Diabetes Blog Week (Late): Mantra Me.

I missed the end of Diabetes Blog Week, but I loved the prompts and still have ideas trickling in here and there.  So better late than never! I don’t like catch phrases.  (Forgiiiiiiiive me, especially since I just used a trite turn of phrase up there with the whole “better late than never” thing.  Turn the other cheek, please.)  I especially don’t like catch phrases that rhyme because I immediately lose focus on the meaning of the words and instead say “Rhyme time, rhyme time” over and over in my head, which is distracting.  (However, I do have a soft spot for “Test, don’t Guess” because it’s both good advice and fun to yell.) But this still works

Really, “living with diabetes”?

I know a lot of people don’t like the term “diabetic.” They think it reduces us to our disease. So we have come to use in our speaking and writing the expression, “people with diabetes.” For short PWD. Personally, I don’t care what you call me. Well, within reason. I know what diabetes is for me. […]

Charming the Therapy Doodle.

 I’m training to be a what?! A long time ago in a land far away, a Goldendoodle name Charming entered our lives. He was a recovery-canine of sorts for the Child (after a rescue effort gone awry) and the two quickly became inseparable. yep , we did the stroller to avoid Parvo. They played together.  She hauled him all over California. He became her ever-present sidekick. He was unflaggingly loving, gentle and, well, muppet-like and became fast-friends with everyone he encountered. Why hello! I’m Charming. Right around this time the Child encountered bumps in learning to read.  Nothing major, yet I longed for a FUN way for her to practice the skill which didn’t entail hours of reading aloud to me

The Myths of Indoor Tanning

With May being Skin Cancer Awareness Month and in tandem with our event next week co-hosted with the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program, The Hazards and Allure of Indoor Tanning Beds on College Campuses we are running a series on skin cancer. Be sure to check back daily for posts on skin cancer including how you prevent and detect it. Enjoy! A healthy glow. A base tan. Safer than the sun. I’ve heard these myths from indoor tanning proponents for years. The reality is there is not a single ounce of scientific merit to validate these fallacies. This Skin Cancer Awareness month, let’s put an end to the myths and get the facts straight. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World

A Friendly, Feminist Approach to Monitoring and Evaluation

For many, the idea of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) sounds as exciting as preparing your tax return.  But for participants at a recent convening on documenting and learning from experiences of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), co-organized by IWHC and CREA and hosted by the Greentree Foundation, M&E was explored through a dynamic and distinctly feminist lens. As advocates who work closely with young people, we know that well-designed CSE programs not only improve health outcomes, but also build self-confidence and critical thinking skills among adolescents, especially girls. Yet, measuring the impact of these programs can be tricky. How can we as feminist organizations demonstrate to governments and donors the value of CSE so that these programs can be implemented on a larger

Does Eating Before Bed Hurt Weight Loss?

Eating a small high protein meal before bed can aid weight loss. You may have been told by popular media or nutritional authorities to avoid eating before bed, because it can lead to body fat gain or negatively affect your health. However, recent research is showing that consuming proper nutrients before sleep may actually have some slimming effects. In fact, some research suggests protein before sleep may promote muscle building (1). More specifically, a small, nutrient dense, high-protein beverage before bed can aid in muscle protein synthesis and help boost metabolism the next morning (2, 3). Multiple studies are showing that small, nutrient-dense foods like protein-rich shakes and bars prior to bed may actually help weight-loss goals (2, 4). In a recent

Just in time for spring weddings, graduations, vacations and prom, Polished Dental is offering teeth whitening specials in April and May

Just in time for spring weddings, graduations, vacations and prom, Polished Dental is offering teeth whitening specials in April and May:  In-office Zoom whitening: $349.99; comes with custom bleaching trays. (retails for $500) Custom-made take-home whitening trays: get 50{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} off for $139.99; (retails for $280) Opalescence starter-kit: $74.99 (retails for $100) The post Just in time for spring weddings, graduations, vacations and prom, Polished Dental is offering teeth whitening specials in April and May appeared first on Blog – Polished Dental in Pittsburgh.

Why Is Egypt Prosecuting Human Rights Defenders?

This blog was originally published on the Huffington Post.  How low will the Egyptian government go in silencing the voices of its citizens and its human rights activists? Last week, it went even lower than thought possible. In what amounted to a judicial masquerade, the Egyptian government suddenly decided to prosecute one of the world’s most active and effective human rights defenders, Azza Soliman, for denouncing police brutality. Azza is a cofounder of the Cairo-based Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA), which provides free legal, social, and psychological services to women and marginalized groups and works to protect their rights. Here are the facts: On January 24, 2015, in a peaceful demonstration organized by the Socialist People’s Alliance Party, about 30 people, flowers in hand,

The S Word: What’s So Scary About Women’s Sexuality?

This blog was originally published on Trust.org on March 5, 2015. Twenty years ago, 189 governments made history in Beijing by committing to a bold, progressive platform for women’s human rights and equality. It seemed like the beginning of a new era. When First Lady Hillary Clinton stood before 17,000 government delegates and activists and fiercely proclaimed, “Let it be that human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights, once and for all,” women around the world felt energized. While we have cause to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beijing, we still have a long way to go to fully realize its promise. Inequality persists at many levels around the world and the idea that women and girls should be able to

Scaling Up the “Whole Girl” Approach to End Child Marriage

A panel of experts gathered at the UN Tuesday afternoon to discuss the most effective programs to end child marriage and the work ahead for advocates and governments committed to ending the practice, which affects an estimated 15 million girls under the age of 18 worldwide every year. Panelists noted that minimum age of marriage laws and cash payments to parents to keep their daughters in school can help prevent child marriage, but will not work as stand alone interventions.  Moreover, measures must address the root cause of the problem: gender inequality. “The devaluation of girls by families, by schools, and by societies is the fundamental root cause of [child marriage],” said IWHC President Françoise Girard, who noted that a “whole girl” approach must be taken to end

Whiten Your Teeth and Help a Child

Did you know that teeth whitening is the overall #1 cosmetic dental procedure? If you have ever wanted a whiter smile, now is a great time. Perhaps you’re looking forward to a special day such as prom, graduation, or a wedding and a brighter smile would make your day even more special. From March through June, hundreds of dental practices throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Belle Forest Dental, professionally whiten teeth to raise money for seriously ill, disabled, and underprivileged children in their local communities and around the world. Belle Forest Dental is a member of the Crown Council, an alliance of leading-edge dental teams that are passionately committed to promoting oral health, fighting oral cancer, and serving their communities through charitable work. 100{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d}