 Photo by Igor Miske on Unsplash By Dr. Agnes M. Costello
At a young age, my grandparents always referred to health as a balance between the ying and the yang, the hot and cold. Most importantly, they always stressed trying to first heal the body with natural products such as herbs or supplements. As a scientist and a pharmacist, I often struggle to integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine into Western Medicine.
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 By Dr. Pata Suyemoto
I am an Asian American woman with lived-experience with chronic major depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I have lived with mental illness since I was in junior high school, when I used to sit in the dark at my mother’s desk watching the snow fall and wondering how long it would take to die if I went outside in the frozen world. I am lucky, in that I got treatment and have learned to live with my conditions. However, I have to navigate the world differently than those who do not have mental health issues.  Artwork by: Heidi HyunJin Lee "Unbroken" Oil on canvas 30 x 40 inches By Heidi HyunJin Lee
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2774.pdf Article Response: https://wildfloweralliance.org/a-certification-board-for-peer-specialists-is-coming-to-massachusetts-what-will-that-mean-for-us/ After reading the article, “A Certification Board for Peer Specialists Is Coming to Massachusetts” by the Wild Flower Alliance, I better understood the significance of the NAMI motto, “Nothing about us without us.” By Dr. Agnes M. Costello
April is National Minority Health Month, which gives me an opportunity to think about how I can help to reduce health disparities and improve the health of Asian Americans. We must first recognize and acknowledge that there are fundamental differences in various aspects of health between Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic groups. These health differences are closely linked to our genes, social, economic, and environmental factors. Are you aware that Asians may response to certain medications differently than Caucasians? Did you know that most of the medications used in cancer or heart diseases were studied in patients who were not Asians? For the next series of blogs, I would like raise awareness of health issues that disproportionately affect Asians and how we can work together to understand and address these issues. I am not a small person – although I am short, I am also quite round. As an Asian American woman, I am expected to be small and thin and quiet and diminutive and submissive. I am none of these things. Yet this expectation is still thrust upon me – and this expectation is not only from the dominant culture – it also comes from the Asian American community. Yet, we know that all people, including Asians and Asian Americans come in all sizes and to discriminate and disparage people who are not the mythic “right size” is an equity issue.
September is Healthy Aging month which applies to young and old. It’s about living our best life with truth, purpose, and curiosity. Learn how Sound Therapy and music meditation can add comfort, balance, and peace to your life.
 Since January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month, I thought it would be the perfect time to share both my experiences conducting educational workshops across nail salons in the Greater Boston area, as well as my motivations behind them.
 The 8th annual State of Asian Women’s Health Conference was held virtually on November 12, 2020, and this year’s theme was “Trust in the Time of COVID: Best Practices for Culturally Responsive Care & Support”. Almost 100 community members, from students to health professionals, registered for our first virtual conference! Conference objectives included:
To get involved in next year’s annual conference, please email info@asianwomenforhealth.org.  My work with Asian Women for Health is currently focusing on community outreach, primarily to conduct educational workshops about breast and cervical health and screenings. I have been mainly making contact with the Vietnamese community, specifically nail salon owners, to survey how COVID19 has impacted their health and to understand the barriers around getting screened during this time.
 Back in July, we featured AWFH’s fellowship intern through Tisch Summer Fellows, Jennifer Liu. Jennifer will continue to contribute her graphic design and web skills with AWFH this fall, and we are excited to showcase her talent!
Jennifer has lived in Jakarta and Singapore, and is a sophomore at Tufts University studying mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering. Her passions include neuroscience, graphic design, as well as journalling! Jennifer hopes to pursue a career in tech, creating technology that is both accessible to marginalized communities and challenge structural inequalities in society. At Tufts, she is the design chair for the Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia Students Association (SIMSA), and is also involved in the Women in Tech Conference. |
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