List of All Articles with Tag 'lifestyle'

More than one-third of desks in offices around the globe are unoccupied all week, according to a new

Alabama Barker has revealed she struggles with an autoimmune and thyroid disease while addressing body-shaming comments about her weight. The youngest daughter of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker hit out at body-shamers on TikTok after viral paparazzi photos led critics to refer to her as a “catfish”. The 17-year-old began her video by scowling at the camera, before she told her followers: “That’s my face when I see all the fake pages commenting about my weight in paparazzi pictures and saying I’m a catfish or saying I’m fat.” Barker went on to explain how “paparazzi will purposely take pictures” with “your mouth open, middle of sentence and any ugly picture they can get of you just for views”. “I would love to see you guys getting random pictures of you taken of you when you’re leaving the grocery store, in the middle of a sentence, with your mouth wide open - and let’s see how beautiful you look,” she said in the 20 August TikTok. She then revealed that fluctuations in her weight have been a result of her autoimmune and thyroid disease. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, problems with the thyroid include a variety of disorders that can result in the gland producing too little thyroid hormone, called hypothyroidism, or too much thyroid hormone, called hyperthyroidism. Thyroid disorders can affect heart rate, mood, energy level, metabolism, bone health, and the body’s reaction to other hormones. “I also have a thyroid problem and an autoimmune disease, so that’s one of the main reasons why I have weight gain,” Barker said. “So, it would be very appreciated if you guys just keep your opinions to yourself. It will get you further in life.” The teen added that once her thyroid and autoimmune disease are “balanced,” she will go back to her “normal weight”. However, Barker emphasised that she’s only gained “five, 10 pounds” amid her health struggles, which she said is “so normal” for women. “I don’t want any girls that are young, watching this that are gaining weight to ever think there’s something wrong with it,” she continued. “There is a certain point when your health is getting affected by it that you need to change it, but, no. It’s not the case for me, and I would appreciate if you guys put yourself in my shoes.” @alabamabarker ♬ original sound - Alabama barker Since it was posted, Barker’s video has received more than 12m views and nearly two million likes. Many fans applauded Barker in the comments for opening up about her health struggles and shutting down body-shamers. “She’s so real with the thyroid comment because same,” one TikToker commented. “I have thyroid problems and an autoimmune disease too so I understand,” another fan wrote. “Weight really does fluctuate.” A third person said: “You are beautiful!! Stay strong!” Barker’s video comes after paparazzi snapped photos of the 17-year-old with her father, Travis Barker, and her pregnant step-mother, Kourtney Kardashian Barker. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum was seen sporting her growing baby bump, while Alabama was dressed in a graphic black T-shirt, black sweatpants, and an oversized hoodie. This is not the first time Barker has addressed negative social media comments. In April, she called out internet users who shamed her for wearing makeup, claiming that she was too young to wear a full glam. “When Kathryn with three kids only waterline liner, four different coloured blonde, and Tom shoes, talk about my makeup or age,” she captioned her TikTok video, which included the background audio: “I’ll tell you what you look like, but you won’t like it.” Alabama Barker is the youngest daughter of Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler. The former couple - who were married from 2004 to 2008 - share 19-year-old son Landon Barker as well. The drummer is also the adoptive father of Moakler’s oldest daughter, Atiana De La Hoya. Meanwhile, Travis and Kourtney revealed they were expecting their first child together last June. The reality star shares three children - Mason, 13, Penelope, 11, and Reign, eight - with ex Scott Disick. Barker and Kardashian tied the knot in May 2022. Read More Travis Barker discusses potential baby names for son with Kourtney Kardashian: ‘Even he knows it’s bad’ PrettyLittleThing advert banned for portraying 16-year-old Alabama Barker in a ‘sexual way’ Travis Barker praises Kourtney Kardashian for ‘healing’ him as he takes 30th flight following deadly crash

A 27-year-old woman with a rare genetic disorder who could only identify with Mickey Mouse while growing up due to the shape of the Disney character’s hands is trying to be the role model she never had as a social media influencer, to show people with disabilities they are “fully worthy and capable” of achieving anything. Rochelle Muir, who lives in Colorado, was born with ectrodactyly, which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, two toes on her right foot, and four toes on her left foot. The condition causes difficulties in buying footwear, and with relationships – with one of her ex-boyfriends splitting up with her due to the possibility of their child being born with ectrodactyly – but she is now happily partnered with Charles, 31, a primary school counsellor who, along with her father Bill, is her “biggest cheerleader”. Rochelle, who is a client engagement manager for a healthcare company, could identify with characters such as Mickey Mouse growing up as he also has four digits, but she said “being like a cartoon is not exactly the role model you want”. She now posts pictures and videos on her social media platforms to educate others about ectrodactyly, raise awareness of the limb difference community, and share her hobbies, including gaming. “I remember specifically always loving the characters which had brown hair whenever they were in Barbie movies because I thought, ‘Oh, she’s like me!’,” she told PA Real Life. “But I never had that feeling when it came to my limb differences.” Rochelle has never let the disorder hold her back despite being teased and bullied at school, but when she entered the dating world in her 20s, she faced rejection multiple times and felt she was not “capable or worthy of having an amazing relationship”. “I’ve never been rejected over something that I couldn’t change about myself, something I was born with, and that was probably the first hit to my confidence with my limb differences where I felt awful about being born the way I am, about being disabled,” she said. “I just thought, I’m never going to find a meaningful relationship, I’m not worthy, I’m not capable, and that was the dialogue that kept going through my brain over and over again.” Rochelle has since removed “that nasty little voice out of (her) head”, found love with partner Charles, and shared her story publicly on social media, as she wants to “uplift” others among the disability community and show the world that “disabled is not a dirty word”. She said she is no longer “worried about showing (her) true self” and wants to encourage others to do the same. “Most people usually point out the negatives, but there are so many great positives with going and finding other people that look like you, other people you can connect with, and just creating this amazing community where you can uplift each other,” she said. “That’s one of the things I love about social media so much because when I came out about my limb differences, other people reached out and said, ‘Hey, I look exactly like you, this is so exciting, I’ve never seen anyone else that has the same hands as me’. “So it’s one of my favourite things now – and, yes, it’s sad that we didn’t have that growing up, but at least it’s there now and we can have that moving forward.” Ectrodactyly is a rare genetic disorder, and symptoms can vary, the National Organisation for Rare Disorders says. Rochelle underwent surgery to minimise the gap between her fingers and remove the longer toe on her right foot, enabling her to have improved grip and wear shoes from a young age. However, finding the right shoes has been an ongoing challenge and, when she was younger, she could not understand why she could not wear the same shoes as “able-bodied” people. “I remember specifically, there was a time, I think I was about five, that I tried to get my mum to buy me a pair of flip flops – they were pink, and they had butterflies and flowers on them,” she said. “My mum was so heartbroken because she couldn’t fully explain to me, ‘No, you can’t wear these shoes, they are going to be too dangerous for you’. “She eventually just caved and got me the shoes, and we were going up the escalator to go to the next floor in the mall, and I tripped, and we fell. “Ever since then, I’ve thought, I’m going to wear shoes that will stay securely on my feet.” Throughout her life, Rochelle has used humour to “defuse” awkward or uncomfortable situations and to enhance her confidence, but when it came to dating, for the first time in her life she felt self-conscious and “unworthy of having a real relationship”. She remembers one boyfriend who “was like a deer in the headlights” when he saw her feet for the first time, and another who ended the relationship over the possibility of their child being born with ectrodactyly. “He talked to his family, and his mum at the time said, ‘You need to decide whether you want to have kids because if you do, you have to break up with her’,” Rochelle explained. “The relationship ended, and I thought, I can’t blame him, but when I spoke to my friends, they said, ‘You’re amazing. What’s wrong with having a child with a limb difference?’ “That’s when I realised that I had internal ableism, where I told myself that having a disability is awful – ‘you’re not capable, you’re not worthy of having an amazing relationship’.” Ableism is discrimination in favour of able-bodied people – and it was at this point that Rochelle decided she wanted to do something about the lack of representation for people with ectrodactyly on social media. This “lit the fire” in her to share her story publicly for the first time, aged 25, and she has never looked back. Since then, she has launched her own Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channels on which she discusses ectrodactyly, limb differences and other disabilities, along with her hobby of gaming, and she has met Charles. Reading positive comments and messages, including from mothers of children who describe her as “an amazing role model”, has been “heart-warming” and makes her emotional – and she wants to continue to “fight ableism and bring more representation for the limb difference community”. “The biggest thing for me is representation for the limb difference community, but also for other disabilities as well, because the more we have that out there, the more of a norm it will be,” she said. “I want to be that role model, that person I wanted to look for in social media growing up, that person that younger me would be proud of and say, ‘Oh yeah, I know her, she’s so awesome, I’m just like her’. “It’s a younger me that inspires me to keep going forward and talking about these things, and I want to give the message that disabled is not a bad word, it’s not a dirty word, and you are fully worthy and capable of anything you put your mind to.” Find out more about Rochelle and her social media channels at beacons.ai/goodmornindreamer Read More Tempted to try barefoot running? Here’s what you need to know Can a vegan diet help with hot flashes in menopausal women? Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend? Tempted to try barefoot running? Here’s what you need to know Can a vegan diet help with hot flashes in menopausal women? Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend?

There’s a common misconception that prenuptial agreements are only for protecting the assets of an ultra-wealthy person from their spouse, but they can do much more

There are more than 47,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in England but new research says using MRI scans can reduce deaths caused by the disease. Current tests usually detect the level of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, but scientists say this has meant overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk cancer. The Reimagine study, by University College London, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, invited 303 men aged between 50 and 75 to have a screening MRI and a PSA test. Of those men, 48 (16%) had an MRI that indicated prostate cancer despite having a median PSA density – 32 of those had lower PSA levels than the current screening benchmark, meaning they would ordinarily not have been referred for investigation. After NHS assessment 29 were diagnosed with cancer that required treatment, and three were diagnosed with low-risk cancer with no need for treatment. Prof Caroline Moore, consultant surgeon at UCLH, chief investigator of the study and NIHR research professor, called the findings “sobering”. She said: “Our results give an early indication that MRI could offer a more reliable method of detecting potentially serious cancers early, with the added benefit that less than 1% of participants were ‘over-diagnosed’ with low-risk disease.” What is prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is the UK’s most common male cancer. It affects the prostate – a walnut-sized gland that sits beneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra in people born with male sex organs. Its main purpose is to help produce semen (the fluid that carries sperm). Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. While some prostate cancers grow quickly and spread, others grow too slowly to cause any problems and therefore will never need any treatment. What are the risk factors “Prostate cancer is a disease we tend to see in older age groups (over-50s), but there are exceptions, as with any form of cancer,” said Dr Sanjay Mehta, GP at The London General Practice. According to Prostate Cancer UK black men are at a higher risk – one in four black men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime (compared to one in eight for other men). The risk increases after the age of 45. Family history is important too; your father or brother has had prostate cancer or your mother or sister has had breast cancer, your risk is higher. What are the symptoms? Often there aren’t any signs in the early stages, so be aware of your own risk factors and chat to your doctor if concerned. Prostate Cancer UK have an online risk checker you can use too. Mehta said to watch out for urinary symptoms and changes to how you urinate. “So frequency, where you need to go more often. Hesitancy, where you’re standing over the toilet bowl and a period of time will pass before you’re able to pass urine, and ‘dribbling’, where you’ve finished but find you’re still passing when you walk away. “These are common in older men anyway. But if it’s new for you, and you find you’re having to go more often at night, and you’re having hesitancy or urgency, see your doctor.” Other things to get checked include erectile dysfunction, blood in your urine, and any new and unexplained lower back pain. “Then there are general systemic symptoms, like lethargy, lack of appetite,” added Mehta. “Again, these things often happen anyway, but if it’s a change for you and it’s been happening for a couple of weeks, see your doctor.” How is prostate cancer diagnosed and treated? First, your doctor will chat through your symptoms and history with you. “The next step would involve an examination, including a rectal examination of the prostate,” said Mehta, before referral for further investigations. “I appreciate this can put some men off seeing their doctor but it is a very helpful way of assessing things”. After diagnosis, treatment depends on the stage of the cancer and what’s suitable for each individual, but it may include surgery or radiotherapy. Caught early, prostate cancer is generally very treatable. And even with advanced prostate cancer, treatments have come a long way. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Keep fit to avoid heart rhythm disorder and stroke, study suggests How to give your home a proper summer sort out What you really need to do in autumn to keep your lawn in shape

Some three months after an election that represented one of the biggest challenges in years to Thailand’s royal

College sports realignment will bring big challenges to fans who travel to see their teams on the road

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district have launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for employees

Sienna Miller is currently expecting her second child, it has been reported by multiple outlets. Photographs of the Lost City of Z star published by People magazine reveal Miller with a visible baby bump while on a beach holiday in Ibiza. The 41-year-old actor was pictured in a brown string bikini, with gold accessories, and could be seen smiling as she enjoyed the sea breeze. In one image, she wrapped a grey towel with a red stripe around her hips, accentuating her growing bump. Her second pregnancy comes 10 years after the birth of her first child, Marlowe, whom she shares with her former fiance, The Sandman star Tom Sturridge. According to the outlet, Miller was seen spending time with her boyfriend, actor Oli Green, in St Tropez before arriving in Ibiza. She has not commented publicly on her pregnancy and it is unclear what stage she is in. The Independent has contacted Miller’s representative for comment. Last December, Miller opened up about being a parent to British Vogue. She said she “loves being a mother”, adding: “It’s what I do best.” However, the American Woman star has also felt “pressure” to expand her family after turning 40. Speaking to Elle UK, Miller described questions surrounding whether she should have more children and why she has not as “a really loud noise”. “Biology is incredibly cruel on women in that decade – that’s the headline, or it certainly was for me,” she said. “Then I got to 40 and I froze some eggs. Having been really focused on the need to have another baby, I’m just like, if it happens, it happens. That kind of existential threat has dissipated.” Miller and Sturridge dated from 2011 to 2015, and their daughter was born in July 2012. They continue to be good friends and co-parents, and have been known to travel together and stay at one another’s houses as they continue to put Marlowe first. “It’s not like there’s a structure for custody,” Miller told Elle UK in 2019. “We make it work. It’s not conventional.” Reflecting on her relationship with her daughter, Miller told People: “When you are raising a child you see aspects of your character in that person, reflected back, and it’s the most loving, intense relationship that I have. There’s nowhere to hide. “She knows me, I know her. She’s really stubborn, which is very like me. I see her as her own person but I also see genetic things. She’s heaven, my kid.” Read More No music, no ball games, no fun: society is wiping out play Comedian Mark Watson says three-year affair was way of avoiding ‘the fact I wasn’t special’ Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reportedly welcome second child together Jana Kramer reveals she couldn’t brush her teeth for three months while pregnant Mom documents at-home abortion to destigmatise abortion pills Rumer Willis addresses criticism over breastfeeding photo with her child

Using MRI scans to screen men for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease “significantly”, researchers have suggested. Scientists said current tests, which detect the level of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, have been linked to over-diagnosis and over-treatment of low-risk cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in men and, at the moment, those aged over 50 can request a PSA test if they are experiencing symptoms. The Reimagine study invited 303 men aged between 50 and 75 to have a screening MRI and a PSA test. Of the total, 48 (16 per cent) had an MRI that indicated the presence of prostate cancer despite having a median PSA density. Of the group, 32 had lower PSA levels than the current screening benchmark of 3ng/ml, meaning they would not have been referred for further investigation. After NHS assessment, 29 men were diagnosed with cancer that required treatment, 15 of whom had serious cancer and a PSA of less than 3ng/ml. Three men (1 per cent) were diagnosed with low-risk cancer that did not require treatment. Our results give an early indication that MRI could offer a more reliable method of detecting potentially serious cancers early Prof Caroline Moore The study was led by University College London, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London and is published in medical journal BMJ Oncology. Prof Caroline Moore, consultant surgeon at UCLH, chief investigator of the study and NIHR research professor, said the findings are “sobering” and “reiterates the need to consider a new approach to prostate cancer screening”. “Our results give an early indication that MRI could offer a more reliable method of detecting potentially serious cancers early, with the added benefit that less than 1 per cent of participants were ‘over-diagnosed’ with low-risk disease,” she added. Prof Mark Emberton, consultant urologist at UCLH, said: “The UK prostate cancer mortality rate is twice as high as in countries like the US or Spain because our levels of testing are much lower than other countries. “Given how treatable prostate cancer is when caught early, I’m confident that a national screening programme will reduce the UK’s prostate cancer mortality rate significantly. There is a lot of work to be done to get us to that point, but I believe this will be possible within the next five to ten years.” Nick James, a professor of prostate and bladder cancer research at the Institute of Cancer Research in London said the study “further reinforces the value of MRI in the diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer”. “The well-known limitations of the old PSA-based screening studies of over- diagnosis and linked over-treatment are increasingly mitigated by the use of MRI,” he added. “Similarly, MRI can also spot cases of prostate cancer in patients with normal PSA levels, who would have been missed using PSA only screening programmes.” MRI scans have revolutionised the way we diagnose prostate cancer, and it’s great to see research into how we might use these scans even more effectively Simon Grieveson, Prostate Cancer UK Prof Sir Mike Richards, chairman of the UK National Screening Committee (NSC), said the organisation does not currently recommend prostate cancer screening “because there is no clear evidence that the benefits outweigh the harms”. However, it is preparing to look at various proposals. He added: “The UK NSC will soon commission a major piece of work to consider six prostate cancer screening proposals that were submitted during its annual call for topics. “These include targeted and risk-stratified screening proposals for screening groups of men at higher risk due to factors such as ethnicity and family history.” Simon Grieveson, assistant director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “MRI scans have revolutionised the way we diagnose prostate cancer, and it’s great to see research into how we might use these scans even more effectively. “These results are extremely exciting, and we now want to see much larger, UK-wide studies to understand if using MRI as the first step in getting tested could form the basis of a national screening programme.” Another trial, known as Limit, is being conducted with a much larger number of patients, which the research team said is the “next step towards a national prostate screening programme”. The trial will also attempt to recruit more black men, after the team behind Reimagine found they were much less likely to respond to the invitation to screening than others. Saran Green of King’s College London said: “One in four black men will get prostate cancer during their lifetime, which is double the number of men from other ethnicities. “Given this elevated risk, and the fact that black men were five times less likely to sign up for the Reimagine trial than white men, it will be crucial that any national screening programme includes strategies to reach black men and encourage more of them to come forward for testing.”

The sound of hammers and chisels striking stone rings out on most Sundays in the cemetery in the ancient town of Xochiaca, a village swallowed up decades ago by the urban sprawl of Mexico City

Jana Kramer has revealed one of her unlikely triggers for morning sickness. During the 21 August episode of her podcast, Whine Down, the singer explained that toothpaste has made her nauseous throughout her pregnancy. “This is gross but, like, the water and mint [of toothpaste] made me want to vomit in the first trimester, so I couldn’t brush my teeth,” she said. “Like, I just used [Colgate] wisps,” she explained, referring to single-use toothbrushes meant to be used on-the-go, as they don’t require toothpaste. Instead, the toothbrushes have a built-in “freshening bead” that dissolves as you brush. The singer explained that she tried to regularly brush her teeth on multiple occasions, before resorting to her other method. “I would try and then I would gag and then I’d puke and so, it just wasn’t worth the extra puke of the day,” Kramer added. During the podcast, she discussed how nervous she was when the time finally came to go to the dentist, after spending three months not brushing her teeth. Luckily, it appeared to have worked in her favour, as her dentist let her know that she “did a really good job for not brushing your teeth in three months.” “He goes, ‘Everything looks good. Where you’re saying the pain is under a cavity, it’s a cavity tooth,’” the One Tree Hill alum said. “So, he’s like, ‘Nothing looks like it’s cracked or seeping or anything.’ He’s like, ‘I can’t do anything anyway ‘cause your pregnant. But a lot of women - when they’re hormonal - it hurts more, your teeth.’” Kramer also shared in her podcast that she recently discovered cavities can be genetic, and that people can end up with poor teeth despite how well they take care of them. “It makes sense now ‘cause my daughter has two cavities - she’s seven - on her adult teeth,” Kramer explained. “So, I’m like, ‘Oh, I gave it to my daughter.’” She shares daughter Jolie, seven, and son Jace, four, with ex-husband Mike Caussin. In June, Kramer announced she and her fiancé, Allan Russell, are expecting their first child together. “We’ve been keeping another secret from you guys (I promise this is the last announcement... at least for a little while) but I’m pregnant!!!!” she captioned an Instagram post. “Beyond blessed and grateful for this baby to be a part of our story. I never thought I would see the word pregnant again on a test, but I’m thankful for @clearblue for making it as clear as ever,” Kramer added. On her podcast, she revealed that they were expecting a boy. In addition to her aversion to toothpaste, the singer also revealed some of her other pregnancy symptoms in an Instagram Story post on 20 August, per US Weekly. “In the first trimester, I couldn’t really stomach anything but a bagel and cream cheese and now the thought of a bagel and cream cheese makes me want to vomit,” she wrote. “I can’t eat any sweets or my stomach hurts. I’m still nauseous throughout the day but it’s worse at night and in the morning.” Read More Jana Kramer claims her ex-husband cheated on her with ‘more’ than 13 women Jana Kramer clarifies Chris Evans ‘bathroom ghosting’ incident Jana Kramer says brief relationship with Chris Evans ended after ‘mortifying’ bathroom incident