I’ve always wondered,“What does sick look like?” While growing up with congenital heart disease, I was commonly told I looked too young, too healthy, too pretty, or even too happy to have a complex, chronic condition that labeled me as “sick.” Society did its best to push these stereotypical labels on me of what I should look like and what I should expect from my life, but I refused to accept it. Instead, I fought to show the world that disease is not identified by age or appearance.

Vasovagal syncope is a condition that causes people to faint as a result of overstimulation to the vagus nerves. The vagus nerves are two large nerves that control many of the body's processes that are involuntary (breathing, heartbeat, etc.). When these nerves are triggered, the blood vessels relax and dilate, which lowers your heart rate and your blood pressure. Blood pools in the lower half of the body, unable to properly reach the brain, thus causing one to faint. Vasovagal syncope is the most common cause of fainting. Here are 5 things you should know about it.

September is ITP Awareness Month, and September 29th is Sport Purple for Platelets Day. It is a day devoted to raising awareness and understanding of this disorder, and there are plenty of things that you can do to get involved and help to make a difference.

September brings many things. The kids are back at school. Fall arrives, and the weather starts to turn cooler. September also means that it’s National Yoga Awareness Month! National Yoga Month got its start back in 2008, when the Department of Health and Human Services made it a national observance. The goal of this campaign is to educate the public about the many health benefits of yoga and to encourage everyone to live a healthy lifestyle. Whether you are a seasoned yogi, or you’re interested in getting started, there’s no better time than September!

September is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, also called World Alzheimer’s Month. It is an international movement to raise awareness about dementia and challenge the stigma that surrounds it. The theme of 2017’s World Alzheimer’s Month is, “Remember Me,” and the focus is around the importance of detecting and diagnosing the disease early. There are all kinds of events held all over the world that bring together people living with dementia, their caregivers, medical providers, researchers, and thought leaders, and these events are designed to provide education and raise money for the research needed to put an end to this disease.