According to a study published in General Hospital Psychiatry, stigma related to mental illness is especially relevant in the Latino community. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Office of Minority and National Affairs only one in 11 Latinos with a mental disorder sees a mental health specialist and less than 55 percent of Latino adults with “a major depressive episode receive treatment for depression.” Among Latino youth, the percentage of those who have considered and have attempted suicide is higher than White and Black youth. According to the CDC 18.9 percent of Latino teens have considered it and 11.3 percent have committed suicide. Among women, depression levels are higher (46%) compared to Latino men (19.6%), according to the National Alliance on ...
At age 29 Julie La Fuente Louviere was in perfect shape and training for a triathlon in her native Puerto Rico. “I found a knot near my collarbone, which I believed was nothing, but my husband made me get it checked out. The diagnosis was breast cancer.” La Fuente says. After going through chemotherapy and all the side effects related to it, Julie was cancer free. Four years later and while she was pregnant cancer came back. “But the cancer came back, now in my liver and bones. The doctors recommended termination of my pregnancy because they said it would be easier to treat. For me that was not an option.” On Valentine ’s Day in 1998 Julie gave birth to her second daughter and a few days later she found out from her doctors that she only had two months left to live. ...
Meg Reyes, fue diagnosticada con cáncer de seno con apenas 33 años “Solamente requería una tumorectomía”, dice ella, “pero a causa del tamaño de mi tumor mis doctores fueron muy agresivos con mi tratamiento y me removieron 16 ganglios”. Con el apoyo incondicional de sus familiares y amigos Megan sobrevivió el cáncer de seno. Diez años después, Megan es una consejera no-oficial para pacientes recién diagnosticadas con cáncer, ha perdido 150 libras, ha vivido en Alemania e Inglaterra y ha sido madrina de un estudiante de intercambio japonés. El sobrevivir “significa vivir aun después de que algo difícil se cruce en tu camino. No tiene que ser cáncer, puede ser cualquier cosa que hayas sobrevivido y como manejas esas situaciones.” Lee la historia ...
A few months after her mother’s death, Mary Gonzalez asked her doctor, if she should have a mammogram, the doctor said she was too young. Two years after she found a lump under her arm and after insisting to have it checked she found out it was breast cancer. “It was like a bad dream. Things were going way too fast and I was in shock. Too many decisions had to be made in too little time. As I remembered my mother going through chemotherapy, losing her hair, the nausea and vomiting, I was terrified,” Gonzalez said. The fight against breast cancer became a family battle for the Gonzales “My husband and I became very educated on breast cancer and its treatment. We read, asked a lot of questions, and took it one step at a time.” One question that remained unanswered was ...
According to a new study most women in the U.S. sent by their doctors to be tested for BRCA1 and BRCA 2, two genes “that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer” a leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women, never met with a counselor beforehand, Reuters reports. "There are very clear and consistent guidelines that people should receive genetic counseling before genetic testing for cancer susceptibility," said Dr. Rebecca Sutphen, the study's senior author from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. Part of the problem, according to researchers is that many doctors are not recommending patients to see a genetic counselor and today there are cheaper and more accessible genetic test options. “Genetic counselors typically explain ...
Latina women prefer the birth control pill, Univision News reports. In an interview with Univision Dr. Carlos Alberto Petta confirmed that Latina women prefer birth control pills with natural hormones than any other product in the market. “Women are looking for natural alternatives, there are already pills with natural hormones. The pill has two hormones, estrogen and progestin. Estrogen is the same hormone produced naturally in a woman’s body,” Petta said. Although birth control pills have reduced the amount of hormones in them, Petta warns that not all women can take the pill. “Some women can’t take hormones, that’s why is important for them to consult with their doctor before making the decision to take birth control ...
Meg Reyes, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the early age of 33. “I was only required to have a lumpectomy,” she says, “but because of the tumor size my doctors were very aggressive in my treatment and removed 16 lymph nodes,” With the support of her family and co-workers Megan survived breast cancer. 10+ years after, she’s an unofficial counselor for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, she has lost 150 pounds, has lived in Germany and England and has hosted a Japanese exchange student. [Survivorship means]“living life even after something challenging happened in your life experience. It doesn’t have to be cancer, it can be anything that you survived and how you deal with those adverse action,” Reyes said. Read Meg’s full story on Redes en ...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled new strict rules that protect farm workers from hazardous pesticides, Fox Health reports. The new rules will benefit an estimated 2 million workers, mostly Latinos who work at or near farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. “We depend on farm workers every day... they deserve fair, equitable working standards with strong health and safety protections," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement. Under the new regulations children under 18 are “prohibited from handling pesticides; training on pesticide protections is required annually instead of once every five years; expanded postings of no-entry signs on fields treated with hazardous pesticides are required; and improvements in personal protection ...
El mes de la herencia hispana es celebrado cada año entre los meses de septiembre y octubre en honor a la cultura latina y sus contribuciones a los Estados Unidos. Aunque el crecimiento de población latina en Estados Unidos es una de las más rápidas, muchos latinos elegibles para votar aún no se han registrado. Se estima que en 2016, 28 millones de latinos serán elegibles para votar. Para crea conciencia y que más latinos se registren organizaciones han lanzado Hispanic Heritage Month of Action (HHMA). “Hispanic Heritage Month of Action es una campaña por medios digitales, que trata de que este mes de celebración de la herencia hispana también sea una para crear conciencia y que más latinos se inscriban para votar. “ ¿Como tú puedes ser parte? Puedes subir ...
