5 Times Ronda Rousey Got Real About Her Body

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

It’s been a big week for Ronda Rousey. On Sunday the MMA fighter was crowned one of three cover models for this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and became the first athlete ever to be featured on the cover. Then on Monday, she appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show and bravely revealed that she experienced suicidal thoughts after her shocking UFC title loss to Holly Holm last fall. “I was sitting in the corner and I was like, What am I anymore if I’m not this?” she explained in the emotional interview.

Opening up about such a heartbreaking experience couldn’t have been easy. But Rousey’s honesty is just one of the many reasons we love her. Not only is she an incredible athlete, she’s also a feminist icon and an outspoken advocate for body positivity. Here, five of the quotes that have earned her legions of fans, and made her the role model we always wanted.

RELATED: The 10 Best Quotes from Ronda Rousey’s “Ask Me Anything” Reddit Interview

On why she wanted to model for SI

“[Sports Illustrated] has given me so much opportunity,” she said in a behind-the-scenes video at her SI cover shoot. “[They] set a precedent for what society expects out of women’s bodies, and they’re really setting a really healthy and positive standard for all women.” This isn’t the first time that Rousey has modeled for the Swimsuit Issue. In a similar behind-the-scenes video last year, she spoke about the importance of featuring women with diverse body types in the media. “I was so happy to have this opportunity because I really do believe that there shouldn’t be one cookie-cutter body type that everyone is aspiring to be,” she said. “I hope the impression that everyone sees in the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is that strong and healthy is the new sexy. And that the standard of women’s bodies is going into a realistic and socially healthy direction.”

On her ideal weight

After the 2015 Swimsuit Issue hit newsstands, Rousey told Cosmopolitan.com that she chose to gain weight before she stripped down for the photo shoot. “I felt like I was much too small for a magazine that is supposed to be celebrating the epitome of a woman,” she said. “I wanted to be at my most feminine shape, and I don’t feel my most attractive at 135 pounds, which is the weight I fight at. At 150 pounds, I feel like I’m at my healthiest and my strongest and my most beautiful.”

RELATED: 5 Times Ronda Rousey Seriously Inspired Us

On being called “masculine”

Last August Rousey won the UFC 190 against previously undefeated fighter Bethe Correia. In a video promoting that fight, Rousey responded to body-shaming critics: “Listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f—ing millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine. I think it’s femininely badass as f— because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose.”

On accepting her body

Despite her natural toughness, Rousey isn’t immune to body image issues. “I absolutely loathed how I looked until I was around 22 years old,” she said in an interview with ESPN.com last year. “What changed for me is I was always thinking I wanted to make my body look a certain way so I would be happy. But when I made myself happy first, then the body came after. It was a journey of self-discovery and trial and error.”

Rejecting the idea of a one-size-fits-all body type helped Rousey find self-acceptance: “The image in my head was the Maxim cover girl,” she said. “In the end, instead of making my body resemble one of those chicks, I decided to try to change the idea of what a Maxim chick could look like.”

RELATED: The 10 Best Body-Positive Quotes from Female Athletes Who Posed Nude for ESPN

On developing a healthy relationship with food

In an Ask Me Anything on Reddit last year, the fighter mentioned her complicated history with food. “It feels very liberating to [be] free of the guilt that used to come with every meal,” she wrote. “I feel like I have so much extra space in my brain now that I’m not constantly thinking about the next meal and trying to eat as much as possible every day while still losing weight. I feel amazing. I (think) I look amazing. And I just ate some bomb-ass french toast this morning.”

Not long after, Rousey elaborated on her struggles with disordered eating in an interview with Elle.com. Participating in judo tournaments led her to develop an “unhealthy relationship with food” in her teenage years, she explained. She had to hit a certain number on the scale to compete. “I felt like if I wasn’t exactly on weight, I wasn’t good-looking,” she said. “It was a lot to get past, and now I can say that I’ve gotten through it, I’ve never been happier with how I look [or] more satisfied with my body. It was definitely a journey to get there.”

Rousey added that she hopes she can encourage others struggling with similar issues to seek help. “These are issues that I think every girl deals with growing up, and it’s something that’s largely ignored and unaddressed. I would like that to be different for girls growing up after me. It shouldn’t have been as hard as it was.”

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Prenatal Diet Rich in Vitamin D May Cut Allergy Risk in Kids: Study

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Children born to women who eat vitamin D-rich foods during pregnancy have a lower risk of hay fever, but vitamin D supplements do not have the same effect, a new study suggests.

The new study included more than 1,200 mothers and their children. The children were followed until they were about 7 years old.

A diet with higher levels of vitamin D — equivalent to the amount in an 8-ounce serving of milk each day — during pregnancy was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of hay fever in school-age children.

Taking vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk, according to the study published Feb. 11 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

“Expectant mothers have questions about what they should eat during pregnancy, and our study shows that it’s important to consider the source of nutrients in a mother’s diet,” study leader Dr. Supinda Bunyavanich said in a Mount Sinai Health System news release. Bunyavanich is an assistant professor of pediatrics, genetics and genomic sciences at The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Fish, eggs, dairy products, mushrooms and cereals contain vitamin D, which is believed to benefit the immune system. Researchers are interested in its potential role in asthma and allergy.

“This study may influence nutritional counseling and recommendations to expectant moms to include vitamin D-rich foods in their diets,” Bunyavanich said.

However, although the study found an association between the amount of vitamin D in women’s diets during pregnancy and hay fever risk in their children, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about vitamin D.

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1 in 4 Breast Cancer Lumpectomies Requires Follow-Up Surgery

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Women with early stage breast cancer who opt for a breast-conserving surgery known as a lumpectomy have a one in four chance they will need a second operation within 90 days, researchers report.

“The chance of getting a second surgery has gone down a little, but it is still high and it is substantial,” said study author Dr. Art Sedrakyan. He is a professor of health care policy and research at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

In a lumpectomy, the tumor tissue, along with a margin of surrounding tumor-free tissue, is removed. However, if the tissue in the margin is not completely free of tumor cells, a second operation is needed.

During the study period, which ran from 2003 through 2013, the overall rate of re-operation within 90 days was almost 31 percent, Sedrakyan said. It declined from nearly 40 percent in 2003 through 2004, to 23 percent from 2011 through 2013, the study found.

“Having a second surgery after you think you’ve solved all your problems is stressful,” Sedrakyan said.

The question of how often women need a repeat surgery is critical for a number of reasons, Sedrakyan explained. These reasons include letting women know the risk of re-operation if they choose breast-conservation surgery. Doctors also need to know the risk so they can come up with guidance to help reduce that risk, he said.

“Patients operated on by higher-volume doctors had a lower chance of getting this re-operation,” Sedrakyan said. High-volume surgeons were defined as those who had 34 or more cases a year, on average, while low-volume surgeons had 13 or fewer cases. The lowered risk with high-volume doctors was about 33 percent, the study findings showed.

The study appears in the Feb. 17 online edition in the journal JAMA Surgery.

The researchers evaluated data on nearly 90,000 women who had lumpectomies in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in New York. The rates of re-operation were highest among those aged 20 to 49 and lowest in those aged 65 and older.

“We need to make sure women know about this risk, and are making informed decisions,” Sedrakyan said. He believes the data, while gathered only from one state, New York, would be applicable to other regions of the United States.

Dr. Anthony Echo, an assistant professor of plastic surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, agreed.

The decline found in re-operation rates in the study is probably due to a number of factors, Echo said. They include better training of breast surgeons and the team approach now used at many hospitals.

“There is much more knowledge,” Echo said. And some radiologists and pathologists now dedicate their practices to breast cancer, he added.

The team approach may indeed help explain the decline, along with better techniques, Sedrakyan said. In addition, new guidelines from the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society for Radiation Oncology specifying when re-operation is needed may further reduce the second surgery rates, the study authors suggested.

More information

To learn more about breast-conservation surgery, see the American Cancer Society.

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FDA Warns The Parmesan You Eat May Be Wood Pulp

Photo: Getty Images

The FDA is warning pasta and pizza lovers that cheese labeled “100 percent Parmesan” are often filled with cheese substitutes—like wood pulp.

Yes, you’ve been eating wood, thanks to companies like Castle Cheese, which produced Parmesan cheese containing no actual Parmesan for almost 30 years. The president of the company, which supplied megastores like Target, is scheduled to plead guilty this month to charges that carry a sentence of up to a year in prison and a $100,o00 fine, according to Bloomberg.

Neil Schuman—who runs Arthur Shcuman Inc. the largest seller of hard Italian cheese in the U.S.—estimates a whopping 20 percent of such cheese are mislabeled.

Bloomberg ran experiments on store-bought grated cheese to test for wood pulp content in a lab and found that many cheeses have cellulose, which is made from wood pulp. Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, from Jewel-Osco, contained 8.8 percent cellulose. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese had 7.8 percent cellulose. Whole Foods 365 brand didn’t list cellulose as an ingredient, and tested at 0.3 percent. Kraft had 3.8 percent cellulose.

Representatives at these stores said they were “investigating” these findings.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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Model Who Lost Leg to Toxic Shock Syndrome Made NYFW Debut

6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Herbal Tampons to Detox Your Vagina

Photo: Getty Images

It seems that no matter where you turn, there’s a trendy new way to “cleanse” your body. The latest craze: herbal tampons, otherwise known as womb pearls (yes, really). Some bloggers are raving about these so-called vagina detoxifiers, which are essentially mesh baggies stuffed with herbs (such as motherwort and angelica), that claim to help your lady parts flush out harmful microbes and other toxins. To get a professional opinion, we called Jennifer Gunter, MD, an ob-gyn based in San Francisco. Here, she gives six reasons why using womb pearls is definitely not a good idea.

RELATED: 6 Things About Yeast Infections Every Woman Should Know

They don’t actually flush out toxins
With all the talk about detoxing these days, it’s hard to figure out what’s legit. But the answer is simple, says Dr. Gunter: None of it. If toxins (like bacteria) do get into our bodies, we are equipped to dispose of them, she explains, with detoxifying organs like the liver, spleen, kidneys, and colon. The best thing you can do to help your body “cleanse,” says Dr. Gunter, is to eat a balanced diet with enough fiber so you colon can do its job effectively.

They might cause a reaction
One blogger wrote that the “toxic discharge” she discovered down there after using herbal tampons was a sure sign of unwanted bacteria escaping her body. But as Dr. Gunter explains, excess mucus is actually a sign of infection or irritation. “Discharge is caused by an irritant that’s brought in—in this case, the mesh bag.”

RELATED: 7 Sneaky Reasons Your Vagina Itches

They’re not a magical cure
It’s hard to believe, but herbal tampons are touted as a natural remedy for all sorts of health problems: vaginosis, fibroids, infertility, endometriosis—you name it! These claims are totally unfounded, says Dr. Gunter. “None of these thing have been studied, and you can’t even use herbal products to treat most of the conditions they’re talking about.”

Being all-natural doesn’t make them healthy
Some natural products can actually do us more harm than good. Many herbs are irritants, Dr. Gunter points out, and some are even poisonous. “Anyone who has seasonal allergies will tell you plants can be very unfriendly,” she adds.

RELATED: Am I Normal Down There?

They could throw your vagina out of whack
Dr. Gunter compares womb pearls to feminine cleansers. “Just like douching damages the good bacteria in the vagina, these [tampons] are likely to do the same,” says Dr. Gunter. And once you kill off that good bacteria, it can be hard for your body to replace it. “You could be left with a long-term change in your vaginal discharge, which could increase your risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases or vaginosis.” 

Another potential danger: toxic shock syndrome, says Dr. Gunter. Retailers instruct you to place this product in your vagina for anywhere from 24 hours to three days!

RELATED: The Top 10 Myths About Sex and Sexual Health

The contents could be a mystery
You run a risk when you purchase herbal tampons from an independent retailer online, Dr. Gunter points. The packaging might list specific herbs, but how can you be certain about what’s inside? The fact is, you never really know.

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‘Stroke Camp’ Seems to Help Caregivers Cope

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Caring for a loved one who’s suffered a stroke can be stressful, to say the least. Now, a specially designed “stroke camp” may provide caregivers with support, relief and education, researchers say.

Family and friends who care for stroke survivors often experience loneliness and depression, experts noted.

“There are over 6 million stroke survivors in the United States — stroke can be life-changing and isolating for both the survivor and caregiver,” said Michele Gribko, a nurse and stroke coordinator at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

The new study was led by Maureen Mathews of OSF Healthcare, in Peoria, Ill. Her team focused on a two-and-a-half day camp for stroke survivors and their caregivers, staffed by health care providers and therapists. The camp provides caregivers with an emotional and physical break, support from others in the same situation and learning sessions.

Sixty-seven caregivers who attended the Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp from 2009 to 2015 completed surveys afterwards. Eighty percent said their role as a stroke patient caregiver affected their life and work.

For example, 75 percent cited loss of time and freedom; 64 percent cited the strain of being forced to change personal plans; 43 percent said they felt confined to home; and 40 percent mentioned money worries.

Major strains noted by the caregivers included the survivor’s inability to communicate (50 percent) and the loss of companionship (45 percent).

Half of the caregivers said they had felt overwhelmed, stressed or depressed when the stroke survivor first returned home from the hospital.

However, after attending the stroke camp, 79 percent of the caregivers said they felt less alone, 77 percent said it “recharged” them, and 58 percent said they learned new things, according to the study. The findings were to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association, in Los Angeles.

Gribko believes that these types of programs bring real benefit.

“The study shows a need for a respite for stroke survivors and caregivers to bond with each other, share their experiences and learn about stroke,” she said. “Providing a camp in which everyone who attends can relate to each other is a great way in which people can bond and create support and friendship that they normally might not have had the opportunity to do. “

Not only the caregiver benefits, Gribko added. “Stroke survivor’s mental and physical recovery is better when their caregiver is well-educated and supported,” she said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about caregiver health and wellness.

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More Evidence Smog May Raise Stroke Risk

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — As levels of air pollution rise, so too does the risk for stroke, a new study suggests.

Researchers used data from the United States and China. These two countries are the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the world, and are responsible for one-third of global warming, according to study lead author Dr. Longjian Liu.

“Cities with poorer air quality have significantly higher prevalence of stroke, compared with cities that have a better air quality,” said Liu, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

The differences are particularly striking in winter and summer, Lui added. “Winter and summer have higher concentrations of air pollution than spring and fall, and death from strokes is significantly higher in winter,” he said.

It’s important to note, however, that this study was only designed to look for an association between air pollution and stroke. It did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The results of the study were scheduled to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association (ASA), in Los Angeles. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 129,000 Americans each year, and is a leading cause of disability, according to the ASA. In addition, stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, after heart disease.

For the study, Liu’s team collected data on air quality between 2010 and 2013. The data came from more than 1,000 counties in 49 U.S. states and from 120 cities in 32 provinces in China, the study authors said.

The researchers looked at a type of pollution known as particulate matter. These tiny bits of air pollution come from cars, power plants, forest fires and other sources, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Such particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) pose the greatest health risks because they are so small — 1/30th diameter of a human hair — and can easily lodge in the lungs.

The investigators found that across the United States and China, the total number of stroke cases rose 1.19 percent for each 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase in PM2.5.

In addition, the researchers found regional differences in PM2.5 levels linked to the number of strokes.

The American South had the highest average annual PM2.5 levels, while the West had the lowest, according to Liu. The South, known as the “stroke belt,” had the highest prevalence of stroke at 4.2 percent, compared with the West, which had the lowest at 3 percent, Liu said.

Temperature also seemed to have an effect on air quality and the risk of stroke, he said. Seasonal variations in air quality can be partly attributable to climate changes, he explained.

“In the summer, there are lots of rainy and windy days, which can help disperse air pollution. High temperatures create a critical thermal stress that may lead to an increased risk for stroke and other heat- and air quality-related illnesses and deaths,” Liu said.

Although patients can’t control air quality, these study findings provide evidence for policy makers and public health officials to develop better models for monitoring and predicting climate changes so patients can better protect themselves, Liu suggested.

“Air pollution, extreme cold in winter or extreme heat in summer are risk factors for stroke,” he said. “Patients, specifically older adults, who live in areas with poor air quality should pay specific attention to the risk of stroke that may be caused by both air pollution and extreme cold or heat,” Liu said.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and science at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “While a number of studies have linked increases in heart attack and hospitalizations for heart failure to increases in pollution levels, there have been few studies looking at associations with the number of strokes.”

Certain types of pollution have been shown to increase inflammation in blood vessels, which in turn may increase stroke risk, he said.

Reducing air pollution may have a positive effect on cutting the number of strokes and heart disease, Fonarow added. “Efforts to improve air quality may translate to reductions in heart attack, heart failure and stroke,” he said.

More information

For more about stroke, visit the American Stroke Association.

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Pot Smokers Susceptible to Other Addictions, Study Finds

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pot smokers may be at significantly greater risk for developing an addiction to other drugs or alcohol, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that adult marijuana use was associated with greater likelihood of developing alcohol and drug use problems, including nicotine dependence, over three years of follow-up. But it was not associated with greater risk of developing a mood or anxiety disorder.

“This new finding raises the possibility that the recent rise in marijuana use may be contributing to the coincident rise in serious harms related to narcotics and other drugs of abuse,” said lead researcher Dr. Mark Olfson. He is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

The results stem from a sampling of nearly 35,000 adults interviewed three years apart for the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Almost 1,300 of the adults used marijuana, the researchers found.

Two-thirds of marijuana users had some form of substance use disorder three years later compared to less than 20 percent of those who didn’t use marijuana in the previous year, the study found.

“Those who used marijuana once or more a month had the highest rates of substance use disorders at follow-up (70.5 percent),” Olfson said.

Olfson cautioned that this study cannot prove that marijuana caused these addiction problems. But the possibility should be considered as more states consider marijuana legalization, he said.

“In the ongoing national debate concerning whether to legalize recreational marijuana, the public and legislators should take into consideration the potential for marijuana use to increase the risk of developing alcohol abuse and other serious drug problems,” Olfson said.

Specifically, at the three-year follow-up, marijuana users were about six times more likely to have any substance use disorder; nearly three times as likely to have an alcohol disorder; and about 10 times as likely to report any marijuana use disorder. Marijuana users were also nearly twice as likely to report nicotine dependence, the findings showed.

“Compared with people who were not using marijuana, those who were using marijuana were more than 10 times as likely to have developed [any other] new drug use disorder three years later [13.9 percent versus 1.1 percent],” Olfson said.

One expert viewed the report — published online Feb. 17 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry — with skepticism.

“I am quite dubious of these findings,” said Mitch Earleywine, a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Albany. Earleywine is also a member of the advisory board of NORML, which promotes marijuana legalization.

The notion that marijuana leads to addiction to other drugs — the “gateway” theory — has been touted over the years, but Earleywine discounts it. “I am unable to see this association after 40 years of clinical experience,” he said.

Marijuana may trigger those already predisposed to mental problems or addiction to go on to have these problems, but for many people marijuana does a lot of good, Earleywine said.

Going from marijuana to another drug “says more about the person than about marijuana,” he said.

“There is very little to be concerned about with marijuana. There is more to be concerned about with alcohol or any of the other psychoactive drugs that the drug industry prescribes,” Earleywine said.

More information

For more on marijuana, visit the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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What Your Mucus Color Says About Your Health

Illustration: Aad Goudappel

Can I really tell how sick I am from the color of my mucus?

Sort of. The hue of your snot is more of a clue as to how hard your immune system is working to fend off an infection, whether bacterial or viral. Normally clear, mucus is made up of mostly water, as well as proteins, antibodies, and dissolved salts. Its purpose is to keep your nose from getting too dry and to protect your lungs from dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses, and other intruders. Even when we’re at our healthiest, we have mucus in our nasal passages, but we typically don’t notice and usually just swallow it.

RELATED: 20 Surprising Ways to Prevent Colds and Flu

Mucus that appears thicker and cloudier could be a sign of allergies. When you’re sick, on the other hand, your mucus generally starts out clear and stringy and changes color as the infection progresses. It may first begin to turn heavy and white as the tissues in the nose become swollen and inflamed, impeding the flow of mucus and causing it to get drier. Thicker snot that’s yellow or green indicates that your immune system has really kicked into fighting mode and has recruited more white blood cells, which contain enzymes that alter the color.

RELATED: Best and Worst Exercises to Do When You Have a Cold

If you’ve been stuffed up with yellow or green mucus for a few days, you probably just have a cold (which is a viral infection), and it should clear up in 10 to 14 days. Drink fluids and take an over-the-counter decongestant while you wait it out. If your cold symptoms persist for longer than two weeks, or if you’ve developed additional symptoms, like fever or nausea, you may have bacterial sinusitis or pneumonia; your doctor can prescribe you antibiotics.

Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.

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