HEALTH & WELLNESS

14Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses. Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems. While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of...

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

14Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

Why do I feel better when I wake myself up instead of relying on an alarm? A neurologist explains the science of a restful night’s sleep. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma We’ve all experienced this: You’re in the middle of a lovely dream. Perhaps you’re flying. As you’re soaring through the air, you meet an eagle. The eagle looks at you, opens its beak and – BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Your alarm goes off. Dream over, time to get up. Many people – kids and adults alike – notice that when they wake up naturally from sl...

The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise

30Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise

Norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug, is on the rise – an infectious disease expert explains the best ways to stay safe. The highly contagious norovirus – popularly known as “stomach flu” or the “winter vomiting bug” – is now surging through the U.S.. The number of outbreaks is up significantly over previous years, possibly due in part to a new strain of the virus. Outbreaks can occur after direct contact with someone who is infected. Food and household surfaces can also become contaminated. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, discusses the symptoms of norovirus, how best to treat it, and the populations most vulnerable to this illness. Dr. William Schaffner discusses the norovirus. The Con...

The Yearly ‘Weight Creep’ What It Is And How To Stop It

12Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

The Yearly ‘Weight Creep’ What It Is And How To Stop It

Most adults will gain half a kilo this year – and every year. Here’s how to stop ‘weight creep’ Allgo/Unsplash As we enter a new year armed with resolutions to improve our lives, there’s a good chance we’ll also be carrying something less helpful: extra kilos. At least half a kilogram, to be precise. “Weight creep” doesn’t have to be inevitable. Here’s what’s behind this sneaky annual occurrence and some practical steps to prevent it. Small gains add up Adults tend to gain weight progressively as they age and typically gain an average of 0.5 to 1kg every year. While this doesn’t seem like much each year, it amounts to 5kg over a decade. The slow-but-steady nature of weight creep is why many of us won’t notice the extra weight gained until we’re in our fifties. Why do w...

Treating Depression With Food And Exercise As Well As A Psychologist

9Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Treating Depression With Food And Exercise As Well As A Psychologist

Food and exercise can treat depression as well as a psychologist, our study found. And it’s cheaper. Around 3.2 million Australians live with depression. At the same time, few Australians meet recommended dietary or physical activity guidelines. What has one got to do with the other? Our world-first trial, published this week, shows improving diet and doing more physical activity can be as effective as therapy with a psychologist for treating low-grade depression. Previous studies (including our own) have found “lifestyle” therapies are effective for depression. But they have never been directly compared with psychological therapies – until now. Amid a nation-wide shortage of mental health professionals, our research points to a potential solution. As we found lifestyle counseling w...

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

10Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings and reviews that will not be completed until after the presidential election in November. The news drew strong reactions from critics: 25 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting any changes to federal marijuana laws. They argued that the decision “was not properly researched … and is merely respondin...

Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law

30Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree. Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other at-risk patient groups. The Affordable Care Act exempted preventive services from patient cost-sharing for large chunks of the population. This means that if you receive preventive screening and have private insurance, including through the ACA Marketplace, there should be no copay at time of service, and you shouldn’t get a bill later on. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Our team of health economists has shown that patient...

Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV

22Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV

Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why? At a pharmacy in Iowa, a 42-year-old Black gay man couldn’t find a medication he needed. The pharmacist, a white woman, told him they didn’t stock that medication. But while he waited to pay for his other purchases, he saw another customer place the medication he just asked for on the counter. “I felt really bad,” he said. “I think (when) people place their biases alongside their profession, it makes it difficult to access (health) services.” One of these services include PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, a highly effective prescription medication that prevents the spread of HIV. Black gay and bisexual men made up about 38% of the estimated 37,981 new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2...

Two-Thirds Of Women With The Endometriosis Condition Miss School And Work

15Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Two-Thirds Of Women With The Endometriosis Condition Miss School And Work

Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds. More than two-thirds of women with endometriosis missed school or work due to pain from the condition, in a study of more than 17,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S. That is a key finding of new research published in the Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders. Our study also found that Black and Hispanic women were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis compared with white women. Interestingly, women who identified as part of the LGBTQ community had a higher likelihood of receiving an endometriosis diagnosis than heterosexual women. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is administered by the Centers for ...

Health Care Workers Dance, Write And Draw Their Way Through Burnout And On-The-Job Stress, With The Help Of Creative Arts Therapy Programs

29Aug

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Health Care Workers Dance, Write And Draw Their Way Through Burnout And On-The-Job Stress, With The Help Of Creative Arts Therapy Programs

Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress. Doctors and nurses seldom learn in school how to tell a family that their loved one is not going to survive. Yet health care professionals face the immense burden of tragedy, illness and dying in an intensely stressful setting as a routine, ongoing part of their jobs. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, research was documenting rampant stress and burnout among health care professionals. The effects of this crisis are widespread in the U.S. In 2022, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy raised concerns about the alarming levels of burnout in the health care community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show that if current trends continue, the U.S. wi...