HEALTH & WELLNESS

9Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Is It OK If I Drink Coffee

In my chiropractic office I get asked many questions. Usually, I am asked about how to help with musculoskeletal problems. I personally, have an interest and have studied a good bit about nutrition. Many of my patients know this and will ask me questions on the subject. Recently a patient asked me: "Is it OK if I drink coffee?" Since I drink coffee a couple times a week, I didn't see any harm in it, but I wasn't sure if there was a nutritional benefit, so I did some research. This article will discuss nutritional benefits of moderate coffee drinking. Coffee is one of the most popular and consumed beverages on the planet. I found that there is quite a bit of scientific documentation on the benefits of drinking coffee. Most of the studies noted that moderate coffee drinking (one to three c...

In Health Care Addressing Racism Against Black Women Is Key To Ending The US HIV Epidemic

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

In Health Care Addressing Racism Against Black Women Is Key To Ending The US HIV Epidemic

Forty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Black women continue to bear the highest burden of HIV among women. Although Black women represent only 13% of the female population, they accounted for over half of HIV diagnoses among all females in the U.S. in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White women, who are 62% of the female population, accounted for 21% of HIV diagnoses. Black women are also less likely than white women to receive the antiretroviral therapies that are highly effective at preventing HIV infection and are more likely to die of causes related to HIV. This year’s World AIDS Day theme included ending inequalities in HIV and AIDS care. But in order to address the inequities, it will require examining the root causes of them. In ...

Fueled By The Pandemic Fentanyl Spread Across The US And Drove Opioid Overdose Deaths To A Grim New High

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, IN OTHER NEWS

Fueled By The Pandemic Fentanyl Spread Across The US And Drove Opioid Overdose Deaths To A Grim New High

Andrew Kolodny, Brandeis University For the past 20 years, I have been engaged in efforts to end the opioid epidemic, as a public health official, researcher and clinician. And for every one of those years I have looked on as the number of deaths from drug overdoses has set a new record high. Yet even knowing that trend I was surprised by the latest tally from the CDC showing that for the first time ever, the number of Americans who fatally overdosed over the course of a year surpassed 100,000. In a 12-month period ending at the end of April 2021, some 100,306 died in the U.S., up 28.5% over the same period a year earlier. The soaring death toll has been fueled by a much more dangerous black market opioid supply. Illicitly synthesized fentanyl – a potent and inexpensive opioid that has ...

Like Cigarettes Addictive And Unhealthy – Foods High In Added Fats And Refined Carbs

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Like Cigarettes Addictive And Unhealthy – Foods High In Added Fats And Refined Carbs

Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan Every year millions of Americans try to cut down on ultra-processed foods – industrial formulations that are typically high in added fat, refined carbohydrates or both. Think cookies, cakes, potato chips and pizza. For many, the desire to change what they eat is triggered by concerns about potentially life-threatening health conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. The impact of diet on health is not a small problem. In fact, a recent multidisciplinary commission of 37 leading scientists from around the globe identified unhealthy diets as a greater risk to human health than unsafe sex and alcohol, drug and tobacco use combined. Many people know that most ultra-processed foods are not healthy. But the goal of cutting down on them can be so cha...

An Immunologist Answers 3 Questions: Should Pregnant Women Get The COVID-19 Vaccine? Will It Protect Against Asymptomatic Infections And Mutated Viruses?

10Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

An Immunologist Answers 3 Questions: Should Pregnant Women Get The COVID-19 Vaccine? Will It Protect Against Asymptomatic Infections And Mutated Viruses?

This week I was vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, which brought to mind some frequently asked questions about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. I am a physician, and I just got my first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. William Petri, CC BY-SA I am a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients with COVID-19 and conduct research on how best to prevent, diagnose and treat this new infection. As I interact with patients in the hospital, some mothers and expectant mothers have asked whether it is safe for them to take the vaccine. Here is what I have said to them. 1) Can I get vaccinated if I am pregnant or breastfeeding? Yes, you can and should get a COVID-19 vaccine if you are either pregnant or breastfeeding. An impor...

Should You Worry? Your Teenager Is Vaping E-Cigarettes

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Should You Worry? Your Teenager Is Vaping E-Cigarettes

Lynn T. Kozlowski, University at Buffalo E-cigarettes and other vaping products are on track to out-sell cigarettes by the end of 2023. And more and more young people are trying e-cigarettes. So what do you need to know about them? Are they less harmful than using cigarettes or other burned tobacco products? Mike Mozart, CC BY What are e-cigarettes? First, they are not burned tobacco products. Most often, they contain nicotine solutions that are heated to make a vapor (hence the terms vape or vaping), and they’re usually powered by batteries. Some look like cigarettes and others can resemble flashlights. The first e-cigarettes were not produced by cigarette companies, but the cigarette companies have gotten into the business. E-cigarette and vaping products are available in specialty st...

There Are Laws, Incentives And Mindset Changes In Place That Could Reduce The Medical Errors That Keep Killing Patients

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

There Are Laws, Incentives And Mindset Changes In Place That Could Reduce The Medical Errors That Keep Killing Patients

Michael J. Saks, Arizona State University Dr. Christopher Duntsch was a spine surgeon so reckless, incompetent or impaired that he’s now in a Texas prison. Better known as “Dr. Death,” Duntsch severed nerves, vocal cords and arteries that should not have been touched. He left patient after patient maimed, paralyzed or dead. Moreover, his story exposes the inability or reluctance of the medical community to stop him. Eventually, the Texas Medical Board did revoke his license. But three fellow surgeons, certain that Duntsch would simply move to another state and resume his career of carnage, implored the Dallas County district attorney to prosecute him. In 2017, a jury took just four hours to convict. Although sentenced to life in prison, Duntsch is up for parole in 2045, when he will be 7...

Instagram Is Bad For Teens Despite Claiming Otherwise – Facebook Has Known This For A Year And A Half – Here Are The Harms Researchers Have Been Documenting For Years

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Instagram Is Bad For Teens Despite Claiming Otherwise – Facebook Has Known This For A Year And A Half – Here Are The Harms Researchers Have Been Documenting For Years

Christia Spears Brown, University of Kentucky Facebook officials had internal research in March 2020 showing that Instagram – the social media platform most used by adolescents – is harmful to teen girls’ body image and well-being but swept those findings under the rug to continue conducting business as usual, according to a Sept. 14, 2021, Wall Street Journal report. Facebook’s policy of pursuing profits regardless of documented harm has sparked comparisons to Big Tobacco, which knew in the 1950s that its products were carcinogenic but publicly denied it into the 21st century. Those of us who study social media use in teens didn’t need a suppressed internal research study to know that Instagram can harm teens. Plenty of peer-reviewed research papers show the same thing. Understanding t...

The Actions Of Government And Charitable Organizations Likely Kept Millions Of Americans Out Of Food Insecurity During The Pandemic

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The Actions Of Government And Charitable Organizations Likely Kept Millions Of Americans Out Of Food Insecurity During The Pandemic

Craig Gundersen, Baylor University Despite the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the vulnerable in the United States, the percentage of Americans in food-insecure households held steady in 2020 at 10.5%, figures released on Sept. 8, 2021, show. Although unchanged from 2019, the new numbers are important for two main reasons. First, food insecurity – the state of being unable to adequately provide food for yourself or your family – has become one of the leading, if not the leading, indicator of well-being for vulnerable Americans. And with 38.3 million food-insecure Americans, the number of people affected is still high. Second, the fact that the overall rate did not increase despite a serious economic downturn underscores the importance of government intervention when it come...

For Treating Anxiety And Depression, As Well As Deeper Psychological Wounds, Dance And Movement Therapy Holds Promise

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

For Treating Anxiety And Depression, As Well As Deeper Psychological Wounds, Dance And Movement Therapy Holds Promise

HEALTH Lana Ruvolo Grasser, Wayne State University A few years ago, framed by the skyline of Detroit, a group of about 15 children resettled as refugees from the Middle East and Africa leapt and twirled around, waving blue, pink and white streamers through the air. The captivating scene was powerfully symbolic. Each streamer held a negative thought, feeling or memory that the children had written down on the streamers. On cue and in unison, the children released their streamers into the air, then sat down nearby. Then they gathered up the fallen streamers, which carried their collective struggles and hardships, threw them in a trash can and waved goodbye. The children were participating in a dance therapy activity as part of our team’s research program exploring body-based approaches t...