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Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with vitamins and supplements. Not everyone will have the same response. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a dietary supplement. The global vitamin and dietary supplement market is ever-expanding, expected to be valued at over $230 billion in 2026. People…

Bombshell musicians Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, and Zara Larsson all have something in common. They’ve all massively rebranded, which is when a company or celebrity changes their overall aesthetic, appearance, or sometimes even their mission and purpose. These singers have all been in the…

I rubbed my eyes and opened them hazily while wiping away what felt like years of sleep and crust. For a second, I had no idea where I was. I wasn’t at home, nor was I at a friend’s house. Oh, yeah. The infusion lab. “Sweetie, sorry to bother you,…

Life doesn’t get much lonelier than sitting alone in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, cut off from what was happening outside, yet the only patient on the floor who could move around. I went to the emergency room in September 2020, not feeling…

A perfect storm of events in September 2020 nearly led to my demise. The intensive care unit became my temporary home for almost two months as I was thrust into the world of rare disease, chronic illness, and intense medical care. Diagnosed with an ultra-rare disease called atypical hemolytic…

Here in the United States, obesity is considered a common chronic illness. The World Health Organization defines it as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.” While the obesity rate has been declining since peaking in 2022, 37% of American adults were still considered…

Living with multiple rare and chronic illnesses is stressful, difficult, and complicated. I have four autoimmune disorders and one connective tissue disorder, each of which comes with its own unique set of comorbidities. But the condition that causes the most issues for me is my primary illness, atypical hemolytic…

In the fall of 2020, I experienced a slew of severe symptoms that makes the head spin just thinking about it. These included a 104 F fever, chills, body aches, an upset stomach, a loss of appetite, abnormal physical weakness, deep purple bruising all over my body, an unrelenting migraine,…

My vision is a little blurry when I wake up. I rub my eyes to get them to adjust. My right eye clears with no issues, and I stretch while looking out the window. But my left eye feels off. My vision is still a little cloudy, and it feels…

My lungs are on fire. My heart is thumping so hard, I can feel my heartbeat in my ears. My breathing is heavy and labored. Pain shoots down my left leg from my sciatic nerve. I stop on the last landing to catch my breath and lean on the post…