Saturday, November 16, 2024
Tags Posts tagged with "Health"

Health

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The internet has been a catalyst for revealing information that people would normally not have access too. Many women are learning that their birth control, pads, and tampons may be more harmful than they are good. Just like food, many of us can turn a blind eye when putting substances into or on our bodies. The same goes for BC; many women have been using birth control since they were pre-teens to combat heavy menstrual cycles and of course using tampons and pads because they are marketed as the only options for women. The internet is quickly changing that.

Many women are opting out of BC, and even mainstream feminine care products. Black women especially are taking an extreme interest in holistic health. It was revealed that besides the side effects BC, can be very dangerous. BC throws off women’s natural hormones because it is filled with synthetic hormones which have left some women sterile after years of use, uterine cysts and many other ailments that are raising eyebrows are becoming common amongst numerous women using BC. According to Truth_Society , BC is highly dangerous and can cause long term damage to women’s bodies. Some of the worst long term effects can range anywhere from cervical cancer, all the way down to gall bladder disease and heart attack. Women are becoming more aware of their bodies, how they feel and how they react to things they consume. Many millennials even have taken it back to old school days and track their menstrual cycles by the moon.

This holistic health movement is becoming very big among Black women and millennials. There are women who are paving the way by being gurus on this subject. One woman in particular who is known on all social media platforms as Nerissa Nefeteri promotes not only natural methods for BC, but also menstrual cups and natural pads for women to wear during their time of the month instead of traditional options. Tampons are not recommended because they stop blood flow. The idea is to not stop your body from doing what is natural to it but develop new ways to protect yourself while having intercourse and during your cycle. Her following is huge and growing as women everywhere are switching methods they have always known to better their health and way of living. Whether you decided to stay on BC or not is completely up to you, but it’s always good to be well informed.

Brittney is a mother, writer, and budding entrepreneurs. She is passionate about spreading wellness and mental health awareness in the African-American community as it pertains to women and girls. She adores hot beverages and meaningful quotes. In her free time, you can catch her over at the TheLovelylessons.com where she gives helpful advice to Millennials in the current job crisis.

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0 2013

In a new study from New York City’s Health Department, there are varying discrepancies among the health of African/Caribbean immigrants and African Americans living in New York City. According to researchers African/Caribbean Immigrants seem to have fewer health problems, including asthma and obesity, in comparison to African Americans.

Some of the contributing factors may also include American born blacks are more likely to smoke, in comparison to blacks from other countries. Also, 53% of black Americans consider themselves drinkers, while 44% of Caribbeans and 34% of Africans claim to be drinkers. No group exceeded white New Yorkers, who at a rate of 70% , confess to being drinkers.

Although African-Americans have higher rates of obesity, asthma and high blood pressure, diabetes was the one disease that affected all three groups the same, at a rate of 13%.

Even though this is merely research done within the realm of one, very huge city, it is in line with previous research that has been done comparing the Black American diet to the traditional South African diet. In that particular study, issued in 2015, researchers found that when they switched Black Americans to an African diet, and switched Africans to an African American diet, there were some obvious changes. According to the study,

“Researchers performed colonoscopies on both groups and found that those in the African diet group increased the production of butyrate, a fatty acid proven to protect against colon cancer. Members of the American diet group, on the other hand, developed changes in their gut that scientists say precede the development of cancerous cells.”

You can read the entire study here, at ThinkProgress.

These studies, hopefully should come as no surprise to many African Americans, who are battling or currently know someone that is battling some kind of illness, which is more than likely linked to the foods we consume as a culture. Hopefully, with the influence of all of the “black girl magic” and “black power” reigniting itself within black culture, we can correlate that magic into our health and diet.

An organization called Oldways created theAfrican Heritage Diet Pyramid,this food pyramid promotes a diet that we as Black Americans should be partaking. This diet is rich in veggies, fruit, beans, herbs, spices, and traditional sauces.

Hopefully, with continued research and using what we already know about the foods we consume, will lead African Americans to eat like their Ancestors did, prior to slavery.

Sources:

New York Daily News

Think Progress

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