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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Holistic Corner: HERBAL REMEDIES

Adapted by Hannah Calvelli
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024

A variety of herbs and plants may grow in prison courtyards. In preparation for Spring, we highlight a few of the holistic remedies featured in The Prisoner’s Herbal, a book by Nicole Rose. We acknowledge that not everyone may have access to courtyards, but we hope this information can be useful for some and interesting to many. Furthermore, while the herbs in this article may have medicinal properties, research and evidence on how well herbal medicines work is limited. We recommend that you speak with a medical professional to address any symptoms you are experiencing.

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Scabies: THE ANTI-LOVE BUG

By Anonymous
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Scabies is sadly a fairly common occurrence in the crowded conditions of prisons. Prison officials will state cleanliness or hygiene, but transmission of scabies usually occurs through direct and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, as may occur among family members or sexual partners. Casual skin contact is unlikely to result in transmission.

Scabies is the infestation of the skin by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. Scabies infestations result in intense itching, most notably at night, with wavy and slightly scaly lines from 2 mm to 1.5 cm in length that end in dark bumps where the mite may be visible. Prisoners with dark skin tones may find it harder to detect scabies infestations. Burrows may not be easily visible if the individual has been scratching the area. Classically, scabies affects the spaces between fingers, flexural areas of the wrist or elbow, and folds of skin on the buttocks and beltline.

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Cancer Screening for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

The goal of cancer screening is to catch cancer early, when it is more treatable and curable. Some cancer screenings, like colonoscopies, are recommended for everybody once they reach a certain age. However, other types of screening, like prostate screening and mammograms, have traditionally been recommended based on gender assuming that this matches sex assigned at birth. The medical guidelines for cancer screening do not yet reflect the needs of trans people, and there is also limited data about trans people’s risks for various cancers and how gender-affirming care like hormones and surgeries may affect these risks. As a general rule, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Transgender Care recommends that people get cancer screenings based on the body parts they have, regardless of gender or hormones.

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Incarcerated by Cancer

By Shawn Harris
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

“There is a list of 132 inmates diagnosed with cancer,” announced the psychologist assigned to my block. She was sitting in front of her computer as the Psychology Department head and I discussed the commencement of the first-ever Cancer Support Group at my prison. I had for the past year been stressing the importance of having a cancer support group at my facility. We were having a meeting to finalize the date and time when the group would start. We weren’t certain if there were even enough inmates diagnosed in the prison to warrant a support group. In fact, the Psychology Department head specifically asked me how many inmates I knew were currently battling the illness. He even struggled to recall one or two he remembered working with in recent days. So, when the psychologist said the number, we were all stunned.

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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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Recognizing LONG COVID

By Kirby Sokolow
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

Three years have passed since the World Health Organization first declared COVID-19 a pandemic. However, people worldwide continue to suffer from this novel coronavirus’ devastating effects. Among them are an estimated 65 million people with symptoms of Long COVID.

Long COVID—also called post-COVID syndrome or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection—is when someone keeps having COVID-19 symptoms or gets new symptoms that last weeks, months, or years after they get COVID. Anyone infected with COVID-19 can develop Long COVID, even vaccinated folks and people whose initial symptoms were mild. However, vaccination does lower your risk of both getting COVID and developing long COVID.

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Convict Chronicles: FEELING OFF? You’re Not Alone.

By Leo Cardez
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

I read an article in Men’s Health that really struck me. It wasn’t specifically written for the inmate community, but it should have been. In the piece, Dr. (psychiatrist) Gregory Scott Brown is discussing something called adjustment disorder (AD).

In layman terms, AD is a disproportionate reaction to something stressful in one’s life. AD may make one feel worried, hopeless, or a general sense of unease. Sound familiar? Post-COVID inmate issues are pretty similar across the U.S.: anger over job/program/assignment loss, despair about the difficulty in staying in touch with loved ones, sensitivity over race relations, and general malaise over extended lockdowns brought about by anything from quarantine protocols to staff shortages. In time, all these tiny attacks to your routine and well-being add up.

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A Word About Syphilis

By Thomas Michael Simons, IPE
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

While its origin is not completely known, the earliest evidence of syphilis was found in the Pre-Columbian Indigenous population of South America. Syphilis is caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete bacterium, and it can cause serious health problems if not treated. It is transmitted by coming into contact with a syphilitic sore during anal, oral, or vaginal sex. These sores appear on or around the anus, penis, or vagina (they’re found in the rectum, on the lips, or in the mouth). It can be congenitally (present before birth) spread from a pregnant person to a fetus or baby.

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