Anxiety is perfectly healthy emotion that we encounter in our lives. You know the time you were taking your exams or dare I say it…driving test (it was anxiety that helped me to take the examiner to someone else’s car…but that’s a whole different story).

6 Top Tips To Alleviate Anxiety — Fibroflair.com

If calcium levels are low the body goes to your bones to look for calcium, this can lead to Osteoporosis. Anytime your calcium levels are high it shows the Parathyroid is working overtime trying to level your calcium, high calcium is a serious condition.

All four of my Parathyroid Glands are not functioning properly and I have the beginning stages of Osteoporosis in my right hip. I have tumors on all four glands, two are small and the two lowers glands have tumors approx. 3-4 inches long. The surgeon will remove and possibly all four once the surgeon takes a look.

The surgery itself is only 15-30 minutes with total recovery time approx. three weeks. I am waiting on my surgeon for the surgery date, I expect the surgery to happen in next two weeks. Please, read description and graphic below. 

I’ll keep you posted on how the surgery goes and any other information I learn.

M

You have four Parathyroid Glands on the backside of the Thyroid, they are very small but play a very important role in your health, they keep calcium levels in the body and if calcium level become low the Parathriod Gland produces more hormone to compensate for the low calcium levels.

  Illustration of the 4 parathyroid glands located on the back side of the thyroid. We all have 4 parathyroid glands.Parathyroid glands control the amount of calcium in our blood. Everyone has four parathyroid glands, usually located right around the thyroid gland at the base of the neck. About 1 in 100 people (1 in 50 women over 50) will develop a parathyroid gland tumor during their lifetime, causing a disease called “hyperparathyroidism”. Hyperparathyroidism is a destructive disease that causes high blood calcium, which can lead to serious health

Constantly evolving is a new series documenting the ways in which women’s bodies change. Based on the time of the month or period of life, the series hopes to highlight the magnificence of the woman’s body. The previous “Constantly Evolving” article focused on external physical changes girls experience when going through puberty. In conjunction […]

Constantly Evolving: Puberty and Menstruation — Dr. Lori Gore-Green

Womens Health

By Marissa GainsburgApr 2, 2019

Pampering yourself is great, but challenging yourself? Way better. 

I can’t believe I did that.

The words flashed through my head over and over like a GIF as I walked alongside thousands of exhausted runners to exit Central Park. I’d just crossed the finish line of the TCS New York City Marathon—my first 26.2—and my cheeks, wrinkled up to my eyes, ached almost as much as my legs. When a photographer snapped a picture, I broke out in happy tears until a weird but powerful calm came over me. I can’t. Believe. I did that.

It’s a sentiment I’d chased several times over the past year, the first on a rock-climbing trip in Joshua Tree National Park, then during an intensive hike up two “14ers” (mountain slang for Colorado’s multiple peaks exceeding 14,000 feet). I’d spent months training for each of the three events, dedicating weekdays and Saturdays to workouts and Sundays to recovery—or self-care, as we call it: I foam-rolled, pretzeled my limbs in candlelit yoga, read novels in bed, splurged on $11 smoothies, slathered my skin and hair in masks…you know, the works. Yet even on my most Zen days, nothing came close to the perfect peace I felt after pushing my body to a point it had never been.

At first, the fitness editor in me chalked up the bliss to endorphins. But as I melted into the massage table at Connecticut’s serene Mayflower Inn & Spa one day post-marathon, oh-so-sore but—for the first time since the Colorado hike six weeks prior—completely stress-free, I suspected there was a much deeper force at play. 

I was right. “Self-care isn’t just about treating yourself—it’s about improving yourself, which is what truly makes us feel good about who we are,” says mind-body expert Joseph Cardillo, author of Body Intelligence. “Tackling a serious physical challenge, especially one that involves consistent training, is one of the best steps you can take to increase your pride.” (P.S. “Serious” doesn’t have to mean mountains and marathons; it might be a 10-K or a yogi headstand.) 

“Self-care isn’t just about treating yourself—it’s about improving yourself…”

Why the big impact? Partly because you can literally see yourself improve. I remember the euphoric satisfaction I felt when I finally hit 18 miles, my “scary mileage” (much like a “scary age”), then surpassed it three times during my marathon training. But it’s also because the greater the challenge, the greater the reward. Trekking the first 14er was incredible—a cardio feat I wasn’t sure my sea level–accustomed body could manage. But summiting the second one left me feeling unstoppable, capable of anything. 

At first, the fitness editor in me chalked up the bliss to endorphins. But as I melted into the massage table at Connecticut’s serene Mayflower Inn & Spa one day post-marathon, oh-so-sore but—for the first time since the Colorado hike six weeks prior—completely stress-free, I suspected there was a much deeper force at play. 

I was right. “Self-care isn’t just about treating yourself—it’s about improving yourself, which is what truly makes us feel good about who we are,” says mind-body expert Joseph Cardillo, author of Body Intelligence. “Tackling a serious physical challenge, especially one that involves consistent training, is one of the best steps you can take to increase your pride.” (P.S. “Serious” doesn’t have to mean mountains and marathons; it might be a 10-K or a yogi headstand.) 

“Self-care isn’t just about treating yourself—it’s about improving yourself…”

Why the big impact? Partly because you can literally see yourself improve. I remember the euphoric satisfaction I felt when I finally hit 18 miles, my “scary mileage” (much like a “scary age”), then surpassed it three times during my marathon training. But it’s also because the greater the challenge, the greater the reward. Trekking the first 14er was incredible—a cardio feat I wasn’t sure my sea level–accustomed body could manage. But summiting the second one left me feeling unstoppable, capable of anything. 

While I’m not sure what my next proverbial finish line will be, I am certain of this: I will believe I did that. Because I’ve finally learned what it means to not just care for myself, but to care aboutmyself. And there’s no room for “can’t” in that picture.

BY CAITLIN O’KANE

APRIL 5, 2019 / 12:00 PM / CBS NEWS

A special education teacher from Fremont, California, made a “mental health checklist” for her students. Now, teachers around the world are doing the same. 

Erin Castillo posted a photo of her mental health poster on Instagram and it went viral. She made a version of it available to download for free, and teachers around the world are posting photos of the chart in their classrooms.

The mental heath checklist asks kids if they are “great,” “okay,” “meh,” “struggling,” “having a hard time” or “in a really dark place.” Students are encouraged to write their names on the back of a post-it and stick it on the poster under the section describing how they’re feeling. 

If they put their post-it in the “struggling” section, they know they should try speaking with an adult about their feelings. If they say they are “having a hard time,” or “in a really dark place,” Castillo checks in with them. 

The teacher knows it’s important to take time and focus on mental health – especially for high school kids. 

“My heart hurts for them,” Castillo wrote on Instagram. “High school is rough sometimes, but I was happy that a few were given a safe space to vent and work through some feelings.”

Castillo teaches high school English to special education students, as well as a peer counseling class to general education students, she told CBS News. Her whole classroom is filled with positive messages that promote self-care and kindness. 

She created an “affirmation station,” where students can write positive notes to each other. 

“Affirmations are a big part of my classroom,” Castillo wrote. “When students affirm each other, powerful connections can be formed. Think about how good it feels when a colleague or principal comments on something they notice you doing well, they didn’t have to comment, but they recognized you. They SEE you.”

She has also made a section of smaller posters on rings, which can be taken off the wall and looked at up close. She did this because a ton of big, bright posters can be overwhelming for some special education students.

In addition to her wall decorations, Castillo made a table for “Starbucks time.” As a reward for good work, students get to sit at the table and work quietly and independently. They can listen to music, have a snack or just take in some much-needed “me time.”

Many of the fun decorations in Castillo’s classroom are available online, and she has compiled links for where to find them. 

“I may have made this mental health board with my students in mind, but it definitely has kept me going this year,” the teacher wrote on the viral post. 

In addition to her school lessons, Castillo’s students learn many life lessons. Most importantly: she’s there for them. 

First published on April 5, 2019 / 12:00 PM

© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

People Magazine April 22, 2019

Three ingredients to avoid

According to Nneka Leiba, Director of Environmental Working Group’s healthy-living science program.

Parabens

Often used as a preservative in cosmetics and personal-care products, the ingredient is believed to mimic estrogen and potentially cause hormone disruption.

Formaldehyde

Found in some nail polishes and hair smoothing treatments, it can lead to myriad skin irritations and was deemed carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Phthalates

Commonly used as a solvent in the fragrances that scent aftershave, lotion, soap and more, the chemical has been linked to reproduction issues in men.