Real Talk: What you Really Need to Know About Menopause
Real Talk: What you Really Need to Know About Menopause

Menopause signals the end of your menstrual cycle, and for many women, this is cause for celebration. No more fussing with pads or tampons or worrying about embarrassing menstrual cup leaks.

Even if you're prepared for more common symptoms like intense hot flashes or hormonal weight gain, it's crucial to also recognize some lesser-known changes, particularly to your vaginal and vulvar health. While these symptoms may be uncomfortable, annoying, or shocking, rest assured you and your healthcare provider can work together to relieve, prevent or manage them…

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Her StoryJanelle KingFEATURED, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Menopause
Perspectives on BRCA2: Tayler LaBellarte on Pre-viving and Empowering Others to Take Charge of Their Health and Wellness
Perspectives on BRCA2: Tayler LaBellarte on Pre-viving and Empowering Others to Take Charge of Their Health and Wellness

Tayler LaBellarte is a member of the Orangetheory team and an advocate for previvors who are taking charge of their health and wellness. LaBellarte's journey with pre-viving began when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while LaBellarte was in college. This experience motivated her to learn as much as she could about breast cancer and its relationship to other cancers. After some navigation with her insurance, LaBellarte eventually underwent genetic testing and learned that she carried the BRCA2 genetic mutation, which puts her at an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. LaBellarte has since become an advocate for genetic testing and reviving by sharing her story and helping others to take control of their own health. Read on for more information about LaBellarte’s experience getting insurance to cover genetic testing, the options available to her at that time, and the emotional journey afterward…

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Founders, LifeFEATURED, HEALTH & WELLNESS, healthy gut, Previving
Connecting the Dots: The Gut Microbiome and Disease
Connecting the Dots: The Gut Microbiome and Disease

When you sit down to eat a meal, you may think you are only nourishing yourself. Guess again! Within your body, a vast microscopic ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses inhabit your gut. Collectively, these microorganisms and their genes make up your microbiome. With over 100 trillion microbes and a thousand different species, many of my clients are surprised to learn that their guts contain more bacterial genes than human genes. This means that you are a superorganism! In fact, your unique microbiome consists of millions of genes that encode proteins that influence many bodily functions, including digestion, immunity, hormone balance, vitamin production, and detoxification….

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Elissa GoodmanHealth, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Nutrition
Lifestyle Changes for Lowering Cancer Risk: One Step at a Time
Lifestyle Changes for Lowering Cancer Risk: One Step at a Time

This time of year, it’s common to make diet and fitness resolutions, but we often choose unrealistic goals that are impossible to adhere to long-term. We get discouraged and give up, berating ourselves as failures, ending up in worse shape, mentally and physically, than when we started. Instead of tackling a “whole body makeover” or demanding a “new year, new me,” why don’t we gently love ourselves through small, sustainable healthy improvements this year?…

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HealthSarah ZimmermanHEALTH & WELLNESS, Nutrition
HPV and the HPV Vaccine: What You Need to Know
HPV and the HPV Vaccine: What You Need to Know

There are more than 100 strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Most are harmless, but some can lead to genital warts and cancer. But by getting routine pap smears and making sure you are vaccinated against HPV; you can significantly reduce your risk. Unfortunately, in recent years, the misinformation about HPV and the vaccine has increased thanks to social media, so it's important to distinguish truth from fiction. So here is what you need to know about HPV, how to prevent it, and whether the vaccine is right for you…

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Health, Medicine-ScienceJanelle KingHPV, Medicine, Science
10 “Healthy” Foods That May Not Be So Healthy
10 “Healthy” Foods That May Not Be So Healthy

One of the most common statements my clients tell me when beginning their health journey is: I want to eat better, but I don’t know how to start. And I get it. Changing your current diet and lifestyle can be daunting, especially when there is a plethora of options at the grocery store. Unfortunately, so many foods are advertised as “healthy” when, in reality, they lack essential nutrients or are filled with numerous additives. So much of marketing and packaging is misleading regarding the ingredients you’re purchasing to put into your body. Simply put, choosing the right foods can be confusing….

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Elissa GoodmanNutrition
Why Eating In-Season is Healthier (& More Delicious)
Why Eating In-Season is Healthier (& More Delicious)

Have you ever noticed that butternut squash tends to taste better in the fall? Your taste buds aren’t deceiving you! The change of seasons makes certain produce that grows best during that season more flavorful because it’s fresher, riper, and juicier than its out-of-season counterpart. In-season produce not only tastes better, but it’s healthier for us, too. I’ve found that I feel better in my body and am more energized when I pay attention to what’s local and seasonally available at the grocery store…

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Elissa GoodmanHEALTH & WELLNESS, Nutrition
Insights into Cancer, Sexual Health, and Intimacy: Survivors and Experts Speak Up
Insights into Cancer, Sexual Health, and Intimacy: Survivors and Experts Speak Up

One aspect of cancer that is seldom discussed is how it affects our sexual health and relationships. A cancer diagnosis is always life-altering, but specifically, with breast and ovarian cancers, the surgical alternation of reproductive organs and hormonal interventions can have a significant impact on how our bodies and minds handle intimacy….

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LifestyleSarah ZimmermanFEATURED, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Intimacy, Life, Sexual Health
8 Sneaky Foods That May Be Causing Inflammation
8 Sneaky Foods That May Be Causing Inflammation

Inflammation is one of those trigger words that you probably automatically associate with “bad.” But when injuries and foreign invaders are present in your body, inflammatory processes act as a defense mechanism to protect and heal you. So, in this sense, you want inflammation to occur! However, you can have “too much of a good thing,” and this idea definitely applies to inflammation….

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Health, LifestyleElissa GoodmanHEALTH & WELLNESS, Nutrition
Advice from Veteran Breast Cancer Specialist, Dr. Johnson-Miller
Advice from Veteran Breast Cancer Specialist, Dr. Johnson-Miller

Recently, I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Denise Johnson-Miller, medical director of the breast program of El Camino Hospital in Northern California. As a leader in her field for more than thirty years, Dr. Johnson-Miller has practiced as a surgical oncologist, professor, and program director at many distinguished programs across the country including Rutgers and Stanford….

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Medicine-ScienceSarah ZimmermanFEATURED, Medicine, Science
The SEAM Guide to Contraception: A Comprehensive List of Your Options and Everything You Need to Know
The SEAM Guide to Contraception: A Comprehensive List of Your Options and Everything You Need to Know

In the United States, 99 percent of women who have been sexually active report having used some form of contraception at some point in their lives. As a result, birth control is championed as a groundbreaking innovation that provides women with reproductive freedom to prevent pregnancy or manage period symptoms. But with the Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landscape for reproductive liberties has shifted….

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Medicine-ScienceJanelle KingHealth, Medicine
Facing a Breast Cancer Diagnosis? This Glossary May Be Helpful
Facing a Breast Cancer Diagnosis? This Glossary May Be Helpful

My name is Sarah Zimmerman, PA-C and I am a freelance writer and Physician Assistant. I recently started working in a breast center, and The SEAM editors have kindly asked me to write a regular column on all things breast cancer… The fact is, breast cancer is very complicated, and it’s easy to feel lost in the myriad diagnoses, tests, and treatment options. So often, when we’re given a cancer diagnosis, all we hear are alarm bells going off in our heads, and the specific and foreign medical jargon is too much. I’m here to try to make it all clearer….

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Medicine-ScienceSarah ZimmermanHealth, Medicine, Science
How to Seek and Offer Help: A Guide to Mental Health Advocacy
How to Seek and Offer Help: A Guide to Mental Health Advocacy

Without question, the last couple of years have underscored the necessity of knowing how to ask for help, accept help and offer help. And yet, “help fluency” remains elusive for far too many people. In Go To Help, mother-daughter power duo, Deborah Grayson Riegel and Sophie Riegel, blend their backgrounds in coaching and mental health advocacy to help readers recapture their empathy.

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Her StoryHEALTH & WELLNESS, Mental Health, Spotlight