health
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Be Aware: Your Favorite Beauty Secret May Be More Trouble Than It’s Worth
We’re not quite sure when the buzz began about biotin, but suddenly, it seemed, every woman we knew was taking the vitamin—also called B7 or vitamin H—to support hair and nail growth. And indeed, while research is sparse, at least one double-blind study concluded that Viviscal, a supplement containing biotin, not only supported hair growth…
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Killer in the Sack? Why You Might Need to Learn CPR This Cuffing Season
Scenario: It’s a cold winter night, and you’re happily snowed in with bae. You’ve Netflixed. You’ve chilled. You’re now in the throes of passion, but instead of clutching you, all of a sudden, he clutches … his chest? What would you do? Sex has long been one of our favorite winter sports—and has been linked…
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I'm a Plus-Size Runner and I Got Heckled at the NYC Marathon
This year, I ran my seventh and eighth marathons within four years of running—all as a plus-size woman. I ran the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8 and the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5—followed by the New York Road Runners 60K Ultramarathon less than two weeks later. The year 2017 was my most ambitious…
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New Clinical Trial That Cured 6-Year-Old of Sickle Cell Disease Shows Promise for All
In July 2016, a resilient, joyful 5-year-old named Bryce took part in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. As an infant, Bryce had been diagnosed with a particularly severe form of sickle cell disease and had already suffered at least four strokes related to the blood disorder. A little…
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#FanniesArmy: GirlTrek Organizes Thousands of Women to Walk on Fannie Lou Hamer’s 100th Birthday
GirlTrek, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of black women and girls, is gearing up to celebrate the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer on Friday, the 100th anniversary of Hamer’s birth. “Fannie Lou Hamer died too soon, and we want to celebrate her life in a big way,” GirlTrek…
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How Shame, Secrets and Sugar Get Between Us and Better Health
The late-night spoons of ready-made frosting were the best. The preteen thrill of sneaking downstairs to the fridge and plunging a spoon into an open can of sweet and creamy vanilla sludge made the treat all the sweeter as it melted over my tongue and then slid down my throat. My parents caught onto my…
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Do You Know Someone Who Died or Nearly Died in Childbirth? Help Us Investigate Maternal Health
By many measures, the United States has become the most dangerous industrialized nation in which to give birth. For black women, the risks are particularly high. Black mothers are three to four times more likely than white mothers to die from pregnancy and childbirth. They’re twice as likely to nearly die from complications such as…
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For Colored Girls Who Don’t Know They’re Struggling
“It looks like melanoma,” my dermatologist said casually as she biopsied a mysterious scar that had developed under my left temple. I was unmoved. I cried when my hairdresser found a bald spot the size of a silver dollar in the middle of my scalp while roller-setting my tightly coiled curls a month before. I…
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Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Sickle Cell: What You Need to Know About a Disease That Takes Down the Young
Forty years ago, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of Mobb Deep, who died Tuesday at age 42, would likely never have had a music career. In 1973, those born with sickle cell disease had a life expectancy of just 14 years. Today that number is as young as 40 and extends to the late 60s. It’s better.…