BALANCE

BALANCE an EXPLORATION into the HUMAN MIND, BODY, and SOUL.

36 PAGES OF

Health Tips CASUAL AND CONFIDENT HAPPY AND HEALTHY

Contributors’ Page Akshaya Ranjit Hi I’m Akshaya! I enjoy reading, dancing, eating, and dogs! I wrote the Disney Princess and schizophrenia articles and was one of the copy editors for the magazine. I’ve had a lot of fun making it!

Elena Baldridge Hi I’m Elena! I love art, reading, science, and my three wonderful! I wrote the medical technology and diabetes articles and was the chief design officer of the magazine. I hope you love our designs!

Maria Rincón Hi I’m Maria! I enjoy many mundane activities such as drawing, binge-watching shows, and practicing piano. I was the content editor of the magazine and wrote the hygiene article. Please enjoy!

Mia Wenska Hi I’m Mia! I run cross-country and enjoy spending time with my friends. I helped make the Health Hunting ASF and hope you all enjoy our work!

Nia Orakwue Hi I’m Nia! I love to reading, writing, poetry, and dance. I wrote the Weight of Our World and stress relief articles and was the feature editor of this magazine. I hope you enjoy!

Table of Contents Picture This

Read about how medical imaging has progressed in recent years and how it’s changed the way we experience medicine.

Picture Pefect

View a timeline of medical imaging history, showing major figures in the radiology

Health Hunting

Grocery stores are not always on your side when trying to start a more healthy and balanced diet. Learn how item placement plays a role.

Anatomy of the Machine

See the interworkings of one of the most revolutionary machines in radiology.

Squeaky Clean

Useful information on hygiene and how to practice it.

6 8 9 12 13

17 19 21 24 25 31

7 Steps for Maintaining Your Hygiene How to keep it clean and quick!

Inside Out

Learn about schizophrenia and how to treat it from a non-judgemental point of view.

Treat Yourself

The top 6 ways to treat yourself for stress and other mental illnesses.

3 Positive Ways to Cope with Stress

Stress is a part of all of our lives so we should know how to handle it. Find out with these three simple ideas!

The Weight of Our World

Societal pressures can largely impact the way teens and yound adults view themselves and their bodies. Learn how to help fix the problem.

Letter from the Editors

A reminder of how thankful we are for our support and help making this magazine. In addition, a message and thanks to everyone who has read it.

X-rays allow radiologists to get pictures of bones in a human body to examine for fractures and larger breaks. Above is the proper bone structure of a healthy left hand. Courtesy of Pixel

Picture This

Over the past 50 years medical imaging has taken numerous steps to become more exact and influential to the medical community.

Story by Elena Baldridge

T

hough most patients never meet their more useful and clear. radiologists, the medical imaging “When we started in radiology everything was department is the unsung hero of modern just analog images much like the images from a medical diagnosis. camera,” said Siegle. “Everything we do now is Radiology, or medical imaging, is a key digital even plain x-rays are digital. That makes part to almost every medical diagnosis a doctor storage a lot easier and it makes it a lot easier to makes. Tools like the X-ray or PET scan allow manipulate our images and look at them in more doctors to make quick diagnoses that can be the sophisticated ways.” difference between life or death for a patient.

Advances in radiology go far beyond the Thou it may seem fairly standard, invention of new tools. With the radiology is actually a fairly new rise of smartphones came leaps “[Radiology] has introduction to the medical in photography and computer greatly advanced world. technology that have touched It is Hard to believe, but medicine in terms the medical industry. Storage of some of the most influential and medical images has also become of diagnosis.

Most famous tools used in medical more elegant and though it may procedures are less than 50 years patients never see not be the most conspicuous old. For example, magnetic their radiologist but change, the digitalization of resonance imaging (MRI) wasn’t these images is one of the often their diagnosis invented until the 1970s, and it most important adaptations took years before it was perfected is very dependent on radiology has seen in the past for commercial use, but because several decades. Images are now their radiologist.” of its noninvasive method of much easier to share over long imaging, it is a regular part of distances with other hospitals, nearly every hospital in the United States. allowing the globalization of medical information.

“When I started radiology as a resident all we “When I started, MRI was kind of in its infancy. were able to do was take plain x-ray films, and do It was being used in practice but it was during fluoroscopy,” said Dr. Robert Siegle, a pediatric the early years of MRI. MRI has advanced, the radiologist working and teaching in Philadelphia. pictures are better, we have better techniques to Siegle, who has been involved with radiology make more clear cut diagnosis, and it’s faster,” for nearly 50 years, has seen the development of said Dr. Joshua Abramowitz, a neuroradiologist many of the most significant tools in use today. working in Austin.

He has seen how radiology has become more Abramowitz makes note of one of the most advances as well as how the images have become paramount inventions in the last 50 years. MRI 6

allows doctors to view details of the brain and vital organs organs without using radiation.

Instead, MRI uses magnets to collect clear images of the human body. Because of its wide range of capabilities, MRI is one of the best known tools in radiology, but it took a long time to become this advanced. Though it still takes a long time to get a clear image, the speed of the process has decreased a huge amount as the machine has become more advanced.

“We have really gotten much further along in understanding how much radiation people can get and should get and how to limit that,” said Abramowitz.

Though there is a stigma surrounding the use of radiation, the risk involved in medical imaging is very low and it has become much smaller as the radiology community has progressed. People think a lot about how the actual procedures

change through time, but not much thought is given to safety procedures. Most radiologist wear special badges that show the amount of radiation they are exposed to. Dr. Siegle notes that over the past 50 years, his badge has turned up almost no radiation. Like every doctor, he is very careful around radiation. “[Radiology] has greatly advanced medicine in terms of diagnosis. Most patients never see their radiologist but often their diagnosis is very dependent on their radiologist,” said Abramowitz.

Though the technology and tools used in radiology are hard to forget, it is very easy to overlook the radiologists.

“I broke my big toe two years ago and I had to get an X-ray. I met my doctor and a few nurses but I never met or even saw my radiologist,” said Ava McGuire.

Radiologists examine chest x-rays. X-rays can help find flaws in vital organs and important bones. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and National Cancer Institute.

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Picture Perfect First Commercial MRI

Invention of the CAT Scan

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The Computed Axial Tomograpy (CAT) scan was invented in 1972 by two scientist working independently. Godfrey Hounsfield and Allan Cormack created the CAT scan to show the outlines of bones and organs.

Invention of the Mamograph

Invention of the PET Scan

6

Position Emission Tomography (PET) works by enjecting a radioactive tracer into the blood stream. This allows doctors to view major organs and their functions. The first PET scanner was made in 1961 by James

In 1939,a doctor named Jon H. Lawrence used phosphorus-32 to treat his first patient for leukemia. This radioactive material killed the cancer and cured his patient. 35P was readly available during and after WW II.

5

Ultrasounds work by sending ultrasonic sound waves at structures and reading the echoes. This technology was first used to detect flaws in ships but was put to medical use by Ian Donald and Tom Brown in 1956.

Cerebral Angiography

Invention of the Flouroscope

2

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In 1966, a sciantist names Robert L. Egan invented a new way method of scanning the breast for cancerous calcifications using radiation. This procedure has saved the lives of many women through early diagnosis.

Invention of the Ultrasound

New Leukaemia Treatment

4

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create a 3D image of tissue. It was developed in the 1970s and the first full body scan was performed in 1977 by Raymond Vahan Damadian .

In 1896, the scientist Thomas Edison, created the first commercially available flouroscope.

The earliest flouroscopes were tubes with an opening at one end for the eye and a closed end covered in flourescent metal salt.

Sources: British Institute of Radiology

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Cerebral angiography uses an injection of a radio-opaque contrast material to highlight blood vessels and abnormalities in the brain like aneurysms using X-rays. This technique was created by Egas Moniz in 1927.

First X-Ray

1

In 1895, the scientist Wilhelm RÜntgen discovered, by mistake, what he called X-rays. He used this technology to take the first X-ray image, a picture of his wife’s hand, showing her bones and her wedding ring.

1977 1972 1966 1961 1956 1936 1927 1896 1895

MILK

Dairy and other necesities like eggs, milk, and cheese can be found at the back of the store so that you have to walk through the whole store to get them. There’s no such thing as a quick trip!

Deli Dairy

Check-out Sources: online.notredamecollege.edu

Processed Foods

Health and Beauty

Frozen Foods Center aisles are stocked with more popular, leading-brands at eye level.

Generic brands on the bottom shelf and gourmet brands on the top shelf.

Bakery

Seafood

Bakeries and flower sections are meant to stimulate your senses with smells and bright colors to make you buy more products.

Fresh Produce Fresh produce and other healthier food options can usually be found along the perimeter of the store. This makes a trip to the grocery store as long as possible for those looking for healthier food options.

Sugar Sweet

5 ways to help prevent type two diabetes.

Story by Elena Baldridge

T

ype 2 diabetes is an epidemic which plagues the US and many other countries. A survey from the CDC confirmed that as of 2017, over 100 million Americans are living with diabetes or prediabetes which will lead to type 2 diabetes if not treated. Diabetes is incredibly dangerous, but it can easily be avoided by following these 5 lifestyle changes.

Lose the Sweets and Refined Carbs Sugar and refined carbs are quickly broken down into smaller sugar molecules which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Your pancreas creates insulin to help regulate your body’s blood sugar, but in individuals with prediabetes, the body can’t produce enough insulin which allows a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream which can lead to type 2 diabetes Get plenty of exercise Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is one of the best ways to prevent type 2 diabetes as well as numerous other health problems. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity in your cells, so much less insulin is needed to regulate your blood sugar. Individuals who get regular exercise are far less likely to have high blood sugar which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

Avoid processed food Processed food are full of sugar and refined carbs, as well as vegetable oils which can cause diabetes as well as heart disease and liver failure as well as several other diseases. Instead of eating processed food, it is better to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables as well as other foods which are high in fiber and protein.

Quit Smoking It is a well known fact that smoking nicotine cigarettes can cause lung cancer, but smoking also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Several studies showed that smoking was likely to increase the risk of diabetes in average smokers by 44%.

Drink Plenty of Water Not only does water keep you hydrated and happy, it is also a good alternative to sugary drinks like soda and juice which are full of processed ingredients which hurt your body and increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Exercise and diet are easy ways to prevent type 2 diabetes. Yoga is a great example.

Courtesy of pixel

Anatomy of the Machine A diagram of the most influencial tool in modern medical imaging.

Gradient Coil

Radio Frequency Coils

Magnet

Scanner

Patient Table

Squeaky Clean Health experts provide useful advice on being fresh and hygienic Story by Maria Rincon

Everyone can agree that hygiene is absolutely necessary to maintain in your daily life. Hygiene is an important part of human health and is the first step to being healthy.

Although, everyone’s routines may differ and what they consider to be hygiene. Just by thoroughly washing hands, brushing teeth, and taking care of your skin can reduce the chances of getting sick. These are certain aspects to keep in mind in your everyday life.

“With brushing, it needs to be done well at least once every 24 hours. Sometimes [experts] say three times or twice a day, but if someone can break the bacterial film at least once every 24 hours we’re in great shape” said Renee Cornett, a professor of dental hygiene at Austin Community

College, said about brushing teeth.

Brushing teeth twice a day, in the morning and when going to bed, is a good practice of hygiene because it gets rid of most of the bacteria that has manifested throughout the day and leaves breath less stinky in the morning. These bacteria that like to stay on teeth are called “biofilm”.

“They’re the ones who’ll create problems as far as gum disease and as far as tooth decay…

That’s a natural process and then the goal behind brushing it to break that biofilm up” said Cornett.

So when teeth is being brushed it is more specifically breaking up that film to prevent those unwanted effects. As far as products to use

Brushing your teeth twice a day gets rid of bacteria and biofilm, which can greatly reduce the chances of getting cavities later in the futur

re.

John Kirkus gives advice on skin hygiene in his home on Septemeber 23, 2017. photo by Luz Medina.

concerning dental hygiene it is best to look for the American Dental Association Seal.

Cornett states, “It will have an ADA symbol on it and

Making sure to wash your hands everyday with plenty of soap is a sanitary practice everyone should practice. photo by Maria Rincon

While brushing teeth removes bacteria from t he mouth, washing the hands removes germs and prevents them from spreading to the things you touch, yourself, and other people. photo by Emma Castro.

“You have to really scrub and like sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song so that you – actually never clean it” Calderon said. spending enough time washing your hands and From the hand to our skin, one can see that rinsing them off,” explained Lina Calderon, who the skin protects the body most when it comes works as a physical therapist at St. David’s Medical to germs. Skin is susceptible to being too dry or Center. too oily and can negatively damage it.

The happy birthday song is around 15 seconds “Oily skin is likely to attract bacteria especially and helps keep a mental timer. Many people tend on the face and I would give an antibiotic for to just have the faucet on for 5 seconds and not that. Most types of dry skin we see we just go through and scrub thoroughly. It’s important to prescribe almost a simple over-the-counter keep hands clean because moisturizing lotion and one can touch a lot of “We place our phone right that keeps that usually things with the hands at bay,” John Kirkus, a and one of them include next to our face and we carry pediatrician, from the the phone. A phone can our phones everywhere and we West Lake Hills said. carry up to 10 times Oily skin can also cause the amount of bacteria never clean it” pimples and irritation. found in a toilet seat with Washing one’s face right ones such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus and before going to bed can lessen the effects of it.

Corynebacterium. These bacteria can cause strep This is especially important during your teenage throat, impetigo, and food poisoning. years because the body is secreting a bunch of “We put our phones right next to our faces hormones which messes with the oils on your and we carry our phones everywhere and we face.

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FACT or FICTION? Teens need help coping with stress. Make sure you have the right information to help fix it with these facts or ficitons.

1. During the school

year teens report higher levels of stress than adults

2.

23% of teens report skipping meals because of stress

4.

3.

About 25% of teenage boys surveyed avoided or refused to deal with stress

Most teens are stressed because of school related issues

5.

34% of teens believe their stress will increase in the next year

6.

Most teens get more than enough sleep per night

1. True, 2. True, 3. True, 4. False, out of 124 teens only school related stress was only mentioned 55% of the time. Most teens experience stress from a number of sources, 5. True, False, actually most teens get less than the recommended 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep per night

Sources: www.pamf.org, www.teenhelp.com, www.apa.org

7 Tips for Maintaining Your Hygiene Story by Maria Rincon

Tip 1: Wash your Hands By washing your hands for 20 seconds under warm water and using soap can get rid bacteria such as E-Coli, Shigella, and Pseudomonas. By removing the germs, you have less of a chance getting sick. It also leaves your hands quite clean!

Tip 2: Wash Yourself Regularly the previous day. By using soap, you eliminate odors, sweat and dirt. Depending on many times you shower can vary

Graphic by Emma Castro

Tip 3: Be Aware of Your Surroundings because sneezing in your hands doesn’t protect germs from going all over the place. Using your ha also spreads germs when you touch everyday objects.

Tip 4: On Body Odor If you have body odor, then shaving your under arms, applying deodorant, or eating less poignant foods such as curry, garlic and cuimin can reduce that. Stress can also can cause you to sweat which in turn causes you to smell.

Tip 5: Sleep Well Sleeping well makes your skin appear healthier and clearer

Tip 6: Clean Your Phone Your phone can carry many germs from all the objects your hands touch. You can create a solution of 40% alcohol and 60% and damp it with a cloth to cleam your phone. Make sure to not put your phone directly on your mouth or ear when calling either.

Tip 7: Drink Plenty of Water Drinking water can help remove toxins in your system and thus helps clear your skin. It also makes you feel more refreshed and awake.

Inside Out

A few nonjudgemental things about schizophrenia.

Story by Akshaya Ranjit

Hallucinations, a word that comes with a social stigma. Sure, people use it as a joke when their friends hear or see something others didn’t, but if that friend were really hallucinating due to mental illness, they might be estranged and eventually, forgotten.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental condition which affects 1.1 percent of the US adult population. Though doctors struggle to find a definition for it, it’s characterized by a loss of focus, hallucinations, and erratic behavior.

Renu Anupindi, a professor of psychiatry at Dell Medical School, describes it as “a psychotic disorder that is characterized by a group of symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech [and] behaviors, and affective disturbances.”

Lisa Wheeler, a therapist that specializes in people who see or hear things that other people don’t, and struggled with her own mental illness,

Giving Back: After going through her own mental-conditionlike experiences, Lisa Wheeler decided to get a degree and become a counselor herself.

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agreed.

“Schizophrenia… at the root is a stress response.” Wheeler said symptoms include changes in thinking, changes in behavior, and changes in emotions.

They include symptoms like paranoia, a lack of concentration, confusing fiction with reality, a vacant expression, abnormal body movement, anxiety, fear, angry outbursts, and substance abuse, which may be the most commonly seen symptom for schizophrenia. If multiple symptoms appear all at once, the best plan is to visit a doctor immediately.

Symptoms may seem dangerous like those of Akins High School teacher Carmen Garcia’s mother, who deals with schizophrenia. “[My mother] suffers from depression, bipolar, anxiety issues” Garcia said, adding it can be very harmful to the individual and the family.

But while some cases of schizophrenia can be precarious, it’s important to remember not all schizophrenics are violent or dangerous.

Most violent schizophrenics stem from abusive childhoods and substance abuse, but Garcia’s mother’s schizophrenia runs in the family.

Despite the enormity of schizophrenia, there is a bright side. Treatment is becoming more easily accessible and common all over the world.

There are many kinds of treatment, the most common being therapy, medication, and hospitalization.

Medications are also increasing in quality.

“Dopamine receptor antagonists are the older drugs that block the Dopamine activity in brain… Serotonin-Dopamine antagonists are [a] newer group of medications. In addition to resolving hallucinations and delusions, these

medicines also help with negative symptoms such as Mental illness is becoming a bigger problem amotivation and affective flattening” Anupindi said. with the increase in anxiety and depression, much In other words, newer medication can help with of which is in the teen population. It’s essential to symptoms like having a lack of motivation or energy, recognize that even though the battle isn’t visible on and can widen your range of emotions. the outside, it mentally feels like a war.

On the other hand, physical health is important “Treat the patients with respect and dignity as too. you would treat someone with other chronic “There’s a lot of truth to taking care of illness such as Diabetes or Rheumatoid yourself with nutrition and being Arthritis,” Anupindi said. mindful of food, ... and it helps Schizophrenia most o h c to have more body awareness, certainly does not mean you y confused s p like exercising and sleep, are unintelligent or can’t ic t a those are obvious things, live a normal life. In fact, lun neurotic s ociopat but those are [also] many people still lead h super important.… In successful lives, despite al on si lu de some cases medication their illness. deranged is wanted but I think Schizophrenia is a there should be a serious mental condition medication and which affects 3,554,100 therapy at the same people in only the time” said Wheeler.

US, but thanks to “The most important people who care, thing… is having a the percentage comfortable relationship of people who let with someone who they can schizophrenia weigh share the experiences with.” down on their lives When asked about recovery, is becoming smaller.

Anupindi pointed out that Schizophrenia has “schizophrenia is a disease with become a topic people remitting-relapse course through feel less afraid to talk the lifespan of individual.” about, and more schizophrenics are Wheeler agrees. “There’s not coming forward to tell their stories in really a cure for it, I wouldn’t an effort to lessen social stigma against use terms like that, it’s not schizophrenia. a disease, but if you can help People who don’t have any figure out the meaning of these experience with mental illness experiences with [the client]... there can help too. By advocating will be a calming effect for [them]” Wheeler said. for mental illness and generally For those of us who aren’t schizophrenic, the most being more acceptant towards people who do have important thing to remember is that those who have mental illnesses, you are already being a part of the mental illnesses are still people too. solution “People think that mental issues are not a big deal To help raise awareness for schizophrenia and because it’s not physical and people don’t see that other mental illness, join organizations like the people are actually sick” Garcia said.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

unsafe

Treat Yourself

21.4% of children and teenagers have a mental condition. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to get better, including case management, peer support, and self help plans. The top 6 most consulted treatments are listed below. Don’t let it overtake you. Instead, Treat Yourself.

Psychotherapy: talking to a professional who can help you understand what’s happening to you finding new ways to “deal” with your mental condition one of the best nonharmful ways to overcome your mental disease

Medication: paired with psychotherapy, it is considered to be the most succcessful way to not let your condition take over your life though some medications can make you drowsy, taken with the proper prescription they can be very helpful

Hospitalization: it may seem scary, but hospitalization is one of the most valid ways to overcome your condition hospitalization provides easy medical access, meals that won’t trigger your condition, and a safe evironment for you to be monitored after the recommended time for your treatment, you’ll come feeling like a new person

Sources: Mental Health America

Case Mangagement:  case amnagement is putting together a plan to work on in order to pacify your condition  it usually involves allowing another person, usually one with a medical background, to help you create your plan  it helps many logical thinkers, who like to know when things will get done and how

Support Group:  a support group is a really good way to learn new ways to help your condition without spending a lot of money  it lets you talk to other people who are experienceing exactly the same things you are, and is usually directed by someone who has learned to live with their condition or has experience working with people with mental conditions  it lets you share experiences and methods to evade triggers and feel better quicker

Peer Support:  peer support allows you to talk to someone who as overcome their condition who can tell you about their experiences and exactly how they overcame their condition  it gives you one-on-one time with someone who can tell you what’s happening, specific to your condition  thanks to modern technology, it is now one of the easiest ways to get help, because you can get in contact with a peer on the internet, over e-mail, face-to-face, and even over the phone

Test Your Terminology!

Across

2. rub (something or someone) hard as to clean them 5. hard, bony strtuture in the jaws, used for chewing and biting 6. the practice of maintaining health and spread of disease 7. muscle covering the body that acts as a protecter of the bone structures and internal organs

Down

1. object used to remove dust and dirt 2. subtance that is mixed with water to clean the skin 3. H2O 4. free from dirt, marks, or stains

Words

bacteria floss antibiotic germs biofilm sanitary toothpaste

streptococcus staphylococcus corynebacterium Answers on back page

3 Positive Ways to Cope with Stress

In order to combat stress many teens have turned to negative coping mechanisms. Here are some options that can help with stress and are beneficial to teen health.

Story by Nia Orakwue

T

he stressful environment that students experience when they enter high school is a mostly universal issue in the US. The differences between middle school and high school can be overwhelming, especially at a magnet high school like LASA. Students are juggling their new academic expectations, extracurricular activities and other personal interests or issues.

This being said it’s very easy for teens to slip into bad habits. Whether it’s a lack of sleep, bad eating habits, or increased anxiety. All new negatives in a teens life can be fixed or partially fixed by new healthy coping mechanisms to help deal with an increase in stress.

Journaling.

Journaling is a very calming technique to try is journaling. It can be a great way to express one’s feelings instead of bottling them up and letting them explode later. This is also beneficial because in a personal journal someone can express feelings on personal issues as well as school related grievances. Journals

allow a person to help relieve stress whenever and whereever they are.

Exercise.

This coping mechanism probably won’t be the most popular among teens, but can be very helpful when trying to combat the negative side effects of stress. It can help take your mind of things, gives your body something else to focus on, and can make you tired and help you sleep.

Studying Habits.

This tip is a big one. Spending too much time on a singular homework assignment is a killer to someone’s energy and motivation. It is imperative to not fuss over one homework assignment. A better alternative is to start homework assignments early and work on them in intervals. Taking breaks or short naps while studying or doing homework can also help someone stay motivated and energized.

The Weight of Our World Too many women and girls suffer from eating disorders and low self-esteem.

Spreading awareness and providing help is the only way to help fix the problem.

Story by Nia Orakwue

I

t is no secret that body-image issues are a major concern for American youth and specifically women. According to a study from February 2017, 1.5 percent of American women suffer from anorexia, 0.9 percent of American women suffer from bulimia, and 13 percent of American women over the age of 50 engage in eating disorder behaviors.

Many people with little knowledge of eating disorders may dismiss the problem and advise those who are struggling to “just eat” or tell them that it’s “just food” while completely disregarding the underlying issues and are just contributing to the problem.

Eating disorders are often caused by stress, anxiety, and other societal pressures of beauty and perfection.

This may explain why they are more commonly found in women and girls.

Licensed Professional (LPC) counselor and eating disorder specialist, Alaina Andersen, who has worked

with eating disorder cases for most of her career, noticed patterns of eating disorders in women.

“Particularly to girls and women, there’s this heavy message that you’re not supposed to be happy with yourself and you’re not supposed to be confident” Andersen said.

While eating disorders can also be found in men and boys, they often don’t receive the same societal messages that women do. Many of these messages push the importance of beauty and likeability above personal character and cause a lot of stress and anxiety about appearance. These added burdens on top of personal or the depression and anxiety issues that already plague the young adult population can sometimes be enough to lead someone towards eating disorder behaviors instead of self-harm or other harmful activities. “‘There’s a tremendous amount of pressure to be perfect that I can’t control, but I can control what I put into my body, I can control how much I exercise, I

can control whether I eat carbs or not’” Andersen a personal choice, and there are many lessons said. “For a lot of people when things feel really that need to be learned along the way. It needs to out of control this gives them, what I call, a false start with the a personal desire to recover. sense of control.”

Published author and award winning slam Austin-area counselor, Patrice Hartsfield, poet, Blythe Baird, has struggled with her own describes the difference between working with eating disorder and considers herself to be in teens as compared to adults as a state of recovery. complex.

Baird’s disorder “Teens are very intricate “Skinny should not be started to developed population” Hartsfield said. from personal inherently celebrated and fat “They are in between the age of issues that she had not really knowing what’s going should not be inherently the no control over as with themselves.” well as growing up opposite of celebrated” In many instances, people’s as an overweight lives can start to be controlled child. by their own disorder and it becomes a huge part “I feel like I was a very perfect candidate for of their identity. Especially if they are involved in an eating disorder in a weird way because of pro-anorexia communities or depending on the other factors in my life. Also, I think that, mainly reactions they may get from peers. growing up fat is what made me feel like… my “It’s definitely surprising how many times I’ve real life couldn’t start until I was thin” Baird said. heard people say ‘This is something I can be While there are plenty of ways to work through good at. I know it’s not healthy and I know it’s an eating disorders, Baird expressed her feelings not safe, but I’m average at every other thing. I and struggles through slam poetry. can be good at this’… It starts to get really caught “It was important for me to let the experience up when [people] don’t see themselves anymore, live outside of myself. I felt like I could really heal outside of their disorder” Andersen said. and move forward from it once I had it in poem Recovery from an eating disorder should be form because, it puts a distance between me and 26

Slam poet Blythe Baird performs poem titled “When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny” at the 2015 National Poetry Slam.

the pain of it” Baird said.

For Baird and many others recovery came with realizations about beauty and women’s bodies in our society. There is such an emphasis on women’s bodies, but no way to reach “perfection”.

“Skinny should not be inherently celebrated and fat should not inherently be the opposite of celebrated, whatever that is” Baird said.

Keeping self-worth is one of the most important things to remember when working on one’s self-esteem. Taking some time for your mental health, and knowing that you are enough.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, talk to a trusted person and find the help you need.

When it comes to preventing eating disorders in future generations, there are multiple things that need to change in our society, but there are things that can be done in our own lives. The way that we parent our children and the types of 27

information that they are exposed have so much to do with their future feelings about their bodies and appearance.

“I think it’s kind of twofold. We need to be better educated and I think that it’s schools, we need nutrition counseling not just calorie counting” Andersen said.

0%

Anorexia: It’s More Than a Phase

100%

Children are feeling pressures to be skinny at younger and younger ages.

42% of girls in 1st-3rd grade want to be skinnier

81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat 2.7% of 13-18 year old girls have a “severe� eating disorder

53% of teenage girls either are or think they should be on a diet

The average onset of anorexia is 25

33.8% of people with anorexia will receieve treatment in their lifetime 43.6% of people with binge eating disorders receive treatment in their lifetime

40% of women stated they would consider cosmetic surgery in the future

Sources: statisticbrain.com, guilfordjournals.com, hhs.gov, nimh.nih.gov

Bippity Boppity Boo Disney Princesses and why they’re not as bad as they seem.

Story by Akshaya Ranjit

Snow White, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Belle, Mulan, Jasmine, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, and Moana. Names that every little girl or boy has heard, even if they’ve never seen the movie. Thousands of dollars spent on merchandise, millions of dollars made in the box office, and yet a lot of people who judge almost all of them because of how they look. They’re vendettas are funded of course, all of the girls in the Disney Princess line-up, except for Moana, have unrealistic body proportions. What people fail to recognize though, is that even if the characters don’t look quite right, the values they teach are incredibly important to learn, no matter the age of the audience.

The main reason people get so fired up about Disney Princesses is their bodies. No human being has a waist less than two times the size of their neck, which is roughly the size of their palm. That is completely unrealistic. Little girls and boys who look up to these characters as their idols and try to replicate their looks will receive

the wrong message, and possibly start doing unhealthy things to meet these unattainable expectations, and what they see now may poorly influence their body image in the future. Disliking Disney Princesses for this reason is completely understandable, but also isn’t really something anyone can change anymore, aside from making sure future princesses are realistic, which has already started happening with Moana’s release in late 2016.

The other reasons parents keep their children from watching are also mainly based upon looks.

To some people, Disney Princess movies make it seem as if the most important aspect of a woman is her beauty. This can only truly be seen in a few movies, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, and in a stretch, Beauty and the Beast. This can also be considered hypocritical, though. If you’re trying to prove that looks aren’t the most important thing in a girl then why are you discriminating against the Disney princesses because they’re all beautiful? Additionally,

Almost all of the Disney Princesses, excluding Moana, have unrealistic body types, but all of them teach important values.

Courtesy of Disney, via Instagram.

many people think Disney Princess movies say that a girl should be sweet and submissive, and even if almost all the Disney princesses are sweet, a vast majority of them are also anything but submissive. In fact, their stories revolve around their adventures from being stubborn and doing what they think is right.

What people fail to realize is that even though Disney princesses look unrealistic, the messages their movies and characters carry are incredibly important. Many of them encourage people to follow their dreams, be curious, be kind, and to stand up for what they believe in, no matter the circumstances. Though Disney never outright says it, a couple of the Disney princesses, like Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Snow White, who tend to labeled as brainless and antifeminist, grew up in abusive households, whether they realized it or not. Cinderella and Snow White were treated like servants in their own homes, while Mother Gothel constantly told Rapunzel that she wasn’t pretty enough, sophisticated enough, or simply enough to survive the outside world. Regardless, all three of them stay kind and generous despite being put down their entire lives. When they got their happy endings, they truly deserved them.

Other Disney princesses teach lessons that are much easier to follow. Belle most obviously valued character over physical appearance, but also education, which she was very passionate about. Mulan decided to take her old father’s place in the war, and proved that a girl can do anything a boy can. Tiana showed how hard work really does pay off in the end, even if sometimes you have to put your heart first. Merida and Anna established that even though romantic love is wonderful and amazing, familial and platonic love are equally as significant.

So even if a Disney princess’s physical message isn’t very favorable, the themes they demonstrate by telling their story are. The lessons learned when telling a story are much more important than what the pictures look like. By watching Disney Princess movies and reading Disney Princess books, kids learn important values at a very young age. If parents teach their kids to look past skin and bones and to focus on the personalities and challenges that the Disney Princesses overcome, the next generation will hopefully more kind, more thoughtful, and more acceptant.

Letter From the Editors Dear Readers, Thanks for reading our magazine! We hope you as much fun reading it as we did making it. Creating this magazine has taught all of us really interesting skills, like how to use the various Adobe apps, and random facts.

We know our magazine isn’t super upbeat and positive, but the content of our magazine is still incredibly important, and we can’t avoid talking about important topics just because it makes people uncomfortable. Understanding that nobody is better than anyone else because they’re mentally healthy or simply skinnier than other people, is incredibly important. Understanding mental illness, no matter how it takes form, is incredibly important.

Making a magazine as freshmen in high school has also been a weird experience. Without this class we wouldn’t have been exposed to newspaper styles of writing, graphic design, and journalism. The opportunity to take this class has been a great and unique experience that none of us would trade.

None of us could have asked for a better group. We didn’t really know each other at the beginning of the year but at this point we’re all good friends. We’ve been through a lot together, from struggling to pull together enough pages at the end, to finding out that one of our team members wouldn’t be able to finish the magazine with us, but we’ve never let the stress take us over. Even when we had arguments, they’ve been civil, and still managed to love each other in the end.

Creating this magazine has been a fun project, but we still wanted it to mean something. All we could ask is that our readers feel as though they have learned something after reading Balance.

Whether they learned about how to start a healthy lifestyle or stress and societal standards connect to body-image. We just want all of our readers to know that your health and happiness comes before all. So don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Sincerely, The Balance Creation Team CREDITS We’d like to give a huge vote of thanks to everyone who helped create this magazine, only starting with our publisher, and of course, our first-time E-Zine teacher, Mr. Garcia. Without your help and guidance, we’d never get to see this magazine in print. We’d also like to thank all of our interviewees, like: Mrs. Lisa Wheeler, Professor Renu Anupindi, Mrs. Carmen Garcia, Dr. Joshua Abramowitz, Dr. Robert Siegle, Ava McGuire, Ms. Blythe Baird, Ms. Patrice Hartsfield, Ms. Alaina Anderson, Dr. John Kirkus, Ms. Lina Caldron, and Professor Renee Cornett, for allowing us to interview them and so graciously answering all our questions. Also, the creators of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, British Institution of Radiology, statisticbrain.com, and health.gov.au websites for giving us information on our ASFs. Thanks to you, our articles contain accurate information. Finally, we’d like to thank you, the reader, again for taking the time to read our magazine. We hope you enjoyed our magazine, and learned something you’ll remember forever.

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Cross Word Puzzle Answers Across 2. scrub 5. teeth 6. hygiene 7. skin

Down

1. brush 2. soap 3. water 4. free from dirt, marks or stains