As women at midlife, we can finally take a deep breath and exhale. We have arrived at the gateway, that marvelous middle place where we are perfectly positioned, poised between where we have been and where we are going. We can look back from this unique vantage point and draw wisdom from all the experiences we’ve had, and we can also look forward, ahead of us, to the many exciting years to come. At this wonderful time in our lives we each have the power to choose what our menopause experience will look like. Our journey through menopause presents us with so many diverging paths, so many opportunities, that these years are potentially the richest of our lives.

Menopause is the time at midlife when we begin to ask the important questions: How can I make my life more meaningful? What should I be doing now? What am I meant to do? If my children have grown and left home, what is my role now? Do I still have the same value? How do I manage to deal with the changes in my body and in my life, and still keep a positive self-image as I get older? Is it all downhill from here? The questions we ask ourselves can really be distilled down to this: “Am I living the best life I can? Am I living true?”

How do we live our true life? What would it look like? Is it even possible to have a “true life” with all the day-to-day pressures we face? Well, it is possible. In fact, it has never been more possible. We are at the best time of our lives. Right here. Right now. It is up to us to determine what today will bring, and what the coming years will look like. Life at menopause is filled with transitions and challenges. There are so many ways we can go. That’s why it is so important to experience these years with a true and open heart.

We’ve never been in a better place, or at a better time, to choose for ourselves. We’ve never been in a better place to make positive changes in our lives. We’ve never been in a better place to use the wisdom we have gained over the years, and to make the choices that will allow us to embrace our menopause journey.

Yet, at midlife, some of us may feel defeated by the symptoms of menopause. The hot flashes and menopause induced lack of sleep. The depression and moodiness. We may have given up. We may not have the energy or the courage to know how to best help ourselves through this transition. We may have even tried menopause treatments but were disappointed with the results leaving you dispirited and worse, resigned to being miserable. When we resign we miss out on living our own greatness. Resignation is our death knell, whether we are thirty or eighty.

Don’t resign. Resist the voice that has made you give up any part of your life, the voice that justifies the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, the one that says it’s just too difficult or it won’t make a difference anyway. When we surrender to whatever we think binds us, we automatically contract. We see ourselves as victims.

Realize we are privileged to be at a different point in our lives than the generations that came before us. We have the opportunity to experience menopause differently from the way our mothers or grandmothers did. We know we are not quite the same as we were in our twenties, but for the most part, we are healthy, intellectually active, interested, and have a sense of adventure and spirit much younger than generations before us.

Having the courage to make the most of your life can begin at any age, but it’s important to realize that the sooner you make up your mind to take action, the faster you will see results. Menopause is the ultimate wake-up call, a chance to evaluate how we’ve been living up to this point. It is the culmination of years of lifestyle habits, both good and bad. But it’s never too late to change our habits – all it takes is desire and commitment to assume responsibility for your own health. Step by step, one day at a time, you can begin to build, or even rebuild a sound foundation for a comfortable menopause and quality longevity.

It is comforting to know that the classic symptoms of menopause – night sweats, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and mood swings – are not inevitable. There are many vitamins and herbs that can help to balance a changing body chemistry – without side effects. Taking control of your treatment for menopause now will start you on a journey to continued health, vitality and radiance.

Most of all, make this a special time of life for you. Take some quiet time for yourself on a daily basis. Meditation and deep breathing are excellent tools for calming the mind and smoothing out the ups and downs of day to day living. Reading uplifting affirmations and spiritual books can often take you outside of yourself and renew your perspective on life. Treat yourself well and listen to your body/mind signals. Menopause can be a wonderful time for taking inventory of all aspects of your life. Explore this time with joy and adventure, because, for many women, the best is still ahead. May your journey be blessed with happiness and wisdom as well.

If you’re a woman over 40, it’s highly likely that you’re in your menopause years.

Not happy with that? Disbelieving?

Here’s the bald truth – menopause is a natural, unavoidable journey that every woman alive must make – and the transition can take 10 or more years from start to finish! You can choose to accept menopause reluctantly, or you can decide to find the joy and the lessons this honorable life passage has for you. At its most basic, menopause is an emotional and a physical transition from one stage of life to the next. And I know you’ll agree that change is always best when handled with grace, rather than denial or resistance.

If you have to ask ‘Is this menopause?’ about symptoms such as skipped periods, unusual weight gain, unexplained exhaustion, sleep issues and more.Then yes, the answer is: it is!

Many women go through menopause without any trouble. But if you’re one of the ones who finds menopause is interfering with your quality of life, take immediate action and prevent bigger problems down the line. Face what’s happening to your body and don’t wait until you have a humongous problem to solve. Remember, in menopause as in life: “pain is inevitable; suffering is optional!”

Begin with the end in mind by deciding what you want. Then be consistent with the remedies or actions you’ve decided to take. You’re wasting your time and money, and contributing to your own misery, if you stop and start treatment that makes sense for you.

Many natural remedies require several weeks or months before you really know if they’re helping you or not. Make a commitment to give the remedies time to work. You didn’t develop your menopause challenge in a month or two, so give it a few months to turn around. Quite a different approach from hormone therapy which deals with symptoms only, can be required for years and result in serious side-effects.

It’s important for you to take 100% responsibility for your own health and wellness and make choices that are right for you. Make sure your menopause remedies or lifestyle choices make your life easier or at least fit into your life without too much effort so you’ll stay motivated to continue them.

If you don’t know which natural remedies to try, start slowly with something will contribute towards your greater health and wellness – usually your digestive system. Digestive enzymes, cleansing, whey protein shakes all contribute towards digestive wellness.

Addressing digestive issues first is the strategy herbalists call ‘circling the dragon’ because you’re treating the ‘big picture’ – your overall health and wellness – before you attack a specific complaint. The bonus is you just might resolve several health challenges simultaneously and a more targeted approach may not be necessary.

Whatever else you decide to do to improve your menopause transition, I highly recommend that you eat more foods that will help you manage your blood sugar, immune system and weight. These include whey protein shakes, garlic, dried sea vegetables, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, raw fruit, green vegetables and fresh vegetable juices.

If you have troublesome menopause symptoms it’s always a good idea to improve your diet and make it a habit to do a regular nutritional cleanse to get rid of toxins hidden in body fat and organs.

You may decide to take whole food supplements, herbs or homeopathy known to help women make an easier menopause transition.

You may decide to choose a homeopathic remedy such as Sepia that is known to help many women resolve their pre-menopausal symptoms including mood swings.

You could choose herbal menopause foods such as maca root, pycnogenol or herbal tea made with herbs used for hundreds of years to relieve troublesome menopause symptoms.

Remember, the best menopause symptom treatment is prevention. Decide on a course of action while your menopause signs and symptoms are relatively mild. If you wait too long to take charge of your health and wellness, you may find yourself in a crisis, forced to choose medical intervention that you don’t want, in order to find symptomatic relief.

Climb up to a life free from menopause arthritis

Recent studies have shown that women in their late forties and early fifties are displaying signs of menopause arthritis – a form of osteoarthritis triggered by menopause. Was it not enough that menopause brought on the hot flashes, night sweats and a variety of aches and pains which kept a woman up at night, that menopause arthritis has now been added to the list? The thought of a flight of stairs makes you want to balk and makes you want to move to a more comfortable but expensive apartment on the ground floor.

But before you start looking at adapting your lifestyle to accommodate this new phenomenon, understand what is happening with your body first.

Understanding what is arthritis

Osteoarthritis or arthritis is a common complaint of women in the age group between thirty to fifty years. Arthritis is caused by the wear and tear of the cartilage around the joints. As this wear and tear is gradual arthritis usually is a complaint of people belonging to an older age group.

Menopause arthritis – What is the connection between the two?

Arthritis has always been more of a complaint with women than with men. The logical hormone connecting menopause with arthritis then seems to be the hormone estrogen. When a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs during menopause her body experiences hormonal imbalances. Especially the levels of the hormone in a woman’s body start reducing. Researchers have laid the blame for arthritis on estrogen because of the following reasons:

· The occurrence of arthritis in twice the number of women as the number of men suggests that the trigger to arthritis has to be some hormone exclusive to the female body

· Pregnant women have experienced the symptoms of arthritis more extremely than the average woman. A pregnant woman is also known to have higher levels of estrogen

There are multiple causes which trigger arthritis. While estrogen leads the race in this matter, there are other changes in the woman’s body which affect arthritis. During menopause, owing to the hormonal imbalances, a woman is prone to gaining more weight. The weight gained adds more pressure on the knees, causing further wear and tear of the cartilage.

Besides estrogen, there are other hormones in a woman’s body which experience the imbalance brought on by menopause. The secretion of these hormones causes the tissues and cartilages around the joints to deteriorate more rapidly.

Menopause arthritis can it be avoided?

There is no fool-proof plan which will keep you free from the clutches of menopause arthritis. However, the onset of arthritis can be prevented by taking small but simple steps:

· Applying hormone topical creams on aches and pains which begin early, can delay the onset of the arthritis. These creams are designed to balance out the estrogen levels in the body and hence help relieve the pain caused by inflammation

· Regulating your diet and switching to a gluten-free diet will make sure that you do not gain more weight and add more pressure on your knees, aiding the wear and tear of tissues around the knee joints. Weight gain also affects other joints besides the knee, like the back, ankles and wrists

· Using a mild anti-inflammatory cream during peri-menopause delays the onset of menopause arthritis

· Using supplements to strengthen the bones from an early age, prevents the early onset of arthritis

Menopause arthritis Herbs that can help

There are also home remedies you can resort to when you begin to first experience the aches in your joints. Indian researchers have placed great faith in the practice of Ayurveda and the use of medicinal herbs to ease aches and pains which lead to the arthritis caused by menopause.

· Boswellia – An Indian herb with no side effects interrupts the inflammation in the joints and the release of biochemicals which cause pain. Many women who have used this herb during perimenopause have had a menopause free of joint and back aches

· Turmeric – Turmeric is the wonder herb of India. The uses of turmeric are vast and varied, primarily used as an antiseptic to heal wounds, turmeric is known to have curcumin which reduces inflammation and eases pain. Application of turmeric paste over aching joints reduces the pain

· Cayenne – More popularly famous as a spice, Cayenne contains capsaicin which works as a soothing painkiller on joint aches. Capsaicin actually encourages the body to release its own hormones responsible for relieving pain

While menopause arthritis is a painful truth most women have to deal with, it does not have to become a way of life. There are natural and medical ways to prolong the onset of arthritis and to deal with its early onset. Switching to a healthier diet and taking care of your body from an earlier age will help you have a more comfortable and pain-free menopause.

In conclusion the best practices for handling arthritis or any of the other 34 menopause symptom is to take a proactive approach to staying healthy, eating a clean, adding more daily fibers to each meal, lower fat and sugar intake, and exercise at least 30 minutes everyday.

Here’s a Few Topic I share in the 7 day Menopause Diet
* How to sleep 6 hours without waking up with hot flashes
* 6 Key natural herbs and vitamins every women should be taking
* Exercise for Menopause Relief not Weight Loss

A wedding is not complete without the bridesmaids. The bridesmaids are the bride’s closest friends, sisters or female relatives and this group of women play a significant role in the pre-wedding activities and in the wedding ceremony. Bridesmaid dresses typically complete the theme of the wedding, enlivening the ceremony by their sophisticated gowns. Unlike before, plus size women who are chosen to become bridesmaids can now select from bridesmaid dresses that are very fashionable and which will flatter their figure. With more shops and boutiques catering to the plus size category, a plus size bridesmaid dress can be as fashionable and flattering as the ones worn by bridesmaids who can fit in so-called regular dress sizes.

Finding the right plus size bridesmaid dress is very easy nowadays. Most wedding shops and boutiques offer a wide range of styles and colors that can make plus size bridesmaids look as stunning as their slimmer counterparts. Typically, the bride will provide the bridesmaid dresses and ask a tailor to take all the measurements needed and the bridesmaid’s preferred style. In some cases, a bridesmaid may be given the task of choosing her bridal gown personally.

It is very important for the bridesmaids to complement the theme of the wedding and to get advice from the bride on the appropriate styles for the gown. Ideal colors for a wedding theme are colors that best flatter the bridesmaids’ skin and hair color. Bridesmaid dresses, including plus size ones, come in all shades and darker colors can make plus size bridesmaids look thinner and sexier in their gowns. Bridesmaids must take the time to know their body type and the possible styles that will best fit their body shape. Brides must also take the time to bring their bridesmaids shopping to help them find the best bridal dresses for their body shape and size while staying coordinated with the wedding theme.

Some of the most popular styles for plus size bridal dresses are two-piece gowns that can make the bridesmaid’s waist look smaller and dresses paired with sashes. Bridesmaid gowns that come in two pieces or more are more flexible and colors can be easily mixed and match while keeping up with the wedding theme. It is also recommended to shop for undergarments for bridesmaids that are especially designed to further flatter their figure and help them look their best in their bridesmaid gowns. For the final fitting, it is very important for bridesmaids to bring along their undergarments and shoes with the dress, so that tailors can make the proper alterations just in time for the wedding.

Today, even when one is a plus size bridesmaid, one can still look pretty and sexy like other slimmer bridesmaids. The task of finding the right plus size bridesmaid dress is as important as finding the bride’s wedding dress and cooperating with this task will not only make the wedding complete, but will also make the bridesmaid complement the gorgeous bride. Schedules and appointments must be properly arranged to allow bridesmaids to choose their dresses and for alterations be made prior to the wedding.

Where to find plus size bridesmaid dresses?

In 1992 Fox Labs was founded to make and market the best self-defense pepper spray products available to civilians. They recognized early on that their primary customers were women who use defensive sprays for female self-defense and men who use them for their own personal safety and personal security. They also recognized a need for improved nonlethal self-defense products for the law enforcement community. So, in 1993 they embarked on a program using new formulas for law enforcement

In their research, they quickly discovered that measuring the percentage of OC spray was a misleading way of determining the potency of a pepper spray. They concluded that the only thing that really mattered in determining effectiveness of the spray was the relative hotness as measured by the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) and the amount of ingredients within the formulas-the CRC’s as they are called. Capsaicin and related capsaicinoids (CRC’s) are really what count.

In 1998 they made a pepper spray that had 5.3 million SHU’s but only a 2% concentration of oleoresin capsicum-OC. At that point in time it was the hottest pepper spray available anywhere, which is why it was snapped up by law enforcement agencies all over the country. It also helped that these pepper sprays have longer ranges of at least 20 feet than most other competitive sprays in the marketplace.

When you are in a confrontation with an assailant, seconds are critical. You need something that is very fast-acting for your own personal safety and personal security. Fox labs defensive sprays are the choice of millions of law enforcement officers around the country because they are so fast acting. If it is good enough for police officers, shouldn’t it be good enough for you?

That is why Fox Labs defensive sprays are the choice of pros across the country.

Some companies for blatant marketing use only, reduce the size of the nozzle spray in order to claim that they get more sprays than anybody else. Fox labs doesn’t believe in that philosophy. They believe that the spray should be sufficient to disable an assailant as quickly as possible.

Defensive sprays work by causing intense pain in the sprayed area which is usually the face. It makes breathing very difficult and causes the eyes to tear badly. The effects are not long-lasting but 45 minutes is enough for you to get away and seek help.

Fox labs defensive sprays are considerably more expensive than their competitors-anywhere from 50% to 100% more expensive. But when your life is on the line is cost really an issue?

Since 2005 Guardian Self-Defense & Security Products LLC has provided personal security to over 45,000 consumers. We offer a full-line of premium self-defense weapons such as pepper spray, stun guns, tasers, pepper mace, personal alarms and other self-defense items.

You’re sitting across from your friend having a casual conversation and suddenly, without warning, a rush of heat covers your chest, throat, and face, accompanied by heart palpitations, skin redness and beads of sweat dripping down your chest. You quickly take off your jacket, only to put it back on a few minutes later, just as suddenly feeling chilled. This episode is repeated anytime and anywhere, whether you are calm, anxious, excited or depressed. What is happening? Welcome to hot flashes, the most common symptom of menopause, affecting some 80 percent of all women.

Hot flashes are the single most common symptom among women in menopause and perimenopause. In fact, three out of every four menopausal women report experiencing hot flashes – many for periods as long as 10 years. Hot flashes can happen at any time, with effects that range from uncomfortable to seriously debilitating.

If you are among the majority of menopausal women who experience frequent nighttime hot flashes, also known as “night sweats”, you may already be familiar with a common and potentially serious complication of hot flashes: sleep problems. You know that hot flashes often wake you from sleep and can, over time, can cause you develop chronic insomnia. But you may not know that the long-term sleep deprivation associated with hot flashes can, in turn, lead to memory problems, lack of focus or foggy thinking. It can also lead to fatigue, anxiety and depression. So if hot flashes are interrupting your sleep, interfering with your work, negatively affecting your relationships, and generally compromising your quality of life, it’s time to take a serious look at the different menopause therapies that can give you significant relief now.

Some prescription antidepressants can offer relief from hot flashes, but are often associated with unpleasant side effects like nausea, dizziness, weight gain, or sexual dysfunction. Even with short-term use, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been known to cause dangerous side effects such as blood clots and gallbladder inflammation.

Fortunately, these challenges need not prevent you from finding safe and effective relief from hot flashes. What works best for the majority of women is a holistic approach that combines high quality herbal supplementation to address your symptoms and give you safe, effective menopause relief. Together with regular exercise, studies show that even a gentle daily walk for 20 minutes will go a long way towards preserving your muscle tone and bone density while helping smooth your menopause transition. And finally, diet modifications. You can stay younger looking, have better health and vitality if you eat real whole foods. Your hormones cannot do their job if you’re putting junk in your trunk!

It’s important to understand that the quality of life ahead of us depends on how well we take care of our health today. During Menopause, we go through more dramatic physical transitions than at any other time in our lives since adolescence. Fortunately, along with all the physical changes, midlife often brings more time to take better care of our overall health. Our children are older now and more independent, and it’s likely that we are at a more senior point in our career, so most of us do have more time and attention to spend on ourselves. The truth is, no one need be a helpless victim to this phase of life. With guidance and the right plan, every woman can turn menopause into an empowering experience where you can thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually as you blossom into your wisdom years!

Many women go through menopause without any emotional changes at all. Some women experience a sense of relief or even elation at the new freedom that menopause presents: freedom from pregnancy and monthly menses. For others though, menopause is associated with symptoms that are similar to the emotional changes seen prior to their menstrual cycle: fatigue, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, or mild depression. These symptoms are similar to those of PMS. The emotional changes seen in menopause are often associated with hot flashes and insomnia (an interruption of REM sleep).

The number of women afflicted with depression during the menopausal years is not more than the 8 to 10 percent prevalence that is seen throughout the reproductive years. Two groups of women are at increased risk: those experiencing surgical menopause (surgical removal of the ovaries) and those with a previous history of depression. In surgical menopause, the sudden drop in the level of both estrogen and androgen (male hormone) is associated with a greater incidence of emotional changes and depression.

Stressful events are also known to trigger emotional changes and depression. Stressful life events coincide with menopause, which may make it harder to determine the cause of the mood changes. Family or work situations may fuel fatigue, sadness, or low energy level, all of which are symptoms that may be profound in a clinical depression. When a woman has an underlying depression, the low levels of estrogen seen in menopause, or perimenopause, may accentuate the depression.

Many women require no treatment for symptoms associated with menopause. Others prefer to try dietary changes (phytoestrogens), exercise and psychotherapy before considering a trial of medication. Helpful medications include estrogen, which alleviates hot flashes and therefore helps promote restful sleep. Some women feel better on estrogen even if they are not suffering from hot flashes. Women who have undergone surgical menopause may benefit from the addition of testosterone (androgen) if they suffer significant emotional symptoms that are not relieved by estrogen alone. In certain cases, antidepressant medication, such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, or cyclic antidepressants, is warranted. These medications affect the uptake of brain neurotransmitters linked to clinical depression.

I hope this gives you some insight into the emotional changes that occur during menopause. Is it wise to stop the antidepressants and see how she does on the hormones alone? No. Treating her depression is crucial and continuing the antidepressants is appropriate. When she feels well, it may be possible to taper her off the antidepressants. But even then, it should only be done with the support and guidance of her psychiatrist. I hope she feels better soon.

Plus size dresses have gone through a revolution in styling in the past few years. No longer big baggy colorless frocks, today’s plus size dresses are stylish, colorful and full of style. Several new styles and details are showing up on runways this season. Bright bold patterns, creative use of pleats, and the biggest trend this season is color blocking. It might seem overwhelming with all of the choices you have for dresses this season, but with a bit of guidance you can look great not only this season, but all year around.

Patterns

As a plus size diva you have the benefit of being able to wear this season’s larger prints. This season opt for bright bold prints with Indian, African, and Mediterranean influences. The ethnic look is very popular right now and there are several plus size dresses available that take advantage of this trend. One of the prettiest looks is a solid shift under a softly printed sheer dress. This is not only very feminine, but very flattering. Maxi dresses are also making an appearance this season. The maxi is a plus size diva’s best friend if your legs and hips are a bit on the larger side. Choose maxi dresses with raised waists to give the illusion of an hourglass figure. Try to avoid patterns that cut you in half or go across your hips. Try on several different styles and patterns to see what looks best on you.

Pleats

Color Blocking

When done correctly color blocking can be very slimming. Asymmetrical blocks of color add angles and draw the eye away from figure flaws. You can find colors in the entire spectrum used in color blocked dresses this season. Strategically placed blocks of darker colors can give the illusion of an hourglass figure. Don’t be afraid of bright colors. It is more how your plus size dresses fit you than what colors they have in them.

These are three of the most popular trends for plus size dresses this season. Find your favorites and be sure they fit you correctly. When you wear clothing that actually fits you not only look good, be feel good too.

Aims to improve women’s self image and the desire to make fashionable and well designed clothes available to plus sized women in Australia. They believe that all women have the right to own beautiful and fabulous clothes.

If your life was on the line and you were in imminent danger of serious harm and maybe even death, what would you be willing to pay for a self-defense product for your personal safety and personal security? For most people the answer is almost anything. Your life is priceless. And defending it with a self-defense product doesn’t have to be expensive. Yes it’s true that some products such as tasers are expensive. But here we’re going to discuss how to defend yourself with self-defense products on the cheap-doing it inexpensively.

When people think of self-defense items they pretty much think of stun guns and pepper sprays and we will talk about them. But there are some other items that are very effective and they are inexpensive.

Kubotons are products that can be carried on a keychain. They are usually about 5 1/2 inches long and have a variety of styles, but they weigh only 2 ounces. They are made out of light weight aluminum and have rigid grooves for maximum grip and control. They are used to cause extreme pain or temporary paralysis when delivered expertly to nerve points and soft tissue. A well-placed blow can break bones if there is no clothing in the way. Kubotons increase the power of any strike and can be an effective self-defense tool even for those who have no martial arts experience. Their prices start at about $5.

Panic alarms are handheld battery-operated devices that send out a loud siren sound up to 130 dB. It alerts those in the area to a potentially dangerous situation that you may be in and works to scare any assailant away. They are an inexpensive product with prices starting at about $10.

Stun devices (not counting teasers) are the second most popular nonlethal product with prices starting around $30. They use electricity that’s generated by batteries or recharging technology to overwork an assailant’s muscles to the point of exhaustion. But this happens in seconds. He has no energy left after a 3 to 5 second application of the stun device. They can disable an assailant for 5 to 10 minutes

The most popular of all are pepper sprays with prices starting around eight dollars. They operate a little bit differently and use pain, disorientation and an inability to see caused by excessive tearing as a way to disable an assailant for as much as 5 minutes. All of that is caused by the resin of one of the most powerful natural peppers in the world-the cayenne.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to defend yourself-for your personal safety and personal security. It takes a little bit of effort and a little bit of homework to pick out the self-defense product that’s best for you. But when your life is on the line, it’s best to have something to help level the playing field.

Since 2005 Guardian Self-Defense & Security Products LLC has provided personal security to over 45,000 consumers. We offer a full-line of premium self-defense weapons such as pepper spray, stun guns, tasers, pepper mace, personal alarms and other self-defense items.

There was a very thoughtful piece in “TheDartmouth.com” publication recently regarding sexual assault on college campuses over homecoming weekends. The piece was written by Hannah Wang of the Dartmouth staff. Her premise was a simple one. Homecoming weekend attracts a lot of registered and unregistered guests as well as alumni to the campus and with all the Greek activity, parties, alcohol, etc., the likelihood of sexual assault increases.

She pointed out that sexual predators “find vulnerable people as victims and use alcohol to make them more vulnerable and less able to resist” and that big social weekends like homecoming make it easier to access alcohol.

The article pointed out that every woman at Dartmouth “has been touched in a way that she didn’t invite or want.”

One in four women is a victim of sexual assault over the course of their college career. But she also said that this is one of the most under-reported crimes. Reporting rates are low nationally because women fear loss of “social status, damage to their reputation, shame and confusion.”

Most sexual assault cases are not committed by a stranger but by someone who shares a “social space” a person who is known to the victim. She also mentioned in her article that most effort is geared towards response of what happens after the crime-not prevention, which is the key. If students were more aware of risky situations, preventing sexual assault might be easier.

One such situation, for example, is a Greek party where the ingredients in drinks and who gets them are controlled by the hosts of the party-the Greeks. Under the right circumstances that can be a recipe for disaster.

There is a movement on campus to involve male students and inform them about the issue of sexual assault, get them into discussions about the topic and encourage them to take the issue as their own.

In all fairness, it should be pointed out that this situation occurs on every college campus throughout the country, but apparently Dartmouth has a higher number of fraternities than most schools.

Aside from recognizing risky situations women should be made aware of self-defense products that can protect them in cases of sexual assault or any kind of assault. Self-defense products can give you valuable minutes of opportunity to escape a potentially dangerous situation and seek help by disabling an assailant.

A pepper spray that is on your keychain, for example, is with you wherever you go and can be a valuable tool in your first line of defense against sexual assault.

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