Latest news with #SELF
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Del Mar Union sued for alleged abuse of special needs students
DEL MAR, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) is facing a lawsuit over allegations of abuse by staff at one of its schools tied to their use of so-called 'reset rooms' as a form of behavioral management for students enrolled in special needs programs. The suit, which was filed by a parent on Tuesday, contends that staff at Sage Canyon Elementary School, with the knowledge of the district, routinely mistreated students with behavioral disabilities by placing them in these isolated rooms, in violation of state and federal protections. These allegations were also the basis of a Title IX investigation into DMUSD launched by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights last year, although the probe was reportedly stalled amid President Trump's efforts to hollow out and eventually dismantle the department. Homeowners sue San Diego over proposed trash collection fee According to the new lawsuit, the 'reset rooms' at Sage Canyon were used as a means of behavior adjustment for students enrolled in the district's Social Emotional Learning Foundations (SELF) Program, one of the special education services it offers to families. As the district describes the program, SELF is aimed at providing students 'therapeutic behavioral and emotional support to access curriculum.' The parent behind the suit, Genevieve Goldstone, contended in the complaint that her daughter had been secluded in the 'reset room' multiple times a week for months in response to relatively normal outbursts for SELF students — the first time being on her second day in the program. While in the room, Goldstone's daughter would allegedly be barricaded inside with a makeshift wall, preventing her from leaving on her own. According to the suit, her daughter and other students could be heard screaming and banging on the walls, pleading to be let out. This caused acute emotional distress in students who endured the treatment, the complaint alleges. In the case of Goldstone's daughter, she was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, allegedly developed as a result of the treatment. 'This isn't a case of a few rogue teachers ignoring legal requirements,' Kimberly Hutchinson, the attorney representing Goldstone, said in a statement. 'This is a case of broken systems, failed leadership, and normalized trauma.' 'Staff seem to have been following what they believed to be standard protocol, which means the district not only allowed but encouraged this treatment. That's unacceptable,' Hutchinson continued. New lawsuit filed as Aladdin Café salmonella outbreak nears 100 likely cases Leslie Montoro, executive director of student services for DMUSD, disputed the allegations detailed in the lawsuit in a statement to FOX 5/KUSI. She said, while the district cannot comment on the pending litigation, Goldstone has 'issued many claims in various forums against our District over the years and has not prevailed.' 'I want to stress that the Del Mar Union School District is deeply committed to ensuring a safe, supportive learning environment for all students. To this point, we take any allegation of mistreatment seriously and have robust procedures in place to investigate concerns thoroughly and in accordance with applicable laws,' Montoro said in the statement. 'In the unfortunate situations when families insist on dissention and false allegations, we remain resolute in our commitment to student well-being,' she continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Those Squat Pulses Burn Like Fire...But Do They Actually Boost Your Workout?
Jacob Lund/Adobe Stock Whether you're in pre-brunch Pilates or your lunchtime HIIT class, you've probably been tasked with a certain directive that makes the four-letter words fly (in your head only, of course): Squat! Then…squat pulse! While you're dutifully performing those small but spicy movements, you can't help but wonder—do squat pulses actually do anything!? We're all for adding a challenging element to uplevel your workout, but it's key that it actually has a purpose (and just isn't hard for the sake of being hard). So: Do squat pulses fit the bill? We reached out to the pros to get the lowdown. A squat pulse is similar to the traditional lower-body compound movement we all know and love, but with a couple tweaks: The range of motion is much smaller and you don't fully stand up between reps. This move involves both the eccentric (lowering) and concentric (raising) movements of a squat, done in quick succession, but because you won't come back to start until the very end, your muscles don't really get a 'break'—which is why it can feel so freaking hard to do it even with just your bodyweight. To perform a squat pulse, start with your feet hip-width apart. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower down, keeping your chest up and core engaged. Once you're at the bottom of the squat, rise about half way back up, then drop back down to the bottom position. Quickly repeat this pulsing movement, Brittany Watts, NASM-CPT, head coach at Tone House, tells SELF. You'll likely do this multiple, multiple, times—in her classes, for 30 seconds straight, after a 30 second hold—and if you do it correctly, your lower body muscles, including your quads, glutes, and hamstrings should be feeling it. (Additionally, your core and calves help stabilize you throughout the movement, so you may feel the burn here as well, Meredith Witte, MS, CSCS, founder and owner of The Playground Fitness, tells SELF.) You'll likely encounter squat pulses most frequently in your HIIT, barre, or strength training-based classes, like boot camps. But if you're not a group fitness fan, no worries, because you can add a pulse to your solo workouts, too. Sydni Arnett, NASM-CPT, a principal instructor at Barry's Philadelphia, uses the move as a 'burnout' at the end of her set when she wants 'a little something extra juicy,' as she tells SELF. 'I'd add a pulse at the end of a set of 10, for example.' Squat pulses can help build muscular endurance and strength—and can help you gain muscle overall. They do this through a strength training tenet called time under tension (TUT), which simply refers to how long you're working a muscle during each rep. Because of the added small movements of a squat pulse, your time under tension is going to be higher, since your muscles are firing for a longer time before relaxing than they would if you were doing reps of a regular squat. Plus, since you normally do squat pulses with just your bodyweight or a light weight, this allows you to do more of 'em, which follows the formula for building muscular endurance. Like we mentioned above, squat pulses are also great as a finisher after more traditional lower-body strength training. Because the movement is so small and you maintain tension throughout, your muscles remain activated for the entire duration of your reps, which really helps 'burn out' the muscle, Arnett says. This supports hypertrophy—the fancy term for muscle growth—due to the added metabolic stress and muscle damage, and also helps you close out your workout on a high(ly sweaty) note. Before you start dropping it low, consider your goals. Because while squat pulses are in some ways similar to their more traditional cousin, they don't affect your body in quite the same way. For one, a full range of motion squat is simply more functional than a squat pulse, says Witte—meaning they better mimic everyday movements like standing up and sitting up. And when talking about muscle strength and size, time under tension—and that hurts-so-good burn that comes with it—isn't the be all, end all. With squat pulses, the particular kind of strength you'll build with squat pulses is muscular endurance. The longer you perform the move, the more you're challenging those slow-twitch muscle fibers, or the ones that help you work for an extended period of time without tiring, says Arnett. But if your goal is to build absolute strength (for instance, how much weight you can lift at your one-rep max), a squat pulse likely isn't going to get you there. That's because the protocol for max strength gains includes heavy weight, low reps, and the squat pulse (which usually has you performing a whole bunch of reps with lower weight or just your bodyweight) isn't conducive to that. On the other hand, a regular squat—whether we're talking a barbell back squat, a goblet squat, or any other variation you can load—can come in clutch here, since you can go so heavy you can only eke out a couple reps. You're also able to use progressive overload with OG squats. By continually upping your weight and challenging your glutes, quads, and hammies to lift more over time, you're creating tiny tears in the muscle that mend back together and become stronger. Finally, if you really want to max out muscle gain, a full range of motion is probably going to be a better bet compared to a limited ROM (like what you'd get with a squat pulse), says Witte. In fact, according to a 2020 review, strength training through the full range of motion is likely better for growth of your lower-body muscles. (And if you slow it down, even better: Research published in Fronters of Physiologist suggests that a slower tempo during a full range of motion squat can help build muscle and strength.) All this holds true even though the squat pulses burn so freaking bad: In fact, it's important to recognize this uncomfortable feeling due to the sustained tension is not a direct indicator of muscle growth, says Witte. 'To effectively build muscle, you need to focus on progressive overload and training close to muscular failure.' All this isn't to say that the squat pulse shouldn't have a place in your workout routine, though. Because it doesn't require heavy weight, it might be a better choice for those who want to work hard, but are newer to strength training or those building back strength after a hiatus. 'The goal here is to maintain high muscle engagement and increase workout intensity without having to increase load,' Watts says. What's more, because of the quick nature and duration of the move, it can help athletes build coordination and explosive strength, even without lots of external weight. And while many folks program explosive or jumping-based moves as finishers to their workout, those who have joint issues or who need to avoid high-impact exercises might be left looking for an alternative. Enter, the squat pulse: Like we discussed earlier, this can be a great, lower-impact way to burn out your muscles, says Watts. Squat pulses can also have a place in your workout as a 'hero' moment, helping you end a gym session feeling strong. Arnett says she programs the move in her classes to build to the final moments of a workout—and she incorporates it in her own when she wants to finish on a note that makes her feel like she really crushed it. Adding this final low-impact burst of effort at the end of your routine can simply help you feel physically and mentally tough. Squat pulses certainly can have a place in your program, and if your goals line up with the benefits they confer, it can be a match made in workout heaven. If you want a simple, equipment-free way to bring challenge to your routines that really makes you feel like you left it all out there, squat pulses can be a nice add. Even if everything doesn't match up completely, you still don't need to stop doing them—particularly if you enjoy them! After all, you want to have fun while sweating (or at the very least, not completely hate your life) so you keep coming back for more. What's more, it doesn't need to be an either/or situation with squat pulses and traditional squats. Even if the main benefits of squat pulses don't fit in with your particular strength goals, they can be a great supplement to more traditional strength training, says Witte. In this case, you might want to add them in as a drop set after regular squats (where you reduce the weight and perform the move to failure) or simply to mix up your routine. For instance, if you're bored with a traditional squat, try incorporating a banded squat pulse, or changing up your foot position—say, a sumo squat with pulse, or a narrow squat with a pulse—for an added challenge. But if you find yourself dreading the squat pulse, and would really rather spend your exercise effort somewhere else—particularly if you're uber-focused on max muscle or strength gains and would rather devote your time to that—consider it something you can cross off your list. There are tons of other ways to work your butt (and lots of squat variations out there!) that you may find a better fit. Related: Do I Get a 'Better' Cardio Workout If I Go Faster or Longer? 19 Signs Your Fitness Routine Is 'Working' That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss Does Pilates 'Count' as Strength Training? Get more of SELF's great fitness content delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
7 Things That Can Cause Heavy Bleeding During Your Period
Let's be honest: Periods, in general, aren't exactly comfortable. If you're one of the 10 million Americans who deal with heavy bleeding during your period, then you have all the more reason to complain about that time of the month. But what actually counts as 'heavy' here? Medically speaking, periods that soak through a tampon or pad in less than two hours—or involve passing clumps of blood called clots—aren't normal. 'If someone with a light period had a period like that, they'd think they were bleeding to death,' Charles Ascher-Walsh, MD, senior system vice chair for gynecology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SELF. Heavy periods aren't just inconvenient (and expensive, given the cost of pads and tampons). They can often be painful, causing extra-rough cramps, depending on the cause. You also may not feel awesome about venturing away from home if you're in pain or worried about bleeding through your clothes. And all that blood loss can result in anemia, or low red blood cells, causing you to feel tired or weak. Lots of different medical conditions, ranging from benign to serious, can cause heavy menstrual bleeding—and to treat them properly, your doctor will first want to help you figure out what's going on. Keep reading to learn more about what might be causing you to soak through pads or tampons, and steps you can take to deal with it. 1. Uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids—benign firm, rubbery growths on the uterus—affect up to 80 percent of people who get periods. Many cases of fibroids don't cause any symptoms. For people who do experience symptoms, one of the most common is heavy bleeding during a period. 'Some people get really big fibroids and it can cause pain or problems going to the bathroom, too,' Samantha Schon, MD, assistant professor of reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology at University of Michigan Health, tells SELF. Fibroids can also cause pelvic pain and back pain, though Dr. Schon says the exact symptoms depend on their location in the uterus. 2. Uterine polyps Polyps are soft, fleshy growths usually found on the inside lining of the uterus (called the endometrium) and on or around the cervix. Like fibroids, polyps don't always cause symptoms. Most commonly, they can lead to irregular bleeding—that is, bleeding between periods for unpredictable amounts of time. But some people, Dr. Schon says, may also experience heavy bleeding with polyps. 3. Thyroid problems Thyroid disease is a potential cause of heavier periods that is often unrecognized, Dr. Ascher-Walsh says. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck that releases thyroid hormone, which controls lots of different activities in your body, from your metabolism to your heart rate. It also helps control your menstrual cycle, so both an underactive (hypothyroid) and overactive thyroid (hyperthyroid) can trigger menstrual cycle changes. Some people with thyroid issues skip periods altogether or their periods get lighter, while others might have irregular or way heavier periods. Underactive and overactive thyroid can be the results of autoimmune disorders (Hashimoto's disease or Graves' disease), iodine deficiency, thyroid inflammation (a.k.a. thyroiditis), problems with the pituitary gland (which releases thyroid-stimulating hormone), certain medications, and thyroid tumors. 4. Irregular ovulation Various hormonal imbalances can cause people to ovulate irregularly. Ovulation releases the hormone progesterone, which keeps the uterine lining from building up, Dr. Schon explains. If a woman isn't ovulating, there's nothing to keep that buildup in check. Then, when ovulation does happen (but pregnancy does not), the built-up lining can come out all at once during menstruation, causing heavy bleeding. 'Some people can not have a period for six months and then have a period for a month straight,' says Dr. Schon. One possible cause of these imbalances is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects 5 to 10% of women of childbearing age. If your periods are both heavy and irregular, and you also have excess body hair, hormonal acne, or difficulty getting pregnant, you may want to go to an endocrinologist to get tested for PCOS. 5. Endometrial or cervical cancer Rarely, a cancerous growth on the uterine lining (endometrium) or cervix can be the cause of heavy bleeding. If you're over 45 and still have regular periods—but they're heavy—Dr. Ascher-Walsh says it's worth getting checked out. Typically, people with cancer have other symptoms, like irregular bleeding, vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, and weight loss, but it's worth mentioning heavy periods to your doctor so they can look into what's going on and do any additional testing if they are suspicious. 6. Bleeding disorders Heavy bleeding during a period could be a sign of a bleeding disorder such as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which prevents blood from clotting properly. If you have this condition, you may also bruise more easily than other people and deal with frequent nosebleeds. A heavy period could also point to the bleeding disorder von Willebrand disease, which leads to abnormal platelets that prevent blood from clotting, especially if the heavy periods started when you first got your period, Dr. Schon says. Von Willebrand disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in American women and is seen in between 5 and 24% of women with chronically heavy periods, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 7. Medications Certain medications can also include heavy bleeding as a side effect. Hormonal birth control, including the pill and IUDs, are usually meant to decrease bleeding—but in some people, Dr. Schon says they can cause prolonged or heavy bleeding. And the copper IUD, in particular, is associated with more bleeding than other forms of birth control. If you take blood thinners or you're undergoing chemotherapy, Dr. Schon says your blood may not clot as well, which may also cause a heavier-than-normal flow during your period. How to deal with heavy bleeding during your period If your heavy period is bothering you, definitely talk to your doctor. 'In gynecology, we think of the period as a vital sign,' says Dr. Schon. 'So if it's changing or abnormal, it's important to rule out more serious causes.' Most of the time—especially if you haven't yet reached menopause—whatever is causing your heavy bleeding won't be super serious, says Dr. Ascher-Walsh. More good news? There are a lot of effective treatments for heavy periods, ranging from medications to surgical procedures. How your doctor addresses the heavy flow ultimately depends on the cause. For example, if you end up being diagnosed with fibroids, polyps, or other growths, your doctor may recommend a procedure or surgery to remove them. In other cases, treatment could be as simple as starting birth control (or changing the one you're on, if it's making you bleed more) to make your periods more predictable and potentially lighter. Even if you've gotten used to your heavy bleeding, don't blow it off in hopes it'll go away on its own. 'You don't need to live with a heavy period that can be such a burden every month,' says Dr. Ascher-Walsh. 'There are always options.' Related: Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Remi Bader's Weight Loss Doesn't Make Her Less 'Relatable.' Fat People Aren't Here For Your Comfort
In this op-ed, associate editor Aiyana Ishmael examines the discussion around Remi Bader's weight loss, and how the 'relatable' fat friend trope is harmful. Growing up as the fat girl in the room, there was always this narrative that I was everyone's comfort person — literally and figuratively. My classmates would always say how 'comfy' I was, using my larger body as their pillow during class time, leaning on me when they needed support. When they'd deal with boy issues throughout our teenage years, they'd manage to throw out: 'You're so lucky you don't have to deal with this.' That luck, and what it always felt like, was an uppercut to my rounded jaw, letting me know that love and 'main character issues' weren't things I would have to worry about. Everyone is just so comfortable around the fat girl because you don't see her as a full fledged person with choices to be whoever she wants. She's there to be relatable, a blank canvas that can make you feel as though your subpar world isn't as bad because hers must be worse. I was reminded of these experiences this week, when influencer Remi Bader sat down with Khloe Kardashian to talk about her weight loss, after decidedly choosing not to discuss the subject with her fan-base for roughly a year. During the 60-minute podcast, and in a profile with SELF, Bader opened up about her journey getting the single anastomosis duodenal-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S), a bariatric surgery meant to induce weight loss. The conversation raised many complex issues for viewers, but amid all the chatter about Bader's body and her decisions around it, what really stood out to me was this: some fans complained that Bader's newfound thinness somehow makes her less 'relatable.' In fact, my issue has little to do with Bader, and everything to do with how we view fat people, and how often fat people are relegated to the margins as these so-called 'comfort' people. To me, calling fat or formerly fat influencers 'relatable' seems coded — something that many fat people might understand instinctively, perhaps having had experiences like my own. What I hear when people say this is that plus-size people are here to make you feel better about yourself, an extension of the illogical belief that because someone isn't 'supermodel thin' they aren't as intimidating. It's certainly true that the hyper-thin, extremely toned bodies that many celebrities have are unattainable to most people. Still, these bodies are held up as the ideal — we compare ourselves to people who have both the time and money to make their bodies fit an extremely narrow beauty standard, so it makes sense that we might breathe a sigh of relief when we see a body that looks more like ours reflected on our screens. But when we peg someone in a fat body solely as relatable, saying we followed them because of that, we're directly upholding thin bodies as aspirational — and playing into an age-old trope, one rooted in racism, that further marginalizes fat people. We often see fat bodies relegated as non-threatening and undesirable. This trope is particularly prevalent onscreen. According to the Representation Project's 2022 findings, non-fat women characters are almost twice as likely as fat women characters to be portrayed as 'fashionable," and are perceived as 'better than average looking' six times more often. Fat women characters are also more likely to be portrayed as both stupid and funny than non-fat women characters in film. But these ideas date back to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, when, according to Sabrina Strings' Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, white slave owners tied fat, Black bodies to gluttony, laziness, and hypersexuality that they claimed was rooted in an inherent lack of self-control. White people used this ideology to further oppress Black people, pointing to their bodies as evidence that they needed to be controlled. They also used it to uphold their own beauty standards, decreeing that thin, white women were the ideal, while fat, Black women were undesirable, out of control. These ideas, that fat people are undesirable, that they're gluttonous, that they're non-threatening, persist today, and are particularly harmful for women of color. But fat people and plus-size content creators aren't online emotional support fodder for you to trap into a box. They're nuanced beings that deserve to be treated as such. Bader isn't the only person I've seen discussed this way. Actress Barbie Ferreira faced backlash to her weight loss; influencer Rosey Blair did too, when she told her followers she was taking a weight loss drug. The tricky thing about advocating for body positivity and making a living off being a plus-sized influencer is that if you lose weight, there are thousands of followers who will have some pretty strong feelings about it, and maybe that's understandable — though ultimately how people treat their bodies is their choice and theirs alone. It's nice to relate to one another, to feel connected; and it's natural to want to see bodies like your own reflected back at you. In fact, we should see all kinds of bodies both online and in media. Seeing and celebrating body diversity allows more of us to exist happily in our bodies, understanding that they're normal and beautiful. So, it's then understandable that an influencer losing weight, particularly when they came to fame specifically because of their fatness and fat advocacy, might trigger some feelings. But following a fat woman because she's 'relatable,' not because she's a full and interesting person whose body is also beautiful and aspirational, creates this unrealistic standard, trapping fat people — especially Black and Brown women — into being your proverbial pillow, or at worst your punching bag. We need to carefully examine our relationship with influencers, particularly those who offer their body as their main product, and what that means for how we think about fatness in real life. If fat creators are valuable to you simply because they are fat, becoming your comfort person the way I was for many of my friends, that's not a celebration of body diversity, it's limiting the potential of fat people to the bounds of their body. As I've gotten older, still existing in a large body, but working in fashion, getting to go to fashion weeks and interviewing celebrities, I now experience a narrative that I didn't get while growing up: Aspirational. So, it isn't far-fetched to see plus-size bodies as such. Take a look at influencer Simi. As a creator I've followed for years, her content and lifestyle has always been aspirational to me. Her being plus-size doesn't make her any more relatable than the thin white women who are also doing fashion content and traveling the world — what her body does signal is that there's room for all of us in this field and in any field, that our body size doesn't preclude us from achieving our dreams. In 2025, we need to stop indirectly putting thin bodies on a superfluous pedestal. Fat bodies can be aspirational, the same way thin bodies can be relatable. Fat people and plus-size content creators aren't just your online 'fat funny friend.' They're people that deserve to exist outside of your projections of them. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How to Spot Measles Symptoms in Adults as Outbreaks Spread in the US
sestovic/Getty Images News of measles cropping up and circulating again can be unnerving for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which being that you may not be super familiar with it. The respiratory infection is easy to confuse with a cold or the flu, at least in its early stages—but because it's mega-contagious and can put you at risk for long-term complications, knowing how to identify measles symptoms in adults is important for determining whether you should get tested and self-isolate. Recognizing key signs of the illness is especially pertinent right now: A measles outbreak spanning neighboring counties in Texas and New Mexico has sickened more than 120 people as of the time this story was published (up from around 20 cases earlier this month) and killed one child. And it's spreading so fast, the CDC is now updating this tracker page every Friday. (Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York City, and Rhode Island have also reported cases in 2025.) To be clear, this is a significant number; in all of 2024, there were 285 measles cases, and we've already surpassed 100 in February. It's especially bewildering when you consider that measles was declared 'eliminated' from the United States in 2000 thanks to widespread adoption of an effective vaccine as part of the CDC's childhood immunization schedule. So what's going on? Well, measles is still prevalent elsewhere in the world, making it possible for people returning from travel or visiting the US to 'import' cases, Roy Gulick, MD, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, in New York, tells SELF. And rates of vaccination in the US have also been decreasing since before the COVID pandemic, dropping to under 93% in the 2023–2024 school year—below the 95% necessary for herd immunity—and much lower in some states and counties, like the ones where the current outbreak is raging. In fact, 95% of this year's US cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. There's also the fact that, in the first few days of having measles, the symptoms can mimic any ol' respiratory infection—before the signature rash sets in, Theresa L. Lovins, MD, a family medicine physician in Columbus, Indiana, and member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians, tells SELF. But you're already contagious then, so you might continue going about your usual routine, powering through what you think is a bad cold while inadvertently infecting others, she explains. It doesn't help that measles can spread extremely easily. Like its respiratory cousins, it moves via droplets (the spray that happens when you talk or cough), but this particular virus can travel in the tiniest ones, staying in the air for up to two hours. So even if you just enter a space where someone with measles had recently been, you could breathe it in and get sick if you aren't immune, Dr. Lovins says. In fact, if you put a person with measles in a room with 10 people who are not immune to the virus, nine of them will catch it—which just underscores the importance of being fully vaccinated against it (more on this below). Read on to learn about the symptoms of measles so you can spot it swiftly if it comes your way, as well as how it's diagnosed, what recovery typically looks like, and the potential complications that make it crucial to protect yourself and your loved ones. As mentioned, the virus has pretty unassuming beginnings: You can expect the typical slate of upper respiratory symptoms that you might get with a cold or the flu, Dr. Lovins says. It's also worth noting that adults can be down bad with a measles-related fever, she adds, which can commonly climb to 104°F or higher. You'll probably be knocked out, or at least feel the need to be horizontal. (By comparison, children can often power through high fevers more easily and might not be quite so out-of-commission.) Within a couple days of feeling sick, 50% to 70% of people with measles will also develop something called Koplik spots, which are small, white blisters on the insides of the cheeks. So to recap, for the first two to four days, common measles symptoms in adults include: Runny nose Red, watery eyes Cough High fever Koplik spots (white spots in your mouth) After this initial phase, you'll get the characteristic measles rash. It'll usually start at the top of your body, near your hairline and on your cheeks, and then move downward to your chest and trunk and finally outward to your limbs, Dr. Lovins says. On paler skin tones, it shows up as tiny red spots, which then grow in size and overlap to form bigger blotches. It can also be a blanching rash, which means that when you press on the areas, the color goes away, and as you release, it comes back, Dr. Gulick says. On deeper skin tones, the small spots can be tougher to see but may show up as purple or darker than surrounding skin. Across the board, a measles rash also tends to give skin a pebbly or sandpapery texture as the spots multiply and get more consolidated, Dr. Lovins says. Unlike a rash associated with, say, chickenpox, it isn't typically painful or very itchy—though as it sets in you might see your fever spike even higher, Dr. Lovins adds, making you feel increasingly crappy, achy, and fatigued. All to say, by day five and for up to a week, measles causes a rash that: Starts on your face and spreads down and out Shows up as tiny red spots (on light skin) or purply ones (on dark skin) that increasingly join together to form larger patches or splotches Gives your skin a rough or pebbly texture Is accompanied by a high fever Considering both phases of the illness, symptoms typically last 8 to 12 days. And you're contagious throughout—from four days before to four days after the rash shows up. A measles test is much like a COVID test: It typically involves a nasopharyngeal swab (or deep nose swab), though it could also be done with a throat swab, the way you'd get tested for strep throat. In either case, a PCR test on the sample can readily detect the virus's genetic material. (Less commonly, your provider might run a PCR on a urine sample—but the CDC prefers the other two options for accuracy.) Your doc may also order a blood test to check for antibodies to measles, Dr. Gulick says, which is generally positive in someone who's been recently exposed, so long as it's been at least three days since symptoms started. It's worth noting that because the initial symptoms of measles closely resemble a cold or the flu—and catching either of the latter is far more common—your doctor probably won't test you for it if you're just feeling snotty, feverish, or generally lousy. But that can change in the setting of exposure, Dr. Gulick explains. So if you live in an area with an outbreak, you've recently traveled somewhere that hasn't fully contained measles (like many parts of Africa and Asia), or you've shared airspace with someone who just got back from one of these places and you have those cold symptoms, then your doctor may suggest testing, he says. And certainly if you've developed Koplik spots or the signature rash, they could move right to a diagnosis based on your symptoms alone and will also test you to confirm. The bad news is, there's no treatment for measles itself—as in, nothing to kill the virus that causes it. So you just have to let it run its course. In the meantime, you can certainly take fever-reducers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) to feel a little more comfortable. And you'll want to get plenty of rest, drink ample fluids, and stay well-nourished to help your immune system fight the virus. Most people will start to feel better within a couple days of developing the rash and recover completely in a week's time, Dr. Gulick says. While, again, the majority of people do recover fully from measles without issue, as many as 30% of infected folks will go on to develop a complication of the virus, Dr. Gulick says, which can be pretty serious. And he emphasizes that along with children under five years old, adults over 20 are among the groups at highest risk for such problems. What happens is, the virus can multiply and hitch a ride to other organs in your body if your immune system doesn't tame it in due time. Most commonly, it can head to your GI tract, where it triggers diarrhea, putting you at risk for dehydration, Dr. Gulick says. Like other respiratory viruses, it can also weasel its way into your ears and spark an infection there (though that's most common in kids) or seep into your lungs and cause pneumonia, an infection where the air sacs therein fill with fluid or pus. The latter can get serious very quickly: When your lungs are compromised, you're less able to clear out common bacteria, which can then set up shop and cause a secondary infection, Dr. Gulick explains. (At that point, you may need medical care and antibiotics to treat that.) The most severe complications from measles, however, are of the neurological variety, occurring when the virus enters your brain. Though it's rare (happening in an estimated 1 in 1000 cases), the virus can cause encephalitis, or brain inflammation, resulting in fevers, headaches, and neck stiffness along with cognitive issues like confusion, seizures, and memory loss—as well as coma and death, if left untreated. (In some cases, about a week after your symptoms start, you can also get a type of autoimmune encephalitis, which occurs when your immune system misfires in response to the virus, Dr. Gulick adds.) And if that wasn't bad enough, in extremely rare circumstances, neurologic fallout from measles is delayed, showing up 7 to 10 years post-infection as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a degenerative disease that is ultimately fatal, Dr. Lovins says. You're at greater risk for any of these scenarios if you're immunocompromised—for instance, you're chronically ill or on steroid therapy, undergoing chemotherapy, or taking other meds that suppress your immune system—or you're pregnant. In the latter case, your baby could be negatively affected too. Research shows measles during pregnancy is linked with a higher risk of premature birth, low birth weight, and even spontaneous abortion, as well as maternal death. All to say, it's important to be proactive about prevention, and if you do catch measles, you'll want to be vigilant. If it feels like you're getting better, but your symptoms don't completely resolve or new ones crop up, be sure to see your doctor STAT, Dr. Lovins says. As Dr. Gulick puts it, answers one, two, and three to this question are being fully vaccinated against the virus. That means having had both the recommended shots of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. While one shot is 93% effective at warding off the virus, two offer up to 97% protection. And even if you're one of the 3 in 100 people who may still get infected while immunized, you'll have a milder case that puts you less at risk of complications than you would if you didn't get vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated or are unsure of your status, your doctor may recommend a measles booster. Ultimately, there's no harm in getting another dose of the vaccine even if you're already protected—and it's better to be safe than sorry if you're traveling to an area with an outbreak or a country where measles is endemic. In that case, aim to get the vaccine at least two weeks pre-trip, Dr. Lovins says, to ensure your body has time to respond and develop immunity beforehand. The only exception here is for certain heavily immunocompromised folks, who may not be eligible to get the MMR shot because it contains live parts of the virus (which can cause infection in those people), Dr. Gulick says. As he points out, that's all the more reason for everyone else to do their part in getting vaccinated: When we achieve the 95% vaccination rate necessary for herd immunity, we can keep the spread of measles at bay—and prevent it from reaching those people who don't share the same privilege of vaccination. If you do wind up getting exposed to measles and you haven't been vaccinated (or don't know for sure), you may still be able to take some steps to avoid getting sick—if you act fast. According to the CDC, getting an MMR shot within three days of your run-in with measles can provide some protection. And if you can't receive the vaccine because you're immunocompromised or pregnant, you may also be able to receive a medication called IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) or IMIG (intramuscular immunoglobulin), both of which contain antibodies from healthy blood donors, Dr. Gulick says. It's basically like sending in supplemental fighters to bolster your body's defense against the virus. You'll get the surest protection if you receive it within three days of exposure to measles, but it can be given up to six days afterward. Again, know that if you've received both shots of the MMR vaccine at any point in time, you're highly unlikely to get sick from measles (even during an outbreak). And in the rare case that you do, taking care of yourself as you recover and keeping your doc in the loop on how you feel and any additional symptoms that arise will help you get back to 100% as quickly as possible. Related: 4 Doctors on the Frustration, Anxiety, and Fear of Treating Patients with Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses This Is What It's Like When Your 4-Month-Old Catches Measles My Child Can't Get Vaccinated. Here's What Life Is Like for Us. Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
