Hunger Games and Fire Country star Leven Rambin recently shared a scary health update. The 36-year-old actress went into the hospital for what she says was a “routine” endometriosis laparoscopy and ended up fighting for her life. Rambin posted on TikTok that she was undergoing the procedure to diagnose her endometriosis, remove adhesions, and improve her fertility. Her doctor assured her she would be fine to start filming a new Netflix series in two weeks. Instead, she woke up in the ICU with a scar “the size of her forearm.” Related story ‘Law & Order’ Star Odelya Halevi Says ‘Intense’ Pregnancy Mood Swings Are ‘Like Having a Split Personality’ During the procedure, her surgeon accidentally “nicked” her aorta, the large blood vessel that passes through the abdomen to deliver blood throughout the body. Rambin had to have emergency repair surgery and a blood transfusion. When she woke up, doctors told her she was lucky to be alive. Endometriosis is an incurable, “whole-body” disease. It occurs when endometrial-like tissue (NOT endometrial tissue) grows outside of the uterus. This tissue can spread and bind to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, bladder, and pelvic lining, among other places.  Rambin’s doctor promised her she would be back on a Netflix set in two weeks. But for most endometriosis patients undergoing true excision surgery, a full recovery can take anywhere from four to six weeks. (It took me every bit of four weeks to recover from my first and second surgery.)  Furthermore, a standard OBGYN or a random hospital doctor shouldn’t be performing this procedure. Treating the disease safely requires an experienced excision specialist with the advanced training to meticulously cut it out at the root. Without that specialized expertise, patients face severe risks, as Rambin’s injured aorta proves.  “The first thing I said to her, through my anesthesia, was, ‘Is this your fault?’” Rambin recalled. “She said, ‘Yes, it’s my fault.’ I said, ‘Aren’t you a specialist?’ And she said, ‘I’m human.’” Rambin said she was “pissed” but understood it was a “one-in-a-million ‘freak accident.’” Now recovering at home with a hysterectomy pillow, Rambin is dealing with intense back pain, full-body soreness, and nausea. She had to drop out of her upcoming Netflix project, but she did leave the hospital with a formal diagnosis of stage 1 endometriosis and polyps. “Why yes, I am up and walking after this crazy traumatic surgery,” she said in a July 12 TikTok update. “They told me that’s the best thing for healing, and I’m a f–king bad b—h. I’m not gonna sit there and cry, although I have been crying. I think the reality is starting to hit me of what happened.”  While it’s understandable that Rambin’s primary goal was preserving her fertility, a real and valid concern for many endo warriors, her comments highlight a frustrating narrative. Too often, endometriosis is only treated seriously when a woman is trying to get pregnant. But endo is a debilitating, chronic condition that causes severe pain and organ dysfunction. Women deserve safe, effective, and expert care so they can live pain-free lives, whether they want to have children or not. Despite the trauma, Rambin is keeping her sense of humor. “I almost lost my life during the surgery… and all of this is so I can prepare to have kids,” she said. “So my kid better be f-king awesome. Cute. Not terrible. And I’ll be like, yeah, all this was worth it.” Source link

At 37, Elle King is embarking on a new chapter of self-discovery. After sharing her autism diagnosis on Instagram in May, the Grammy-nominated singer decided to give fans a closer look at what being neurodivergent has taught her about life and mental health. The diagnosis came under slightly unusual circumstances: right before filming the new Fox reality competition Nation’s Dumbest. King admitted she started to panic that she might actually earn the title, so she took two different online IQ tests to ease her anxiety. She scored a 132 (well above average), but the self-reflection following the show brought an even bigger revelation. Related story RHOC’s Jeana Keough’s Daughter Shares the Subtle First Symptom of Her Mom’s Tongue Cancer: ‘Confirmed Our Worst Fear’ “I love games. I love game shows. I’m extremely competitive, and I love puzzles and everything,” King told Us Weekly. “I actually found out right after the show that I’m autistic, and so I was like, ‘Everything makes so much sense now.’ But I didn’t even know.” King’s experience of living undiagnosed for decades isn’t uncommon, especially for women. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects brain development, social communication, and interaction. Since it’s a spectrum, the condition looks different from one person to the next. Even though ASD is usually diagnosed in early childhood, women are frequently misdiagnosed or missed altogether. This is largely due to outdated diagnostic criteria — historically, medical benchmarks were based on how ASD presents in young boys. According to the Mayo Clinic, boys are about four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.  It’s also driven by “masking,” where young girls learn to internalize their challenges and mimic social cues to blend in. When they do look for help, clinicians often focus on overlapping struggles like anxiety, panic issues, or depression instead.  King isn’t the only public figure opening up about an adult diagnosis; R&B singer SZA also recently confirmed her own ASD on social media, noting how it plays into her pattern recognition. For King, who’s also a mom of two, getting these answers has given her a roadmap for prioritizing self-care and shifting how she moves through the world. “I’ve had a lot of not my proudest moments, and so especially with my autism diagnosis, I am putting new kinds of safety barricades,” King explained. “And I just want to be around people that I feel safe around, and I just want to do things that bring me joy.” In her original post, King shared a clip of an unreleased track where she sings about feeling misunderstood and carrying the weight of past failures. Moving forward, she’s taking that self-awareness and using it to find a better balance between her music and her home life. “I keep telling myself whatever this next chapter is, I really want to be present and enjoy it,” she said. “That’s what I’m trying to do.” King’s transparency shows that finding answers about your own mind doesn’t have an expiration date. It’s never too late to advocate for yourself, drop the mask, and set up the boundaries you need to thrive. Source link

Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) alum Jeana Keough thought she just had a sharp tooth. Instead, the 70-year-old reality star is now fighting oral cancer. A few months back, Keough told her daughter, Kara Bosworth, about an uncomfortable spot on her tongue. She figured a rough tooth edge was rubbing against the skin and even went to the dentist a few times to get the tooth filed down. However, when Bosworth asked how long the sore had been bothering her, they realized it’d been lingering for nearly a year.  Related story Elle King’s Autism Diagnosis Proves It’s Never Too Late to Find Answers: ‘Everything Makes So Much Sense Now’ Bosworth shared the heartbreaking news on a GoFundMe page launched to help support her mother’s care. “A biopsy confirmed our worst fear: squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue,” Bosworth wrote. According to the Cleveland Clinic, oral cancer most commonly affects people age 60 and older. Tongue cancer typically originates in squamous cells: the thin, flat cells on the surface of the mouth. Early signs can look like ordinary, harmless mouth ulcers or patches that won’t go away, but if left untreated, the cancer can spread through the mouth and throat to the lymph nodes and other areas of the head and neck — which is exactly what happened to Keough. “What we thought would be a one-time surgery became a full cancer battle,” Bosworth shared on the GoFundMe page. “Jeana is now in her fifth week of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. The treatments are relentless.” Bosworth noted that the severe pain in her mother’s tongue and throat has made swallowing “even the smallest bites or sips” nearly impossible. “Every day is a battle just to get enough nutrition and hydration to continue treatment,” she continued.  The time away from work has also created a financial strain on top of the physical fight. To help ease the burden, several familiar Bravo stars have stepped in to help her out, including her former RHOC castmates Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge. Judge’s support surprised many fans given their rocky history on the show, which famously included a 2011 fight involving thrown wine and a cease-and-desist letter. Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) alum Jill Zarin also donated and rallied fans on social media, reminding the community to support an original cast member who helped launch the franchise two decades ago. As an OG housewife, Keough anchored the reality hit for its first five seasons from 2006 to 2012 and paved the way for the entire Bravo universe. Keough’s diagnosis is a sobering reminder of how important it is to pay attention to our bodies. Even the mildest, most ordinary symptoms deserve a second look if they don’t go away. Source link

In case the heat waves and smoky skies weren’t enough, this July, over 30 US states are currently facing an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that causes water-y, “explosive” diarrhea, cramping, and fatigue. In the latest news, the CDC today announced that the outbreak has been linked — partially — to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. This contaminated lettuce has been traced back to a single supplier, per the FDA. While identifying a source is an important step (and Taco Bell said yesterday it has “voluntarily remove[d] potentially impacted lettuce” from locations in impacted states), this outbreak is still the largest in years — and Taco Bell is likely not the only brand implicated. While 1,644 cases are currently confirmed and attributed to Taco Bell’s outbreak, there are over 5,000 more across the country that are unconfirmed, CDC experts said, per New York Times. And while only five states were named in the CDC’s latest brief, the agency previously said that 34 states had reported cases. Related story Bite Is the Plastic-Free Oral Health & Deodorant Brand Taking on the Age of Microplastics With symptoms that can linger for weeks, cyclosporiasis has parents rushing to learn what foods to avoid, what signs to look for, and how to keep their kids safe. Here’s what we know about cyclosporiasis and the 2026 outbreak. The 2026 Cyclosporiasis Outbreak: What to Know There have been no confirmed deaths from this outbreak, but 141 hospitalizations were confirmed by the CDC as of July 13. It’s worth noting that there are likely more cases than currently being reported, as some people who get sick are never diagnosed. There’s also a lag time between diagnosis and states reporting numbers. Michigan is reporting the highest numbers, at over 5,000 cases and over 100 hospitalizations. Nationwide, this is already the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak in US history. What Is Cyclosporiasis? Cyclosporiasis is an infection caused by the cyclospora parasite, which spreads via contaminated food and water. Past cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the US have been linked to fresh produced, particularly basil, cilantro, and raspberries, says Dr. Jason Korenblit , a board-certified gastroenterologist at the Center for Digestive Health in Orlando. Cyclosporiasis symptoms can be severe, including: Frequent, watery diarrhea Cramping Nausea Loss of appetite Fatigue Typically, symptoms start a week after exposure, Korenblit says, and can continue for weeks if you don’t treat the infection. What If My Kid Has Cyclosporiasis? If you’ve got little (or not so little) ones in the house, taking care during this infection becomes even more important. When it comes to kids, watch closely for signs of dehydration (such as increased thirst, decreased urination, signs of faintness or confusion, blood in the stool, or high fever) as well as sudden, persistent watery diarrhea, says Korenblit. If you notice any symptoms, contact your health care provider right away for testing and treatment. Note that your child may need additional testing for cyclospora, as not all routine stool tests include it. From there, cyclospora is typically treated with a prescription antibiotic, Korenblit says; typically trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX or Bactrim). Managing Cyclosporiasis at Home If you think you, your kids, or another loved one might have cyclosporiasis, seek medical care right away. It’s essential to get on an antibiotic right away to start recovering. After getting medical treatment, rehydration is key while managing cyclosporiasis. That means more than just water, Korenblit says. “The most important thing during severe diarrhea is not just drinking fluid, but replacing the right mix of water, salt and sugar,” he explains. Electrolyte drinks like Pediatlyte, CeraLyte, Oralyte or Naturalyte are the best choice for kids suffering from frequent, watery diarrhea “because they’re designed to replace both fluids and electrolytes,” Korenblit says. (Avoid sports drinks, which “are made more for exercise than illness and often don’t replace diarrhea losses as well.”) When it comes to food, eat simple, easy-to-digest foods that are low in fat until symptoms improve. These include: Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast Crackers Soup Potatoes Eggs Chicken Make sure to avoid: Alcohol Caffeine Greasy food Spicy food Heavy dairy Large amounts of fruit juice, soda, and sugar-free candies or gums (sugar alcohols can irritate the gut further) Keeping Your Family Safe from Cyclosporiasis The best treatment is prevention, and there are actionable steps you can take to keep cyclospora out of your home. These include: Washing your hands and produce well. Korenblit says this is the “single most important prevention step.” Wash your hands well, with soap and water, before preparing food (make sure your kids do too!), and rinse your produce under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking. While cyclospora may not always be killed by rinsing, it is always the best first step to take. Choose whole produce over pre-cut, and cook produce when you can. “The riskiest foods right now are raw foods that are handled a lot and not cooked before eating,” Korenblit says. “I would be more cautious with pre-cut fruit, salad bags, salad kits, fresh herbs and meal-kit ingredients that are eaten raw.” Whole produce involves less handling from third-parties, and cooking your produce kills the parasite. Use a produce brush for firm fruits and vegetables. Give produce like melons, cucumbers, and potatoes a scrub before preparing to remove dirt and surface contamination. Skip produce washes (including soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash) as Korenblit says they’re not recommended by the FDA. “Plain running water is still the best everyday method,” he says. Know what produce is most at risk. Iceberg lettuce has already been mentioned in this outbreak, and previous ones have involved berries, cilantro and basil — so if you’re worried, it’s not a bad idea to steer clear of these for the time being. Dr. Susan Cheng, the associate dean for public health practice at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, notes that fruits that are easy to wash and peel (oranges, honeydew, mangoes) are

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. One of the scariest things about microplastics is how they’re in everything. They’re not just in the obvious places, like food containers and packaging; no, these days we find microplastics in food itself, in pads and tampons, in clothes, in our water supply. Microplastics have been linked with harmful effects on human health (and the environment), so the feeling that we can’t get away from them is a stressful one. The trick, says Lindsay McCormick, is to make smart, simple, strategic swaps. “The biggest thing is to eliminate your daily exposures where you can,” she tells SheKnows. Related story Home Depot’s Halloween Collection Is Here & It Includes the Creepiest Animatronics We’ve Ever Seen Bite founder and CEO Lindsay McCormick. Courtesy of Bite. McCormick knows what she’s talking about, because she’s one of the people making those swaps possible. McCormick is the founder and CEO of Bite, the plastic-free body care line she started in 2017 from her living room after getting frustrated with going through so many travel-sized toothpaste tubes. “This is so wasteful,” she remembered thinking. After a few unsuccessful experiments with tooth powders, she started formulating her own toothpaste “bits” — tablets that you bite down on and chew to produce a foam you can brush with. These days, Bite not only sells these popular toothpaste tabs — which come in fluoride and fluoride-free varieties, and flavors like mint and berry — but also whitening gel, bamboo toothbrushes, and floss, with all products and packaging 100 percent plastic-free. More recently, Bite has expanded into aluminum-free deodorants in metal (not plastic, and definitely not cardboard) cases. Bite’s deodorant line was inspired by McCormick’s personal experience using cardboard deodorants, which would get soggy after a few weeks’ use. Bite’s version houses the deodorant insert in a cardboard tube, but in turn sets that in a metal case. You can refill the deodorant portion when it runs dry. “I wanted products that were, functional and sustainable and effective, but also beautiful,” McCormick explains. McCormick founded Bite (which stands for Because It’s the Earth) to help the environment, after watching piles of plastic wash up on the beach during her time as a surf instructor. It was only later, as more research on microplastics was released, that she realized her products could help human health too. “What happens in the ocean eventually happens in our blood,” she says. Everything is connected. The world feels big, but it’s actually “a very contained ecosystem,” she says. “Everything we do has ripple effects.” Source link

Gabrielle. Mid-Thirties. Muscular. Bisexual. Into wrestling, praise, and bodily fluids. No, I’m not drafting a dating app bio. Instead, I’m creating a protagonist for an AI erotic story generator that’s pumped out nearly 19 million stories since its inception in 2024: Smitten.  The sheer volume of stories reflects the platform’s ingenuity and ease of use. You name and gender your characters, write out the actions you want to see (oral sex, mutual massage, anal play, water sports, etc), and briefly describe a scene that the generator can flesh out. Finally, you’ll choose first or third person narration, confirm you’re 18+, and in under a minute, Smitten will have generated a personalized erotic story for you to read privately, use as masturbation fodder, or share with a partner via a private link.  Related story The 13 Best Sex Positions for Every Penis Size and Shape, According to Experts After completing my own character description, I write one for my man who makes a regular appearance in my internal fantasy life. (It’s my boyfriend, I’m in love). Suddenly, I’m dropped into a scene of a fictional rendering of my love spitting into the mouth of a fictionalized me…Indeed, the generator understood the assignment.  I wasn’t surprised that I found an erotic story arousing. My boyfriend and I are my favorite characters in my internal fantasy life, and I’ve been devouring romance novels since middle school. What caught me off guard, however, was how quickly I was able to go from judging this kind of technology to understanding its appeal.  Sample story provided by Smitten. Courtesy of Smitten As a sex journalist, I’ve watched my workload steadily decrease with the rise of AI technologies that produce, in seconds, the kinds of work I report and write about. And I have real concerns about its potential environmental impacts. So, I was primed to oppose Smitten.  Yet it took just one Smitten story for me to understand its appeal—and value—for the millions of pleasure-seekers who keep discovering it or coming back to it. At its best, it’s an antidote to the stress and exhaustion impeding people’s sex lives. In one 2025 survey, 38% of Americans identified fatigue as their biggest barrier to sex, putting it above health issues, work stress, household responsibilities, and even parenting demands. Meanwhile, a study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine reported that when people experienced higher levels of stress in their day-to-day lives, they reported lower sexual desire and lower sexual arousal.  After trying it both on my own and with my partner, I believe that it’s within that space of limited time, mounting stress, and lingering desire that Smitten shines.  For the pleasure-seekers who miss feeling sexually playful, adventurous, or connected but don’t have the time to read a 500-page romantasy novel or the bandwidth to dream up an elaborate role-play scenario from scratch, the platform offers the shortcut of a personalized fantasy in under a minute. Especially for people whose desire hasn’t disappeared but whose time and mental bandwidth have, Smitten’s low barrier to entry is a tremendous benefit.  Smitten’s biggest strength isn’t the prose; the stories aren’t the literary masterpieces found in the current weird girl lit canon. Like most AI writing, it leans a little heavy on clichés and generalizations. When I created a character who was bisexual, for example, the generator automatically pumped out a threesome scene, even though I hadn’t prompted it to create group sex content. (FYI: For future stories, I circumvented this issue by explicitly writing “no threesomes” or “monogamous relationships”).  Rather, its strength lies in the way it lowers barriers towards desire. Instead of having to go from zero to full-blown fantasy world, Smitten allows users to start with something half-baked and imperfect, and edit from there. With a premium subscription ($7.99 per month), users can even request edits to single sentences and full scenes that don’t quite resonate, while also saving favorite characters and building multi-chapter storylines featuring recurring characters. Courtesy of Smitten “Erotica has long helped couples cultivate desire and talk about their fantasies,” doctor of human sexology Jessica O’Reilly, Ph.D., host of the Sex With Dr. Jess podcast, and co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Seduction and Foreplay, tells SheKnows. The brain is amongst our most powerful sexual organs, and erotica gets its wheels turning by allowing readers to co-create the experience and imagine themselves in ways that feel personally meaningful, she says.  When read with or to a partner, erotica has the added benefit of supporting conversations about fantasies. “Reading it together can prompt conversations about fantasies, boundaries, and turn-ons in a way that often feels less vulnerable than trying to articulate those desires from scratch,” she says.  Dr. O’Reilly sees AI-generated erotica as an extension of that idea. “An AI tool that creates a personalized erotic story based on your interests or fantasies may add another layer of novelty, spark laughter, curiosity, and conversations about desire, boundaries, and fantasy,” she says.  Still, Smitten isn’t a cure-all. While the platform may make it easier to enter, engage, and access a fantasy, it can’t eliminate the stressors that are getting in the way of your sex life to begin with. If chronic stress, burnout, or exhaustion are interfering with your sex life, Dr. O’Reilly says the most effective interventions address those root causes—whether that’s improving work-life balance, going to therapy, delegating responsibilities, or otherwise carving out time for rest and re-connection. The most unexpected part of trying Smitten, however, wasn’t the stories themselves, but the conversations my partner and I had afterward about whether, when, and how AI belongs in our relationship. The use of Smitten—as well as other AI-based sex and relationship tools, such as Arya—raises a set of questions for couples about AI use in the relationship.  Certainly, “AI can be used to reduce the mental load associated with everyday life by helping with the planning and scheduling to free up time that you might dedicate to relationships,” says Dr. O’Reilly. “It can also prompt

Emmy Rossum was shocked when she received the results of her IVF egg retrieval. “They woke me up from the harvest and said that I had 72 eggs,” Rossum shared this week on Call Her Daddy. Hearing those results was “trippy and bizarre,” Rossum remembered, especially since the Shameless actress had faced fertility issues due to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as PCOS). But it turns out, Rossum’s result may not be as rare as you’d think. People with PMOS actually have more eggs than normal, according to the American Medical Association. However, because ovulation is disrupted by hormone imbalances, these eggs stay immature within the ovaries. The ovarian follicles holding these eggs may respond well to stimulation medication during IVF treatment, per SAFE Fertility Group, which can result in a higher number of eggs getting retrieved. As Rossum put it, she was a “super responder.” Related story Dax Shepard Offered to Freeze 11-Year-Old Daughter Delta’s Eggs After She Said She ‘Wants to Have a Baby’ However, PMOS can also effect egg maturation and quality, which means those eggs might not all be viable. For Rossum, though, there was a happy ending to her fertility story: after this “long journey,” she and husband Sam Esmail welcomed their daughter in May 2021. Their son was born in April 2023. Rossum also opened up about her other PMOS symptoms, which included “debilitating” ovarian cysts in her 20s. She first tried to get pregnant naturally, then with intratuterine insemination — which involves placing sperm directly into the uterus during ovulation — then finally through IVF. “I had a kind of crazy journey to get pregnant,” Rossum reflected. Rossum also experienced postpartum anxiety, which involved “very intense, intrusive thoughts,” she said. Though underdiagnosed (and not talked about enough), postpartum anxiety affects 1 in 5 women after giving birth, according to a 2018 study; Olivia Munn is another celebrity who’s spoken out about having the condition, calling it “incredibly difficult” and more challenging than battling breast cancer. Despite the long journey and her fear of childbirth, Rossum said that the moment she saw her daughter for the first time, everything changed. “I was overtaken by the feeling of vulnerability,” she explained. “That this thing that we’ve been able to keep safe inside of you for so long is now outside of you, and it’s so vulnerable, and anything could happen to it.” Source link

Parenting teens is no small feat, especially in a world where the miniature computers in their pockets seemingly hold more power than Mom’s advice. But even when your teen might make you feel “uncool,” you’re still their biggest advocate – especially when it comes to their health. This includes understanding an uncommon but serious, potentially life-threatening disease called meningococcal disease, known as meningitis. That’s where Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen come in, as they have teamed up with GSK to share a message for fellow parents of teens that is simple: Ask2BSure about meningitis risks and vaccination. Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen at Ask2BSure’s The Mening-Itinerary: Live with Ty Burrell & Julie Bowen in partnership with SheKnows and presented by GSK held at 1 Hotel West Hollywood on May 20, 2026 in West Hollywood, California. Anna Webber A recent GSK and SheKnows meningitis awareness and panel event featured a screening of The Mening-Itinerary, an original video that follows Ty and Julie on a journey through everyday moments for teens and young adults 16–23 years of age (think: dorms, parties, and gyms) where teens may partake in certain everyday behaviors that may spread the bacteria that can cause meningitis (like kissing, coughing, sharing drinks). Along the way, Julie and Ty meet disease survivors and advocates whose personal stories bring the impact of this disease into focus. Through humor and heartfelt conversations, they uncover what parents may not realize they should be asking about meningitis and vaccination. As part of the panel, Bowen and Burrell were joined by well-known parents of teens and popular YouTubers, Kim and Penn Holderness, as well as Dr. Candice Robinson, a board-certified pediatrician and Director of Scientific Affairs and Public Health for U.S. Vaccines at GSK, to reflect on what they learned while shooting the video – covering everything from decoding “teen speak” (Bowen had the edge) to a more serious reality: that many teens may be missing meningitis B vaccination. Here’s a closer look at what parents should know about meningitis risks and vaccination: About Meningitis & Why It’s Relevant for Parents of Teens While uncommon, meningitis is serious. According to the CDC, about 10-15% of people who get meningitis will die, and 1 in 5 meningitis survivors deal with long-term consequences. This can include leg amputation, brain damage, and hearing loss.  Among teens and young adults, 16- to 23-year-olds have the highest rates of meningitis, and the bacteria that can cause meningitis can spread through certain everyday behaviors and activities, like sharing food, drinks, and utensils, kissing, coughing, sneezing, and living in close quarters. What to Know About Meningitis Vaccination With everything parents are juggling, meningitis vaccination can fall off the radar—especially since parents may not know to ask about it. “Many teens have been vaccinated against meningitis A, C, W, and Y, but may be missing vaccination against meningitis B. That’s because the decision to vaccinate for meningitis B is based on an important discussion between the healthcare provider and the family,” Dr. Robinson said on the panel. “Not all doctors may bring it up, and then parents may also not know to ask. So having awareness really empowers moms to have that conversation [and] be the one to bring it up.”  That gap in awareness matters. CDC survey data from 2024 found that less than 16% of 17-year-olds received two doses of vaccination against meningitis B. It takes more than one dose to complete the meningitis B vaccination series. As highlighted in The Mening-Itinerary, many parents aren’t sure if their teen is fully vaccinated, or assume they are. Bowen shared that even she had a moment of realization while filming the project, discovering her own 18-year-old son hadn’t completed his meningitis B vaccination series.  “I thought I was on top of things,” Bowen said. “But there are some things that if you don’t ask, you won’t get that answer.” She added, “There’s some things that I let my kids drive the bus on, and they might drive the bus right into a ditch, and that’s fine, because failure is part of growing and learning. But when it comes to health, you just can’t. You have to send them out the door as prepared as possible.” Where Parents Can Learn More Parents: talk to your teen’s doctor about meningitis risks and vaccination. To learn more, including tools to help start that conversation, visit Ask2BSure.com and watch The Mening-Itinerary on GSK’s YouTube. Like Bowen says in the video, “Now that we know… we are going to take action. Because our kids are everything to us.” Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Kim & Penn Holderness received compensation from GSK for their participation in the Ask2BSure activities described in this piece. Source link

‘Tis the season for sunscreen misinformation. The trend of influencers questioning the use of sunscreen and extolling the powers of the sun (and a good tan) is heating up again. They’re seeking out high-UV index days and lathering up in tanning oil. As millennials and Gen Xers, all we can say is, “I think I’ve seen this film before.” And no, we didn’t like the ending — considering that prolonged sun exposure increases your risk for skin cancer and premature skin aging. While we try not to blame everything on social media around here, there’s no question that #SummerTok has a hand in this trend. In fact, sunscreen videos that contain false information are more popular than you might realize, a recent study found. The misinformation in those videos include everything from unprotected sun exposure being beneficial to sunscreen itself being a carcinogen, disrupting hormones, or containing harmful microplastics. We’ve even come back to that old legend of the “healthy base tan” (which, no, is still not a thing). Related story A Shopper Spent ‘Hundreds’ Looking for the Perfect Face Sunscreen — This K-Beauty SPF Won The kicker? A majority of TikTok videos about sunscreen actually encourage you to use it. But they don’t get nearly as much engagement as the ones that tell you not to. We’re now reaping the consequences of those seeds of misinformation. Among Gen Z-ers aged 16 to 29, one-third received a D or F on the American Academy of Dermatology’s sun safety quiz this year. A majority (64 percent) of Gen Zers surveyed said they’d encountered sun misinformation online. It makes for some interesting myth-busting conversations in doctors’ offices, says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Sejal Shah, MD, FAAD, of SmarterSkin Dermatology in New York City. “When a young patient comes in with incorrect information about sunscreen, I try to approach them with curiosity to open a conversation rather than create a debate,” Dr. Shah tells SheKnows. Some of the common myths she hears? “Sunscreen is toxic.” It’s not. Sunscreen products in the US and abroad are regulated and reviewed for safety. “People with darker skin don’t need sunscreen.” Not quite, Dr. Shah says. “People with darker skin tones have more natural protection from UV radiation, but they can still experience sun damage and develop skin cancer.” “Natural oils provide enough sun protection.” Coconut oil, olive oil, or other DIY alternatives don’t provide reliable, broad spectrum UV protection. “Sunscreen prevents you from getting vitamin D.” You can still maintain health vitamin D levels while using sunscreen, Dr. Shah says, and a 2019 review of the research on this topic concluded that “concerns about vitamin D should not negate skin cancer prevention advice.” “I don’t have to worry about skin cancer because I’m young.” The hard truth is that damage from UV rays accumulates over time. Your skin is keeping score even during childhood and adolescence; in fact, sun exposure during this time is linked to many skin cancers, Dr. Shah says. It’s not like skipping sunscreen for tanning is a new trend — far from it. It’s just that this generation of teens is getting their anti-sunscreen propaganda from the shiny new (and very addictive) source of social media, a black box parents really can’t penetrate. So how do you counteract it? Dr. Shah likes to start by listening and truly understanding why a teen is anti-sunscreen. “It’s important for me to understand their concerns,” she explains, “so I can provide evidence-based information and correct misconceptions without making them feel dismissed.” Her key talking points (which you can absolutely steal) include: Sunscreen helps prevent skin aging, like wrinkles and sunspots. Gen Z loves their skincare, so this one should resonate. A tan isn’t a sign of healthy skin. “In reality,” Dr. Shah says, ” a tan is evidence that UV radiation has damaged the skin.” It’s just paving the way for premature aging and skin cancer. Everyone needs sun protection. Sunscreen isn’t just for the fair-skinned among us. Risk levels may vary, Dr. Shah says, but “no one is completely protected from the effects of the sun.” “Natural” doesn’t mean safer. “Many social media posts promote oils or homemade products as sunscreen alternatives,” Dr. Shah notes. “Patients should know that products marketed as natural are not necessarily proven to provide reliable UV protection.” Sunscreen is only one part of it. Sun protection goes far beyond the creams you can rub into your skin. Pair it with protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats, UV-protective sunglasses, and time in the shade. It’s also always good to remind teens that sunscreen needs to be reapplied, especially after swimming, sweating, towel-drying, or being outdoors for a long time. And if all of that sounds like a lot to your sun-loving kid, we get it. Maybe it’s hard to get them to reapply when they’re out jumping in the waves, or to wear a shirt with sleeves when the temperature cranks up above 90. We’re realistic over here! But all of that gets even harder when your teen is prioritizing the words of TikTokers over the advice of their dermatologist — or their mom. So start by educating yourself on sun safety (the above list is a good start) and modeling those habits yourself. Then, when you talk to your teen about it, “keep the conversation nonjudgmental,” Dr. Shah says. Hear them out, then present your case and highlight the things they’ll care about, whether it’s premature aging or the pain of dealing with sunburn. Hand them a bottle of SPF while you’re at it and remind them they can’t believe everything they hear on TikTok — an evergreen tip if we’ve ever heard one. Source link

With the arrival of good weather, something almost ritualistic happens: we put away our coats, and dresses, shorts, and skirts reappear… along with the shame of having cellulite. That “orange-peel skin” is present in 80% to 98% of women starting from puberty (regardless of size, age, or lifestyle) while it appears in only about 10% of men. Understanding how cellulite works will allow you to decide what to do with your body without guilt or pressure, based on information rather than judgment. This article explains why it appears, what factors worsen it, and which habits actually help improve its appearance and prevent it. Why Women Have More Cellulite Than Men Cellulite is an aesthetic alteration of the subcutaneous tissue in the buttocks, thighs, hips, or abdomen, which is due to the following factors: Hormones: Estrogens (the main female hormone) stimulate lipogenesis (fat storage), hinder lipolysis (fat burning), slow down microcirculation, and promote fluid retention, which in turn increases swelling and deteriorates microcirculation. This is why cellulite affects men less and appears or worsens during times of marked hormonal changes (such as puberty, pregnancy, premenstruation, or menopause). Connective Tissue: Women have a different connective tissue structure than men. While in men, the fibrous septa are arranged diagonally or in a cross shape—creating a sort of more resilient “mesh”—in women, the subcutaneous fat lobules are organized in larger vertical chambers, causing fat cells (adipocytes) to protrude toward the dermis. Genetics: Genes determine skin structure, texture, connective tissue distribution, and the tendency to retain fluids. Because of this, if your mother or sisters have cellulite, it is highly likely that you will develop it too. Microcirculation: Microcirculation is the system of the smallest blood and lymphatic vessels responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to the skin and removing fluids and waste. When it is slow or inefficient, fluid accumulates (edema), fatty substances deposit (a type of thick, viscous gelatin), the tissue hardens (making the dimples more noticeable), fat cells bulge, and the skin loses elasticity. Other Cellulite Factors Stress When we’re stressed, our body secretes cortisol, a hormone that promotes fluid retention, stimulates fat accumulation (especially in the buttocks, thighs, and abdomen), and increases inflammation, damaging collagen (the structural protein that gives skin firmness and resilience). Additionally, stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing vasoconstriction (small vessels narrow, and less blood and oxygen reach the tissues). All of this translates to more lymphatic stasis (the lymphatic system drains poorly and fluids accumulate), as well as tissue swelling and rigidity. On the other hand, this emotional overload often disrupts sleep and drives us toward more sedentary behavior and poorer diet, feeding into a vicious cycle. Smoking Tobacco seriously affects microcirculation (it narrows blood vessels and reduces available oxygen) and damages collagen and elastin (proteins that keep the skin firm and the fibrous septa intact). This causes the walls holding the fat to weaken and the fat cells to bulge out, resulting in the classic “orange-peel skin.” Added to this is the fact that smoking reduces vitamin A levels, an essential nutrient for cellular renewal and skin tissue quality, which makes the skin more fragile and less elastic, allowing cellulite dimples to become more pronounced. Sedentary Lifestyle A sedentary lifestyle is one of the main factors of cellulite. When we spend many hours sitting or inactive, blood and lymph circulate with greater difficulty, promoting tissue rigidity and poorer collagen quality. Additionally, like tobacco, a sedentary lifestyle is often accompanied by other habits that influence microcirculation, such as sleeping worse, snacking on very salty or sugary foods, or spending more time in postures that compress small blood vessels. Diet A sustained diet of very salty, very sugary foods or those rich in poor-quality fats (especially ultra-processed foods, fried foods, trans fats, and products made with refined flours) can worsen cellulite because it aggravates fluid retention, increases inflammation, stimulates lipogenesis, and alters microcirculation. Overweight Cellulite is not an overweight problem (in fact, many thin women have it), but it can aggravate it or make it more visible. On one hand, excess weight increases pressure on small vessels, hindering venous and lymphatic return. On the other hand, it usually increases fluid retention and local lipogenesis (adipocytes grow and push toward the dermis). All of this accelerates lymphatic stasis (drainage slows down and fluids accumulate), increases edema, makes the tissue more rigid, and damages collagen. Cellulite vs. Lipedema Lipedema is a chronic condition that affects women almost exclusively. It is estimated to impact 10–20%, although it is probably more frequent because it is usually underdiagnosed as overweight, obesity, or edema from fluid retention. Its initial appearance can be confused with cellulite, especially in Stage 1, when the skin shows a pattern similar to “orange-peel skin” when pinched. Unlike cellulite, in lipedema, fat accumulates abnormally and progressively in the hips, buttocks, and legs (and in up to 30% of cases, also in the arms), and it is painful to the touch, soft, symmetrical, and resistant to diet and exercise. Like vulvodynia and endometriosis, lipedema is frequently misdiagnosed (in fact, the average time to a correct diagnosis is about 20 years). Twenty years of enduring medical appointments where it is confused with other disorders and ineffective treatments are prescribed. If you notice disproportionate accumulations of fat in your legs, thighs, or hips, along with pain, inflammation, or heaviness, consult a doctor, and if you do not agree with their diagnosis, insist on more medical opinions. Realistic Tips to Improve the Appearance of Cellulite Physical Activity: Fight sedentary habits and engage in moderate exercise that activates circulation (walking, swimming, climbing stairs) to prevent venous insufficiency and promote lymphatic return. Clothing: Avoid very tight clothes and artificial fabrics, as they hinder microcirculation. Also, avoid high-heeled shoes; as we saw in this article, they cause circulatory problems, foot damage, and postural and muscular alterations that can become chronic. Diet: Reduce the consumption of alcohol and discouraged foods, and increase the intake of fruits (watermelon, pineapple), vegetables, foods rich in potassium (banana, avocado, spinach),