Tag Archives: Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many facets of our lives

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many facets of our lives for eight months. Moreover, many parents are suffering from their children’s mental well-being. For most learners, zoom or hybrid education is the only alternative right now. Mental health professionals agree that paying attention to your child is more critical than ever because of students’ tremendous burden.

Most students think about the future and feel nervous, afraid, and even depressed. Experts believe this is because many students no longer have the sense of order and excitement that school offers.

Reference
COVID-19’s impact on property tax assessments – REJournals. https://rejournals.com/covid-19s-impact-on-property-tax-assessments/
How families can help their students as pandemic, hybrid learning takes its toll on mental health. https://wgntv.com/news/coronavirus/how-families-can-help-their-students-as-pandemic-hybrid-learning-takes-its-toll-on-mental-health/

The 15Minutes4Me test has blown through to TikTok,

The 15Minutes4Me test has blown through to TikTok, with more than 6.4 million views on writing on the #15minutes4me hashtag alone. The 15-minute online survey is situated around an assessment questionnaire. It helps people determine their current mental state to figure out an effective treatment protocol and offer strategies and solutions for dealing with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. If somebody so decides, they can sign up for the next step: A month-by-month daily sessions program made to be a “therapeutic self-help program.”

The widespread usage of this online self-help program among teens begs the question, though: How helpful can a viral test be? We spoke to many mental health professionals to learn.

“With a lot of young adults utilizing the TikTok app, there has been room for so much more candid conversations surrounding the topic of mental health,” said Kristin Wilson, LPC, vice president of clinical outreach at Newport Academy, a healing center for adolescents struggling with mental health issues. “These discussions can help teens believe that they’re not alone within their struggles and produce an online community of support.”

Reference
TikTokers are turning mental health into a trend — but is …. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tiktokers-turning-mental-health-trend-142105404.html

Desperate to find a seemingly responsible way to host dinner parties, certain people have begun to get coronavirus tests

Desperate to find a seemingly responsible way to host dinner parties, certain people have begun to get coronavirus tests as a way to clear themselves up for dinner parties without having to wear masks or keep their distance.

Ferrer said on Monday that she had learned of groups of young adults going to get screened for coronavirus on Thursday to get negative results by Saturday morning, and then holding a dinner party on Saturday night. Such checks offer a false sense of security—and participating in this activity will also lead to a dinner party being a super-spreading occurrence that will widely disperse the extremely infectious virus.

Reference:

‘False sense of security’: L.A. County officials urge residents not to get tested for coronavirus just to socialize.https://ktla.com/news/local-news/false-sense-of-security-l-a-county-officials-urge-residents-not-to-get-tested-for-coronavirus-just-to-socialize/

Individuals who have survived infections with COVID-19 are at increased risk of contracting the psychiatric disease

New evidence indicates that individuals who have survived infections with COVID-19 are at increased risk of contracting the psychiatric disease. These results reported in The Lancet Psychiatry Journal suggest that 18 percent of COVID-19 patients are hospitalized with psychological symptoms of anxiety, depression, or insomnia within ninety days of diagnosis.

Researchers studied data from around 69 million individuals, 62,354 of whom were COVID-19 patients, to see whether they were at a greater risk of psychiatric diagnosis after infection than people with other health problems. The findings indicate that people with COVID-19 have more post-illness diagnosis with depressive disorder, insomnia, and even dementia than those with influenza or other respiratory illnesses related to COVID-19.

Anxiety symptoms are the most prevalent condition after illness, with dementia arising only in individuals older than 65 years of age.

Reference
1 in 5 coronavirus patients develop mental illness within 90 days.https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/525421-one-in-five-coronavirus-patients-develop-mental-illness

Fluvoxamine antidepressant avoids the deterioration of COVID-19 infections

In a clinical trial performed by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, fluvoxamine was associated with a placebo in 152 adult outpatients afflicted with coronavirus. They are hoping to start a more significant trial in the next few weeks.

After 15 days, none of the 80 subjects who got fluvoxamine were critically ill, although six patients who received the placebo did. Of the six, four were hospitalized for periods ranging from four to 21 days. All of them were on the ventilator for ten days.

Although the sample size was limited, the researchers say the findings are statistically significant and that fluvoxamine merits further study as a COVID-19 therapy. They are hoping to start a more significant trial in the next few weeks.

“Patients who take fluvoxamine did not experience severe respiratory issues or need hospitalization for complications with lung function,” said Eric J. Lenze, MD, of the Washington University School of Medicine. “Most of the investigational therapies for COVID-19 have been focused on very ill patients, but it is often necessary to identify treatments that keep patients from being sick enough to need extra oxygen or to have to go to the hospital. Our analysis shows that fluvoxamine can help fill that niche.”

Reference

Antidepressant may prevent severe COVID-19, U.Va. research finds. https://wtop.com/virginia/2020/11/antidepressant-may-prevent-severe-covid-19-u-va-research-finds/

How are the various styles of masks working?

How are the various styles of masks working?
Surgical Mask
Often known as a medical mask, a surgical mask is a loose-fitting disposable mask that covers the nose and mouth of the wearer from contact with droplets, splashes, and sprays that may contain germs. The surgical mask often removes huge objects out of the air. Surgical masks can protect others by reducing the exposure of the mask wearer to saliva and respiratory secretions.

Which masks are appropriate to wear?

The U.S. at this time. Food and Drug Administration has not licensed any form of surgical mask explicitly designed to protect against coronavirus, although these masks provide some protection when N95 masks are not available.

How are the various styles of masks working?
Surgical Mask
Often known as a medical mask, a surgical mask is a loose-fitting disposable mask that covers the nose and mouth of the wearer from contact with droplets, splashes, and sprays that may contain germs. The surgical mask often removes huge objects out of the air. Surgical masks can protect others by reducing the exposure of the mask wearer to saliva and respiratory secretions.

The U.S. at this time. Food and Drug Administration has not licensed any form of surgical mask explicitly designed to protect against coronavirus, although these masks provide some protection when N95 masks are not available.

Clothe masks
A fabric mask is designed to capture droplets that are emitted while the wearer speaks, coughs, or sneezes. Asking everybody to wear cloth masks will help minimize the transmission of the virus to those who have COVID-19 but don’t know it.

Cloth face coverings are more likely to minimize the transmission of the COVID-19 virus as individuals are commonly used in public settings. And countries that needed face masks, testing, quarantine, and social distance early in the pandemic have effectively delayed the spread of the virus.

While surgical and N95 masks can be in short supply and should be reserved for health care providers, face cloth and masks are easy to find or make and can be cleaned and reused.

Masks may be made from traditional materials, such as sheets of closely woven cotton. The directions are easy to find on-line. Cloth masks should contain several layers of fabric. The CDC website also provides instructions for no-saw masks made from bandannas and t-shirts.

Reference
CORE. https://core.ac.uk/display/90662761
Coronavirus drug and treatment tracker shows what could …. https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/07/coronavirus-drug-and-treatment-tracker-shows-what-could-help-patients-with-covid-19.html

There are certainly a lot of foods out there that can help with longevity.

There are certainly a lot of foods out there that can help with longevity. However, while there are many foods one can eat for longer life, here is one snack food, in particular, that should be in the regular meal rotation, and that is blueberries. Blueberries are a smaller fruit than most, yet when looking at blueberries’ health benefits, they can easily be categorized as the best snack food to eat for longer life. Here is why, and for more healthy eating tips, be sure to check out our list of 21 Best Healthy Cooking Hacks of All Time.

Why blueberries are the best snack
To understand why blueberries are the best snack food, we need to take a close look at the health benefits—particularly the antioxidants. Blueberries have the highest amount of antioxidants compared to any other food, and according to a study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, foods rich in antioxidants help with longevity. In particular, having a diet rich in antioxidants—which are typically found in fruits and vegetables—have been proven to slow down the aging process and ward off “degenerative diseases of aging such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune-system decline, brain dysfunction, and cataracts.”
Reference
The One Snack Food To Eat for a Longer Life. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/one-snack-food-eat-longer-142007915.html

Soup is the ultimate candidate when it comes to calming, warming, balanced foods

Soup is the ultimate candidate when it comes to calming, warming, balanced foods: you can fill it with nutrients and select your favorite spices, and it is easy to prepare for lunch all week. The source of any decent soup is a good broth: that much is for sure. So, the easiest way to add bonus benefits and taste to your favorite soup is with a homemade broth instead of a store-bought stock. It is also a perfect way to use all the ingredients’ bits to minimize food waste.

Moreover, when it comes to the advantages that can be attributed to soup, your intestine’s protection is one of the essential aspects of your health. Healthy health affects your health outside the digestive tract, and poor intestinal health can lead to mood disturbances, skin irritation, and chronic fatigue.

Although without a doubt, the food you eat affects your intestines, there is more to it than just that: too much heat, lack of sleep, and not spending enough time moving the body can all lead to intestinal issues.

Reference
7 Homemade Broths To Upgrade The Gut-Health Benefits Of Any Soup. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/homemade-broth-recipes-with-benefits

Many COVID-19 survivors are expected to be at increased risk of contracting a mental disease

Many COVID-19 survivors are expected to be at increased risk of contracting a mental disease; psychiatrists said Monday after a major study showed that 20 percent of people infected with coronavirus were diagnosed with psychological disorder within 90 days.

In the report, the worse case of recovering COVID-19 patients who experienced mental health disorders was anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and researchers have found a slightly higher risk of brain damage, dementia.

“People were afraid that survivors of COVID-19 would be at higher risk of mental health issues, and our results … suggest that this is possible,” said Paul Harrison, Professor of Psychiatry at Oxford University, UK.

Doctors and scientists worldwide desperately need to explore the mechanisms and discover potential mental disease therapies since COVID-19, Harrison said.

Reference

One in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days: study.https://news.yahoo.com/one-five-covid-19-patients-233652967.html

Vanuatu ‘s representative to the European Union made a political proposal

In December 2019, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Vanuatu’s representative to the European Union made a political proposal: to make environmental degradation a crime.

Vanuatu is a tiny island country in the South Pacific, a nation endangered by increasing sea levels. Global warming is an immediate and catastrophic problem in the region, and activities that triggered rising temperatures – such as the combustion of fossil fuels – has almost totally taken place abroad to satisfy other nations, with the blessing of state governments.

Small island states like Vanuatu have long sought to convince big, strong nations to voluntarily curb their pollution, but progress has been sluggish – Ambassador John Licht indicated that it might be time to change the legislation itself.

An enhancement to the Treaty, also known as the Rome Statute, developed by the International Criminal Court could criminalize ecocide-related actions, he said, adding that “this radical concept deserves serious debate.”
Reference
Ecocide: Should killing nature be a crime? – BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201105-what-is-ecocide