Tabitha Brown is at a degree in her life where listening to her body is non-negotiable.

For example, while exercising along with her daughter recently, the 45-year-old vegan food entrepreneur and influencer reached a degree in her training where she simply had to stop.

Ultimately, Brown, who had been training along with her daughter for about two weeks before the incident, discovered that she had suffered a slipped disc.

“I’m still recovering,” she said.

As many ladies know, that is one in all the realities of entering perimenopause – the customarily prolonged period of aging in a girl’s body before she enters menopause. Although it can begin in a girl’s mid-to-late 30s, it often begins after the age of 40. Symptoms can include hot flashes, changes in sleep patterns, joint pain, hip pain and itching, which Brown describes because the “weirdest” of all.

“It’s the strangest thing. For example, your back is itchy and your legs are itchy. It’s so weird. Oh, that is so weird,” Brown said with amusing.

The co-founder of The Donna’s Recipe would really like more women to talk openly about perimenopause; particularly one symptom that goes largely undiscussed: bladder leakage, or bladder incontinence.

“When I started talking about perimenopause on social media, the engagement came to a head,” Brown noted, adding. “I realized that women suffer in silence and do not talk about the things that are important to them and that they are going through.”

Brown said that bladder incontinence, or bladder leakage, is strictly what it feels like: “Girl, I just peed myself!”

“It happens in different ways,” she continued. “Some women may not even have the ability to hold their bladder for so long as they used to. For some women, it’s simply weaker now, so once you do stuff you’re often used to, like exercising, chances are you’ll experience somewhat leakage.

Some women develop bladder leakage consequently of childbirth. However, Brown noted, many ladies who’ve never given birth develop the condition over time.

“It comes with age,” she said.

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According to Mayo ClinicHalf of girls will experience a bladder leak of their lifetime. It can start when women produce less estrogen, a hormone that helps keep the liner of the bladder and urethra healthy, which may end up in weakening of the bladder muscles.

When Brown began experiencing leaks, she was in her 30s and had just given birth to her youngest child. Initially, a typical bladder condition forced her to avoid exercising in public places.

“I feel like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to exercise around people just in case,’” she explained, adding: “I would only wear black tights, not colored tights. And I love color.”

She continued: “I do not mind it now. I placed on my little Always Discreet and go about my business.

To further the conversation around women’s health, Brown has partnered with Always Discreet, a line of pads and disposable panties designed to detect bladder incontinence, postpartum symptoms and more. Brown thought that since she was not naturally shy, “Let me be part of this conversation.”

Most importantly, the actress and media personality hopes that other people is not going to let perimenopausal symptoms, corresponding to a leaky bladder, rob them of their joy in life. While she could also be known for the phrase “It’s your business,” since she entered this stage and encouraged transparency, she has learned that many other women shrink back from normal activities like she once did.

“I want to push these women back to life,” she said.

However, Brown couldn’t cope along with her increasing perimenopausal symptoms without more significant intervention. He confirms that going vegan and going gluten-free also had an impact.

Now with multiple brands under her name, the food influencer became vegan across the age of 38 and has since been open about the numerous health advantages she has experienced, including a discount in perimenopausal symptoms.

“It was significantly better. It still happens, but it’s not like I do not know when it’s going to occur, like I sort of know when it’s going to occur, unlike after I had my son, I didn’t know when it was going to occur. It just began happening,” the mother of two explained.

She said it’s about understanding “how we listen to our bodies.” Our body reacts to various things. When he tells us something, we’ve got to listen to it.

Listen, sister – we want to discuss money.

In particular, we want to have an honest conversation about why so a lot of us leave money on the table during salary negotiations. According to the National Women’s Law Center, Black women earn just 63 cents for each dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men. And while systemic racism and gender discrimination play a major role in this disparity, there may be one other factor we must address: our tendency to underestimate ourselves.

The numbers paint a stark picture. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that Black women are amongst essentially the most educated demographic in America, with college enrollment increasing by 34% between 2009 and 2019. Yet despite our academic achievements, the pay gap persists. Additionally, this gap is costing black women roughly $946,120 over a 40-12 months profession.

It’s not nearly external barriers – it is also about internal barriers. Many of us have internalized the pressure to be glad about opportunities, work twice as hard, and avoid appearing “too demanding.” We have been conditioned to attenuate our achievements and query our price.

But the reality is: standing up for your price is not demanding – it’s crucial.

Do your research.

The path to securing our worth begins with understanding our worth. Before you enter into any negotiations, arm yourself with knowledge. Research industry standards for your role and experience level. Find out in regards to the applicable rates. Understand that the primary number you set on the table sets the tone for your entire negotiation.

Don’t just depend on general salary web sites. Leverage your network of skilled Black women, especially those that are several steps ahead of you in your industry. Join industry groups on LinkedIn and skilled organizations where discussions about compensation are encouraged. The real gold is not in the numbers – it’s in understanding the total scope of what is negotiable, from signing bonuses to equity, from skilled development budgets to flexible working arrangements.

Track your victories.

When it involves actual negotiations, preparation is strength. Create what I call a “brag book” – a running document of your achievements, accomplished projects, and positive feedback. Every time you exceed a goal, solve an issue, or receive praise from colleagues or customers, add it to your collection. These aren’t just feel-good moments; they’re proof of your price.

Turn these wins into tangible negotiating points, quantifying your impact when possible. Have you increased your efficiency? By what percentage? Have you acquired recent customers? What was their value? Have you mentored younger team members as they’ve moved up? These numbers and narratives aren’t just proof of your past performance – they’re predictors of your future value and justify every penny you ask for.

Master the strategic pause.

Treat the negotiation itself as a strategic conversation, not a confrontation. Start with a high amount – much higher than the goal number – because employers often expect negotiations and infrequently have room in their budgets. Guide you with data about market rates and your specific achievements. When you receive a proposal, refrain from responding immediately.

Instead, harness the facility of pause. Please take the time to fastidiously review your entire package. Ask detailed questions on bonus structures, review cycles and advancement opportunities. This is not pretending it’s hard to attain – it’s an exercise in due diligence. A well-timed “I need to review the details” conveys professionalism and reminds them that you just are a beneficial asset making an informed business decision. Remember that fastidiously considering their offer demonstrates your value as a thoughtful and strategic decision maker.

Here’s what it’s really about: each time we accept lower than we’re price, we not only change ourselves – we affect the Black women who come after us. Your salary negotiations create benchmarks for future Black women employees. By defending your price, you defend all of us.

The reality is that self-confidence is not just about how you are feeling; it’s about what you do. Start treating your profession like an investment and negotiate accordingly. The next time you are tempted to simply accept the primary offer or hesitate to counter, remember this: you are not negotiating only for yourself. You negotiate on behalf of each black girl who dreams of following in your footsteps.

Scabies is an itchy skin infection that’s causing epidemics all over the world.

It is brought on by mites, similar to head lice, but much smaller. These mites burrow under the skin, lay eggs and reproduce, triggering an immune response that causes the unpleasant itching related to the disease.

Outbreaks often occur in institutional settings akin to nursing homes for older people. In October 2024, outbreaks around universities in the UK have been reported in the media.

The incubation period for scabies is generally 4 to six weeks. This is the time between infection – the mite getting onto the skin after which under it – until the patient develops symptoms akin to classic unpleasant itching.

So cases reported in October 2024 would have been infected in mid-to-late September, across the time students arrived at universities across the country.

Given this long incubation period, stopping and controlling outbreaks could also be difficult. The condition may also be difficult to diagnose because clinical signs could also be difficult to detect on the skin – for instance between the toes.

Transmission often occurs through prolonged skin-to-skin contact and the sharing of contaminated bedding, towels, clothes and soft furnishings, where the dust mites can wait and crawl onto the subsequent one who uses them. The guidelines recommend wash bedding, clothes and towels at high temperatures to kill dust mites, or if this isn’t possible, seal items in plastic bags for 3 to 4 days.

Stigma and under-reporting

Data from The Royal College of General Practitioners’ report on infectious and respiratory diseases in England for October 2024 shows that the variety of reported cases of scabies is higher than the seasonal average.

These official figures are also likely to be conservative. Like many skin infections, scabies is a stigmatized disease and is due to this fact under-reported or delayed. are common.

There is a belief that scabies is a disease of the “unwashed”. This is probably going be incorrectwhereby the burrowing of scabies signifies that it simply can’t be washed off with a shower. In addition, scabies may appear in areas covered with clothesincluding in the groin or buttocks – another excuse for stigma and underreporting. This signifies that the info we’ve will likely be much lower than the actual variety of cases.

Treatment and prevention

Treatment often involves applying a skin lotion called permethrin or sometimes one other cream called malathion. For creams to be effective, they have to be rubbed everywhere in the body, not only at the location of infection.

Ivermectin, taken by mouth, can be extremely effective in the treatment of scabies and could be prescribed to control outbreaks. Public information campaigns can assist warn the general public and describe possible symptoms.

World Health Organization defines the scope diseases as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). As the name suggests, most of them are found mainly in tropical countries. These include skin infections akin to leprosy and mosquito-borne diseases akin to dengue. However, scabies is exclusive amongst individuals with degenerative diseases in that it’s common in more temperate environments akin to the UK. Dust mites thrive in almost any climate, and the infection persists if not diagnosed and treated properly.

In September 2023, there have been scabies outbreaks and treatment shortages in the UK. It is uncertain whether shortages will occur in October 2024 due to the epidemic. Regardless, anyone who suffers from persistent itching or is exposed to scabies should report it to a health care skilled for follow-up.

Although scabies doesn’t kill many individuals, it’s a thoroughly unpleasant infection that has a big impact on the standard of life. Awareness and early reporting can assist to quickly eliminate the epidemic.