Health
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Your guide to understanding breast cancer
Approximately one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Canada. Ontario alone sees just under 11,000 cases annually, according to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN). CBCN offers information and education to assist Canadians diagnosed with breast cancer. That also raises awareness on issues affecting patients, according to Rebecca Armstrong, CBCN’s Manager of Patient Education Programs. It is important for women to understand what breast cancer looks like and how to treat it. Diagnosis and treatment options can be overwhelming. In an effort to reduce that stress, Armstrong helped Women Quest create a guide to better understand the disease. Identifying breast cancer Women Quest: What…
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Living with endometriosis: Meet the illness no one is talking about
When Cassandra Earle was 13, she woke up with excruciating pain in her abdomen that left her unable to move. When this started happening every month, Earle went to see a general practitioner to get help. However, her doctor said she was “just having bad periods,” she recalled. Earle missed out on many school and social events as a teenager. She struggled to explain to her friends what she was going through. After years of misdiagnoses and frustration with the medical system, Earle received laparoscopic surgery. At age 17, she finally got an official diagnosis of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue — similar to the tissue inside the…
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Period poverty: The physical and financial struggle
Menstruation can be an uncomfortable and painful week for many. For others, it’s also a financial struggle due to the high cost of menstrual products. Period poverty refers to the lack of access to menstrual products due to monetary or geographical reasons. More than one in three Canadian women have reported sacrificing something in their budget to afford sanitary products. To bring awareness to the issue, a number of organizations in Ontario are dedicated to making hygiene products more accessible. Hygiene4her is a London-based organization led by co-presidents Michelle Pham and Helia Hatam Tehrani. Both women are advocates for reducing period poverty. The organization works to provide people with essential…
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The shadow pandemic: COVID-19 highlights need for victim support services
Although Canada’s COVID-19 case counts are dropping, the number of domestic violence cases remains the same. A woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner approximately every six days, according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation. More than 6,000 women and children stay in shelters on any given night because it isn’t safe at home. This was the case even before the pandemic. Since March 2020, that number has increased. In The Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian Victim Services Statistics Canada report, 54 per cent of the surveyed victim services noticed an increase in the number of domestic violence victims they served between mid-March and early July 2020. As a result, women’s…
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Meal prep tips for the girl on the go
Meal prepping — putting together the week’s meals ahead of time — has been a popular planning method for several years. According to Canada’s Food Guide, it’s an effective way to save time, reduce portion size and help reach nutrition goals. It can also help save money and reduce food waste. Start small When it comes to meal prepping, it is important to start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for an entire week at once can be intimidating at first. The Food Guide said, “There is no right or wrong way to plan meals. You can plan for the whole week ahead, or you can plan…
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Eco-friendly alternatives to pads and tampons
Menstruation can be an emotional, painful and messy experience. What the average person who menstruates might not realize is how much single-use plastic waste is involved. Tampons, pads, panty liners and their packaging all contain plastic. Pads alone are around 90 per cent plastic. This waste amounts to the average user throwing away 125 to 150 kg of menstruation-related products in their lifetime. This plastic waste can end up in a landfill or in oceans, rivers and beaches. The Canadian government recently announced a federal ban on single use plastic products. Regulations will be finalized by the end of 2021. Environmental groups like A Greener Future are asking the government…
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Coping with pandemic fatigue
How COVID-19 is affecting mental health
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The trials and tribulations of adult acne
Acne is something most of us deal with at some point or another. It affects more than 5.6 million Canadians, according to the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA). Some people get it as a young teen, then grow out of it as they approach adulthood. However, not everyone is that lucky. The CDA also reported that up to 30 per cent of adults aged 20 to 40 experience acne. Three-quarters of that number are women. I just so happen to be part of that demographic. The beginning One months away from turning 21, I am going on my fifth year of having acne. If you think those pesky zits are frustrating…