7 Famous Women on How They Really Feel in a Bathing Suit

Photo: Getty Images

The pressure to be “bikini ready” can really make a gal sweat. But it doesn’t have to be that way. These seven celebrities have discovered the secret to feeling comfortable in a bathing suit. (Hint: It has to do with loving the skin you’re in, flaws and all.) Here, they share their opinions on everything from post-baby cellulite to the ridiculous pressure to have a thigh gap.

On not seeking perfection

“I don’t care to look absolutely perfect in a bathing suit. I’m a normal girl. I’m strong. I’m fit. I feel good about myself after I’ve had a baby.” —Hilary Duff, Today, June 2016

On the beauty of one-pieces

“I love one-pieces. I think one-pieces can be super-sexy. I don’t think you need to show everything for it to be sexy. And now one-pieces [include] high European cuts and I think they’re great and I feel really comfortable in them. So for me I’m always a one-piece girl.” —Khloe Kardashian, Lorraine, June 2016

On thigh gaps

“Regardless of what society tells you these days… You don’t have to have a thigh gap to be beautiful. It is possible to love your body the way it is.” —Demi Lovato, Instagram, February 2015

RELATED: These Are the Best Swimsuits for Bigger Busts

On bathing suits after babies

“I never looked good in a bathing suit, so now I look worse in a bathing suit. I have cellulite. But I would much rather have my kids and look a little worse in a bathing suit!” —Drew Barrymore, People, February 2015

On giving up judgment

“As bikini season starts to roll in, let’s keep in mind that a girl wearing a swimsuit does not mean it’s a free ticket to judge her body. In fact, don’t you dare judge anyone’s body without knowing their story, their strengths, and who they are. Your body is simply a physical vessel for you to carry out the things you want to accomplish with your life. Take care of your body, respect it and it will do amazing things for you. Don’t fall into the vanity trap.” —Cassey Ho, Instagram, April 2016

RELATED: These Are the Best Swimsuits for an Athletic Shape

On appreciating what you’ve got

“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was 26. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don’t take it off until you’re 34.” —Nora Ephron, I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, 2008

On not caring what anyone else thinks

“This is how I look. I feel happy. I think I look strong and healthy and also like miss trunchbull from Matilda.” —Amy Schumer in response to body-shaming comments, Instagram, May 2016

 

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Anthrax Vaccine Shows Promise in Monkey Trial

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A vaccine made with a component of the bacteria that causes anthrax protected monkeys from the deadly infection in a preliminary trial.

Previous research showed that this component — the anthrax capsule — played a pivotal role in providing protection, the researchers said.

In this study, the same team of scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) tested a higher dose of the anthrax capsule vaccine in monkeys exposed to lethal inhaled levels of anthrax spores.

All the monkeys that received the vaccine survived, while the non-vaccinated monkeys died from anthrax, according to the study published online June 27 in the journal Vaccine.

The results suggest that anthrax capsule is a highly effective vaccine ingredient and should be considered for use in future anthrax vaccines, the researchers said. Current anthrax vaccines are based on a different component of anthrax toxins.

“In the 140-year history of research on anthrax there have been two previous types of vaccine, the last one licensed in 1970,” study senior author Dr. Arthur Friedlander said in a USAMRIID news release.

“This new capsule vaccine is expected to work against possible vaccine-resistant strains of anthrax and to protect individuals who may not respond optimally to protective antigen [a foreign substance that triggers an immune response] alone. In addition, it could be combined with protective antigen to create a multi-component vaccine that may enhance the efficacy of protective antigen-based vaccines,” he said.

However, it’s important to note that most animal research doesn’t produce similar results in human.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on anthrax.

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Who’s Most Likely to Seek Infertility Help

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Nearly half of people with infertility problems don’t seek treatment, according to a new British study.

“One of the important and concerning findings in our study is the difference in educational attainment and job status between people who sought help for infertility and those who did not,” said study leader Jessica Datta. She is a lecturer at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in London.

Datta’s team surveyed 15,000 adults in Britain. The investigators found that one in eight women and one in 10 men had experienced infertility, but nearly 43 percent of those women and nearly 47 percent of those men didn’t seek medical help for the problem.

Infertility was defined as unsuccessfully trying to become pregnant for a year or longer.

Those with infertility who did seek help were more likely to be better educated, have higher incomes and to be older, according to the study. The results were published online June 30 in the journal Human Reproduction.

“We were surprised that almost half of the people in our study who had experienced infertility had not sought help,” Datta said in a journal news release.

Unlike most studies of infertility that tend to recruit participants from medical practices, this population-based study “provides a rare insight” into people who don’t seek medical assistance after trying and failing to conceive, she explained.

“The existence of inequalities in access to health care is well established, but this is one of few analyses to explore uptake of services for infertility,” Datta said.

The researchers believe similar results could be found in other countries. In the United States, about 6 percent of married women are unable to conceive after a year of trying, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on infertility.

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When Cooking Outside, Don’t Let Food Safety Slide

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Food is a big part of many Fourth of July celebrations. But take care when making and storing your meal, so that a bout of food poisoning doesn’t ruin the rest of your holiday plans, a dietary expert advises.

When having a picnic or barbecue, it’s important to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

“Cold foods should be ideally put in shallow containers and then kept on ice to keep them below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot foods should be kept warm — above 160 degrees — to prevent bacteria from growing on food,” said Liz Weinandy, a dietitian at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

Use a thermometer when cooking. In general, ground meats like hamburgers should be cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F, and poultry like chicken breasts to 165 degrees.

“Make sure to use separate cutting boards, utensils, tongs and plates for raw meat and cooked products. Anything that touches raw meat should be completely sanitized before being used again, or use clean ones to avoid cross contamination,” Weinandy said in a university news release.

“Make sure to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of sitting them out to eat. If it is over 90 degrees outside, this time shrinks to one hour,” she noted.

“If food is left out longer than this, it can grow some serious bacteria. Avoid eating food that has been sitting out that long and throw it away instead of sending it home with guests or keeping it for lunch the next day,” Weinandy advised.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on food safety.

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U.S. Cancer Survivors Living Longer

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — As the American population ages, more older adults will survive cancer and live with other chronic conditions that will burden the health care system, U.S. government health officials report.

“Increasingly, we are seeing the impact of an aging population — fueled by maturing baby boomers — on major diseases, including cancer,” said lead researcher Shirley Bluethmann, a cancer prevention fellow at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

In 2016, nearly 62 percent of almost 16 million cancer survivors are aged 65 or older, the researchers said. By 2040, an estimated 73 percent of 26 million cancer survivors will be 65 or older.

“This steady and dramatic growth will affect the health care system, and so is sometimes referred to as the ‘silver tsunami,’ ” Bluethmann said. “It not only has implications for older people who are at higher risk for cancer, it also means that we will have higher numbers of older patients with complex health needs.”

In the face of this challenge, health care providers will have to build collaborative care teams — including doctors, nurses and other caregivers — to be able to respond to the needs of this vulnerable population, Bluethmann noted.

“We also need to emphasize the benefits of lifestyle for cancer prevention and control across the life course,” she added.

“Lifestyle choices, including doing regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, may prevent some kinds of cancer, but also offer many benefits in preserving function, reducing symptoms and promoting a high quality of life into old age,” Bluethmann said.

For the study, Bluethmann and her colleagues used federal health data from 1975 to 2012. With Census data, they projected the incidence of cancer from 2016 to 2040. In addition, the researchers used Medicare claims to estimate the impact of other chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes.

They found that by 2040, cancer survivors aged 65 to 74 will make up 24 percent of all survivors, those aged 75 to 84 will make up 31 percent of all survivors, and those aged 85 and older will represent 18 percent.

Currently, the prevalence of cancer is about the same for men and women. In older age groups, however, cancer is more common among men.

Among those aged 65 to 69, 14 percent of men and 12 percent of women have been diagnosed with cancer. The gap increases with age. In the oldest group, 90 and up, 37 percent of men and 25 percent of women have been diagnosed with cancer, the study found.

This gap is most likely due to more prostate cancer survivors, which is usually diagnosed at older ages, Bluethmann said.

In addition, aging increases the chances that cancer survivors will suffer from one or more chronic medical conditions. Among cancer survivors aged 65 to 69, 27 percent had a history of other medical problems. Among survivors aged 85 and older, 47 percent had other chronic conditions, the researchers found.

The findings were published in the July 1 issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

One public health expert sees the explosion in the numbers of cancer survivors, especially those with other medical problems, as concerning.

“There aren’t many older adults in clinical trials, so we have a limited amount of knowledge about how to optimize treatment,” said Kim Miller, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society.

“In addition, the number of oncologists is dwindling, which means there will be fewer doctors to treat the growing population of cancer survivors,” Miller said.

Also, other medical problems such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes make caring for these cancer patients more difficult, she said.

“It’s going to put a financial strain on the health care system, especially because most of these older cancer survivors are receiving Medicare,” Miller said.

More information

Visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute for more on cancer.

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3 Treatments Seem to Help Combat Binge-Eating Disorder

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — New research finds that people struggling with binge-eating disorder — America’s most common, yet likely least-known eating disorder — may have at least three treatment options to help them curtail their eating.

People diagnosed as chronic binge eaters can benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, a form of therapy that helps patients understand the reasons behind their actions. That understanding can then help them change their behavior, said study lead author Kimberly Brownley. She’s an associate professor with the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

The new research review also identified prescription drugs that appear to help curb binge eating, including second-generation antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft and Wellbutrin.

People with binge-eating disorder can also try a drug called Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine). It’s currently the only FDA-approved medication for binge-eating disorder, Brownley said.

“We found strong evidence to support these three different forms of treatment,” Brownley said.

But, it appears that there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment.

“We can’t say, ‘Start with this treatment and then add this other treatment in,’ ” Brownley said. “There’s a lot more research to be done. But we have provided a good platform for physicians to figure out how to guide their patients’ care.”

The new evidence review appears online June 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Binge-eating disorder affects about 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men in the United States, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

But it wasn’t until 2013 that the American Psychiatric Association judged binge-eating disorder a true illness and included it in its diagnostic manual, the DSM-5.

Binge-eating disorder is different from bulimia, because the person who binges doesn’t feel compelled to purge the food afterwards. People with bulimia often try to prevent weight gain by vomiting, using laxatives or overexercising after they’ve overeaten, Brownley said.

People who occasionally down a whole pint of ice cream or a family-size bag of chips in one sitting don’t necessarily have binge-eating disorder, pointed out Dr. Michael Devlin, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

“This is not occasional overeating, but a major problem,” said Devlin, who wrote an editorial accompanying the evidence review. “The criteria are careful to specify it really has to be out-of-control eating and people have to be stressed by it, not just feeling bad, but feeling really disgusted with yourself or very depressed.”

A binge-eating episode involves eating a large amount of food within a couple of hours, with no sense of control over what one is doing, Brownley said.

To be diagnosed with binge-eating disorder, a person would have at least one episode a week for three months. Someone with the disorder will eat much more rapidly than normal, eat until they’re uncomfortably full, eat when they’re not hungry, hide their eating out of embarrassment, or feel disgusted, depressed or guilty after a binge episode, Devlin said.

“It’s a real disorder. It’s not just overeating. And it’s important for people to realize there are treatments for it,” he said.

For their review, Brownley and her colleagues looked at 34 different clinical trials that tested potential treatments for binge-eating disorder.

The researchers found that patients who take part in cognitive-behavior therapy were about five times more likely to abstain from binge eating than people not receiving the therapy.

People taking Vyvanse were more than 2.5 times more likely to refrain from binge eating. And, people taking second-generation antidepressants were 67 percent more likely to curtail binge eating, the researchers reported.

“Cognitive-behavioral therapy really gets to the core of the thoughts and feelings that are behind this disorder,” Brownley said. With assistance from a therapist, patients figure out the feelings and the habits that contribute to their binge eating, and come up with effective counters.

Vyvanse is a stimulant originally approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Researchers think it may help people deal with the impulsive or compulsive parts of binge-eating disorder, Brownley said. For example, it may help them stop reaching for food when depressed, or help them stop eating once they’re full.

Second-generation antidepressants include classes of drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). They might dampen feelings of depression that contribute to binge eating, Brownley said.

But it’s also possible that the antidepressants are changing brain chemistry in some as-yet-unknown way that helps relieve binge eating, Devlin said.

More information

For more on binge-eating disorder, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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Handle Fireworks With Care on the Fourth

THURSDAY, June 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Americans love fireworks, especially on the Fourth of July, but experts warn they can be dangerous if not used safely.

About 10,500 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospitals in 2014, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. And nearly 400 people lose sight in one or both eyes every year due to fireworks injuries.

Dr. Priscilla Fowler is an assistant professor in the department of ophthalmology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “I’ve seen too many injuries related to fireworks, and many of these occur in children and innocent bystanders, and result in permanent vision loss,” Fowler said in a university news release.

And Dr. Jay McCollum, director of emergency services at the university’s Eye Hospital, suggested that “it’s better to just leave the fireworks alone and go to a show . . . and let the professionals do it. That’s the safest thing.”

If you do use fireworks at home, the eye doctors have some safety tips:

• Always have adult supervision and never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before using them. Read and follow all manufacturers’ warnings and instructions. Shoot fireworks on a clean, flat surface away from the house or flammable materials.
• Keep a source of water close by in case of fire or another mishap. Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly. Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never use bottle rockets and never throw fireworks at another person.

If a fireworks-related eye injury occurs: seek medical attention immediately; do not rub or rinse your eyes, and do not apply pressure; do not remove any objects that are stuck in the eye; do not apply ointments or take any blood-thinning pain medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

More information

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has more on fireworks.

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How to Avoid Getting a Dry Patch From Your Zit Cream

Photo: Getty Images

What’s possibly even more annoying than a really bad zit? The red, dry spot that’s leftover after the blemish has subsided. Brie Larson knows the struggle.

In a recent post on Instagram, the actress pointed out such a spot with a big fat arrow: “When you’re stressing/obsessing over a zit so you put on too much zit cream before bed and wake up to [a] giant dry spot but you gotta get your photo taken anyway,” she wrote in the caption.

We know she’s not alone, so we got the scoop from a derm on how to get rid of a pimple without ending up in Larson’s position. Here are a few tips from Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

RELATED: This Is the Best Makeup For Acne-Prone Skin, According to Dermatologists

Less is more

Loading up on your spot treatment won’t necessarily make your pimple go away faster, no matter how satisfying it may feel to slather on the medicine. “Higher concentrations of acne-fighting ingredients like benzoyl peroxide may not be any more effective than lower concentrations, but can certainly end up being more irritating. Plus, any medication not fully rubbed into the skin is just excess and can lead to irritation,” explains Dr. Zeichner. To minimize the risk of irritation and that telltale red patch, choose a product with a low concentration of benzoyl peroxide (like 2.5%), such as Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment ($8; amazon.com). And don’t apply the medication more than twice daily, says Dr. Zeichner.

Tap the acne-fighting trio

If you want to hit fast forward on the life of your pimple, Dr. Zeichner suggests combining a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide product with a 2% salicylic acid treatment and a 1% hydrocortisone cream. We like Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment ($8; drugstore.com) and Cortaid Maximum Strength Cream ($7; drugstore.com). “This trifecta of ingredients will help calm an inflamed zit, kill acne-causing bacteria, and remove dead cells on the skin’s surface,” Dr. Zeichner explains. But whatever you do, don’t pick at your pimple, he warns, because that can cause more inflammation and possibly scarring.

Be sure to moisturize

To prevent that flakiness from cropping up post-pimple, “moisturize the skin to keep the skin barrier in good shape and maintain hydration,” says Dr. Zeichner. Even though it sounds counteractive to put anything other than a spot treatment on your blemish, an oil-free moisturizer could be your best friend and keep irritation at bay.

RELATED: How to Treat Hormonal Acne Without Birth Control

If you do end up with a dry spot…

“Continue to apply the 1% hydrocortisone cream, like Cortaid Maximum Strength Cream, to reduce skin inflammation. An occlusive ointment will seal in cracks between skin cells and improve hydration,” says Dr. Zeichner. Got that, Brie? This is your next step!

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E-Cigs May Damage Cells in Mouth

THURSDAY, June 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Many people think electronic cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes, but a new study suggests that’s not the case.

In laboratory experiments on cultured cells, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that toxic substances and nanoparticles in e-cigarette vapors caused 85 percent of the tested cells to die.

They said it’s possible these substances can kill the top layer of skin cells in the oral cavity. The oral cavity is the portion of the mouth behind the teeth and gums.

The researchers believe that similar results would be found in tests on people, and said they’re planning a human study to confirm their findings. If confirmed, the researchers said that e-cigarettes could increase users’ risk of oral disease.

“A small but significant portion of dental patients at UCLA Dental Clinics have used e-cigarettes, which will provide sufficient patient resources for our planned studies,” said study author Shen Hu, an associate professor of oral biology and medicine at UCLA’s School of Dentistry.

There has been a large increase in e-cigarette use in recent years. The researchers noted significant increases among women and young people. About 2.4 million middle and high school students in the United States were using e-cigarettes in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health care providers need to do more to raise public awareness about the health risks of e-cigarettes, the study authors said.

“Our hope is to develop a screening model to help predict toxicity levels of e-cigarette products, so that consumers are better informed,” explained Hu in a university news release.

The study was published online recently in the journal PLoS One.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about e-cigarettes.

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Jobs With the Highest Suicide Rates

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Can the type of job you choose affect your risk of suicide? Possibly, according to a new U.S. report that found for certain occupations, the odds of suicide were significantly higher.

From 2000 to 2012, the overall rates of suicide for people aged 16 and older rose 21 percent, the study found. That works out to an approximate increase from 13 to 16 suicides per every 100,000 people in the United States.

But among farmers, fishers and foresters, the suicide rate was dramatically higher — at 85 suicides per 100,000 people. For males in those jobs, the rate was even greater. Their suicide rate was 90.5 suicides per 100,000, according to the report.

“People working in certain occupations are at greater risk for suicide due to job isolation, a stressful work environment, trouble at work and home, lower income and education, and less access to mental health services,” said lead researcher Wendy LiKamWa McIntosh. She’s a health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Farmers have additional risk factors like social isolation and unwillingness to seek mental health services,” McIntosh said. The report also noted that farmers’ exposure to pesticides may affect their neurological system and contribute to depression.

Other occupations that carried significantly higher-than-normal rates of suicide included construction and extraction, with 53 suicides per 100,000; and installation, maintenance and repair with 48 suicides per 100,000, the study found.

For construction workers, the report authors suggested that a lack of steady work, isolation and a fragmented community might play a role in their higher risk. The investigators theorized that people working in installation, maintenance and repair may have long-term exposure to solvents that could damage their neurological systems. That might contribute to memory loss and depression, the researchers suggested.

Men working in fishing, forestry or farming had the highest rates of suicide for their gender.

Among women, the highest rate was seen in those working in protective services, such as policing and firefighting. Their rate was 14 per 100,000. Men in the protective services field had a suicide rate of 34 per 100,000, the report noted.

People working in protective services must cope with shift work and extreme stress, such as traumatic and violent situations. They also have easy access to the means to kill themselves, the report pointed out.

“To reduce these suicide rates, employers need to focus on suicide prevention at the workplace, including employee-assistance programs and training to spot signs of suicide,” McIntosh said.

Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, pointed out that “work is increasingly stressful.”

People take their own lives “mostly because they are depressed,” he said. “We live in a 24-hour world, so it can be easy to feel overburdened, which can lead to depression,” Manevitz added.

Companies need assistance programs that look for work stresses that may become overwhelming and lead to feelings of isolation and helplessness. Fellow co-workers also need to be on the lookout for people who talk of killing themselves or seem depressed, he said.

In some professions, that may be harder to do than in others. For example, people working in farming, forestry and fishing may feel that it’s a sign of weakness to seek help for depression, Manevitz suggested.

The study included data from the 17 states using the 2012 National Violent Death Reporting System. In 2012, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death among Americans 16 and older.

From 2000 to 2012, an estimated 40,000 Americans died by suicide, the researchers said.

The job categories with the least suicides included personal care and service; office and administrative support; and education, training and library. Each of these categories had eight or fewer suicides per 100,000 people, the report found.

The report was published July 1 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

More information

To learn more about suicide in America, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

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