ASK PHN: SKIN CANCER

By M. Ali and Leah Owen-Oliner

From PHN Issue 57, Summer 2024

Dear Prison Health News,
Could you please send information about topics such as skin cancers?
—Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for this great topic suggestion, as skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Skin cancer most often occurs due to exposure to sunlight (UV radiation), and it involves an abnormal growth of skin cells. Sunlight is necessary for the production of vitamin D by our bodies. However, too much sun exposure, especially from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV radiation from the sun is the strongest, can cause sunburns and be harmful long term (even if you don’t get sunburned). Skin cancer affects
people of all skin tones, including those with darker complexions, so it’s important to lower your risk by limiting direct sun exposure, using sunscreen (SPF 30 or greater) when possible, and checking your skin regularly for changes. Catching skin cancer early gives you the best chance for successful treatment. While there are a few different types of skin cancer, here are the three
major ones:

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A BOOK

By H. Lee

From PHN Issue 57, Summer 2024

Bars do not a prison make
If one has a book to read
Stone and steel seem to disappear
Simply with the turn of a page
Adventures unfold, treasures untold
Await those who venture within
A book will take you to
Places you never before been
Places you never imagined you’d go
Places unseen, as if in a dream
Places better than the place you’re in
So walk away from that rerun TV
Put down those dominoes
Leave the fussin’ and cussin’ behind
Travel to new worlds, new adventures
Make new friends, set yourself free
Even if only temporarily
Your body may be bound
Within walls that surround
Yet the mind remains free
If one has a book to read
It’s the best solution for life
While life is passing you by

OVERCOMING HOPELESSNESS: A MENTAL HEALTH DISPATCH

By JD Frandsen

From PHN Issue 57, Summer 2024

I know your shade of blue. I existed for 13 years in a maximum-security facility, a bleak, lifeless place with no trees, no humanity, and no hope. I am now at a minimum camp, and any petty infraction could send me back to that awful place where old homies have died and the suicide wind blows like devils screaming. Anxiety is my constant companion. But this day, my friends, I implore you all never to give up.

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I’VE FALLEN AND I CAN’T GET UP! HOW TO MAINTAIN GOOD BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY

By Troy Glover

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

Prisoners perceive time differently in prison. In our imagination, that pecan tree in our backyard is still full, green, and vibrant. Those polyester butterfly-collared shirts I own are still in style. For prisoners, time seems to stand still.

Because many of us are serving long sentences, it is imperative that we try to maintain optimum health. The best way to do this is through proper nutrition and exercise. Many prisoners only focus on endurance and strength training. As we grow older, we need to incorporate another facet to that regime of wellness: balance and flexibility.

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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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ASK PHN: WHAT ARE THE HARMS OF SPICE/K2?

By Olivia Duffield

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

Dear Prison Health News,

I was reading an article in Prison Legal News about an individual who was smoking “roach killer.” Many of the symptoms were similar to those who smoke “spice.” My question is this: Can you do an article on “spice”? What it is and is not…
Sincerely,

Anonymous

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TO GRIEVE OR NOT TO GRIEVE

By Sensei Pitt

From PHN Issue 56, Spring 2024

20 Steps to the Courthouse

So you think you have been wronged by the system, a corrupt corrections officer, mistreatment by other prisoners, malpractice by medical, or denial of your religious rights, and you want to sue them. Now, what’s the first thing you need to do? Start with assembling your “Tool Box.” You will need to effectively record and litigate your issues. It will look like this:

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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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ANATOMY OF AMERICA’S WASTEFUL PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

By Bryant Arroyo
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024

America! America!
Land of the free, a society filled with justice and equality.
This is a clear example of hypocrisy,
unless they forgot to include me,
and millions of others kept in captivity.
Confined behind tall walls and razor wires,
with the nation of prisoners constantly rising higher.
Countless amounts will never be released,
except in a body bag once deceased.

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