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Shelley Flannery

Experienced writer and content marketer specializing in health and wellness, higher education and nonprofit

Oprah Daily •

The Holiday Expectation Detox

The holidays have a funny way of convincing us that every gift, every tablescape, and every moment should be picture-perfect—and that we should be, too. When you live with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), “perfect skin” can feel like one more expectation you’re supposed to meet. That added pressure can leave you wondering: What if hives appear just above the neckline of my party dress? What if I have a flare before the family photo? What if the itching is so bad I want to leave the dinner as...
Men's Health •

Why You Shouldn’t Tough Out Pneumonia Symptoms

You’ve had a cough for a couple of days. You’re tired and a little feverish, but you have meetings to get through, family members to shuttle around, and approximately zero interest in sitting in a waiting room. Besides, it’s probably just a cold or the flu. You’ll be fine.Sound familiar?“Particularly the fellas, we tend to put off calling our doctors,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “‘It’l...
Cosmopolitan •

Welcome to Dating in the GLP-1 Era

Dating is difficult enough without your medication getting a say in the group chat. There’s figuring out who should make the first move, what to wear when you want to look like you tried—but not too hard—and whether an invitation to “grab a drink” is actually a date or just a hookup in disguise. Add managing type 2 diabetes with a GLP-1 medication, and dating can come with even more layers: appetite changes, body-image whiplash, awkward dinner plans, alcoho...
Women's Health •

The Mental Health Toll Caregivers Rarely Talk About

No one truly understands the weight of caregiving until it’s on their shoulders. Filled with middle-of-the-night worry, hard choices about time and money, and the quiet ache of watching someone you love change, it’s clear why nearly half of family caregivers in the U.S. reported anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges in the last year. A recent study from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, sponsored by Otsuka, underscores the strain. Among its findings: 24 U....
Good Housekeeping •

What Every Parent Should Know Before Their Child’s Surgery

Few moments tug at a parent’s heart like the prospect of their child needing surgery or a procedure. Whether it’s a routine dental procedure like a wisdom tooth removal or something bigger like a sports injury such as an ACL repair, or an unexpected surgery like an appendix removal, the idea of your child being under anesthesia and potentially in pain afterward can be agonizing. Pain levels may vary based on the patient and the procedure, and the concerns that parents have are always there. Whil...
Men's Health •

Finding an ADHD Treatment Helped Change the Game for Jay Glazer

JAY GLAZER, one of the biggest personalities in sports broadcasting, has built a career around high energy and quick delivery. Whether breaking major stories on live TV or doing exclusive interviews with the brightest stars in professional football, he thrives in big moments. On top of that, he’s become an outspoken mental health advocate championing men’s mental health. Yet for decades, he struggled with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—a common psychiatric disorder marked by sym...
Child Mind Institute •

When Problem Behavior Masks a Learning Disability - Child Mind Institute

Every parent has experienced (or seen) a child melting down at school drop-off. But for the family of one 7-year-old, tantrums at the entrance were a daily occurrence. The girl was so distraught about going to school that she would cry and cling to her mom until the principal came out and physically helped her through the front door. What was initially assumed to be anxiety or a behavior disorder turned out to be a learning disability. “When we assessed her, we found that she had dyslexia,” says...
My Vanderbilt Health •

Could your child’s cough mean something more?

Kids cough — it’s a common part of childhood. Most of the time, coughing is caused by a cold or the flu, allergies or other typical upper respiratory infections. Often, it’s nothing that can’t be treated at home with rest, hydration and time. But what if your child’s cough lingers or frequently returns? What if they’ve already been checked for pneumonia, bronchitis or bacterial infection and the cough just won’t go away?
DomesticShelters.org •

Domestic Violence in the Transgender Community

Domestic violence affects individuals of all gender identities, with transgender people facing particularly high risks. More than half, or 54 percent, of transgender and non-binary individuals have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetimes, according to the Human Rights Campaign. That’s significantly higher than the general population, in which 41 percent of women and 26 percent of men have encountered suc...
My Vanderbilt Health •

Will my baby grow out of hip dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia is one of those concerning terms that many people don’t hear until they have a newborn. If your pediatrician has mentioned it, you’re probably wondering what it is and how it will affect your baby’s growth and development.

Hip dysplasia is an umbrella diagnosis that simply means there is instability in the hip joint(s). It is most often present at birth; however, it can develop in the first few weeks of life for unknown reasons. It is generally not painful in newborns. Severity ra...
My Vanderbilt Health •

Can pancreatic cancer be diagnosed early?

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose early, as widespread screening isn’t available and symptoms often remain silent until the cancer has already progressed.

“The classic presentation of a patient with pancreatic cancer is that of jaundice — yellowing of the skin and eyes — without abdominal pain,” said Dr. Marcus C. Tan, a surgical oncologist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “There may be other symptoms as well, but these are non-specific, such as weight loss, loss of appe...
Women's Health •

What Most People Get Wrong About Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia can be a commonly misunderstood illness, in part due to a great deal of misinformation, which can lead to potentially damaging stigma for the estimated 2.4 million adults in the United States living with it. On top of that, the stigma associated with schizophrenia creates barriers for those yet to be diagnosed as well as for the caregivers of those living with the disorder.We sat down with mental-illness expert Erinn King, PA-C, a Seattle-based physician assistant, to discuss some...
DomesticShelters.org •

How U Visas Can Help Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse

Many survivors of domestic violence hesitate to report their abusers because of embarrassment, financial concerns and a fear of retribution. For undocumented immigrants in the U.S., another threat looms even larger.
“The main reason that immigrant survivors of domestic violence don’t come forward is the fear of deportation,” says Andrea Cárcamo, a former policy analyst and legislative liaison at Casa de Esperanza, a national...
Frontline •

Inspiring Audiences Everywhere: Zach Sobiech’s Story

At first, Zach didn’t intend to share his story with anyone but his family and friends. When he learned three years into his fight that his osteosarcoma was terminal, his mom, Laura, suggested the 17-year-old write letters to his loved ones to say goodbye.
“One thing we really learned about dying is it’s so awkward for everybody, especially for the young,” Laura says. “There’s just no right time to say the big things without feeling like you’re imposing on the other person.”
Frontline •

Osteosarcoma Stories: Amazing Grace

In 2021, just as schools were reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, 12-year-old Grace Messinger was still a remote learner due to her asthma, but that didn’t keep her from taking part in her regular classes.
One day, as Grace was holding a plank exercise during a remote physical education class, she felt something snap in her left shoulder. Believing it was a minor sprain from months of inactivity, Grace and her mom, Carrie, iced it and watched for bruising or swelling. When the pain still hadn...
Women's Health •

What Women Need To Know About Schizophrenia

Few movies and TV shows accurately depict schizophrenia, and even fewer feature women with the condition—which undoubtedly plays a role in the misconception that schizophrenia only occurs in men. The truth is that rates of the condition are pretty evenly split between men and women. Schizophrenia affects up to an estimated 2.4 million adults in the United States, yet remains widely misunderstood by the general public and insufficiently treated.So why is schizophrenia seen by some people as a men...
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