

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...