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The first time Maimah Karmo attended the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, she felt out of place.

Karmo was in awe of the breadth of expertise at the conference, which is one of the largest annual gatherings of breast cancer specialists and researchers. A breast cancer survivor herself, Karmo had been involved in advocacy for years as the founder and CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation, a national nonprofit that educates and supports younger women who are affected by the disease.

As she walked around the Henry B. Gonzlez Convention Center then, Karmo recognized the importance of the work around her, but she was struck by the dearth of black women like her. She knew that as a group, black women were about 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, so their absence was notable.

On ExpressNews.com: Research finds outcome disparities for black women with early-stage breast cancer

I felt so overwhelmed. Im like, theyre doctors, theyre researchers, theyre smarter than me. I didnt want to talk. I didnt know what to say, Karmo said of her first experience with the symposium. And then over time I go, Wait, I belong here. Im the one theyre talking about. So why arent there more of me at the table?

After last years conference, Karmo decided shed had enough. It was time, she believed, for the voices of black women living with breast cancer to get higher priority. On Tuesday morning, as the international conference got underway at the convention center, Karmo was instead at a dining room at the Menger Hotel, where she was leading a series of presentations and panels on the disparities in treatment and outcomes for black women with metastatic, or late-stage, breast cancer.

Throughout the morning, a series of speakers highlighted the numerous barriers that black women face when it comes to breast cancer, from accessing preventative health care to participating in clinical trials. Those problems, Karmo told those gathered, have been exacerbated by the black communitys distrust of a medical system that has historically mistreated and experimented on black people.

On ExpressNews.com: The number of deaths from prostate cancer was not increased by finasteride, study led by San Antonio researcher finds

Shawn Johnson, a student at Harvard Medical School, drove that point home when he recounted the history of the Tuskegee study, during which researchers withheld treatment for black men with syphilis so they could observe the sexually transmitted diseases effect on the body. The participants, he said, were not told about the purpose of the research and were not offered penicillin, which became the standard treatment for the illness about 15 years into the four-decade-long study.

We cant forget how we got here, he said.

Johnson also noted the way in which black women have been excluded from breast cancer clinical trials, which play a key role in advancing treatment of the disease and provide those who have already been diagnosed with earlier access to promising treatments. He called up information from one clinical trial that included about 4,000 people, only 20 of whom were black women.

Its important that we begin to speak up, said Nikia Hammonds-Blakely, an advocate and public speaker who was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 16. Because it really informs the work.

Hammonds-Blakely said some women may also be unable to access preventative care like mammograms due to economic barriers, such as a lack of access to transportation.

Dr. Tatiana Prowell, an associate professor of oncology with Johns Hopkins Medicine who also serves as a medical officer and breast cancer scientific liaison to the Food and Drug Administration, said its time to rethink the way clinical trials are conducted. Studies would be more inclusive if the medical system took steps to reconsider criteria for eligibility and decentralized some of the ongoing testing and scans to take unnecessary burdens off patients.

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Dr. Lori Wilson, a cancer surgeon affiliated with Howard University, said she has been diagnosed with three different types of breast cancer since 2013. She learned her cancer had become metastatic earlier this year.

The thing to know is that we need to make sure that we understand that theres still gaps in survival, that even though weve done so much, we have come so far, there is a difference between breast cancer in white women and black women and that we need more research to know why, Wilson said.

Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba

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I belong here: Advocate works to raise profile of black women with breast cancer - San Antonio Express-News

Female cyclists are at a lower risk of suffering Sudden Cardiac Death than male athletes, but women should still learn about ways to screen for heart problems before engaging in endurance sports.

Dr. Mehreen Quhreshi is a cardiologist with advanced training in stress testing and cardiac imaging from Columbia University Medical Center in New York. She practices in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and serves as the director of the Preventative Cardiology Program and the Nuclear Stress Lab at UPMC Pinnacle Heart and Vascular Institute. Dr. Bill Apollo, an amateur bike racer, runner, and duathlete is a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based cardiologist, who directs the UPMC Pinnacle Sports and Exercise Cardiology Clinic.

At the Paris Olympics in 1900, endurance sports were exclusively dominated by men; a mere 22 women participated, competing in the five gentrified events of croquet, equestrian, golf, tennis, and sailing. It took until the latter half of the twentieth century for the world to witness women competing in major Olympic endurance sports such as cycling (Los Angeles, 1984) and triathlon (Sydney, 2000).

Wider womens participation in the Olympics roughly coincided with the establishment of Title IX of the United States Educational Amendments of 1972, which mandated equal access for women in any program that received Federal funding including sports in public schools and universities. These two major developments fueled an explosion of female participation in a variety of events at all skill levels. The percentage of women finishers in marathons in the U.S. rose from only 10% in 1980 to a robust 45% by 2015. Women set a new record for Olympic participation at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with nearly equal numbers (5,176 athletes, or 45% of total), and with representation in all events included in the games.

Paradoxically, women have generally been under-represented in medical research studies looking at cardiac health, adaptation to endurance training and its potential consequences. Despite this surge of female athletic participation, we still havent achieved gender equality when it comes to understanding and caring for the female athletes heart. And recent small-scale studies suggest that there are in fact important cardiac differences between the sexes.

Some of the key questions are: to what extent do underlying genetic and hormonal factors impact normal changes in a womans heart related to exercise? How do these influences alter her risk for developing chronic heart problems or sudden cardiac death during competition? Are women better equipped to handle endurance training by design? Some recent research suggests that pregnancy subjects the female body to cardiac stresses similar to those that male athletes experience in even the most competitive events, including events like the Tour de France.

Below we examine the current understanding of cardiac development and risks in women endurance athletes, how and why women may differ from men in this regard, and recommended precautions that should be taken in training and competition by elite female endurance athletes.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) during athletic competition is fortunately a rare occurrence, and it tends to affect men more commonly than women. In fact, a womans risk of SCD during endurance sports is estimated to be some 10 times lower than for her male colleagues. Professional cycling, during the past 3 seasons, has seen a total of 6 elite men tragically die directly from heart problems during races (5 in road racing, 1 on the track), with the most recent being Robbert de Greef in March 2019. During the same time period, there were zero incidents involving women, and indeed there are no known reports of SCD during elite womens cycling events for the past 20 years. Professional female cyclists are far more likely to die from training accidents (usually involving automobile collisions) than from heart problems.

Interestingly, these observations regarding SCD in cycling seem not to be true for other endurance sports. Marathon running has a huge participant base much larger than the womens pro peloton with nearly a half million participants in 2019 alone. This huge statistical sampling clarifies the measure of SCD risk: 1 incident per 150,000 participants overall, but more commonly occurring in men (1/ 100,000), and much less likely to occur in women (1/243,000).

Despite this fairly low risk of SCD in women, the sheer volume of running participants makes it easier to find reports of SCD. For example, Taylor Ceepo, age 22, died in May 2019 less than 1 mile from the finish line at the Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon. The medical examiners report indicated that Ceepo experienced sudden cardiac death in association with physical exertion, pseudoephedrine use (a fairly benign over-the-counter decongestant) and cardiomyopathy. Her tragedy should remind us that even in very young and apparently healthy women, undiagnosed heart disease is still a common killer (3rd behind unintentional injuries and cancer in her age group), and her autopsy findings highlight the importance of screening women for underlying heart problems.

The most common causes of SCD are generally driven by age rather than sex. Athletes under age 35 both men and women alike are susceptible to genetically inherited structural heart problems including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), as well as potentially lethal heart rhythm problems called channelopathies. Above age 35, coronary artery disease predominates, with women being preferentially protected by their higher estrogen levels, until they reach menopause. Initially, the ten-fold higher incidence of SCD in men was thought to be simply due to the much larger numbers of men participating in endurance sports. But now that participation rates are becoming nearly equal, womens risk of SCD is still not as high as that experienced in the male population.

Several theories exist that might explain why women appear to be more protected from SCD during intense competition. One explanation may lie in the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the bodys fight or flight response. Male physiology is observed to be wound more tightly, meaning that their arteries and blood vessels tend to constrict more during intense activity than women. The increased blood pressure adds resistance to blood the heart is pumping out. When this increased pressure load is coupled with an outpouring of adrenaline during competition, the strains placed on the heart may trigger lethal rhythm problems in susceptible individuals generally those with underlying inherited cardiac problems or acquired fibrosis (scarring) from long-term training. For unclear reasons, even in the context of equal training volumes, men more commonly develop potentially lethal fibrosis substrate, placing them at higher risk of SCD than women.

Another possible explanation relates to obvious hormonal differences between men and women. In some animal models, testosterone has been shown to affect the way the heart conducts impulses making men, at least in theory more susceptible than women to developing electrical instability resulting in malignant heart arrhythmias. Clinically, testosterone promotes thickening of the heart muscle, which may explain why men are more susceptible than women in developing complications from diseases like HCM and ARVC. Estrogens, on the other hand, are protective in this regard, and delay that same process of heart muscle thickening. Despite equal patterns of genetic transmission of HCM and ARVC between both sexes, hormonal differences may explain why these maladies tend to remain latent for a longer period of time in women, presumably translating to a survival advantage and lower risk of SCD.

Sports medicine screening programs are designed to identify potential cardiac risks in individuals who exhibit no outward symptoms of heart problems. Such programs aim to increase participation but to do so with a reasonable level of caution, to ensure the safety of the athlete. Despite the lower risk of SCD in women, screening is still important.

Pre-participation screening typically involves a comprehensive medical history review, focused physical examination, and in some cases an electrocardiogram (EKG). EKG tests are proven to be more sensitive than history and physical examination alone in detecting pathology, especially regarding heart rhythm issues. EKG interpretation should always be completed by a skilled reader able to distinguish the fine line between normal adaptation to exercise and pathology. Guidelines like the International Recommendations for EKG Interpretation in Athletes will increase reading accuracy and reduce the number of false findings, which often lead to expensive and unnecessary longitudinal testing. Men exhibit changes in their EKG patterns more often than women, and these variations in many instances are considered normal purely as the result of physiologic adaptation to training. On the other hand, women are less likely to stray from normal parameters, so most EKG changes are concerning and more likely represent a real problem.

Consistent endurance training induces physiologic remodeling, or normal adaptations to the heart resulting in improved efficiency of an athletes engine. Cyclists are unique because they typically perform the most prolonged exercise pattern more hours per day and more days per year than nearly any other athletes. Cyclists often sustain markedly elevated heart rates for extended periods of time during two distinct types of high cardiac output workouts. First, high intensity aerobic workouts at near peak efficiency, coupled with sustained elevations in heart rate, create a dynamic stress, or a volume load on the heart. And second, long tempo efforts punctuated by intense anaerobic dashes create static stress, exposing the heart to a pressure load because of sustained increases in blood pressure.

Cyclists therefore typically exhibit prominent changes in heart structure due to a combination of dynamic stress (volume overload) and static stress (pressure overload) resulting in generally increased cardiac mass, with mildly enlarged hearts and mildly increased heart wall thickness at least in men. Statistically, women are generally smaller than men with lower lean body mass. Due to their higher estrogen levels, women tend to adapt to exercise in a qualitatively similar manner, but quantitatively different than men showing only minimal heart enlargement and virtually no heart wall thickening. In fact, only about 7% of healthy women show any significant increase in their heart size due to habitual exercise, whereas 47% of men show cardiac enlargement.

Symptoms of heart problems in women are often different to those reported by men. For example, women are less likely to experience classic chest pain due to a heart problem, but may report more subtle symptoms like indigestion, heartburn, fatigue, or poor exercise performance. Misinterpretation of these sometimes confusing symptoms often leads to a delay in diagnosis and poorer long-term outcomes for women. An unexplained decline in athletic performance is obviously concerning to any elite athlete whether male or female because this may be the only clue to a serious underlying heart problem.

However, in young women, such nonspecific symptoms are often incorrectly blamed on things like menstrual problems, eating disorders, iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy, or thyroid disease. In many cases it is the womans primary care provider who must be savvy enough to exclude these other diagnoses, realizing there is a potential heart problem and then making an appropriate referral to a cardiologist.

Estrogen generally protects women from developing CAD at young ages, but the risk rises as they reach menopause. And paradoxically, some young women may actually be at increased risk for CAD because of a syndrome called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S). Sports which favor lean body mass are often associated with heavy training loads and dieting to achieve optimal body weight. In some women this results in the Female Athlete Triad of menstrual dysfunction, unexplained decline in performance (with or without an eating disorder), and decreased bone density, leading to increased probability of fractures.

Prolonged endurance training in young women can lead to menstrual irregularities resulting in the same kind of reduced estrogen levels typically seen in older postmenopausal women. These athletes should be evaluated for the more traditional cardiac risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, and diabetes, with appropriate intervention to modify their risk. Treatment of the Female Athlete Triad is challenging and may require a multidisciplinary approach to improve an athletes overall energy balance. Strategies include decreasing training volume, modifying dietary habits, medically replacing estrogen levels, promoting bone health with dietary supplements, and seeking appropriate professional help to correct eating disorders if present. Due to the focused and highly competitive nature of many endurance athletes, this is often a tall order to fill since they may resist decreasing their training volume.

Regular exercise is the cornerstone of prevention and treatment of many cardiac and non-cardiac diseases. But some researchers suggest that the benefits of exercise are like a drug the benefits of moderate training reach a plateau and exceeding that plateau, or overdosing, may be detrimental to the athletes health. Several studies have reported unexpected abnormalities in endurance athletes primarily in men suggesting either transient or permanent heart damage which puts them at risk for chronic heart issues. Findings have included a five-fold increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AFIB), increased coronary artery calcium deposits (which indicate clinically silent CAD), and scarring of the heart muscle. However, there are several general guidelines that all athletes should be aware of:

The biological adaptation to handle the stress of pregnancy may be a key reason for the apparently better female adaptation to endurance training. Recent research has highlighted that during pregnancy, the body functions at a basal metabolic rate of 2.2 times the normal burning up to 4000 calories a day. Extended over a period of 40 weeks, pregnancy can essentially be considered the ultimate endurance event a true test on the limits of human performance. Under typical circumstances, a body functioning above 2.5 times the normal metabolic rate over a prolonged period will begin to break down. But most women emerge from pregnancy and go on to live healthy lives, having tolerated a level of metabolic strain considered by some to be similar to that experienced by athletes participating in some of the most competitive endurance events.

There are also massive changes in the amount of fluid in a womans body during pregnancy, creating cardiac stresses similar to endurance training. In order to support the developing fetus, she must increase her blood volume by a massive 50%, and her cardiac output by 40-50% constituting the ultimate dynamic stress on the heart. The female body appears to require less adaptation by the heart muscle and chambers to accommodate these changes.

More overlap in research examining the similarities between the effects of endurance training in women and the cardiac demands placed on them during pregnancy may help to explain these gender-based differences in adaptation to exercise and related cardiac risk. Additional research specifically devoted to women is critical to a better understanding of how gender influences normal cardiac adaptation to exercise, as well as to more accurately identify pathologic conditions which sometimes seem to overlap with normal physiology.

Despite the substantially lower risk of SCD in women, cardiac risk screening of female endurance athletes and at-risk pregnant women is still important, and should be carried out by clinicians familiar with the differences in adaptive physiology between men and women. Women often experience challenging and atypical cardiac symptoms, requiring a high index of suspicion on the part of their doctors often at the primary care level to identify these underlying problems. As the current generation of elite female athletes matures into tomorrows Masters champions, we will undoubtedly learn a great deal more about the long-term cardiac implications of endurance training in women.

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The Outer Line: The impact of endurance training on the cardiac health of women - VeloNews

In the 5th of our interviews with the candidates seeking to become Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight this Thursday, Island Echo gave Labour candidate, Richard Quigley, the opportunity to make the case for voting for a Labour MP to represent the Island.

Those who see lack of connectivity as the biggest issue facing Islanders have the opportunity to vote for the pro-fixed link independent, Carl Feeney. Islanders for whom the so-called climate emergency is the greatest concern have the option of voting for the Green candidate, Vix Lowthion. Leavers in favour of the hardest of hard Brexits can vote for the independent pro-Brexit candidate, Daryll Pitcher. And if your answer is none of the above, then you have the option to choose quirky independent, Karl Love.

However, for many voters, the issue of paramount importance is who will enter Downing Street and form a government on 13th December. Will it be Jeremy Corbyn and Labour or Boris Johnson and the Tories? Voters will also be deciding whether they want Boris Withdrawal Agreement implemented and get Brexit done, or would they prefer further negotiations and a second referendum under Labour?

Interview:

Richard Quigley grew up in Retford, Nottinghamshire, a coal mining area. He remembers the Miners Strike of 1982 from when he was growing up. Interestingly, his parents were Conservative councillors.

Richards political awakening began when he left school for university and joined the protests against the poll tax. Richard has been a member of the Labour Party for four years, having been inspired to join by the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Richard first moved to the Island in 2003. He is a small businessman in the catering trade, and owner of fish and chip shop, Corries Cabin, in Cowes. Richards father-in-law was a Cowes window cleaner, and it was he who suggested his son-in-law set up his business there.

Richard is married to Leah and they have two daughters, aged 17 and 12. Richard has also worked as a stand up comedian.

Small businesses have had their best years under Labour. Labour governments put money into the economy. All businesses need customers.

I joined because of Jeremy Corbyn. I find it inspirational to find someone who gets out of bed each morning to try and make this country a better place to live in. I dont think we can say the same about the Tories. I see the election as a battle between Corbyn and Johnson. It is an absolute privilege for me to be the parliamentary candidate and try to change whats going on.

I dont think Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-semite. He has spent the whole of his life fighting racism and prejudice. There is no place for anti-semitism in society. Of course, when you uncover anti-semitism in order to deal with it, this draws attention to the problem. But uncovering it is the right thing to do. I have never come across anti-semitism on the Island and would never accept racism in my friendship group.

There is no evidence that Jeremy Corbyn ever supported the IRA. If he was a supporter of terrorism, then MI5 would have uncovered this. Jeremy Corbyn is (using the words of Winston Churchill) in favour of jaw-jaw rather than war-war.

We would end austerity in our first term. We would invest for return in both council houses and people. We would transform the NHS from being a National Sickness Service to an organisation that invests in preventative medicine.

Tories believe that everything is static, that the economy is a zero-sum game. But when you go to a bank to ask for a loan, you create money. You dont have to travel to the moon to dig it up. Are you in favour of a fixed link? Im 50/50 on this issue. I totally see the economic and social benefits of a fixed link. I also see the drawbacks.

We need a properly funded feasibility study, followed by an all-Island referendum on the issue.

I voted to remain. Im one of the 48 per cent. Ive been a European citizen for 48 years of my life. Those who voted for leave are not stupid. The problem is that there is no clarity as to which version of Brexit needs to be implemented. We need to find the optimal version of Brexit and then put it to the people. I agree with Jeremy Corbyns stance of neutrality on the issue.

I fully understand Working Class voters being upset with the idea of their win being taken away from them. But they are the people who would be most harmed by a no deal Brexit.

I get out of bed every morning believing we can do it. 8 or 9 years ago, Labour was a wasted vote on the Island. However, we doubled our vote share in 2017. There are 30,000 Islanders who dont turn out to vote. We have a great team running a great campaign. Were on the road to success. I just hope success comes this time round.

There were some big majorities overturned in the 2017 General Election. Just look at Kensington, the wealthiest constituency in the country.

Because I genuinely care about Islanders and the Island. Im passionate about opportunities for young people and rebuilding communities. I dont need to do this as a career. I would be happy just to sit on the backbenches and represent Islanders.

The big thing for me, when looking at the country and the Island, is that many people are not happy with what they see and the way the party they usually vote for is behaving.

Some of you may not have considered voting before. Lend me your vote on Thursday and judge me on what we achieve.

If we can spend 550 billion pounds to bale out the banks (9,000 pounds for every man, woman and child in the country) then surely we can afford a hundred quid a head to help save the NHS.

Having given a platform to all candidates standing for election in the Isle of Wight constituency, tomorrow (Wednesday) Island Echo will publish an in-depth interview with the odds-on favouriteand sitting MP, Bob Seely (Conservative).

See more here:
MEET THE CANDIDATES: RICHARD QUIGLEY - Island Echo

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Occupational health professionals should get more involved in the provision of wellbeing services and need to work more with other professional groups to improve health outcomes, according to SOM, the Society of Occupational Medicine.

In a new report, The value of occupational health to workplace wellbeing, SOM argued that OH practitioners knowledge, skills and competencies can add significant value to organisations wellbeing programmes.

But OH will need to collaborate and work more with other professionals such as HR or diversity and inclusion specialists, rather than in silos, for wellbeing provision to be successful.

This was for two reasons, the report said. Firstly, some programmes might be tied to wider employer initiatives such as job redesign, flexible working, employee benefits, diversity and inclusion and cultural transformation. Secondly, the benefits of wellbeing programmes might not be seen explicitly in health outcomes, for example through employee engagement or staff retention.

A survey of 62 SOM members found that 84% offered workplace wellbeing programmes as a preventative measure to improve the health of staff; 50% introduced them to support other metrics, such as reducing sickness absence; and 45% thought they would improve productivity.

Two-thirds (66%) said their HR department was responsible for wellbeing activities, 60% said OH had some responsibility in this area and 40% said they had appointed a wellbeing manager or similar position to oversee the development and deployment of wellbeing programmes.

Mindfulness and mental wellbeing activities formed part of 84% of SOM members wellbeing programmes. Half said their programme included activity/exercise and 45% identified management training as a core component in their wellbeing offer.

SOMs report identifies four major areas of knowledge, skills and competencies required by OH practitioners to implement workplace health and wellbeing programmes. These were: building the business case for health and wellbeing; acquiring and using evidence; knowledge of health and wellbeing; and building and sustaining a programme of activities.

The report concluded: It is clear from the available evidence that in addition to technical and functional knowledge of health conditions and the ability to appraise evidence critically, occupational health practitioners can add value to workplace health and wellbeing programmes by acquiring and using skills related to change management processes.

Specific challenges in developing such skills across the occupational health professions may relate to adding new material into what may be already crowded curricula in academic and professional qualifications.

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OH needs to work more with other professions on wellbeing strategies, says SOM - Personnel Today

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As people around the world commemorateWorld AIDS Day, in many countries, the disease is still cutting lives short at an alarming rate.

Of the770,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2018, almost two-thirds occurred in Africa and the Middle East where infected people have little access to treatment.

In their constant work to reduce the number of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, researchers face significant challenges,Dr. Carlos del Rio, told CNN's Michael Holmes on Wednesday. He is the director for clinical sciences and international research for the Center for AIDS Research at Emory University and the executive associate dean for Emory School of Medicine at Grady Health System.

Del Rio said researchers are challenged with inadequate health care systems, in addition to a lack of a preventative vaccine or a cure for the disease.

"We need to strengthen healthcare systems, so people with HIV continue receiving medication in an appropriate way," del Rio said.

Of the nearly 38 million people living with HIV worldwide -- including 1.7 million children younger than 15 years old -- just 24.5 million have access to treatment therapies,according to UNAIDS.

People with HIV may take a combination of drugs called antiretroviral therapy, or ART. ART reduces the amount of the virus in a person's body, allowing them to live healthy lives and reducing their chances of transmitting HIV to others,says the US Department of Health and Human Services.

HHSalso saystaking ART regularly and keeping consistent medical appointments is key to staying healthy.

Many people living with HIV in Africa and the Middle East, however, don't have regular access to ART services.

UNAIDS reports that 32% of people in the Middle East and North Africa are accessing the treatment. Similarly, of those living with HIV in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, only 38% are accessing these lifesaving treatments.

In western and central Europe and North America, however, nearly 80% of people with HIV have access to ART, resulting in extremely low AIDS-related death rates compared to other world regions.

Though there are many HIV prevention methods on the market, scientists have not yet developed a safe and effective preventative vaccine.

Del Rio told CNN that a vaccine will be a "critical tool" in preventing HIV transmission.

The vaccine would be given to people without HIV to prevent them from being infected in the future.

While there are no licensed preventative vaccines on the market, there are therapeutic ones. Therapeutic HIV vaccines are given to people who already have HIV to strengthen their immune systems' response to the infection already in the person's body, according tothe National Institutes of Health.

Significant advances in treatment and medication are allowing many people with HIV/AIDS to live longer lives, but scientists have yet to find a complete cure.

"We need to be able to, at some point in time, not have to treat people for the rest of their lives," del Rio said.

Some scientists are searching for what is known in medical literature as a "functional cure," in which a person wouldn't have to continue to take antiretroviral medicines. Scientists hope to create an additional kind of treatment that would suppress the HIV virus toundetectable levelsin the body. With this kind of approach, the virus would still be present but it would not make a person sick, according to Avert, a United Kingdom-based charity dedicated to providinginformation about HIV and AIDS. Avert also says other scientists are searching for a different type of cure that would eradicate the virus from the body completely.

"A patient once said something to me that I always remember and I always like saying," del Rio said. "It's that while HIV infection is no longer a death sentence, it's still a life sentence. You still have to take medications for the rest of your life. So we have to find a cure."

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World AIDS Day: Some of the Biggest Challenges Hindering HIV/AIDS Research Today - KTLA Los Angeles

As cybersecurity threats to healthcare grow in number and severity, artificial intelligence is helping providers detect vulnerabilities and respond to data breaches faster and with greater precision.

Given that 63 percent of organizations of all types dont have enough staff to monitor threats 24/7, according to a 2019 Ponemon report, the added defense is crucial. Its arguably even more important for the healthcare industry, whose data is often considered more valuable than Social Security and credit card numbers.

As a healthcare tool, AI can help predict falls in seniors and identify early signs of sepsis. Its also poised to shape many other facets, from disease detection to administrative tasks. As an IT defense mechanism, however, AI may be employed to recognize network behaviors unlikely to represent human action, keep watch for fraud threats and predict malware infections based on previously identified characteristics.

Such intuitive IT capacities offer preventative medicine, helping prevent the infection in the first place, says Rob Bathurst, an adviser for anti-virus software firm Cylance, in a recent white paper about AI and healthcare infrastructure.

Although most people might consider patient- and provider-facing uses as more common AI applications in healthcare, protection is gaining steam: AI-enabled security is among Gartners Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020. An Accenture report forecasts that AIs value in healthcare security will reach $2 billion annually by 2026.

Moreover, 69 percent of organizations believe AI will be necessary to respond to cybersecurity threats, a July 2019 report from Capgemini found.

MORE FROM HEALTHTECH:Learn how healthcare organizations should respond to a data breach.

At Florida-based Halifax Health, a firewall employs AI to detect attacks based on the wrapper that cybercriminals place around their malware payloads. This function, as CDW cybersecurity expert Alyssa Miller notes, enables Halifax to protect against even zero-day threats that target undiscovered weaknesses.

The AI strategy isnt taken lightly. At the end of the day, cybersecurity is a war, Halifax CIO Tom Stafford said earlier this year at HIMSS 2019 in Orlando, Fla. There are people trying to attack you and your data.

And consequences can be deadly: Ransomware and data breaches are linked to an increase in fatal heart attacks, an October 2019 study by Vanderbilt University found. The reason: Breaches prompt heightened cybersecurity measures for care teams, taking time away from quick treatment.

As a result, vendors are implementing AI in numerous security tools, Miller notes. This includes Cisco Systems, which employs the technology in its next-generation firewalls, its Cloudlock cloud access security broker solution, cognitive threat analytics and Cisco Advanced Malware Protection, among other solutions and services.

IBMs Watson, which uses AI, is helping expedite routine security assessments, reduce response times and false positives, and provide recommendations based on deep analysis, Healthcare Weekly notes. Thats a plus for stretched healthcare IT staffs.

AI has been a powerful tool for Boston Childrens Hospital, whose patient records in 2014 were targeted by the hacking group Anonymous. The technology has since helped the hospital strengthen existing security structures and protocols.

By using AI, we can do a better job at being more prospective and staying one step ahead and starting to be able to detect that anomalous behavior or activity as its happening, Dr. Daniel Nigrin, the hospitals senior vice president and CIO, said in a podcast interview with Emerj, an AI market research firm. Attacks change constantly.

Such behaviors, he noted, might be a user trying to access logs from the West Coast, or 500 doctors who attempt to view a patient record simultaneously.

As Boston Childrens AI strategy evolves, Nigrin advises his peers to follow his lead and cast a wide net when implementing their own defense.

We are looking at other industries to see what theyve done using AI, he said. I am eager to go outside my healthcare world to third parties and other verticals to see how theyve addressed the problem.

READ MORE: Can AI Help Patients Take Control of Their Care?

For the many positives that can result from implementing AI as part of a healthcare security strategy, the effort isnt foolproof. This is because cybercriminals are recognizing the growth of these defense mechanisms and leveraging them to their advantage.

Ron Mehring, CISO of Texas Health Resources, and Axel Wirth, former distinguished technical architect for Symantec, spoke about the threat at HIMSS 2019. AI can help hackers engage in sophisticated social engineering attacks tailored to specific targets, as well as realistic disinformation campaigns, Miller reports in her blog for CDW.

AI also can be used by hackers to find new vulnerabilities or to thwart an organizations AI-fueled defenses. Its what Richard Staynings, chief security strategist for biomedical Internet of Things startup Cylera, calls offensive AI intelligence that mutates to learn about a targeted environment and make detection harder.

That can trigger a host of unease: Did a physician really update a patients medical record or did Offensive AI do it? Can a doctor or nurse trust the validity of the electronic medical information presented to them? Staynings asked in an interview with Healthcare IT News. This is the new threat, and it is best executed by AI.

Organizations, then, must realize that AI-enabled security cant be left on autopilot after implementation, according to Reg Harnish, executive vice president at the Center for Internet Security. More important, a thorough risk evaluation should come first to best determine how AI can solve specific problems facing a hospital or clinic.

Otherwise, as Harnish told Healthcare IT News, if your job is cutting the board in half, no amount of hammers is going to help you do that effectively.

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How Healthcare Organizations Use AI to Boost and Simplify Security - HealthTech Magazine

Rather than a self-fulfilling prophecy of a nation of economic hypochondriacs, the recession-watch may actually serve as preventative medicine. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Everyone is on recession watch. There are so many eyes staring at our economic pot that, ironically, the pot may not come to boil anytime soon.

As monotonous as the chorus of prognostications has become, as a small business owner, investor, consumer and American, I appreciate the attention everyone is paying. Why? Because the amount of attention were paying may generate just enough vigilance to keep it from happening.

SEE ALSO: How Digital Currency Could Be Chinas Ultimate Soft-Power Tool

2008 shocked everyone, save a rare few from The Big Short. In the years leading up to 2008, most business leaders, economists and government officials werent exercising the kind of economic vigilance required to see the crisis coming. When it came, its magnitude and penetrance were so surprising, so destabilizing and so fraught with uncertainty that everyone (the government, businesses, consumers) was shocked. And as a result, the economy, as a whole, took a big hit, as everything required for commercefrom individuals to businesses, from supply to demandcut back.

By contrast, a recession in the coming years would shock almost no one. Yes, some arguably vulnerable contentment seems to be set in based on, for example, CEO sentiment, but the data from week-to-week varies so much that a Google search for a recession is coming or a recession is not coming produce (surprise!) equal volumes of steadfast prognostications.

Many argue that recession-worry can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. One could also argue that a certain threshold level of worry boosts our recession immunity. Certainly, like death, a recession is coming, one day. Worrying to the point of paralysis about a recession (or death) is counter-productive, but a healthy level of vigilance, a level we may have right now, is absolutely healthy. (If I were a budding economics Ph.D. right now, I would be studying the correlation between worry about recession and likelihood/occurrence of recession.)

As you can see on the charts below from two indicators of consumer and retailer confidencediscounts requested by shoppers and discounts given by retailerswhile subject to normal seasonal and other variations, both remain relatively stable over recent years, including the 2016 and 2018 elections and the incessant drumbeat of six years of contradictory economic headlines.

Discounts requested by shoppers and discounts given by retailers, while subject to normal seasonal and other variations, both remain relatively stable over recent years. Data Courtesy of PriceWaiter

So, the answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, would be that everyone should plan to focus more on long-term sustainability than on short-term predictions about potential instability. That is, try to design the business plan itself to be sustainable through the inevitable recurrence of ups and downs in the economic and political landscape versus specific ups and downs.

For instance, some digital marketing agencies, thrive in good times when ad spending is growing, as well as when companies are trimming down and need to outsource their digital marketing to a more efficient source. Other consumer facing companies, base their models on things like negotiation to thrive, even when consumer or business confidence may be taking a hit.

To base business decisions on predictions of what will happen or when it will happen involves too much guessworkarguably akin to market-timing in stock trading. Not unlike what I would imagine Warren Buffett might say: with a short-term outlook, you may get lucky from time to time, but you will also get unlucky likely more than half the time. Getting the basics right in a business model is challenging enough, so planning based on additional speculative externalities would be a lower priority (if one at all) compared to building a long-term strategy on a resilient model.

The recent actions and statements surrounding the Fed cuts suggest were still, perhaps tenuously, clinging to a Goldilocks set of economic conditions, at least here in the U.S. Not surprisingly, there are those clamoring for deeper cuts and those cautioning against them.

Similarly, there are those who believe our governments current tack on tariffs is the right course, while others fear they are undermining the economy in objective and subjective ways.

With impeachment inquiries and a new round of elections just past, one could argue that economic risks are mounting again; after all, anything could happen, and it is a market axiom that the market (and arguably those who drive the economy from both sides) hates uncertainty.

Fair enough. But the market and the economy have shown remarkable resilience to longer and shorter term shocks. By most measures, despite having to weather an extended recession, were better off than we were before the 2008 market crash. Furthermore, many people were generally surprised by the presidential election results in November 2016, with some predicting a market crash, yet the markets tanked for about eight hours, after hoursand then shot up.

Consumers didnt stop spending money, animal spirits were unleashed and the economy continued to grow.

Will there be potentially impactful surprises involving China, the impeachment process, the 2020 elections, Russia, North Korea or something else?

Yes.

But for better or worse, in recent times (in fact, pretty much daily), weve come to expect a little more ofwellthe unexpected, which arguably should make us at least a little more resilient. Combine that with the hyper-vigilance weve been discussing and you have at least a couple of factors that suggest that rather than a self-fulfilling prophecy of a nation of economic hypochondriacs, the recession-watch may actually serve as preventative medicine.

Stephen Culp an e-commerce veteran, is the CEO an co-founder of PriceWaiterread his full bio here.

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Recession Watch: The Pot So Watched That It May Never Boil - Observer

Its a statewide concern, but its also showing up as a high priority as Countryside Public Health surveys health care providers, elected officials and members of the public in the counties it serves in the Upper Minnesota River Valley area.

Ashley Johnson, representing the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership for Countryside Health, told the Yellow Medicine County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the agency is currently gathering public input to set its priorities for 2020 and beyond.

Mental health is really high in our priorities in trying to look at strategies, said Johnson during a discussion with the commissioners.

Countryside Health has identified 10 health care areas to address, and is asking the people it serves to prioritize them.

Five health care issues have consistently been cited as priorities in the process, she said. They include mental health; adverse childhood experiences; parenting family systems and home structure; substance abuse including alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs; and rural health for farmers and rural people.

The other issues include infectious diseases; obesity; neighborhood environment and access to housing, transportation and health food; dental health; and uninsured and under-insured access to care.

Commissioner Ron Antony noted that rural health in the list of five largely referred to mental health issues as well, whether it pertains to farmers and the stresses they are experiencing this year or employees in agricultural-related industries. Adverse childhood experiences and parenting family systems include mental health components as well, it was noted during discussions.

Johnson said Countryside purposely separated rural health as a category of its own in an attempt to learn just how big of an issue it is in the rural counties. The agency serves Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties.

The agency currently has a staff member working on making mental health resources available to farmers. Johnson said feedback to the initiative is mixed, with some wanting the resources and others not interested.

For the most part, were trying to get resources out there so they know whats available and whats not, she said.

Johnson said Countryside is certain to make mental health a priority, but here's the challenge: The range of mental health care needs is big. She asked: Do you focus on children? On adults?

She pointed out that a recent survey of students showed high numbers of teenage girls with depression and other mental health conditions. The last survey of health needs in the region led Countryside Public Health to make available to schools in the five counties a preventative health nurse.

Johnson said the agency hopes to have the health care priorities identified and strategies to meet them in place in March 2020.

In a related matter, the commissioners also met with Jennifer Lundberg, representing the Local Adult Mental Health Advisory Council. It serves to find ways to improve mental health services in Yellow Medicine, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Redwood and Pipestone counties.

She said the Minnesota Department of Human Services is completing an analysis of the gaps in services throughout the state. Lundberg said the gaps in rural areas tend to be the availability of transportation to access services, as well as the wait times to see providers.

Link:
Mental health needs emerging as priority in rural counties of Upper Minnesota River Valley - West Central Tribune

Ashley Roxanne Peterson is the youngest black Osteopathic Doctor ever, according to reports.

She started medical school at age 19 and graduated at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She commenced her family medicine residency at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA in July 2019.

At the moment, the 24-year-old is the youngest Black Osteopathic doctor ever, in modern history.

Reportedly, Peterson has a record of always being the youngest in her class. She graduated high school at 15 and also enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte at the same age.

I went into medicine knowing that I want to help underserved and minority communities and I am continuing those passions as I continue into residency. I chose my residency based on their mission statement, current leadership, and how they give back to the community, she said.

Morehouse School of Medicines Family Medicinemission statement reads: The mission of the MSM Family Medicine Residencyis to train residents to become competent and excellent family physicians toserve underserved populations. Everything comes full circle thus, never losesight of why you started!

She wanted to help people for the rest of her life just as her parents did. Even though she was resilient and focused, medical school wasnt easy for her as a young student, but she believes that if you fall nine times stand up ten.

With a special interest in global medicine, preventative medicine, minority health, media-driven health outcomes, and geriatrics, Peterson looks forward to helping the communities around her achieve their best health.

Dr Peterson started making impact and inspiring people right from medical school. She ran a medical blog called Daily Medicine which created contents aimed towards pre-medical students seeking entrance to medical school.

The platform, according to her, served as a mentoring network which has led to the direct influence of more than a dozen students gaining entrance to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.

Three years on Daily Medicine obtained over 5,000 participants for its programs, groups, and online communities and was able to accrue over 100,000 total engagements collaborating with various leaders in medicine, across more than 10 specialties, to provide students and peers with exclusive information.

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At 24, Ashley Roxanne is the youngest black Osteopathic Doctor ever - Face2Face Africa

In his General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936), the economist John Maynard Keynes wrote that when it comes to achieving progress, the difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones. For both the good and the bad, this sentiment rippled throughout Rights of Future Generations, the inaugural Sharjah Architecture Triennial. According to its curator, Adrian Lahoud, this edition is committed to radically rethinking fundamental questions about architecture, which here seems to partly involve an inquiry into what is lost when financial capital dictates design. Reflecting an ethos of adaptive reuse, the new institution, led by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, has been set up in the Al-Qasimiyah School, a former state elementary school complex.

The site, one of the primary venues of this edition, is host to Becoming Xerophile (2019), a collaborative project between the artist duo Cooking Sections and the engineering firm AKT II, which transformed the compounds front yard into an apparatus that produces microclimates for desert fauna to flourish in. The projects title, a neologism created by combining the Greek words for dry and love, shifts away from contemporary landscape design, and its use of energy-intensive irrigation, in favour of native plant species and ancient watering methods. Xenophile adopts the sci-fi aesthetic of dusty lunar outposts by recuperating rubble from the schools renovation into inhabitable earthwork mounds and amphitheatre-like spaces that trap moisture from the air.

The exhibitions other main venue, Al Jubail Souq Fruit & Vegetable Market, hosts Priests and Programmers (2019), a series of installations ranging from films, archival documents, music, models and interactive displays that trace the history of Balis Subak rice farming heritage. This infrastructural network, active since the 9th century, spans countless rice terraces managed by priests from water temples. While the research-heavy presentations touch on many aspects of this culture, the cumulative effect is to suggest that these religious rites serve not only as metaphysical practices, but also management systems that enable sustainable farming.

Ritual technologies were also on display in the awakening ceremony that inaugurated Ngurrara Canvas II (1997), a vibrant 8 10-metre painting made by activist-artists whose ancestors traditionally occupied the region known today as Great Sandy Desert in Australia. (Ngurrara means country in the indigenous Walmadjari language.) Resembling a kind of hypnotic aerial photograph, the canvas is inundated with undulating swirls of colour forming contour-like lines that chart sacred waterholes and soaks across the desert. This iconography, an alternative system to the European cartography that aided colonization, was entered in support of an official native land title claim. Considered a tool by its makers, the canvas could be seen as a retort to considerations of art for arts sake, just as Priests and Programmers undermines the idea of ritual for rituals sake. With these considerations in mind, the curators appear to be making a necessary, if somewhat sweeping, claim for artistic and spiritual practices to be understood as a form of applied science.

The Triennials events programme also reflects this synergistic view of advocacy as both descriptive and proscriptive. A series of policy workshops assembled global leaders, including the former President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff, to draft a Sharjah Charter on the Rights of Future Generations. While their positions primarily voiced concerns about climate change and the inequities of globalisation, the addition of a controversial AIDS denialist, Thabo Mbeki, cast a disconcerting pall over the whole endeavour.

As the President of South Africa, Mbekis government recommended the use of strong garlic and beetroot as a treatment for AIDS preferable to anti-retroviral drugs. Several studies, including one from the Harvard School of Public Health, claim that this policy resulted in over 330,000 premature deaths and the infection of 35,000 infants, after their mothers were unable to obtain access to preventative medicine. Mbeki secretly authored and circulated a paper stating that the scientific link between HIV and AIDS was predicated on centuries-old white racist beliefs and concepts about Africans. Although Mbeki has tried to spin his words and deeds, historical scapegoats shouldnt give him license to escape accountability.

Lawrence Abu Hamdans lecture-performance Once Removed (2019), meanwhile, offered a stark contrast, imagining how the dead might give testimony. Hamdan told the story of Bassel Abi Chahine, a 31-year-old historian of the Lebanese Civil War who believes he is a reincarnated child solider from that conflict. Specious as this may sound, current advancements in epigenetic research have shown that life trauma can actually affect the gene expression of ones offspring. Likewise, culture is itself a kind of gene, passed on to future generations. While the Triennial claims to be forward-looking, it is most impactful when it reflects on the past.

The inaugural Sharjah Architecture Triennial continues at various locations around Sharjah, UAE, through 8 February 2020.

Read more from the original source:
The First Sharjah Architecture Triennial: Can Art Be an Applied Science? - frieze.com

Remedy Place, LA's first social wellness club is now open in West Hollywood

The first social wellness club is now open in Los Angeles West Hollywood neighborhood. Called Remedy Place, the facility opened its doors on November 21 at 8305 Sunset Boulevard, intended to become a gathering place for those seeking to achieve a state of balance, according to the brand.

The new club, which is open to the public, is the vision of Founder Dr. Jonathan Leary, a concierge wellness doctor with a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine from Southern California University of Health Sciences and a celebrity following. Meant to help its members achieve balance throughout seven elements of balance, according to Dr. Learys philosophy, the club encompasses treatment areas, a members lounge, a meditation room and a nutritional bar. These are, Mind, oxygen, movement, nutrients, cold, heat and compression. Treatment-experiences range from infrared sauna, to ice baths, to cryotherapy and hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy.

Of the opening, Dr Leary shares, Remedy Place is the manifestation of my lifes work which is to radically change the way society integrates education into wellness. Our current healthcare model is dependent and reactive, but I believe people should be independent and proactive. This can only be done through education. I want people to take back control, to utilize incredible technologies that exist today to keep their bodies in a healthy state of balance through preventative care that counteracts these stressors, so they dont build up and push their health over the edge. To do this, I wanted to create a place that was communal in nature, so that one can incorporate wellness into their social life because the two can and should go hand in hand.

Treatments are meant to be fast and accommodating to busy schedules of members, and include both group fitness classes, group meditation classes and recovery treatments, such as lymphatic drainage massage and movement therapy. Curated pairings of recovery treatments are also available to members, and include items such as a Post-LAX, designed to reset and rebalance after the travails of travel utilizing hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy, infrared sauna and an ice bath with breath work, and a Morning After, to combat a hangover using cryotherapy, infrared sauna and a lymphatic drainage massage. Additionally, all services can be paired with auditory meditation journeys designed in partnership with Master & Dynamic.

Remedy Place is now open to the public and services and classes start at $30.

Read more from the original source:
Remedy Place, The First Social Wellness Club, Opens in Los Angeles - Forbes

Woman saved by her Apple Watch Marie Bourque and Mount Sinai Hospital cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum talk about the benefits of tech in health care.

Consumers have been warned about the convergence of health care and technology, especially in conversation with sharing personal data.

But Marie Bourque told FOX Business' Deirdre Bolton that she might not be here today without the tech that saved her life.

Bourques Apple Watch woke her up when it detected an irregularity in her heartbeat. Turns out, Bourque was experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib) or a quivering heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke or heart failure, according to heart.org.

Had I let it continue during the night and during the day, I would have wound up seriously in the hospital, she said. I'm more conscious of it since I've had AFib in the past. So this really alerted me earlier than normal.

Apple's vice president of Health announces new products and watch features in Cupertino, California.Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

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Mount Sinai Hospital cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum treated Bourque and believes in the benefits of using health care tech as a preventative tool, especially in patients with a history of health complications.

What happened with Marie is exactly how this watch really should be used, Steinbaum said. She's had a history of atrial fibrillation. This alerted her early on that this was probably the situation and it got her help really as quickly as possible.

VR FITNESS: 5 EMERGING BRANDS THAT ARE DRIVING THE HEALTH-CARE TECH TREND

But Steinbaum said using tech like the Apple Watch should be a conversation between doctor and patient first.

You really have to have someone who can translate it for you, she said. Because sometimes it says things and it's not necessarily dangerous or scary.

I really believe the future of technology in medicine is this communication that's in real time where we can help our patients get help and the treatment they need sooner than later.

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The market for health care tech is rapidly growing as consumers remain wary of sharing personal data, but Steinbaum confidently said, we will figure it out.

There is definitely going to be a roleof technology in how we care for our patients and how patients really empower themselves, she said. So I believe that it's worth it. The benefits are greater than the risks.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Bourque, in agreeance, said the idea of Apple withholding her personal data does not faze her.

My health is more important than what they have, she said.

Link:
Apple Watch saves a life, leads to health care tech advocacy - Fox Business

People who take all of their blood-pressure medication in one go at bedtime are better able to control their condition and have a significantly lower risk of death or illness caused by heart or blood vessel problems compared to those who take their anti-hypertensive medication in the morning, according to research published this month in the peer-reviewed European Heart Journal.

The trial instructed 19,084 patients to take their pills on waking or at bedtime, and followed them for more than six years during which time the patients ambulatory blood pressure was checked over 48 hours at least once a year. The results were adjusted for age, gender, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, smoking and cholesterol levels.

The researchers found that patients who took their medication at bedtime reduced by 45% their risk of dying from or suffering heart attacks, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure or requiring a procedure to unblock narrowed arteries, compared to those who took their medication after waking up in the morning.

The risk of death from heart or blood vessel problems was reduced by 66%, the risk of myocardial infarction was reduced by 44%, coronary revascularization (unblocking narrowed arteries) by 40%, heart failure by 42%, and stroke by 49%. However, the researchers noted there are no studies showing that treating hypertension in the morning reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Morning ingestion has been the most common recommendation by physicians based on the misleading goal of reducing morning blood pressure levels, said co-author Ramn Hermida, director of the Bioengineering and Chronobiology Labs at the University of Vigo in Spain. Allowing the medication to work before the next days activity may also play a role.

Preventative measures in early adulthood include taking statins lipid-lowering drugs and drugs to lower cholesterol, which can be more effective than merely relying on diet and exercise, particularly for those who have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, experts say.

You may also like: Taking these two health precautions now can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease later in life

Between 2008 and 2018, 10,614 male and 8,470 female adults of Caucasian Spanish origin who were diagnosed with hypertension had to adhere to a routine of daytime activity and night-time sleep. Hermida said its not possible to know whether the results apply to people who work night shifts or those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

One possible theory for the results: A bad nights sleep can result in a spike in blood pressure that night and the following day, separate research found. That study, published in a recent edition of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, offers one explanation for why sleep problems have been shown to increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and even death from cardiovascular disease.

Those participants who had lower sleep efficiency showed an increase in blood pressure during that restless night. They also had higher systolic blood pressure the number in a persons blood-pressure reading the next day. The researchers said getting good sleep and quality sleep was important for a healthy heart. It also allows medications to work while the body is restoring energy.

Blood pressure is one of the best predictors of cardiovascular health, said lead study author Caroline Doyle, a graduate student at the University of Arizonas department of psychology. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of people in the country. We wanted to see if we could try to get a piece of that story: how sleep might be impacting disease through blood pressure.

There are, of course, other ways to help reduce hypertension. A diet that helps people reduce high blood pressure may also reduce the risk of heart failure in people under the age of 75, according to separate research recently published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This Dash (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products, while reducing the amount of salt, red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages, full cream and alcohol in your diet. Aside from the last two items, its very similar to the Mediterranean diet.

Read more:
Taking blood-pressure medication at this time every day could save your life - Sky Statement

Snow removal led to 100 deaths and 11,500 injuries that required a trip to the emergency room each year between 1990 and 2006, a study reports. USA TODAY

Winter is coming and many parts of the country have already been walloped with serious snow storms. But shoveling your drivewaycan be more than just a chore it can be hazardous and even lethal if you're not careful.

Snow removal ledto about 100 deaths and 11,500injuriesthat required a trip to the emergency room each year between 1990 and 2006,a study published in the peer-reviewedAmerican Journal of Emergency Medicine found. The most common injuries were soft tissue damage, the lower back was the most frequently damaged part of the body, and cardiac-related injuries were responsible for all of the 1,647 fatalities.

The true total of injuries and deaths may be much higher, according to Barry Franklin, director of preventative cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan. Franklin begin researching the issue because two of his friends died suddenly after clearing snow.

"Its important that older people simply dont go out and shovel and clear heavy, wet snow," Franklin said. "Unfortunately, every year when youve got major snowfalls you hear of people who go out and die suddenly."

Here's what you need to know to stay safe while digging yourself out after a big snow storm:

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If the forecast calls for a heavy snowfall over a long period of time, don't wait until it's over to pick up a shovel. Plan to clear the snow at least once while it's still falling and then again when the storm passes, Hope said.

If your driveway is far away from your house, Hope recommends starting in the middle of the driveway and working your way out until you've cleared a path wide enough for your car.

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If your driveway is very close to your house, Hope said to start at the edge closest to your home and go back in the opposite direction at the end of each pass, getting a little furtherfrom the house each time. If you're using a snowblower, turn the chute 180 degrees each time so that you're always throwing the snow away from the house.

Is fall dead?: Is this a blue norther? And other questions answered about the Arctic blast

"Thatll obviously protect windows and siding and anybody who may be inside near a window," he said. "But it also helps ensure that any snow thats not fully thrown out of the driveway will be caught on a subsequent pass."

When shoveling, don'tthrow the snow over your shoulder or to the side because that twisting motion will stress your back, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Try to push the snow instead of lifting it.

"If you must lift, squat with your legs apart, knees bent, and back straight. Lift with your legs. Do not bend at the waist," the group said in a release. "Holding a shovelful of snow with your arms outstretched puts too much weight on your spine."

Franklin also suggests taking frequent breaks to watch for heart attack warning signs and avoid putting too much stress on your heart. Although chest pain is the most common symptom, women are more likely to experience other symptoms including shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain, according to the American Heart Association.

"Any discomfort that comesfrom the belly button on up could be an angina equivalent and would signal that you should stop shoveling immediately," Franklin said.

If you live in an area that gets constantly hit with major snowstorms, it might be safer to invest in a snowblower, according to Paul Hope, Home and Appliances Writer at Consumer Reports.

"From an injury standpoint alone, if properly used (a snowblower) has the potential to be infinitely safer," Hope said. "If they live in a really snow-heavy region, theyre essentially putting themselves at a greater risk if theyre trying to skate by without a snowblower."

There are five or six different types of snowblowers that are categorized by power source (corded electric, battery or gas) and the amount of snow they can handle (single, two, or three stage). Stage 1 machines can clear about 9 inches of snow while stage 3 machines can clear up to 18 inches, he said.

If you're shoveling when the snow is light and fresh, Hope recommends using a wide, all-purpose, plastic snow shovel. But ifthe snow has had time to get wet and heavy, Hope suggestsusinga metal shovel with sides to help break up icy patches.

Driving in snow: Tips for driving in snow without being a dangerous jerk

Franklin said that those most at risk are 55and older, haveknown or suspected coronary artery disease, orhave one or more risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure)or a habitually sedentary lifestyle.

Snow shoveling is so dangerous because itincreases heart rate and blood pressure, Franklin explained, while exposure to the cold air decreases the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart.

"As George Clooney would say, 'It's a perfect storm'," he said.

Franklin saidthe average weight of a shovel full of heavy wet snow is 16 pounds, citing a small study he published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Themen hestudiedwere able to lift 12 times perminute for 10 minutes, moving nearly 2,000 pounds of snow.

"That's the weight of a mid-size car," he said. "To ask a 50-, 60-, 70-year-old to move 2,000 pounds in 10 minutes in cold environmental conditions with the wind blowing, its not surprising that this activity triggers heart attacks and sudden death each year."

Raking leaves again this fall?: Stop right now

Franklin said people over the age of 55 with known or suspected heart disease shouldn't shovel snow at all.

"Find a local kid in the neighborhood, hire a local plow," he suggested.

If you want to hire someone to plow your driveway, book that well in advance of the coming storm to avoid having to frantically shovel yourself out, Hope said.

"If youre caught in a big snow storm and you cant get somebody to come plow your driveway and youve only got a shovel, that sort of is a recipe for injury," he said.

If you have to shovel, Franklin said to avoid heavy meals, smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol both before and after clearing snow because that can put extra stress on your heart.

TheAmerican Academy of Orthopedic Surgeonsrecommends warming up your muscles for 10 minutes with light exercise before you begin shoveling. Wear layers to provide insulation as well as a hat, gloves that will keep your hands dry and shoes that have slip-resistant soles.

Snow shovels to space heaters: 23 things that will solve all your cold weather problems

Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg

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Are you shoveling your snow wrong? Here's what you need to know to stay safe this winter - USA TODAY

ARE you fed up with the usual suspects?

Fed up being unclear of what Labour stands for any more?

Fed up with the Liberal Democrats total disrespect for the popular vote?

Fed up with the old school club which the Conservatives have become?

The Liberal Party stands for an NHS focused on preventative medicine.

We stand for free vocational training and university tuition and for a de-politicised independent education commission.

We stand for reducing waste and promoting and massive investment in realistic sustainable energy solutions. We stand for reducing income tax in the lower bands, increasing inheritance tax and introducing land value tax (with reliefs for farmers).

We stand for a rural subsidy scheme based on practices which are economically sustainable, which safeguard the environment and enhance product quality.

We stand for abolishing corporation tax for start-ups. While strengthening intelligence and countering cybercrime, we oppose Trident and interventionist military actions abroad.

We believe in respecting the outcome of the referendum and seeing Brexit through. People who live in Bridgwater and West Somerset have so much to be proud of.

Lets use what weve got and promote ourselves and our products more and realise our potential as a vibrant economy that is attractive for people of all ages to live, work and visit.

Show the usual suspects that youre fed-up. Show them that its time for fresh, straight-forward, radical and truly Liberal reforms.

Vote for the Liberal Party this election!

Formerly the Theatre Manager at Strode Theatre, I am now the Exec Director of an International arts festival, and live in Chilton Polden.

I have experience in running businesses and charities, teaching and working with communities and stake-holders, having previously been an elected Councillor and worked in community-facing organisations.

Get in touch: email somersetliberals@gmail.com or call 0330 223 5773

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ELECTION PROFILE: Fares Moussa, The Liberal Party - This is The West Country

Medicine is medicine the world over, but if you studied, interned, and completed your residency in a big coastal city, then you might wonder what its like for your colleagues in the Midwest. Is life slower-paced? Is the money good? Is making the move worthwhile?

The Midwest (and rural areas across the nation, for that matter) is desperately in need of more doctors. The National Rural Health Association says that although a quarter of the U.S. lives in rural areas, only 10 percent of doctors practice in the same setting. And as the general shortage of doctors continues to grow, places like the Midwest will feel it more keenly.

Whats it like to practice medicine in the Midwest? As it turns out, it presents some of the same healthcare challenges and opportunities that you already experience elsewhere in the country.

When you practice in a coastal metropolitan area, youre likely never more than a short journey from one of the best specialists in the country. Sometimes theyre even in the same building. As a result, you can rely on an extensive network of colleagues and professionals to consult with and to direct patients to often with a click of a button. When you live and practice in most parts of the Midwest (bar Chicagoland), however, you dont always have that option.

Physicians in the Midwest say that they find the scope of their practice is much wider than it needs to be elsewhere, and the depth of knowledge required is deeper than it needs to be elsewhere. You can consult research articles and email doctors further afield from your local office, but you wont meet the worlds top specialists in your hospitals physician lounge. Youre well off if you have a decent ER in the area, enough family physicians to take time off, and a general surgeon. And because a substantial number of your patients wont or cant afford to travel, you need to be able to treat more conditions yourself while still using the best available, evidence-based medicine.

Interviews from a new documentary, The New Country Doctor, also suggest that its not enough to be the best-of-the-best in terms of your medical skills. You also need to be excellent at making connections. Not only do your professional connections take more work, but youll need to develop new resources in unexpected places. You may also need to have the skills to seek out and engage with community resources as you connect patients with county or state mental health resources, housing resources, and even food programs. Given the ongoing opioid epidemic, you will also need to get creative when hunting down resources for chronic pain sufferers.

States like Indiana are famous for low cost of living: even Indianapolis is incredibly affordable, particularly for a capital city. As a doctor in a Midwestern state, youll find that its much easier to afford rent or a mortgage, and even pay off your student debt much faster as a result. You may even qualify for student loan forgiveness programs designed to encourage doctors to practice in underserved areas.

At the same time, you may still work longer hours than you might in a highly-structured environment elsewhere. Outside of the metropolitan areas of Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneapolis-St Paul, patient populations not only have fewer health care options, but the agricultural community often presents offbeat schedules. You may find yourself offering evening appointments and making housecalls. Additionally, you may work in a health care system with less support staff than youre used to, leaving more of the administrative up to you and increasing your work week that way.

Your hours may even extend more stealthily than simply staying open later. Small towns, in particular, physicians are friends, coworkers, and family members. The interpersonal dynamics of living in small to medium Midwestern towns can mean that youre on duty both at the clinic and when out to eat with your spouse. As noted by Kathleen Miller in the AMA Journal of Ethics, the overlapping roles in your community mean you are very visible, privacy is hard to find, and it can be hard to separate your personal and professional life, which can take its toll on your marriage and family relationships.

It can be strange to fathom, but when you work in small towns, you arent just missing the latest technology. You may not even have full-time access to an MRI machine, much less the access to medical artificial intelligence technology. Without the basics covered, you need to learn to prioritize your technology and insist on the basics.

Out here, technology in medicine isnt just about increasing the hospitals ROI or competing with another health organization. Technology can transform patient care for both rural and urban patients in the Midwest by helping them avoid long, expensive trips to high-end facilities.

Telemedicine is one thing that most rural and even suburban doctors in the region can and often have to advocate for. Depending on where you settle, it may not even be available yet. But telehealth can improve both preventative care and emergency care, as well as mental health care through the help of social workers. For example, if you suspect a patient is presenting symptoms of a stroke, you can teleconference with a neurologist and get them their anti-clotting medication ASAP and therefore improving patient outcomes.

Practicing medicine in the Midwest comes with new challenges that push you both as a medical professional and as a person.

You probably wont get to enjoy the same resources that come with practicing in a large, well-funded hospital, but you will have a chance to make a real difference in peoples lives and become an essential part of a community. You can even be part of a systemic change that relieves the health inequities that rural Americans face every day.

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What's It Like to Be a Doctor in the Midwest? - Muncie Voice

Jaguar and Land Rover cars are joining the fight against superbugs and killing them in their cars air conditioning units before they can infect their occupants.

The automaker is fitting future models of its vehicles with an ultraviolet light (UVC) to sterilise the interior of the cars.

UV lights have been used in the medical world for more than 70 years and is effective at killing pathogens including bacteria and viruses.

High energy rays from UV light sterilise the contents of the air conditioning system before it is pumped around the cars cabin, reducing the risk of infection.

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UV technology is already used for disinfecting water, filtering air and sterilising surfaces but the move to implement it in a car would be a first for the industry.

Exposing pathogens to UVC destroys bonds within the DNA of the harmful microorganism and renders it useless and harmless to humans.

Healthcare and maintaining the well-being of the driver and other occupants is a growing priority for Land Rover and Jaguar, who are owned by the same firm.

Its current heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which are available inthe all-electric Jaguar I-PACE and Range Rover Sport, uses high voltage to manipulate air particles.

The firm claims trillions of nano-sized negatively charged particles (ions) deactivate pathogens by forming larger particles.

These are then trapped by the cars filters and discarded.

Ion technology such as this, Jaguar Land Rover claims, is also effective at getting rid of smells and allergens.

Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer, said: The average motorist spends as much as 300 hours per year behind the wheel. There is a clear opportunity to better utilise cars for administering preventative healthcare.

The firm claims UVC technology in cars would be able to stop the spread of cold and flu while also reducing the transmission of major superbugs by up to 30 per cent.

Immunology expert, Dr Hellmut Mnch, CEO at Medical Enzyme Research Association, added: The rise of superbugs and allergens is one of the largest threats we face as a species today.

Investment in immunology is vital in ensuring that our immune systems stay ahead of the race against microorganisms, which are evolving far quicker than traditional pharmaceuticals can keep pace with.

It is important that we continue to take an innovative look at how we can adapt our environment to help prevent the spread of the most harmful pathogens which is why this research is paramount.

Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for decades, fueling once harmless bacteria to become superbugs.

The World Health Organization has previously warned if nothing is done the world was headed for a post-antibiotic era.

It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate answers to the growing crisis.

Bacteria can become drug resistant when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics, or they are given out unnecessarily.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism.

Figures estimate that superbugs will kill ten million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs.

Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world.

Concerns have repeatedly been raised that medicine will be taken back to the dark ages if antibiotics are rendered ineffective in the coming years.

In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years.

In September, the World Health Organisation warned antibiotics are running out as a report found a serious lack of new drugs in the development pipeline.

Without antibiotics, caesarean sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements would also become incredibly risky, it was said at the time.

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Jaguar is building a car that could stop you catching a cold - Stock Daily Dish

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Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourselves? Where are you from? What was your path to your healing with cannabis? Who were your mentor(s)?

Phiton Nguyen=PN: Growing up in Orange Countys Little Saigon as second-generation immigrants from Vietnam, my sister and I had an ideal environment to explore our mutual interests in nature and health. I was interested in cannabis plants from an early age and even grew 8 plants in our backyard when I was 13. Most recently, I spent several years in the e-cigarette industry pursuing another interest born out of curiosity more than personal use, and learned the mechanics of vaporizer technology. At the time, devices on the market were complicated to use and sometimes downright unsafe, usually designed for self-learned or inexperienced users. I was intrigued by the challenge of engineering a vaporizer that was well designed, safe, high quality, and practical for ex-smokers who wanted to offset health risks. Our parents have been our greatest supporters and mentors. They overcame unimaginal hardship as refugees during the Vietnam War and were able to start a renowned record company, Lang Van once they came to America. Their entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen has guided many of our critical decisions as a young company.

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Mimi Nguyen=MN: We began to explore the medicinal uses of cannabis after my mom and I were both diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, we are both in remission now, but the experience was serious wake up call for our entire familys health. We collectively developed more health-conscious habits and started researching the benefits of cannabis and Eastern medicine. When California legalized recreational cannabis, we began exploring the potential applications of cannabis as a wellness tool. While there were countless options available on the market, we realized that the majority of those products were designed in a way that mitigated the plants nutrient-rich and medical benefits when consumed. When eaten, at least half of the cannabinoids are effectively lost to the digestive process, and while inhalation allows a higher absorption rate of cannabinoids, many arrive dormant or destroyed by the heat used in standard methods of combustion. Phitons expertise in vaporizer technology and our familys penchant for holistic experimentation converged as a family pursuit of smarter cannabis consumption, leading us to create the product that becameQWIN.

WB: Why CBD? Where do you source your products from?Tell me about your company a bit more? What is micro-fusion technology? How do you determine dosages?

PN & MN: We believe that CBD has the potential to help individuals who depend on medications that are either addictive or have adverse side effects to manage chronic physical or mental conditions. We wanted to create a natural source of relief for anyone who is spending numerous hours a day dealing with pain, anxiety, or distress. Our CBD is sourced from an extraction facility in Milwaukee that is also USFDA approved for bottling and is in the process of being CGMP certified.QWINs MicroFusion technology is an ultrasonic emulsion process where we create a more bioavailable formula where the CBD becomes more absorbent particles that your body can process faster and more efficiently. The process also infuses food-grade flavors into each formula and creates an effective product and maintain a lower cost to the user. We designed QWIN to be used frequently throughout the day to give our customers a steady and balanced feeling. Each CBDi cartridge contains 100 mg of full-spectrum CBD and approximately 45 doses. We do not have a recommended dosage amount because each body is different, but users should feel the effects within 5 minutes of inhaling and can decide if they need more from there.

WB: Did you go to B-School (or school of hard knocks)? What is your professional background in this field? What is your six month and twelve month plan?

MN: I went to Chapman University for film production and did not have a formal business education, but being involved in my familys music business at a young age gave me the skills and insight to runQWIN. I manage the legal aspects of every project, design our digital licensing program for our entire catalogue of music and videos, and lead the acquisition of our cannabis facility and licenses. In the next six months, we expect to have a fully licensed cannabis manufacturing and distribution facility, launch a line of high potency CBD and microdose THC capsules, and focus on building our educational and influencer partnership divisions.

PN: I went to UC Santa Cruz for printmaking and mathematics and also learned how to manage a production facility producing artists which taught me the day-to-day business operations and distribution of entertainment from our parents business. My product development background helped me design and launch QWINs innovative technology. During my five years in the industry, Ive developed several product lines in hardware technology and e-liquid brands. In 12 months, we hope that other vape companies will use QWINs technology and platform in their own products.

WB What kind of stigmas do you face? How do you anticipate removing these obstacles? What do you see as the future of wellness?

PN & MN: The entire vape industry has received a lot of negative press due to the rise in lung illnesses linked to illicit THC cartridges. The media has characterized all vape use as dangerous, which is vastly misguided. Inhaling medicine has been around for decades and is one of the most effective methods for instant relief. The only way to challenge this misperception is through public education. Just like how cannabis use was widely vilified decades ago, people are often scared of what they do not know. We see this current vape crisis as an opportunity to engage with consumers and health officials about the benefits of vaping legal CBD and THC and will diligently work with testing labs to reinforce that our products are safe. The future of wellness lies in taking a preventative approach by having access and education to natural remedies and learning how to be more mindful of our health choices.

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WB: What is your passion?

PN: I love developing products that can enhance peoples life experiences. Some of the most life-changing products ever created resulted in incremental changes that made a significant difference in peoples lives. While we cant solve the underlying problems that cause chronic health issues, what we can do is give individuals a natural tool to make their lives easier as they navigate this challenge.

MN:The Mongo verb temu comes to mind. It roughly translates to, I believe that I am not passionate about one particular thing, but a way of living life. I want to be in a constant state of inspiration, always creating and rushing to create holistic solutions for individuals trying to improve their quality of life.

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Meet The Family Behind QWIN: Revolutionizing CBD Technology - Forbes

Personalised nutrition startup Atlas Biomed claims to be the only company in the world offering both DNA and microbiome testing kits for a holistic picture of health and now it is launching a phone app allowing people to discover what foods will best improve their gut health with the simple snap of the camera.

Sergey Musienko, bioinformatician andfounder of the UK-based firm launched in 2014, says the app differs from all other diet apps on the market as it will allow customers to genuinely learn how to modulate their microbiomes through their diet choices by teaching them about diet variety and fibre intake.

He tells NutraIngredients: Itallows the customer to take a photo of their meal and the special algorithm allows us to identify the specific ingredients in the meal and based on their latest microbiome test results the app provides a scoring system for each ingredient, showing how beneficial they are to the users microbiome composition.

The whole idea behind this is to help people gamify the process and better understand what ingredients can be harmful or beneficial to their gut bacteria.

The entrepreneur points out that research has shown that the majority of the population in Europe and the US are not eating enough fibre - a nutrient essential for a healthy microbial diversity.

He points out that therecommended daily intake is 30 grams but according to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, UK adults are only eating around 18 grams per day.

He says people should ideally be eating at least 30 different sources of fibre each week in order to keep their microbial diversity up and the app helps people achieve this.

Believe me, its harder than you would imagine to reach this number. I think when I first checked I was getting maybe 20 on a good week.

There are a lot of apps out there that help people track their calories or their macros but this is the first to concentrate of fibre as well as some vitamins, polyphenols and sugar which also have an impact on microbiome composition.

This will help people to discover the best fibre sources for them and it will help people to diversify their diets. We really want to help people to live healthy lives for longer and as soon as you have a basic understanding its quite easy to stay on track its like learning to ride a bike!

Musienko graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology before going on to join theSilicon Valley think tank, at Singularity UniversityCaliforniain 2011,where they train entrepreneurial minds on how to apply technology into projects that can improve the lives of people around the world.

There I had a chance to meet lots of visionaries and entrepreneurs around health technology."Musienko explains, "I spoke to lots of researchers and shared ideas with them and discussed whats the future of preventative medicine. Thats when I had the idea which would lay the foundation for Atlas Biomed taking a personalised proactive approach to health care by predicting conditions and doing everything we can to prevent them.

Back then, in 2011, companies were offering affordable genomics tests but these tests were in their really early days and there was a lot of criticism that they couldnt tell you in a precise way whats likely to happen to the persons health. Of course with all these common but complex issues, like chrones disease, diabetes, obesity, lifestyle has a huge impact as well as genes.

I realised if we want to personalise healthcare or nutrition in an accurate manner it has to be a combination of different factors and thats how we came up with the concept of multiple tests a saliva test for genes and a stool sample test for the microbiome which covers changes in diet and lifestyle.

The company launched its DNA and microbiome tests commercially in Europe in 2017 and since then it has quickly expanded with sales in 17 countries across Europe as well as Canada with hopes to establish itself in the US soon.

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Startup 'gamifies' gut health with diet app aimed at long-term change - NutraIngredients.com

Is it just me, or have you noticed how we seem to go straight from Halloween to Christmas, almost bypassing Thanksgiving altogether? That is unfortunate because not only is Thanksgiving an important American holiday that reflects our heritage, but individuals, families and churches need one day set aside for the purpose of giving thanks to the Lord and acknowledging that all that we have is from Him.

Is the giving of thanks only on this one day enough? Certainly it is not, but it is a good place to start.

There are numerous benefits to the giving of thanks. Please allow me to mention only a few.

First, the giving of thanks to the Lord is preventative medicine for developing a critical spirit. One with a critical spirit is constantly criticizing others. He tends to see what others are doing wrong and not right, and is constantly finding fault. A person with a critical spirit can always do anything and everything better than the one he is criticizing.

Instead of finding faults in others, why not begin to thank God for them and pray for them. It is difficult to criticize someone you are thanking God for, whether it be government officials, church leaders and even family and friends.

Those that were closest to the late Billy Graham said they never heard him speak a critical word about anyone. Does that mean that Dr. Graham never observed something in others that could not be criticized? I suspect that a man who lived so long and traveled so extensively encountered those he could have criticized, but he chose to keep those observations to himself.

Another benefit of giving thanks is that of learning to be content with what we have. By the time you read this, the collection week for Operation Christmas Child will have just concluded. This ministry of Samaritans Purse collects literally millions of shoeboxes filled with small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, etc. The reports indicate that the kids who receive them are absolutely overwhelmed with joy, appreciation and thanksgiving.

Now, imagine how the average American child would react if one of these shoe boxes was all he or she received for Christmas. I suspect most would complain and be very ungrateful. And why is this? Perhaps one reason is that so many kids have been spoiled and been trained to expect lavish gifts at Christmas time. Many of them have not been raised to be thankful and thus content.

There are many reasons the Greatest Generation is considered to be such. One of those is that they were grateful for what they had. That generation, who is slowly ebbing away, lived through the Great Depression when millions were out of work, and poverty was the norm of the day from rural areas to metropolitan cities. They learned to be grateful just to have something to eat and a roof over their heads.

That generation also survived WWII. Those stateside had to deal with rationing of almost everything. And of course those called into service had to cope with the horrible conditions that go with war. Those who survived were grateful just to be alive. That generation knew how to get by on what they had and were thankful for what they had.

We all could learn a lesson from that generation about being thankful instead of complaining. Instead of complaining about not having a bigger and more up to date house, we should be thankful that we have a house period. We should appreciate the fact that we have a roof over our head, not to mention indoor plumbing and electricity. Instead of complaining that we dont have a newer and nicer car, we should give thanks for the car that we do have, and that it is paid for.

Career missionaries to foreign nations and those who have done short term mission work can testify that some of the happiest people in the world are those who have very little in the way of material possessions. I suspect they have learned the secret of contentment and to give thanks in all things.

Parents, are you teaching your children to be thankful? It starts with the small things like saying thank you, or even writing a thank you note for a gift or some act of kindness shown by another. Does your family take time to say a prayer of thanks to the Lord when you sit down to a meal, whether at home or in a restaurant?

Is one day of giving thanks a year enough? Of course not, but it is a good place to start.

For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. I Timothy 6:7-8.

Chip Warren is the past president of the Albertville Ministerial Fellowship.

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Chip Warren: One day of giving thanks isn't enough, but it's good start - Sand Mountain Reporter