ARCADIA, Calif. (PRWEB) September 24, 2020

Today, Clever Care Health Plan announced the regulatory approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to begin offering Medicare Advantage services in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties.

CMS is a federal agency that regulates reimbursement for healthcare products and services for the two largest healthcare programs in the country, Medicare and Medicaid. Together with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) CMS also oversees the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare services.

"We are excited to have received the approval from CMS, which places the company in a timely position to begin enrolling Medicare-eligible prospects during the Annual Election Period," says Dave Firdaus, Chief Executive Officer of Clever Care Health Plan. "With a diverse population residing in Southern California, we anticipate great interest in the wellness and preventive benefits of Eastern medicine that Clever Care Health Plan will uniquely provide."

During the Annual Election Period, which begins on October 15th through December 7th, Clever Care will be able to offer two different plan options, Clever Care Longevity Medicare Advantage HMO Plan and Clever Care Balance Medicare Advantage HMO Plan. Both plans include robust Eastern medicine benefits, a first in the market.

"We have been streamlining all internal operations including a diverse customer service team, who will have the ability to provide support services to the community in the language most comfortable for them and most reflective of the Southern California population," says Mr. Firdaus.

Clever Care is a health plan that integrates the benefits of Eastern medicine with an extensive network of over 15,000 provider facilities and 30 leading hospitals in Southern California.

About Clever Care Health Plan Clever Care Health Plan is an insurance corporation based in Southern California that offers affordable and innovative enhanced benefits with a holistic approach to care. Formed to connect the benefits of Eastern and Western medicine through an extensive network of PCPs and specialists, Clever Care Health Plan offers a differentiated health care solution. Clever Care of Golden State Inc. (DBA Clever Care of California) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clever Care Health Plan. Detailed information can be found at http://www.CleverCareHealthPlan.com.

Read the full story at https://www.prweb.com/releases/clever_care_health_plan_announces_center_for_medicare_and_medicaid_services_approval/prweb17421222.htm

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CLEVER CARE HEALTH PLAN Announces Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Approval - Insurance News Net

Don't underestimate the power of walking. Despite it being low-impact and not that intense compared to other cardio workouts like running or HIIT, the benefits are far from ordinary.

"One of the biggest misconceptions about walking is that its not an effective weight loss tool and that it requires a lot of time and effort for minimal results," says Keri Peterson, MD. But the truth is walking can actually help you lose weight, among several other major life perks. And you can start reaping the benefits with just 30 minutes a day, she adds.

But walking isnt just good for weight loss alone. "Research finds that walking regularly reduces the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease," Dr. Peterson says.

To get in on those gains, though, is going to take more than your typical, one foot in front of the other. "Many of us get into what I call a walking rut," says Michele Stanten, an ACE-certified fitness instructor, walking coach, and author of The Walking Solution. We get lulled into the same, everyday stride and don't realize that even a brisk walk around the block can do your health some good.

Even better? Try to walk on terrain with hills to vary the incline and pick up your pace on and off throughout your walk, Dr. Peterson says. This will add intensity to the workout, and you want a mix of high and low intensity and that'll help increase your cardio fitness.

If you're still on the fence about walking and how good it is for you, here are 10 benefits of walking that are backed by science and experts. The sooner you get to walking (in some arch-supported sneaks, of course!), the faster you can start enjoying these major life perks.

Feeling a little glum lately? Lace up your shoes and get moving. Walking for an hour a day can reduce your risk of depression, according to a 2019 JAMA Psychiatry study. Researchers actually saw a 26-percent decrease in odds of developing depression with increased physical activity, like walking. "Intentionally moving your body in more gentle ways throughout the daylike walking, stretching, taking the stairs, doing the dishescan still add up in good ways for your mood," study author Karmel Choi told Harvard Health.

The next time you're stuck in a mental rut for ideas, sign off social media and take a stroll around the block. Going for a walk can actually increase creativity levels, according to a 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition. Researchers observed 176 students performing a series of tasks while seated versus while walking. And they found that walking could amp up a person's creative output by 60 (!!) percent.

Walking at a brisk pace that engages your arms (yes, arm pumping is good!), will recruit several upper and lower body muscles to help you burn calories, Dr. Peterson explains. "If you're able to vary your pace with more intense intervals of inclined or rapid walking to elevate your heart rate, you will also increase the calories burned," she says. You want to aim for 15,000 steps per day, seven days a week, if weight loss is one of your fitness goals, Hannah Davis, CSCS, previously told Women's Health.

According to a 2018 observational study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analyzing over 90,000 participants, walking at least 40 minutes two or three times a week (average or brisk pace!) was associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure in postmenopausal women.

Don't just rely on weighted exercises alone to build muscle, strengthen, and tone. As with running, you can build muscle while walking, especially if you weren't a big walker before or if you vary your speed, incline (so head for those hills!), or resistance (think: ankle weights) to up the intensity. . "Walking engages plenty of leg muscles," Peterson says. This includes those in your thighs, glutes, calves, and hammies.

If you're already on the cusp of diabetes and looking for way to reduce your chances of being diagnosed, go for a brisk walk. In a 2016 study out of Duke University, researchers compared participants with prediabetes as they walked briskly or jogged 13.8 miles a week for 6 months. Walking actually showed nearly six times greater improvement in the participant's glucose tolerance, compared to those who jogged.

Haven't caught enough Zzz's lately? Taking a walk might help you have a better night's sleep. In a small, observational study published in Sleep Health, research showed that adults who increased the time they spent walking during the day slept better at night. And those who averaged the most steps throughout the duration of the study, reported significantly better sleep than those who walked the least.

This one might come as a surprise, but walking can actually give your immune system an extra hand, which could prove to be useful this cold and flu season. Peterson nods to a 2011 study published in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine, which showed that among the 1,000 participants studied, those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week, had 43-percent fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And those who did get sick were sick over a shorter period of timeand their symptoms were milder.

Better still, more recent research supports walkings immunity boosting benefits. A 2018 study in BMC Public Health found that the risk of having one or more episodes of the common cold was reduced by 26 percent for adults who walked at least three times a week.

But speed matters. Brisk walkers can actually live longer, according to a 2019 Mayo Clinic Proceedings study. Researchers recorded self-reported walking speeds and body mass indexes (BMI) of over 400,000 participants and followed up with them for almost seven years. There were over 12,800 deaths during this time and they used this data to estimate the life expectancy of the cohort. They were able to determine that despite BMI, those who reported themselves as brisk walkers had increased longevity, compared to those who identified as slower walkers (8788 years expectancy versus 7285 years).

To top that, the study also showed that brisk-walking women (those who walked over 4 mph) could have a 15-year life expectancy boost over those who walked at less than 3 mph. And the increase for men could reach up to 20 years. So grab your partner and start walking together.

If you're a late-night snacker (*raises hand*), then you'll be particularly swayed by these walking benefits. A 15-minute brisk walk, instead of being sedentary, could reduce your craving for sugary snacks per a 2015 PLOS One study.

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10 Benefits Of Walking, Plus Health Perks And Tips From Experts - Women's Health

If fasting is not exactly your speed, diet is still tremendously important. As for what you should eat, the gold standard remains the Mediterranean dietone that is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, and low on red meatthe only diet, says Barzilai, proven by clinical research to decrease cardiovascular mortality. A recent study in the medical journal Gut found that following it for just one year slowed the development of age-related inflammatory processes.

David Sinclair, Ph.D., Harvard geneticist and author of the bestseller Lifespan: Why We Ageand Why We Dont Have To, says the Mediterranean diet essentially tricks the body into thinking weve been doing exercise and fasting. Of course, this is not a permission slip for bottomless bowls of rigatoni; too much of a good thing is too much. Dan Buettner, the National Geographic Fellow who helped popularize the idea of the blue zonesthe five areas worldwide with the longest-lived denizenssays he follows a rule practiced by the residents of Okinawa, Japan, and stops eating when his stomach is 80 percent full. And perhaps consider occasionally skipping dessert: Research shows that sugar intake accelerates age-related inflammation. The more sugar you eat, the faster you age, says Robert Lustig, professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. (The American Heart Association recommends that women keep it under six teaspoons per day.)

Other crucial life practices: adequate sleep and stress management. In blue zones, says Buettner, people downshift all day long, through prayer, meditation, or just taking naps. And scientists are also coming to more fully understand the role that other people play in prolonging life. A 2019 study in the journal SSM-Population Health found that social relationships significantly increase life span in older adults. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, author of this years Successful Aging, has found that friendships at age 80 are a bigger predictor of health than cholesterol level. Friends and even neighbors, he writes, protect your brain, while loneliness has been implicated in just about every medical problem you can think of.

But what about the factors you cant control? Most of us dont know whats lurking in our genome and are not often aware we might inherit some disease until we see the symptoms. That is changing, with tests that are leagues beyond 23andMe. The new Preventive Genomics Clinic at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston is the first academic clinic in the country to offer comprehensive DNA sequencing and interpretation of nearly 6,000 disease-associated genes, ranging from common cancers to the rare Fabry disease, which impairs fat breakdown in cells and affects the heart. Roughly 20 percent of people will be carrying a variant for a rare disease, such as hereditary heart problems, says director Robert Green, M.D., medical geneticist at Brigham and Womens. Where a full panel of tests used to cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars, the clinic charges $250 for a smaller panel and $1,900 for full sequencing and interpretation. (These costs are not yet covered by most insurance.)

In the near future, says Barzilai as we finish our walk, we can be healthy and vital in our 90s and beyond. He laughs. It may sound like science fiction, but I promise you, its science. While I can comprehend the misgivings about prolonging life, Ill admit that Im still programmed to crave those extra years, and will adopt what changes I can to make them more vibrant. My role model here is Gloria Steinem, now 86. I plan to live to be 100, she once remarked. Which I would have to do anyway, just to meet my deadlines.

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How to Live Longer: A Look at the Science Behind the Longevity Movement - Vogue

ALPHARETTA,Ga., Sept. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Robert E. Windsor, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Distinguished Leader for his remarkable contributions in the field of Medicine and for his dedication and commitment as the President, Medical Director, and Regenerative Medicine Specialist at Georgia RegenRX.

Located in the greater Atlanta area at 5755 North Point Pkwy, Suite #72, Alpharetta, Georgia, Georgia RegenRX offers expert, caring pain management and regenerative medical services to the Atlanta metropolitan area. Dr. Windsor plans to expand his practice into all aspects of regenerative medicine to include aesthetics and life extension. He believes that people do not need to age physiologically nearly as rapidly as they traditionally have and that they should remain mentally and physically vital and continue to look good while they age. An acclaimed physician, he has helped thousands of patients recover from the pain and improve their quality of life.

Backed by more than three decades of experience, Dr. Windsor is a top physician in Fulton County and will be expanding his practice into Forsyth and Gwinnett counties in 2021. His areas of expertise include interventional pain medicine, interventional orthopedics, regenerative medicine (e.g., stem cell therapy), integrative medicine, longevity medicine, and pain management for arthritis, chronic spinal pain, and sports injuries. In addition to his administrative and clinical experience, he has held numerous faculty positions. He has been a Pain Management Fellowship Director at Emory University, a leader at the American Academy of Physical Medicine, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University among others.

Pursuing a pain/rehabilitative/physical medicine career to help others, Dr. Windsor always keeps, "the patient first and foremost." He has been highly successful because he continues to learn and develops new and improved skill sets. He advises new doctors to, "Stay up to date on emerging technologies in the biological field (i.e.: Stem cells)". He loves his field, remaining in his career for so many years because of his fervor for improving the function and quality of life of injured, ill, and/or elderly people.

In preparation for his career, Dr. Windsor earned a medical degree from the Texas A&M University College of Medicine at the age of twenty-three. He went on to complete a competitive residency program in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. Then, he earned board certification in Physical Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Pain Medicine, Pain Management, Age Management Medicine, and Regenerative Medicine and he is currently completing a fellowship in Aesthetic Medicine.

A frontrunner in his field, Dr. Windsor has been board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine, American Board of Pain Medicine, American Board of Pain Management, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American Board of Age Management Medicine, and the American Board of Regenerative Medicine. In appreciation of his service, Dr. Windsor was honored as America's Top Physician by the Consumers Research Council of America in 2014. The President of PASSOR, he has received the following PASSOR awards: Distinguished Clinician, Distinguished Committee, and Distinguished Member. He has been active in his field throughout his career, having previously served as the past-Executive Board Member of the AAPM&R.

A lifelong athlete, Dr. Windsor enjoys staying active. He likes lifting weights, snow skiing, scuba diving, boating, and skydiving. He is heavily involved with his family. He has many offspring, several of whom are engaged in the medical field.

Dr. Windsor dedicates this recognition to Stanley Herring, MD, Richard Derby, MD, Charles April, MD, and Daniel Dumitru, MD, Ph.D. For more information, please visit https://www.garegenrx.com

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634[emailprotected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

https://www.garegenrx.com

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Robert E. Windsor, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who - PRNewswire

Anna Symonds, Education and Partnership Manager for East Fork Cultivars, has been a rugby player for 18 years and attributes a lot of her longevity as a professional athlete to cannabis.

While she experimented with cannabis as a teenager, she discontinued this practice when she got more serious about sports. After she smoked with some teammates after a game, she experienced immediate healing and muscle relaxation. I started to have this mental shift of seeing cannabis as medicine. About five years ago after she got a back injury, cannabis proved to be the only thing that would provide her with pain relief and muscle relaxation, while increasing her functionality without the side effects from other medications.

Some time ago, Symonds observed how she would play better if she smoked the night before. In addition, it helped with the anxiety that comes before a competition, as well as relaxing the mind and body. Also, the munchies enabled her to take in enough good calories so she could power up for the next day.

RELATED: How Rock Climbers Can Use Marijuana In Recovery And Training

By microdosing before practice with a 1:1 full spectrum chocolate edible containing 1 mg THC, Symonds found the sweet spot where her pain would reduce and her mind would get into flow state where she was fully present and performing fully optimally.

Photo by bruce mars via Unsplash

Nathan Quarry, a Former UFC contender and ZombieCageFighter, grew up as a Jehovahs Witness, where he was indoctrinated into the Refer Madness way of thinking about marijuana as a drug. From day one, I was told that if I smoked marijuana, I would be excommunicated from the church and God would kill me at Armageddon.

In his twenties, he began questioning his faith and trained to become a UFC fighter. For twelve years, he took the abuses he suffered as a child and took it out on his opponent. As his injuries mounted, his OxyContin use increased to 120 mg daily.

RELATED: Marijuana And Exercise: A Great Combo For Mindful Athletes

Then after taking cannabis on the recommendation of a friend, he slept solidly for eight hours and he felt incredible. Hes now complexly off OxyContin. I start my day with CBD and it really helps to get everything moving.

Photo by Flickr user ThoroughlyReviewed

While Antonio DeRose, COO, Green House Healthy, has used cannabis recreationally for over 15 years, he didnt begin using this plant to help with his performance and recovery as a trail runner until about 5 to 6 years ago. He describes himself as a wake and bake person. When I wake up in the morning, I use cannabis to recharge my endocannabinoid system. Then I do some sort of physical activity.

DeRose prefers a high dose edible followed by some flower before he runs. Cannabis is a bronchodilator, so it allows me to absorb more oxygen with each breath. He finds cannabis aids in recovery by calming down his nervous system and reducing inflammation. Topicals work well for isolated areas where he has specific pain. Also, he uses hemp as a nutritional supplement, noting that as the body regenerates bones every ten years, technically hes made of hemp.

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Enhancing Athletic Performance With Cannabis - The Fresh Toast

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio has been monitoring the precision medicine software market and it is poised to grow by USD 882.65 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of about 11% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavios in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- & post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts

Frequently Asked Questions:

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Fabric Genomics Inc., Gene42 Inc., Human Longevity Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, NantHealth Inc., Roper Technologies Inc., SOPHiA GENETICS SA, and Syapse Inc. are some of the major market participants. The benefits of precision medicine will offer immense growth opportunities. To make most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free.

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Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Precision Medicine Software Market is segmented as below:

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40844

Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The precision medicine software market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies the digitization of healthcare as one of the prime reasons driving the Precision Medicine Software Market growth during the next few years.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavios in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

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Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

Table of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY DELIVERY MODE

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

PART 14: APPENDIX

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Precision Medicine Software Market- Roadmap for Recovery from COVID-19|Benefits Of Precision Medicine to Boost the Market Growth | Technavio -...

Creating a vaccine that would be injected into the arms of millions of people is a usually a years-long endeavor. Not only is the process slowed by trial and error and first-time failures, it's also traditionally restricted by rigorous clinical trials that in their final stages can give public health authorities a reasonable idea of whether a vaccine is safe and effective.

But not even a full year after the first infection from the novel coronavirus in China was documented, the White House is now saying a vaccine could be fast-trackedas soon as early November.

A safe, effective shot produced so rapidly would be unprecedented. It could also save tens of millions of Americans from falling ill with Covid-19 and prevent countless deaths. And the U.S. could desperately use a shot in the arm in its losing fight against the outbreak: As of Sunday, nearly 6.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with the virus -- with some severely sickened-- and nearly 200,000 have been killed.

But what if a hastily rolled out vaccine that skips the final stages of study turns out to have unforeseen problems -- either with safety or efficacy? What happens, for example, if millions of vials are distributed of a prematurely OK'd vaccine and then it turns out to be inferior to a better one that completes all trials months later? What if fading antibodies mean a vaccine's protection wears off after only a short time -- a possibility that can't be known with trials only carried out over several months? Would your own physician even recommend a fast-tracked vaccine if it lacked key data that would be typically expected for review?

In addition, many observers are increasingly skepticalof the Food and Drug Administration's leadership, after giving misleading statements on the promise of plasma therapy for Covid-19 and on an apparent willingness to OK a vaccine so close to the presidential election.

Some worry a fast-tracked vaccine could be seen as the result of unnecessary political pressure on the FDA. But, what if the bet pays off and saves lives?

To sort through these questions, we asked Dr. Otto O. Yang, a veteraninfectious disease expert and medical doctor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Yang specializes in clinical infectious diseases, and his laboratory focuses on T-cell immunology in HIV infection, as it relates to developing immune therapies and vaccines for HIV and other diseases and infections.

While it would be impossible to predict which of the dozens of vaccine candidates might be most likely to see early approval, said Yang, the two leading candidates could be themRNA nanoparticle vaccine byModerna (MRNA) - Get Reportand therecombinant adenovirus one byOxford University and AstraZeneca (AZN) - Get Report.

"From the limited amount of data Ive seen" that's publicly available, said Yang, "it looks like both vaccine candidates generate the right types of antibodies that we would expect to be effective at preventing infection. And, they both generate T-cell responses, which could be effective in more than one way."

But there are many other factors at play in creating a Covid shot -- and there could be unexpected consequences of speeding through vaccine approvals or just running with the first one that looks acceptable.

Yang was reached by phone this week by TheStreetto discuss these vaccine projects, the possibility for a fast-track OK and potential pitfalls. The following is an edited version of the interview.

TheStreet: Specifically, looking at the vaccine project by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Ive heard some concern that it might prevent the development of full-blown disease in patients, but might not prevent the spread of the virus from one person to another. What are your thoughts?

Yang: Its a theoretical possibility. So, if a vaccine doesnt fully protect somebody from getting infected, its possible they could get a milder infection. Even with the flu vaccine that we get annually, in some cases it appears to make infection milder, even if it doesnt protect you from getting infected. But I think its most likely that even if somebody did get infected, the immune responses that would be put in place by the vaccine would probably reduce symptoms and reduce severity. If so, it would most likely reduce the degree to which somebody is contagious. Its a theoretical concern, but not something that I would be that worried about.

TheStreet: In a general sense, weve seen reports about, and youve researched, the potential for fading of antibodies. Is there a concern that there could be a vaccine that is safe and it seems to work and then, say six months down the road, somebody gets infected, though they were vaccinated?

Yang: Its definitely a possible scenario. Potentially dropping antibodies might mean that immunity will wane, but its not entirely clear that thats true. The fact is that immunology is kind of a black box and we dont know for sure that antibodies are the whole story for protecting somebody from infection. The data are worrisome that protection will be short-lived for natural infection. And there recently have been increasing news reports of people getting reinfected. That does raise concerns for the longevity of protection from a vaccine, and, of course, short-term vaccine trials are not going to be able to tell us about longevity.

That does raise concerns for the longevity of protection from a vaccine, and, of course, short-term vaccine trials are not going to be able to tell us about longevity.

But one of the big unknowns is whether the vaccine could actually do a better job at making antibodies or T-cell responses than natural infection itself. The study that we did on dropping antibodies was on people who were naturally infected and had fairly mild disease. It is clear that people with more severe infection have fairly high antibody levels, so a vaccine could look more like that like a person who has a more severe infection and fairly high levels of antibodies.

The other thing is, we dont know if the virus actually has mechanisms to interfere with immune response. Many viruses have evolved to have ways to blunt the immune response to enhance their survival. From an evolutionary standpoint, if the immune system is trying to do something to reduce the virus, then the virus can evolve to counter that. If thats the case with this virus if immune response is short-lived because the virus is actively doing something to the immune system to cause that a vaccine could theoretically do better, because the vaccine is not the whole live virus. It might not have that negative impact on the immune system. Well have to just wait and see.

TheStreet: Do you think fast-tracking a vaccine by, say, skipping or shortening the final clinical trials, would be warranted? Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, China and many other countries have proven that the spread of Covid-19 can be mostly controlled with public health measures.

Yang: So, theres the ideal, theoretical answer, and theres the practical answer. Unfortunately, we are much less like Taiwan or New Zealand, than we are like Brazil. From the standpoint that this country has been unable to implement effective public health measures, for whatever reason, that makes the urgency for a vaccine higher. Ideally, we would be able to get the pandemic under control to an acceptable level and take our time with the vaccine. But theres added urgency, because, for various reasons, were unable to do that theres not enough public buy-in, theres not enough political leadership. Whatever the reasons, were unable to contain it, and the pandemic is just burning on and lives are being lost, so that adds greater urgency for a vaccine

TheStreet: Would you take a fast-tracked vaccine would you recommend it to friends or family?

Yang: It would really depend on what data were available ... safety data being No. 1., and, of course efficacy. I would say that I would certainly be cautious and hesitant, because I feel that the Food and Drug Administration has lost a lot of its credibility, because of its bowing to political pressures. Its already made major fumbles during this pandemic. So I would go with what experts say, and if there is not enough available data to make me feel comfortable to recommend it, then I would say dont take it. Because, as you pointed out, with the right measures, you can prevent spread and you can(potentially)protect yourself from getting infected. So, until its clear that a vaccine is safe and effective, we can each protect ourselves.

TheStreet:That brings up another question. Lets say a vaccine is fast-tracked and millions of doses are produced, and, then, say, several months later, a problem is discovered with the vaccine. At the same, lets say, another vaccine that finishes all its trials comes along and it looks great. Would that pose a logistical problem for distributing the latter, better vaccine could it cause a vaccine production traffic jam?

Yang: Yes, in more ways than one. Lets, for argument, say one vaccine is 50% effective and the other is 75% effective, what do you do? What do you do with all these 50% effective vaccine vials you have sitting around? Is there going to be motivation to get them out and get them used? It raises all sorts of questions about what would happen. What would be the threshold for saying you just throw out the first vaccine which would be at a huge cost? Another point to raise is potentially the first vaccine could interfere with the second. The first vaccine might steer your immune responses in ways that are less effective than the second would have. To some extent, the immune system tends to be trained in a certain way, and once its trained, its hard to get it to change. Theoretically, there could be interference.

Potentially the first vaccine could interfere with the second.

Theres a concept in immunology called original antigenic sin. The concept is that the immune system tends to want to react to something the same way every time, so if you challenge it with something that looks very similar, but is not exactly the same, it will still stick to the original way that it responded. That is the explanation for Dengue fever. Dengue fever is a disease where you get very mild illness the first time you are exposed, and if you get exposed again, to a second strain, then you can get hemorrhagic Dengue fever, which is a very severe, life-threatening infection, and that is because the immune system is still stuck on the first strain and unable to adapt to the second strain. So, you can see something like that happening, as well. Its not that straightforward.

This story has been updated.

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Fast-Tracking Covid Vaccine 'Is Not That Straightforward' - TheStreet

Can Chyawanprash help prevent or cure coronavirus infection? Benefits and uses of Ayurvedic medicine  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: Chyavanprash, also spelled Chyawanprash, is an Ayurvedic formulation that is being widely consumed as a dietary supplement in India. The popularity of the herbal remedy has now extended to even post-COVID care management. Touted for its immense health benefits, Chyawanprash has been used by Ayurvedic healers since ancient times to enhance immunity and increase longevity. Recently, the Health Ministry issued post COVID-19 management protocol that includes encouraging the use of Chyawanprash, yoga asanas, breathing exercises, daily morning or evening walk among various other recommendations.

The ministrys guidelines on post-COVID management also recommend eating a balanced nutritious diet, having adequate rest and sleep, looking for early warning signs (like high-grade fever, breathlessness, unexplained chest pain, etc,) taking regular medications as advised for coronavirus disease and also for managing comorbidities, if any. It said a holistic approach is required for follow up care and well-being of all post-COVID recovering patients.

Earlier, the Ministry of AYUSH suggested the use of Chyawanprash in the morning with lukewarm water/milk under the direction of registered Ayurveda physician. But the question here is - does consumingChyawanprash offer protection against COVID-19 infection?

Chyawanprash is fortified with vitamins, minerals and potent antioxidants that may help strengthen the immune system and prevent a range of health problems. It is believed that the high vitamin C content in the Ayurvedic medicine can help boost your immunity, metabolism and prevent various viral and bacterial infections, including common cold and cough. Hence, the idea is that taking this Ayurvedic formulation may help in boosting immunity against infections, including COVID-19 disease. Its important to note that theres no scientific study yet that proves Chyawanprash can prevent or cure COVID-19.

Some of the purported health benefits of Chyawanprash are:

Whats more, Chyawanprash can be consumed by everyone, including children and older people.

Heres how to use Chyawanprash to improve immunity

As per the AYUSH Ministrys recommendation, one should take 1 teaspoonful of Chyawanprash in the morning along with lukewarm water/milk under the supervision of a registered Ayurveda physician.Chyawanprash is believed to be effective in post-recoveryperiod in the clinical practice.

Parents considering giving Chyawanprash to their kids should consult a doctor as the dose largely depends on their digestive strength.

Other natural tips to help improve immunity include:

In the absence of a safe vaccine or specific treatment, taking precautions in all possible may be our best against COVID-19.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Can Chyawanprash help prevent or cure coronavirus infection? Benefits and uses of Ayurvedic medicine - Times Now

Continuing its efforts to ramp up global AI operations, GlaxoSmithKline has opened a 10 million ($13 million-plus) research base in Kings Cross, London.

The AI hotspot is already home to Googles DeepMind, and the Francis Crick and Alan Turing research institutes. GSK said it hopes to tap into the huge London tech talent pool and attract candidates who might otherwise head to Silicon Valley.

Its a vibrant ecosystem that has everything from outstanding medicine as well as also being a big tech corridor. DeepMind is there. Google is there. Its near the Crick Institute, and of course modern computing was born, basically, with Alan Turing and the Turing Institute, GSK R&D president Hal Barron said at a London Tech Week fireside chat. So we are quite convinced that both the talent and the ecosystem will enable us to build a very vibrant hub in London, getting the top talent, the best thinkers and people to be able to interact with us in GSK to take technology and help us turn it into medicines.

The company believes AI has the power to vastly improve its drug discovery process. It claims that genetically validated drugs are twice as likely to be successful. And GSK has lots of genetic data to work with. The new workspace, located in the Stanley Building, has already lured in 30 scientists, 10 of whom are in the companys AI fellow program.

In fact, many biotechs are now turning to AI, which they believe can speed up successful development by analyzing hundreds of genes at once or rapidly screening billions of molecules.

GSK is focused on finding better medicines and vaccines not just better products, but finding them in better ways, so we are using functional genomics, human genetics and artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company said in a statement.

It also has AI researchers based in San Francisco and Boston, and aims to reach 100 AI-focused employees by mid-2021. Our goal is to have the best and brightest people in the world to join us, Barron said.

In AI, we are scouring the planet for the best people. These folks are very rare to find. Competition is high and there arent a large number of them, Tony Wood, GSKs SVP of medicinal science and technology, told The Guardian in December.

The new London hub has the capacity for 60 to 80 staff members. Now all thats left to do is fill it.

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Building up its AI operations, GSK opens a $13M London hub with plans to woo talent now trekking to Silicon Valley - Endpoints News

New Leadership To Position Healright As Leader In Food-As-Medicine Revival

Advanced Micronutrition today announced the appointment of Faith Son as Chief Executive Officer. Advanced Micronutrition is the maker of Healright, a groundbreaking, micronutrient-dense food solution that supports gut health and addresses serious health conditions. This is the first appointment of a CEO for Advanced Micronutrition and is a strategic move to establish its brand Healright as a leader in the food-as-medicine market and build Healright into a global wellness brand.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005598/en/

Faith Son, CEO of Advanced Micronutrition and Healright. (Photo: Business Wire)

Faith Son, CEO of Advanced Micronutrition, said, "I am thrilled and honored to join Advanced Micronutrition as its first CEO. As a veteran of the food industry, a self-proclaimed foodie and longtime proponent of food as an intrinsic part of wellness, the opportunity to build Healright particularly during this time of especially acute appreciation of the health of our community -- is an exciting honor and privilege. I am looking forward to being a part of the journey to wellness for so many that need it."

Jonathan Smiga, Co-Founder of Advanced Micronutrition and Managing Partner of KEEN Growth Capital, said, "We are excited to appoint Faith Son as CEO because she has a track record for developing and growing innovative health & wellness food businesses on a global scale. She brings a unique combination of experiences that span classic CPG brand management roles across multiple food and beverage categories, vertically-integrated ingredient and product development expertise, and cutting-edge innovation strategy capabilities. Combined with tremendous entrepreneurial energy and strong people leadership skills, we are confident that she is the right person to lead Advanced Micronutrition and build Healright into a respected global wellness brand."

Faith joins the company with over two decades of experience in the food industry. She is the former Group Vice President, Head of Global Marketing and Innovation at PureCircle, the leading producer of stevia plant-based ingredients. In this role, she partnered with food industry players, ranging from the largest companies in the world to startups, to launch innovations and reformulations leveraging stevia as a plant-based alternative to sugar. Her leadership spanned marketing, consumer research, corporate communications, innovation pipeline, technical services, regulatory, and the Global Stevia Institute.

In addition, Faith had a diverse career at Kraft and Mondelez with a combination of general management, innovation and corporate roles. Her experiences ranged from Breakthrough Innovation Manager, launching Krafts only fresh produce product, to Category Director for Krafts $1B+ Enhancers business including Miracle Whip and Kraft Salad Dressing to Senior Director, Global Biscuit Category Team. She drove best-in-class growth of the $11B+ global biscuit portfolio through the creation of Mondelezs first-ever global innovation pipeline, focused on the fuel snacking market for global icon brands such as Belvita, Oreo and Club Social/Tuc.

Story continues

Faith joins the company from her role advising clients in the Food & Agriculture Practice Area at Clareo Partners, a leading innovation and growth strategy consulting firm, specializing in corporate entrepreneurship.

Faith has a B.A in Political Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and. She lives in Chicago, IL suburbs with her husband and 2 daughters.

The Healright formula was developed by scientists at the USCF Childrens Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is backed by 15 years of research and development and 15 clinical studies.

About Healright & Advanced Micronutrition

Healright is wholly-owned by Advanced Micronutrition, which is a portfolio company of KEEN Growth Capital, an impact investing venture capital firm. Advanced Micronutrition believes that a life without the burden of disease is attainable, through science-backed foods that improve health and longevity. Healright Squares are an effective non-prescription, micronutrient-rich alternative that heals the human gut, thereby mitigating the causative effects of multiple diseases. Follow Healright in social media and sign up for more information or subscribe to a transformative health program at Healright.com.

About KEEN Growth Capital

KEEN Growth Capital invests in early stage food-related companies that generate meaningful social impact in addition to above market financial returns. KEEN has particular focus on healthy snacking, functional foods and patented, science backed companies that positively impact consumer health, environmental and community wellness, and long-term disease mitigation. Keens infusion of intellectual and financial capital delivers enriched outcomes for all stakeholders while creating a healthier world. KEEN is based in Orlando. Ideas welcome everywhere. Visit KEENGrowthCaptial.com for more.

Statements regarding Healright foods have not been evaluated by the FDA, and these foods are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Customer results may vary and results may not always reflect the outcomes published in clinical studies on the Healright Formula. Healright is not a medical organization and our staff cannot give you medical advice or diagnosis and no content in any form on this website should be construed as medical advice or diagnosis.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005598/en/

Contacts

Addison Ames VP, MarketingAddison@AdvancedMicronutrition.com 917.721.2961

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Advanced Micronutrition Announces the Appointment of Faith Son as CEO to Lead the Healright Brand - Yahoo Finance

Researchers have developed a coherent map of genes in the heart and looked at how they may cause heart diseases, which could pave the way for new treatments for these illnesses.

Heart diseases are a complex set of diseases influenced by different genes, and it is challenging to understand which genes are responsible for a particular disease, say experts.

To help scientists unravel the complex web of genes and how they interact, researchers from the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) and the National University Hospital created what they said is the first map of the heart's genes and the "switches" between them that control how the genes behave and contribute to heart diseases.

Genes code for specific traits, and the switches are the non-coding portions of DNA between the genes.

Each gene has more than one switch and the switches may be far away from the genes that they control, making it tricky for scientists to match the switches to the genes.

The genetic heart map locates the genes and their switches so that scientists can eventually study them to create targeted treatments, such as gene therapy.

"If we understand how these genes are controlled, then we may find ways to control heart failure itself... and identify new disease-causing genes," said Professor Roger Foo from the university's department of medicine, who led the research team.

Heart diseases, which eventually lead to heart failure, cause one-third of all deaths in Singapore annually.

The researchers are part of the Cardiovascular Disease Translational Research Programme, one of nine new strategic research focus areas that were established at NUS Medicine in July.

The new focus areas, which also include infectious diseases, healthy longevity and precision medicine, aim to create greater synergy and collaboration between basic and clinical scientists within the National University Health System, and to deliver research outcomes that address current clinical and national healthcare issues.

Professor Chng Wee Joo, vice-dean of research at NUS Medicine, said: "We hope that these nine programmes will deliver not just outstanding research, but over the next five to 10 years, make some real impact on how we treat our patients and on the population's health."

BETTER UNDERSTANDING

If we understand how these genes are controlled, then we may find ways to control heart failure itself... and identify new disease-causing genes.

PROFESSOR ROGER FOO, from the National University of Singapore's department of medicine, who led the team that developed the map of genes in the heart.

The development of the gene map was published as two companion publications in the journals Circulation Research and Circulation last month and this month respectively.

The map took about five years to develop, and the researchers studied tissues from 36 healthy hearts and 34 failing hearts to map out the genes and switches.

Prof Foo said some scientists from Singapore and abroad have reached out to them to find out more about various genes from the map.

He also noted that none of the drugs currently used in treating heart disease targets genes, and cardiovascular research is not as well funded compared with other health conditions.

"The place where a lot of gene targeting is happening, I feel, is in cancer. Looking at the progress that cancer treatment has seen in recent years with targeted therapy, this is our dream for cardiovascular disease also, now that we have mapped out all these specific processes," he added.

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NUS team's map sheds light on heart diseases - The Straits Times

New research suggests that a common dietary supplement, glucosamine, may help reduce overall death risk to a similar degree as regular exercise.

Two researchers from West Virginia University (WVU), in Morgantown, recently found that individuals who took glucosamine/chondroitin one of the most common kinds of glucosamine supplements on a daily basis for at least 1 year saw a 39% reduction in mortality from all causes of death and a 65% reduction in the likelihood of death from cardiovascular disease.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

However, Dr. Dana King, the lead author of the study and chair of Family Medicine at WVU, does not advise people to replace exercise with the supplement.

Thats not what we suggest, King explains. Keep exercising. But the thought that taking a pill would also be beneficial is intriguing.

Glucosamine/chondroitin, a combination of two natural compounds found in cartilage, is widely used to help with osteoarthritis and joint pain. During 20202024, the global glucosamine market is expected to grow by $229.19 million, according to Technavio, a global technology research and advisory company.

While the supplement is popular, however, several clinical trials have failed to show that it provides a significant improvement in pain.

Still, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that oral glucosamine supplements are likely safe when taken correctly by adults.

In their study, Dr. King and Jun Xiang, a health data analyst at WVU, assessed data from 16,686 adults who had completed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2010. All of the participants were at least 40 years old.

NHANES was designed to be an ongoing assessment of the health and nutrition status of people throughout the United States. Screeners interview participants at their homes, and later, NHANES staff members perform examinations in mobile centers to collect health and nutrition data.

The WVU study was particularly interested in participants who had taken glucosamine/chondroitin for at least 365 days before their interviews. Among the participants, 658, or nearly 4%, had taken glucosamine/chondroitin for a year or longer.

When Dr. King and Xiang merged the NHANES data with 2015 mortality figures, they found that there had been 3,366 deaths among the participants and that 674 deaths had resulted from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

The authors caution that the 39% reduction in all-cause mortality and 65% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease that they observed among the participants who took glucosamine/chondroitin may have a simple explanation: People who use supplements may generally take more care with their health and be healthier overall.

However, the researchers stress that they did control for variables such as age, race, sex, education, and the frequency of exercise, making the simple explanation less likely.

Once we took everything into account, the impact was pretty significant.

Dr. Dana King

Dr. King became curious about glucosamine/chondroitin, which he takes, after learning that every member of his local cyclists club also took the supplement.

I thought, Well, I wonder if this is really helpful. Thats how I got curious about it, Dr. King says.

Previous studies, including one from 2019 and another from 2012, had likewise demonstrated an association between the intake of glucosamine supplements and a reduction in rates of cardiovascular mortality.

One group of researchers hypothesize that glucosamine/chondroitin may lower systemic inflammation in healthy individuals with overweight, which could account for the supplements effects on mortality rates.

The WVU team cautions that theirs was an epidemiological study, not a clinical trial confirming the link between longevity and glucosamine/chondroitin use requires further research. However, Dr. King considers the results so far encouraging.

In my view, King says, its important that people know about this, so they can discuss the findings with their doctor and make an informed choice.

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Could a supplement be as effective as exercise at protecting health? - Medical News Today

A federal health panel now recommends that men consume no more than one alcoholic drink a day.

For 30 years, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee set the limit at two drinks a day. (Women have long been urged to limit consumption to one drink a day.)

Other studies found that drinking under the previous two-beverage standard was actually good for the heart and that moderate drinkers live longer than abstainers.

So why was the earlier guideline chopped in half?

What we have here is a merger of several unfortunate habits in American policymaking where alcohol is concerned.

One is a long-standing disapproval of drinking. Prohibition was a moral crusade that ended in fiasco 87 years ago.

But theres a modern version that gussies up the disapproval as a health matter.

Most everyone agrees that continuous heavy drinking can devastate ones health and that addicts alcoholics should stop drinking altogether. But the new guidelines sloppily lump together excessive drinking with social drinking to make what was considered moderate consumption of alcohol look dangerous.

In response, five professors of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard sent a letter to federal officials expressing serious reservations about the new advisory.

It complained that the committee cited a paper showing that higher alcohol intake was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality but ignored other data in the same study that the researchers say demonstrate a low-dose, high-frequency pattern was associated with significantly lower risk of total mortality.

In other words, the guidelines didnt distinguish between amounts being consumed.

As the signers put it, the original conclusion was biased by inclusion of binge drinkers who provide no evidence about the safety of within-guideline drinking.

The guidelines are updated every five years by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Three of the Harvard profs had previously served on the advisory committee.

This tightening of standards, The Washington Post notes, comes during a pandemic when alcohol consumption already at a 20-year high is spiking further.

That may be, but what does one have to do with the other?

We can well believe that some Americans have been drinking a lot more during the lockdowns.

If theres a problem, wouldnt it be the lot more rather than the two drinks versus one?

Thats like saying the way to stop drivers from speeding at 90 miles an hour is to lower the speed limit from 60 to 50.

BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, recently published a study that listed moderate alcohol intake among the five low-risk lifestyle factors associated with longevity. Interestingly, the United Kingdom in 2016 lowered its limit for low-risk drinking to 14 drinks a week for both men and women.

As for possible health benefits, researchers in Korea recently found a link between moderate drinking and lower levels of the protein that forms Alzheimers brain plaque, as reported in The New York Times.

They defined moderate drinking as up to 13 standard drinks a week.

Famous studies tie moderate wine consumption to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and longer lives.

Some of todays crusaders argue that it isnt the alcohol thats conferring the benefits.

Rather, wine drinkers tend to follow healthier lifestyles involving exercise, eating vegetables and social interaction.

But even if these doubters are correct that a wine-drinking culture only enabled the good health habits, whats wrong with that?

It is highly unlikely that those knocking down five glasses a night will pay the new guidelines any mind.

The bothersome part is that men who enjoyed a bourbon and a cabernet with dinner might feel pressured to cut their pleasure in half and for reasons little based on current science.

Froma Harrop is a Creators Syndicate writer.

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For men, are two drinks really too much? - Lock Haven Express

Dr. Katherine Pannel was initially thrilled to see President Donald Trumps physician is a doctor of osteopathic medicine. A practicing D.O. herself, she loved seeing another glass ceiling broken for the type of doctor representing11% of practicing physiciansin the U.S. and now1 in 4 medical studentsin the country.

But then, as Dr. Sean Conley issued public updates on his treatment of Trumps COVID-19, the questions and the insults about his qualifications rolled in.

How many times will Trumps doctor, who is actually not an MD, have to change his statements? MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnelltweeted.

It all came falling down when we had people questioning why the president was being seen by someone that wasnt even a doctor, Pannel said.

The osteopathic medical field has had high-profile doctors before, good and bad. Dr. Murray Goldstein was the first D.O. to serve as a director of an institute at the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Ronald R. Blanck was the surgeon general ofthe U.S. Army. Former Vice President Joe Biden, challenging Trump for the presidency, alsosees a doctor who is a D.O.But another now former D.O., Larry Nassar, who was the doctor for USA Gymnastics, was convicted of serial sexual assault.

Still, with this latest example, Dr. Kevin Klauer, CEO of the American Osteopathic Association, said hes heard from many fellow osteopathic physicians outraged that Conley and by extension, they, too are not considered real doctors.

You may or may not like that physician, but you dont have the right to completely disqualify an entire profession, Klauer said.

For years, doctors of osteopathic medicine have been growing in number alongside the better-known doctors of medicine, who are sometimes called allopathic doctors and use the M.D. after their names.

According to theAmerican Osteopathic Association, the number of osteopathic doctors grew 63 percent in the past decade and nearly 300 percent over the past three decades. Still, many Americans dont know much about osteopathic doctors, if they know the term at all.

There are probably a lot of people who have D.O.s as their primary (care doctor) and never realized it, said Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, a philanthropic group focused on community health.

Both types of physicians can prescribe medicine and treat patients in similar ways.

Although osteopathic doctors take adifferent licensing exam, the curriculum for their medical training four years of osteopathic medical school is converging with M.D. training as holistic and preventive medicine becomes more mainstream. And starting this year, both M.D.s and D.O.s were placed into one accreditation pool to compete for the same residency training slots.

But two major principles guiding osteopathic medical curriculum distinguish it from the more well-known medical school route: the 200-plus hours of training on the musculoskeletal system and the holistic look at medicine as a discipline that serves the mind, body and spirit.

The roots of the profession date to the 19th century and musculoskeletal manipulation. Pannel was quick to point out the common misconception that their manipulation of the musculoskeletal system makes them chiropractors. Its much more involved than that, she said.

Dr. Ryan Seals, who has a D.O. degree and serves as a senior associate dean at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, said that osteopathic physicians have a deeper understanding than allopathic doctors of the range of motion and what a muscle and bone feel like through touch.

That said, many osteopathic doctors dont use that part of their training at all: A 2003 Ohio study said approximately75%of them did not or rarely practiced osteopathic manipulative treatments.

The osteopathic focus on preventive medicine also means such physicians were considering a patients whole life and how social factors affect health outcomes long before the pandemic began, Klauer said. This may explain why 57 percent of osteopathic doctorspursue primary carefields, as opposed to nearly a third of those with doctorates of medicine, according to theAmerican Medical Association.

Pannel pointed out that shes proud that42 percentof actively practicing osteopathic doctors are women, as opposed to36 percentof doctors overall. She chose the profession as she felt it better embraced the whole person, and emphasized the importance of care for the underserved, includingrural areas. She and her husband, also a doctor of osteopathic medicine, treat rural Mississippi patients in general and child psychiatry.

Given osteopathic doctors' likelihood of practicing in rural communities and of pursuing careers in primary care,Health Affairsreported in 2017, they are on track to play an increasingly important role in ensuring access to care nationwide, including for the most vulnerable populations.

To be sure, even though the physicians end up with similar training and compete for the same residencies, some residency programs have often preferred M.D.s, Seals said.

Traditional medical schools have held more esteem than schools of osteopathic medicine because of their longevity and name recognition. Most D.O. schools have been around for only decades and often are in Midwestern and rural areas.

While admission to the nations37 osteopathic medical schoolsis competitive amid a surge of applicants, thegrade-point average and Medical College Admission Test scoresareslightly higherfor the155 U.S. allopathic medical schools: Theaverage MCATwas 506.1 out of 528 for allopathic medical school applicants over a three-year period, compared with 503.8 for osteopathic applicants for 2018.

Seals said prospective medical students ask the most questions about which path is better, worrying they may be at a disadvantage if they choose the D.O. route.

Ive never felt that my career has been hindered in any way by the degree, Seals said, noting that he had the opportunity to attend either type of medical school, and osteopathic medicine aligned better with the philosophy, beliefs and type of doctor he wanted to be.

Many medical doctors came to the defense of Conley and their osteopathic colleagues, including Dr. John Morrison, an M.D. practicing primary care outside of Seattle. He was disturbed by the elitism on display on social media, citing the skills of the many doctors of osteopathic medicine hed worked with over the years.

There are plenty of things you can criticize him for, but being a D.O. isnt one of them, Morrison said.

Lauren Weber is Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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President Trumps doctor is a D.O, not an M.D. Whats the difference? - Tampa Bay Times

By Next Avenue Editors

Next Avenue

For the past six years, Next Avenue public medias first and only national journalism service for Americas older population has released a list of Influencers in Aging.

Weve named 20 trailblazers who are each uniquely changing how we age and think about aging. This years list includes a new and distinctive group of five honorees specifically chosen for their contributions to advance the safety and wellness of older Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic changed pretty much everything in 2020 and that goes for how we chose this year's Next Avenue Influencers in Aging and why.

As we all know, the pandemic has been cataclysmic to people's lives and exposed major gaps in government and health care policies, institutions and services. Disturbingly, the pandemic has also amplified ageism and negative stereotypes of aging. These and other effects of COVID-19 will continue for months, if not years.

Next Avenues 2020 Influencers in Aging are:

Jean Accius senior vice president of AARP Global Thought Leadership. He led the AARP team to produce The Longevity Economy report documenting the enormous dollar value of Americans 50+.

Angela Burton founder of Feet to the Fire Writers' Workshops a creative program that inspires adults to challenge themselves through expressive writing. Her work inspires creative action that enhances the lives of thousands of older adults.

Christina Da Costa senior director of communications at SAGE, a national advocacy and services organization thats been looking out for LGBT elders since 1978. She led groundbreaking work that used technology to connect vulnerable adults to community leaders and allies during the pandemic.

Robert Espinoza vice president of policy at PHI, where he oversees its national policy advocacy, research and public education division. PHI promotes and advocates for quality direct care jobs. Espinozas work has revealed and worked to correct inequities in the direct care workforce, predominantly made up of women, people of color and immigrants.

Michael J. Fox Canadian-born actor, author and advocate who has navigated a five-decade career in entertainment and lived with Parkinsons disease since 1991. He has become the face of millions who live with chronic degenerative diseases and a champion for funding research that advances treatment options.

Dr. Sharon Inouye director of the Aging Brain Center at Hebrew SeniorLife and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has become one of the nations leading experts during the pandemic on the need to include older adults in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Dr. Inouye is also an internationally recognized leader in aging and geriatric medicine. Her work focuses on delirium in hospitalized older patients, with more than 300 peer-reviewed original articles to date.

Charlotte Japp The millennial founder of CIRKEL, an intergenerational platform that aims to connect younger and older workers in shared learning and networking opportunities. Her work is helping older professionals stay in the workforce longer and impart valuable mentorship to younger workers and vice versa.

Raymond Jetson An Encore Public Voices Fellow who leads MetroMorphosis in Baton Rouge, La. and is urging older Black men to mentor younger Black adults and youth. His organization mobilizes engaged citizens in inner-city neighborhoods to design and implement sustainable solutions to persistent community challenges.

Heidi Johnson director of behavioral economics at Financial Health Network. She wrote a breakthrough report on personal finance technology use and needs of lower-income older Americans. At FNN, Johnson leads work to leverage behavioral insights in the design and development of products that support consumers financial health, including retirement planning.

Stephen Johnston Co-founder of Aging2.0, a global innovation platform for aging that connects entrepreneurs, care providers and older adults to identify and build solutions to help people age better.

Dr. Dominic H. Mack Professor of family medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and co-director of The National COVID-19 Resiliency Network, which assembles local, state and national partners to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations.

Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina Husband and wife from South Korea, Chan Jae Lee and Kyong Ja Ahn became internationally recognized for their virtual storytelling, which began as a way to connect with their four grandchildren. The couple just published a book (Looking Back, Life was Beautiful), regularly delight their 400,000 Instagram followers with original stories, videos and illustrations and have been featured by The New York Times NYT and BBC.

Dr. Vivek Murthy Former Surgeon General of the United States who has focused on chronic stress and isolation as prevalent problems that have profound implications for health, productivity and happiness.His 2020 book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World underscores the detrimental effects of loneliness and calls for resources and innovation to combat it. He is also co-chair of President-Elect Biden's COVID-19 Transition Task Force.

Dr. Jeremy Nobel Founder and president of the Foundation of Art & Healing, and architect of the UnLonely Project that was created in response to the growing public health concern of social isolation and loneliness. The initiative broadens public awareness of the negative physical and mental health consequences of loneliness associated with a wide range of living conditions and promotes creative arts-based approaches to reduce the burden.

Michael Osterholm Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, where he has provided public health guidance to government agencies and media outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a former Minnesota state epidemiologist and author of the New York Times best-selling 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs. He is also a member of President Biden's COVID-19 Transition Task Force.

Sian-Pierre Regis Award-winning journalist and cultural critic who directed the feature-length documentary Duty Free about his immigrant mother, who was abruptly fired from her job as a hotel housekeeper at the age of 75, and the economic insecurity facing her and millions in her generation.

Jason Resendez Executive director of the Latinos Against Alzheimers Network. He is a leader in the nations efforts to address brain health disparities impacting Latinos. Resendez spearheads coalition building, strategic convening and patient advocacy in the Latino community.

Andrew Saul Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, who has made customer service a top priority for Social Security beneficiaries, including adding more than 1,000 staffers to answer questions on the agencys toll-free line and improving its website so Americans can better see and understand the Social Security benefits theyll receive.

Jennifer Sheets President and CEO of Interim Healthcare. She worked with the White House in 2020 to advocate that home care clinicians receive essential workers status.

C. Grace Whiting President and CEO of The National Alliance for Caregiving. Whiting has been a leader in research around caregiving in America, producing the nations first national policy study of 1,400+ rare disease caregivers with Global Genes and helped author AARPs Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 report.

When you read our interviews with this year's winners and see the video and audio clips from them in our articles, we think you'll see why the 2020 Influencers in Aging are a remarkable, spirited group with groundbreaking achievements.

Be sure to read, at the end of each interview, the Influencer in Aging's answers to two questions we asked them all:

If you could change one thing about aging in America, what would it be

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your perspective on aging?

Their responses will tell you a lot about why these insightful honorees made the cut for 2020. We could not be more excited to uplift the work of these extraordinary people who are tackling these questions and finding new ways for living longer, healthier and happier lives.

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Next Avenues 2020 Influencers In Aging Fight Covid-19, Loneliness And Ageism - Forbes

When the biologist Andrew Steele tells people his thoughts on ageing that we might one day cure it as if it were any other disease they are often incredulous and sometimes hostile. Once, at a friends wedding, he left a group of guests mildly incensed for suggesting that near-future humans might live well into their 100s. A similar thing happens at dinner parties, where the responses are more polite but no less sceptical. He understands the reaction. We think of ageing as an inescapable fact of life were born, we grow old, so it goes. Thats been the narrative for thousands of years, he says, on a video call. But what if it didnt have to be?

Steele began professional life as a physicist. As a child, he was fascinated by space, the way many scientists are. But he has spent the past three years researching a book about biogerontology, the scientific study of ageing, in which he argues the case for a future in which our lives go on and on. Steele considers ageing the greatest humanitarian issue of our time. When he describes growing old as the biggest cause of suffering in the world, he is being earnest. Ageing is this inevitable, creeping thing that happens, he says. He is wearing a button-down shirt and, at 35, a look of still-youthful optimism. Were all quite blind to its magnitude. But what do people die of? Cancer. Heart disease. Stroke. These things all occur in old people, and they primarily occur because of the ageing process.

Steele defines ageing as the exponential increase in death and suffering with time, and he thinks it would be helpful to finally grapple with this raw quantity of suffering. The human risk of death doubles every seven or eight years. We tend to breeze through the first five or six decades of life relatively unscathed, health-wise. Maybe we wake up at 50 with an ache, or slightly sagging skin, but still we are generally considered unlucky if we discover a tumour or develop arthritis or suffer heart problems. The death of a 50-year-old from disease is a premature death.

But at some point in our 60s a kind of cliff edge appears, and often we have no choice but to stumble over it. Easy movements become hard. We begin to lose our hearing and our sight. Frustrating and embarrassing things start to happen. Why cant I feel the tips of my toes? What on earth has happened to my hip? The body has worked tirelessly for years, and the cumulative internal effects of that action the problematic buildup of aged, senescent cells; the dangerous mutations of other cells; the steady decline of the immune system; the general wearing-down of the bodys structures suddenly predispose us to a variety of age-related diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dementia. A 10-year-olds risk of death is 0.00875%. At 65, the risk has risen to 1%. By the time we turn 92 we have a one in five chance of dying that year. For decades we are mostly fine, Steele says, and then, all of a sudden, were not.

The dream of anti-ageing medicine, Steele writes in his book, Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, is treatments that would identify the root causes of dysfunction as we get older, then slow their progression or reverse them entirely. These root causes are what biogerontologists call hallmarks. Cancer isnt a hallmark of ageing, Steele says now. But its caused by several of the hallmarks of ageing. If scientists can address those hallmarks, we can come up with treatments that slow down the whole ageing process, deferring diseases into the future.

The hope isnt that we get to live longer for the sake of it, it is that we live longer in good health. Some people call this longevity; Steele refers to increasing a persons healthspan. Theres this misconception when you talk to people about treating ageing, he says. They imagine theyre going to live longer but in a state of terrible decrepitude, that youre going to extend their 80s and 90s so theyre sat in a care home for 50 years. That doesnt make sense from a logical perspective or a practical one.

I say, What would be the point?

Exactly!

Its just more pain

Nobody would want it, he says. Then he raises an eyebrow. Its surprising that people would actually think scientists would want that.

Humans have been searching for a cure for ageing for thousands of years. Herodotus wrote of the Fountain of Youth in the 5th century BC; countless people have made lengthy, futile quests for life-extending elixirs. Until recently, very little was known about why we age and how. For a long time, scientists looked at it and thought, Oh God, this is going to be some immeasurably complex process that we cant possibly hope to study in a lab, Steele says, which dissuaded research. Until the 1960s, it was generally accepted that our role on this Earth was to produce children, and that once wed succeeded in that undertaking, our bodies, fulfilled of function, would be left to slowly fade.

But in the past three decades biogerontological research has accelerated, and recent successes have sparked excitement. A 2015 study, published by the Mayo Clinic, in the US, found that using a combination of existing drugs dasatinib, a cancer medicine, and quercetin, which is sometimes used as a dietary suppressant to remove senescent cells in mice reversed a number of signs of ageing, including improving heart function. A 2018 study that used the same drugs found that the combination slowed or partially reversed the ageing process in older mice. In another study, the drug spermidine extended the lifespans of mice by 10%, and studies using the drug rapamycin have extended the healthspans of mice, worms and flies, though it comes with problematic side-effects, including the suppression of the immune system and the loss of hair. Last year, scientists in Texas transplanted stem cells from young mice into elderly ones, adding three months to their average lifespans, which in equivalent human terms could be worth more than a decade.

To Steele this is all thrilling. The pace of change has been dizzying, he says of recent developments. Though it is the fact that human trials have begun that excites him most. After the success in mice, the first trial aimed at removing senescent cells in humans began in 2018, and others are ongoing. A more recent study found that a combination of hormones and drugs appears to help rejuvenate the thymus, which contributes to the immune system but degenerates rapidly with age. Next year, a landmark trial will begin to investigate whether metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, might in fact delay the development or progression of age-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and dementia.

In Ageless, Steele writes, This collection of evidence is tantalising, and foreshadows a future where ageing will be treated. He also writes: This future may not be far away. When I ask him what he means by not far away, exactly, he smiles. Scientists are rightly sceptical, he says, but its important to say that a lot of significant breakthroughs could happen in the lifespan of people alive today.

I ask, Can you be more specific?

Eventually, he says, I think we are very likely to have a drug that treats ageing in the next 10 years.

Steele believes we will be hopelessly unlucky if scientists dont make a breakthrough within that time, given how many human trials are in progress or upcoming. And although these breakthroughs wont result in treatments that extend our lives by 100 years, they will give us enough extra time to ensure were alive for subsequent breakthroughs, subsequent treatments, subsequent additions in lifespan and so on. Our lives will be extended not all in one go but incrementally one year, another year, suddenly were 150. In Ageless, Steele talks of a generation of people that grows up expecting to die but, thanks to an accumulation of new treatments, each more effective than the last, just doesnt. One after another, he writes, lifesaving medical breakthroughs will push their funerals further and further into the future.

What Steele is talking about isnt immortality; people will continue to die. Science wont help if, looking down at your phone, you walk out into the road and get hit by a car. Or if you fall off a ladder and break your neck. Or if you are unlucky enough to be hit by a missile in a war zone. Or if you contract a virulent infectious disease that has no vaccine. But it will result in lifespans that are significantly longer than what we currently consider normal.

I ask if Steele expects there to someday be lots of 150-year-olds wandering around, as healthy as 20-year-olds.

Yes, he says, if it all works.

I say, 200-year-olds playing football in the park?

Why not? he says. The trouble is, saying were going to have 150-year-olds walking around looking like 20-year-olds, its weird. It sounds sci-fi. It sounds a bit creepy. Ultimately, I dont want this because I want to have a load of 150-year-olds looking like 20-year-olds, I want it because those 150-year-olds wont have cancer, they wont have heart disease, they wont be struggling with arthritis. Theyll still be playing with their grandkids, their great-grandkids even. Its about the health and lifestyle benefits.

When Steele brings up his work with people, the question he gets asked most often is: What about overpopulation? He has a go-to answer he thinks highlights the ridiculousness of the question. Imagine were staring down the barrel of 15bn people on Earth, he says. There are lots of ways to try and tackle that problem. Would one of them be: invent ageing?

That he is asked this question so frequently frustrates him. More so, he is bothered by the implication that what he is suggesting is somehow weird or inhuman or unholy, rather than ultimately helpful for society. If Id just written a book about how were going to cure childhood leukaemia using some amazing new medicine, he says, literally nobody would be like, But isnt that going to increase the global population?

He shakes his head.

What Im saying is, Here is an idea that could cure cancer, heart disease, stroke Curing any one of those things would get you plaudits. But as soon as you suggest a potentially effective way of dealing with them altogether, suddenly youre some mad scientist who wants to overpopulate us into some terrible environmental apocalypse?

Steele considers this a major hurdle in biogerontologys potential success our incredible bias toward the status quo of ageing as an inevitable process, and our inability to accept it as preventable. If we lived in a society where there was no ageing, and suddenly two-thirds of people started degenerating over decades, started losing their strength, started losing their mental faculties, and then succumbing to these awful diseases, it would be unthinkable. And of course, wed set to work trying to cure it.

He makes reference to the pandemic. The coronavirus exemplifies the problem we have in terms of funding science, in trying to confront these kinds of challenges. Because its so acute, because it all of a sudden appeared on the scene and the entire global economy was dragged to a halt, we see this very clear, current, present need to do something about it. And yet if you look at ageing, or even climate change, these are slow-moving disasters, and so theyre easy to miss. It is not lost on him that ageing-related drugs might have reduced the impact of the coronavirus, given it is a disease that is particularly life-threatening among older populations. To this end, he thinks biogerontology will eventually dramatically change the role of medicine, from being primarily reactive to primarily preventive. Weve somehow unintentionally drifted into this state in society where we end up treating endpoints, almost in a state of panic, at the last minute, he says, rather than preventing them beforehand.

Steele considers Ageless a call to arms, and is hopeful it presents enough evidence to finally convince the public as well as regulators, who currently dont define ageing as a disease, which makes it difficult to receive support for trials that ageing is a problem to be fixed. There is a kneejerk reaction to biogerontology, just because it sounds strange, he says. We place ageing research in this separate category socially, morally, ethically, even scientifically. When, actually, its just an extension of the normal goals of modern medicine.

Writing a book on ageing, it turns out, is a good way to make you reappraise your own lifestyle. These days, Steele is running more than he used to, and he has begun to watch what and how much he eats. Its not like I was ever a massive couch potato, he says. But, equally, I have tried to optimise things. In the absence of anti-ageing drugs, he suggests we all do the same. It seems that a lot of the sort of basic health advice that everyone can recite do some exercise, dont be overweight, try to eat a broad range of foods, dont smoke all that stuff basically slows down the ageing process.

I tell him Ive spoken to people who are taking several unproven supplements a day, hoping to eke out a few more years, and of others who, ahead of the trial, are already taking the experimental drug metformin.

Given that Im in my 30s, he says, I think the case against metformin is stronger than the case for. The evidence is suggestive, but its not conclusive. And theres a spectrum. There are people who are experimenting with senolytics. There was the case of the biotech CEO who went to Colombia and had gene therapy. But the data in humans just isnt there. He adds: The same is true of so many of these supplements and health foods. If any of these things did have a substantial effect, wed know about it.

When I ask him what he thinks of the anti-ageing industry all of those creams and serums that promise rejuvenation, our modern-day elixirs he says, Id like to completely obviate it. If the breakthroughs do come, they are likely to significantly change the structure of our time on Earth. We are used to the three-act life: we are young and learn, we are middle-aged and work, we are old and retire. But what happens if we live another 100 years? Might we go back to school at 60, or switch careers at 105 or, at 40, decide to take some kind of 20-year soul-searching hiatus, knowing well have a century or more to do other things having returned from whatever wilderness we had run away to?

And what about death? At one point during our conversation, I ask Steele if he imagines a time when dying becomes a choice. He thinks the question is overblown. Because death is inevitable people have rationalised it as something that drives life, or gives life meaning, or adds some sort of poetry to the human condition, he says. But I think, broadly speaking, death is bad. If there was less death in the world, I think most people would agree that was a good thing. And though my passion for treating ageing isnt driven by reducing the amount of death, its driven by reducing ill health in later life, its driven by conquering disease, its driven by getting rid of suffering, if theres less death as a side-effect? I dont think thats a bad thing.

Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old by Andrew Steele is published by Bloomsbury at 20. Buy it from guardianbookshop.com for 17.40

The root causes of ageing are called hallmarks. Treat these and you slow ageing.

1. Genomic instability As we age, we accumulate genetic damage. Simply, over time, our DNA gets mangled. It is thought that if scientists can find a way to repair that damage, they will then be able impact the ageing process.

2. Cellular senescence The longer we live, the more chance we have of experiencing a build-up of senescent (old) cells, which tend to hang around in the body and can contribute to the onset of age-related diseases.

3. Mitochondrial dysfunction Mitochondria are organelles that generate the energy our cells need to power necessary biochemical reactions. It has been found that mitochondrial dysfunction can accelerate ageing.

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Do we have to age? - The Guardian

ATHENS Poultry researchers at the University of Georgia are partnering with a team from Kansas State University to study how to effectively control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the nations meat and poultry processing facilities.

The study seeks to protect meat plant workers and their surrounding communities from the spread of COVID-19 through practical solutions. The research is funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Harsha Thippareddi, John Bekkers Professor in Poultry Science at UGA, and Manpreet Singh, poultry science professor and interim head of the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology, are co-directors of the project along with A. Sally Davis, an assistant professor of experimental pathology in the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine. Thippareddi and Singh provide extensive poultry experience and industry connections from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and, with backgrounds as food safety specialists, will lead the grants industry outreach efforts.

A key objective of the project will be verifying the effectiveness of many of the approved cleaners and sanitizers for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 during plant processing and sanitation operations.

Because there have been a number of outbreaks among employees in meat processing plants, there is always a perception that food or meat can be contaminated as well, said Thippareddi.

Frozen chicken wings imported to China from Brazil in August tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, he said.

This is a potential issue and we need to know the answers to what the risks to humans are if the coronavirus is present in food, and will it survive in the food or will it be destroyed during cooking and other food processing operations? he said.

Using Kansas States Biosecurity Research Institute, a high-containment research facility, researchers will study various potential contamination methods for meat and poultry, how long the virus survives on meat products, how various storage and preparation methods influence the infectivity of the virus and what product-treatment methods can be used to mitigate the virus on food products.

Nationally and internationally, many facilities that produce meat and poultry products have been temporarily closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks, said Davis, Kansas States project director of the grant. This has put a major strain on food production, limiting the amount of meat and poultry on grocery store shelves and disrupting food and feed supply chains across the globe. Research is necessary to understand why SARS-CoV-2 is such a problem in meat and poultry processing environments and how we can mitigate the problem.

While animals, such as cattle, swine and chickens, do not carry the virus, infections with SARS-CoV-2 are primarily thought to occur by exposure to microdroplets in the air generated by infected workers.

The ultimate goal would be for us to better understand how the SARS-CoV-2 virus if at all can be transmitted through meat and poultry and through contact surfaces in poultry plants, Singh said.

Thippareddi added, People working in meat processing plants may have the illness and, if it is aerosolizing, the virus can get onto the meat. If it is on the meat, it can get to people. All the poultry processing plants are taking preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus, because if you can prevent people from getting the virus and keep the virus from being aerosolized, you can prevent it getting onto the food.

The team will evaluate potential sources of exposure and determine the amount and the longevity of infectious virus that is present during and after meat processing and packaging activities. Researchers seek to identify, develop, validate, and deliver practical cleaning and disinfection strategies, in addition to developing mathematical models to predict and reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in meat and poultry processing facilities.

The project also will rely on input from an industry advisory board comprising senior-level directors of food safety and plant operations at Hormel Foods, Smithfield Foods, National Beef Packing Company, Cargill Protein North America, JBS USA, Wayne Farms, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Tyson Fresh Meats and Costco Wholesale.

Thippareddi and Singh will conduct site visits at various meat and poultry processing plants to evaluate current processing methods and to lead discussions with processors on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, develop new food safety training materials based on the needs of meat processors of varying sizes, conduct web-based trainings based on the research outcomes of the project, and assist in publishing the research findings.

The goal is to provide guidance to the meat-processing industry in the form of science-based best practices, Singh said.

For information on the UGA Department of Poultry Science, visit poultry.caes.uga.edu.

Joe Montgomery is director of communications at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.

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Researchers conduct studies on COVID-19 in meat processing facilities - KPVI News 6

What happens when a major city allows the coronavirus to rage unchecked?

If the Brazilian city of Manaus is any answer, it means about two-thirds of the population could get infected and one person in 500 could die before the epidemic winds down.

During May, as the virus spread rapidly in Manaus, the equatorial capital of the state of Amazonas, dire reports described overwhelmed hospitals and freshly dug graves. Demand for coffins ran at four to five times figures for the previous year. But since hitting a peak four months ago, new coronavirus cases and deaths in the city of 1.8 million have undergone a rapid and unexplained decline.

Now a group of researchers from Brazil and the United Kingdom say they know whyso many people got infected that the virus is running out of hosts.

In a report posted to the preprint server medRxiv, a group led by Ester Sabino, of the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University of So Paulo, says it tested banked blood for antibodies to the virus and estimates that between 44 and 66% of the population of Manaus has been infected since the city detected its first case in March.

From what we learned this is probably the highest prevalence in the world, Sabino said in a phone interview. Deaths have dropped very rapidly, and what were saying is that its related.

In the US, President Donald Trump has attracted ridicule for saying the virus will go away on its own. His comments may be a reference to the fact that if enough people get vaccinated or infected by a virus and develop antibodies to fight it off, so-called herd immunity starts to build in the population: As more people gain immunity, it becomes harder for the virus to infect new people and continue its spread.

Thats exactly whats happening in Manaus, the authors believe. Although nonpharmaceutical interventions, plus a change in population behavior, may have helped to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Manaus, the unusually high infection rate suggests that herd immunity played a significant role in determining the size of the epidemic, they wrote.

The Amazon region has seen the virus at its worst, with people dying at home and infections hitting indigenous groups. However, by mid-August, the Washington Post was documenting a sudden turnaround in Manaus. From a peak of 79 deaths on one day in May, the rate in the city is down to two or three a day in September, according to its health department.

It remains unclear why the virus spread so quickly in Manaus, where mobility data shows people did begin social distancing in March. Sabino and her colleagues think the outbreak may have been accelerated by dense housing, poor water supplies, and crowding on boats that serve as local transportation.

According to the authors, the infection fatality rate in Manaus was about 0.28%, or one death in every 350 people infected by the virus. Considering that not everyone has caught the virus in Manaus, the city-wide covid-19 death rate would be between one in 500 and one in 800 people overall.

Florian Krammer, an immunologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, says it was expected that some regions would reach levels of immunity high enough to interrupt local outbreaks, but that such events should be considered public health failures, not successes.

Community immunity via natural infection is not a strategy, its a sign that government failed to control an outbreak and is paying for that in lives lost, Krammer tweeted.

Other cities should be cautious about drawing conclusions from Manaus since, among other factors, it has a fairly young population. Just 6% of citizens there are over 60, according to Brazils Institute of Geography and Statistics. In New York City, that figure is around 16% and for the US overall, its 20%. Elderly people have a much, much higher risk of dying if they catch the virus than younger people.

The Brazilian figures do suggest just how many people in one place could get infected as the virus spreadsa concept known as the attack rate. Were two-thirds of the US population to be infected, the virus could easily claim more than 500,000 American lives, mostly among the elderly. Thats in line with early projections for worst-case scenarios and with recent events on the ground. The US today surpassed the grim record of more than 200,000 deaths attributed to the virus. Tens of thousands of people are still being infected daily.

In Brazil, Sabinos team was well placed to study the trajectory of the pandemic because the group was previously involved with checking blood donations for transmissible pathogens. Since Brazilian blood banks retain samples of donated blood, they were able to go back and look for coronavirus antibodies at several points in timea technique known as serial sampling.

Very few people have the capacity to do serial sampling, but in Brazil its mandatory to save samples, so we could, says Sabino. During the month of June, a high of 40% of new blood donors were positive for coronavirus antibodies, though the number has decreased since then as antibodies tend to wane over time.

Gabriela Gomes, a mathematical modeler at the University of Strathclyde, says the new report finds that twice as many people in Manaus had coronavirus antibodies as a previous study had suggested; there could be ongoing discussion among immunologists over which finding is more accurate. Sabino says her team used an improved antibody test developed by Abbott Laboratories for their analysis, which she says is more sensitive than the test used for the earlier study and misses fewer cases.

Going forward, the Amazonian capital could now help public health officials better understand how long immunity to covid-19 lasts and how often the virus reinfects people. The blood survey clearly showed that with time, peoples antibodies become harder to detect. That could mean individual immunity to the virus is not permanent. Manaus may act as a sentinel to determine the longevity of population immunity and frequency of reinfections, the authors wrote in their preprint.

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A city in Brazil where covid-19 ran amok may be a sentinel for the rest of the world - MIT Technology Review

I wish to counter many politicians claims that the government seeks to take over our health care system. The specious claims ignore the huge beneficial role government has played, and plays, in improving human health. Our collective good health and longevity derives from a hundred years of federally funded research in public health, human physiology, genetics, surgery, pharmacology, immunology, microbiology, virology and engineering.

Biomedical research at universities, medical schools, hospitals and research laboratories is substantially supported by the government. Few realize that the largest share of funds for training physicians and for postgraduate physician training come directly or indirectly from the government.

Millions of Americans receive health care through Medicare, Medicaid, veterans hospitals, Indian Health Service, Public Health Service, the Uniformed Services (Department of Defense) and others. The government subsidizes health care insurance premiums for thousands of United States civil servants. Without government support, our present health care system would implode. In their polemics, some politicians call this government support socialism or socialized medicine. I call it informed self-interest by a government concerned with the well-being of its citizens.

I practiced government medicine for over 40 years as a United States Air Force pediatrician, biomedical researcher, teacher and administrator. I witnessed massive growth in medical knowledge, the introduction of incredible new technologies and evolution of new medical skills. Hundreds of new drugs, biologics, surgical techniques, vaccines, enhanced genetic knowledge and approaches to improving mental health have revolutionized modern medicine, allowing more accurate diagnosis, real-time health monitoring, and temporary replacement of hearts, lungs and kidneys. Americans now survive cancer more often than ever before.

These new technologies and tools are only possible because the citizens of this country invested in the acquisition of knowledge, tools and services the research enterprise produced. Yet, the United States fails to equitably distribute these advances to all citizens. Health care is rationed based on ability to pay. We often spend large sums to treat patients with complex and life-threatening conditions while basic preventive care is unavailable to many families and children. Unnumbered citizens and families are bankrupted annually by catastrophic illness.

I believe the United States must redress modern health care inequities. There is much debate about how this might be done. It seems to me the fairest solution is a countrywide insurance program, or programs, to provide access to care, education, public health and protection from catastrophic illness for every person and family in the land.

This is not government takeover. It is the responsibility of government to provide life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, not only those who can pay. I urge all to consider voting with an eye to making our wealth of health care resources accessible to all citizens of our great country.

Val G. Hemming is the 2015 recipient of the distinguished alumni award from the University of Utah College of Medicine. He is the emeritus dean of the F. Edward Hbert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

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Guest opinion: Why accessible health care is not government takeover - Deseret News

Its never too late to start.

Age is just a number.

These age old (no pun intended) adages are passed around a lot in the fitness community. Although often only meant as a means of inspiration, they may have a lot of truth to them as well, scientifically speaking. When it comes to improving physical and mental health, longevity, and quality of life, fitnessmight be one of the best means to do so. So we decided to do a deep dive on how and why CrossFit training can be a valuable fitness option for people over the age of 60.

Below are some of the major topics we cover:

In addition to better educating about how CrossFittraining can help build a stronger body, mind, and community, this article aims to be a go-to reference for common exercisesand how to get involved in competitive events.

Editors note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldnt take the place of advice and/or supervision from a medical professional. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. Speak with your physician if you have any concerns and before starting any new dietary or training regimen.

[Related: The ultimate guide to strength sports for Masters athletes]

Functional fitness is a classification of training that incorporates movements akin to what a person would perform in their day-to-day life. This can include squats, lunges, jumps, pulling movements, and cardio (running, biking, etc.). CrossFitmethodology adds in Olympic weightlifting (snatches and clean & jerks), powerlifting (deadlifts, front and back squats), explosive movements (using medicine balls, kettlebells, etc.), gymnastics, and some specialized movements such as rope climbs, sled work, and rowing.

There are many potential health benefits, so lets dive into what it can specifically offer athletes over the age of 60.

It is important to note the culture of support around the CrossFitcommunity. It is one of the most important means for acquiring new members as well as maintain those who have already been initiated. According to a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis in theSports Medicine Open, preliminary data has suggested that CrossFit practice is associated with higher levels of sense of community, satisfaction, and motivation. (1)

It is likely the case that one of the biggest draws for anyone thinking of getting into CrossFittraining is improving longevity while maintaining or bettering physical capability. The evidence showing correlations between endurance training, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and high intensity functional training (HIFT) and longevity is pretty extensive.

Fifty-four peer-reviewed publications found considerable support for superior longevity for people involved in endurance related sport. (2) More specifically, a study in the Journal of Aging Research determined a physically active subjects had a higher life expectancy of upwards of 7 years.

A 2013 study in Population Health Managementrecognized that a critical need for senior-oriented programs that improve health and preserve and extend functional capabilities. The relationship between these improvements also led to reduced health care expenditures. (3)

For those who have not had a consistent training program, the intensity that comes along with CrossFit training might be intimidating. Dont worry, there are ways that new trainees can perform workouts without extending past their abilities or what is comfortable for them. One of the major ways is called scaling (more on this later).

Rest assured that the science is behind getting active to improve physical fitness even in the elderly. Progressive strength training in the elderly is an efficient wayto reduce sarcopenia and retain motor function, even at higher intensities, according to a 2011 study in theDeutsches Arzteblatt International.(4)

Furthermore, anyone who may be skeptical about the safety of higher intensity exercise, HIFT is not necessarily any riskier than any other form of exercise at a relatively equal intensity. A 4-year analysis that oversaw3,049 participants completed in 2018 in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicinesuggested that CrossFit training is relatively safe compared with more traditional training modalities. (5)

Not only is getting physically active a smart choice for overall fitness levels, it might actually be better to train more days per week than less. That same 4-year analysis uncovered training for the majority of days per week could lead to fewer injuries. Those at the greatest risk of injury, primarily to their shoulders and back, were the participants who performed less than 3 workouts per week.

For athletes over the age of 60 participating in CrossFittraining for the first time, there should be some comfort knowing that the risk of injuryis similarto other sports according to a 2020 study in theJournal of Human Kinetics.(6) To further reduce the risk of injury, athletes are better off doing an adaptation period with the aim of improving technique. Good news:improving technique is a touchstone of CrossFit methodology.

Technique, which is defined in theCrossFitlevel 1 training guide as quality of movement, isan intimate part of safety, efficacy, and efficiency. Technique is everything. It is at the heart of our quantification. You will not express power in significant measure without technique.

So how does CrossFittraining adjust for those who have never done it before? They do so through scaling.

Scaling is the process of adjusting a workout or movement to better match the abilities of the person performing it. It is also a way to customize training for a persons needs at any given time. Feeling sore from a previous training session? Scale the workout. Feeling some tenderness in a muscle or joint and are concerned about aggravating it? Scale the workout.

Scaling is very important when learning a new lifting pattern. If someone has never performed a particular movement, it doesnt make much sense to load up a ton of weight and hope for the best. Remembering the importance of technique regardless of age or fitness level is key. CrossFit trainers are generally eager to work with clients to find the right movement patterns for their needs and goals.

As the trainee who will be performing the exercises, be sure to clearly articulate your goals. They can be as simple as wanting to walk up the stairs more efficiently or picking things off the ground without causing back pain. Scaling allows the trainer and the training itself to help further you toward whatever your goals may be.

Training in a group environment makes participants more motivated and more reliable the longer they do it. A 2019 study in thePLoS One(the Public Library of Science) looked into how motives differ by length of participation. They concluded that the enjoyment and challenge of HIFT was a sufficient motivator when beginning, and that this exercise form promotes an increase in those motives with greater length of participation.

The study also concluded that interpersonal motives (representing relatedness) also increase with participation time. (7) A 2017 study inBMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine furtherreinforces these ideas with their findings that group exercise helps participants meet recommended levels of physical activity. (8)

The community aspect of CrossFit enables a higher likelihood that people will exercise and enjoy it the more they do it. A2017 study inBMC Geriatrics concluded thatregular group exercise contributes to balanced health in older adultsand helped them to improve or maintain their functional health and enjoy their lives.(9)

There may be concerns for those above the age of 60 to get involved in any sort of group fitness. However, there are strong arguments to be made about ensuring exercise remains a part of the routine for seniors. In a 2018 study inFrontiers in Immunologythat analyzed exercise-induced immune suppression, scientists found thatleading a physically active lifestyle reduces the incidence of communicable (e.g., bacterial and viral infections) and non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer), implying that immune competency is enhanced by regular exercise bouts.

They concluded that that leading an active lifestyle is likely to be beneficial, rather than detrimental, to immune function, which may have implications for health and disease in older age. (10)

Exercise has shown to aid other issues such as peripheral arterial diseaseand helpssuppress the most common age-associated chronic conditions.(11)In a 2015 study in Rejuvenation Research, scientists found that physical exercise islargely the answer to attenuate many of its deleterious systemic and cellular effects. (12)

Functional fitness training has potential benefits for physical and mental health, and longevity. But how and where does one sign up?

If youre interested in joining a CrossFit affiliate, youre in luck; as of early 2020, there are14,790 totalCrossFit affiliates globally.You can start by checking out theOfficial CrossFit Affiliate Mapthat can help locate the nearest CrossFit boxes near you.

When beginning, a coach will teach how to do the movements properly and adjust them as needed for your current fitness level (scaling!). CrossFit.com has quick tutorials that break down the movements so they can be practiced from home. There are also courses that anyone seeking to improve their health and fitness through effective training and nutritional strategies can take.

Here is a list of guides for the non-bodyweight movements you are likely to encounter that you can refer to:

Here is a list of guides for bodyweight movements:

If you are ever in a position where you dont have access to the requisite equipment, scale it and/or check out our CrossFitters guide to movement substitutions.

[Related: 8 things I wish Id known before starting CrossFit]

Whether youre just starting out in CrossFittraining or are actively looking to compete, being aware or even knowledgable about higher levels of competition cant hurt. It might even provide a means of inspiration. Here is a quick rundown of the pinnacle of CrossFit competition The CrossFit Games and how athletes get there.

It takes place once per year, is broadcast and live-streamed internationally, and features individual, team, and age group competition (teens and Masters divisions). There are four main ways to qualify for the CrossFit Games: Open, Sanctionals, Online Qualifiers, and Invitations.

The Open is a worldwide event that spans five weeks. Each week, a workout is released and participants are allotted four days to record their performance and submit it for review. Upon completion of the Open, the top ranked man and woman using a relative scoring system from each participating country is declared national champion(based on citizenship) and is offered an invite to the Games. In addition to the national champions, the top 20 men and women in the Open worldwide also receive invites.

Athletes results for each workout and their respective rankings are tracked via the CrossFit leaderboard. Leaderboards can be customized to highlight members of a group, profession, location, etc. so even if you dont have interest in higher competition, you can see how you stack up against a particular group.

According to CrossFits website,Sanctionals are independently owned and operated (and CrossFit-licensed) fitness competitions that offer another pathway for top men, women, and team athletes to receive invitations to compete at the CrossFit Games.

There were 28 Sanctionals planned around the globe that fed into the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games. 26 teams (each comprised of 2 men and 2 women), 40 teens, and 120 Masters athletes are invited to the Games under the current format.

In competitive CrossFit, there are six Masters divisions that each span 4 years starting at age 35 up to the age 60+ division.Jarka GiangiulioandPatricia McGillare age 60 and 61, respectively, and are both CrossFit Games athletes.72-year-oldLaura Bruzzonedid not get started in the sport until age 67 and has some valuable advice to offer others who are considering doing the same.Below are their thoughts on CrossFit including their introductions to the sport and what motivates them to continue training.

Giangiulio achieved her firstmuscle-upat age 60 and is capable of deadlifting 285lb. She spent the first half of her life in Slovakia and has since been in the United States and trains atCrossFit Parallax in New Jersey. She placed seventh in the womens 60+ division in the CrossFit Games Age Group Online Qualifier to earn a spot at the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games.

She started CrossFit in 2011 after getting her fitness in via aerobics, spin, and bootcamp classes. When asked what drives her to compete, Giangiulio responded:

theres this rush when you compete, and that feeling you get when you finish and you know you did well, its amazing. Its hard to explain. But its just good energy, and everyone is supporting you and cheering for you.

Another big draw to CrossFit is the efficiency of the training.

with CrossFit, theres always room for improvement, always something you can work on. I really like that. And I like that in just seven minutes, you can get a really hard workout and be done with it.

McGill began training CrossFit in 2013 and was the runner-up at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games in the 60+ division. She then followed it up with a 3rd place finish in theCrossFit Games Age Group Online Qualifier last fall. She trains six days a week and even performs workouts in her backyard.

I said to my husband, Honey, if I dig a hole, will you cement a pole so I can practice muscle-ups?

She splits her training between home workouts and sessions at the gym. Her basement is set up with kettlebells, dumbbells, a rowing machine, and the requisite Olympic weightlifting equipment. Her backyard is outfitted with a rope for climbs, a step for wall balls, and the aforementioned pole to support rings to allow for pull-ups and muscle-ups.

When asked what keeps her motivated to train into her 60s, McGill responded:

I just want to be able to continue to do whatever I want for the rest of my life.

The 72-year-old Bruzzone took up CrossFit five years ago after it was recommended to her by a friend. In her interview withGood Morning America, Bruzzone shared some advice for potential fellow Masters athletes:

You certainly shouldnt let age or anything else hold you back. So long as you dont give up and you do something, youre going to get payback, definitely.

Bruzzones training sessions and feats of strength in a CrossFit gym went viral as a means of inspiration for younger athletes. However, Bruzzone found the opposite to be true as she feels younger athletes inspire her:

I see the younger people doing heavier weights and I want to get closer to what theyre doing. Its more motivation for me to push harder.

Although Bruzzone has never competed in the CrossFit Open or at the Games, she still trains at 6am on most days, and only takes a rest day when she feels it necessary. Her fitness goals are positioned to thinklong term.

I have a long range plan. When Im 90, I want to get to the bathroom by myself.

We reached out to two doctors of physical therapy, Dr. Joseph LaVacca and Dr. Eugene Bo Babenko who is also a certified CrossFit trainer. They discussed the benefits and obstacles (both physical and mental), the remedies to those obstacles, personal experiences theyve had with their patients, and advice they would offer those starting out in functional fitness training.

Note: all bolding is done by BarBends editorial team for emphasis.

Functional fitness is the key here YES the way we think about aging is all sorts of messed up.If seniors, or any human of any age, want to be able to use their bodies, then they need to do some type of training to maintain it just like we do maintenance on our cars. While there is a natural degradation that comes with each day/month/year, it is all about managing that damage that allows us to improve healthspan, which implies the ability to be a more robust human for longer. If folks want to live longer and be able to do more things, then they 100% should participate in some kind of training program or movement practice.

Yes, without a doubt.Seniors biggest opportunity as they age is the loss of muscle mass, mainly power, and a narrowing social circle which is actually the number one factor for most of their stress and ailments. CrossFitis the perfect solution to both given classes are guided by coaches who understand the aging process and can be scaled accordingly to fit the capacity of each client.

More and more we are seeing research support the idea that we are not our x-rays or MRIs and a lot of the dysfunction we see with these images can sometimes be nothing more than normal age related changes our bodies go through as we continue to use them.

General de-conditioning is the number one overall ailment many of the cliches come to mind. Do we age because we stop dancing, or do we stop dancing because we get old? You are only as old as your joints feel.

The most common things that put folks in retirement homes or the morgue are a fall and broken hip the best way to combat this is to improve range of motion, proprioception, and strength. Leg strength, grip strength, and VO2 max are all incredible predictors of our mortality and can all be improved with functional training.

[CrossFit] also recently had a huge push for CrossFit Health, where they had seniors as the demo folks in a living room, using water bottles and such this is a great message and speaks to the fact that we all need to be partaking in some version of fitness for our entire lives and the barrier to entry should be very low.

As we age we are typically met with increasing co-morbidities such as weight gain, mental health issues, and changes to our cardiovascular systems (blood pressure/heart rate). I think community outreach and education can be an affective remedy.This population has survived and thrived through a lot of stress and changes in their lives. They very rarely want to be thought of as delicate, old or fragile. Holding 60+ classes to make people fit into a more common group of people, educating primary care physicianson the benefits of exercise as we age.

Aside from reduction in depression, anxiety and improved sleep, exercise has been shown to add years to your life, something that we can all likely agree is the ultimate benefit.

The biggest obstacle is fear/marketing it looks scary usually these CrossFit gyms have only young folks with shirts off huffing and puffing and making very loud noises of all sorts.

Culture seems to be the biggest obstacle for just about everything these days. When you are told that aging population is fragile, or should stop doing certain movements/exercises, or that their joints are bone on bone, those are the kind of thought viruses that spread very quickly,usually promoting fear and avoidance rather than reframing and lateralization.

Most effective remedies I have seen are specific silver sneakers programs specific marketing to get folks to see others in their age range can and are doingthis, and not getting injured. Sometimes its important to connect it to activities that are importantto that population.

I think community outreach and education can be an affective remedy. This population has survived and thrived through a lot of stress and changes in their lives. They very rarely want to be thought of as delicate, old or fragile. Holding 60+ classes to make people fit into a more common group of people, educating primary care physicianson the benefits of exercise as we age. Aside from reduction in depression, anxiety and improved sleep, exercise has been shown to add years to your life, something that we can all likely agree is the ultimate benefit.

Biggest benefits for CrossFit seem to be the increased ability to do the activities that we hold dear and overcome many of the aches and pains that we have built up over time. Another thing that works is one-on-one training with very personalized progressions.It is easier to throw constantly varied workouts at younger folks but as we develop more limitations we require more personalized attention to get better results and avoid injury.

These patients have more lean body mass, recover from injuries quicker, usually have jobs that they find more satisfying, are on little to no medications, and most important can envision their future and can continue to create goals both personally and professionally. One thing that happens as clients get older, retire, watch their kids grow is that they lose a sense of purpose. Those that maintain and active mind and body experience the same stressors but demonstrate more resilience when facing them.

Absolutely, I have worked with a number of folks above 60. Their performance far exceeds anyone in their cohort who does not. They are addressing so many physical factors.I also work as a home health physical therapist and I have seen everything from COVID pneumonia cases, stroke cases, etc., and no matter the age and function, I utilize many of the principles of CrossFit for my patients to help them improve and address their various impairments.

One thing that happens as clients get older, retire, and watch their kids grow is that they lose a sense of purpose. Those that maintain an active mind and body experience the same stressors but demonstrate more resilience when facing them.

Socialization hands down.The communities I have watched grow, and the friendships formed, allows for people to cheer for each other because they truly want what is in the best interest of the other person. CrossFit communities plan nights out, go to each others weddings, and even spend holidays together. As the gym grows, so does your family.

I would want to make sure they understand what the term CrossFit refers to. I would want them to be an educated consumer and ensure that thecoach/trainer they work with has some experience with similar pops and/or is able to provide them with a personalized plan to keep them safe and still reaping the benefits that the community setting brings.

That is great and I am proud of their decision. I would encourage them to look at their goals:

I would further suggest having a personal trainer that can work with their coach on your team. Where I think the biggest opportunity for community classes of all sorts to continue to evolve is providing information and understanding about each members individual capacity.

I think the concept is phenomenal. Ifell in love with it when I did my first workout and then did the CrossFit Level 1 certification. But since I entered the community in 2010, I have seen many versions of the original message create many watered down versions. It is going through some interesting changes withGlassmanselling the company. It will be interesting to see how it progresses.

In general I have been a huge fan and advocate for CrossFit since I began my career in 2010. Unfortunately the average career of a HIIT or CrossFit athlete (based on memberships) seems to be less than 3 years. This was presented at a Sports Symposium in Philadelphia not too long ago that I was able to attend.

This is the biggest opportunity for HIIT classes. Build consistency. The community is there, but people are scared and think this is not for me or I could never do that. Everyone is waiting to feel better to move or workout, rather than working out to feel better.

In addition, sometimes culture leads us to believe that we need to be emptying the tank all the time. That we need to be pouring sweat, not have an off day, or complete an insane challenge that we are not ready for to fit in. I would love to see more scaling to keep people safe, not just an RX and an alternative with less weight or reps something meaningful where this group can look at each other and say I am here and I am with other people just like me, and I do not have to be forced to do what is on the board.

I do believe that if every gym followed a CrossFit type model in a responsible manner, the world would be a healthier and stronger place.

The science is clear.CrossFittraining can enable people over the age of 60 the ability toimprove their physical fitness, their ability to day-to-day activities more efficiently, and their ability to prevent disease.It can offer a supportive community that can better ensure consistency in the gym and make workouts more enjoyable.

For those above 60 years of age looking to improve their futures, CrossFittrainings focus on individual goals and proper technique might be the way to go. There are CrossFitaffiliates are all over the world that can help you get a foothold in that community and build your body for many years to come.

Brent Hamar, et al. (2013). Impact of a Senior Fitness Program on Measures of Physical and Emotional Health and Functioning.Population Health Management.16(6): 364372.doi:10.1089/pop.2012.0111.

Allyson G. Box, et al. (2019). High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) and competitions: How motives differ by length of participation.PLoS One.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0213812.

Komatsu, H., Yagasaki, K., Saito, Y.et al.Regular group exercise contributes to balanced health in older adults in Japan: a qualitative study.BMC Geriatrics17,190 (2017). doi.org/10.1186/s12877-017-0584-3.

Tara L. Haas, et al. (2012). Exercise Training and Peripheral Arterial Disease.Comprehensive Physiology.2933-3017.doi:10.1002/cphy.c110065.

Feature image via Shutterstock/Halfpoint.

Link:
The Benefits of CrossFit for People Age 60 and Above - BarBend