Sexual assault trauma doesn’t vanish
When Yellowstone Park’s Ear Spring geyser started erupting in September, for the first time since 1957, it spewed hundreds of pieces of detritus, including old beer cans, a pacifier from the 1930s and dozens of coins, into the air. Goes to show you, once again, that even when you don’t see pollution in the environment, it can be lurking below the surface, waiting to spread its damage far and wide.
The same can be said for the long-term repercussions of sexual assault, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers looked at the history and health of 300 middle-aged women who had (sometimes decades earlier) been sexually assaulted. They found that it was clearly associated with present-day anxiety, depression and poor sleep. Those who had suffered sexual harassment at work had an increased risk of high blood pressure and poor sleep.
Many women carry the burden in silence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. And many women may not be aware there’s a link between their experience and their current health.
So if you have been assaulted, tell someone — a therapist, a loved one, a friend, someone in a support group. You deserve to have your physical health protected. For help and support, go to www.rainn.org or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
Processed meats up breast cancer risk
Many women don’t seem to understand how negative it is to eat nitrite- and nitrate-laden, sat-fat-pumped, artificially preserved concoctions. In 2015, Americans spent at least $3.35 billion on luncheon/processed meats, including hot dogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, jerky and meat-based sauces.
The International Journal of Cancer published an analysis of 15 studies and found that women eating processed meat up their risk of breast cancer by 9 percent.
That’s on top of a 2015 study in the European Journal of Cancer that found that eating 9 grams (around 3 ounces) or more a day of processed meats, or the equivalent of about two sausages a week, boosts your risk of breast cancer significantly. In fact, it was found to also increase the risk 9 percent for those who consumed the most processed meats compared with those eating the least. So ditch processed meats and go for lean proteins, like fish and skinless poultry.
Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.