The News Not Noise Letter: Amy Schumer “Be Relentless When Fighting for Your Health.”
The outspoken comedian on her diagnosis and the internet; plus Dr. Elizabeth Comen on the history of women’s “decorative” bodies.
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Many of you know about News Not Noise because of Amy Schumer. In our early days, she announced her pregnancy on my Instagram and it put News Not Noise on the map. She supports other women, even when she has every reason to focus on herself.
Like many of you I was horrified by the way some people attacked her appearance after an interview about her Hulu show Life and Beth on The Tonight Show earlier this month. She later posted on Instagram saying “There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay.”
The trolling was cruel, gratuitous and misogynist. No one should have to defend themselves for living in a body that doesn’t meet someone else’s aesthetic preferences. Later in this newsletter we share thoughts from Dr. Elizabeth Comen, author of “All in Her Head,” on the long history of body-shaming women for the changes we experience as a result of medical issues. Amy also cites the book when talking about her condition.
I reached out to Amy after the haters came for her. She shared that she has exogenous Cushing syndrome, brought on by getting steroid injections in high doses. The symptoms are:
Round, red, full face (moon face)
Weight gain
Thin skin with easy bruising
Backache, which occurs with routine activities
Collection of fat between the shoulders and above the collar bone
Anxiety
Headache
To anyone speculating, no she is not pregnant. In fact, she’s about to film a movie, which happens to be called Kinda Pregnant. Her TL;DR: “Last time I announced with you that I was pregnant. This time I’m announcing with you that I’m not pregnant.” We asked Amy a few more questions about her diagnosis and how she’s doing.
Jessica Yellin: For your fans who care about you, how are you feeling physically?
Amy Schumer: I feel reborn. There are a few types of Cushing. Some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands. While I was doing press on camera for my Hulu show, I was also in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up. So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I'm healthy was the greatest news imaginable. It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family. Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in. But thank God for that. Because that's how I realized something was wrong. Just like when I realized I had named my son something that didn't sound so good. The internet is undefeated, as they say.
JY: This is your personal medical information. The public doesn’t have a right to know it and you don’t have an obligation to share it. Why are you sharing this information now and what are you hoping people take from it?
AS: Well, I thought it would be some informative news that would maybe get some headlines and drive traffic to your page, and I find you to be my favorite credible news source for many years. Your News Not Noise model has helped me personally navigate these harrowing times we are living through. I also wanted to advocate for women's health. The shaming and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have dealt with and witnessed for a long time. I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn't believe them. Dr. Comen's book “All in Her Head” is really masterful in showing examples of that. I want women to know it's abnormal to have extremely painful periods and to find someone with experience in diagnosing and operating for endometriosis. My doctor and surgeon is Dr. Seckin here in New York and surgery with him changed my life. I want women vomiting horribly into their second and third trimester [to know they] may have hyperemesis gravidarum like I had. I want women to value feeling strong, healthy and comfortable in their own skin. I am extremely privileged to have the resources I have for my health and I know it's not that way for most people. I am grateful and want to use my voice to continue to fight for women.
JY: Other than this, how’s it going?
AS: The only other thing I'd like to add is that this is a good example of the fact that we never know what is going on with someone. Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves.
Amen to that. And props to Amy. Living with illness is tough – especially when you’re in the spotlight and under endless scrutiny. Talking about it and breaking the stigma can help others reach the care they need. Also, it’s not lost on me that Amy is using this moment to highlight News Not Noise and “All in Her Head.” I’m grateful and will pay this forward by continuing to spotlight other talented women experts.
Please keep reading for Dr. Comen’s comments on the scrutiny Amy faced and for more information about Cushing syndrome.
Stressed out? I have a tip: I’ve been more than a little stressed out lately and I know I’m not alone. Lately I’ve found that journaling – for even 5 minutes in the middle of the day – helps me recenter and find my calm. I’ve started using Day One Journal to just unload my thoughts on the page. It has tons of features, and one that I really love – writing prompts. When the ideas aren’t flowing, Day One’s prompts give me a push of inspiration to get started. It also comes with dozens of preloaded templates – and the option to create your own – so you can track your health and mood, jot down moments that inspire gratitude, and even have a guide for making big decisions. For the security-conscious – they have end-to-end encryption so I know my journal entries are safe.
Want to try this out with me? Day One Journal is offering us an exclusive two-month free pass to use their Premium journal. Want to try Day One Journal? You can go to https://dayoneapp.com/newsnotnoise and use code newsnotnoise to get a limited-time offer of a two-month free trial with Day One Journal Premium.
Context: Women’s Health, Stigma, and the “Decorative” Body
We asked Dr. Elizabeth Comen, MD, author of “All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us about Women’s Bodies and Why It Matters Today,” if the scrutiny Amy experienced tracks with the history of shaming women for their medical conditions. Here’s what she said:
We have a long and terrible history in society and medicine alike of treating women as decorative — as if the main purpose of a woman is to be pleasing to the eye. And yes, this leads to both intense scrutiny of women’s appearances, and to the stigmatization of women who are visibly ill, because the thing about being sick is that it’s not pretty, and if it’s not pretty, the message is, we don’t want to see it. Put it away. In the early 20th century, women were institutionalized not because they were crazy but because they behaved in ways that men found inconvenient, obtrusive, unladylike — and while we don’t do that anymore, thank god, this impulse to make unwell women go away is absolutely still with us. And when I say “us,” that includes women: we have internalized it, too. I’ve had women apologize to me for their “disgusting” mastectomy scars. I’ve had a patient literally, on her deathbed, apologize to me for sweating.
We will be doing an Instagram Live with Dr. Comen at 5:15 pm EST TODAY, February 23. You can watch the conversation @jessicayellin or @drelizabethcomen on Instagram. And if you miss it live, look for it on our Instagram grids.
Context: Cushing – Your Body on Cortisol
What is Cushing syndrome?
Cushing syndrome is a “non-life threatening and reversible condition” in which your body has too much of the stress hormone cortisol, according to Dr. Caroline Messer, endocrinologist & founder of Well by Messer. Sometimes this is caused by excess exposure to cortisol through corticosteroid treatment and sometimes it’s caused by a tumor stimulating the body to produce too much cortisol. Cushing syndrome affects 3 times as many women as men.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol, the stress hormone, affects processes all throughout the body. Its main role is in regulating your stress response. Once something has triggered your nervous system to enter “fight or flight” mode, high levels of cortisol keep you primed and ready to respond to the stressor. Cortisol has other effects too – it impacts your metabolism and it suppresses inflammation, which is why it’s often prescribed to treat inflammatory conditions. But when exposed to high levels of cortisol for too long, the body reacts negatively.
Cushing syndrome is treated differently depending on its cause. Doctors can remove tumors that cause Cushing, and patients taking steroid medications can stop those treatments. “If the patient is taking cortisol-containing medication on a long-term basis, he or she should consider monitoring blood pressure, blood sugars and bone density,” Dr. Messer said. Once excessive cortisol exposure stops, the body will recover – though sometimes other treatments are needed.
For more resources on Cushing syndrome, check out Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic.
We’ll be back Monday with the headlines. For anyone who’s new here and wants to get a sense of our work, here’s our most recent newsletter.
And for longtime readers, I think this counts as a News That Doesn’t Suck newsletter. Yes, it sucks to be sick and it sucks to be the target of internet vitriol. But it doesn’t suck to stand up against the stigma women face for our bodies and health, to advocate for good medical care and to embrace the skin you’re in.
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Thank you Jessica, and thank you Amy - neither of you probably hear it nearly enough. Amy, to be overloaded with cortisol ALL THE TIME, I feel for you Sister! Also - way to keep showing love despite all the dumbass haters out there. I have such admiration for both of you and the work you do. Keep it up!
Learned a great deal here. Thank you for your work, Jessica, and thank you Amy for your bravery, consistency and candor. You're both pillars for us. May we all stay aware, keep resting, continue healing and supporting each other.