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Trina and Towanda Braxton Celebrate National Sisters Day Every Day: ‘We Know Each Other’s Deepest, Darkest Secrets’

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Happy National Sisters Day! Having sisters, whether or not they are related or not, tends to carry a special place in our lives and hearts. The Braxtons know all too well how necessary the sisterhood is, having showcased their unique family values ​​on TV for over a decade. But after a transient hiatus following the death of their beloved sister Traci from esophageal cancer, they’re preparing for his or her big return to the silver screen.

In this recent series, the beloved Braxton women reunite for the primary time for the reason that lack of their sister, giving viewers a raw and unfiltered have a look at the family’s ups and downs over eight gripping episodes. Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and their mother, Evelyn Braxton (Ms. E), navigate careers, health challenges and busy personal lives while strengthening the family’s bond.

Toni faces a serious health challenge as she prepares to return to Vegas. Trina begins therapy for PTSD. Towanda battles alopecia areata. Tamar focuses on her path to wellness. Mrs. E.’s dream of a cooking show becomes a reality. But the family reunion continues to lift questions and unresolved issues. Will Traci’s final wish be enough to bring the family back together prefer it once was?

You’ll have to look at to seek out out, but one thing is needless to say that hasn’t modified: the love and close bond between Towanda and Trina Braxton. We spoke with them about how they’re keeping their sisterly bond strong while mourning the lack of considered one of their sisters, and what we are able to expect from the brand new season.

ESSENCE: Even though you are all close (The Braxtons), you appear to have such a detailed bond. Why?

Towanda Braxton: We all have our periods of closeness, but I’ll say that Trina and I are incredibly close—we’re almost like twins. We wish to think that we’re almost like twins because we’re 15 months apart and we understand one another. I’d say that plenty of the times once we did B, it was at all times me, Trina, and Traci, so our bond was somewhat different than the opposite sisters’ bond. I don’t need to say that we’re not near anyone else within the family; it’s just a distinct type of bond.

Trina Braxton: Towanda and I live close to one another. Traci and my brother Michael have at all times lived closest to one another. Because of that, we are usually not necessarily separated, but because we live so close to one another, we will not help but gravitate towards the one who lives closest to us.

What does sisterhood mean to you and why is it necessary?

Trina Braxton: Oh wow. Sisterhood is all the pieces, not because we share the identical parents or the identical room at one point or one other, but my sister, especially Tawanda. I’m not singling anyone out, but my best friend in the entire world. We talk on the phone no less than eight times a day; we share all the pieces: pain, suffering, happiness. I filmed the birth of considered one of Towanda’s children. So my sisterhood with all my sisters is considered one of the strongest bonds you’ll be able to have. We know where one another’s bodies are. We know one another’s deepest, darkest secrets. Sisterhood means you might be secure with the data they share with you, your heart and your emotions. When Traci was now not with us, it was considered one of the best pains I’ve ever had in my life, but at the identical time I used to be capable of have fun our previous life together.

Towanda Braxton: Sisterhood is incredibly necessary since it helps you progress beyond friendships. I move toward friends who’ve the identical personalities as my sisters since it helps me in my relationships with my sisters. You can move away from friends, but you’ll be able to’t move away from sisters. It’s an embedded love and connection that you may’t erase, cut off, reject, or run away from.

I saw a few of your grieving process within the episodes concerning the lack of Traci, but could you speak about how this loss affected you individually and as a family?

Towanda Braxton: I see death and leaving the earthly world in a different way than I believe a few of my relations do. Sean (Towanda’s long-time partner) at all times tells me that I even have an innate ability to suppress and release. So despite the fact that Traci will not be here physically, I do know the reality is that your spirit never dies because you might be a spirit before you might be a human being. I see her in my dreams or she comes to go to me, with a hummingbird, because she at all times told us that should you see a hummingbird, it’s her. But it is a missing piece in my heart and my life that she’s not here physically, but I’m grateful to God for the gift of Tracy for 50, almost 51 years. I’m glad she was chosen to be a component of my life.

What is considered one of the Braxton family values ​​that translates to your sisterly bond?

Trina Braxton: I’m unsure if this value may very well be considered one word, but the truth is that this: so long as you might be here, there may be time to repair the damage and there aren’t any arguments. No situation should tear you away from your loved ones and sisterhood. So, so long as there may be breath and a brand new day, there may be time for a brand new starting, to revive all the pieces you thought was lost.

How has your sisterhood developed over time?

Trina Braxton: Well, considered one of the most important changes for us has been boundaries. It’s crazy to say that, but we’re still learning to set healthy boundaries because sometimes we see ourselves as young girls who grew up together and told one another all the pieces. But a brand new boundary needs to be set as we evolve and turn out to be moms, wives, and parents. Because once you get married and turn out to be a mom, you create your personal little ecosystem and family.

How do you intend to have fun National Sisters Day this weekend?

Towanda Braxton: We at all times need to have a drink.

What can viewers expect from the brand new season?

Towanda Braxton: There will probably be recaps of previous seasons, including never-before-seen photos and videos of Traci. There will probably be love, laughter, joy, tears. They will probably be the everyday, but adult and evolved Braxton sisters. Something is missing, elementary. Traci is missed. She brought plenty of laughter, plenty of love and jokes. She bought plenty of things.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Car exhaust fumes can be linked to autism, a developmental disorder increasingly diagnosed in black children

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Autism, ASD, car exhaust, autism risks, autism in Black children, theGrio.com

New research has found that exposure to automotive exhaust fumes in utero or in the early stages of a child’s development may cause autism.

According to a study published Tuesday, November 12 in the journal Brain medicineexposure to nitric oxide (NO) – produced during fuel combustion – while pregnant or in the primary months of the mother’s life may pose a “significant risk” of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the kid.

“NO is a common air pollutant, produced mainly by vehicle emissions and the combustion of fossil and industrial fuels. Exposure to NO and its NO2 derivatives while pregnant and early childhood may disrupt normal brain development,” the study authors wrote.

The authors added that “the timing of exposure is key.”

According to the researchers, exposure to these pollutants while pregnant and early development “constitutes a significant risk of ASD because these periods are essential for brain development.”

The study also found that folks with a family history or genetic history of autism spectrum disorder may be at increased risk of developing the condition, affecting the best way individuals communicate, learn, interact and behave.

It’s not nearly automotive exhaust fumes. The study examined other air pollutants, including ozone, wonderful particles and other emissions, and located that every one of those toxins combined increased the danger of developing autism.

In particular, it listed benzene as a “volatile organic compound commonly found in vehicle exhaust, industrial processes and tobacco smoke” that, when combined with NO2, can also increase the danger of ASD.

Air pollutants may promote the event of ASD because they cause inflammation. Experiencing neuroinflammation brought on by exposure to NO over an prolonged time frame may “impact” brain activity related to social and cognitive functions which might be typically impaired by ASD.

“Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may activate the mother’s immune system, leading to inflammation and abnormalities in fetal brain development,” the authors wrote, adding: “Elevated concentrations of inflammation-related cytokines in maternal serum in utero and early infants have been associated with their lives. with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes.”

One sec nearly 40% of Americans live without healthy airautism disproportionately affects black and Latino children in the US. This condition can be on the rise in this country.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1 in 36 children were diagnosed with ASD – a rise from 1 in 44 just two years earlier. Predominantly, the condition still affects boys more often than girls, although this too has been established girls are frequently diagnosed with ASD later in life.

Holly Robinson Peete was

For generations, white children seemed to have the disease at higher rates than other children, but in recent years this risk has modified as more black and brown families gain access to quality health care and earlier diagnoses .

As increasingly black families select to live with an autistic member of the family, several organizations have emerged to help spread awareness, advocate and supply support. These organizations include The color of autismthat gives families with culturally competent support and care; Autism in blackwhich offers educational and counseling services to Black parents raising autistic children; and Black Autism Support Societywhich goals to fill gaps in support for the black community.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Health and Wellness

Perfect Imperfection of Wabi-Sabi Makeup – Essence

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Fairchild/Penske Media archive via Getty Images

Perfection is an addictive ideal of beauty that we have now all fallen victim to. This is clear in every thing from our drugs cabinets full of “anti-aging” skincare products to standardization Botox parties. What’s more, we even see it in horror movies (think: ) – revealing our insatiable desire to research and abandon perceived flaws.

This season, nonetheless, perfection is an outdated trend. Wabi-sabi— a Japanese worldview characterised by finding beauty in imperfection — is gaining popularity as a crucial antithesis to the fear of perfection. While aesthetic surgery is entering itsThe undetectable era” in response to the improvements of the watch, the makeup world is questioning whether beauty even exists in perfection.

“Don’t stress about imperfection. Embrace it. Relaxed, vibrant makeup feels more real and authentic” – MAC Senior National Artist Fatima Thomas says ESSENCE. “Things that are a little bit uneven, like a little blurry or a little bit uneven, can actually be quite visually pleasing.”

Below, Thomas explains the impact of Wabi-sabi beauty and her skilled techniques in achieving this look.

The rise of Wabi-sabi makeup

“A lot of people are taking a less stringent approach to makeup,” says Thomas. “When you worry less about having every line be perfect, every blend being perfect, you can actually enjoy applying and wearing makeup.” With beauty tricks like showering after punching to set the look with steam or sleeping in eyeliner for a soft grunge aesthetic, “Wabi-sabi allows for greater freedom and self-expression.”

Why now’s the proper time to adopt this mindset

“Do you really need to spend an extra 10 minutes to get your eyeliner perfect, or is it already good enough,” she asks. “After the pandemic and global inflation, people don’t want to stress about their makeup,” she continues, as TikTok’s viral “dopamine menu” trend turns beauty right into a form of therapy. “Wabi-sabi is about doing your best, and if it’s a little shaky, it’s okay.”

What does imperfect makeup appear like?

With airbrushes and editing apps distorting our view of achievable beauty: “I believe [imperfection] it is an opposition to digital filters and Photoshop,” he says. “It could be intentional or accidental, but it takes away the urge to rush and refine everything to look photoshopped.”

According to Thomas, the wabi-sabi approach relies more on philosophy than on any particular view. However, the important thing to imperfections is in nuances: “Do your makeup quickly and refrain from fixing minor imperfections.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Companies that help insurance companies deny pre-authorization claims –

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Medicare, Melissa D. Hall


KFF survey found that roughly 6 in 10 insured adults have experienced problems while using their insurance. Issues include denied claims, network adequacy, pre-authorization delays and denials. As the investigation shows, this is just not a surprise. A hidden industry makes money by denying doctors’ payment requests, called prior authorizations.

According to a ProPublica investigation, one in every of the important thing participants on this scheme is Evernorth’s EviCore. A ProPublica investigation found that EviCore is owned by the big insurance company Cigna. The largest U.S. insurance companies employ EviCore and supply protection to 100 million consumers.

EviCore apparently uses a synthetic intelligence-supported algorithm that insurance industry insiders call “the shield.” The algorithm system will be customized, which ultimately results in more pre-authorization claim rejections.

What’s even weirder is that EviCore reportedly has some contracts that allow it to make more cash the more it cuts health care spending by insurance companies.

EviCore is just not alone. Another big player is Carelon Medical Benefits Management, a subsidiary of Elevance Health, formerly Anthem. Although the corporate has been accused in court of unlawfully denying legitimate insurance applications, it denies all allegations.

How companies respond

EviCore claims that the approval process ensures that the procedures are protected, obligatory and price-effective.

“We are improving the quality and safety of healthcare, and – by a happy coincidence – we are significantly reducing unnecessary costs,” said an EviCore doctor in the course of the company’s series of webinars.

But based on the investigation, EviCore’s approach is way more sinister than it suggests. EviCore reportedly guarantees a 3-to-1 return on investment, which implies your insurer can pay $3 less for medical care and other costs.

For some perspective, in 2021 in Arkansas, EviCore denied prior authorization requests almost 20% of the time. Medicare Advantage plans denied prior authorization requests about 7% of the time in 2022, based on a ProPublica evaluation of knowledge.

A Cigna spokesperson said on behalf of EviCore: “Simply put, EviCore uses the latest evidence-based medicine to ensure patients get the care they need and avoid services they don’t need.”

The spokesperson added that the corporate uses algorithms in some clinical programs “only to expedite the approval of appropriate care and reduce administrative burdens on healthcare providers.”


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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