“THE WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF IS WHEN I’M DOING THE LEAST TALKING… AND I’M SHAPING THE CONVERSATION AROUND [OTHERS’] EXPERIENCES. I’M LEARNING FROM OTHER PEOPLE’S STRENGTHS AND JOURNEYS” – ALLIE CASHEL
Allie Cashel is the author of Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme disease in an Age of Denial(North Atlantic Books) and is the co-founder and president of The Suffering the Silence Community, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding chronic illness and disability. Since starting work with STS, Allie has been invited to facilitate work shops and to speak about disability, inclusion, and storytelling at events around the country. She has appeared in a number of global media outlets, including Good Day NY (Fox5) and NowThis Live News, and has presented her work at a United States Congressional Forum.
Alongside her advocacy work in the illness and disability community, Allie works as a marketing and content development consultant for nonprofit and mission driven companies in the United States and Europe. Highlights from her current consulting work include managing the 2018 Our World is Kind Photography contest with Envision Kindness, empowering youth activism with The Service Learning Project, and bringing community voices into the marketing strategy and brand development at the social impact startup, https://blog.mighty-well.com/ Harnessing the power of storytelling, she gives voice to individuals and organizations working to create positive change in the world. Allie graduated from Bard College in 2013 with a BA in Written Arts and lives in Burlington, VT. Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing vector-borne diseases in the world and urban residents in cities with regularly travelling populations should be considered high risk yet there is a little awareness of the issue amongst either patients or doctors. Lyme Disease: medical myopia and the hidden epidemic 1st Edition, Kindle Edition… Based on years of diagnosing and treating this growing problem in NY City, Dr Raxlen, together with ‘expert patient’ Allie Cashel and a team of international contributors, provides a road map for individuals who suspect they have been infected and are lost in the ‘medical maze’ of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, searching for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. By highlighting the difficulties sufferers face, Raxlen et al aim to increase understanding of the Lyme epidemic worldwide and how sufferers can obtain reliable and effective diagnosis and treatment.
From the Beginning…. Born in London, U.K., Allie Cashel moved with her family to Westchester, NewYork. A 2013 graduate of Bard College’s Written Arts Department, Allie is a first-time author, Suffering the Silence began as her senior thesis project at Bard College and has since developed into a full-length memoir which details her own experience, and shares the stories of a number of other Chronic Lyme patients from around the world, acting as a living portrait of the disease and its patients’ struggles for recognition and treatment. Suffering the Silence was published on September 8, 2015 by North Atlantic Books, a health and wellness publisher based out of Berkeley, CA, distributed by Random House. When I was first diagnosed with Lyme disease when I was seven years old. I had all the classic signs of infection — a tick bite, a fever and the infamous Bull’s-eye rash, which appeared like a red target on my thigh. I lived in Irvington, N.Y. at the time, where awareness of the disease, and its infection through tick bites, is high. So that summer in 1998, I quickly tested positive for Lyme, and joined the estimated 300,000 other people who are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year in the U.S. I took the traditional three weeks of the antibiotic Doxycycline, and everyone assumed I was cured. Unfortunately, my Lyme story was far from over. Is This What Hell is Like | Cancer Quick Facts www.solitarius.org/2017/10/28/hell/
As I went through puberty, I started to experience extreme fatigue and lasting muscle and joint pain. My persistent symptoms prompted new blood work, and in high school I was diagnosed with Lyme again. In the fall of my senior year, I struggled to read, speak, drive, and even to hold my fork at dinnertime. My tests also revealed three other infections that had yet to be treated: Babesia, Bartonella, and Erichilia, diseases that can all be transmitted in the bite of one tick. Doctors were unsure if this new diagnosis was related to my original bite. After all, I was outside all the time, living in one of the most endemic areas of the world, and it was entirely possible I had been infected again.
And so I spent the next three years on a constant stream of IV antibiotic therapy, an effort to keep my worsening symptoms at bay. Spending my adolescence in IV clinics felt as emotionally demanding as it was physically. When the treatment became too difficult, I worked instead to fight my disease with diet changes and high-dose vitamin therapies. Though I didn’t know its name at the time, the Autoimmune Paleo Diet was personally one of the most successful treatment experiences I’ve had to date. I was healthy for almost a year.
But when I turned 17, I experienced my first neurological symptoms of Lyme disease. In the fall of my senior year, I struggled to read, speak, drive, and even to hold my fork at dinnertime. Throughout most of my life, living with Lyme had meant dealing with fatigue, joint and muscle pain. Now years later, difficulty speaking and feeling lost in my school hallways became the new normal. I thought I had learned what it was like to live with Lyme, but now this felt like a whole new disease.
Why I’m Opening Up About Life With Lyme? It’s hard to describe daily life with Lyme disease, because it’s always changing. When I meet other patients who suffer from chronic Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, I’m always surprised by how different their experiences are from my own. Diagnosis stories, treatment stories, and even symptoms can vary greatly between patient narratives. As a culture, we tend to think of illness as something that’s easily defined by medical textbooks, or solved by a single prescription. Our expectation is for patients to get sick, and then get better. But chronic illness is more complicated than that. And as a result, when we talk about Lyme, patient experiences are often dismissed, simplified, or even ignored. And so I’ve recently started opening up and telling my story. It hasn’t been easy, but finding my voice has been an incredibly powerful tool in the healing process. Every time I share my experience, I’m encouraged to accept the peaks and valleys of this disease, and not to judge differences in individual experiences. I know how difficult the inconsistency of chronic illness can be, but the simple act of owning that inconstancy is helping me to move forward and heal.
For almost two full years now, I’ve been very lucky to feel healthy, thanks to a combination of high-dose vitamin therapy and managing flares of symptoms with the Autoimmune Paleo Diet. I’m 27 years old now, and though I’m scared that one day I’ll fall back into the pain and fog of Lyme, I’m optimistic that I’ve left the worst of Lyme disease behind me. There is a lot that still needs to be done to reform the patient experience and cultural perception of tick-borne disease. Better diagnostic tests need to be developed, stronger data needs to be collected, and patients need more support. But perhaps the first thing we need to do in order to see real progress is to speak out about the complexity of our experiences and push for a more flexible understanding about what it means to live with Lyme disease. What do you do if you contracted Lyme at age 7 and you are now 24? If you’re Allie Cashel, you interview sixteen people with Lyme and write a book, called Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme Disease in an Age of Denial. Due out September, 7, 2015, the book shares stories of Lyme patients from around the world, as well as perspectives from prominent Lyme physicians Dr. Bernard Raxlen and Dr. Richard Horowitz and Lyme research scientists Dr. Richard Ostfeld , Dr. Felicia Keesing and Nicola McFadzean Ducharme, ND is the founder and Medical Director of RestorMedicine. She practices holistic medicine specializing in Lyme disease, hormone balancing, autistic-spectrum disorders, preconception health care and digestive disorders. While At Envita they have a unique understanding of Chronic Lyme disease and have been treating patients for nearly 20 years; have developed proprietary techniques and have the experience to treat the neurological symptoms associated with chronic Lyme helping to facilitate recovery and the return of quality of life to patients.
Allie was diagnosed in 1998, fortunate to have a bulls-eye rash and clear-cut diagnosis from standard blood tests. Asymptomatic as a child, after treating with antibiotics, Allie thought she was cured. Then adolescence hit, and a host of symptoms too, including joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. Tests revealed that she was co-infected with Babesia, Bartonella and Erlichia. After more treatment she was feeling well, but in her last year of high school the pain returned, with new symptoms including a stammer, spotty vision, memory problems, getting lost at school, and frequent car accidents (6 in 6 weeks). Her family had moved to a new city, so she went to a new doctor. Without even examining her, this physician told Allie’s mother that, “It was impossible that I was suffering from any sort of biological infection – that instead I was having a mental breakdown in response to my parents’ move and was regressing to infancy because I wanted to be closer to them, so that’s why I couldn’t do things that a normal adult could do like read or talk or drive a car.” Allie says, “I knew that there was something else going on…but I was in a place where I was really struggling to communicate at all, so I didn’t necessarily have the tools or presence of mind to communicate that.” Allie’s family was supportive, and she went back to her previous physicians who better understood the disease, receiving treatment that got her well again. Returning to school, Allie recalls, “The experience was so traumatic for me that I didn’t want to deal with it at all. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want people to know about it. I lied to friends when they asked me where I had been for the first 3 months of school. I was embarrassed and totally terrified that if I told them my story, people wouldn’t believe me.” It wasn’t until her senior year of college when she began interviewing other people with Lyme that she began to “sort of own all the weird complexities and ups and downs and confusion that came along with my experience of this disease and found that many other people were in that same boat with me.” The experience was transformative, setting her on the path of Lyme advocacy. Cashel created a Suffering the Silence online community, where young people with Lyme and other chronic diseases share their experience in positive and proactive voices. She envisions in the future that the site will have content organized by themes, and her goal is to reach many more people. She will embark on a multi-city book tour in September, and hopes to hold meet-up groups in each location along the way. Lyme patients or caregivers of all ages are welcome to contact Allie directly to arrange a meet-up.
Questions & Answers!!! LN: What stood out for you in interviewing people with Lyme? AC: One of the things that struck me the most was how isolated people felt…many of them were in situations that were quite supported, (in terms of people taking care of them), and yet they still felt incredibly isolated…The language that they used to describe sensations was incredibly consistent across the board…their muscles crawling or their skin being on fire. LN: When you look back, what did you struggle with? AC: I didn’t know what to say about it. There wasn’t a language that existed for me to explain things to people or explain things to my family or friends, so I didn’t. It just turns out that you have to invent that language, to help figure out what the narrative is, and we haven’t totally done that yet. LN: What is it like going through Lyme as a teenager/young adult? AC: As a teenager, that’s a time in your life when you are supposed to be making big declarations of what you like or don’t like, what band you think is cool or not cool. I was in this place where I didn’t even know if I could trust my own experience of what was happening in my body, so I struggled to say “I like these things; I don’t like these things,” because I was struggling so much to own my own physical and emotional experience…I pushed back so much against this idea of my experience being psychological, but in looking back on it, of course it was psychological. It wasn’t purely psychological…but our physical experience of the world, whether it’s disease, whether it’s complete health, …whatever it is, informs our psychological experience of the world…In reality I needed to find a way to fuse those two ideas together and I think that would have helped me to have a stronger sense of even what it was that I was going through. It wasn’t until I started to reflect on it and started to process it years after, that I was able to understand that. LN: What could we create to help young people with Lyme? AC: I spoke to a girl recently who suffered from Leukemia as a kid. Now in her twenties she is dealing with Lyme. She said that having cancer was a significantly easier experience for her than having Lyme has been…when she had cancer, the community rallied behind her. Her family rallied behind her. Everyone was there to support her, and to support those that were supporting her. And in this case (Lyme), she feels that is completely at a loss. If we were able to provide resources to caregivers, even just the acknowledgment that they are going through something serious, I think that would help to provide a sense of stability for young people who are going through this. Also, I think we need to create some kind of space where they can talk about things they don’t want to talk about with their doctor or their Mom – questions like sex questions or relationship questions, or what does it mean if you’re 17 and all your friends are getting drunk and you’re not sure if you can drink because of your antibiotics. You might not want to say, “Hey, Mom, is it cool if I drink?” That’s not a conversation you necessarily want to have with an adult, so to create some sense of community with younger people. Those sort of day to day life questions, we don’t have answers for young people. When you feel like you don’t know the answers to tiny questions, then the bigger questions – the identity questions, the pain questions – feel impossible to answer because we can’t even answer the smaller ones. LN: What helps people get through Lyme? AC: It may be optimistic of me or naivety of me, but I think positivity helps. And positivity helps people get better. And even if it doesn’t help them get better, it helps them feel better. LN: If you could say anything to a young person with Lyme, what would it be? AC: I would say that it will get better. It’s okay to feel sad and angry and frustrated, but it’s also really important to remember that you’re still really young and you have a long life to lead. Things you hoped you might accomplish by the time you were a certain age, even if you have to push that back by six months, you’re going to get to do all that if you work to make yourself healthy. And I would say that I’m sorry that there aren’t more resources and there isn’t more medical support for you to go through this. But if you empower yourself and advocate for yourself, there is definitely a light at the end of this tunnel and it is just a matter of working to get there.”
Health care providers reported at least 2,150 confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases to Maine CDC in 2019. For more information on Lyme disease and to view the 2020 winning posters and past poster submissions visit www.maine.gov/lyme/month. Maine Lyme disease data, including town-level and near real-time data, are available through the Maine Tracking Network. Visit www.maine.gov/lyme and click on “Maine Tracking Network: Tickborne Diseases” in the menu on the left. Check out videos on Maine CDC’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MainePublicHealth. GETTING RID OF MY LYME AFTER 5 YEARS (LymeStop) YouTube · 680 views · 8/13/2019 · by CARLIE ANN
Lyme Disease – Ben Erlandson www.erlandsonclinic.com › lyme-disease.html Dr. Erlandson recovered from chronic lyme disease through a natural technique called LymeStop developed by Dr. Tony Smith. Dr. Erlandson is a licensed LymeStop practitioner serving Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. For more information go to www.lymestop.com. Dr. Erlandson also has written an article about his journey and the LymeStop technique. LymeStop – Natural Treatment for Lyme Disease lymestop.com Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD Based on an Idaho doctor’s important discovery, this revolutionary therapy has been a Godsend for many who have suffered with this debilitating disease. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed — or have already “tried everything” — we urge you to experience the extraordinary healing power of LymeStop.
LYMESTOP My Personal Story-Dr. Ben Erlandson nebula.wsimg.com › d321cd4dfc88caaa4fdbf9c9da04e121?… LYMESTOP My Personal Story-Dr. Ben Erlandson Up until I was 29 years old I had never experienced any true health problems. I had never taken any prescription medicine and always exercised and lived a fairly healthy lifestyle. As I got out of bed one day, I began noticing that my feet were sore in the morning.
AdTwo Decades Experience Treating 1000’s of Lyme Disease Patients. We Can Help You! Breaking Down the Barriers to Lyme Disease Treatment Chronic Lyme disease complex may be one of the most difficult to treat diseases in … Types: Cancer, Lyme Disease, Chronic Disease, Autoimmune Disease, Fibromyalgia Where Other Facilities Have Failed. I am reminded of a passage I once read in a book called God Calling. “In a race it is not the start that hurts, not the even pace of the long stretch. It is when the goal is in sight that heart and nerves and courage and muscles are strained almost beyond human endurance, almost to breaking point. So with you now the goal is in sight…”
Ty Bollinger is a happily married husband, the father of four wonderful children, devoted Christian, best-selling author, medical researcher, talk radio host, health freedom advocate, former competitive bodybuilder and also a certified public accountant. After losing several family members to cancer (including his mother and father), Ty refused to accept the notion that chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery were the most effective treatments available for cancer patients. He began a quest to learn all he possibly could about alternative cancer treatments and the medical industry. Ty has now made it his life mission to share the most remarkable discovery he made on his quest: the vast majority of all diseases (including cancer) can be easily prevented and even cured without drugs or surgery. Ty speaks frequently to health groups, at seminars, expos, conferences, churches, and is a regular guest on multiple radio shows and writes for numerous magazines and websites. Speaking from personal experience and extensive research, Ty has touched the hearts and changed the lives of thousands of people around the world. How CBD and THC in Marijuana Work Together to Stop Cancer?
Cannabis and Cancer: How “Marijuana” Helps the Body Heal!!! By Ty Bollinger — Posted: June 17, 2020 The cannabis plant (also known as the hemp plant) has been used in just about every culture for centuries. In fact, cannabis is included in the 50 fundamental herbs within the cornucopia of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Chinese herbology (simplified Chinese: 中药学; traditional Chinese: 中藥學; pinyin: zhōngyào xué) is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine … It has been cited in ancient texts as having a healing effect on over 100 ailments. In recent years in the United States, the collective mood is changing in regards to cannabis/hemp (aka “marijuana”).
Personally, I prefer to use the term “hemp” or “cannabis” since those are proper names for the plant, and the truth is that the term “marijuana” (derived from the Mexican slang “marihuana”) was popularized in the early 1930s by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (which later became the DEA) in order to make this amazing plant sound sinister and to elude the public’s existing familiarity and comfort level with the plant and the medical application of cannabis/hemp tinctures. “Marijuana” was not a commonly smoked recreational drug at the time. Currently there are over 3 dozen states where it is legal for patients to use “marijuana” for medical purposes. Pending federal legislation may open up opportunities for federally-funded medical research, including human clinical trials. This will further prove cannabis’ track-record when it comes to healing a number of disease conditions − including cancer. Remember, that Israel Is a World Leader in Medicine.
Cannabis and The Endocannabinoid System… In the mid-1990s, renowned Israeli researcher Dr. Ralph Mechaoulam, professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, made an exciting discovery that would forever change how we look at our biological relationship to plant medicine. Dr. Mechaoulam discovered a subtle system within the body that seemed to have a balancing effect on every other system. He called it the Endocannabinoid (EC) System and it can be found in all mammals, including humans. The EC system consists of a series of molecular receptors that are designed to receive cannabinoids. In particular this includes cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as other related substances such as cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabinol (CBN).
Prior research in the 1980s led Mechaoulam and others to pinpoint two main receptors for cannabinoids − cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2). Researchers at the time also defined the natural substances called endocannabinoids, which our body produces on its own in a similar way it produces endorphins. Phytocannabinoids (namely THC, CBD, and their variants), on the other hand, comes directly from the cannabis plant. Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are designed by the body to be specific targets for THC, while our natural endocannabinoids help to synthesize it. The process of THC-cannabinoid receptor binding and what this does for the body is what researchers have been studying for over two decades. They are doing this in order to find out exactly how cannabis works in healing cancer. Microbiologist Dr. Christine Sanchez of Compultense Univeristy in Madrid, Spain has been studying cannabinoids and cancer since the early 2000’s. She was the first to discover the antitumor effects of cannabinoids. “We now know that the endocannabinoid system regulates a lot of biological functions such as appetite, food intake, motor function, reproduction and many others and that is why the plant has such a wide therapeutic potential,” says Dr. Sanchez in a video interview for the web-based cable channel Cannabis Planet.
Cannabis and Cancer Tumor Growth “We observed that when we treated [astrocytoma, a type of brain tumor] cells with cannabinoids, the THC…was killing the cells in our Petri dishes,” Dr. Sanchez says. “We…decided to analyze these components in animal models of breast and brain tumors. The results we are obtaining are telling us that cannabinoids may be useful for the treatment of Breast Cancer.” Sanchez and other researchers have confirmed that the most potent effects against tumor growth occur when THC and CBD are combined. Cannabidiol, or CBD, which does not have a psychoactive effect, has long been known as a potent anti-cancer agent. This is because of its ability to interfere with cellular communication in tumors as well as in its ability to instigate apoptosis, or programmed cancer cell death. Some research studies, including in vitro and animal-based trials conducted by San Francisco-based researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center, have also shown that CBD may affect genes involved in aggressive metastasis.
It does this by helping to shut down cellular growth receptors. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (i.e. THC), the psychoactive counterpart to CBD, has been shown to reduce tumor growth as well. It has also shown to have an effect on the rate of metastasis, including for non-small cell lung cancer − the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. A 2007 study on THC and highly-aggressive epidermal growth factor receptor-overexpressing (EGF-expressing) lung cancer conducted by Harvard Medical School found that certain EGF lung cancer cells express CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. They found that the presence of THC effected metastasis of these cells by reducing the “focal adhesion complex,” which plays a vital role in cancer migration. Studies have also been conducted on the combined effect of CBD and THC on lung, prostate, colon, pancreatic, liver, bladder, cervical, blood-based, brain, and other forms of cancer. These studies lend increasing evidence to the fact that cannabinoids are not only antioxidant phytonutrients but powerful “herbal chemo” agents. Says Dr. Sanchez: “One of the advantages of cannabinoid-based medicines would be that they target specifically tumor cells. They don’t have any toxic effect on normal non-tumoral cells. This is an advantage with respect to standard chemotherapy that targets basically everything.”
If You Use Cannabis for Cancer, Do it Right…. Because cannabinoid therapy is relatively new in the mainstream, a current challenge for patients regarding its use is lack of regulation. This may change, however, with the possible passing of the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act, which has the support of 37 members of Congress. CARERS would remove “marijuana” from the Controlled Substances Act Schedule I drug category, where it has been since 1970 − on par with heroin and cocaine. This classification is ridiculous since, by definition, Schedule I drugs have “no currently accepted medical uses” and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) holds a patent (U.S. Patent 6630507) on cannabis oil for medical use! Think about it. How can HHS hold a medical use patent for cannabis oil if there are no medical uses for cannabis? OK, enough of the logic lesson. Let’s just say that there are some serious logic deficiencies in these laws. If “marijuana” is rightfully removed from a Schedule I drug, this would open the door for more targeted, federally-funded research as well as increased patient access to this amazing healing plant.
1. Do your own research. The best way to learn about the power of cannabis in healing cancer is to start digging. There are approximately 500 articles on Pubmed alone relating to cannabis and cancer. Learn about strains, qualified targeted research studies, what method of administration may be right for you, and the importance of balancing the Endocannabinoid System. 2. Know your source. Unfortunately, because the medical cannabis industry is largely unregulated, charlatans selling bogus products definitely exist. You should not have to pay exorbitant amounts of money for any cannabis product that you buy from regulated pharmacies or online. Also, make quality a priority for you. Be sure that your product comes from an organic source and that you know that the plant has not been grown or processed using pesticides. 3. Stick with natural cannabis products. Synthetically-produced cannabinoids such as Marinol are commercially available. However, anecdotal evidence has found that these do not work as efficiently as natural substances do. 4. Work with a professional healthcare provider trained in cannabinoid therapy. These professionals are out there in increasing numbers, especially in states where the medical cannabis industry is well established or growing, such as California and Colorado. Reach out to a patient advocate group online if no qualified professionals are in your area. 5. Make cannabis therapy an important part of your overall cancer-healing toolbox. A well-rounded naturally-based cancer healing protocol involves working with the body’s own healing mechanisms through a variety of means. For you, this may mean changes to your diet and lifestyle, reducing stress, getting quality sleep, moving your body, intense detoxing protocols, and using other supplements and proven natural methods in addition to the powerful healing power of cannabis.
Sometimes we have ups and downs, but we’re all in this life together … the thing with Joe’s Decision it gave him one year longer to live then expected? Joe was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1985 and had two surgeries and four rounds of chemo. In 1987 he had a recurrence, fortunately after addressing the cancer in 1987 he went into remission. In 2007 Joe began studyingBrazilian Jiu Jitsu, and in his own words fell in love with it. “When I kept getting my ass kicked and went back for more it made me mentally stronger.” In the 6th year of Joe’s study he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. “I have never been a smoker and there was no obvious cause…” In spite of there being no obvious cause Joe was far more mentally prepared for his situation than most people would be “I had faced death when I was young, The surgery in 86 left me with one kidney, the 8 rounds of chemo left me with nerve damage. I have no feeling from my knees and elbows down. So I have always felt I am on borrowed time and thought I might not make it to old age. So I was pretty calm through it all.
My wife Cindy and my kids took it hard. With all that being said I felt like if anyone could survive for five years, I would be that 1 in 100.” Apart from Joe’s lifestyle, he also has a spiritual component which he is tapping into to help manage. “I am not aligned with any religious group, however, I am spiritual and believe that there is more out there. I did meet a lady named Sister Dulce out of Baton Rouge LA, she is known around the world for helping and praying for people. Sister Dulce is a very sweet and kind nun in Baton Rouge who has been considered by some as a healer. She says she is not “a healer,” but she is used as an instrument of God for His healing. I try to talk to her weekly and she prays for me.” I was a little skeptical about visiting her and did it for my wife. I am now a believer and feel she is the real deal and a great person.
Joe’s Jiu Jitsu training is evolving along with his lifestyle “I have been training 4-5 times a week, the only injury I have had was my elbow popping. I feel really good on the conditioning side and considering only full capacity in one lung and still rusty I am doing pretty well. I am about 40lbs lighter than before the diagnosis, with some loss of strength. “My doctor is baffled that I am still around, I have not seen an oncologist since August of 2013… My last 3 x-rays show no change. I see my doctor every 4 months… Doctors won’t comment on alternative medicine. Diet, exercise, spirituality, and the mind play key roles in radical remissions.” The reality is that Joe’s case is a rare one. In the terms of submission fighting, Joe is using a low percentage escape to deal with a high percentage submission, but it is working, which is what takes the situation from tragic to remarkable. How does the cancer affect Joe? “Not at all, I believe I am that 1 % that beats a terminal diagnosis.
I think it is a problem that I can manage, a day at a time.” In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so many positions are only escapable using paths that most people never realize, paths that may be uncomfortable. Many very strong people will try to fight out of submissions only to be caught in subsequent positions. Similarly, so often the methods modern medicine has to address cancer drastically inhibit the quality of life in patients and ultimately may speed up their demise. Unfortunately, these methods are in fact the cure, but in Joe’s case there is no cure that has been accepted by the medical community. Doctors are essentially powerless to really help him. But Joe has found a path of escape. This path has already proven successful at stymieing a devastating situation and if the trend continues Joe will be part of that 1%. For anyone who doesn’t know, Joe Mancaruso was one of the strongest Jiujiteiro that ever lived. This is not because of his physical prowess but his heart. Joe used jiu jitsu and a Ketogenic diet to deal with his terminal lung cancer, and as a result lived far beyond the initial prognosis given to him by doctors.
“He went out strong and a true warrior to the end. The strongest guy I have ever met!”- Cindy Mancaruso, Joe’s wife states, “Brave people, like Joe here, are ready to take on that challenge and attack it with full force.” Nature wanted it to be like that and Joe was diagnosed with cancer in May 2013. Like any other person on this planet, he started chemotherapy right away.
The suffering was even bigger. In February 2014, Joe had enough of the chemo and decided to treat it with a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. Every month, Joe was paying $10,000 for a dose of chemo. The results of the chemo were the seizures and a weakened immune system. What I missed before is to tell you that Joe has fought off testicular cancer in 1985. He needed only 4 rounds of chemo to do that. “After 3 rounds of Alimta, I decided to quit chemo. I tried several diets and ended up following the Keto diet. I combined supplements, sunshine, exercise, and heat therapy.” – Joe Mancaruso.
This fitness guru said that the Keto diet therapy isn’t flushing away his retirement savings or destroying his life. The chemo is a personal choice. It should be like that. That’s why he is relying on a Ketogenic diet and rigorous exercise to starve the cancer to death. Joe realizes that opting out of chemotherapy is a personal choice, but he likes that diet therapy won’t deplete his retirement savings or destroy his quality of life — which chemo definitely does. “This will not be the right choice for everyone, Instead of being weak and poor, but it allows me to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu four to five times a week, do my kettlebell training and travel,” said Mancaruso. The cells in our body can survive on fat and glucose. Cancer is different. It only relies on glucose. Can’t live on ketones. So, if you limit the carbohydrates that turn into glucose you can prevent the cancer cells from growing. According to the author of “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease” Dr. Thomas Seyfried: Also Elaine Cantin discussed how she used the ketogenic diet to manage her son’s type 1 diabetes and her own aggressive breast cancer in her book, The Cantin Ketogenic Diet. Maybe Joe Mancaruso would have had a better chance if he went Keto – earlier in his battle and not allow the chemotherapy to ravage his immune system from the start 🙁
When I was talking to my cousin Carla today Autism & Gap Diet was her main interest. Autism has never been reported in history, unlike other diseases which have been well documented. In the 1940s autism was first described, shortly after vaccines were introduced. Since then, rates have gone up-as vaccines have increased. In nature all immunity occurs by exposure to mucous membranes not via intramuscular injection (as with vaccines). Physicians dropped the ball by not requiring safety and efficacy trials for vaccines before liberally injecting them into our children.
Caesarean Section cause of Autism? Soon it will be a fact that vaccines cause autism and this will be one of the darkest days for medicine and mankind. Vaccinations have been around longer than the recent rash of autistic children. We must study recently adopted practices: plastic bottles, the lack of nutrients from dieting mothers trying to keep slim; toxins thought tolerable but actually subtly changing metabolism; irradiated dairy products; electronic fields….pesticides and the toxins that causing enlarged craniums make it essential that we adopt Cesarean sections more frequently…
Common Everyday Toxins To Avoid When you’re cleaning your family home or bathing your child, the last thing you are probably thinking about is exposing your family to toxic chemicals. However, that’s the reality if you have not researched the products you are using and chosen ones without toxins. While many companies are responding to the nationwide push to “clean up” their products, most are not quite there yet and still contain numerous everyday toxins. If you’re ready to reduce the toxin load in your home and want to protect the ones you love and yourself, check your products and do your best to avoid these five everyday toxins that are in many household cleaning and hygiene products.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate A filler ingredient that is often added to personal hygiene products to make them foam, sodium lauryl sulfate is one of the big offenders. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database rates SLS as a “moderate hazard” based on the fact that research proves it is linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, skin irritation, and endocrine disruption. Furthermore, studies show that undiluted sodium lauryl sulfate can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested as well as it has adverse effects on the kidneys, liver, and central nervous system. Although it is derived from coconuts, SLS is contaminated with a toxic byproduct as a result of the manufacturing product. It is present in most mainstream body washes, soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, and laundry detergents. The toxin may also be listed as sodium dodecyl sulfate, sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, sodium salt, sodium salt sulfuric acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate, aquarex me, or aquarex methyl. To avoid the product, look for products that are marked as “SLS free” as well as shampoos and other products that are made with essential oils.
Bisphenol-A Bisphenol-A or BPA is an industrial chemical that has been a component of plastics and resins for decades. The biggest concern with this chemical is its ability to seep into food and beverages from containers made with BPA. Some research has indicated that the toxin may have possible side effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate glands, particularly in fetuses, infants, and children. Further studies show that the chemical may also be linked to an increase in blood pressure. BPA is most commonly found in polycarbonate plastics that are used to create food and beverage containers. However, it may also be found in other consumer products. Some epoxy resins containing the toxin are also used to coat the insides of metal products, including food cans, bottle tops, and water supply lines. To avoid this toxin, look for products that are marked “BPA free” and cut back on canned goods. Likewise, avoid heating plastics in the microwave or placing them in the dishwasher, as this may cause them to break down. Also, look for alternatives, such as glass, porcelain, or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot foods and liquids.
Artificial Food Coloring & Dye The most common culprits are Yellow 5 and Red 40; however, other common dyes include Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. Artificial colors are most common in candies and baked goods, but some companies also put them in beverages, pet food, and even some meat products. To avoid the effects of artificial food coloring and dye, look for foods without any additives and try your hand at naturally coloring foods at home with things like fruits and vegetables.
Ammonia While most people know to avoid direct exposure to high concentrations of ammonia, few people realize how common the chemical is in household cleaning products. The chemical is found in everything from plastics to fabrics, dyes, and household cleaning solutions. While some individuals are more sensitive to the chemical than others, anyone can experience negative side effects from the toxin. The most common form of exposure is inhalation that can cause eye, nose, skin, throat and respiratory irritation. Over time, the chemical can even contribute to bronchial and alveolar edema as well as respiratory disorders. The chemical is most commonly found in polishing agents, such as those used to clean windows, bathroom fixtures, sinks, and jewelry. The chemical evaporates cleanly without leaving any streaks behind, which is why it’s often chosen for such cleaning products. Vodka is an effective alternative to ammonia if you’re cleaning a metal or mirrored surface. Likewise, toothpaste can be used as a safe silver polish.
Sodium Hydroxide A highly versatile substance, sodium hydroxide or lye is often found in powerful household cleaning products. The chemical is extremely corrosive, so if it touches your skin or enters your eyes, it can cause extreme burns. Not only that but if you inhale sodium hydroxide fumes, it can damage the lining of your esophagus and cause a sore throat that lasts for days or cause further damage. Not surprisingly, the chemical is often found in oven cleaners and drain openers. However, it can also be found in cosmetic and personal care products, such as foot powders, hair dyes, makeup, nail products, shampoos, and more. Instead of using cleaning products laced with lye, try baking soda and vinegar instead. Likewise, look for personal care products and cosmetics that are free of the irritant to limit your exposure. Now that you’re aware of the various toxins that could be affecting your health, do yourself a favor and read the labels of a variety of household cleaners, makeup, and hygiene products to ensure that you stay safe and healthy.
Health, Home, and Happiness, is a blog by Cara Comini and she believes that a healthy body and mind starts with a healthy gut. Cara believes that natural, organic sustainable produce and traditionally prepared food is designed by God to be best for the earth and people alike and enjoys learning more about this all the time. Her whole family eats primarily grain free at home. Cara blogs is about incorporating traditional food, natural remedies, and healthy habits into real life. The goal of her writing is to encourage the average family that eating real wholesome foods is something that is a priority and can realistically be done. Cara lives in Montana with her three young children. They enjoy the sunshine, swimming, fun day trips (with Healthy food packed to bring along!) and hanging out with friends and family. https://www.amazon. com.au/Health-Happiness- Favorite-Simple-Recipes-ebook/dp/B0089CLMJ4
She uses background in the medical industry to help decipher what is nutritional propaganda and what are ‘statistically significant’ studies. She believes that natural, sustainably produced and traditionally prepared food is best for the earth and people alike and enjoys learning more about this all the time.
Cara started researching dietary intervention for her daughter 8 years ago, as she was on the autism spectrum at that time and conventional treatments were not helping. The family used the Gut and Psychology Syndrome protocol for 3 years, and still primarily eats a grain-free diet now, though not as strict. Most of the recipes on Health Home and Happiness are GAPS friendly and simple enough to prepare with children underfoot. You can see the recipe index here. As more and more of her friends started having babies and asking Cara about recommendations, she wrote The Empowered Mother– a mother-to-mother guide from a holistic perspective to help prospective parents understand the pros and cons of conventional and natural treatment and preventative tools in pregnancy, childbirth, and the baby’s first few months. Lately, she has been helping families stock their freezer with delicious pre-made main dishes that are Paleo and GAPS-friendly. Click here to learn more about grain-free freezer cooking. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. The goal of Health, Home, and Happiness is to encourage the average family that eating real wholesome foods is something that is a priority in our lives and can realistically be done in any family. https://healthhomeandhappiness.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=3&v=BQyOMpbXbfI&feature=emb_title
I knew my daughter Hannah had autism when she was only 12 months old although she wasn’t professionally diagnosed until age 4. Today, Hannah no longer carries an autism diagnosis and the progress she has made has been nothing short of life changing. There’s more, Hannah has successfully transitioned off of GAPS and is now eating a normal traditional diet which includes grains and starches – with no regression or recurrence of symptoms! For those of you new to GAPS, it stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. GAPS is a temporary diet that was designed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD to reverse autism in her own son. GAPS works to heal the gut lining, rebalance intestinal flora, and help with nutrient absorption. In a nutshell, the GAPS Diet cuts out grains, sugar, and starch, and adds in foods rich in probiotics, healthy fats, and amino acids needed to heal and seal the gut wall. Once the gut lining is healed, many chronic health problems magically go away- things from autoimmune diseases to behavior problems to eczema.
Hannah’s Story of Reversing Autism To understand Hannah’s case, it is important to understand mitochondria, which act like batteries in our cells to produce energy critical for normal function…. Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be rare at all among children with autism. In the only population-based study of its kind, Portuguese researchers confirmed that at least 7.2 percent, and perhaps as many as 20 percent, of autistic children exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction. While we do not yet know a precise U.S. rate, 7.2 percent to 20 percent of children do not qualify as “rare.” In fact, mitochondrial dysfunction may be the most common medical condition associated with autism.
National public health leaders, including those at CDC, must now recognize the paradigm shift caused by this biological marker with regard to their current position of dispelling a vaccine-autism link. Science must determine more precisely how large the mitochondrial autism subpopulation is: 1 percent, 7.2 percent, 20 percent?
I had been keeping an eye on Hannah’s development from 4 months old when she wasn’t making eye contact, rolling over, or interested in anything other than nursing, I knew something was up, but it was right near her 1st birthday that I looked up the diagnostic criteria for autism, and realized that yes, she most likely did qualify as autistic, though most professionals won’t diagnose it until 3 years. It wasn’t until she was 4 that she received a formal diagnosis from a professional, but I knew I needed to start intervention as soon as possible in order to give her the greatest chance for a full recovery. I started by keeping her on a Weston A. Price Traditional Diet of all organic, nutrient dense foods as she was weaning, but when I didn’t see improvement with that we tried the gluten free casein free diet, which helped her ability to learn temporarily. After a while, however, she lapsed back into ‘autism land’. As a desperate young mom with an autistic toddler, and now her infant baby brother, I continued to search for ways to help my child. Googling ‘what to do when the gluten free casein free diet stops working autism’ brought up the GAPS Diet – this was 2009 when GAPS was just beginning to be known across the internet.
It took me a few months to work up the motivation to place my small child on such a restrictive diet, but the waking up every 2 hours all night every night, her not making progress in speech or occupational therapy because she was unable to learn, and wanting so desperately to improve her quality of life pushed me to give GAPS a try. Just after Hannah’s 3rd birthday I said we would only try GAPS for 30 days. And I tried it with her, to make sure I felt okay on such a different diet than typical Americans eat.
Starting GAPS We started GAPS with the intro diet in November 2009. I saw such great progress with her (and myself- GAPS cleared up a dairy allergy that I’d had since childhood, in just 6 weeks of the intro diet!) that I committed to keep going. She was able to learn again, and seemed to be starved for GAPS food; she was actually eating more than I was as a lactating mother!
Continuing GAPS as it was needed We continued GAPS for 2-1/2 years, working to heal the gut lining. Hannah’s digestion improved, and she started eating less after having been on the diet for a few weeks- her body was so starved for nutrients at first that she would eat everything in sight, but slowed back down to a typical toddler amount after a few weeks on GAPS. The most exciting part of Hannah’s improvement on GAPS was that she was once again able to learn. She started making progress in speech, occupational, and physical therapies. She took an interest in other children, was sleeping well at night, and was happier during the day.
GAPS gave her quality of life so much improvement, that there was no question that we had to continue the diet as long as it helped her.
As we continued, I got better at cooking GAPS food. In the beginning we ate vegetable soup, cooked chicken, hamburgers, and scrambled eggs nearly every day. GAPS forced me to be more creative with the allowed GAPS food, and I was able to expand to very enjoyable meals! Hannah knew her diet was different, but she was content with her food. Other parents would look on at me jealousy as she gobbled up eggs, meat, fruit, and veggies. The diet took effort to continue with, but once we had been on it about 6 months it just became routine.
Transitioning off the GAPS diet after 2 years GAPS is intended to be a temporary diet, so after Hannah had been on it and doing well for 2 years, I started trying some foods that weren’t GAPS legal about once a month. We started with potatoes, popcorn, and whole raw milk and she did well. We continued introducing new non-GAPS foods and watched carefully for any reactions (wheat was the last thing we introduced). If her gut wasn’t healed enough to tolerate a food I saw reactions in the form of skin rashes, night terrors, or loss of eye contact- every person’s reactions would be different though. In June we traveled to California for my little brother’s wedding. She had been transitioning off GAPS for 6 months by then, so I decided to just let go and see if she could eat what everyone else was eating. She did great! No reactions to the food at all. We were officially and successfully done with our GAPS and food allergy journey!
No longer Autistic! Though Hannah still has some learning disabilities (I believe this is from the long time that her brain was bombarded with toxins pre-GAPS, and we’re trying other therapies to continue to help with this), she just was tested this fall and no longer meets the criteria needed for an autism diagnosis. She has benefited so much from the GAPS diet, and has come so far from the 12 month old who would just fuss or stare off into space all day. She is toilet trained, loves interacting with peers, talks, learns new things, makes great eye contact, and is getting much better at accepting changes to her routine. We still eat mostly GAPS at home, since it is such a nutrient dense diet that our whole family thrives on. But being off GAPS means that I don’t have to stress when we’re out and we can just eat what everyone else is eating. The GAPS diet has been amazing for our family, I am so thankful that Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride wrote the GAPS book in time to help Hannah. I’m also thankful it’s not a diet we have to be on for life, but it was so worth it to stick with it for the couple years we needed to be on it.
The pain in her leg was excruciating — She never imagined it could be a deadly cancer.
A Born Spirited Championis a mighty warriorwho embraces their spirit, to assist them in their battles. They strengthen their spiritual connection until they can feel the spirits flowing within their body and thoughts, strengthening and quickening their mindset. Whispered fragments impart insight into battle: The spirit champion ceases to fight for their own reasons. They do so faithfully, trusting in the spirit to point them in the right direction.
Spirit Science – Healing Your Body With Food: The Movie A spirit champion is a deadly melee combatant. The spiritual nature strengthens their minds in ways most warriors ignore. Insight grants them speed and accuracy, they’re contemplative warriors, likely to meditate through darkness to dawn knowing every dark cloud has a silver lining while performing calmly within the battle. Spirit champions rely on the spirits to protect them, through insight and wisdom as well as direct intervention. They focus on the mind, and with their focus they can transcend physical limitations. Nature protects the spirit, providing instinctual insight and the whispers that bypass the normal means of understanding that bleed into the spirit champion’s subconscious mind. Spirit champions meditate as they prefer quiet places, however, they can meditate anywhere as long as they are undisturbed. They use this time to renew their focus within themselves on the tasks that lie ahead. The spirited champion mind is at peace and is difficult to disturb. A skilled champion spirit usually answers, but often does so in cryptic ways meant to improve the spirit champion or reveal to himself something about themselves. A highly skilled spirit champion has such an understanding of their own spirit, and has established such a strong relationship with themself. They have both the ability to perform at the next level and rise to the challenge.
Attitude Determines How Well You Do It! – Motivational Video Jamie Whitmore was born on May 4th 1976 in Mount Aukum, California. Personal: Whitmore has always been an athlete. When she was 5 years old, she started swimming, then it was softball and volleyball before she found her niche in track and field in eighth grade. She quickly found success as a distance runner and earned a scholarship to California State University, Northridge where she ran cross country and track. After graduating in 1998, she decided she wanted to be a professional triathlete. By 2001, she was racing mountain bikes professionally, and one year later she won her first Xterra off-road triathlon. Whitmore went on to become the most successful female athlete in XTERRA history with 37 wins, six national titles and one world title. In March of 2008, Whitmore learned that the source of the lingering pain in her leg was cancer – a spindle cell sarcoma that had wrapped around her sciatic nerve. The next year, Whitmore was in and out of the hospital with surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy and infections that left her fighting for her life. After relearning to walk and giving birth to twin boys in 2010, Whitmore won a gold and silver medal at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. …Daughter of Clyde and Christine Whitmore… Has twin sons, Christian and Ryder, who were born in January of 2010…Was pregnant with the twins before being a year cancer free…She coaches over 30 athletes for off-road and road triathlons… Hobbies include mountain biking and riding dirt jumps with her boys!! Paralympic Experience Paralympian (2016); Two-time medalist (1 gold, 1 silver) Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, gold (road race), silver (track pursuit) World Championship Experience Most recent: 2019 – Road – 5th (time trial), 7th (road race); Track – 4th (scratch), 6th (time trial), 7th (pursuit) Years of Participation: Road – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019; Track – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Medals: 20 (11 golds, 3 silver, 6 bronze) Gold – 2017 (track time trial, track scratch), 2015 (track time trial, road time trial, road race), 2014 (road race, road time trial, pursuit, track time trial), 2013 (road time trial, road race) Silver – 2016 (track scratch), 2015 (track scratch, track pursuit) Bronze – 2018 (track time trial, track pursuit, track scratch, road race, road time trial), (track time trial.)
As an athlete, Whitmore went to California State University, Northridge on a scholarship and completed a criminology degree in 1998. The professional triathlete turned Paralympic gold medalist has never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome and never slowed or backed down from anything. Whether it was an XTERRA mountain bike race—or cancer. In 2007, Whitmore was considered one of the most successful athletes in America. She was a six-time USA champion for XTERRA racing, a two-time European tour champion, and held a world title. Everything changed during a triathlon that seemed like so many others she had conquered. Whitmore—31 at the time—had just finished the swimming portion of the competition when she got on her bike and felt “something off” in her left leg. She rode through it, but when she started the running portion of the race, she told Reader’s Digest, “I was shuffling. It was hard to pick my legs up. I knew something wasn’t right. ”Whitmore cut back on running for a while following the race, but she kept swimming and biking, assuming the leg pain was the result of a muscle that she’d worked too hard. But the pain kept getting worse, culminating into the moment when she got on her bike and immediately experienced pain that was so intense, she started bawling. I knew something wasn’t right.” She avoided running for a while, focusing on her other two passions, swimming and biking. “I didn’t have any symptoms as long as I wasn’t running. I took a break from it, but every time I tried again the muscles were super tight and I had a lot of pain in my hamstring.” Assuming she’d simply pushed herself too hard in the last race, Whitmore shrugged off the pain. It wasn’t until a sleepless night at a sports camp in Arizona that Whitmore said she knew something was seriously wrong. “I couldn’t sleep, and I was having a ton of sciatic nerve pain. I usually had it when I drove a long time or sat too long—it was more annoying than anything.”
The next morning she decided to try to go for a jog, and the pain immediately became excruciating. She opted instead to ride her bike, hoping that would ease the pain. “Once I got on my bike I was in so much pain I was bawling. I flew back home to go to a nearby hospital. I knew whatever was going on was bad if I couldn’t ride my bike.” Whitmore never thought her leg pain could be cancer—she thought she had pulled a muscle. As her pain continued to increase, so did other symptoms. “I wasn’t able to use the restroom without pain; I was bed-ridden, unable to walk. No one could tell me exactly what was wrong.”
Here are 10 surprising symptoms that turned out to be cancer. After a friend recommended she go to the University of California, San Francisco, Whitmore took his advice and was quickly admitted. “I met with an oncologist, and he said they would do a needle biopsy.” When the obstetrician tried to take a sample of the tumor with an exploratory laparoscopic (small-incision) procedure, they found that the tumor was essentially encompassing all her major organs, as well as her sciatic nerve.
When she heard the diagnosis for the first time, Whitmore says time stood still. “I couldn’t breathe. They were talking about treatment and I just started crying and saying ‘I don’t want to die which made me more determined.” What doctors found during surgery shocked them all: Whitmore had spindle cell sarcoma, a soft tissue tumor that can start in the bone, The cancer was extremely rare, making up only two-to-five percent of all bone cancers. “They couldn’t cut it out for fear of bursting the tumor. It was near every organ I needed to live.”
Spindle cell sarcoma is extremely rare, comprising only 2 to 5 percent of all primary bone cancers. Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation are typical treatments for the disease. There are several types of cancer that have minor symptoms like Whitmore’s or none at all. Doctors enlisted the help of several specialists to remove the tumor. “It was pressing against my rectum and bladder and had choked the blood supply to my sciatic nerve. I had no idea that when I woke up I wouldn’t have the use of my leg anymore from the knee down. When they told me I would need to bandage my foot to walk, I thought, this can’t be happening. I’m a professional athlete.” Whitmore now had drop foot and had to learn to walk again with the help of a physical therapist. She started radiation therapy, but four days in, doctors had more bad news: A scan had shown the cancer was back. “This time it was even more aggressive. They went in and took the rest of my sciatic nerve, a sacral nerve, and removed some cancer from my tailbone.”
Whitmore developed sepsis from the surgery and endured a grueling two-month recovery. “My scans were coming back clear of cancer, however, now I had all of these other complications.” When she began to feel sick again, Whitmore was certain her cancer was back. Instead, doctors gave her more unexpected news: She was pregnant—with twins. “That was a whole other freak-out,” Whitmore recalls. Today, Whitmore is a mother of two sons and cancer-free. She’s competing again, and has won a gold medal in the Paralympics, nine world titles, and has set two world records. She travels as a motivational speaker when she’s not spending time with her sons. Whitmore has some words of advice for others with limitations: “Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. You have to find out for yourself. Some doctors told me I would never ride anything more than a stationary bike. And yet I rode my mountain bike 104 miles climbing from 9,000 feet to 14,000 feet. People with two good legs have fallen short of that task! You just can’t give up.”
Bottomline: Whitmore’s multiple surgeries were complicated; all-in-all, her doctors had to remove all of her sciatic nerve, sacral nerve, and part of her tail bone. When she woke up from her first surgery, she couldn’t use her leg from the knee down. She had complete drop foot, meaning an inability to lift the front part of the foot due to nerve damage.
Here are 30 cancer signs you don’t want to ignore. “Doctors told me I’d never run again, my pro career was over, and I’d probably never ride anything again. Other than a stationary bike,” Whitmore told Self.com. How wrong they were. After multiple surgeries, radiation, her cancer returning once, and a bad sepsis infection, Whitmore finally beat her sarcoma. She defied her odds, taught herself to walk again, gave birth to twin boys, and was back on her bike competing within three years, gold medals and setting world records once again. “Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do,” Whitmore advises others facing limitations. “You have to find out for yourself.” Whitmore’s positive attitude, determination, and appreciation is what helped her get to where she is today: 10 years cancer free, and accomplishing more than her doctors ever thought possible. When it comes to living with cancer, there’s expert-backed proof that attitude makes all the difference. Zig Ziglar teaches people all over the world the fundamentals of sales and success. Here he tells a story of a woman with a negative attitude who hated her job, shifted her attitude and changed her life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=QA4gwXauNEU
• Strives to find out how great he or she can be • Talks soft, plays big • Loves the battle more than the victory • Hates to lose, but is not afraid to lose • Goes through the fire to reach their goals • Always competes with purpose and passion • Learns lessons from losses • Lives in the present moment • Focuses on continuous daily improvement • Does not base his or her self worth on the scoreboard
Just One Of Those Days – Gabrielle Aplin (Official Audio) One of the most powerful ways to educate yourself, to open your mind to alternative ways of experiencing the world, and thus to counteract the influence of social conditioning and the mass media, is to read backwards—to read books printed about what happen 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 500 years ago, 1,000 years ago, even 2,000 years ago and more.
When you do so, you can step outside the presuppositions and ideologies of the present day and develop an informed world perspective. When you read only in the present, no matter how extensively, you are apt to absorb widely shared misconceptions taught and believed today as the truth. The following is a sampling of authors whose writings will enable you to rethink the present, to reshape and expand your worldview.
Stress and Cancer 101:Why Stress Reduction Is Essential There are epidemiological studies conducted to date, that are inconclusive about the effects of stress on the development and progression of cancer, evidence emerging from the science of psychoneuroimmunology, The study of the interaction among behavior, the brain and the body’s immune system–shows that psychological and social stressors can interfere with the working of the body’s organ systems, In particular the neuo-endrocine and immune system. The effects are thought to mediate the influence of psychosocial stressors on health in general and could potentially play a role in the progression of cancer. Psychobiology of social support: The social dimension of stress buffering!! See: German New Medicine… The body’s sympathetic-adrenal medullary (SAM) system and the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenocortical (HPA) axis are two neuro-endrocrine systems that are highly responsive to psychological stress. The SAM system reacts to stress in part by increasing the production of certain hormones called catecholamines. In HPA stimulation, the pituitary secretes a hormone that activates the adrenal gland to secrete additional hormones that is called glucocorticoids (primary cortisol in humans.)
Although the release of these hormones is a healthy response to an environmental stressor. Their progressive and prolonged production under ongoing stressful stressful–conditions is associated with impaired functioning or dysregulation of various organs and organ systems (McEwens, 1998; Anton and Langendorf, 2007).These effects can have a cascading effect on the immune system(Kielcolt-Glaser et al., 2002.)
Immune system processes play a central role in protecting against infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, coronary artery disease and at least various cancer by identifying organisms and cells that are atypical, attacking them, and preventing their replication. Under chronic stress, however, key immune system can be disrupted. Chronic Stress in depression, inadequate social support and other psychosocial stressors can create disequilibrium in immune system functioning by either overstimulating some immune system functions or suppressing others. (Miller et al., 2007.)For example, the unbalanced of certain proteins (cytokines) help regulate the body’s immune system can create a pathological state of inflammation that have been linked to certain cancers, as well as a number of chronic conditions, such as CVD, arthritis, Type 2 Diabetes and frailty and functional decline in older adults. Prolonged exposure to cortisol and catecholamines under chronic stress also can adversely affect cellular replication and several regulators of cell growth. Some of the observed effects on cancer cells–such as accelerating tumor growth, enhancing tumor metabolism, assisting tumor cells in migrating and adhering to distant sites, increasing blood vessel growth in tumors and helping tumors evade the immune system’s natural killer (NK) cells. Which could help cancer cells to progress (Antoni and Lutgendorf, 2007; Thaker et al., 2007.) Multiple studies have shown that positive social support, in particular the provision of emotional support, is related to better immune system function and resistance to disease (Uchino et al., 1996; IOM, 2001; Uchino 2006.)In women with ovarian cancer, higher levels of social support predicted higher levels of NK cell activity, while patients with greater distress had impaired NK cells (Lutgendorf et al., 2005.) Findings from two randomized controlled trials of psychosocial interventions in breast cancer patients all had found improvements in immune system functioning using a variety of measures of immune system competency (Andersen et al., 2004; McGregor et al., 2004.)
Impact of stress on cancer metastasis!!! Studies with animals also have found increased stress to be associated with higher levels of stress hormones (catecholamines) and increased tumor mass and metastases (Thaker et al., 2007.) For example, mice with mammary tumors randomly assigned to more stressful housing conditions showed greater tumor growth as well as shorter survival following chemotherapy (Kerr et al., 1997; Strange et al., 2000.) Higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin) also have been found in people living high-stress situations, for example, female caregivers of relatives with Alzheimer’s disease. Although more research is needed to understand the extent to which, and how, these stress-induced physiological changes can influence cancer, it is clear that stress can induce pathology in several aspects of body function that affect health. Research findings also indicate that stress, mood, coping, social support, and psychological interventions affect neuro-endocrine and immune system activity and can influence the underlying cellular and molecular processes that facilitate the progression of cancer. For all these reasons, psychosocial stressors should not be ignored in the delivery of high-quality health care for people living with cancer.
What is empathy? Empathy entered English a few centuries after sympathy—in the late 1800s—with a somewhat technical and now obsolete meaning from the field of psychology. Psychologists began using empathy as a translation for the German term Einfühlung and the concept that a person could project their own feelings onto a viewed object. Unlike sympathy, empathy has come to be used in a broader way than it was when it was first introduced; the term is now most often used to refer to the capacity or ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, experiencing the emotions, ideas, or opinions of that person.
Consider the following examples: “As you get older you have more respect and empathy for your parents. Now I have a great relationship with both of them.” – Hugh Jackman “I’ve always thought of acting as more of an exercise in empathy, which is not to be confused with sympathy. You’re trying to get inside a certain emotional reality or motivational reality and try to figure out what that’s about so you can represent it.” – Edward Norton To sum it all up … The difference between the most commonly used meanings of these two terms is: Sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters. Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another, which is why actors often talk about it. Transcript of “Does money make you mean?” TED · by Paul Piff
How Economic Inequality Harms Society https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson/transcript Public health expert Richard Wilkinson surveyed social and economic data from across the globe and discovered a startling pattern: Countries with the largest income inequality experience more severe social and health problems than nations with a narrow inequality gap. Wilkinson presents plentiful examples, hammering his message home. Wilkinson explains the many ways that a widening gap between the rich and poor can have harmful effects on health, lifespan, and basic human values. He proves through ample research that societies with more equality socially and economically are healthier and happier. He proves that inequality is a detriment to all levels of society, ranging from mental health, infant mortality, homicide, and life expectancy.
More importantly, to answer the key question of how economic inequalities harm societies, it is important to note the relationship between factors that were earlier assumed to be independent. For example, poor countries with unequal distribution of income face greater political instability, lower investment in human development, higher taxation, less secure property rights and negative impacts on growth. Economic inequality is bad, even for the rich. The TED talk “ How economic inequality harms societies ” by Richard Wilkinson explains an interesting fact: Beyond certain basic wealth, the well-being of a society depends much more on income differences being small than on incomes being high on average. The difference in average income between countries has no influence on life expectancy. Determining whether chronic stress is related to cancer in some way, let alone how that relationship plays out in the body, continues to challenge researchers. “It’s hard to show causality because there are many factors that go into the development of cancer — environmental (stress included), but also genetic factors and unknown factors,” says Allyson Ocean, MD, oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Ditto for the range of issues that may influence the course of cancer once it has occurred. That said, experts in the field of psycho-oncology, which concerns itself with the psychological, behavioral, and social factors that may affect cancer, say that a growing body of literature suggests that stress does play a role in cancer causation and recovery.
The Link Among Stress, Your Immune System, and Cancer Cancer occurs when a cell acquires a number of mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, proliferation, and programmed cell death (a phenomenon in which a cell, recognizing that it’s damaged, self-destructs). It’s a “multi-hit” phenomenon, meaning that many genes need to be affected before a cell turns cancerous. When enough genes controlling these functions are disabled, a cancer cell is free to divide relentlessly and endlessly. The “hits” take various forms. Some people may inherit a gene that predisposes them to cancer, such as the BRCA1 gene, which has been linked to many cancers, including breast cancer. But a cell requires more genetic hits to trigger cancer. “If, on top of that, someone has a very stressful lifestyle, or they smoke, or are very overweight; over time, those might all be additional hits to the system,” says Dr. Ocean. Under normal circumstances, the body is exquisitely primed to prevent those multiple hits from leading to cancer. “Cells are constantly mutating, but many biological processes exist to keep those mutating cells from turning into tumors,” says Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. One of those processes is performed by the immune system. “Typically, the immune system is constantly surveying the body, on alert to kill invading or mutating cells, a process known as ‘cell-mediated immunity,” Dr. Cohen says. When the body is under chronic stress, that safeguarding process may become less dependable. “It’s pretty clear that chronic stress disrupts the immune system, making us vulnerable to everything from a cold or flu to the uncontrolled growth of mutated cells,” says Cohen, who with his wife, Allison Jeffries, master of education, coauthored the book Anti Cancer Living: Transform Your Life and Health With the Mix of Six.
More Studies Suggest a Chronic Stress–Cancer Connection It’s easier to see this chronic stress–cancer connection in animals than it is in human beings, mainly because scientists are able to induce both stress and cancer in their animal subjects (something they can’t ethically do in people). “We’ve shown that stress can cause cancer to metastasize in animals,” says Cohen. “For instance, a study published in December 2017 in the journal Cancer Cell found that if you put mice genetically predisposed to develop pancreatic cancer in an isolated, deprived environment separate from other mice, their tumors grow faster than in the same breed of mouse raised in normal housing.” Conversely, the researchers found that mice with pancreatic cancer that were given beta-blockers — drugs that block the release of the stress response and hormones, including adrenaline — in addition to chemotherapy survived longer than mice given only chemotherapy. “When you block the stress hormones with a drug, you can short-circuit their tumor-enhancing effects,” says Cohen. Indeed, when researchers who conducted the pancreatic mouse study looked at 631 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who had surgery to treat their condition between 2002 and 2013, they found that those who were on a form of beta-blockers that interact with a large number of targets in the body lived about two thirds longer than those who weren’t taking beta-blockers or were taking a form that affects only a limited number of targets. One small human study, published in May 2018 in the journal Cancer, also appears to bear out the theory that stress may worsen disease. The study, which followed 96 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), found that those who felt more stress and anxiety about about their condition also had a higher volume of cancer cells in their blood and higher blood levels of markers for advanced disease. The results held true even after the researchers controlled for other factors, such as gender, prior treatment, and carrying a genetic marker for the disease. “The current results indicate that stress is related to immune and inflammatory processes that contribute to cancer cell proliferation and survival,” wrote lead author Barbara L. Anderson, PhD, professor of psychology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, along with her coauthors. “It’s more evidence of the importance of managing stress in cancer patients,” said Dr. Anderson, in a release issued by her institution. RELATED:Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stress — Including How to Manage It
Stress Hormones Trigger Inflammation Linked to Cancer When you’re experiencing acute or chronic stress, the body is flooded with what’s known as the stress-response hormones — epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, which can suppress the immune system’s response to mutated cells. The trouble occurs when you’re under chronic stress — that is, prolonged, unremitting — or when you experience acute stress several times a day over a period of time. Your body is then constantly being flooded with these stress hormones. Some research seems to buttress the stress-inflammation-cancer connection. A Canadian study published in November 2017 in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, for example, included work history interviews with nearly 2,000 men, age 75 or younger, who were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and approximately the same number of matched controls. They found that those men who reported having had at least one stressful job over the course of their lifetime were more likely to develop prostate cancer before age 65. The average age of diagnosis is about 66, according to The American Cancer Society. (Other studies attempting to link work stress and cancer risk have yielded conflicting results.) There’s another way in which the stress hormones might promote cancer: Norepinephrine may bind with beta receptors that live on the surface of some tumor cells, causing them to proliferate. “Norepinephrine can fuel a tumor’s ability to form new blood vessels,” Cohen says. “New data shows that stress hormones might also increase nerve growth and density at the tumor site, which are associated with worse outcomes in people.” RELATED: How Stress Affects Your Body, From Your Brain to Your Digestive System
More Stress Means Unhealthful Habits That Contribute to Cancer Mutations In a kind of double whammy, people who are stressed-out are less likely to exercise and eat healthfully. In fact, unhealthful eating (think sugar and fat) may be triggered by stress-induced hormones and other chemicals flooding the body. Being overweight or obese is responsible for approximately 8 percent of all cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. Chronic stress is also likely to induce us to take up cancer promoting habits, such as smoking and excessive drinking. “It leads to lifestyle changes that are pro-inflammatory and pro-carcinogenic,” says Ocean. “Keep these habits up for a long time and your risk of developing cancer goes up, too.”
The Stress and Cancer: What Can You Do About It? “At the end of the day, all you can do is to try and create as inhospitable a terrain for cancer as possible, so that regardless of the triggers, the cancer cells don’t grow,” says Cohen. It makes sense, for instance, to handle high-stress times with healthful habits that not only reduce your agita, but also lower your risk of a host of diseases besides cancer, including diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Healthful habits, Ocean says, “means exercising instead of pigging out, or doing yoga rather than throwing down a few shots over the weekend.” Also crucial: “A good support network, and prioritizing what’s important and meaningful in your life,” says Cohen. “If you can figure out what you care about, you can use those core values to guide your decision-making, which makes for a less stressful, higher quality of life in anyone, with or without cancer.” Experts also recommend engaging in some kind of mind-body practice, including deep, diaphragmatic breathing for a few minutes a day. “Studies have shown this kind of breathing actually stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system,” which tends to calm the body, says Cohen. (You can tell you are doing diaphragmatic breathing correctly by putting your hand on your belly: You should feel it rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.) Ten minutes of daily meditation with a free app, such as Calm or Headspace, can be very useful, as can any practice that involves breathing and stretching (think tai chi or yoga). Finally, consciously sitting less; getting regular exercise (30 to 40 minutes five or six times a week) and sleeping for at least seven or eight hours a night are also great stress reducers, and may even have a dramatic effect on cancer and mortality. A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer looked at the link between exercise and colon cancer risk and found that the most physically active people had a 24 percent lower risk of colon cancer than those who were the least active. Studies focusing on the occurrence of breast cancer have shown similar benefits of exercise. Even patients who already have advanced cancer may benefit from stress- and inflammation-reducing activities, such as moderate exercise and yoga. One meta-analysis published in January 2018 in the International Journal of Yoga, for instance, included more than 10,000 cancer patients from 20 different countries, and found that those who practiced yoga reported fewer symptoms from treatment, such as postoperative breathing issues for lung cancer patients; better quality of life; reduced anxiety; improved sleep; and better physical and emotional health. They also showed stronger markers of immunity, such as lower markers of inflammation. “The key, really, is finding activities that you like, that you’ll be willing to do on a daily basis,” says Cohen. There are multiple ways that stress might play a role in cancer. https://www.bing.com/videos/ search?q=stress+and+cancer+connection&FORM=HDRSC3
Aryn Burton is a bookkeeping accountant and the mother of two children. When she was a young mom, Aryn’s son was diagnosed with autism at 15 months old. On Eat Real to Heal podcast Aryn shares her journey that started twenty years ago with finding out the diagnoses (without google), what is was like parenting a child that is non commutative, to what she did to turn that around so that he is a now a young man thriving at university with lots of friends and a community. She accomplished this through her own self-discovery and journey into the world of food as medicine. It is a story of courage, power, commitment, dedication and not giving up until you get the solution you want. Eat Real To Heal Podcast Ep. 46 Aryn Burton
I repeat: One of the most powerful ways to educate yourself, to open your mind to alternative ways of experiencing the world, and thus to counteract the influence of social conditioning and the mass media, is to read backwards—to read books printed about what happen 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 500 years ago, 1,000 years ago, even 2,000 years ago and more. When you do so, you can step outside the presuppositions and ideologies of the present day and develop an informed world perspective. When you read only in the present, no matter how extensively, you are apt to absorb widely shared misconceptions taught and believed today as the truth. The following is a sampling of authors whose writings will enable you to rethink the present, to reshape and expand your worldview. Max Gerson was born to a Jewish family in Wongrowitz, German Empire (Wągrowiec, now in Poland), on October 18, 1881. In 1909, he graduated from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. He also began practicing medicine at age 28 in Breslau (Wrocław, now in Poland), later specializing in internal medicine and nerve diseases in Bielefeld. By 1927, he was specializing in the treatment of tuberculosis, developing the Gerson-Sauerbruch-Hermannsdorfer diet, claiming it was a major advancement in the treatment of tuberculosis. Initially, he used his therapy as a supposed treatment for migraine headaches and tuberculosis. In 1928, he began to use it as a claimed treatment for cancer. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 Gerson left Germany, emigrating to Vienna, where he worked in the West End Sanatorium. Gerson spent two years in Vienna, before moving to France in 1935, associating with a clinic near Paris before moving to London in 1936. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the United States, settling in New York City.
What Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I don’t believe the world will End in an Instance but my belief is that time could end in a moment the way we know life to be. If we don’t wake up and start living right! Which means to find solutions to the world problems and this doesn’t mean having people working thirty hour week with no benefit or motivation for a better life. In Revelation 6, Jesus opens the seven seals of judgment to begin the Tribulation period on earth. The first four seals he opens are the four horsemen, and each is released from heaven to usher in various judgments on the earth. While some apocalyptic judgments are specific events, these are overarching judgments that will last for periods throughout the Tribulation.
Here’s a look at each symbol individually: The White Horse “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2) The rider on the white horse is the Antichrist. He will arrive on the world scene at the beginning of the Tribulation and work to unite the nations, signing a peace treaty with Israel. He will be a charismatic leader that presents himself as the savior of the world. His power and authority will come from the dragon (Satan), and like Satan he is a great deceiver. The symbol of him on a white horse aptly illustrates this quality, then, for Jesus returns to earth on a white horse (Revelation 19:11-14). Satan’s purpose has always been to counterfeit the work of Christ. By the second half of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will break his peace treaty and wage open war against believers. The Red Horse “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” (Revelation 6:4) The next horseman, the red horse, represents war and bloodshed. Nation will rise against nation during the Tribulation and individuals against each other. It is a time of murder, assassination, bloodshed, revolution, and war. The Black Horse “So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’” (Revelation 6:5-6) Black is often connected with famine in the Bible; and food shortage is a typical byproduct of the war that will be happening. A denarius was the standard daily wage for ancient laborers. In the early days of the Tribulation period, food will be in short supply; people will have to work all day just to get enough food to eat. Yet the luxuries of the wealthy (“oil and wine”) will remain untouched. The famine will provide the way for the Antichrist’s rule. Later in the Tribulation, He will require the people to take his mark in order to buy or sell. Hunger will play into his hands and strengthen his control. The Pale Horse “So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8) Death is the pale rider with Hades (hell) following behind. They will kill with the sword, hunger, disease, and wild beasts—the four judgments the Lord said he would send in Ezekiel 14:21. Death and Hades are mentioned together three times in Revelation, and the first time in Revelation 1:18 tells us that Christ holds the keys to Death and Hades. Though the companions will wreak havoc during the Tribulation, Jesus holds the ultimate power and will throw them both into the lake of fire after the Battle of Armageddon. Just the Beginning The four horsemen are just the beginning. The book of Revelation outlines many more judgments and events that will happen on earth in the End Times. This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future! Here are some of Nostradamus’ prophecies for 2020 — paired with a leading psychic’s own predictions for 2020. PUBLISHED: Jun 4, 2020 By Sebastian Kettley >>>>> Battle of Armageddon Antichrist End Times Tribulation Prophecies of Jesus End Times Bible Prophecy Old Testament Bible Prophecy Signs of the End Times 666 Meaning Horsemen of the Apocalypse Purgatory What is Premillennialism? What is Amillennialism? What is Postmillennialism? The Second Coming of Jesus
So You Think It Won’t Happen Again; The main cause of the fall of the Roman Empire is still a topic of debate among historians, maybe because it is a symbol of what we fear about our own civilization. There are many different theories about why a superpower that ruled for 500 years crumbled and fell, but most scholars degree that it wasn’t one event, but a series of factors that caused a steady decline. Alexander Demandt, for example, had 210 different theories and even more emerged afterwards.
Possible Major Causes: Conflict between the Emperor and the Senate Weakening of the emperor’s authority ( the Emperor was no longer seen as a god) Political Corruption – there was never a clear-cut system for choosing a new emperor, leading the ones in power to “sell” the position to the highest bidder. Money wasting – the Romans were very fond of their prostitutes and orgies and wasted a lot of money on lavish parties, as well as their yearly “games” Slave labor and price competition – Large, wealthy farm owners used slaves to work their farms, allowing them to farm cheaply, in contrast to smaller farmers who had to pay their workmen and could not compete price wise. Farmers had to sell their farms, leading to high unemployment figures. Economical Decline – After Marcus Aurelius, the Romans stopped expanding their empire, causing in a decrease of gold coming into the empire. The Romans however kept spending, causing coin makers to use less gold, decreasing the value of money. Military spending – Because they wasted so much money and had to defend their borders all the time, the Government focused more on military spending than building houses or other public works, which enraged the people. Many stopped volunteering for the army, forcing the government to employ hired mercenaries, who were expensive, highly unreliable and ended up turning against the Roman Empire. A stop in technological advancement – The Romans were great engineers, but did not focus on how to produce goods more effectively to provide to their growing population. The Eastern Empire – The Roman Empire was divided in a Eastern and Western empire that drifted apart, making the empire easier to manage, but also weaker. Maybe the empire’s rapid expansion was its own downfall in the end. Civil War and Barbarian Invasion – Civil war broke out in Italy and the smaller Roman army had to focus all of its attention there, leaving the borders wide open for the barbarians to attack and invade. Barbarian bandits made travel in the empire unsafe and merchants could not get goods to the cities anymore, leading to the total collapse of the empire. This article is part of our larger resource on the Romans culture, society, economics, and warfare. Click here for our comprehensive article on the Romans. The Four Horsemen: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling!!! Being able to identify the Four Horsemen in your conflict discussions is a necessary first step to eliminating them and replacing them with healthy, productive communication patterns. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a metaphor depicting the end of times in the New Testament. They describe conquest, war, hunger, and death respectively. We use this metaphor to describe communication styles that, according to research, can predict the end of a relationship.
1. Criticism The first horseman is criticism. Criticizing your partner is different than offering a critique or voicing a complaint. The latter two are about specific issues, whereas the former is an ad hominem attack. It is an attack on your partner at the core of their character. In effect, you are dismantling their whole being when you criticize. The important thing is to learn the difference between expressing a complaint and criticizing: Complaint: “I was scared when you were running late and didn’t call me. I thought we had agreed that we would do that for each other.” Criticism: “You never think about how your behavior is affecting other people. I don’t believe you are that forgetful, you’re just selfish. You never think of others! You never think of me!” If you find that you and your partner are critical of each other, don’t assume your relationship is doomed to fail. The problem with criticism is that, when it becomes pervasive, it paves the way for the other, far deadlier horsemen to follow. It makes the victim feel assaulted, rejected, and hurt, and often causes the perpetrator and victim to fall into an escalating pattern where the first horseman reappears with greater and greater frequency and intensity, which eventually leads to contempt.
2. Contempt The second horseman is contempt. When we communicate in this state, we are truly mean—we treat others with disrespect, mock them with sarcasm, ridicule, call them names, and mimic or use body language such as eye-rolling or scoffing. The target of contempt is made to feel despised and worthless. Contempt goes far beyond criticism. While criticism attacks your partner’s character, contempt assumes a position of moral superiority over them: Research even shows that couples that are contemptuous of each other are more likely to suffer from infectious illness (colds, the flu, etc.) than others due to weakened immune systems! Contempt is fueled by long-simmering negative thoughts about the partner—which come to a head when the perpetrator attacks the accused from a position of relative superiority. Most importantly, contempt is the single greatest predictor of divorce. It must be eliminated.
3. Defensiveness The third horseman is defensiveness, and it is typically a response to criticism. We’ve all been defensive, and this horseman is nearly omnipresent when relationships are on the rocks. When we feel unjustly accused, we fish for excuses and play the innocent victim so that our partner will back off. Unfortunately, this strategy is almost never successful. Our excuses just tell our partner that we don’t take their concerns seriously and that we won’t take responsibility for our mistakes: Question: “Did you call Betty and Ralph to let them know that we’re not coming tonight as you promised this morning?” Defensive response: “I was just too darn busy today. As a matter of fact, you know just how busy my schedule was. Why didn’t you just do it?” This partner not only responds defensively, but they reverse blame in an attempt to make it the other partner’s fault. Instead, a non-defensive response can express acceptance of responsibility, admission of fault, and understanding of your partner’s perspective: Although it is perfectly understandable to defend yourself if you’re stressed out and feeling attacked, this approach will not have the desired effect. Defensiveness will only escalate the conflict if the critical spouse does not back down or apologize. This is because defensiveness is really a way of blaming your partner, and it won’t allow for healthy conflict management.
4. Stonewalling The fourth horseman is stonewalling, which is usually a response to contempt. Stonewalling occurs when the listener withdraws from the interaction, shuts down, and simply stops responding to their partner. Rather than confronting the issues with their partner, people who stonewall can make evasive maneuvers such as tuning out, turning away, acting busy, or engaging in obsessive or distracting behaviors. It takes time for the negativity created by the first three horsemen to become overwhelming enough that stonewalling becomes an understandable “out,” but when it does, it frequently becomes a bad habit. And unfortunately, stonewalling isn’t easy to stop. It is a result of feeling physiologically flooded, and when we stonewall, we may not even be in a physiological state where we can discuss things rationally. If you feel like you’re stonewalling during a conflict, stop the discussion and ask your partner to take a break: Then take 20 minutes to do something alone that soothes you—read a book or magazine, take a walk, go for a run, really, just do anything that helps to stop feeling flooded— and then return to the conversation once you feel ready.
The Antidotes to the Four Horsemen Being able to identify the Four Horsemen in your conflict discussions is a necessary first step to eliminating them, but this knowledge is not enough. To drive away destructive communication and conflict patterns, you must replace them with healthy, productive ones. Fortunately, each horseman has a proven positive behavior that will counteract negativity. Click here to learn about the antidotes.
People can expect to live longer than ever before but that leads to greater health concerns.
Catch-22 [catch-22] definition is – a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem that denies a solution. a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions. NOUN: catch-22 (noun) · catch-22s (plural noun) · catch twenty-two (noun) · catch twenty-twos (plural noun) “a catch-22 situation”
Once you make it to 65, the data suggest that you can live another 19.3 years, on average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However as we age we must accept the fact of life we must Rise Above Stress and Mood Illnesses. And we must be made aware of the root cause for hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, stress, weight or digestive issues, fatigue, auto-immunity, depression and anxiety. Throughout life we have learned from our life experience, therefore, allow for those experiences to give you guidance and understanding Bring loving intention also into your body as well. Life shouldn’t be about… Why are you doing that and what is wrong with you…Look at the positives you have in your life and don’t dwell on the negatives. Stop thinking everything is a problem to fix and start thinking it is a miracle to still be alive !!! William J. Mayo once stated: The Aim of medicine should be to prevent disease and prolong life. The ideal of medicine is to eliminate the need of a physician!!! 80% of people will die of chronic illnesses and 3 in 4 of those are preventable. So Be mindful — don’t be impulsive to your feelings. Figure out why you’re out of balance with reality ..you either suppress or deal with stress. I encourage you to watch the TedTalk become friends with your stress. It’s more important to believe what you believe then the actual thoughts you are having?
The more in the present you are with your stress in your life and why is it manifesting and trying to teach you something about yourself. The more you can deal with it and the better off you will be!!! Mindfulness Practices of bringing your self awareness to the present moment without judgment. Also realise when you’re hyper active it’s important to know that it depletes your digestive system of vitamins and minerals. Related Research Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MBSR Pubmed (Is a practice that brings you to the here and now into the moment.)
Mindfulness Self-compassion… You have to have compassion, empathy, and gratitude in your life ~Itai Ivtzan For many, then, senior living includes carefully managing chronic conditions in order to stay healthy. Old age can be a terrifying concept for many people. It is true that the regenerative capacity of the body will decline with old age, making you more prone to old age related health issues. There are many studies going on about the various health problems of old age, which is called geriatrics. It is important to be prepared to face the various health issues that you may experience as you near your old age through an enhanced immune system. Making healthy lifestyle choices, like quitting smoking and losing weight, can help you avoid senior health risks, though “you need to be physically active and eat a healthy diet,” explains Jeanne Wei, MD, PhD, executive director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Including a geriatrician, a doctor who specializes in the health concerns of aging, on your senior healthcare team can help you learn how to live better with any chronic diseases. Then you too can be among the 41 percent of people over 65 who say their health is very good or excellent, according to the CDC. RELATED: 6 Ways Your Body Gets Better With Age
Somedays I get up and don’t feel like doing it but I do it anyway …because once you stop you stop!!!
Some have defined a human as a creature who is capable of investigations regarding himself, his environment and his own meaning. In the scientific sense, to be human means to be a complex biological organism belonging to the species of Homo sapiens. It means to be capable of logical reasoning, abstract thought, learning and using languages and possessing self-awareness. Furthermore, being human means you are capable of culture, complex problem solving, creating advanced technologies and developing complex social institutions. However, while all of this is factually correct, some feel that it provides only a limited description, and does not really encompass the core of what it means to be a human. We are human when you break down that word: hu – means like and man means – among us. 0ne must experience the expansion and vastness of their own mind to become likemind Emerson Pugh once said that if the human brain was so simple we could understand it – we would be so simple where we couldn’t!
What influences the outcome of your brain is toxins, lack of oxygen, lack of food and water, blunt trauma, degenerative disease and the aging process. Another thing that can topple that belief is the health of your gut microbiome through mental disturbance through the western diet lacking in proper nutrition which includes toxins and reduce cognition, Identifying and repairing leaky gut. Dr. Thomas O Bryan states, “depression, anxiety, brain fog, migraines, schizophrenia, bi polar, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson, multi sclerosis they are all caused by a mind on fire with inflammation, If your life is full of stressors and food triggers you create additional inflammation. At age 85, the average American has a 50% chance of having Alzheimer’s. Most inflammatory triggers are on the end of your fork (sugar flour and processed foods.) What you eat mostly determines your state of mind. Your body will crave what you eat regularly. You are what you eat and if you eat healthy you will have a healthy gut – mental function Peace and ease of mind and happiness leads to great heart health,
Dr. Titus Chiu states, your brain is 60% fat so feed it: Fish Oil – DHA EPA, Coconut MCT OIL Monounsaturated Fat Olive oil Polyphenols and antioxidants Root vegetables (rutabaga turnips parsnip radishes sweet potatoes carrots Jerusalem artichokes arracacha red beets should be on your palate.) Because the fiber in those veggies feed good bacteria in their raw form and are extremely important but make sure they are organic. Leafy greens also feed The good bacteria in your gut with insoluble and soluble fiber. Also on your refrigerator obtain a List of prebiotic foods Then everyday have two prebiotic foods and one root vegetable, Buy five fermented foods sauerkraut KombuchaKefir miso tempeh kimchi fermented beets dill pickles and have a fork full of that daily. Many vegetables are high in fiber and contain important vitamins and minerals. Vegetables that people commonly ferment include: okra broccoli beets ginger collard greens eggplant
Also season your food with curry, Curry has a unique flavor that is deep and earthy from the blend of savory spices, but also has certain brightness due to the sweet spices in it. It is actually a mix of spices that includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper, mustard, ginger, clove, cardamom, bay leaf and fenugreek. Onions are members of the Allium vegetable family, which includes garlic, onions, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots. Is broccoli a root veg? No, broccoli is considered a cruciferous vegetable and a member of the Brassica plant family. Also one must remember Healing thinking and being; Mindfulness Meditation Connection: take the time to Stop smell the roses and to concentrate for 40 minutes a day on your memory and your focus which will bring happiness. Remember time management and energy efficiency — just 40 minutes a day — will be the end all be and you will still have 1400 minutes left in your day.
Heart Rate Variability: the physiological phenomenon of variations in time between heart beats is the difference between being angry frustrated stressed with impatience anxiety and becoming overwhelmed in your day versus genuine love, caring, appreciation and kindness — fight or flight balance out your emotions in your day…et…cetera.
You have to live in balance: Parasympathetic-– 90% of the time versus Sympathetic nervous system–10% of the time… The parasympathetic nervous system is one of the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the other being the sympathetic nervous system. The enteric nervous system is now usually referred to as separate from the autonomic nervous system since it has its own independent reflex activity. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulating the body’s unconscious actions. The parasympathetic system is responsible for stimulation of “rest-and-digest” or “feed and breed” activities that occur when the body is at rest, especially after eating, including sexual arousal, salivation, lacrimation, urination, digestion and defecation. Its action is described as being complementary to that of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for stimulating activities associated with the fight-or-flight response.
The sympathetic nervous system’s primary process is to stimulate the body’s fight-flight-or-freeze response. It is, however, constantly active at a basic level to maintain homeostasis homeodynamics. The sympathetic nervous system is described as being antagonistic to the parasympathetic nervous system which stimulates the body to “feed and breed” and to (then) you have to be at “rest-and-digest” to be healthy. In your posture when you sit more forward with open responses you breathe better and have better connections to interactions with other people. It is the coordination with mind body breath. Internal energy work – coordination of mind eyes body breath – something powerful happens that makes you more aware. What happens in your body – when you have a thought that trips the wire. The Tiger shows up for 3 seconds — then a hour later your back to normal = that’s the above below metaphor feeling to good health!!!
Self Regulate Your Anxiety… being in your own body is torture unless you feel a sense of anatomy and control over yourself. Reacting with an unclear decision making inability causes distress and dis’ease?
Stimulus Response Theory is a concept in psychology that refers to the belief that behavior manifests as a result of the interplay between stimulus and response. In particular, the belief is that a subject is presented with a stimulus, and then responds to that stimulus, producing “behavior” (the object of psychology’s study, as a field). Think about this: Any sentence that starts with And, But, JUST or Yet never helps anyone… a thriving animal has to be in control of one’s own emotions — all actions come from the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the front portion of the frontal lobes and manages complex cognitive process such as memory, planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. This area of the frontal lobes functions to help us set and maintain goals, curb negative impulses, organize events in time order, and form our individual personalities.
Stress Reduction: Tapping is also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). It is a powerful holistic healing technique that resolves a range of issues. It’s based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.
The basic Tapping technique requires you to focus on a negative emotion at hand. This can be a fear, a worry, a bad memory, or any unresolved problem. You do this while maintaining your mental focus on this issue. Then you use your fingertips to tap 5-7 times on 9 specific meridian points of the body.
Tapping on these meridian endpoints, while addressing the root cause of distress, sends a calming signal to the brain. This allows you to feel relaxed and in control. Nick Ortner | The Tapping Solution
Tip #1 EFT Emotional Free Therapy Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a form of counseling intervention that draws on various theories of alternative medicine including acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming, energy medicine, and Thought Field Therapy (TFT). It is best known through Gary Craig’s EFT Handbook, published in the late 1990s, and related books and workshops by a variety of teachers. EFT and similar techniques are often discussed under the umbrella term “energy psychology”.
Tip #2 Yashoda Devi Ma Expert in Vedic Meditation and Transcendence — don’t allow what others are doing to enter into your nervous system. The ancient Rishis realized that man could find tremendous resources through the development of his consciousness and the Vedic Meditation technique is the result of thousands of years of research and investigation into the subtle inner workings of the mind, body and being. Don’t get me wrong, there are many kinds of meditation and relaxation techniques. Homegirl loves a good self-care evening in. But Vedic-based meditation techniques have the most science behind its effectiveness. In fact, a meditation practice is associated with reducing blood pressure and reducing heart disease as well as its risk factors.
Tip #3 Carolyn McMakin MA DC reducing cortisol levels —> https://bebrainfit.com/ reduce-cortisol-stress-hormone/ Luckily, there are a number of ways to manage and overcome chronic stress, lower cortisol levels, reverse damage done to the brain, and improve your sense of wellbeing. This article includes the best foods, nutrients, herbs and supplements that reduce cortisol; as well as the best lifestyle habits, therapies that reduce cortisol.
Tip #4 Yoga comes from India Integration of the wisdom of Life Yoga allows us to be more aware of ourselves and feel connected. As such, yoga is a process of self-discovery. This leads us to self-mastery and self-realization. Yoga as a science. Yoga is a science that is, it is a body of techniques that lead us to consciously connect with ourselves and with the immortal cultural outcome!! , Living with freedom in all walks of life, health and harmony shall be the main objectives of Yoga practice. “Yoga” also refers to an inner science comprising of a variety of methods through which human beings can realize this union and achieve mastery over their own destiny.
1. postures and exercises 2. breathing practices 3. deep relaxation 4. meditative focus component
Tip #5 Tai chi and qi gong are centuries-old ancient practices related mind and body practices. that have led to improved health, fitness, wellbeing and longevity for countless individuals up to the present time. They both cultivate the Qi, also spelt Chi — the life energy that flows through the body’s energy pathways. They involve certain postures and gentle movements with mental focus, breathing, and relaxation. The movements can be adapted or practiced while walking, standing, or sitting. In contrast to qi gong and tai chi movements, if practiced quickly, can be a form of combat or self-defense.
If you think your way through any given situation you can heal yourself?
1. Arthritis Arthritis is a common condition that almost all old people have to face. This is mainly an autoimmune disease, which is characterized by joint pain and deformities. Arthritis commonly affects fingers, hips, knees, wrists, and spine. “Arthritis is probably the number one condition people 65 or older contend with,” says geriatrician Marie Bernard, MD, deputy director of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland. American Arthritis Foundation prescribes cbd oil. diet, exercise, tai chi or Qigong and water aerobics. The CDC estimates that it affects 49.7 percent of all adults over 65 and can lead to pain, memory loss and lower quality of life for some seniors. Although arthritis can discourage you from being active, it’s important to work with your doctor to develop a personalized activity plan that, along with other treatment, can help maintain senior health. Put the power of relief in your own hands with a Wahl’s hand-held massagers that can help relieve chronic pain, post-exercise aches, stress, arthritis, headaches, and migraines.
2. Heart Disease Heart Attack. In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. 3 Every year, about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack. 3 Of these, . 605,000 are a first heart attack; 200,000 happen to people who have already had a heart attack 3; About 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it. According to the CDC, heart disease remains the leading killer of adults over age 65, accounting for 489,722 deaths. Also as a chronic condition, heart disease affects 37 percent of men and 26 percent of women 65 and older, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. SO EAT Heart Healthy and it is important to do cardio exercise after 50 years old!!!!
As people age, they’re increasingly living with risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that increase the chances of having a stroke or developing heart disease. Dr. Marie Bernard’s advice for addressing this senior health risk not only helps with heart disease but can improve senior health across the board: “Exercise (lifting a 2 pound weight helps to keep the heart muscle strong), eating healthy for nutrient replenishment, while getting adequate amounts of sunlight for vitamin D and a good night’s rest helps reduce the risk of a heart attack. Eating a well-balanced healthy diet and staying active are keys to success into your Golden Years.”
3. Cancer Cancer is the second leading cause of death. A total of 1,806,590 new cancer cases and 606,520 deaths are expected in the US in 2020, which is about 4,950 new cases and more than 1,600 deaths each day. The numbers are reported in “ Cancer Statistics, 2020 ,” published in the American Cancer Society’s peer-reviewed journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The CDC reports 28 percent of men and 21 percent of women over age 65 are living with cancer. If caught early through screenings, such as mammograms, colonoscopies, and skin checks, many types of cancer are treatable. And though you’re not always able to prevent cancer, you can improve your quality of life as a senior living with cancer, including during treatment, by working with your medical team and maintaining their healthy senior living recommendations.
4. Respiratory Diseases Chronic lower respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are the third most common cause of death among people 65 and older, with 124,693 deaths in 2014, according to the CDC. Among people 65 and older, about 10 percent of men and 13 percent of women are living with asthma, and 10 percent of men and 11 percent of women are living with chronic bronchitis or emphysema, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. Although having a chronic respiratory disease increases senior health risks, making you more vulnerable to pneumonia and other infections, getting lung function tests and taking the correct medication, or using oxygen as instructed, will go a long way toward preserving senior health and your quality of life. Vitamin D has other benefits for people with COPD, said David G. Hill, MD, a pulmonologist with Waterbury Pulmonary Associates in Connecticut and a medical spokesperson at the American Lung Association.
5. Alzheimer’s Disease Cognitive impairment will cause memory loss and your ability to correlate things and do calculations will decrease over time. The affected person will be confused and the ability to take up more than one task at a time will be affected. Alzheimer’s disease accounted for 92,604 deaths of people over age 65 in 2014, according to the CDC. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that one in nine people age 65 and older, which is about 11 percent, have Alzheimer’s disease, but because diagnosis is challenging, it’s difficult to know exactly how many people are living with this chronic condition. Still, experts acknowledge that cognitive impairment has a significant impact on senior health across the spectrum, from issues of safety and self-care to the cost burden of care, either in the home or a residential facility. Alzheimer’s disease is another serious issue in the list of health problems of old age. Once you get Alzheimer’s disease, your ability to remember and think will be affected. Memory lapse is the common problem that will be noted in the early stage. Before you renew Amazon Prime, read this Wikibuy 2020 Is The Year We Stop Paying for TV. Watch Free TV Here. Sling TV Cancelled TV Shows: Effective Immediately www.thedelite.com Improving Memory. Proven ways to protect memory include following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, keeping blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar in check. Living a mentally active life is important, too. Just as muscles grow stronger with use, mental exercise helps keep mental skills and memory in tone.
6. Diabetes The CDC estimates that 25 percent of people ages 65 and older are living with diabetes, a significant senior health risk. According to CDC data, diabetes caused 54,161 deaths among adults over age 65 in 2014. Diabetes can be identified and addressed early with simple blood tests for blood sugar levels. The sooner you know that you have or are at risk for diabetes, the sooner you can start making changes to control the disease and improve your long-term senior health outlook. GOOGLE: How to reverse diabetes naturally and quickly by diet plan, Dr, Josh Axe, Jason Fung, Fenugreek or Banaba Leaf…
7. Influenza and Pneumonia Although the flu and pneumonia aren’t chronic conditions, these infections are among the top eight causes of death in people over age 65, according to the CDC. Seniors are more vulnerable to these diseases and less able to fight them off. Senior healthcare recommendations include getting an annual flu shot, and getting the pneumonia vaccine if recommended by your doctor, to prevent these infections and their life-threatening complications. Reason why more cases happen during the winter months is because Vitamin D levels lower and the immune system is colder. Warm weather produces an enhanced immune reaction!!!
8. Falls The risk for falls requiring emergency room care increases with age. Each year, 2.5 million people ages 65 and older are treated in emergency departments because of falls, according to the CDC. That’s more than any other age group. And, one-third of people who go to the emergency room for a fall may find themselves there again within one year, according to a study published in August 2015 in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. Also be aware that most falls occur in the home, where tripping hazards include area rugs and slippery bathroom floors, according to a study published in January 2013 in the Journal of Injury and Violence Research. Cataracts and glaucoma, which are both age related conditions, can decrease your depth perception and make you more susceptible to falls. Also, make sure to clean your glasses daily in order to help improve your visibility. Prescription drugs can become an obstacle as well? One of the best things that can be done to improve coordination and muscle strength is to start a regular exercise program. Did you know the inner part of your knee weakens first as we age. The reason a knee replacement is common in the elderly. Walking, water workouts and tai chi are great examples of exercises that help to build strength but are gentle to perform on your body. If you need more suggestions, talk to your chiropractor about what exercises you can do to help prevent a fall in your future. You also have to consider that as you age, your muscles strength lessens and lack of flexibility and tightness in your hips starts and can make it difficult for you to sit and stand or even walk. There are things you can do to help counter the impact aging has on your body, (Every part of your body works in unison and Hip Flexor Stretches for Tight Hip Relief and bicycling has been important for me in the last year for youthful regeneration.)
9. Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is one of the major health problems many old people face. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become very fragile. This will increase the chance of fracture due to decreased bone density. The risk for osteoporosis is more in women after menopause. “Osteoporosis can contribute to becoming less mobile and potentially disabled should you fall and have a fracture or as the vertebral bodies collapse,” Bernard said. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 54 million Americans over age 50 are affected by low bone mass or osteoporosis, putting them at risk for a fracture or break that could lead to poor senior health and reduced quality of life. What’s more, they estimate that by the year 2020 that number will rise to 64.4 million. Osteoporosis makes bones more susceptible to fracture in fall, which can be a problem. It is caused by hormonal changes, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, as well as a decrease in physical activity. Make sure your diet is balanced and includes enough calcium to support your bone health. https://www.bing.com/search?q= how+to+reverse+osteoporosis+naturally&FORM=HDRSC1
10. Substance Abuse: An analysis of data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions suggests that one in five people over 65 have had a substance or alcohol abuse problem at some point in their lives. Alcohol and tobacco topped the list of nonmedical substances abused by survey participants. Substance and alcohol abuse are a concern for senior health because of possible interactions with prescription medication, their impact on overall health, and the increased senior health risks, such as falls, associated with intoxication.
11. Obesity Do you carry your weight well. If not think “Obesity” and other related issues during old age are mainly due to metabolic syndrome. This may further lead to Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and high blood pressure. Obesity is an important senior health risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer — all chronic conditions that impact quality of life. As the numbers on the scale increase, so does the risk for disease. Of the adults between 65 and 74, 36.2 percent of men and 40.7 percent of women are obese — meaning that their body mass index is greater than or equal to 30 — according to the CDC. It can also be a signal that an older adult isn’t as active or mobile as he or she once was. Two adaptogens that will help you stay balanced and calm | lean and trim are ashwagandha and reishi mushroom.
12. Depression According to the American Psychological Association, 15 to 20 percent of Americans over 65 have experienced depression. A threat to senior health, depression can lower immunity and can compromise a person’s ability to fight infections. In addition to treatment with medication and therapy, other ways to improve senior living might be to increase physical activity — 59.4 percent of adults 65 and older don’t meet CDC recommendations for exercise — or to interact socially more — seniors report spending just 8 to 11 percent of their free time with family and friends, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. One way to overcome depression is a positive outlook on life. Nothing positive comes from being negative.
13. Anxiety Disorders As we get older we experience a Sense of Loss if you live into your 90’s. One must also remember: In 1900, life expectancy in the United States was 47.3 years; in 2017, it was 78.6 and with this increase in life. Many of those people in their 90’s experienced their whole life. . . .vanish before them (A Husband or wife, brothers and sisters. Zoloft is a great way to cope as well as exercise three hours before bedtime to increase their ability to relax and reduce pent up anxiety and nervous energy throughout the day. Which produces better sleep and better memory…
14. Emotional Disturbance Health problems of old age are not limited to physical disabilities. Old age can affect your mental health also because of various social aspects. This may create discomfort both to you and your family. Make sure you share and discuss your problems with close family and friends that support you in every possible way. Risk Factors and Causes of Health Issues in the Elderly Population One major problem in diagnosing and treating seniors with mental illness is that elderly individuals are more likely to report physical issues than they are psychological issues (CDC). But even the typical emotional and physical stresses associated with aging can lead to depression or anxiety.
Here are some possible triggers for mental illness in senior citizens: • Chronic pain • Chronic disease • Physical impairments like thyroid or adrenal disease that affect emotion, thought, or memory • Physical disabilities • Loneliness • Major life changes • Grief • Widowhood • Certain medications • Heavy alcohol consumption or drug abuse • Malnutrition/poor diet • Dementia-causing illness
Elderly Mental Disorders or Effects of Old Age? Symptoms of Mental Illness in the Elderly As we grow older, it isn’t uncommon to see changes. General forgetfulness is normal, but persistent depression, anxiety, memory loss, or other cognitive issues can be signs of something more serious. If you are a caregiver or have an elderly loved one in your life, you can help spot indicators of a mental health issue. Here are some common warning signs to look for: A marked change in appetite, energy level, and/or mood • Feeling emotionally “flat” or finding it difficult to experience positive emotions • Trouble sleeping too much, or difficulty falling and staying asleep • Persistent thoughts of hopelessness, sadness, or suicidal thoughts • A desire or need for drugs or alcohol • Feeling on edge, restless, or having trouble concentrating • Increased feelings of stress or worry • Short-term/recent memory loss • Anger, agitation, or increased aggressiveness • Obsessive-compulsive behavioral tendencies or thoughts • Unusual behaviors or thoughts directed towards others • Behaviors or thoughts that affect social opportunities, work, or family • Persistent digestive issues, pain, or headaches not explained by other health problems • Difficulty managing finances or tasks involving numbers • Problems with grooming or household maintenance If a family member or someone under your care exhibits any of these symptoms, get in touch with the senior’s care team, including the primary care physician, to determine the best way to diagnose and treat possible mental health concerns before they become more serious. https://www.bing.com/videos/ search?q=emotional+ disturbance+in+the+elderly&FORM=HDRSC3
15. Oral Health Healthy teeth and gums are important not just for a pretty smile and easy eating, but for overall senior “microbiome” gut health. According to the CDC, 25 percent of adults over 65 have no natural teeth. As you age, your mouth tends to become dryer and cavities are more difficult to prevent, so proper oral health care, including regular dental checkups, should be a senior healthcare priority, Dr. Wei said.
16. Poverty In 2013, 45 percent of adults ages 65 and older had incomes below the poverty level, according to a 2015 Kaiser Family Foundation report. This number takes into account available financial resources, liabilities such as taxes, value benefits like food stamps, out-of-pocket medical expenses, geographic variations in housing expenses, and other factors. Older women are slightly more likely than men to be living in poverty, and that gap widens in those over 80. Single older adults are also significantly more likely to live alone with fewer resources. Poverty affects senior health if you’re unable to afford doctor visits, medication for chronic conditions, and other essential senior healthcare needs.
17. Bed Sores and Shingles Remember that bout of chicken pox you had as a kid? It can come back as shingles when you’re an adult. According to the National Institutes of Health, one out of three people over 60 will get shingles, and 50 percent of all Americans will experience it before they’re 80. It usually affects only one side of your body, shingles start out with severe pain or tingling and then developing into an itchy rash and possibly blisters. If you believe in vaccines [I Don’t]: There is a vaccine available, so talk to your doctor about it. Alternative: Manuka Honey…
18. Hearing Loss Hearing loss is an important issue that many senior citizens face. The most common form of age-related hearing loss is presbycusis. Older people may need a hearing aid because the ability to hear high frequency sound may decrease over time. Glaucoma Glaucoma is one among the health problems of old people, which is due to an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye. This increased pressure will cause damage to the optic nerve resulting in loss of vision. First thing flush the wax build up in your ear canal?
19. Macular Degeneration | Cataracts Vision deterioration is one of the most common health problems in old people. In macular degeneration, the macula, which helps to sense and transmit images to the brain, is affected. This medical condition is usually found in elderly people above the age of 50. Solar Shields are one of the best ways to prevent vision loss after 60 years of age. Ocuvite Eye Performance delivers nutrients that help strengthen the eye’s natural protective filter and support overall eye health. Ocuvite Eye Performance contains 7 vital eye nutrients including Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Omega-3, and Vitamin D – more of the key eye nutrients than any other Ocuvite vitamin.
20. Kidney Failure It is estimated that older adults (ages 50+) eat more than 3,400 mg sodium each day – greater than 1,000 mg above their recommended levels. These high levels were confirmed by the recent release of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report , underscoring the need to pay close attention to our sodium intake. Many Americans have acquired a taste for a high salt diet. One way to cut back is to skip the table salt. However, most of the sodium in our diets comes from packaged, processed foods. Eating less of these foods (process soup) can help reduce your sodium intake, lower your blood pressure and/or prevent high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) from developing in the first place. Overview of Sodium’s Role in the Body
Sodium Metabolism Disorders Caused when our sodium levels are too high or too low, sodium metabolic disorders can lead to muscle weakness, vomiting | excessive sweating. An electrolyte, sodium is an essential mineral that helps our muscles and nerves work, and helps regulate blood pressure and volume. When other conditions or our diet shifts the balance of our sodium to water levels, we can develop either hypernatremia or hyponatremia, both sodium metabolic disorders. Hypernatremia, often caused by dehydration or too much sodium in our diets, can lead to dizziness, fever and diarrhea. Hypernatremia may also be a sign of diabetes insipidus, a condition that makes it difficult to balance the body’s water levels. In hyponatremia, our body tries to make up for the low sodium levels by filling our cells with water. The additional water can cause brain swelling, which can lead to confusion and hallucinations. Heart failure, kidney diseases and cirrhosis of the liver can cause hyponatremia.
21. Charlie Horse and Cramps Drinking plenty of water is essential, since Charlie Horse and cramps are often caused by dehydration. A healthy diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit can help to decrease the frequency of cramps in your hands and legs. Additionally, certain vitamins and minerals impact muscle function, particularly potassium and magnesium. Lemon Juice and a banana can provide relief…
22. Urinary incontinence Is one of the most annoying health problems of old age people. Women are most likely to have this condition due to decreased strength of the pelvic muscle. Men who have enlarged prostate may also experience this difficulty. Home Remedies for Urinary Incontinence Pelvic Floor (Kegel) Exercises. Exercising your pelvic floor muscles can be a useful way… You can consider taking magnesium or cannabis to help treat incontinence,… Vitamin D can also be used to control urinary incontinence because it helps maintain muscle strength…. Early studies have shown that acupuncture can provide some short-term benefit, but more research is needed. Yoga helps tighten the muscles.
FAQs About Life Expectancy!!! In 1900, life expectancy in the United States was 47.3 years; in 2017, it was 78.6. Here’s why the numbers have gone up, plus advice from medical experts on how to add more healthy years to your own life. In 2017, nearly 25 out of 100 people in the United States lived to celebrate their 90th birthday.
Have you ever wondered how old you’ll be when you die? Even if it was just to estimate how much you should put away in your 401(k) or how much time you have to pay off your student loans?
Life expectancy represents the average number of years that someone can expect to live depending on the year they were born. For anyone born in the United States in 2017, life expectancy is 78.6 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RELATED: Study Shows These 5 Healthy Habits Can Add More Than a Decade to Your Life Another way that experts measure life expectancy involves considering the percentage of people who live to specified ages. Using that approach, in 2017 nearly 25 out of 100 people in the United States lived to celebrate their 90th birthday, according to the CDC. Both those calculations are based on averages of the entire population and include all sexes, races, and parts of the country. How long each individual lives is determined by many factors, says Qi Sun, MD, a doctor of science and an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
He explains that life expectancy is influenced by genes, environment, and lifestyle choices: “We can look at how the life span has increased over the last 100 years and see that it’s modifiable,” he says. Read on for commonly asked questions about life expectancy and what you can do to live longer and healthier.
Do the ages that my parents or grandparents died make a difference in figuring out my life expectancy? Family history is a big predictor of longevity. “If you look at parents’ life span and compare it with their offsprings’, you’ll find certain correlations because sometimes they share the same genes,” says Dr. Sun. If some of those genes lead to certain diseases, it may shorten life span. “On the other hand,” he adds, “families that have good genes may live longer.”Some similarities in health patterns that may seem genetic could also be due to common habits and location. Family members often share the same environment, especially when children are young and still live at home. “Families eat a similar diet and have the same access to medical care, which are both factors that impact longevity,” Sun says. You just need to look at data from 100 years ago and compare it with current life expectancy to see that there’s more to longevity than simply genetics. According to the CDC, the life expectancy of someone who was born in 1900 was only 47.3 years. “Genetics wouldn’t really explain this jump,” Sun says, adding that a lot of things combined to cause this increase, including improved medical care and hygiene. RELATED: Processed Foods Linked to Shorter Life Span, Study Finds
What are the most important factors that determine how long you live? “Basically any factor that influences mortality also contributes to life expectancy, because mortality is how life expectancy is calculated,” says Sun. Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body mass index, and diabetes are established risk factors for chronic diseases like heart disease & stroke, and people who have those diseases have a shorter life expectancy.
Okay, I haven’t had the healthiest lifestyle, and now I’m over 60. Am I doomed? “It’s never too late to adopt a healthier lifestyle,” says Sun. If a person has spent decades eating an unhealthy diet or being physically inactive, they may or may not have developed certain chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Still, “If those individuals move their diet and exercise habits from the unhealthier end of the spectrum to the healthier side, they can improve their life span,” Sun says. “Just follow common sense: no smoking, avoid alcohol or drug abuse, eat a healthy diet, engage in physical activity, and try to stay positive and optimistic.” If you need more incentive to make lifestyle changes, consider this: Research shows that older adults are enjoying themselves more than just about everyone else. According to a survey of 1,546 Californians ages 21 to 99, people in their nineties were the most content. The research, published in August 2016 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found that older people were happier and less depressed, with less anxiety than younger people.
By Carolyn L. Todd “Sometimes life is really hard, and right now things look really bleak,” social psychologist Judy Moskowitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern, and president of the International Positive Psychology Association, tells SELF. “Gratitude is not about diminishing how difficult and unprecedented this all is, or being all Pollyanna about it, or pretending you’re not anxious and that everything’s fine. Because things are not fine, for anybody.” As we’ll look at in-depth, gratitude is something that can exist “alongside the very real and understandable negative emotions that most of us are experiencing right now,” not in place of them, Moskowitz says. In fact, gratitude may help us better weather and recover from these hard times. Time is a universally accepted but little understood concept. Thoughty2 explores the history of time, what time actually is and whether we can travel through time. “Sometimes it’s hard in the midst of tremendous uncertainty and grief anxiety and anger about what’s happening to feel grateful,” Robin Stern, Ph.D., the co-founder and associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an associate research scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale, tells SELF. “But gratitude can be healing. “
The three ways we experience gratitude: We all have a basic understanding of what gratitude is, of course: the state of being grateful or thankful. But it’s revealing to consider how the people who study gratitude define it. Researchers generally look at gratitude in three different but intersecting ways, cognitive psychologist Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., science director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, tells SELF. 1. An emotion This meaning may be the one we’re most familiar with. “Gratitude is often studied as a momentary emotional experience—a specific temporary state that happens when we realize that something good has happened, and often as a consequence of somebody else’s efforts or actions,” says Simon-Thomas, who helps run the Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude initiative at the Greater Good Science Center. 2. A trait Gratitude is also studied as a trait or dispositional characteristic—how grateful of a person you are. As Simon-Thomas puts it, “Do you tend to notice what’s good in your own life? Do you savor the goodnesses that are available to you? Do you recognize the extent to which things that are outside of yourself, whether it’s people or some kind of existential privilege or resource, are the origin of the positive things that you enjoy in life?” 3. A practice This framing of gratitude is connected to the first two—as something you can do to both evoke the emotion of gratitude and potentially strengthen it as a trait over time. “It’s an activity or exercise of deliberately reflecting on what’s going well or what kind of positive attributes one’s life might be providing at the time,” Simon-Thomas explains. “It’s a way of making the emotion of gratitude more readily available and more likely to occur in general.”
The science behind gratitude boosting your well-being!!! There is not an overwhelming amount of research on the psychological benefits of gratitude. “I think one of the reasons why gratitude maybe isn’t the most popular research topic of all time is that it’s not a very hard sell,” Simon-Thomas explains. The idea that gratitude is a good thing worth valuing and embodying is not exactly novel—it’s intuitive, well-regarded, and deeply embedded in our culture. “Most philosophical and spiritual traditions espouse gratitude as a core virtue,” Simon-Thomas points out, as does society-at-large. (Survey data showing that the vast majority of people in the U.S. place a high value on gratitude supports this.)
That said, we do have a good amount of compelling evidence suggesting gratitude may have some very real implications for people’s psychological well-being in a variety of ways. Much of this data is correlational, where researchers study gratitude as a trait in relation to various indicators of well-being. (Researchers have developed a number of surveys and scales to measure trait gratitude in people, such as the Gratitude Questionnaire, where you rate how much you agree with statements like “I have so much in life to be thankful for.”) “It seems that people who see the world through that lens, who are typically grateful, tend to suffer less stress and be happier in general,” Stern says. A 2010 meta-review published in Clinical Psychology Review looked at dozens of studies to assess the impacts of gratitude on a wide variety of outcomes across many different domains, including: Adaptive personality traits, mental illness, subjective well-being, social relationships, and physical health. Researchers found that people with higher trait gratitude were more likely to be more extroverted, agreeable, open, and conscientious and less neurotic. They were likely to experience less depression and greater subjective well-being, which includes high positive affect (mood), low negative affect, and high satisfaction with life. High trait gratitude is also associated with more positive social relationships and better physical health, especially in regards to stress and sleep. At least some of these relationships are thought to be unique: Gratitude can account for variations in the outcomes after controlling for 50 of the most studied traits in psychology. We also have some interventional research that studies the impact of gratitude as a practice, measuring change over time in various outcomes as a result of gratitude exercises that participants are assigned to perform. (Such as keeping a daily/weekly gratitude diary or writing a gratitude letter to someone.) The results here are still good but more mixed. A series of meta-analyses published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology in 2017 looked at 38 gratitude intervention studies to review the effects of gratitude on a variety of outcomes, immediately after the intervention and at follow-up points (ranging from one week to six months after the intervention ended). Compared to participants who had no intervention or a neutral one (like listing daily activities or interesting things), participants assigned to gratitude interventions fared better on a number of outcomes. They saw “evident differences” for well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, grateful mood, grateful disposition, positive affect, depression, optimism, and quality of relationships.
The role of gratitude in dealing with stress and trauma!!! There is a mounting body of particularly compelling evidence on the potential role of gratitude in coping with and recovering from trauma. “When we look at these kinds of studies, we see that even people who are going through or have gone through major traumatic experiences, something as simple as gratitude… can be helpful,” Moskowitz says. “The idea is that it might be helpful for us too to practice it.” The majority of the data here is correlational, Simon-Thomas says. Generally, researchers study populations that have experienced serious trauma, such as combat, natural disaster, or a cancer diagnosis, and assess how trait gratitude is connected to psychological outcomes, including one or two common outcomes of trauma: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). You’re probably familiar with PTSD, a condition that can occur in people who have been exposed to a traumatic event, causing a number of serious symptoms, which can include flashbacks and intrusive thoughts about the event; negative beliefs about oneself; avoidant behaviors; trouble sleeping; feelings of numbness, guilt or depression; hypervigilance and reactivity; and trouble sleeping, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Researchers assess PTSD using clinically validated measurement tools such as interviews, self-reports, and symptom checklists. PTG is just what it sounds like: the experience of personal psychological growth or transformation that can follow trauma and post-trauma challenges (including PTSD), the American Psychological Association (APA) explains. PTG is measured by researchers with self-report scales like the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), per the APA, which assesses for positive growth in five key areas:
1) Appreciation of life 2) Relationships with others 3) New possibilities in life 4) Personal strength 5) Spiritual change.
Some researchers see gratitude as a factor associated with or leading to PTG. A number of research studies conceptualize gratitude as a “protective factor” against PTSD. A protective factor is basically the opposite of a risk factor—it is correlated with decreased likelihood of being diagnosed with a certain condition, fewer negative effects from stress, and better mental health, per the APA. Other studies frame gratitude as a potential factor associated with or leading to PTG. One of the first studies to spark the idea that gratitude may play a role in post-trauma outcomes, Moskowitz says, was published in Behaviour Research and Therapy in 2006. It investigated the relationship between gratitude (both trait and daily-reported) and well-being in Vietnam War veterans with and without PTSD. They measured trait gratitude and trait affect (generally positive or negative disposition) once at the beginning of the study. Then they had participants complete daily self-reports on their feelings of gratitude and their mood daily, along with other well-being measures like rewarding social activity). They found that in both veterans with and without PTSD, variations in trait gratitude corresponded with variations in their daily well-being—even more so than the relationship between well-being and things like mood, distress, and trauma-related stress. They also found that for veterans with PTSD, trait gratitude was a “significant, unique predictor of well-being” over and above someone’s general positive disposition. Researchers also looked into the role of gratitude in survivors of an earthquake that took place in the Ya’an region of Southwestern China in 2013. In one study, gratitude (along with social support) was a positive and stable predictor of PTG a year and a half after the earthquake. In another study, gratitude was associated with a decreased likelihood of PTSD and increased likelihood of PTG among the survivors, even three and a half years after the earthquake.
A 2017 study published in the journal Psychological Trauma investigated the role of resilience and gratitude in PTS and PTG among 359 survivors of a college campus shooting. They found that among people who scored high in gratitude, there was a much stronger relationship between PTS and PTG—the suggestion being that people high in gratitude are able to transform their stress into growth in the aftermath of trauma. There’s also research on the role of gratitude for people experiencing serious illness, like cancer. A 2013 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies found a strong positive correlation between gratitude and all dimensions of PTG in 67 people with breast cancer. And in a 2019 study in Frontiers in Psychology of 42 breast cancer patients, those who had a daily gratitude practice also reported higher self-esteem, optimism, acceptance of illness, and perceived social support, compared to those who just had a daily journal practice. “In a way, we have more faith in the power of cancer to kill us than we have faith in the power of God, the power of miracles, the power of infinite possibility, the power of any force other than what the eyes can see and the hands can touch to interrupt the power and trajectory of the disease,” says Williamson, spiritual teacher and author.
We are all inherently powerful healers “We are not victims of our genes, we are masters of our genetic activity,” claims stem-cell biologist Lipton. Much of what modern Western medicine does is treat the symptoms without getting to the root cause of the dis-ease, a term that describes the state of stress that exacerbates a physical illness. “Western medicine definitely has its time and place; for example, Western medicine is great for trauma,” Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor with extensive knowledge in brain chemistry and biology, states. “But when it comes to disease, most diseases are caused by stress-related conditions, and as we know, when our body experiences stress for extended periods of time, it moves out of homeostasis—the ideal state of internal balance and equilibrium. As the body moves out of equilibrium for long enough, it creates a cascade of negative effects.” HEAL tells the story of how we can collectively shift that paradigm, and individually take control of our own health. The film teaches us how to also use natural and alternative methods to activate the innate and powerful healer within.
It’s not just about positive thinking…. “Well everyone seems to be aware of the placebo effect, the results of positive thinking. The important question is this: What is the consequence of negative thinking? While a placebo—positive thinking—can cure you of anything, A nocebo, negative belief, can actually cause any illness and can cause death,” says Lipton. This is why the experts of the film encourage the audience to seek medical advice for an accurate diagnosis, but to not believe the prognosis. “Statistics are impersonal, and you are a person, and no one can tell you what you are capable of. Someone’s got to be that one percent and why couldn’t it be you?” says Kelly Turner, Ph.D. Director Noonan Gores’ intention for creating HEAL was to empower people by showing the science behind the body’s incredible intelligence and capacity for healing, and inspire them with powerful stories of healing from supposedly incurable conditions. If you have ever wondered about the power of the mind to heal your body, I would HIGHLY encourage and recommend that you to watch this fabulous documentary. (HERE.) The missing pieces of Netflix’s Documentary “Heal” – YouTube
>>>>
“With so many people suffering from chronic illness and being told by medical professionals that there is no conventional cure for their condition, it’s no wonder that there is an epidemic of fear,” says Noonan Gores. “I believe the people in this film reveal once we shift our perception from fear to hope, and detox our outer and our inner environments, we can heal no matter how late the stage or impossible we are told our condition is. And there is plenty of scientific evidence that supports this.”
There is some evidence that gratitude is associated with better outcomes in people who have experienced more common traumas or stressors. Take, for instance, a 2009 study published in the journal Anxiety, Stress & Coping that looked at 182 college students who identified as female and had a history of trauma, with the most common traumas reported being a car accident and life-threatening illness/injury. On average, their traumas happened a little over four years earlier, and only 12.6 percent of them met the criteria for PTSD. Still, those who reported higher gratitude also reported fewer and less severe PTSD symptoms—even when taking into account other factors like their coping styles or how severe the trauma was. A similar protective effect of gratitude was seen in college students in two joint longitudinal studies published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2008. Researchers followed college undergraduates during their first semester at school (which, we can probably all agree is a pretty stressful time). They gave students questionnaires at the beginning and end of the semester that measured a few different variables: trait gratitude, perceived social support, stress, and depression. Then they analyzed the data with some sophisticated statistical footwork (structural equation modeling) to tease out the directions of these relationships: Did trait gratitude actually impact any of the other variables, or was it the other way around? Or were they all just related? They concluded that having a higher baseline gratitude actually directly led to higher levels of social support and lower levels of stress and depression.
On the flipside, it didn’t seem that any of the variables directly led to greater gratitude. So, maybe having higher gratitude really does lead to better well-being, even during really stressful times.
How exactly does gratitude help people cope better? So how do researchers explain the salutary effects of gratitude, especially as they pertain to trauma and coping? It’s not entirely clear yet. “We have a lot of behavioral and correlational data,” Simon-Thomas says, “But there’s still a lot left to be learned at a biological or mechanistic level.” For instance, we don’t know much about what precisely is occurring in our brains when we practice gratitude. While we have a handful of good studies pointing to a couple of brain circuits, “There’s not a huge amount of neuroimaging research on gratitude specifically,” neuroscientist, writer, and coach Alex Korb, Ph.D., tells SELF. Most of our understanding of what’s going on is theoretical. Many of these theoretical frameworks are rooted in a particular area of study called positive psychology. If most of traditional psychology is focused on treating mental illness and reducing suffering, positive psychology is focused on cultivating well-being and human flourishing. The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania describes it as “the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as the study of the emotional states, individual traits, and social supports that “enhance people’s subjective well-being and make life most worth living”. One influential theory here is the “broaden-and-build” model of positive emotions, pioneered by positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson. We tend to view positive emotions—like joy, compassion, optimism, and gratitude—as merely evidence that someone is happy. But the broaden-and-build theory argues that the experience and cultivation of positive emotions, including gratitude, can actually produce benefits that lead to greater well-being in the long term—broadening our perspectives and building our psychological resources in ways that help us cope, bounce back, and thrive.
“Positive emotions aren’t just the inverse of negative emotions,” explains Moskowitz, whose own research is rooted in this model. “They actually have unique functions… and can actually help us build our resilience and help us cope.”
Here are a few ideas about how that might work:
Gratitude may help widen your perspective… Positive emotions, like those produced by gratitude practices, are believed to expand the lens through which you see the world. “Negative emotions like fear or anxiety can really narrow your focus on the problem (which can be very adaptive),” Moskowitz explains, whereas “positive emotions help you broaden your perspective and allow you to see more possibilities.” Looking outwards, positive feelings like gratitude can widen the scope of our attention to take more notice of the goodness (and good people) around us. “It sounds trite, but it’s really true that taking the time to practice gratitude can open your eyes to how extraordinary so many things in our everyday life are,” Stern says. “Many of the benefits of gratitude are simply about directing your attention in certain ways—what parts of your life, what parts of reality you pay attention to,” Korb says. “Your brain at the moment might not automatically pay attention to all the wonderful things in your life. But if you intentionally practice gratitude, you become more aware of these positive parts of your life that were always there and start to change that filter,” Korb explains. “We are, for lack of a better word, training our minds to notice more of what is outside of the self—who’s around us, what else we could be paying attention to, what’s happening beyond our own immediate needs and self interest… [and] the potential threats and worries we tend to ruminate on,” Simon-Thomas explains. The broadening effect of positive emotions is thought to apply looking inwards, too, to the way we think (and in turn, act). “Positive emotions and practices like gratitude can help you cope better by building your individual resources,” Moskowitz says. The idea is that by doing practices that consistently induce positive emotions, we can widen and deepen the psychological resources available to us in times of stress, Mostkowitz explains. This cognitive broadening includes greater creativity, flexibility, novelty, and openness in the ways we think and behave—allowing us to see and engage in more possibilities.
Gratitude might simply give you a little break from stress…. “Right now we are all steeped in the stress of COVID and having to isolate in our homes, and the worry we have for our loved ones and the country in general. It’s hard to get away from it,” Moskowitz says. “It’s not an option to check out and not deal with [stress and trauma].” On top of that, “Our reservoir of coping ability is really depleted because we’re constantly engaged in this negative stuff going on,” Moskowitz says. The theory here is pretty intuitive: Positive emotions like gratitude are thought to help us cope in the midst of stress and difficulty by providing a little respite. “We think of it as a strategy to help you shift from unpleasant emotions to more pleasant emotion,” Stern says. “What practices like gratitude that help you even momentarily increase your positive emotions do is give you a break from that [stress]. It’s like a breather,” Moskowitz says. When you’re practicing gratitude, you’re not practicing anxious or envious thoughts. In turn, “those moments of positive emotion can help sustain you, can help you stay engaged through the coping process… [and] bolster that inner reserve you have for continuing to cope with it,” Moskowitz says.
Gratitude may help you connect with other people…. According to the broaden-and-build model, positive emotions also promote another crucial kind of resource for well-being and coping: social support. “People who show more positive emotions tend to draw more social support when they’re stressed,” Moskowitz says There is also reason to believe gratitude is a unique prosocial behavior. “We develop a more prosocial and benevolent orientation towards others as we practice gratitude,” Simon-Thomas explains. “We’re practicing connecting the positive aspects of our life, the benefits that we enjoy, to the actions of other people.” Studies suggest that gratitude fosters prosocial behavior, strengthening social bonds, and forging new ones. This includes the 2006 Vietnam veterans study, which found that daily gratitude impacted the degree of daily rewarding social activity vets reported, as well as that pair of 2008 longitudinal studies of college freshmen we looked at earlier that concluded that gratitude seemed to “directly foster” social support. A 2017 Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis of 91 studies, including 18,342 participants, found “statistically significant, and moderate positive correlation between gratitude and pro-sociality.” This social support may in turn promote PTG. A 2008 meta-review of 103 studies looking at the role of optimism, social support, and coping strategies in contributing to PTG found that social support and social support-seeking behavior were moderately related to PTG. In this way, Simon-Thomas says, “gratitude can ultimately provide us with more support and safety in the world.”
There’s much we have yet to learn about how, exactly, the benefits of gratitude work under the surface (and, perhaps, benefits we have yet to discover). But experts agree that the body research thus far tells us, loud and clear, that gratitude is something we can practice and get better at over time—and that it is worth doing so. “We can deliberately invoke this state of appreciation or recognition of the positive things we experience in life,” Simon-Thomas says. “And that can become more habitual with practice.” How do you actually cultivate this state and trait in your own life? There are a few simple, effective, evidence-based ways that can begin to foster gratitude on a daily basis, and you can read about them right here. As Stern puts it, “Why not try it, and see if it makes a difference?”
Louise Hay (October 8, 1926 – August 30, 2017) made a life out of healing people… on (one’s) own steam. She lead the way since the 1980s until her passing on how you can heal your own life. At the forefront of the self-help field, Hay had become a Matriarchal figure to many in the business of self-help. In the 1980s Louise Hay self-published You Can Heal Your Life, a book that has sold over 30 million copies to date, and spurred her on to build her own publishing company ‘Hay House.’ Taking the philosophy one step further, Louise Hay has stepped along with the information age and put the theories behind her book into a complementing DVD with the same name. I think the book and the DVD would probably work best hand in hand; the book for reference once it is read, and the DVD as a frequent reminder when watched of the powerful resources we hold in our own hands. Louise Hay has gathered some of the best self-help teachers, most who have seen Hay as a guiding light in their own lives, to explain the thoughts behind (watch) You Can Heal Your Life. Very similar in format to The Secret, this (full) documentary is easily digestible information that is both empowering and constructive. Author of The Erroneous Zones Dr. Wayne Dyer, The Angel Lady Doreen Virtue, Life Makeover teacher Cheryl Richardson, Dream Interpreter Leon Nacson, medical authority and author of Women’s Wisdom Women’s Bodies Dr. Christiane Northrup, and medical intuitive Mona Lisa Schulz, along with a handful of other spiritual intellectuals, all give their perceptions on the philosophy that our “thoughts and our actions can equal miracles” as Richardson states. https://firstwefeast.com/eat/ best-food-documentaries-that-you-should-watch-right-now/
The latest weekly jobless claims figures were released on May 28. For the week ending May 23, just under 2 million Americans filed to receive unemployment benefits. While this marks the first week in over two months that unemployment claims fell below 2 million, it is still a staggering figure on top of a long stream of devastating weeks for U.S. workers. After the last 10 combined weeks of jobless claims, the number of Americans filing for unemployment since the coronavirus crisis began in earnest in mid-March is now approaching 40 million, or about 25% of the U.S. labor force. As unemployment claims have continued to surge by the millions with each passing week, 24/7 Wall St. has been compiling a state-by-state review of jobless claims. Job losses by state range from the tens of thousands to the millions over the 10 weeks beginning on March 15, amounting to anywhere from 10% to over 40% of each state’s total labor force before the pandemic hit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. unemployment rate reached 14.7% in April, a level not seen since the Great Depression. In a number of states, the April unemployment rate was much higher, with over one-fifth of Hawaii’s labor force and over one-quarter of Nevada’s labor force unemployed. These state rates will only worsen in May, as the jobless ranks continue to swell in every state. Bing COVID-19 tracker: Latest numbers by country and state The current economic downturn is largely attributable to efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Officials across the country have heeded advice from health experts and instituted a range of measures to facilitate social distancing, from shelter-in-place orders to closing nonessential businesses. Many of those states are beginning to partially reopen their economies. (Here are every state’s rules for staying at home and social distancing ) The places where unemployment rates are projected to be the highest in the coming months tend to be in states that rely on industries that are bearing the brunt of the current economic downturn. These industries include leisure and hospitality, travel services, transportation and warehousing, and oil and gas extraction. These industries also serve as the economic backbone for a number of cities across the country.
Daily coronavirus briefing: Dangerous complication increasingly found in COVID-19 patients. Maybe you know someone in a similar situation: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo tested negative for COVID-19, after having it, but still doesn’t feel like himself weeks and weeks later. “I’m not 100%,” he told Dr. Sanjay Gupta on air this week. “There is funky stuff in my bloodwork, that doctors say is what they see in people who have had COVID. So it freaks me out a little bit.” He’s not alone— here are 15 long-term after effects of the coronavirus everyone should know about. . What a second peak of coronavirus could look like By Scottie Andrew, Coronavirus will surge again when summer ends: infectious disease experts are almost certain of that. But they don’t know how severe that resurgence will be. Whether we see that rapid rise in cases in the fall depends on what we do now. The World Health Organization offered one bleak hypothesis for what the next few months of coronavirus could look like. While we’re still living through the first wave of the pandemic, and cases are still rising, infections could jump up suddenly and significantly “at any time.” “We may get a second peak in this way,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme on Monday. A second peak wouldn’t unfold as neatly or gradually as a wave. A new peak would mean a sudden spike in cases, which could overburden health care systems again and possibly cause a greater number of deaths. The second peak could be worse than the first.
What a second peak could look like!! In a second peak scenario, coronavirus cases would spike sharply and quickly until they reach a new high, likely after a period when the rate of infection remained fairly stable. In a second wave, infections may unfold more gradually and impact different regions of the world at different times. But in both a second peak scenario and one in which we “flatten the curve,” the same number of people could be infected. It’s the timing that counts. A second peak would mean that many more people are infected with coronavirus at the same time, and during flu season, which would overburden health care systems. And when hospitals and health care workers are overwhelmed, there’s a higher likelihood for preventable deaths, said Dr. Gabe Kelen, director of the department of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins University. “The only real reason to try and dampen these peaks are to prevent preventable deaths, so that the health care system can take care of everyone who needs it and give them the best possible chance at a healthy outcome,” Kelen, who specializes in emerging infections, told CNN. That’s why so much has been made about flattening the curve. The steadier the rate of infection, the more manageable it is to treat the sick.
Why it’s dangerous Like Kelen said, a peak would see a large jump in preventable deaths, and not just in Covid-19 patients. People with diseases such as cancer and diabetes that regularly rely on hospitals for treatment may find their health care delayed, which could threaten their health. And if hospitals are overwhelmed by coronavirus patients, the facilities may have less room for emergency patients who are suddenly injured or sick. And more people may die unnecessarily. Another advantage for the virus — it’s likely to surge again during flu season, so throughout the fall and winter. And with a cadre of respiratory viruses circulating at the same time, the odds you end up infected with one of them are increasingly likely, Kelen said. In the US, there were 410,000 to 740,000 flu hospitalizations during the 2019-2020 flu season, which ran from October to April, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a fairly long period of heightened disease activity, and with hundreds of thousands of patients already filling up hospital rooms, there’s less room for Covid-19 patients. Flu mortality is low — assuming 56 million people were infected with the flu this season and 62,000 of them died, the death rate is still 0.1%. In the US, where more than 1,680,000 people have been infected and nearly 100,000 have died, the death rate is closer to 5.9%. “From a healthcare point of view, flu season is usually a very difficult time because there are so many sick people,” Kelen said. “Flu season in the face of Covid-19 — that’s going to be a real challenge.” Coronavirus also resembles the flu and other seasonal respiratory viruses in the initial symptoms it presents. The similar symptoms may delay an accurate diagnosis or treatment, said Dr. William Schaffner, professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University and a longtime adviser to the CDC. “Covid-19 is too contagious,” Schaffner said. “We anticipate that this fall will be a great struggle with influenza and, in addition, Covid.”
When it will happen and how severe it will be? Both depend on how quickly we ease up on coronavirus restrictions. A second peak is likely to occur during the fall or late winter to coincide with flu season. But if states snap out of pandemic mode now, reopening on a large scale and largely returning to pre-coronavirus life, the surge in cases could occur as early as late June. The United States isn’t prepared for a resurgence that soon, Kelen said. “It would be unmanageable,” he said. Mass re-openings could affect its timing and severity, too. Many large universities and school districts plan to reopen in the fall and host classes on campus, which could stir up transmission again. Businesses probably won’t close again like they did in March and April, Kelen said, so with more people out, the rate of infection could jump.
Why it’s inevitable — and what we can do to dampen it!!! Like Kelen said, until there’s a vaccine, the same number of people will be infected no matter if people stop staying home. Coronavirus cases will grow again. It’s just a matter of letting the disease “burn through society very quickly” over a few months or prolonging the time it takes coronavirus to spread, he said. The latter scenario buys some time for vaccine development and staggers the number of patients hospitals see so they won’t be overburdened. “It sounds as though we’re in a locked room, wanting to get out,” Schaffner said. “The door out of that locked room, we hope, is a vaccine. But in the meantime, we can’t just be complacent.” We can count on one vaccine being ready in the fall — the flu vaccine for the 2020-2021 flu season. It’s more important than usual to get vaccinated this year, Kelen and Schaffner said. If more people are protected against the flu, they’ll be protected against at least one severe respiratory viruses, which could save them a trip to the hospital. “The vaccine isn’t perfect, it still can prevent many infections and make other infections less severe,” Schaffner said. We know what we’re up against come the fall. Both doctors said it’s unlikely that businesses will close en masse again like they did in the spring, and more communal places like schools and places of worship will reopen. That, coupled with flu season, could make it easy for coronavirus to circulate in communities. That makes the standard mitigation efforts — staying at home as much as possible, wearing a mask in public and maintaining at least six feet of distance — all the more important, Schaffner and Kelen said.
There’s a good chance the coronavirus will never go away. Even after a vaccine is discovered and deployed, the coronavirus will likely remain for decades to come, circulating among the world’s population. Experts call such diseases endemic — stubbornly resisting efforts to stamp them out. Think measles, HIV, chickenpox. It is a daunting proposition — a coronavirus-tinged world without a foreseeable end. But experts in epidemiology, disaster planning and vaccine development say embracing that reality is crucial to the next phase of America’s pandemic response. The long-term nature of covid-19, they say, should serve as a call to arms for the public, a road map for the trillions of dollars Congress is spending and a fixed navigational point for the nation’s current, chaotic state-by-state patchwork strategy. With so much else uncertain, the persistence of the novel virus is one of the few things we can count on about the future. That doesn’t mean the situation will always be as dire. There are already four endemic coronaviruses that circulate continuously, causing the common cold. And many experts think this virus will become the fifth — its effects growing milder as immunity spreads and our bodies adapt to it over time. The four endemic human coronaviruses HCoV-229E, -NL63, -OC43, and -HKU1 contribute a considerable share of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in adults and children. their clinical representation resembles that of many other agents of the common cold, their evolutionary histories, and host associations could provide important insights into the natural history of past human pandemics.
For two of these viruses, we have strong evidence suggesting an origin in major livestock species while primordial associations for all four viruses may have existed with bats and rodents. HCoV-NL63 and -229E may originate from bat reservoirs as assumed for many other coronaviruses, but HCoV-OC43 and -HKU1 seem more likely to have speciated from rodent-associated viruses. HCoV-OC43 is thought to have emerged from ancestors in domestic animals such as cattle or swine!!! The bovine coronavirus has been suggested to be a possible ancestor, from which HCoV-OC43 may have emerged in the context of a pandemic recorded historically at the end of the 19th century. New data suggest that HCoV-229E may actually be transferred from dromedary camels similar to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. This scenario provides important ecological parallels to the present pre-pandemic pattern of host associations of the MERS coro
Other human coronaviruses MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS) SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS) SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19) People around the world commonly get infected with human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus. Three recent examples of this are 2019-nCoV, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV.
Profile of a killer: the complex biology powering the coronavirus pandemic Scientists are piecing together how SARS-CoV-2 operates, where it came from and what it might do next — but pressing questions remain about the source of COVID-19.
But studies released over the past few months, which have yet to be peer-reviewed, suggest that SARS-CoV-2 — or a very similar ancestor — has been hiding in some animal for decades. According to a paper posted online in March 6, the coronavirus lineage leading to SARS-CoV-2 split more than 140 years ago from the closely related one seen today in pangolins. Then, sometime in the past 40–70 years, the ancestors of SARS-CoV-2 separated from the bat version, which subsequently lost the effective receptor binding domain that was present in its ancestors (and remains in SARS-CoV-2). A study published on 21 April came up with very similar findings using a different dating method. For now, though, most people have not been infected and remain susceptible. And the highly transmissible disease has surged in recent weeks, even in countries that initially succeeded in suppressing it. Left alone, experts say, it will simply keep burning through the world’s population. DOUBLE TROUBLE: You ‘could catch coronavirus twice and will need yearly vaccines’, says immunisation expert. “This virus is here to stay,” said Sarah Cobey,an epidemiologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago. “The question is, how do we live with it safely?” Combating endemic diseases requires long-range thinking, sustained effort and international coordination. Stamping out the virus could take decades — if it happens at all. Such efforts take time, money and, most of all, political will. Americans have only started to wrap their heads around the idea, polls show. U.S. leaders and residents keep searching for a magic bullet to bring the pandemic to an abrupt end: Drugs that show even a hint of progress in the petri dish have sparked shortages. The White House continues to suggest summer’s heat will smother the virus or that it will mysteriously vanish. A vaccine — while crucial to our response — is not likely to eradicate the disease, experts say. Challenges to vaccination are already becoming clear, including limited supply, anti-vaccine opposition and significant logistical roadblocks. Meanwhile, some states are rushing headlong into reopening their economies. Even those moving more cautiously haven’t developed tools to measure what’s working and what isn’t — a crucial feature for any prolonged scientific experiment. “It’s like we have attention-deficit disorder right now. Everything we’re doing is just a knee-jerk response to the short-term,” said Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “People keep asking me, ‘What’s the one thing we have to do?’ The one thing we have to do is to understand that there is not one thing. We need a comprehensive battle strategy, meticulously implemented.” People also keep talking of returning to normal, said Natalie Dean, a disease biostatistician at the University of Florida. But a future with an enduring coronavirus means that normal no longer exists. “As we find different ways to adapt and discover what works, that’s how we’re going to start reclaiming parts of our society and life,” she said.
An Urgent Intermission America now finds itself in a moment of transition. Infections are declining in some states, even as they rise in others with worrisome emerging hotspots. What’s missing during this interlude, experts say, is a sense of urgency. Arriving at this moment of transition required countrywide shutdowns, soaring unemployment and devastating blows to our economy and mental health. All that effort was supposed to buy us time to think, plan and prepare, said Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. “What’s concerning is that I don’t see any signs the federal government has learned any lessons and is doing anything differently to prepare for the next waves,” he said. Leaders desperately need to shift their response from short-term crisis management to long-term solutions, he and other experts say. Communities should be thinking about installing doors that don’t require grasping a handle, and re-engineering traffic signals so pedestrians don’t have to push crosswalk buttons, said Eleanor J. Murray, an epidemiologist at Boston University. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Exhausting-Very/248309
In the coming years, robots and automated lines could become ubiquitous in meatpacking plants, which have experienced some of the country’s worst outbreaks. Families may have to make diagnostic tests routine ahead of visits to grandparents. Once-mocked office cubicles of a bygone era may become the rage again, replacing open-floor plans now found at many companies. Paid sick time might become a necessity for jobs of all types. And heading to work while under the weather may no longer be seen as an act of admirable American can-do spirit but instead a threat to co-workers and the bottom line.
More immediately, states should be using this time to craft quick-response systems and protocols. With hundreds of cities and counties reopening, think of each as a mini-laboratory yielding valuable data on what will work against the virus in the coming years. But most still lack the tools to capture that data, said Cobey, the University of Chicago epidemiologist, whose models have been used by Illinois leaders. The metrics being employed by states remain crude: daily number of deaths, hospitalization rates and confirmations of cases long after people show symptoms. All lag behind the actual transmission of the coronavirus by at least one to three weeks. “We desperately need better data and fast. It blows my mind that we still don’t have it,” Cobey said. What’s needed are more sophisticated testing strategies, say experts, that could serve as canaries in the coal mine — increasing our speed and ability to detect surges in the virus. States could select certain populations or areas to test extensively. They could establish a handful of sites that test only patients who have developed symptoms in the last four days, to increase sensitivity to sudden increases in transmission. “You need testing strategies that allow you to put on brakes quickly enough to stop surges,” said Cobey, who has pleaded with state leaders to implement such strategies. Another idea researchers have proposed is universally testing pregnant women to measure the asymptomatic spread of the virus — among people who have been infected but don’t show symptoms. The women could be an ideal sample testing population because they already visit hospitals for delivery and maternity checkups. One hospital in New York tested every pregnant woman who came in to deliver and found 15 percent had the coronavirus. Most of those testing positive — 88 percent — showed no symptoms, a sign of how crucial such testing could be. Living long-term with the virus also means addressing the mental health effects. There’s an assumption among many leaders, experts say, that increases in depression and anxiety are a temporary problem that will eventually disappear along with the virus. But for some people, the trauma, fear and stress will accumulate and fester like a wound if left unaddressed, said Paul Gionfriddo, president of the advocacy group Mental Health America. “The psychological recovery is going to be as important as economic and logistical parts of this.”
‘Prevention always sounds easy’ America’s yearning for a quick fix has turned in recent days toward a vaccine, now being portrayed as a solution that will quash the virus once and for all. But the world has achieved that only once, with smallpox — a measure of just how difficult it is for vaccines to wipe out diseases. And it took nearly two centuries after the discovery of a vaccine — and an unprecedented international effort — to vanquish smallpox, which stole hundreds of millions of lives. Eventually, many experts believe this coronavirus could become relatively benign, causing milder infections as our immune systems develop a memory of responses to it through previous infection or vaccination. But that process could take years, said Andrew Noymer, a University of California at Irvine epidemiologist. Barney Graham, deputy director of the federal government’s Vaccine Research Center, said emerging plans for vaccination are already stretching as far out as a decade. https://www.pnas.org/content/117/15/8218 “I’m thinking about things in different stages or eras,” Graham said. “We had a discussion this morning about what can be ready before this winter of 2021, what could be ready for 2021-2022, and what kind of regimen or vaccine concepts would we want after this has settled into a more seasonal virus.” The success of those vaccines will hinge on distribution — a complicated, logistically fraught process. In the first few years of a vaccine, global demand will far outstrip what manufacturers are able to supply. Roughly 60 to 80 percent of the world’s population needs to be inoculated to reach herd immunity — that point when enough people have become resistant to a virus that it has difficulty spreading widely. Without international agreements worked out beforehand, the short supply could devolve into bidding wars, hoarding and ineffective vaccination campaigns. In the United States, the crucial job of distribution will depend on federal and local health departments, which have already shown signs of limited capacity and competence amid this pandemic. As a preview to the chaos that might ensue, the U.S. government’s rollout of the first and only treatment for covid-19, remdesivir, has been described by hospitals as confusing, unfair and lacking transparency. “We also assume that everyone will want the vaccine because of the devastation this virus has caused, but that’s a big assumption,” said Howard Koh, a top U.S. health official during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. “Prevention always sounds easy, but it’s not.” America already has vaccines for measles and the seasonal flu, which can be deadly. And yet the health-care system struggles every year to convince people to get those shots. Looking further down the road, many top experts believe it’s critical that U.S. leaders start planning for the next pandemic now — even as they contend with this one — because of the short attention span, lack of political and public support for preparedness the country has shown in past decades. “We’ve seen this story so many times before,” Koh said. “As soon as the crisis is over, people will go back to whatever is the new normal and they will move on.” Our future selves… The struggle to get people to think long-term, of course, is not new to public health. We know that smoking can kill us. Yet, it is still responsible for 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States. “The problem is people putting the present ahead of the future,” said Frieden, who led the CDC from 2009 to 2017.
To bridge the divide between present and future, the CDC launched an ad campaign during Frieden’s tenure in which former smokers showed in graphic detail the consequences of lighting up: the removal of their jaw. Having to speak through an electronic voice box. The emotional devastation to their families. The campaign caused more than 16.4 million people to try to quit smoking between 2012 and 2018 and about 1 million to quit for good, the CDC estimates. “We found a way to show them their future selves,” said Frieden, now president and CEO of a health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives. The challenge in this pandemic is few such shortcuts remain to push U.S. leaders and the public into forward-thinking actions. The CDC has been sidelined by the White House and blocked from holding public briefings. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made clear its priority in restarting the economy. Increasingly, leading experts believe many Americans won’t make the shift toward long-range thinking until the virus spreads more widely and affects someone they know. “It’s like people who drive too fast. They come upon the scene of an accident, and for a little while, they drive more carefully, but soon they’re back to speeding again,” said Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “Contrast that with people who have lost someone to drunk driving,” he said. “It mobilizes them and becomes a cause for them. Eventually, everyone is going to know someone who got infected or died from this virus.
