According to CDC, community health is a term used to describe the state of health and how easy or difficult it is to be healthy where people live, learn, work and play. The health of a community depends on the access to community resources such as healthy stores, wellness programs, community parks and much more. So as we strive each day to make a community healthy, I like to introduce you to a young entrepreneur couple who decided to open up a MAXA market in Barrio Logan.

The MAXA market was co-founded by Edgar and Gisel two Latinx enterprenuers who decided to take a leap to open up a small store that includes healthy Mexican snacks. Their mission is to provide the community with healthy alternative snacks as well as teach visitors and community members about the different products that exist beyond the traditional grocery store. MAXA team is one of many small groups in the community who work together to prevent disease and make healthy living options access in Barrio Logan.

Listen to Episode #46 as MAXA describes their journey

 Remember, you can help improve the health of your community by simply visiting, supporting and promoting MAXA market. Help out your community by becoming more aware of what type of  products MAXA has and share your discoveries with family and friends. I hope you enjoyed the episode and learned something new today!

Resources:

Books:

Where you can Find MAXA market

According to womenshealth.gov, Endometriosis happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus. It may affect more than 11% of American Women between 15 and 44. It is especially common among women in their 30s and 40s and may make it harder to get pregnant.

Endometriosis happens when the tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of your uterus and on other areas in your body where it doesn't belong.

Most often, endometriosis is found on the: ovaries, fallopian tubes, tissues that hold the uterus in place and outer surface of the uterus.

Other sites for growths can include the vagina, cervix, vulva, bowel, bladder or rectum. Rarely endometriosis appears in other parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain and skin (womenshealth.gov)

Symptoms of endometriosis can vary from women to women and not all women  will experience the same painful symptoms, but a couple things to observe are the following:   pain during menstruation, painful sex, if your bleeding or spotting between menstruation cycles, painful bowel movements, digestive problems and infertility. If you are experiencing any of the following make an appointment with your medical provider to get a referral to a gynecologist specialist as well as  research for a good fertility doula and women's health nutritionist. Having a team of different experts can possibly increase your chances for learning how to cope with endometriosis and adapting a lifestyle to support your womb.

Another important thing to do is to start interviewing the women in your family to learn about what reproductive health conditions exist. Getting to know the women in your family such as  Mom, Sister, Aunt, Cousins, Abuela..etc. is an important factor of your reproductive health. The more you learn about the pre-existing conditions, the more you will become aware if you at risk or not. Overall this exercise will help you learn to empower your knowledge in women's health and family history.

Now, with that said, I would like to take a moment to introduce Karinee Lopez, she is a holistic endometriosis health educator. And after years of battling painful endometriosis symptoms, infertility, countless surgeries, hormone therapy, and suicidal thoughts. Karinee decided to take control of the avalanche life she was living to find a different approach to her diagnosis. Because of her journey, she is now dedicated to helping other women reclaim their health and power back from endometriosis.

Listen to the podcast to learn about Karinee's Story below:

Resources:

1. We Speak Endo: https://www.speakendo.com/endometriosis-resources

2. Womens Health.Gov: https://www.womenshealth.gov/endo

Books:

1. From Pain to Peace with Endo

2. The Endometriosis Health and Diet Progarm: Get Your Life Back

How to find Karinee Lopez

Instagram: Karinee Lopez

Blog: https://iamwellnesswarrior.net/blog

(Importante: The information on this blog is for education purposes only. Stories, symptoms, testimonials and all the content is raw, hones, an from personal experiences and is not to be used as diagnoses or in place of medical advice and care. Please consult with a medical provider if you feel you have concerns related to your reproductive health.)