Racism & Health

Racism and Quality of Health

 Earlier this year I attended the Genesee County Health Department’s Public Health Conference.  This is an annual event and my second time attending.  The conference got me to thinking more deeply  about racism and how it can play a part in the quality of health a person experiences.  So, I did some research and came to some conclusions.

***Disclaimer***

I want you to be aware of cognitive dissonance which is the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. Meaning, when your core beliefs are challenged your brain will go into a self-defense mode.  This can cause anger, denial of facts etc.  This defense mechanism can keep us from progressing and will have us blaming victims for the circumstances they were born into, so keep an eye out. I want you to keep in mind as you read this.  Sometimes we forget how the isms play a major role in how our society is shaped. 

Let's get started

Groups have been oppressed all over the world.  In the US the main source of oppression is racism.  This is so engrained in our history that the foundation  America was formed on is drenched in racism and oppression.  Think about it, I won’t go into detail (yet), but this country has some serious healing to do. When you commit the kinds of atrocities against a people and then continue to keep them at a disadvantage, society suffers.  Plain and simple!!  The health of the community is imperative to the overall health of the society.  

So, what is racism?

Racism is a system of organizing opportunities and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how we look.  Racism creates groups that are subjected to unequal treatment by the majority group. Racism is a learned behaviors that take away human resources and zaps the strength of the entire society.  Racial inequity occurs in different contexts; Institutional, personally- mediated and internalized.  This creates risk markers that include race, social class, geography, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. 

Now Let’s Talk About Health

Health is much more than we perceive it to be and is effected by our social standings more than we would like to think.  Anthony Iton (Public Health Official) said (in that Health Conference I told you I went to) “tell me your zip code and I will tell you how long you will live”.  I was utterly floored.  So again, I went digging. 

Health is actually a combination of home life, school, workplace and communities.  The definition reads; the state of being free from illness or injury or a person's mental or physical condition.  So while health is a state of well-being, that state is determined by “social determinants”.

Determinants of Health

I found the above graphic on www.healthypeople.com and while I was there I also learned the determinants of health.  They work into that combination of things we discussed earlier.  The website I perused looked at five key areas; economic Stability, education, social & community context, health & healthcare, and health technology.  I copied and pasted the breakdown of these determinants from the healthy people website.    

                                                         

Economic Stability

Poverty

Employment Status

Access to Employment

Housing Stability (e.g., homelessness, foreclosure)

Education

High School Graduation Rates

School Policies that Support Health Promotion

School Environments that are Safe and Conducive to Learning

Enrollment in Higher Education

Social and Community Context

Family Structure

Social Cohesion

Perceptions of Discrimination and Equity

Civic Participation

Incarceration/Institutionalization

Health and Health Care

Access to Health services—including clinical and preventive care

Access to Primary Care—including community-based health promotion and wellness programs

Health Technology

Neighborhood and Build Environment

Quality of Housing

Crime and Violence

Environmental Conditions

Access to Healthy Foods

(source: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx) 

   

 


(Top two: safe neighborhoods. Bottom four: Neighborhood blight)

Tying it all Together

When certain groups are oppressed based on racist ideology it creates these systems where the opportunities are limited.  Take my hometown Flint, MI, access to employment is limited, a large percentage live below the poverty line, the education system is subpar, school environment is challenged, family structure has fallen apart, crime and violence is at a national high and access to healthy and affordable food is limited.  We have been called a food desert on many occasions.  Flint’s population is 56.56% African American, 3.88% Latino, 3.87% Multi-racial, and .99% other race (non-white).  This shows (but doesn’t prove, but who are we fooling?) that disadvantages exist based on models of racism and inequality that have existed for years.

Resources

Jones, C. (2009). Social determinants of health and equity. Virginia health equity conference, Virginia.

Carlson, J. (n.d.). Race & gender . doi: slideshare.net

Center for Disease Control. (2012, February ). Healthy communities program, attaining health equity . Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/healthy_communities.htm

Healthy People. (2013, April 10). Social determinants of health . Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicId=39

Cohen, H. W. (2000). Getting political: Racism and urban health. 90, 841-842.

21 Life Changing Quotes

21 Quotes That Can Change A Life 

Peace is not a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at ~Martin Luther King Jr.~

The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself ~Frank Herbert~

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense ~Buddha~

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight ~E.E Cummings~

I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down ~Abe Lincoln~

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding ~Albert Einstein~

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind ~Albert Einstein~

The important thing is not to stop questioning.  Curiosity has its own reasoning for existing ~Albert Einstein~

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change ~Wayne Dyer~

The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about ~Wayne Dyer~

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself ~Wayne Dyer~

I cannot always control what goes on outside, but I can control what goes on inside ~Wayne Dyer~

Conflict cannot survive without your participation ~Wayne Dyer~

You’ll see it, when you believe it ~Wayne Dyer~

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect ~Mark Twain~

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything ~Mark Twain~

The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing ~Socrates~

Be as you wish to seem ~Socrates~

Never, never, NEVER give up ~Winston Churchill~

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other ~Mother Teresa~

If you cannot feed 100 people, then feed just one ~Mother Teresa~

The UnKool Season of the FLU

The Not So Kool Flu

The flu season in these United Stated hit the ground running this year.  It has been said this has been one of the worse seasons in history.  It started early and it has taken a hold.  While I personally feel that people are inviting the virus into their systems, I know that it is not done on purpose.  So today’s post will focus on the what and why of Influenza including the spiritual cause.  Once we understand how it is transmitted and treated we can work hard to prevent it.  Cause after all Prevention is ALWAYS the cure. 

What is this thing called influenza?

The flu is a virus that attacks the respiratory system.  This is the nose, throat and lungs.  The flu season usually begins in mid-fall and lasts throughout winter.  Since Influenza is caused by a virus it can come in many different variations.  While the body can create antibodies to help fight off the flu in the future.  The variations of the virus make this difficult.

You catch the flu from another infected individual that coughs or sneezes into the air.  This releases air droplets containing the virus and you know what happens next don’t you?  Correct, you now have been exposed to the flu.  If the immune system cannot fight it off you can become sick.  While you may know that you are sick you may not know what you have.  

The Symptoms Usually Include

Fever

Achy Muscles

Headache

Nasal Congestion

Fatigue and Feelings of Weakness

Dry Cough

Chills

Sweats

You Are Infected…Now What?

First you need to STOP ALL INTAKE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS!!!!! Dairy creates mucus and we are on a mission to minimize not create! Next drink lots and lots of fluids.  You want to include herbal teas, bone or veggie broth, and room temperature water.  Make this continuous throughout the day.  This helps thin out the mucus in your system. Try to get some teas that include licorice root, ginger, Echinacea elderberry and vitamin C.   You should also get some extra Vitamin C & D into your diet.   

Boil some water and place some drops of eucalyptus essential oil into it.  Get a towel, put it over your head and inhale. 

Eat some chicken noodle soup.  For some reason this has been a tried and true mixture.  My guess is the nutrients from the veggies, chicken and bone broth help give your immune system a boost. Make sure you put some pepper in that soup. It’s good source of Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin K, Iron, Copper and Manganese.

Take a teaspoon of honey, which is anti-viral and get some garlic and onions (which are also anti-viral) into your life.  Boiling onion and garlic together to make a broth is a good way to go.  You can also increase your intake of Master Tonic or add it to your broth to get an extra dose of antiviral.

Use a Neti Pot to flush your sinuses.  It can be a little uncomfortable at first but it is worth the discomfort.  You should try to use it at least twice a day during your infection.    

Healing Your Spiritual Side

The crystal Moss Agate can help keep the lymphatic system moving and it represents emotional cleansing and relief.

Mediation calms the mind and allows the body to heal itself more effectively.  This also a GREAT preventatives practice. It can help to make a meditation jar and just focus on it until you can do it without.   

Prevent the Spread

Prevention is the Cure in all health situations.  If you put that effort forth you can prevent the spread of infection or prevent yourself from getting infected in the first place.  With that in mind, here are some tips to prevent either way.   

Don’t use hand sanitizer!!!  It has a drying effect and does not kill viruses.  It only kills bacteria.  We have good bacteria that can help us fight off infection.  WASH those hands with soap and water so the bad bacterium goes down the drain and the good ones can multiply. Oh yea, this also means DON’T use anti-bacterial soap. 

Don’t pick up used tissues and other items that have been in contact with the infected.

Don’t share utensils

If you are infected STAY AT HOME (this is easier said than done since all jobs do not pay for sick days) so I will change that to IF YOU CAN stay home! (While at home you can research ways to get employers to start paying ALL employees’ sick days)

Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.  PLEASE don’t cover it with your hand!! Use your elbow bend or a tissue

Do NOT expect vaccines to prevent you from catching the flu. There are so many strains there is just no way to be sure. 

Go to the doctor if your symptoms don’t improve!!!  Choose Urgent Care over the Emergency Department because Urgent Care bills your insurance differently and costs less. 

THAT’S ALL PEOPLES 

Defining Gender

Defining Gender  m               

There is always more than meets the eye.  We are taught to think inside these boxes.  Inside these boxes we place the labels of an individual or culture or even our ideas about the world.  These boxes make us feel safe in a world full of the unknown.  The truth is, however, that we cannot fit our ideal world inside a box.  People will always evolve into a non-box type and then society gets all crazy about it.  Let’s use gender roles as an example.  People here gender and they hear male and female, that is likely it.  When in fact gender is more fluid than the rigid boxes we have stuffed them in.

So what we are going to do is define ALL the gender terms and roles so we can get a clearer picture of just how LARGE these boxes actually are.

Biological Sex

This is the sex that is assigned to you at birth.  We see it as male and female.  It is actually a combination of male female and inter-gender.

Gender Normative

This is when we adhere to societies roles that they have assigned to us.  Males are masculine and females are feminine. 

Gender Identity

How a person defines their own gender.  To find this out, just ask. 

Gender Expression

This is how a person expresses their gender.  This is usually through hairstyles, clothes and the expression of masculine, feminine or a combination of the two. 

Gender Role

The role that a person plays in society in regards to gender.  This can be expressing more feminine characteristics or masculine.  Gender roles are often assigned at birth as well. 

Gender Queer

Usually used when someone identifies other than traditional gender roles. 

Gender Binary

The belief that gender has two distinct roles which do not cross over each other.  Remember those boxes we discussed earlier, yea, this is totally them.

Gender Cues

The different characteristics used to tell the gender of another person. Examples include clothing, voice, hair, body hair, etc. These vary by culture.

Gender Variant

A non-conforming gender type

Transgender

Persons whose gender identity or expression does not conform to that typically associated with the sex assigned at birth.

Gender Diverse

This is a term used to be more inclusive of genders.  It takes the place of Transgender

Cisgender

This is used for people that identify with their gender they were assigned at birth.

Pangender

Someone that identifies with a third gender other than male or female, or they do not identify as a gender at all.

Gender Fluidity

A term used to describe how people do not really fit into one gender role.  They often span gender roles showing that gender is fluid. 

This list is not exhaustive and I will add to it as I discover new terms.  But for now ask yourself….Is Gender REALLY going to fit in that box that you have been keeping it in?