Fashionably adaptive
For those with disabilities, finding clothes that are stylish and meet their needs is getting easier
WBYK FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTKLMNO
HEalth&Science
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019. SECTION E EZ EEBY STEVEN PETROWEarly one Saturday, I headed to a
“sugar detox” seminar at my gym. I didn’t
expect it to be a hot ticket, but when I
opened the classroom door every seat
was taken.
One was filled by “Grandma Teresa,” as
she introduced herself, who had brought
along her two granddaughters, ages 11
and 13, because “sugar is really bad and I
want them to learn as much as they can
when they are still young.” The other
participants, all women from their 30s to
70s, said they wanted to curb their sugar
intake for a variety of reasons — to ease a
health struggle; to lose weight; or to
reduce their risk of diabetes, heart dis-
ease, cancer and dementia.
I was there on doctor’s orders. He had
SEE SUGAR DETOX ON E5BY AMY COWANIt’s Monday morning, and I’m the
attending physician starting a week of
inpatient hospital medicine. My patient
list includes a man who at age 91 has
outlived his siblings, his first and second
wives and all of his peers. After seven
decades of smoking, his lungs are failing;
he carries a diagnosis of “severe emphy-
sema.”
The sign-out note from the previous
doctor reads, “Daughter and son-in-law
from out of town, we met multiple times
last week to discuss goals of care.” As his
medical decision-makers, they’ve been
waffling about what to do for him. Last
week, they said, “Do everything,” then,
“Take a comfort approach,” only to wind
up back with, “Let’s get him strong
SEE DEATH ON E4
BY CHRISTINE LEHMANNWhile examining my rash, the nurse
practitioner asked whether I had had
chickenpox as a child — yes, I responded.
She called the doctor in to take a look.
“Shingles,” the doctor said.
Hearing this, my heart sank because I
knew this was a very painful nerve condi-
tion. She explained that the same varicel-
la-zoster virus that causes chickenpox
never completely leaves your body and
can reactivate years or decades later and
cause shingles.
SEE SHINGLES ON E4A doctor’s angst
over shutting o≠
life support
My painful ordeal with shingles
BY ANNIE GROERA
fter years of seeing her granddaughter in jeans that were too long and too loose, Karen
Bowersox searched hard for brands that would work for the girl and others with Down
syndrome. None existed. ¶ “There was nothing that fit them,” said Bowersox, of suburban
Cleveland. Convinced that “people with disabilities are a forgotten population in the
world,” Bowersox, an entrepreneur with “no clue” about the garment industry, spent four years
creating Downs Designs pants, “shaped and sized” for children and adults with Down syndrome. All
of the brand’s pull-on jeans, khakis and black slacks have an elastic waist, belt loops, shorter
proportioned legs and a mock fly to simplify dressing. The Downs line is part of her larger NBZ
Apparel International, which stands for No Buttons/Zipperless. SEE ADAPTIVE ON E6What to know
about detoxing
from sugar
I glanced down and saw a pink rash on
my upper left chest. At first, I thought it
was insect bites — I had been walking
outdoors more often once spring arrived.
A few days later, the rash looked like
small red pimples filled with liquid and
had started to itch. I sprayed the rash
with calamine, which felt soothing at
first. But a few hours later, I felt I was
being stung over and over again and I
knew something was wrong. I made an
appointment with my doctor for that
afternoon.INSIDE
Rare photo shows a humpback whale trapping a sea lion in its mouth. E2A 35-inch or larger waist in women can signal increased health risks. E3How to get rid of that tattoo you once loved and now regret. E3A researcher finds most kids don’t lose much learning in the summer. E4