#Doctors have me back on pill regimens that take away the pain but bring on an onslaught of other problems.

[skillniece03]

Fat Freezing Brighton & Hove

genital tightening In Uk.

Content

claim So long Cellulite In just 8 Weeks! elegance guru Kate Shapland Shares Revolutionary suggestions.

is There An Age limit For This sort Of surgical Procedure?

Air Liquide In The Uk.

What Is Hifu Treatment For Face?

teeth lightening therapy.

fantastic center

allow's talk About ... City Skin.

When the light beams get to the pertinent midsts of the skin, they will assemble, creating tiny and undetectable 'mini holes' within the skin. Our non-surgical Vaginal Firm therapy utilizing the advanced FemiWand ® technology. The FemiWand ® uses High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound that has a long-standing document of practice for clinical applications.

state So long Cellulite In just 8 Weeks! appeal guru Kate Shapland Shares Revolutionary recommendations.

Is it bad to have Cellulite at 14?

It is completely normal! Most of the time it occurs around the hips thighs and bum and is caused by fat deposits under the skin pushing up towards the surface, creating an uneven or dimpled appearance.

This week I have another session on my tummy location, It does take some time, but it does function. Had the fat freeze in December as well as i am so pleased with the results, I have actually decreased 2 outfit dimensions. I'm currently a size 16 and also have reserved in for an additional 8 applicators, i can not fault this business whatsoever! the only adverse feedback i have is that it made me most likely to the bathroom so frequently yet that's reasonable as my body was just doing away with the waste. I previously had a situation of the male boobs so I obtained a cryolipolysis treatment to lower these. I'm pleasantly amazed by the results and also I have practically no fat because area any longer.

having my second therapy of cryo done, have seen a big distinction after my first treatment on my stomach. my skin does really feel tighter yet i haven't seen any outcomes yet as it does take 6-8 weeks to see outcomes so i am fascinated to see what results i obtain. came in for hifu facelift last month and determined to obtain my jaw location and also neck done too after talking with the specialist. i was a little bit afraid in the beginning as i do not such as agonizing treatments however it was not excruciating it just felt unpleasant in certain areas.

is There An Age restriction For This sort Of surgery?

When I was employed for my appointment, they attempted to sell me a program of 3 treatments. I was sceptical concerning the therapy so declined on the basis I would see if I obtained any kind of outcomes initially. When I asked what the success price was for this treatment, the individual telling me regarding the treatment she said she really did not have any kind of numbers as well as Outcomes vary from person to person.

very pleased with my facelift treatment, would certainly recommend to anyone and also would suggest opting for the full jobs as it is entirely worth it. I have seen results after 3 months as well as my face looks unbelievable, i am really happy.

Why do men not get cellulite?

“Men, on the other hand, have much stronger connective tissue and much less subcutaneous fat, so they normally do not develop cellulite”, Georgios adds.

Air Liquide In The Uk.

The treatment i had gone with was the superficial therapy, so just waiting for outcomes. I have my fourth session of ultrasound scheduled for following week and I am truly pleased with the rate at which my dual chin is starting to reduce in size. The car park is a bit annoying though as nobody described initially that there was no complimentary parking readily available outdoors yet when I contacted, a lovely girl gave me instructions to a nearby parking lot. wonderful solution and team member, rates are affordable and also worth the cash. I would highly advise this therapy if you have any concerns with the tightening of your woman little bits.

What Is Hifu Treatment For Face?

The focus of the thermal power is specific and also aids regulate the tightening of the muscle mass and also strength to curb the invasiveness. The process ensures results and also convenience for each person as well as takes the shortest time feasible to return to the regular regimen. The therapy is also ideal for those with various other vaginal concerns, including genital prolapse, endometriosis, pelvic relaxation and also pelvic pain. There are no contraindications for FemiLift if you are taking the contraceptive pill, have a contraceptive dental implant or have previously had a hysterectomy. FDA accepted because 2014 for the treatment of post-menopausal genital atrophy with dyspareunia which leaves many females unable to have intercourse as a result of dryness as well as pain on infiltration. The FemiLift CO2 laser provides energy about 0.5 mm deep right into the vaginal skin as well as develops tiny, white, ablated dots of damaged tissue on the mucosal cells inside the genital canal. The FemiWand is a nine-minute treatment, boosting vaginal muscle strength and also rigidity - and also the results can last for more than 2 years.

To begin with, this non-invasive vaginal therapy approach is pain-free and requires no downtime. Besides, it only takes 20 mins, thus do not conflict with your regular life. As claimed previously, this is a non-invasive vaginal canal firm approach. The method is well made to recover and also fix genital wall surfaces without needing to make use of numbing or anesthetic lotions. lose stomach weight as well as logical looks into have been done on this technology. It is accredited risk-free as well as authorized for use in medical technique. A study by the US National Institute of Health And Wellness in December 2015 verified that the procedure is risk-free, effective and also non-evasive, as well as has a favorable long-term effect on skin laxity.

Can skinny people have cellulite?

Thin people can have cellulite, but it's more noticeable in those with more body fat. Age. Cellulite is more common as we get older.

It has been just over a month since I had the femiwand treatment. I was actually wishing that the treatment would have dealt with the damage of being obese etc. i had a treatment at the brand-new clinic in birmingham, i should claim it is a beautiful clinic and also it is a bonus offer that they have vehicle parking on site. the center itself is very clean and clean as well as all team are well specialist. i was used a beverage on arrival and also was offered the wifi password and also if i desired any publications. I had the fat freezing therapy at the Bham facility, and also i have to state it went well. It wasn't agonizing whatsoever and i had an extremely pleasant experience.

The ultrasound procedure focuses the thermal energy on the surface muscle aponeurotic system of the genital cells. This results in contraction of the muscles which in turn tightens up the muscle mass.

pearly Whites bleaching treatment.

Most clients report no pain and also call for no downtime after the treatment. Treatments are set up at four or six-week periods, and also most clients see take advantage of a couple of treatments. The therapy is ideal for healthy and balanced ladies over the age of 30 that are seeking vaginal renewal. Clients that are nursing or expecting are not suggested for the therapy. We suggest clients to wait at the very least three months after a normal childbirth before having the FemiWand ® treatment. The sole purpose of this process is to enhance the quality of life. Females that prosper in recovering their vaginal canal rigidity have a tendency to be extra positive and also have remarkable self-worth.

Various other lasting impacts of the therapy consist of tightening up and rejuvenation of genital cells. Customers have to have the need for a tighter, a lot more youthful-looking vagina to get approved for FemiWand ® . Due to the fact that every woman's body is different, your aesthetician will discuss the optimum number of treatments to match your requirements and objectives. Vaginal tightening with FemiWand ® needs no downtime, and customers can go back to normal life instantly adhering to the treatment. FemiWand ® is https://nottingham.la-lipo.co.uk/ to comprehensive, invasive surgery to bring back the vibrant appearance and feature of the vagina. FemiWand ® is a 20-minute procedure that can be performed on your lunch break.

This is due to the fact that the PSA blood examination is general to prostate cancer.

Increased PSA degrees likewise can not inform a doctor whether a male has lethal prostate cancer cells or otherwise.

This aids the specialist target the cancer so that much less of the healthy tissue is harmed.

The probe additionally makes use of ultrasound to produce photos of the prostate while your cosmetic surgeon is treating it.

It can also be repeated ought to your cancer cells persist, and also it does not leave out other treatments if required such as radiotherapy or surgical procedure.

Your PSA level can additionally be increased by various other, non-cancerous problems.

In recent years a more recent less invasive alternative called HIFU has actually given a much less intrusive alternative which has been shown to substantially lower the negative effects connected with standard therapies, such as urinary incontinence and also impotence.

The probe is bordered by a cooling balloon to make sure that the warmth does not harm your back passage.

Sonablate is a state-of-the art, non-invasive medical device that damages tissue in the prostate making use of focused ultrasound.

On the various other hand, tightening up the vaginal area assists sexually energetic ladies to enjoy their bed room matters with their partners. Also if vaginal canal looseness is hardly ever spoken about, it is a vital condition that can make ladies really feel sad, frustrated, self-conscious, and also uncomfortable with their bodies.

wonderful center

I had the shallow and the muscular treatment done as I have had 2 kids sen differ from leakage. I did not experience any pain or pain and I am eagerly anticipating feelin results with any luck this treatment will certainly help me and tighten up things up! I had the femiwand treatment done yesterday at the Manchester facility and was instantly put at simplicity by the medical professional. The locations i had done are now looking very glowing and also I'm extremely pleased with the outcomes, I will for certain be going back in for an additional therapy. Aftercare treatment was provided and also its been 2 days as well as im feeling great. I had actually gone through the therapy for the femi wand genital therapy, and it was slightly uneasy. Nevertheless the specialist was really mild as well as offered me with a great deal of aftercare advice and was very friendly and inviting.

What is the best cellulite treatment?

Best results according to research studiesLaser treatment. Different types of laser treatments are used to treat cellulite. Subcision. Vacuum-assisted precise tissue release. Carboxytherapy. endermologie® Ionithermie cellulite reduction treatments. Radiofrequency. Laser-assisted liposuction. More items

allow's talk About ... City Skin.

Much more just recently, HIFU has been successfully used for cosmetic treatments consisting of skin laxity. Use the button listed below to schedule a vaginal tightening appointment. A women specialist will certainly get in touch to review your demands. The ultrasound is completely safe, and unlike lasers can surpass the surface of the genital tissue to magnify the impacts of the treatment. A PRIVATE cosmetics clinic has been purchased to eliminate an advert promoting its genital rejuvenation treatment after the UK's advertising and marketing guard dog regarded it "deceptive" and "untrustworthy".

Why does my stomach look like it has cellulite?

Cellulite most definitely occurs when you gain weight — in women, it tends to be most noticeable in the areas where women are prone to gain the most weight (the stomach, thighs, and backside) — and when that body fat grows, it enlarges and pushes against the connective fibers under your skin.

The locations I had them on were a little bruised for a couple of days however soon cleared up. It's not a magic stick and also I didn't become design slim over night, so anybody who assumes that is what will certainly take place will be let down. My improvement is coming along wonderful and also I would definitely reccomend vivo clinic. Had the Cryolipolysis therapy and so far the result is remarkable I have actually dropped a denims dimension absolutely suggest this therapy. My partner enjoys i enjoy would very advise this therapy if you have actually had kids or suffer from leakage. i acquired added applicators for the location and chose to have a few sessions done. I didn't tell my good friends as well as people that knew me, surprisingly everyone was noticing I was bring down.

What is the best cellulite cream?

Best Overall: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. Best Splurge: Augustinus Bader The Body Cream. Best for Arms: Revision Skincare BodiFirm. Best for Legs: Body Merry Cellulite Defense Gel-Cream. Best for Stomach: Glytone Slim Design Cellulite Day Cream. More items•

The nurse was charming yet no before pictures were taken ... so also if I did acquire a program, there's no chance of knowing it's functioned !! She told me that the therapy would certainly not firm my skin in any way despite the advert on wowcher claiming it would !! The treatment lasted half an hour, had not been specifically uneasy however I am not holding my breath for any outcomes. The exact same 'salesman' then attempted to offer me some lotion prior to I left. Too pushy as well as not enough expertise regarding their treatments or success prices. The therapy has actually been established with the same innovation that has been successfully utilized in non-surgical facelifts. Merely, this entails sending out multiple ultrasound beam of lights into the skin.

my husband has actually additionally seen a distinction in that location as well as mores than happy with what he has actually seen. i would most definitely have a secound therapy to tighten up the area slightly extra. I have had a HIFU treatment with Vivo Clinic as well as have had remarkable results.

[katvontea]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Most labs devoted to women’s diseases are accompanied by obvious symbols of womanhood: a rose, a tulip, an hourglass silhouette. Not Linda Griffith’s. Tucked away in the building for biological engineering, the M.I.T. Center for Gynepathology Research is marked only by the letters CGR in red and black, the G formed from a curved arrow representing the hand of the engineer.

“We needed something that wasn’t all pink and flowers,” said Dr. Griffith, the lab’s director. “We really thought it should be, like, ‘This is science.’”

Dr. Griffith founded the lab in 2009 with the goal of helping researchers solve endometriosis, a chronic disorder in which tissue similar to that which normally lines the uterus instead grows outside it. The disease strikes one in 10 women, as well as trans men and nonbinary people who menstruate. Its hallmarks are extreme pain and, in some cases, infertility.

Yet it suffers from a branding problem: It falls into the abyss of “women’s diseases” (overlooked), diseases that don’t kill you (unimportant) and menstrual problems (taboo). Researchers often call endometriosis “benign,” as in noncancerous — but doing so, Dr. Griffith believes, lessens the seriousness of a common, painful disease.

Her mission is to change the conversation, from one of women’s pain to one of biomarkers, genetics and molecular networks. “I don’t want to make endometriosis a women’s issue,” she told the M.I.T. Tech Review in 2014. “I want to make it an M.I.T. issue.”

Dr. Griffith, 60, with a fringe of blonde hair and a slight Georgia drawl, is uniquely poised to help effect that transition. She started her career in bioengineering, sculpting organs like liver and bone from scratch by seeding polymer scaffolds with living cells. In 1997, she helped create an iconic creature called the “earmouse” by injecting a human ear-shaped scaffold with cartilage from a cow’s knee, and growing it on the back of a lab mouse.

Now she brings those skills to the task of better understanding the uterus. In her lab, she has begun growing uterine organoids — tiny domed droplets, with glands that look like swirling craters — from the uterine cells of endometriosis patients. These “patient avatars” are ideal tools for testing potential new treatments for the disease: Biologically, they are closer to human uterine cells than those of mice (which don’t naturally menstruate). And they enable researchers to sidestep the ethical issues that would arise with human trials.

“That’s really the power of this,” Dr. Griffith said. “You can take patients who we know how they respond or do not respond to therapies, and compare and start to understand and tease apart why that is.”

Her research highlights what a remarkable organ the uterus truly is — and not just during its signature function, pregnancy. Humans, unlike almost every other mammal, grow their entire endometrium — the womb’s inner lining — once a month, whether or not a fertilized egg takes hold. If no egg appears, they shed it.

Dynamic, resilient and prone to reinvention, the uterus offers a window into some of biology’s greatest secrets: tissue regeneration, scarless wound healing and immune function. “The endometrium is inherently regenerative,” Dr. Griffith said. “So studying it, you’re studying a regenerative process — and how it goes wrong, in cases.”

Now, her work “is drawing the interest of those who have never worked on or never thought about endometriosis,” said Dr. Stacey Missmer, a reproductive biologist at Michigan State University and co-director of the Boston Center for Endometriosis. Essentially, Dr. Missmer said, Dr. Griffith is saying: “All you cool kids in the other disciplines, this is a really interesting area to ask questions.”

A name for the pain

Before Dr. Griffith turned her scientific lens on the womb, she spent years trying to avoid thinking about the pain it caused her. For nearly three decades doctors dismissed her symptoms — stomach-turning nausea, stabbing pelvic pain and alarming levels of blood loss during her period — as just part of being a woman.

“I felt like I was being gaslighted,” she said.

She grew up fearless, a tree-climbing Girl Scout in Valdosta, Ga. In high school, she sewed her own clothes, earned a black belt in karate and fixed her family’s car radiator. “There was nothing we couldn’t do, whether we were male, female, whatever,” said her younger sister, Susan Berthelot. “We had a lot of confidence, and a lot of love, and a lot of freedom.”

But when Dr. Griffith hit puberty, her body began imposing limitations. Her period was so agonizing it would leave her curled in the fetal position for days. When she was 13, a gynecologist prescribed birth control pills, a scandalous proposition. “In the South especially, it was not done,” she said. Her mother, at a loss, gave her gin.

Unable to control what was going on inside her body, she focused on what she could control: math, and building things. She went to Georgia Tech on a scholarship to study chemical engineering. But she found herself failing tests when she was on her period, and going to the infirmary to get monthly shots of the opioid Demerol.

By the time she began graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she had developed an elaborate period regimen: She wore all-black outfits, inserted three Super Plus tampons and swallowed upward of 30 Advil tablets a day. But her pain kept increasing. When she consulted a male doctor, he took one look at her black leather jacket, pixie cut and Kawasaki motorcycle and diagnosed her as “rejecting her femininity.”

Her real diagnosis came by accident. In November 1988, soon after she went to M.I.T. as a postdoc, she checked into the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston to drain a small cyst on her left ovary. She woke up the next day to find a row of staples along her midriff, holding together a six-inch incision.

Her gynecologist told her she had a disease called endometriosis, which had fused her pelvic organs together with a sticky, speckled tissue that resembled the lining of her uterus. This rogue tissue responded to her monthly hormone cycle, swelling, shedding and attempting to bleed; that was the origin of the pain.

Surgeons had burned or scraped off as much of the tissue as possible; there was little else they could do. In 1940, the gynecologist who gave endometriosis its name, Dr. John Sampson, deemed the disease “tantalizingly alluring and elusive.” A half-century later, not much had changed. There was no cure, and researchers still didn’t know exactly how endometriosis took root.

Still, Dr. Griffith treated the diagnosis as good news. “To have someone tell me something was wrong with me, it was a huge relief,” she said.

Her gynecologist presented two options: She could go on Danazol, a hormone-blocking drug that would halt the growth of the disease but would also send her body into a menopause-like state; or she could get pregnant, a common recommendation in the 1980s, and not uncommon today.

The medical reasoning — which has since been questioned — was that by temporarily stopping menstruation, pregnancy could reduce symptoms and slow or reverse the growth of lesions. “It was almost viewed as a two-for-one benefit,” said Dr. Elizabeth Stewart, who performed Dr. Griffith’s first surgery. “It’s clear there was some sexism in the approach to endometriosis then. I think there’s still some now.”

Dr. Griffith recalls her then-husband answering for her: “We’ll have a baby.”

She opted for the Danazol. Eight years later, she divorced the husband.

Soon she was jump-starting the field of biological engineering, developing technologies to 3D-print organ scaffolds and growing artificial human ears on the backs of mice. She was an architect; her medium was the building blocks of life. But it never occurred to her to try to solve her own disease.

“Psychologically, it wasn’t something I wanted to think about,” she said. “I just wanted to pretend like it wasn’t happening.”

A ‘women’s thing’ worth doing

The turning point came in 2007, when a member of M.I.T.’s board of trustees, Susan Whitehead, asked her to speak at a Women in Science and Engineering luncheon about how her work on tissue engineering could benefit women.

Dr. Griffith was annoyed. “I was working on all the things that guys were working on,” she later recalled at a 2018 scientific meeting. “It didn’t ever occur to me to work on a women’s thing.” But Whitehead was a friend, so she agreed.

Near the end of the event, the moderator asked her where she saw herself in 10 years. Something welled up inside her. She had just had her eighth surgery for endometriosis, and had helped her 16-year-old niece, Caitlin, receive a diagnosis for endometriosis after years of having doctors attribute her symptoms to stress. Watching Caitlin go through the same ordeal “made lava shoot out of my head,” Dr. Griffith recalled recently.

“I have a chronic disease called endometriosis,” she blurted out to the luncheon audience, and mentioned her niece. “There’s no better treatment for her, 30 years younger than me, than there was for me when I was 16.” If a major breakthrough in treatment didn’t come soon, “that’s where I’m going to be in 10 years,” she said. “Maybe it’ll be solved, but I don’t think so.”

The audience broke into applause.

Dr. Griffith reset her goals. When it came to making liver and bone, “so many other people could do them,” she recalled. “But there was this one thing only I could do.” She had recently been awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant, which came with $500,000 for any research project.

In 2009, she used it toward opening the Center for Gynepathology Research, the only engineering lab in the nation to focus on endometriosis. (In October 2020, federal funding for endometriosis research doubled from $13 million to $26 million after Representative Abby Finkenauer of Iowa, 32, shared her own endometriosis journey on the House floor.)

At the launch event for the center, Padma Lakshmi, host of Top Chef and co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, lamented the lack of research on such a devastating disease.

“I have to say, I’m really shocked that it’s the first research center of its kind in America,” she said. “That is stunningly bad news on the one hand, that she’s the first one doing it. On the other hand, better late than never. Thank God for Dr. Linda Griffith.”

A window into the womb

Imagine the uterus as an orange, with the lining as the rind: fluffy, living tissue that serves as a plush bedding for a potential embryo. Each month, triggered by a drop in the hormone progesterone, the lining sloughs off and grows anew, complete with delicate, spiraling blood vessels.

This process repeats itself swiftly, scarlessly, without a trace of injury, again and again, as many as 500 times in a woman’s life. “How the body can coordinate that is extraordinary,” said Dr. Hilary Critchley, a reproductive biologist at the University of Edinburgh — and still poorly understood.

But this remarkable dynamism, some researchers argue, is a double-edged sword. “A little thing gets out of balance, and there you go,” said Dr. Griffith.

Dr. Griffith’s models offer a glimpse into what happens when the process goes wrong — for instance, when this growing tissue takes root in places it shouldn’t. Her bits of bioengineered tissue allow researchers to visualize the growth of lesions and systematically parse the role of immune cells, inflammation and hormones in the disease.

“You’re actually seeing in three dimensions what’s going on inside the uterus and this gland formation and nerve formation,” said endometriosis specialist Dr. Keith Isaacson, who co-directs her lab. “That is incredibly exciting.” (Dr. Isaacson, who has been Dr. Griffith’s endometriosis surgeon since 2000, provides the patients’ cells for her models.)

With her background in systems engineering, Dr. Griffith sees the uterus not as an island but as an organ that interacts intimately with everything around it. To capture these systemic interactions, her team connects her models to other organs like bone marrow, gut and liver, and hopes one day to seed them with blood vessels, nerve cells and immune cells.

The insights from this research transcend the womb. For instance, one enduring mystery about the disease is how lesions can appear in places as far-flung as the lungs, eyes, spine and even the brain. Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, is investigating whether stem cells, which are plentiful in the uterine lining, could contribute to this process by circulating throughout the body.

Because uterine stem cells are relatively accessible, they could also be a boon to regenerative medicine. Dr. Taylor has shown that, like other stem cells, they can be grown in vitro into new neurons and insulin-making cells to treat diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes.

Another area ripe for improvement is diagnosis. One of the most frustrating aspects of endometriosis is that women typically wait seven to 10 years or more to learn that they have the disease, a process that requires invasive surgery. Now, researchers are developing a simple test to screen for genetic markers of endometriosis in menstrual blood and return a near-instant diagnosis.

Just a few milliliters of this blood, collected on a sponge, provides a wealth of markers of health and disease, said Christine Metz, an immunologist at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research who is developing the test with Peter Gregersen, a geneticist there. Besides endometriosis, it could also help doctors screen for pelvic inflammation, infertility, fibroids, environmental toxins and early cancer.

“We were kind of surprised that it had been neglected as a natural resource,” Dr. Metz said.

They soon discovered why. In 2018, Dr. Metz began approaching male gynecologists to ask their patients for menstrual samples, and “some people said we were completely insane,” she recalled. Others, she added, “had never heard of a menstrual cup. Which was also, I’m going to say, disappointing.” They began asking patients directly for samples, and have since enrolled 1,000 patients in their study.

One might well ask why more researchers have not focused on the uterus until recently. Bioengineers in particular have always taken an interest in tissues that regenerate and self-heal. “And yet it took them how many decades to recognize that one of the most regenerative tissues is found inside the uterus?” asked Kathryn Clancy, a biological anthropologist who studies reproduction at the University of Illinois.

The reason, she believes, is simple: “Because none of the researchers had uteruses.”

Lessons from cancer

Three stone cherubs form an arc above the doorway to Dr. Griffith’s kitchen in Cambridge, Mass. They were a gift from her mother, to commemorate the embryos that she and her current husband, Doug Lauffenburger, a systems biologist with whom she shares a lab at M.I.T., made in 1997 through in vitro fertilization. Endometriosis prevented the embryos from implanting.

She held on to her dream of having children, but in 2001, just after her 40th birthday, the pain in her abdomen grew unbearable. On Sept. 11, as the Twin Towers fell, she rushed to the hospital in a fog of painkillers and underwent a hysterectomy with Dr. Isaacson. (Endometriosis pain is the leading cause of hysterectomies for American women in their 30s.)

“There was no decision,” Dr. Griffith recalled. “It was hysterectomy or death.”

Even after that, her disease returned, twice. Then in 2009, just after she had pivoted to studying endometriosis, she faced a new obstacle: cancer.

Dr. Griffith likes to say that compared to endometriosis, stage 2 breast cancer was a walk in the park. “Not like a super-beautiful day — like a stormy-day walk in the park,” she added. “But it was, like, people understood.” Colleagues wrote her cards, sent her food, extended condolences. Her dean offered her a sabbatical semester.

Dr. Griffith soon learned that the way breast cancer research was categorized was far ahead of endometriosis. Doctors used molecular tests to classify patients into subtypes, which dictated which targeted treatment they should receive. With endometriosis, “there’s no metrics,” she said. “This was this huge thing for me that was so crystallizing.”

Dr. Griffith knew that her disease, like cancer, was not one disease but many, a medusa of waving tentacles. She began talking to Dr. Lauffenburger, who had been studying breast cancer for over a decade, about how to take a similar approach to classifying endometriosis patients.

Together, they identified networks of inflammatory markers that tended to be associated with more painful manifestations of the disease and fertility, and published their findings in Science Translational Medicines in 2014. The work was cited as the first step toward creating subtypes of the disease. “That was really us together, because it was his vision of systems biology but filtered through my practical connection to the clinic,” Dr. Griffith said.

For the next year, she held lab meetings from her hospital bed in between chemotherapy sessions. “We transformed our lab meetings, literally,” said Dr. Nicole Doyle, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Griffith’s lab at the time. “We just showed up for her chemo treatments and would sit there with her. That diagnosis had to adapt to her life, not the other way around.”

Throughout chemo, Dr. Griffith never seemed to waver in her positivity. When she shaved off her hair, she threw a lab party. But Dr. Lauffenburger found it excruciating to watch his wife suffer from this new foe, after battling the old one for so long.

When it came to cancer, “I viewed it as a terrible thing,” he said one evening over dinner at their home.

Dr. Griffith saw it differently: She took a curse and turned it into a gift.

“It was a terrible thing,” she allowed. “But it was a good thing, scientifically.”

[midnight-fox-boy]

Rant about AFAB pain erasure for a long minute.

I started my period at age 10.

By age 11 they were heavy and painful. I would wear the two largest sizes of pads depending on the day. Tampons weren't an option because they hurt me.

I passed out in the shower one morning on the tail end of my period because I didn't eat or drink, and had lost so much blood from being on my period.

By age 12 my doctor referred me to a gynecologist, I was missing way too much school every month due to my periods and something needed to be done. The gynecologist told me she needed to examine me before thinking about birth control. I broke down, a full blown sobbing fit and I couldn't breathe. I refused. I told her I couldn't do it. She had me leave the room. She told my mother that I must be faking my pain to get out of school or else I'd have let her examine me. I was twelve years old.

My doctor put me on a pain regimen of ibuprofen. 800mg at the beginning of my period and either 400 or 600mg every 8 hours. It barely did anything. He never said anything about it being weird or abnormal that I was bleeding so heavy or in so much pain

By age 15 my mother was still helping me dry off and get dressed after baths, I could barely move from the pain and baths or shower chairs were the only way I could bathe during them.

By age 16, I started testosterone. Finally, a relief from my pain, from the bleeding.

By age 18 I had my first ovarian cyst rupture. And I had a large one on my other ovary that magically disappeared later. After getting with a penis having partner, my pain became nearly constant. No bleeding, no period, but so much pelvic pain.

By age 19 I started the depo and my gynecologist said it's possible i have endometriosis. It took 9 years for a doctor to finally acknowledge something was wrong with me. But I can't get a lap done since I'm a smoker.

By age 20 I start getting aura migraines, I bring it up to my doctor and he doesn't think anything of it, really. No comments about how it can increase your risk of stroke, nothing like that. Then, I start getting them more...and more...and more. Up to 4 a month.

When I'm close to needing my next depo shot, my pain comes back. My gynecologist tells me to get it at the earliest date instead, but it doesn't help. I'm still in pain a week before and up to two weeks after getting my shot. Three weeks of pain every two 1/2 Months. I tell her I want to try another method, but refuse to try the nexplanon or IUD. I say they're too long term for me and I'm terrified of having foreign objects in my body that I can't just stop taking when I feel like it. She refuses to put me on anything other than those...so I continue the depo

I talk to my new general provider, she tells me almost the same thing. I tell her I know methods that contain estrogen are bad for aura migraines and I don't want that, and I don't want the IUD or nexplanon. She says she doesn't want to do the mini pill since the error window is so small. I try to tell her that I CANT forget it. She doesn't think I can take it regularly since I forget my anti depressants sometimes

I try to explain that it's different. I won't be in horrible pain if I forget my anti depressants, I won't potentially get pregnant if I forget my anti depressants...but she says "aren't they equally as important?" And I gave up for now. She tries suggesting a method which is a combined method, which, again, I can't take. Then says she'll do more research

Smoking increases my risk for a stroke and blood clots

Aura migraines increases my risk for a stroke

Testosterone increases risks of blood clots

...the combined methods of birth control increase your risk of stroke and blood clots.

And you know what? I'm done. If next month goes bad, I'm free bleeding. I'm just gonna be in pain, I'm just gonna stop trying. I'm tired. I'm almost 21 and it looks like my birthday will be spent in pain. I can't drink the pain away since I'm on antidepressants so no alcohol for my birthday

My mother is 51, she's been fighting and fighting for a hysterectomy for years. She's always in pain. She's infertile and never had to use contraceptive methods and I was a happy surprise. They don't want to give her a hysterectomy since they say she'll be "cured" after menopause.... which isn't true. Shes BEEN going through menopause. They put her on birth control methods that made her pain worse.

I'm just so done with health care. Trying to explain these issues to cis men is so annoying. I missed so much school growing up and constantly got shit for it from teachers and truancy officers (despite still having great grades), and nothing was truly done to help me.

[secretly-homeless]

Word From The New Apartment - Jan 26, 2018

Just a happy note from the new apartment to let everyone know I am fine.  I’d like to fill you in on the first 30 days.

More under the cut...

We almost didn’t get the apartment. During the application process I was hospitalized again. Several times my housing rep had to come in to bring me paperwork and the agency was being contrary about negotiating the contract. In the meantime, the landlord showed the unit to another prospective renter who wanted the unit very much but she and the owner didn’t get along, so two days after I was released from hospital she told me to come get it. After that it was a team effort to get the agency to cut the check so I could move in.

When I signed the lease and was handed the keys to my apartment I didn’t know what to do with it. I was overwhelmed. I was tired and feeling ill and didn’t have anything I needed, so I spent that night in the car. The next day I got back on my feet and made a list of things I needed - toilet paper (remember toilet paper?), bedding for the sofa, paper plates, plastic cups and cutlery, etc. Loading my things into the trunk I became so tired and overwhelmed I thought “How can I ever do this?” and then I realized I had an apartment and I could go home and lay down. Home. I kept crying whenever I slowed down enough to think about it.

I called my large, lumpy, overstuffed sofa “Jabba the Sofa”. I tossed black sheets and a Star Wars blankie over it and turned it into “Darth Sofa” and it’s been my impromptu bed / center of operations ever since. I started sleeping - really sleeping! Up to ten hours a day, sometimes more. At first I believed it was a symptom of depression, but I think my body needed it. Sometimes I would become very afraid. I felt a strange, ominous feeling, as if something bad were going to happen. I wasn’t in the safety of my car, sleeping in the open. Other times I would become overwhelmed with it all. I would go from absolute joy over hanging Christmas lights to huddling under my Millennium Falcon blanket in misery.

But as I moved more of my personal belongings inside and the space became more “mine” that feeling faded. There were entire days when I did nothing but eat and watch Pride & Prejudice snuggled in the big sofa, only going out when I wanted company or ran out of food. I added a folding table and some cookware and threw myself into the prospect of cooking. 

 At least part of every day is spent watching Food Wishes on YouTube (luv you Chef Jon!) and merrily chopping, marinading and sauteing away until I have enough yummy food for a meal and leftovers. I stocked the fridge with yogurt and organic fruit juice and the freezer with ice cream. I bought hangers for the closet, really cushy toilet paper and spent my evenings ladling lotion onto my very dry skin.

One very odd situation did come about. I had been in and out of the hospital so often in the last year that all of my prescriptions were now from different doctors. Whenever I was hospitalized whoever the attending was would write me a refill or three. But I haven’t been hospitalized since I moved into the apartment and once my prescriptions started running low I couldn’t get them refilled! So I had a happy excuse to make an appointment to see my general practitioner so he could review and adjust all my meds at once. He is a wonderful man who has been my cheerleader ever since I was assigned to him and at every visit he would ask me about my housing hunt and took great pains to adjust my treatment to my particular situation. 

He was thrilled at the news at we spent a lot of time adjusting my meds. He was also very happy with the effects of my being indoors has had on my illness. My edema is down (and so my weight) and my lungs are very clear. If I can stay out of hospital for the next few months we will start backing off on my meds until I can be weaned off of some of them. I need them, but for every good they do they put a lot of pressure on my kidneys and have other side effects. 

As you can see here I have a huge daily regimen of pharmaceuticals and supplements that I take. Every morning I line them all up and put them in their little boxes. From left-to-right you see hormone pills to keep me from menstruating uncontrollably, a powerful antacid to protect my stomach lining, a diuretic to release fluid, potassium to replace what the diuretic eliminates, iron for my anemia, something for type ii diabetes, several other medications that deal with excess fluid, blood pressure, blah blah blah..., something for cholesterol (standard issue for old people), a blood thinner so I don’t throw a clot and die. Also the three bottles of supplements - multivitamins, minerals and fish oil. Already we have been able to stop the one for diabetes, hopefully we will be able to control my blood sugar with diet now. And in three months time if I continue to improve I’ll be weaned off the extra diuretics. (Hopefully this will curb my other doctor’s urges to add new items to my already Elvis-like cocktail.) 

And tomorrow is Furniture Day! The agency is contracted with a local furniture company to supply some inexpensive items so we’re not sleeping on the floor. They will be bringing a bed, a full-sized fridge, a kitchen table and a few other odds and ends. I have no idea what any of it will look like and I’m hoping it will fit in. (If worse come to worse it will be table coverings for everybody!) I will post pics once we get it all figured out. 

Wish me luck!

[mrsronan]

Returned Vases and Haircuts

The day I arrived at my new home in Haiti where I would live for a year, I walked into a house that had been robbed. Everything was gone- furniture, curtains, dishes, everything except the kitchen sink. I had met my roommate for the year one day earlier, Shelley lived in the house the year before and knew our neighbors well. She assured me that since we were back and our neighbors loved her, the house would now be safe and nothing more would be stolen. I didn’t believe her. We had just a couple hours to drop our things off before needing to leave for a meeting at the school where we’d be teaching. On my way out the door for the meeting, I silently prayed, “Lord, if our house gets robbed tonight, please don't let them take my radio, my guitar, or the vase from Morocco Kellie gave me.”

When we got home that night, our house had been ravished. Clothes were strewn everywhere, Shelley’s nice camera— gone. The sheets off our other roommate’s bed— gone. I made it to my room in the back of the house and did a quick scan of my bedroom: my radio was there, check; my guitar was there, check; my vase— gone! What!? Didn’t God hear my prayer? Why would the thieves want my vase anyway? It was just a small memento that wouldn’t mean anything to anyone but me. My heart sank. I felt robbed. But just as quickly as my heart sank, the Holy Spirit began to speak: “Chastidy, I didn’t bring you here this year to look at that vase. I am the same whether or not that vase is on top of your dresser. I haven’t changed and I am worthy of your praise with or without that vase.” My heart responded, “Oh, check. Yes, Lord, I trust you. I’ll praise you. Thanks for being the same and being good no matter what I’ve lost.” A moment later, a fellow teacher who had come to help walked in the door and said, “I found this on the street, does this belong to you?” and held up my vase.

That small momentary loss and the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart taught me how to get through larger losses that aren’t temporary. When my mom passed away, when I had multiple miscarriages, when my marriage has been difficult, and in many other times of loss I’ve gone back to that moment and remembered God is the same no matter what I might be losing.

Most recently, I’ve been losing my hair. It’s been hard.

When I was first diagnosed with cancer I was prepared to lose my hair. Weeks of chemo went by and my hair stayed in. Months of chemo went by and my hair stayed in. A year of chemo went by and my hair stayed in. “I’m invincible to hair loss!” my heart cheered.

I had long, golden locks that (when I washed and dried it) could’ve made a Disney princess jealous. 

In late October I began losing a fist full of hair a day. I decided to add some new hair growth vitamins to my daily pill regimen. In November I lost a fist full of hair about five times a day.

“I’m not invincible,” my heart cried. My eyes cried. My hair looked stringy and thin.

I had five inches cut off my hair. I thought it still looked stringy. More hair fell out. I had another three inches cut off my hair. I didn’t like the style. I tried wearing bandanas but they made my head too hot.

I cut off another three inches. I still don’t like it, but I’m resolved to live with it for a couple months before deciding if I should cut it again.

At this point, the hair loss has slowed down but not stopped. I have visible bald spots. Headbands and my Warriors 2017 NBA champion ball cap are my new best friends (and after June I’ll add my 2018 Warriors NBA champion ball cap to that list). I’ve been learning again to trust God through loss.

Some friends have tried to encourage me by saying it looks good. Those people are nice, but I don’t agree. Not only that, this haircut is not because I wanted to cut my hair; it’s because the drugs I have to take to stay alive have caused me to start balding. Some friends have tried to encourage me by saying, “It’s just hair, it will grow back.” And that’s true for most people. But my doctors say I’ll be on chemo the rest of my life. If they are right, my hair might not grow back.

I feel like hair loss shouldn’t be as painful as it has been, but it makes me pretty sad. When I think about and see this haircut the severity of my disease comes to the forefront of my mind. It shows I’m not invincible.

When I have focused on this, it’s been discouraging. When I focus on the limitations of what I can actually control in my life and the world around me, it’s been discouraging. Yet, I know that my God is in control, and that’s encouraging. I know that He is invincible.

I’m not sure why I have cancer. I’m not sure why my hair fell out after a year and a half of chemo. I’m not sure if my hair will grow back. I am sure that I can learn something from this. Maybe it’s simply to rely on Him and not myself. I’m seeing more clearly that I can’t be my own God. I’m not able to do what I need God to do. I have to rely on Him. I have to trust what He does, even when it hurts. My situations change. I go through gains and losses. My emotions and relationships have highs and lows. Just as quickly as my hair fell out, the Holy Spirit speaks,“Chastidy, I didn’t bring you here to look at your hair. Instead, look at Me. I am the same whether or not your hair is long, thick, and shiny or thin and stringy. I haven’t changed and I am worthy of your praise with or without that hair.” I want to respond, “Oh, check. Yes, Lord, I trust you. I’ll praise you. Thanks for being the same and being good no matter what I’ve lost.” My heart isn’t there yet, but it’s open and I’m saying to myself, “Why so downcast oh my soul, put your hope in God.” I think God can take my openness and set my heart where it needs to be.

My God never changes; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His goodness isn’t lessened by my circumstances. It’s in His stability that I have joy, peace, and confidence. Just as my fellow teacher in Haiti brought my vase back and said, “Does this belong to you?” God walks into a place where I’m feeling robbed, restores my hope, and says “This belongs to you.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Things I’ve Tried to Prevent Hair-loss:

Prayer 

Biotin

Nioxin Shampoo and Conditioner

Just Naturals Bald Spot Treatment Cream

Just Naturals Hair Growth Oil

Bosley Shampoo and Conditioner

Bosley Treatment Foam

Bhringraj Oil

Castor Oil

Viviscal Vitamins

Viviscal Shampoo and Conditioner 

A few other products that I forget the names of right now

Combing my hair no more than once a week.

Wearing it in a ponytail

Wearing it down

_______________________________________________________________________

General Health Update:

My CEA level continues to decrease

I get CT scans next week to measure the tumors

_______________________________________________________________________

Things Encouraging Me This Week:

My pastor’s sermon this past week was really in line with how I’ve been processing loss. Maybe it would encourage you too. 

Fred Hammond, Blessed 

_______________________________________________________________________

Question For You:

What losses have you dealt with and how did you find hope through those loses? I really want to know, so hit me up. 

01.20.18

[fitnesshealthyoga-blog]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/its-a-fentanyl-crisis-stupid-national-pain-report/

It’s a Fentanyl Crisis, Stupid! – National Pain Report

By Kaatje “Gotcha” van der Gaarden, PA-C, MPAS. 

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Dec 17, 2018 on Medium Health.

Featured Image: TEDxABQ 2018 “A Working Parachute: spinal cord injuries, ketamine & comedy” which turned into a 9 min stand-up set! Photo credit Allen Winston Photography

In 2012, life was great: I proudly wore a white coat with a stethoscope around my neck and finally felt useful to humanity. Two decades earlier, as a stuntwoman, my parachute did not quite open, and I landed on my sacrum (tailbone) at 70 mph, crushing the sacral nerves. I had lost two inches of my spine, fractured several vertabrae, and would spend a year in ICU, hospitals, and a spinal cord clinic. I was left with traumatic cauda equina syndrome,¹ suffered from residual pain, and was left with a “sitting disability.” For my atrophied lower leg and foot muscles, I used leg braces, a cane or scooter and I sat on a padded office chair. I’ve schlepped pillows and camping mats with me ever since my skydiving accident. Frequently, lying down for a few minutes was the only way to deal with my disability.

Kaatje “Gotcha” van der Gaarden

As a Physician Assistant in primary care, I loved my job and providing a true provider-patient collaboration. I had ample opportunity to prescribe opioid medications. Responsibly, of course. In my toolbox, I had excellent interview skills, the State’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), and a urine test. The PMP would let me know me if patients were doctor or pharmacy shopping, although it couldn’t take into account other states. A urinalysis would tell me if the patient was taking the opioids as prescribed, or diverting, or using other, illegal drugs, or medications that were not prescribed. Heck yeah, I even had my patients sign an Opioid Use Contract.

One patient’s husband worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and he told me one that opioids went for about 70 cents per milligram on the street, in 2012. However, I never assumed someone was gaming the system and tried to keep an open mind. Some patients did want me to refill their emergency room (ER) hydrocodone prescription, for complaints like a mildly strained knee. At that point, I would print out knee exercises instead. I always tried to understand my patients’ emotional and physical health and encouraged exercise and healthy habits (even if most days, I couldn’t prepare food so I ate LAY’S® Limón Potato Chips and gummi worms).

Another patient had just moved from Arizona, with a history of using 30 mg of MS-Contin, a long-acting morphine tablet, three times a day, plus another opioid, Percocet 10 mg instant relief (IR), one tablet every four to six hours for breakthrough pain. The patient was full-time employed, doing fairly intense labor, and was incensed when I wanted evidence of his “bad back.” The patient did not bring any records during his first visit, but he later returned with a lengthy health record — his pain deriving from five back surgeries, three of them revisions for the original surgeries.

I had never heard of “ultra-rapid” or “slow” opioid metabolizers² which affect adequate treatment, and still believed the Center for Disease Control (CDC) had society’s best interest at heart. The opioid crisis seemed far away, and I believed that did not affect my patients, or myself. Mistakenly, I thought there hardly would have been an “opioid epidemic” had medical providers only accompanied any opioid prescription with this warning: “Use your IR (instand relief) opioid medication when you truly have breakthrough pain, a 7–8 or higher, or it will no longer be as effective.”

Perhaps. But complicating matters was that opioid medications did seem to be prescribed for relatively mild to moderate pain, or in situations where acute pain would soon resolve. For example, to my patient with that strained knee, seen in a Colorado ER. In 1991, I’d fractured my lower leg above the ankle, after a car stunt gone awry, and wasn’t prescribed any opioid medication. The ER doc in Florida who applied the hot pink cast, from my toes to my knee, pointed me to a Walgreens to buy Tylenol (acetaminophen) for the simple, uncomplicated fracture.

Although I was in tremendous pain myself from the sky diving accident and crushed sacral nerves, I denied suffering from intractable pain. Yet I was battling worsening neuropathic (nerve) pain, as well as residual musculoskeletal pain from the sacral and vertebral fractures, on a daily basis. I made it through each workday by lying down on the exam table during lunch. Work gave me great happiness, but physically I had no energy left to cook, maintain friendships or even have a hobby.

That year I recall having to do five mandatory continuing medical education credits by the State on “responsible opioid prescribing.” This seemed ludicrous since I always looked at the PMP before going into the exam room. Especially with a patient that was on medications that fell under the Controlled Substances Act.³ As a non-contract employee, I also paid my own DEA license at $780 every three years for the privilege of writing controlled substance prescriptions. I was ticked off with the cost, but also with what I perceived as government encroachment on my medical decision making.

Sure enough, over the years, after the CDC Opioid Guidelines came out (which are voluntary, and not legally binding), I began to realize that there is no true opioid epidemic. There’s an epidemic alright, of people taking opioids with multiple medications and then adding alcohol and other illegal drugs on top. What we most certainly have is an alcohol epidemic, with 88,000 deaths⁴ annually, and this epidemic is starting to effect millennials. I blame those hipster beers with ridiculously high alcohol percentages, as millennials are dying of liver cirrhosis in record-breaking numbers.

Despite the ongoing alcohol epidemic, from 2012 to 2016, using opioid medication became synonymous with being a “drug seeker.” The “opioid crisis” narrative was perpetuated and fueled by mainstream media, whose culpability lies in using labels like “opioid overdose deaths” instead of the more appropriate “mixed drug intoxication.” True opioid deaths (opioid medications alone) range around five thousand deaths annually, according to Josh Bloom, writing for the American Council on Science and Health.⁵ New York City’s medical examiner’s office is unsurpassed when it comes to accurately determining cause of death: in 2016, 71 percent of all drug-related deaths involved heroin and/or fentanyl.⁶

Looking at the numbers, most of the so-called “opioid deaths” seemed to be people who did not take their medication as instructed, if opioids were legally prescribed in the first place. Seriously, because who cooks their Fentanyl patch and injects it? Not chronic pain patients, who need slowly titrated medication to bathe, cook, work, take care of kids, or go to school. Patients were indeed dying from respiratory depression, caused by taking legal or illegal opiates. But how many of those deaths are suicides? If patients with severe pain, on a stable regimen, are denied access, they may turn to suicide, or illegal opioids like heroin, now tainted by illegal fentanyl. That is not an opioid crisis, but another iatrogenic consequence of the “guidelines.” The Law of Unintended Consequences never fails.

How was it that the CDC took advice from an anti-opioid advocacy group, Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP)⁸ in constructing the Opioid Guidelines? PROP had lobbied Federal officials and the FDA for years, to change opioid labels. When they were (mostly) rebutted, PROP got involved with the CDC, behind closed doors. The Washington Legal Foundation⁷ notified the CDC in 2015, as in their opinion, the CDC broke the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) law. Washington Legal Foundation states that a Core Expert Group, advising the CDC, conducted their “research” and “Draft for Opioid Guidelines” in secret, without input from pain experts, pharmocologists, or patient groups.

Dr. Jane Ballantyne (current PROP President) was part of that Core Expert Group and is notorious for her anti-opioid stance. Another Core Expert Group member is PROP executive director, and founder, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, who refers to opiate medication as “heroin” pills and proclaimed that “oxycodone and heroin have indistinguishable effects.”⁹ Yet you oughtn’t compare a 5 mg tablet of oxycodone to IV heroin, without qualifiers on potency. Dr. Kolodny, an addiction expert, doesn’t even distinguish between “plain” heroin, and heroin cut with fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than morphine. About 80 percent of fatal overdoses are now due to illegal fentanyl. By muddying the issues of opioid dependence, opioid addiction, and heroin use with either false or incomplete statements, PROP also does a disservice to people who are addicted to heroin or illegal fentanyl.

Research has found that 75% of heroin addicts have a mental health illness, and 50% have trauma from (sexual) abuse before age 16, something that gets drowned in Dr. Ballantyne’s simplified narrative of “continuous or increasing doses of opioids [… ] can worsen a person’s ability to function and his or her quality of life. It may also lead to opioid abuse, addiction, or even death.”¹⁰ Like many others, I argue that (illegal) fentanyl, and indirectly, profound loss of hope, is the main driver behind the current “mixed use overdose” deaths.

Dr. Kolodny was Chief Medical Officer of The Phoenix House, an addiction center, at the time he helped draft the CDC Guidelines. PROP also avoids mentioning the Millennium saliva,¹¹ or other DNA tests, to identify how individual patients metabolize opiate medication and that some are “ultrafast” metabolizers. PROP fails to mention opioid blood concentration measurements, no matter how imperfect.¹² However, no one doubts the conflict of interest: PROP Board members are involved with grants from the CDC, addiction centers, medical device companies to develop an opioid tapering mechanism, and even consulted with law firms investigating lawsuits against opiate pharmaceutical companies.

PROP was originally funded by Phoenix House, one of many addiction centers that prescribes buprenorphine. PROP is currently funded by the Steve Rummler HOPE Network,¹³ another anti-opioid group that lists Dr. Ballantyne and Dr. Kolodny on the medical advisory committee. Dr. Kolodny admitted in a 2013 New York Times article titled “Addiction Treatment with a Dark Side” that as a New York City Health official, he lobbied on behalf of the buprenorphine pharmaceutical industry. He was quoted as saying, “We had New York City staff out there acting like drug reps [with $10,000 incentives -KG].”¹⁴

Buprenorphine was the supposed miracle drug after methadone, but its known side effects include serious diversion, addiction, and possibly, lifelong treatment. Dr. Kolodny publicly promoted buprenorphine in various media outlets, despite evidence of buprenorphine overprescribing, pill mills, and overdoses. The true scale is not known, as most ERs and medical examiners do not test for the presence of buprenorphine. The CDC does not track buprenorphine deaths, despite a 2013 study¹⁵ that found a tenfold increase in buprenorphine-related ED visits, according to the Federally funded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). As “bupe” availability increased, so did diversion and overdose deaths.

Interestingly, that Dr. Kolodny promotes the idea that heroin and opioid medications are the same molecular compound. Actually, buprenorphine has a molecular profile¹⁶ that more closely resembles heroin, than hydrocodone. Dr. Kolodny indirectly claims that CDC “Guidelines” are effective, when the truth is that by the time PROP advised the CDC, prescriptions had already tapered off. This is evidenced in his statement as chief medical officer from a Phoenix House Q&A,¹⁷ dated December 2015: “It will take some time, but we’re already beginning to see a plateau in opioid prescribing.” Dr. Kolodny appears to take credit for a trend that had nothing to do with PROP, and he omits the fact that prescriptions are down since 2011, and yet overdoses are up.

Mainstream media occasionally, and accidentally, reveals the truth. CNN¹⁸ in 2018: “Fentanyl-related deaths double in six months; US government takes some action.” Then again, the echo of Dr. Kolodny’s statements, as reported by CNN: “The recent rise in popularity of these synthetics has been called the third wave of the opioid epidemic; the first wave was attributed to the overprescribing of painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone and the second to heroin. The drugs are all chemically similar and act on the same receptors in the brain.” Again, not one word about potency.

Few realize that when the CDC issued the Opioid Guidelines in 2016, there was inadequate research done ahead of time to determine the true cause of the rise in opioid-related deaths. There are no long-term studies on the effects of chronic opiate therapy. Very few, if any, pain management experts or pharmacologists were consulted to determine potential impacts on their practice. Neither veterans nor chronic pain patients were given a true opportunity to issue public comments to the CDC or any other Federal authority prior to the implementation of these new prescribing mandates. The CDC ended up targeting one of the most vulnerable groups, patients with intractable pain.

The CDC’s Guidelines also affect patients with cancer and patients who no longer receive cancer treatment because, unfortunately, both groups report similar pain levels. The guidelines allow the use of opioids during cancer treatment, but they are confusing when it comes to equally severe, post-cancer treatment pain. I fear this “opioid” crisis is far from over, and yet, trust me, this will go down as “reefer madness” in another hundred years. It is a manufactured tragedy that does real harm to patients with intractable pain. The “opioid” crisis also hurts human beings who suffer from heroin, opioids or other addictions by siphoning money, goodwill, and energy.

Few people realize that the CDC hired a PR agency to help sell the American people myths on the “opioid epidemic.” The agency, PRR, designed graphics to “educate” primary care providers that “one in four patients on opioids will develop addiction.” Even the National Institute of Health,¹⁹ another federal entity, estimates this to be 5 percent, not 25 percent. Another research team²⁰ concluded in Pain Medicine that opioid therapy for chronic pain patients (note: in absence of prior or current drug abuse) resulted in a 0.19 percent incidence of abuse.

The language used by the media as well as PROP contributes to misunderstanding; using words like addiction, tolerance, dependence, abuse or opioid use disorder as if they mean the same, directs the casual observer to bias. It’s clear that PROP never was an independent, neutral entity advising the CDC, yet they ended up dictating federal policy, based on flawed evidence. Dr. Ballantyne, Dr. Franklin, and Dr. Kolodny in Politico.com²¹ in March 2018: “We agree with Satel that the answer is not to force millions of chronic pain patients to rapidly taper off medications they are now dependent on (Italics mine). But then, neither is the answer to absolve overprescribing for pain.”

I’m not a linguist, but in that essay, PROP uses the word “addiction/addicted” 16 times, and “dependence” twice. The CDC could have ensured that patients with severe to intractable pain (no such distinction is made) would not lose access to their medications. And yet, that is exactly what happened. Stable patients on long-term opioids were tapered against their will, as the CDC “Guidelines” state it is undesirable to titrate above or equal to 90 morphine milligram equivalent²² daily (aka MME/day). But this was meant for opioid-naive patients, not those on long-term opiate therapy. Primary care providers, who were forced to follow these “Guidelines,” either stopped prescribing opioids altogether or forced patients to rapidly taper to below 90 MME.

Dr. Ballantyne is correct in her remarks that it isn’t realistic to expect zero pain levels, especially for acute pain that is expected to resolve quickly, like a sprain or an uncomplicated fracture. But people with severe to intractable pain are condemned to a world of suffering. Recall my patient with the five back surgeries? I wonder about him. He was working full time, on 180 MME a day, but in his mid-fifties, arthritis would worsen soon. My own story did not end well; I ended up with yet another spinal cord lesion, a benign hemangioma at chest level, which causes “central neuropathic pain syndrome.” My old cauda equina syndrome morphed into “severe, chronic adhesive arachnoiditis.” This is an incurable, intractable, progressive neuroinflammatory disorder whose pain is considered on par with having terminal cancer pain. Still, I try to make the best of it, see my essay, On Being Bedbound.

The CDC and PROP came for me: after using opioids exactly as prescribed, and less than 30 MME daily, my primary care clinic was forced to stop my opioid prescription, and that of all patients. I was not accepted in any pain management clinic, in an urban area of almost one million. Pain clinics here no longer provide “medical management,” yet perform epidural steroid injections ($3000 a pop), which may have contributed to, or worsened my adhesive arachnoiditis syndrome. I’m lucky to live in an urban area, where the academic hospital’s pain team took over my prescription.

But what about elderly and impoverished patients, or those in rural areas? PROP and the CDC claim primary care providers “overprescribe” and are responsible for most of the opioid prescriptions. But they fail to publicly acknowledge that pain management clinics no longer accept patients. This epidemic of undertreated patients will become known as one of the cruelest moves by a Federal agency on an already compromised population. I do feel for teenagers and adults who become addicted. Yet there ought to be a different, more sensible approach towards legitimate, chronic pain patients who need opioid medications, as well as people who develop a substance use disorder, who deserve our help and sympathy.

It is a conundrum of extraordinary proportions. At a time when managed care and Electronic Health Records dictate the length and quality of an office visit, there is less and less time to sit down and connect with a patient. Not just with chronic pain patients. Medicine and society would benefit greatly from the extra time clinicians deserve, to encourage exercise, eat healthier, lose weight, stop smoking and assess if a patient needs other support, like therapy.

In my opinion, it is loneliness, the feeling of not being connected to humanity in a meaningful way, combined with economic hardship, that leads to unhealthy lifestyle choices, as witnessed by the Rustbelt being hit hardest. Research shows that rats who were offered spring water or water laced with heroin, choose heroin. When those same rats were given ample toys, space, and other rats to play and have sex with, they did not choose the heroin laced water. That’s right, happy rats don’t need no heroin!

It cannot be denied that in previous decades, pain was both undertreated, and opioid medications prescribed for relatively minor, self-resolving aches and pains. Forget for a moment, the narrative that places blame on overprescribing, the opioid manufacturers, or the pharmaceutical distributors that, for example, flooded impoverished communities like those in West Virginia.²³ Forget all that, and focus on what is going on. Ultimately, patients with intractable pain pay the price of ignorance by scientists, journalists, politicians, and laypeople alike.

For this humanitarian crisis, there are no perfect answers. For example, as Red Lawhern, Ph.D. and prominent pain advocate²⁴ recently communicated with me (12/3/2018): “there is promise in genetic testing but hasn’t yet been fully reduced to routine practice and may not be covered by insurance.” Luckily my DNA testing was covered, on the condition it tested for depression. I also discovered that ketamine infusions help me most, but will leave that topic for my upcoming book, The Queen of Ketamine. Sadly, amidst the opioid paranoia, non-invasive alternatives like ketamine infusions aren’t mentioned for neuropathic or intractable backpain, which often has a neuropathic component. Research also shows that adding an anti-seizure medication to an opiate mediation provides better neuropathic pain contral, with less morphine²⁵.

In the end, I don’t think Tai Chi, Tylenol and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is going to cut it for meningeal inflammation or other (neuropathic) pain syndromes. I believe the tide is turning. It will take time, and in that time, patients with intractable pain will choose to end their lives. But we are not alone, and it helps to know that courageous voices, notably the Alliance for Treatment of Intractable Pain, are speaking up for us. The print and online magazine Reason²⁶ has long been a voice of, well, reason. As Red Lawhern stated in a must-listen November 2018 radio interview,²⁷ “We must address underemployment, socioeconomic despair and hopelessness which are a vector for addiction. And end the War on Pain patients.”

Love, Kaatje

Kaatje Gotcha, model and stuntwoman-turned-Physician Assistant, found comedy, writing and advocacy after developing Adhesive Arachnoiditis. This spinal cord disease causes intractable neuropathic pain and leaves her mostly bedridden. Prior to that diagnosis, she’d survived a nighttime skydiving accident, landing at 70 mph. This caused Cauda Equina Syndrome; a subsequent lumbar puncture and epidural steroidal injections may have exacerbated her previous injuries.

Kaatje’s courageous spirit led to writing “The Queen of Ketamine,” available on Kindle in February. This is a comedic yet pragmatic memoir  on adhesive arachnoiditis, the opioid “epidemic,” neuropathic pain, dating with a disability, while offering hope and practical advice. Kaatje’s 2018 TEDx talk and book publication will be posted on her Facebook page, at www.kaatjegotcha.com and Instagram @kaatjegotchacomedy. Find her essays on Medium, and follow her on twitter.

Cauda Equina Syndrome https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1148690-overview

Opioid Metabolism https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/771480

Controlled Substance Act https://www.dea.gov/controlled-substances-act

Alcohol Epidemic https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

Opioid Epidemic Deception https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/12/opioid-epidemic-6-charts-designed-deceive-you-11935

Overdose Deaths by Heroin/Fentanyl 71percent https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief89.pdf

Washington Legal Foundation and PROP https://www.forbes.com/sites/wlf/2015/12/15/cdc-bows-to-demands-for-transparency-and-public-input-on-draft-opioid-prescribing-guidelines/#c82eda135bc3

Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing http://www.supportprop.org/

Dr Kolodny refers to “Heroin” Pills https://www.healthline.com/health-news/secondary-drug-industry-booming-amid-opioid-epidemic#2

Dr Ballantyne’s Narrative https://www.statnews.com/2015/11/30/chronic-pain-intensity-scale/

Millennium Opioid Metabolite DNA Test https://www.millenniumhealth.com/services/test-offerings/

Opioid Serum Measurements http://paindr.com/serum-opioid-monitoring-wheres-the-evidence/

Medical Advisory Committee https://steverummlerhopenetwork.org/our-team/

NYT: Addiction Treatment with a Dark Side https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/health/in-demand-in-clinics-and-on-the-street-bupe-can-be-savior-or-menace.html

Sharp Rise in Buprenorphine ER Visits https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/DAWN106/DAWN106/sr106-buprenorphine.htm

Heroin and Buprenorphine Molecular Profile http://paindr.com/heroin-hydrocodone-buprenorphine-prop-aganda/#comment-334500]

Q&A with Dr. Kolodny, Phoenix House https://www.kolmac.com/2015/12/qa-dr-andrew-kolodny-chief-medical-officer-phoenix-house/

Fentanyl, as Reported by CNN https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/12/health/fentanyl-opioid-deaths/index.html

NIH Estimates Pain Patient “Addiction” 5 Percent https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/spring11/articles/spring11pg9.html

Pain Patient “Opioid Use Disorder” without Risk Factors 0.19 percent https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/9/4/444/1824073

Rebuttal by Dr. Kolodny and Dr. Ballantyne https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/13/opioid-overprescribing-is-not-a-myth-217338

Morphine Equivalent Dosing https://www.wolterskluwercdi.com/sites/default/files/documents/ebooks/morphine-equivalent-dosing-ebook.pdf?v3

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/cops_and_courts/drug-firms-poured-m-painkillers-into-wv-amid-rise-of/article_99026dad-8ed5-5075-90fa-adb906a36214.html

Red Lawhern, PhD and nationally known Pain Patient Advocate http://face-facts.org/lawhern/

Combining epilepsy drug, morphine can result in less pain, lower opioid dose. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915153613.htm

Jacob Sullum, Reason journalist and syndicated writer https://reason.com/archives/2018/03/08/americas-war-on-pain-pills-is#comment

“Unleashed” Matt Connarton Interviews Red Lawhern 11/28/18 https://www.spreaker.com/user/ipmnation/matt-connarton-unleashed-11-28-18

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[howtobe-happy]

Hi

I need to learn how to be happy. I have spent just about 25 years in mental flux - in and out of chronic depression, anxiety, and unhealthy relationships with food and sleep. Everything is culminating now, as I approach my quarter century turn, in physical health problems as well as taking a further toll on my mental well-being.

I returned from a two-week stay in the Philippines in January, and within a few days collapsed from an at-the-time-unknown gastrointestinal explosion of pain. I have a very high tolerance for physical pain, so if there is something physically distressing that is making me cry, rest assured it is very bad - and this had me in fetal position, screaming at the top of my lungs. No words, just primal screaming. After three weeks in and out of this pain, and five or six doctors (with three ultrasounds, an MRI, and a cornucopia of blood tests), we found out I had an ovarian cyst that was causing severe constipation, and that the combination of the two caused such a pressure within me that it begun to physically shift the positions of my organs. I was put on two weeks of intensive progesterone treatment to shrink the cyst (and a two week course of Miralax to “clear the pipes”). Six weeks after the pain started, I was better, but around 15 pounds heavier, which took a big toll on my self-esteem.

At the beginning of this gastrointestinal malaise, the urgent care doctor had me stop taking my birth control pills, because he thought the problem might have been my uterus. Fast forward three months, and the cessation of hormones in my blood has caused me to break out in chronic, cystic acne - on my face, on my chest, on my upper arms, and most devastatingly on my back. I cannot stress enough how bad my skin currently is. As a woman who has struggled with acne since adolescence, I had finally (after ten years) gotten to a place where I was able to keep my skin relatively under control. Now it is worse than it has ever been. My back is a source of daily grief. I already had become severely limited as to what clothes I was comfortable wearing (due to the weight gain), but now I also have to take into consideration what clothing will completely cover the intrusive, inflamed pustules that cover 80% of my back. I am having a hard time feeling human, much less feeling womanly. I had sex with my boyfriend last night and have never wanted so badly to escape a loving embrace - I am so uncomfortable and unhappy within my own body and my own skin. Everywhere he would place a hand, or leave a kiss, I would withdraw, reminding myself of the blemishes under his lips, or the pockets of fat that he could clearly feel. I began to cry, but had to hide it until it was over - to not make myself seem even less attractive than I already felt. After he fell asleep, I ran my hands over my body, touching every part but not finding a single point of pride. I scratched up my stomach. I sobbed into my pillow until I drifted off.

When I stopped taking my birth control, I accidentally went cold turkey on my anti-depressants as well (150mg XL Wellbutrin, once a day). I had been on this medication since September of 2016, after a year in which a handful of my friends passed away (causation being everything from heroin overdose, to freak wingsuit accident). Once I realized I hadn't been taking my medication, I decided to stick with it - after all, in the first few weeks of no meds after my physical health crisis, I felt better than I had felt in ages. I felt clear-headed, happy, almost euphoric - and I took to blaming my previous mood swings and depression/anxiety issues on the combination of medicine I was on.

In the past eight weeks or so, my depression has come back full force (and then some). I cannot discern whether this is due to my body readjusting to the lack of serotonin-enhancing medication, or the reintroduction of my hormonal birth control (which I went back on, in an effort to save my skin), or if it is situational due to my newfound discomfort within my own body. It could be a combination of those. It could be some other cause entirely.

This past weekend, I began experiencing a new form of health grievance entirely. I was in New York for work (assisting on my first major photo campaign), and one night developed a headache that quickly turned very abnormal. I started losing my vision. First, my peripherals became fuzzy and golden, sort of like the visuals you see when you begin to faint. Then entire splotches went missing from my field of vision. I realized this was a migraine, and laid in my dark hotel room with a cold washcloth over my eyes for seven hours. This was the first migraine I’d had in my life, and it was absolutely awful. 36 hours later I experienced something else. I was out on the shoot, around 11am, and I started losing my vision again - this time without the headache. The vision loss was worse this time than the first, and came with extreme dissociation. It was as if my body was on autopilot. I was speaking to people, acting normally, but it was as if I wasn’t in conscious control of my words or actions. It was almost an out-of-body experience, with me watching myself say these words 10-15 seconds after they came out of my mouth. I felt like I was completely losing my mind - going legitimately crazy. My vision got worse and worse until I was unable to read. My friend on-set tried to distract me (maybe in the hopes that it was just anxiety manifesting physically for a moment), and would point out cute dogs to me. I would stare and stare, trying to see the dog that she was pointing at. It took 7-10 seconds each time for me to be able to discern what the hell she was pointing at - and I’d have to look at it through certain parts of my vision. It was absolutely terrifying. After talking to my father, and thinking over my life as of late, I am sure that this is due to the constant stress, anxiety, pressure, and depression that I have been under the past...six months? Year? 25 years? My lifelong issues, manifesting themselves in a brand new and very scary way (but, just to be safe, I have a neurologist appointment scheduled for next week).

This all brings me to the place I have found myself in currently. I am at a low point. I do not want to die, but I don’t actively want to exist. I am not doing my life justice. By wallowing through my days/months/years in this horrible, sad, constantly-some-kind-of-sick state, I am wasting what little time I am allotted on this earth. I keep thinking how pathetic it is to remain in this place at 25 years old - I feel like everyone else has a piece that I am missing, that makes easy things so much harder for me. I’m not trying to play victim here, I’m talking about the most mundane, ordinary things - having routines, comfortably going to dinner with people (and actually WANTING to do so), getting up off the couch...I should be able to do these things for myself. I’m caught in a constant struggle with my depression, and so far nothing has stuck and worked for me (and I’ve been too caught up in said depression to hold commitment to any regimen anyway). I look around and the people closest to me are also morbidly depressed - is it an exponential back-and-forth between us all? Or does like attract like? I want to be able to break whatever cycle I have been locked in for the past 25 years, and figure out a way to help them as well. Life should be fun, and this is not fun.

[enzaime-blog]

Breast Cancer Survival by Drugs

New Story has been published on http://enzaime.com/breast-cancer-survival-drugs/

Breast Cancer Survival by Drugs

It is hard to believe that we are already on our way into summer. I’m excited to share with all of you the news that my summer is shaping up to be my best summer in two years!

Why you may ask?

Well, as you all certainly know by now, my every happiness hinges on….

Scans!

Last week I received my latest scan results. These particular scan results were crucial as it was my first set of scans since starting the latest Tykerb/Xeloda regimen way back in January. And…

my cancer has shrunk!

As a refresher, back in January I got the worst Christmas present ever, the cancer equivalent of a bag full of coal. I was told that scans had shown new cancer in the lymph nodes in my abdomen. Well fast forward 6 months and those very same pesky spots in my abdominal lymph nodes were cut in half by my Tykerb/Xeloda!!

Gratuitous Big Man and Little Daisy Shot Everyone raise a glass to Daisy’s Mommy!

These past six months have been mentally tough because I’ve been struggling with the new drug side effects while also not even knowing if the drugs were working! Over the past few months, the blood work I would get regularly was showing conflicting news. One week the tumor markers in my blood work would go down, the next they would go back up, the following week one tumor marker would go down and another go up. Until scan time, I was really driving blind. These were difficult pills to swallow not knowing their efficacy! (pun intended)

Now that I know these drugs will work for me, I can more graciously and confidently endure any and all side effects. Bring it on! I can handle it with a smile!

But more importantly, with this fantastic news, I am set free. I am finally able to focus on what matters most in this world- other people. The Bridget Show has taken a hiatus.There are so many beautiful things happening to my friends and family: marriages, babies, houses, jobs. There are also so many tragedies that I’m hearing about. There is so much cancer in this world. Others need my attention now while I can spare it.

I am sick and tired of the Bridget Show. For six years now I’ve been hogging the spotlight. I’ve been taking away some of the joy from so many joyous occasions. My friends feel sometimes that they can’t complain to me about the trials of their own lives since I have “The Big C” on my plate. In reality, I would give any amount of money to NOT be the center of attention and to lose myself in the stories of others.

These past few weeks have been glorious. I feel as though I’ve come out of hiding. For the first time in ages I am planning ahead. I am planning life. Things many of you might take for granted seem so brave and liberating for me, like the freedom to book a non-refundable flight to visit Mommy four months from now.

I’m calling friends in high and low places and making plans for visits. I am gossiping, offering advice, listening, and truly being able to listen. My mind is not elsewhere. I am not preoccupied with my own fears.

To that end, I have taken the big scary step of beginning that memoir I’ve always threatened. I have 50 pages now and I love where it’s going. Writing this blog is so very different from taking all of you along on a journey through my past, encouraging the reader to feel what I feel, taste what I taste, see what I see. This blog skims the surface. I share news and thoughts with you. In my memoir, I want you to actually sit in the doctor’s waiting room with me. It’s different writing and it’s difficult emotionally to write, but it is exhiliarating. I realize now I never could have gotten these words on the page, I never could have looked back at the pain of my many diagnoses if all of my energy was focused on the latest set of bad news. This tiny little scan, the words “stable” have set me free. I can’t wait to reach my full potential!

To kick off my memoir writing, I enrolled in a memoir writing class at night after work once a week. That class has again opened my eyes to the joys of hearing other people’s stories. The woman fighting brain tumors, families with dirty little secrets, thrilling travel-logues, every one of my classmates is more eloquent than the next and every one has a story to tell. Each week we share 10 or 20 pages of our work and we offer critique. We tell our colleagues to “dig deeper here”, or “I love this character”, “hurry up”, “slow down” – it is a beautiful creative experience.

At this class, I have learned yet again the lifelong lesson that every one has a story. Every one of us has a burden that she must carry, and so many of us carry these burdens silently. We put on a wig. We take the cell phone call from our sick mother from a bathroom stall. We tell little white lies to our children. We come to work everyday when life at home is imploding.

I want to carry that knowledge with me everyday in every interaction, and I hope you will keep that in your minds as well. Give the bagger at the grocery store an extra smile, allow the car at the stop sign to turn in front of you, hold the door open, choose your words carefully in every interaction, don’t let your hot head or busy schedule cause you to raise your voice or cut corners, because you never know what sort of news the person next to you received today.

I am so thrilled to finally have the wherewithal to listen. Over the years, cancer has turned my heart to stone. My mind and my heart have been slowly numbed over the years. It happened gradually. As cancer dealt me blow, after blow, after blow, I retreated further and further into my own brain and into my own close circle of family and friends. I had room for their feelings and needs, but couldn’t quite open myself up to sharing in strangers’ pain and stories. If I felt all of your pain while also dealing with my own tragedy, I wouldn’t be able to go on. The cold hard reality of life would be too much to bear. These scans have thawed me out and freed me a bit from that prison of my own mind, my own fears and worries.

At my writing workshop, I’ve seen firsthand that the whole world has been built on sharing stories. The greatest stories of all time, from Hercules to Robin Hood, even all of Shakespeare’s great works, were all passed down orally over generations. A story shared can create an overnight sensation in a community, or it can ruin someone in an instant.

This summer I will, of course, still share my journey when it is appropriate or necessary, but I’m done complaining about my side effects for the rest of this summer. This summer, these next few months in between scans are a gift. I want to take advantage of this time to turn my focus outward. I want to share other stories of survival.

I don’t need to celebrate this scan with wine and an expensive dinner, or an extravagent purchase. I can celebrate this win in my own fight by focusing on and shining a light upon the plight of my friends and neighbors. After all:

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~Albert Pike”

[easyweight101]

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash Review (UPDATED 2017): Don’t Buy Before You Read This!

What is it?

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is a feminine wash aimed at soothing vaginal skin and protecting the body against infection. This product is not designed to treat existing infections, rather, provide a supportive environment where good bacteria can thrive.

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is formulated to a 3.8 pH level, which per the description on the website, is ideal for keeping vaginal flora in balance. This wash aims to keep harmful bacteria out of the vagina and may be used as part of your daily routine.

Femmetrinol is our top pick for feminine support during menopause. Key ingredients like damiana, black cohosh and wild yam work together to treat menopausal symptoms from the sexual to the physical and emotional. Click here to learn how Femmetrinol can get your hormones back in tip top shape.

Top Rated Menopause Supplements of 2017

Do you know the Best Menopause Supplements of 2017?

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash Ingredients and Side Effects

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is more akin to your typical body wash, then something that provides actual health benefits to the vagina. Users wash with this product as part of their regular bathing routine, which, according to the maker of this product, keeps infection at bay.

Aloe Vera: Best known for its soothing properties, aloe vera is used to help heal wounds, sunburns, rashes and other forms of skin irritation.

Aloe vera may also be used to treat dry or inflamed skin in the vaginal area, which may help alleviate some of the discomfort associated with menopausal vaginal dryness.

Some people also believe that aloe vera may help tighten the vagina and treat and prevent yeast infections due to its antifungal properties.

Lactic Acid: Lactic acid is a key ingredient for maintaining an acidic environment conducive to optimal vaginal health. The acidic environment allows good bacteria to colonize and thrive, while keeping away bad bacteria that may lead to infection, odor or discomfort.

Keep in mind, lactic acid is not the same thing as lactobacilli, the probiotic bacteria that works to support vaginal health, digestion and more.

Click this link to get the latest thinking on which plant-based menopause pills offer safe and effective relief.

EDITOR’S TIP: Combine this supplement with a proven menopause pill such as Femmetrinol for better results.

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash Quality of Ingredients

Likely, Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is quite soothing. Aloe seems to be the most notable ingredient in that sense, offering proven benefits to the skin, even in the more intimate areas.

Additionally, lactic acid brings some pH balancing to the table. While lactic acid itself is not a probiotic, it does help foster an environment in which probiotics can thrive. The acidity kills off “bad” bacteria, preventing things like yeast infections, BV, odor and irritation.

Overall, this seems promising, but a wash can’t really resolve the root cause of a pH imbalanced vagina. During menopause, many women experience some changes in their intimate area, which may be caused by a hormonal imbalance—something that a shower product simply cannot wash away.

Menopausal women may see better results from taking a supplement designed to increase estrogen and progesterone in the body, rather than attempting to use a topical product with short term benefits.

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash could be a good supplement to a menopause support regimen, but on its own, is likely not enough for lasting relief from vaginal dryness, bacterial infections and more.

Check our website for the latest reviews on the menopause products you need in your life.

The Price and Quality of Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is sold by the manufacturer for $15.49 for a 6.8-ounce bottle of wash.

Users can receive a 10% discount if they enroll in the auto-ship program, which sends a fresh bottle each month.

Shoppers may also purchase this item through Jet, Amazon and eBay. Amazon currently offers this product for $14.22, with Prime shipping, while Jet is offering this item for $14.50.

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is priced a bit higher than your standard body wash, but it purports to do more than generic soap. It’s hard to say whether or not this is a good value, but the product does seem to have good reviews overall.

Click here to scroll through the list of our experts’ reviews — see which menopause supplements made the cut.

Business of Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is made by a company known as Sebamed. Here is their contact information, as per the official website:

Phone: 877-228-4646

Address: BioClin B.V. PO Box 95 2600 AB Delft The Netherlands

Sebamed is a company that makes products specially formulated to keep the skin barrier intact. They manufacture lotions, body washes and more, designed to support something known as the acid mantle.

Then acid mantle is the skin’s natural barrier—which works to discourage the growth of bacteria, protecting it against outside irritants.

Sebamed’s products are soap free, as the company believes that soap is harmful to the acid mantle and worsens certain skin conditions like rosacea, eczema and psoriasis. The soap-free products work to clean without further irritating skin.

The Sebamed website has a rather clinical feel to it, but the company has done a good job communicating their skin-centric research in an approachable, easy to understand fashion.

There’s a comprehensive FAQ section dedicated to explaining the function of the Sebamed products, and the value of maintaining a certain pH level.

Overall, it seems that this company offers some legitimate medical information that may be useful to people with sensitive skin, skin conditions or, in the case of this product, vaginal dryness or other intimate concerns.

Customer Opinions of Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash has primarily positive reviews, though most comments were pretty vague, or only offered feedback like “it works pretty good.” Here are some of the comments we came across during our research:

“This isn’t really and better or worse than the Summer’s Eve products, yet it costs a lot more. I also had to wait quite a long time for this to arrive, which was a bit of a pain. As a product, it’s fine.”

“My doctor warned me to stay away from this. I got BV after using this for a while, but it could just be my body chemistry. There are a lot of good reviews, so just be aware, it; might not be right for everyone.”

“Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash is perfect for every day hygiene. It’s lightly scented, but it’s not bothersome at all. I think this is pretty good—it is great for sensitive skin.”

“If you want to feel cleaner down there, I recommend this product. It doesn’t have the best scent, but it’s pretty minimal. You’ll want to make sure you order a few at a time, as shipping is slow.”

Because this product is a shower product that doesn’t offer dazzling scents or appealing marketing tactics, user reviews reflected a sort of practicality. Sure, it seemed to work, but we couldn’t get a sense of whether the product was effective in keeping away infections for the long term or if users were commenting on a temporary state of cleanliness.

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash seems like it may well be a good solution for women dealing with some odor or general feelings of not being fresh, but none of the reviews we came across mentioned whether this was effective for fighting bacterial infections, yeast or any other recurring issues.

The one mention we came across that referenced BV, was a consumer who said she contracted the infection after using this product.

Learn more about how hormonal changes can affect your vaginal pH, moisture and moren—nclick here for the latest information.

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Conclusion – Does Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash Work?

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash could be a good solution for people who want to feel a bit fresher, but we don’t really have enough information on hand to know whether this is an effective tool in keeping infections away.

We like the tone of the website, and it’s clear that they’ve got qualified medical professionals on hand. The science behind the acid mantle is interesting and could be useful for those with chronic skin conditions.

During menopause, however, vaginal issues tend to emerge due to the loss of hormones. Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash might provide some comfort for those experiencing vaginal issues, but it’s hard to know whether or not it can keep vaginal pH at the optimal level for the long haul.

In looking over the full scope of menopause solutions and vaginal support remedies, we’ve learned that Femmetrinol is especially effective in fighting the hot flashes, fatigue, irritability and vaginal dryness women might experience throughout menopause. Herbs like wild yam, chasteberry and black cohosh bring their hormone-balancing capabilities to the table, fighting a diverse range of menopausal symptoms.

Femmetrinol is made under stringent good manufacturing practices in an FDA-certified lab. The formula has been tested in numerous trials, guaranteeing consumers will receive a safe and effective product in each bottle. Want to learn more? Click here to check out the Femmetrinol webpage.

from Easy Weight Loss 101 http://ift.tt/2uXtDa2 via The Best Weight Loss Diet In The World

[jasonadamstuscarora]

How To Lose 20 Pounds - Quick Weight Loss Diets, Lose Weight Fats

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