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Published on Leave a comment on September is Suicide Prevention Month
Image of diverse group of people talking. Text about raising awareness for suicide prevention & treatment.
Image from the National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/awareness-resources/

September is Suicide Prevention Month - making it a good opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.

Just like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, equating to one death every eleven minutes (CDC, 2024a). Between 2000 and 2018, suicide rates increased by 37%, and returned to their peak in 2022 following a brief decline between 2018 to 2020 (CDC, 2024a). 

Knowing the risk factors of suicidal ideation and behavior is important for everyone. According to a 2016 review published in The Lancet, “approximately 45% of individuals who die by suicide consult a primary care physician within one month of death, yet there is rarely documentation of physician inquiry or patient disclosure” of suicidal ideation or behavior (Turecki, & Brent, 2016). 

While many individuals with suicidal ideation do not attempt suicide (Dlonsky, et al., 2016), recognizing the risk factors can help you identify someone in need of help and help you find the help they need. According to the CDC, factors that contribute to suicide risk range from individual, relationship, community, and societal factors and can include, but are not limited to the following:

Individual Risk Factors:

  • Previous suicide attempt
  • History of depression and other mental illness
  • Serious illness 
  • Job or financial problems
  • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
  • Sense of hopelessness

Relationship Risk Factors:

  • Bullying
  • Family or loved one’s history of suicide
  • Loss of relationships
  • Social isolation
  • High-conflict or violent relationships

Community Risk Factors:

  • Lack of access to healthcare
  • Community violence
  • Historical trauma
  • Discrimination

Societal Risk Factors:

  • Stigma associated with seeking help and mental illness
  • Easy access to lethal means of suicide 
  • Unsafe media portrayals of suicide

(CDC, 2024b)

Some factors can protect people from experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior. These include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Strong sense of cultural identity
  • Support from loved ones
  • Feeling connected to others
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and social institutions
  • Availability of high-quality physical and behavioral healthcare

If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable books from this collection include: 

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024a). Suicide data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024b). Risk and protective factors for suicide. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/risk-factors/index.html

Klonsky, E. D., May, A. M., & Saffer, B. Y. (2016). Suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12, 307–330. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093204

Turecki, G., & Brent, D. A. (2016). Suicide and suicidal behaviour. Lancet (London, England), 387(10024), 1227–1239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00234-2

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September 2024 Study Break Guide with images or colorful streamers, fair tents and streaming lights.

National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Annual Labor Day Concert
Date: Sunday, September 1, 2024. 8:00 PM. Public security screening sites open at 3:00 PM.
Location: West Lawn of the US Capitol
Cost: FREE! No tickets required. Seating first come, first served.

The National Symphony Orchestra’s FREE annual Labor Day weekend concert returns to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol! This year, the NSO performs classics by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and more led by charismatic conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and featuring Grammy–nominated rapper/beatboxer Christylez Bacon. Don’t miss this must-see celebration!

Opening September 2024. The People’s House: A White House Experience
Date: Open seven days a week. 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day)
Location: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Cost: FREE! Reserve your passes in advance

The White House Historical Association is bringing a new cutting-edge education experience, “The People’s House: A White House Experience,” one block away from the White House. The experience will tell the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants, and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. The 33,000-square-foot three-floor site will feature exhibits and galleries bringing the White House and its storied history to life. Visitors will interact with a large-scale White House model, re-creation of the Rose Garden, White House moments, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, and dimensional galleries combining immersive media and inventive scenic representations.

DC State Fair
Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024. 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Franklin Park. 1332 I Street, NW.
Cost: FREE!

The 15th Annual DC State Fair will include contests, local vendors, and a celebration of the District’s agricultural, culinary, and creative talents and all things homegrown. Inspired by time-honored state fair traditions—growing and gardening, contests, and deep-fried foods—the DC State Fair honors the things that make the District of Columbia unique. There will be competitions to find the tastiest mumbo sauce, best honey, and the top photographers with a creative eye. The fair will include 50+ exhibitors including local makers, community organizations, food vendors, government agencies, and universities, live performances, children’s activities, arts, demonstrations, and blue-ribbon presentations for 30+ contests.

Adams Morgan Day
Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024
Location: Varies by event
Cost: FREE!

Adams Morgan Day Events:

For 46 years, Adams Morgan Day has been a family-friendly celebration with music, art, and activities for all ages. Adams Morgan Day is Washington, DC’s longest-running neighborhood festival. Residents and visitors are welcome to meet their neighborhood businesses, artists, and service organizations.

Dance Plaza at Moonlight DC. Time: 11:50 AM - 7:00 PM. Location: 2327 18th St NW.

Sit back, relax, and let hostess, Cheryl “Cee-Cee” Hardy take you on an international journey of dance, fashion, and culture. This interactive platform is where you will experience an explosive lineup of dance groups that will perform and teach basic dance moves, allowing the audience to join along.

Melodies at Kalorama. Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Location: 2327 18th St NW.

Live music will resound from the stage at Moonlight DC in “Melodies at Kalorama” hosted by
DJ Qhill. Sit back, relax, and take in the smooth tunes by some of our local performers. There will also be a Soulful House Session hosted by DJ Divine with a special tribute to DJ Sam “The Man” Burns, who was instrumental in incorporating House music in the Adams Morgan area.

Community History on Belmont. Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Location: 18th & Belmont St NW.

American University’s Humanities Truck will highlight stories and photographs from Adams Morgan history, including a display about the New Thing Art and Architecture Center and Adams Morgan photo exhibit by past and present local photographers.

National Dance Day
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024. 10:00 AM
Location: Kennedy Center REACH Campus
Cost: FREE! Signup to get event email

Find joy in the communities created through dance! Join the Kennedy Center for another exciting National Dance Day celebration with FREE classes, performances, and parties. Recognizing the power and importance of showing up for each other, this year’s event explores how dance builds and strengthens community well-being. National Dance Day coincides with the fifth anniversary of the REACH opening, so get ready for arts activities and performances all weekend long.

H Street Festival
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Location: H Street NE between 3rd Street and Florida Ave.
Cost: FREE!

H Street Festival is one of the most anticipated and highly attended single-day festivals in Washington DC. The festival is 12 blocks long and has 15 staging areas that are diversely themed and programmed to target different segments of audiences. The staging areas feature music of different genres, dance, youth-based performances, fashion, heritage arts, poetry, and many more. Art has been a principal motivator of the festival and has proven to be a valuable agent in impacting local economic growth. The festival also has a direct impact on reducing commercial building vacancy rate on H Street Corridor from 75% to under 5%. H Street Festival has successfully utilized arts as an engine for the growth of the historic neighborhood.

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Gloved hand holding a vial of mRNA COVID vaccine.
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

August is Immunization Awareness Month. We are all aware of the importance of vaccines, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is easy to lose track of which vaccines we have had, and which may need updating. Because there is no single, centralized national source for individual vaccine records in the United States, here are some tips from the CDC for locating your vaccination records:

  • Begin with your doctor or public health clinic. Keep in mind that vaccination records are maintained at doctor’s offices for a limited number of years.
  • Ask for any existing childhood vaccine records that your parents, caregivers or guardians may have for you, and look through baby books or other childhood documents that were saved.
  • Check with your high school or college health service for dates of any vaccines administered there. (This information is only kept for 1-2 years after a student leaves the system, however.) Check with any previous employers, including the military, which may have required immunizations.
  • Contact your state’s health department. Some states have vaccine registries (Immunization Information Systems) which will include adult vaccines. In the DMV, the Virginia Department of Health has an online portal for requesting a copy of your immunization record. Maryland currently participates in the online vaccine registry platform MyIRMobile, which DC will also be joining soon (DC’s current immunization portal can be accessed here). Other states currently using MyIRMobile are: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington, and West Virginia. MyIRMobile also allows parents or guardians to link to vaccine information for their minor children.

An MyIRMobile vaccine record will receive data from various sources, including chain drugstores. The display looks like this:

Screenshot from a MyIRMobile account

Once you have established as complete a vaccine record as you can using the sources listed above, how do you find out which vaccines you may be missing? Here again, the CDC is your friend. On the CDC website, you can access a continually updated schedule of vaccine recommendations, both for Adults and for children, from Birth to 18 Years. To stay up to date with the latest developments in vaccines, you can follow the AMA’s updates here.

How to keep track of your vaccines if you don’t have access to a centralized system like MyIRMobile? There is an app for mobile devices called The Vaccine App, which is available for both Apple and Android devices. (Reviews of the app are quite mixed, however.) For a more DIY solution, consider creating a cloud-based document, such as a spreadsheet where you record your vaccine dates, both past and present.

Finally, what might happen if, due to incorrect records, you receive an extra dose of a given vaccine? A 2019 study done in the United States and published in the journal Vaccine examined instances of adverse events (AEs) most commonly reported following the administration of excess doses of vaccine in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Moro et al, 2020). The authors of the study state there are several scenarios in which an excess dose of a vaccine might be administered, including when there is a vaccination error arising from documentation or patient recall errors, or where an individual’s vaccination history is uncertain (as may be the case for refugees). The CDC provides continuously updated best practice guidelines for immunizations which cover the administration of excess doses of vaccine, particularly as regards combination vaccines. In examining 366,815 reports submitted to VAERS between the years 2007 and 2017, 1.4% of these reports pertained to an excess dose of vaccine administered. The most frequent type of vaccine included within excess vaccine dose reports was inactivated influenza vaccine. It is interesting to note that manufacturers are by far the most frequent reporters to the VAERS. The most frequent types of adverse events reported were systemic, like fevers, or reactions at the injection site. Of the 158 serious adverse events reported during the period studied, 64 events were found to involve excess vaccine dose. In their discussion, the authors conclude that their findings are generally reassuring, since 75% of reports of excess vaccine dose did not report adverse health events, and where those were present, systemic reactions (fevers) and injection site reactions were the most frequent. The authors concluded that there were no new or unexpected safety issues connected with excess doses of vaccine.

Clearly, it is important to spend some time assembling an accurate vaccine record, using as many data sources as are available to you. If your state provides access to a vaccine registry, great! If not, consider putting together a vaccine record for yourself on a cloud-based storage site, making sure to review it periodically to make sure you are up to date with all of them.

References

Moro, P. L., Arana, J., Marquez, P. L., Ng, C., Barash, F., Hibbs, B. F., & Cano, M. (2019). Is there any harm in administering extra-doses of vaccine to a person? Excess doses of vaccine reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 2007-2017. Vaccine, 37(28), 3730–3734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.04.088

Thank you to Rebecca Kyser for research assistance.

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August 2024 Study Break Guide with orange/yellow rainbow and musical notes

Free Community Days at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
Location: 1250 New York Ave. NW. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Cost: Free Admission Days: First Sunday & Second Wednesday of every month; Regular Admission: Adult $16. DC Residents $13

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change. The museum addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.

DC Improv Stand-Up Showcase
Date: Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 & August 16-18, 2024. Shows 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM (Times vary)
Location: 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW
Cost: General Admission $22

Enjoy great stand-up comedy in downtown DC. The showcase lineups feature top talent from DC, Maryland, Virginia, and beyond, performing on one of the country's most famous stages. You'll see a variety of styles and get up close with some of the stars of tomorrow. Support local talent and local businesses while having lots of fun. Showcases generally last around 90 minutes.

Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week
Date: Monday, August 12 - Sunday, August 18, 2024.
Location: Participating Restaurants throughout the DMV.
Cost: $25 for lunch/brunch and $40/$55/$65 dinner options

Summer Restaurant Week is back! This is the perfect time to try a new restaurant or revisit an old favorite. With many offering discount menus throughout the region, this is a great time to visit and support celebrated local restaurants.

GW First Night 2024 & Org Fair
Date: Saturday, August 24 2024. 7:00 PM-10:00 PM
Location: 2121 H Street, NW
Cost: FREE!

It’s time to kickoff the new school year with your favorite GW tradition. First Night is a carnival and celebration welcoming new students, and welcoming back returning students. There will be major attractions, tons of carnival games, and lots of fun and food!

2024 National Book Festival
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024. 9:00 AM-8:00 PM
Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place, NW
Cost: FREE!

The 2024 National Book Festival will be held in the nation’s capital. The event is free and open to the public. The festival’s theme this year, “Books Build Us Up,” explores how reading can help connect us and inform our lives. It’s through books that readers can develop strong bonds with writers and their ideas - relationships that open the entire world, real or imagined, to us all. A selection of programs will be livestreamed online and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the festival.

WOW Indonesia! Festival
Date: Sunday, August 25, 2024. 10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 3rd & 7th street
Cost: FREE! Advanced registration is required through Eventbrite.

Experience Indonesia in a day at the very heart of Washington, DC. This event is held in commemoration of 75 years of Indonesia - United States bilateral relations! There will be food, performances, fashion, arts & crafts, hands-on activities, games, prizes and much more!

20th Annual DC JazzFest at The Wharf
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 – Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. Daily 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: District Pier, 760 Maine Ave. SW
Cost: Per day tickets - Standing: $25 + fees

The 20th Annual DC JazzFest will feature 20+ concerts, interviews, and exclusive events featuring international superstars and homegrown talent. This blockbuster weekend features two outdoor stages at The Wharf, the popular waterfront destination with restaurants, shops, and stunning views of our Nation's Capital.

Published on
Scrabble tiles spread out on a purple surface facing down. A top layer of tiles spells out SELF CARE.
Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay

July 24th is International Self-Care Day! There isn’t a single definition of self-care, as self-care is different for everyone, but it generally refers to how we maintain, improve, and protect our health and well-being. At its core, self-care boils down to doing things that preserve or improve your mental or physical health.

The GW Resiliency and Well-Being Center has a great Self-Care webpage with resources on types of self-care, self-care strategies, and self-care resources. Types of self-care listed here include breathing exercises, massage therapy, nutrition, meditation, exercise, journaling, yoga therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and gratitude practice. While these all sound fantastic, it can be tough to fit self-care into a busy schedule. Figuring out how to fit self-care into your daily routine can boost your overall well-being.

One first step in better self-care is making sleep a priority. Aside from just feeling tired, not getting enough sleep can impact how you feel emotionally and cause health issues. Going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time each morning can help regulate your body’s natural sleep cycle and improve your overall sleep quality. Avoid work emails before bed to help lower your stress levels. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime to help you fall asleep. Put down your phone before bed to help your eyes avoid the blue light that keeps your body awake. Check out the GW Resiliency and Well-Being Center’s page on restorative sleep for more healthy sleep habits you can incorporate into your routine!

Physical activity also plays a role in self-care. Physical activity, whether it’s going for a walk, getting in a yoga session, going for a swim, lifting weights, going for a run or jog, or going for a hike, can be a great way to boost your mood and manage stress or anxiety. In addition to how good getting in some physical activity can make you feel, physical activity can help decrease your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Getting in more physical activity can also help you get better sleep!

Doing little things that you enjoy can be a big boost to your self-care. If you enjoy reading, carve out some time on a Saturday or Sunday morning to find a comfy spot and read with a nice cup of coffee or tea. Make time for hobbies that bring you joy and satisfaction. Do things that help you feel refreshed and recharged. And finally, make time to connect with friends, family, or loved ones. Invest in your relationships with those you care about and develop, nurture, and maintain a support system around you. Feeling connected to other people can be a great way to promote your self-care and that of those around you!

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Published on 2 Comments on Ultraviolet radiation and you
Hand holding a tube of sunscreen

In summer, the sun is a near-constant companion in many parts of the world. But we know that the sun can be our adversary – particularly the ultraviolet radiation emanating from it. Ultraviolet light is used as phototherapy, in the treatment of conditions including jaundice, psoriasis, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. But in honor of UV Safety Awareness Month, we focus here on UV exposure that is environmental and not therapeutic in nature, and how best to achieve protection from harmful UV rays. Use of tanning beds is one dangerous source of ultraviolet radiation, but exposure to them is avoidable via behavioral and lifestyle changes. For other types of exposure, there are fortunately a multitude of products available for protection.

That ultraviolet radiation awareness has increased dramatically in recent years is generally a positive change, but where do consumers go to get informed about UV protection? One prominent result in Google searches is a resource from the Environmental Working Group. EWG is an activist nonprofit focused on chemicals used in agriculture and cosmetics, as well as pollutants in drinking water. The EWG has been compiling an annual review of sunscreens since 2008. Its methodology includes assigning numerical ratings to sunscreens based on their “safety.” The EcoWell, a website dedicated to combating misinformation in the cosmetics industry, has expressed some doubts about the EWG’s methodology, which is disclosed at length on their website, but is not easily evaluated by non-experts. EWG includes the following statement in their page on methodology: “Most people [believe] the government oversees the safety of their cosmetics and other personal care items. Not so.” (EWG, n.d.) Even a non-expert can understand that this position stakes a specific claim, and thus the information is not coming from an unbiased source. Additionally, EWG offers companies an opportunity to become “verified” on their website, which in part involves a financial transaction, and means that verified products appear before others in the database. This information is inconclusive, but doesn’t inspire confidence in a nonprofit that claims to be organized in the public interest. 

While consumers might be grateful for a source that is easily accessible, it is very important to understand that the EWG’s findings are not evidence-based. According to Dr. Adewole Adamson, MD, MPP, speaking to Dermatology Times this month, “None of [the EWG’s] data is actually based on any information that involves actual clinical or actual patient use in the real world. I do not think that patients should change their behavior related to putting on whatever sunscreen it is that they use based on this data.” (Andrus, 2024)

Another important thing to understand about sunscreens on the market in the United States, as opposed to those sold in Europe or Asia, is that in the U.S. sunscreen is regulated as though it were a drug. In Europe and Asia, sunscreen is regulated as a cosmetic. Because drug regulation is a more rigorous process, the U.S. has seen fewer sunscreen filters approved for use than in other countries. As a result, Americans have fewer and more limited product choices for protection.

One recent evidence-based guide to sunscreens is this 2023 review on photoprotection, published in the Archives of Dermatological Research. Photoprotection is the practice of minimizing damage to skin and eyes from damage that ranges in severity from sunburn to photoaging to the development of malignant neoplasms. There are two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB. UVB exposure is at its highest level in summer, while UVA exposure is more constant throughout the year and leads to carcinogenesis. Sunscreens which are labeled “broad spectrum” primarily protect from UVB, but also protect from UVA. In addition to UV, 50% of ultraviolet radiation comes from visible light, which causes other types of skin conditions, or else can trigger flares of chronic conditions. While UV radiation is absorbed or scattered, visible light is reflected.

The authors of the review state that people “should be encouraged to avoid outdoor activities during peak sun hours, seek shade, apply sunscreen, wear sun protective clothing, and sunglasses.” (McDonald et al, 2023) Avoiding exposure, then, is our first line of protection. But that isn’t practical for most people, especially those who want to participate in summer activities outdoors. It is important to learn more about the different types of sunscreen products and their pros and cons. Sun Protection Factor, or SPF, is a common measure of the effectiveness of sunscreens.

On an FDA website explaining SPF, we learn that the number associated with a sunscreen product’s SPF is commonly misconstrued as a measure of protection based on the amount of time one is exposed to the sun. This is incorrect because solar intensity differs by time of day. In fact, SPF denotes the amount of UV radiation required to produce sunburn on protected versus unprotected skin. (FDA, 2017) One study cited in the review from Archives of Dermatological Research found that SPF 85 provided significantly more protection against sunburn than did SPF 50. A product with a higher SPF may help compensate for an insufficient amount of sunscreen being applied. Frequency of reapplication of sunscreen is important, particularly when there is water exposure or perspiration.

The two main types of sunscreen are chemical, or organic sunscreens, which represent 75% of products currently on the market, and include chemical filters which absorb UVR. Physical, or inorganic sunscreens approved by the FDA include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which form a physical barrier to UV absorption. While chemical sunscreens are absorbed more readily on the skin, physical sunscreens are not. Tinted sunscreens contain iron oxides and synthetic mica for cosmetic purposes, in addition to other sunscreen ingredients. The authors of the review found limited evidence of the use of systemic agents protecting against UVR.

One photoprotective measure whose availability has dramatically increased in recent years is sun protective clothing. When selecting UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) clothing for sun safety, the number associated has to do with how much UVR is able to penetrate through different fabrics. However, the authors note that “UPF does not account for body surface area covered.” (McDonald et al, 2023) In general, most natural fibers provide less protection from UVR than synthetic fabrics or wool, darker colors absorb more UVR, and looser clothing provides more protection from UVR. Clothing marked UPF50+ is considered an excellent source of protection.

Now that we’ve discussed protecting the body, what about our heads and eyes? Wearing sunglasses helps decrease UVR damage to the skin around the eyes, the lens, and the cornea. Wearing a hat protects our vulnerable scalps, with wider brimmed hats providing optimal protection for both head and neck.

The review goes on to discuss evidence on adverse effects from photoprotection, including a comparison of evidence on superficial cutaneous absorption versus systemic absorption, concluding that despite the presence of sunscreen compounds in plasma, there simply is no evidence to date that sunscreen ingredients cause any harm to humans – a conclusion in stark contrast to those drawn by the EWG.

We only have the one skin we’re born with, so learning how best to protect it from UVR is time well spent!

References

Andrus, E. (2024/07/05). Addressing Sunscreen Safety. Dermatology Times, 45(7), 6. https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/addressing-sunscreen-safety-a-review-of-ewg-s-2024-guide-to-sunscreens

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (n.d.). Sun Protection Factor (SPF). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/sun-protection-factor-spf#:~:text=SPF%20is%20a%20measure%20of,produce%20sunburn%20on%20unprotected%20skin Accesssed on July 11, 2024

Environmental Working Group. About | Skin Deep | Cosmetics Database. Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/learn_more/about/ Accessed on July 12, 2024 

McDonald, K. A., Lytvyn, Y., Mufti, A., Chan, A. W., & Rosen, C. F. (2023). Review on photoprotection: a clinician's guide to the ingredients, characteristics, adverse effects, and disease-specific benefits of chemical and physical sunscreen compounds. Archives of dermatological research, 315(4), 735–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-022-02483-4

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GW July 2024 Study Break Guide with graphic image of the US Capitol, stars and fireworks

Washington DC, Fourth of July Celebrations
National Independence Day Parade
Location: Constitution Avenue NW between 7th Street and 17th Street, 11:45 AM to 2:00 PM
Cost: FREE!

Celebrate Independence Day in this patriotic, flag-waving, red, white, and blue celebration of America's birthday! There will be marching bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military units, giant balloons, equestrians, drill teams, and more. Learn more here.

Sylvan Theater Family Activity Area
Location: Southeast grounds of the Washington Monument, 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Cost: FREE!

Visit the Sylvan Theater Family Activity Area on the southeast grounds of the monument for activities and a scavenger hunt about the monuments and memorials on the National Mall. You can also complete your Independence Day Junior Ranger booklet full of family-friendly, fun activities.

A Capitol Fourth Concert
Location: West Lawn of the United States Capitol, 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Cost: FREE!

This star-studded salute to Independence Day is broadcast live from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol and is free and open to the public. Gates open at 3:00 PM. More information here.

Fireworks on the National Mall
Time: 9:09 PM to 9:27 PM

The National Park Service will once again host the annual Independence Day fireworks celebration on the National Mall, the nation’s most important civic space and home to more than a dozen memorials that commemorate great Americans and significant events in our nation’s history. Fireworks will be launched from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

July 4th at the National Archives
Time: July 4, 2024, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: National Archives Museum, 701 Constitution Ave. NW
Cost: FREE!

Join the National Archives on Constitution Avenue in celebration of July 4th! They will celebrate America’s birthday on the steps of the National Archives with re-enactors, family fun, and the iconic Declaration of Independence reading ceremony. There will be a full day of patriotic activities including, presentation of colors, singing of the National Anthem, Declaration of Independence readings, live performances, family activities, and more. While here, explore the historic museum.

Gold's Gym Georgetown Park 2024 Workout Series
Date: Every Saturday in July thru August 3, 2024. 9:00 AM
Location: Georgetown Park, 3223 Grace Street, NW.
Cost: FREE!

Gold's Gym DC Metro is proud to partner with Georgetown Park for this outdoor fitness series! Get up and get moving with elite coaches and trainers for weekend fitness and fun with classes like Zumba/Cardio Dance, HIIT Training, and more! Classes are held right outside of Pinstripes in Georgetown Park! FREE 2-hour parking is available at the parking garage located at 1080 Wisconsin Ave, NW.

Singalong Saturdays at The Wharf
Date: July 6 & August 3, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Transit Pier, 970 Wharf Street, SW
Cost: FREE!

Go to the Wharf for Singalong Saturdays, free karaoke, on the first Saturday of July and August from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM. Take karaoke night to the next level by performing your favorite song with live music from the 24K Event Band on the Transit Pier floating stage. No advanced sign-up is required – just show up, choose a song, and channel your inner rockstar! First come, first serve.

Summer Reps 2024
“Romeo and Juliet” and “The Rover or The Banish’d Cavaliers”
Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 6:00 PM. (+ 8 Dates with varying times)
Location: Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street, NW
Cost: $10 for GW faculty, staff, and students. Promo-code (GEORGE1). $20 for General Public.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy is a Master of Fine Arts program that trains actors to work with classical language and embody mythic storytelling. After completing a one-year intensive program of coursework spanning classical text study, stage combat, and more, the class of 2024 performs two plays in repertory as the culmination of their training.

Romeo and Juliet - Directed by Alec Wild. By William Shakespeare.
What makes a tale timeless? It’s the sense that even over centuries, human beings grapple with the same big problems, again and again. Romeo and Juliet deals with two lovers at odds with the expectations and biases of their families, and shows us the tragic consequences of failing to see our loved ones with clear eyes and full hearts. A story of love, loyalty, and the desperate measures we take when we’re ruled by our passions, Romeo and Juliet stand the test of time as a true classic.

The Rover or The Banish’d Cavaliers -Directed by Eleanor Holdridge. By Aphra Behn.
Virginia Woolf wrote of Aphra Behn, “All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” The first English woman to earn her living openly as a writer, Behn wrote The Rover in 1655, and won great acclaim for its bawdiness, fun, and daring. Taking place during Carnival in Spain, The Rover deals with sexual intrigue, mistaken identities, and uncontrollable desire as the characters struggle to find love and societal acceptance. The story reminds us that even in the seventeenth century, women were fighting for agency, freedom, and equality.

Home Rule Music Festival @ Alethia Tanner Park
Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024. 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Alethia Tanner Park. 227 Harry Thomas Way, NE
Cost: FREE!

Engaging the community through rhythmic jazz and go-go, the Home Rule Music Festival is a celebration of DC’s rich and vibrant music and culture. The festival is a special day of FREE, family-friendly music that includes an outdoor record fair, great food trucks, craft drinks, more local vendors, and a full afternoon of live music from living legends and rising stars. In partnership with the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment, this collaboration reflects not only the festival's growth in the audience but also a commitment to providing a platform for diverse artistic expression and community engagement.

SAAM Arcade 2024 – Adventure Awaits
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024. 11:30 AM -7:00 PM
Location: Kogod Courtyard - Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th Street, NW & G Street, NW
Cost: FREE!

Come see the world with SAAM Arcade 2024! This year, SAAM Arcade showcases games that allow us to travel to and explore new places. As many of us seek new and exciting experiences, video games provide us with the opportunity to see both real and imagined places from new perspectives. The theme of travel and exploration focuses on the ways games make travel an exciting possibility and engage us with new experiences—all through the work of coding and design. SAAM Arcade will feature classic arcade games and a selection of games from independent developers that provide us an escape from everyday life, allow us to travel to new and possibly uncharted worlds, and give us the experience of a lifetime, all from a comfortable chair.

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Most of us have been there: we’re supposed to be sleeping – we have an early morning commitment – but instead we’re on social media, rafting down an infinite scroll. We're reflexively checking our phones, not even sure what we’re looking for, stuck in a “hyper-stimulated loop” and pulled out of every moment. We attend social events, but everyone is staring at their palms. 

People looking at smartphones.
Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash

By now smartphones – and particularly social media, which chomp up a lion's share of users’ attention – have been fodder for literal dystopias (like Black Mirror) or disturbing documentaries (like The Social Dilemma), and yet, it’s still quite easy to scroll. 

Common sense and research, in a rare and satisfying union, tell us that, yes, smartphone usage can be actually deleterious, mentally speaking, and yet, even while nodding along, it's still quite easy to scroll. 

Smartphones, of course, are astounding tools, integrating into most corners of human life and radically enhancing many of them: they’re magic that we take for granted. But as fairy tales have taught us, magic always comes with a price. In this case, the price is attention and focus; smartphones bestow god-like powers [to paraphrase Yuval Noah Harari in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, if Zeus had Twitter, Hermes would be out of a job], but overuse can make us less healthy, less productive, and more stressed. Feeling this and changing are two different things, of course, since phones are designed to capture as much attention as possible (and in the case of media, monetize it). There’s a casino in our pockets, with casino-boss odds. 

Fortunately though, for those of us who want to step back (a lot or a little), we have plenty of room to experiment: both with what we want from smartphones and how they actually are affecting us, person to person, and how we can modify our use to best match our goals. 

Test Run an Unplug: 

If you notice phones getting in the way of interpersonal relationships, try going to a social engagement - coffee, dinner, a party - and experiment with not using your phone at all. Note how present (or distant) you feel, whether people are engaged, and whether you feel an urge to disengage. 

You can do this as frequently or infrequently as it benefits you. 

Go for a Nature Walk: 

The DMV has some great trails!  And while there are few things as centering as being in nature, you don’t need to go hiking to seek a mental reset. Local parks do the trick - or even just green space around the city helps. 

As an exercise in being present, consider finding a safe environment and take a walk without the phone. Or if you’re on a hike with friends, choose a dedicated phone user (for GPS/emergency calls), and leave your phone in the car. 

A tree by a body of water.
picture taken by author in Kassel, Germany,

Journal About It 

Ask yourself what you actually want from your phone - and if you expect to get it through texts, mentions, or anything on a newsfeed. Be deliberate in thinking when reflexive phone use kicks in. See how you feel with and without the phone - and what demands for your time are really worth your time. 

Meditation:

Meditation options abound around GWU and DC, but these may not be convenient; mediation apps can be accessed wherever you are. "Waking Up" is a fine example, because it provides daily guided meditations, and will give out free accounts to anyone who asks for one.

Which of course, demonstrates the irony: at the swirling storm-eye of notifications, smartphones can be tools to enhance your focus (if used well!).

Quality of Life Options: 

Turn off notifications for non-essential apps, or take time (a day, a week, a month) to deactivate social media. Many people online have experimented with turning their phones to grayscale, making the phone significantly less visually stimulating, and theoretically less addictive. [This writer has tried it and, anecdotally speaking, it helps!].

Rekindle a Hobby (or take up a new one): 

Cutting back smartphone usage will free up time, invariably. This is an amazing chance to practice a skill or develop an art. 

Of course, it’s important to note that not all smartphone use is the same, nutritionally speaking: considering that use can range from reading to calling loved ones to accessing literally anything on the internet. But it’s the compulsive use – from things not sought out and not benefited from – that’s worth trimming down this summer, even just to see how being present feels.

References:

Harari, Yuval Noah. (2017). Homo Deus. Harper.

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a bowl of gazpacho

Summer is right around the corner! Whether you grow your own, have a produce share, or visit a farmer’s market, it is time to lean into tomatoes, which are more local, plentiful, and far more flavorful in season.

While the jury is still out on whether tomatoes contain more nutrients when processed as opposed to eaten fresh, one thing is for sure: they are delicious and full of nutrients.

One great way to beat the summer heat is to make gazpacho, the chilled tomato soup of Spanish origin. There are many different interpretations of this classic dish, some of which are quite elaborate. Here’s a great basic recipe to start you out, adapted from the 1963 Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, Meals with a Foreign Flair:

Gazpacho (Serves 6)

1 c peeled, chopped medium tomato (immerse whole tomato in boiling water for ease in peeling)

1/2 c each minced green pepper, celery, cucumber

1/4 c finely diced onion

2 t chopped parsley

1 t chives, snipped

1 small minced garlic clove

2-3 T tarragon wine vinegar (available in stores, or just infuse a bottle of white wine vinegar with sprigs of fresh tarragon)

2 T olive oil

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce

2 c tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for at least four hours. A note on texture: that’s up to you! If you like it crunchy, dig right in. If you like it smooth, blend away.

To learn much, much more about tomatoes of all types, visit the World Tomato Society. Their site includes a database of over 6500(!) tomato varieties, as well as recipes. If you’d like to make your own tomato juice for the gazpacho, they even provide instructions for doing so.

Did you know? GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences sponsors a Culinary Medicine program, as a partner medical school of the American College of Culinary Medicine. Check out recipes from the program here.

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Featured Image for the article - Photo by Kate Stone Matheson

Sleep issues are a common problem. Have you ever lied awake at night staring at the clock as the minutes ticked away, tossing and turning, or fluffing your pillow trying to sleep? With all the stressors of daily life, it can be difficult to wind down from the day and relax enough to sleep.

This is where sleep hygiene can be beneficial.

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits, behaviors, and environmental factors that help you get a good night's sleep. It is about creating habits and an environment conducive to getting a good night’s sleep. Not getting enough sleep can lead to unproductive habits like sleeping at inappropriate times, irritability, and lack of concentration. Paying attention to your sleep hygiene is the best way of getting a good night’s sleep.

Here are some helpful tips for creating effective sleep hygiene:

  • Create a relaxing nighttime routine and sleep schedule. Start your routine about 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
    • Take a nice shower or bath
    • Listen to soothing music while focusing on breathing exercises
    • Do some low-impact stretching to relieve stress and relax your muscles
    • Read a book
  • Make it a habit to refrain from using electronic devices in the 30-60 minutes leading up to bedtime
  • Try to limit the number of caffeinated beverages you drink throughout the day
  • Set up a sleep environment that works for you
    • Invest in a supportive mattress and comfortable pillows
    • Lightly scented candles
    • Optimal room temperature
    • White noise machine

By paying attention to sleep hygiene and implementing these strategies, you can greatly improve your chances of getting a restful night's sleep and waking up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

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