Extremist ex-adviser drives ‘anti-white racism’ plan for Trump win – report
Martin Pengelly in Washington – April 1, 2024
Stephen Miller at the White House, in Washington DC on 15 July 2020.Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The anti-immigration extremist, white nationalist and former Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller is helping drive a plan to tackle supposed “anti-white racism” if Donald Trump returns to power next year, Axios reported.
“Longtime aides and allies … have been laying legal groundwork with a flurry of lawsuits and legal complaints – some of which have been successful,” Axios said on Monday.
Should Trump return to power, Axios said, Miller and other aides plan to “dramatically change the government’s interpretation of civil rights-era laws to focus on ‘anti-white racism’ rather than discrimination against people of colour”.
Such an effort would involve “eliminating or upending” programmes meant to counter racism against non-white groups.
The US supreme court, dominated 6-3 by rightwing justices after Trump installed three, recently boosted such efforts by ruling against race-based affirmative action in college admissions.
America First Legal, a group founded by Miller and described by him as the right’s “long-awaited answer” to the American Civil Liberties Union, is helping drive plans for a second Trump term, Axios said.
In 2021, an AFL suit blocked implementation of a $29bn Covid-era Small Business Administration programme that prioritised helping restaurants owned by women, veterans and people from socially and economically disadvantaged groups.
Miller called that ruling “the first, but crucial, step towards ending government-sponsored racial discrimination”.
Recent AFL lawsuits include one against CBS and Paramount alleging discrimination against a white, straight man who wrote for the show Seal Team, and a civil rights complaint against the NFL over the “Rooney Rule”, which says at least two minority candidates must be interviewed for vacant top positions.
Reports of extremist groups planning for a second Trump presidency are common, not least around Project 2025, a blueprint for transition and legislative priorities prepared by the Heritage Foundation, a hard-right Washington thinktank.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, told Axios: “As President Trump has said, all staff, offices, and initiatives connected to [Joe] Biden’s un-American policy will be immediately terminated.”
Throughout Trump’s term in office, Miller was a close adviser and speechwriter – though one of the 45th president’s less successful TV surrogates, ridiculed for using “spray-on hair”.
Controversies were numerous. Among them were reported advocacy for blowing up migrants with drones (which Miller denied); for sending 250,000 US troops to the southern border; and for beheading an Isis leader, dipping the head in pig’s blood and “parad[ing] it around to warn other terrorists” (Miller denied it and called the source of the story, the former defense secretary Mark Esper, a “moron”).
In 2019, after Miller was discovered to have touted white nationalist articles and books, 55 civil rights groups wrote to Trump, protesting: “Stephen Miller has stoked bigotry, hate and division with his extreme political rhetoric and policies throughout his career. The recent exposure of his deep-seated racism provides further proof that he is unfit to serve and should immediately leave his post.”
On Monday, Cedric Richmond, co-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign, said: “It’s not like Donald Trump has been hiding his racism … [but] he’s making it clear that if he wins in November, he’ll turn his racist record into official government policy … It’s up to us to stop him.”
Despite his legal advocacy in the cause of eradicating “anti-white racism”, Miller is not himself a lawyer.
Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer, recently told the Guardian those close to the former president were now “looking for lawyers who worship Trump and will do his bidding. Trump is looking to Miller to pick people who will be more loyal to Trump than the rule of law.”
What to know about the ‘oat-zempic’ weight loss trend growing on social media
Jessica Mendoza – April 1, 2024
With the use of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro growing in popularity for weight loss, some people are trying to get similar results using a lower-cost and easily accessible option, dry oats.
Experts say this trend does not mimic the way these drugs used for weight loss work and could have negative health impacts.
Anita Soth of California told “Good Morning America” she decided to try a meal replacement drink known as “oat-zempic” in order to lose weight for an upcoming trip.
“I’ve been struggling with my weight loss journey for a little while,” Soth said. “I have a trip in a couple weeks so I needed to lose a little extra pounds, so I just said, ‘I’m going to give it a try.'”
Soth told “GMA” she lost around four pounds in several days by following the “oat-zempic” routine along with intermittent fasting, or time-restricted feeding, where you limit the times during which you eat, typically only in an eight-hour time period.
The meal replacement drink known as “oat-zempic” is made by blending a mix of oats, lime and water with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
PHOTO: A video shared by TikTok user @withlove.renita shows her making an ‘oat-zempic’ meal replacement drink. (@withlove.renita/TikTok)
Brandy Frasier, a mom of three, told “GMA” she has found that combining the drink with low-calorie, high-protein meals each day has helped get her closer to her goal weight.
“I needed a pick-me-up because often when losing weight, it’s very slow. And when you don’t see progress on the scale, you get discouraged,” Frasier said, adding that the weight loss she’s seen has given her “energy back.” “And I’m able to walk longer, my knees are not hurting as much. So hopefully that all will continue.”
Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy and other drugs used for weight loss can cost more than $1,000 a month without insurance coverage.
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe the medication “off-label” for weight loss, as is permissible by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
PHOTO: An Ozempic injection pen is seen on a kitchen table, Aug. 6, 2023, in Riga, Latvia. (Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE)
Wegovy, a medication that contains the same main ingredient as Ozempic, semaglutide, is FDA-approved for weight loss.
In November, the FDA approved Zepbound as a weight loss management treatment for people with obesity, or those who are overweight with at least one related underlying condition, such as high blood pressure — the same prescribing guidance as Wegovy. As a diabetes drug, Zepbound is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, as the two medications contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide.
The medications work by slowing down movement of food through the stomach and curbing appetite, which can lead to weight loss.
Side effects of the drugs can include severe nausea and constipation.
When it comes to “oat-zempic” as a substitution for a medication like Ozempic, Maya Feller, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, said people should not be confused.
“It absolutely does not mimic what Ozempic gives you,” Feller said Monday on ‘GMA.” “This is a drink based in oats, water, a squeeze of lime juice and perhaps a dash of cinnamon. It is not a medication and it does not mimic Ozempic.”
Feller noted that oats have important nutritional benefits, but she said, as a whole, the ingredients in the “oat-zempic” drink do not have all the nutritional benefits of a meal.
Feller said that people should seek the advice of a healthcare provider before starting a meal replacement drink to lose weight.
“If you’re looking for a meal replacement, it needs to be done under clear medical supervision,” she said. “I would not use this because you’re not going to get all the nutrients that your body needs. You’re essentially starving your cells of what they want so they can function optimally. It’s simply not worth it.”
Feller also said she encourages people to think of their “why” when it comes to losing weight and avoid following a crash diet to quickly lose pounds.
“I understand that folks out there really want to engage in weight loss. I get it,” Feller said. “But we have to be thoughtful about how we do it and not go to the extreme.”
We took Ozempic thinking we’d lose weight — we didn’t, and here’s why
Alex Mitchell – April 1, 2024
Turns out drugs like Ozempic may not be the wonder cure many praised them to be for weight loss.
Here’s a sad jab of the truth.
More evidence is coming out that pricey semaglutides like Ozempic and Wegovy — diabetes medications lauded for secondary weight loss capabilities through appetite suppression — aren’t necessarily helping as many people shed pounds as previously thought.
“There was appetite suppression the first 1½ months but it’s kind of just fallen off after that,” Nashville, Tennessee, resident Melissa Traeger, 40, told the Wall Street Journal regarding her lack of success on the medication type, also known as GLP-1s.
At first, the 300-pound Traeger quickly dropped 10 pounds, but the next five came more stagnantly — and then she said no more weight was lost.
Another man, Anthony Esposito, 68, of Austin, Texas, saw no success on either Ozempic or Wegovy, just feelings of sickness while he took them.
“It did not budge the needle,” he said.
Traeger and Esposito are among many frustrated users, according to the Journal, which also cited a trial that showed only about 14% of patients cut more than 5% of bodyweight, while only one-third lost 10% of it.
Another report published on Epic Research saw that 17.7% of semaglutide users regained all of their weight — if not more — upon stopping.
Ozempic apparently isn’t helping as many people as typically thought. Wild Awake – stock.adobe.com
Doctors have also observed many “non-responders” — about 10% to 15% of people who lose 5% or less of their body weight.
“There’s going to be extreme variability in how people respond,” Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, an obesity-medicine physician at UC San Diego Health, told the Journal.
Grunvald added that issues of weight gain may go beyond something in hormones that the drugs imitate to regulate appetite. He also said that peoples’ other medical issues may play a factor, such as how those with Type 2 diabetes typically lose less than those without the disease.
The doctor added that prior exercise and eating habits before starting the drugs are also highly influential factors.
Those who have made healthy lifestyle changes and already lost weight likely don’t get that much added bonus from the medications.
People who have struggled with obesity for a lifetime may additionally have a genetic mutation that prevents the drugs’ potency, according to Dr. Steven Heymsfield of Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Some patients on drugs like Ozempic aren’t losing weight. myskin – stock.adobe.comDrugs like Ozempic reportedly aren’t showing be-all, end-all impacts on patients’ lives. Natalia – stock.adobe.com
He added that those who can metabolize drugs quickly also might not see much out of them in this case.
Taking other medications as well, especially antipsychotics or antidepressants, can be associated with weight gain as a side effect.
“You could have some other drug interactions that prevent the effect of the GLP-1 drugs from working,” Heymsfield told the Journal.
5 Sneaky Signs You Have Insulin Resistance, According to Dietitians
Allison Knott, MS, RDN, CSSD – April 1, 2024
Some of the symptoms on this list are easy to miss.
Getty Images
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
Four out of 10 adults between the ages of 18 and 44 have an often-overlooked health condition that can lead to type 2 diabetes, according to research published in 2022 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism: Insulin resistance.
When you have insulin resistance, your body doesn’t respond effectively to insulin, a hormone that pushes blood glucose into your cells where it can be used for energy, says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Because of this, the body demands more insulin to help the cells absorb glucose. “This leads to higher levels of both insulin and glucose in the bloodstream,” says Emily Cornelius, RD, a registered dietitian and insulin resistance expert. “Over time, this can lead to various health complications like prediabetes and type 2 diabetes,” she explains.
The catch? Insulin resistance often doesn’t have any signs or symptoms. This can make it difficult to identify before it progresses to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. But the good news is that insulin resistance can be managed and even reversed when addressed early. That’s why paying attention to the signs of this condition—many of which are sneaky—is so important. Here’s what you need to know.
Changes to the skin are one of the lesser-known signs of insulin resistance. In some people, insulin resistance can lead to the development of skin tags or acanthosis nigricans (dark patches of skin on the neck or under the armpits), both of which are thought to be related to excess insulin production, according to the NIDDK. If you have questions about your skin, talk to a dermatologist.
2. You May Have Gained Weight
Weight gain may be a sign of insulin resistance, particularly if you have excess abdominal fat called visceral fat, according to the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2019. Weight gain alone puts you at risk for developing insulin resistance, but insulin resistance itself can also lead to weight gain resulting in a cycle that can progress over time. That said, it doesn’t have to be a large amount of weight gain, either. Data in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2022 found that half of adults with insulin resistance did not have weights that were considered obese.
3. You Experience Brain Fog
Being insulin resistant means that glucose isn’t as readily available to provide energy for cells, including those in the brain. Because of this, you may feel what’s commonly referred to as “brain fog.” Research suggests that people who have insulin resistance may have worse cognitive performance compared to those who don’t have the condition, found a study in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practicein 2020. Insulin resistance may impair important brain processes that affect mental clarity.
4. You’re Always Hungry
Hunger is influenced by a combination of hormones, one being insulin. With insulin resistance, you may experience frequent hunger. Why? Insulin resistance causes high blood sugar, a symptom of which is increased hunger.
Because the cells don’t get the energy they need from glucose, you may also feel fatigued. It’s important to note that many other health conditions can affect energy levels. Be sure to talk to your doctor about persistent fatigue.
How Is Insulin Resistance Diagnosed?
Many of the tests to diagnose insulin resistance are time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, they’re often only used in research studies and not in medical offices, according to the NIDDK. Prediabetes is a condition that is diagnosed, which is done through blood testing like a fasting plasma glucose test or A1C test. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that having a combination of high blood sugar, high triglycerides, high “bad” LDL cholesterol and low “good” HDL cholesterol can alert you to the fact that you probably have insulin resistance.
Strategies to Improve and Prevent Insulin Resistance
Balance Meals
The foods you eat have a significant effect on blood glucose and can help to stabilize levels throughout the day. “When working on reversing insulin resistance, it’s critical to look at it from a holistic perspective, but the diet plays a foundational role,” says Cornelius. “Eating a balanced diet that includes protein, fat and fiber helps to lessen spikes during meals,” she says.
Focus on Minimally Processed Foods
Many processed foods—fast food, packaged desserts, snack mixes, sodas, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and more—are rich in saturated fat or sugar or both, and are calorically dense, making them easy to overeat, something that can lead to weight gain and the development of visceral fat.
“Prioritizing whole-nutrient dense foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins along with controlling portion sizes and consistent and spaced meal timings can help improve insulin sensitivity,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Cari Riker. Eating this way can also help with weight management.
Don’t Fear Carbohydrates
Fiber-rich carbs are the way to go. “Carbohydrates often get a bad reputation when it comes to blood sugar discussions; however, fiber is a type of carb that doesn’t get fully digested and absorbed. So its impact on your blood sugar levels is significantly different than that of added sugars,” says registered dietitian Alyssa Pacheco. Choose high-fiber foods often as part of a balanced diet. Foods like whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds can all contribute to the recommended 25 to 38 grams of daily fiber.
Eat Magnesium-Rich Foods
Foods that are a good source of fiber are also often a good source of magnesium, a nutrient that plays a critical role in glucose metabolism. “Magnesium is another nutrient to make sure you’re getting enough of, since a deficiency can worsen insulin resistance. Good food sources of magnesium include beans, spinach, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews and avocados,” says Pacheco.
Fit in Physical Activity
It’s time to get on the move. “Another important strategy is moving your body throughout the day, since it lowers blood sugar,” says Cornelius. Physical activity improves insulin sensitivity, according to the American Diabetes Association, helping to manage or reverse insulin resistance. Find an activity you enjoy and do it regularly to combat insulin resistance.
According to the CDC, no single test can determine if you have insulin resistance. Having health conditions like high blood sugar levels, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol and high triglycerides may indicate insulin resistance.
What is the main cause of insulin resistance?
A family history of type 2 diabetes, being overweight or having obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can all increase the risk of developing insulin resistance.
How do you fix insulin resistance?
Strategies like increasing activity, weight loss, a healthy diet, improving sleep quality and reducing stress can all help improve insulin resistance.
The Bottom Line
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is essential for longevity and the prevention of chronic disease. Regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet can help with preventing insulin resistance, but because many other factors are at play in the development of this condition, it’s equally as important to know the signs and symptoms for early detection. If you suspect you have insulin resistance, reach out to your doctor or registered dietitian to help you develop a plan to manage or reverse it over time.
Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms affect most people from time to time. The gastrointestinal tract is the body’s digestive system. Common GI symptoms include bloating, indigestion, and heartburn. Other symptoms that may indicate a health problem may include sudden abdominal pain, constant diarrhea, and bloody stool.
This article discusses serious GI symptoms that should never be ignored, their possible causes, and what to do about them.
Kate Wieser / Getty Images
Stomach Cramps
Stomach cramps are a common GI symptom that often feels like a dull, aching pain. The discomfort may be constant or come and go. Common causes of stomach cramps include constipation, gas, diarrhea, a virus, hormonal medication, a menstrual period, pregnancy, and ovulation.
Kidney stones: hard deposits that may become lodged in the urinary tract or ureter
Diverticulitis: occurs when small sacs or pouches in the colon become inflamed and cause pain and cramping
Appendicitis: an inflammation of the appendix that causes significant abdominal pain and cramping
Pancreatitis: an inflammation of the pancreas that causes abdominal pain, cramping, and vomiting
Endometriosis: when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus and causes significant pain and cramping during the menstrual cycle
Swollen Belly
If you notice a swollen belly, it is likely due to bloating. Common causes of bloating are gas, indigestion, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), IBS, or lactose intolerance, which causes bloating, gas, and diarrhea after ingesting lactose (dairy products).
Serious causes of a swollen belly include:
IBD
Ascites: a buildup of fluid in the abdomen caused by chronic liver disease
Gallstones
Pancreatitis
Ovarian cyst: a fluid-filled sac on or in the ovary that causes abdominal pain and swelling
Bloody vomit indicates bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract. Never ignore bloody vomit because the cause of the bleeding requires treatment. Possible causes of bloody vomit include:
Bleeding ulcer: a sore on the lining of the stomach or small intestine that may bleed and cause vomiting
Chronic pancreatitis: may lead to bleeding in the upper part of the GI tract
Tumor: a tumor in the GI tract may irritate the tissues and cause bleeding
Traumatic injury: an injury to the abdominal area that may lead to internal bleeding (see a healthcare provider immediately if this happens)
Blood in the stool or urine means you are bleeding somewhere in your lower GI or urinary tract. A small amount of bright red blood with straining may indicate hemorrhoids. Serious causes of bloody stool may include:
Anal fissure: a small tear in the lining of the rectum that causes drops of red blood when you wipe after using the bathroom
Diverticulitis: a condition that can lead to diverticular bleeding
Infectious colitis: an infection in the colon that causes inflammation and bleeding
Colon polyps: growths on the lining of the colon and rectum that may become irritated and start bleeding
Colorectal cancer: cancer of the colon or rectum in which cancerous growths may cause bleeding
A small amount of blood in the urine after a procedure on the bladder or urinary tract is common. For example, you may experience a small amount of bleeding after having a catheter. People who menstruate may notice blood in their urine caused by their menstrual period. Serious causes of bloody urine may include:
Sexually transmitted infections (STI): Blood in the urine is a possible sign of chlamydia or gonorrhea
Bladder or kidney cancer: the cancerous growth may cause irritation and bleeding
Sickle cell disease: an inherited red blood cell disorder that causes pain and bleeding
Pain in the Upper Stomach
Pain in the upper area of your stomach may indicate indigestion or heartburn. Sudden upper abdominal pain may indicate a problem with the organs located in that area. The stomach, pancreas, spleen, liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts are in the upper abdomen. Serious causes of upper stomach pain may include:
Splenomegaly: an enlarged spleen may cause upper abdominal pain
Gallstones
Cholecystitis: an inflammation of the gallbladder that often causes nausea and upper abdominal pain
Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver is usually caused by an infection; one sign of hepatitis is upper abdominal pain
Cancer: cancer of the stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts may cause pain
Lower Right Abdominal Pain
Pain in the lower abdominal area may indicate constipation, diarrhea, or menstrual cramps. If you notice pain localized in the right side of the lower abdomen, it may be your appendix. Lower right quadrant pain could mean inflammation in your appendix (appendicitis). Rarely, it could indicate appendix cancer.
Constantly Feeling Full
Feeling full without eating or after eating only a small amount is not normal. Temporary causes of feeling very full could be eating habits, indigestion, or constipation. More serious causes of constantly feeling full may include:
Gastroparesis: a disorder that causes the stomach to empty slowly
Gastritis: an inflammation of the stomach lining that may cause you to feel full
Pancreatitis
Black Stool
Black stool usually means that there is bleeding in the digestive tract. Certain foods and supplements, such as blueberries or iron supplements, can make stool appear darker. Black stool could mean esophagus, stomach, or small intestine bleeding. It may also mean that you have a bleeding ulcer.
Sudden Pulsing Pain
It is possible to feel a pulsing sensation in the abdomen because of a large blood vessel called the abdominal aorta. You may feel the abdominal aorta pulse when there is more blood flow due to pregnancy, eating, or positioning (lying down). An abdominal aortic aneurysm could cause sudden pulsing pain in the abdomen.
Strong Hunger Pangs
It is normal to feel hunger pangs when you have gone a long time without eating. Hunger is your body’s way of communicating that it is time to eat. Common causes of hunger pangs include hunger, dehydration, and constipation. Serious causes of intense hunger pangs may include:
IBS
Peptic ulcer
Anxiety: causes physical symptoms, including stomach discomfort and intestinal spasms that may feel like hunger pangs
Medications: including antidepressants, antipsychotics, diabetes medications, steroids, and anticonvulsants (seizure medications), which can cause hunger and weight gain
Constant Diarrhea
Most people experience diarrhea or loose stools from time to time. If you have been experiencing constant or chronic diarrhea, see a healthcare provider. The types of diarrhea that may indicate a health problem include:
Watery: may be caused by an infection, food poisoning, or IBS
Inflammatory: occurs when the colon is inflamed from infection, IBD, diverticulitis, or cancer
Bloody: indicates inflammation or colon cancer
Summary
Gastrointestinal symptoms are common and often include heartburn, indigestion, bloating, and cramping. Other GI symptoms are more serious and may indicate a health problem. If you ever experience bleeding with vomiting, urinating, or releasing stool, see a healthcare provider. Seek medical attention if you notice sudden abdominal pain that does not improve.
The pandemic played a role in increased consumption, but alcohol use among people 65 and older was climbing even before 2020. (Luisa Jung/The New York Times)
The phone awakened Doug Nordman at 3 a.m. A surgeon was calling from a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, where Nordman’s father had arrived at the emergency room, incoherent and in pain, and then lost consciousness.
At first, the staff had thought he was suffering a heart attack, but a CT scan found that part of his small intestine had been perforated. A surgical team repaired the hole, saving his life, but the surgeon had some questions.
“Was your father an alcoholic?” he asked. The doctors had found Dean Nordman malnourished, his peritoneal cavity “awash with alcohol.”
Doug Nordman, a military personal finance author living in Oahu, Hawaii, explained that his 77-year-old dad had long been a classic social drinker: a scotch and water with his wife before dinner, which got topped off during dinner, then another after dinner, and perhaps a nightcap.
Having three to four drinks daily exceeds current dietary guidelines, which define moderate consumption as two drinks a day for men and one for women, or less. But “that was the normal drinking culture of the time,” Doug Nordman, now 63, said.
At the time of his hospitalization, though, Dean Nordman, a retired electrical engineer, was widowed, living alone and developing symptoms of dementia. He got lost while driving, struggled with household chores and complained of a “slipping memory.”
He had waved off his two sons’ offers of help, saying he was fine. During that hospitalization, however, Doug Nordman found hardly any food in his father’s apartment. Worse, reviewing his father’s credit card statements, “I saw recurring charges from the Liquor Barn and realized he was drinking a pint of scotch a day,” he said.
Public health officials are increasingly alarmed by older Americans’ drinking. The annual number of alcohol-related deaths from 2020 through 2021 exceeded 178,000, according to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is more deaths than from all drug overdoses combined.
An analysis by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows that people over 65 accounted for 38% of that total. From 1999 to 2020, the 237% increase in alcohol-related deaths among those over age 55 was higher than for any age group except 25- to 34-year-olds.
Americans largely fail to recognize the hazards of alcohol, said George Koob, director of the institute. “Alcohol is a social lubricant when used within the guidelines, but I don’t think they realize that as the dose increases it becomes a toxin,” he said. “And the older population is even less likely to recognize that.”
The growing number of older people accounts for much of the increase in deaths, Koob said. An aging population foreshadows a continuing surge that worries health care providers and elder advocates, even if older people’s drinking behavior doesn’t change.
But it has been changing. The proportions of people over 65 who report using alcohol in the past year (about 56%) and the past month (about 43%) are lower than for all other groups of adults. But older drinkers are markedly more likely to do it frequently, 20 or more days a month, than younger ones.
Moreover, a 2018 meta-analysis found that binge drinking (defined as four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, five or more for men) had climbed nearly 40% among older Americans over the past 10 to 15 years.
What’s going on here?
The pandemic has clearly played a role. The CDC reported that deaths attributable directly to alcohol use, emergency room visits associated with alcohol, and alcohol sales per capita all rose from 2019 to 2020, as COVID-19 arrived and restrictions took hold.
“A lot of stressors impacted us: the isolation, the worries about getting sick,” Koob said. “They point to people drinking more to cope with that stress.”
Researchers also cite a cohort effect. Compared with those before and after them, “the boomers are a substance-using generation,” said Keith Humphreys, a psychologist and addiction researcher at Stanford. And they’re not abandoning their youthful behavior, he said.
Studies show a narrowing gender divide, too. “Women have been the drivers of change in this age group,” Humphreys said.
From 1997 to 2014, drinking rose an average of 0.7% a year for men over 60, while their binge drinking remained stable. Among older women, drinking climbed by 1.6% annually, with binge drinking up 3.7%.
“Contrary to stereotypes, upper-middle-class, educated people have higher rates of drinking,” Humphreys explained. In recent decades, as women grew more educated, they entered workplaces where drinking was normative; they also had more disposable income. “The women retiring now are more likely to drink than their mothers and grandmothers,” he said.
Yet alcohol use packs a greater wallop for older people, especially for women, who become intoxicated more quickly than men because they’re smaller and have fewer of the gut enzymes that metabolize alcohol.
Seniors may argue that they are merely drinking the way they always have, but “equivalent amounts of alcohol have much more disastrous consequences for older adults,” whose bodies cannot process it as quickly, said Dr. David Oslin, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia.
“It causes slower thinking, slower reaction time and less cognitive capacity when you’re older,” he said, ticking off the risks.
Long associated with liver diseases, alcohol also “exacerbates cardiovascular disease, renal disease and, if you’ve been drinking for many years, there’s an increase in certain kinds of cancers,” he said. Drinking contributes to falls, a major cause of injury as people age, and disrupts sleep.
Older adults also take a lot of prescription drugs, and alcohol interacts with a long list of them. These interactions can be particularly common with pain medications and sleep aids like benzodiazepines, sometimes causing oversedation. In other cases, alcohol can reduce a drug’s effectiveness.
Oslin cautions that while many prescription bottles carry labels that warn against using those drugs with alcohol, patients may shrug that off, explaining that they take their pills in the morning and don’t drink until evening.
“Those medications are in your system all day long, so when you drink, there’s still that interaction,” he tells them.
One proposal for combating alcohol misuse among older people is to raise the federal tax on alcohol, for the first time in decades.
“Alcohol consumption is price-sensitive, and it’s pretty cheap right now relative to income,” Humphreys said.
Resisting industry lobbying and making alcohol more expensive, the way higher taxes have made cigarettes more expensive, could reduce use.
So could eliminating barriers to treatment.
Treatments for excessive alcohol use, including psychotherapy and medications, are no less effective for older patients, Oslin said. In fact, “age is actually the best predictor of a positive response,” he said, adding that “treatment doesn’t necessarily mean you have to become abstinent. We work with people to moderate their drinking.”
But the 2008 federal law requiring health insurers to provide parity — meaning the same coverage for mental health, including substance use disorders, as for other medical conditions — doesn’t apply to Medicare. Several policy and advocacy groups are working to eliminate such disparities.
Dean Nordman never sought treatment for his drinking, but after his emergency surgery, his sons moved him into a nursing home, where antidepressants and a lack of access to alcohol improved his mood and his sociability. He died in the facility’s memory care unit in 2017.
Doug Nordman, whom his father had introduced to beer at 13, had been a heavy drinker himself, he said, “to the point of blackout” as a college student, and a social drinker thereafter.
But as he watched his father decline, “I realized this was ridiculous,” he recalled. Alcohol can exacerbate the progression of cognitive decline, and he had a family history.
He has remained sober since that pre-dawn phone call 13 years ago.
They came for Florida’s sun and sand. They got soaring costs and a culture war.
Shannon Pettypiece – March 31, 2024
One of the first signs Barb Carter’s move to Florida wasn’t the postcard life she’d envisioned was the armadillo infestation in her home that caused $9,000 in damages. Then came a hurricane, ever present feuding over politics, and an inability to find a doctor to remove a tumor from her liver.
After a year in the Sunshine State, Carter packed her car with whatever belongings she could fit and headed back to her home state of Kansas — selling her Florida home at a $40,000 loss and leaving behind the children and grandchildren she’d moved to be closer to.
“So many people ask, ‘Why would you move back to Kansas?’ I tell them all the same thing — you’ve got to take your vacation goggles off,” Carter said. “For me, it was very falsely promoted. Once living there, I thought, you know, this isn’t all you guys have cracked this up to be, at all.”
Florida has had a population boom over the past several years, with more than 700,000 people moving there in 2022, and it was the second-fastest-growing state as of July 2023, according to Census Bureau data. While there are some indications that migration to the state has slowed from its pandemic highs, only Texas saw more one-way U-Haul moves into the state than Florida last year. Mortgage application data indicated there were nearly two homebuyers moving to Florida in 2023 for every one leaving, according to data analytics firm CoreLogic.
But while hundreds of thousands of new residents have flocked to the state on the promise of beautiful weather, no income tax and lower costs, nearly 500,000 left in 2022, according to the most recent census data. Contributing to their move was a perfect storm of soaring insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather, according to interviews with more than a dozen recent transplants and longtime residents who left the state in the past two years.
A demonstrator holds a placard reading
“It wasn’t the utopia on any level that I thought it would be,” said Jodi Cummings, who moved to Florida from Connecticut in 2021. “I thought Florida would be an easier lifestyle, I thought the pace would be a little bit quieter, I thought it would be warmer. I didn’t expect it to be literally 100 degrees at night. It was incredibly difficult to make friends, and it was expensive, very expensive.”
Cummings expected she’d have extra money in her paycheck working as a private chef in the Palm Beach area since the state doesn’t have an income tax. But the high costs of car insurance, rent and food cut into that additional take-home pay. After six months of dealing with South Florida’s heat and traffic, she began planning a move back to the Northeast.
“I had been so disenchanted with Florida so quickly,” Cummings said. “There was this feeling of confusion and guilt about wanting to leave, of moving there then realizing this is not anything like I thought it would be.”
A window air conditioning unit during a heat wave in Miami (Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While costs have been rising across the country, some areas of Florida have been hit particularly hard. In the South Florida region, which includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, consumer prices in February were up nearly 5% over the prior year, compared to 3.2% nationally, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Homeowners insurance rates in Florida rose 42% last year to an average of $6,000 annually, driven by hurricanes and climate change, and car insurance in Florida is more than 50% higher than the national average, according to the Insurance Information Institute. While once seen as an affordable housing market, Florida is now among the more expensive states to buy a home in, with prices up 60% since 2020 to an average of $388,500, according to Zillow.
For Carter, who made the move in 2022 from Kansas to a suburb of Orlando for the weather, beaches and to be closer to her grandchildren, the costs began to quickly pile up. She purchased a manufactured home and initially expected the lot rent in her community to be $580 a month. But when she arrived she learned her monthly bill was actually $750, and by the time she left it had jumped to $875 a month. Along with the $9,000 in repairs from the armadillos, her car insurance doubled and Hurricane Ian destroyed her home’s roof on her 62nd birthday.
A aerial view of a man wading through a flooded street. (Bryan R. Smith / AFP via Getty Images)
There were also the ever-present conversations and disagreements over politics that started to wear on her. Carter, who describes herself as a “middle of the road” Republican, said she learned to keep her opinions to herself.
“You cannot engage in a conversation there without politics coming up, it is just crazy. We’re retired, we’re supposed to be in our fun time of life,” she said. “I learned quickly, just keep your mouth shut, because I saw people in my own community break up their friendships over it. I don’t like losing friends, and especially over politics.”
A supporter of President Joe Biden faces supporters of Donald Trump outside of the courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., where Trump attended a hearing in his classified records case on March 14. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
But she said the final straw was when she couldn’t find a surgeon to remove a 6-inch tumor from her liver that doctors warned could burst at any moment and lead to life-threatening sepsis. After being passed among doctors, she finally found one willing to remove the tumor. But when she called to schedule the surgery, her calls went unanswered and her messages weren’t returned. After months of trying and fearing for her life, she returned to Kansas to have the procedure done.
“It just seemed like one challenge after another, but I kept with it until there was literally a lifesaving event that I needed to get handled and I wasn’t able to do it there,” she said. “I think it was the most difficult year of my life.”
No state has had more residents relocate to Florida in recent years than New York, with 90,000 New Yorkers moving there in 2022, according to census data. Among all out-of-state mortgage applicants, nearly 9% were from New York in 2023, slightly lower than the previous two years but similar to 2019, according to CoreLogic. One of those New York transplants was Louis Rotkowitz. He lasted less than two years in Florida.
“Like every good New Yorker, this is where you want to go,” he said by phone while driving the last of his belongings out of the state to his new home in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It’s a complete fallacy.”
After years working in emergency medicine, and nearly dying from a Covid-19 infection he contracted at work, Rotkowitz said he and his wife were looking for a more pleasant, affordable lifestyle and warmer weather when they decided to buy a house in the West Palm Beach area in 2022. He got a job there as a primary care physician and his wife took a teaching position.
But he said he quickly found the Florida he’d moved to wasn’t the one he’d experienced on regular visits there over the years. His commute to work often took more than an hour each way, he struggled to get basic services like a dishwasher repair, and the cost of his homeowners association fees doubled.
“I had a good salary, but we were barely making ends meet. We had zero quality of life,” said Rotkowitz.
Along with the rising costs, Rotkowitz said he generally felt unsafe in the state between the erratic traffic — which resulted in a number of his patients being injured by vehicles — and a state law passed in 2023 that allowed people to carry a concealed weapon without a license.
A handgun is inventoried at store that sells guns in Delray Beach (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)
“Everyone is walking around with guns there,” he said. “I consider myself a conservative guy, but if you want to carry a gun you should be licensed, there should be some sort of process.”
Veronica Blaski, who moved to Florida from Connecticut, said rising costs drove her out of the state after less than three years. When at the start of the pandemic her husband was offered a job in Florida making more money as a manager for a landscaping company, Blaski envisioned warm weather and a more comfortable lifestyle.
The couple, both in their 40s, sold their home in Connecticut and were starting to settle into their new community when Blaski said they were hit with a “bulldozer” of costs at the start of 2023.
Her homeowners insurance company threatened to drop her coverage if she didn’t replace her home’s 9-year-old roof, a $16,000 to $30,000 project, and even with a new roof, she was expecting her home insurance rates to double — one neighbor saw their insurance go from $600 a month to $1,200 a month.
She was also facing rising property taxes as the value of her home increased, her homeowners association fees went from $326 a month to $480, and her insurance agent warned that her car insurance would likely double when it was time to renew her policy. Her husband had to get a second job on weekends to cover the higher costs.
While Florida has an unemployment rate below the national average, Blaski and others said wages weren’t enough to keep up with their expenses. The median salary in Florida is among the lowest in the country, according to payroll processor ADP. To afford a home in one of Florida’s more affordable metro areas, like Jacksonville, a homebuyer would need to earn $109,000 a year, around twice as much income as a buyer would have needed just four years ago, according to an analysis by Zillow.
“My little part-time job making $600, $700 a month went to paying either car insurance or homeowners insurance, and forget about groceries,” said Blaski, who was working in retail. “There are all these hidden things that people don’t know about. Make sure you have extra money saved somewhere because you will need it.”
A woman looks at bottle of juice. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)
When her husband’s former boss in Connecticut reached out to see if he’d be willing to return, the couple leaped at the chance.
The reverse migration out of Florida isn’t just among newcomers, but also among longtime residents who said they can no longer afford to live there and are uncomfortable with the state’s increasingly conservative policies, which in recent years have included a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a ban on transgender care for minors, state interventions in how race, slavery and sexuality are taught in schools, and a six-week ban on abortions.
After more than three decades in the Tampa Bay area, Donna Smith left the state for Pennsylvania in December, with politics and rising insurance costs playing a major role in her decision to leave.
“It breaks my heart, it really does, because Florida was really a pretty great place when I first moved there,” Smith said.
Having grown up in Oklahoma, Smith considered herself a Republican, but as Florida’s politics shifted to the right, she said she began to consider herself a Democrat. It wasn’t until the past several years, though, that politics started to encroach on her daily life — from feuds between neighbors and friends to neo-Nazis showing up at a Black Lives Matter rally in her small town.
“When I first moved to Florida, it was a live-and-let-live sort of beach feel. You met people from all over, everybody was relaxed. That’s just gone now, and it’s shocking. It’s just gone,” said Smith, 61, who works as a graphic designer and illustrator. “Instead, it’s just a constant stressful atmosphere. I feel as though it could ignite at any point, and I’m not a fearmonger. It’s just the atmosphere, the feeling there.”
She was already considering a move out of the state when she was told by her homeowners insurance company that she would need to replace her home’s roof because it was older than four years or her insurance premium would be going up to $12,000 a year from $3,600, which was already double what she had been paying. Even with a new roof, she was told her premium would be $6,900 a year. Before she could make a decision about what to do, her insurance policy was canceled.
Shortly after, Smith ended up moving to the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area, where she is closer to her adult children. While the majority of voters in her new county chose Donald Trump in the last election, she said politics is no longer such a heavy presence in her everyday life.
“I don’t feel it is as oppressive. People don’t wear it on their sleeve like they did in Florida,” she said. “When you walk in a room, you don’t overhear a conversation all the time where people are saying ‘Trump is the best’ or ‘I went to that last rally,’ and they’re telling total strangers while you’re just waiting for your car or something. It was just everywhere.”
A supporter of Donald Trump wears a Trump bust jewelry. (Chandan Khanna / AFP – Getty Images)
Costs and politics were also enough to cause Noelle Schmitz to leave the state after more than 30 years, despite her son having a year left in high school, and relocate to Winchester, Virginia. She said the politics became ever-present in her daily life — one former neighbor had a massive Trump banner in front of their house for years, and another had Trump written in big letters across their yard. When she put out a Hillary Clinton sign in 2016, it was stolen and her house was egged.
“I saw my neighbors and co-workers become more radicalized, more aggressive and more angry about politics. I’m thinking, where is this coming from? These are not the people I remember,” Schmitz said. “I was finally like, we need to get the hell out of here, things are not going well.”
For some Florida newcomers though, politics is the main draw to the state, said John Desautels, who has sold real estate in Florida for decades. While politics never used to be a topic for homebuyers, Desautels said it is now a regular subject his clients bring up. Rather than asking about schools or amenities in a community, prospective buyers are asking him about the political affiliations of a certain neighborhood.
“One of the first things they say is, ‘I don’t want to be in one of them X or Y political party neighborhoods,’” Desautels said. “I spend hours listening to people vent to me about fleeing the communist government of XYZ and they want to come to freedom or whatever. So the politics have been the biggest issue when we get the call.”
Even home showings have become a politically sensitive issue. He recalled showing an elderly woman one property where there were Confederate flags at the gate and swastikas on the fish tank.
But while politics are a lure to people arriving in the state, he said they’re also among the reasons sellers tell him they’re leaving, and the state’s politics have deterred some of his gay or nonwhite clients from moving there.
“The problem is, when we alienate protected classes, it sounds like a good sound bite, but you’ve got to remember those are people who spend money in our community,” he said. “For this pro-business, free state, I’m feeling it in the wallet, bad.”
In Kansas, Carter says it’s good to be home. She moved into a 55-plus community in a small town about 10 miles from Wichita. While in Florida she was paying nearly $900 in lot rent for her manufactured home, she now pays just $520 in rent for a cottage-style apartment — a place she estimates would have cost her $1,800 a month in Florida.
With the money she’s saving in Kansas, she can afford to visit Florida.
“People call me the modern-day Dorothy,” she said. “There’s no place like home.”
An aerial view of a vehicle driving along a flooded street. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)
PCOS symptoms are still difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat. Here’s why
Caroline Hopkins – March 31, 2024
Every morning, Jeni Gutke swallows 12 pills. In the evening, she takes 15 more, then another before bed. She also takes an injectable medication once weekly, and two other medications as needed.
Gutke, of Joliet, Illinois, has polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, and the medications and supplements help the 45-year-old cope with migraines, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, anxiety and depression that come with the complex hormonal condition.
Not one of Gutke’s medications are technically “PCOS drugs.”
portrait (Courtesy Jeni Gutke)
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved a medication specifically for PCOS, which is often linked to infertility, irregular or missed periods, weight problems, and other debilitating symptoms. Gutke’s array of medications is typical of how many of the estimated 5 million women in the U.S. diagnosed with PCOS deal with it.
“It’s such a vast syndrome that affects everything from your head to your toes,” she said. She was diagnosed with endometrial cancer — another risk linked to PCOS — at age 37.
After nearly a century of disagreements over what, exactly, defines the condition, as well as a lack of research, PCOS is still poorly understood. The symptoms vary so widely that any single drug would be unlikely to help all patients, said Dr. Heather Huddleston, a reproductive endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco and director of UCSF’s PCOS Clinic.
Women with PCOS and the doctors who care for them say they want better options — treatments for the condition’s root causes rather than bandages for individual symptoms. Even as calls for better treatments grow, the lack of investment in PCOS research has limited doctors’ ability to help their patients.
“It gets very messy to try to identify one treatment that’s going to work for everybody,” Huddleston said.
Many women with the condition end up taking off-label prescriptions — meaning drugs technically approved for other conditions, like diabetes or obesity — to help PCOS-related symptoms. Navigating insurance coverage for off-label prescriptions can be challenging.
“There’s no magic pill,” said Tallene Hacatoryan, 31, a registered dietician from Orange County, California. “There are too many components for there to be a one-size-fits-all treatment.”
Hacatoryan was diagnosed with PCOS at age 18 and now works as a diet and lifestyle coach for women with PCOS.
Although research is murky when it comes to the best diet for women with PCOS, the most up-to-date international guidelines recommend exercise and a healthy diet. There’s no evidence that any particular diet improves symptoms, although some women have found lifestyle coaching helpful.
A spokesperson at the NIH said that it’s too early to know which women’s health conditions will receive funding under the new initiative.
“Given how common PCOS is, the amount of funding it’s gotten is proportionately extremely small,” Huddleston said.
Government funding is just one part of the total research budget for a given disease. While it’s tough to pin down a dollar figure for private industry spending, experts say the lack of FDA-approved PCOS treatments reflects a lack of investment from drugmakers, too.
Developing PCOS treatments requires a better understanding of the condition. This, in turn, requires far more research tracking thousands of women over many years, which can be extremely expensive, experts say.
However, there are some promising signs.
Although research is early and only in a few dozen women, there are a handful of small drug companies studying possible PCOS treatments. A Menlo Park, California-based company called May Health, for instance, is developing a one-time surgical procedure it thinks could help with PCOS. Spruce Bio, a San Francisco biotech firm, is running a small clinical trial with a drug called tildacerfont for PCOS. It is not clear yet if the oral drug works. President and CFO Samir Gharib said larger clinical trials will depend on the company’s ability to “secure additional financing” or partner with another drug company.
The FDA recently attended a meeting with advocacy group PCOS Challenge where women shared their experiences with the agency’s scientists and drug companies. No PCOS drug trials were announced after the meeting, but the FDA’s interest shows a growing push for improved treatment, said William Patterson, a spokesperson for PCOS Challenge.
No known cure for PCOS
Doctors recommend hormonal contraceptives — most commonly the birth control pill — to regulate heavy, irregular periods;, acne;, and unwanted hair growth. Others say taking the pill just masks, rather than treats, their PCOS symptoms and the symptoms return as soon as they stop taking it.
“PCOS is unfortunately not curable, so treatment is about managing its symptoms,” said Dr. Jessica Chan, a reproductive endocrinologist at Cedars-Sinai. Chan said birth control can be a good option for some, but not all, of her PCOS patients.
For women with PCOS whose main concerns are insulin resistance or stubborn weight gain, Chan often prescribes off-label diabetes medications like metformin.
Some doctors who treat PCOS, including OB-GYNs or endocrinologists, have also begun prescribing GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy, which have shown promise for some women with PCOS, although studies have been small and early -stage.
Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, said it has no plans as of now to seek FDA approval for PCOS. Still, the company mentions PCOS on its Truth About Weight website, part of its marketing campaign for Wegovy
Causes and symptoms of PCOS
“We don’t know the initial spark leading to PCOS or where it arises from,” Chan said.
PCOS affects an estimated 6% to 12% of reproductive-age women in the U.S. The real prevalence is likely higher since an estimated 70% of cases go undetected.
Experts generally agree that PCOS, at its core, is a hormone-related condition. Women with PCOS have higher levels of androgen hormones, which can cause a range of symptoms, including:
Missing, irregular, or heavy periods
Acne
Excess hair growth on the face or body
Thinning or balding scalp hair
According to endocrinologist Dr. Andrea Dunaif, some doctors have been pushing to separate PCOS into two different diagnoses: one having more to do with the reproductive cycle and fertility issues and another having more to do with metabolism, high body weight, and diabetes.
“PCOS looks to be at least two or three different conditions we’re lumping together, but they’re genetically distinct,” said Dunaif, the chief of the endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease division of Mount Sinai Health System and the Icahn School of Medicine.
The confusion surrounding PCOS diagnosis is partly why it’s been hard to get large pharmaceutical companies to invest in PCOS treatment, she said.
In Dunaif’s view, it’s not accurate to call the condition “PCOS” at all, because it has more to do with excess hormones than it does with actual cysts on the ovaries. PCOS got its name from the bumps on the ovaries appearing like cysts on an ultrasound image. These are not cysts, but instead egg follicles that are, as Dunaif described them, “arrested in development.”
As it is, many doctors diagnose the condition based on two of three factors:
Irregular periods
High androgen levels
Multiple follicles on the patient’s ovaries
But these three factors don’t account for some of the most challenging symptoms of PCOS: insulin resistance and stubborn weight gain. Excess androgen hormones can spike insulin levels, which interferes with how the body processes sugar. Doctors aren’t sure whether the hormonal dysregulation causes insulin resistance, or whether insulin resistance causes excess androgen hormones.
Either way, women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes, excess weight gain, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Yet these metabolic conditions aren’t included in the criteria many doctors use to diagnose PCOS. The result? A missed diagnosis.
This was initially the case for Candice Bolden, 35, who started noticing acne and excess facial and body hair several years before she was diagnosed with PCOS in 2021. Bolden, a lifelong dancer, also had unusually low energy.
portrait (Courtesy Candice Bolden)
“The final straw was excess weight gain that I could not take off no matter what I did,” said Bolden, who lives in Los Angeles. “All the other things I had kind of just stuffed under the rug. I’d just chalked it up to being a hairy, Haitian woman.”
After gaining 35 pounds, the 5-foot-2-inch Bolden, who exercised twice a day and followed strict diets, saw multiple doctors who she said ignored her symptoms.
“Doctors kept telling me I was fine, and to go home, work out, and eat clean,” she said. “It was the most frustrating thing ever.”
‘We don’t have to live underneath this dark cloud’
Women living with PCOS say the rise of online communities, including on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, has given them a place to speak out, share the treatment approaches working for them, and meet other women with PCOS.
When Bolden finally got a diagnosis, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Gutke and Hacatoryan had similar experiences.
“I was like, ‘Wait, I have so many questions,’ and the doctor just told me, ‘It is what it is,’” Hacatoryan said.
Hacatoryan calls women in her online community her “cysters.”
Bolden said she’s noticed more women turning to social media to learn how others manage their PCOS and share their own stories.
On her own social media accounts, she’s been trying to change the narrative about PCOS being primarily a fertility problem, which she sees as an outdated perception.
“When I was diagnosed, my doctor mentioned PCOS being the No. 1 reason for infertility, and that shattered me,” said Bolden, who was newly engaged at the time and eager to start a family. “I was happy I was diagnosed, because it showed me something was actually happening and I wasn’t just crazy. But I was heartbroken.”
Things changed after Bolden moved; found a new doctor; and worked closely with her husband and the online PCOS community to find a system that worked to manage her PCOS symptoms.
Bolden is now pregnant and expecting a baby girl.
“I want people diagnosed with PCOS to know there’s hope, and we don’t have to live underneath this dark cloud all the time,” she said.
‘After Years Of Failed Fad Diets And Workouts, I Started Lifting Heavy Weights At 43′
Jenna Seguin, as told to Andi Breitowich – March 30, 2024
‘I Tried Every Diet, But This Changed Everything’Courtesy of Jenna Seguin
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I’ve always tried to eat well and exercise, but I lacked consistency. Whether it was the Whole30 diet, 75 Hard challenge, or a month-long bootcamp, everything always had a clear start and end date. I was quick to move on and, consequently, never saw lasting results.
In April 2021, I finally had enough. I realized doing the same thing over and over without results is scarier than trying something new, so I set up a meeting with a personal trainer at my local gym. I experimented with lifting weights in my early 20s here and there, but I was never consistent and didn’t follow a program. But I’m a lifelong learner who enjoys getting out of my comfort zone. My goals were simple, yet ambitious: I wanted to master the big lifts—bench press, squat, and deadlift—and I wanted to understand how to increase weight progressively to reach my full potential.
My first session was tough. Everything was hard, my form was all over the place, and the moves felt awkward. I was also nervous that people thought I didn’t belong in the gym. But instead of saying, “This is hard I can’t do it,” I said, “How can I improve?” Approaching this new challenge with curiosity, rather than fear, empowered me. I was determined to get stronger, and I was ready to put in the work.
I committed to training four times a week: two days with my trainer and two days on my own. I wanted to stay consistent, improve my form, and build muscle. I was excited for the challenge and motivated to get better.
After consistently working with my trainer for a year, I was craving more.
On Instagram, I came across a video of Michelle MacDonald bench pressing and was in awe of her form and heavy weight. I wanted to level up, so I applied to Michelle’s personal training community, The Wonder Women.
In August 2022, I started virtual training with The Wonder Women five days a week: three lower body days and two upper body days. I prioritized form and focused on progressive overload, but I also got curious about bodybuilding.
I decided to start training for my first bodybuilding competition in June 2023, but 12 weeks into prep, my competition was canceled. The Wonder Women didn’t have spots available to transfer into the current bodybuilding training group, so I switched teams and joined Dynasty Training.
Now, I train four days a week—two for lower body and two for upper body.
I’m preparing for my first show at the end of 2024, so I recently started my “build phase,” which consists of four days of weight training: two lower body days and two upper body days. My goal is to build muscle, but instead of only focusing on how much weight I can lift, I also prioritize tempo and increasing my reps and sets.
For lower-body workouts: I do a glutes and quads day and a posterior chain day. My workouts are typically an hour and a half, and I do seven to 10 moves per session. The number of reps and sets varies, but most of my current lower-body lifts are based on a ladder model: 12 reps, 10 reps, eight reps, and six reps of each move, increasing weight as the number of reps decreases.
For upper-body workouts: I do a shoulders and back day and a chest and arms day. These workouts are typically an hour, and I do seven to 10 moves per session, including bench press, pullups, man makers, lat pulldowns, and pushups.
I also do 35 minutes of cardio six days a week and have one day designated to core and high intensity intervals, and one day of stretching. Sunday is my day off.
Lower body is my favorite to train and I especially love deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, and hip thrusts. Now, I can deadlift 195 pounds and thrust 300 pounds. I’m currently working on adding a pause at the top of each hip thrust and let me tell you… it adds a whole other level of intensity.
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I learned to count macros and let go of the belief that I needed to restrict food.
I’ve tried every diet in the book, but nothing was ever sustainable or satisfying. Then, I learned to count macros and realized I could still eat my favorite foods when I paid attention to portion size and nutrition labels.
I eat four to five meals a day and focus on my protein, carb, and fat intake. I always prioritize protein, and chicken, turkey, and fish are my go-to sources. It’s also fun to try new macro-friendly recipes, and meal prepping on Sunday sets me up for success during the week.
That said, it took me a long time to get over the idea of restriction. I was so used to eliminating foods and eating as little as possible, but once I learned nothing is off limits and macros are about balance and variety, I felt better than ever. Instead of a month-long, restrictive, fad diet, I realized the most sustainable plan is listening to my body and eating the foods I love.
These three things were key to my strength transformation success.
1. I let go of the notion that my strength journey needs to be perfect.
When I started strength training in 2021, it wasn’t necessarily the “perfect time” to embark on a new journey. But I decided to stop waiting and took control of my situation. Is every workout perfect? Nope! But that’s okay. I realized if I keep trying and continue to show up it’s going to pay off in the long run.
2. I became more self-aware and understood the value of the mind-body connection.
It’s so easy to operate on autopilot, but I’ve learned to evaluate my *entire* lifestyle when something feels off. If my energy levels are low, I look at my diet and sleeping habits. When I’m stressed, I reflect on why instead of letting anxiety rule my day.
As a result, I’ve learned the importance of the mind-body connection. How I’m feeling physically and mentally can have a direct impact on each other and the overall sense of self-awareness has gotten me closer to my goals.
3. I gave myself the opportunity to be good at something and realized consistency is key.
Most of my life, I participated in diets and fitness programs that had a clear start and end date. Once I understood that people become good at things by being consistent, a light bulb went off. I realized I had never given myself a chance (or the time) to get good. I always expected quick results and a long-term program seemed daunting, but when I challenged myself to start weight lifting without an end date in mind, my whole mindset changed.
Not only do I love that consistency brings me closer to my goals, but I found value and motivation in the process. Whether it’s perfecting my form or mastering a recipe, the sense of accomplishment after nailing a new skill keeps me determined to get better and stronger. It’s fun to show up for yourself and consistency in the gym has given me the opportunity to believe in myself.
Do turmeric supplements really treat pain, boost mood, and improve allergies? Experts say they work best for 2 conditions
Stephanie Watson – March 30, 2024
Getty Images
Americans spend around $50 billion a year on vitamins and supplements. One of the most popular is turmeric, a bright orange root that has its roots in both traditional Eastern medicine and cuisine. Proponents are willing to pay $20 or more for a bottle, hoping to relieve arthritis pain and inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and treat whatever else happens to ail them. But is it worth the money?
While a lot of research has highlighted turmeric’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, the wide range of supplement potencies and doses used in studies has made it hard to confirm any health claims.
Dr. Keith Singletary, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has reviewed the evidence on turmeric. His take? “I think it’s promising,” he says, but he stresses that it isn’t “the cure-all that marketing would make it appear.”
Health benefits of turmeric
The health properties attributed to turmeric come from natural compounds called curcuminoids. “Curcumin, which is the major one, is believed to be largely responsible for the health benefits of turmeric,” says Singletary.
What might curcumin do? The best evidence centers on two conditions: arthritis and metabolic syndrome.
Arthritis
Considering turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties, it’s not surprising that researchers have investigated its use for arthritis. The supplement does appear to reduce pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis, the most common form of this achy joint disease.
“It’s not a miracle drug, but it probably works as well as ibuprofen or acetaminophen,” says Dr. Janet L. Funk, professor of medicine and vice chair of research for the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson. Her lab studies plant-derived dietary supplements for inflammatory diseases.
Metabolic syndrome
This isn’t a disease, but rather a cluster of conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high triglycerides that collectively increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. About 1 in 3 American adults have metabolic syndrome, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Studies have looked at the effects of turmeric on blood sugar, triglycerides, and insulin levels, as well as on inflammation (which also plays a role in metabolic syndrome). “In general, there was a strong preponderance of evidence that it might help reduce all those things. So it might have some benefit in people who are overweight and concerned about inflammation and diabetes,” Funk says.
But—there’s a very big caveat. “There’s a lot of inconsistency between studies,” Singletary says. And therein lies the problem in evaluating turmeric.
An imperfect science
Though plenty of research is being done on turmeric, the studies aren’t consistent. Researchers have tested different amounts of the supplement in different groups of people for different amounts of time. Some studies added a compound like piperine, found in black pepper, to make turmeric more active in the body (researchers call this increased “bioavailability”).
For example, one study on knee osteoarthritis had participants take 180 milligrams (mg) of curcumin for eight weeks. Another one used doses of 500 mg plus 5 mg of BioPerine (black pepper) extract three times a day for six weeks.
Because most of the studies have lasted four months or less, researchers don’t know what might happen with long-term use. “The bottom line is, there’s no definitive, well-designed studies at this point,” Funk says. She’s skeptical that there ever will be, given that the nutraceutical industry and the National Institutes of Health aren’t funding them.
The risks of turmeric
Turmeric is probably safe if you get it from the spice or you take only the recommended amount in supplements, says the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. In larger quantities, it could cause GI side effects like nausea or diarrhea.
Piperine poses its own set of issues, because it increases the bioavailability of curcumin by inactivating an enzyme in the liver that would otherwise break it down. “That enzyme is really important for [breaking down] most drugs people take,” says Funk. Theoretically, piperine might cause a buildup of medications in the body, thus increasing the risk for side effects. “Generally speaking, if you’re taking other medications, I would shy away from any product that has piperine in it, just in case it could interfere with the metabolism of your other drugs,” she adds.
An even bigger concern is a rare but serious risk of liver damage from turmeric supplements, as well as high levels of lead in these products. Several studies, including one that Funk co-authored, found excessive amounts of lead in some turmeric supplements—especially those that contained turmeric root. Exposure to lead in large quantities can have toxic effects on the body, including heart and kidney problems.
Should you take turmeric?
Is it worth taking turmeric? “That’s the million- dollar question,” says Singletary. Given the lack of clear evidence on its benefits and the potential risks, he says you’re safest getting turmeric through your diet. You can add the spice to soups, stews, sauces, and smoothies. Top them with a pinch of black pepper or cook turmeric in oil to enhance its bioavailability.
If you do use turmeric supplements, it can be difficult to know which form is best, or how much to take. The best advice is to ask your health care provider, says Singletary. Start out with a low dose to see how your body responds to it. And don’t expect turmeric to be a “cure-all for all your ailments, which is unlikely to be the case,” he adds.
