July 20, 2020

Second-quarter highlights Sales amounted to EUR 4.4 billion, with a 6% comparable sales decrease Comparable order intake increased 27% Income from continuing operations was EUR 213 million, compared to EUR 260 million in Q2 2019 Adjusted EBITA margin was 9.5% of sales, compared to 11.8% of sales in Q2 2019 Income from operations amounted to EUR 229 million, compared to EUR 350 million in Q2 2019 EPS from continuing operations (diluted) amounted to EUR 0.23; Adjusted EPS amounted to EUR 0.35, compared to EUR 0.42 in Q2 2019 Operating cash flow improved to EUR 558 million, compared to EUR 390 million in Q2 2019 Free cash flow increased to EUR 311 million, compared to EUR 174 million in Q2 2019

Frans van Houten, CEOAs the global societal and economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak intensified in the second quarter of 2020, we continued to focus on our triple duty of care: meeting critical customer needs, safeguarding the health and safety of our employees, and ensuring business continuity. In close collaboration with our suppliers and partners, we have steeply ramped up the production volumes of acute care products and solutions to help diagnose, treat, monitor and manage COVID-19 patients. Our field service engineers have been supporting healthcare providers around the world throughout these testing times. Under the circumstances, I am pleased at the way we have performed and I am grateful and proud of how all our employees have stepped up.

In the quarter, Philips' sales declined 6% on a comparable basis and we delivered an Adjusted EBITA margin of 9.5%. Comparable order intake grew a further 27% on the back of double-digit growth in the previous quarter, driven by CT imaging systems, hospital ventilators and patient monitors. As anticipated, COVID-19 caused a steep decrease in consumer demand and postponement of installations in hospitals, as well as elective procedures, resulting in a 19% comparable sales decrease for our Personal Health businesses and a 9% decline for our Diagnosis & Treatment businesses. This was partly offset by a strong 14% comparable sales growth for our Connected Care businesses.

We expect to return to growth and improved profitability for the Group in the second half of the year, assuming we can convert our existing order book for the Diagnosis & Treatment and Connected Care businesses, elective procedures normalize, and consumer demand gradually improves. Consequently, for the full year 2020 we continue to aim for a modest comparable sales growth and Adjusted EBITA margin improvement.

Looking ahead, our mission is more relevant than ever. Our strategy to transform the delivery of care along the health continuum, leveraging informatics and remote care capabilities, along with our innovative systems and services, has been validated during this crisis. I am convinced that Philips is well positioned to serve the current and future needs of hospitals and health systems.

Business segment performanceThe Diagnosis & Treatment businesses recorded a 9% comparable sales decline due to the postponement of installations and elective procedures. Although Diagnostic Imaging sales were in line with Q2 2019, Ultrasound showed a mid-single-digit decrease, and Image-Guided Therapy a double-digit decline. Comparable order intake showed a double-digit decrease. The Adjusted EBITA margin decreased to 8.6%, mainly due to the sales decline.

Comparable sales in the Connected Care businesses increased 14%, with double-digit growth in Sleep & Respiratory Care and mid-single-digit growth in Monitoring & Analytics. Comparable order intake more than doubled, driven by strong demand for patient monitors and hospital ventilators. The Adjusted EBITA margin increased to 17.8%, as additional investments to ramp up production were more than offset by operating leverage.

The Personal Health businesses recorded a comparable sales decline of 19%, with all businesses declining due to significantly decreased consumer demand. The Adjusted EBITA margin declined to 5.6%, due to the sales decline, partly offset by cost savings.

Philips ongoing focus on innovation and partnerships resulted in the following key developments in the quarter:

Highlighting its strength in strategic partnerships to enhance patient care and improve care provider productivity, Philips signed 14 new agreements in the quarter. For example, Philips and the US Department of Veterans Affairs entered a 10-year agreement to expand their tele-critical care program, creating the worlds largest system to provide veterans with remote access to intensive care expertise, regardless of their location. In the Netherlands, Philips and Flevo Hospital signed a 10-year strategic partnership agreement to support precision diagnosis and optimize workflows and patient pathways, while driving efficiencies and cost optimization. In collaboration with its partners and suppliers, Philips tripled the production of its hospital ventilators in the quarter and is on track to achieve the planned four-fold increase to 4,000 units per week in July 2020, supporting the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the most affected regions around the world. Philips launched several new monitoring solutions for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the general ward and the home that feature remote monitoring capabilities and advanced analytics. These include Philips IntelliVue Patient Monitors MX750/MX850 for the ICU, Philips Biosensor BX100 for early patient deterioration detection in the general ward, and in collaboration with BioIntelliSense, the BioSticker medical device to help monitor at-risk patients from the hospital to the home. University of Kentucky HealthCare teamed up with Philips to implement the companys tele-ICU technology to enhance patient care and improve utilization and patient flows across 160 ICU beds at the academic medical centers two hospitals. Leveraging Philips acute telehealth platform, eCareManager, UK HealthCare is implementing the states first centralized virtual care model to help nurses detect risk of patient deterioration, so they can intervene earlier and help improve care outcomes. Philips received an industry-first 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market a wide range of its ultrasound solutions including CX50 and Lumify for the management of COVID-19-related lung and cardiac complications. Portable ultrasound solutions in particular have become valuable tools for clinicians treating COVID-19 patients, due to their imaging capabilities, portability and ease of disinfection. Supporting the increased demand for flexible ICU capacity, Philips introduced its new mobile ICUs in India. The ICUs can be furnished with a range of medical equipment, including ventilators, defibrillators, and patient monitoring. In the Philippines, Philips introduced a modular diagnostic imaging cabin with a CT or diagnostic X-ray system for rapid deployment. Complementing Philips Sonicares existing teledentistry services for patients, Philips and dental technology company Toothpic announced a new teledentistry platform for dental professionals. The multi-service platform provides a tool to build direct patient engagement, acquisition and retention while improving office efficiency, in-chair time and remote care.

Cost savingsIn the second quarter, procurement savings amounted to EUR 57 million. Overhead and other productivity programs delivered savings of EUR 51 million. As a result, Philips is on track to deliver over EUR 400 million productivity savings for 2020 and EUR 1.8 billion productivity savings for the Group for the 2017-2020 period.

Executive Committee updateOn July 16, Philips announced the appointment of Deeptha Khanna as the Chief Business Leader of the Personal Health businesses, effective July 20, 2020, and the appointment of Edwin Paalvast as Chief of International Markets, effective August 1, 2020. Ms. Khanna and Mr. Paalvast will become members of Philips Executive Committee, reporting to Philips CEO Frans van Houten.

Ms. Khanna joins Philips from Johnson & Johnson to lead its Personal Health businesses, which were temporarily led by Frans van Houten. Mr. Paalvast joins Philips from Cisco Systems, and will succeed current Chief of International Markets Henk de Jong, who has been appointed as CEO of Philips EUR 2.3 billion Domestic Appliances business, effective August 1, 2020. As announced in January 2020, the Domestic Appliances business is being separated from Philips, a process that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021. Mr. de Jong will continue to report to Frans van Houten and remain a member of the Executive Committee.

Capital allocationShare buyback programAt the end of the first quarter of 2020, Philips had completed 50.3% of its EUR 1.5 billion share buyback program for capital reduction purposes that was announced on January 29, 2019. In line with the companys announcement on March 23, 2020, Philips has executed the second half of the program through individual forward transactions with settlement dates extending into the second half of 2021. Further details can be found here.

Share cancellationIn June 2020, Philips completed the cancellation of 3,809,675 shares that were acquired as part of the share buyback program mentioned above.

DividendIn July 2020, Philips issued a total number of 18,080,198 new common shares for settlement of the 2019 dividend. After deduction of treasury shares, this results in a total number of outstanding shares of 909,395,209, compared to 909,194,188 shares in 2019 following the settlement of the 2018 dividend.

Regulatory updatePhilips Emergency Care and Resuscitation (ECR) business resumed manufacturing and shipping of external defibrillators for the US, following notification from the FDA that the injunction prohibiting those activities has been lifted. Philips continues to comply with the terms of the Consent Decree, which remains in effect, and includes ongoing regulatory compliance monitoring and facility inspections of the ECR business and of Philips other patient care businesses by the FDA. In connection with the ECR portfolio, Philips received FDA pre-market approval (PMA) for the HeartStart FR3 [1] and HeartStart FRx [2] automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and their supporting accessories, including batteries and pads.

In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, Philips is working with the FDAs Emergency Response and Product Evaluation teams to provide them with relevant information, such as Philips production ramp-up and availability of acute care products and solutions to combat COVID-19. Philips has obtained authorizations through the FDAs Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) process for the expanded use of several of its devices during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including for the Philips IntelliVue Patient Monitors MX750/MX850 and its IntelliVue Active Displays AD75/AD85. Moreover, Philips has received FDA 510(k) clearances to market its Biosensor BX100 for early patient deterioration detection in the general ward, and to market a wide range of its ultrasound solutions for the management of COVID-19-related lung and cardiac complications.

[1] Model 861388 and Model 861389[2] Model 861304

For further information, please contact:

Ben ZwirsPhilips Global Press OfficeTel: +31 6 1521 3446Email: ben.zwirs@philips.com

Martijn van der StarrePhilips Global Press OfficeTel.: +31 6 2847 4617E-mail: martijn.van.der.starre@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

Forward-looking statements and other important information

Forward-looking statements

This document and the related oral presentation, including responses to questions following the presentation, contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items.

Examples of forward-looking statements include: statements made about the strategy; estimates of sales growth; future Adjusted EBITA; future restructuring, acquisition-related and other costs; future developments in Philips organic business; and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements.

These factors include but are not limited to: changes in industry or market circumstances; economic and political developments; market and supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak; Philips increasing focus on health technology; the realization of Philips growth ambitions and results in growth geographies; successful completion of divestments such as the divestment of our Domestic Appliances businesses; lack of control over certain joint ventures; integration of acquisitions; securing and maintaining Philips intellectual property rights and unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property rights; compliance with quality standards, product safety laws and good manufacturing practices; exposure to IT security breaches, IT disruptions, system changes or failures; supply chain management; ability to create new products and solutions; attracting and retaining personnel; financial impacts from Brexit; compliance with regulatory regimes, including data privacy requirements; governmental investigations and legal proceedings with regard to possible anticompetitive market practices and other matters; business conduct rules and regulations; treasury risks and other financial risks; tax risks; costs of defined-benefit pension plans and other post-retirement plans; reliability of internal controls, financial reporting and management process. As a result, Philips actual future results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could cause future results to differ from such forward-looking statements, see also the Risk management chapter included in the Annual Report 2019.

Third-party market share dataStatements regarding market share, including those regarding Philips competitive position, contained in this document are based on outside sources such as research institutes, industry and dealer panels in combination with management estimates. Where information is not yet available to Philips, those statements may also be based on estimates and projections prepared by outside sources or management. Rankings are based on sales unless otherwise stated.

Use of non-IFRS informationIn presenting and discussing the Philips Groups financial position, operating results and cash flows, management uses certain non- IFRS financial measures. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be viewed in isolation as alternatives to the equivalent IFRS measure and should be used in conjunction with the most directly comparable IFRS measures. Non-IFRS financial measures do not have standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. A reconciliation of these non-IFRS measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measures is contained in this document. Further information on non-IFRS measures can be found in the Annual Report 2019.

Use of fair value informationIn presenting the Philips Groups financial position, fair values are used for the measurement of various items in accordance with the applicable accounting standards. These fair values are based on market prices, where available, and are obtained from sources that are deemed to be reliable. Readers are cautioned that these values are subject to changes over time and are only valid at the balance sheet date. When quoted prices or observable market data are not readily available, fair values are estimated using appropriate valuation models and unobservable inputs. Such fair value estimates require management to make significant assumptions with respect to future developments, which are inherently uncertain and may therefore deviate from actual developments.

Critical assumptions used are disclosed in the Annual Report 2019. In certain cases independent valuations are obtained to support managements determination of fair values.

PresentationAll amounts are in millions of euros unless otherwise stated. Due to rounding, amounts may not add up precisely to totals provided. All reported data is unaudited. Financial reporting is in accordance with the significant accounting policies as stated in the Annual Report 2019. Certain comparative-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current-year presentation.

Effective Q1 2020, Philips has simplified its order intake policy by aligning horizons for all modalities to 18 months to revenue, compared to previously used delivery horizons of 6 months for Ultrasound, 12 months for Connected Care and 15 months for Diagnosis & Treatment. At the same time, Philips has aligned order intake for software contracts to the same 18 months to revenue horizon, meaning that only the next 18 months conversion to revenue under the contract is recognized, compared to the full contract values recognized previously. This change eliminates major variances in order intake growth and better reflects expected revenue in the short term from order intake booked in the reporting period. Prior-year comparable order intake amounts have been restated accordingly. This realignment has not resulted in any material additional order intake recognition.

Per share calculations have been adjusted retrospectively for all periods presented to reflect the issuance of shares for the share dividend in respect of 2019.

Market Abuse RegulationThis press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

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Needless to say, were living in perilous times not just because of, well, everything, but also because it can be genuinely hard to remember to take care of yourself while youre trying to do your part to save the world.

The smart thing to do is to get a little help and make self-care easier than ever. GNC offers that help, with products designed to keep your body healthy and fit and to help you take the medical precautions we all need to think about in 2020.

The Maji Sports-Printed PVC Yoga Mat ($29.99), for example, makes a half-hour of asanas a breeze. Its made of material thats dense enough for you to do your downward-facing dog comfortably on your porch or in your living room, and its nonslip, even when its covered in perspiration. It means you can stretch your muscles and get your endorphins going even in the smallest of confined spaces.

Speaking of confined spaces, with gyms verboten in so many places right now, the Fitccessory Mini Loop Resistance Bands ($21.99 for a three-pack) mean you dont have to let your triceps and quads melt away just because you cant make it to the corner fitness center. With three different levels of resistance, the bands let you engineer your own at-home gym and keep yourself toned while not having to venture out to risky locations.

And lets not forget that a workouts still a workout, whether you do it outdoors, at the gym, or inside your own home and it can feel like it for the rest of the day. The Maji Sports Fitness & Recovery Bundle ($276.99) turns your knots and sore muscles into butter, relieving tension and reducing that post-workout stress, so you dont feel like youve just ridden the Kentucky Derby without a saddle.

Of course, if you do have to go outside, youre going to want to reduce the risk to yourself and others as much as possible. GNC has you covered there, too. The GNC Personal Adult Cloth Face Mask ($4.99) is an inexpensive, responsible way to follow CDC guidelines to keep yourself and others as safe as possible under the current conditions. Its made of a blended cotton, with supportive ear loops to make it comfortable enough for all-day use, plus its washable and reusable. GNC sells a kids version by Zorbitz, too ($4.99).

Besides the aerosolized pathogens that put you at risk when someone sneezes, coughs or simply breathes too close to you, disease can be spread if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your face with your unsanitized hand. Uncle Buds Hand Sanitizer ($9.99 for 8 ounces or $4.99 for a 2-ounce pocket-carry bottle) is a safe way to kill bacteria and viruses on your skin before they can do any damage and contains 70% ethyl alcohol. (The CDC recommends using alcohol-based sanitizers of at least 60% ethyl alcohol to kill any coronavirus on your hands.)

Living in the middle of a pandemic doesnt have to mean you cant live well. GNCs products are designed to make doing just that as easy as possible. And its nonprofit arm, the GNC Live Well Foundation, works to help others live well by partnering with organizations like the American Red Cross and Fit Ops Foundation to improve the wellness of the underserved, especially children and women.

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Living well is still within reach with GNC's fitness and health products - CNN

July 16, 2020

Edwin Paalvast will succeed current Chief of International Markets Henk de Jong, who has been appointed as CEO of Philips Domestic Appliances business, effective August 1, 2020

Amsterdam, the Netherlands Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the appointment of Deeptha Khanna as the Chief Business Leader of its Personal Health businesses, effective July 20, 2020, and the appointment of Edwin Paalvast as Chief of International Markets, effective August 1, 2020. Ms. Khanna and Mr. Paalvast will become members of Philips Executive Committee reporting to Philips CEO Frans van Houten.

Ms. Khanna joins Philips from Johnson & Johnson to lead its Personal Health businesses that were temporarily led by Frans van Houten. Mr.Paalvast joins Philips from Cisco Systems, and will succeed current Chief of International Markets Henk de Jong, who has been appointed as CEO of Philips EUR 2.3 billion Domestic Appliances business, effective August 1, 2020.As announced in January 2020, the Domestic Appliances business is being separated from Philips, a process that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, our purpose and strategy to improve peoples lives through meaningful innovation remain more relevant than ever, said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. We see significant opportunities to further strengthen Philips leadership in health technology. Throughout our markets, care delivery is accelerating towards telehealth, virtual care and remote services directly to patients at home. And in the personal health domain, we are seeing an accelerated shift in priorities and buying behaviors towards online. I am pleased that in Deeptha, with her rich consumer health and digital experience, and Edwin, with his strong informatics and solutions expertise, we have found the right leaders to join our team and help us unlock Philips full potential.

Moreover, with the planned divestiture of the Domestic Appliances business, we are completing the strategic portfolio pivot to a health technology focus. I am convinced that Henk is the best leader for Domestic Appliances, as this business will embark on a new chapter in its journey to thrive and grow independent of Philips. As a seasoned business leader, Henk possesses a great combination of deep consumer knowledge across many countries, as well as a passion for bringing out the best in his team.

Deeptha Khanna (India-born Singaporean, 1976) most recently was the global President of Johnson & Johnsons Skin Health business and Office of Marketing Value. Through 2015 2019, she held various leadership positions in Asia and globally, during which she successfully drove a comprehensive transformation of the Baby Care portfolio. Prior to this, Ms. Khanna spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble in Asia, where she held various leadership positions in marketing. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management.

Edwin Paalvast (Dutch, 1963) joins Philips from Cisco Systems where he was Senior Vice President Global Specialists, leading a global sales force in specialist areas, including the Internet of Things (IoT), networking, data center, cloud, collaboration, cybersecurity and services. Prior to that, he held a variety of senior roles, including that of President of Cisco Systems EMEA. He started his career in 1986 at TNO, the Dutch Institute for Applied Research, where he led research on High Performance Computing and Applied Computer Science. He holds two Masters in Computer Science and Mathematics, and a PhD in Computer Science and Physics.

Henk de Jong (Dutch, 1964) joined Philips in 1990, and after holding various business roles in Floor Care, Coffee and Kitchen Appliances, and leading Philips former Consumer Lifestyle sector in Europe and Asia, he successfully led Philips Latin American market for five years. He has subsequently led Philips International Markets since 2017, delivering consistent year-on-year profitable growth and market share gains. In his new role as CEO of Philips Domestic Appliances, Mr. De Jong will gradually assume end-to-end management responsibility in line with the design and timeline of the carve out process. He will continue to report to Frans van Houten, and remain a member of the Executive Committee.

For further information, please contact:

Ben ZwirsPhilips Global Press OfficeTel.: +31 6 15213446E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com

Derya GuzelPhilips Investor RelationsTel.: +31 20 59 77055E-mail: derya.guzel@philips.com

About Royal PhilipsRoyal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving peoples health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

He will continue to report to Frans van Houten, and remain a member of the Executive Committee.

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Philips appoints Deeptha Khanna as Chief Business Leader of the Personal Health businesses and Edwin Paalvast as Chief of International Markets -...

If living the last four months staying home and social distancing has taught me anything, it's that I'm not exactly a morning person. Sure, when I wake up early and go for a walk or get in a workout before logging on for the workday, I feel more energized and productive. The problem? I can never get up early enough. I've overcompensated for this fact drinking way too much coffee. Like, the equivalent of a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven amount of coffee, which is not exactly great for my anxiety. Coffee can be healthy for you, sure, but consuming too much caffeine has trapped me in this cycle of not being able to fall asleep > sleeping in > trying to wake myself up with too much coffee, and repeat. (Not to mention the unpleasant GI symptoms I experience from drinking too much coffee. But I digress.)

I'm not ready to give up my caffeine habit just yet, but I could definitely cut back. That's why I was so excited to try Vital Proteins new drink: Morning Get Up and Glow ($30). I'm already a fan of Vital Proteins and add the unflavoured collagen powder to my morning coffee or drink the matcha collagen as an afternoon pick-me-up. But when I read up on this beverage as a morning energy and beauty boost, I was intrigued.

Morning Get Up and Glow is made with 10 grams of collagen peptides per scoop, which translates to nine grams of protein per serving, which is satisfying when I'm not hungry for a big breakfast. It also has biotin for skin and nail health, 600% of your daily value of vitamin C, and 90 milligrams of caffeine, which is about as much as a cup of coffee. It comes in powder form, which easily dissolves in cold water with the help of my mini mixer stick (I'm obsessed with this thing).

That's all well and good, but how does it taste? Morning Get Up and Glow is a light and refreshing citrus taste that's not too overwhelming; there's only one gram of sugar and it's sweetened with monk fruit, so it doesn't have that artificial sweetener aftertaste. It reminds me of a tastier Emergen-C without the effervescence. Pro tip: mix it with eight ounces of orange juice in the morning for even more vitamin C and a richer flavour.

I'm not ready to give up coffee entirely just yet, but Vital Proteins Morning Get Up and Glow is definitely a healthy replacement with a moderate amount of caffeine for when I want to cut back. After just one cup, I still had energy and focus throughout the morning without all the nasty GI side effects. I'm excited to add this into my rotation of Vital Proteins collagen drinks. If powdered drinks aren't your thing, Morning Get Up and Glow is also sold in capsule form ($30 for 60 capsules). Since I already take so many vitamins, I'll stick to the beverage.

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I Swapped My Morning Coffee For This Collagen Beverage, and It Gave Me Energy For Hours - POPSUGAR Health and Fitness Australia

The millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought globally are creating stress over everything from personal health to employment, lifestyle, and finances.

Given these difficult circumstances, its more important than ever for people to know about coping mechanisms to better manage stress, protect their immune system, and increase their chances of staying healthy, says Dr. Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com), author of Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living.

COVID is maximizing stress for so many people, Dr. Patel says. It has a far-reaching impact into every part of our lives, and if we dont manage the stress, it severely affects our bodily systems causing burned-out adrenals, high cortisol, and thyroid issues, to name a few consequences of high-stress levels. Thus, the immune system is lowered, and we are more vulnerable to illness.

This era we are living in is very traumatic, and its very concerning. In dentistry, gum disease, sleep disturbances or apnea, and teeth breakage can all be evidence of stress. Poor oral health, as studies show, can be a gateway to medical issues. People often dont identify how much stress theyre under, and how its affecting them physically, until they actually get sick.

Dr. Patel has the following suggestions people can incorporate into their daily lives to better deal with stress:

Adhere to a healthy diet. While in quarantine or a new normal in which people are spending the vast majority of their time at home, having healthy foods at home and not over-snacking are vital considerations.

We must be more mindful of the foods we put in our bodies, Dr. Patel says. Eat as many greens and whole foods as possible. Avoid dairy products as they increase mucus production in the sinus and the chest, leading to lots of sneezing and congestion. The coronavirus enters the nose and makes a home in the sinus, and to increase immunity, its important that the sinus and chest are not inflamed. Food prep makes it easier to eat healthy while working from home. Prepare salads and other healthy meals in advance.

Dont over-indulge in drinking. For some people, drinking is the only source of enjoyment during the pandemic, Dr. Patel says. And we see people who are isolating having Zoom calls with friends while drinking wine. The problem is that one glass turns into two or more, and with the sugar content of wine, you may wake up during the night. This disturbs sleep, and sleep is when the immune system regenerates. Restorative sleep is essential to our health.

Take vitamin supplements. Often, those with adrenal fatigue dont take in enough essential nutrients as stress increases their bodys nutritional demands, Dr. Patel says. To address adrenal and cortisol burnout, take multivitamins in order to get trace minerals.

Develop a morning ritual. Deep breathing exercises can be calming and get you out of the hyper state, Dr. Patel says. You want to get rid of the fight or flight mode and enter the rest and digest state of mind.

Find a stress management activity that works for you. Many people dont like to exercise, but Dr. Patel notes exercise doesnt have to be rigorous to be effective.

A type of exercise one enjoys doing at home like walking, running, or yoga goes a long way toward releasing stress hormones, she says.

And for those who like intense workouts, its all good in terms of reducing stress. Another good stress management technique is using biofeedback mechanisms like alpha state meditations to increase immunity.

The disruption of daily life by COVID-19 has caused us to rethink many things that we do, Dr. Patel says. How we deal with stress needs to be a priority now, and its not overly difficult if you develop good daily habits.

About Dr. Nammy Patel, DDS

Dr. Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com) operates a practice called Green Dentistry in San Francisco and is the author of Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living. A graduate of the University of Californias School of Dentistry, she is a leader in the movement to bring environmental sanity and well-being into the dental world. Dr. Patel focuses on helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole body health.

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COVID-19 creates all kinds of stress. Here are some tips for... - Hays Free Press

Apple cider vinegar is use as a remedy for several conditions. It is also popular as a remedy for sore throat. But is it effective? Let's find out.

Sore throat can cause pain, irritation and discomfort

Sore throat is a common condition that affects almost everyone once in their lifetime. It causes a painful, dry and itchy sensation in the throat. Several home remedies are recommended to control the symptoms of sore throat. One of these remedies is apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is also a popular remedy for multiple health issues. It is commonly used to prepare weight loss drinks. It also offers beauty benefits for your hair and skin both. Now, you might be wondering is it effective? How does it help? How to use it safely? Here are all the answers and find other details too about this famous remedy.

According to a study published in the journal, Natural Product Research in 2018, apple cider vinegar contains antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties. So, it can help may help in controlling sore throat caused by bacterial infections. However, there is a need for further examination to understand the effect and results.

Apple cider vinegar contains anti-bacterial propertiesPhoto Credit: iStock

Nutritionist Nidhi Dhawan explains, "Most of the sore throat problems resolve on their own, some may need attention especially if it is accompanied with other problems like high fever, recurrent throat pain, ear pain, or stomach problems. It is necessary to find the underlying cause of a sore throat which may be caused by viruses, bacteria or even an allergy."

"While there is no scientific data to support the fact that apple cider vinegar is always beneficial in treating sore throat. This home remedy may not be best suited for all. But antibacterial properties of apple cider vinegar may help in controlling the condition. Further various studies have also claimed that it triggers an alkaline ambience in the body that helps in killing the virus and bacteria which require an acidic environment to survive."

Also read:Sore Throat And Dry Cough: Know Possible Causes And Home Remedies

Apple cider vinegar should not be consumed in concentrated form. It should be diluted before consumption. One to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can be to a tall glass of warm water. It can also be mixed with green tea for consumption. Gargle with hot water is also an effective remedy for sore throat. You can mix one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water and some salt for gargle. These home remedies may act as sore throat reliever.

Also read:Sore Throat Home Remedies: Try This Amazing Concoction By Luke Coutinho For Instant Relief

Gargle with hot water to control the symptoms sore throatPhoto Credit: iStock

Ms. Dhawan further explains that one should be careful before consuming apple cider vinegar as the concentrated form may cause damage to the oesophagus lining and stomach leading. It can cause unwanted burning sensation doing more harm than good. People with pre-existing conditions like gastritis, frequent heartburns, GERD, acid reflux and peptic ulcers should completely refrain from using apple cider vinegar in any of the mildest forms. It is also known to damage the tooth enamel if used for a prolonged time.

Promoted

(Dt. Nidhi Dhawan, HOD Nutrition & Dietician, Saroj Superspeciality Hospital, New Delhi)

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.

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Town planners should be visionaries and address the converging public health, climate emergency and economic recovery challenges to create healthy communities post-COVID, according to a new report by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

A new report, Enabling Healthy Placemaking, calls for greater levels of cooperation and collaboration between health, social care, and planning professionals to ensure peoples health needs are integrated into the conceptualisation, design and planning stages of new developments in the future.

It highlights seven ways to enable planners to lead the way in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Deputy head of policy and research at the RTPI and author of the report, Aude Bicquelet-Lock, said: The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on much that is wrong with our communities and laid bare the fact that many peoples health has suffered as a result of sub-standard living conditions. This is largely due to the fact that over the years the health needs of communities have often been forgotten in the race to meet housing targets and appease developers.

The links between town planning and good health have long been established and there is a plethora of evidence proving that healthy places create healthy people who in turn are able to contribute to and build a healthy economy.

Healthy place-making is critical to address health challenges and reduce inequality, so it is now vital that we overcome some of the barriers to creating healthy places, turn the evidence into policy and the policy into action to create the healthy, resilient and inclusive places necessary for people to thrive.

Results from an analysis of 15 case studies and 10 interviews suggest that successful projects are all underpinned by a long term vision, fruitful collaboration, communication and adequate funding.

Barriers to creating healthy places include current legislation and policies, insufficient funding and requirements and expectations of developers.

Seven ways to enable healthy placemaking:

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Seven ways to create healthy communities after COVID-19 Show House - Show House News

The perimenopause can be one of the trickiest times for women to get their head around. One minute youre busy having a family and all that goes with it and all of a sudden, the years sneak up on you and you dont quiet feel like the woman you once were!

You may notice your energy levels have dropped and some days youre literally dragging yourself through the day, youve lost your get up and go for no reason, you cant seem to shift that foggy feeling in your brain and the scales is moving in the wrong direction even though your diet hasnt changed!

Welcome to the menopause, well technically the term menopause is inaccurate because it represents the end of symptoms, whereas the stage that most women struggle through is called peri-menopause, which can last anything from two to ten years until the last period.

The average age of menopause is 51. You officially reach menopause when you have had no periods for 12 consecutive months.

Women typically start to experience perimenopause in their 40s and for some the only sign is that your periods start to become more irregular, this is due to the fact that in the perimenopause, Progesterone levels fall rapidly as you stop ovulating as regularly. the levels of one of the main female sex hormones, oestrogen, rises and falls unevenly and its falling at a slower rate than progesterone, meaning you can end up being oestrogen dominant, thats a ratio of too much oestrogen to progesterone. This is usually whats behind many of the typical symptoms experienced during the transition to menopause. The stress hormone cortisol can also increase making sleep more difficult and leading to weight gain.

The thyroid comes under increased pressure, and low levels of thyroid hormones can bring mood changes, weight increases, constipation and a sluggish feeling.

Your hormones work together synergistically. When one or more is out of kilter, there can be an effect on the others, too.

The length of time between periods may be longer or shorter, your flow may be light to really heavy and with worse PMS than ever before, and you may even skip some periods only for them to return out of the blue with a vengeance.

You might also experience some of the symptoms traditionally associated with the menopause, like night sweats, hot flushes, sleep problems, mood swings, more UTIs like cystitis and vaginal dryness, poor memory, brain fog, cravings, bloating, loss of sex drive and irritability. Around this time, you might begin to notice your waistline is expanding and you just cant seem to shift that fat around the middle. Once women hit their 40s, they typically gain an average of 1lb a year so you could easily be a stone heavier by the time you reach 54.

Remember going through the peri-menopause is not an illness, it is the most natural thing in the world, although if your experiencing it right now you might be thinking this is anything but natural!! but you do have some control over managing symptoms. Its all about making some changes to your diet, stepping up your self care and taking action to reduce stress, and moving gently.

Diet

It really is important to start taking a closer look at your diet as Unfortunately when we reach this part of our life we just cant get away with eating the way we did when we were younger, as The drop in oestrogen levels that occurs during menopause has a side effect of redistributing body fat and excess pounds start to settle around the waist. On top of that, the change that happens in relation to oestrogen and progesterone at this stage of life is also likely to make your body less sensitive to insulin, the fat storage hormone. This is produced in response to you eating carbohydrates. When the bodys cells are less sensitive to insulin, more insulin is needed to do the same job, and more insulin produced means more fat stored.

This is where a low carbohydrate is very beneficial, focusing on low GL carbohydrates, fruit, vegetables, moderate protein and healthy fats coming from oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocados.

You may benefit from adding phytoestrogens to your diet. Phytoestrogens are plant-based chemicals (the good kind), which are structurally similar to oestrogen and exert a weak oestrogenic effect. They include soy beans, lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, barley, rye, oats, alfalfa, apples, pears, carrots, fennel, onion, garlic, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, liquorice root.

Managing stress

Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones and it can lead to weight gain and leave you feeling fatigued. Even though it is the imbalance of hormones that are behind most of your symptoms, the effects of stress can be just as debilitating.

Most hormones are made from the same basic ingredients. When its under stress, the body prioritises those jobs that are useful for sustaining life, which means that when you are stressed, your body will make stress hormones ahead of anything else. So all those raw materials that might have gone to make oestrogen now wont. therefore managing your stress is essential to managing your peri-menopausal symptoms!

Exercise

As the weight creeps on, its very common for women to start getting into the types of exercise that are very punishing on the body, like running and high intensity interval training.

What do I mean by punishing?

These very intense forms of exercise stress the body and, if your body is already stressed, its just too much. Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and other dance-based classes are a good alternative as is a good power walk.

Resistance training (weights) is also good to help with the loss of muscle. Strength training also helps maintain balance, and avoid injuryimportant for protecting your skeleton both now and when youre older.

Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise, especially if you have any underlying health conditions, you consider yourself to be unfit or very overweight.

Supplements

Menopause supplements can provide natural support for those who may be experiencing some of the symptoms related to the menopause. Its important to note that not all supplements will suit everyone and may not be safe for someone with an underlying health condition or those taking medication, therefore it is advisable to only take a supplement protocol recommended to you by a professional.

If you are struggling with managing your symptoms of menopause or maybe you would like to get your diet right before to hit that time of your life, why not schedule in an appointment with The Nutri Coach! 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. 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

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Healthy Living: What you need to know about the Menopause - Leinster Leader

Share This Article:Weekend voting at the headquarters of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters in November 2016. Photo by Chris Stone

A study released Thursday shows that California residents in good health with little psychological distress and better access to health care are more likely to consistently vote.

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The percentage of adults who reported that they always voted was highest among those who said they were in excellent or very good health just under 41% and who had experienced no psychological distress in the past year just under 41%.

Thats compared with 37.4% who reported being in good health and 32.7% who reported being in fair or poor health, according to the brief released by by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

On the other hand, just over 23% of those who reported experiencing psychological distress within the past year reported that they always voted.

Voter registration and participation were also lower among respondents who had worse access to health care, the authors reported.

The study found that just over 40% of those who had visited a doctor in the past year said that they always voted compared with 28% who had not seen a doctor during that period.

The disparities in voting may make it less likely that the needs of the less healthy and more disadvantaged in the state are being addressed, the researchers concluded.

We found differences in voting by health and neighborhood factors that suggest that people who vote are healthier, have better access to health care and live in more cohesive and safer neighborhoods than those who dont vote, said Susan Babey, the studys lead author and a senior research scientist at the center.

These differences in civic activities such as voting could contribute to policies that fail to meet the health needs of Californians who are less healthy, face barriers in access to health care and live in disadvantaged communities, which may in turn lead to greater inequities in health.

The study used data from the centers 2017 and 2018 California Health Interview Survey. The results also showed that:

Latinos, individuals in Generation X (ages 38 to 53), those with less than a high school education and those in the lowest income group, were most likely to report that not being eligible was the main reason they were not registered to vote, according to the study.

Many California adults offered reasons for not being registered, such as incorrectly believing they are not eligible to vote or not knowing how to register, that could be addressed with targeted voter engagement efforts, Babey said. Importantly, these reasons were more likely to be offered by groups that already experience health inequities, including low-income adults, those with limited English proficiency, Latinos and Asians.

Joelle Wolstein, a co-author of the study, said researchers recommended a combination of strategies to increase participation in voting and other activities. They include providing civics education and pre-registration opportunities in settings such as high schools and supporting integrated voter-engagement activities, including get-out-the-vote efforts.

City News Service

Study: Citizens in Good Health, Living in Safer Neighborhoods More Likely To Vote was last modified: September 17th, 2020 by Editor

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Study: Citizens in Good Health, Living in Safer Neighborhoods More Likely To Vote - Times of San Diego

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley and United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County (USOAC) are excited to present the 17th Annual Healthy Living Festival virtually to seniors, their friends, and family members, on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nothing will stop my commitment to seniors especially when many of them are directly impacted and socially isolated as a result of this pandemic, said Miley. The gratitude seniors bestow on USOAC and my office every year following the Healthy Living Festival was motivation enough to find creative new solutions to the challenges of social distancing and shelter-in-place, and I believe we are doing a fantastic job for this years virtual event.

Seniors can still expect many of the highlights from previous years, including live entertainment, a free meal and a swag bag if they register in advance at tinyurl.com/hlf2020. There will even be a virtual zoo walk for participants to enjoy from the safety of their residences, courtesy of longtime HLF partner the Oakland Zoo.

For nearly 20 years, the Health Living Festival has served as an integral part of Miley and USOACs commitment to Alameda County seniors. The festival promotes healthy senior living by providing a welcoming hub of critical health information, comprehensive array of senior resources, and fun physical activities. The festival also empowers seniors to shape the world in which they live by encouraging civic action on issues that affect their quality of life through community organization.

With strong support from local organizations, Eden Health District and Kaiser Permanente, County offices including Alameda County Department of Public Health and the Alameda County Department of Adult and Aging, and honorary hosts such as Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Mayor Libby Schaff, and other county elected officials, USOAC and Miley are thrilled to continue the proud tradition of the Health Living Festival this year and many more to come.

Excerpt from:
United Seniors of Oakland, Alameda County Present the virtual Healthy Living Festival - Livermore Independent

Published on July 17, 2020

Mumbai:The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India has started a national health & wellness awareness program called Illness to Wellness to promote healthy living and preventive health through holistic measures.

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme was kicked off with a webinar on the topic Illness to Wellness The Yoga Way which saw leading health and yoga experts and recognized industry leaders deliberate on how Yoga could be the answer for mitigating threats caused by viruses and other ailments like the COVID 19.

A key speaker at the sessionDr Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India,revealed that, we have deployed 30 instructors in COVID centres run by the Delhi government, who would teach patients yoga for three hours in the morning. Additionally, we have undertaken yoga lessons for COVID patients in the neighbouring 11 districts. We received 500 applications from Department of Science & Technology to understand the beneficial aspects of yoga especially for COVID patients and so are working on three projects with renowned yoga institutes to arrive at findings. The programme is being expanded to cover people who have come in contact with COVID patients like family members, police personnel, medical professionals etc.

For centuries yoga has proven to be a tool for mental and physical well-being. As the focus on boosting immunity grows due to the widespread adverse health effects caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the role of this ancient and spiritual practice has become prominent in the journey from illness to wellness. Other eminent speakers emphasised the importance of wellness, not just in challenging times, but in general as a way of life.

While sharing his perspective,Mr Rajiv Chandran, director and office-in-charge, UN Information Centreemphatically stated that United Nations embraced the Yoga and 175 out of 193 countries unanimously agreed to celebrate Yoga as an annual International Day. The COVID19 pandemic has completely transformed the concept of wellness. Now, wellness is not merely an individuals concern rather a community strategy and is being viewed in a very broader perspective of peoples relationship with planet and the society.

Promoting adoption of correct lifestyle and wellness strategy,(Padma Shri) Guruji Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana & President, Indian Yoga Associationsaid, During the present COVID pandemic situations, Yoga A Way of Life can bring wellness for people at large. Coronavirus has the potential to infect and affect the human lives, however our immune system is also very strong as WBC (white blood cells) acts a gigantic robust army to defend from many viruses including corona. Stress weakens our immunity system and thus it becomes a victim of virus (corona) attack. He further stated that although one can cure through medicines, vaccinations and other supplements, the solution to strengthen our immunity is Yoga only.

Sharing his views, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, COVID pandemic has taught human race the hard lesson that medical science may not have readymade answers to emerging health crises. Therefore, we need to go back to the basics by putting focus on preventive measures and healthy living. Illness to Wellness has been timely conceived to bring the spotlight back on aspects we perhaps know at the back of our mind, but many are not able to practice in the rush of a busy life, such as the importance of healthy diet, exercise, hygienic habits, timely preventive practices among others.

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ASSOCHAM launches Illness to Wellness a national awareness programme aimed at promoting healthy living in association with SAVLON - APN News

The millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought globally are creating stress over everything from personal health to employment, lifestyle, and finances.

Given these difficult circumstances, its more important than ever for people to know about coping mechanisms to better manage stress, protect their immune system, and increase their chances of staying healthy, says Dr. Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com), author of Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living.

COVID is maximizing stress for so many people, Dr. Patel says. It has a far-reaching impact into every part of our lives, and if we dont manage the stress, it severely affects our bodily systems causing burned-out adrenals, high cortisol, and thyroid issues, to name a few consequences of high-stress levels. Thus, the immune system is lowered, and we are more vulnerable to illness.

This era we are living in is very traumatic, and its very concerning. In dentistry, gum disease, sleep disturbances or apnea, and teeth breakage can all be evidence of stress. Poor oral health, as studies show, can be a gateway to medical issues. People often dont identify how much stress theyre under, and how its affecting them physically, until they actually get sick.

Dr. Patel has the following suggestions people can incorporate into their daily lives to better deal with stress:

The disruption of daily life by COVID-19 has caused us to rethink many things that we do, Dr. Patel says. How we deal with stress needs to be a priority now, and its not overly difficult if you develop good daily habits.

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The stress impact of COVID-19: 5 ways to cope and protect your health - Daniel Island News

Black sesame seeds are good for your health in various ways. These are .loaded with several micronutrients. Here are some reasons why you must try these seeds.

Black sesame seeds are loaded with antioxidants

Sesame seeds are found in different varieties. Black sesame seeds commonly known as kale til in India are used for various purposes. These seeds can offer you some amazing health benefits too. You might have noticed black sesame seeds sprinkled on various foods especially on baked products. These are also converted into oil for multiple uses. These tiny flat seeds offer high nutritional value and are rich in micronutrients as well. Here are some notable health benefits of black sesame seeds you must know.

Black sesame seeds offer a wide variety of nutrients including protein, fibre, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and phosphorus. These nutrients and micronutrients are beneficial for you in various ways.

Also read:Stay Warm This Winter With Sesame Seeds (Til): Know All Health Benefits And Methods To Use

According to a study published in the Nutrition Journal, 2.5 grams of black sesame seed meal daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased systolic blood pressure. More studies are required to elaborate these results. If you suffer from hypertension, consult your doctor before adding these to your diet.

Black sesame seeds may help control blood pressure, says studyPhoto Credit: iStock

Presence of iron, zinc, fatty acids and antioxidants in black sesame seeds makes them beneficial for your skin and hair both. Topical use of black sesame seeds oil is also considered beneficial.

Also read:Rujuta Diwekar Tells Us The Many Health Benefits Of Til (Sesame Seeds)

Antioxidants help in controlling and slowing cell damage. These protect you against oxidative stress and control the risk of developing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Antioxidants also help reduce the signs of ageing visible on skin.

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Do not add these seeds to your diet in huge quantities. You can sprinkle these in small quantity on salad, breads or other foods.

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.

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Lesser Known Health Benefits Of Black Sesame Seeds: Here's Why You Must Try These - Doctor NDTV

Betty Bekemeier, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, is the Director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. She is also the Kirby & Ellery Cramer Endowed Professor at the University of Washington School of Nursingand Adjunct Professor in theSchool of Public Health. In this commentary, she discusses collaboration and alignment of health care and public health. This piece is part of a series of commentaries focused on transforming public health that will be released throughout this week. The first commentary is available here.

For decades we have talked about aligning medicine and public health and now healthcare and public health. In Washington, the Accountable Communities of Health are meant to bring us together to (finally) make this happendespite differing incentives, silod systems, and serving some of the same populations. Yet, even in 2020 we still arguably experience chronic disease management making up the majority of the effort of the healthcare delivery services (provided largely by primary care systems) and we see infectious disease control as the bread and butter of public health systems (provided largely by state, local, and tribal government.)

The novel coronavirus pandemic, embedded within the racism of our nations larger, deeper, and more complex pandemic of racist structures and systems; requires something very different of all of us committed to health equity and healthier communities. It demands that we be willing to rethink, restructure, and reinvest our resources into one integrated system that is truly health promoting for all. Such a system focuses on creating healthy living conditions for marginalized populations and prioritizing the protection of health and safety before the treatment of disease and disability. Granted, this is easier said than done.

Even as chronic diseases keep patients revolving through the doors of their primary care providers (if they have one); exhausted providers know their patients struggle to pay for medications, to have access to healthy eating options, and remain unprotected from the stressors and exposures that underlie and exacerbate their illness. These issues are critical to the health of their patients, but generally outside the scope of typical medical practices. At the same time, public health practice professionals in state and local health departments are expected to play key roles in ensuring the conditions in which all people can be healthy in a community.

One would think these health cousinshealth care providers and public health practitionerswould work closely together to slow that revolving door for patients and providers, to inform one another of what ill community members experience and which communities are underserved, and to collaboratively address those underlying structures that create barriers to health and safety. But it rarely happens and never widely and deeply enough. Very differing incentives regarding cost, payment, prevention, savings, and more get in the way of true prevention and health promotion. Despite the population-focused, prevention promises that came out of the Affordable Care Act; the success of one cousin undermines the success of the other. Hard won public health prevention successes, for example, create healthcare savings that do not go back into under-resourced public health systems and, in fact, can undermine future funding, as attention to an issue fades.

Data and technology are also extreme hurdles for these cousins to get around. Public health systems are expected to collect, compile, and provide the data for community partners to use for identifying health threats and addressing underlying problems. Yet the technology and data systems that public health departments have at their disposal are often too old, inadequate, and slow to guide practice and lead timely community planning. Meanwhile healthcare delivery data are difficult to share with public health practice leaders, undermining opportunities for detecting emerging threats early or identifying populations that have been marginalized from servicepopulations at high risk if infected with COVID-19. Better and shared information technology and data systems could, for example, support data sharing that could identify communities at high risk for COVID-19 or help to better understand the specific health needs of underserved populations.

The barriers that stand between a collaborative, effective, familial alliance between healthcare and public health are numerous and incentives and data are just two. COVID-19 should be the family crisis that brings us (finally) together. COVID-19 throws chronic disease, infectious disease, and our broken systems together into one rather ineffectual mess that we need to come to terms with. Public health practice personnel have worked valiantly to stand up prevention, detection, contact tracing, communication, and community guidance systems. Their efforts will show to have saved countless 1,000s of lives. Healthcare personnel have worked tirelessly, and put themselves at great risk, to test and treat the many 1,000s of those exposed and infected. Yet we were all late, under-resourced, and inadequately collaborating around something that we have known for years would arrive.

While we all pay the price for this under preparation, people of color are particularly paying for this with their lives and families. Lets not waste a good crisis. Lets together assure the conditions in which people can be healthy and make 2020 the year that healthcare and public health systems took joint responsibility for creating a health system focused on healthnot illness. Rethinking, restructuring, and reinvesting our resources into one integrated system will be enormously difficult. But COVID-19 has made the need for this integration more apparent than ever and created an opportunity (indeed, a responsibility) for us to think and act differently together.

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Bravely Aligning Health and Healthcare - State of Reform - State of Reform

Netflixs new series Down to Earth with Zac Efron arrived last week, with viewers tuning in to watch the former High School Musical star trek across the world in search of sustainable ways of living.

The eight-part docuseries follows The Greatest Showman star as he travels to Iceland, Puerto Rico, London and a host of other places to speak to top eco innovators and look for a new perspective on some very old problems.

While the majority of Down to Earth fans know who teen heart-throb Efron is, due to his starring roles in 17 Again and Bad Neighbours, the docuseries has a number of viewers keen to know more about his co-host and travel companion Darin Olien.

Heres everything you need to know about Down to Earth presenter and wellness expert Darin Olien.

Malibu-based Darin Olien, who co-hosts Down to Earth with Zac Efron and serves as an executive producer on the show, is described by The Greatest Showman star as a guru of healthy living and superfoods but who is he and what exactly does he do?

The 49-year-old is a wellness expert and self-proclaimed exotic superfoods hunter, who wrote health guide SuperLife: The 5 Forces That Will Make You Healthy, Fit and Eternally Awesome in 2015.

Through his Superlife brand, Olien developed health and lifestyle app 121 Tribe and his own podcast The Darin Olien Show, which has featured guests such as reality star Brandon Jenner and Scrubs actor John C. McGinley.

Oliens website also describes the health guru as a founder of Brazilian super nut Sarukas and nutrition shake Shakeology, as well as an advisor to green technology incubator P5 Energy.

The wellness expert is fairly active on Instagram (@_darinolien) and lives in Malibu, California with his dog Chaga a German Shepard. In November 2018, his home burnt down during the Woolsey wildfire in Los Angeles and the Ventura Counties whilst he was out of the country.

He married American actress Eliza Coupe (Scrubs, Happy Endings) in 2014, however the pair divorced in 2018.

According to Darin, Zac Efron reached out to the superfood guru after hearing him on wellness author Rich Rolls podcast and after going for lunch together, their worlds joined for this show.

Down to Earth with Zac Efron is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflixandbest movieson Netflix, or visit ourTV Guide.

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Meet Darin Olien, the wellness expert in Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron - RadioTimes

The rising number of COVID-19 cases has forced businesses to keep their guard up.

At Ruang Selatan, a narrow path lined with green shrubs and nonornamental plants lead customers to a spacious restaurant on one side and a multifunction room on the other.

Situated in the busy district of Kemang, South Jakarta, Ruang Selatan is a meeting point for artists, filmmakers and women activists who wish to exhibit their work or hold public events.

Keep your distance: Two customers practice physical distancing during the reopening of Ruang Selatan in Kemang, South Jakarta. (Instagram.com/ruangselatan/-)

It is also a haven for vegans and vegetarians and those with healthy living in mind because the restaurant also prepared food and beverages containing ingredients freshly picked from its surrounding garden.

After four months of closing its doors to customers, Ruang Selatan reopened on July 5 but with some changes necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The owner, singer-songwriter Kartika Jahja, said the pandemic had reduced the venues income by up to 75 percent as the kitchen was open for deliveries only.

Sales were down because the online market is already saturated with people selling food as well, she said in an interview with The Jakarta Post.

Despite all that, we kept all our workers even though we could only pay fringe benefits or enough to cover their bare expenses.

The reopening of Ruang Selatan was limited to its restaurant and at only half capacity. Kartika removed the indoor tables that could seat more than two diners to discourage people from coming in large groups.

While it has mandated noncash transactions and applied health safety measures, budget restrictions did not allow Ruang Selatan to install no-touch technology to protect both workers and customers.

We decided to delay reopening as people were still afraid to eat out and the infection curve had yet to flatten. We will open the other room only when people are already comfortable with common activities, Kartika said.

We will evaluate how things are going at the end of this month and in the worst-case scenario, we have to be ready to temporarily close again.

The Jakarta administration has been easing social and physical restrictions for businesses in separate phases since early June. The first to open were standalone shops and restaurants, followed by shopping malls.

A cluster of restaurants and retail stores in South Jakarta called M Bloc Space, which opened in September last year, had to delay reopening for nearly two weeks as the community space was categorized as a shopping mall.

M Bloc Space. (Shutterstock/wiyonoprojo)

Before large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were imposed in mid-March, the compound was a popular spot for young people with an interest in music, fashion, art and film.

The vacuum of activities did not last long, however, as M Bloc Space moved all its creative programs to the online sphere on March 30.

There have been live talk shows and digital music concerts streamed on social media as well as M Bloc Academy, paid-for classes with practitioners from various creative fields as lecturers using Zoom services.

"We actively continue our mainstay as a creative hub by holding online programs to pool ideas, inspire and to accommodate collaboration while encouraging the public to stay at home," coowner Wendi Putranto told the Post.

The rising numbers of followers on its social media accounts showed how impactful the programs were. The sponsored programs and paid classes were able to help M Bloc Space cover its expenses, including the salaries of 50 staffers and 100 outsourced workers.

"It is a hard situation for all of us, but we try our best to keep our business and everyone in it intact," Wendi added.

The compound reopened on June 15, but the aesthetic clinic Beyoutiful and the indoor concert hall M Bloc Live House remained closed.

With fears over customers flocking in, M Bloc Space limited the number of visitors inside its premises and required them to purchase e-vouchers before arriving. Meanwhile, small children, pregnant women and the elderly are temporarily barred from entering.

The online ticketing system, Wendi said, could help trace who visited the space and on what date.

"We take responsibility for everyone's safety. Our tenants have also made adjustments to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus by rearranging the restaurants and shops.

As income will likely not return to normal in light of the prolonging health crisis, Wendi and his team have considered changing the use of M Bloc Space'sconcert hall, which can accommodate 500 people, and turning it into a broadcasting studio where they could produce online content or materials for TV channels while still following health safety protocols.

We have to be creative moving forward, putting challenges and opportunities into consideration. We cant let the pandemic take away a community space for creative minds, Wendi said.

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Businesses practice caution as they reopen in new normal - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

A Stanford-trained physician, Dr. Casey Means is an entrepreneur on a mission to improve human health and longevity, which led her to co-found the metabolic health startupLevels,of which she is now Chief Medical Officer.

She was recently interviewed byViveka Roychowdhuryon Express Healthcare on COVID-19 in India. To read the full interview, visit here.

Since we do not yet have a cure for SARS-nCoV2 yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has focussed attention on the need for long term preventive strategies, especially for chronic lifestyle-related conditions like hypertension, diabetes, etc. India has a high disease burden of such conditions so do you feel the right strategies are in place to help these patient populations cope with their conditions during COVID-19 lockdowns?

India isestimated to have over 77 millionpeople living with diabetes and around30 billionwith obesity, both diseases that have been linked toincreased mortality from SARS-CoV-2. It is also known thatimproved glucose control is significantly associated with better COVID-19 outcomes, so anything a government can do to support widespread glucose control may impact COVID-19 mortality. Given that food choices are a major contributor to glucose levels, support of programmes that increase access to metabolic health-promoting foods at scale (like vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes), is likely to be a high-value intervention.

To date, the Indian government has takenmany strong policy stepsto respond to the virus, including travel advisories, social distancing and hand hygiene campaigns, aContainment Planbased on zones of COVID-19 impact, surveillance through swabs and serum testing, contact tracing, instatement of a curfew, and designating specific public health facilities for COVID-19 case management. Arecent policy report[5] from June 2020 assessing Indias response to COVID-19 highlighted a number of challenges still facing the country, including a doubling of cases since May 1st, low testing rates early on in the pandemic, and slow (but growing) domestic production of testing kits.

In addition, there issome evidencethat the COVID-19 response has disrupted other healthcare services, like inpatient and outpatient treatment of many common diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure. Furthermore, research suggests that surveys of people with type 2 diabetes show that only28 per cent of the surveyed individualsare checking their blood glucose levels regularly. Other papers havespeculated on barriersto self-management of diabetes including poor access to diabetes resources, limited adoption of telemedicine due to lack of definite legislation on this medium of practice, culturally entrenched food preferences, and lack of confidence in importance in home-based care in diabetes management. Unfortunately,researchers in Indiahave modelled that due to lockdown, there is expected to be a significant worsening of glycemic control and diabetes-related complications such as retinal disease, kidney disease, diabetes-related amputations, heart attack, and stroke.

Any country facing comorbid epidemics of diabetes, obesity, and COVID-19 will benefit from a swift and coordinated effort focused on fundamentally improving metabolic health.This includes strategiesfor optimising nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene, stress management, and toxin exposure, all of which have been shown to be involved in improving metabolic health. Additionally, rapidly increasing access to continuous glucose monitoring technology, which makes glucose monitoring significantly more granular and simple, and telehealth medicine and coaching, and can contribute to increasedmetabolic fitness, is another important step.Researchers in Indiarecently published that for individuals with diabetes in India, their blood sugars need to be better controlled and their health condition needs to be better monitored, even in the face of lockdown, through measures such as teleconsultation and telemedicine. Type 2 diabetes and obesity areboth largely preventable, and often reversiblewith healthy living strategies, so a concerted effort towards improving foundational metabolic health may prove to be an extremely high-value approach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the strategies that policymakers as well as practising physicians in India need to put in place to nudge patient populations to make these changes?

India along with every other nation in the world facing obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease epidemics will benefit from multifaceted approaches that promote sustainable healthy living, which may span addressing and optimisinghealth systems, economic incentives, school and workplace environments, quality and labelling standards, and innovation and entrepreneurship. This might include supporting the production of protective foods such as minimally processed, phytochemical-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and disincentivising production of disease-promoting foods like refined grains, sugars, and processed meats. An additional approach could include increasing access to technology to allow individuals to make smarter food choices, such as continuous glucose monitors whichcan help guide a person to choose a metabolically-optimised diet. As of the last couple of years, India has recently upped its subsidies forsugarcane.

To read the full interview on Express Healthcare, visit here.

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Concerted effort towards metabolic health to be extremely high-value during COVID-19: Interview - The Tech Panda

Upper body workout: Women often tend to get away with workouts that target the upper body and those that involve weight lifiting. However, it is important you don't neglect them, especially if you want to get a stronger and toned body.

The workout can strengthen your arms, chest and back

Training the upper body is something that most women don't enjoy. For many, the upper body is not the target area. The focus is usually on getting toned abs and thighs and a flat stomach. However, weight lifting is as important as cardio, for both men and women. Not only can it make your arms and chest more toned, it can also improve your posture and make you stronger. At least once a week of your workouts must be dedicated to weight lifting target your upper body.

Sharing one such quick yet effective workout is celebrity fitness trainer Kayla Itsines on Instagram. "For the ladies who dread upper body day, this is for you!" she writes in her post.

Also read:Poor Posture? Try This 15-Minute Posture Workout By Kayla Itsines

"I understand that not everyone enjoys training the upper body, but it's important that we don't neglect it, in order to improve your overall body strength," she adds.

The workout includes a total of six exercises that will work on your arms and chest. All you need is a pair of dumbbells to these exercises. One lap of the workout can be completed in 10 minutes. You can keep a gap of 30 seconds between each exercises. Do 3 laps to complete the workout.

Also read:Lockdown Fitness: Preity Zinta Takes Fitness A Notch Higher With A Jugaad Workout With Resistance Bands

Watch the video below to see how each exercise is done. It is important to learn the right technique of the exercises to make them effective. These exercises can help in toning your arms, upper back, shoulders and chest.

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Also read:Watch: Alia Bhatt Is Stronger, Fitter And Better At Performing Burpees! Her Workout Videos Are All The Motivation You Need Today

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.

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10 Minutes Is All It Takes To Complete This Upper Body Workout For Women - Doctor NDTV

MinnPost file photo by Steve Date

Minneapolis scored fifth in the personal health category and second in the community/environment one.

In the report, which gives fitness scores to the countrys 100 largest cities, Minneapolis is ranked third, right behind Arlington, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington (the same order as last year), while St. Paul takes 12thplace. Last year, St. Paul was ranked seventh.

Both cities can claim bragging rights, however. Cities with the highest scores are considered to have strong community fitness, a concept analogous to individuals having strong personal fitness, the report explains. Cities that rank near the top of the Fitness Index have more strengths and resources that support healthy living and fewer challenges that hinder it. The opposite is true for cities near the bottom of the rankings.

Now in its 13thyear, the Fitness Index bases its rankings on 33 separate indicators in two major categories: personal health and community/environment.

The personal health category includes behavioral factors such as diet and exercise, as well as rates of asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and other medical conditions.

The community/environmental health category includes factors such as air quality (poor air discourages physical activity), bikeability, frequency of farmers markets, and number of parks and other public recreational facilities (like basketball hoops, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and swimming pools).

Minneapolis scored fifth in the personal health category and second in the community/environment one. It tops the list for both bikeability (scoring 83.5 out of 100) and for park funding (with $236 per resident).

It also ranked among the top 10 cities for quite a few other indicators, including the percentage of people walking or biking to work, the percentage living within a 10-minute walk to a park, the number of farmers markets per 1 million residents, the number of baseball diamonds per 10,000 residents, and the percentage of people in excellent or very good health.

Minneapolis weakest score (or areas of opportunity, as the report calls them) was for vegetable consumption. It also could use a stronger Complete Streets policy, one that makes sure roads are designed in a way that makes them safe and convenient for all modes of travel.

St. Paul ranked only 34thin the personal health category, but first in the community/environment one. It also tops the list for two specific indicators: lowest pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 residents and the number of baseball diamonds per 10,000 residents.

It ranked among the top 10 cities for some other individual indicators, including the percentage of people with a low rate of high blood pressure, the percentage within a 10-minute walk to a park, the number of recreation centers for every 20,000 residents and the number of baseball diamonds and basketball hoops per 10,000 residents.

St. Pauls areas of opportunity were primarily in the personal health category, where the city scored below the 100-city average for a number of personal health behaviors and health outcomes.

Across all 100 cities, several indicators showed improvements this year. More people are exercising. Fewer people are smoking. And increased numbers of city dwellers now have a park within a 10-minute walk (although the funding of parks remained stagnant).

In addition, the overall bikeability score of the 100 cities has improved.

Yet very few people (only 4.5 percent) bike or walk to work. And only 7 percent use public transportation.

Its not all that surprising, therefore, that the report found only 22 percent of adults living in the 100 cities currently meet the U.S. physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and strength-building activities.

The authors of this years report point out that the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of making sure city dwellers have the opportunities and infrastructure to lead physically active, healthy lifestyles.

We know from research that physical activity can build a healthier immune system and overall wellness, which help minimize harmful effects of illness and disease, says Barbara Ainsworth, chair of the American Fitness Index Advisory Board, in a released statement. This pandemic shows the need to have local parks, trails and connected sidewalks in all neighborhoods that allow people to exercise safely.

City leaders and planners need to act boldly and decisively to enact policies and funding to promote physical activity, better health and stronger communities, she adds.

Here is the full list of the 10 fittest cities in this years rankings:

1. Arlington, Virginia2. Seattle, Washington3. Minneapolis, Minnesota4. Madison, Wisconsin5. San Francisco, California6. Washington, D.C.7. Irvine, California8. Denver, Colorado9. Boise, Idaho10. Boston, Massachusetts

Here are the 10 least-fit cities in this years rankings:

91. Wichita, Kansas92. Fort Wayne, Indiana93. Arlington, Texas94. Indianapolis, Indiana95. Detroit, Michigan96. Memphis, Tennessee97. Tulsa, Oklahoma98. North Las Vegas, Nevada99. Bakersfield, California100. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

FMI:You can read the full report and also use an interactive online tool to compare city to city on the American Fitness Index website.

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Minneapolis is third and St. Paul is 12th in 'fittest cities' rankings for 2020 - MinnPost

Research shows that being overweight or underweight can impair lung function, which is why eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good lung health, Curran says. If youre overweight or underweight, you may tire more easily, have increased breathlessness or have difficulty with everyday tasks, she says, adding that, it may also increase your risk of getting infections.

Not to mention, food provides the body with energy and Curran says it takes more energy to breathe when you have a lung condition.

While theres no single food that can reduce your risk of lung disease, by following a healthy diet made up of the five main food groups, you can keep your lungs healthy. Curran recommends incorporating a wide variety of colourful vegetables, legumes and beans, fruits, grains such as breads, cereals, rice and pasta, and dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese into your daily diet.

One study published in the journal JAMA Oncology in October, 2019 found eating a diet high in fibre and yoghurt is associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer. While another study published in The BMJ in February 2015 linked eating a diet rich in grains and low in red and processed meat with a lower risk of chronic lung disease.

For people living with a lung condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Curran recommends getting in touch with a dietician or getting a referral from your GP as you may find it difficult to meet your nutritional needs.

As well as eating a varied and balanced diet, its important to drink adequate amounts of water, she adds. Curran says you should aim for at least 2 litres of water per day, unless you have been advised otherwise by your doctor.

Healthy eating doesnt have to be time-consuming either! Many people believe that eating well means slaving away in the kitchen all day but, according to Curran, thats not the case. Curran recommends opting for nutritious and easy-to-prepare snacks and meals that only need a few ingredients and take little to no time to whip up. Stuck on ideas? Why not try a veggie-packed frittata? Its super versatile, healthy and can be made with the leftovers in your fridge. Or healthy flatbread pizza with your favourite veggie toppings?

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesnt take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means its not personalised health advice and shouldnt be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.

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Eat well, breathe easier! The key to healthy lungs starts in your kitchen - Starts at 60