I have an invisible disability and I'm really getting into disabilities activism. Even in liberal circles ableism is still pretty accepted and this upsets me. However, when I try to educate people around me, it sometimes goes awry. I had one friend get upset when I called her out for using the word "retard." Another got upset when I pointed out that her Facebook post of inspirational people with disabilities (that just showed people with disabilities doing normal things) was a little offensive and tried to tell her about "inspiration porn." I get that using the word "retard" is normal as is "inspiration porn." I just don't think it should be.
I know my friends are caring, socially conscious people. I expect people to be a little upset, but ultimately I would also expect them respect the fact that it's really not OK to objectify people with disabilities in the way that inspiration porn and the use of words like "retard" do. What I want to know is how do I point out that people are expressing a harmful social bias, without having them get so upset that they write me off as an over sensitive concern troll?
I've been hearing a lot about having one health care provider follow my medical history, but I'm fairly healthy and don't have a chronic disease. I've been switching from my local doctors when I'm home to the on-campus docs. Is it really that important, given that I'm a healthy individual?
Is it o.k. to not wear a bra? I haven't worn one for over a year now and I hope to never again! Is it really healthy to wear one? Will they "sag" quicker if I don't? Please tell me I can burn my old bras!!!
Lately, I've come to realize that I have a very powerful tendency to fall asleep in class. It seems that I can't stay awake in any lecture style class where I have to listen to the professor and take down notes — where there is minimal engagement on my part. I've pretty much fallen asleep in all of my lecture classes, during one part or another for the whole semester. I think I'm getting regular sleep — six hours at a minimum. I don't like to drink coffee or anything.
I have chronic yeast infections. My doctor basically said that I have a pH imbalance and to stock up on Mycelex or similar creams. This answer, to me, is unsatisfactory. There must be something I can do to keep my pH level in balance, or at least on the acidic side. Do lactobacillus and acidophilus tablets keep the vagina more acidic to prevent a yeast infection?
I find choosing among all of the available sunscreens and sunblocks to be very confusing. Of the following three products I am currently using, which one is giving my skin the most protection: sunscreen SPF 30 with UVA, UVB, and IR sun protection; sunblock SPF 17 with UVA, UVB, and IR sun protection; or, sunblock SPF 50 with UVA and UVB sun protection? By the way, what is the difference between a sunSCREEN and a sunBLOCK?
I was in the sun for seven hours yesterday and I got a pretty bad sunburn. My face has blisters all over it. The redness is severe, and the pain is severe. Any suggestions that you may have will help. To top it off, I am a diabetic and am worried about infection of the blisters.
I need to take an iron supplement and have two concerns: one, I know that many foods interfere with iron absorption. How can I maximize the absorption of any iron (and calcium) supplements? My other concern is that my GI system is very sensitive. How do I deal with constipation that often goes with iron supplements?
I had a miscarriaged pregnancy 8 days ago. And for the past 6 days, I’ve been throwing up everything I eat. It's like morning sickness, but morning, noon, and night. And I can't get out of bed without feeling the need to throw up. What do I do? What is wrong?
I have a question about mumps: I had mumps while I was thirteen-years-old. I remembered that because of embarrassment. I was afraid to tell my parents about the inflammation (swelling of the testicles) at the same time I had mumps. I did not have treatment for the swelling of my testicles due to mumps. Later, the swelling went away about the same time as my mumps. Although I still can produce semen, I am deeply disturbed whether that swelling could have hindered my fertility (i.e., no production of sperm due to the blockage of the sperm channels).
Recently, my boyfriend began injecting cocaine. I've noticed that he and his friends share their needles, but "clean" them first with bleach and water. Is this a valid way to avoid contamination?
I’m having a burning sensation when I urinate and it still burns after I urinate. Also, I can’t urinate all the way and am continually having to go to the bathroom. I was diagnosed with kidney reflux when I was a child — could this be that?
I love getting my nails done with a gel or shellac manicure. The polish doesn't chip at all and stays shiny for weeks. I'm just worried about the UV light used to seal the manicure - it is almost like a mini tanning bed for your hands. What are the risks? And are there any bad chemicals in the polish?
I was having a conversation with my roommates about pop and coffee and we were wondering which is worse for your teeth, the pop or the coffee? And what do they do to your teeth when you drink them?
Sometimes at night I'll have a dream, and then it'll happen! There's no knowing if or when it will happen, but if I have a realistic dream one night, it's bound to come true at one point or another. For example, in first grade, I dreamed that I was in a place I had never seen or been in my life. I didn't even know it existed. Then, in third grade, I walked into the room that I dreamed about in first grade. It was the computer lab of my new school. Or I could be walking down the street and meet someone I have only met in a dream, in the exact same scene as the dream. It is all very confusing, and I think it may be either some sort of precognition or a mental disorder. Could you please tell me why this happens?
For the last year or so, I haven't been able to cry anymore. And when I do, absolutely no tears come out. My eyes just water up, but there are no tears. Is this normal? Should I be worried?
I am curious to know whether there is any right and wrong ways to wipe one's ass! Is wiping sufficient or should it be cleaned with water thereafter? I've heard that people use water to clean, which is regarded as more hygienic in foreign countries.
How safe is wearing a thong in terms of hygiene after a bowel movement? I wonder because a thong literally sits right on the anus. Are there any products available commercially for genital hygiene?
I've been eating the yogurt Activia and have felt less stomach grumblings since. I switched to just a low-fat yogurt for cost reasons and have had the grumblings come back. Is Activia really better for digestion or is this all in my head?
A loved one of mine had a double mastectomy due to a rapid growing breast cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation. She is in her early 30s. She is a year out from treatment/surgery and suffers daily with aches and pains. She also has lymphedema in her right arm, which doesn't help with her discomfort. She feels pain in her joints, sometimes her back, she gets headaches, she is often fatigued, and she feels sick a lot. She's forgotten what it feels like to have her body feel good. Is this normal? She definitely has depression due to this and often thinks she will get cancer back somewhere else. It's been two years since her diagnosis and she has not felt a day of no pain and or sickness. I want to give her some good feedback, some light at the end of the tunnel so to speak (without using that phrase) to help her get through it. The doctors aren't too helpful. Mostly they want her to take more pills, which are becoming the size of a meal. She refuses to take the pills that are anti hormonal. I don't blame her; she can't handle the menopausal symptoms they give her on top of everything else. She is active and often just pretends to feel ok for others sake. She also eats well with a low salt diet to help the fluid in her arm. Should there, or will there be relief after undergoing so much stress on ones body?
I'm only 18, but I have a lot of hair on my chest. I'm afraid of letting women see me with my shirt off because I don't want them to be turned off. How can I get rid of this rug and keep it under control without shaving daily? Also, is there away to slow down my beard growth? Shaving more than once a day can be very irritating to my face, but I hate looking so dirty.
