“; } }); // 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’); startY = e.pageY – playlistContainer.offsetTop = playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mouseleave’; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mouseup’, () => { isDown = false; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); }); mousemove’, (e) => { if (!isDown) return; e.preventDefault(); const y = e.pageY – playlistContainer.offsetTop; const walk = (y – startY) * 3; .scrollTop = scrollTop – walk; }); } } if (” !== ‘efoc24’) { // Check DoubleVerify Quality Targeting signals before rendering the player if ( ‘unknown’ !== typeof PQ ) { 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. 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Health and Wellness
In “My Killer Body”, K. Michelle wants to tell the “whole truth” about plastic surgery
When K. Michelle recalls what led her to inject silicone into her buttocks over six years ago, the singer and tv personality says she felt it was something she needed to reach music.
“I had just signed a new record deal and I felt like the bigger the butt, the bigger the career,” she tells ESSENCE. “I already had a big butt. It was just ridiculous.”
The star couldn’t have predicted that she would talk about how the injections almost killed her. After trying to remove the silicone, she discovered it had spread throughout her body and was having harmful effects, including on her ability to walk. It took the singer years and multiple surgeries to get to where she is now, claiming she’s “probably the healthiest I’ve ever seen her.”
After going through this ordeal, K began working on making a program to help individuals with similar experiences. The result’s a brand new series, the official premiere of which can happen on February 3.
“Several people have gone through this and are just starting to feel the effects,” he says of the people in the series who want to correct mistakes after plastic surgery and whom he tries to help. “You even have women who have recently had this procedure and are feeling the effects right away.”
As the popularity of plastic surgery continues to grow, K says more conversations need to be had about the proven fact that many trips under the knife don’t end as planned.
“You only see beauty and you only see stories… after they photoshopped their bodies to death outside of surgery,” he says. “I wanted to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about this.”
The series may even feature her ongoing journey towards health and happiness together with her body. Because silicone won’t ever be completely faraway from the body, she pays attention to her body, including what she introduces through her food plan, in a way she hasn’t in the past. When it comes to accepting where she is physically now, she truthfully admits that she struggles with the desire to undergo plastic surgery in the future.
“I am faced with a difficult decision. My doctor thinks I will probably need two more reconstructions, and they will be for cosmetic reasons, not health reasons. That’s why I fight,” he says. “Sometimes I think, ‘I’ll never come back to this table!’ But then I can put something on and then the reconstruction dent appears and I say, “I’m going to fix it.” I am human. I go back and forth.”
She adds: “I like the way I look. I feel pretty. I feel hopeful and comfortable that I’m healthy and able to function. I believe this brings one other beauty. I believe I actually have a grown woman inside me and I believe she’s beautiful, so I’m on the right path to what I believe about myself.”
However, that does not stop social media from claiming that she already had the job done, which the star only addressed in the comical way she could.
“You know how people dressed you? They subjected me to surgeries,” he says. “I had a facelift on Monday and on Wednesday I have a new face. Let them tell them, it’s always something.”
That being said, despite what people might imagine or expect from watching , K is against plastic surgery. He just wants everyone to concentrate on the risks and do their research before deciding to go on the operating table.
“I’m all for what you want to do with your body. It’s something we have to do called research, and even within the research we can still decide that we don’t expect the result. It’s just surgery and it’s something you just have to mentally prepare for and understand,” he says. “Know your medical history and what you’re going through. How does your body react to things before you go under the knife? It’s really a self-study. It’s nothing quick, you just get up and do it. Similar to researching When you want to buy a car, you should definitely consider what you are going to do with your life and body, because you only get one.”
Read more of our conversation with K. Michelle about her health journey, recent music (including her latest R&B album and first country album), her debut movie role on Lifetime’s and why you’ll be able to’t put a star in a box.
Health and Wellness
Health matters: WNBA star Napheesa Collier on her commitment to women’s reproductive health
Minnesota lynx
Napheesa Collier will not be only a WNBA superstar for the Minnesota Lynx and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, but additionally the mother of her daughter Mila and an advocate for women’s reproductive health rights.
It recently decided to partner with Opill®, the primary and only every day contraceptive pill available over-the-counter within the United States. This breakthrough represents a major step forward in women’s health care by providing a convenient and accessible contraceptive option. With Opill, women not need to visit health care facilities for prescriptions, making it easier than ever to take control of their reproductive health.
The collaboration relies on Opill®’s long-standing partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). “One of the reasons Opill® partnered with the WNBA is the great passion of players who use their platform to support causes they believe in,” said Leila Bahbah, leading women’s health brand at Perrigo within the US. “Napheesa exudes this passion, and together we plan to educate and empower people to take control of their reproductive health.”
Collier advocates for girls and says she is willing to have conversations, even in the event that they are difficult. “I just truly believe in everything they do at Opill®. I believe it’s important to talk to people who may become pregnant and to women about the reproductive health and contraceptive options available to them,” Collier tells ESSENCE.
He continues: “I want people to know that if they want contraception, Opill® is a great option. It is the first over-the-counter drug approved by the FDA. It is inexpensive, available. You don’t need a prescription to get it. I think that’s a key thing in today’s climate.”
Collier notes that within the off-season, he tries to travel to various colleges to talk to students about their reproductive freedoms. “Talking about this topic is essential to remove the stigma as it should not be considered a shameful topic or something that should not be discussed openly. My mother was a nurse, so it was casual to talk about it in our house, and I want to pass it on to other people too, so I’m very excited about it,” she says.
In the present political climate, many ladies with daughters are concerned about their future and reproductive health. Collier, included. “Especially because I am the mother of a young girl, it is very important to me to be able to raise her in an atmosphere where she knows her reproductive rights and health, that she has access to affordable health care and contraception if she wants it and that she can ask me these questions and have open conversations.”
Collier continues: “It’s back to education. Again, I think it’s harmful that we can’t have open conversations about birth control and other issues that are usually taboo. I think it’s harmful. I think this does a lot of harm to women. It hurts. This is harmful to our society. Being able to talk about these issues and empowering women to learn about their rights and bodies creates a safer and healthier society.”
Health and Wellness
Yes, despite what you’ve heard on TikTok, you still need to use sunscreen
Summer is nearly here. But as an alternative of using sunscreen, some TikTokers just do that encouraging followers throw it away and forgo sunscreen.
They argue that it’s healthier to forgo sunscreen to get the complete advantages of the sun.
Here’s what the science really says.
How does sunscreen work?
Due to the acute UV environment in Australia, most individuals with pale to olive skin or other risk aspects for skin cancer must accomplish that protect yourself. Applying sunscreen is a key approach to protecting areas that aren’t easily covered by clothing.
Sunscreens work by absorbing or scattering UV rays before they reach the skin and damage DNA or supporting structures corresponding to collagen.
When UV molecules hit DNA, the surplus energy can damage our DNA. This damage might be repaired, but when the cell divides before the error is repaired, it causes a mutation that may lead to skin cancer.
The most typical skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Melanoma is less common but most definitely spreads throughout the body; this process known as metastasis.
Two against three At least the Australians will one skin cancer during their lives they usually reconcile 80% all cancers in Australia.
About 99% of skin cancers in Australia are attributable to overexposure to UV radiation.
Excessive exposure to UV radiation also affects the looks of the skin. UVA rays are able to penetrate deep into the skin, where they break down supporting structures corresponding to elastin and collagen.
This causes signs premature agingcorresponding to deep wrinkles, brown or white spots and broken capillaries.
Sunscreen may also help prevent skin cancer
Consistently used sunscreen reduces the danger of skin cancer and slows skin aging.
In Queensland studyparticipants either used sunscreen day by day for nearly five years or continued their usual use.
After five years, the danger of squamous cell cancer was reduced within the day by day group 40% compared to the second group.
Ten years later, the danger of developing invasive melanoma was reduced within the group of individuals taking the drug day by day 73%
Do sunscreens block the health-promoting properties of sunlight?
The answer is a little more complicated and involves a personalised risk-benefit trade-off.
First, the excellent news: spending time within the sun has many health advantages don’t rely under the influence of UV radiation and aren’t affected by the use of sunscreens.
Sunscreens only filter UV rays, not visible light or infrared light (which we feel as heat). Importantly, a number of the advantages of sunlight are obtained through Eyes.
Visible light improves mood and regulates and possibly reduces circadian rhythm (which influences the sleep-wake cycle). myopia (myopia) in children.
Infrared light is being researched as a treatment for several conditions skin, neurological, psychiatric AND autoimmune disorders.
So what is the good thing about exposing your skin to UV radiation?
Sun exposure produces vitamin D, which is crucial for healthy bones and muscles.
Vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common amongst Australians, peaking in Victoria at 49% in winter and lowest in Queensland at 6% in summer.
Fortunately, individuals who deal with sun protection can avoid vitamin D deficiency taking a complement.
Skin exposure to UV radiation could have advantages independent of vitamin D production, but these haven’t been proven. It may reduce the danger of autoimmune diseases corresponding to multiple sclerosis or cause the discharge of a chemical that may lower blood pressure. However, there aren’t enough details about these advantages to say whether sunscreen can be an issue.
What does this mean for you?
Exposure of the skin to UV radiation may provide some advantages that could be blunted by sunscreens. This determines whether it’s value giving up these advantages to avoid skin cancer how susceptible you have skin cancer.
If you have pale skin or other aspects that increase your risk of skin cancer, try to use sunscreen day by day on all days when the forecast UV index reaches 3.
If you have darker skin that rarely or never burns, you might want to skip using sunscreen on daily basis – although you’ll still need protection when you’re outdoors for prolonged periods of time.
For now, the balance of evidence suggests that it is healthier for people susceptible to skin cancer to proceed using sunscreen, supplementing with vitamin D as needed.
Health and Wellness
Recipe for change: eliminating health disparities and economic empowerment – the essence
Via Griffin/Getty Images
Throughout the 12 months, the Global Black Economic Forum held quite a few select conversations focused on solutions to the most pressing economic and social issues facing marginalized communities. One of those issues – too often missed – is the link between Black health and wealth. If we do not start eliminating health disparities and inequalities today, we cannot give you the chance to construct wealth for the future.
This intersection was the focus of an event we hosted in August as a part of our cooking talk series. It was held on Martha’s Vineyard, round the corner National Medical Scholarships (NMF), the Black World Economic Forum had the opportunity to satisfy with NMF’s unapologetic leader, Michellene Davis. Recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as certainly one of the 25 most influential minority leaders in healthcare, Michellene’s profession has involved policy advocacy and social change.
Her organization is devoted to increasing the variety of Black, Indigenous and physicians of color through fellowships, service-learning programs, mentoring opportunities and clinical research leadership training.
The conversation revealed two easy and interconnected data points: In the next decade, the United States will experience:huge shortage of doctors while becoming a majority non-white nation. These two trends highlight the need for greater diversity on this field. Studies have shown that patients of color see racially and ethnically diverse physicians. Treatment results are frequently higher.
However, the percentage of black doctors in the US is growing at an alarmingly slow rate – it has only increased by 4% over the last 120 years.. In the face of conservatives’ regressive and destructive attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, there has never been a greater need for us to redouble these efforts. The more we are able to improve health outcomes, the higher we’ll give you the chance to seize and compete for economic opportunities in the future. Given the urgent need to deal with health care workforce disparities and their direct impact on Black economic outcomes, it’s equally essential to acknowledge the broader economic opportunities that may drive wealth creation in our communities.
The competition for certainly one of the best economic opportunities in the history of tourism and hospitality – the 2026 FIFA World Cup – was the focus of our other curated conversation. Organized round the corner East Point Congress and Visitors Bureau, we sat down with its president, Chantel Francois. In her position, she is responsible for the development of the tourism industry in the city of East Point, Georgia. Previously, she led economic development and tourism promotion efforts in Atlanta, Trinidad and Tobago.
Francois described how local businesses run by entrepreneurs of color can leverage global events like the FIFA World Cup to extend their brand visibility, increase sales, and even start their very own businesses. She emphasized the importance of partnerships with event organizers, teams and athletes in constructing company awareness. This cooperation can also be crucial as the city government works with many stakeholders to make sure the safety of tourists and maximum economic opportunities for the area people.
When it involves such major events, it is usually essential to instill a way of community pride in each sector wherein an organization competes. This pride translates into a robust bond with travelers that may make them proceed to interact with small businesses or spark curiosity in them to learn more about the community. The 2026 FIFA World Cup has the potential to place tens of millions of dollars into the pockets and communities of individuals of color, and it’s crucial for businesses to begin planning now in the event that they have not already.
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