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3 Reasons to Give Blood

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Man of Steel is out today, and OK: Superman is pretty impressive. But there’s an easy way for you to also be a superhero: by donating blood. Today is the 10th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, a global public health campaign created to thank blood donors and raise awareness about the importance of giving blood.

Every two seconds a new person in the U.S. needs blood, according to the American Red Cross. Some of the most common reasons: surgery, trauma, cancer, anemia, and bleeding disorders, says Patricia Shi, MD, a hematologist at Montefiore Medical Center. And now is an especially good time to donate—while there’s always a need, blood collection organizations often have shortages in the summertime (as well as over the holidays), because regular donors are away, says Shi.

Becoming a blood donor is simple—and a transfusion can mean the difference between life and death for the recipient.

In honor of World Blood Donor Day, Women’s Health asked readers who’ve received blood transfusions to share their stories—in case you need more inspiration to sign up for an upcoming blood drive:

“When I was 27 years old, I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I underwent five months of intense chemotherapy, which made me feel incredibly lethargic and, since it lowered my platelet count, had side effects like uncontrolled gum bleeding (platelets are key for healthy clotting). Because my treatment was so tough on my body, I ended up having three separate blood transfusions throughout the five months I was in chemo. I can’t tell you how much better I would feel after a transfusion. Not only would my blood finally start clotting normally again—so something as simple as bleeding gums was no longer a major issue—but all my color would come back right away and suddenly I wasn’t exhausted anymore. I’m happy to say that I have been in remission for two and a half years and haven’t needed a transfusion since then!”
‑Alyson Achorn, Worcester, MA

“In 2009, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, or a low platelet count, during a routine complete blood count. While I was giving birth two months later, I had a really minor tear—nothing that would usually be a problem. But since platelets are necessary for clotting, I just kept bleeding and bleeding. My medical team spent an hour stabilizing me—I think they went through eight packets of sutures. The worst part was that since they were trying to control the bleeding, I wasn’t able to hold my baby until five hours after she was born. I didn’t even realize how crappy I felt until the next morning, when I had to have two units of blood transfused to replace what I’d lost—all of a sudden I felt so much better and had so much more energy.”
‑Sabrina Condon, Spokane, WA

“I got my first period two days before my 13th birthday—and it just wouldn’t stop. As the weeks went by, it got progressively heavier, and I got weaker. I thought this was normal, though, so I didn’t mention it to my parents. Then, after 11 weeks of this period, I woke up one day with unbearable cramps, too weak to stand up. My mom was frantic. At the hospital, she was told I had severe anemia. I received multiple blood transfusions and was surprisingly well enough to go home that same night—it was amazing how it transformed me from this pale, sick girl to healthy and lively in just hours! I received a prescription for birth control pills to keep my period regular from then on. Since I had no idea how to contact the donor, I’ve paid it forward by donating my own blood. Hopefully I’ve saved lives, as well.”
—Ingrid Ramirez, Milwaukee, WI

Want to learn more about becoming a blood donor? Visit RedCrossBlood.org for eligibility requirements and to find a blood drive near you.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Could You Give Up Mirrors?

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Just how far would you go to nix insecurities about your looks? One body-image expert decided to avoid looking at her reflection for an entire year—and then chronicled the experience in a new memoir, Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall.

Kjerstin Gruys, who’s currently pursuing her PhD in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (with a focus on appearance and social inequalities, no less) realized she had a problem when, in the months leading up to her wedding in 2011, she started coming down with a crippling fixation on her appearance.

“It was right after I found my wedding dress that I started really obsessing over my body, to the point that it started affecting my sense of self-worth,” says Gruys. Having battled an eating disorder in high school, she recognized that dangerous territory and knew something had to give. “I thought to myself, ‘My purpose in life isn’t to nitpick my appearance all day—so what am I doing? If I removed all the mirrors from my life, I’d remove that temptation and could focus on things that actually matter.’”

And so her ban on mirrors began. The rules were simple: No checking herself out in mirrors, photographs, or reflective surfaces of any kind for an entire year. Not even on her wedding day.

“I basically had to relearn how to live life,” says Gruys. “You don’t think about it, but your reflection is everywhere. I had to learn how to get ready without seeing myself and to look away when I came across bathroom mirrors and store windows, for example.”

But during that year, Gruys describes feeling a sense of relief—even in the midst of wedding planning. “I had this calm, relaxed feeling of balance,” she says. “I knew my friends wouldn’t let me walk around with broccoli in my teeth, so I didn’t really have to think about my appearance at all. I was free to actually enjoy my wedding, live my life, and focus on my goals.”

And when the moment came to see her reflection for the first time in a year? “My friends and family covered a mirror with sticky notes that said all these positive things about me,” says Gruys. “As I peeled them off, I didn’t notice my body hang-ups. I saw color—rosy cheeks, white teeth, yellow hair—then I saw everyone sharing the moment with me, which was an incredible reminder of what really matters.”

A body-image expert herself, Gruys’ story proves that confidence crashes can happen to anyone—but with the right approach, you can squash them before they get out of hand. Next time you’re tempted to nitpick, Gruys suggests a few go-to moves:

Redefine the way you see your body
Make a list of your favorite and least favorite assets, and then assign each a positive adjective or description, suggests Gruys. For example, instead of looking down and just seeing hips, think of yours as sexy, swinging hips. “This exercise helps you see the body part’s function and value, even if it’s not your favorite,” she says

Make a weekend (naturally) mirror-free
A yearlong ban on checking out your reflection is pretty hardcore—but you can reap similar benefits by experimenting on a smaller scale, like by taking an au naturale camping trip with friends. “You know you won’t stumble upon a mirror out there, so you can feel that peace without stressing over avoiding your reflection,” says Gruys.

Set boundaries
If insecurities have you obsessing over a desire to lose a few pounds here or tone up there, you might find it difficult to abandon your fixation altogether—but you can at least establish some limits for it. “I’m a calorie counter, so I give myself license to crunch numbers when I’m in the grocery store, but not again once I’ve brought my food home,” says Gruys. “That way, I know I’m eating healthfully without having to dwell on the specifics every day.”

Make your pad a safe zone
Identify your mojo-busting triggers and remove them from your life, whether that means tossing those “skinny” jeans you haven’t worn in years or ditching junk food you can’t trust yourself around. “I’ve found that the key to having self control is purposefully arranging your environment so you don’t have to use it as often,” says Gruys. “There’s no sense in battling it every day for no reason.”

photo: BananaStock/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
6 Ways to Boost Your Body Confidence
The Annoying Habit You Need to Break
“What I Love About My Body”

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The Person Who Can Give Your Career a Boost

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Locking down a mentor can give you an edge in any industry, but finding the perfect match in your professional life can be almost as tough as finding one in your love life. Fortunately, new research has found that there are several key characteristics that predict effective mentor-mentee relationships, according to a paper published online in the journal Academic Medicine.

Researchers conducted interviews with 54 faculty members at two hospitals (the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine) over an 11-month period. Based on those interviews, they identified five requirements for a successful mentoring relationship: reciprocity, mutual respect, clear expectations, personal connections, and shared values.

Basically, the partnership is most effective when the mentor and mentee are on the same page. “Both should have clear expectations about what they’re hoping to get out of this and should be respectful of the other’s time,” says lead study author Sharon Straus, M.D., professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. And, of course, chemistry is a must. “There has to be some common ground so that you feel a level of comfort,” says Straus.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to take someone under your wing, follow Straus’ tips to achieve a solid bond:

If you’re a mentee…

Be the initiator
Seek out someone in your field whose career path you admire and send them an email or have a mutual contact connect you. “Briefly outline why you contacted this person and what your career interests are,” says Straus. Then ask if they’re free to discuss the industry and a potential mentoring relationship over coffee. “Don’t be afraid to ask—it takes courage to reach out to an established colleague, but most people are happy to be approached,” she says. After you’ve made the connection, keep it going by checking in regularly and following up about what you’ve discussed.

Come prepared
Write a checklist of the topics you want to cover in each meeting. Make sure to ask about the politics of your particular industry. “One of the important roles of a mentor is helping you navigate that bureaucracy,” says Straus. Also make time to talk about your short-term and long-term goals, so they can help you stay on track. And feel free to Google your mentor, says Straus. You can use that to form more specific questions about how they got involved in different areas and how they manage their time.

Remember that they have a life, too
Chances are they’re crazy busy, so be on time and keep the conversation on point. If you need help with a paper or a recommendation, give them plenty of time to get back to you. “Otherwise it can lead to burnout for the mentor,” says Straus.

Return the favor
Introduce your mentor to a new contact they could collaborate with or invite them to an industry event as your plus-one. It’s a way to show reciprocity, says Straus, plus it gives you the chance to learn more about each other—outside of half-hour coffee dates. 

If you’re a mentor…

Tailor your advice
Instead of telling mentees what to do, the best mentors actively listen and ask questions to help them come to a decision, says Straus. And avoid always relying on what worked for you. “What was right for us isn’t necessarily what’s right for them,” says Straus.

Don’t hold back criticism
It can be tempting to sugarcoat things so you don’t hurt their feelings, but you’re not doing them any favors. “Give constructive feedback, like: ‘Here’s how we can work together to strengthen this,’” says Straus. You don’t want be too harsh, but you also won’t be helping if you leave them with a weak resume.

Set them up
“Always think about what resources your mentee needs and how you can help them,” says Straus. If they come to you for something that’s beyond your expertise, link them up with someone who can help.

Get (a little) personal
Work/life balance is a huge part of the professional discussion, so don’t be shocked if your mentee brings it up.  “A good mentor has to think about the entire individual,” says Straus. “We have to be prepared to talk about these things and offer advice.”

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Warning: Your Couch Might Give You Cancer

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You already know that too much sitting can increase your risk of heart disease. Now it turns out that your couch might increase your risk of cancer, too. There’s a hazardous amount of flame-retardant chemicals in everyday household objects, including many chairs and sofas, according to two articles published online in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

In one study, researchers tested household dust for the presence of 49 different potentially hazardous flame-retardant chemicals. It was the first study to test such a broad range of the chemicals. The researchers discovered 44 out of 49 flame retardants in the homes they tested, and 36 were detected in at least half of the samples. They also found that most homes contained at least one such chemical at levels above federal health guidelines. Among major health concerns, these toxins have been linked to forms of cancer, hormone disruption, and learning disabilities.

Sadly, the chemicals aren’t easy to trace and oust–many items aren’t labeled, and it’s not easy to get your furniture tested for the presence of these chemicals. “Unfortunately, they’re not obvious,” says study author Robin Dodson, Sc.D, of the Silent Spring Institute (an organization that studies the health effects of environmental toxins). “They’re found in furniture, electronics and carpet padding. The sources are all around. The retardants’ effects are mostly associated with the thyroid system, and a particular concern for neurological and reproductive development in children.” The second study looked at the presence of these chemicals in couches.

Some of the chemicals have been banned in certain circumstances, but are still found in homes. Such is the case for the carcinogen TDBPP (brominated “Tris”), which is no longer used in children’s pajamas due to the health dangers—like harm to DNA, and mammary tumors that may cause breast cancer—but is still found in about 75 percent of households in other products.

Unfortunately, tossing all your furniture and rugs and starting over is impractical. However, there are a few practices can lower your exposure to flame retardants until you get a chance to replace your old stuff with new, safer stuff. Dodson recommends taking these steps:

Repair furniture rips
Flame retardants are often added to the polyurethane foam fillings in your couches and chairs. Ripped upholstery increases the likelihood that you or your kids will be exposed to the chemicals. Get any rips fixed stat to minimize exposure.

Go natural
When choosing new furniture, avoid polyurethane foam, a common filler in couches, chairs, and rugs that often comes treated with flame retardant. Instead, select pieces made from natural materials like wool, wood, and down products–it’s significantly less likely that these pieces have been doused in the flame-retardant chemicals.

Check labels
Labeling requirements are in place for some flame retardants, so you can check garments, upholstery and furniture for big, yellow tags that indicate they are not flame resistant and not treated with the chemicals. If an item has a yellow tag, that means it’s safe from the chemicals in question. (That said, you’re not going to want to light candles anywhere nearby).

Declare war on dust
The chemicals are mostly transmitted from furniture to human via dust, and crawling kids are extremely susceptible to exposure. Since dust is the key source of retardants, clean countertops and surfaces often. Vacuum, especially where children crawl, to keep dust at bay.

Wash up
Always wash your hands after cleaning, and try to cleanse after touching common surfaces or the floor, as well. Remind children to soap up, and wipe the hands of toddlers and babies who spend a lot of time on carpeting. They are particularly at risk for the developmental issues that may result from the chemicals.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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The Danger of Sitting Too Much
Germ-Proof Your Office
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Reprogram your metabolism, and keep the weight off for good with The Metabolism Miracle. Order now!

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DIY: 5 Ways to Give Yourself an AMAZING Massage

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Between talking, texting, typing, and cross-training, life can really take a toll on your body. It’s no wonder that prescription pain medication sales have jumped 90 percent since 1997, according to an Associated Press investigation. That’s a lot of pills, especially when massage can be just as effective in some cases, and almost free. Whether it’s your head, shoulders, knees, or feet that need attention, there’s an easy massage you can give yourself, no expensive meds required.

Trouble Spot: Your hands
The Solution: A wrist workout
Sitting at a desk all day long can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, irritation of a nerve in your wrist and fingers, but this series of exercises, ideally done every hour, can prevent pain from creeping into your day.

1. Hold your left hand up, palm facing outward. Using your right hand, pull the fingers back toward your wrist until you feel a stretch, and hold that position for 5 seconds. Repeat the stretch on your right hand.

2. Press the palms of your hands together at chest height. Lower them towards your lap until you feel the stretch in your wrists. Hold for 5 seconds.

3. Spread your fingers wide for 5 seconds.

4. On your left hand, gently pull the thumb back toward your wrist until you feel the stretch. Hold it for 5 seconds, and then repeat the move on your right hand.

5. Curl your fingers into a fist: Start with your pinky finger, and gradually fold the remaining four fingers into a fist. Then curl your wrists inward until you feel the stretch, and hold it for 5 seconds.

6. Massage the inside and outside of each hand, and then gently shake them out.

Trouble Spot: Your feet
The Solution: A tennis ball and frozen water bottle
Whether you have a job that requires you to be on your feet all day or you’re a devoted runner, lots of factors can play into foot pain. The key to keeping it at bay is to massage and ice those feet after a hard day (or a long run). Massage your feet with the tennis ball: Place it under one heel, and then stand and sink your body weight onto the ball. Slowly roll the ball from the heel to the base of the toes, spreading your toes wide when the ball passes near. Repeat on the opposite foot. A soup can or a golf ball can also stand in if you don’t have a tennis ball handy. Use the water bottle to ice your feet down afterward, rolling it back and forth under each foot.

Trouble Spot: Your shoulders or back
The Solution: Another tennis ball
This basic massage move will help anyone who sits hunched in front of a computer screen all day or suffers from any form of back pain. Lay on the floor with a tennis ball placed near the area that hurts most, such as your lower back or the spot between your shoulder blades. Roll the tennis ball around until you hit the spot that’s most tender, and lie there for 1 to 5 minutes, or until you feel your muscles relax.

Trouble Spot: Your knees
The Solution: A foam roller
Made from hard foam, these rollers will run you anywhere from $ 11 to $ 19 at most sporting goods stores, but you can also just go to your local hardware store and buy a piece of PVC pipe to pick up a discounted version. When you place a foam roller or the pipe underneath your muscles, the pressure gives your muscles a much deeper massage than you’ll get from simply rubbing them.

How does that help your knees? Foam rollers help massage muscles that, when tight, can lead to knee pain. One is your iliotibial band, commonly called the IT band, which is a tough strip of connective tissue that runs down the outside of your thigh, starting on your hip bone and connecting just below your knee, writes Jordan D. Metzl, MD, in the Men’s Health Athletes Book of Home Remedies. When it gets tight, it can lead to knee pain.

To fix that, lie on your right side and place your right hip on your roller. Put your hands on the floor for support. Cross your left leg over your right and place your left foot flat on the floor. Roll your body to your right, allowing the roller to move from your hip to your knee as it massages the entire length of your outer thigh. Then roll back and forth for 30 seconds. Switch to your left side and repeat with the roller under your left hip.

Whenever you get to a sore spot, stop. Applying extra pressure to sore areas will help release tension.

Trouble Spot: Your whole body
The Solution: Cool gadgets
If you have a lot of spots that get creaky or sore, it might be worth investing in some tools that will target certain areas (or doing lots more foam rolling; check out these whole-body foam roller exercises from Prevention). Here are two of our favorites.

Spoonk Mat: The mat uses acupressure (a form of massage based on traditional Chinese medicine) to relax your muscles. When you lie or stand on the mat, the plastic stimulation points apply pressure to nerve endings, which increases blood flow and the release of endorphins that, in turn, reduce levels of stress hormones in your body. You can stand on it, lie on it, or roll it up and place it behind your neck or lower back to ease tension in any of those areas. $ 79; spoonkspace.com

PTFit Multi-Roller: A few rolls with this thing and you might understand why dogs shake their legs when you scratch their bellies. It just feels so good! The solid-wood massager is shaped like a hook with rollers on the tip and along the handle so you can target small spots, such as your neck, or larger muscle groups like your calf or quadriceps muscles (the manufacturer’s site has lots of how-to videos to show you how to use it). It functions much like a foam roller, placing pressure on tight muscles to massage them and cut down on pain. Unhinged, it gets at those hard-to-reach sore muscles between your shoulder blades, and hinged (as in the picture), you can use it on your legs and lower back. It beats foam rollers, though, for people who aren’t nimble enough to lie down on a roller on the floor and for office-bound workers with stiff muscles—you can use the device while sitting in your chair. $ 54.95; ptfitusa.com

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Scary News Alert: Your Diet Can Give You Alzheimer’s

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alzheimers: neuronsStep away from the doughnuts in the office kitchen—if not for your body, then for your brain.

You likely know that an unhealthy diet can lead to obesity and related conditions like type 2 diabetes, but there’s growing evidence to suggest that eating sugary, processed foods can trigger what some experts are calling Type 3 Diabetes: brain-altering Alzheimer’s Disease.

While the concept of Alzheimer’s as brain diabetes is not new to some researchers, it recently gained attention after prominent food writer Mark Bittman covered the topic in a New York Times column. A food writer discussing Alzheimer’s? Believe it.

Suzanne de La Monte, M.D., M.P.H., is a neuropathologist at Brown University whose team coined the term type 3 diabetes. Her research over the past decade suggests that consuming too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance in the brain—a very bad thing. “We found that by making the brains of rats insulin resistant, the rats developed an Alzheimer-like disease pattern, including neurodegeneration,” she says.

How Insulin Resistance Leads to Dementia
A biology refresher: Our cells need glucose from food for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, helps cells take in glucose from the bloodstream, which the cells then metabolize for energy. If there’s an excess of glucose in the bloodstream, say, from eating too much sugary food, your pancreas will produce more insulin to keep up. Your cells, however, can become resistant to the increased insulin.

If cells in your brain become insulin-resistant, they don’t get enough energy and they deteriorate. Starved brain cells can result in memory loss and confusion—the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.

The Scope of the Problem
As obesity rates climb, so too, researchers expect, will cases of diabetes and Alzheimer’s. While having diabetes doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s, the two diseases are linked: In 2011, Japanese researchers concluded that having diabetes doubles your risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

That’s a scary stat when you consider that nearly 105 million Americans (almost a third of the population) have diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Almost 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and more than 115 million new cases of are projected worldwide in the next 40 years, according to Rhode Island Hospital.

“The obesity epidemic leading to soaring rates of diabetes is killing us earlier and producing a crippling state of chronic disease,” de la Monte says. “These problems are stressing our healthcare systems and shortening lifespan.”

How To Avoid It
“This problem is all about prevention,” de la Monte says. “The public health answer is to stop obesity at the youngest possible age by impressing upon parents the need to not over-feed children or feed them fast or processed foods.”

But it’s not too late for adults to safeguard their health. De La Monte recommends the following:

1. Keep Tabs on Your Weight
“It takes years to reach disease levels of obesity,” de la Monte says. If you regularly weigh yourself and measure your waist, you’ll know when you’re gaining weight and you can act earlier to lose it.

2. Eat Less Meat
De la Monte suggests moving toward plant-based foods and cutting down on meat. “I am not advocating vegetarian or vegan lifestyles, just changing proportions to follow the U.S. government’s MyPlate guidelines.” Those guidelines suggest that half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables; the other half grains and protein. (Learn more about the benefits of eating less meat.)

3. Cut Back On Sugar
Sugar is implicated in type 2 and 3 diabetes, so it’s best to keep sugar consumption to a minimum. But don’t think that reducing your sugar intake gives you license to overeat other unhealthy foods instead. “The false impression that cutting sugar in one aspect of the meal frees you up to eat four slices of pizza is completely wrong,” she says.

4. Cook More
Learning to cook (with fresh, non-processed foods) is a good idea—and it also saves money. (Need some ideas? The Women’s Health Recipe Finder lets you search dishes by cook time, main ingredient, and more!)

5. Avoid Nitrates
Research suggests that there is a link between Alzheimer’s and consuming foods containing nitrosamines. Protect yourself by avoiding foods that list sodium nitrite on label, de la Monte writes on doctoroz.com. Common culprits are processed foods including cheese, hot dogs, ground beef, and smoked meats like bacon.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

 
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Type 2 Diabetes: Young, Slim, and Diabetic
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Master mouthwatering recipes that fill you up and slim you down with Cook Yourself Sexy, the ultimate guide to a hotter, healthier, and more confident you.

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