Anorexia. What do you think of when you hear this word? Probably you are thinking of emaciated models. Or you are thinking of these famous pictures and drawings of a woman looking into a mirror, seeing a much curvier silhouette than she really is. You probably think that anorexia is the simple renouncement to food. But do you actually know what anorexia is? What it means to the patients? I have discovered that most people, even doctors have no clue about this topic and there are many misconceptions around it. How can she claim this you might ask yourselves now? The answer: I was anorexic...

The difficulties communicating with foreign patients There is a short moment of total silence and we all just watch each other. “We” is my “doctor-godfather” (a doctor I am assigned to work with to receive insight into practicing in the medical field), a foreign patient, her interpreter and me (medical student in the second semester). My doctor-godfather, warned me just before our appointment with the patient: “That’s going to take some doing”. Why? Because the patient does not speak or understand German or English and we would therefore be totally dependent on an interpreter. My doctor...

While there is an increasing number of Health Gadgets (e.g. sports watches) available and the Internet is flooded with health information it seems increasingly challenging for people to make decisions in favour of their health. Sources often are lacking scientific and medical quality and are influenced by economic interests. Western societies actively commercialize unhealthy lifestyles. In addition to that people are not supported sufficiently in the decision-making process and navigation in the health system. This does not only have negative effects on the individual but the whole community...

It’s nearly impossible to watch a newscast without some mention of the opioid crisis in the United States. But even though the use of harmful habit-forming drugs receives significant media coverage, a large group of the population is overlooked: young people. Due to factors such as peer pressure, curiosity and availability, drug use is an increasing problem among youth in America. Unfortunately, despite the growing need for assistance, young people are overlooked when it comes to receiving adequate treatment. Limited access to effective treatment means many young people die without the proper...

I don’t feel scared talking about my status openly in Ukraine. If you are alone, of course, it is scary, but if you have people around you who support you and understand you, it’s not scary at all. Each person needs acceptance and I am lucky that many people accept me. I was lucky at the early stages of forming my openness about the disease. If I was bullied at school for it, for example, maybe I would have a completely different attitude about my openness now. I was always lucky with the people around me. I am lucky that I live in Kyiv and my group of friends knows and accepts me, but if we...

Among today’s novelty-seeking youth, there is another rising fad – vaping. According to a 2017 National Institutes of Drug Abuse, more than one in four high school seniors reported vaping in the previous year. Searching online, you can also effortlessly find many cool-looking guys teaching how to blow out bizarre shapes of smoke rings to stunt your peers. Same as poppies, vaping looks charming and gorgeous, but addictive and toxic in essence. It is not an innocent healthier substitution to real cigarettes as it acclaims. Indeed, the nicotine it contains is no less lethal. What’s more, the most...

The ethical problems in nursing. After three months of medical training, I am now working stationary in a hospital ( in the department for ENT) as an intern as part of my gap year before I start my medicine course in October. After three weeks of observing the work of the nurses I work with, I must admit that I was naively blinded all those years by the medical and health sector. I have always believed that those that work in the medical domain oblige themselves in order to care for and cure their patients. However, from what I have seen, this is not the case. In the following article, I want...

For far too long, Western cultures have thought of the mind and body as separate entities. But anyone who’s spent even one day walking around in human skin, living a human life, knows that the mind and the body share an intimate connection. Want proof? Think about how your pulse races when you see someone you love. Remember how your stomach churns when you’re getting ready to deliver a speech. Consider the cottonmouth and sweaty palms before a big test. If your emotions don’t have an effect on your body, then you must be a cyborg. But if you’re a fully flesh and blood human like the rest of us...

A Well-Informed Adolescent Initiative (AWA Initiative), formerly known as Adolescent Reproductive Health and Rights Initiative, held its 4th edition of A Well-Informed Adolescent Campaign from February to March 2020. This edition was special because it was an inclusive edition. We visited Government Secondary School for Special Needs Ibom Layout Calabar Cross River Nigeria. AWA Initiative is a youth focus organization that provides adequate comprehensive sexuality education and integrated sexual reproductive health services to young people. We achieve this through multi-sectorial programs that...

Electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, vapes, JUULs—no matter what you call them, these devices are popping up everywhere, and their explosion in popularity has created a huge public health threat for teens and young adults. A modern update to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes deliver a heated liquid, often containing nicotine, in the form of a vapor that the user then inhales. With major companies like JUUL offering youth-friendly vapor flavors (such as fruit, candy, soda, pastry, and mint) and creating sleek, discrete devices that boast a trendy look, it’s not surprising that these...

Almost a year ago, I decided to start a documentary project about mental health in Senegal. What I did not know at that time was that this would start my own journey with learning and acknowledging the importance of mental wellbeing. I was born in Senegal and spent the first fourteen years of my life in Dakar. There was always a history of mood disorders on both sides of my family, mostly depression yet, we never spoke about it. Ever. Not a mention, not a “let’s sit down and talk about what this is and how it affects your life”. This isn’t abnormal in Senegalese families, in Senegalese culture...

Puberty. For me, that was when things took a very wrong turn. Not that things had ever been right, but they became worse when puberty hit. At first, I didn't think that anything was wrong. After all, puberty affects different folks differently. And when I did notice that something was wrong, doctors waved me off because acne, weight gain, bodily hair and irregular periods (they do take a while to become regular) are classic signs of puberty. When I was around 16, I went to sleep one day and woke up the next with an almost bald patch at the back of my head. My hair was thinning, and my hairline...

The influence of social media on our brain Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are being used by at least 1/3 of the world's population. Even more shocking is that ½ of these people communicate more often online than in real life. We have often enough heard that social media are bad for us as they distract and diminish the intensity of social contacts and relationships. But what only a small minority knows is, that social media are more dangerous than previously thought as they have a direct effect on our brain. Our brain is malleable and is one of the few organs that...

Poverty is a huge issue around most of the planet. While there are a few countries that are often cited as having incredibly low poverty rates compared to the rest of the world, they still have to contend with poverty and the problems that come with it as well. The simple truth of the matter is that wherever you go, there will be some level of poverty either on full display or hidden behind the scenes. In either case, poverty can have serious impacts on health that many fail to consider as they are not immediately obvious. Things Most Take For Granted When healthcare comes to mind, people...

It's funny how my last post is about feeling better and now I'm writing about how miserable I am, but I feel a strong urge to write about every aspect of my life. The good and the bad. In order for you to understand why I am so miserable, firstly I need to tell you about my backround. I am a 19 year old student studying communication sciences (which was my dream college). Currently I am in a healthy relationship, for the first time, with an phenomenal person. I am living with my brother and sister since my parents moved to Germany to work. I am financially stable and my grades are excellent...

Is the hype about superfoods a very successful ploy? What do Acerola, Quinoa, Chia, Acai, Goji berries, Noni and Chlorella have in common? The answer: they are classified as superfoods, also known as powerfoods. There is literally no day that passes without the publication of at least one new study about the incredible impact of superfoods. They are supposed to make you fit, thin, beautiful and keep you young. In addition, they also seem to have several almost magical and miracle health impacts: seemingly they have the ability to cure cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, they strengthen the...

February 15th is commemorated as the international day of fight against childhood Cancer. Declaration that was made in Luxembourg in 2001 and created by the international organization of childhood Cancer, as an objective to raise awareness about the importance of the challenges children and their families face, as well as to promote the importance that all children anywhere in the world have access to accure diagnosis and treatment in time. The golden tie is used as a symbol of courage and strength of gold in the face of this disease, being his un wavering, inspiring and valuable strength. It...

The effects of health care waste Health care institutions (this includes hospitals, doctors offices, labs and research centers, blood banks, nursing homes etc.) protect and restore health and save lives? This is a very common and widespread belief, but is this really the case? When looking at it superficially it seems as if this is actually true but when taking a closer look we have to acknowledge that the health care system is not the altruistic angel that it seems to be and there are many problems linked to it that actually even diminish the general advantages that the advancements in the...

As of early March, there are close to 90,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in almost 60 different countries. Most of these cases (almost 80,000) are in China. Because of this, and the fact that the infection started in China, Covid-19 fears are being used to fuel Sinophobia and anti-Asian racism at large, as well as xenophobia. This is detrimental for so many reasons; racism is always detrimental. There have been reported cases, particularly in North America, Europe and Asia, of people making racist jokes related to Chinese people and the Coronavirus, putting Asians in quarantine solely on the...

What role do stigma and stereotypes play in the transmission of HIV? What do you think about when you hear HIV/AIDS? Be honest! Do you have dramatic pictures of sickly, scraggy, suffering people in your head? Or do you picture Tom Hanks in his movie Philadelphia? Many of you reading this article probably will. You do not have to be ashamed or blame yourself. This is not directly your fault. HIV is still a taboo topic, faced with irrational fears and surrounded by a lot of myths all around the world. I must admit that I myself was very surprised when I treated my first HIV-positive patient in...