Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of contributing to issues of “While You Were Out”, Verily Magazine’s weekly news roundup. I was able to write on the GOP primaries, Supreme Court decisions, immigration, and more. You can read these news blurbs from Verily here:
Author: Madison Ayers
What is gender-specific medicine and how will it help women get better medical care?
“During her 2022 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson was asked a surprisingly hot-button question: “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?” The now-Supreme Court Justice replied, “I can’t… I’m not a biologist.”
But does it really take a biologist to define what it means to be a woman or a man? After all, even infants as young as three months of age can distinguish between male and female faces [1].
Justice Jackson’s answer does point to a bit of truth, however. Certain aspects of what makes a woman a woman (or what makes a man a man) can be gleaned from scientific studies that go more than skin-deep. Gender-specific medicine (also called sex/gender-specific medicine or sex-and-gender-sensitive medicine in medical research), is a new field of science that seeks to discover exactly this: how male and female bodies differ in their disease development and response due to differences below the surface, from their hormones, to their brain structures, to their internal physiology, and even down to their DNA. In other words, gender-specific medicine recognizes (and aims to further discover) the inherent differences between men and women and the vast implications those differences have for how medicine can best treat both male and female patients.”
Read more at Natural Womanhood.
#KidsatSephora: The tween and teen obsession with elaborate skincare
“Walk into a Sephora or an Ulta today and you might notice an influx of a new demographic of shoppers: young teens or preteens. I don’t mean high school girls shopping for new mascara and concealer (been there!), but instead a much younger girl on the lookout for expensive skincare products. From cleansers and scrubs to retinol creams and vitamin C serums, increasingly younger girls are buying it all. But where did these #kidsatsephora come from and why are they here?
Adult women are now beginning to complain about the rise of these “Sephora Babies” — the preteens rummaging through beauty store shelves and destroying tester products and displays, all in the name of creating the perfect skincare routine. Teens with nary a wrinkle are also turning to products marketed as “anti-aging,” with harsh ingredients not meant for young skin. Meanwhile, those of us in our 20s or 30s are starting to obsess over how old we look. It’s no wonder teens believe they might do good to pick up a bottle of retinol cream before they start showing smile lines, too.”
Read more at Natural Womanhood.
Natural Womanhood Book Review: Real Food for Fertility
“Although Dietician Lily Nichols might be best known for her work on prenatal nutrition found in Real Food for Pregnancy, many of her readers sought her advice on how to best prepare before conception. Nichols teamed up with fertility awareness expert Lisa Hendrickson-Jack in order to author Real Food for Fertility, a new volume which distills everything you need to know about how diet and lifestyle impact fertility. In this Real Food for Fertility book review, I explain why this book is an all-encompassing guide to preparing your body for pregnancy, offering hope for any woman or couple looking to conceive in the near future.”
Read more at Natural Womanhood.
A guide to trace minerals for preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum health
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Have you ever been told your iron levels are too low, or that you need more magnesium? How about getting a recommendation for a supplement like Trace Mineral Drops or electrolyte powders? Or maybe you’ve attempted to recreate the viral Adrenal Cocktail, which combines natural sources of Vitamin C, potassium, and sodium, and claims to boost your energy levels?
Minerals, including what are referred to as “trace minerals,” are a popular topic of conversation in the holistic health and wellness space. But what, exactly, are minerals– and more specifically, “trace minerals”– and what do they do for our bodies? What role do these elements play in preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum nutritional health, and how can you incorporate them more into your diet? Here, I’ll summarize the most relevant research on trace minerals for preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum nutrition.”
Read more at Natural Womanhood.
How common are PMS and PMDD in teens?
“Have you ever had that moment—perhaps right after losing your temper on an innocent friend or while crying during a rom com—when suddenly the light bulb goes off? Ah, I’m about to start my period. Why is it that our emotions can shift so much in those days right before menstruation, often coupled with physical symptoms like bloating or headaches? For many women, the challenging symptoms right before their next period starts are caused by Premenstrual Syndrome, or PMS. And for teen girls in their first few years of experiencing periods, there can be unique challenges in dealing with these issues. “
Read more at Natural Womanhood.
How to Start a Garden: Tips for Beginners
“Imagine entering your backyard to find a perfectly ripe tomato, warmed by the sun. You pluck your fruit from the vine and savor a bite, or plunge your hands into the earth to reveal a perfectly (or imperfectly) formed carrot, dirt still clinging to its tiny white root hairs. While the offerings of your backyard garden might look similar to the grocery store vegetables you have stored in your crisper drawer, they taste anything but. A fresh tomato has a sweetness unmatched by anything wrapped in plastic, and while homegrown lettuce lasts only hours or days once picked, it brings a tenderness that makes the simplest of salads taste gourmet.”
Read more on starting a garden for beginners at Verily Magazine.
My experience with 28, the #1 cycle syncing app
“Five years ago, few people had heard of cycle syncing, but it has surged in popularity thanks to viral videos on TikTok and other social media sites. For young women who came of age in the 2000s or early 2010s, the idea that wellness and nutrition can work with your menstrual cycle rather than against it is revolutionary and exciting. Videos of influencers doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) during ovulation then taking a step back during their luteal phase are a welcome change from the conventional health wisdom of twenty years ago, which focused mainly on weight-loss and encouraged unhealthy dieting practices.
A new app called 28, founded in 2022 by Evie Magazine Editor-in-Chief Brittany Hugoboom, leans into this trend by bringing an algorithm to women to help them organize their life around their cycle. Even though I already use the Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness for cycle charting and family planning, I decided to use 28 for a few cycles to see if this cycle syncing app could help me not only better understand my cycle, but also reach fitness and lifestyle goals with greater ease. Here’s my review of the 28 app as someone with training in an official fertility awareness method (FAM).”
Read my review at Natural Womanhood.
Unhinged Health ‘Experts’ Claim Men Can Breastfeed Too
“Breastfeeding isn’t just for women anymore, says a British National Health Services (NHS) trust in a leaked letter reported by The Telegraph. Men who identify as women can now take off-label drugs to produce breast secretions that are “comparable to that produced [by a woman] following the birth of a baby,” according to the trust. This statement comes just months before the ninth edition of breastfeeding nonprofit La Leche League’s landmark book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, is set to release. Except this time, it’s only titled The Art of Breastfeeding. Just forget the word “womanly” was ever included.”
Read more at The Federalist.
Gen Z’s Search for Fulfillment: Less Sex and More Porn—and a Deep Desire for Friendship
“Contrary to the oversexualized depictions of teenagers in shows like Euphoria and Riverdale, Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is tired of seeing sex on screen. According to “Teens and Screens 2023,” a recent report from UCLA, nearly half of Gen Z respondents say that showing sex is not necessary to the plot of a movie or TV show. Many of them also believe romance is “overused” in media. What do these young people want to see on screen instead?
Friendship.”
Read more at Verily Magazine.
Madison Ayers Writes 