Tinisha Hall Smith comes from a family of addicts. But unlike her relatives, Hall Smith doesn't abuse drugs and alcohol. Instead, she's overindulges in a substance many of us can appreciation: food.

The 32-year-old is one of the stars of 'Addicted to Food,' a docuseries which premiered last night on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Viewers who tuned in were introduced to eight eating disorder patients, including anorexia and bulimia sufferers, at treatment facility Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas. There they receive therapy that helps them to uncover the sources of their addictions and offers steps for them to conquer their weight issues and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

DeJuaii Pace, member of the gospel group The Anointed Pace Sisters and sister to gospel singer Lashun Pace, also stars on the show, where she discovers that her overeating was due to her hiding her sexual attraction to women. (Yep, she comes out to family members on the show, according to a recent interview she did with 'The Root.')

Hall Smith, who is married with two adult step-children, has struggled with her weight for most of her life. At 5'1 and weighing close to 300 pounds, Hall Smith thought she was going to die. She weighed 286 pounds at her heaviest and by the time she arrived at Shades last August, she got down to 265.

Hall Smith, who spent six weeks at Shades, shares her story with AOL Black Voices.

(As told to Aisha I. Jefferson)

Planning to schedule your annual checkup? Besides inquiring about your Pap test, there are other questions women of all ages should pose to their physician.

In continuation of Women's History Month, we sought the expertise of sex therapist Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean for diversity and minority affairs at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Maiysha Clairborne, a holistic medical doctor and founder of Mind Body Spirit Wellness Inc., to compile a list of 10 things every woman should ask their doctors.

If you've seen the Oscar-winning film 'Black Swan,' you know that the ballet world can be brutal. The movie may include exaggerations, but the message is clear: It's highly competitive, overwhelmingly white and the dancers are incredibly thin.

Yet with all of this, classical ballet dancer Misty Copeland of the American Ballet Theatre has managed to navigate this elite world and, in 2007, even etched out a spot as a soloist -- the first African-American female to do so. She was even the featured dancer on legendary singer Prince's Welcome 2 America tour this past year.

However, it's not Copeland's ethnicity that makes her unique; it's another "cultural" attribution that sets her apart: her voluptuous body. At 5'2 and 103 pounds, the petite, curvy ballerina doesn't feel pressure to represent for all African Americans but says it'd be nice to see more ballet dancers who looked like her.

As songbird Jennifer Hudson faces scrutiny over the 80 pounds she recently dropped, fellow Oscar-winning actress Mo'Nique isn't fazed by public opinion and plans to drop even more weight.

Two years after unveiling her new physique, Mo'Nique is still a stunner. She initially dropped 45 pounds, down from 262 to 217, and currently fluctuates between 211 and 206. While her progress is pretty impressive, the late-night talk show diva has another goal in mind.

"I want to get to 180. That's an amazing weight for me. I'm still a thick girl but it's a healthy weight," Mo'Nique, 43, says, explaining that she'd never seen that weight when she stepped on the scale. "I went from being a child to a woman. I remember being weighed in the tenth grade and I was 190."

March is Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month, which may have gone unnoticed if not for news of tennis star Serena Williams' recovery from a pulmonary embolism she had last week.

Want to lose weight and keep it off? Try being integral with yourself. Yep, good ol'-fashioned self-honesty can really do what millions of fad diets won't.

But be warned - "That'll get the first 10 pounds off," yet it's not the end of the road, explains evangelist and gospel singer Juanita Bynum. She says that most dieters fail because they don't keep their word to themselves.

"You can't sit back and say 'I'm going to be a great dancer' and you're on the couch eating doughnuts every day, because you're lying to yourself," says Bynum, 52, adding that you have to press on and meet the goal. And she ought to know.

Since rumors erupted last week surrounding actress Tisha Campbell-Martin's health status and her living with the respiratory illness sarcoidosis, more people are curious about this baffling disease. In fact, it's the same disorder that contributed to the death of comedian Bernie Mac in August 2008.

Sarcoidosis is often referred to as a medical mystery because its cause is unknown and there is no known cure or preventative strategy. It's a potentially fatal inflammatory disease that can appear in almost any organ in the body. Although the lungs are affected in more than 90 percent of patients, the disease often attacks the heart, eyes, central nervous system, liver and kidneys, according to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research.

"The main way [to prevent it] is to follow up carefully with your doctor and to select one that has experience and interest in sarcoidosis, especially if the disease is complicated, severe, or prolonged," says Dr. Dan Culver, a staff physician at the Respiratory Institute and a member of the Department of Pathobiology at the renowned Cleveland Clinic. Culver has made significant research contributions in the study of sarcoidosis.

Although sarcoidosis affects men and women of all races, data suggests black women are most frequently and most severely affected, reports the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research. Even with this understanding, few epidemiologic studies have focused on black women.

Tondalah Day Stroud, a 37-year-old married mother of one who has been living with sarcoidosis since 2000, shares her story.

As evident from her Sunday appearance on the popular Bravo late night talk show 'Watch What Happens: Live,' actress Regina King definitely has it going on.

A great physique. A chic pixie 'do. Glowing skin. A thriving Hollywood career.

Yep, to look at the 'Southland' star - who turns 40 on Saturday - you'd never guess that she is combating two health conditions that are thorns in the side of many African Americans: high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

When it comes to keeping New Year's fitness resolutions, you've tried it all to no avail. Gym memberships. The latest diet craze. Support groups.

But have you tried God? Yes, God.

Despite the dark cloud of fear that the HIV virus has cast, there have been some breakthroughs that are causing many to cheer. Here, the five most positive facts to help us believe that one day the world just might become HIV/AIDS free:

#1 Infection rates are down
Since peaking in the mid-1980s, the number of Americans infected with HIV has dropped from 130,000 per year to an estimated 56,300 – still a considerably high number. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the decline is due to prevention efforts taken including long-awaited research advances, record-high HIV testing rates in the United States and a bold new national HIV/AIDS strategy to reduce the burden of the disease.