NASSAU BAY — It's Ladies Night at Houston Methodist St. John Hospital!

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NASSAU BAY — It’s Ladies Night at Houston Methodist St. John Hospital!

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The hospital is hosting a free Female and Fabulous event for Bay Area women on Wednesday, May 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Main Lobby, 18300 St. John Drive in Nassau Bay.

“The idea is for women to get together, have a little fun and spend some quality time learning how to stay healthy and improve their overall well-being,” says Asia Mohsin, MD.

Activities include a question-and-answer session with four leading women’s health specialists from Houston Methodist St. John Hospital, including:

Asia Mohsin, M.D. – Obstetrics & Gynecology

Tristi Muir, M.D. – Urogynecology

Modupe Adeyefa, M.D. – Breast Radiology

Sri Gottimukkala, M.D. – Obstetrics & Gynecology

“Our team of physician experts will discuss vital women’s health issues and common concerns experienced by women throughout all stages of life, and they’ll share the top five things women should know and do to live a long, healthy life,” says Dr. Mohsin.

The event will also feature “light bites,” refreshments, giveaways and door prizes. In addition, women can sign up in advance for an onsite screening mammogram.

To register for Female and Fabulous, visit houstonmethodist.org/events. Or call 281.333.8899 for more event information. To schedule your screening mammogram, visit houstonmethodist.org/online-scheduling.

NASSAU BAY — It"s Ladies Night at Houston Methodist St. John Hospital!

Sparking Empowerment to End Campus Sexual Assault

Source: Bridget Anshus

My life by the numbers: According to 2015 projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, I am one of 20.2 million students and 11.5 million females enrolled at an American college or university. The experiences of one of my best friends, two of my fellow committee members, and one of my male acquaintances are representative of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center‘s statistics that one in five women and one in 16 men will be sexually assaulted during their years in college.

As a sophomore at American University in Washington D.C., I have witnessed, heard and intervened in many situations involving sexual assault and consent. Living, growing and learning on a campus that is under investigation due to a Title IX complaint is not something I accept. I have committed myself to change the norm and empower others to take action against sexual assault.

My activism started when I was a freshman. I am a part of the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program, a four-year curriculum centered on the creation and execution of a social action project during students’ freshman and sophomore years. For last year’s project, I was a part of a group of seven that worked to address rape culture on AU’s campus by developing “Piece of the Solution,” an initiative based on the concept that, while we are all pieces of the problem, we are also all pieces of the solution.

The project consisted of: collecting pledges to combat rape culture from students in person as well as having students submit their pledges on our Tumblr page; gathering anonymous stories of experiences with sexual assault, sexual harassment, or rape; and hosting an awareness event. We also recorded instances on social media in which this issue was perpetuated, particularly on platforms such as YikYak and Facebook. These stories, pledges and posts were displayed on campus during the second part of our project, the Awareness Wall Event. In the end, we engaged 600 people and administrators of at our university, many of whose stories served as evidence that this culture is present on our campus.

Although we had a successful project, much more must be done. I’ve decided to continue working to increase access to information about sexual health and sexual assault at both the college and high school level. For my sophomore year project, I founded “Positively Protected,” an organization that aims to educate and promote contraception, consent, and body positivity by teaching a curriculum to high schoolers about these topics, handing out safe sex kits, and maintaining a social media page with access to additional information.

As part of my campus work, I joined the 100 other students around the country participating in the “Consent: Ask for It” campaign, a partnership between Trojan Condoms and the Great American Condom Campaign, a project by Advocates for Youth. This campaign provides tattoos, stickers, and removable wall paper for campus organizations to distribute and display an effort to jumpstart conversations about consent. I am also serving as the Youth Organizing Intern for the campaign at Advocates for Youth.

In the end, I hope to empower others to stand up alongside survivors and against rape culture and sexual assault. I hope that I am contributing to eliminating the one in four and one in 16 statistics by helping to educate others and allow traditionally muted voices to be heard.

Bridget Anshus is a student at American University and an intern at Advocates for Youth. Visit http://www.askforconsent.org/ to learn how you can become involved in the “Consent: Ask for It” campaign.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To learn more about the NSVRC and how you can help prevent sexual violence, visit here. Read all posts in the series here.

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Sparking Empowerment to End Campus Sexual Assault

Antidepressant Medication Linked to Long-Term Weight Loss

Past studies have shown that people who are depressed are more likely to be overweight. This could be due to a combination of factors, including being more sedentary as a result of the depression or overindulging in “comfort” foods as a method of coping. Unfortunately, most anti-depressant medications are linked to weight gain, further compounding the problem.

New research by Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) demonstrates that bupropion – marketed under the name Wellbutrin – is a medication that is linked to long-term modest weight loss.

The team, who published their research in The Journal of Clinical Medicine, found that patients followed over two years lost an average of 2.4 pounds on bupropion versus those taking fluoxetine (Prozac), who gained an average of 4.6 pounds.

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Unfortunately, however, the effect was not seen in those who continued to smoke. Bupropion is also used under the name Chantix to help patients quit smoking. Smokers often gain weight while they are trying to quit, as they often replace cigarettes with food.

“Our study suggests that bupropion is the best initial choice of antidepressant for the vast majority of Americans who have depression and are overweight or obese,” said study leader David Arterburn, MD, MPH, the senior investigator at GHRI and an affiliate associate professor in the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine.

Just keep in mind that not everyone can take bupropion, such as those with a history of seizure disorder, so it is important to discuss all health conditions with your physician to find the best treatment plan individualized to you.

Journal Reference:
David Arterburn, Tamar Sofer, Denise Boudreau, Andy Bogart, Emily Westbrook, Mary Theis, Greg Simon, Sebastien Haneuse. Long-Term Weight Change after Initiating Second-Generation Antidepressants.Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2016; 5 (4): 48 DOI: 10.3390/jcm5040048

Photo Credit: Photo by Pixabay, no attribution required

Antidepressant Medication Linked to Long-Term Weight Loss

CDC: Life expectancy down for white women, up for black men

Dive Brief:

• 
  A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found life expectancy for white, non-Hispanic U.S. women went down by about one month from 2013 to 2014, from 81.2 to 81.1 years.


• During that time, life expectancy went up among black and Hispanic Americans — most notably non-Hispanic black men who saw an increase of six months, from 71.8 to 72.2 years.


• The data show Americans overall have lost their former momentum on increasing longevity, with average life expectancy remaining stagnant since 2010. 

Dive Insight:

Though the difference for white women is small, such a dip for a major demographic group is rare and troubling, experts say, particularly because of the reasons why: Suicide, drug overdoses, and complications from alcohol and smoking. The research found these problems to be increasingly impacting all white Americans, but particularly impacting white women in mid-life. 

The report agrees with a another recent study by Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton, NPR noted, which also found middle-age mortality increasing among white people due to suicides, drug overdoses, and alcoholism.

At the same time, however, gains were made in overall life expectancy for Hispanics from 81.6 to 81.8 years, and overall among blacks from 75.1 to 75.2 years. The particularly notable increase among black men, from 71.8 to 72.2 years, appears linked to declines in cancer deaths, homicides, and heart disease, says CDC demographer Elizabeth Arias.

Arias said another study due out soon is looking into the sharp upticks in deaths from suicides, alcohol, and overdoses.

Recommended Reading

NPR: Life Expectancy Drops For White Women, Increases For Black Men
The Washington Post: Life expectancy for white females in U.S. suffers rare decline
CDC: Changes in Life Expectancy by Race and Hispanic Origin in the United States, 2013–2014

CDC: Life expectancy down for white women, up for black men

Don't worry guys, circumcision 'doesn't' mess with your sex life

Will removing a baby boy’s foreskin leave him with reduced sensitivity later in life? No, suggests a recent study.

The research indicated that there are no differences in penile sensitivity for a variety of stimulus types and penile sites between circumcised and intact men. Additionally, this study challenges past research suggesting that the foreskin is the most sensitive and, in turn, most sexually relevant, part of the adult penis.

When the American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian Pediatric Society recently revised their policies concerning routine neonatal circumcision, public interest was reignited in this long-running debate.

Focusing on health outcomes, particularly protection against sexually transmitted infections, rather than penile sensitivity, the American policy statement supports routine circumcision of newborn males, while the Canadian policy does not. “We directly tested whether circumcision is associated with a reduction in penile sensitivity by testing tactile detection, pain, warmth detection, and heat pain thresholds at multiple sites on the penis between groups of healthy (neonatally) circumcised and intact men,” explained lead author Jennifer Bossio from the Queen’s University.

She added that this study indicates that neonatal circumcision is not associated with changes in penile sensitivity and provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the foreskin is not the most sensitive part of the penis. “Methodology and results from this study build on previous research and imply that if sexual functioning is related to circumcision status, this relationship is not likely the result of decreased penile sensitivity stemming from neonatal circumcision,” observed Ms. Bossio.

The study is reported in The Journal of Urology.

Don"t worry guys, circumcision "doesn"t" mess with your sex life