Thanks and no thanks

National Health Blog Post Month Day 22: Give thanks

Sick of Thanksgiving posts yet? If so, too bad. The #NHBPM prompt made me do it! :) I hope you all had a great day today. I got to spend time with family and eat excessively, which is always fun. Except when you're so full you can barely breathe...

Before the day is through, I'd like to take a moment to say "thank you" to my fellow bloggers who have been nothing but welcoming and encouraging since I started this blog last spring. I look to you for inspiration every day, and I'm so grateful that we've gotten to know each other. This includes (but is definitely not limited to): Chelsea, Rev. Carol Taylor, Al, Rose, and Rich. I've also made a few new connections recently, and I look forward to getting to know those folks as well.

What I am not thankful for
I enjoy a good deal just as much, if not more, than the next person. But for some reason, Black Friday is driving me mad this year! Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by ads for 50% off this, 30% of that, buy one get one free, etc. etc. What bothers me is that I've started noticing these ads impacting my mood. For example: I might think to myself, "If only I had those Frye boots, I would be happier." Or, "If only I had that bracelet, my life would be easier." It's nonsensical, but I keep noticing this thought pattern repeating itself in my head.

It's strikingly similar to how I used to feel when I used tanning beds. With that, my logic would be something like: "If only I was tan and skinny, then maybe I'd be happy." It freaks me out a little when I notice these negative thought patterns in my head. I love the holidays, and I realize there's nothing wrong with treating myself to a new pair of boots or a pair of earrings every once in a while, but I shouldn't need to rely on material things or the way I look to be happy. I hope that this is a passing phase--one that will fade away as we head into the new year. I'd be curious to hear if any of you start having similar feelings around the holidays, and if so, how do you cope with them?

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This post was inspired by the Day 22 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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Tanning salons in 2050

National Health Blog Post Month Day 21: Create a new technology related to health

Last week I attended a fascinating talk by TED speaker Juan Enriquez. He's a futurist--the opposite of a historian--who specializes in the future of biomedicine. One of the key points he made during his talk was that within the next year or so, genome sequencing is going to explode. This leaves us to wonder: What on earth are we going to do with all this genetic information?

To give you a little background in case you're not a science geek like me, researchers now how the power to look at all of a person's DNA collectively, which in some cases (like breast cancer for instance) can indicate whether an individual may be more susceptible to developing a certain disease. Since there seems to be a significant genetic component to melanoma (like breast cancer, it tends to run in families), perhaps genetic information could be used regulate indoor tanning usage.

Many scientists believe that in the not-too-distant future, we'll be able to walk into the doctor's office, hand them a jump drive containing our sequenced genome, and they'll be able to prescribe treatments based on our unique genetic makeup. Maybe the some data can be used for disease prevention, too.

Today's prompt asks me to create a new technology related to health. Well, here it goes: If you've been to a tanning salon at some point in the last five years or so, you may have noticed that many of them check customers in using a fingerprint scanner (my gym does this, too). What if, before you used a tanning bed, you had to scan your finger and if you're predisposed to cancer, the bed would automatically either limit or restrict you from using it? Similarly, the bed would know from a database what you natural, skin, and hair colors are, so it would time your sessions based on how long it takes for your skin to burn. The FDA currently makes recommendations on how long a person should tan based on these factors, but customers frequently exceed suggested exposure times and salons themselves don't enforce. This new technology would limit overexposure and better regulate indoor tanning.

Would this method be perfect? Of course not. Most derms will you that there's no such thing as a "healthy" tan. What this would do would limit burning (which increases melanoma risk) and restrict folks who are melanoma-prone from tanning.

Or maybe by 2050 tanning will have gone out of style. What do you think?

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This post was inspired by the Day 21 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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Five-year tanniversary

National Health Blog Post Month Day 20: A health moment you regret

A health moment I regret? This one's easy. I wish I hadn't used tanning beds in high school and college. Not only did I end up with melanoma just one year after I quit tanning indoors, but my skin has lasting, visible signs of UV damage. Sexy, right?

Yesterday, one of my best friends from college forwarded me a promotional email that was sent to her old ".edu" address this week. Here's the email she forwarded me:

This is what she said: "I'm pretty positive I unsubscribed to these emails 2 months after graduating college and haven't received anything since then, then BOOM, what's in my inbox? Also, it makes me feel really old that this place is 5 yrs old because I remember what a hit it was when the "nice" tanning place came to south Bethlehem. We used to plan our days around when we would tan, sickos!"

Seeing this in my inbox gave me the kind of feeling my friend Chelsea had recently when she found her old tanning goggles. It brought back so many memories--both good and bad. My friends and I really would plan our days like the guys on Jersey Shore who GTL'ed. We knew it probably wasn't good for us, but it was fun. It was always a social activity.

On one hand, it's hard to believe that I graduated from college almost five years ago, but on the other, it feels like a lifetime has passed since then. I'm not just taking about skin care, either. Of course, that's part of it, but I've become more conscious of my health overall and I'm learning to listen to my body more. As much as I do regret using tanning beds as a teenager, I think that dealing with melanoma has empowered me to make healthier decisions in all aspects of my life that I may never have not made otherwise. I do, however, regret that I'll never be able to get rid of some of these sun spots...

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This post was inspired by the Day 20 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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Things I don't like talking about

National Health Blog Post Month Day 19: Write about life and death

Image: French by Design

Let me preface this by saying: when it comes to melanoma, I was lucky. Very, very lucky. It's one of the first things my dermatologist told me when I found out my mole was malignant.

Others are not so lucky. One of the things that makes melanoma so dangerous is how quickly it can spread. This year, it's expected to kill almost 10,000 people.

When you're 23 years old, being told that you have a disease that could theoretically kill you is, well, scary. Like life-alteringly scary. I don't know about you, but I've always been jealous of people who are (or at least claim to be) "at peace" with the fact that we're all going to die someday. Thinking about death makes life seem both incredibly important and yet trivial. I feel pressure to check off every item on my bucket list, but at the same time, I wonder what's the point? As a result, I'm terrified of death.

I think one of the reasons why I fell in love with writing is because it lets you be immortal. When you put your pen down on the paper and share your most intimate thoughts with the page, your mind can outlive your body. That's why I love reading, too. I can glean insights on how to live from any number of other writers--living or deceased.

This prompt has been by far the most difficult one to write about so far this month. Even though our mortality is one of the only things all of us as humans have in common, it still feels so deeply personal. I suppose I still have a lot to figure out about life and death, but I feel lucky that I have time to try.

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This post was inspired by the Day 19 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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Lazy Sunday

National Health Blog Post Month Day 18: How you take time for yourself

Sandwiched between two busy weeks, today I took it easy and indulged in a lazy Sunday. One thing I did was finish knitting this infinity scarf that I started working on a couple weekends ago. I learned to knit back in 2008/2009 from a colleague and friend who is an insanely talented crafter. Since then, I've tackled several of my own projects--the most difficult being a sweater I knit two years ago that took months and months and months to complete. This scarf was super quick-to-knit and pretty easy, so it was a good way to ease into knitting season after my summer hiatus. Knitting to me is sort of like yoga. It gives your hands something to do while your brain ascends into a rhythmic trance. It can be frustrating at first, or when you're working on a particularly difficult pattern, but it can also be incredibly soothing and relaxing.

The infinity scarf that I finished knitting this afternoon.
Looking forward to wearing it!

Another work in progress. This is a scarf I'm planning to
give to my mom.

I hope you all had a peaceful and rejuvenating Sunday. The next few days are going to be hectic, but I'm looking forward to spending time with family and eating excessively later in the week. Goodnight!

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This post was inspired by the Day 18 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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Ipsy Glam Bag Review - November 2012

I recently subscribed to a few different monthly subscription boxes. It's been super helpful looking at other blogs to see which boxes offer the best products (and best deals!), so I wanted to share with you! For $10 per month, Ipsy sends you a makeup bag with five sample and/or full size beauty products. Caution: These subscription boxes are addicting, so proceed with caution. Here is what I got in my November box:

Nailtini Speakeasy Nail Lacquer in Millionaire - Full Size - $13 value
This is a fun nail polish for the holidays. It's really similar to an OPI nail polish I have, but it has some multi-color glitter in addition to the gold flecks.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - Sample Size - $8 value
I love Benefit products (they always have the cutest packaging), so I'm excited to try this mascara. I've been using a Bobbi Brown mascara that I love, so I'll wait to try this until I run out. (Update: This mascara is REALLY hard to remove. I tried waterproof eye makeup remover. No dice. Very frustrated. May toss it.)

Bare Minerals Moxie Lip Gloss in Dare Devil - Sample Size - $9 value
When I first saw this, I worried that it would show up too dark on my lips (dark lipstick doesn't look so hot with my fair skin), but it's actually pretty sheer. It has a minty taste that I LOVE. Of all the products I received in my November bag, this is hands down my favorite. I would probably actually buy a full-size version of this product when I run out.

The Balm Meet Matt(e) Eye Shadow - Sample Size - $4 value
I've been using this eye shadow in my crease and to create a "smokey" eye look. It goes on really smoothly. I'm much more impressed with this shadow than I expected. Not a color for daytime wear, but good for evenings and weekends.

Starlet Cosmetics Eyeliner in Chocolate - Full Size - $11 value
This eyeliner isn't my favorite. I don't love the brown color. It has a reddish undertone--usually I buy liners that are more black/brown. It's also not as creamy as I'd like, but it might be an OK liner to use for work, etc.

Here's a look at how the different colors look on my skin. From left: Eyeliner, eye shadow, and lip gloss. Overall, I'm really impressed with my first Ipsy bag. For $10, I received about $45 worth of makeup. Yay! I'm already getting anxious to see what they send me in December.

Do you subscribe to any of these monthly beauty boxes?

More about me

National Health Blog Post Month Day 17: My strengths and weaknesses

Today's post is less about me as a health advocate and more about me wanting you to get to know me outside of my experience with melanoma. As I was brainstorming a list of my strengths and weaknesses, I decided to organize the list in the shape of a Venn diagram because I realized some strengths are arguably weaknesses and vice versa. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, especially on the right side of the chart, but here it goes:

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This post was inspired by the Day 17 prompt for National Health Blog Post Month.
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