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Tag: Health

Texas Observer: Long COVID Sufferers Demand to Be HeardAn outdoor photograph of a person wearing a purple mask, with brown hair past their shoulders. They are wearing a white dress with black polka dots, and supporting themselves with a cane. Tattoos are visible on their arms.
Jordan Vonderhaar/Texas Observer
March 25, 2024
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Texas Observer: Long COVID Sufferers Demand to Be Heard

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and The Texas Observer

Most people survive the Coronavirus with their kidneys intact. But not 34-year-old Austin resident Vanessa Ramos. 

An experienced community organizer with nonprofits like the Sierra Club, Ramos was healthy and active before she got infected. Then she caught the COVID-19 virus in December 2021, and symptoms lingered through the new year despite her efforts to focus on healing and recovery. 

“I was trying to prioritize my physical health because I couldn’t lift things; I couldn’t open things,” Ramos recalled. “I didn’t understand why I was getting weaker.”

Read moreTexas Observer: Long COVID Sufferers Demand to Be Heard
In Print: Long COVID feature out now in Texas Observer!An outdoor photograph of a person wearing a purple mask, with brown hair past their shoulders. They are wearing a white dress with black polka dots, and supporting themselves with a cane. Tattoos are visible on their arms. Text: Clearing the Air. Long COVID sufferers advocate for a healthier world.
Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar
March 8, 2024
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In Print: Long COVID feature out now in Texas Observer!

Posted in Journalism, and The Texas Observer

Millions of Texans are suffering from long COVID and you might be surprised to learn that many of them are young and formerly healthy. Studies show that the more often you get infected, the more likely you are to have lingering, potentially life-changing health effects.

Look for it in print in the Texas Observer magazine now, and online later this month.

Read moreIn Print: Long COVID feature out now in Texas Observer!
Trans Lives Are Not Up For DebateA close-up of a white person's closed eyelid and nose, with the eyelid painted with the transgender flag.
Mainstream media articles like Emily Bazelon's New York Times article hurt transgender people. (Unsplash / Kyle)
July 22, 2022
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Trans Lives Are Not Up For Debate

Posted in Journalism, and The Texas Observer

On June 15, the New York Times Magazine published “The Battle Over Gender Therapy,” an investigation into gender-affirming care for young people by staff writer Emily Bazelon. Since its publication, transgender-rights advocates, medical experts, and other journalists have condemned the article for inaccurately portraying such care as controversial, misrepresenting scientific research, and quoting anti-trans activists without proper context.

Now, the state of Texas is using it as evidence in an ongoing attempt to investigate trans-supportive healthcare as “child abuse.”

Read moreTrans Lives Are Not Up For Debate
Delta 8 FAQ: What You Should Know Before Trying Delta 8A photo depicting a person's open-mouthed face in silhouetted profile as they take a dropper of bright green liquid. Text: Kti's Delta 8 FAQ. WTF is it and should you try it?
When it comes to Delta 8, caveat emptor.
June 30, 2021
Kit
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Delta 8 FAQ: What You Should Know Before Trying Delta 8

Posted in Creative Commons, and Journalism

There’s a lot of buzz around Delta 8 right now, but I’m concerned people aren’t educating themselves about this new cannabinoid before using it.

Almost weekly, someone asks me about Delta 8 products. What are they, should I try them?

I appreciate that people look to me for guidance, so I thought I’d put together a few tidbits about Delta 8.

If you’re not aware, Delta 8, short for Delta-8-THC, is a close relative of Delta-9-THC. That’s main compound in psychoactive cannabis (“marijuana”). As you might guess, the two compounds are very chemically similar with somewhat similar effects. They both make you high but in slightly different ways. I’ll get into that below.

Read moreDelta 8 FAQ: What You Should Know Before Trying Delta 8
Fake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad IdeasA bottle of generic CBD oil, alongside some hemp leaves and hemp seeds, all sitting on natural-colored hemp fabric.
Some fake CBD oil products are made from hemp seed oil (instead of actual hemp extract). (Photo: Pixabay / Julia Teichmann, public domain)
August 8, 2020
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Fake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad Ideas

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Though there are hundreds of quality products available, the CBD market is flooded with scams, frauds, misleading products and just plain bad ideas.

Currently, the CBD market is completely unregulated. Almost anyone with some capital can get into the CBD business, and there’s been a glut of raw materials (raw hemp extract) available at falling prices over the past year, especially if you’re not too picky about the quality.

While we normally focus on the positive aspects of the industry, and the highest quality CBD products, we also think it’s important to warn our readers … and put pressure on the hemp industry to do better.

Read moreFake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad Ideas
Hemp Facemasks Offer Sustainable Protection From COVID-19 VirusWorkers at a Trader Joe’s pose in hemp masks created and donated by iLoveBad and The Hemp Cooperative.
Workers at a Trader Joe’s pose in hemp masks created and donated by iLoveBad and The Hemp Cooperative. (Photo: iLoveBad Organics)
May 26, 2020
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Hemp Facemasks Offer Sustainable Protection From COVID-19 Virus

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

On Ministry of Hemp, I interviewed Daniel Ong from iLoveBad Organics about their new hemp facemasks.

Read moreHemp Facemasks Offer Sustainable Protection From COVID-19 Virus