sagging Skin

This is caused by the loss of collagen and elastin in skin, two of the complex proteins responsible for skin structure and elasticity, says Ordon.

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“Starting in our 20s and 30s, our body’s natural production of these proteins begins to decrease, which as a result, causes skin to appear saggy, loose, wrinkly.”
This occurs both on your face and body, which is why you see areas of skin that appear more loose or wrinkled than others.

The solution…

Ordon’s solution is quite holistic: “Good diet, exercise, sleep, maintaining a stable weight, and probably most importantly, avoiding damage from the sun.”

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If you’re looking for a product to help smooth out your skin, find a topical skincare solution that contains phytonutrients—chemicals in plants that help protect them from fungi, insects, and other threats—to support healthy collagen and elastin, which will help maintain your skin’s natural elasticity.
You also want to focus on foods with vitamin A: “We want the collagen being made to be reproduced exactly as it should be, and vitamin A plays a role in that,” Libby Mills, a registered dietitian nutritionist, told RD.com.

5. Yellow Teeth

In the absence of cosmetic dental procedures, teeth become yellow as you get older and wiser.
Why? According to a review published in the British Dental Journal, the enamel (i.e., the top coating) gradually thins over time due to both simple wear and tear and external factors, like eating acidic foods. As the enamel weakens, it reveals the layer underneath, the dentin. Some people innately possess more yellow or brown dentin, while others are blessed with lighter dentin.


“The natural laying down of secondary dentin affects the light-transmitting properties of teeth, resulting in a gradual darkening of teeth with age,” the review states.

The solution…

According to an article in The New York Times, it’s possible to slow down the yellowing of teeth by managing “excessive consumption of sugars, acids, and alcohol; bulimia; teeth grinding; and acid reflux disease.”

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You should also avoid teeth contact with foods that easily stain teeth, like tea and coffee. If you do drink these beverages, brushing afterward should help remove the color.

6. Sore Feet

The older you are, the longer your feet have been hitting the pavement. According to Harvard Health, as you age, the muscle tissues in your feet get thinner, making them seem less cushioned, and swelling is more common (blood can more easily pool in veins). Think about all the pressure and weight that’s been on them over the course of decades!

The solution…

You can’t avoid walking, but you can control what you put on your feet! Whenever you can, wear shoes that are more comfortable and healthy for feet. Jocelyn Curry, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, writes on Piedmont Healthcare’s website, that the most ache-inducing shoes include high heels, pointed-toe shoes, flip flops and ballet flats. The best shoes to wear? Sneakers.

7. Apple-shaped body

Some people tend to carry more fat around the waist and belly. “It is a genetic predisposition, and unfortunately, we can’t pick our parents,” says Ordon. “For [those who carry mid-section fat], it is a continual struggle to deal with fat deposits in the abdomen, both intra-abdominal and subcutaneous.”

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Even if you’re not inherently apple-shaped, metabolic and hormonal changes can become factors as you age, typically starting from middle age. For women, abdominal fat might become more prominent post-menopause, when estrogen declines and body fat migrates over to the stomach.       
The apple shape is also closely related to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol—for both underweight and overweight women, per this study conducted at Yale University.

The solution…

Focus on exercise that specifically targets your abdominal fat and your core, Ordon advises. If you believe your apple shape is caused by chronic stress, explore stress-management techniques that you’ll actually stick with. (In other words, just because your coworker swears by yoga doesn’t mean you’ll commit to that every day.)

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Looking for a simple start that requires zero driving and cost? Download a meditation app and dedicate just five to ten minutes to it daily. Studies have shown meditation (even through apps) can be effective in diminishing anxiety and stress.
Whether you want to address your burgeoning crow’s feet or the increased pain in your actual feet after a summer hike, there are always easy and accessible solutions to help your body age gracefully. With these tips above, perhaps you’ll feel younger than ever as you blow out those candles on your next birthday!

Categories
Nosh

Wonderful Or Wasteful? Getting To The Bottom Of Meal Boxes

Doesn’t it seem like meal boxes are everywhere?
Each year, a number of new boxes hit the market, targeted at a specific audience with very specific needs. There are boxes for plant-based and vegan diets, like Veestro, Purple Carrot, and Sun Basket’s Vegan Plan; there are boxes for individuals who want to lose weight; there are even boxes for candy lovers. There are boxes that place a focus on the experience, boxes that simulate gourmet cooking without the time-consuming shopping trips and food prep.
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With the spotlight on meal boxes, it is hard to determine if they’re worth the hype or nothing more than a gimmick. It almost seems too good to be true. Can a prepacked box delivered to your front door really offer enough benefits to justify the expense? Are there downsides to the boxes that are being overlooked?

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Good questions. We dug into the pros and cons of signing up for a meal box subscription and investigated the most common concerns about these services. Here’s the truth about the meal boxes your favorite vlogger keeps yammering about:

Are meal boxes cost effective?

The first time I cracked open a meal box after it landed on my front porch, I had serious reservations about what was in front of me. For what I had spent, this didn’t seem like a lot of food.
I’m not alone. The cost of meal boxes is a serious cause of hesitation for some.

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Olivia Christensen, mom of three, tells HealthyWay she has considered signing up for a meal box subscription on multiple occasions, but it’s always her reservations about the price that keep her from moving past the browsing stage.
Big brands like Hello Fresh and Plated advertise a starting price of just under $10 for each serving. This can be a deterrent for people living on tight budgets—or those who’d rather use their funds elsewhere.
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“It is expensive,” says Betsy Larson, a working mom of two. “Not more than eating out, but more than doing it all yourself at the grocery store. You definitely pay for the convenience.”
Larson isn’t wrong. You definitely can eat more cheaply if you grocery shop and prepare the ingredients yourself. In just a few minutes browsing Pinterest, you can find recipes promoted for their budget-friendly nature: $3 pizzas, dinners under $5, and college-budget friendly meals.
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If saving money is your main goal, a meal box might not be the best choice for you, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be worth the expense. What a subscription is worth and what it costs are two different things, and many people were willing to pay a little more to have more convenient options or to step up their home-cooked meals beyond ramen or tater tot casserole.
For Larson, the real value of the box was that it made her life easier. She’s a full-time working mom with two kids under 3. Meal boxes eliminate time-consuming tasks from her weekly to-do list. She doesn’t have to grocery shop. She doesn’t have to plan ahead for dinner. The recipes were easy to follow.
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“I gifted a meal box subscription to a friend of my son’s who was diagnosed with cancer,” shares Maggie May Ethridge, mom of four and a freelance writer. “He loved the meals and was very happy with the service—they were on time and in the right place. He said the meals were easy to put together and tasted great.”
Deciding whether a meal box—or any other service—fits into your budget is more complicated than comparing dollar-to-dollar. Sometimes, a purchase is cost-effective because it is the right fit for your lifestyle or it meets a set of circumstantial needs, not because it has the lowest price point.

Are meal boxes eco-friendly?

Another big question about meal boxes is how eco-friendly it can be to rely on pre-portioned and pre-packaged meals.
Last year, Buzzfeed reporter Ellen Cushing pointed this out, calling out Blue Apron for creating unnecessary waste. Cushing said that not all of the packaging was recyclable and that some of the recyclable items required driving to a specialized facility. She is quick to point out that people who need the convenience of hand-delivered food aren’t likely to have time for a road trip to a recycling facility.

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Although Cushing makes many valid points, determining the eco-friendliness of these meal boxes isn’t always easy. Some programs are trying harder than others, and the sustainability of a product involves much more than the material trash on your countertop after you prepare a meal.
For instance, a HelloFresh spokesperson tells HealthyWay that they help reduce food waste by pre-portioning the ingredients in their kits. Food waste is one factor of sustainability the consumers often don’t see; we don’t get to witness the impact.
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However, food waste is a big deal. It is estimated that 40 percent of the food in the United States doesn’t get consumed. Beyond pre-portioning their food, HelloFresh has partnered with SpoilerAlert, an organization that is working hard to reduce food waste in the United States.
“The partnership focuses on optimizing diversion of healthy surplus food away from landfills to alternative outlets, such as hunger relief organizations,” says the HelloFresh spokesperson. “This has helped to improve HelloFresh’s operations and make a meaningful difference in local communities. The company is now leveraging this data to better inform purchasing decisions and drive additional waste reductions.”
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Food waste is not only impactful due to the cost of transporting it back and forth; it is the single largest component of landfills, according to the Department of Agriculture. Once there, the decaying food produces methane, a greenhouse gas. Landfills are the third largest source of methane in the United States.
Another factor at play is the impact of how the food is grown and harvested. Meal boxes like Blue Apron have worked to reduce environmentally negligent food production by partnering with farmers who care for the earth, according to Pacific Standard.
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Most of HelloFresh’s packaging can be recycled through curbside pick up services, according to their website. Even the ice packs can be cut open, emptied, and then tossed in a recycling bin.


Not all meal box services are following sustainable practices, but Dan Scalco, who has made a side hustle out of reviewing meal boxes for Food Box HQ, says that a few stand out above the rest.
While Scalco notes that some meal box companies aren’t up to standard, he’s quick to praise companies who use compostable liners for their shopping containers or allow customers to ship back their shipping containers to be reused. Terra’s Kitchen, for example, actually ships all the food in a vessel with shelves. Their company requires customers to send back the vessel after it’s emptied. They then reuse the vessel until it is unusable, whereafter they break it down and recycle it.

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“Green Chef is one that I’ve seen that has done a really good job at making their packaging as environmentally friendly as possible,” says Scalco, pointing out that they also use a recycled inner liner instead of styrofoam. He also names Sun Basket, HelloFresh, and Blue Apron as companies that have made huge strides to reduce food and trash waste.
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It isn’t a perfect industry, and there are certainly valid concerns about how some companies do business, but there are plenty of options for meal boxes that align with earth-friendly convictions.

Are meal boxes for everyone?

Another hesitation expressed by meal box skeptics is whether the subscriptions can meet their specific needs. Kim Borgionio, for example, has real concerns that a meal box exists that can work with her food restrictions.
“As someone with food restrictions, I’ve looked into these sorts of things, but it seems you have to be very flexible to do them,” she says, noting that many meals boxes seem to require a lot of flexibility in taste and dietary choices.
According to Scalco, there are actually many boxes out there that take into account that people are looking for options. If you have a food restriction or unique dietary preference, don’t write off meal boxes as an option for your lifestyle.

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“A lot of people think they don’t have a lot of options—there are so many,” says Scalco.
Personally, Scalco and his wife have tried boxes for the paleo diet, the keto diet, Whole30, vegan diets, and conventional diets. He sees the ability to customize your meal box and try new things without a lot of effort as one of the main benefits of giving these services a try. Even if you don’t have dietary restrictions, a meal box is a chance to say, “I want to try the paleo diet, and this is a simple way to make that happen.”


One segment of the market that may continue to have a hard time finding a box that fits their lifestyle is large families. For example, Sun Basket advertises themselves as a family meal box, but actually only serves a family of four. For families of six, like mine, our only option would be to order two boxes each week.
Gretchen Bossio, a mother of four, has worked around this limitation by ordering a box for two as a fun change in the family routine, cooking that for herself and her husband and then preparing a simpler meal for her four children.

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With enough maneuvering, it really does seem like there is a meal box for everyone. Finding the right box for you and your family is likely a matter of doing a little research, becoming familiar with their production methods and the recyclability of their packaging, and digging up the details on the ingredients being used in each meal.
“There’s something out there for you,” says Scalco. “If you’re on keto or if you’re Whole30, whatever it is, there’s a whole range of them out there.”

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

The Science Behind Intuition (And How To Get In Tune With It)

At some point or another, whether we’re sharply aware or completely oblivious, most of us have an experience where a persistent inner dialogue convinces us to act in one way or another.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in a peculiar situation that just doesn’t “feel right,” so you extricate yourself accordingly only to discover shortly thereafter that stepping away was the best decision you could have made. Or perhaps you’ve just got this funny feeling that you ought to call someone close to you right that instant, and when that person picks up the phone on the other side you’re able to help them in a monumental way.

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Whatever the case, it’s our intuition—a sixth sense, if you will—that we have to thank for such events. And while it’s easy to label intuition as hippy-dippy nonsense, the truth is that it’s a powerful, evolutionary tool with some real science to back it up.
[pullquote align=”center”]“When we are operating according to our calendars … we are following what has already been put in place for us. …We are on autopilot, but not really ‘breathing.’”
—Ariane Machin, PhD[/pullquote]
With the help of Paul Hokemeyer, PhD, a renowned clinical and consulting psychotherapist, and Ariane Machin, PhD, a psychologist and life coach, we’re helping you figure out how to better tune into your intuition so you can use it to your advantage in the years to come.

What, exactly, is intuition?

Like anything associated with feelings or emotions, the term “intuition” can feel a little nebulous. For that reason, definitions and experiences vary slightly from person to person.

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“I would describe intuition as a strong, instantaneous reaction that we might experience in different types of situations,” says Machin. “This sensation acts as our guide and can be experienced differently for everyone. Some people may describe it as a ‘gut feeling,’ while others may actually get a visualization about what they need to do, while others may experience this as a physical reaction somewhere in their body.”
Universally, though, Machin says that intuition cannot be planned. Rather, it comes in unexpected moments and ought to be considered a source of inner wisdom. Hokemeyer agrees, referring to it as a “constellation of instructional signs we perceive as we’re racing down the highway of life.”
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You’re probably pretty familiar with the phrase “women’s intuition,” which may lead you to wonder if women are naturally more equipped and in tune with this phenomenon.
“There is absolutely merit to a woman’s intuition,” says Hokemeyer. “Empirically, woman have been shown to have brain networks that are physically more robust than men’s, which enhance their ability to intuit the world around them. From an evolutionary standpoint, a woman’s heightened intuition serves the propagation of our species. Through a heightened intuition, a woman is more in tune to the needs of her children, her mate, and her social support system.”
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In a 2017 study published by Molecular Psychiatry, researchers conducted a large-scale study that investigated the “genetic architecture of cognitive empathy.” The premise was simple: It asked 90,000 people to look into photographs of other people’s eyes in order to determine their mood. Though intuition certainly encompasses more than just mood-reading, this was a concrete way to test it across a spectrum of ethnicities.
The results were fascinating: They found that women, no matter the ethnicity, consistently outperformed men, lending credence to the concept of “women’s intuition.”
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All that said, men do have intuition as well, and they’re fully capable of tuning into it.
“Though more women may report being more in tune with their intuition than men, it doesn’t mean that men can’t develop and use their intuition,” notes Machin. “More women, however, may use this in a daily basis as a source for ‘knowing’ and may be more likely to listen and attend to the whispers that it may be trying to tell us.”

Ways Your Intuition Speaks To You

Hokemeyer says that our intuition is something that speaks very loudly and clearly to us, but in the same way we drown out noise at a coffee shop or street traffic getting from point A to B, it’s easy to tune it out. That said, if you know the signs and feelings to look for, you’ll be able to better tune into yours.


You may experience intuition…
Physically: Machin notes that sometimes we may experience intuition in a very physical way. “The person may get a stomach ache or feel a wave of energy going through their body,” she explains.
Visually: “Others may experience a visualization of what they need to do or what needs to happen,” says Machin. This may come in a flash—maybe a repeated vision or a dream.
Emotionally: A pointed instinct or pull that’s hard to shake is perhaps one of the most common ways our intuition speaks to us. Some of us are very good at listening, but many of us are very good at turning the volume down to zero.

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“We often experience a disconnect between what we ‘should’ feel, think, or do, and what we actually feel,” explains Hokeymeyer. “A classic example is in the reel of romantic relationships. On paper, the guy or gal is great, but in the dynamic discourse of our interactions with them, the relationship is tortured.”
Machin adds, “I have also had times where I experienced a negative energy when I imagined doing something, and I used this information to guide me in whatever I was doing. This occurs at least weekly, and I try to be as open to my intuition as possible because I value the information it is providing me.”

Following Your Intuition

This leads us to a very important discussion: Just how important is following your intuition? Further, are there times when you ought to adhere to something else more concrete, such as thoughtful reasoning or empirical data? And is it possible to hone your intuition so it’s more reliable?
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“I believe following your intuition allows us to get out of our overly scheduled and rigid lives and allows us to open up to other possibilities,” says Machin. “When we are operating according to our calendars, which isn’t innately a ‘bad’ thing, we are following what has already been put in place for us. Sometimes we are missing out in these situations. We are on autopilot, but not really ‘breathing.’ Listening to our intuition helps guide us for what we need to do. Sometimes this might be what’s in our calendar, and sometimes it’s not.”

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Listening to our intuition is also important when it might involve safety situations, she adds. For example, in situations when we feel like we need to make a certain turn on a road, pick up the phone and make a call, or not walk inside of the house, these “gut feelings” are important to listen to.
For situations that are less imminent or perhaps carry much more weight over the long term, such as starting a business, ending a relationship, or taking a new job, we ought to “follow our intuition” in a more thoughtful manner.
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Amy Baylor, PhD, the program director for the National Science Foundation, penned a paper—“A U-Shaped Model for the Development of Intuition by Level of Expertise”—for the New Ideas in Psychology journal. In this paper—which has been cited and referenced repeatedly since being published in 2001—Baylor carefully outlined two primary types of intuition: mature and immature.
“Immature intuition is most available when an individual is a novice in a given knowledge domain, where his/her analytical knowledge of the subject does not interfere with the ability to make novel insights,” she wrote. “Mature intuition is more rare and is most available when an individual is more of an expert in the subject area with well-developed relevant knowledge structures.”
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Things get a little complicated, but what Baylor essentially said is that while the intuition is experienced in a relatively similar manner by everyone, how we interpret and respond to our intuition depends on our previous experience within a particular area. This is true whether we’re talking technical decisions, relationships, or business. Ultimately, the more experience we have in a particular situation—and the more information we can pull into the equation—the more holistically we can make a good decision.
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The lesson here isn’t that you necessarily have to be an expert at something, but rather that you ought to use your intuition to guide you into doing more thinking and more research before making a quick, reactive decision.
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Wary of a relationship and feel an undercurrent that’s telling you to “get out now?” Your intuition could be spot-on, but you might also have issues with commitment that are misguiding you. Determined to start that business after seeing a visualization of dollar signs next to a storefront? That’s fantastic, but make sure you jump into your entrepreneurial dreams with two feet firmly planted in a pile of research.
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Intuition is a tool—and a very important one that has repeatedly been proven effective for centuries—but you ought to utilize the other tools in your tool belt, as well. Think of it this way: a hammer definitely comes in handy when you’re hanging a new picture, but you wouldn’t toss your screwdriver or wrench aside because of this, would you?
In the end, we should be open to accessing our intuition, paying attention to it, and listening to what it might be telling us. Just as important, though, is making sure our perception system is clean, that we’re drawing from previous experience and research, and that our decisions are fully thought out.

Categories
Nosh

K-Cup Pileup: How Your Instant Coffee Habit Is Affecting The Environment

For many of us, coffee is more than a morning pleasure. It’s an imperative boost to get us going in the morning or to reinvigorate our spirits in the afternoon.
Not everyone has the time (or budget) to hit up Starbucks or their local coffee shop of choice when their daily dose of java is required, though, and that’s where instant coffee makers come in. One of the most popular countertop fixtures is the Keurig, which offers selections that many feel are just as tasty and refreshing as anything their local barista can whip up.

CNN

But there is something coming between some owners and their Keurigs that is taking away from their coffee-sipping joy—the K-Cup, that small container which holds the components of their coffee or tea flavor of choice, has been deemed environmentally unfriendly. The bad rap has stirred up a Twitter rebellions and actually affected the company’s bottom line.
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So, why are so many environmentalists condemning the K-Cup? And is their outrage earned or misplaced? Let’s look at the facts and what can be done to make our coffee habits better for the planet we share.

Is the K-Cup really that bad?

Let’s get right to it—is the K-Cup truly as bad for the environment as the headlines make it out to be? The answer is yeah, pretty much. It comes down to two things: how many there are and how hard they are to get rid of.
“According to Euromonitor, in the United States, consumers drank around 949,000 tons of coffee, making up about 97 percent of North America consumption, with 9 percent of the coffee that Americans drank at home being brewed from a pod,” notes Jennifer Kaplan, who teaches Food Systems at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California.

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She also estimates that coffee pods are purchased in about “one third of North American retail coffee sales, and Keurig holds near-total control of the market.”
In 2015, Mashable estimated that around 9 billion K-Cups wound up in landfills in 2014; that same year, a similar piece in The Atlantic noted that discarded K-Cups placed end to end could wrap around the world 10.5 times.
What makes it so environmentally unfriendly? According to Jane Boland, a science research and development officer at Frontier, a non-governmental environmental organization, K-Cups are “made out of a blend of plastics (referred to in the plastics industry as plastic #7) which cannot be recycled—except potentially as plastic lumber, but most city recycling programs would not be able to support this.”


“Any cups that are recyclable would still require the consumer to completely separate the individual components—i.e., the tin cover and the filter—from the plastic before disposal in a recycling bin,” she says. “I assume that since the main driver of K-Cup use is convenience, the rates of people separating the components before placing in a recycle bin would be extremely low.”
And even if you did separate all your K-Cup components, the problem doesn’t quite go away.

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“Most plastic from recycling programs is shipped to China, where 80 percent of what is usable material is downcycled into items such as fleece garments, which generate microplastics that end up in waterways after washing,” Boland adds. “The remainder is incinerated or buried. Additionally, in late 2017, China started to restrict imports of plastic waste from other countries, which is creating massive buildups of rubbish at recycling centers around the globe.”

Even the inventor of K-Cups is sorry he made them.

The K-Cup has become so hated by environmental groups—and is such a general lightning rod for bad PR—that even John Sylvan, Keurig co-founder and creator of the K-Cup, has misgivings over his invention.
“I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,” he told The Atlantic.
Sylvan designed the original K-Cup back in the early 1990s, inspired to replace office coffee pots that would grow stale and bitter over the course of the day. His gamble that consumers would prefer a fresher tasting single serve option paid off, making the company worth over $14 billion in 2014. (Sylvan was bought out by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, now Keurig Green Mountain, in 1997.)

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He originally made the pods by hand before supply and demand afforded his company the ability to mass produce the product. But in that same piece, Sylvan recognized that he had, in effect, created a monster, noting the Keurig was “a single-serve delivery mechanism for an addictive substance.”
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It was clear that Sylvan was stung by the criticism of his invention, but he used the profits he earned from Keurig to form a much more green-friendly venture to help offset his invention’s harm: ZonBak, a cost-effective solar panel company.

The company has provided a fix…sort of.

Once the word got out about the K-Cup’s environmental impact, many consumers were visibly upset and worried about contributing more waste to the planet. In 2011, backlash emerged on Twitter in the form of the #KillTheCup hashtag.
As a result, Keurig Green Mountain sold $60 million less in K-Cups than the year prior, a 2016 piece from NPR noted. Reporter Rebecca Wong noting the cups’ controversial nature was one contributing factor to declining sales: “I think that’s one of the biggest problems with a K-Cup is that it does have such a negative environmental impact and it’s something that Keurig has acknowledged.”
The previous year, Monique Oxender, chief sustainability officer at Keurig Green Mountain, told WTOP, “We’re tackling this on a number of fronts. It’s a tough challenge, but we are committed to solving it.” The company’s goal, according to the 2015 article, was to create a completely recyclable cup by 2020.

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This did little to silence critics who felt the company was moving too slowly. In response to the continuing outcry, Keurig Green Mountain announced in 2016 that a fully recyclable K-Cup model, composed of polypropylene, was on the way. It was only a bandaid on a much bigger wound, however, as it was limited to just four of their signature flavors.
“Recyclable as they may be, the new cups are not compostable. They are not reusable,” a 2016 New York Times piece pointed out. “And Keurig will still be selling billions of pieces of plastic each year.”
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So, as the coffee drinking population waits for a truly environmentally conscious K-Cup to arrive, what are some more eco-friendly options in the meantime?

What’s a green alternative to the K-Cup?

While Kaplan says the most environmentally conscious alternative to a Keurig is to “not use pods” at all, a compromise is to “use My K-Cups or other reusable pods that can be filled with any standard ground coffee.” Those, she says, “eliminate the plastic used in disposable pods, and reduction of source materials is the highest order of resource conservation.”

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“Reusable pods are still most likely made from plastic,” Boland cautions, “but there are other materials used, such as aluminum. I think the more salient issue is that they are less convenient.”
Instead of slaving over recycling something so decidedly hard to recycle, she instead advocates for “single-serve stovetop percolators, French presses, or coffee makers that automatically grind beans and deliver single servings.”
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Folks looking to ditch their Keurig for more environmentally friendly options are in luck, as there are many companies catering to their needs, including New Hampshire Coffee, which offers a 100-percent compostable coffee pod that can be used in their own system, or, with the additional purchase of a “pod holster,” can be used with Keurigs and similar coffee makers.
Another option is the Breville YouBrew system, a pod-free system which gives you the choice to brew everything from one to 12 cups.
William Sonoma

Another alternative is Dean’s Beans, an organic coffee company founded on environmental activism. Founder Dean Cycon showed his anti-K-Cup commitment earlier than most—he actually turned down a contract from the manufacturer: “I refused to work with them until they created a more environmentally friendly cup.”
Instead, he was inspired to work on an alternative.
Dean supporting indigenous farmers in Africa (via Dean’s Beans)

“I decided that we would do it ourselves. …I contacted a lot of paper companies and cup manufacturers, and ultimately, one manufacturer came out with a recyclable plastic cup that we could use,” he says. “I was asked if I wanted to buy the machinery and own the patent for it, and I said absolutely not.”
“They should be made available to everybody, especially in light of the environmental catastrophe that the K-Cup had created. We have offered the recyclable cups for several years, and now they are ubiquitous.”

The entire coffee trade is harming for the environment.

It’s important to note, amongst all the heat Keurig has received over the environmental impact of the K-Cup, they aren’t the lone offenders from the coffee industry.
Environmental issues extend far beyond the K-Cup for coffee drinkers, which should give everyone patting themselves on the back for ditching a Keurig some pause. There’s still more work to be done.

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A 2014 study published in Bioscience discovered that the impact of coffee farms on our planet has never been worse, the irony of which was not lost on co-author Shalene Jha, assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences.
“The paradox is that there is greater public interest than ever in environmentally friendly coffee, but where coffee production is expanding across the globe, it tends to be very intensive,” she notes.
The chief environmental problem posed by coffee farms is most of their product is grown in direct sunlight. Removing native forest trees has a detrimental impact on wildlife, including the already decreased bee population. It also results in less protection from erosion and worse air and water filtration. The study states that in 2010, 41 percent of coffee farmland had no shade at all.
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The solution? Only buy coffee from certified coffee farms: “Our scientists say a certified coffee farm is the next best thing to rainforest,” Chris Wille, head of sustainable agriculture at Rainforest Alliance, told HuffPost in 2014.

What else can be done?

If you’re looking for other ways you can be more proactive in protecting the environment, there are plenty of options, and it can begin with small steps, according to Boland: “While it sometimes feels like our personal efforts to reduce the amount of waste we generate are a drop in the bucket, every action we take influences the social norms of the people around us.”
“Convincing your office to switch from plastic K-Cups to more sustainable alternatives, for example,” she continues, “may inspire one of your co-workers to stop buying vegetables wrapped in plastic at the local supermarket.”

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These demands force corporations to change course or face the wrath of consumers.
“The K-Cup industry is already responding to increased demand from consumers for less plastic waste in our products, and supermarkets around the world are experimenting with plastic free aisles,” Boland says. “Every little action we take to reduce plastic in our lives contributes to this movement.”
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So today, as you sit down with your cup of coffee, reflect on what steps you can take to make the Earth a greener place, and let that burst of caffeinated energy spur you into action.

Categories
Lifestyle

Then And Now: The Changing Landscape Of Women’s Media

If you were to transport yourself back in time 50, 60, or 70 years ago and drop by the local corner store to pick up a glossy women’s magazine, you’d be in for a rude, not-very-feminist-forward awakening.

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Time travel isn’t exactly feasible, though, so see if your grandmother has some old mags tucked away in the attic somewhere; or, more convenient yet, check out some clips that have been digitally preserved in various corners of the internet.
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Sure, the retro pictures may be charming, and some wistful part of you may even romanticize those decades gone by as being simpler, pre-digital times when people didn’t have to worry about curating immaculate Insta feeds or changing their relationship status for all to see. The reality, though, is that times were way different back then, and the outrageous expectations and standards placed on women were laughable at best.  

On Dating and Sexist Standards

Over the years, and even somewhat recently, magazines have published some truly appalling articles that outline the way women ought to look, behave, and even think. In an effort to point out how far we’ve come (and how much further we have to go), Vice recently compiled a handful of clips from popular women’s magazines published in the 1950s and ՚60s.

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Some of the more egregious examples include a quiz from the 1957 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal that helped mothers determine just how much marriage potential their daughters possessed. It stated that if a woman exhibited more than 10 specific behaviors, she wouldn’t have good luck finding a man willing to propose. Some of those outlined behaviors? Occasional partying, refusing to go to church every Sunday, and “petting”—engaging in any sort of physical contact, including kissing—while going steady.
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Vice also pulled an article from a 1965 issue of Cosmopolitan titled “38 Ways to Coddle a Man,” and it was not written tongue-in-cheek. The dated story outlined a series of rules women ought to obey if they wanted to keep a man around, including not telling him what’s wrong with his car even if you knew the answer (shout out to all you female mechanics) and giving him the stereotypical, doe-eyed gaze when he goes on and on about business matters—even if you’re bored out of your mind hearing about his office politics or would like to chip in with some good advice.  
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Also, Skip Burzumato of Boundless uncovered dating advice in a 1938 issue of Mademoiselle that, in a move straight from Cher Horowitz’ dating playbook, advised women to have their mothers send flowers to their college dormitories in an effort to look more popular and desired. Because a sure sign of someone’s worth depends on whether others are interested!
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Though these examples may feel miles away, recent examples aren’t exactly uncommon. When Sable Yong, Allure’s digital beauty editor, started working for the magazine, she came across some rather questionable, not-so-distant archived stories. One of those was a 2012 article titled “Beauty Mistakes That Turn Men Off.”
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“I scrubbed it and rewrote [the article] in satire,” she explains. “There are more on-site, I’m sure. And I’m sure most of them are in-book repackages. I don’t have the time and energy to redo them all, but we do tend to update stories, if not for market reasons, then stuff like that, for sure.”
Some of our favorite satirical advice from Yong’s article includes not wearing glitter because “men don’t like when you shine brighter than them,” not overdoing it with the mascara because “how’s a dude supposed to wife you up when your soul shutters are laced in black tar?” and avoiding showy manicures because “your colorful manicure might distract a man from…whatever it is men think about.”
Jason Lloyd-Evans (via Allure)

What we’d like to note here is that even though we do have disturbingly recent examples of misguided, outdated advice, we’re now living in a world where we’re mostly aware and progressive enough to quickly call these things out.

On Diversity and Unrealistic Expectations

Beyond dating, the ideal image of women portrayed in magazines has been, well, pretty homogenous. Things have gotten better in (very) recent years, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.


“If you Google Image ‘women’s magazines,’ most of the front covers feature white, slender or fit, young—ageless—women with no cellulite or minimal wrinkles, if any,” says Cheri Ellefson, a gender studies professor at Ball State University. “Compared to 40, 30, and 20 years ago, media today does feature more women of color and women who do not fit the ‘white ideal’ model. This is obviously a positive.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“I could have certainly benefited from more positive messaging in the magazines, and I’m thrilled that girls nowadays have more positive messages. Thankfully, we’ve made progress in telling our girls that you’re more than your dress size …”
—Jen Kerns[/pullquote]
Jen Kerns, a journalist who’s been in the industry for over a decade, vividly remembers sunbathing on the deck of her lake house in the fifth grade with a stack of glossy magazines and feeling that pressure to look like the thin, blonde, gorgeous models on the pages inside.
“Being a slightly overweight kid, it made such an impression on me that I started crash dieting, binge-exercising in my Olivia Newton-John leg warmers, and drinking diet sodas at the age of 10,” she says. “I could have certainly benefited from more positive messaging in the magazines, and I’m thrilled that girls nowadays have more positive messages. Thankfully, we’ve made progress in telling our girls that you’re more than your dress size, or in my case on the deck of that lake house, bathing suit size!”

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In addition to being more size-inclusive, there’s also been a valiant initiative across women’s media to portray a wide range of ethnicities. For example, it’s become somewhat common to see a spectrum of skin tones on the cover of a magazine.
Another example: Michelle Lee, Allure’s editor in chief, has made it a personal mission to feature more Asian women in the magazine’s pages. Their June 2018 Hair Guide issue was revolutionary in that it featured three different covers with Asian women, only the third time putting an Asian woman on the cover in the publication’s history. It’s a long string of efforts like these that get us closer to the finish line.

The Shift to More Meaningful Content

Giving the boot to articles touting archaic rules and mind-numbing “advice” means we now have more space—literally—to provide meaningful content across women’s media.
“It’s exciting to see the changes,” says Sonia Ossorio, a feminist who serves as president of the New York chapter of the largest nonprofit for women’s issues, National Organization for Women. “Within the last decade, publications like Marie Claire proactively made a conscious shift toward empowering its women readers and including news coverage on key issues impacting women and girls.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“Gone are the days when a magazine like Cosmopolitan was simply a Bedside Astrologer! Now, it’s about landing that perfect job, winning that promotion, and being the best you can be.”
—Jen Kerns[/pullquote]
In that sense, the focus has abruptly shifted from “doing things for your man” to doing things for yourself, she notes. Kerns agrees that women’s media is more positive this decade than it ever has been.

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“From advice on how to land the perfect job or to how to create ‘whisper networks’ on salaries to ensure equity in pay for females, the media is much more supportive of women,” she says. “Gone are the days when a magazine like Cosmopolitan was simply a Bedside Astrologer! Now, it’s about landing that perfect job, winning that promotion, and being the best you can be.”
Ellefson points out that women’s media is also less afraid to cover politics—particularly feminist politics—and that women’s magazines are even leading the way when it comes to in-depth, investigative journalism. 
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On that note, we’ve also seen an increase in magazines that depart from traditional household publications and instead cater to women’s niche interests. The Establishment, a feminist magazine created by and for women, is a prime example. SWAAY media, which serves female entrepreneurs, is another.

Looking Ahead and Furthering Change

All of this is proof of how far we’ve come since those “Ways to Coddle Your Man” days of yore. However, while the glaring differences between then and now mean that we’ve made some gigantic (heeled or otherwise) strides, we do have some work ahead of us.
[pullquote align=”center”]“We also need to embrace our diversity and elevate the voices of those who have been left out of the mainstream and who still face the biggest challenges … . Our power lies in recognizing our differences and celebrating them.”
—Sonia Ossorio, National Organization for Women[/pullquote]
“There are still far too many unreasonable expectations that society places on women and girls—from unreasonable expectations of how we look and how much we weigh to being able to ‘have it all’ and be a superwoman at work and at home,” Ossorio points out. “Today’s women and girls need to define themselves and set their own standards of beauty and success.”
“We also need to embrace our diversity and elevate the voices of those who have been left out of the mainstream and who still face the biggest challenges,” she continues. “Women of color, lesbian and gay women, transgender women, and women with disabilities. Our power lies in recognizing our differences and celebrating them.”

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Though they’ll take all the help they can get from men, it’s ultimately women who will continue to drive this important change. Maybe that means sending in letters to the editor when you see something you like or dislike, or perhaps it translates to making phone calls to your elected officials or even running for office yourself. Whatever the case, the most important way to make change is to step off of those comfortable sidelines and enter the game.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Less Noticeable Signs That Could Mean It's Time To See The Dermatologist

While dermatologists provide a vital and well-recognized medical resource, many of us have too limited a view on the full range of their expertise.
Dermatologists are most associated with treating acne and skin cancer, but they can also treat and identify a host of other medical issues.

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They’re also who we turn to when we wish to combat signs of aging with a variety of procedures and treatments to leave our skin more supple and taut and keep us looking our best. More importantly, however, they serve as the first line of defense in the battle against skin cancer, often picking up on crucial warning signs that could prove fatal if left undetected.
And for those suffering from painful and chronic skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema, they can offer much-needed relief through a variety of treatments.
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But this is merely a portion of the important services a dermatologist can provide. They can also help identify other serious medical conditions, offering a variety of treatment methods to improve our overall health.
[pullquote align=”center”]“Skin and its various presentations can often offer us a unique insight into overall health.” 
—Joel Schlessinger, MD[/pullquote]
So let’s look at several symptoms, what they could mean, and how a dermatologist can help. As always, knowledge is power, and a trained professional can help alleviate anxiety by providing a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Rashes and Bumps

An unsightly and uncomfortable rash can persist for a multitude of reasons, and board-certified dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, MD, says it is always important to find out the root cause.
“A rash could be caused by a new medication or it could be an indicator of a serious internal infection,” he states. “If a person’s skin is showing evidence of a significant internal problem, it is rarely the only symptom they are experiencing. Asking questions to gauge a patient’s overall health is crucial in diagnosing another condition.”

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Rashes can also be the first signs of an autoimmune disorder. For instance, a butterfly-shaped rash on the face may signify that a patient is suffering from lupus. It’s important to note that lupus can also cause rashes on other areas of the body, as well as lesions that can erupt after sun exposure.
If a dermatologist suspects a patient has lupus, they’ll conduct a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Given the wide-ranging health impacts lupus can cause, a dermatologist will also refer patients to primary care physicians and specialists to offer a full course of therapy.
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As far as dealing with the rash itself, dermatologists can help reduce skin inflammation with corticosteroids (either by ointment, pill, or injections) and provide recommendations for sun protection and skincare products.
Facial rashes marked by a bright red appearance, red bumps (and sometimes eye problems or even enlarged nose) may mark the presence of another condition known as rosacea.


Often affecting middle-aged women (although it can occur in any age group), rosacea is also hallmarked by a tenderness to the touch. Dermatologists can help treat it with a variety of methods, including topical ointments such as brimonidine, a gel which helps reduce redness, or azelaic acid and metronidazole.
For more extreme symptoms, antibiotics like doxycycline can help reduce bumps and inflammation, and for the most severe cases, the oral medication isotretinoin has proven effective.
In addition, a dermatologist can also address a variety of factors that can trigger rosacea (including, but not limited to, climate, stress, and diet) to help reduce recurrences.

Scaly Skin

“Scaly skin could mean diabetes,” Schlessinger says. “The patches of discoloration on skin that can sometimes accompany diabetes, for example, can occasionally be mistaken for dark spots caused by sun damage.”
He adds that these rough patches can often appear as “velvety-dark skin with bumps on the neck and underarms,” which “can signify the beginnings of diabetes or a potential concern for it in the future.”

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Schlessinger notes that early detection is key to “observe and act upon as there is usually time to change sugar intake before [type 2] diabetes occurs.” The next stop would be a trip to the family physician for further diabetes diagnosis.
Other non-skin cancer causes for scaly skin could be eczema, psoriasis, ringworm, or hyperthyroidism to name but a few. Because of this, Schlessinger says a proper diagnosis is key: “It’s important to note that many skin conditions can mimic others, and appearance alone is rarely indicative of the exact problem at hand.”

Itchiness

We’ve all had annoying itches from time to time, be it a bug bite, a reaction to medication or chemicals, or an allergic reaction to food or the environment. But Schlessinger says itchy skin could also note another medical issue: vitamin D deficiency.

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“It is not at all uncommon for me to see a patient who itches all over because of a low vitamin D level,” he states, saying the phenoments is often seasonal, and “happens more frequently in the winter and can lead to many symptoms, ranging from low energy to hair loss.”
He adds that a lack of vitamin D can also be observed via bumps on the back and chest. The good news is that vitamin D deficiency is easy to treat—your doctor may suggest supplements or dietary changes. Limited time in direct sunlight can also prove beneficial.


Like scaly skin or rashes, it’s important to point out that itchiness can be attributed to other conditions, including dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema. But having low levels of vitamin D is often linked with those skin issues as well, which makes it important to regulate. It can even be a symptom of diabetes as well.
But taking too much vitamin D may actually cause itching, according to a 2011 study. And a separate 2013 study by the Brazilian Society of Dermatology states that while vitamin D used to treat atopic dermatitis shows optimistic results, “future studies should investigate the optimal levels of vitamin D necessary to maintain cutaneous health.”

Hair Loss

When one has hair or nail issues, a dermatologist’s care may not immediately come to mind, but it’s important to note that both are made of the protein keratin and therefore fall under the dermatological umbrella in terms of treatment.
And they can be helpful in diagnosing the cause of hair loss, which, in addition to men, affects women for a number of reasons.

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“Hair thinning and hair problems can be devastating especially for women,” Tess Mauricio, MD, fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, says. “…When evaluating patients with hair problems, we take a full medical history and examine the scalp, skin, and even nails!”
She adds that there are various causes for women’s hair loss, including hormonal issues and pregnancy; and that “recent illness or emotional stress can cause hair shedding and hair thinning and a condition called telogen effluvium.”
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As far as treating hair loss, Mauricio says there are a variety of methods, from the use of Minoxidil to “low level lasers, oral supplements and platelet rich plasma can help.” Stress relief and hormone replacement therapies can also prove beneficial.

Nail Changes

In addition to being associated with hair loss, Schlessinger says fingernails should also be monitored to reveal other health conditions: “Nails’ appearance can be a sign of various conditions and is important to recognize. Yellow nails, for example, can signify a bronchial infection or the beginning of psoriasis (even without any other skin changes).”

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“Clubbing, where the nail curves over the edge and the pad of the finger enlarges or swells, can be a sign of heart or lung disease,” he says. “Lines with a slight indentation can indicate a shock to the system, such as poor nutrition or a form of nail shock from chemotherapy treatments.”
In addition to the aforementioned causes, the appearance of your fingernails can identify a host of other conditions. Pale nails for example, are a sign of anemia, while white nails can signify hepatitis. These are a just a few examples—your dermatologist can identify the proper cause.
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And sometimes a yellowish nail signifies a fungal infection of the nail itself. Dermatologists can treat that issue with antifungals and antibiotics, along with self care regimens, including warm compresses and hot water soaks.

Be kind to the skin you’re in.

It’s important when reviewing these symptoms to remember that just because you’re exhibiting any symptoms on this list, you may not have any of the conditions we’ve listed. Everyone’s skin is different, and some are more sensitive and reactive than others. “Skin and its various presentations can often offer us a unique insight into overall health,” Schlessinger states.
Not only that, but skin changes over time—and as we age, we can all expect the occasional odd blemish, or bump. They’re often not serious (like benign cysts or seborrheic keratosis), and most are easily treatable.
But if you’re concerned, or just curious about a skin condition you’re currently experiencing, it’s best to save yourself the stress of self-diagnosing your symptoms on WebMD and get a professional opinion instead.


And while we’ve stated our intent of this piece was to focus on non-skin cancer related issues, we can’t stress the importance of regular skin checks by your doctor. If you’re looking for info on possible skin cancer symptoms that all women should know about, our recent article can help.

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Just remember that keeping your skin in good shape has more than superficial benefits. They say it’s the inside that counts, and our skin can tell us a lot about our entire body. By taking care of our outer appearance, we can improve our overall health as well.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Why Toxic Shock Should Not Be Taken Lightly

At 24 years old, model Lauren Wasser faced an unimaginable nightmare.
After an infection wreaked havoc on her body, causing multiple organ failure, she learned she would need to have her right leg amputated. This infection almost took her life when it triggered a scary condition known as toxic shock syndrome.
Over five years later, Wasser is speaking publicly about her experience. She’s educating others about toxic shock syndrome by talking about her daily pain and the decision to amputate her second leg.

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Wasser’s story is significant, brave, and valuable not only because she survived the ordeal, but also because it has brought attention to a serious condition that hasn’t been in the spotlight lately.
For many adult women, toxic shock syndrome is something they haven’t heard much about for some time. Seeing this condition in the headlines again likely takes us back to our preteen years, when we first unfolded the educational pamphlet in our first box of tampons.
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For some, it seems almost like a myth. We’ve all heard about it—maybe our mothers or aunts or health teachers warned us of the risk. However, because the condition is so rare, few people actually know someone who has experienced this devastating medical emergency.
It isn’t a myth, of course. Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening condition, and it should not be taken lightly.

What is toxic shock syndrome?

Toxic shock syndrome begins with a bacterial infection. This infection is most commonly caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, or staph. Less commonly, toxic shock syndrome can be caused by the group A streptococcus, or strep, bacteria. When there is an overgrowth of these bacteria, they release toxins that can cause “an immediate, exaggerated immune response,” per The Washington Post. This response can lead to “shock and massive tissue destruction, and possibly even death.”
The public largely associates toxic shock syndrome with the use of tampons. This is true in Wasser’s case—tampons were blamed for causing the infection and eventually toxic shock syndrome. This resulted in litigation between Wasser and tampon producer Kotex.

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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, tampons were a major cause of toxic shock syndrome. Manufacturers were producing highly-absorbent, synthetic tampons, and this led to a spike in deaths among women. One of the biggest culprits was a tampon designed by Procter & Gamble known as Rely, which expanded after placement and turned out to be incredibly dangerous.
However, tampons are no longer widely blamed for toxic shock syndrome, says Amesh Adalja, MD, a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. In fact, only half of the reported cases of toxic shock syndrome are associated with tampons.
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The most common cause of this condition is a staph infection, regardless of whether the infection was caused by a feminine hygiene product. Any staph infection contracted after a surgery or inside a wound puts women, men, and children at risk for developing toxic shock syndrome.
Toxic shock syndrome can also be caused by the aforementioned group A strep bacteria. Some women may already have this bacteria, sometimes a misdiagnosed cause of vaginitis, without realizing it. Women who have had cesarean sections or other gynecological procedures are also at risk, according to Courtney Martin, DO, attending physician in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. Additionally, pregnant women in their third trimester are also at risk of developing group A strep-related toxic shock syndrome, as are their infants.
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“Group A strep is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as infant morbidity and mortality,” she says.
Group A strep-related toxic shock syndrome is rare but devastating. During the third trimester, toxic shock syndrome caused by group A strep can be fatal for both mother and child, according to Martin.

What are the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome?

The symptoms of toxic shock syndrome may begin as any other infection according to Adalja, who points to fever and chills as common symptoms. Other symptoms can include nausea, abdominal pain, achy muscles, confusion, seizures, and headaches. You may also develop redness around your eyes or a rash on your hands and feet, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Some people feel like they have the flu—general weakness, fatigue, fevers, chills,” says Martin. “In the gynecologic world, this could present like the flu with severe pelvic pain, uterine cramping, bad-smelling vaginal discharge, et cetera.”

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Toxic shock syndrome can quickly turn a typical infection into a health emergency. As the toxin starts to make its way through the body, multiple organ failure can result.
“What ends up happening that distinguishes toxic shock syndrome from other infections is that it really starts to involve multiple organ systems and causes them to fail,” Adalja explains. “You may have kidney failure, you may have low blood pressure.”
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Adalja gives the hypothetical example of a patient who has surgery and contracts a wound infection. The symptoms begin as localized pain, redness, and drainage. Then, usually rapidly, the patient takes a turn for the worse.
“As the infection progresses and the toxin builds up, it will start to cause all of these other symptoms in other organ systems,” he says.

Treating Toxic Shock Syndrome

It is important that treatment of toxic shock syndrome is rapid, addressing the source of the toxin as quickly as possible to minimize the damage to the body. Delayed treatment of toxic shock syndrome can result in renal and liver failure. Untreated toxic shock syndrome can be fatal.
The course of treatment depends on the source of the infection, but all treatments have the same goals: to find the source of the infection and to eliminate it as quickly as possible.

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“The general rule with any infectious diseases is that you have to control the source,” says Adalja. “Obviously, if there is a retained tampon, you have to take it out.”
If the source of the infection is a wound, treatment may include another surgery. Surgeons will clean the infected wound, doing whatever it takes to rid the body of the bacteria releasing the toxin.
Additionally, patients with toxic shock syndrome are typically treated with antibiotics. Antibody therapy, intended to trigger an immune response in the body by attaching antibodies made in a laboratory to the cells of the toxin, is sometimes used in combination with antibiotics, Adalja says.
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Because of the severity of toxic shock syndrome and its widespread devastation in the body, patients are usually treated in the intensive care unit, says Adalja. This allows doctors to not only attack the toxic shock syndrome but also provide supportive care targeted at affected systems and organs.
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“Suppose the toxic shock syndrome has caused respiratory failure, you might need a mechanical ventilator,” explains Adalja. “You’re going to need intravenous fluids.”

Preventing Toxic Shock Syndrome

In many cases, prevention of this scary medical condition is possible. Learning to prevent toxic shock syndrome depends on an understanding of the specific risks associated with the condition.

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Preventing toxic shock syndrome caused by menstrual products requires avoiding highly absorbent products and avoiding extended use, according to Adalja. WebMD advises women to wash their hands before inserting or removing tampons, to change their tampons every four to six hours (or more frequently, depending on flow), to only use tampons during periods, and to store tampons in cool, dry places. Women should also wear pads on light flow days.

Women in the third trimester and newly postpartum mothers need to know the symptoms and watch carefully for them, says Martin.
“Make sure to have close follow-ups with your OB-GYN during your pregnancy and especially after delivery,” she says, emphasizing prompt medical attention. “Waiting even hours can cost a life. If you have any abnormal symptoms after you deliver, you must call your OB or go to labor and delivery.”
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Prevention of toxic shock syndrome related to a wound infection begins with proper wound care. If you have a wound, you should carefully comply with doctor recommendations and watch carefully for symptoms. If you notice redness or hotness surrounding your wound, drainage, or you develop a fever, follow up with your doctor promptly. Waiting for symptoms to worsen could be incredibly dangerous or deadly.

Healthy Living, Without Fear

Toxic shock syndrome is a scary condition that can rob someone of their health—and possibly end their life. In Wasser’s case, it took both her legs. That being said, it is not common enough to justify living in fear of the condition.

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“Although it gets a lot of headlines, it’s somewhat rare,” says Adalja. “It’s important to remember that the incidence has dropped over time.”
This drop is largely associated with changes to the way tampons are manufactured, something that was legislated after the rise in toxic shock syndrome among women in the 1980s. This means that women can choose to use tampons without fear and that women who are already using tampons don’t need to ditch them altogether.
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Instead, women can be empowered to make confident choices about their menstrual health. When women understand the risk factors communicated by medical professionals and advocated by women like Wasser, they can take steps to prevent this frightening condition. When you are diligent about using tampons for short periods of time, you can rest easy knowing you are living a healthy life.