Connect with us

Health and Wellness

Black Women Find Peace and Healing Through Nature

Published

on

Black women in nature

If someone had told me I might turn out to be the style of one that would snowshoe through rural Japan to see mountains, I might have laughed. But there I used to be, my boots dragging through layers of soppy snow, and a neighborhood guide from the Hokkaido region leading me on a hike around Lake Mashu and taking within the majestic scenery. Despite the cold, I couldn’t help but marvel on the serene fantastic thing about the landscape, which at times seemed unreal. I felt at peace being surrounded by the sounds of nature and allowing myself to soak within the moment.

I might never describe myself as an “outdoorsy” person. In fact, I used to be the exact opposite. As a city kid, my idea of ​​nature was a walk through Central Park. I suppose you possibly can say I used to be a stereotypical New Yorker who was more comfortable surrounded by concrete than greenery. However, my travels gave me an appreciation for nature and a way of wonder that allowed me to feel a euphoric sense of peace I didn’t know existed, whether it was walking through a misty rainforest to find hidden waterfalls in Costa Rica, snowboarding in Aspen, kayaking with a Maori guide in New Zealand, snorkeling alongside dolphins off the coast of Kenya, and topping a beautiful hill in Greenland for an ideal view of moving icebergs.

I actually have struggled with debilitating anxiety and depression since I used to be an adolescent. My newfound love of mountain climbing, running, and the outside has healed me in so some ways. But I’m not alone in feeling this sense of peace. Being surrounded by nature is powerful and can do wonders to your health. Physically, spending time in nature has been proven to assist lower blood pressure, increase your vitamin D intake, and even aid in respiratory. According to American Psychological AssociationSpending time in nature may help with cognitive issues like concentration, higher sleep and reduced stress levels — issues that many black women struggle with.

Black Women Find Peace and Healing Through Nature
Black Women in Nature participant, kayaking; Stanley from Focused Imagination

Due to our experiences with racial microaggressions, family, work, and funds, we frequently find that stress plays an enormous role in our lives and undermines our physical and mental health. Black women address stress otherwise than their white counterparts because of aspects reminiscent of racial discrimination, including within the health care system, microaggressions that may occur within the workplace, and our need for strength and resilience in times of adversity.

But even in natural settings, we also need to face the incontrovertible fact that we are sometimes not in those spaces. It’s rare to see black faces in ads for outdoor activities — but we’re growing in numbers, whether it’s mountain climbing, running, camping and even playing sports like snowboarding. According to External foundationThe black participation rate in outdoor recreational activities increased by greater than five percent in 2022 to 40.7%. Traditionally white spaces, reminiscent of campgrounds, also saw growth on this sector, with more black people taking camping trips and exploring RV travel.

Despite the small increase within the sector by way of inclusivity in the outside, it has not erased the past of hostility and racism. Historically, we’ve often felt unwelcome in these spaces. We are harassed once we are motion AND fishing in our area. Even our national parks are reckoning with their history of racism. That’s why communities designed with Black women in mind are so essential. When Angela Mitchell and Ivory Levert (pictured at the highest of the page) founded Black Women in Nature of their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, their goal was to create a protected space where other Black women could find peace of mind amid the spread of COVID-19.

Black Women Find Peace and Healing Through Nature
Black Women in Nature campaign participant; Nicole Christian of By Ari Productions

“While people around the world have felt the impact of the pandemic, Black and Brown communities have experienced disproportionate levels of stress, COVID-related deaths, hospitalizations, and health outcomes due to preexisting structural and societal inequities,” Mitchell tells ESSENCE. “To make matters worse, Black people have experienced what we like to call a ‘double pandemic’ due to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery this year.”

Through their group, they encourage other Black women of their area to explore outdoor activities including mountain climbing, reflective dialogue, yoga, and meditation.

“Systems of racism and environmental inequality have limited black people’s access to green spaces and disconnected us from our ancestral connection to nature,” Levert says. “Black people have always been connected to nature. We’re just helping black women reconnect with our roots and find healing in ways that have always been available to us.”

Levert, who has a background as a licensed yogi and meditator, connected with Mitchell, who shared fond memories of spending time outdoors in Anchorage, Alaska. They each wanted to point out that in times of adversity, the stillness of nature will help us process difficult emotions, something Mitchell experienced when her older brother died at age 39 from Lou Gehrig’s disease. That fueled her desire to create a community where Black women could have the chance for a similar type of healing.

“I have experienced a peace that surpasses understanding through nature,” Mitchell says. “I believe that being outdoors is a privilege that many of us take for granted.”

So next time you would like a break, consider putting your phone down and taking a walk in a close-by park or visiting a spot surrounded by natural wonders in your next trip. Instead of city trips, don’t be afraid to move out to the outskirts for a hike to soak in the attractive nature around you. I promise it would be price it.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Health and Wellness

US communities phase out fluoride use in public drinking water

Published

on

By

fluoride, water


There is a battle raging in American cities over whether to proceed using fluoride in water.

This is a process generally known as fluoridation that began around 1945. According to to the American Cancer Society became popular across the country after scientists noticed that individuals living in water with higher concentrations of fluoride had less tooth decay.

In 1962, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) advisable adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies to forestall tooth decay. The American Cancer Society estimates that fluoride is currently used in public drinking water supplied to roughly three in 4 Americans.

However, opponents have been warning for years that fluoride in drinking water is unsafe to devour. One of the organizations leading this initiative is Fluoride Action Network (FAN). The organization, whose mission is to lift awareness of what it claims is the “toxicity of fluoride compounds,” says many of the world’s developed countries don’t use fluoride in drinking water at the identical levels as America, or in any respect.

The organization says yes it helped over 500 communities successfully reject fluoridation, and there could also be more.

Federal leaders have gotten increasingly vocal in their support for ending the use of fluoride

While FAN says communities have rejected fluoridation for the past few a long time and the method has stalled in consequence, the fight has been thrust into the highlight over the past few months.

First, the National Toxicology Program, a federal agency throughout the Department of Health and Human Services, reported with “moderate certainty” that there may be an association between communities with higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. According to the Associated Press, these communities use greater than twice the advisable limit.

A month later, a federal judge apparently ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because higher levels could affect children.

Robert F. Kennedy, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, announced an end to fluoridation.


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

Health and Wellness

WATCH: Cynthia Erivo on the importance of being a sister – Essence

Published

on

By

“; } }); // Drag and scroll functionality const playlistContainer = document.getElementById(‘playlist’); let isDown = false; let startY; let scrollTop; playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mousedown’, (e) => { isDown = true; playlistContainer.classList.add(‘active’); playlistContainer.offsetTop; scrollTop = playlistContainer.scrollTop; }); playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mouseleave’, () => { isDown = false; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); }); ‘, () => { isDown = false; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mousemove’, (e) => { if (!isDown) return; e.preventDefault(); const y = e.pageY -List Container playlist.offsetTop; const walk = (y – startY) * 3; // quick playlistContainer.scrollTop = scrollTop – walk; }); } } if (” !== ‘efoc24’) { // Check DoubleVerify Quality Targeting signals before rendering the player if ( ‘undefined’ !== PQ type ) { PQ.cmd.push(function () { // If DVQT signals are not available after 500 ms, render the player anyway. const timeout_id = setTimeout( jwPlayerRender, 500 ); // Get “Authentic Direct” signals. PQ.getTargeting({ signals: [‘abs’] }, function(error, targetingData) { clearTimeout(timeout_id); jwPlayerRender(error? undefined: targetingData); }); }); } else { jwPlayerRender(); } function jwPlayerRender( dvqt_signals=”” ) { let jw_ad_tag ​​= {“client”:”googima”,”adscheduleid”:”G7hR9pQ2″,”schedule”:[{“tag”:”https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?correlator=&iu=/21698916284/ess/VideoNews&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&sz=400×300%7C640x480%7C1000x1%7C1920x1080&description_url=__page-url__&tfcd=0&npa=0&vpmute=1&vpa=auto&vad_type=linear&url=__page-url__&vpos=preroll&unviewed_position_start=1&v=4QHYeDGA&pmnd=0&pmxd=60000&ad_rule=1&cust_params=ttid%3D4QHYeDGA%26frnch%3D__item-franchise__%26environment%3Dproduction%26kwblock%3DAbb%2CCapOne%2CLincoln%2CUPS%2CVG%2CATTCric%2CDisney”,”offset”:”pre”},{“tag”:”https://vid.springserve.com/vast/670880?url=https://www.essence.com/news/watch-cynthia-erivo-on-importance-of-sisterhood/h=450&w=800&cb=1535″,”offset”:”50%”}]”offers”:{“bidders”:[{“id”:”jw-video-4QHYeDGA”,”name”:”jwdemand”,”publisherId”:”evcxFIDZ”,”siteId”:”WT5iFegj”,”placementId”:”24399785″},{“id”:”jw-video-4QHYeDGA”,”name”:”connatix”,”siteId”:”WT5iFegj”,”placementId”:”23419a80-fc77-4fd5-bd0c-2a4807a66a6c”}]”settings”:{“disableConsentManagementOnNoCmp”:true,”mediationLayerAdServer”:”dfp”,”floorPriceCents”:200,”floorPriceCurrency”:”usd”,”buckets”:[{“increment”:0.1,”max”:30,”min”:0},{“increment”:0.5,”max”:50,”min”:30}]}}}; // Configure ad tag on the fly… let additional_params = {}; // Input DVQT signals. if ( dvqt_signals && dvqt_signals.ABS.length > 0 ) { additional_params.ABS = dvqt_signals.ABS.join(“,”); } // Create a string of additional_parameters. let extra_params_str=””; for (enter additional_parameters) { let value = additional_parameters[key]; additional_params_str += `${key}=${value}`; if ( key !== Object.keys( additional_params .pop() ) { additional_params_str += ‘&’; } } // Update ad tag cust_params (must be URL encoded). if ( Object.keys( additional_parameters ). length > 0 ) { let ad_schedule = jw_ad_tag.schedule; if ( ‘undefined’ !== schedule type ads ) { for (let i = 0; i < ad_schedule.length; i++) { let ad_url = new url(jw_ad_tag.schedule[i].label); let query_params = new URLSearchParams(ad_url.search); query_params.set("cust_params", query_params.get("cust_params") + `&${additional_params_str}`); ad_url.search = query_params.toString(); jw_ad_tag.schedule[i].tag = ad_url.toString(); } } } let playerId; if ("undefined" !== type jwplayerQueue) { playerId = 'jw-video-4QHYeDGA'; jwplayerQueue.push({ 'instanceId': 'playerInstance_4QHYeDGA', 'playerId': playerId, 'config': { pid: 't6KP9zcV', playlist: "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4QHYeDGA", autostart: !jw_ad_tag, repeat: true, mute: true, aspect ratio: '16:9', share: {sites: ["facebook", "twitter", "email", "linkedin"]}, cast: {}, float: {disibility: true}, autoPause: {viewability: true}, displaytitle: true, displaydescription: true, controls: true, related: {displayMode: 'shelfWidget'}, interactive: {} , ad: jw_ad_tag ​​​​} }); } // Load video. jQuery(window).trigger("jw:loadplayers"); function waitForJWPlayer(callback) { if (type jwplayer !== 'undefined') { callback(); } else { setTimeout(function() { waitForJWPlayer(callback); }, 500); } } waitForJWPlayer(function() { jwplayer(playerId).on('adsManager', function (adsManagerLoaded) { let adsManager = adsManagerLoaded.adsManager; let videoElement = document.getElementById(playerId ); let config = { anId: '929481' , camp ID: '640x360', ias_xps: "autoplay", // autoplay status ias_xbp: "2", // video destination type ias_xar: "1" // autoplay status }; // Start IAS integration googleImaVansAdapter.init(google, adsManager, videoElement , configuration });

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
Continue Reading

Health and Wellness

Phenergan is no longer recommended for children under 6 years of age due to the risk of hallucinations. Here’s what you can use instead

Published

on

By

The Australian Drugs Regulatory Authority has issued an order safety warning over Phenergan and related products containing the antihistamine promethazine.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has stated that over-the-counter products shouldn’t be given to children under six years of age due to concerns about serious unwanted side effects akin to hyperactivity, aggression and hallucinations. Breathing may turn into slow or shallow, which can be fatal.

When high doses are administered to young children, difficulties in learning and understanding, including reversible cognitive deficit and mental disability, may occur. – said the TGA.

The latest warning follows international and Australian concerns about the drug in young children, which is commonly used to treat conditions akin to hay fever and allergies, motion sickness and for short-term sedative effects.

What is promethazine?

Promethazine is a “first generation” antihistamine that has been sold over the counter in Australian pharmacies for a long time for a spread of conditions.

Unlike many other drugs, first-generation antihistamines can cross the blood-brain barrier. This means they affect your brain chemistry, making you feel drowsy and sedated.

In adults, this will likely be useful for sleep. However, in children, these drugs can cause serious unwanted side effects on the nervous system, including those mentioned on this week’s safety alert.

We’ve known about this for a while

We have known about the serious unwanted side effects of promethazine in young children for a while.

Advice regarding 20 years ago In the United States, the drug was not recommended for use in children under two years of age. In 2022, an Australian Medicines Advisory Committee made its own suggestion to increase the age to six. New Zealand released similar warnings and advice in May this 12 months.

Over the last ten years, there have been 235 cases of serious unwanted side effects from promethazine in each children and adults reported to the TGA. Of the 77 deaths reported, one was a toddler under six years of age.

Reported unwanted side effects in each adults and children included:

  • 13 cases of accidental overdose (leading to 11 deaths)
  • eight cases of hallucinations
  • seven cases of slow or shallow respiration (leading to 4 deaths)
  • six cases of decreased consciousness (leading to five deaths).

TGA security alert comes after an internal investigation by the manufacturer of Phenergan, Sanofi-Aventis Healthcare. This investigation was initiated in 2022 advice from the Medicines Advisory Committee. The company has now updated its information for consumers and healthcare professionals.

What can you use instead?

If you have allergies or hay fever in young children, non-sedating antihistamines akin to Claratine (loratadine) or Zyrtec (cetirizine) are preferred. They provide relief without the risk of sedation and other disturbing unwanted side effects of promethazine.

If symptoms of a chilly or cough occur, parents must be reassured that these symptoms will normally subside with time, fluid intake, and rest.

Saline nasal sprays, adequate hydration, a humidifier or elevating the child’s head can relieve the congestion related to hay fever. Oral products containing phenylephrine marketed for nasal congestion must be avoided because evidence shows that this is the case This article was originally published on : theconversation.com

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending