Lifestyle

Strength and Vulnerability: Majd Zaher’s New Novel Looks Beyond the Veneer of Lebanese Society

Published

3 years ago

June 21, 2021

Your first book ‘Borderline Love in Beirut’ explores some challenging topics and complex characters. Can you explain the inspiration behind the story?

Growing up in a conservative family brought many challenges to my life. There was always something missing in every moment I spent living. There was a part of me that I wanted to discover and unleash yet I was afraid of judgments and backlash. Hence, I grew up as the loneliest kid in town as I had no friends and always found myself the weakest individual wherever I was. Moving out from my family’s house and starting an independent life was an eye-opening experience and the main motive that made me talk and write. I wanted this novel to be a celebration for everyone who doubted his own potential, who thought that other’s opinion would be able to dim his or her own light, and on a personal level I wanted to prove to all those who had ever bullied me that I was able to find success and peace after all.

One of the themes you deal with is marginalization and marginalized groups. Why did you decide to address this topic?

Writing has always been a way to pave the road towards a better world and an escape from the prisons we might be existing in. Talking about marginalized groups is based on my stance that everyone has the right to exist if they are not hurting or killing anyone else; and no one has the right to decide who is eligible to enjoy life and who is not. Unfortunately, in Lebanon, we have no laws to protect vulnerable or marginalized groups. These groups include immigrants, domestic labors, queer people, or any other category. In Borderline Love in Beirut, I was no longer Majd, I ascended to Joy and Adam’s soul to show the world how difficult living life becomes when no one likes you, when everyone avoids you, and when everyone judges you for what you look like and not for the real person you are. In Lebanon, we have laws that penalize love that does not protect women from harassment. In Lebanon, our system does not give any attention to the importance of mental health and does not help marginalized groups to engage in society.

What is the role of mental health in ‘Borderline Love’, and what are some lessons about dealing with or treating mental health issues from the story?

In Borderline Love in Beirut mental health is the crux of the story. I will not be able to say how this Borderline case will evolve yet I could tell you how it all started. Joy and Adam were the victims of a society that has never been able to embrace them the way they are. Experiencing death, upbringing challenges, and health concerns, Joy and Adam grew to become victims each in their own way. The takeaway is that offering mental health care and support for people who undergo a certain trauma, and even those who did not, is something critical. We can no longer sit still when almost every hour a Lebanese citizen ends his or her life. We cannot sit still when people still think seeking mental health care are mad. We should learn that the strongest of us can sometimes be the weakest and most vulnerable.

Is ‘Borderline’ a cautionary tale? Or is it intended as a reflection of another kind?

I see in Borderline Love in Beirut as many tales narrated at once. This novel carries in its pages a cautionary and reflective approach. At many parts of the story when I discussed Joys struggles with loneliness, self-hate and first love I was narrating many past incidents. However, in other pages, I detached myself from this reality and decide to go the extra mile and tell others how destructive it would be for anyone to fall in love before loving himself or herself, or how painful does it become when you don’t praise your uniqueness, or you don’t embrace yourself before listening to people’s judgments.

The book is set in contemporary Beirut and focuses primarily on young characters. How do you perceive your own society in Lebanon in terms of some of these issues, including marginalized groups and mental health issues? What would you hope for the future of Lebanon in terms of societal relations and acceptance?

In Lebanon, the lifestyle is not bearable anymore but I’m still hopeful of what is coming next because I believe one day my people will wake up to realize that coexisting and accepting the other is the only way to guarantee long-lasting peace and prosperity. It is difficult to find words to describe Lebanese society, but I will say that it is strange and paradoxical. For example, if you go to certain areas in Beirut, you’ll see people of different backgrounds enjoying their lives without the essence of discrimination and stigma. However, if you would leave the city for a less than five-minute drive, you will see the opposite. My wish and sincere hope for the future is to have a safe place for all people to live in Lebanon. To have laws that do guarantee the rights of the weak, and more laws to ensure gender equality. I do hope as well more effort will be done to abolish the rules that penalize love and strengthen the rifts in society.

The past year has been incredibly hard for Lebanon, and the world. What do you hope to impart, through ‘Borderline Love’ to young Lebanese who might have struggled through the August 4th explosion, COVID, and other major obstacles?

My message here is for those who have struggled and continue to struggle, for those who have lost and learned, for those who are still seeking to find a path to a safe shore, to all dreamers and seekers, to all lovers, to parents and youth. I want to tell them all that fighting can be exhausting but the end results will be rewarding. Let them all know that we will not rest, nor will we accept living in a place where our brothers and sisters are being killed. Not when the weak are always abused, and when all we want to do is love yet obstacles are placed in our way. Let them all know that we shall rise, and we will rise stronger than ever because after each storm there is always hope. Borderline Love in Beirut is the utmost manifestation of this idea.

Lifestyle

The Role of Medicine in Achieving and Sustaining a Healthy Body Mass

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

The CDC’s latest numbers classify approximately 42 percent of Americans as obese, and over two-thirds of American adults qualify as either obese or overweight. Living with excess weight heightens people’s risk for debilitating and chronic but otherwise preventable conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

With new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on the rise, many are wondering if these medications live up to their hype and can even help end the obesity epidemic. Sergio Padron, founder and CEO of online healthcare and weight-loss support company MD Exam, believes they can — up to a point.

“It’s important to approach these medications with a thorough understanding of what they can and can’t do,” Padron says. “Magic pills for weight loss don’t exist.”

The importance of achieving a healthy body mass

According to Padron, achieving and sustaining a healthy body mass is key to good health. To obtain your body mass index (BMI), online calculators like this one from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ask for your height and weight, run them through the standard formula, and generate your score. The last step is to find this number in the standardized ranges considered underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.

“Many healthcare professionals use the body mass index (BMI) for a quick approximation of most people’s health,” he explains. “All you need is the patient’s weight and height, and you can calculate this number.”

There are exceptions, however. “In particular, bodybuilders and other athletes can generate results that make it seem like they aren’t healthy, when in fact they’re in excellent condition,” Padron explains. “That’s because BMI doesn’t consider muscle mass, and muscle is more dense than fat. In addition, BMI doesn’t account for visceral fat being more dangerous than fat deposits elsewhere in the body.”

That’s why Padron cautions people not to make snap judgments based on BMI alone and to seek a more comprehensive view from healthcare professionals. “Factors like body composition, blood markers, and lifestyle need to be considered,” he explains, “which is one of the many reasons why we only offer individualized care at MD Exam.”

If your BMI falls in the overweight or obese categories, then it’s time to make a change. “Unfortunately, excess body weight means you could be developing major health problems that you otherwise wouldn’t,” Padron says. “Being overweight has also been associated with depression. In my experience, it can have a negative impact on self-esteem and even lead to the development of eating disorders.”

Luckily, groundbreaking new drugs have become available to help people recover their quality of life.

How Ozempic and Wegovy can help

According to Padron, pharmaceutical solutions like Ozempic and Wegovy can help most people achieve and sustain a healthy body mass. These medications reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness, thereby enabling people to regulate their consumption better.

“One of the most important things our patients report is that they’re no longer tormented by cravings,” Padron says. “They find it easier to avoid overeating in the first place.”

In addition, Ozempic and Wegovy have been shown to decrease visceral fat — the dangerous kind of fat deposits. “The idea is to optimize health and well-being, not just lose weight,” Padron says. “We want to make sure you lose the right pounds. When you lose visceral fat and keep muscle, you are heading in the right direction and your body composition improves.”

In some rare cases, however, Ozempic and Wegovy aren’t effective. “Luckily, other interventions can be effective in those cases, such as Tirzepatide or classic weight-loss drugs,” Padron says.

Yet Padron emphasizes that weight-loss drugs alone are insufficient to achieve and sustain a healthy body mass.

Personalized, comprehensive support

“Just taking a pill won’t make pounds disappear,” Padron says. “To lose weight, it’s necessary to get real about your lifestyle and actually change your habits. If you haven’t been exercising, for instance, then it’s time to start getting up a little earlier and going for a morning walk. If you haven’t been eating well, then it’s time to stop buying soda and junk food.”

Easier said than done? “We know it’s hard,” Padron says. “That’s why our program takes support seriously. Our medical staff works with patients one-on-one to develop treatment plans that will work for them. We also provide coaching and connect patients to each other for mutual support and accountability. MD Exam is a community. People make friends for life on our platform.”

Lose weight, feel great

Obtaining a healthy body mass often leads to increased energy levels, improved mobility, and reduced joint pain. It can also help control chronic conditions like high blood pressure and sleep apnea, as well as forestall the development of preventable diseases. If that isn’t already enough, it can also boost patients’ self-confidence and mental health.

“Our patients experience an incredible feeling of accomplishment and empowerment,” Padron says. “Losing weight can be truly transformative. I can’t tell you how many people have told me their whole outlook on life has become more positive.”

For Padron, helping people lose weight is its own reward. “I love watching people shed their depression and come back to life,” he says. “This is the most rewarding work I can imagine.”