Amy Schumer Shares 10-Pound Weight Loss on Instagram After Jessica Simpson Goes Viral

Tess Holliday Posts Nude Photo to Promote Powerful Self-Love Message

I Went to a Real Life Body Positive Pool Party, Just Like in Shrill. Here's What Happened

Influencer Who Was Body-Shamed After Sexy Photo Shoot Responds With Empowering Advice

Teacher Carries 10-Year-Old Student with Spina Bifida on His Back So She Doesn't Miss Field Trip

A Sudden Fall Caused a Triple Brain Hemorrhage That Completely Changed My Life

How the New Gender-Neutral Barbie Would Have Completely Transformed My Childhood

On Wednesday, the company behind Barbie, Mattel, announced the launch of a new line of gender-neutral dolls. When I read the headlines, my first thought was that those dolls would have completely transformed my childhood. But then I let out a sigh of relief for all of the children coming up in the world now, in hopes that they might have one less moment of discomfort because they don’t fit the binary gender mold.

The new dolls, which are available in a range of skin tones, come with short hair and long hair options as well as various clothes, shoes, and accessories that are both female- and male-presenting, according to Mattel's press release. A promotion video says the line, which is called Creatable World, is designed to "to keep labels out and invite everyone in."

The release states that the company worked with experts, parents, doctors, and, of course, kids to create the dolls. "Through research, we heard that kids don’t want their toys dictated by gender norms," Kim Culmone, senior vice president of Mattel fashion doll design, said in the release. 

"Toys are a reflection of culture and as the world continues to celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity, we felt it was time to create a doll line free of labels," Culmone added.

This is a major step toward changing the way children see gender norms. I only wish it would have happened sooner. 

RELATED: Barbie Is Now Available in Curvy, Tall, and Petite Body Types

I was once a little girl who wanted to wear boy’s clothes. I was the only girl on an all-boys soccer team. I liked to play sports and ride my bike and climb trees. I always had skinned knees and dirt under my fingernails.

I’m not transgender, and I didn’t wish I was a boy. I was just never a feminine girl.

As a kid, when my mother would take me shopping, I would drag her across the store to the boy’s section to pick out clothes. At 13, my mom insisted I wear a dress to my bat-mitzvah, but I refused to go shopping for it—she had to buy it without me. I later cried in the salon chair when I saw my finished haircut for the big Jewish coming of age event. It was a feminine cut, my hair coiffed and sloping under my chin. I hated it. 

Despite my aversion to femininity, I had plenty of Barbie dolls growing up. I felt like Barbie was supposed to represent the adult that I could one day become. But she didn’t feel right. Or rather, I didn’t feel right looking at her. Holding myself to the standard of skinny and feminine was something I knew I could never do.

RELATED: Barbie Is Launching 14 New Badass Dolls Modeled After Modern-Day Women

Barbie was the reason I experienced one of my first moments of loneliness as a person whose gender expression doesn’t match societal standards. Seeing her high heels, gemstone pink dresses, and long, crimped hair made me feel like there was something wrong with me. I couldn’t relate to Ken either. While I liked his laid-back style, I knew I wasn’t a boy.

The feeling of not belonging that my Barbie dolls evoked in me is something I'll always carry. I feel it when I walk into a party and am the only woman wearing a man’s suit and tie. I feel it when I head into a meeting at work as the only woman with short hair and men’s shoes. I feel it when I get looks in the women’s bathroom because other women are not quite sure I belong there.

But that isolation has never scared me from embracing who I am, even as a kid. When I was nine, I stripped my Barbies of their glittery dresses and flowery accessories and swapped them for Ken’s button-downs and khakis. I grabbed a pair of scissors and chopped off their hair, sweeping the blonde locks into the trash. I shed Barbie of her hyper-feminine identity, and I felt instantly better.

Barbie could be female, but she didn’t have to be feminine. I now see that by helping my dolls find their place in the world, I was finding my own.

So yes, Mattel, it is time to "create a doll line free of labels." In fact, it's been time for as long as I can remember. 

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter 

< How the New Gender-Neutral Barbie Would Have Completely Transformed My Childhood

Kylie Jenner Reportedly Hospitalized For "Severe Flu-Like Symptoms"

Mark Ronson Comes Out as Sapiosexual—Here’s What That Means

Flight Attendant's Sweet Note to Deaf Teen Flying Alone for the First Time Goes Viral

Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't told some fibs in my life.

"I wish I could go, but I'm busy" is code for "I would rather be home on my couch." And "Sorry, I forgot to reply" is really me saying "Sorry, I was avoiding you." (Part of me is hoping that admitting this doesn't totally undermine my credibility, but another part is sure that a lot of people reading this can relate.)

Those are what I consider to be white lies, or "a lie about a small or unimportant matter that someone tells to avoid hurting another person," according to Merriam-Webster. It's not that I get some kind of enjoyment out of being dishonest. I'm just being polite...right?

Well, as I learned while reporting this article, many experts would disagree. They would say my motives go beyond being courteous. 

Robert Feldman, PhD, a professor of psychology at University of Massachusetts Amherst, studies "verbal deceit." He tells me the biggest reason people are dishonest is that "lying is a very effective social tactic." He adds, "People don't expect to be lied to; the expectation is that they're hearing the truth from others, and so that allows people who are lying to often get away with it."

Here, Feldman explains seven reasons why people spin the truth—from telling white lies to compulsively lying.

RELATED: Jussie Smollett Lied About Being the Victim of a Hate Crime, Police Say. Why Would Someone Do That?

To flatter people

Feldman says flattery is one of the most common forms of deceit, which doesn't seem very surprising. How many times do people say "Be honest!" when you tell them you love their new haircut? People are skeptical of flattery because they know it's not always sincere. Someone may give you a false compliment to befriend you, avoid awkwardness, persuade you to do them a favor, get you to confide in them, and more. 

To avoid awkwardness

This is one I'm all too familiar with, as I explained above. I mean, I have no problem telling my close friends that I would rather stay home in my pajamas than go out to a bar on a Friday night. But when it comes to people I'm not as comfortable with, I'll go with the old, "I wish I could go, but I'm busy." Feldman says lying to avoid awkwardness comes back to a want to be liked by others and to not disappoint anyone. Sounds about right. 

RELATED: What It Means to Be a High-Functioning Sociopath—and How to Tell If You Know One

To influence others

"People lie to get others to do what they want them to do," Feldman says. He uses the example of a salesman. For our purposes, let's say the salesman is hawking a facial cleanser. They might rave about the cleanser, saying they had acne their whole life, and nothing worked to clear it until they found this product, the holy grail of facial cleansers. It changed their life. And it can change yours. Is it true? Probably not. Is it an effective tactic? Often yes.  

To avoid a negative outcome

Think of a child who broke a glass, Feldman says. When their parent asks if they broke the glass, they're probably going to say no, even though it's an obvious lie. "As we get older, we learn to be better liars," Feldman says, meaning people continue to lie to protect themselves, but it's much harder to know for sure that they're being dishonest. People will also lie to protect others, like if the child's older sibling says they saw the dog knock the glass over...even though they know it was their sibling. 

RELATED: Narcissistic Abuse Is the Scary New Kind of Emotional Abuse You Need to Know About

To achieve a positive outcome 

People may lie to get an outcome they want for themselves or others, Feldman says. Overstating experience on a resume or in a job interview is a classic way people lie to get what they want. The same goes for a person who's trying to help their friend get hired at their company. (Because who doesn't want a friend in the office?) They may overstate their friend's experience to the hiring manager, saying how successful and personable they are, to increase their chances of landing the position—and landing themselves a coworker they already get along with.

To make yourself look more impressive

"People want others to like them, to admire them, to be impressed by them," Feldman says. "In some cases, a person may even want to intimidate other people." A manager, for example, might exaggerate their previous successes to keep colleagues from challenging their decisions. And let's not forget Anna Delvey, who passed herself off as a German heiress to impress socialites and live the high life...mostly on their dime.

To maintain a previous lie

Lies have a snowball effect, Feldman says. "If you lie about something small initially, in order to maintain that lie, you sometimes have to lie in bigger and bigger ways." This is something I've seen played out in TV shows, movies, books, and even real life. No lie is too small to get you caught in a web—which is why honesty, as they say, is the best policy. 

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

More Celebrities Are Using Energy Healing—But Does It Work?

In the past few years, the field of energy healing has pretty much exploded—but there’s a ton of confusion around it, too. What is it, exactly? Are there credible studies on it? And isn’t it just a little bit...woo-woo?

Let’s start with the definition: Energy medicine (or biofield therapies) is the act of channeling and manipulating the energy that courses through your body in order to heal it. This can be done with hands-on practices, such as acupuncture and Reiki, as well as sensory-based experiences, like the use of crystals, sound baths, and aromatherapy.

Once derided as too mystical, energy medicine is becoming more common—trendy, even. Adele reportedly said that she performs better when she holds crystals. Kim Kardashian West visited a local energy healer while on vacation in Bali. And some elite athletes in the NFL and NBA now bring Reiki masters on the road. Increasingly, scientists are starting to take energy medicine seriously too.

RELATED: A Guide to Choosing the Best Holistic Doctor for Your Needs

The medical theory

Energy practitioners believe that your body is instilled with a subtle energy, or animating life force, the flow of which must be balanced for good health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this force is called qi (pronounced “chee”); in Ayurvedic medicine, which originated in India, it’s represented in the doshas, three energies (vata, pitta, and kapha) that provide every person’s makeup. The basis of energy medicine is removing blocks in your body’s energetic field that can cause poor health.

Energy medicine has been around for thousands of years—a description of the “laying on of hands” to relieve pain was found in an ancient Egyptian papyrus document from 1550 BC. But even with its long history, people find it hard to wrap their heads around energy medicine, says acupuncturist and Chinese medicine doctor Jill Blakeway, author of the recent book Energy Medicine: The Science and Mystery of Healing. This is not helped by the fact that this field is, as she says bluntly, “rife with quackery.” Anyone can basically call him- or herself an energy healer, says Blakeway, a funny, forthcoming Brit who works with MDs and is the opposite of woo-woo. “While practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine are licensed and do either a four-year masters or a five-year doctorate, there are no minimum standards for most other types of energy work.”

RELATED: These Celebrities Believe in the Healing Powers of Crystals—Should We?

Yufang Lin, MD, an integrative medicine physician at the Cleveland Clinic who is trained in Reiki and qigong, explains to her patients that energy is the foundation for everything we do with our bodies. “The idea is that we have this bank of energy, and we have to restore it or replace it,” she says. “In Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, if the energy isn’t flowing well, we get sick.”

We’ve all picked up on other people’s energy when we say that a person has good vibes, or negative energy. “You can absolutely feel it,” says Judith Orloff, MD, an energy healer from Santa Monica, California, and a psychiatrist on the UCLA clinical faculty. Most of us have experienced what Orloff calls an energy hangover: “That’s when the energy of an interaction or an event lingers the next day when you wake up,” she says, “and it literally feels like a hangover.”

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow Says She 'Broke Out' of Postpartum Depression by Using Alternative Therapies

Gathering evidence

These days, it seems like everyone in the wellness world is heading into the mystic. But it’s not just trendy spirit warriors who have energy healers on speed dial—some of the country’s best hospitals are hiring them too. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Duke University Health System employ acupuncturists, while Reiki masters are available at the Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minnesota. UCSF Medical Center offers qigong for breast cancer survivors, and NewYork-Presbyterian provides aromatherapy for stress reduction.

Some forms of energy medicine are backed by research. Acupuncture, for example, is supported by solid studies. And a 2010 review of research in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine found strong evidence that biofield therapies, such as Reiki and therapeutic touch, can alleviate pain, and moderate evidence that they could reduce anxiety in hospitalized patients.

RELATED: I Took a Sound Bath … and It Relaxed the Hell Out of Me

Yet for many energy therapies, scientific evidence is still lagging. One reason is that large, carefully controlled medical studies are costly—and often funded by big companies that develop drugs. “With something like Reiki or therapeutic touch, there’s nothing to sell,” says Dr. Lin.

But as demand grows, more studies are being commissioned. In its most recent strategic plan, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health—the government’s lead agency for research on nonconventional medicine—deemed “nonpharmacologic management of pain” a top scientific priority.

RELATED: How Does ASMR Work? The Science Behind Those Brain-Tingling Sounds

The power of belief

Of course, it’s entirely possible that some of the healing benefits patients report arise from the so-called placebo effect—in which the brain convinces the body that a particular treatment will work, and then it actually does.

The placebo effect once had a negative connotation, but now scientists are discovering what a powerful mechanism it can be. Essentially, placebos trigger a relaxation response, which appears to allow the body an opportunity to self-heal. How the effect works, exactly, is still a mystery, but it may involve a burst of feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins, as well as amped activity in certain brain regions linked to emotional reactions.

RELATED: I Tried a 'Mind Cleanse' and It Was Just the Emotional Detox I Needed

In a groundbreaking 2017 study at the University of Luxembourg, participants were given a placebo and told it would reduce their pain. Researchers then scanned the participants’ brains and found that areas that processed pain were actually less active than normal. The subjects felt less pain not because they had great imaginations, but because they weren’t registering it.

Even Blakeway admits that energy healing likely contains an element of placebo. But as she points out, if it’s functioning as part of the healing process, why fear it?

Energy healing may also help people by reducing their stress—which is no small thing. Stress is a common underlying factor in many diseases. Studies have found that 75 percent to 90 percent of primary care visits can be attributed to the effects of stress, and it’s linked to the six leading causes of death in the U.S.

RELATED: What Is Homeopathic Medicine, and Why Is the FDA Cracking Down On It?

The relaxing benefits of acupuncture are well-known. Blakeway’s patients sometimes ask her, “What do you put in the needles?” They become so calm during her sessions, they assume she’s coated her needles with a sedative.

Dr. Lin says that when she was in med school, she was taught a simple formula: Identify a disease by listening to the symptoms, then treat it with drugs. Now that she has moved into energy healing, the first question she tries to answer is, What is triggering the illness? “Then we try and remove that trigger.”

Energy healing requires you to listen carefully to what your body is telling you, adds Dr. Orloff. “That’s really the beauty of it. It’s about tapping into your own intuition and ability to heal.”

RELATED: Why You Need to Stop Putting Essential Oils in Food

Therapies with cred

All kinds of approaches get thrown into the energy bucket—from color therapy to intuitive healing—but these five have gained the most traction.

Acupuncture

The research is probably most robust around acupuncture, which has been used for more than two millennia in Chinese medicine. The practice involves inserting thin needles at specific points to improve the overall movement of qi through the body. It’s believed that there are energy networks—called meridians—through which qi travels. Most meridians correspond to a major organ (like the lungs, or the stomach), and most acupuncture points lie on those meridians.

RELATED: Acupuncture Gone Wrong: This Woman's Lung Collapsed During a Routine Treatment

Many Western doctors now believe that stimulation from the needles boosts endorphins, a.k.a. your body’s natural painkillers. In studies, acupuncture has been linked to relief of fibromyalgia pain, low-back pain, migraines, and osteoarthritis. It’s also been found to improve fertility rates and lower hypertension. And one 2013 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that electroacupuncture—in which a mild electric current is transmitted through needles—was as effective as Prozac in reducing symptoms of depression.

Acupuncture is a holistic approach, says Debbie Lamadrid, an acupuncturist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. “The goal in Chinese medicine is to address the entire person, not just their symptoms.”

Qigong

An ancient Chinese healing technique, qigong is used to cleanse, cultivate, and strengthen a person’s qi. In what’s known as external qigong, or qi emission, a therapist diagnoses problems according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and then uses “emitted qi” to heal. This may involve placing the hands several inches above the body to administer healing qi and remove negative energy. She will also recommend a program to rebalance one’s qi, which may involve breathing techniques and meditation.

While there’s not a lot of research to support external qigong, a 2013 University of Texas study did find that it reduced symptoms of depression among women undergoing radiation for breast cancer.

RELATED: The Best Meditation Apps to Help Beat Anxiety and Stress

Reflexology

According to Chinese medicine, your feet, palms, and ears are energy centers, and they are connected—via meridians—to other body parts. (Your toes reflect your head, for example, and your palms are linked to your kidneys.) When points within those energy centers are stimulated, they can improve energy circulation and rejuvenate corresponding areas elsewhere in the body.

Reflexology also brings on blissfully deep relaxation. (One reason foot reflexology is so calming is that there are nearly 15,000 nerves in your feet.) Research on the practice is nebulous, but a 2016 Israeli study did find that when patients facing major surgery were given reflexology before the operation, their anxiety levels dropped dramatically—and their outcomes after surgery improved, too.

RELATED: The Incredible Ways Visualization Can Improve Your Health

Reiki

In the practice of Reiki—the name is formed from the Japanese words rei (spirit) and ki (vital force)—healers put their hands on or right above your body (which in most cases is fully clothed) in order to direct energy.

As of 2014, more than 60 hospitals in the U.S. included Reiki as part of patient services, according to a UCLA study, and Reiki education was offered at 800.

Vickie Bodner, a licensed massage therapist and Reiki master at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, says that patients usually come to her for physical and emotional pain, such as fibromyalgia, immune system issues, or depression. It’s also good for stress relief. (A Reiki station was set up in New York City after 9/11 to treat firefighters and other first responders.) “Patients find it comforting, calming, and soothing,” says Bodner.

RELATED: This Woman Died After an 'Acupuncture' Therapy Session That Uses Live Bee Stings Instead of Needles

Therapeutic touch

Developed in the ’70s by a professor of nursing at NYU, therapeutic touch, or TT, is used by practitioners (many of them nurses) to sense your body’s energy. According to the principles of TT, there are eight regions where energy is concentrated: the head, throat, stomach, heart, lower abdomen, sacral region, knees, and feet.

If the therapist finds an area where energy is not flowing, she will move her hands in a rhythmic motion known as unruffling, starting at the top of the congested area and moving down and away from your body. She’ll continue until she no longer detects a blockage or the patient feels relief.

A 2012 study done at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center found that just one TT session led to improvement in pain, stress, and nausea in cancer patients.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< More Celebrities Are Using Energy Healing—But Does It Work?

Teens Are Gluing Their Lips for an Internet Challenge—Here's Why That's a Bad Idea

5 Women Prove That Every Body Is Sexy in Empowering Photo Series

Teenager Keeps Thinking It's June 11th After Memory Resets Every 2 Hours Due to Head Injury

An Illinois teenager is constantly reminded of one of the worst days of her life after a traumatic head injury causes her memory to “reset” every two hours.

Every morning for the past three months, Riley Horner wakes up believing it’s June 11 — the day she suffered a hit to the head. She has no recollection of what happened before that day or after.

“I have a calendar on my door, and I look and it’s September, and I’m like, ‘Woah,'” Riley told local news outlet WQAD 8.

RELATED: Frankie Muniz Doesn't Remember 'Malcolm in the Middle'—Here's What Might Cause Severe Memory Loss in Young People

Riley was accidentally kicked in the head by a student “crowd-surfing” during a dance at the FFA State Convention, according to the outlet.

After the incident, Riley’s mother Sarah Horner explained that when they went to get her checked out, the doctor sent her home with crutches and diagnosed her with a concussion.

RELATED: N.C. Teen Wakes Up Every Day with No Memory of the Day Before After Getting Hit on Head in 2017

However, Sarah believes it’s more than that, as Riley has experienced “dozens” of seizures and has taken “countless” more trips to the hospital.

“They tell us there’s nothing medically wrong,” Sarah told WQAD 8. “They can’t see anything. You can’t see a concussion though on an MRI or a CT scan. There’s no brain bleed, there’s no tumor.”

RELATED: 8 Weird Things Linked to Memory Loss Later in Life

Riley’s new reality has been especially hard on her and her family as almost every new experience since her injury has been wiped from her memory.

“My brother passed away last week, and she probably has no idea,” Sarah told WQAD 8. “We tell her every day, but she has no idea about it.”

Riley even carries detailed notes with her at school so that when her two-hour timer goes off, she can “brush up” on what she has forgotten — like where her locker is.

“I know it’s hard for them as much as it’s hard for me,” Riley told the outlet. “People just don’t understand. It’s like a movie.”

RELATED: The Truth About Women and Concussions

“Like I will have no recollection of [this interview] come suppertime,” Riley told WQAD 8.

As the days go by, Riley grows more and more scared as doctors say “she might just be like this forever,” her mother told the news outlet.

“I’m not making memories,” Riley told WQAD 8. “And I’m just like really scared.”

At this time, Riley and Sarah are desperate for help and answers.

“We need somebody that knows a little bit more because she deserves better. I mean she wanted to be in the medical field and now she can’t even hold a job if she wanted to,” Sarah explained to the outlet.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< Teenager Keeps Thinking It's June 11th After Memory Resets Every 2 Hours Due to Head Injury

Aaron Carter Reveals He Has Multiple Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder on 'The Doctors'

Aaron Carter’s life has changed a lot since the days of “I Want Candy.” The 31-year-old singer recently opened up about his mental health issues on an episode of The Doctors, and it’s clear that he’s been dealing with a lot. 

According to People, Carter shared his multiple diagnoses as well as the medications he's been prescribed for his conditions in an exclusive clip for an upcoming episode of the show—and he didn't hold any details back.

RELATED:  8 Celebrities on Their Struggles With Mental Illness

“The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety; I’m manic depressive,” Carter says in the clip. “I’m prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, Gabapentin, Hydroxyzine, Trazodone, Omeprazole.”

He gave the audience a close-up look of the numerous medications he is taking, showing off all of the pill bottles in a large plastic bag. “This is my reality … hi,” he said. “I have nothing to hide."

In addition to opening up about his mental health issues on the show, Carter also stopped by to confront his mother about her drinking addiction. Carter shared that The Doctors saved his life when he first went on the show in 2017 and dealing with drug addiction, among other issues, and now he "wants that for his mom."

RELATED: 9 Ways to Control Bipolar Disorder

But back to Carter's mental health reveal: His conditions are all serious (but treatable) mental health conditions that are recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Multiple personality disorder, which is clinically referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder, is a condition where two or more distinct personalities develop in a single person, which is often noticed first by family and friends. According to the APA, people with this condition can suffer from serious memory gaps and can be the result of traumatic events in one’s childhood. 

Schizophrenia, on the other hand, is a mental disorder that can cause symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders and cognitive impairment. It’s incredibly rare, with less than 1% of Americans diagnosed with the disease. There is no cure for schizophrenia, but symptoms can be managed with psychotherapy and antipsychotic medications, such as Seroquel (which, again, Carter is currently taking), per the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

RELATED: How to Treat Schizophrenia, According to a Psychiatrist

Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive anxiety over a number of different factors and can manifest themselves in symptoms like feeling restless, being on-edge, having difficulty concentrating and irritation. Anxiety disorders cannot be cured, but, along with psychotherapy, anti-anxiety medications like Xanax can help alleviate the symptoms. Hydroxyzine, another of Carter's medications, can also help treat anxiety disorders. 

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic depressive illness, has many different types. While Carter didn’t specify which exact type he was diagnosed with, all manic depressive disorders share a similar quality: extreme mood swings. These can include periods of erratic, energized behavior, and quickly switch to periods of depressive, low energy behavior. Like the previous disorders listed, this mental illness cannot be cured, but symptoms can be alleviated through psychotherapy and medication. 

While its unclear exactly why Carter is using each medication he is taking, NAMI says that certain medications can be used off-label, meaning they can be taken to treat other conditions they are not approved by the FDA to treat. For example, both Gabapentin and Trazodone are considered off-label medications for mental health conditions, per NAMI. Gabapentin, which is typically used to treat seizures, can also be used to help treat alcohol dependence and social anxiety. Trazodone is typically prescribed as an antidepressant, but can also be can be used to treat insomnia.

Carter's two-part interview on The Doctors will air Thursday, September 12, and Friday, September 13.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< Aaron Carter Reveals He Has Multiple Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder on 'The Doctors'

Apple's New iPhone Design is Triggering Trypophobia in Tons of People—Here's What That Means

Plus-Size Influencer Nabela Noor Opens Up About Her First Bikini Pic and How She Deals With Hateful Trolls

The Habit That Keeps Rachel Bilson Healthy—Even When She Doesn’t Have Time to Work Out

The actress shares 6 ways she lives a healthy lifestyle. < The Habit That Keeps Rachel Bilson Healthy—Even When She Doesn’t Have Time to Work Out

The Habit That Keeps Rachel Bilson Healthy—Even When She Doesn’t Have Time to Work Out

The actress shares 6 ways she lives a healthy lifestyle. < The Habit That Keeps Rachel Bilson Healthy—Even When She Doesn’t Have Time to Work Out

J.Lo Shows Off Her Incredible Abs In High-Slit Beach Skirt at End of Summer Party

The 24 Most Scenic Places to Camp in the United States

Take a road trip from coast to coast, and you’ll find beautiful sights in every state in the U.S.   < The 24 Most Scenic Places to Camp in the United States

Demi Lovato Shares Unedited Bikini Photo of Her Cellulite to Overcome Her 'Biggest Fear'

4 Women on Dealing With Negative Body Image—and Learning to Love Themselves

8 Ways to Banish Negative Thoughts and Make Peace With Your Body

This Body-Positive Activist Rebuilt Her Confidence on Her Own Terms. Here’s How

In November of 2014, I arrived at the office of my job early. I was going to quit that day. I couldn’t afford a printer at home, so even though I wrote my resignation letter on my personal laptop, I needed to use company paper and ink to print and deliver it as soon as my boss walked in at 8:57 a.m.

Before I go on, I should rewind to give you context. It was never my intention to work a corporate job. I spent my younger years tap-dancing behind my mother in the supermarket, dreaming of being on Broadway.

I like to think of confidence as a balloon. I had a soaring, full balloon until elementary school. It was during that time that a teacher pulled my mom aside and let her know that, while I was a good dancer, I wouldn’t be allowed in the elite dance group because I didn’t have a “dancer’s body.” Whoosh—a little air was let out of my confidence balloon.

Fast-forward to high school, when I auditioned for a school musical. The teacher told me that even though I had a great audition, he couldn’t give me the role. The reason: There was a scene where the characters talk about how they had made love in the back seat of a car, and he simply felt it was unrealistic that someone of my size would fit in the back of the car. Yup, there went more air out of my confidence balloon.

RELATED: How This Woman Quit Being Self-Conscious of Her Cerebral Palsy: ‘I Used to Hide Away’

My senior year of high school, my classmates voted me “Most Talented.” My teachers couldn’t look beyond my body, but my classmates could. That gave my confidence balloon the tiny burst of air I needed to move forward.

After high school, I went to New York City and got a degree in theater and became a working actor. My weight became an issue once again. Audition after audition, casting directors would tell me that they loved my talent, but they couldn’t see past my weight. After so much rejection, my confidence balloon was completely deflated. My loved ones tried to boost me up, but no one could revive my confidence. The only person who could do that was me, but I didn’t even try. I quit auditioning and got a corporate job to pay my bills.

In an effort to find an outlet for my creativity, I went online to share what it was like to be a plus-size girl living in New York. My Instagram community made me feel less alone, and I found the courage to rebuild my self-confidence.

RELATED: How This Influencer Fought Diet Culture and Focused on Self-Love: 'Thinner Doesn't Make You Better'

I had always thought that my life would be better if I were skinnier. I perceived weight as the obstacle that was standing in the way of the life I wanted. In an effort to make myself smaller, I began to live a very small life.

Then one day I wrote in my journal, “Don’t wait on your weight to live the life you want.” I began to say it in the mirror each morning. My confidence balloon started filling back up. Once I began to focus on how I felt instead of how I looked, the world opened up to me.

I began to feel confident, so I decided I wanted to support myself on my own terms—and quitting my job was the first step. My hands were trembling, but I gave my boss that resignation letter.

RELATED: How This Marathon-Running Fitness Editor Deals With Negative Body Image: ‘No One’s Immune to It’

Five years later, I support myself by embracing who I am. One way I’ve done that is by cofounding theCurvyCon with Chastity Garner. It’s a convention for plus-size women that takes place during New York Fashion Week—we are celebrating our five-year anniversary! I have even given a TEDx Talk called “How to Build Self Confidence.”

People always say that everything you want is outside your comfort zone, but I often wonder if it’s about what lies outside the comfort zone or if it’s simply about having the confidence to leave your comfort zone in the first place.

CeCe Olisa is cofounder of theCurvyCon. Learn more at ceceolisa.com or by following her on Instagram @ceceolisa.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< This Body-Positive Activist Rebuilt Her Confidence on Her Own Terms. Here’s How

How This Marathon-Running Fitness Editor Deals With Negative Body Image: ‘No One’s Immune to It’

I look exactly like you’d expect a runner to look: tall, lean, legs for days. That’s not a weird flex; it’s just a fact. But because my body technically fits into a certain positive stereotype, I have always felt as if I am not allowed to have (and definitely shouldn’t admit to) any body hang-ups.

But here’s the thing: I’m a fitness writer and editor. That means I work out with your favorite trainers, go on photo shoots with Instagram fitness celebrities, and lift weights and log miles regularly with my coworkers. And since I started running seriously four years ago, I’ve found that every time I look in the mirror, I end up comparing myself to all the super-fit women I’m surrounded by—and I feel like I don’t measure up.

As women, we have become conditioned to compare ourselves to impossible ideals, and our insecurities have become the norm. No one’s immune to it, not Olympians, not the pros, and definitely not the people—like me—who dish out fitness advice.

Running has been an interesting thing for me. It has forced me to ask a lot of my body: My feet have crossed six marathon finish lines. My legs have carried me over 157.2 race miles (the training miles are countless). My arms have propelled me forward through more than 300,000 steps on those race days. And my core has kept me standing tall (or at least upright) until I crossed each finish line. This all makes me feel stronger than I ever have before. It takes me around four hours to run a marathon, and I spend the majority of that time just in awe that I’ve somehow developed the determination and perseverance to keep telling my muscles to dig deeper, even when I’ve depleted my body of every drop of energy. When I run, I feel in control. I feel proud. Honestly, I feel unstoppable.

The flip side is that running has, at times, bubbled up this body-image baggage. When I picture a runner, I see washboard abs, chiseled quads, and nonexistent body fat. When I look at myself, I don’t see the proof I think should be there after all the miles I’ve run. Even though I know that sentiment is ridiculous, those thoughts still sometimes manage to seep in.

As a way of getting rid of these negative, unproductive thoughts, I focus on the strength I have found in running. When you participate in a race, it becomes obvious that strength doesn’t look one way. Distance running is the great equalizer. Whether you’re tiny and petite, tall and muscular, curvy, or plus-size, you’re using the exact same muscles in the exact same way as the woman next to you to keep moving forward—and everyone, no matter what they look like, covers the exact same distance in a race. No matter the time. It’s an equal accomplishment.

Now, when that negative self-talk pops up, I think about how hard I’ve trained. And if my brain can manage the discomfort of a marathon, I know I can wrestle down the discomfort that comes with seeing a photo where my stomach doesn’t look perfectly flat. Running has taught me that the more you put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the stronger you’ll be the next time one comes up.

Follow Ashley Mateo on Instagram @ashleymateo for more info on her work.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< How This Marathon-Running Fitness Editor Deals With Negative Body Image: ‘No One’s Immune to It’

How This Influencer Fought Diet Culture and Focused on Self-Love: 'Thinner Doesn't Make You Better'

On May 26, 2016, I took my phone out and deleted contact information for every single man I had casually slept with, dated, or sexted in the last 10 years. There were a lot of them.

At age 37, I had spent years in casual relationships but never found anything close to what my heart truly craved—a healthy, balanced relationship with a partner. In a moment of brutal but necessary self-actualization, I saw the common thread in each of these relationships—it was me. At that moment, I made a decision: I was tired of feeling alone and done with feeling invisible.

A few months before this realization, my body had started to give out on me. My left knee had a habit of buckling from underneath me, my feet would go numb, and my lower back was in constant pain. Daily tasks most  people take for granted—like walking through Target or standing to do the dishes at the sink—were becoming really hard. I started to limit what I did, and the orbit of my life was getting smaller and smaller.

If I had told a stranger that I was unhappy, that person would have just said, “If you’re an unhappy fat woman, why don’t you just go on a diet?” As if I hadn’t thought of that before!

The truth is, I’ve been on dozens of diets in my lifetime—and none of them had any lasting success. This time, I decided to take stock of where I was with my body and my life. Once I really started thinking about it, here’s what I knew for sure: I ate at night when I was lonely, in the car when I was bored, and a whole lot of other times—very few of which were actually tied to hunger. My relationship to food was totally out of whack. My physical body was keeping me from experiencing life the way I wanted. And, finally, I threw myself into shallow connections that were sometimes frenzied, many times oblivious, and more often than not, ended in my wondering why I was wasn’t good enough for guys to want to date me.

How was I going to find a diet that would address all of that? My light-bulb moment was realizing there wasn’t a diet in the world that could fix the emotional pain I was in. I didn’t know what would heal the hurt, but I had to do something different.

I want to be clear: I am not saying that losing weight is bad—heck, in the years since, I have lost weight and I’ll probably lose more. I am saying that a “diet” will never be the catalyst that leads to happiness. Being thinner doesn’t make you better or happier.

Three years later, I’m unearthing a beautifully flawed, perfectly imperfect, eternal-work-in-progress version of myself that I never knew existed. I do Pilates. I strength-train. I meditate. Most important, I do the emotional work that helps me understand why I’ve done the things I did.

Diet culture is a dysfunctional system of beliefs. Weight loss is a tool. But personal growth? That’s where the magic actually happens.

So the next time you find yourself cursing your body and thinking that shedding weight will “abracadabra” your perfect life into existence, ask yourself: “What is it I am really aching for? Am I running from something? Do I need to heal any hurt?”

Start there—build your self-love, and begin your journey from the inside out.

To learn more about Sarah Sapora and her size-inclusive wellness offerings, visit sarahsapora.com

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< How This Influencer Fought Diet Culture and Focused on Self-Love: 'Thinner Doesn't Make You Better'

How This Woman Quit Being Self-Conscious of Her Cerebral Palsy: ‘I Used to Hide Away’

There are three things that I know to be absolutely true in this world: Cheesecake is delicious, Paramore is one of the best bands ever, and women are way too hard on themselves. OK, fine. The first two are just my humble opinions. But the last one I learned through years and years of anecdotal evidence. See, I spent most of my life being too hard on myself.

Here’s something you should know about me to understand the journey I’ve been on. I have cerebral palsy, which means, among other things, that I walk with a limp and have a right hand that balls into a fist and lifts itself in the air involuntarily. People stare at me everywhere I go. Because of this, I used to hide away and apologize for the space I took up. I would even use the sleeves of my shirt to cover my right hand so that no one saw my bent fingers. 

This was just a small sign of the shame and anger I felt toward my body and myself.

Thankfully, I no longer feel that way. How’d I change all that? A few years ago, I forced myself to start every day by looking in the mirror and saying out loud four things that I liked about myself in that moment.

This small addition to my routine made a huge impact. I began to genuinely like the person I was for the first time in my life, and I was inspired to create a hashtag that I started using online. It was #DisabledAndCute, and I encouraged other women to use it. I wanted others to embrace what they loved about themselves and start talking about themselves in a positive way— the hashtag wound up going viral! From there, I started speaking at conferences, writing articles, and even got a book deal—The Pretty One just came out.

I firmly believe that without standing in front of my mirror to say those four things I like about myself, the rest of this would not have been possible. Those positive affirmations are different every day—sometimes they are about a kind act I did, sometimes they are about liking my outfit—but they all have led to a domino effect that made everything else possible. One clear sign of how far I’ve come in appreciating my body and myself? Clothes hold a totally different meaning to me now. I love shopping and have come to realize that picking clothes is about highlighting and enhancing what I have—not hiding. Just look at my book cover! That hand that I used to hide? It’s fully on display.

To learn more about Keah Brown, visit keahbrown.com, follow her on Instagram @keah_maria, or pick up a copy of The Pretty One.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< How This Woman Quit Being Self-Conscious of Her Cerebral Palsy: ‘I Used to Hide Away’

Rooster Pecked Woman to Death After it Cut Open a Varicose Vein

A woman in Australia died after being attacked by one of her roosters, according to a new case report—and as highly unlikely as it sounds (and, honestly, is) the incident will leave you paying a little more attention to some veins on your legs.

The case report, detailed in the journal Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, tells of a 76-year-old woman who was collecting chicken eggs on her property when a rooster started pecking at her lower left leg. That pecking caused a "significant hemorrhage," that caused the woman to collapse. She eventually died of her injuries.

According to the case report, an autopsy conducted after her death found that the woman had two small cuts on her leg, including one that was over a large varicose vein. As a result, doctors said she died from "exsanguination," or severe blood loss, from bleeding from the varicose vein after the rooster attack.

“This case demonstrates that even relatively small domestic animals may be able to inflict lethal injuries in individuals if there are specific vascular vulnerabilities present,” the authors of the report wrote.

While dying from a varicose vein injury is rare (that's why it ended up in a medical journal), the incident raises some important questions about varicose veins. Here's what you need to know. 

RELATED: A Teenage Boy Went Blind After Eating French Fries Everyday. How Does That Happen?

What are varicose veins, again?

Varicose veins are a common condition caused by weak or damaged vein walls and valves, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says. Your veins have one-way valves inside them that open and close to keep blood flowing in your heart. But weakened or damaged valves or walls in the veins can cause blood to pool and flow backwards, the NHLBI explains. When this happens, the veins might grow larger and become distorted, causing varicose veins.

“Varicose veins are veins you already have that stretch out over time,” explains Mounir Haurani, M.D., vascular surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Think of a balloon that you make animals out of: They start out straight and small but after they get blown up they are longer, wider, and thinner walled.”

Varicose veins typically form when your blood pressure increases inside your veins. That can happen due to a range of things, including pregnancy, constipation, a tumor, or being overweight or obese, the NHLBI says.

As far as treatment options go, lifestyle changes (reaching a healthy weight, avoiding sitting or standing for long periods of time, being more physically active—can help, as can compression therapy, says Dr. Haurani. Medical procedures like endovenous ablation (which uses lasers or radiofrequency energy to heat the inside of the vein and close it off), sclerotherapy (where your doctor injects liquid or foam chemicals into the vein to seal it closed), or surgical removal of the varicose veins are also an option, the NHLBI says.

RELATED: This 37-Year-Old Woman Got Toxic Shock Syndrome From a Rug Burn on Her Arm—and Almost Died

Okay, but are varicose veins ever harmful?

If this case study is any indication, yes, they can be—but on the whole, varicose veins are not directly a sign of any major systemic illness, Dr. Haurani says, so they’re pretty harmless on their own.

But back to the case study: It should be noted that bleeding from varicose veins is not overly common, Dr. Haurani says. Still, people do go to the emergency room for varicose vein injuries “because it can be hard to stop the bleeding on your own,” he says.

If you have varicose veins and you happen to injure them, apply pressure to the wound and then lay down with your legs up on a chair, Dr. Haurani says. And, if the bleeding doesn’t stop, seek medical care ASAP. But, aside from injuring varicose veins, if you have them at all and are bothered by them (or you're concerned about you have varicose veins and they bother you, or you’re concerned about your future risk of injury, talk to your doctor, who should be able to guide you on next steps. 

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter.

< Rooster Pecked Woman to Death After it Cut Open a Varicose Vein

Bebe Rexha Shows Off ‘Birthday Suit’ In Self-Love Post Of Herself Doing the Splits in a Thong

How to Improve Your Digital Wellness, According to Experts

This 37-Year-Old Woman Got Toxic Shock Syndrome From a Rug Burn on Her Arm—and Almost Died

On a June day in 2015, Alecia Kennen was going about her routine when she accidentally tripped over the family dog. Her right shoulder broke the fall, and she ended up with a pretty standard case of rug burn—at least that's what she assumed at first.

"I never thought that it could turn into what it did," Kennen, 37, tells Health. 

A few days later, Kennen felt an unusual pain under her right armpit, she says. She went to work and tried to brush it off, but halfway through the day, the pain had gotten so bad that she knew she had to get to the hospital. 

She saw multiple doctors near her home in Wisconsin over the next few days, but none of them could figure out what was wrong. In addition to the unbearable pain, she had a fever, aches, nausea, and she was starting to feel delirious. "It was like the pain was so bad that I couldn't focus on anything else," she says. 

It wasn't until she returned to the ER three days after the pain began that doctors recognized this was an emergency. 

RELATED: My Daughter Nearly Died of Sepsis. Here's How You Can Stay Safe

Facebook/Alecia Kennen

Kennen was immediately taken by helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where her symptoms continued to worsen. She was bleeding internally, her lungs had filled with fluid, and she was going into multi-organ shut down. Kennen says after many tests, the doctors, who were at a loss, told her family that she was losing the battle with this mystery illness, and that it was time for them to say goodbye. 

Around the same time, the doctors found out Kennen's sons had been complaining of sore throats. They tested them for strep, and all three came back positive. "It was the hint the doctors needed," Kennen says. 

Kennen was diagnosed with group A Streptococcus toxic shock syndrome (TSS) shortly after. TSS is a rare, potentially deadly complication of certain bacterial infections, like group A strep. Most know TSS because you can get it from leaving a tampon in for too long (a highly-absorbent tampon left in the body for long periods of time can create the right environment for rapid growth of bacteria). But the bacteria can also enter the body through cuts and scrapes, like Kennen's rug burn. (The doctors couldn't know for sure that it entered through the rug burn, Kennen says, but they didn't see how else the bacteria could have gotten into her bloodstream.)

By the time she was diagnosed, her fingers and toes had started to turn black due to a lack of blood flow and oxygen reaching her extremities. She was rapidly declining. Kennen was airlifted to UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where she remained for treatment for the next few weeks.

Doctors performed blood transfusions, as well as dialysis to keep her kidneys functioning. They also had to amputate all of Kennen's fingertips at the knuckle because the tissue was necrotic, or dead. She was finally discharged in August 2015, about two months after she first went to the hospital.

RELATED: I Thought I Had the Flu—but It Turned Out to Be Sepsis

But that wasn't the end of Kennen's battle—the infection ended up recurring multiple times.

In January 2016, the infection came back in Kennen's right foot, and doctors had to amputate her toes. Then, in June of this year, it came back in her foot once again, and doctors amputated her right leg below the knee. She explains that the recurrences have been more mild than the first time, presenting with common symptoms of infection, such as swelling, heat, and redness in the affected area. The amputations, however, have been life-changing. 

"I've been pretty much wheelchair bound, which makes it difficult to take care of my children," she says. "I've had to learn completely new ways of doing things. Everything I do, even if it's a simple task, takes twice as long. I'm really hoping that this will be the last of it and that I can get back to living somewhat of a normal life." 

Kennen had to leave her job as a legal assistant when she first got the infection in 2015. In the four years since, she says there was just one stint of about nine months where she was well enough to work. She's hoping she'll be able to go back for longer, ideally indefinitely, when she's fully recovered from her most recent amputation. 

Fortunately, she's had her three boys, as well as a network of family and friends, to support her through these trying times. "My boys are definitely the reason that I've tried to live every day since to the fullest," she says. "I've been blessed by my family, my friends, the community. My support system has been key." 

Kennen says she's sharing her story to alert people to the dangers of TSS and to the possibility of developing it from things other than tampon use. "You get a rug burn, you get a small cut, and you never think it's something that could end your life in days," she says. "I just want people to know that it can happen, and to know the signs and the symptoms, because I didn't, and I wish I would've had a better understanding that things like this are rare but they can happen."

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

< This 37-Year-Old Woman Got Toxic Shock Syndrome From a Rug Burn on Her Arm—and Almost Died