Select Page ::

Coronavirus in Ohio nursing homes: Who is to blame? – The Columbus Dispatch

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Problems with identifying asymptomatic carriers and having difficulty with memory-care patients have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. But resident advocates say issues in the homes preceding coronavirus also have an impact.

A population that is highly susceptible to COVID-19, a lack of availability of personal protective equipment, a slow response to provide testing and the presence of asymptomatic carriers are all primary factors in why nursing homes have been ravaged by the deadly virus.

But some patient advocates and others critical of the nursing home industrys response to the pandemic say the level of staffing, problems with infection control and the buildings themselves all preceded the coronavirus devastating effect on residents and the industry.

This is an unprecedented challenge for us across society in every single facet of our lives, including those for nursing home residents and operators, said Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, an advocacy group for residents. However, we have known that infection control and prevention standards are too often flouted by nursing homes."

>> This story is being provided free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. You can find more stories on coronavirus here.Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Columbus Dispatch at subscribe.dispatch.com.

A total of 1,247 deaths in Ohio were in nursing homes, assisted-living and intermediate care facilities collectively referred to as long-term-care facilities out of the statewide death toll of 1,781 as of Wednesday, the most-recent nursing home data available. There have been 4,666 residents and 2,124 employees test positive in the facilities since April 15, when the health departments long-term-care facility database was created.

In the latest update, 38 facilities have had at least 50 cases and 78 have had at least 30. Seven facilities, including Scioto Community in Franklin County, have had at least 100.

Ohios more than 950 nursing homes have 73,826 residents, according to the most-recent data via the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 30,000 people, at least, reside in Ohios 760 assisted-living facilities, according to the Ohio Assisted Living Association.

In nursing homes specifically, a 2019 report from the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that the second-most-common deficiency from 2013 through 2017 was infection control. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states there are between 1 million and 3 million serious infections each year in long-term-care facilities and about 380,000 deaths.

Though some of that is attributed to lack of compliance with basic hygiene protocols, such as hand-washing, Mollot said the biggest contributor to issues in nursing homes is the lack of investment in staffing.

In Ohio, 536 facilities are below average in staffing, according to Nursing Home Compare, a federal Medicare website that has detailed information about every Medicare-certified nursing home in the country.

"It's really sad its taking this pandemic to bring out the issues of nursing homes, said Paula Mueller, founder and president of Elderly Advocates, based in the Cleveland suburb of Parma. But I think it is really seen that they had poor infection control before this started.

The virus hasnt just hit one- or two-star-rated facilities. ONeill Healthcare in Lorain County and Crandall Nursing Home in Mahoning County are each five-star facilities with more than 100 total cases.

The design of the facilities is another contributor to the spread of coronavirus. Most are set up similar to hospitals, with multiple resident rooms along a single hallway, which can make it difficult to separate sick residents from healthy ones.

Charles Camosy, a professor at Fordham University who has researched nursing homes, said in a New York Times opinion piece that a throwaway culture is the crux of the problem. Of all the problems the coronavirus has exposed, Camosy said the care of seniors needs to be examined.

"At least part of the story, seems to me, has to be we just didn't care about these people, he said in an interview. Both the workers and residents of these homes we considered expendable.

Others say the spread of the virus would have been difficult to prevent.

Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, has said repeatedly that nursing homes arent to blame for the spread of the virus, acknowledging that medically compromised seniors will die in congregant settings.

Kristine Provan, regional director of operations at Laurel Health Care, who oversees several facilities in central Ohio, agreed, saying the virus was impossible to defend against.

I can tell you with 22 years in long-term care, this is not the flu, Provan said. This spreads like nothing I've ever seen before.

Back in April, facilities pushed for universal testing to identify asymptomatic carriers, but some facilities are still searching for tests and personal protective equipment.

Provan said residents suffering from dementia are difficult to protect from the virus because they tend not to remember to regularly wash their hands or understand theyre living in a pandemic.

Pete Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, which represents more than 1,000 facilities, said the only way to properly prevent spread of the virus is to have personal protective equipment for everyone and to test employees at the start of every shift, every day.

The state only recently has been conducting more than 9,000 tests per day.

Even if you do testing, they still may be not showing, Van Runkle said. It takes a day or two to show on a test and ,of course, a test is not 100% accurate any way.

Mollot said the overwhelming majority of health-care workers in nursing homes are going extra lengths to protect residents. Provan agrees. That, however, hasnt made reality easier to accept.

"It's just like a petri dish for infection spread, Provan said of the long-term-care facilities. This has been I know for me the greatest challenge of my entire career."

jmyers@dispatch.com

@_jcmyers

Healthy Living: Nutrition can have impact on your mental health – Leinster Leader

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

For the last few weeks I've been writing about the link between your physical health and what you eat, but did you know that nutrition also has a big impact on your mood and mental health.

Although managing stress, anxiety and depression can be difficult, and there is no one size fits all solution, some people may benefit from seeing their doctor and following their recommendations while for others a more holistic approach may work better.

Regardless what route you decide to take, the right diet combined with appropriate lifestyle changes can have a profound impact on your mood.

A very large body of evidence now exists that suggests diet is as important to mental health as it is to physical health and a healthy diet has been shown to be protective whilst an unhealthy diet has been shown to be a risk factor for depression and anxiety.

If you have been reading my weekly column over the last couple of months you will have seen me regularly write about blood sugar balance, and how it can benefit your energy and weight loss.

An imbalance of blood sugar has also been linked to stress, anxiety and depression.

Did you know that up to 50% of low mood is down to blood sugar imbalances?

Learning how to manage your blood sugar is the key to having more energy, a better mood and controlling your weight . Feeling more confident about the way you look is in itself an excellent way to boost feelings of self-worth

So how do we balance our blood sugars?

Eat regularly, three main meals a day and two snacks if you need them (if going more than four hours between meals)

Eat protein with every meal or snack.

Choose low GL (glycaemic load) carbohydrates that keep your blood sugar level even and minimises mood-altering blood sugar dips.

So what foods help your mood?

Certain foods may play a role in the cause of mood disorders, or they may make symptoms worse.

A nutritious brain diet follows the same logic as a heart healthy regimen or weight control plan. You want to limit sugary and high-fat processed foods, and opt for nutritious foods that will provide you with, sufficient protein, giving you an optimum supply of essential amino acids.

Make sure to have some form of protein with every meal and snack.

High mood-boosting Vitamin B foods like nuts, seeds, beans and green leafy vegetables, which also include essential zinc and magnesium, are good for mental stability, as zinc helps control the bodys response to stress and low levels have been linked to depression.

It has been shown that people with low B12 levels have more brain inflammation and higher rates of depression and dementia.

Falling short on B vitamins has long been linked to low moods with studies suggesting there is a definite link between vitamin B and stress levels.

When we eat real food that nourishes us, it becomes the protein-building blocks, enzymes, brain tissue, and neurotransmitters that transfer information and signals between various parts of the brain and body.

Certain nutrients are linked to changes in a brain protein that helps increase connections between brain cells. A diet rich in nutrients like omega-3s and zinc boosts levels of this substance.

On the other hand, a diet high in trans fats and refined sugars has a very potent negative impact on brain proteins.

Few of us get enough omega-3 fats in our diet, and these are key to our mood and brain function. The dry weight of our brain is literally 60% fat - so not surprising that we depend on a daily intake of essential fats.

EPA, DPA and DHA all help build and rebuild your brain, and are part of the equation for happiness. The higher your blood levels of omega-3 fats, the higher your levels of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin are likely to be.

Omega-3 fats help build receptor sites as well as improving their function.

Sources of omega-3 fats: oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, cod, tuna, halibut), walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds. Most plant sources of omega-3 do not contain the long-chain fatty acids mentioned above. Although the body can make those from short-chain omega-3s like the ones found in nuts and seeds conversion is poor and it is difficult to get enough omega-3 that way, therefore If you are vegetarian or vegan, consider taking an omega-3 supplement for example DHA from seaweed.

Last but certainly not least is the all-important gut health!

The human gut is lined with more than 100 million nerve cells, Yes, we have brain cells in our large intestines!

This explains why antibiotics which disturb the gut microbiome may interact with psychotropic medications, and influence our mood . This also explains why mood disorders are so prevalent in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Chemicals implicated in depression such as serotonin are also found in the gut; 90% of serotonin is manufactured in the digestive tract and not the brain. Many antidepressants work by increasing serotonin. It has been shown that gut bacteria produce many other neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and GABA, which are critical for mood, anxiety and motivation. The gut microbiome can cause changes in how our brains react.

Also, stress makes us more likely to develop mood disorders. And stress makes the gut more permeable to bacteria and this may lead to dysbiosisan imbalance of good to bad gut bacteria. In sum, depression is maybe caused by dysfunctional gut-brain-immune system interactions.

Good gut bacteria or the absence of some bad ones can make us more resilient to depressive states after stressors or trauma. It is not surprising that chronic exposure to stress is associated with a higher incidence of depression, anxiety and PTSD. But not everyone who faces stress develops a depression or anxiety , and not everyone who experiences a trauma develops PTSD, and may be due to the individuals gut health!

To help balance your gut bacteria introduce some fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt with live active cultures, which provide good gut bacteria.

If you struggle to make changes to your diet or need help choosing the right supplement or probiotic for you, why not book an appointment with me, there is no time like the present, my clinic is back open and I am taking bookings for new and existing clients, so just pop me a message if you would like to schedule an appointment. contact details below.

Debbie Devane from The Nutri Coach is a qualified Nutritional Therapist and health & lifestyle coach, Debbie runs her clinic from the Glenard Clinic in Mountmellick and also offers one to one and group online consultations via zoom, so it doesnt matter what part of the country you are in! . Debbie is also Nutritionist to the Offaly GAA senior footballers. For more information or to make an appointment email Debbie at

info@thenutricoach.ie

Ph: 086-1720055

Facebook: The Nutri Coach @debbiedevanethenutricoach

Instagram: the_nutricoach

For more information go to http://www.thenutricoach.ie

View post:
Healthy Living: Nutrition can have impact on your mental health - Leinster Leader

Take health claims about juicing with a grain of salt – Kingsport Times News

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Freshly squeezed and freshly bottled juices have become a popular way to get the health benefits of fruit and vegetables and are also favored by dieters looking to cleanse their way to weight loss. But do juicings health claims hold up?

According to those claims, juicing is an excellent way to get a bounty of fruits and vegetables, and its easier to absorb nutrients from juice than whole foods. Thats only partly true. While you can literally squeeze out many of the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables by juicing them, you also lose the fiber a component of fruits and vegetables (and other whole plant foods) that adds to satiety and helps improve heart and digestive health.

If you are looking to cut back on sugar, look at more of a veggie approach kale, cucumber, and celery are low-sugar vegetables that are delicious options for juicing or sticking to a 4-ounce serving of fruit juice (thats the amount equivalent to a serving of whole fruit). Check out Healthy Kingsports website at http://www.healthykingsport.org for some delicious juicing ideas.

Juicing is also a good option for those who suffer from stomach issues, as the juice is more easily digested than whole fruits and vegetables. It also has the benefit of combining different fruits and veggies in one sitting. Juicing may take larger amounts of fruits and vegetables to make a glass of juice than you typically would eat in a sitting, you will get higher doses of micronutrients and phytochemicals, but you'll also get more sugar and calories, without the fiber that helps to slow the absorption of that sugar.

While juicing has many pros, it also has some cons. It is also vital to be aware of food safety concerns when preparing fresh juice. Harmful bacteria may be present and become part of the finished product, hence the importance of washing your produce before each use, keeping your utensils clean, and avoiding cross-contamination with unwashed produce.

Unless pasteurized, fresh juice should be consumed immediately to prevent bacterial proliferation. Sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, and people who have significant health problems, or those whose immune systems are weakened, risk serious illness or even death if they drink juice contaminated with harmful bacteria.

Just remember, you dont need to detox. Ever. Your body is designed to eliminate toxins naturally. If you have a functioning gut, liver, and kidneys, you are continually detoxing every minute of every day. Drinking at least 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit in a day will help the body do what it needs to do. Juice can be one way to up your intake, but whole fruits and vegetables should still be a part of your daily diet.

Healthy Kingsport is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a community that actively embraces healthy living by promoting wellness, enhancing infrastructure, and influencing policy.

Aiesha Banks is the executive director of Healthy Kingsport. She can be reached at [emailprotected]

Go here to read the rest:
Take health claims about juicing with a grain of salt - Kingsport Times News

Eating fish could help protect aging brains from air pollution, study finds – KTVZ

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

You may have purchased an air filter to put in your car or even an air purifier for your home. But what about something to put in your body to protect from air pollution?

You can skip the hardware store and head straight to the grocery store for that, new research has suggested.

Eating more than one to two servings a week of fish or shellfish may allow older women to consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the effects of air pollution on the brain, according to a study published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in aging brains. They have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins like lead and mercury, said study author Dr. Ka Kahe, a professor of epidemiology and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University in New York, in a press release.

So we explored if omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, the fine particulate matter found in air pollution.

The study observed white women over 70 who live in areas with high air pollution levels. Those who had the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had the highest amount of brain shrinkage.

To conduct the study, researchers calculated how much fish the women consumed on average each week, measured the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood and determined the womens three-year average exposure to air pollution based on their home addresses.

Then they gave participants brain scans to measure the hippocampus area, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, and the white matter, which helps send signals throughout the brain.

The benefits of omega-3s from fish consumption, the researchers found, may preserve volume of white matter and size of hippocampus as women age and possibly protect against the potential toxic effects of air pollution.

The studys lead author Cheng Chen, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia Universitys Irving Medical Center, told CNN that more research is needed to see if these results can be generalized to the wider population.

Our study is one of many that provides helpful insights regarding a healthy lifestyle, like a healthy diet, to reduce the adverse impacts of air pollution, Chen said. The general population still needs to follow the general recommendations of the government. But I can say a very small increase in omega-3s or fish intake can be beneficial for the populations in the study.

Before you head to the seafood section, the researchers also suggested talking to your doctor prior to adding more fish to your diet.

Fatty fish thats baked or broiled, such as wild salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna are some of the best sources for omega-3s. Unfortunately, fried fish doesnt make the cut because prior research has shown deep frying damages omega-3 fatty acids.

Chen said the research is part of a broader Womens Health Initiative Memory Study, which previously found that older women living in locations with higher levels of fine particles in the outdoor air had a smaller volume of white matter.

Brain volume loss and white matter loss occurs naturally in aging, but environmental toxins can compound the problem. Thats because fine particulate matter emitted into the air is a neurotoxin bad news for the brain.

The key with air pollution is that particles are so small they can be taken into the lungs, said neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, an Alzheimers specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.

Isaacson explained that its not entirely clear why air pollution specifically impacts cognitive function, but previous studies have found that after entering the lungs, the toxins in air pollutants can be distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream.

Typically, the brain is protected by what scientists call the blood-brain barrier, which is essentially the brains emergency gate system that protects it from toxins circulating in the blood. But air pollution can slip through that barrier.

These toxic particles are so small they can make it past this barrier, or this gate, and cause neuroinflammation and cognitive decline, Isaacson said.

The brains white matter is essential for organizing communication between the various parts of the brains gray matter similar to telephone lines. When the brain experiences white matter loss or inflammation, those communication pathways breakdown.

Because of omega-3s anti-inflammatory properties and protective effect on white matter in the brain, Isaacson said, a diet rich in omega-3s is sensible for people who want to protect their brain health over time.

He added that further studies are necessary to ensure that these findings can be replicated in people of all ages and genders.

People have different risk factors for cognitive decline, so depending on their risk omega-3s may not be enough to be impactful, Isaacson said. Theres no one magic thing or amount of omega-3s or fish oil pill that a person can do to prevent cognitive decline.

In Search of the Fountain of Youth Healthy Aging | Maximum Wellness – WWLTV.com

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Aging, which is associated with a decline in an individuals physical and physiological capabilities, is part of life as in death and taxes.

NEW ORLEANS Based on research Calorie Restriction and Aging in Humans which appeared online in June of 2020 in the Annual Review of Nutrition over the past century, the average life span in higher- and lower-income countries has increased by 15 and 30 years, respectively.

Additionally, this (outcome) is the result of lessening mortality and morbidity from food shortage, malnutrition, and infectious diseases through improved food supply and quality, as well as, advances in health care.

Aging, which is associated with a decline in an individuals physical and physiological capabilities, is part of life as in death and taxes.

The speed and progression of age can be effected by such variables, as excess food consumption overweight and obesity, poor fitness less than 150 minutes of light to moderate weekly exercise, 75 minutes of moderate to vigorous weekly exercise, or a combination of both, or, the extent of an individuals exposure to disease all equaling secondary aging, added to or subtracted from (with prevention in place) the normal primary aging process.

According to the Annual Nutrition Reviews researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, and Nutrition and Movement Sciences at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, advanced age is associated with increased mortality and susceptibility to disease. This increase is caused by a progressive decline in physiological function. The slope of this decline over time can be defined as aging, which, under an optimal scenario, may approach 120 years.

Primary aging, note the researchers, describes the inevitable age-associated decline in physiological and physical functions due to energy expenditure and oxidative stress. It appears that individuals with higher metabolic rates have shorter life spans - known as the rate-of-living theory - which the Pennington and Maastricht researchers say is, still a matter of discussion, and may only apply in species, and not between species.

It was also noted that average lifespan is reduced to 61 to 83 years an acceleration of this process reflects the interaction between innate aging and the extrinsic influences of the environment.

As aging applies to our functional capacity, Ive often commented to many of my athlete clients when my patience (with age) wears thin - discussing my strategic plan that age is mandatory, but maturity is optional.

Theyve also heard me explain from day one that my objective is to make them perform better than before with a higher quality of health in the years extending beyond their playing career.

I recognize three ages chronological age, what were given at birth, performance age, how successful we are at achieving our mental and physical objectives on and off the playing field, and health age, resistance to the effects of chronic fatigue and disease.

With the exception of our chronological age, being the constant, the goal from a health age perspective is to work toward a compressed morbidity, pushing illness to the shortest period of time late in life which is extended toward a higher quality.

The pillars of life extension slowing the aging process has to do with lengthening the telomeres - segments of DNA occurring at the ends of the chromosomes in eukaryotic cells (that containing a clearly defined nucleus), according to Britannica.com.

Notes the website, once telomeres have been reduced to a certain size, the cell reaches a crisis point and is prevented from dividing further. As a consequence, the cell dies. Thus, the processes of cell aging and cell death are regulated in part by telomeres.

Calorie restriction (CR) has been shown to increase life span from 1 to 5 years in animal studies - with some human support. However, for those over 60, the potential increase in life span may be offset by the potential for loss of lean muscle mass in light of sarcopenia the aging loss of muscle. Daily protein intake may need to increase from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to 1.2 grams.

The nutrient resveratrol, found in red grape skins, peanuts, red wine, and in supplement form has been demonstrated to mimic CR, but the optimum dosage and administration is still being investigated.

The key to living a healthier, longer life is to practice healthy eating the Mediterranean eating style, exercise using the guidelines outlined earlier in this

column, stress control opting for meditation, controlled breathing, even prayer, laughing, associating with friends, giving and receiving love human or pet, and common sense during troubling times. Its not that hard.

Add, a dose of passion a life force that allows you to reinvent yourself on a daily basis, and you place yourself on the path toward the elisive fountain of youth.

Sign up for Mackie Mail, on mackieshilstone.com - my free, weekly wellness update with Fitness in Small Spaces 90-second videos Monday, my Maximum Wellness podcast and script on Wednesday, and, on Friday you receive my WWL/WUPL 3-minute Workout Wednesday segment. You can also contact spencer@mackienutrition.com should you desire nutrition product shipped or locally delivered to your door. My 4 locally operated GNC franchise stores are open, regularly sanitized with appropriate staff and customer safety in place. Check mackieshilstone.com for store locations and hours.

Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in theIOS App StoreorGoogle Play.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and weather in the New Orleans area on the all-new free WWL TV app. Our app features the latest breaking news that impacts you and your family, interactive weather and radar, and live video from our newscasts and local events. LOCAL & BREAKING NEWS * Receive r...

See original here:
In Search of the Fountain of Youth Healthy Aging | Maximum Wellness - WWLTV.com

Keighley Healthy Living aims to get the town skipping – Keighley News

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Keighley Healthy Living (KHL) aims to get the town skipping.

With support from the Lion's Den Men's Shed at Cliffe Castle, it is giving away 500 skipping ropes some of them handmade.

The initiative was inspired by 83-year-old Shirley Holmes, a patchwork/craft volunteer teacher with KHL and a member of Oakworth Shed.

"Shirley shared her daily exercise routine of skipping and showed us that its never too late to pick-up your rope and we want to help people do just that!" said a KHL spokesman.

"Some children may already have got a skipping rope and been inspired through an instructor who delivers lessons across primary schools so let's join them, young and old alike, and let's get Keighley skipping!"

For a free skipping rope, email admin@khl.org.uk or call 01535 677177.

A video has been produced by KHL designed to provide ideas and inspiration go to youtube.com/watch?v=ixVFE_PRAK4&feature=youtu.be on the Keighley Healthy Living YouTube channel. And people are invited to share their own footage through #KeighleySkipping.

See the rest here:
Keighley Healthy Living aims to get the town skipping - Keighley News

How NFL offensive linemen escape the 5,000-calorie lunch and transform in retirement – ESPN

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Jul 6, 2020

Emily KaplanESPN

It's 3 p.m., and Joe Thomas needs to eat. He's driving with his family but is getting hungry. Is it really hunger? He doesn't know. Throughout his entire NFL career as an offensive tackle with the Cleveland Browns, Thomas was conditioned to eat every two hours, because his job literally depended on it.

Thomas finds a McDonald's on the GPS. It will be quick -- just a bit of fuel between lunch and dinner. He orders two double cheeseburgers, two McChickens, a double quarter-pounder with cheese, one large order of fries and a large Dr. Pepper.

"Or another sugary drink," he said recently. "Just to add 500 calories, the easy way."

2 Related

It wasn't easy playing 10,000 consecutive snaps or fending off football's most explosive pass-rushers. But it was just as hard for Thomas to maintain a 300-plus-pound frame. He had to consume an insatiable amount of food. Here's a potential day in the life:

Think breakfast: four pieces of bacon, four sausage links, eight eggs, three pancakes and oatmeal with peanut butter, followed by a midmorning protein shake.

Lunch? Perhaps pasta, meatballs, cookies "and maybe a salad, great, whatever" from the team cafeteria.

For dinner, Thomas could devour an entire Detroit-style pizza himself, and then follow it with a sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and a bowl of ice cream. And finally, he would slurp down another protein shake before getting into bed.

"If I went two hours without eating, I literally would have cut your arm off and started eating it," the former offensive lineman said. "I felt if I missed a meal after two hours, I was going to lose weight, and I was going to get in trouble. That was the mindset I had. We got weighed in on Mondays, and if I lost 5 pounds, my coach was going to give me hell."

Eating in excess isn't as glamorous as it sounds. In fact, laborious might be the better word. Throughout his career, Thomas woke up in the middle of the night and "crushed Tums." He relied on pain medications and anti-inflammatories, and he had constant heartburn.

Then Thomas retired in 2018. "When you start eating and exercising like a normal human being," Thomas said, "the health benefits are amazing." He not only threw away the over-the-counter meds, but his skin cleared up, his yoga practice improved and he felt less bloated. Within six months, 60 pounds melted off from his 325-pound playing weight. By September 2019, TMZ picked up Thomas' transformation, headlining an article: "Ex-NFL Fat Guy ... LOOKS LIKE A CHISELED GREEK GOD."

"I just had a great laugh," Thomas said. "Isn't that the typical lineman life? Eleven years in the NFL, and all I'm known as now is ex-NFL fat guy."

Thomas is the latest example of an offensive lineman who, after retiring, recommitted to a normalized, healthy lifestyle after overeating and over-medicating during his NFL career. His journey might seem dramatic, but it's not uncommon.

Longtime San Francisco 49ers tackle Joe Staley, who played in the most recent Super Bowl, has already donated five garbage bags of clothing and bought all new belts since his waist slimmed from 40 to 36 inches and he lost 50 pounds. Former Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda dropped 60 pounds in three months by going from 6,000 calories per day to 2,000. Nick Hardwick, Jeff Saturday, Alan Faneca and Matt Birk are all former big guys who now look like shells of themselves, which generated tabloid-like attention. The list continues on and on.

So how'd they pull it off? We interviewed nine retired offensive linemen about the lengths they went to in bulking up and their secrets to slimming down after hanging up their cleats. The players were candid about body image insecurities, outrageous diets, struggles with eating disorders and the short- and long-term health ramifications of maintaining their playing weights for so many years.

Former offensive tackle Jordan Gross started 167 games over 11 seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He was a Pro Bowler three times, made the All-Rookie team in 2003 and started at right tackle for the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Then he retired in 2014 and lost 70 pounds within six months.

"Fans know me more for losing weight than they do for anything I did in my entire career," Gross said.

Although that kind of weight loss can be inspiring, it also points to the unhealthy relationship with food many offensive linemen develop, usually dating back to college. Faneca, a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998 who went on to 201 career starts with three teams, recalls his position coach at LSU chastising the entire offensive line once for "looking like a bunch of stuffed sausages," challenging them to lose a pound a day. Later, he was told he had to gain more.

Thomas puts it bluntly: "You're training yourself to have an eating disorder the way you view food when you're in the NFL, and to try to deprogram that is a real challenge." Body image and self-esteem issues can fester, as these athletes are told their worth can essentially be measured in calories and pounds.

"I always had this insecurity of being big when it came to dating life, talking to women and going out being a 300-pound man," said former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons center/guard Joe Hawley. "I didn't want to be that big, but I had to because I loved football and that was my job."

A lot of the weight is artificial to begin with. As Gross points out, "not many people are naturally that big," but bulking up was essential to playing at the highest level and making millions of dollars. Gross, for example, ingested an enormous amount of protein each day while playing, including six pieces of bacon, six scrambled eggs, two 50-gram protein shakes, four hard-boiled eggs and two chicken breasts -- all before 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

It's a somewhat new phenomenon, according to Dr. Archie Roberts, a 1965 draft pick of the Jets who went on to become a cardiac surgeon. In 2001, Roberts co-founded the Living Heart Foundation, which annually conducts health screenings for retired football players. "In the 1990s, there was a push that suggested to some people that putting on more weight might make it a more effective and exciting game," Roberts said. "Because the bigger offensive linemen could hold off the defensive rush for a longer time so that the quarterback could throw the ball down the field, leading to more spectacular passing plays."

Playing weights began ballooning across the league, especially on the line. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the average weight of starting offensive linemen was 254.3 pounds in 1970. It jumped to 276.9 by 1990, but the largest increase in poundage would come in the following 10 years. A decade later, the average O-line starter checked in at 309.4 pounds. Today the number stands at 315, more than 60 pounds heavier than 50 years ago.

Hawley typically played between 295 and 300 pounds, but during his fifth year in the league, he adopted the paleo diet and ate clean. He lost 10 to 15 pounds and played the following season at 285. "It was hard to keep weight on eating clean like that, but I felt so much better," Hawley said. "I had so much energy; I wasn't as lethargic."

Then, he re-signed in Tampa Bay.

"Because I was getting pushed around a little bit playing on the offensive line that way, they told me I needed to gain weight," Hawley said. "So I went to a more unhealthy diet, which made me feel, well, not as good. But it's what I had to do to play."

"Being skinny as a lineman wouldn't be helpful, because you would have to create more force to stop those big guys," Thomas said. "Inertia becomes an issue. I'm a big, fat guy, you're running at me, you don't have to create as much force because I'm just heavier, fatter and have more mass."

Although that mass helps on the field, health complications can follow. In May, USA Today ran an entire column wondering if offensive linemen were more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19 because of their size. Roberts warns that massive weight gain can also lead to obesity. "Which then affects their heart, lungs, kidney and their minds," Roberts said. "It's not proven, but it also may be associated with Alzheimer's disease and possibly traumatic brain injury."

Once playing careers wind down, many players must assess whether it's worth it to carry the extra pounds. Many have decided to downsize.

Faneca, the longtime Steelers guard, remembers the day he hit a milestone of losing 30 pounds. He was playing on the floor with his daughter and he got up without having to "do the old-man grunt." "I just stood up, no problem," Faneca said. "And I was like, 'Wow, this is nice.'"

Early rankings: Kiper | McShay Meet the QBs | Lawrence v. Burrow Predicting risers, sleepers, more Projecting the top 10 picks for 2021 More NFL draft coverage

Thomas said when he was 300 pounds, his body would ache if he had to stand for a few minutes. Gross said he hated the sweating. "I would just sweat profusely all the time," he lamented. "My wife would have hypothermia from me having the room so cold all the time."

Hardwick, a center with the then-San Diego Chargers who maxed out at 308, said his initial motivation to lose weight was to relieve pressure from his body. (According to the April issue of the Harvard Medical School newsletter, each additional pound you carry places about 4 pounds of stress on the knee joints.)

"But then there's this material aspect to it," Hardwick said. "You want to be able to wear cooler clothes, and go into stores and start shopping off the rack. And that's alluring for a while. Then that wears off, and you settle in, and people stop freaking out every time they see you. And you just become comfortable once again in your own skin."

Staley, albeit sheepishly, admits he likes the fact that his muscles are getting defined.

"As an offensive lineman, you're always known as this big, humongous, unathletic blob," Staley said. "Offensive linemen get casted in a movie, and they're always 500 pounds. Then you get the opportunity to be healthy again, and all of the effort you used to put into football, you put into that. It gives you a focus once you retire. It's a little bit vain, but I'm starting to see abs that I've always wanted. And it's kind of exciting."

There are two types of offensive linemen: those who must artificially add the pounds on, and those who are naturally big.

"I'm the latter," said Damien Woody, a longtime NFL lineman and current ESPN analyst. "I could literally breathe and inhale and gain 5 pounds." During a summer growth spurt after his sophomore year of high school, Woody grew 6 inches and gained 70 pounds. By the time he got to Boston College, he already weighed 300. "It was never a problem for me to put weight on," he said.

The other group? Gaining weight can become an all-consuming sport, which often begins in the collegiate years. Consider Hardwick, who wrestled in the 171-pound weight class in high school. He enrolled at Purdue on a ROTC scholarship, got a tryout for the football team and ballooned to 295 by slathering 2 pounds of ground beef on multiple tortillas at dinner. Hardwick also downed a 600- or 700-calorie protein shake before bed and set his alarm to drink a similar one at 3 a.m.

At this year's NFL combine, Ben Bartch was a topic of conversation after talking about his go-to smoothie: seven scrambled eggs, "a big tub" of cottage cheese, grits, peanut butter, a banana and Gatorade. A daily dose of that concoction added 59 pounds to Bartch's 6-foot-6 frame, helping him morph from a third-string Division III tight end at St. John's (Minnesota) to a fourth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars as an offensive lineman.

"I would just throw it all in and then plug my nose," Bartch said. "In the dark. I would gag sometimes. That's what you have to do sometimes."

Chris Bober, a former New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs lineman, showed up at the University of Nebraska-Omaha at 225 pounds, which was too small. He ate everything he could get his hands on, which was difficult as a college student "who was pretty broke." It was especially challenging over the summers, when he inherently burned calories at his construction job. If Bober went to Subway, he wouldn't just buy one foot-long sub -- he'd get two. At Taco John's, his order was a 12-pack of tacos and a pound of potato oles, which adds up to a nearly 5,000-calorie lunch.

When Thomas was at Wisconsin, any player trying to gain weight could grab a 10-ounce to-go carton of heavy whipping cream with added sugars and whey protein after a workout. He surmises the dairy-forward drink went for about 1,000 calories a pop -- and he chased it with a 50-gram protein shake on his way to class.

Like Hardwick, Staley -- who went from 215 pounds to 295 at Central Michigan, as he transitioned from tight end to the offensive line -- used to set an alarm for himself every day at 2 a.m. "I had these premade weight-gainer shakes; they were probably 2,000 calories each," Staley said. "I'd wake myself up in the middle of the night, down that, go back to bed."

Although Staley worked with his college strength coach to make sure he was putting on "good weight" -- gaining muscle without unnecessary body fat -- the unnatural eating habits took a toll. "I was bloated for four years straight," Staley said. "You know when you overeat after a really nice dinner at an Italian restaurant, you just eat all these courses and leave feeling gross? That's how I felt the entire time in college."

Staley no longer fit into the clothes he arrived at Central Michigan with but couldn't afford to buy new ones, so he was constantly borrowing from teammates. Most offensive linemen admit they pretty much lived in team-issued sweats. "I'm lucky, in the late 1990s, early 2000s, everything baggy was in style," Gross said. "So from 250 to 300, it wasn't a massive wardrobe change. The waist got big, but elastic drawstrings were my best friend."

The habits continue in the NFL. Many older players credit the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which banned training camp two-a-days, as a turning point. Before then, it felt like their college days. "If I was doing two-a-days, in the summer in South Carolina, going up against Julius Peppers, I was for sure burning 10,000 calories," Gross said.

So at the end of each day in training camp at Wofford College, Gross counted to 15 one-thousands on the soft-serve machine, then blended that with four cups of whole milk, plus three homemade chocolate cookies (which Gross believes were about 850 calories each) and Hershey's chocolate syrup. "That's all inflammatory foods, like sugar and dairy," he said, "I'm not going to say it's horrible; it was pretty awesome to eat that stuff. But you're putting so much demand on your digestive system. I always had gas. I always had to use the bathroom. I was bloated because I was so full all the time."

There's a common refrain among offensive linemen: If you don't lose weight in your first year out of the league, you're probably not going to lose it.

Four years after retiring, Woody weighed 388 pounds and agreed to appear on NBC's "The Biggest Loser." Instead of heavy lifting and concentrating on explosive bursts, Woody was asked to do longer cardio and train for endurance. "It was totally different from what I had learned to do and had trained to do my entire life," Woody said. "And it was hard. Like, man, it was really tough."

Woody lost 100 pounds on the show -- then gained it all back.

So he just accepted his weight, until this past year, when the 42-year-old renovated his basement into an exercise room. "I wanted to lose weight the right way," Woody said. "In a sustainable way."

Woody lured in his wife and kids to join his mission. On Sunday nights, they meal prep. And every day Woody goes down to the basement to stay active. His prefers the Peloton bike -- "I hit that hard," he said -- but also uses the row machine, and does "all different types of exercises so I don't get bored." While he still lifts weights, he focuses on lighter options and higher reps. "I'm not putting any weight on my back anymore; I'm not lifting excessive weight to potentially hurt myself," Woody said. "Because that's not the point anymore."

On June 14, Woody tweeted that he was down 50 pounds since March 23 "and my joints are already jumping for joy."

It isn't easy. And for many years, players have felt like they're on their own in their weight-loss journey.

"The NFL doesn't give you any guidance on how to do it," Bober said. "They're just like, 'OK, see ya!' You need to take it upon yourself to figure it out. And as I've gotten older and older, I've noticed it does become more and more difficult to manage if you haven't lost it right away."

Shortly after the last CBA in 2011, the NFL Players Association launched "The Trust," which interim executive director Kelly Mehrtens describes as a VIP concierge service of benefits players can take advantage of as they transition outside of the league. As part of a holistic approach, the Trust invites players to Exos (where they can train, get physical therapy and undergo a nutrition consultation), offers them YMCA memberships and arranges physicals and consultations with specialists at hospitals across the country.

The Trust, Mehrtens explains, is all about figuring out why certain guys transition to their post-playing lives more successfully than others, and how they could help bridge the gap. "These are earned benefits," Mehrtens said. "So we want to make sure guys take advantage of something they've already earned."

Dr. Roberts' Living Heart Foundation, a partner of the NFLPA, does health screenings for former players three times per year. Anyone with a BMI of 35 or over is invited to join a six-month program called The Biggest Loser (although this one isn't televised). So far, roughly 50 players have gone through it. Most are in their 40s, with the oldest participant 80 years old. "It just shows it's never too late to find motivation to reach your goals," lead trainer Erik Beshore said.

Beshore said most who enrolled in The Biggest Loser program are diabetic or pre-diabetic. However, after six months, as they commit to sustainable lifestyle changes, many have gone off their insulin, eliminated their blood pressure medication, gotten better sleep and reported overall better moods.

"It's amazing how many of them can lose the weight all these years later," Roberts said. "But in terms of if they can reverse the damage that may have occurred in the interim period form when they played football at large size to years later, it's hard to quantitate because we don't have long-term data yet."

To slim down, Staley cut out most carbs, besides vegetables. He purged his house of his favorite vice, chips and salsa, and now snacks on raw broccoli and Bitchin' Sauce -- an almond-based vegan dip. Staley said he now eats with purpose and moderation. "In the NFL, I always ate when I was hungry and whatever was available," he said. "If it was salmon, great. If it was frozen pizza, I'd eat that too."

Hawley, who retired in 2018, donated most of his material possessions to charity and has been living out of a van and Airbnb's across the country. He said it was all about reconditioning his brain to eat only until he feels full, and not eating until he can't eat anymore. Intermittent fasting has been a huge tool for the 6-foot-3 Hawley, who is down 60 pounds to 240. He rarely eats breakfast and tries to do one 24-hour fast per week -- eating dinner at 6 or 7 p.m., and then not eating at all until 6 or 7 p.m. the following night. Sometimes he even challenges himself to a 36-hour fast.

Hawley has connected with other ex-big guys, such as Hardwick, whom he met at "Bridge to Success," a NFL-run transition program for retired players.

"But it's not as big of a community as I would like," Hawley said. "I'm actually working on creating an online community for guys. That's one thing I've been missing. I went through my whole life being part of a locker room with a team, and then you get into the real world at 30, and nobody really knows what that experience is like."

Hardwick said he's working on an e-book with a blueprint of his diet plan for people who want to lose weight quickly and keep it off.

Many players interviewed for this story said while they do feel better and like the way they look, rapid weight loss has led to unsightly stretch marks and excess, saggy skin (which one player, wishing to stay anonymous, said he had cosmetically removed). Hardwick and Gross also warn of something that happened to them: They got so obsessed with losing the weight that it went too far.

Hardwick remembers weighing himself after a hot yoga class in January 2015. The scale read 202 pounds. "Great," he thought to himself. "Another 3 pounds, and it will be 199." But then he got a glance of his profile in the mirror, and he didn't recognize himself.

"If the apocalypse came, there was no way I could defend me or my family," he said. Hardwick went home and started binge eating to overcorrect. He has hovered between 220 and 230 since, which he thinks is a healthy weight for him.

Gross experimented for a while. He was vegetarian for a year and then tried the paleo diet. "You don't have any wiggle room when you're playing -- you just have to eat to keep the weight on," he said. "So I thought it was exciting to try different things." Once Gross got down to 250, he noticed an immense pain relief in his feet and ankles, which were swollen his last few years in the league -- but due to weight, not injury.

When Gross began his transformation, he went to Old Navy and bought three pairs of shorts and two polo shirts. He didn't know where his weight loss would lead him, and he didn't want to waste money. Gross got all the way down to 225, but restricting himself to under 2,500 calories a day didn't feel like a sustainable lifestyle. "That was too much," he said. As he gets ready to turn 40 this summer, Gross eats about 3,200 calories a day and is back to lifting weights. He now happily hovers around 240 pounds.

As for Thomas? As his career wound down, he began consulting with Katy Meassick, the Browns' nutritionist, who began educating him on healthier habits. They came up with a post-retirement plan, which Thomas describes as "low-carb or keto diet, with intermittent fasting." He added swimming and biking as cardio, along with yoga.

We made every NFL player a free agent, then asked our 32 NFL Nation reporters to re-draft four rounds of high-impact stars with a five-year Super Bowl window in mind. Which team is the best? Re-drafted NFL rosters: All 128 picks Experts react | Stacking the QBs

Thomas, too, had to recondition his brain to stop eating when he was full. Throughout his football career, he had taught his subconscious to go beyond that point and keep stuffing his face with family-size McDonald's orders and sugary drinks. It's a new kind of discipline. Now every Monday, Thomas and his wife, Annie, will try to fast for 24 hours. Because of his previous line of work, it's not such a hard transition.

"As an offensive lineman, you just do the grunt work forever and you do the crap nobody wants to do -- our position is the Mushroom Club. We're used to being s--- on a truck in a dark room, and everyone expects us to go out and perform for no glory whatsoever," Thomas said.

"And you almost miss that misery. It's almost a weird thing to say, but getting into the fasting world and trying to discipline yourself and do something that is hard, in a weird, sick way, [that's something] I think a lot of offensive linemen get."

The rest is here:
How NFL offensive linemen escape the 5,000-calorie lunch and transform in retirement - ESPN

Health and wellness: Finding a new normal Jasper’s source for news, sports, arts, culture, and more – the fitzhugh

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

For information about healthy living for families during COVID-19, visit ahs.ca/healthytogether.

Life in Alberta has been turned upside down with the COVID-19 outbreak.

As our province takes its first steps to recovery, many of us ask if normal will ever return.

With the answer unclear, your family may need to find a new normal. These tips can help you to weather these uncertain times.

Find a New Routine

Schools are out for the summer. Many other public facilities remain closed. Countless moms and dads are juggling to keep up and keep their children safe. Nearly every family in Alberta has had their daily routines disrupted.

Planning and following routines can lend a sense of order to these topsy-turvy times, especially for children.

Farah Bandali, Alberta Health Services director of Healthy Children and Families with Healthy

Living said: Routines can help you and children feel more comfortable during times of uncertainty.

Day-to-day routines add structure to family life and reflect whats important to your family. Theyre also a way to let your kids know what to expect during the day.

Wake up times, bedtimes, meals and snacks, play, walks and quiet time. All are examples of what you can weave into your familys routine.

Bring On the Laughter

Tell a corny joke. Have a staring contest. Tickle one another. Tell a goofy story.

Science America says laughter and appreciation of humour are vital components of adaptive social, emotional and cognitive function Laughter is, after all, a communal activity which promotes bonding, diffuses potential conflict and eases stress and anxiety.

Thats a fancy-schmancy way of saying laughter brings people together and helps us think. It also helps us express our feelings, can turn a tense moment into a light moment and is just plain good for us.

Remember the Basics

In tough times, we can lose track of the basics of healthy living.

Heres a friendly reminder: eat healthy foods as much as possible. Stay connected with other family members, friends and co-workers while maintaining physical distancing. Get a good nights sleep.

Most of all, reach out for help if you need it. Alberta Health Services, the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, your local municipality and hundreds of community groups have all kinds of support and assistance for Albertans.

For information about healthy living for families during COVID-19, visit ahs.ca/healthytogether.

This wellness article was provided by Alberta Health Services.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Fitzhugh is now soliciting donations from readers. This program is designed to support our local journalism in a time where our advertisers are unable to due to their own economic constraints. Fitzhugh has always been a free product and will continue to be free. This is a means for those who can afford to support local media to help ensure those who cant afford to can get access to trusted local information. You can make a one-time or a monthly donation of any amount and cancel at any time.

Click on https://support.fitzhugh.ca for more information or to make your donation.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Top Reasons Why Spinach Is One Of The Healthiest Leafy Greens – NDTV Doctor

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Spinach can offer you a wide range of health benefits. It can be used as a ingredient in a variety of recipes. Here are some reasons why you should consume spinach.

Spinach is beneficial for your skin and hair

Your mother might have stressed on consuming a healthy diet since childhood. A well-balanced diet offers all necessary elements that you need for proper functioning as well as for optimum growth of the human body. Green leafy vegetables are power-packed with nutrients. It is advised to add leafy greens to your diet for optimum health. Spinach is one of the healthiest leaf greens that is loaded with essential nutrients offering you amazing health benefits. Yes, Popeye was doing it all right! Spinach provides you a variety of nutrients that your body needs. Here are some notable benefits of adding spinach to your diet.

91% of spinach is water. It is loaded with protein and iron too. Spinach contains iron that supports red blood cells. It is also a non-dairy source of calcium. This leafy green also contains vitamin A, C and K1. You may also receive magnesium, potassium and folate with spinach consumption.

Spinach is a non-dairy source of calciumPhoto Credit: iStock

Spinach can also help in healthy weight loss. One cup of boiled spinach is loaded with fibre and water content. It can keep you full for longer and make you consume fewer calories.

Also read:Spinach For Weight Loss: A Cup Of Spinach A Day Can Make You Lose Weight Quickly, Know How And Other Health Benefits

Potassium in spinach can help in controlling high blood pressure. A healthy diet can help in controlling hypertension. Fibre-rich foods can also help in regulating blood pressure.

Also read:Try These 7 Foods That Have More Potassium Than A Banana To Control High Blood Pressure

Diabetics can also safely add spinach to your diet. This leafy vegetable contains antioxidants that can prevent oxidative stress and stress-related changes in people with diabetes.

You would be surprised to know that spinach is beneficial for your skin and hair too. Vitamin A and iron in spinach can help in boosting skin and hair health.

Spinach can promote hair growthPhoto Credit: iStock

Promoted

Also read:Calcium: All The Reasons Why This Micronutrient Is Of Sheer Importance

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.

Go here to see the original:
Top Reasons Why Spinach Is One Of The Healthiest Leafy Greens - NDTV Doctor

Pocket Outdoor Media Acquires Three Divisions from Active Interest Media and Completes Its Series A Financing – Club Industry

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Club Industry was not involved in the creation of this content.

Series A funding allows Pocket Outdoor Media to expand its active lifestyle business to over 20 new media businesses including Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER and Warren Miller Entertainment

Boulder, Colorado, USA June 30, 2020 Pocket Outdoor Media (POM), the leading endurance sports media platform, today announced the acquisition of the Healthy Living,Fitness, and Outdoor divisions of Active Interest Media (AIM), one of the worlds largestenthusiast media companies. The acquisition by POM coincides with the closing of their SeriesAinvestment from JAZZ Venture Partners, a global investment firm based in San Francisco, with participation from NEXT VENTRES , and Zone 5 Ventures.

Included in the AIM acquisition are: Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER, Warren MillerEntertainment , Oxygen , IDEA Health and Fitness Association, Clean Eating, Vegetarian Times,Better Nutrition, NatuRx, Muscle & Performance , Nastar, Fly Fishing Film Tour, National Park Trips, and SNEWS.

The AIM brands will join POMs existing stable of endurance sports brands: VeloNews,Womens Running, Triathlete , PodiumRunner, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News , VeloPress,VeloSwap, and Roll Massif, a recently acquired event production company that produces aseries of eight iconic Colorado cycling events.

The acquisition brings together best-in-class brands, diversifying POMs media platform andallowing them to better serve active lifestyle enthusiasts and their media partners. Theexpanded business will continue to focus on putting the needs of its readers first, deliveringcontent and experiences across the wide range of activities they are passionate about.

The strength of these collective brands positions us to build the premier active lifestyle mediadestination to meet the needs and interest of our readers on a daily basis, whether theyrebeginners or expertslooking for a training plan, healthy recipe, event coverage, nutritionadvice, injury prevention and more, said Robin Thurston, CEO of Pocket Outdoor Media. Ourmission is to inspire people to do the activities they loveyoga, ride, cook, ski, run, swim, hike, climbwith greater enjoyment and knowledge.

In an evolving media landscape, POM will become the hub for active lifestyle enthusiasts looking to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. The first phase of their Active Pass membershipprogram was recently launched with perks that include a wide range of premium content,VeloPress books, magazine subscriptions, Roll Massif event access, and training plans througha strategic partnership with Todays Plan.

The synergies of these iconic brands, some of which have been around for over 50 years,uniquely enables Pocket Outdoor Media to deliver an integrated experience never seen before, said John Spinale, managing partner at JAZZ Venture Partners. They have already developed a personalized newsfeed and membership experience that allows readers to access content across the POM brands, and it will only be bolstered as they add the AIM businesses to the experience.

After getting to know Robin and the Pocket Outdoor Media team, it was clear that we share agreat commitment to the communities we serve in Outdoor, Fitness, and Wellness. Ouralignment around our shared values, strategy, and Boulder location made this a natural fit forour people and brands. Pockets new technology platform unifies, personalizes, and syndicatesthe best content around the customer journey. Combining their personalization platform with their membership strategy felt like a home run for the brands and team members of AIMsOutdoor, Fitness, and Active Lifestyle divisions, said Andy Clurman, CEO of Active InterestMedia.

About Pocket Outdoor Media

Pocket Outdoor Media (POM) is the world's leading creator of active lifestyle content. Acrossweb, print, podcast, social and video, our brands engage with over 15 million of the most activeand influential consumers in the world every month. Our brands include: Yoga Journal, SKI,BACKPACKER, VeloNews, Climbing, Womens Running , Triathlete , Better Nutrition, BicycleRetailer & Industry News, Clean Eating , Fly Fishing Film Tour, IDEA Health and FitnessAssociation, Muscle & Performance , Nastar, National Park Trips, NatuRx, Oxygen,PodiumRunner, Roll Massif, SNEWS, Vegetarian Times , VeloPress, VeloSwap, and WarrenMiller Entertainment. Pocket Outdoor Media is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado with officesin San Diego, CA and Toronto, Canada. Learn more at pocketoutdoormedia.com

About Active Interest Media, Inc.

Active Interest Media (aimmedia.com) produces leading consumer and trade events, websites, magazines, podcasts, films, and TV shows that reach 40+ million readers, fans, and attendeesin 85 countries. AIM produces the World Series of Team Roping, the second-richest equestriancompetition in the world. Our brands include Yoga Journal, BACKPACKER, SKI, VegetarianTimes , IDEA Health and Fitness Association, Anglers Journal, Yachts International, Sail, Power& Motoryacht, EQUUS Journal, Horse & Rider Journal, Team Roping Journal, Oxygen, Clean Eating, Log Home Living, Old House Journal, Woodsmith, Garden Gate, Writers Digest,Popular Woodworking, Numismatics , and more. The companys five divisionsthe EquineNetwork, Home Group, Healthy Living Group, Marine Group, and Outdoor Groupalso operatethriving B2B platforms, online universities, and retail events. Core competencies include lead generation (through our Qualified Buyer Program), marketing services (through our in-house agency, Catapult Creative Labs), and video production; Warren Miller Entertainment is the mostsuccessful adventure-film company in history, and AIM Studios is a bustling division dedicatedto digital video. Active Interest Medias customers are smart, engaged, and loyal, and they lookto our brands for trustworthy information and services that will inspire and enable them to enjoy their passions. Learn more at aimmedia.com

About JAZZ Venture Partners

JAZZ Venture Partners invests in companies that extend the boundaries of human performance improving how we live, learn, work, play, and experience the world. We seek breakthroughsat the intersection of digital technology and neuroscience that are influencing the humanexperience, such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, immersive gaming, andclosed-loop human-computer systems. Our portfolio companies are unlocking human potential in health, mind-body wellness, accelerated learning and training, sports, entertainment, and the enterprise. Learn more at jazzvp.com.

About NEXT VENTRES

NEXT VENTRES is a new venture capital firm designed to maximize growth opportunities inthe exploding sports, fitness, nutrition and wellness markets. With established expertise anddeep connections in these markets as well as proven financial track records, the NEXTVENTRES team is well positioned to create significant value for their investors and theirportfolio companies. Learn more at nextventures.com

About Zone 5 Ventures

Zone 5 Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on helping innovative technology companies at the intersection of sports, media, technology and health and wellness. Leveraging itsextensive network and collective experience in sports, entrepreneurship, technology andoperations, Zone 5 Ventures invests its capital, resources and expertise to help entrepreneursaccelerate growth and innovation. Zone 5 Ventures, along with its partner companies, offers aone-of-a-kind platform to enable its portfolio companies to redefine how the inner athlete in all of us harnesses technology to achieve goals and ultimately improve lives. To learn more about Zone 5 Ventures visit zone5ventures.com

Continued here:
Pocket Outdoor Media Acquires Three Divisions from Active Interest Media and Completes Its Series A Financing - Club Industry

HEALTHY LIVING Stay safe around water this summer – Port Arthur News – The Port Arthur News

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Here in southeast Texas, we are fortunate to be surrounded by water: lakes, ponds, rivers, bayous, beaches and, of course, pools.

When the weather turns warm, everyone wants to be in or around the water. Hanging out at the pool or the beach on a hot day is a great way to beat the heat. There are so many opportunities to enjoy the water; unfortunately, this also presents circumstances for accidental drownings.

For people between the ages of 5 and 24, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death. Drowning can occur in as little as two inches of water, in as little as 90 seconds.

It doesnt have to be that way, though. Most water-related accidents can be avoided by knowing how to stay safe and following a few simple guidelines. Learning how to swim is essential if you plan on being on or near water. Please, get your children, grandchildren and yourself into a certified swim instruction course. Before signing up with anyone, make sure that instructor has received training from a certified program.

Aside from having your children and yourself properly instructed in swim skills, there are a few tips you need to keep in mind when heading out to enjoy the water:

Buddy up!

Never swim alone. Always swim with a partner, every time whether youre swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake. Even experienced swimmers can become tired or get muscle cramps, which might make it difficult to get out of the water. When people swim together, they can help each other or go for help in case of an emergency.

Get skills

Speaking of emergencies, its good to be prepared. Learning some life-saving skills, such as CPR and rescue techniques, can help you save a life. A number of organizations offer classes for beginning and experienced swimmers and boaters. Check with your YMCA, local hospital, or chapter of the Red Cross.

Know your limits

Swimming can be a lot of fun and you might want to stay in the water as long as possible. If youre not a good swimmer or youre just learning to swim, dont go in water thats so deep you cant touch the bottom and dont try to keep up with skilled swimmers. That can be hard, especially when your friends are challenging you but its a pretty sure bet theyd rather have you safe and alive.

Swim in safe areas only

Its a good idea to swim only in places that are supervised by a lifeguard. No one can anticipate changing ocean currents, rip currents, sudden storms or other hidden dangers. Pay attention when warnings are posted. In the event that something does go wrong, lifeguards are trained in rescue techniques.

Alcohol and water never mix

Alcohol is involved in numerous water-related injuries and up to half of all water-related deaths. The statistics for teenage guys are particularly scary: One half of all adolescent male drownings are tied to alcohol use.

If you cant see them, you cant save them

Dont depend solely on the lifeguard. Yes, they are highly trained to save lives, but they are also watching many other swimmers.

If you bring your children to the pool, watch them. Dont get so involved with visiting with others, reading or your phone/tablet that you are not always aware of their location.

Be prepared, stay aware, and have fun!

Jody Holton writes about health in The Port Arthur News. She can be reached at jholton3@gt.rr.com.

See more here:
HEALTHY LIVING Stay safe around water this summer - Port Arthur News - The Port Arthur News

Somerset County Business Partnership to Host Health-Related Webinars at June 18th’s BizFest – TAPinto.net

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

BRIDGEWATER, NJ Recently, the Somerset County Business Partnership (SCBP) announced that the 2020 BizFest, for Somerset County small businesses and residents will be held virtually onThursday, June 18, 2020 from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M as the SCBPs first major virtual event in its history.

To continue the tradition of Somerset County's largest business trade show and networkingevent, the Virtual BizFest will offer a full day of networking, educational, and webinar-based events, including these very special health-related webinars, all open and free of charge to the community. These webinars include:

8:00 A.M to 8:30 A.M.- Tips to Make You Smile While Working Remotely

Our newsletter delivers the local news that you can trust.

Join Delta Dental and Uncle Larry for a fun and engaging session on best practices working from home and hosting Zoom meetings; importance of being positive and smiling; and how this is connected to ones oral and overall health.

10:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. Senior Living Options in a Post COVID-19 World

Health Village Retirement Community representative Melissa Nichols, will discuss the different senior living options that exist and the benefits and disadvantages of each in a post-COVID-19 world.

12:30 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. NJ Life Sciences and the Fight Against COVID-19

Learn about New Jerseys life science companies efforts in the fight against COVID-19, including the development of new medicines and vaccines and donations of medicines and supplies to help patients and first responders.

3:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. Atlantic Health Local Updates and Direct-to Employer-Services

Atlantic Health System delivers a 2-part presentation that includes updates on new services now readily available in your community and the latest developments in direct-to-employer health services. This includes: Now in your backyard updates on the latest Atlantic Health System services in your area and the new joint venture with Hunterdon Healthcare

Employer Solutions for Today and Tomorrow ever wonder what the future of direct-to-employer health services looks like? We provide insight into the changing landscape of solutions for all sized employers.

Related:COVID-19 Clinical Research Study Underway at Atlantic Health System, Including Immune Response Study

5:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. Partner with Profile by Sanford

Profile by Sanfordis the nutrition, activity, and lifestyle health coaching program created by doctors and researchers from Sanford Health. The program is designed to take the guesswork out of healthy living by offering a turnkey wellness solution for employees.

Attendance is free for these events with registration required atwww.scbp.org/bizfest/.

View post:
Somerset County Business Partnership to Host Health-Related Webinars at June 18th's BizFest - TAPinto.net

Healthy Eating And Lifestyle Modifications – Modern Ghana

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

It is better to fight this battle fully armored as established in the last article rings a deafening bell. This bell churns no other sound than that of healthy living and lifestyle changes.

Healthy living and lifestyle modifications are mainly denoted by adaptation to healthy eating and appropriate dietary habits.

As a Dietician and Nutrition expert in Ghana, I must admit that a huge chunk of the population hardly sees the need of identifying discrepancies in dietary patterns which is worrisome to denote as an acknowledgement of the problem is the first step to achieving dietary and lifestyle modifications.

The average Ghanaian meal consists of a 70:30 ratio of starchy Carbohydrates to Protein. In extreme cases, an 85:15 ratio of the above nutrients respectively.

There is absolutely no doubt of the importance of starchy carbohydrates in our meal, however, evidenced-based nutrition researches have pointed out the connection between overconsumption of starchy carbohydrates and the rise of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, etc.

This is a cause for alarm especially in settings like Ghana, where starchy carbohydrates make up the bulk of our meals.

Could that be a reason for the current rise in lifestyle conditions especially diabetes among all age groups in Ghana? Unfortunately, I can not pinpoint that alone as the ultimate cause in the rise of NCDs as age, race, genetic factors and family history can be contributing risk factors.

What I do know and can attest to, however, is the positive role of healthy and balanced meals in the fight against lifestyle diseases. A healthy balanced meal will provide you with adequate fuel to go through the day and perform a daily activity with sharpness, accuracy, and efficiency.

This is because a balanced diet contains the entire food nutrients in the right proportion, tailored to meet our daily nutritional requirements.

In a balanced meal, nonstarchy carbohydrates which is basically vegetables should form the largest portion of that meal, starchy carbohydrates such as our banku, rice, yam, fufu, should be taken in moderate quantities followed by protein, whether a first-class (egg, meat, fish, etc) or second class (nuts and legumes).

Sources of fat and oil should be carefully analyzed. Quantities of lipids in food should be limited as much as possible.

Fruits are essential for the provision of various vitamins and minerals and should be consumed frequently especially in these times as the quest for immune boosts are on the rise.

The quantity of these fruits, however, should be taken into consideration as overconsumption of fructose over long periods of time can be detrimental to our health.

The appropriate adjustments in 3 dimensions of healthy eating, namely, Time, Quality, and Quantity go a long way in the actualization of positive dietary modifications.

Contextualizing healthy living and eating in the Ghanaian setting as purpose in this article will never be complete without local examples of this said meal.

Below is a sample menu of balanced Ghanaian meals. These meals are unquantified general examples and not targeted at any group of persons. I will like to encourage all persons with lifestyle diseases to seek help from a professional such as a Dietician for the planning of a quantified, standardized, individualized dietary plan as per your personal caloric needs, medical conditions, and dietary goals.

The writer Ama Pokua Opoku Afriyie, RD. LD. is a Registered and Licensed Dietician

See the original post here:
Healthy Eating And Lifestyle Modifications - Modern Ghana

Vitamin D Deficiency: Know The Signs And Symptoms And Why The Sunshine Vitamin Is Important For You – NDTV

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones and muscle pain

Vitamin D deficiency is quite common. As many as one billion people across the world have low levels of the sunshine vitamin in their blood. Vitamin D is an important nutrient for the body. It required for absorbing calcium and helps in building bones. The vitamin is synthesised in the body in the presence of sunlight.

Building a strong immunity is an important role played by Vitamin D. A strong immunity enables you to fight off illness causing bacteria and viruses. Vitamin D directly interacts which cells that fight infection and thus if you fall sick too often, it could be a sign of Vitamin D deficiency.

Also read:Can Vitamin D Help Fight Acne? Let's Find Out And Know The Best Sources Of Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps in improving absorption of calcium. If you experience bone or back pain regularly, then it could be a sign of Vitamin D deficiency. Studies have also found a link between deficiency of the sunshine vitamin and chronic back pain.

Studies have found that Vitamin D increases production of compounds which are crucial for forming new skin that is a part of the wound-healing process. Slow healing of wounds after an injury or surgery could be indicative of low levels of Vitamin D.

Calcium absorption and bone metabolism are two of the most important functions of Vitamin D. According to healthline.com, people who are diagnosed with bone loss in old age may be deficient in Vitamin D, along with loss of calcium and other minerals.

Also read:These Are The 3 Most Important Minerals For Strong Bones

One of the many causes of Vitamin D deficiency could be muscle pain. The receptor of Vitamin D is present in nerve cells known as nociceptors. These nerve cells sense pain.

Excessive tiredness and fatigue, despite living a healthy lifestyle and sleeping well, could be a sign of Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause tiredness and fatiguePhoto Credit: iStock

Deficiency of Vitamin D could be linked to depression, especially in older adults. Some studies have found that taking supplements can improve mood and reduce feelings of depression.

Severe hair loss is surely associated with a nutrition deficiency, including low levels of Vitamin D. Female pattern hair loss female-pattern hair loss or alopecia areata could be linked to deficiency of Vitamin D.

Also read:7 Foods That Can Boost Your Hair Growth Naturally

What can you do about Vitamin D deficiency?

In prescribed amounts, taking Vitamin D supplements can help in meeting deficiency of Vitamin D. Spending five to 10 minutes under the sun every day can also be beneficial, as the body synthesises Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight.

Continued here:
Vitamin D Deficiency: Know The Signs And Symptoms And Why The Sunshine Vitamin Is Important For You - NDTV

The Real Health Podcast: Jennifer Carroll’s incredible 12 stone weight loss journey and the lessons we can all learn – Independent.ie

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

s you know, the Real Health show is all about practical advice and information that makes healthy living real and long-term and Im delighted to say my guest this week is the best example of this.

Jennifer Carroll is a Mum who, via her Instagram account, @jens_journey_ie, has taken us on her very honest journey of weight loss which has seen her lose over twelve stone to go from 25 stone to just twelve.

Shes now a huge advocate of healthy eating and living and joined me this week to talk about her struggles with weight growing up, the why moment that made her change her life, as well as giving some great tips for listeners to start your own health living journey.

Stay healthy and safe and keep in touch with me for daily postings on Instagram and Twitter @KarlHenryPT.

Ive also got copies of my Healthy Living Handbook to give away and to be in with a chance of winning, just rate, review and subscribe to the show.

Listen and subscribe on Apple and on Spotify

The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

Online Editors

Continued here:
The Real Health Podcast: Jennifer Carroll's incredible 12 stone weight loss journey and the lessons we can all learn - Independent.ie

BCMA Events: Healthy Living Strategies Webinar Branded Content Marketing Association – Branded Content Marketing Association

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

Weve teamed up with our partners at Tonic365, the experts in workplace health and wellbeing to bring you strategies to keep mentally and physically strong in these challenging times.

Date: 26th May

Time: 11am

Book your free place here

Healthy living strategies to boost mental and physical wellbeing whileworking from home

Feel at your best during this time of change and learn tips on how to prioritise your day and make positive change to support a healthy mind and body. Well be discussing how to:

During this session well highlight healthy living techniques to help you keep active, eat well, stay focused, get great sleep and manage your energy as you get to grips with new ways of working and living.

Well have ideas to keep you in great physical and mental shape and well also look at how you can boost your immunity at this time.

Youll be able to ask any questions you have about staying healthy while working from home.

Thank you so much for this amazing session. Everyone is really motivated to bring the change in themselves.

UST Global

Panel Members:

Fab Giovanetti, Founder, Make An Impact

Jeff Archer, Founder, Tonic365

Moderator:

Gordon Glenister, Global Head of Influencer Marketing, BCMA

EFFECTIVE DIET HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND A PEACE OF MIND – ZOBUZ – Zobuz

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

EFFECTIVE DIET, HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND A PEACE OF MIND: BETTER SHAPE YOU BOTH OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE BODY

As the world is quickly experiencing numerous adjustments in condition, it is required to move effectively with these changes. Whats more, as everybody realizes that how hazardous Corona virus and its belongings are, so it turns out to be increasingly pivotal to keep up your body shape or well being as well as your psyche and soul. Just a solid individual with an effective healthy diet plan and healthy lifestyle can beat this infection.

Considering the medical problems of individuals and all the more explicitly ladies solid lives style for guaranteeing their more joyful, hopeful, serene lives: a popular Portuguese Registered Dietitian and book writer, Sandra Ribeiro, has planned half a month based sessions for undesirable, substantial weighted and skeptical people.

She has been working with a large number of female customers from everywhere throughout the world both by physical contact and through virtual gatherings.

She is currently introducing a free discovery session followed by 3 months based total counseling, instructing period. During her free discovery session, she will assist in discovering deterrents in your excursion of a glad sound life, your definitive fantasy about getting in shape and conceptualize you for planning effective, moderate, simple to-adjust and more advantageous healthy diet plan.

What makes this Epic woman and her diet plans exceptional from others, is basically her fantastic method for managing customers, ensured sound devices or philosophy and her solid living arrangement that makes body fit as a fiddle and brain in harmony.

Through an inside and out brain and body investigation, Sandra gives ladies a continuous rehearsing diet plan and inspirational philosophy to accomplish their objectives and a fantasy sound life involves on shining skin, more beneficial grin, impeccable physical make-up, good faith, fiery, genuine feelings of serenity and liveliness without starvation.

The underlying phase of 45 to an hour and a half based session, an individual would be sufficient recognized to execute the arrangement plan on his/her own or can team up with this Dietitian for long haul bond. In any case, the best thing about this session is, she will be in contact with you on the off chance that you decide to turn out alone or in a group with her.

Ill guide you through my methodology to achieve your goals of losing weight and live a healthy, happier life. You will have a personalized meal plan thats designed based on your needs and your goals. In addition, to ensure you can enjoy your diet plan, youll also gain access to my delicious and practical recipe eBooks, weekly menu planning, shopping list, and video lessons, says Sandra Ribeiro, Registered Portuguese Dietitian.

Numerous customers have just profited her administrations and begun another excursion of sound life. Here, you will discover audit of a fulfilled customer!

I am a mother of three princesses and with their births came the additional pounds. I arrived at where I felt discontent with my body, with my brain and with my physical prosperity. I counseled Sandra. She offered me her dietary guidance and persuading inviting words to never provide up so as to accomplish my objectives. With Sandras assistance I had the option to change my dietary patterns without entangled limitations. What effectively a reality is that I have shed 46 pounds and, as of now, I am a mother, lady and dynamic expert, feeling extraordinary, propelled and I have increased 20 years of recharged soul, said Rachel, Client.

Moreover, this session can give fruitful results during amidst COVID-19 as due to complete or partial lockdown all over the world, people are getting fats, weights, laziness and stressful mindsets. Sandra will be available for one-on-one sessions during this critical time period too. And joining her in session will bring remarkable changes in maintaining healthy life style and boosting up hopes. You can get more data or reach her through this site

Read the original:
EFFECTIVE DIET HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND A PEACE OF MIND - ZOBUZ - Zobuz

COVID-19: money, mind and beyond – The Daily Star

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

While having no promising success so far against the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), social distancing and quarantine are the only preventive measures advised by experts around the world. The idea is simple as you are not carrying the baton for letting the virus spread in your community. The devastating Coronavirus-show is already long enough that put everyone in critical thinking and wonder what now?

By far you have heard a lot about vaccines or drugs against COVID-19, how much have you grasped for your mental health? It is not just some sort of chemical imbalance that causes stress or depression. Stressful life events, dysregulation of mood by the brain and genetic vulnerability are also major sources of impaired mental health that exist in this pandemic.

Unfortunately for some during this pandemic, it is either Coronavirus or hunger to choose from. Some experts made a daunting speculation that this pandemic driven economic recession will be worse than ever as countries covering more than fifty percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are under lockdown. Unprecedented distortion in the circular flow of economic activities is plummeting people's positive energy.

Hence, this is not the best time for worshipping any economic theory, either be it neoclassical (naturally driven economic rehabilitation with minimum government influence) or Keynesian (government-backed and fast-paced). Experts rather emphasise on the mobility of money where it should reach all the catalysts of the economy especially the struggling and deprived ones. Although coronavirus itself may move around traceless, the havoc of diminished financial stability is now evident and imprinting its effect on people's psyche. Any decision-making fiasco either for prolonged lockdown or getting back to work will just worsen the burden.

Our lifestyle needs a bit of tuning so that we move along with an apparent healthy living. Quarantine takes a deep toll on our mood presenting a weird kind of boredom. Boredom and stress provoke people towards overeating, for many the sugary "comfort foods''.

Imbalance in dietary choice driven by the craving for any specific food includes emotional, behavioural, cognitive or psychological process. Although carbohydrate-rich foods promote the 'happy hormone' serotonin production which stimulates our mood, it also triggers a higher glycaemic index with consequent obesity and diabetes down the line.

Sleep disturbance or change in circadian rhythm adds another level of stress. Foods rich in serotonin and sleep-promoting amino acid melatonin for dinner may help. Having a considerable portion of veggies, fruits and leafy greens are good options. This also provides tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin and melatonin. Just maintaining the basics ensuring good sources of immuno-supportive nutrients with vitamins, antioxidants, balance of macro and micronutrients may help you fight the impaired immune response and activate your natural mechanism against any infection or altered mental health.

In addition, not going out means less exposure to the sun, leading to reduced vitamin D levels. Replenishing vitamin D may be available from a brief walk around when the sun is up or from vitamin D rich foods like commonly found poultry options.

The positive association of a balanced diet and exercise with good mental health are plenty. The last option for improved mental health is going through medication under expert hands. Again, this is nothing new as many people already went through a similar situation. In the end, mental health matters big time.

The trauma from the invisible virus haunting us everyday demands extra empathy for our own. It may sound clich but empathy, compassion and self-care should now be the most talked and practiced life events to go the extra mile in this pandemic.

The writer is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Australia. Email: morshed9642@gmail.com

What is our right to health? – Brakpan Herald

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

The public health crisis of Covid-19, requiring citizens to be vigilant about hygiene measures like hand sanitising, has not only turned the spotlight on the basic human right of access to healthcare, but also on the need for people to take personal responsibility for their health.

If nothing else, the vulnerability to Covid-19 infection of people with serious underlying medical conditions that are not well-managed, such as respiratory conditions, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and compromised immune systems, has shown that achieving the healthy nation that South Africa needs for productivity and economic growth will take more than universal free healthcare, said Prof Renata Schoeman, head of the MBA in Healthcare Leadership programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

Social determinants of health such as safe living environments, access to healthy food, education, employment, and the health of the surrounding environment play as much of a role in creating healthy communities, along with lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise and substance abuse.

The continued focus on health as a human right, and on the accessibility of care, disempowers people from taking responsibility for their own health. And we confuse health care with health having access to care is not a promise of health, she said.

Schoeman, a practicing psychiatrist said that viewing health as a personal and social value, rather than exclusively as a right, would increase personal responsibility and investment by people in their health a critical factor in curbing the spread of Covid-19.

When people are given the opportunity to be active participants in their own care, instead of passive recipients, and their human rights respected, the outcomes are better and health systems become more efficient, she said.

It doesnt help to have free healthcare, such as the proposed NHI, but people make poor lifestyle choices in terms of healthy eating, exercise and substance abuse, for example and dont take responsibility for their own health.

Schoeman points out that health goes beyond the absence of disease and is influenced by genetics along with social and economic factors such as poverty, unemployment, housing, education, nutrition and the health of the surrounding environment.

The NHI alone, as a strategy to fund healthcare, is only part of the solution, she says.

Pointing to the success of disincentives to unhealthy lifestyles, such as sin taxes, and incentives such as discounts and loyalty rewards for healthy food purchases, as measures for promoting health and preventing disease should be extended to the public sector, and would be significantly more affordable than the NHI.

Ensuring access to healthcare is a social and government responsibility, but this needs to go along with promotion of health, which goes beyond the health system to entrenching health as a shared, social value, and this is the task of all those involved in shaping and influencing values families, schools, the media and the legal system, said Schoeman.

She emphasised that governments need to think beyond simply the accessibility and funding of healthcare, to the quality of the health care as well as getting the basics right in terms of addressing poverty and unemployment, health promotion and prevention strategies, and safe and healthy living environments.

Read the original post:
What is our right to health? - Brakpan Herald

Gut reaction: How the gut microbiome may influence the severity of COVID-19 – The Conversation CA

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

The risk of severe COVID-19 infection is more common in those with high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, conditions that are all associated with changes to the composition of the gut microbiome the community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the intestines. This raises the question of whether the gut microbiome has a role in dictating COVID-19 severity.

Lets recap what we know about COVID-19. COVID-19 is a new disease caused by a very contagious virus called SARS-CoV-2.

In most infected individuals, the virus does not cause serious illness. However, it causes a very serious respiratory disease and even death in a minority of patients. Through many studies of people with COVID-19 over the past few months, we have learned what characteristics are more likely to be linked to mild versus severe forms of the disease.

Children and young adults are less likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19, although infection readily occurs in young people with equally high viral loads in the airway, suggesting that they can certainly infect others. In contrast, people of older age and those with pre-existing chronic conditions are highly at risk and very likely develop symptomatic, severe disease.

If we consider the gradient of severity of the disease, children are at one end, and the elderly and patients with chronic conditions are at the other end.

The information collected by researchers from many countries all points to similar characteristics and health conditions that are more commonly seen in patients with severe disease. These include older age, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

The strength of these associations is even more prominent among younger individuals, as younger patients with obesity and diabetes are more likely to have serious disease.

In New York City, 5,279 patients tested positive for COVID-19 between March 1 and April 8, 2020. Of these, 22.6 per cent had diabetes and 35.3 per cent were obese.

Obesity was associated with an increased rate of hospital admission and critical illness. Similar findings were provided by investigators in the United Kingdom about the outbreak in Britain, where obese patients were twice as likely to develop severe disease.

Do these findings raise the possibility that the mechanisms underlying high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity may help explain why these conditions lead to severe COVID-19 disease? Before exploring this question, lets zoom in on cellular and molecular mechanisms known to be involved in COVID-19 disease.

When the virus enters the body, it mostly goes to the airways and the gastrointestinal tract. The virus then binds to specific receptors present on the surface of epithelial cells to enter these cells. Viral replication within the cells leads to cell damage and cell death. This results in the release of specific signalling molecules that alert the local immune system.

Armies of immune cells are then dispatched to initiate an antiviral response. Some of these cells are specialized to locate and identify the virus, while others mount a specific immune attack. The immune response results in the release of cytokines, chemokines and antibodies, which in many cases can defeat the virus, and the patient recovers.

Sometimes the immune system is dangerously at high alert and overreacts. In this case, the immune cells mount an especially strong inflammatory response one that goes beyond what is required to kill the virus. This extra-strong attack releases cytokines and chemokines on a massive scale throughout the body, resulting in a cytokine storm, which causes widespread inflammation and tissue damage in patients with severe COVID-19.

One of the reasons for an abnormal, overreactive immune response lies in the gastrointestinal tract. Millions of interactions are constantly occurring between the immune system and trillions of non-dangerous microbes that live within the body. These interactions educate the immune system in how to function and, importantly, in how not to overreact to infectious microbes. Could this help explain why some people are more likely to develop uncontrolled inflammation upon COVID-19 infection?

The gut microbiome is the community of micro-organisms living inside the gastrointestinal tract, mostly in the large bowel. The microbiome contains bacteria, fungi (yeast), viruses and protozoa, all of which contribute to maintaining a balanced ecosystem and human health. These microbes collectively perform many beneficial functions, including educating the immune system.

When studying the microbiome, scientists examine the composition (what is there) and function (what are they doing) of this ecosystem. We have learned that both composition and function of the gut microbiome are important features linked to human health. In certain conditions, the balance of the gut microbiome composition and function is disrupted in a way that leads to disease, a phenomenon called microbiome dysbiosis.

There is accumulating evidence from animal and human studies that gut microbiome dysbiosis has a causal role in metabolism dysregulation manifested as diabetes and obesity the risk factors of severe COVID-19 disease.

The gut microbiome regulates host defences against viral infections including respiratory viruses, such as influenza virus. This occurs through the activation of immune antiviral mechanisms and the prevention of excessive inflammation.

Different species of the gut microbiome have pro- or anti-inflammatory properties and play different roles in regulating the immune system. In the context of COVID-19, a recent preprint study (not yet peer reviewed) showed that specific members of the gut microbiome were associated with severe disease and with immune markers known to be elevated in severe disease. The association of these gut bacteria with the immune markers was even higher than that of the known risk factors of COVID-19 severity: age and obesity.

Further work is needed to confirm that pro-inflammatory microbial species can contribute to the immune responses that make severe COVID-19 more likely, but based on what we know about the microbiome, this is certainly a possibility. This also could mean that beneficial gut microbiome species, the type that promote low inflammation, have the potential to prevent or remediate the immune alterations that lead to severe COVID-19.

The research community is working very hard to develop and test safe and effective vaccines and treatments against COVID-19. Tapping into the potential of the gut microbiome is another avenue that we can pursue to identify potential safe and affordable probiotics for prevention and treatment. This is not unprecedented in the context of viral respiratory diseases: probiotics and prebiotics can affect the immune response to the flu vaccine, and may improve outcomes in flu-like illnesses.

Until effective treatments are available, mind your microbes and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Go here to read the rest:
Gut reaction: How the gut microbiome may influence the severity of COVID-19 - The Conversation CA

Select Page ::