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Letter from the editor-in-chief
It’s been some time since we talked about the subject of domestic violence. It’s an issue that can impact anyone and happens every minute of every day across the globe. I think of all the individuals still living in fear some accepting their plight and others desperately searching for a way out.
Someone very special to me is a survivor of domestic violence. I’m grateful every day that she had the courage to leave after several failed attempts. She has gone on to live a beautiful life, but not without facing her demons and darkness head on. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one I know. I’m sure you can say the same.
If you or someone you know is in need, we hope you use these pages as a lifeline.
We have a new mixologist bringing you a new cocktail recipe good any time of year. We highlight one woman whose on-the-job training coupled with strong mentors led her on a unique path of entrepreneurship. And we touch on the subject of tampons, heavy metals and toxic shock syndrome, after some viral stories caught our attention.
Enjoy all the other pieces we have for you! Looking for more? We’re launching our free emails with exclusive content and deals. See the QR code below to sign up.
Until next time.
All the best, Nichole
Woman to Woman, NWI is always open to story ideas and leads and conversing with talented writers, photographers, makeup artists and hair stylists! Have an interest in advertising sales or marketing? Let’s chat! Reach out to sendmediacompanyllc@gmail.com.
Jessica Luth’s Story
Statistics
Shaela Erin B. Unique
Ingredients:
• 2oz of dark rum (I prefer Sailor Jerry)
• 4oz of pineapple juice
• 1oz of orange juice
• 1oz of cream of coconut (I prefer Coco Reàl)
• Pineapple wedge, for garnish
• Ground nutmeg, for garnish
You will need:
• A jigger or measuring cup
• A shaker
• A highball glass (or Hurricane glass)
• Ice Directions:
Step 1: Pour all 8 oz. of ingredients into a shaker that is filled with ice.
Step 2: Shake very well. This drink is best ice cold, and the cream of coconut will become slightly frothy if shaken well.
Step 3: Fill your highball with fresh ice.
Step 4: Strain your cocktail into the chilled highball.
Step 5: Garnish with pineapple wedge on glass and ground nutmeg sprinkled on top.
Step 6: Enjoy!
Additional tips:
WITH BARBARA COOPER
This drink can be “batched” ahead of time for a party! Multiply the ingredients as needed, put into a drink dispenser, and when it’s time to serve, just be sure to use your shaker first!
Barbara Cooper is the founder and owner of Cooper’s Party Rentals and Region on the Rocks, a private bartending service. When she gets a moment away from her businesses, she loves attending music festivals, exploring farmer’s markets and listening to true crime podcasts. She adores sharing her cocktails creations with others, but especially fellow moms in need of a break. She and her son live in Crown Point, Ind. and are awaiting baby number two in 2025.
Advances in technology and access to them can be a blessing when it comes to healthcare and a curse when it comes to spreading misinformation.
New diagnostic tools, treatment options, surgical methods and monitors are leading to better outcomes for patients. At the same time, something as simple as patients accessing web browsers and social media can cause misinformation and lead to risky decisions or unnecessary panic when it comes to their health.
We know many people make a habit of consulting “Dr. Google” when they have a medical concern. Some may receive a test result and conduct an online search to try to get a sense of what it means before consulting their physician. Others may Google their symptoms to try to diagnose a medical issue for themselves or a loved one.
The same holds true for social media posts. Viral videos or posts can spread misinformation about health issues that can sometimes lead to dangerous consequences or unnecessary fear.
Some recent examples involve tampons and their impacts on reproductive health. One post went viral from a mother claiming her 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and nearly died after swimming in a lake while wearing a tampon.
Toxic shock syndrome is an extremely rare, life-threatening medical emergency that is caused by toxins created by staph and strep bacterial infections. The National Institutes of Health reports the incidence of TSS today is estimated to be less than one per 100,000 in the United States.
While TSS is most often associated with the use of tampons that have a higher absorbency level than is needed for an individual’s level of menstrual flow, TSS does not only impact menstruating women and isn’t only caused by tampons. It can impact infants, men and post-menopausal women. Risk factors include skin wounds, surgery and those using tampons and menstrual cups.
Symptoms can include a sudden onset and rapid progression of flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and body aches in addition to low blood pressure, rash and peeling skin on the hands and feet. TSS is treated with antibiotics in a hospital setting. TSS first came to light with an outbreak in 1980 determined to be caused by the use of high-absorbency tampons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked with tampon manufacturers to remove the high-absorbency tampons from the market and to add warning labels encouraging consumers to use the lowest absorbency product necessary. As a result, cases were significantly reduced.
Is it possible to get TSS from swimming in a lake while wearing a tampon? Potentially, but it is no more or less inherently risky than wearing a tampon in general.
Shortly after the posts about the young girl went viral, a study by researchers at UC Berkeley School of Public Health found trace quantities of 16 types of heavy metals in 14 different brands of tampons in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Reports of the study hit mainstream media, raising questions on the safety of tampons.
While the study found the presence of heavy metals, what it didn’t show is what brands they tested, whether or not the metals can or are being absorbed into the body or what dangers, if any, they may be posing to users. The study itself said, “Future research is needed to replicate our findings and determine whether metals can leach out of tampons and cross the vaginal epithelium (lining) into systemic circulation.”
The aim of the study was to discover what is in tampons, not the potential health risks that could be associated with them. It is also important to note that tampons weren’t studied in the way they are actually used.
Regardless, many social media influencers took to TikTok with videos of themselves throwing away their boxes of unused tampons, saying they weren’t going to use them because of a perceived harm, citing the study.
In short, fear mongering social media posts are intended to do just that – get clicks, likes and shares that boost exposure for content providers. The bottom line is the information we have today is that tampons in and of themselves do not pose a health risk when used properly.
When it comes to using Dr. Google or information on social media posts from those not in the medical field, take what you are seeing with a grain of salt. It takes a medical professional to accurately diagnose and treat a medical issue. Patients with questions about what may be causing their symptoms or if health information they’re seeing on social media is true or should cause them concern should always contact their healthcare providers.
When in doubt, check it out with the experts who know best.
Dr. John Monk is a Franciscan Physician Network
October is Domestic Violence awareness month, an opportunity to raise awareness of domestic violence and remind survivors that they are not alone. Statistically 85-95% of domestic survivors are women; most likely everyone knows someone who has been affected by domestic violence.
So much can be seen, heard and understood in the silence; the space where time freezes, where the thoughts and memories of domestic violence survivors swirl. When domestic violence survivors stare off into space lost in the memories that will forever haunt them, time stands still.
It is estimated that a staggering 50% of domestic violence incidents go unreported. Many survivors do not report domestic violence due to fear of retaliation, economic dependency or societal reasons. In cases where retaliation occurs the retaliation is far worse than the initial incident. The "iceberg" metaphor is used to describe the problem of unreported domestic violence cases, suggesting that most cases are submerged and invisible to society, never coming to light. The problem of domestic violence is staggering with a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receiving approximately 19,159 calls, an average of approximately 13 calls every minute.
The secondary victimization that occurs from law enforcement, the court system, friends, family and many times even employers is enough to cause domestic violence survivors to think twice before speaking up about their experience. Domestic violence survivors are often blamed for the abuse, as if they must have done something to provoke it or they deserve it because of a choice they made.
The deafening silence of the truth leaves survivors in a state where they do not receive the help they need to heal from the trauma. This prolongs not only the trauma to themselves but also those left in the wake, creating a ripple effect impacting those around them. The impacts last long after the actual incident and many times are drawn out by the legal system that insists survivors rehash their experience over and over again, breaking open the wound. Wounds never get a chance to scar when they are continuously ripped open reliving the day that will be forever ingrained in their memory. The healing can not even begin or move forward when being asked to relive the events that give them flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety attacks.
Whether we know, understand, or make assumptions, domestic violence survivors are humans who are going through an unfathomable experience while they are trying to continue their lives, many going through the motions of parenting while juggling the complexities of dealing with the legal system.
Domestic violence survivors are expected to operate in a robotic mode while they calm the tornado of chaos that was brought into their lives, left to clean up the pieces, many times in isolation.
To those that have experienced domestic violence or have witnessed the impacts, know there is so much power in healing and standing boldly in truth.
We are all human and until you are in the environment, until you are in their shoes, until you are the one enduring the abuse; it is so easy to cast judgment, shame and “could haves” despite not knowing the full story or facts. It is so easy to tell people what they should have done when you have never experienced it yourself.
The gaslighting, bullying and brushing facts under the rug actually escalates danger and crime rates instead of accountability, perpetuating the vicious cycle and creating layers of trauma.
My hope is you never experience this in your lifetime. I challenge you to lead with curiosity and care when you come across a human living an unreal, unfathomable experience. Every story is grounded in the reality that there are not two sides to every story, there is only truth and one can choose to speak it, heal it, and change the vicious
As isolating as it can feel, you do not have to weather this journey alone or in silence.
To those that stand in truth, thank you for not only leading with integrity but knowing the only way to make things better for future generations is to talk about the darkness so collaboratively we can make the future brighter.
Without words is how many domestic violence instances end, leaving the survivors reeling in the darkness.
If you or someone you know may be suffering from Domestic Violence, help is available. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Name: Mary Ann Pals, IAPS-MC, GLPS, CPP, MAPS-MP
Town / city you’re from: South Holland, Ill.
Town / city you live in now: Chesterton, Ind. (for approximately 32 years)
Do you have a degree? If so, in what, from where?
Undergraduate degree in humanities, minor in fine art
Business name (if applicable): Mary Ann Pals Fine Art WITH MARY
maryannpals.com maryannpals.com/blog
What was your inspiration for this piece/pieces?
I have always loved creating art and took private art lessons during my childhood. In 2000 I decided to pursue bettering my artistic skills as a career choice. For the past 20 years I’ve taught adults pastel painting in two local art centers.
Since then, my artwork has been accepted into area, national, and international exhibits and art fairs. In 2023, I was accepted as an Artist-in-Residence for the Indiana Dunes National Park.
I enjoy creating lifelike scenes that depict the natural beauty I see around her. I have traveled and hiked extensively across the US, which provides me with a rich library of visual images. I live within two miles of the Indiana Dunes and hikes there all year round, snapping photos to use as references for my paintings and drawings. Back in my studio i use my photos and memories as a springboard to convey those special moments and my mood on paper. Through my artwork, I hope to heighten people’s awareness of nature’s beauty but also its fragility and its need for humans to care for our Earth. Nature says it best. I just embellish the tale with my artwork.
You know what’s scary?
