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Category: Journalism

What does vulvovaginitis look like? Everything you need to know about vulvovaginitis

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What does vulvovaginitis look like? Everything you need to know about vulvovaginitis

Vulvovaginitis describes a number of conditions that affect your vulva and vagina. Here, two experts explain why you might notice a new itch or pain and what your treatment options are.

If you’ve experienced pain or redness in or around your vulva (the outer parts of your genitalia) or vagina (the internal passage that connects your vulva to your cervix), then you’re certainly not the only one. Conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are pretty well known and frequently affect lots of people. But what you might not know is that sometimes they’re grouped together and called vulvovaginitis.

Meet the ‘lost boys’ of south-east Asia – who went backpacking but never came home

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Meet the ‘lost boys’ of south-east Asia – who went backpacking but never came home

It’s impossible to know how many of the 45 million backpacking trips taken each year end with the making of another lost boy. It’s uncharted territory – perhaps because those who become lost deliberately choose to live on continents where they cannot be found.

What is the new mental health TikTok trend all about?

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What is the new mental health TikTok trend all about?

We all know that a sunny spring day, a hot cup of tea or a beautifully bloomed flower can spark joy, but now there’s a term to define the impact these simple things can have on our mental health – glimmers.

Glimmers, which are amassing hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, thousands of posts on Instagram and are being touted by TikTok therapists as an important grounding technique, are cues that bring us back to calmness. They can be many different things, from a cute animal to a smell or a happy place in our mind, but what they have in common is they make us feel happy and present in every moment.

The Historical Desexualising of Disabled People

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The Historical Desexualising of Disabled People

Disabled and Sexual is a new monthly(-ish) column by Hannah Shewan Stevens which will explore all the challenges, comedy, and fun that disabled people experience as sexual beings, even while we are desexualised by a predominantly non-disabled society.

One of the most pervasive myths about disabled people is that we’re either incapable of or disinterested in sex. As a result, society desexualises us because people genuinely believe that no one could possibly find a disabled person sexy. Well, I’m here to tell you that they’re very wrong.

The Mental Toll of Disability Is Inflating — We Have to Do Something

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The Mental Toll of Disability Is Inflating — We Have to Do Something

The weight of living in a world that doesn’t consider disabled people’s needs is piling on. Something has to change.

We live in a society that presumes disability is intrinsically tragic.

In reality, for me and many others, being disabled actually comes with many beautiful things, including a vibrant and loving community.

Am I Disabled Enough to Call Myself Disabled?

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Am I Disabled Enough to Call Myself Disabled?

It took me more than a decade to call myself disabled. When the label finally stuck, the pride it injected — and the thriving community that came with it — enriched my life.

At my sickest, I embraced my identity as disabled. Since then, the chronic illnesses that disabled me have improved, and now I’m being tormented by a bizarre question: Am I still “disabled enough” to call myself “disabled”?

Goodbye Hustle Culture, Hello Anti-Ambition

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Goodbye Hustle Culture, Hello Anti-Ambition

Amid the era of ultimate girl bosses and side hustles, I fell out of love with my greatest love: ambition.

After becoming tantalisingly close to securing a dream job I had set a strict timer for ten years ago, I realised I did not want it. Saving for a mortgage, a well-paid 9 to 5 and a consistent income suddenly became suffocating, not liberating. Ambition, which had evolved into a defining element of my persona, no longer directed me to new heights. It had shifted towards an abyss of burnt-out desperation.

I Accessorised My Way To Embracing Disability

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I Accessorised My Way To Embracing Disability

Finding stylish mobility aids amid a sea of dull, colourless options which match the aesthetic of a hospital ward is the bane of many fashion-forward disabled people’s wardrobes. In the UK the spending power of disabled people tops £249 billion per year yet affordable and elegant mobility aids that consider aesthetics are a rarity.

How My Personal Style Has Changed Now That I’m A Digital Nomad

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How My Personal Style Has Changed Now That I’m A Digital Nomad

This April, I boarded a one-way flight from London to Bangkok in Thailand to start my life as a full-time digital nomad. I gave up a cosy rented home in Birmingham to pursue my dream of travelling and working as a freelance journalist throughout South East Asia. In the six months since, it’s been a life-changing adventure that – among many other things – has forced me to explore and reconstruct my fashion identity.