In the coming months, we are unsure of how the medical care system in the United States of America will evolve and change for better or worse. With many disabled people expecting loss of benefits, and the greater female community losing their basic maternal/fetal healthcare, we can only expect the continuation of taking away forms of medical treatment and preventative measures. In what ways can we prioritize our healthcare in the time where we still have some control over obtaining that healthcare we need? Are there preventative measures that we can take to prioritize our health in a system that is often pushing us towards ignoring our health and symptoms?

We expect that in the next few years certain healthcare treatments and preventative measures will become harder to access for the average person, as they are already a struggle to manage currently. If a situation were to occur where the majority of people are unable to get routine checks done, it is best that we are proactive in getting all of our routine work done in the time we have now. 

1. Getting to Know our Bodies

1. • Do you know how your body works?

   • Do you look at your body frequently? Is there anything that you feel that seems new? 

   • Do you know if you have checked your skin recently for any irregularities? 

   • Does anything seem different than it was in the past?

2. Brushing our Teeth Regularly

   • When it comes to brushing our teeth and keeping our dental hygiene good, know that you can start at any time! Many people struggle with good consistent dental hygiene, and many don’t have access to reasonably priced dental care. 

   • Brushing our teeth, two times a day is the recommendation, but doing it as often as you remember (more or less) is the best practice when you struggle with a dental cleaning routine. 

   • Flossing our teeth and using other tools than just our toothbrushes, to clean our teeth.

3. Washing our Bodies

   • Do you wash all the parts of your body regularly? 

   • We know sometimes bathing ourselves can seem hard to do, especially when we have trouble with our mental health; however, it can also be relaxing and regulating for the body. 

   • Do you know about the microbiome your body has, and how to keep it healthy?

   • We should not use anti-bacterial soaps to wash our bodies regularly; it can cause serious damage to our microbiome and cause other infections of the skin and body. 

4. Discussing our Health with Others

   • Discussing our health with others, consensually and with consciousness for our health’s impact on one another during the viral season.

5. Checking for Breast Lumps

   • If you are concerned about any of the abnormalities you find you should reach out to your doctor, or make an appointment to a Planned Parenthood for a Breast Exam.

6. Food Consciousness

   • How can we be better about fueling our bodies with food and clean water, if we have access? 

   • Are we using the proper food protocols when storing and cooking foods we plan to eat and/or share with others?

   • Are we protecting ourselves and others from pathogens when cooking and handling our foods?

   • How can we provide meals and clean water to those in our community that are struggling with access to them?

7. Hydration/ Electrolytes

   • When you drink liquids are you getting enough water into your body? 

   • Are you making sure that when you are drinking liquids including water, that you take into account how they affect your body’s electrolyte system? Are you getting enough salt in your diet to match your water intake?

Learning about the body systems in their entirety has long been stigmatized because of the lack of professional ability to discuss certain topics without having patriarchal/colonial topics/conversations pieces, coming up. It's important that we understand that we all have bodies, and while we all have our differences, many of us face similar issues. Unfortunately, the greater community has made certain topics uncomfortable to talk about with medical professionals, leaving a grave whole of medical issues that have never been discussed. As medicine has continued to evolve, it has continued to leave out female bodies, black bodies, and other demographics they'd rather ignore. 

Medical system (corporation side) has focused on profit rather than treatments for the past 20 years, which has left many people in a lull of being able to discuss these 'taboo' stimagtized issues. Of course we have continued to see a loss in medical access with the recent cut of medicaid and higher insurance premiums. We have to be able to come together as a community, without enabling abuse and manipulation, and discuss these medical problems that we face so medicine facilities and doctors are able to do more research and find the causes of our long-term issues. 

Our parents and grandparents were very scared to discuss their medical history and conditions, due to worry that the government or jobs may use that information as a reason to discriminate against them. We want to acknowlegde that this is still an issue, and can always resurface as an even bigger issue. However, we are hoping that this information sets people up to communicate effectively with their doctors, while also maintainging the knowledge that they can look into their issues on their own. Discussing medical issues publically when you feel confident and able, is something that can help many people. Whether you are just discussing it with friends or posting about it publically, you are calling attention to medical information you did not have prior, which guarantees there are others like you out there. Our government and billionaire overlords don't want us having access to medical information of any kind, especially easy to comprehend and example experiences that people can quickly access for helpful information on how to get the same help from their doctors, or assistive devices, etc.