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Anyone who has spent time on Twitter lately has likely read about #depressionnaps. People usually take these naps to escape emotions, surrender to depression, and temporarily avoid anything negative in your lifeand while the connotations are serious in theory, Twitter users have quickly escalated depression naps to meme status.

According to Daniel Amen, MD, a psychiatrist and best-selling author, depression is a common problem among women especially. He says that "20% of teen girls meet the clinical criteria for depression and 23% of women [are] taking antidepressant medication." Admittedly, it is tempting to escape our problemsbut is it the right thing to do?

If you have ever taken a depression nap, you are probably familiar with that crushing realization upon waking that your problems are still there. Depression naps can even make the problem worse. Jessica Renz, Psy.D., co-founder and licensed clinical psychologist at MindWell NYC, says that depression naps aren't the answer. They prevent you from actively participating in your life. "These naps feed the cycle of shame, blame, negative self-talk, and inaction that are major symptoms of depression," she says. Plus, they can throw off your sleep/wake cycle and makesleeping harder at night.

Here are seven healthier things you can do instead of heading for the covers when depression strikes.

It's no wonder that many experts recommend pets for seniors and have therapy pets visiting children's hospitals. Pets are healing. Studies have shown that just petting a live animal reduces anxietyany animal. Plus, animals like dogs need walkinghey, anything that will get you out the door and in the fresh air, right? If you're unable to own a pet, volunteering at your local shelter is a good way to get animal time without a long-term commitment.

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Grateful people are happier people. Renz suggests that you spend three minutes a day writing down at least three to five things you are grateful for. Of course, if you think of more than five things you're grateful for, don't stop there. The more, the better. Starting off (or ending) your day with gratitude will give you the framework for a better day.

Sunlight has been proven to help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Elizabeth Trattner, an acupuncture physician and doctor of integrative medicine, says that sunlight boosts the production of hormones that help depression and creates endorphins that make you feel better.Wearing sunscreen is still a good idea though and will protect your tender skin against sun damage.

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Tackling a big issue or dilemmamay make you want to head straight for bed, but breaking your task into smaller parts and taking one item at a time makes your goal look and feel more attainable. Plus, if youre feeling unmotivated and depressed about what you have to do, Renz says that rewarding yourself after checking off a task can be a magic bullet in breaking apart the cycle of depression.

Serving another personor even reaching out to a loved one takes the focus off you for a minute. It is easy to get absorbed in our own problems, but helping someone else with theirs can put things in perspective and give you a much-needed break from your own. Renz suggests that you stay focused on the other person in that interaction as much as possible.

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Since the early 1900s, researchers have been interested in the connection between exercise and depression. Exercise is very effective in treating its symptoms. Researchers have concluded that what matters is how often you exercise, not how hard you exercise. Trattner, an integrative medicine doctor, says that the Chinese have been prescribing exercise for their patients for centuries as a way to move chi and make a patient feel better. She says that even a light walk will help.

If you'resleeping at night but still sleepy during the day, you might have a problem other than depression. Amen suggests that you should be checked for thyroid problems or exposure to toxins such as mold. Additionally, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious medical condition that can cause sleepiness, depression, and can even result in death. It's estimated that 22 million Americans have OSA. A physical may help you uncover the cause of your sleepiness and what should be done to treat it.

"The bottom line is that we need to do the opposite of what depression tells us to do. Get out, get moving, and get rewarded," says Renz. It may be funny on Twitter, but frequent depression naps can be a sign that things aren't right in your life. And that's no joke.

Next up: Is It Bad to Sleep on Your Stomach? We Asked a Doctor

This post has been updated by Sarah Yang.

This article originally appeared on The Thirty

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"Depression Naps" Are a ThingBut Here's What You Should Be Doing Instead - Yahoo Lifestyle

The phones screen turns a serene blue, and Calm, the leading mindfulness application, opens. At the very center, without capitalization or punctuation, small and faint, are the words take a deep breath.

That gives way to a menu. What brings you to Calm?

The app offers options to reduce anxiety, develop gratitude, build self esteem, even increase happiness.

The next screen offers a seven-day free trial. Once the trial has ended, the annual rate is $69.99, a small price for happiness.

Somewhere around 2010, according to experts and Google search data, the practice of mindfulness began an upward swing. In less than a decade, it has become the fastest-growing health trend in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mindfulness rules the online app store. The San Francisco-based Calm is valued at $1 billion, and its competitor Headspace at $350 million. (The industry as a whole has been estimated to be worth as much as $4 billion.) Meditation retreats are en vogue. Corporations offer access to mindfulness in the same way they do for gyms. Even the military uses mindfulness breathing techniques to boost soldiers performance.

But as with any Next Big Thing, there are reasons to be cautious. Some say this rush into mindfulness has outpaced the science and stripped it of its cultural context. All of this threatens to turn a tool for well-being, for situating oneself in the current moment, into a tool for standard American commercialism.

Around the same time mindfulness began its upward trajectory, Ronald Purser, a management professor at San Francisco State University, started to feel the familiar weight of doubt. Hed been doing a fair amount of corporate management training and consulting redesigning the workplace to work better, at least in theory, for everybody. I became somewhat disillusioned and disenchanted, he says. Even when we were making progress, trying to redesign work so employees would have more autonomy and decision-making, the management sort of pulled the plug on some of those experiments.

It was around this time, too, that Chade-Meng Tan, a software engineer at Google, gained notoriety for integrating mindfulness into Googles corporate culture through a series of in-house mindfulness seminars. In 2012, Tan turned those courses into a blockbuster book, Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace), and Purser found himself attending Tans very first public offering.

I became very disappointed by what I saw, just in terms of what the program was and how superficial it was, Purser says. I just saw this as part of the interest in behavioral science techniques as a way of yoking the interest or subjectivity of employees to corporate goals.

A year later, Purser published an essay with the Huffington Post. It was titled Beyond McMindfulness. Mindfulness meditation, he wrote, was making its way into schools, corporations, prisons, and government agencies including the U.S. military. Purser, a student of mindfulness for 40 years, wasnt knocking the practice but was wary of its growing reputation as a universal panacea for resolving almost every area of daily concern. Last year, Purser expanded on the essay and published a book titled McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality.

Early on in his book, he writes this: I do not question the value of adapting mindfulness for therapeutic use, nor do I deny that it can help people. What bothers me is how its promoters want things both ways: one minute, mindfulness is science, since thats what sells; the next, it stands for everything in Buddhism, since thats what makes it sound deep.

The issues Purser called out eight years ago have only grown with time. Rhetoric, he says, still outpaces results. The practice becomes increasingly decontextualized, meme-ified and gamified. Mindfulness becomes a cure for more and more our happiness, our anxiety, our pain, even world peace.

Its worth pausing a moment to define or at least try to define mindfulness.

At its very core, its deepest and truest roots, mindfulness is a Buddhist meditation technique. There are hundreds, probably thousands of different meditative techniques. This is only one of them, says Mushim Ikeda, a Buddhist meditation teacher. Traditionally, in the Buddhist scriptures, it is said that what we call mindfulness meditation was one of 40 different techniques that the historical Buddha, the one we call the Buddha, talked about. So it wasnt even his one and only meditation technique according to those scriptures.

She knows those scriptures well. Ikeda, who primarily teaches at the East Bay Meditation Center, describes herself as a socially engaged teacher a social justice activist, author, and diversity and inclusion facilitator.

She describes mindfulness meditation as a secular term in Buddhism, one thats also called insight meditation. This is a sort of awareness, she says, that is different from the awareness that we might call everyday awareness the sort we need to drive a car, or maintain a conversation, or use an ATM. She and others describe mindful awareness as spacious and nonjudgmental. Ikeda says, Its been said mindfulness only sees. It does not judge.

The most common technique involves closing the eyes and focusing on the breath and only the breath, moving other thoughts, and the thoughts that come with those thoughts, away and out.

Mindfulness as a secular, western therapeutic intervention did not begin in Silicon Valley. Rather, youd have to go back to 1979 and a man named Jon Kabat-Zinn and the founding of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn has studied the effects of what he dubbed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR for short), on everything from brain function to skin disease.

Still, its hard to ignore Silicon Valleys latest role in spreading and expanding mindfulness in the pursuit of a different tech culture value, peak performance. There is Search Inside Yourself, the book that coincided with the movements growth spurt. There are Twitter co-founder Jack Dorseys much-publicized meditation retreats. (Black Mirror, the dystopian science fiction show, seemed to parody both him and the now-ubiquitous apps.) Recently, there was the dopamine fast, a pseudo-scientific dopamine reset by way of doing nothing. (One originator said he drew directly from Buddhist Vipassana meditation when he crafted the fast.)

The voices are soothing and smooth soft, but not quite a whisper. The cadence and diction perfect, gently pulling you along. Birds chatter in the background. Waves move gently to meet a beach. Or maybe a brook babbles as it pushes over and under and between river rocks.

Breathing in ... I am calm.

Breathing out ... I am at peace.

A chime rings, a signal that this 90-second meditation to calm anger has ended. Calm offers its congratulations.

The danger in this rapid evolution is that it threatens to turn a very old practice into a fad that overpromises and underdelivers.

Helen Weng has practiced Buddhist meditation for more than two decades. I was reading a lot of books about psychology because I was unhappy because high school is horrible, she says. And her father, who, along with her mother, had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, could offer her books about Buddhist philosophy. The two came together. The Dalai Lamas teachings offered her an opportunity to cultivate her own well-being. I dont like the word happiness anymore, but you can use mental exercises to become more aware of your feeling states and your thoughts.

Now Weng works as a clinical psychologist with the psychiatry department at UCSF and a neuroscientist with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the Neuroscape Center, both at UCSF as well. Her scientific work uses magnetic resonance imaging to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood that flows to the brain as people meditate. Essentially, she can track whether the meditator is actually focused on their breath or if their attention has wandered. And in her clinical work, she offers meditation as one of many possible therapeutic interventions.

Still, she calls the recent spread of mindfulness very freaky.

Im very proud that practices from eastern cultures and religions generate so much interest, she says. At the same time, mindfulness and its results are super hard to study. So much so that I just thought I was a bad scientist for a long time. Whats more, she says, meditation isnt always the right sort of behavioral therapy.

Im very disturbed by these messages that meditation basically cures everything or its good for everyone or theres universally very good positive effects. The effects are really moderate and subtle. Its not any better than any other kind of psychotherapy, she says. Part of it is cultural appropriation where its this magical, mystical thing that then people can say does all these things, and I think were still in the height of that and its going to take some time for things to settle down.

Medical students, she says, inevitably ask her how much time they have to commit to mindfulness to make it work. There are studies that show clear benefits to mindfulness. Weng points to one that indicated 30 minutes a day of compassion meditation for two weeks increased altruistic giving to strangers and brain responses to pictures of people suffering.

But the key here is consistency. What happens if you work out for 30 minutes just once? she asks. It benefits you a little bit. Thats good. But if you just do it once, its not going to have a long-term effect.

After the chime and the congratulations, the waves keep moving in and out, and a quote appears onscreen. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. (A quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein, but probably more correctly attributed to Narcotics Anonymous.) And in that moment, Calm reminds you that you really should turn on push notifications, in order to fully experience Calm. Decline and itll ask one more time about its mindfulness reminders.

Are you sure? Its hard to set aside time for yourself in our busy world without a little help.

Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors are jogging. Theyre tan, of course. Their shorts are short. Her blond hair is fanned out, so are his brown curls. She has a broad, blindingly white smile and a red handkerchief tied around her neck. His jacket is zipped down almost to his navel; his chest is hairy. And right beside them, a headline: Farrah & Lee & Everybodys Doing It: Stars Join The Jogging Craze.

This is the cover of the July 4, 1977, issue of People magazine. Alex Will, the chief strategy officer for Calm, the industry-leading mindfulness meditation app, likes to reference this cover when he talks about mindfulness. (Theres even a copy of the issue at the office.) To understand the future of mindfulness, just look to the past.

Mindfulness is becoming mainstream, Will says. People are starting to understand that taking care of the mind is just as important as taking care of the body. Meditation and mindfulness is one way to do that.

In some respects, Calm isnt doing anything that hasnt already been done. Before smartphones, one could buy a meditation CD, slip it into a home stereo and start counting breaths. The app just makes it more portable and more accessible than ever before. I think one of the reasons Ive been so successful is that it is a very low bar for someone to try and get into, Will says. There are short, two-minute long meditations, narrations to help with sleep, even a beginners guide to mindfulness. Similarly, if you want to go deeper, we have a 30-minute master class where you can learn how to break bad habits.

All of the content, Will says, is vetted by mindfulness instructors, and, now that the app is available in more than 100 countries, the programming is also run by people to make sure translations work. This is very nuanced, he says. Language really matters. The Calm app has also been part of various clinical studies in an attempt to back up the applications rhetoric.

Mindfulness, by the way, has already had its magazine-cover moment. Not quite 37 years after the jogging craze, Time magazine featured the Mindfulness Revolution on its Feb. 3, 2014, issue. A blond, fair-skinned model stands straight, hands at her sides, eyes closed, face slightly upward. And the headline: The science of finding focus in a stressed-out multitasking culture.

Mindfulness began to trend in large part because corporations embraced the practice as a way to help employees relieve stress. This is one of the cruxes of Pursers concerns that mindfulness is just a way to wring more productivity from employees, a sleight of hand that shifts the onus from the company to the worker.

In 2012, the year Chade-Meng Tan published Search Inside Yourself, the idea of offering mindfulness courses to employees still felt novel. The New York Times featured Tan and the course hed developed for Google employees a course that involved meditation, Tibetan brass bowls, stream-of-consciousness journaling and lots of emotional openness. Even then the course was framed as a way to help employees deal with their intense workplace no mention of toning down the intensity.

Eight years later, mindfulness courses are the rule, not the exception. Apple, Nike, HBO and Target have all offered some form of mindfulness training to employees. Aetna, the insurance provider, decided to offer mindfulness and other stress-relief activities (including dog petting) after an internal study found that the most stressed-out employees spent $1,500 more a year on health care. And if a company cant bring a trained expert on board, well, they can always give employees memberships to Calm or Headspace.

The Buddha taught that almost everything comes and goes, says Muslim Ikeda, the East Bay Meditation Center instructor. Its called impermanence or change. And health trends famously come and go. Its a product of our capitalist system.

One year, its a certain kind of berry thats going to cure everything. Another year, its mindfulness meditation thats going to cure everything. Five years from now, heaven only knows, itll be something else. Burnt toast who knows?

Ikeda offers a path forward, a path separate from capitalism, a path that encourages students to cultivate a practice in which they care for themselves so that they may, in turn, care for their communities. Its an approach based in social justice and altruism. And yet, she isnt dogmatic.

Mindfulness, Ikeda says, does not judge.

A person might use mindfulness to lower their blood pressure or achieve peak performance. A corporation might use mindfulness to paper over an inherently unjust and healthy system. All this, she says, is like using a Swiss Army knife for just one thing. Its not what the tool was intended to do, and its not all it can do.

Mindfulness is always mindful awareness of something, Ikeda says. Who knows what a given individual is going to do with it? Or what it will do for them?

An individual might, for instance, become mindfully aware of a broken system.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost

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The (over) promise of the mindfulness revolution - San Francisco Chronicle

The diagnosis of cancer can turn your life upside down in a matter of minutes.

It is a life-altering experience that can be a cause for a lot of stress on the individual who received the diagnosis, as well as family members and caretakers. There are many things to think about when the diagnosis is made, including whether or not youll need to continue working throughout your treatment.

Holistic therapies can aid in the reduction of stress and ease the side effects of treatment if having to work while going through cancer.

Having cancer does not necessarily mean that you will have to stop working. Most likely you will need time off for appointments, treatments or extra rest. You might decide to work as much as possible or take a leave of absence and return when you feel up to it. Or you might have to continue to work for financial reasons and/or health insurance benefits.

One benefit of working while going through cancer is that going to work can help you feel more normal.

If you decide to continue working, it could take some adjusting. Your body might respond differently to normal activities when you have cancer or are going through treatment. You might feel tired, more stressed, have pain or difficulty thinking or remembering things.

Something to consider during this trying time are the benefits of integrative health. Integrative health is the unity of conventional and holistic medicine. It is a healing-oriented model that considers the whole person body, mind, spirit and lifestyle. It uses all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative, and focuses on the needs, values and well-being of the person.

Here are some holistic measures to help reduce stress and side effects of treatment:

Conserve energy. Take short breaks as needed throughout your workday to keep your energy up.

Be mindful of your innermost desires and acclimate optimism into your daily thoughts. Take time for yourself to reflect, soul search and nourish the soul. A positive mental attitude during this trying time can help heal the body and reduce stress.

Consider meditation practices. Meditation clears space in your head. Apps such as Insight Timer and Headspace are great places to start.

Use reminder lists and alarms to remember your meetings or tasks. Write a list of tasks that need to be completed for the day. A daily planner, Post-it Notes or use of a smartphone might be helpful tools. Set alarms to help remind you of the tasks that need to be accomplished.

Be open and honest about your situation. Talk with your manager about any concerns. Share your feelings and concerns with your family members and health care team.

Fuel your body with good nutrition. This will help to provide optimal energy throughout the day. A dietitian with experience in oncology nutrition can help you develop a plan.

Consider using essential oils. Aromatherapy can help ease anxiety, pain and nausea symptoms. A clinical aromatherapist can help guide you on which essential oils would be beneficial.

It is important to know your rights. Side effects of cancer treatment are considered disabilities under the American Disabilities Act. Your employer must provide reasonable accommodations according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. These can include:

Giving you breaks to take medication, see a doctor or rest.

Having you do a job that fits your new hours or abilities better.

Giving you access to counseling through an employee assistance program.

Please remember, you are not in this alone. We live in a wonderful community where people care and want to help in any way they can. Seek out services offered by the community. There are many support groups and valuable resources available to help you and your loved ones through this healing journey.

Jessica Kennedy, BSN, RN, CHC, CMSRN, Jessica is a nurse at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center.

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Continuing to work while going through cancer treatment? These tips can help - telegraphherald.com

By Express News Service

KOCHI: Time for integration has come and it is not because allopathic medicines fail in treatment but rather it is the demand of the people and patients worldwide, said Dr Michael Dixon, Chair-College of Medicine and Integrated Health, UK, and Visiting Professor, University of Westminster and University College London, while inaugurating the two-day International Conference on Integrative Oncology 2020 (ICIO 2020) at Le Meridien, here on Saturday. The conference is being organised by the Global Homeopathy Foundation (GHF).

Dr Dixon called upon integration of various medical streams while combating diseases. He pointed out that anti-microbial resistance, over-prescription of opiates (drugs derived from opium) and over-prescription of conventional medicines have compounded the situation. Enormous issues persist back in United Kingdom (UK), National Health Services (NHS) England banned herbal and homoeopathic medicines while Royal College of General Practitioners asked general practitioners not to offer Homoeopathy and National Institute for Clinical Excellence changed guidelines on palliative care and back pain, said Dr Dixon.

However, he said the good news is that at last AYUSH has arrived in UK with College of Medicine and Integrated Health taking the lead and it is also forming an Integrated Medical Alliance apart from organising a yoga conference. Integration of medical systems is of paramount importance in oncology for prevention, treatment, treating side-effects of conventional medicine and preventing recurrence, he said.Those who addressed the inaugural function included Dr Jayesh Sanghavi, vice- chairman GHF, Dr T K Harindranath, president, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association, Dr Piyush Joshi, secretary general, Homoeopathic Medical Association of India, Dr Eswaradas, chairman, GHF, Dr Issac Mathai, Soukya Holistic Clinic, Dr Velavan, Radiation Oncologist, Erode Cancer Centre, Dr Sandeep Roy, chairman, organising committee ICIO 2020, Dr Madhavan Nambiar IAS (retd), Patron GHF and Dr Sreevals G Menon, Managing Trustee, GHF.

Over a thousand delegates from 30 countries apart from India are attending the event. Around 25 key scientific papers are being presented at the summit. ICIO 2020 is held in association with Central Health & FW Ministry, AYUSH/TCAM Ministry, all AYUSH/TCAM research councils and the governments of Kerala and Maharashtra, and National AYUSH Mission.

PRESENTATIONSDr Vinu Krishnan, member, sub-committee on cancer, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, New Delhi, presented a paper on Analysis and observations of stage 3 and 4 lung cancers using homoeopathic interventions while Dr K M Madhu, superintendent, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala Ayurvedic Hospital and Research Centre, Kochi, presented a paper Integrative oncology-an ayurvedic approach. Dr Bindu John Pulparambil, RMO, Government Homoeo Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, presented a paper on palliative care while Dr Ravi Doctor, associate professor with Virar Homoeopathic Medical College, Mumbai, dealt on clinical assessment of homoeopathy and its role in survival in third and fourth stage cancers. Dr Surendran Veeraiah of Cancer Institute (WIA) presented a paper on psychosocial care in oncology.

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UK expert calls for integration of medicine to combat cancer - The New Indian Express

Even though greens powders are made of nutrient-dense foods, that doesn't mean they're a good idea for everyone. Since greens powders contain vegetables in a condensed form, they're also high in specific vitamins, like vitamin K, that can interfere with blood-clotting medications. If you're on blood thinners or other medications or you have chronic health problems, always check in with your doctor before taking a new supplement, greens powders included.

Even if you don't fall into these categories, it's important to make sure you're getting your greens powders from a trusted source. When it comes to regulation, the supplement industry is a bit of a gray area. Make sure the supplement manufacturer can verify that the greens have been tested for contamination and passed with acceptable levels. It's best to buy from companies whose greens powders have been certified through a third-party testing laboratory, like NSF International. That way, you know you're getting exactly what's listed on the label and nothing else.

And make sure you're sticking to the recommended serving size. More isn't necessarily better since some vitamins can build up in the system and lead to toxicity. A scoop or two per day, along with a healthy, vegetable-rich diet, is all you need.

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Greens Powders Are The Secret To Getting More Veggies: Here's How To Pick One - mindbodygreen.com

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / February 2, 2020 / The crux of Dalas mission is to address rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from a holistic perspective. Traditionally, the US healthcare industry has sought to diagnose and prescribe as necessary. Consequently, it may be a source of global medical innovation but also is burdened with the highest costs globally that achieve mediocre to poor health outcomes.

We have grown to become a nation that is looking for quick fixes, bandaids, or a pill to solve a problem. This complements the healthcare system that addresses highly variable medical conditions with the conventional paradigm of biochemistry and medicine; we treat symptoms, not the underlying problem.

Americas health-care system focuses on curing acute problems but does far too little to support patients with chronic maladies Arthur Kleinman (WSJ article).

At Dala Wellness, founders have thoroughly researched current fixes for RA and developed their own solution via a modular program which includes a supplement, topical solution, and live community board so their members can receive support during their treatment. They are focused on the mind, body, and soul. Fahed Al Essa, founder of Dala Wellness, contributes to this conversation.

How Dala Wellness is challenging the status quo

While many self-focusing treatments leave a myriad of decisions up to the patient, Dala seeks to remove this burden and provide a gentle guide in his/her treatment. While empowering the patient is important, creating a vague, self-guided treatment can lead to decision paralysis and often results in unintended effects and/or no improvement. Dala Wellness is not this type of company. We plan to complement the patients medical journey, not replace it, Essa states.

For example, outside of pharmaceutical interventions, we employ numerous evidence-based complementary therapies that can improve a patients quality of life and ability to manage symptoms, from nutrition support and elimination diets for inflammation to mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy approaches that reframe pain and build resilience. This is in addition to our natural supplements.

Dala Wellness Pioneering an Industry

The short answer is: no, there are no comprehensive treatment programs like Dala that are currently in the market for RA. While the internet postulates the applications of herbal medicine to treat RA, there are no modules that combine natural medicine with mindfulness as specifically to the RA patient subset like Dala does. Dala provides a pathway for patients to combine various facets of integrative medicine to attack RA head-on.

US Expansion for Dala Wellness

The US, as a developed nation, has had notable rates of chronic condition prevalence. This has burdened the system with elevated healthcare costs, epidemics (e.g. opioid crisis in treating chronic pain), and inefficiencies in the healthcare chain. Dala is a pioneer in this realm, seeking to address life with chronic pain. As mentioned by founder Fahed Al Essa, Were supporting the health system in the US rather than adding cost to it. Were hoping to line up efficiencies in care for the patient, which then leads to cost-effectiveness within the system.

The Future of Dala Wellness

Ultimately, the future is providing access to care whatever that means. We want to make our platform affordable and accessible to any RA patient. Wherever that path leads! according to Essa.

The future is exciting. We are excited to help patients, and allow them to get back to doing the things they love doing.

Name: Tyce EscalanteCompany Name: Next Level BrandContact information: Tyce@nextlvlbrand.com

SOURCE: Next Level Brand

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/574757/In-an-Industry-Shaped-by-Decades-of-Decisions-Dala-Wellness-Seeks-to-Challenge-the-Status-Quo-A-Conversation-With-Founder-Fahed-Al-Essa

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In an Industry Shaped by Decades of Decisions, Dala Wellness Seeks to Challenge the Status Quo: A Conversation With Founder Fahed Al Essa - IT...

Jens Ellingsen, 1 Gunnar Johansson, 2 Kjell Larsson, 3 Karin Lisspers, 2 Andrei Malinovschi, 4 Bjrn Stllberg, 2 Marcus Thuresson, 5 Christer Janson 1

1Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; 2Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; 3Integrative Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 4Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; 5Statisticon AB, Uppsala, Sweden

Correspondence: Jens EllingsenDepartment of Medical Sciences, Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Akademiska Sjukhuset, Uppsala SE-751 85, SwedenTel +46 18 611 13 93Fax +46 18 611 02 28Email jens.ellingsen@medsci.uu.se

Background: Life expectancy is significantly shorter for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than the general population. Concurrent diseases are known to infer an increased mortality risk in those with COPD, but the effects of pharmacological treatments on survival are less established. This study aimed to examine any associations between commonly used drugs, comorbidities and mortality in Swedish real-world primary care COPD patients.Methods: Patients with physician-diagnosed COPD from a large primary care population were observed retrospectively, utilizing primary care records and mandatory Swedish national registers. The time to all-cause death was assessed in a stepwise multiple Cox proportional hazards regression model including demography, socioeconomic factors, exacerbations, comorbidities and medication.Results: During the observation period (1999 2009) 5776 (32.5%) of 17,745 included COPD patients died. Heart failure (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74 2.04), stroke (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.40 1.64) and myocardial infarction (HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.24 1.58) were associated with an increased risk of death. Use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS; HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66 0.94), beta-blockers (HR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76 0.97) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77 0.98) was dose-dependently associated with a decreased risk of death, whereas use of long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA; HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.14 1.55) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC; HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.08 1.48) were dose-dependently associated with an increased risk of death in COPD patients.Conclusion: This large, retrospective, observational study of Swedish real-world primary care COPD patients indicates that coexisting heart failure, stroke and myocardial infarction were the strongest predictors of death, underscoring the importance of timely recognition and treatment of comorbidities. A decreased risk of death associated with the use of ICS, beta-blockers and ASA, and an increased risk associated with the use of LAMA and NAC, was also found.

Keywords: observational, LAMA, inhaled corticosteroids, beta-blockers, acetylsalicylic acid, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Impact of Comorbidities and Commonly Used Drugs on Mortality in COPD - | COPD - Dove Medical Press

LOWELL, Mass. A business incubator working to improve the lives of patients with heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders is expanding its reach to the next generation of pioneering biotech and medical-device entrepreneurs.

Heart, lung and blood diseases account for 41 percent of deaths in the United States and lead to more than $400 billion in health-care expenses and lost income to patients and caregivers, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Innovations supported by CAPCaT are devices and technologies well on their way to going to market. Products already being developed at CAPCaT include a product to help critically ill infants sleep better, an online education program for patients to manage hypertension and a portable device that can evaluate how the users platelets are performing. The center also seeks to support technologies that promote holistic methods of managing diseases, including devices that measure stress levels or promote mindfulness.

CAPCaT is one of four centers across the country in the National Institutes of Health Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network, which was created in 2018 to help revolutionize patient care.

M2D2s support of medical-device startups in Massachusetts has contributed $42 million in direct economic impact with a total positive effect of $75 million, according to the UMass Donahue Institute. Expanding CAPCaT is expected to increase this impact.

CAPCaT is an exciting collaboration between clinicians at UMass Medical School and engineers at UMass Lowell that helps medical-device developers as they move their products toward commercialization, knowing these life-changing inventions will help so many patients and transform the industry, said Prof. Bryan Buchholz, co-director of CAPCaT and chairman of UMass Lowells Biomedical Engineering Department.

Successful applicants will receive seed funding and the support of M2D2s medical, business and legal experts as well as those in the private sector and from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Last year, we received 90 expressions of interest from entrepreneurs in 26 states and three countries. We were amazed by the quality of applications we received and cant wait to see what technologies are submitted this year, said Dr. David McManus, CAPCaTs co-director and professor of medicine at UMass Medical School.

About the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center

M2D2 operates laboratories, research and development and other workspace at UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School in Worcester for medical-device and biotech ventures. Since its inception in 2007, M2D2 has assisted more than 100 companies. Each year, the M2D2 $200K Challenge awards seed funding to the best new concepts from early-stage medical device, diagnostic and biotech companies around the globe.

About UMass Lowell

About UMass Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), one of five campuses of the University system, comprises the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing, a thriving research enterprise and an innovative public service initiative, Commonwealth Medicine. Its mission is to advance the health of the people of the commonwealth through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery with its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care. In doing so, it has built a reputation as a world-class research institution and as a leader in primary care education. The Medical School attracts more than $257 million annually in research funding, placing it among the top 50 medical schools in the nation. In 2006, UMMSs Craig C. Mello, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with colleague Andrew Z. Fire, PhD, of Stanford University, for their discoveries related to RNA interference (RNAi). The 2013 opening of the Albert Sherman Center ushered in a new era of biomedical research and education on campus. Designed to maximize collaboration across fields, the Sherman Center is home to scientists pursuing novel research in emerging scientific fields with the goal of translating new discoveries into innovative therapies for human diseases.

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Startup Incubator Aims to Spur Life-Saving Innovations - UMass Lowell

Express News Service

KOCHI: While establishing Soukya Holistic Health Centre in Bengaluru, Dr Issac Mathai had a point to prove; a legitimate integration of medicines will fetch better treatment results. Recognising his methods of treatment, AYUSH Ministry selected it as a model for integrating various systems at government hospitals.Speaking at the International Conference on Integrative Oncology being held here, the doctor demanded the incorporation of alternative medicines at various oncology departments across the country.

Allopathic hospitals should incorporate alternative medicines into their cancer treatment. Though the integration of systems of medicines starts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), it is not being applied in cancer-specific treatment. Government hospitals with oncology departments should include research wings with experts from alternative medicines along with patient care, he said.

The integration will help patients cut down treatment expenses, he said. When developed countries struggle to cope with the huge expense of modern medicines, India cannot move forward with a single method of treatment. Integration of alternative medicines is the only solution for the issue. While allopathy can take care of surgeries and accidents, homoeopathy, ayurveda and naturopathy can be used for chronic diseases. Therapeutic yoga will be effective in every patient, he said. He also called for better coordination from the state government to integrate the medicine systems.

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Govt hosps should try alternatives - The New Indian Express

RMA of Connecticut Acupuncturists Dr. Amy Matton, DACM, L.Ac. and Dr. Elaine Malin, DACM, L.Ac. receive Doctorate degrees from Pacific College of Health and Science.

NORWALK, Conn. (PRWEB) February 04, 2020

RMA of Connecticut, a leading fertility practice whose exceptional quality and care helps couples and individuals grow their family, has announced that Dr. Amy Matton, DACM, L.Ac. and Dr. Elaine Malin, DACM, L.Ac., have received Doctorate degrees in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Health and Science. The doctoral degree focused on increasing clinical skills, patient-centered care, working integratively with Western medicine, and evidence-based practice. As the demand for patient-centered integrative care in the field of fertility increases, Dr. Matton and Dr. Malin will continue to provide patients with natural evidence-based care.

We want to congratulate and acknowledge Dr. Amy Matton and Dr. Elaine Malin for their achievements and dedication in the field of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, says Robin Mangieri, CEO of RMA of Connecticut. We combine the best science has to offer through our esteemed fertility doctors along with our expansive integrative fertility and wellness programs to provide our patients with the best care all under one roof.

Acupuncture can increase fertility by lowering stress and anxiety, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs, and balancing the endocrine system. It can also increase a couples chances of conceiving by helping to keep the normal flow of energy unblocked. RMA of Connecticut was involved in a landmark study indicating pre and post embryo transfer laser acupuncture improves embryo implantation rates by up to 15%.

Dr. Amy Matton, DACM, L.Ac. has been providing traditional and laser acupuncture to women undergoing treatment for infertility at RMA of Connecticut for 15 years. She also serves as the Coordinator for the Integrated Fertility and Wellness Programs (IFW) at RMA of Connecticut. She is a graduate of Pacific College of Health and Science with a doctoral degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, a licensed acupuncturist and certified herbalist. Dr. Mattons areas of expertise include womens health and fertility issues, pain management, anxiety, stress, and adjunctive cancer care.

Dr. Elaine M. Malin, DACM, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and certified herbalist who has worked with RMA of Connecticut patients for seven years. A general practitioner with a broad range of experience, Dr. Malin has specialized training and experience in womens health issues including fertility and pregnancy, as well as in treating anxiety, stress, and their physical manifestations.

RMA of Connecticut is a leader in integrated fertility and wellness with an emphasis on the mind, body, and spirit, which boosts overall health, improves success rates, and enhances the patient experience. To learn more, visit RMACT.com.

About RMA of ConnecticutRMA of Connecticut is a leader in fertility care, specializing in a range of infertility treatments. Our assisted reproductive technologies (ART) include intrauterine insemination (IUI), in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT). RMA of Connecticut is Fairfield Countys largest fertility clinic and egg donation center. Through RMA of Connecticuts Integrated Fertility and Wellness Center, we offer nutrition counseling, individual and couples psychological counseling, acupuncture and yoga, as well as financing and support services for our patients going through infertility treatment.

Our internationally recognized Gay Parents To Be program at RMA of Connecticut specializes in LGBTQ family building. For the last three years, RMA of Connecticut has been recognized as a Leader in Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign.

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RMA of Connecticut Announces Doctorate Achievements for Dr. Amy Matton and Dr. Elaine Malin in the Area of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine - PR Web

Personalized medicine has taken a big step forward with the launch of non-profit n-Lorem Foundation, which will create patient-tailored antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics for people with rare diseases at no cost to the patients. This comes at the same time as custom gene therapies for rare disease patients are being developed, including some combined with CRISPR. As a result, more peopleeven those with ultra-rare diseasescould finally have access to treatments.

The process of developing these treatments is still burdensome and expensive. Only a few patients will benefit at first. But this concept has only been a dream until now, with most of these patients being completely shut out of the typical drug development process. Whats more, the scientists and sponsors pioneering these approaches are hoping to create blueprints for the treatment of ultra-rare diseases in general.

One of the goals is to create a replicable protocol, said Simon Frost, the father of Annabel Frost, a child who suffers from the ultra-rare disease alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC). We want to do it for our disease, and then take that process and give it to more patients across many more diseases. Frost, who is CEO of Tiber Capital Group, has been in discussions with multiple labs and investigating several approaches, including ASOs, gene editing, and gene therapy.

The blueprint for the ASO-based approach was a made-to-order treatment for a child with Battens disease, a rare neurodegenerative disorder. In 2018, Timothy Yu, a doctor at Boston Childrens Hospital, sequenced the genome in then six-year-old Mila to diagnose the condition. It turned out Mila had a retrotransposon which had inserted into her CLN7 gene. That aberration was blocking normal protein production by that gene.

Yus team then created a tailor-made ASO, which they called milasen, to mask the mutation in Milas genome, as detailed last year in the New England Journal of Medicine. It took about one year from sequencing to delivery of the therapy. Then, nine months after her treatment began, Milas doctors reported being hopeful about her prognosis, although they noted that she may already have experienced substantial effects from the disease. Hundreds of people, including parents and researchers, have since reached out to Yu to try and have this process replicated. Yus lab is reportedly developing several more personalized oligos, including ones for a rare form of epilepsy and ataxia-telangiectasia, which is a neurological disease.

Addressing the challenges

The demand for more custom ASOs is intense. But there are many issues standing in the way of such therapies.

ASOs are at the point where the investment in the technology has paid off commercially, said Art Krieg, an expert in oligonucleotide therapeutics as well as founder and chief scientific officer of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. And now Tim Yu has shown the process for making customized ASOs. The questions is whether you can standardize that and could companies find it profitable to develop those therapies. Further, ASOs only block mutations and need to be given for life.

n-Lorem is funded with $1.5 million from Ionis (formerly Isis) Pharmaceuticals, another $1.5 million from Ioniss founder and former CEO Stanley Crooke and his wife Rosanne Crooke (a researcher at Ionis), $1 million from Biogen, and additional funds from other donors. Crooke started Ionis in 1989, as a pioneer in RNA-targeted therapeutics. Today, the company has three drugs on the market and more than 30 in development for a wide range of conditions. Biogen is partnered with Ionis on several of these.

Biogen declined to comment for this article, but sent this statement: Antisense oligonucleotides have been a game changer in the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and we believe they could hold promise in tackling other diseases. So, we are pleased to help support the establishment of n-Lorem Foundation and their mission to provide advanced, experimental RNA-targeted medicines free of charge to patients with ultra-rare diseases.

I knew we could do this and I knew there was a need, said Crooke, who started working on n-Lorem two years ago. But he also realized it was going to be challenging. The patients need a full genomic workup, and you need an investigator who can submit the IND and oversee it, he said. One major development that convinced Crooke the concept was feasible was the 2014 establishment of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN), a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund. The UDN comprises clinical and research experts from across the U.S. who work to solve medical mysteries. As of 2019, 12 UDN clinical sites were open.

While UDN will be a key source of qualified patients, Crooke says n-Lorem will not be restricted to those. We announced the launch last week, and we already have six proposals for patients to treat. But patients need a confirmed genetic diagnosis and treating physicians. Then they must submit a proposal to treat to n-Lorems Access to Treatment Committee.

Another critical issue is the FDAs response. Crooke said he has already approached regulators and they are supportive. But n-of-1 trials like these raise special issues. In an editorial that accompanied the Yu teams report in NEJM, FDA regulators point out the many challenges to evaluating n-of-1 drugs what are the differences between treating one, ten, or thousands of patients? they asked.

But they also acknowledge that the field is moving ahead rapidly. Academic clinicianinvestigators now have the capacity to rapidly uncover specific mutations and pinpoint the putative mechanisms leading to certain rare disease phenotypes. Various ASOs or other compounds can be produced by third parties, and investigators can evaluate them using in vitro assays or animal models, the regulators wrote. FDA is holding a workshop in March on individualized therapies to try and advance thinking around this topic.

Ioniss long experience with ASOs should help in this regard. There are several generations, or classes, of ASOs that the company has developed over the last 30 years. Many years ago I began putting together integrative safety databases about the different classes of ASOs we have developed, Crooke says. Each class has generally similar properties, but they also have important differences such has ligands that work in different organs. Ionis has published on these databases and the properties they reveal, as well as providing the FDA access to the databases. That doesnt mean, however, that researchers will be able to predict all the effects of any ASO in any patient.

Finally, there is the question of cost, which is a particular boondoggle for rare diseases. We know this is feasible but we want to reduce the costs as far as we can, Crooke says. n-Lorem and Biogen are both already working on processes to further cut costs, But we will need to raise even more money to help more patients, he added. Patients shouldnt have to be on the internet raising funds for this.

While hes aware of the challenges, Crooke said hes feeling optimistic. Ive been overwhelmingly impressed with the commitment and advice weve gotten from physicians, experts on antisense and clinical trials,and others. He also hopes more modalities, besides ASOs will be able to work with n-Lorem and start similar endeavors. Im hopeful a gene therapy company can join us or do the same thing, he noted.

Gene therapy too

While there is nothing equal to n-Lorem yet, other researchers are already pursuing customized gene therapies, even for patients who have mutations that are very rare or that are not correctable with standardized gene therapy.

Monkol Lek, for example, is a geneticist at Yale who has been working on a gene therapy for a single patient with an ultra-rare mutation in a muscular dystrophy gene. There are more than 30 types of muscular dystrophy, and some are caused by mutations that affect different genes or varying sections within those genes. Lek himself has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (MD). When he was first diagnosed, he remembers hearing over and over again that there were no treatments for his condition.

That was enough to inspire Lek to leave a career in IT while in his 20s and obtain degrees in physiology, bioinformatics, and genetics. Soon after he arrived at Yale in 2018, Lek met Rich Horgan, founder of the non-profit Cure Rare Disease, and whose younger brother Terry has a type of MD. Lek analyzed Terrys genomic data, and found he is missing the dystrophin genes promoter region, which needs to be activated in order for that protein to be made. Terry is also missing part of exon 1, which is also necessary to generate the production of dystrophin.

While they originally considered using ASOs, Rich Horgan and Lek realized that wasnt feasible because rather than needing to turn off a gene, they needed to turn on a gene, or at least its promoter.

One twist in this particular case is that people have two alternative versions, or isoforms, of this promoter and exon 1one set in muscle cells and another in brain cells. With that in mind, Lek is using a modified version of CRISPR called no-cut CRISPR to introduce a transcription activator attached to the Cas9 enzyme to turn on the brain-specific set, and thus make up for the deficit in muscle. He uses an AAV and CRISPR activation construct as well as guide RNA to direct the CRISPR to the right spot in the DNA.

Lek has already tested his putative therapy on Terrys cells and successfully corrected the mutated gene in the lab. Next, the treatment will be tested in mice. However, Lek is also exploring the possibility of an n-of-1 clinical trial in which the therapy would only be tested in Terry or anyone with his specific mutation.

Rich Horgans Cure Rare Disease group is now leading new projects for two boys with different forms of Duchenne MD as well as a patient with the limb girdle form of the disease.

Frost, meanwhile, is still investigating the best options for treating his daughter Annabel. His family has spent $250,000 so far and he expects it will cost another $250,000 to $500,000 to reach proof of concept. Annabels mutation is in ATP1A3, a gene that is associated with at least 12 different rare diseases (See table). However, Annabels specific mutation is very rare. Were not sure yet how many of these other conditions would be treated by the same transgene, but it could be a large proportion, Frost said.

Krieg noted that we are not yet at the point where any for profit company will want to develop n-of-1 therapies. It doesnt cost that much to manufacture DNA, and its a fully automated process, he said. It has taken billions of dollars already to get the technology this far and develop applications for some more common diseases. But the overall cost of lifetime treatment is still prohibitive. Right now, I dont know why any company would want to do this, he added. But there will come a time when there are the right incentives and someone will try it.

For families such as Annabel Frosts, these developments are still encouraging, and give them hope that they can help shape the future of the new field of n-of-1 therapeutics. This also supports the idea that more children should undergo whole genome sequencing as soon after birth as possible. With many rare diseases, the damage is compounded the longer the child is untreated. Further, greater understanding of how the full range of possible mutations in any gene impact health, and how that can be treated, will press the field forward.

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Dawn of the Customized Cure - Clinical OMICs News

World Cancer Day: Processed food, junk food and aerated drinks can increase risk of cancer

World Cancer Day is observed on February 4. Every year, the Union for International Cancer Control organises Cancer Day to raise awareness about cancer, tips for prevention and how to ease suffering for cancer patients. The theme for World Cancer 2020 is "I am and I will". World Cancer Day 2020 theme acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to act in the face of cancer. Cancer is referred to uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancer develops when the body's normal control mechanism stops working. Old cells are unable to diet and they instead grow out of control, forming new and abnormal cells.

A poor lifestyle with lack of exercise, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle is one of the many reasons why more and more people are getting cancer, believes lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho. Following is a list of cancer-causing foods and drinks that you must avoid:

Research has found that the more alcohol you drink, the higher is your risk of developing cancer. Excessive alcohol intake puts you at risk of liver, breast, oesophageal and colorectal cancer. When the body metabolises alcohol, it produces acetaldehyde, which is a chemical compound that may damage DNA, leading to cancer. This World Cancer Day, pledge to limit your alcohol intake and try to get off it in full entirety. Note that no amount of alcohol (not even two drinks in a day) is healthy for your body.

Reduce your alcohol intake in order to prevent cancerPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:Is Alcohol Consumption Linked To Heart Disease: Let's Find Out

Processed food is one of the unhealthiest foods you can include in your diet. Processed and packaged food are devoid of any nutrition. They contain high amounts of unhealthy carbs, leading to weight gain and obesity-which is a known risk factor for cancer. Processed meat like sausage, bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni and salami are even more harmful. They are made with chemical preservatives, salting and smoking to increase their shelf life. Studies have found that processed meat can increase risk of colorectal cancer. Celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar says that you should avoid everything that comes in a packet, and this includes everything from soya and kale chips to tomato ketchup, condiments and dips, etc.

Switch to fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade spices and food instead of processed food to reduce your risk of cancer.

Sugary drinks like diet soda and aerated drinks are the ones that cause weight gain and provide you with zero nutrition. These drinks contain artificial sweeteners that have been found to increase risk of cancer. Instead of aerated drinks, have lemon water, coconut water, sugarcane juice or unsweetened fresh fruit juice to reduce your risk of developing cancer.

Avoid aerated drinks to reduce your risk of cancerPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:Nmami Agarwal Decodes Health Risks Associated With Sugary Drinks: You Will Be Surprised To Know These

No matter how quick and convenient microwave popcorn are, they are doing more harm to your health than you can imagine. Microwave popcorn bag linings contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which can be carcinogenic. The better alternative is to get fresh corn and prepare popcorn at home. It might take a few extra minutes but can reduce your risk of developing cancer.

Smoking is a lifestyle habit and is cancerous, as you all know. The top most cause of lung cancer in the world is smoking. Apart from cancer, smoking can cause coughing, breathing problems, asthma and a lot of other ailments that can affect your day-to-day functioning and reduce your lifespan. Take professional help if you are unable to quit smoking. Start with reducing one cigarette at a time. There is no tomorrow for quitting smoking.

Hydrogenated oil are commonly used for preserving processed foods and increasing their shelf life. Hydrogenated oils have the capability to alter structure and flexibility of cell membranes throughout the body, increasing your risk of cancer. Avoid foods with trans fats and saturated fats in order to reduce your cancer risk.

Along with avoiding these foods and drinks, you also need to be physically active and exercise regularly. Regular exercise can reduce your risk of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity and weight gain. This World Cancer Day, make more and more people aware of these cancerous foods, drinks and lifestyle habits and do your part in making the world cancer-free.

Also read:World Cancer Day: Follow These Expert Guidelines To Reduce The Risk Of Breast Cancer

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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World Cancer Day 2020: 6 Cancer-Causing Foods And Drinks That You Need To Quit Now - NDTV News

Your thoughts make up your feelings. So, the amount of time you spend on a thought, be it happy or unhappy, is going to affect your feeling and mood. Feeding unhappy thoughts can make you unhappy. Unhappiness causes discomfort, which in the long run leads to diseases.

Staying happy is important to stay stress-free and disease-free

Some of the most common diseases like obesity, diabetes, PCOD and thyroid are related to poor lifestyle. A poor lifestyle is a combination of poor eating habits, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking alcohol regularly and irresponsibly, chronic stress, anxiety and lack of sleep. According to lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho, one thing which is common in people with lifestyle is unhappiness. Unhappiness, he says, is the major cause of most lifestyle-related diseases. It is important to understand that happiness is something which you cannot seek from outside or from someone else and should come from within.

As part of a live session on Facebook, Luke says that unhappiness causes discomfort. Too much of discomfort ultimately leads to development of a disease. "Unhappiness comes from unhappy thoughts. Your thoughts are everything," says Luke.

Do not unnecessarily feed unhappy thoughts as they can make you feel stressed and uncomfortablePhoto Credit: iStock

The idea is to understand that even one happy unhappy or negative thought can make you feel uncomfortable and stressed, and ultimately affect your health negatively.

Also read:Can Stress And Anxiety Cause Hair Loss? Know Types And Ways To Hair Fall

Your thoughts make up your feelings. So, the amount of time you spend on a thought, be it happy or unhappy, is going to affect your feeling and mood.

"You are going to experience both happy and unhappy, jealous or angry, positive or negative thoughts. What matters is how much attention you pay to each of these thoughts," Luke explains.

Happiness exists independently of circumstances and conditions. As mentioned above, it comes from within and is not dependent on anything or anyone. So, a boss' feedback, an increment letter or a perfect life partner are not factors that are going to make you happy.

Happiness cannot have conditions. Conditioning it with a certain amount of money or any other kind of gain is going to make you miserable and prone to diseases.

Do not seek happiness from something or someone else. Happiness comes from withinPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:5 Worst Inflammation Causing Foods: Avoid Them To Prevent Diseases

Thus, it is important to decide that you need to be happy by thinking of the things that are going well for you at the moment. It is important for both your physical and mental health.

Pay less attention to unhappy thoughts. Stop feeding them as unhappy thoughts lead to unhappy feelings. Do not expect your happiness from someone else. It is your responsibility and once you decide it, there is nothing that can stop you from being happy, stress-free and disease-free.

Also read:5 Lifestyle Habits That Can Help You Live Longer, Be Disease-Free

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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Want To Be Disease-Free? This One Lifestyle Change Is All You Need! - Doctor NDTV

A foundation has gifted $18 million to UCLA Health to expand an integrative patient-care program, according to a university press release Thursday.

The Simms/Mann Family Foundations donation will expand the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology which focuses on psychosocial care intended for cancer patients and their families in California. This holistic approach includes psychiatric care, along with educational programs about nutrition and meditation.

The foundations donation is led by Victoria Mann Simms and Ronald Simms, who have previously donated to programs that work to advance integrative medicine and provide care to cancer patients. Their donation will provide funding for the center.

The endowment will also improve a training program offered by the center that trains providers in integrative care.

Since the centers founding, it has cared for over 50,000 patients, held more than 310 lectures and provided training for over 100 fellows for oncology-based psychosocial care around the country.

The Simms/Mann Foundation has now donated over $33 million to UCLA. The donors are also founding board members of the Geffen Playhouse and are credited with supporting other UCLA programs, such as the Jules Stein Eye Institute.

Link:
Foundation donates $18M to expand psychosocial care for cancer patients - Daily Bruin

Rather than fight an energy dip with caffeine in the afternoon, Daniel Hatch closes his eyes and puts on headphones to block noise. He focuses on breathing deeply through his nose and out of his mouth for five minutes.

For me, Ive found that meditating in the afternoon is almost like taking a nap, said Hatch, a biostatistician for the Duke School of Nursing. I feel less anxious afterward. It calms me down and I feel refocused.

Meditation, the practice of observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment, can be a beneficial habit for reducing anxiety, depression and high blood pressure and improving sleep, according to the National Institution for Healths National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Focusing on your breathing is one way to be in the moment. Take a look at four other pieces of advice from Duke University and Health System experts on starting your own meditation practice.

For two decades, Duke neurosurgeon Patrick Codd has practiced Zen, a sect of Buddhism that aims for enlightenment through meditation.

He suggests starting with two minutes of meditation each day and increasing to five, then 10 minutes, as youre able to complete each length of time. Codd started meditating in five minute increments and now does it two to three times a week. He sits on a comfortable cushion in a quiet room and turns his attention toward counting his breaths for about 30 minutes.

Youll get frustrated and give up if you over challenge yourself, Codd said. Know that its going to take some practice. Any little bit can count.

When Jocelyn Weiss needs to focus energy, she takes a short walk from her office to a Duke Integrative Medicine meditation room, where she sits on a cushion, closes her eyes and takes deep breaths.

Its good to have an area specifically for meditation, said Weiss, Duke Integrative Medicines education and training coordinator. Its like avoiding your bed for anything but sleep. You want your mind and body to know thespace is designated to meditate.

At home, Weiss uses a corner in her bedroom for meditation. She sits on a cushion and places incense and flowers on a low table.

Create a space that makes you comfortable and is free of distractions, offering the greatest opportunity to focus on your practice, Weiss said. If you need back support, you can lean against a wall. If you like certain aromas, then have them nearby.

By her sophomore year at Duke, Natasha Gupta had a hard time shaking anxiety about balancing coursework and social pursuits.

After years of ignoring her dads advice to meditate, she gave the practice a shot with Duke Universitys student-led Buddhist Meditation Community and fell in love with meditation.

I felt calmer and like I had more space in my head, said Gupta, now a senior majoring in economics and English. Meditation helped me come to terms with my emotions.

Gupta leads one of two weekly guided meditation classes at the Student Wellness Center. The classes continue through the academic year and are open to all Duke community members. Check the Student Wellness Centers website for updates on time and location.

Gupta said finding a community was essential to her practice. It gave her a designated time to meditate each week and friends to discuss her struggles and successes.

They helped me get started, she said. Now, they hold me accountable.

Sometimes Jocelyn Weiss needs a little assistance to get into the right headspace for meditation.

She gets help from InsightTimer, a free app for Apple and Android users that has about 30,000 guided meditation programs in a range of topics from helping the user prepare for sleep, to feeling more gratitude to dealing with stress.

Headspace is also available for a free trial on Apple and Android software. The app has guided meditation and mindfulness sessions to help with focus, anxiety, sport performance, sleep and more.

The app can be that little push I need to get me going, Weiss said.

WATCH our short video to learn about the benefits of practicing mindfulness.

Have a story idea or news to share?Shareit with Working@Duke.

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5 Easy Ways to Start Meditating - Duke Today

Lu Quang Pham was just weeks into his first year of medical school at Oakland University last fall when he already felt completely overwhelmed.

There was endless studyingand classes. Before moving to Michigan, the California nativestruggled with panic attacks. Talking to his brother or parentsalways helped him feel better when one hit, but his family wasn't nearby anymore.

Then Pham, 28, heard about a special training program right on campus designed tohelp medical students better manage their stress,take care of themselves and prevent burnout. It was called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Offered by Beaumont Hospital's Center for Mindfulness, Pham took the eight-week class late last year. Today, he feels so much better about the long, stressful road ahead to becoming a doctor.

Dr. Ruth Lerman, left, and Lucy Sternburgh extend their arms into a yoga position as part of one class.(Photo: Beaumont Hospital)

"I found it extremely valuable," Pham said. "It taught me to createa habit to dedicate time to my mind and toself-care."

Mindfulness -- a practice once considered on the fringesof treatment options-- is moving into the mainstream these days as an effective tool for reducing stress and even managing chronic pain.

There's a Mindful magazine. Time Magazine put the practice on its cover, calling it a "Mindful Revolution." And schools across the country are incorporating mindfulness into their curriculumsto ease student anxiety.

Mindfulness programs are popping up across Michigan. The Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness offers a range of classes and has eight instructors. The University of Michigan Health System offers drop-in classes for staff and students. And the Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness has classes for adults and children as young as 9.

"Students are drawn to our classes, retreats and events to learn more

about mindfulness, support their own practice and enhance their sense

of well-being," said Claire Weiner, an instructor at the Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness.

Beaumont's Center for Mindfulness, which opened in 2014,teaches eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses three times a year to both employees and the public.

Experts say mindfulness is a type of awareness that uses different methods, including yoga and meditation, to help people focus on their thoughts, physical feelings and surroundings in the present moment. But it isn't about relaxation.

Dr. Ruth Lerman, left, and Lucy Sternburgh, center, teach a class as part of Beaumont's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course.(Photo: Elizabeth Debeliso)

"The primary intent behind mindfulness is not relaxation; it's awareness," said Dr. RuthLerman, a breast care specialist, mindfulness teacher and medical director of Beaumont Center for Mindfulness.

And research shows that it works. In a study published in 2012 in the Annals of Surgical Oncology by Lerman, Robert Jarski and several medical students, they found Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction helped improve the recovery of breast cancer survivors, significantly improving their quality of life and reducing symptoms of stress.

Lerman said she did the study because mindfulness wasn't on her colleagues' radar asa tool to help cancer survivors or to manage chronic pain.

"I had to put it in a context and a language that gave it validity," said Lerman.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction was founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, now aprofessor emeritus of medicine. In the latethe 1970s,he recruited chronically ill patients who weren't responding to traditional medicine to try a new stress reduction program. It has since become known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Kabat-Zinn went on to found theStress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Lerman, a three-time breast cancer survivor, discovered Kabat-Zinn and mindfulness during her second bout with cancer. She said while she was emotionally able to process having cancer the first time, it hit her hard the second time. She reacted more like a regular person than a doctor, she said.

"I was scared," she said.

Looking for tools to cope,Lerman reached out to Rachel Remen, a renownedexpert on integrative medicine, who suggested she take up yoga. Yoga eventually led Lerman to Kabat-Zinn and mindfulness.

"It's about being present in what's happening in the moment," said Lerman, who eventually became an instructor and taught some of her first classes to doctors and cancer survivors.

Lucy Sternburgh,program manager of Beaumont's Center for Mindfulness, studied the mind-body connection during graduate school. She remembers working in Beaumont's cardiac rehab unitwhere they taught patientsphysical exercises but never touched on the stress component.

"For me, it was very apparent that there was a very unaddressed emotional and stress issue," said Sternburgh, who discovered Kabat-Zinn and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction while getting her doctorate.

Sternburgh, who at one point managed Beaumont's employee wellness programs,eventually started offering lunchtime mindfulness seminars to Beaumont employees. She said there's an "emotional overload" that health care workers face.

"And it manifests itself as a physical shutdown," said Sternburgh. "For health care workers, it's this sense of 'I have nothing left to give.' It's numbness."

But surveys taken before and after Beaumont's eight-week classes show mindfulness can help.

During a recent orientation session on a blustery day in late January, a group of roughly a dozen people of all ages and races, mostly women,gathered for an orientation session to learn more about Beaumont's eight-week course at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. Classes also are offered at Royal Oak Beaumont.

Several people had been referred by the Karmanos Cancer Center. Some were battling breast cancer. One woman was a social worker. Another had heard about the training through a colleague and decided to check it out.

Sternburgh led the group through the history of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and what would be required over the next eight weeks. At-home daily meditation is a requirement of the class. The course also culminates with a day-long silent retreat to really solidify each person's practice.

Alumni and current students of Beaumont's mindfulness program gather for an all-day silent retreat.(Photo: Elizabeth Debeliso)

During a brief 10-minute meditation session during the orientation, Sternburgh guided the group to pay attention to sounds, surroundings and how each person was feeling. When it was over, one woman began to cry. She'd recently lost her daughter, after both her husband and son had died.

"I had to let it out," she said.

Sternburgh believes one reason mindfulness has grown in popularity is because so many people feel isolatedin today's chaotic world.

"I really do think there's an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that is painful for people," she said. "And so much of digital and social media doesn't fill that void of meaningfulness and connection."

Surveys both before and after Beaumont's classes have found a decrease in burnout and increased feelings of peacefulness, said Sternburgh.

"Its like theyve been looking for the answers outwardly," said Sternburgh. "Theyve rarely seen their inner resources."

Lexi Gird, a graduate student who lives in Hazel Park, took Beaumont's course last year and calls it a "profound experience." She's still practicing what she learned, practicing daily meditation while attending a weekly meditation class and yoga.

"I just loved the whole process," she said. "Just being with the group and having just a dedicated space just to check in every week that was designated for stress reduction was just really important."

Gird even took her training a step further when she attended a five-day silent retreat -- which includes no cellphones and no talking at all -- at a center in Clarkston.

"It really solidified my practice," Gird said.

Dr. Ruth Lerman, center, leads an exercise during a mindfulness class.(Photo: Elizabeth Debeliso)

Lerman admits that mindfulness isn't for everyone. It takes practice. And Beaumont's classes aren't cheap -- they're $350 for an eight-week session, though scholarships are available.

But with home practice, "it's wonderfully transformational," said Lerman.

As for Pham, he's still practicing what he learned and thinks more medical students should take the training. He likes to do a walking meditation as he walks to class, focusing on how he's feeling at that moment.

He hasn't had a panic attack since he took the mindfulness course.

"I feel much less stressed," he said. "It's had such a positive impact on my well-being."

mfeighan@detroitnews.com

What is Mindfulness

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Need to tame your stress? Try mindfulness - The Detroit News

Facebook/PoliceMelissa Smith is accused of murder in the fatal shooting of her husband, Red Bank Police Officer James "Chip" Smith, in Tennessee.

Melissa Smith is a 37-year-old Tennessee woman who has been charged with first-degree murder after police say she shot and killed her husband, Red Bank Police Officer James Smith, during an argument in a parking lot in the Kodak community of Sevierville, Tennessee. James Smith, 41, who went by Chip Smith, was shot in the abdomen about 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, 2020, and later died at a nearby hospital, the Sevierville Police Department said.

The Red Bank Police Department said in a statement, Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Smiths family during this difficult time. Officer Smith has many years of law enforcement service. He honorably and faithfully served this agency and community. We want to take this opportunity to ask for everyones support during this very difficult time. Please keep his family, friends and fellow law enforcement family in your thoughts and prayers.

The Sevierville Police Department said officers responded to a shooting at 3099 Winfield Dunn Parkway, a highway rest stop and visitors center, at 7:23 p.m. on Saturday. The officers found an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center by the Sevier County Ambulance Service and was pronounced dead, police said. Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene and Melissa Smith was taken into custody.

Heres what you need to know about Melissa Smith and the fatal shooting of Red Bank Police Officer James Chip Smith:

Melissa Smith and James Smith.

Melissa Smith told police she was with her husband at the Old Tennessee Distillery Company for about two hours before the argument and shooting occurred and they had been drinking, according to court documents obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The newspaper reports that officers found Melissa Smith kneeling next to her husband with her hand on his abdomen after the shooting.

Melissa Smith told police she and her husband began arguing in the car after they left the distillery, and James Smith pulled into a parking lot as it escalated, the Times Free Press reported.

The two exited the vehicle and continued to argue until Melissa Smith went back to the vehicle, grabbed a pistol and shot James Smith, the newspaper wrote, citing court documents. Melissa Smith admitted to shooting James Smith with the pistol, according to court records. A .380 semi-automatic pistol was found at the scene.

Melissa Smith and James Chip Smith had been married since August 17, 2002, according to Melissas Facebook page.

The couple has a 14-year-old son together, according to Melissa Smiths Facebook page. They live in Soddy-Daisy.

FacebookMelissa and James Smith.

Chip Smith was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2007 while he was a detective with the Soddy-Daisy Police Department, according to an article in The Chattanoogan from the time.

According to a complaint obtained by The Chattanoogan, James Smith and his wife got into an argument that led to a physical confrontation. Police said Melissa Smith confronted her husband on a marital issue and he grabbed her and threw her across a bed onto their child, the news site reported.

Mrs. Smith said her husband was on top of her and began strangling her with his hands around her neck. She said they began screaming and hitting each other, the news site wrote. Mrs. Smith said she ran into another room and called 911 on her cell phone. She said her husband grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. She said he pushed her down on a couch, but she was able to get away. Officers said they saw injuries to the right side of Mrs. Smiths neck as well as injuries on her left arm.

The case was dismissed in January 2008.

Melissa Marlow Smith works at CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates, a family medical practice in Chattanooga, according to her Facebook profile. It is not clear what her job at the medical practice is.

According to her Facebook page, she was born and raised in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and graduated from Soddy-Daisy High School in 2000, two years before she and Chip Smith married.

Chip Smith is also from Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and graduated from Chattanooga State Community College, according to his Facebook page.

The Red Bank Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook about the death of James Smith that they, lost an outstanding officer and friend yesterday.

James Chip Smith and his son.

The department said, He also served several other law enforcement agencies and communities including the Soddy-Daisy Police Department and Chattanooga Police Department. As a law enforcement officer, he devoted himself to protecting the citizens of these communities. For those that ever met him or know him, they know that he was kind and always willing to do anything to help you. His loss will leave a void at our agency and the law enforcement community.

Chattanooga Police told the Times Free Press, they are ready to provide any patrol or special coverage needed by Red Bank Police Department as they grieve the loss of their officer and friend.

The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office said in a statement, We are saddened by the loss of a fellow officer in such tragic circumstances. Our hearts go out to Chief Seymour and our brothers in blue at the Red Bank Police Department during this very difficult time. Chip has served his community for many years as both a volunteer fireman and law enforcement officer. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

On Facebook, the Hamilton County Emergency Medical Service wrote, Chip was both an on duty and off duty friend to many of us here at HCEMS, and we are devastated by the news of his death. Chip was also a well known individual in the Soddy Daisy community, and he will be mourned by many. Godspeed Brother.

Melissa Smith is being held at the Sevier County Jail, according to police. Smith was booked into the jail at 1 a.m. on February 2. She was charged with first-degree murder and carrying a weapon while under the influence, according to online jail records.

She is being held in $1 million bail and has a March 2 court date scheduled on the weapon charge and a March 20 court date on the murder charge. It is not clear if she has appeared before a judge already.

Smith could not be reached for comment by Heavy and it is not known if she has hired an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

The Sevierville Police Department said in a statement, The investigation is ongoing and no additional information is available at this time.

READ NEXT: Recent College Grad Shot Dead While Driving with Boyfriend

Continued here:
Melissa Smith: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know - Heavy.com

I want to make it clear right at the outset that I have a real aversion to injectables. Each to their own, really, and one must never say never. But today, when I say needles, Im not talking about Botox or fillers but acupuncture cosmetic acupuncture to be precise.

I started this treatment in January last year to prevent my endometriosis from recurring. My gynaecologist is a big believer in this 2,000-year-old science, and encouraged me to try the alternative route. The thing with acupuncture is that youll see changes in four to five sittings. Pain reduction, in fact, is instant. The degree of pain may be lesser in the first sitting, but soon youll find complete relief. I can say this with confidence because Ive experienced it.

In spring, as I began to feel better, I decided to try cosmetic acupuncture. Someone told me about a Delhi designer whose chronic acne got cured under the deft hands of Dr Adil Khan, my acupuncturist in Nizamuddin West, Delhi. He began practicing as a teenager with the senior Dr Khan, his father, and the man who first brought this practice to India. It made sense really, to work on my skin. I was going three times a week in any case needles on my body and my face was an optimum usage of time. I told Dr Khan to work on tightening my skin, especially the jawline. I could work on texture with skincare and radiance with food, but skin tightening has never been possible without daily massages, injectables or petit surgery.

I got several other women at the yoga studio to try cosmetic acupuncture with me. My friend who works in fashion went to de-puff her under-eye bags. In a few sessions, they were gone. My mother, too, is visiting the kind doctor for puffiness and cervical, and yes, its working for both. After the second sitting, my mothers face looks healthier and clearer, and she didnt feel dizzy when she made kheer in the evening. My mother calls acupuncture addictive because of the results. My fellow yoga teacher nailed it when she said that with this treatment, you get the kind of glow when youre in love, but without being in love.

And what about me? Sculpted, tightened and glowing. My facial contours look more defined and lifted when I get my treatments done regularly. But it is no injectable. These are just needles releasing the lymph, detoxifying the skin, and balancing qi (energy or prana). One integrative medicine expert called facial acupuncture a Botox alternative. The only caveat is that you have to get it done weekly. And thats the thing with holistic therapies regularity is essential. The other way to keep the skin lifted and tightened is facial massage. (Please Google Tanaka Face Massage and thank me later). But that should be done every day.

The point is that this is an easy, inexpensive treatment. There is nothing injected into the skin. The results are instant: you can (and must) get facial acupuncture before a party. What I find best about this technique is that theres a clear mind-body benefit. It is impossible to imagine drifting off to sleep with needles on your face and body, but it happens very naturally. Acupuncture trance is real: as the needles work on your internal and external health, youll find yourself falling into a light, lucid sleep. There are so many times when I go for a session after a night spent twisting and turning. When that happens I just ask Dr Khan to give me a few extra points for sleep, and I get my power nap for the day.

There are many centres in Delhi where you can get acupuncture like Dr Raman Kapur at Gangaram Hospital, who has helped many people with serious health problems. In Dehradun, theres Dr Jitendra Uniyal, and in Mumbai, Dr Jasmine Modi, who comes highly recommended by IVF specialist Dr Firuza Parikh. I travel from Gurugram to Nizamuddin (an hours drive) to get my needles. Im only sad that that I didnt discover it before.

A column to remind you about all things skin deep.

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Down to the needle: what to expect from cosmetic acupuncture - The Hindu

Its known that drinking more water can help lower the likelihood of urinary tract infections (UTIs) by flushing out bacteria present in the urinary tract. But what about the food we consume? Can what we eat (or avoid) help reduce the risk of a UTI?

The answer is yes, according to new research, published January 30 in Scientific Reports, which found that the overall risk of developing a UTI was lower in vegetarians compared with meat eaters.

RELATED: Is There a UTI-Causing Superbug Lurking in Your Gut?

The study took place in Taiwan, where investigators recruited participants from among volunteers of Tzu Chi, an organization of Buddhists who participate in a variety of charity and disaster-relief efforts. About one-third of the members are vegetarians, and all volunteers must agree to swear off alcohol and smoking to join the group.

Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire, which included whether they identified as a vegetarian. Individuals who said they were vegetarian but reported eating meat or fish as part of their diet were classified as non-vegetarians. After researchers excluded people under 20, those with incomplete questionnaires, and those with a history of UTI, 9,724 subjects remained: 3,257 vegetarians and 6,467 non-vegetarians.

Investigators followed participants from 2005 to 2014 through the National Health Insurance Program, which covers nearly 100 percent of the population, to identify any diagnosis of a UTI. At the end of the study period, 217 people in the vegetarian group had been diagnosed with a UTI compared with 444 people in the non-vegetarian group.

RELATED: What Is a Flexitarian Diet? What to Eat and How to Follow the Plan

That difference translated into a 16 percent lower overall risk of UTI for vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians. In a further subgroup analysis, a vegetarian diet was significantly associated with a reduced risk of UTI mainly in females, according to the authors.

After adjusting for various chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, the vegetarian diet seemed to have a protective effect against UTIs for women, but no distinct difference was found in males, the authors write. The risk reduction was also present in nonsmokers for uncomplicated UTIs which are those that crop up in otherwise healthy people.

Women are more likely than men to get a UTI; 60 percent of women will have at least one UTI in their lifetime compared with only 12 percent of men. This is because women have shorter urethras than men, meaning that bacteria has a shorter distance to travel to get to the bladder, according to the Urology Care Foundation.

Because vegetarian diets are associated with different bacteria flora in the gastrointestinal system, it isnt surprising that the risk of UTI was lower in this group, says Chin-Lon Lin, MD, the lead author and a professor at Tzu Chi University in Taiwan.

Dr. Lin suspects that the risk reduction is due to the combination of more vegetables and the elimination of meat. But we do think meat plays a more important role because it changes the intestinal flora, says Lin.

The strains of E. coli that cause the majority of UTIs are known as extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), and they can colonize and infect normally sterile body sites. Researchers theorize that by eliminating meat, particularly pork and poultry, which are known to contain these strains of E. coli bacteria, people are less likely to introduce the bacteria into their bowel and therefore lower the risk that the bacteria will travel to the urethra.

Another potential contributor could be the high fiber content in vegetarian diets. Because of the way fiber is metabolized, it decreases the pH in the gut, which in turn may inhibit the growth of E. coli, the authors write.

RELATED: 9 Things You Should Know Before You Go Vegetarian

Although these findings are intriguing, there are a number of other factors in the Buddhist lifestyle beyond dietary ones, says Yufang Lin, MD, an integrative internal medicine doctor at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who was not involved in this research. This makes it difficult to attribute the reductions in urinary tract infections to the effects of diet alone, she says. While I dont think this study provides conclusive evidence that a vegetarian diet reduces UTI risk, there are a number of things about the vegetarian diet that can support the reduction of UTI, says Dr. Lin.

The study authors acknowledge their findings have a few key limitations. They based the presence (or absence) of a UTI on the coding of the healthcare provider (ICD-9) rather than the gold standard, which would have been clinical symptoms and lab tests, including a urine culture. Factors that are known to influence UTIs, such as water intake and sexual activity, were not measured or accounted for in the findings.

According to Dr. Chin-Lon Lin, further research should include more analysis of the strains of bacteria that are responsible for UTI, which will shed light on the mechanism of the apparent protective effect of vegetarian diets.

In addition to reducing exposure to E. coli by eliminating meat, there are ways that eating more vegetables can reduce the risk of UTI, according to Dr. Yufang Lin. Many plant-based foods, particularly herbs or bitter foods, have antimicrobial properties and are also antioxidants, she says.

A vegetarian diet is often rich in components that are antimicrobial, says Lin. Antimicrobial means it has the ability to fight the presence of microbes, including bacteria. These work to suppress bacterial growth in the food that we eat as well as suppress bacterial growth in the gut, she says.

This is combination reduces the amount of bacteria in our intestinal environment, which in turn reduces the possibility of bacteria going to our bladder, she explains. This is how a vegetarian diet that has a lot of antimicrobials can be very beneficial, says Lin.

As part of the vegetarian diet youre also going to get a lot of foods that are antioxidants, says Lin. They are also supportive of our own immune system and as a result can also promote our ability to fight off infection, she says.

Finally, fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, which help support the bodys functions in general, says Lin. There are a lot of factors that support having a plant-based diet. You dont necessarily have to be a vegan for better health, she adds.

I absolutely think when you eat lots of whole foods, vegetables, fresh fruits, things of that nature, youre going to get multiple benefits and the potential to reduce UTIs, Lin says. For someone whose immune system is a little bit weaker, she recommends cooking with lots of spices such as garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, oregano, ginger, all of which are antimicrobials and antioxidants, she says.

View original post here:
Urinary Track Infection (UTI) Risk Reduced With Vegetarian Diet - Everyday Health

By Judith Smith-Meyer for Foodbank of Santa Barbara County | January 29, 2020 | 9:00 a.m.

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County expands its public nutrition education series Food as Medicine with Digestion Connection: How Digestion Impacts States of Health and Disease, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Santa Barbara Public Library's Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. To reserve seating, email [emailprotected] or call 805-357-5754.

Presented by local nutrition experts Vibeke Weiland and Randi Miller, the talk will cover the impact of digestive health on overall well-being and how to choose foods to improve digestion.

Participants will enjoy local wine and probiotic beverages, and will be able to taste freshly prepared recipes such as Italian wedding soup, mushroom soup, winter citrus salad, vegan stuffed mushrooms and fermented foods. Attendees will take home recipes for gut-friendly foods.

In conjunction with the talk, two new Food as Medicine free podcast episodes are available at https://foodbanksbc.org/get-help/fam.

Lacey Baldiviez, the Foodbanks nutritional biologist and director of community education, talks with Weiland and Miller about how the digestive process works, how to decipher clues from your body about the health of your digestive system, and ways to improve the health of your entire body by improving your gut microbiome.

The first new podcast episode, Digestion Connection, Part 1: Introduction to Digestion, explores the effect of digestive health on the rest of the body, including skin, sleep, neurological and autoimmune conditions; elimination and how it can affect hormonal balance.

Weiland and Miller discuss how to care for your gut microbiome, and how to eat for your best gut function. The podcast subtitle elaborates that, in this episode, listeners will learn why the gut is not Las Vegas, what normal digestion looks like in the toilet, and how to slow things down to get the most from your meals.

The second new episode, Digestion Connection, Part 2: Acid Reflux, Liver Detox and Gluten Specs, illuminates anatomy, digestive processes and strategies related to acid reflux/heartburn and G.E.R.D. (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

This podcast aims to teach about causes of acid reflux, how to eat to detoxify your body, and why you might consider testing glutens effects.

Weiland is a certified nutritional therapy practitioner practicing at Santa Barbara Wellness for Life in Santa Barbara, and is the immediate past chair of the Foodbanks board of trustees.

Miller is a certified health coach in integrative nutrition. She practices functional diagnostics nutrition, helping people optimize their health via diet and lifestyle based on lab test results and symptoms.

For more about the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, visit http://www.foodbanksbc.org.

See the rest here:
Chew on This: Food as Medicine Series Examines The Digestion Connection - Noozhawk