IT IS BANANAS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH BANANAS IN YOUR DIET!

By Jamila W. Harris

From PHN Issue 58, Fall 2024

I recently experienced a trip to the emergency room because I was feeling low on energy. Whenever I took a breath, I felt sharp chest pain in my heart, in addition to body aches. I
thought that this was due to strenuous exercise. However, when I saw a doctor, I was told that
my potassium levels were dangerously low and that was why I was not feeling well. Surprisingly,
I also had a bladder infection known as a urinary tract infection or UTI. This too was caused by
low potassium levels. I figured I would take potassium supplement pills and be on my way
home. However, I was informed that if my low potassium levels were not regulated immediately, I could likely face a heart attack or stroke. Under these circumstances, I was not cleared to leave the emergency room. I was placed on an IV immediately to receive potassium through my veins. It was the most excruciating pain that I experienced through an IV. This experience cemented in me how important it is to eat the right foods enriched with potassium. For starters, the easiest food to remember to eat is a banana.

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CELIAC DISEASE: COMMONLY UNDIAGNOSED

By James Jacoby

From PHN Issue 58, Fall 2024

It’s not IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), a bowel blockage, stomach cramps, or a stomach bug – no, it’s celiac disease! It’s one of the most commonly undiagnosed digestion-related health problems. If you eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast and you’re on the toilet several times that day, with bad gas, you might have celiac disease. If any foods with wheat or wheat flour cause these or similar symptoms, make sure to request a blood test for celiac disease.

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SOY AND MEAT ALTERNATIVES

By Leah Owen-Oliner

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

As special diets have become more mainstream in recent decades, so too have many prisons expanded their offerings. Although regional variation exists, as of September 2023, many state prisons and all 122 federal prisons in the United States offer a vegetarian option at each
meal. One of our PHN subscribers, Dale Wakefield, recently switched up his diet to receive the “alternative protein” tray; at his facility, these alternative options include non-meat proteins such as bean burgers, tofu burgers, and soy. He notes, “I feel a lot better physically and mentally since changing my diet, and maybe other people in prison might feel better as well if they did the same.”

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GET BUSY! COMBATTING THE HEALTH RISKS OF A TEXAS SOLITARY CELL

By Kwaneta Harris

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

At 51, living in a solitary confinement cell in Texas increases my likelihood of an early death. It’s a daily fight to remain physically and emotionally healthy. I’ve been incarcerated 17 years, with seven and a half in the hole. Texas is known for its brutal prison conditions: No air conditioning. No ability for anyone to purchase individualized TVs. A two-page commissary list for everyone. Although, on paper, we are allowed out of our cell daily for a shower and outdoor/indoor recreation, that’s seldom enforced. I developed a regimented daily routine. As a Black woman, I know I’m at risk for diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and stroke. As a former nurse, I know how to combat the harm this box was designed to do.

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FIVE BASIC TIPS FOR GOOD HEALTH AND SKIN WHILE INCARCERATED

By Jamila Harris

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

I know how difficult it is to maintain certain beauty standards as a woman incarcerated. I was once incarcerated and missed the certain regalness that came with the privileges of being a lady, such as pedicures and manicures, having a stylist do my hair, and seeing a dermatologist or esthetician for skin care. Who doesn’t miss a jazzercise or yoga session or an afternoon at a
massage parlor with close friends? Incarceration takes away many of these privileges. However, there are basic tips and best practices that can still be exercised anywhere for good health and skin. I am sharing some of these basic tips, and although we cannot buy nail polish, makeup, and most of our hair products from the commissary, these tips will still help to maintain the beauty
in you.

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Ask PHN: HEMORRHOIDS

By M. Ali
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

Dear Prison Health News,
I was wondering if you could do an article on the topic of hemorrhoids. Some points of interest might be:
What causes hemorrhoids?
Is bleeding a common occurrence?
What are the treatments for them?

– Sincerely, Pete B.

Dear Pete B.,

What are hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that can develop inside the rectum and around the anus. There are two types of hemorrhoids: external hemorrhoids, which occur beneath the skin around the anus, and internal hemorrhoids, which occur inside the rectum. The symptoms depend on the type of hemorrhoid.

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Ask PHN: Colon Cancer

By Belinda Christensen
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Dear Prison Health News,
Thank you for having me on your mailing list. By the way, do you know anything about colon cancer? My father died of it in July of 1999, and one of my brothers died of it in 2013, so I know it runs in my family. I would highly appreciate learning more about it, if you can.
— Gabriel Fuentes, California

Dear Mr. Fuentes,
Thank you for your letter, and for the wonderful drawing. I’m very sorry to hear that your father and brother passed away from colon cancer. I’ve provided some information below about screening and prevention from the American Cancer Society and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, two organizations that work to educate people about cancer prevention and treatment.

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Letter from Josh O’Connor: solitary confinement, food access, and being Native in prison

The following is excerpted from a letter sent to us a Prison Health News reader, published with his permission.

My name is Josh O’Connor. I’m 20 years old and serving a 22 yr sentence for a crime I committed at 17 years old. I’m Native American and a vegan.

I’m in solitary for a fight I got into and have been here for 4 months and was told I would be forced to stay in solitary confinement for the next 6-8 months. I fear the mental/physical detrimental effects being in solitary confinement for so long and how I may suffer permanent health effects. I have met many inmates who have spent years – 7, 10, and even up to 20 in solitary confinement and you can easily see the adverse/detrimental deterioration of their health. Many have had insufficient brain activity to communicate with others not to mention get a job, and you can see many don’t get enough nutrients, because of the lack of sun/vitamins, which makes us very sick. I hope something will be done soon regarding limiting or abolishing solitary confinement.

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Healthy Eating: Non-Diet Hacks and Tips

By Leo Cardez

From PHN Issue 41, Winter 2020

At Prison Health News, we try to avoid talking about diets, in part to be accepting of all body types, and also because changing eating patterns is more healthy than dieting. I’m going to focus on healthy eating tips you can use in almost any prison. Some might work for you, and others might work for other readers, so don’t feel like you need to try them all.

Water is your friend. Drink a cup of water before you walk to chow, another during your meal, and another after. Doing this can fill you up, help with digestion, and help clean your teeth.
Slow down. Eat mindfully. Focus and enjoy the meal. Chew your food at least five times before swallowing. Try eating vegetables and protein first off your tray.
It may help to keep a food journal and write down everything you eat, as long as this doesn’t increase your stress. The idea is that being more aware of everything you’re eating will help you get more control over what you are eating.
Here’s another tip that may work well for some of us but not for others: Create a daily meal and snack schedule to plan what you will eat. Stick to it.
Find a healthy eating buddy to hold each other accountable and for support and encouragement.
Try to eat the opposite of traditional meal portions throughout the day. Have a large breakfast, reasonable lunch, and smaller dinner.
Prepare your cell-made snacks and meals in advance. For example, if you plan to have a snack or meal later that day, set them aside in the morning.
Some people find it helpful to eat all their meals in an 8-to-10-hour window, not eating the other 14 to 16 hours each day. This is often referred to as intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting, or limiting your eating to certain windows, draws on 20 years of medical research and literature, encompassing a large number of studies, and has been proven to be safe, effective, and highly beneficial. It’s been associated with longer life span, weight loss, maintaining a healthy weight, and may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Create small daily goals, and start the day with personal affirmations. For example, “Today, just today, I won’t eat any bread or processed sugar.” Review this every morning and mix it up.

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Second issue of Turn It Up! prison health magazine now available

Our sister publication, Turn It Up! Staying Strong Inside, has just released its second issue! This is a beautiful, detailed and comprehensive resource for people in prison about how to survive, thrive and advocate for their health. Turn It Up! is published by the SERO Project.

You can read it online here and order a copy for your loved one in prison here.

Visit TheBody for a wonderful interview with the editors.