For many, dramatic weight loss is a reason to celebrate but for Indiana based social media influencer Lexi Reed, it was a painful and near-death transition- one that included a bittersweet consequence. After shedding an incredible 312 pounds, she began battling a rare and disfiguring skin disease called calciphylaxis, a condition that almost took her life. And now, as she keeps writing about her weight loss struggle and fight for health, she hopes that she will motivate others with her strength and sheer willpower.

Lexi Reed's path to improved health started in 2016 when a friend dared her to do a 30-day lifestyle overhaul. She was 485 pounds (219 kg) at the time, had trouble squeezing into public seating, and was relegated to being left out of normal activities because of her weight. She candidly discussed her obesity issues—how junk food binges became her go-to coping mechanism and how it was almost impossible to shop for clothes in her size.

Deciding to transform her life, Reed began a fitness and health journey, taking small but effective steps. She traded fast food for home cooking, adopted an active lifestyle, and slowly began to lose weight. In eight years, she lost two-thirds of her body weight, a milestone that had millions of people following her story on social media.

Fighting a Rare Skin Disease

Although Reed's weight loss was a phenomenal accomplishment, her process took a dramatic and agonizing turn when she was diagnosed with calciphylaxis in April 2022. Calciphylaxis is a severe and uncommon condition in which calcium accumulates in the small blood vessels of the skin and fat tissue, causing painful ulcers, blood clots, and an extremely high risk of infection.

Reed suffered horribly, explaining that her skin went black and ulcerated, leaving her with 30 open sores. The disease has a high death rate, with close to 80% of the patients not surviving. Although she did not know what caused it, physicians suspected that it might have been caused by the dialysis she underwent for her kidneys failing.

At the height of her fight against calciphylaxis, Reed's quality of life significantly worsened. She was dependent on sodium bisulfate infusions for 59 weeks and had intensive wound care. The pain was so bad that she could not move, eat, and even do the simplest of daily activities.

There were days when I didn't know if I was going to wake up the next morning because I hurt so much," Reed said in an interview. She also had trouble with medical professionals minimizing her pain, making her feel unheard and alone.

But even through the pain and uncertainty, she never lost hope. In August 2023, after a year of intensive treatment, Reed went into remission. The wounds healed over, the threat of infection abated, and she regained her independence slowly.

"Glory be, I'm on the other side & my life is back. I'm thankful I can do for myself, cook for myself, dress for myself, appreciate life outdoors instead of seeing from a window, & that I no longer live my days in tears because pain is debilitating," she wrote on an emotional Instagram post.

Taking Care of Side Effects of Extreme Weight Loss

Although Reed beat calciphylaxis, excess skin was another physical obstacle she had to face—excess skin. Severe weight loss tends to leave behind loose, hanging skin, which can be painful and limit mobility. The skin loses elasticity with long-term weight gain so that it is unable to contract after weight loss.

Reed has been very public about the challenges of having too much skin and how it impacts her life. Although she loves her body, she also knows it is a challenge. In certain situations, body contouring surgery is available to those who have too much loose skin, but for most, it is still a medical or financial issue.

For others having the same issue, experts suggest strength training for better skin tone, proper hydration, and skincare products that benefit the skin for elasticity. The best way to address post-weight loss skin problems can be identified by consulting a healthcare provider.

Lexi Reed's tale is not merely one of weight loss or surviving a rare illness—it's one of resilience, hope, and self-acceptance. She still documents her journey on Instagram (@fatgirlfedup), where she has more than a million followers. In unapologetic posts and videos, she reminds everyone to treat their bodies kindly, regardless of shape, size, or health issues.

Even with fear creeping into some days, I still keep appearing & won't live in fear or squander any good days. I loved me enough to fight for me—just like I fought calciphylaxis," she wrote.

Her transparency regarding weight regain, setbacks, and mental health has struck a chord with many. She realizes that the journey is not always linear and setbacks are unavoidable. However, she is dedicated to her health, striving for balance and self-acceptance.

Why Listening to Your Body is Important?

One of the most significant things Reed teaches is to listen to your body. She does this by practicing self-care, eating well, and not ignoring pain or warning signs. Her current diet centers around high-protein foods, such as salmon, turkey burgers, asparagus, and broccoli—feeding her body and rebuilding strength.

Although weight loss has its benefits, it also entails physical and psychological challenges. Developing the ability to cope with these challenges patiently and with kindness toward oneself is a recipe for successful long-term well-being.

What is Calciphylaxis?

Calciphylaxis is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition in which calcium deposits in small blood vessels in fat and skin tissues, causing serious complications. Calciphylaxis results in painful skin ulcers, blood clots, and severe infections that can lead to organ failure or death. Although calciphylaxis is most frequently observed in patients with kidney failure who are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant, it may also develop in individuals without kidney disease.

Symptoms are huge purple net-like marks on the skin, aching swellings that become open sores covered by black-brown crusts, and wounds that don't heal, risking life-threatening infections. The cause is unknown but studies indicate that abnormalities in blood-clotting factors could play a role in its formation. Because of its severity, early diagnosis and vigorous treatment are important in controlling symptoms and avoiding complications.

As we today observe the World Dance Day, let us look at what dancing can help us with. Of course, the physical benefits are there. When you move your body, do any sort of physical activities, you are working out in some form and it helps you stay fit. Like everyone have their fitness regime, your dance routine can also help you stay fit. In fact there are certain fitness regime, including Zumba that keeps you fit through dance.

However, the benefits go much beyond just physical fitness, dancing can actually help you live a stress free life.

TikTok Dances For Mental Health

In one of the latest trends in TikTok, people are bringing back pangs of nostalgia to the internet with their 90s dance on rapper Doechii's song 'Anxiety' from the "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air".

Why is this trend important? With big names also jumping in and dancing to the rhythms, including Wil Smith and Tatyana Ali, experts say that this is helping ordinary people normalize anxiety.

Certain anxiety disorders are marked by persistent, or excessive worry. It could be fear about situations. As per the Mayo Clinic, these moments of anxiety can include panic attacks and sudden episodes of intense fear or discomfort

Research suggest that creative activities, including dancing can help relieve this stress. Dancing also engages multiple areas of the brain and demands full attention, which can then shift the focus from anxiety feelings. Supporting this idea, a 2021 study from UCLA Health found that conscious dance led to mental health improvements in a large majority of participants, particularly those dealing with anxiety, depression, or a history of trauma.

Dancing: A Complete Stress Buster

Dance involves full-body movement and coordination. This kind of physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins—natural chemicals in the brain that act as mood boosters and stress relievers. During a panic attack, when anxiety can feel overwhelming, these endorphins help calm the body and mind.

Engaging in dance also activates deep breathing patterns, especially in structured styles like Indian classical dance. This is important because panic attacks often lead to rapid, shallow breathing or hyperventilation. The breath control involved in dancing can help slow things down and regulate the body’s response.

In addition, dance improves body awareness. When someone is in the middle of a panic attack, they often feel disconnected or dissociated from reality. Focusing on movement—on the placement of your arms, the rhythm of your steps, the tension in your muscles—can bring attention back to the present. This grounding effect helps reduce the intensity of the attack and prevents it from escalating.

Dance as a Distraction and a Mindfulness Tool

Experts explain that one reason dance can be so effective is because it serves as a powerful distraction. Instead of spiraling into anxious thoughts, the brain is forced to concentrate on movement, rhythm, and coordination. This temporary shift in focus can prevent panic from taking over.

Dance also builds mindfulness, a practice often recommended in therapy. Whether it's through a slow classical routine or a high-energy freestyle session, dance requires attention to the now. The combination of mental focus and physical release gives the body a chance to reset and relax.

Last year in June, when a woman collapsed on an escalator at Buffalo's airport, and Phil Clough, who is an experienced emergency medical responder knew exactly what to do. He and a bystander, as the Washington Post reported, quickly laid the woman flat on her back. They checked her pulse and breath. Her pulse was faint and her breathing was shallow and erratic. A few moments later, she stopped breathing altogether.

Realizing she might be experiencing a cardiac arrest, Clough immediately began performing chest compressions. He pressed hard and fast on the center of her chest while other bystanders called 911 and fetched an automated external defibrillator (AED). Within seconds of receiving a shock from the AED, the woman opened her eyes. By the time the airport rescue team arrived, just minutes later, she was conscious and able to speak.

Clough’s quick actions saved the woman’s life, but he credits his preparedness to a life-changing incident several years earlier. After witnessing a woman collapse at his gym and feeling helpless, he took a college course to become certified as an emergency medical responder. This training allowed him to respond with confidence when faced with a life-or-death situation.

The Challenge of Cardiac Arrest

The woman in Buffalo was fortunate that bystanders knew how to respond. Unfortunately, most people who experience cardiac arrest do not receive immediate help.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the U.S. annually. Tragically, 90% of these individuals do not survive, often because help arrives too late. For each minute that passes without intervention, a person’s chances of survival decrease by 10%. However, with prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an AED shock if necessary, survival rates can double or even triple.

Despite the importance of swift intervention, fewer than half of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting receive immediate assistance. This lack of action is often due to a lack of training and preparedness. Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, but with public access to AEDs and trained bystanders, survival rates could improve dramatically.

The Role of AEDs in Saving Lives

A crucial part of treating cardiac arrest is the use of an AED, a portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart. The AED analyzes the heart’s rhythm and guides the user through the steps to apply a shock if needed. Although many states require AEDs to be available in public places such as airports and malls, they are not always easy to find. A study spanning 2019 to 2022 revealed that in public settings, AEDs were used only 7% of the time, and CPR was performed 42% of the time after a cardiac arrest incident.

To address this issue, PulsePoint, a nonprofit organization, has registered 185,000 AEDs in 5,400 U.S. communities, reports the Washington Post. The group’s goal is to help communities build their AED registries and integrate them with local 911 services. In addition, PulsePoint’s mobile app alerts trained CPR responders about nearby cardiac arrests and identifies the closest AEDs, enhancing the chances of saving a life.

Overcoming Barriers to Bystander Intervention

While CPR and AED knowledge can save lives, many people hesitate to intervene during an emergency due to fear of making a mistake, lacking confidence, or worrying about legal liability. However, all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect individuals from legal consequences when they provide help in a medical emergency.

Lack of CPR training is another significant barrier. A study found that only 18% of people had received CPR training within the last two years, which is crucial for skill retention. Although many people have received CPR training at some point in their lives, the skills may be outdated or forgotten.

To address this, some states have made CPR training mandatory for high school graduation, and countries like Denmark and Norway have implemented similar requirements. In the U.S., CPR courses are widely available online and in-person, and many take just a few hours to complete. These courses teach individuals the basics of CPR, which involves performing chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and a depth of at least two inches.

You may have heard people say that they are allergic to things, whether it is gluten, soy or peanuts. These people avoid these items, even going as far as not dining in certain places where there is a possibility of cross contamination.

While it may seem like an overreaction, allergy symptoms can range from just a few rashes to cause of death. There are many people who did not and still do not take allergies seriously. As one of the most common allergies, many people who have close ones with peanut allergy, many places have opened “nut-free” zones including schools, offices and many public spaces.

While there is no cure for allergies, a new clinical trial results show that exposure therapy with peanut allergies has proven successful.

Why Do We Need Exposure Therapy?

The research team reported in the journal Allergy, April 2025, that a significant majority of the participants, more than two out of every three (67%), were able to eat at least five peanuts without triggering an allergic reaction after undergoing the treatment. This marks a positive step forward in managing this common and often severe allergy.

Seeing as expansive as the risk associated with allergies is, researchers have continued working towards proper cures and treatments. While there are precautions like avoiding the allergens, reducing exposure, when a person with a sever, allergy is exposed to the allergens, the chances of them going into anaphylaxis is a lot, so many people care EpiPens or epinephrine shot that can counter allergic reactions for a while.

How Does Exposure Therapy Work For Peanut Allergies?

The way exposure therapy works is pretty simple but needs to be done carefully. People who are allergic to peanuts are given very, very small amounts of peanut protein every day. Over time, the amount is slowly increased. It's like gently introducing the body to the thing it's allergic to, little by little. This helps the body learn that peanuts aren't actually a threat, and it starts to react less strongly. It's a gradual process, but the goal is to build up a person's ability to handle peanuts without having a dangerous allergic reaction.

In this study, 21 adults who were allergic to peanuts took part. Every day, they ate a small amount of peanut flour mixed in with their food. The goal was for them to be able to eat a small amount of peanut flour every day for at least a month without any problems. After that, they were tested to see how much peanut they could eat. The researchers were very happy with how well the treatment worked, saying that the results were similar to what they've seen in studies with kids.

The study showed some really impressive results in how much more peanut the participants could handle after the treatment. The researchers mentioned that on average, the amount of peanut they could eat without a reaction went up by a hundred times!

Why Are Researches Like This Important?

What makes this study really important is that it's the first-time scientists have specifically looked at how well exposure therapy works for adults with peanut allergies. Usually, this kind of treatment is done with kids because their bodies are still growing and changing. However, this new research shows that even adults, whose bodies are already fully grown, can still become less allergic to peanuts with this type of treatment. This opens up a whole new possibility for adults who have lived with this allergy for many years and haven't had many treatment options before. Many said that the treatment was "life-changing" and they no longer lived in constant fear of their allergy.