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Get This: It’s National HIV Testing Day
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
Make sure to sign up to get tested for HIV if you haven’t already—it’s National HIV Testing Day. [The White House]
The Backstreet Boys have released a new single. Commence freakout now! [The Frisky]
Emily Jackson just won her second kayaking tournament…while nine months pregnant. Awesome. [SI.com]
Buzzkill alert: People who think that stress has a big impact on your health are 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack. [ScienceDaily]
Scientists have confirmed what you already knew: Carbs can drive you to overeat. [NYT]
Men with a certain type of fertility issue are more likely to get cancer, according to a new study. [UPI.com]
Wimbledon’s organizers have ruled that colored panties are allowed, even though colored shoes are not. Interesting… [Reuters]
A patient walks into a dentists office…and the dentist mistakenly pulls out his front tooth. Yup, that actually happened. [Medical Daily]
Watermelon Oreos are one of the newest crazy-bad-for-you snack foods to hit grocery store shelves. That doesn’t even sound appealing… [Huffington Post]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Get This: It’s OK to be a Working Mom!
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
A new study finds that children don’t suffer when their moms work. [CBS News]
Facebook will no longer delete pictures posted on the site of women who’ve had mastectomies (previously, it would remove them due to its nudity policy). [AllFacebook]
Paul Rudd shaved his mustache! Thank goodness. [Vulture]
Low vitamin D levels could increase your risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, according to a new survey. Find out if you’re getting enough. [Mail Online]
Your phone calls aren’t the only thing the government is keeping tabs on. Google also gives some of its info about you to the feds. [NYT]
All of those hands-free gadgets you bought to make driving safer? They’re still incredibly distracting. [NPR]
“I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump.” -Kanye West [NYT]
Pizza Huts in Canada have introduced a new poutine pizza with french fries, steak, gravy, and cheese curds on it (in addition to the normal cheese). Thank goodness this isn’t available in the U.S. [Eater]
A man in New Jersey is suing his urologist for messing up his penile implant surgery. Hm. [delawareonline.com]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Get This: It’s National Donut Day!
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
Celebrate National Donut Day the healthy (or at least healthier) way by making a batch of baked donuts. [Fox News]
Riding the subway won’t give you the flu, according to a new study. [UPI]
The first film adaptation of a Judy Blume book is coming to the big screen! Do a happy dance for your inner pre-adolescent self. [TODAY.com]
A new study suggests that sexual and emotional abuse may permanently affect your brain. [TIME]
Getting fewer than six hours of sleep a night increases the heart attack risk for women—but not men. [UPI]
Cutting your calories too much could put you at risk for gallstones. [Reuters]
More than a quarter of the women surveyed in a global poll said they’ve broken up with someone via text message (or would do it if they haven’t already). Classy, ladies. [CNBC]
Colonel Sanders’ white suit is being auctioned off later this month—and it’s expected to go for $ 10,000. Some people are very serious about their fried chicken. [Reuters]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Why It’s Crucial to Learn Healthy Habits
Some people make a beeline for potato chips or M&Ms when they feel stressed, but mental strain doesn’t have to trigger bad habits. In fact, you’re just as likely to cling to healthy habits when you’ve exhausted your self-control, according to five new studies soon to be published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In the first study, researchers tracked MBA students in the weeks leading up to and during their exams, when all of their self-control was devoted to hitting the books. During exam weeks, students were most likely to stick to whatever their pre-existing habits were, whether the behaviors were healthy (like eating a wholesome breakfast) or not-so-healthy (like downing a syrup-soaked stack of French toast). Researchers confirmed the results in the four studies that followed: Each involved a willpower-depleting task that ultimately drove participants to cling to established habits, for better or for worse.
Why? Previous research suggests that each person has a finite supply of self-control at any given time, says study co-author David Neal, PhD, founding partner of Empirica Research. Once you hit your limit, it becomes incredibly difficult to make the conscious decision to try a new behavior that requires self-control. So instead, you just fall back on your default habits.
The good news: A tough day at work, holding back your annoyance during an encounter with your in-laws, or a beckoning ice cream truck don’t have to negatively impact your health. The bad news: You need to make sure you have rock-solid good-for-you habits in place before any of these situations strike.
And if you don’t (yet)? Pick one behavior to change at a time—ideally when other aspects of your life are pretty much in order and you’re not going through anything super-stressful. Then choose a day to start working on your new habit when you’re well-rested, says Neal. Link your new desired habit onto something you already do regularly—like flossing (the new habit) right before you brush your teeth (the old habit). Or, if your goal is to get stronger, always perform strength training exercises at the beginning of your regularly scheduled gym sessions. And if you want to eat more veggies, add them to the sandwich in the lunch you already pack daily.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
10 Eating Habits Fit People Swear By
Bad Habits That Are Actually Good for You
The Annoying Habit You Need to Break
4 Signs It’s Time to Toss Your Toothbrush
If you throw your toothbrush in the trash every time you get sick, it may be unnecessary: Toothbrushes you use while you have strep or a sore throat don’t continue to harbor the germs you had while sick, according to a new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies in Washington, D.C., last week.
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston tested toothbrushes to see whether A streptococcus, the bacteria that causes strep, was present. Of the 54 brushes examined, 14 had been used by participants with strep throat, 13 had been used by participants with a sore throat (but not strep), and 27 were used by healthy participants. The bacteria was detected on just one of the toothbrushes—and it had been used by a healthy participant.
While these findings suggest it’s probably safe to keep your toothbrush even if you’ve used it while sick, there are other times when it’s best to say buh-bye to your brush. The main one: If it’s been three months since your last switch, it’s time to grab a new brush, says Carolyn Taggart-Burns, DDS, fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. Here, she shares a few other instances in which you really need to trash yours:
The bristles are worn
Any time they’ve lost their rigidity or their color, it’s a good indication that you’re due for a new brush. Another thing to keep in mind: If you have toothpaste buildup, it’ll harbor tons of bacteria, says Taggart-Burns. So consider that another sign it’s time for a replacement.
You’ve dropped it…anywhere
Not that the two-second rule applies in general, but it really doesn’t apply to toothbrushes. “We brush our teeth in one of the dirtiest rooms in our house,” says Taggart-Burns. Your toothbrush can pick up bacteria even if you’ve just dropped it in the sink for a few seconds. As a general rule of thumb, if your toothbrush ends up anywhere it’s not supposed to be, just toss it.
You bumped toothbrushes with your roommate
The second your toothbrush touches someone else’s (or—gross—they use it), you’re basically swapping hosts of different bacteria with that person, says Taggart-Burns. Whether this might make you sick really depends on the person in question and how close you are. For example, you and your significant other are sharing the same bacteria to begin with, so using his brush (or vice versa) probably won’t expose you to any foreign bacteria that might make you ill. If, however, your brush touches anyone else’s, you’d better hit the store for a new one.
You’ve been traveling
If your toothbrush has been in a closed container for more than a day, you should probably throw it out. Since bacteria will grow in any moist environment, it’s important to let your brush dry as fully and as quickly as possible between uses to cut back on grimy germ growth.
To keep your toothbrush as bacteria-free as possible while you travel, look for a container that has holes for ventilation and let it air out as soon as you reach your destination. You can also keep your case clean by throwing it in the dishwasher after each use; the heat will knock out any bacterial growth.
Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
8 Ways to Beat Bad Breath
How Clean Teeth Keep You Healthy
The Cure for Sensitive Teeth
What It’s Like to Get a Double Mastectomy
This morning, Angelina Jolie revealed that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy because she tested positive for the gene BRCA1, which put her at an 87 percent risk for developing breast cancer and a 50 percent risk for developing ovarian cancer.
“Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous superstars in the world and is also notoriously private,” says Lindsay Avner, the founder and CEO of Bright Pink, a national nonprofit that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancers, while supporting high-risk individuals. “It says a lot about this issue that she’s willing to bring it to the forefront and encourage women to know their risk and their family history.”
The news hits close to home for Avner, and not just because she’s a breast and ovarian cancer awareness advocate—she underwent the same procedure to slash her breast cancer risk almost seven years ago, at the age of 23. At the time, she was the youngest person in the country to make the tough decision to remove two healthy breasts.
Avner’s grandmother and great grandmother both died from breast cancer, and her mother had her own double mastectomy after being diagnosed with the disease. When Avner found out that she had the gene BRCA1 at the age of 22, she started going to the doctor for regular clinical exams, mammograms, and MRIs.
“It really felt as if I was waiting to get cancer rather than doing anything to prevent it,” she says. “It was like I was just a ticking time bomb and it was only a time before cancer was coming for me.”
So in the spring of 2006, when she was getting ready for a night out with her college friends and realized that many of them had undergone breast surgeries for cosmetic reasons, she had an epiphany.
“I realized, ‘Wait—for a couple of scars I have an opportunity to not worry about this, to not have migraine headaches out of stress, to not feel this tremendous pressure to hurry up and get married tomorrow so I can have kids before cancer strikes,’” she says.
Just a few months later, in August 2006, she had both of her breasts removed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City—with the same doctor who had performed Avner’s mother’s double mastectomy.
“It’s so much more emotionally exhausting than it is about the physical pain,” she says (although, for the record, Avner says the initial procedure was pretty painful). “It’s about reconciling with parting with your breasts and the fears that everyone has: Will this change who I am? Will this change how I see myself?”
Just as with Jolie, Avner had a nipple-sparing mastectomy during which doctors placed tissue expanders in her chest to preserve her skin’s elasticity. Then, four months later, she had implants put in.
“This is a very personal decision that is not right for everyone, nor should everyone go out and get genetic testing,” says Avner. “It’s based on having a family history and putting a lot of thought into it and discussing the process with your doctor.”
So while you don’t necessarily need to go out and have genetic testing done this second, you can take other steps to evaluate your likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancer—as well as what you can do about it. It’s important to note, for instance, that while a double mastectomy might be the right choice for some women, like Avner and Angelina Jolie, other women will have different needs, and should be aware of the different treatment options and preventative actions they might want to pursue.
Step one, regardless: Get informed. Bright Pink’s Assess Your Risk tool will help you see how your family history and various lifestyle factors—like whether you smoke and how often you work out—affect your odds of getting breast or ovarian cancer. Once you’re finished taking the interactive quiz, the site generates a personalized PDF you can print out and take to your doctor to start a conversation about your cancer risk.
“Knowledge is wonderful and awareness is important, but it’s action that saves lives,” says Avner. “Knowing this information only takes you halfway there—it’s about, what are you going to do with it? I think this is a really powerful opportunity, a moment we have to take all this awareness that’s being generated and empower women to really take action to develop a proactive approach to their health.”
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More From Women’s Health:
Breast Cancer Warriors
Should You Get a DNA Test?
7 Ways to Keep Your Breasts Healthy
Call Your Doc: It’s National Women’s Checkup Day
Bet you don’t have this date marked on your calendar: Today is National Women’s Checkup Day, an effort started by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remind women across the country to pencil in appointments with their doctors. To coincide with this, Women’s Health has also made it the Women’s Health Week challenge of the day.
“Being healthy starts with each of us taking control,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “So Monday on National Women’s Checkup Day, and during National Women’s Health Week, I encourage you to sit down with your doctor or health care provider and talk about what you can do to take control of your health. There’s no better gift you can give yourself–or your loved ones.”
And now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women have access to 22 different preventive services that are required to be covered without a copay, including well-woman visits (your annual physical) and assorted cancer screenings, all of which have been deemed key to preventing and/or effectively treating future health problems.
Ready to take part in National Women’s Checkup Day and call your health care professionals? This guide will help you see how often you should schedule various screenings:
Once a Month
Breast self-exam: Check your girls for unusual lumps or bumps monthly so you can stay on top of any changes, says Moore. The best time to do it is a few days after your period ends.
Skin self-exam: The Skin Cancer Foundation strongly recommends that you check out your body once a month for any new or unusual spots or marks. Just remember your ABCDEs: asymmetry, border irregularity, uneven color, diameter bigger than 6 mm, and evolving shape and size.
Every Six Months
Dental check-up: Make sure to hit up the dentist’s chair twice a year for cleanings and other preventative maintenance, but you should only get dental X-rays on an as needed basis to prevent unnecessary exposure to radiation, according to the American Dental Association’s recommendations.
Once a Year
Full physical exam: This annual check-up should include a height and weight check, a blood pressure screening, a clinical breast exam, and any blood tests your doctor deems necessary, says Moore. These may include tests for blood sugar, blood count, hormone levels, and other crucial markers.
Pap smear: If you’ve had three consecutive normal pap smears, are in a mutually monogamous relationship, and have no other risk factors, you could technically go three years between screenings, says Moore. However, most doctors still suggest women see their gynecologist once a year and get a pap smear while they’re there. Your pap tests for any changes or abnormalities in the cells in your cervix, which is a way to screen for cervical cancer, says Alyssa Dweck, MD, co-author of V is For Vagina. For women 21-29, any mild irregularities in the pap test will prompt an HPV test to check for the high-risk strains of the HPV virus, says Dweck. Other than that, you probably won’t get an HPV test until you’re 30. (See below for more info on HPV testing)
Pelvic exam: Even if you aren’t getting an annual pap smear, it’s important to visit your OB/GYN annually for a routine pelvic exam, where she’ll feel around for your uterus and ovaries, says Dweck. This is a way to check for fibroids, cysts or any pain or swelling that might indicate an infection.
HIV tests: Get tested annually at your doctor’s office or a health clinic, says Dweck. The most accurate screening is a still a blood test, though you may get a mouth swab in some cases.
Other STD tests: It’s recommended that sexually active women get tested for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea annually until age 25, says Dweck. These can be run off your pap or with a separate swab of your cervix. After age 25, it’s still recommended that you get tested regularly for the range of STDs—including hepatitis b and c, syphilis, and the lesser-known trichomoniasis—based on your own risk factors, which you should discuss with your doctor. Of course, it’s also a smart idea to get tested before you have a new sexual partner or if you have any usual symptoms.
Eye exams: The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams at least once every two years, though annual exams are suggested for anyone with current vision problems (if you wear glasses or contacts, that includes you).
Every Other Year
Skin cancer screening: Skin cancer is a huge issue for women in their twenties, so see your dermatologist before your biennial appointment if you notice any suspicious marks, says Moore.
Slightly Less Often
HPV test: At age 30, women should start getting an HPV test with their pap every five years, says Dweck. Luckily, it’s relatively quick and painless since the test uses the same cervical swab as your pap. Prior to age 30, you should not be getting tested regularly for HPV unless you have an abnormal pap, since strains of the disease are so common in younger woman and they typically go away on their own, says Dweck.
Cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood count: Your doctor will want to check these at least once in your twenties and once in your thirties, though some physicians give a guideline of testing them once every five years, says Moore.
Thyroid test: Starting at age 35, it’s recommended that you check your thyroid levels via a blood test and have them re-tested ever five years after that, says Moore.
Down the Road*
Colonoscopy: This test should come right around your 50th birthday, unless your family history warrants an earlier screening, says Moore. If you have a first-degree relative with colon cancer, it’s recommended that you start your screening 10 years before their age at diagnosis.
Diabetes screening: Routine diabetes screenings (which involve a blood sugar test) start at age 50 and should be done once every three years, says Dweck.
Mammograms: At 40, you’ll want to start scheduling annual mammograms, though your doctor may recommended screening earlier if you have a family history, says Dweck.
*For women in their 20s and 30s
Only As Needed
Don’t be shocked if your doctor orders a blood test outside of these general guidelines, since many health checks are done on an as-needed basis. Things like your hormone levels, blood sugar, vitamin D levels, and iron deficiencies can all be seen in a blood test and may be ordered if you come in with certain symptoms, says Dweck.
Additional reporting by Casey Gueren
photo: Photodisc/Thinkstock
More From Women’s Health:
8 Essential Medical Tests
Your Crash Course on the Affordable Care Act
Your Biggest Affordable Care Act Questions—Answered
Get This: It’s Melanoma Monday
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
Just in time for Melanoma Monday—created to get the word out about preventing this deadly disease—the FDA is suggesting a crackdown on tanning beds. Learn more about the dangers of indoor baking. [USA Today]
Proof that Kevin Spacey isn’t the slime ball he plays on House of Cards: The actor just adopted a rescue dog and named her Boston in honor of the city. So cute! [People]
Self-affirmations can help you become a better problem-solver when you’re stressed out. [ScienceDaily]
The bad Melanoma Monday news: One in six men don’t get skin cancer screenings because they’re afraid of what the derm will tell them. [UPI]
Omega-3s have a lot of awesome health benefits, but new research finds they won’t help prevent macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. [NYT]
If you live on the East Coast and bugs creep you out, you’d better get over that. The cicadas are coming—and they’re supposed to outnumber humans 600 to one! [The Atlantic Wire]
Couples say sex is better on the Ultimate Hybrid Mattress, according to a survey conducted by the company that makes the Ultimate Hybrid Mattress. [Marketwire]
A guy in Queens stole more than $ 150,000 of BluePrint juices. Guess he really wanted to cleanse… [The Daily Meal]
Turkish Airlines just announced that wearing red nail polish or lipstick is a fireable offense for flight attendants. [Reuters]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Get This: It’s National Grilled Cheese Day!
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
Celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day with some cheesy trivia—and these grown-up versions of the delicious sandwich. [LA Times]
Fun fact: Fictional veep Julia Louis-Dreyfus and real-life veep Joe Biden had lunch. [USA Today]
Phew, you can still get your Women’s Health subscription deliveries on Saturdays—the USPS won’t be canceling Saturday delivery any time soon. [Washington Post]
Black women may put on more pounds when using the IUD or a hormonal implant, according to a new study. So not fair. [Reuters]
This (admittedly cool) new infographic from the CDC illustrates how obesity swept America in the 25 years from 1985 to 2010. [The Atlantic]
More than 10,000 people—many of them young girls—have subjected themselves to judginess by tweeting selfies with the hashtag #beautypageant. #sad [Refinery29]
A New York City English teacher asked students to think like a Nazi and make an evidence-based argument about why Jews are evil. There aren’t enough face-palms in the world… [Times Union]
A man in Denmark was acquitted of rape on account of sexsomnia. How is that a legitimate excuse? [Medical Daily]
And the insensitivity doesn’t stop there: In Boston, McDonald’s posted ads mocking PSAs for people who need mental health counseling. Classy. [Eater]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock