Drive up for soup and sandwiches

The Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church north of Wellsville will offer carryout soup and sandwich from 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday. There will be a variety of frozen soups in microwaveable containers, fresh bean soup and steak sandwiches. Donations will be accepted.

Church offering GriefShare support

Lake Mount Church of Christ, 6290 state Route 7, New Waterford, is hosting a loss of spouse seminar of GriefShare from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 5. GriefShare is a special seminar and support group designed to help you rebuild your life after losing a loved one. This group is led by caring people who have experienced grief and want to help you through the difficult days ahead. Cost of the program is $5 to cover workbook and materials. Social distancing will be in order. For additional information call the church office at 227-3636

Arthritis program

The Arthritis Foundation, a national, non-profit organization, announced a new Live Yes! Connect group has formed in Boardman. For now the program will be virtual for adults or parents of children living with arthritis. Deborah Andio, the new facilitator for the Boardman Live Yes! Connect group, said We want to get the word out that our support group is here, and we are planning our first virtual event. It will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 12. Dr. Yufang Lin from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative Medicine will be discussing the healing power of the human body. Discussion also will center on nutrition to help inflammation, discuss herbs and supplements as well as essential oils. The doctor will also share some recipes. The presentation is 45 minutes followed by a 15-minute Q and A. To sign up go to connectgroups.arthritis.org.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Read more:
Area briefings | News, Sports, Jobs - The Review - The Review

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 22, 2020 The Alzheimers Biomarkers Consortium Down Syndrome (ABC-DS), a multi-institution research team, co-led by members from the University of California, Irvine, has been awarded an unprecedented five-year, $109 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand research on the biomarkers of Alzheimers disease in adults with Down syndrome.

UCI principal investigators Elizabeth Head, PhD, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Mark Mapstone, PhD, professor in the Department of Neurology, both at the UCI School of Medicine, are renowned researchers in the area of aging and Alzheimers disease in Down syndrome. Together, they will co-lead the international project, along with their colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Wisconsin, aimed at improving the quality of life of our aging population through advancing progress toward effective prevention and treatment of Alzheimers disease (AD).

Its an honor to be involved in this landmark study and to participate in an historic opportunity to collaborate with world-class researchers across the world in an effort to better understand Down syndrome and aging, said Head. Not to mention, the timing of this announcement couldnt be more appropriate, considering October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

Other members of the team include Ira T. Lott, MD, professor emeritus in the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology at the UCI School of Medicine. Lott is an award-winning pediatric neurologist who initiated the Down Syndrome Program through UCIs Alzheimer Disease Research Center 25 years ago. Eric Doran, MS, manager of the UCI Down syndrome research program, follows people with Down syndrome as they age. Other UCI schools participating in the cross-disciplinary team include the School of Biological Sciences and UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (MIND). David Keator, PhD, research professor in the UCI Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, and Michael Yassa, PhD, director of the UCI Center for Neurolobiology of Learning and Memory, and professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at the UCI School of Biological Sciences, both have critical roles in the ABC-DS program overseeing the neuroimaging component of the study.

Its tremendously encouraging to see this kind of support for Alzheimers disease and Down syndrome research, said Michael J. Stamos, dean for the UCI School of Medicine. The awareness is building on a national scale and is certainly reflected in the environment at UCI, where we recently approved a new Center for Down syndrome research that will get underway in the coming months.

Down syndrome is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting over 250,000 individuals in United States. People with Down syndrome have a very high risk of developing Alzheimers disease and nearly all have the brain pathology (amyloid plaques) of Alzheimers at death.

Their risk is thought to come from the fact that they have three copies of chromosome 21, where a key gene that produces amyloid is found. Because they have three copies of the gene, instead of two, they overproduce amyloid which is the key pathology of Alzheimers disease, said Mapstone.By expanding our research and increasing our studies involving Alzheimers risk in people with Down syndrome, we have a tremendous opportunity to better understand the development of the disease. This may lead us to new preventative therapies and treatments for Alzheimers in people with Down syndrome and the general population.

Funding support for this award is provided by NIHs National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) project. The INCLUDE project seeks to investigate conditions that affect individuals with Down syndrome and the general population, such as Alzheimers disease, autism, cataracts, celiac disease, congenital heart disease and diabetes.

Alzheimers Biomarkers Consortium Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) includes a cross-disciplinary team from the University of California, Irvine, along with other research teams from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Cambridge, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, University of Kentucky, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, University of North Texas Health Science Center, University of Southern Californias Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute and the Alzheimers Therapeutic Research Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The research teams will assess and examine a wide range of data from biofluid biomarkers to genetic factors, neuroimaging, and everyday cognitive and psychological function. Researchers will see participants every 16 months for up to four visits.

This research will be funded by NIH grant U19AG068054. For more information, visit: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/abc-ds-information-patients-and-families.

About the UCI School of Medicine: Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and masters students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and masters degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/masters in public health, or an MD/masters degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. Its located in one of the worlds safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange Countys second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.

The rest is here:
NIH awards over $100 million to examine biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome - UCI News

Why risk your health or waste your time and money?

People are anxious about the coronavirus and eager to do whatever it takes to reduce their risk of infection or to treat potential symptoms. In this uncertain atmosphere, it's easy for false or unproven claims about so-called treatments or cures for COVID-19 to flourish.

Some do-it-yourself treatments are largely harmless but ineffective against COVID-19. However, other touted remedies -- like UV light to skin or silver solution products -- can be dangerous. Safeguard your health by taking a pass on ineffective and potentially harmful home "remedies."

UV light on your skin

Some medical facilities use high-intensity UVC devices, which use the highest-energy type of ultraviolet rays to disinfect surfaces against a variety of germs, including the novel coronavirus. UV sanitation devices, which are operated by trained professionals, work by damaging RNA and DNA in microbes -- not the kind of damage you want your body exposed to.

"UV light, in particular UVC light, can inactivate viruses in the air, water and on nonporous surfaces," says Dr. Yufang Lin, an integrative medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic. "However, direct application to the skin and eyes can cause damage contributing to flash burns." Eye pain, soreness, tearing, light sensitivity and possible vision loss -- similar to staring directly at the sun for too long -- can occur, Lin warns.

Drinking hand sanitizer

It's called "hand" sanitizer for a reason. Taking any antiseptic skin product by mouth is dangerous. Unfortunately, poison control centers nationwide are seeing spikes in episodes of hand sanitizer ingestion.

Drinking hand sanitizer that contains methanol, in particular, can be deadly. The U.S. has seen an increase in hospitalizations from ingesting methanol-containing products, cases of blindness and several deaths since the pandemic began.

Check labels on hand sanitizer products before buying and keep any type of hand sanitizer out of small children's reach.

Story continues

Alcohol overuse

Overdoing it with liquor, wine or beer may be tempting in this dreary pandemic. However, alcoholic beverages are not home remedies for preventing or treating COVID-19 -- despite whatever you've heard about "quarantinis."

If anything, rising alcohol use during these challenging times is putting people's health at risk. Compared to this time last year, women have increased their heavy drinking episodes -- four or more drinks within two hours -- by 41%, according to a study published Sept. 29 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Overall, alcohol consumption increased 14% among adults over 30 years old, compared with the same time period last year, according to the study by the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to developing solutions to public policy challenges.

Skin spraying with bleach

Bleach is meant to sanitize inanimate objects, not for inhaling or spraying on skin. However, in a national survey of nonrecommended, high-risk practices used to prevent COVID-19 infection, 18% of U.S. adults said they had used household cleaning products or disinfectants like bleach on their hands or skin. In addition, 10% tried misting their bodies with these products, according to the June 12 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bleach is corrosive and can irritate your skin. Accidentally getting bleach in your eyes can cause burning and permanent damage. Immediately rinse bleach-exposed skin areas or eyes with water and seek medical evaluation for possible bleach injuries to your eyes.

Chlorine dioxide products

AKA "Miracle Mineral Solution," "Master Mineral Solution" and other brands, chlorine dioxide-containing products are among those targeted in the Food and Drug Administration's Operation Quack Hack. Chlorine dioxide is a bleach-like cleaning agent formed by mixing sodium chlorite solution with a citric acid like lemon juice.

Drinking chlorine dioxide products has caused serious adverse events like these reported to the FDA:

-- Respiratory failure.

-- Abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.

-- Life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration.

-- Acute liver failure.

-- Low red blood cell counts requiring transfusion.

-- Severe vomiting and diarrhea.

So far, the FDA has identified more than 700 fraudulent and unproven medical products related to COVID-19, the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, Judy McMeekin, revealed in an agency podcast.

Garlic overload

Eating plenty of garlic makes social distancing easier, for sure. However, the bulb in itself has not been shown to protect against COVID-19.

"Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties," according to public advice messaging from the World Health Organization. "However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people against the new coronavirus."

Lin notes that garlic (like ginger) has antiviral and antibacterial properties, and can help support a healthy immune response. "However, it important to pay attention to how much you are consuming," she adds. "In excess, garlic and ginger can increase a person's risk of bleeding -- particularly for those who are on blood thinners."

Saline nasal irrigation

If done properly, using a squeeze bottle or neti pot filled with a saline-and-water solution can help clear nasal passages of mucus, dust particles and allergens. But the jury's still out on whether saline irrigation has any protective effects against the coronavirus.

A few small studies on viruses other than the coronavirus purport that doing saline nose rinses decreases the amount of measureable virus, says Dr. Joseph Bocchini Jr., director of Willis-Knighton Children's Health Services in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a member of the pediatric faculty at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"But whether the saline washes just wash some of the virus away but really doesn't change the course of the infection is unclear," says Bocchini, who is also a former president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. "So, it would not be routinely recommended to use saline washes for management of a viral respiratory infection. Certainly there's no data on whether that would change the course of COVID-19."

If done incorrectly, saline rinses may cause inflammation, Bocchini adds. And if irrigation equipment isn't effectively cleaned and becomes contaminated, it could be associated with bacterial or fungal infections.

Gargling with household disinfectants

Do not poison yourself by gargling with household disinfectants like bleach, whether pure or diluted.

Gargling with safe solutions like salt water may be fine in general, although unproven against COVID-19. However, for a respiratory virus like COVID-19 that spreads from person to person through airborne droplets, it makes sense to avoid gargling when other people are nearby, like in a shared restroom.

"Gargling with antiseptic agents -- such as chlorohexidine or alcohol-based mouth rinse -- can help control gingivitis," Lin says. "However, long-term use can negatively impact gut microbiome, which is critical to your overall health. I do not suggest doing this as routine but only at the recommendation of your medical or dental provider."

Silver solution

Colloidal silver -- small silver particles in liquid form -- is among the fraudulent products included in a warning letter from the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission to offending companies.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health warns that colloidal silver can cause serious side effects:

-- Bluish-gray skin discoloration, usually permanent.

-- Poor drug absorption for certain antibiotics and thyroid medications.

"The FDA is particularly concerned that products that claim to cure, mitigate, treat or prevent serious diseases like COVID-19 may cause consumers to delay or stop appropriate medical treatment, leading to serious and life-threatening harm," the FDA website notes.

Essential oils, tinctures and herbal teas

Essential oils like lavender or peppermint smell nice but they don't cure COVID-19. Although many find it calming, aromatherapy with herbal essential oils or tinctures is ineffective against the novel coronavirus. Herbal teas may also be soothing -- but not protective against COVID-19 as promoted by certain brands.

Essential oils, tinctures and herbal teas are among fraudulent COVID-19 products targeted by the FDA. These are just a few of the misleading claims to consumers highlighted in FDA warning letters to certain aromatherapy manufacturers:

-- A wide range of essential oils have been clinically proven to possess antiviral properties. (FALSE)

-- Essential oils can boost your immune system naturally to fight coronavirus. (FALSE)

-- Branded blends of essential oils can treat pneumonia-like symptoms caused by the coronavirus. (FALSE)

If you're having respiratory symptoms such as persistent cough or shortness of breath, seek medical attention, doctors advise.

Vitamin C supplements

Although vitamin C is an important nutrient with anti-inflammatory action, there's little data that vitamin C supplements can help prevent or treat a cold, much less COVID-19.

"Vitamin C is certainly something that has been controversial for a number of years in terms of its ability to modify a viral respiratory infection," Bocchini says. "We still do not have confirmatory evidence that vitamin C in any dosing range has that outcome."

Vitamin D mega-doses

While having enough vitamin D in your body is healthy, overdoing it is counterproductive.

"COVID-19 affects individuals differently. Some people have severe (aftereffects) whereas others appear to have minimal symptoms," Lin says. "The strength of a person's immune system may play a role here. Vitamin D is a hormone that not only impacts your mood and bone health, it also has direct impact on your immune response."

Having low levels of vitamin D has been associated with increased risk of acute respiratory infections, Lin continues: "If someone is at risk for low vitamin D, or known to have low vitamin D, taking a supplement to support a healthy level can help. However, taking it in excess can cause a toxic level of vitamin D which can contribute to high calcium levels. These high levels can lead to kidney stones, confusion, muscle weakness and irregular heart rate."

Use common sense and follow standard guidelines for vitamin D, by getting the appropriate amount of sunshine and following a healthy diet, Bocchini advises. "If people have any questions about vitamin D, they should really speak to their physician to determine if there's any reason to evaluate their vitamin D level," he says.

Waiting for cold weather

Relying on seasonal changes to protect you from COVID-19 is only wishful thinking. Brisk fall weather or an approaching cold winter, in themselves, are unlikely to turn the pandemic around.

"Cold weather and snow cannot kill the COVID-19 virus," the WHO emphasizes. "The normal human body temperature remains around (97.7 degrees to 98.6 degrees) regardless of the external temperature or weather," according to the WHO website. "The most effective way to protect yourself against the new coronavirus is by frequently cleaning your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or washing them with soap and water."

Hydroxychloroquine

Asking your doctor for a prescription for hydroxychloroquine to prevent or treat COVID-19 won't help. Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug, which patients with lupus also use to manage the chronic disease. Despite early hype about hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure, on June 15, the FDA revoked its emergency approval of the drug as a COVID-19 treatment.

The FDA previously issued a warning that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, a similar drug, might cause dangerous abnormal heart rhythms. Several studies have concluded that the drugs were ineffective in terms of treating COVID-19.

"We have adequate evidence that hydroxychloroquine has no role in the management of COVID-19 infection," Bocchini says. "There's ample data for us to not recommend it for outpatient therapy."

Antibiotics

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections -- they're useless against viruses like the novel coronavirus. That's why primary care providers wouldn't prescribe antibiotics to treat COVID-19 at home.

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that come with potential side effects including severe diarrhea and allergic reactions. The overuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." And don't be tempted to take unused antibiotics from a previous prescription -- never a good idea -- as a possible COVID-19 remedy.

Methods that work

Until an effective COVID-19 vaccine is available, taking these proven measures is the best way to protecting against the spread of the novel coronavirus:

-- Masking.

-- Hand-washing.

-- Physical distancing.

Unhelpful COVID-19 remedies

Unproven -- and in some cases harmful -- remedies promoted for COVID-19 include:

-- UV light on your skin.

-- Drinking hand sanitizer.

-- Alcohol overuse.

-- Skin spraying with bleach.

-- Chlorine dioxide products.

-- Saline nasal irrigation.

-- Gargling with household disinfectants.

-- Silver solution.

-- Essential oils, tinctures and herbal teas.

-- Garlic overload.

-- Vitamin C supplements.

-- Vitamin-D mega-doses.

-- Waiting for cold weather.

-- Hydroxychloroquine.

-- Antibiotics.

See the original post:
Home Remedies Not to Try for COVID-19 - Yahoo News

Newswise Irvine, Calif. September 30, 2020 In a new study, published in Current Biology, researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine reveal how subanesthetic ketamine, which is used for pain management and as an antidepressant in humans, is effective in treating adult amblyopia, a brain disorder commonly known as lazy eye.

Our study, demonstrates how a single-dose of subanesthetic ketamine reactivates adult visual cortical plasticity and promotes functional recovery of visual acuity defects resulting from amblyopia, explained Xiangmin Xu, PhD, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director of the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping at the UCI School of Medicine.

Subanesthetic ketamine, commonly used to treat depression and pain, evokes rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effects in human patients. There was evidence that ketamine may control how the nervous system makes structural changes in response to internal and external demands, a process called neural plasticity. But, how the drug worked remained elusive, until now.

Our research team showed that ketamine down-regulates NRG1 expression in PV inhibitory cells, resulting in sustained cortical disinhibition to enhance cortical plasticity in adult visual cortex, said Steven F. Grieco, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the Xu lab and lead author. Through this neural plasticity-based mechanism, ketamine mediated functional recovery from adult amblyopia. Xin Qiao, PhD, a postdoctoral staff in the Xu lab is a co-first author for the published paper.

Amblyopia is a vision disorder in which the brain fails to process inputs from one eye, favoring the other eye. The condition can result in decreased vision in the affected eye. Each year, between one and five percent of children worldwide, are diagnosed with this condition.

Fast and sustained ketamine actions show promise for therapeutic applications that rely on reactivating adult cortical plasticity. Further testing is needed to determine the full implications of this discovery.

This study was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and masters students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and masters degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/masters in public health, or an MD/masters degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.

Read the original here:
New study finds antidepressant drug effective in treating lazy eye in adults - Newswise

Frances Jean Beebe, 78, of West Monroe, passed away Sept. 22, 2020. Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, at Apostolic Restoration Church in West Monroe. Interment was in Kilpatricks Serenity Gardens in West Monroe, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home in West Monroe.

Mrs. Adrienne Delery Day, 82, of Monroe, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe. Interment was at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe. Visitation was 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, at the funeral home.

Funeral service for Marc Felts, 55, of West Monroe, will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, at First West, West Monroe. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Calhoun, under the direction of Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe. Visitation is 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the funeral hoe, and from noon until time of service Friday at the church. He passed away Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.

Mr. Alex John George, 88, of Monroe, passed away Sept. 21, 2020. Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29. 2020 at Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, in Monroe. Interment was at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe.

Memorial services for Billy Ray Johnson, 69, of West Monroe, will be at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, at Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe. Interment will follow at Carter Cemetery. Visitation is from 1 p.m. until time of service at the funeral home. He passed away Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020.

A celebration of life for Steve Mitchel Netherland, 62, of Farmerville, was at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, 2020, at Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe. Visitation was from 1 p.m. until time of service at the funeral home. He passed away Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020.

Shonda Lea Carroll Parker

Shonda Lea Parker, a devoted wife, mother and author of Christian herbalist study courses, died Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the age of 53 after battling cancer for several years. She was with her family in Calhoun when she peacefully departed to be with her Lord Jesus Christ.

Shonda was born Oct. 17, 1966 in DeRidder. She grew up in Pitkin under the care of her parents, Shelvia Shelby and Virginia Ginny Carroll, each of whom previously died.

Shonda met her husband, Keith Parker, at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. They married in 1986 and reared seven children in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana.

In the late 1980s, Shonda pursued an interest in integrative medicine and herbal therapies. At the time, American herbalism was mostly associated with New Age movements, but Shonda believed she could help reclaim a Christian view of herbal therapies that had been lost in the 20th Century. For more than 30 years, Shonda shared her faith-based approach to understanding Gods creation and how such knowledge could improve the treatment of the human body. She traveled for speaking engagements at midwifery conferences and wrote four books about herbal therapies, family health and food. Under her Naturally Healthy brand, Shonda developed an exhaustive course in Christian herbalism and formulated a line of herbal medicines as well. Though she focused her career on using herbal therapies to assist healthy living, Shonda encouraged reliance on medical professionals as well as the enjoyment of delicious food and drink items like Dr. Pepper.

In addition to her career as a successful author and businesswoman, Shonda devoted herself to her family and church. Whether aiding her children in their various pursuits or hosting large gatherings, Shonda was passionate about helping other people find satisfaction in their calling or meals. Many people knew Shonda as an enthusiastic hostess through her dinner parties and festal work at large gatherings.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10:30 a.m. at Church of the Redeemer in West Monroe, 715 Cypress St., West Monroe, Louisiana, 71291. Pastor Steve Wilkins, of Church of the Redeemer, will officiate the service and David Alders, of Nacogdoches, Texas, will deliver the eulogy. Services can be livestreamed at redeemertwincities.org

Shondas remains were cremated and will be spread in Texas.

Shonda is survived by her beloved husband, Keith, her seven children and their spouses: Zachary and his wife, Samantha; Emily and husband, Jonathan, of Fort Worth, Texas; Eryn and husband, Braden; Eliana; Zebediah and wife, Bayley; Samuel; Simon; and eight grandchildren.

Funeral services celebrating the life of Mrs. Margaret Johnson Rhone, 103, of West Monroe, were at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home, West Monroe, with Rev. Ted Freeland officiating. Interment was in Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe. Visitation was 9-11 a.m. Thursday.

Margaret Johnson Rhone was born on Jan. 11, 1917, in Crockett, Texas, the ninth child of Mary Eldora Harrison Johnson and James E. Johnson. She died in West Monroe, on Sept. 22, 2020, after a long illness. Mrs. Rhone married her childhood sweetheart, Robert Franklin Rhone and they made their home in West Monroe, where he was employed by Brown Paper Mill. While many of their peers were offended by the smoke and cinders from the mill, they considered it their bread and butter. They were blessed by the births of two daughters, Barbara Jean Rhone and Denna Maureen Rhone. When the daughters were aged 13 and 10, they were blessed by the birth of a son, Robert F. Rhone Jr.

Margaret and her family were charter members of Brownville Methodist Church, which later evolved into Asbury United Methodist Church. Her church family was very important to her. She was very talented and could do anything she set her mind to. Mrs. Rhone enjoyed all kinds of crafts, canning and freezing vegetables and fruits. She was always busy. She enjoyed quilting and sewing especially. She sewed all her mothers clothes without benefit of patterns and sewed for her daughters until they started working. She also sewed for a good friend, Mrs. Shirley Works Moore, sewing pretty dresses, and gowns for every season and occasion up until she was 95. Mrs. Rhone was a good cook and enjoyed preparing home-cooked meals. It was a source of pleasure for her to provide a safe haven in her home for recreation and social activity for her children and their friends. The last months of her life were difficult as she was forced to admit she couldnt do what she used to and wanted to do.

When her son entered school, she enrolled in and completed the Louisiana Practical Nursing Course, so shed be prepared for his education should she be required to do so. Luckily that was not required.

Mrs. Rhone is preceded in death by her parents; eight siblings; her husband; her son; and grandson-in-law, Mark Zachry.

Survivors include her daughters, Barbara Jean Rhone, and Denna Maureen Rhone Ballard and husband, Richard; daughter-in-law, Frances Luffey Rhone; granddaughter, Tammy Ballard Zachry; great-granddaughter, Katie Zachry Meredith and husband, Jamie and their sons, Noah, Jonah, Luke, and Levi; great-grandson, Paul Zachry and wife, Lauren and their children, Haylea and Owen.

Pallbearers were Paul Zachry, Jamie Meredith, Joey Gardunio, Alex Gardunio, Rick Ray, and Richard Ballard.

Mrs. Gayla Banks Rogers, 73, of Monroe, passed away Sept. 22, 2020. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe. Interment was in the Old Union Church Cemetery in Grayson, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe.

Timothy Corbin Sanderford

Timothy Corbin Sanderford, 62, of West Monroe, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. Arrangements are under the direction of Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe.

Riley Dale Sanderson, 84, of Calhoun, died on Sept. 24, 2020. Private family graveside services were held on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Calhoun, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, West Monroe.

Mr. James E. Smith Sr., 80, of Bastrop, passed away Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Funeral services were at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe. Interment was at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe.

Memorial service for L.D. Smith, 77, of Monroe, was at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, at Rowland Road Baptist Church. Services were under the direction of Griffin Funeral Home, Monroe. L.D. passed away, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020.

Funeral service for Jerry Lynn Taylor , 65, of Calhoun, was at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, at Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe. Interment followed at Cheniere Baptist Church Cemetery. Jerry passed away, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020.

Funeral services for Justin M. Vallery, 37, of Keller, Texas, were at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, West Monroe. Interment was at Kilpatricks Serenity Gardens. Visitation was from noon Saturday until service time.

Mrs. Gail Wheelis, 83, of West Monroe, passed away Sept. 27, 2020. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home in West Monroe. Interment was in Rutledge Cemetery in West Monroe.

Mr. Dan Paul White, 64, of Monroe, passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. A celebration of life service was at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, at Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe. A private family interment followed at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe.

Lois Ann Whittington, 81, of Calhoun, LA, died on Sept. 27, 2020. Funeral services were at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at New Chapel Hill Baptist Church in West Monroe with Dr. Marty Black officiating. Interment was at New Chapel Hill Baptist Church Cemetery under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, West Monroe.

See the original post:
Obituaries published on Oct. 1, 2020 | Obituaries - The Franklin Sun

As mentioned before, garlic tastes good in just about anything, but different preparation methods may make it more effective for immune support.

"Aged garlic seems to have the best effects for heart health and lowering blood sugar," Moday says, "but raw garlic is better for antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects."

That said, raw garlic can be super pungent and kind of hard to stomach (think biting into raw onion). To reap the benefits without the intense flavor, she recommends adding raw garlic to soups or pesto. Oddly enough, chopping garlic is another good way to get more benefits from it.

"When garlic is crushed or chopped, an enzyme called alliinase is released and produces allicin," Gedroic says. The enzymatic process requires about 15 minutes to take effect, though. "Bottom line: Don't eat or cook with garlic right away," she says. "You want to let it sit for a while before you do."

Cooking with garlic is perfectly fine (in fact, encouraged) for optimal flavor. But in terms of health benefits, Gedroic says heat can reduce the effectiveness.

Read more:
How One Tiny Bulb Of Garlic Packs In Plenty Of Cold-Fighting Perks - mindbodygreen.com

Although COVID-19 has fundamentally altered our society, Asheville chiropractor Donald Acton hasnt changed his message. The key to staying healthy is a healthy immune system, he says.

And across the broad spectrum of health care, practitioners of conventional Western medicine as well as alternative and complementary therapies agree: Scientific studies show that people with healthy immune systems are less likely to suffer life-threatening complications from COVID-19.

Abbas Rakhshani of the Asheville-based Yoga Wellness Center sees building a strong physical and mental constitution as an effective way to stave off the ravages of any pathogen that comes along.

The universe is continuously in the process of renewing itself, says Rakhshani, who has a doctorate in yogic sciences. A hurricane destroys the weak vegetation and makes room for the new. So does the forest fire and any other natural disaster. In my personal view, a pandemic is not much different.

Both men believe that the therapies they offer help strengthen the immune system, and the benefits arent limited to combating COVID-19.

Your body doesnt need help to be healthy, Acton maintains. It just cant function at 100% when something obstructs the process.

Those obstructions can be chemical (e.g., drugs, whether over-the-counter or prescription) or mechanical (stress on the nervous system), he explains. Other important factors include adequate rest, a nutritious natural foods diet and regular aerobic exercise, which promotes a healthy circulatory system.

Mary Cissy Majebe, who founded the Chinese Acupuncture and Herbology Clinic in Asheville, sounds a similar note. She cites three practices that can strengthen immune response: long walks (an hour or more, and they can be leisurely), eating a healthy diet and getting sufficient sleep. Majebe has also posted a video on YouTube about how to respond to the threat posed by COVID-19.

Its a big difference getting something and cooking it yourself instead of pulling up to a drive-thru window, she says. There is no diet thats perfect for everyone, because peoples bodies are different. But eating well, getting outdoors for an hour a day and sleep are three things everyone can do without going to a doctor.

But if these providers messages havent changed, some practitioners lives definitely have.

Dr. Aneela Cox of Integrative Family Medicine in Asheville was working at a clinic in Tucson, Ariz., when the pandemic was declared in March. Staff immediately mobilized to cope with the virus, and since so little was known about it, the protocols kept changing as new information came in. The clinic seemed to be in a constant state of flux.

Then Coxs mother, who has asthma, was diagnosed with the virus. I noticed that my emotional health was suffering, says Cox.

To bring things back in balance, she joined an online meditation group three times a week and then started her own heart-centered meditation group. She stepped up online communication to stay connected with friends and family, saw an acupuncturist once a week and made sure she got enough rest, ate sensibly and exercised regularly.

In my opinion, using a multidisciplinary approach to boost our well-being is key, Cox says now. With my recent move from Tucson to Asheville, Im taking the opportunity to meditate, eat healthy, exercise and spend time in nature.

Majebe, meanwhile, also cites another COVID-related issue.

Social isolation is a big problem, she says, noting that her mother, who is 90, is struggling with that. We have to ask ourselves what can we change, what cant we change and what can we let go.

But while that added stress also has an adverse effect on the immune system, says Majebe, those basics adequate sleep, healthy foods and exercise can mitigate the harm.

For the same reason, Cox recommends maintaining social contact at a distance, either in a large indoor space with few people in it or outdoors. Insufficient social interaction, she points out, can contribute to depression and anxiety, which also tax the immune system.

Scientific studies support these alternative practitioners advice.

Getting outdoors increases the bodys production of vitamin D, and studies have shown that people with adequate levels of this essential nutrient are suffering fewer life-threatening complications from COVID-19. Worldwide, about a billion people have a vitamin D deficiency; although estimates vary, at least one-third of all adults in the U.S., and a higher percentage of older Americans, are said to be deficient. Taking a supplement helps. Other higher-risk groups include office workers (who may spend less time outdoors), people with darker skin, women (especially pregnant women and nursing mothers) and people who wear sunscreen. The same holds true for those with high blood glucose levels, regardless of whether they have diabetes.

High glucose levels at hospital admission are associated with higher death rates. Hyperglycemia is linked to higher levels of inflammation which, in turn, can lead to the often-fatal cytokine storm. Eating fresh foods that are low in carbohydrates can help lower blood glucose levels.

Obesity is also a risk factor for dangerous COVID-19 complications, underscoring the importance of a healthy diet and exercise.

In addition, Majebe urges patients to think about strengthening any areas of weakness in the body, even if they dont show up in lab test results. This, she says, can be accomplished via specific herbal treatments. If you get a lot of respiratory infections, you need to think about strengthening your lungs, she advises. But you also need to look at other systems. COVID attacks lungs, hearts, livers, kidneys, digestive systems everyone seems to have a different response.

In fact, a recently published study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrologyfound that patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who then develop kidney problems are more likely to die and less likely to regain kidney function if they recover from the disease. The study also found that people admitted to intensive care units were more likely to develop kidney problems than people who recovered without developing serious complications.

Because we know so little about the virus, stresses Cox, we need to keep our immune systems strong. We also need to follow Western medical practitioners advice: Wear a mask when not at home, practice social distancing and wash hands frequently and thoroughly.

In addition, Rakhshani recommends meditative practices and massage.

My practice focuses on ayurvedic medicine and yogic sciences from India, he explains. Our ayurvedic massage boosts the immune system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Our mind-body therapies achieve the same goal through breathing practices, physical exercises and meditative techniques.

Majebe, meanwhile, says that people should take steps to fend off a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections this winter.

We dont know how this will act during the cold months, but we need to be prepared, she maintains. I recommend vitamin D and zinc supplements to strengthen the immune system, in addition to eating healthy, exercising outdoors and getting enough sleep.

Visit link:
Keeping COVID at bay - Mountain Xpress

These molecular insights may foster effective therapies using existing drugs for patients with COVID-19.

These molecular insights may foster effective therapies using existing drugs for patients with COVID-19.Viral and bacterial pathogens wield pathogenic or virulent proteins that interact with high-value targets inside human cells, attacking what is known as the host interactome. The host interactome is the network map of all the protein-protein interactions inside cells.

Such networks have been studied in organisms as diverse as plants, humans and roundworms, and they show a similarity to social networks like Facebook or airline route maps. In Facebook, a few people will have a huge number of friend connections, some will have many, and a vast majority will have much fewer. Similarly, airlines have a few hubs that many passengers pass through on the way to their destinations.

Host interactomes show a limited number of high-powered hubs where a protein has a large number of connections and a limited number of important bottlenecks, which are sites with a large number of short paths to a node. These are key targets for pathogens as they seek to seize control of the infected cell, so it can rewire the cells flow of information and cause disease.

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers, led by Shahid Mukhtar, Ph.D., associate professor of biology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, have now built an interactome that includes the lung-epithelial cell host interactome integrated with a SARS-CoV-2 interactome. Applying network biology analysis tools to this human/SARS-CoV-2 interactome has revealed potential molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The UAB research, published in the journal iScience, identified 33 high-value SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic targets, which are possibly involved in viral entry, proliferation and survival to establish infection and facilitate disease progression. These molecular insights may foster effective therapies, using combinations of existing drugs, for patients with COVID-19.

So far in 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed nearly 1 million people worldwide and 200,000 in the United States.

The UAB researchers took many steps to generate the Calu-3-specific human-SARS-CoV-2 interactome, or CSI, that was the starting point for their network biology analyses.

They began from a comprehensive human interactome of experimentally validated protein-protein interactions, posted online in 2015, and then manually curated other protein-protein interactions from four subsequent interactome studies. The resulting human interactome contained 18,906 nodes and 444,633 edges the term for the links between protein nodes.

From two 2020 studies, the researchers compiled an exhaustive list of 394 host proteins that interact with the novel human coronavirus; these host proteins were called SARS-CoV-2 interacting proteins, or SIPs. The SIPs included 332 human proteins associated with the peptides of SARS-CoV-2 and 62 host proteins interacting with the viral factors of other human coronaviruses, including SARSCoV and MERS-CoV, the causes of SARS and MERS, which could also aid understanding the molecular pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2

Shahid Mukhtar, Ph.D.By querying these 394 SIPs in the human interactome, they generated a subnetwork of 12,852 nodes and 84,100 edges that covered first and second neighbors of the 373 SIPs.

Finally, they filtered these interactions in the context of temporal changes during COVID-19 infection, using a high-resolution temporal transcriptome derived from cultured human airway epithelial cells, or Calu-3, treated with SARSCoV and SARS-CoV-2 over time. Integrating this Calu-3 expression data with the SIPs-derived protein-protein interaction subnetwork resulted in a Calu-3-specific human-SARS-CoV-2 interactome, or CSI, that contained 214 SIPs interacting with their first and second neighbors, and forming a network of 4,176 nodes and 18,630 edges.

The CSI had a power law degree distribution with a few nodes harboring increased connectivity compared to a random network, and thus exhibited properties of a scale-free network, similar to the other, previously generated human-viral interactomes.

The robust, high-quality CSI was then further utilized for network-aided architectural and functional pathway analyses.

Topological clustering and pathway enrichment analysis showed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks central nodes of the host-viral network that participate in core functional pathways. Network centrality analyses discovered 33 high-value SARS-CoV-2 targets for possible drug therapy; these targets are possibly involved in viral entry, proliferation and survival to establish infection and facilitate disease progression. A probabilistic modeling framework elucidated critical regulatory circuitry and molecular events pertinent to COVID-19, particularly the host modifying responses and cytokine storm.

In summary, Mukhtar said, our integrative network topology analyses led us to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and pathways of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Mukhtars lab continues to work on network medicine and artificial intelligence to battle COVID-19 and other human inflammatory diseases.

Co-first authors of the study, Integrative network biology framework elucidates molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, are graduate students Nilesh Kumar and Bharat Mishra, UAB Department of Biology.

Other co-authors, along with Mukhtar, are Adeel Mehmood, UAB departments of Biology and Computer Science; and Mohammad Athar, Department of Dermatology, UAB School of Medicine.

Support came from National Science Foundation grant IOS-1557796 and National Institutes of Health grant ES030246.

Read the original:
Likely molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis are revealed by network biology - The Mix

Buy Photo

People work out at an exercise station near North Point Park on Lake Michigan Wednesday, March 25, 2020.(Photo: MIKE DE SISTI / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL)

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac n cheese.

But lets not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. The Quarantine 15 (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations is a struggle everyone is dealing with, says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California-Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40% of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19s worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits theyve developed over the past five months.

Karen Clark, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle, chained to the desk, with no meetings outside the house or walks to lunch with colleagues.

I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else, Clark says. When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12 pounds at 62, its a long road back.

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But dont worry if you lack Clarks discipline, or a rowing machine. You can still regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish some basic daily routines, since in many cases thats exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinics Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you bookend your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

And, especially if you have kids at home who will be studying remotely this fall, prepare your meals at the beginning of the day, or even the beginning of the week, he says.

If you havent exercised in a while, start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate, says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you cant get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride, if one of those activities appeals to you. Though many jurisdictions across the United States require residents to wear masks when out in public, it may not be necessary and may even be harmful to some people with respiratory conditions while doing strenuous exercise.

Its clearly hard to exercise with a mask on, says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford Universitys School of Medicine. We go hiking up in the foothills and we take our masks with us and we dont wear them unless somebody starts coming the other way. Then we will put the mask on, and then we take it off and we keep going.

If you prefer to avoid the mask question altogether, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a cable TV station with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for exercise videos, you will find countless workouts for beginners and experienced fitness buffs alike. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days. You can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups might seem like a pale substitute, but they can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers. One way to find such groups is to search for virtual fitness community.

Many gyms are also offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions, often advertised on their websites.

If group sports is your thing, you may or may not have options, depending on where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outdoor group sports in municipal parks are shut down until further notice. The only sports allowed are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball league for men 50 and older, resumes play early this month after sitting out the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the leagues commissioner.

But he says it has been difficult to get enough players because of worries about COVID.

In the senior group, you have quite a lot of people who are in a high-risk category or may have a spouse in a high-risk category, and they dont want to chance playing, says Hyder, 67, who does plan to play.

Players will have to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear masks while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the only player required to wear a mask. Thats because masks can steam up glasses or slip, causing impaired vision that could be dangerous to base runners or fielders, Hyder explains.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it wont keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods that can raise your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 risk factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

Start with something really simple, she said. It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what theyre used to preparing.

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.

Staying healthy is so important these days, more than at any other time, because we are fighting this virus which doesnt have a treatment, says the Cleveland Clinics Butsch. The treatment is our immune system.

Bernard J. Wolfson is a writer for Kaiser Health News. This KHN story first published onCalifornia Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/solutions/2020/09/17/exercise-diet-important-coronavirus-pandemic-continues/5759268002/

View post:
Exercise and diet are more important than ever with the coronavirus at large - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Last year, there were a lot of think pieces floating around the internet about Americas declining fertility rate. After much hand-wringing and editorializing, some concluded that perhaps the reasons behind fewer pregnancies were complicated at best.

As The Atlantic put it, Whatevers going on, people decide not to have children, or to delay having them, for all sorts of reasons, not always because theyre not interested. According to a survey of healthy, egg-freezing women in the United States and Israel from 2018, the number-one reason these ladies werent popping out babies just yet was not for lack of interest, but for lack of a partner.

Moreover, participants said there was a massive undersupply of college-educated men who are down to commit to things like marriage and kids. Well, amen to that, but in other news, this year we have bigger problems than a dearth of eligible bachelor(ette)s.

Were not sure if youve checked the news lately, but theres a pandemic swirling about, and the prospect of pregnancy might feel a bit daunting, even if you do have someone to shack up with or some other baby-producing arrangement that works for you.

So we spoke with six OB/GYNs to get their thoughts on baby making in the time of the coronavirus, as Mrquez would put it.

Advertisement

If someone wanted to get pregnant right now, what would your advice be?

If youre under 35 and in good health, Id suggest waiting a year. There is a lot in the works with treatments and vaccines, which could potentially make being pregnant safer for mom and baby. Dr. Felice Gersh, OB/GYN, founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine and author of PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track

Talk to your OB/GYN about the risks of pregnancy due to COVID-19. Planning a pregnancy is a highly personal decision, and there are [many] factors that play into when a couple decides to conceive, including age, health risks, and professional and personal goals. Dr. Shweta Desai, OB/GYN and Love Wellness advisor

Ensure that both partners have been tested for COVID. There are reports in the literature that COVID has been found in semenand theres a question as to the possibility of it being transmitted sexually.

If there are any comorbid conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension, see a provider to ensure they are optimized, and take folic acid supplementation in the preconception period to decrease the incidence of fetal neural tube defects.

Assess your vitamin D levels, and begin supplementation, particularly if you are a person of colorvitamin D is made in the skin in conjunction with sunlight, and people of color possess melanin, which blocks the production of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that has a myriad number of functions in the body, boosts immunity, enhances bone metabolism in both mom and developing fetus, is good for mental and cardiovascular health, and, for pregnant women, may decrease their incidence of preterm birth.

Observing guidelines for mask wearing, social distancing, and keeping hands clean is particularly important for pregnancy, when immunological competence declines. Eat foods which boost immune functiononions, garlic, turmeric, et ceteraand take your prenatal vitamins with Omega-3. Dr. Kecia Gaither, double board-certified in OB/GYN and maternal fetal medicine and director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln

If youre thinking of trying to get pregnant right nowdont panic. Id start by taking a good prenatal vitamin with at least 400 mcg of folate two to three months before [trying to get] pregnant. Being pregnant increases your risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women, so its important to take precautions.

Pregnant womens immune systems are repressed, making them more vulnerable to infections. Its recommended to limit your contact with people as much as possible to reduce exposure. You can also take steps to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 by wearing a mask and practicing good hygiene when interacting with people.

In addition to pregnancy, many underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and obesity can possibly increase the severity of the disease if exposed. So before you get pregnant, make sure you are in the best possible health you can be. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), theres no documentation of increased risk of miscarriage or fetal malformations in pregnant women who are infected with COVID-19. Dr. Jodie Horton, OB/GYN and chief wellness advisor for Love Wellness

I would say that no one, not even your doctor, can make such an important decision for a woman. There are so many factors that go into the decision to become a parent that its impossible to know what any one woman and her partner may be considering.

There are key questions that go into that decision-making process, including, age, fertility, pre-existing medical conditions, economic, geographical (living close to family or support), healthcare coverage, and career. Connecting the dots for any woman, for any one family, is complex. Dr. Jane van Dis, OB/GYN and medical director at Maven Clinic

My advice is to go and get pregnant with the following precautions: Wash your hands frequently; wear a mask and other recommended PPE (if applicable) at work and in public; maintain physical distancing; and limit contact with other individuals as much as possible.

Whether youre pregnant or not, taking COVID precautions [is] essential. Also, it remains uncommon that COVID will affect the baby if you get the coronavirus. Dr. Zaher Merhi, OB/GYN and fertility expert at New Hope Fertility Center

What if a woman is in her thirties and feels the pressure of time?

Theres a sense that at age 35, womens fertility begins to fall off a cliff, but that isnt the right image or metaphor. The change in fertility rates between, say, 34 and 38 are minimal.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, women ages 27 to 34 have an 86 percent chance of conceiving in a year, and women ages 35 to 39 have an 82 percent chance of conceiving in one year. How many children youd like to have matters as well.

If a woman at age 35 tells me she would like to have three children, my answer would be: Yes, you should probably start on that journey now. Ideally, women, if they have a cesarean, should wait 18 months between pregnancies, and while three vaginal deliveries is ideal, leaving some wiggle room for unforeseen bumps on a fertility and pregnancy journey is just good planning.

If a woman tells me she wants only one child, then that might change the pressure or calculus for how anxious she should feel. I understand the pressure of time, and I felt it poignantly myself, having had my twins at age 39. Reaching out for mental health support on this journey is also a great idea. Dr. Jane van Dis, OB/GYN and medical director at Maven Clinic

Even in your thirties, my advice to you would be no different now than before the pandemic. I wouldnt delay getting pregnant, but would [suggest that you] discuss your concerns with your doctor. Your prenatal care and delivery will look different, but the quality of the care wont change.

Pregnancy during a pandemic has changed what normal prenatal appointments, ultrasounds, and delivery look like. Many doctors offices are taking precautions to limit possible exposure. Its possible that your partner may not be able to come to all your prenatal visits, including your ultrasounds.

Telehealth has become a popular option in many offices. In the age of technology, we can see low-risk, uncomplicated pregnant patients virtually by video or phone. When its time to deliver, one support person may be allowed to be with you during your hospital stay, as long as your COVID-19 test is negative. Every hospital is different, so its always best to check with your doctor to see the current rules on labor and delivery. Dr. Jodie Horton, OB/GYN and chief wellness advisor for Love Wellness

If age is a major issue and you feel you cant wait even a year, then get as healthy as you can and plan on socially isolating for the duration of the pregnancy and for months afterwards, depending on what happens with the pandemic. Dr. Felice Gersh, OB/GYN, founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine and author of PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track

If someone is feeling the pressures of time, my advice would be to move forward with trying to conceive if you feel as though its the right time in your life. Dr. Shweta Desai, OB/GYN and Love Wellness advisor

What are the drawbacks of going through pregnancy at this time?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists did release a statement in June with evidence suggesting that pregnant patients may be at increased risk for severe illness due to COVID-19, such as ICU admission and mechanical ventilation.

They also went on to state that the overall risk of these clinical interventions remains low and that pregnant patients dont appear to be at increased risk of death associated with COVID-19. So its important that pregnant patients take the appropriate precautions to prevent infection, particularly those who are at high risk of exposure. Dr. Shweta Desai, OB/GYN and Love Wellness advisor

The biggest drawback right now is that, public-health-wise, were still in a state of flux, not knowing how long until a vaccine for COVID will be available to healthy, reproductive-age women. [On the plus side], most OB/GYN care is going smoothly, in the prenatal course and in the hospital. We know a lot more about the virus than we did in March or April. Dr. Jane van Dis, OB/GYN and medical director at Maven Clinic

There are definitely risks to mom and baby with the coronavirus. Theres an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm labor, and other pregnancy complications. Pregnant women have become extremely ill, requiring intensive-care therapy.

Pregnancy does modulate the immune system to prevent the moms immune system from attacking the fetus, and this can heighten her risk for a more severe case of COVID. Dr. Felice Gersh, OB/GYN, founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine and author of PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track

Drawbacks are the inconvenience of going to the doctors office for your OB visits. And if you dont drive, taking public transportation or a taxi could be stressful if not taking the right precautions. My advice is to wear a mask and gloves if you take any public transportation or a taxi. Dr. Zaher Merhi, OB/GYN and fertility expert at New Hope Fertility Center

Advertisement

What are the benefits of being pregnant right now?

Some pregnant women were able to find the silver lining while pregnant during a pandemic. Many women said they didnt have to hide their growing belly and got to avoid unsolicited comments and advice while in quarantine.

There were also fewer missed workdays from those suffering from nausea and vomiting, since many women are working from home. With flexible hours, women were able to adjust their schedules. Also, having a partner at home to help out was a bonus.

Telehealth appointments were easier to schedule, and many women were happy about no longer having to wait long periods of time to see the doctor. One surprising benefit that many moms have talked about is the number of visitors allowed in the hospital.

Having a baby can be overwhelming. New moms are exhausted and experiencing hormonal and body changes. They appreciated the quiet time to bond with their new baby without entertaining visitors in the hospital. Dr. Jodie Horton, OB/GYN and chief wellness advisor for Love Wellness

Pregnancy is, fundamentally, an act of hope for the future, and I think having that sense of making room for a new life is powerful. Personally, I push through anxiety and fear that I sometimes have about the future in part because the next generation needs to see that sense of hope. Dr. Jane van Dis, OB/GYN and medical director at Maven Clinic

A benefit to being pregnant right now is that if the timing is right for you and your reproductive timeline, then celebrate it! Congratulations, and dont let the pandemic take away from the joy that is pregnancy. Dr. Shweta Desai, OB/GYN and Love Wellness advisor

Working from home is now common, so getting pregnant and working from home could be a benefit. Additionally, staying at home usually means more homemade meals, which are much healthier for the pregnancy than eating in restaurants. Dr. Zaher Merhi, OB/GYN and fertility expert at New Hope Fertility Center

Anything in particular you would advise women to keep in mind if they do decide to go through with pursuing pregnancy right now?

According to the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG), studies show that telehealth has provided similar health outcomes compared to traditional prenatal visits. The evidence suggests that the patient-physician relationship isnt compromised, and theres an improvement in patient engagement and satisfaction.

So despite not having all your appointments be in-person, the quality of care you receive will still be the same. Dr. Jodie Horton, OB/GYN and chief wellness advisor for Love Wellness

If youre considering becoming pregnant right now, the most important thing you can do to prepare is to have a conversation with your OB/GYN so that you can be appropriately informed about the risks of pregnancy during this time.

After that, its your reproductive choice, and you [would be] going into it with an informed decision. Personally, as an OB/GYN, I chose to become pregnant during the pandemic as it was the right time for me, and Ive been exercising the appropriate precautions.

I cant wait to welcome my baby girl in December and strongly believe that every woman has the right to choose their own reproductive timeline, as long as they are making an informed decision. Dr. Shweta Desai, OB/GYN and Love Wellness advisor

Id recommend ideally getting in good shape, mentally and physically, before getting pregnant. Meet with your primary care doctor or OB/GYN to address any medical conditions you may have, like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety, or obesity, in order to have the healthiest pregnancy possible. Making sure you have mental health support as well, I think, is key. Dr. Jane van Dis, OB/GYN and medical director at Maven Clinic

Try to do as much telehealth as possible with your doctor. Go to the office only when it is necessary. [Keep in mind that] pregnant women with COVID are not at increased risk of death compared to non-pregnant women with COVID.

If you have comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, or hypertension, make sure you control those as much as possible before getting pregnant, because COVID in pregnant women with comorbidities can have more complications, such as ICU admission and the use of mechanical ventilation. Dr. Zaher Merhi, OB/GYN and fertility expert at New Hope Fertility Center

Pregnancy unfortunately adds risk to having a coronavirus infection. If you get pregnant, even though you are young and healthy, the risk for a very serious outcome exists and is increased. Pregnancy complications are increased.

Do all you can to avoid catching COVID while pregnant by staying healthy, getting restorative sleep, eating lots of vegetables and fruit, staying fit, and staying calm. Dr. Felice Gersh, OB/GYN, founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine and author of PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track

Photos: Getty

Want more stories like this?

What Its Like to Be a New or Expecting Mom Right NowCan I Do My Yearly Well-Woman Visit via Telemedicine?The Truth about Postpartum Anxiety During a Pandemic

See the rest here:
Everything You Need to Know about Getting Pregnant During COVID-19 - Coveteur

Doctor, if this wereyourmother, who would you send her to? Its aquery physicians often hear when they inform the adult child of an elderly parent or a patients spouse, mother, father or sibling that they are referring a relative for care.

The question, of course, reflects the desire to ensure that our loved ones are being diagnosed and treated by highly skilled practitioners. When we want to find the top doctors in aparticular specialty, we ask the people in a position to know best their fellow physicians.

So does Castle Connolly Top Doctors.

Each year for a quarter of a century, Castle Connolly has consulted tens of thousands of physicians across America to obtain their confidential recommendations regarding the Top Doctors in their specialty and region. Those nominations are the first step in a rigorous vetting process described in further detail below a process overseen by the physicians who lead the Castle Connolly research staff.

Physicians cannot pay to be designated a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly. Neither can they nominate themselves. Selection is a matter of meritocracy, pure and (in terms of the steps involved) not-so-simple.

The result is a thoroughly reliable list of Top Doctors that consumers can consult when seeking nearby physicians in various specialties. As in years past, Jerseys Best has partnered with Castle Connolly to provide readers with information on dozens of doctors across the Garden State who have been recommended by their peers and who have met Castle Connollys exacting criteria.

Those criteria are used to evaluate not only physicians professional qualifications, professionalreputationand disciplinary history, but also their interpersonal skills, such as communication, empathy and trustworthiness.

What Does It TakeToGetToTheTop?

While accolades abound in our status-conscious society, physicians recognize that selection as a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly is a hard-won, highly credible honor. As Joseph Feuerstein, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician and integrative medicine specialist who has made the list, noted, The Castle Connolly recognition in medicine is considered by physicians to be the only legitimate recognized category of excellence in American medicine.

The effort to identify physicians who merit that recognition begins with Castle Connolly sending out an annual survey asking thousands of licensed medical doctors (MDs) and doctors of osteopathy (DOs) across the United States to nominate their peers for consideration.

The process is anonymous and confidential. Each invitee is assigned a unique access code to the nomination website to ensure that doctors do not nominate themselves.Hospital presidents,CEOsand vice presidents of medical affairs at hospitals nationwide also are invited to take part in nominating doctors. Further, Castle Connolly communicates with hospitals marketing departments to publicize the annual survey and encourage participation.

In New Jersey, 2,229 distinct doctors received 5,413 nominations.

After a doctor has been nominated, Castle Connollys physician-led research teams evaluate the practitioner in terms of:

Once selected and approved by Castle Connollys editors, chief medical officer, chief research officer and research staff, each Top Doctor submits a comprehensive, professional biography.

Doctors Need Periodic Check-Ups, Too

Castle Connollys Top Doctors list is updated annually. It also can be revised in between those yearly updates if a physicians status should change. However, a doctors removal from a Castle Connolly list does not necessarily indicate something negative about the physician.

Reasons for removal include:

Similarly, while a Castle Connolly Top Doctors list is quite comprehensive, it does not encompass every excellent physician in the area or specialty covered. Rather, the list is apowerful tool patientscan use as they pursue the best care available. In addition to consulting the Top Doctors list, health care consumers also should weigh factors including:

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than 27,000 physicians were practicing in New Jersey in 2018, the last year for which statistics are available. Roughly one in three of those clinicians 8,705, to be exact was a primary care physician, while the rest practiced in specialties such as allergy/immunology, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology,orthopaedicsurgery, psychiatry, pulmonology and more.

New Jersey residents are fortunate to have many options when seeking medical care. Jerseys Best is proud to provide this years list of Castle Connolly Top Doctors to help readers find the physician who is tops for them. To see if your doctor is on the powerhouse list, click here (starts on page J88). To find a Top Doctor near you, click here.

Original post:
Top Doctors of N.J.: Meet the physicians who have achieved 'excellence in medicine' - Jersey's Best

Frontier Nursing University hosts virtual event in celebration of National Midwifery Week.

Versailles, KY, Sept. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National Midwifery Week is the first week of October, and Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is celebrating by hosting a virtual event from Oct. 5-8, called Empower 2020: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

The event features four free sessions, including two continuing education opportunities, presented by FNU faculty, students, and alumni on the latest practices and topics influencing nurse-midwifery care:

Its the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife: Get the 411 on Becoming a Nurse-Midwife is for midwifery students or anyone who is considering becoming a nurse-midwife. Participants will hear from current midwifery students about their experiences and have the opportunity to ask questions during this live session.

Midwifery Pearls of Telehealth will provide an overview of telehealth from a midwifery perspective with special emphasis on the areas of patient engagement, group care, provider satisfaction and best practices for meeting compliance requirements.

Hot Topics in the Management of Perimenopause & Menopause: A Conventional & Integrative Approach will provide a review of the most common conventional and evidence-based integrative medicine interventions used during perimenopause and menopause.

Maternal and infant mortality affects black and indigenous women at a much higher rate than other races. In Racial Disparities in Maternity Care: Where Do We Go From Here?, FNU Assistant Professor Dr. Heather Clarke and FNU President Dr. Susan Stone will review the issues related to health care disparities and discuss how midwives can engage in meaningful strategies for change.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife in honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingales birth. The designation brings awareness to the importance of nurses and midwives in the health and care of populations across the globe. According to the WHO, the world needs nine million more nurses and midwives to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

Southern Cross Insurance Solutions is sponsoring the 2020 virtual event. National Midwifery Week was created by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) to celebrate and recognize midwives and midwife-led care. ACNM and its 7,000+ midwife members, physicians and womens health organizations observe National Midwifery Week each year. Dr. Cathy Collins-Fulea, FNU course faculty member and DNP graduate, is currently serving as president of the ACNM Board of Directors.

Frontier Nursing University is the birthplace of nurse-midwifery in the United States and has 80 years of experience in delivering graduate nursing and midwifery programs. This is the sixth consecutive year FNU has hosted a virtual event in support of National Midwifery Week.

Register for the Empower 2020: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife virtual event and learn more at Frontier.edu/MidwiferyWeek.

###

FNU is passionate about educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to serve women and families in all communities, especially rural and underserved areas. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse-Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the students home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificates. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.

View post:
Frontier Nursing University Virtual Event to Focus on Telehealth and Racial Disparities in Maternity Care - GlobeNewswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide wellness expert, spiritual icon and New York Times bestselling author, Deepak Chopra, is launching his 91st book titled Total Meditation - Practices in Living the Awakened Life on September 22, 2020 (8am PDT) during a worldwide livestream event that will broadcast on YouTube and Facebook Live. The Total Meditation Livestream was created in conjunction with The Chopra Foundation's Never Alone Initiative, raising awareness and donations for mental health and suicide prevention for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (September). As part of the livestream, Dr. Chopra will introduce his new book and lead a meditation in the two-part event. Thosewishing to view the livestream can register here.

The livestream, hosted by Gabriella Wright, co-founder of the Never Alone Initiative and an actress, activist and humanitarian, will include two parts with unprecedented access to Deepak Chopra:

Total Meditation - Practices in Living the Awakened Lifecalls on readers to live an "awakened life" through meditation and breathing. As Chopra states in the book, "There are many good reasons to meditate, reasons that date back thousands of years. But this book was written not with a glance backward, but with a view forward.I call this the awakened life."

Total Meditation is being by published in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House/Penguin. The book is currently available for pre-order and will be available on September 22.

For more information, to view a trailer of the event, and to register for the livestream, visit the Total Meditation website at https://totalmeditationlive.deepakchopra.com

Total Meditation Synopsis:

With this book, Deepak elevates the practice of meditation to a life-changing quest for higher consciousness and a more fulfilling existence. He also incorporates new research on meditation and its benefits, provides practical awareness exercises, and concludes with a 52-week program of meditations to help revolutionize every aspect of your life. Total Meditation offers a complete exploration and reinterpretation of the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual benefits that this practice can bring.

Deepak guides readers on how to wake up to new levels of awareness that will ultimately cultivate a clear vision, heal suffering in your mind and body, and help recover who you really are. Readers will undergo a transformative process, which results in an awakening of the body, mind, and spirit that will allow you to live in a state of open, free, creative, and blissful awareness twenty-four hours a day.

About Deepak Chopra

Dr. Chopra is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. He is the founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is the author of 91 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century."

PRESS CONTACT

Marion Public RelationsKristen Marion623-308-2638[emailprotected]

SOURCE The Chopra Foundation

Link:
Never Alone Initiative Hosts Worldwide Livestream from Prolific Author Deepak Chopra and Launch of his 91st Book Titled "Total Meditation" -...

A detailed overview of Nutrigenomics Testing market with respect to the pivotal drivers influencing the revenue graph of this business sphere. The current trends of Nutrigenomics Testing market in conjunction with the geographical landscape, demand spectrum, remuneration scale, and growth graph of this vertical have also been included in this report.

Rising number of obese people will surge demand for nutrigenomics testing kits over the analysis timeframe. Nutrigenomics testing enables nutritionists to recommend personalized diet for obese people to control their weight and maintain healthy lifestyle. Obesity is one of the prominent factors for chronic disease progression such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders that results in hazardous life-threatening repercussions. Obese people are increasingly preferring nutrigenomics testing in order to enhance eating habits. Aforementioned factors will escalate nutrigenomics testing market growth in forthcoming future.

Rapid advances in genomics and molecular biology will be a high impact rendering factor for nutrigenomics testing market growth over the forecast period. Nutrigenomics testing enables in detection of food effects on an individual?s body that further helps in preventing onset of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and obesity. Technologically advanced nutrigenomic panels help nutritionists to suggest exercise and personalized diet-based disease management. Advantages of nutrigenomics testing in maintaining healthy lifestyle will rise its preference over the forecast period. However, stringent regulations may restraint the industry growth to certain extent.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-sample/5398

Nutrigenomics Testing Market will exceed USD 800 million by 2025; as per a new research report.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-sample/5398

Hospitals and clinics segment is anticipated to witness around 10.5% CAGR over the forecast period. Significant growth can be attributed to increasing number of patients opting treatment for chronic diseases from hospitals and clinics. For chronic disease management, doctors often recommend nutrigenetic tests that will fuel its demand. Industry players commercialize superior quality nutrigenomics testing kits to healthcare facilities that may positively boost segment growth in forthcoming future.

Japan nutrigenomics testing market was accounted for more than 35% revenue share of Asia Pacific industry in 2018 and it is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Considerable revenue can be attributed to several factors such as increasing preference towards personalized diet and rising prevalence of chronic diseases. Moreover, industry players in the region are undertaking various activities in order to provide efficient nutrigenomics tests. Also, various startups have been established to offer superior quality nutrigenomics testing kits, thereby accelerating country growth over the forecast period.

Diabetes segment of nutrigenomics testing market was valued more than USD 70 million in 2018 and it is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Nutritional genomics testing broadens understanding of patterns pertaining to genetic variations, epigenetic modifications, and gene diet phenotype interactions. It also enables comprehensive understanding of early molecular events occurred in diabetes that may prevent further complexities and disease progression. As a result, nutrigenetics testing has pivotal role in diabetes management and care that will fuel its demand over the analysis timeframe.

Notable industry players operational in the nutrigenomics testing market include Sanger Genomics, Gene Box, Metagenics, CURA INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, Orig3n, Pathway Genomics, Holistic Heal, Nutrigenomix, Xcode Life, Salugen, GX Sciences and NutraGene. These industry players are implementing several strategic initiatives such as collaborations, mergers, acquisitions, product launches and emphasis on R&D activities in order to gain competitive advantage and sustain market competition. For instance, in November 2017, Orig3n acquired Interleukin Genetics, a genome based personalized health organization. This acquisition aimed at providing Inherent Health genetic tests for heart health, weight management and bone health. This activity will help company to capture higher market share that will enable it to exceed its business revenue.

Major Highlights from Table of contents are listed below for quick lookup into Nutrigenomics Testing Market report

Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2. Executive Summary

Chapter 3. Nutrigenomics Testing Industry Insights

Chapter 4. Company Profiles

Request Customization on This Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-for-customization/5398

More:
Nutrigenomics Testing Market Analysis, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts to 2025 - The Research Process

Tulsi and Ashwagandha are potent adaptogens and can be consumed in form of kadha or tea

Highlights

Every chai-lover will agree to this that there's hardly anything a cup of hot tea can't fix. From reconnecting with your friends and loved ones over chai to rejuvenating yourself at any time of the day, a perfectly brewed tea does it all! And if you wisely add some herbs and spices to it, then it might go a long way to benefit your health too. As per health experts around the world, herb and spice-infused tea (green, black or olong tea) have often been considered to be a natural remedy for several ailments. Two such popular traditional herbs are Tulsi (Holy Basil) and Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng).

For the unversed, both Tulsiand Ashwagandha have been an important part of traditional medical practice since centuries. These herbs are potent adaptogens and can be consumed in form of kadha or tea. As per Macrobiotic Nutritionist and Health Practitioner Shilpa Arora ND, "Ashwagandhaand Tulsi help balance hormones. It isthe root cause for stress, fluctuations of mood andweight gain. Imbalance in hormone also reducesbody's energy levels."

We bring you a herbal tea recipe that includes Tulsi and Ashwagandha, along with green tea, which may do wonders for relieving stress and anxiety after a long tiring day.

Tulsiis dubbed to maintain the level of cortisol hormone (stress hormone) in the body. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, basil is a potent source of antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

Also Read:Tulsi Haldi Dalchini Laung Kadha May Be The Ideal Drink To Have Right Now For Good Immunity

According to Consultant Nutritionist Rupali Dutta, "This traditional herb has anti-ageing and de-stressing properties. It is used to fight depression, anxiety and boost cognitive functioning. In this regard, one must remember that the ashwagandharoots have several medicinal properties and one can consume the roots in various forms."

Also Read:Healthy Diet: This Moon Milk At Night May Help Induce Good Sleep

Benefit of green tea is no secret to the world. Other than improving metabolism, promoting weight loss and boosting immune system, it is also known to have calming effects on our nerves. It is enriched with Theanine that helps to beat stress and anxiety. A research by the University of Shizuoka, Japan, found that the students who consumed green tea consistently experienced lower levels of stress.

Also Read:Adding Cinnamon, Turmeric To Green Tea May Help Boost Immunity, Weight Loss And Overall Health

1.5 cups of water

Half teaspoon Ashwagandha roots

3-4 Tulsi leaves

1 teaspoon green tea

Step 1. Boil the water for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2. Switch of the flame and add green tea, ashwagandha roots and Tulsi leaves. Close the lid and let it infuse for 10 minutes.

Step 3. Strain it in a cup and sip on.

(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.)

About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.

Continued here:
Tulsi And Ashwagandha Green Tea May Help Beat Stress And Anxiety - Experts Reveal - NDTV Food

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac 'n' cheese.

But let's not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. "The Quarantine 15" (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations "is a struggle everyone is dealing with," says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California-Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40% of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19's worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits they've developed over the past five months.

Karen Clark, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle, chained to the desk, with no meetings outside the house or walks to lunch with colleagues.

"I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else," Clark says. "When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12 pounds at 62, it's a long road back."

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But don't worry if you lack Clark's discipline, or a rowing machine. You can still regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish some basic daily routines, since in many cases that's exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you "bookend" your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

And, especially if you have kids at home who will be studying remotely this fall, prepare your meals at the beginning of the day, or even the beginning of the week, he says.

If you haven't exercised in a while, "start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate," says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you can't get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride, if one of those activities appeals to you. Though many jurisdictions across the United States require residents to wear masks when out in public, it may not be necessary and may even be harmful to some people with respiratory conditions while doing strenuous exercise.

"It's clearly hard to exercise with a mask on," says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University's School of Medicine. "We go hiking up in the foothills and we take our masks with us and we don't wear them unless somebody starts coming the other way. Then we will put the mask on, and then we take it off and we keep going."

If you prefer to avoid the mask question altogether, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a cable TV station with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for "exercise videos," you will find countless workouts for beginners and experienced fitness buffs alike. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days. You can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups might seem like a pale substitute, but they can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers. One way to find such groups is to search for "virtual fitness community."

Many gyms are also offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions, often advertised on their websites.

If group sports is your thing, you may or may not have options, depending on where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outdoor group sports in municipal parks are shut down until further notice. The only sports allowed are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball league for men 50 and older, will resume play early this month after sitting out the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the league's commissioner.

But he says it has been difficult to get enough players because of worries about COVID.

"In the senior group, you have quite a lot of people who are in a high-risk category or may have a spouse in a high-risk category, and they don't want to chance playing," says Hyder, 67, who does plan to play.

Players will have to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear masks while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the only player required to wear a mask. That's because masks can steam up glasses or slip, causing impaired vision that could be dangerous to base runners or fielders, Hyder explains.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it won't keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods that can raise your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 risk factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

"Start with something really simple," she said. "It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what they're used to preparing."

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.

Staying healthy is "so important these days, more than at any other time, because we are fighting this virus which doesn't have a treatment," says the Cleveland Clinic's Butsch. "The treatment is our immune system."

This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Read the original here:
Exercise and Diet Are More Important Than Ever With Virus at Large - Medscape

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac 'n' cheese.

But let's not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. "The Quarantine 15" (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations "is a struggle everyone is dealing with," says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California-Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40% of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19's worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits they've developed over the past five months.

Karen Clark, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle, chained to the desk, with no meetings outside the house or walks to lunch with colleagues.

"I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else," Clark says. "When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12 pounds at 62, it's a long road back."

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But don't worry if you lack Clark's discipline, or a rowing machine. You can still regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish some basic daily routines, since in many cases that's exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you "bookend" your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

And, especially if you have kids at home who will be studying remotely this fall, prepare your meals at the beginning of the day, or even the beginning of the week, he says.

If you haven't exercised in a while, "start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate," says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you can't get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride, if one of those activities appeals to you. Though many jurisdictions across the United States require residents to wear masks when out in public, it may not be necessary and may even be harmful to some people with respiratory conditions while doing strenuous exercise.

"It's clearly hard to exercise with a mask on," says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University's School of Medicine. "We go hiking up in the foothills and we take our masks with us and we don't wear them unless somebody starts coming the other way. Then we will put the mask on, and then we take it off and we keep going."

If you prefer to avoid the mask question altogether, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a cable TV station with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for "exercise videos," you will find countless workouts for beginners and experienced fitness buffs alike. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days. You can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups might seem like a pale substitute, but they can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers. One way to find such groups is to search for "virtual fitness community."

Many gyms are also offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions, often advertised on their websites.

If group sports is your thing, you may or may not have options, depending on where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outdoor group sports in municipal parks are shut down until further notice. The only sports allowed are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball league for men 50 and older, will resume play early this month after sitting out the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the league's commissioner.

But he says it has been difficult to get enough players because of worries about COVID.

"In the senior group, you have quite a lot of people who are in a high-risk category or may have a spouse in a high-risk category, and they don't want to chance playing," says Hyder, 67, who does plan to play.

Players will have to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear masks while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the only player required to wear a mask. That's because masks can steam up glasses or slip, causing impaired vision that could be dangerous to base runners or fielders, Hyder explains.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it won't keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods that can raise your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 risk factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

"Start with something really simple," she said. "It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what they're used to preparing."

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.

Staying healthy is "so important these days, more than at any other time, because we are fighting this virus which doesn't have a treatment," says the Cleveland Clinic's Butsch. "The treatment is our immune system."

This KHN story first published onCalifornia Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Go here to see the original:
Exercise and diet are more important than ever with COVID at large - Salon

September 15, 2020

PHOENIX, Ariz. Crafted Energy, a premiere functional energy bar brand based out of Phoenix, Arizona, has announced a partnership with Downeast Bicycle Specialists, a leading bike parts and accessories distributor and a subsidiary of the Hans Johnsen Company, increasing distribution channels to more easily reach consumers in the cycling and ancillary communities. This partnership gives dealers across the Northeast and US increased access to sport-specific functional energy.

"One thing we consistently hear from our retail partners is how their customers are looking for cleaner sources of performance nutrition," explains Ryan Naboshek, co-founder of Crafted Energy. "These athletes are seeking clean, real-food, and purposeful alternatives to fuel their performance, rather than the processed sugars traditionally found in today's gels, chews, and drinks. Ever since our early discussions with Downeast, we felt that their team both understood the value proposition of functional cycling nutrition and shared a common belief in its potential within the athletic community. We're thrilled to partner with Downeast as we collaboratively bring functional energy to those athletes in the northeast and across the US."

Along with this partnership, Crafted Energy has announced an increased commitment to making their sport-specific nutrition more accessible to athletes nationwide. Crafted Energy currently produces unique energy bars specially engineered to three core activities; cycling, running, and rock climbing. So, what makes their bars sport-specific? During the product development stage, the Crafted Energy team first pinpoints the unique energy and recovery needs of a sport. Then, they look for plant-based and clean label ingredients to meet the nutritional profile and holistic benefits that were identified in the first step of the process. Lastly, they tailor the texture and consistency of each bar to meet the digestive needs of that athletic pursuit to ensure optimal performance and recovery. The result is a nutrient-dense, sport-specific, plant-based, clean-label, and easy-to-digest functional energy bar. This unique development approach of curating and leveraging the holistic benefits of ingredients as a means of sport-tailored energy and recovery is the core concept behind functional energy. Rigorous athlete testing and an ethic that leaves no room for sacrifice in product development, quality ingredients, and formulation have made Crafted Energy a trusted source of performance nutrition by athletes nationwide.

The partnership between Downeast Bicycle Specialists and Crafted Energy is a big step forward in bringing functional energy to athletes seeking to improve their performance through proper, clean, and curated nutrition.

About Crafted Energy Crafted Energy came to fruition initially through separate, but simultaneous 'aha' moments between long-time friends Darshan Shah, MD & Zach Olschwanger and childhood friends, Ryan Naboshek & Zach Olschwanger in 2014. Leveraging Darshan Shah's extensive background in Integrative and Holistic Medicine and Zach's passion for clean sports nutrition, Crafted Energy began discussing ways in which they could address the functional nutrition and sport-specific gap in the otherwise crowded energy bar market. Crafted Energy wants to challenge the 'one-size-fits-all' energy bar and has developed products that are unique to specific activities because they understand that all activities require something different from the body. This represents the underlying theme that Crafted Energy continues to operate with today.

About Downeast Bicycle Specialists Downeast Bicycle Specialists is a full service bicycle parts and accessories distributor servicing independent bicycle dealers throughout the United States. Our annual catalog features thousands of items from over 100 manufacturers around the world. We offer same day shipping, competitive pricing, free freight, group and kit programs, and online ordering. We can ship with 1 to 3 day delivery anywhere in the continental United States and we have one of the highest fill rates in the industry. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are all cycling enthusiasts. Most have extensive shop experience and can answer just about any technical question thrown at them. We support the bicycle industry and the sport we love through national and local advocacy.

Go here to read the rest:
Crafted Energy Expands Distribution Network Through Partnership With Downeast Bicycle Specialists - Bicycle Retailer

Psychologists have long understood that we eat when we're under emotional stress. No wonder we've put on the "Covid 15." No wonder we overeat at the Thanksgiving table. What's more stressful than having to eat with extended familywearing masks? It's times like these that many of us reach for the closest bag of chips or cookies and don't stop munching until we hit crumbs.

"We often overeat, not because we're hungry, but because we want the delicious food to soothe away an unpleasant feeling," says a researcher who has studied the phenomenon, Jennifer Daubenmier, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. And the real harm, she says, may come later from the shame we feel over our behavior, which can trigger overeating to spiral out of control. (Related: 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback.)

So, how does one overcome the power of a table of holiday dishes taunting "how many are you going to add to your plate?" The answer may lie in practicing what's called "mindful eating," a technique that helps you to recognize the signals your body gives you when hungry or distractions that cause you to overindulge.

In a recent study of obese adults led by Dr. Daubenmier, 100 volunteers were taught mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, and mindful eating drills designed to empower them to stall mindless overeating. The results, reported in a recent issue of the journal Obesity, showed that women who experienced the greatest reduction in stress levels from these mindfulness techniques also had the greatest loss of visceral belly fat, the deep, most dangerous fat that forms around internal organs in the abdomen. At the end of the 18-month experiment, the mindful eaters also experienced improvements in fasting blood sugar, the ratio of HDL cholesterol to triglycerides, and a reduction in the percentage of their daily calories that came from candy, cakes and sugary beverages.

Story continues

"If you can train yourself to recognize the reasons for overeating, what you're feeling before you act, you have a greater chance of making a wiser decision," says Daubenmier, explaining the goal of mindful eating.

How to do it? Daubenmier suggests slowing the eating process down to a crawl, eating like a gourmet food critic, focusing on smell, taste, texture, and taking breathes in between each bite to contemplate the sensations. By slowing down and taking time to become more aware of your food, your hunger level, and the emotions that may be causing you to eat, you give yourself the power to control cravings.

Developing a skill for mindful eating is easier if you team it up with daily mindful meditation practice. Daubenmier recommends practicing meditation 25 minutes, six days a week. You can read books on how to meditate, or make it as simple as sitting in a comfortable chair, closing your eyes and focusing your attention on your breath. Breathe deeply, allowing your belly to rise before your chest does. On the exhale, allow the chest to fall before your belly does. If your mind begins to wander, simply bring your attention back to your breathing. Noticing your mind wandering is actually proof that you're doing it right and already becoming more aware, more mindful, of your body.

For more healthy eating news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original:
The Easiest Trick to Avoid Overeating This Thanksgiving - Yahoo Lifestyle

September 15, 2020

In the latest move to advance theirpartnership of five years and counting, Arizona State University and Dignity Health have announced the launch of a new project to design, implement and evaluate a new model for interprofessional primary care education that will build in changes and lessons learned from COVID-19, including the dramatic increase in remote visits, telemedicine, new teamwork models and distance education.

Primary care is the hub of our health care system, saidGerri Lamb, an Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation professor who serves as co-principal investigator along withDr. Keith Frey, chief medical officer at Dignity Health Arizona and a professor of practice at ASUs W. P. Carey School of Business.

Primary care providers and teams are responsible for prevention of illness, helping patients manage chronic illnesses and coordination across various health care settings.

Even before COVID, we were seeing signs that primary care needed some reenvisioning, Lamb said. Not only in terms of quality of care, but also in how we educate students.

Some of the signposts of the need for change she and Frey listed include primary care workforce shortages, diminishing numbers of new residents (according to Lamb and Frey, 2019 saw the lowest number of residents applying for primary care positions in decades) and a decline in the number of younger and middle-age people scheduling visits with their primary care providers.

What happens then is everybody all the sudden shows up in the emergency room or urgent care, overwhelming those resources, Frey said. So this is a system issue, from a regional and national level.

Another issue with the current system he and Lamb hope to address is the lack of emphasis on interprofessional education.

We already know that when you're done with your training, your work environment is going to be a team sport, and yet historically, we don't train people together very well, Frey said. So the idea behind this is to create an environment where we can get the trainees physicians, advanced-practice nurses, physician assistants, behavioral health professionals, registered nurses and all members of the health care team to learn health care in a more integrative model.

Funded by a $525,000 grant from theASU Dignity Health Collaborative Strategic Initiatives Program, phase one of the Transforming the Primary Care Workforce project began Sept. 1 and will last 18 months, during which project investigators will conduct focus groups and stakeholder interviews, hold advisory meetings, and make facility site visits to design, test and analyze the new model for integrated primary care practice and education.

The way the project is framed is we are doing this with and from and about the stakeholders, Lamb said. Patients, families, students and providers. We will be inviting them and celebrating them at the table as our advisers in this. They know what they need, so we're going to listen to them, and were going to create something that works for them.

She and Frey had been discussing the possibility of such a project for some time when the opportunity arose for Dignity to create a new family medicine residency in the East Valley, a region of the Phoenix metropolitan area that is swiftly growing, making physician shortages even more acute. The decision to partner on the venture was a natural one.

Rather than set up a program on our own, we thought why not partner with colleagues who I've known for many years at ASU, like Gerri Lamb, who are national thought leaders in this space, Frey said. Why not stack hands, come together and build on this partnership that we already have enjoyed for several years and see if we can reconceptualize a new model that will get us where we always wanted to go.

Susan Pepin, ASUs managing director of health and clinical partnerships, praised Dignity Health in turn for its commitment to the communities it serves.

As a health system, they really care about the social determinants of peoples health and meeting people in underserved populations, she said. Theyre not a hospital on a hill. They really reach out into the community and want to make a difference.

Indeed, the purpose of this new model of interprofessional training is not only to prepare outstanding practitioners to deliver top quality care, but to attract top students who will stay in Arizona.

Keith has a vision for this, Lamb said. And his vision was very aligned with my vision for what was possible, and with Edson's vision, in terms of a community partnership and doing meaningful work while also addressing workforce issues.

They expect residents of the new program to begin in the summer of 2023, once the soon-to-be-developed clinical learning environment program has been tested and evaluated.

The project includes co-investigators from ASUs College of Health Solutions:Kristen Will, a clinical associate professor and current chair of the steering committee for the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE); andBradley Doebbeling, professor of the science of health care delivery and biomedical informatics. It also involves collaboration between ASUsCenter for Advancing Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research(CAIPER) and ASUsCenter for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging(CIHRA).

Of the many social determinants of health that the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare, those that affect Arizonas aging population will be the main focus of phase one of Transforming the Primary Care Workforce. Later phases will examine others, such as poverty, racial inequities and food insecurity.

According to David Coon,CIHRA director and associate dean of research at Edson College, the pandemic has highlighted issues already of concern for older adults, such as social isolation and loneliness, and also raised awareness of the importance of telemedicine. Furthermore, he believes there should be more emphasis on the role of caregivers in the wellness and health outcomes of older adults.

As our society continues to age, we really need to be thinking about how we can up the game of the primary care workforce and prepare them to work with older adults and their family members and caregivers, because theyre not always seen as a part of that interprofessional care team, but they are critical members, Coon said.

If patient experience and outcomes are one half of the Transforming the Primary Care Workforce project, provider well-being is the other.

The amount of burnout in nurses and physicians and students is shocking, Lamb said. And COVID is making it worse. So there's huge need not only to reenvision primary care from a practice and learning perspective, but also because we really need to pay attention to the well-being of providers. All of that is part of this project.

Top photo courtesy of Pixabay

Read more here:
ASU, Dignity Health partner on interprofessional primary care education - ASU Now