Jessie J Says She Was Diagnosed With ‘Early Breast Cancer' Before the Release of ‘No Secrets': ‘I Just Wanted to Be Open and Share It'
'Before 'No Secrets' came out, I was diagnosed with early breast cancer,' she said. 'I'm highlighting the word early. Cancer sucks in any form but I'm holding on to the word early.'
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Cornish went on to say that she has been 'in and out of tests' since the release of the track and wanted to share the video in an attempt to be 'open' about her journey with her supporters.
'I just wanted to be open and share it because selfishly, I do not talk about it enough,' she explained. 'I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard. I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support, and also their own stories. I'm an open book. It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much. Similar and worse.'
She continued, 'I'm getting to keep my nipples, that's good. It's a weird topic and a weird situation. And I know the press are going to say crazy stuff but you know what, to get diagnosed with this as I'm putting out a song called 'No Secrets' right before a song called 'Living My Best Life,' which was all pre-planned before I found out about this, I mean you can't make it up.'
Some of the Grammy-nominated artist's other tracks include 'Together Till Infinity,' 'Heaven Bound,' 'I Want Love' and 'Brave.'
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Refinery29
3 minutes ago
- Refinery29
Those Red Light Tanning Beds? Yeah, They're A Scam
Welcome to Sun Blocked, Refinery29's global call to action to wake up to the serious dangers of tanning. No lectures or shaming, we promise. Instead, our goal is to arm you with the facts you need to protect your skin to the best of your ability, because there's no such thing as safe sun. 'They are much safer as the red light has the opposite effect of [UV], it protects your skin.' I wince as I read this. I'm exchanging emails with 19-year-old Crisiant, who uses a red light tanning bed roughly every six weeks. Last year, she discovered that a tanning salon in her area had two of these beds, and she assumed they would be better for her skin. These machines‚ also known as collagen-boosting tanning beds, combine ultraviolet (UV) light — which tans the skin — with tubes that emit red light. Even if you've never stepped inside one, you've probably seen red light before. From LED face masks to full-body treatments that immerse the skin in red light, these devices have become skincare staples, promising to boost collagen, reduce acne, and heal skin. ' Collagen [tanning beds] make no logical sense at all. [Beds] that deliver UV radiation are harmful and cause skin cancers, full stop. Cloaking them as something good for your skin health is totally disingenuous. Dr. Clare Kiely, consultant dermatologist ' Later, on the phone, it sounds like Crisiant is well aware of the dangers of regular tanning beds. She first tried one aged 18, but learning more about the risks put her off: 'If you [use] one now and then, I didn't think it'd be too bad, but I didn't want to do it consistently because I knew how dangerous they were,' she tells me. To Crisiant, red light tanning beds felt different — a little safer: 'It still gives you a tan while doing your skin good,' she says. 'I went on it once and noticed [a difference] within the same day. I had a really bad breakout on my face, and it sort of soothed and cleared my skin. It was really strange as [tanning beds] have never done that for me before.' It also made her feel more confident. It's not hard to see why Crisiant thinks these machines are a safer, even beneficial alternative to regular tanning beds — and she's not the only one. But it highlights worrying misconceptions around red light tanning beds and their damage. Head to TikTok or Instagram, and you'll find countless videos posted by people who are convinced these beds can be used safely and that the risk of burning is lower. But that's not true. Combining red light with UV in a tanning bed counteracts any of the potential benefits. Consultant dermatologist Dr. Clare Kiely, cofounder of The Skin Diary, puts it plainly: 'Collagen [tanning beds] make no logical sense at all.' It is important to point out the differences between a red light-only bed and a tanning bed that emits both UV and red light. 'Red light therapy without UV is a very different proposition,' confirms consultant dermatologist Dr. Derrick Phillips. 'It is generally considered safe and may help with things like inflammation, wound healing and improving overall skin tone. However, the results do tend to be subtle, and I always remind patients that it's not a quick fix.' Dr. Beibei Du-Harpur, scientific engagement lead at The Skin Diary, agrees: 'More clinical evidence is needed to confirm the effectiveness [of red light] as a treatment for the skin, but there have been promising small studies from a skin aging perspective.' The bottom line? On its own, red light is low-risk. But its popularity in skincare has made some see red light tanning beds as a good thing. ' Not only does UV increase your risk of skin cancer, it breaks down collagen — the very thing red light is supposed to help boost — and speeds up the skin's aging process. In other words, any benefits of red light are immediately cancelled out by the UV. ' Are red light tanning beds 'safer' to use than regular tanning beds? The World Health Organisation has classed UV-emitting tanning devices as carcinogenic to humans since 2009. It doesn't matter if UV comes from a tanning bed that also emits red light; it still causes damage to our DNA. Not only does UV increase your risk of skin cancer, it breaks down collagen — the very thing red light is supposed to help boost — and speeds up the skin's aging process. In other words, any benefits of red light are immediately cancelled out by the UV. Dr. Kiely says that those who market machines combining UV with collagen-boosting red lights can't have a good understanding of how light affects our skin. Why? It just doesn't make sense: '[Tanning beds] that deliver UV radiation are harmful and cause skin cancers, full stop,' she says. 'Cloaking them as something good for your skin health is totally disingenuous.' Dr. Phillips agrees and sees no evidence that combining red light with UV neutralizes the harm. 'If anything, it gives a misleading impression of safety,' he says. 'These are still [tanning beds] emitting UV radiation, and they carry all the same risks as traditional tanning beds. From a dermatological perspective, they're just as concerning.' Why do people still use tanning beds despite the dangers? It's difficult to say how many of these red light and UV machines exist, but IBISWorld, a global industry research platform, reports that there were more than 28,000 tanning salons in the United States in 2024. A quick Google reveals that plenty offer combined UV-red light beds. The reasons why people use beds like these are complex. Bronzed skin remains a beauty ideal, and among younger people, tanning beds are still seen as trendy. Crisiant hints that this is partly why she first tried one: 'You see all the girls getting these [tanning beds] and a nice tan from it,' she says. 'I feel like they are that phase that doesn't end for a lot of people.' Some credit tanning beds for boosting their mood. Others believe they help them get enough vitamin D — a proven myth. Another misconception is that they can help improve skin conditions like acne or eczema, but prolonged use of tanning beds can actually worsen these conditions and weaken the skin over time, making it more susceptible to infection. Then there's the theory that using tanning beds occasionally or for short bursts makes it 'safer' — something I thought was true as a teenager. Because sun damage isn't always visible right away, it's easy to underestimate the harm. Even those who understand their risks struggle to stop using them, with some describing themselves as feeling 'addicted'. If tanning beds are so dangerous, why aren't they banned? While tanning beds remain so widely available, often without clearly displayed warnings, there is always a risk that people may assume that they are somewhat safe, otherwise they'd be banned. Refinery29's stance is clear: tanning beds should be banned, as they are in Iran, Brazil, and Australia. Just one session before age 35 more than doubles your lifetime risk of melanoma, a skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body. Red light doesn't change that. That's why many experts support a tanning bed ban and agree that the growing trend for red light beds is another reason it's needed: 'The messaging of these collagen-boosting [tanning beds] confuses those who may not understand the detrimental effects that [tanning beds] have on our skin,' says Dr. Du-Harpur. She adds this is particularly dangerous given beauty standards around having a 'healthy' tan — a phrase that doesn't make any sense when a tan is our skin's damage response to UV. Marketing red light tanning beds as collagen-boosting, she adds, 'will encourage people to risk their health in the name of beauty and present an illusion that it may be safer or different to a conventional UV-focused [tanning bed].' She stresses, 'They aren't safe — with or without red light therapy.' When I ask Crisiant if anything might put her off using a red light tanning bed, she says it's like she has 'a devil and an angel on each shoulder.' She might change her mind one day, but she can't say she'll stop for now. Crisiant isn't against a tanning bed ban, though: 'Even though I use them, if they were [banned] I don't think I'd be massively annoyed because I know that the government would be doing it for our benefit,' she says. Little has changed since Refinery29 reported on what it would take for tanning beds to be banned entirely last May. Sadly, only a handful of US states have a blanket ban. But if we're serious about tackling rising skin cancer rates, intervention is needed. At the very least, more regulation around any kind of tanning bed use, or better yet, a total ban.
Scientific American
31 minutes ago
- Scientific American
How Scientists Finally Learned That Nerves Regrow
Billions of nerve cells send signals coursing through our bodies, serving as conduits through which the brain performs its essential functions. For millennia physicians thought damage to nerves was irreversible. In ancient Greece, founders of modern medicine such as Hippocrates and Galen refused to operate on damaged nerves for fear of causing pain, convulsions or even death. The dogma stood relatively still until the past two centuries, during which surgeons and scientists found evidence that neurons in the body and brain can repair themselves and regenerate after injury and that new nerve cells can grow throughout the lifespan. In recent decades this knowledge has inspired promising treatments for nerve injuries and has led researchers to investigate interventions for neurodegenerative disease. In humans and other vertebrates, the nervous system is split into two parts: the central nervous system, composed of the spinal cord and brain, and the peripheral nervous system, which connects the brain to the rest of the body. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Attempts to suture together the ends of damaged neurons in the peripheral nervous system date back to the seventh century. It was only in the late 1800s, however, that scientists began to understand how, exactly, nerves regenerate. Through his experiments on frogs, British physiologist Augustus Waller described in detail what happens to a peripheral nerve after injury. Then, in the 1900s, the influential Spanish neuroanatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal provided insight into how nerve regeneration occurs at the cellular level. Still, there remained fierce debate about whether stitching nerves together would harm more than help. It was against the backdrop of bloody world wars of the 20th century that physicians finally made significant advances in techniques to restore damaged neurons. To treat soldiers with devastating wounds that typically involved nerve damage, doctors developed methods such as nerve grafts, in which pieces of nerves are transplanted into the gap in a broken nerve. Over time physicians learned that some peripheral nerve injuries are more conducive to repair than others. Factors such as the timing, location and size of the injury, as well as the age of the patient, can significantly impact the success of any given intervention. Crushed nerves are likelier than cut ones to be repaired, and injuries that occur closer to a nerve's target tissue have a greater chance of regaining function than those that occur farther away. Take the ulnar nerve, which stretches the entire length of the arm and controls key muscles in the lower arm and hand. A person with nerve damage near the wrist is much more likely to regain function in the arm and hand after undergoing treatment than someone who injures the same nerve near the shoulder, in which case it must regrow from the shoulder all the way to the wrist. Even today many peripheral nerve injuries remain difficult to treat, and scientists are striving to better understand the mechanisms of regeneration to facilitate healing. One notable development in recent years, according to neurologist Ahmet Höke of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is a 'nerve transfer,' in which a branch of a nearby nerve is rerouted to a damaged nerve. In cases where, for example, a nerve is damaged far from its target muscle, existing techniques may not be sufficient to enable regrowth across the long distances involved within a time frame allowing for recovery. This detour provides an alternative pathway to regain function. Susan Mackinnon, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Washington University in St. Louis, has largely driven the advances in nerve transfer, enabling patients to use their limbs after peripheral nerve injuries that previously would have led to a permanent loss of movement in them. For instance, Oskar Hanson, a high school baseball player, lost sensation and movement in most of his left arm after a surgery to mend a ligament injury ended up damaging the ulnar nerve in that arm. 'There was zero hope that he would be able to have use of his arm again,' says his mother, Patricia Hanson. But after Mackinnon performed a nerve transfer procedure, most of the function returned. 'She saved his life with that surgery,' Hanson says. Despite the leaps that were made in treating peripheral nerve injuries, the notion that neurons within the central nervous system—the brain and spinal cord—were incapable of regrowth persisted until the late 20th century. A pivotal moment came in the early 1980s, when Canadian neuroscientist Albert Aguayo and his colleagues demonstrated that in rats, neurons of the spinal cord and brain stem could regrow when segments of peripheral nerves were grafted into the site of injury. These findings revealed that neurons of the central nervous system can also regenerate, Höke says: 'They just needed the appropriate environment.' In succeeding years, neuroscientists worked to uncover what, exactly, that environment looked like. To do so, they searched for differences in the peripheral and central nervous systems that could explain why the former was better able to repair damaged neurons. Several key differences emerged. For example, only injuries within the central nervous system led to the formation of glial scars—masses of nonneuronal cells known as glial cells. The purpose of these scars is still debated, however. Today the search for the specific mechanisms that prevent or enable neuron regrowth—in both the body and the brain—remains an active area of investigation. In addition to uncovering the processes at play in humans, scientists have pinpointed molecules that enable nerve cell repair in other organisms, such as 'fusogens,' gluelike molecules found in nematodes. Researchers are attempting to harness fusogens to help with difficult-to-treat human nerve injuries. Modern neuroscientists have also challenged another long-standing doctrine in the field: the belief that the adult brain does not engage in neurogenesis, the creation of brand-new nerve cells. Early clues for neurogenesis in the brain emerged in the 1960s, when researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology observed signs of neurons dividing in the brains of adult rats. At the time, these findings were met with skepticism, says Rusty Gage, a professor of genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. 'It was just too hard to believe.' Then, in the early 1980s, neuroscientist Fernando Nottebohm of the Rockefeller University discovered that in male songbirds, the size of the brain region associated with song-making changed with the seasons. Nottebohm and his colleagues went on to show that cells in the animals' brains died and regenerated with the seasons. Inspired by these findings, researchers looked for signs of adult neurogenesis in other animals. In 1998 Gage and his colleagues revealed evidence of this process occurring in the brains of adult humans—specifically within the hippocampus, a region linked with learning and memory. Although support for adult neurogenesis in humans has amassed over the years, some experts still debate its existence. In 2018 a team co-led by Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, who had worked with Nottebohm on songbirds, published a study stating that the formation of new neurons was extremely rare, and likely nonexistent, in adult human brains. Still, there's a growing consensus that neurogenesis does happen later in life —and that this growth appears to be largely limited to certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus. This past July a team at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden reported that the molecular signatures of precursors of neurons, known as neural progenitor cells, were present in the human brain across the lifespan—from infancy into old age. Researchers are now trying to understand the purpose of these budding nerve cells and asking whether they might offer clues for treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Some scientists are even exploring whether, by targeting neurogenesis, they can improve the symptoms of psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Understanding that a neuron can regrow and be repaired and identifying details of that process has been a great achievement, says Massimo Hilliard, a cellular and molecular neurobiologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. The next step, he adds, will be figuring out how to control these processes: 'That's going to be key.'
Los Angeles Times
31 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
How you can pack a lunch that a child will actually eat
For Rebecca Zeitlin, packing her 5-year-old son's school lunch is always full of surprises. Offer him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home and he won't touch it. But pack it in his lunch with fruits, vegetables and a small treat and he'll dive in. He will 'chow down' on applesauce at preschool parties. But if she served him applesauce at home, 'he'd look at me like I was crazy,' Zeitlin said. Like many parents, Zeitlin has been thinking about school lunch ahead of her son's first day of kindergarten. Lunchtime will be different than it was at his small private preschool, where teachers could more closely monitor whether he was eating. She's already been eyeing school lunch conversations in mom groups on Facebook, and she's has new lunch boxes ready to pack. She plans to start off with some of her usual go-tos. Perhaps she'll pack him chicken nuggets or pasta alongside strawberries, oranges or watermelon. 'I think it's going to be real interesting to see what next month is going to be like,' Zeitlin said. 'I've got my plans for now, but when reality hits, his lunches might look different.' For parents of children 5 and under, navigating school lunch can be challenging. Colorful videos fill TikTok and Instagram showing off creatively shaped sandwiches and neatly cut vegetables laid in bento box-like containers. Lunch box styles can make a difference, influencers advise, as they share school-friendly recipes. It's easy for parents to worry that they got it wrong when a child returns home with uneaten food, said Anet Piridzhanyan, a clinical dietitian at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. But there are a few basic steps to make school lunches a success. What should parents put in their toddler's lunch box? It's important to remember that the start of the school year is exciting, but can also be overwhelming for a young child, said Lori Russell, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic. It may not be that they don't like their food — they may simply be distracted. Either way, lean into familiarity to encourage them. And don't offer too many options. 'We have this tendency to overdo it,' Russell said. 'If parents want to fill that lunch box with everything that that kid might possibly consume that you have in the house, that's stressful.' Kids should have one main item in their lunch box and two or three snacks, which could include carrot sticks or an apple and perhaps a small treat such as a piece of chocolate, she said. Piridzhanyan agreed, recommending that parents rotate through the five food groups throughout the week, packing different fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy. Consistency is key. If a parent plans to offer something new in their child's lunch box, they should pair it with a food item they know their child likes, she added. 'Every day is a new day,' Piridzhanyan said. 'They've only been around for two to five years, so it's not like us where, when we see food, we're like, 'Oh yeah, I know what that is.'' That's something that Gabriella May has learned as her daughter has grown. May, of Fresno, has been making videos of her daughter's school lunches for TikTok since she started kindergarten. She's now in fifth grade. Her daughter has always been a picky eater, so introducing new foods at school without the pressure of having mom and dad nearby was helpful — and still is, she said. What's the best lunch box for toddlers? It's important for parents to make sure that the food they pack is accessible and that they have the utensils and napkins that they need, the dietitians said. Parents should practice opening containers with their child and make sure the lunch box isn't too heavy. 'We tend to focus on what's in it and what's being consumed, and not the actual container,' Russell said. 'And does the child like it? Are they enjoying opening it? Carrying it? All that really makes a difference.' That's where, for many parents, bento box-style lunch boxes come in. The compartmentalized containers have been popularized on social media. For Zeitlin, the PlanetBox lunch box has been a great go-to. 'It's just kind of convenient,' Zeitlin said. 'Everything's in one place.' Russell, who has a 4-year-old, said that when a child likes their lunch box or container it can encourage them to eat. That's why options with beloved characters can be a good choice. 'It's not just about the food, it's about the favorite cup, the plate,' Russell said. How to get your kid to eat lunch at preschool Parents should ask their children why they did or didn't eat their lunch, Russell said. Sometimes the bread might have been too soggy, the apple slices may have browned or the texture of the macaroni and cheese may have changed after spending all day in a lunch box. If the answer isn't satisfying, ask the teacher what they have observed, she said. It helps to know how the teacher or child-care provider stores the food, Piridzhanyan added. Sometimes kids will have access to a refrigerator, other times the food may be left out in the sun, so it helps to be able to plan accordingly by adding an ice pack or a thermos to help keep food safe and appetizing, she said. 'A lot of times the lunch box bags are left out in the classroom, so that part's really important,' Piridzhanyan said. Presentation does matter to a degree, but there's no need to go overboard. If parents want to do something special, Russell recommends quickly using a cookie cutter on a sandwich or adding a sticker alongside the snacks. Zeitlin can't wait until her 5-year-old son learns to read. Then, she'll start leaving notes in his lunch box expressing encouragement and telling jokes. She's held on to a book of dad jokes for 20 years just for the occasion. Sequeira reports for The Times' early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to
