Saturday, August 22, 2020

Life with Chronic Conditions: Decision Tools for the time of Covid

While decision making is part of life, at the moment, some of the decisions just feel over whelming because they can impact more than just you. Below are links to decision tools that can help in making decisions a lot easier. 

 

Sending your child to school: The Centers for Disease Control has set up a good resource to help you make the right choice for you and your family. School Decision-Making Tool for Parents,Caregivers, and Guardians

 

Wondering about your risk for Covid?:

• People with Certain Medical Conditions are more at risk: Recently Updated by the CDC.

 

Deciding what activities are riskier for Covid


 

COVID-19 Shared Decision Making 

 

Deciding to Go Out

Try the Ottawa Personal Decision Guide: The Ottawa Personal Decision Guide (OPDG) and Ottawa Personal Decision Guide for Two (OPDGx2) are designed for any health-related or social decisions. They can help people identify their decision making needs, plan the next steps, track their progress, and share their views about the decision.  It’s free and available in PDF format (can print it out as many times as you need it) Personal Guide  or Guide for Two.

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Take a Break: Watch the 2020 Olympic Fireworks

 

I love the Olympics so really missed them this summer. However, I was delighted when my brother sent me a video of the fireworks that would have been displayed. Yes, it's a hoax. This was reportedly meant to be a fireworks display to mark the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 23, but the quadrennial event was postponed until next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.A video emerged with claims that “It would not have been safe to keep the explosives on the shelf until the Games eventually begin, so organizers in Tokyo decided to go ahead with the display.

However, fact-checking website Boom has uncovered the video is originally from 2015, and was created using a fireworks simulator website.

 

None the less, it’s just a lot of fun to look at, particularly when you see the same versions with different music being played.

 


 

 

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Journal Watch August 2020

COVID

COVID-19 may cause deadly blood clots: COVID-19 may increase the risk of blot cots in women who are pregnant or taking estrogen with birth control or hormone replacement therapy, according to a new manuscript published in the Endocrine Society's journal, Endocrinology.

 

Hygiene Theater is a Huge Waste of Time: In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines to clarify that while COVID-19 spreads easily among speakers and sneezers in close encounters, touching a surface “isn’t thought to be the main way the virus spreads.” Other scientists have reached a more forceful conclusion. “Surface transmission of COVID-19 is not justified at all by the science,” Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told me. He also emphasized the primacy of airborne person-to-person transmission. COVID-19 has reawakened America’s spirit of misdirected anxiety, inspiring businesses and families to obsess over risk-reduction rituals that make us feel safer but don’t actually do much to reduce risk—even as more dangerous activities are still allowed. This is hygiene theater. A July article in the The Lancet, Goldman noted that all those studies that made COVID-19 seem likely to live for days on metal and paper bags were based on unrealistically strong concentrations of the virus. As he explained to me, as many as 100 people would need to sneeze on the same area of a table to mimic some of their experimental conditions. The studies “stacked the deck to get a result that bears no resemblance to the real world," Atlantic Monthly


 E-Cigarette Use Linked to Increased Odds of COVID-19: Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes are associated with increased likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a study published online Aug. 11 in the Journal of Adolescent Health

 

FDA Head Says Any Approved COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Safe; During a briefing with the American Medical Association, Stephen Hahn, M.D., the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Monday that the agency will not compromise safety when approving a COVID-19 vaccine, CNN reported.

 

Russia Approves COVID-19 Vaccine Before Trials Completed: Before completing clinical trials to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective, the Russian government has gone ahead and approved a vaccine against the new coronavirus. Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement comes despite a lack of published data on any testing for the vaccine. "It works effectively enough, forms a stable immunity and I repeat, it has gone through all necessary tests," Putin told a Cabinet meeting. the World Health Organization urged Russia not to bypass the usual methods of testing to ensure safety and effectiveness. The Russian vaccine was rushed through monkey and early human trials and was most likely successful. But it has not been widely tested in large phase 3 trials. Mikhail Murashko, Russia's minister of health, has said mass vaccination will start in October, beginning with teachers and medical workers.

 

300,000 American Deaths Projected by December Without More Face Mask Use: Researchers from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) on Thursday issued a forecast of 295,011 deaths from COVID-19 by Dec. 1. However, if 95 percent of people were to wear a face mask in public, some 66,000 lives could be saved, they added.

 

Stay-at-home orders significantly associated with reduced spread of COVID-19 Journal of Infectious Diseases 

People Without Symptoms Carry Just as Much of the Coronavirus as Symptomatic People: New research from South Korea has found that people with an infection with the new coronavirus who don’t have any symptoms carry just as much virus in their throats, lungs, and noses as those who do have symptoms. The studyTrusted Source, which published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine, also discovered that on average, it took asymptomatic people 17 days to test negative for the virus after diagnosis, whereas it took symptomatic people 19 to 20 days.

Preliminary study of 300+ COVID-19 patients suggests convalescent plasma therapy effective: A preliminary analysis of an ongoing study of more than 300 COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma therapy at Houston Methodist suggests the treatment is safe and effective. The results, which appear now in The American Journal of Pathology, represents one of the first peer-reviewed publications in the country assessing efficacy of convalescent plasma.

Household contact the greatest risk for transmission of COVID-19: Asymptomatic patients less likely to infect close contacts compared to severe cases Secondary transmission acquired from public transportation was rare Researchers from Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China traced more than 3,410 close contacts of 391 COVID-19 index cases between January and March 2020 to evaluate the risk for disease transmission in different settings. They found that risk for secondary transmission of COVID-19 was less than 4 percent among close contacts of persons with COVID-19. In addition, secondary infections acquired while using public transportation were rare. In contrast, 1 in 10 household contacts was found to be infected.  The researchers also found that patients with more clinically severe disease were more likely to infect their close contacts than were less severe index cases. Those with asymptomatic cases were the least likely to infect their close contacts. Manifestation of certain symptoms, such as expectoration, in index cases was also associated with an increased risk for infection in their close contacts.

Nine Things Experts Know Now About Covid-19 from Elemental

- The virus can become airborne

- Face masks are crucial to help control the pandemic

- Covid affects the whole body, not just the lungs

- Young adults and children can also get seriously ill or die from it.

- The virus isn’t seasonal

- Covid-19 is much deadlier than the flu-It’s five times more dangerous

- The  virus won’t disappear

- People spread the virus without realizing it

- A vaccine is almost certain


 

PAIN

Canakinumab Explored as Therapy for Large-Joint Osteoarthritis: Inhibition of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) with canakinumab seems to reduce the incidence of total hip replacement/total knee replacement (THR/TKR) compared with placebo, according to an exploratory analysis published online Aug. 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

 

COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Cannabis May Have Adverse Cardiovascular Effects: Cannabis seems not to be associated with cardiovascular benefits but has adverse cardiovascular effects, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association published online Aug. 5 in Circulation

 

Yoga shown to improve anxiety, study shows: Yoga improves symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, a condition with chronic nervousness and worry, suggesting the popular practice may be helpful in treating anxiety in some people. JAMA Psychiatry 

 

To improve students' mental health, study finds, teach them to breathe: When college students learn specific techniques for managing stress and anxiety, their wellbeing improves across a range of measures and leads to better mental health, a new Yale study finds. Frontiers in Psychiatry

 

Cannabis shows potential for mitigating sickle cell disease pain: Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researches. JAMA Network Open

 

FDA ACTION

• Approved Evrysdi  First Oral Drug for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

• Approved opioid Olinvyk (oliceridine) for the management of moderate-to-severe acute pain in controlled settings

• Approved Tecartus (brexucabtagene autoleucel) for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in patients who have not responded to other treatment types or relapsed following treatment

 

PREVENTION: Exercise

Regular exercise helps prevent high blood pressure, even in areas of high air pollution People who regularly exercise tend to have a lower risk of high blood pressure, even if they live in areas where air pollution is relatively high, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

 

Aerobic exercise could have the final say on fatty livers: A new study highlights that fitness may be a more important clinical endpoint for improvement in patients with fatty liver diseases during exercise trials, rather than weight loss. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

 

 

PREVENTION: Diet/Nutrition

Plant-based diets shown to lower blood pressure even with limited meat and dairy : Published online School in the Journal of Hypertension, they argue that any effort to increase plant-based foods in your diet and limit animal products is likely to benefit your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease. 

 

Diets high in protein, particularly plant protein, linked to lower risk of death: Diets high in protein, particularly plant protein, are associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ

 

Western Diet Tied to Adult Acne: Large survey shows diets high in fatty, sugary foods and drinks and milk associated with current acne. JAMA Dermatology

 

Does eating fish protect our brains from air pollution?: Older women who eat more than one to two servings a week of baked or broiled fish or shellfish may consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the effects of air pollution on the brain, according to a new study published in the July 15, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

 

 

 
PREVENTION: Supplements

Vitamin D3 Does Not Reduce Depression Incidence, Recurrence Incidence and recurrence of depression, change in mood scores did not differ from placebo for adults ≥50. JAMA 

 

Probiotics Not Recommended for Most Digestive Conditions: Probiotics are not recommended for most digestive conditions, according to a clinical practice guideline issued by the American Gastroenterological Association and published online June 9 in Gastroenterology.

 

Lipoic acid supplements help some obese but otherwise healthy people lose weight: A compound given as a dietary supplement to overweight but otherwise healthy people in a clinical trial caused many of the patients to slim down. The research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, analyzed the effects of 24 weeks of daily, 600-milligram doses of lipoic acid supplements on 31 people, with a similarly sized control group receiving a placebo.

 

 

PREVENTION

Flu Shot and Pneumonia Vaccine Might Reduce Alzhemiers:

 

Flu Vaccination in High-Risk Groups May Reduce CV Events: Flu vaccination is underused in high-risk patients but is associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular events among patients who do receive it, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2020 Scientific Sessions. Hospitalized patients at high risk who are vaccinated have lower rates of MI, TIA, cardiac arrest, death

 

Researchers say where you live could add years to your life: People who live in blue states are living longer, and the gap is widening. In the greatest gap between states, residents in Connecticut outlive their counterparts in Oklahoma by as many as seven years. Milbank Quarterly

 

Over screening for Cancer Common Among Older Adults: Almost half of older U.S. adults report being screened for colorectal, cervical, or breast cancer beyond recommended upper age limits, particularly women living in metropolitan areas, according to a study published online July 27 in JAMA Network Open.

 

USPSTF Still Advises Against Carotid Artery Stenosis Screening: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening the general adult population for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. This recommendation forms the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Aug. 4 by the USPSTF. 

 

Long-Term Negative Thinking Tied to Alzheimer Risk: Association seen between negative thinking, cognitive decline, neuroimaging markers. Alzheimer's & Dementia


 Stress and anger may exacerbate heart failure: Mental stress and anger may have clinical implications for patients with heart failure according to a new report published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. 

 

 

TREATMENT

Remote Therapy Is As Effective As Face-to-Face, for Depression: A systemic review of 17 randomized controlled trials by McMaster University found that remote cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is as effective as in-person for the treatment of depression. Lancet's EClinicalMedicine

 

Memory loss reversed or abated in those with cognitive decline: Latest research from Affirmativ Health succeeds in treating cognitive decline using personalized, precision medicine. The Affirmativ Health scientific team, after thorough review of published research, has developed a comprehensive approach to addressing scientifically supported risk factors that have been rigorously defined as interventions to promote prevention, increased resiliency, and stabilization of brain function in the realm of AD and dementia. Utilizing cutting edge technology in concert with in-person coaching and consultation, we are demonstrating that a multi-modal and personalized approach promotes an improved resiliency and restoration of optimal brain function. The personalized therapeutic program includes genetics, an extensive blood panel, medical history and lifestyle data to evaluate relevant metabolic risk factors and nutrient levels associated with cognitive health. The study approach considers more than 35 factors known to contribute to cognitive decline. In conjunction with the publication of this vital study, and to expose alternative treatment options for Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, the team at Affirmativ Health has written a book, Outsmart your Brain - an Insider's Guide to Life-Long Memory.

 

 Longer Bisphosphonate Drug Holiday May Up Fracture Risk: In patients who have previously suffered a vertebral fracture, a longer bisphosphonate (BP) drug holiday is associated with an increased risk for major osteoporotic fractures (MOFs), according to a study published online in the September issue of Bone.

 

Lack off males in drug dose trials leads to over medicated women: Women are more likely than men to suffer adverse side effects of medications because drug dosages have historically been based on clinical trials conducted on men, suggests new research. Researchers analyzed data from several thousand medical journal articles and found clear evidence of a drug dose gender gap for 86 different medications approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), including antidepressants, cardiovascular and anti-seizure drugs and analgesics, among others. Biology of Sex Differences

 

No increased skin cancer risk with topical immunosuppressant ointments Adults with the chronic skin condition atopic dermatitis can rest easy in the knowledge that two topical immunosuppressant medications commonly prescribed to treat the condition do not appear to increase the risk for the most common forms of skin cancer, despite package label warnings to the contrary, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found. JAMA Dermatology

 

Strict diet explains metabolic effect of gastric bypass surgery: In many studies, bariatric surgery has been highlighted as an almost magical method for weight loss and reversing type 2 diabetes. One question that has remained largely unanswered is how the effect of surgery differs from the effects of a strict low-calorie diet. This question has now been examined by researchers at Lund University in Sweden in a study published in the journal Diabetes. By monitoring individuals who underwent a six-week low-calorie diet followed by a bariatric operation, they can for the first time show why several health markers improve. "What we previously thought was an effect of the operation is actually due to the diet," says associate professor Nils Wierup, who led the study

 

Cholesterol-lowering drug improved function of heart's arteries: In a pilot study of people living with HIV or high levels of cholesterol, researchers found that a six-week course of a cholesterol-lowering medication improved the function of the coronary arteries that provide oxygen to the heart. Journal of the American Heart Association

 

 

OTHER

Our sense of normalcy bounces back fast: The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented uncertainty and stress. But even amid the turmoil and the new pressures of work-from-home and home-schooling, millions of people were able to keep calm and carry on with the demands of the moment. Research forthcoming in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that the human sense of normalcy is capable of bouncing back a lot faster than we might think. 

 

Gulf war illness, chronic fatigue syndrome distinct illnesses, study suggests A brain imaging study of veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (sometimes called myalgic encephalomyelitis), has shown that the two illnesses produce distinctly different, abnormal patterns of brain activity after moderate exercise. The result of the Georgetown University Medical Center study suggests that GWI and CFS are distinct illnesses, an outcome that could affect the treatment of veterans with Gulf War illness. Brain Communications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Take a Break: Curate a virtual art exhibit

Ever wanted to “curate” an art show? It could be a collection of your friends art, famous works, your own, art that inspires you or a combination of all of the above. Start by deciding what your exhibit will be about. Select a theme.

 

Use a platform like ArtSteps to create your gallery, add music etc. Other sites to check out:

 

Occupy White Walls is a a free video game that allows users to design their own art gallery.

 

• Create a Virtual Art Gallery using google slides 


 

 

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Life with Chronic Conditions: Living in the in between

 

A friend posted to Facebook this week: Do you ever feel like you are disappearing? Like you aren’t being noticed or heard? Like you are slightly shifted from this reality but you have a lot of good things to say? Maybe I’m not projecting enough...maybe it’s something that I’m doing wrong (or not quite right). Maybe the world is beginning to lose its cohesion... I don’t know, but it feels like the calm before the storm...

 

Right now, emotions are pretty charged. Society is being driven in ways no one could have predicted a year ago. “Cancel Culture” is at an all time high with no one really listening. Many are clinging to every news report for a vaccine and the hope they will get back to “normal.” With jobs, friendships, school, visiting and so much more on hold/interrupted, it’s easy to see why many continue to say, “when this is over.”

 

Engaging in “when” thinking- “when I get healthier, get a new job, finish school, etc.”  can leave one very dissatisfied.  There is no “perfect time,” other than in hindsight, where we tend to look at things through “rose colored glasses.”

 

Some times are more challenging than others, yet the more we muddle through the “in-between” times, waiting for the “when,” not only do we miss some amazing things, but it makes life less than a satisfactory experience.

 

Over the years, I’ve incorporated lots of information about the importance of living mindfully, resiliently etc. etc. So no need to repeat it. The short list is:

 

• Control the things you truly have control over. If you are upset about how Covid has been handled, vote to change who is in office. Limit or avoid all together social media-it’s a time suck and can make you nuts.

 

• Live in the present: Check out How to Live in the Present Moment : 35 Exercises and Tools

 

• Laugh whenever you can because a great deal of this won’t matter five months from now, let alone five years from now and besides, laughing always makes you feel better.

 

• Remember that we’re wired to be resilient.

 

So I’ll close with the comment I left for my friend as well as include links to previous posts. We're experiencing the "in-between" and none of us are sure how to live with it. Covid is a game changer. Logically, we can't go back to where we were, and yet the future looks confusing and overwhelming. The best we can do is control the things we have control over; accept that our lives have been altered and take heart in knowing that we will get through this as humans have done for eons. None of us are alone in this and together we will find ways to make it work.

 

Previous posts relating to this topic

Yup Things area Mess: But there are things you can do

 

Life withChronic Disease: You are not a victim

 

Healing the Whole Person: Ways to Increase Well-Being When Living with a Chronic Condition


The three secrets of resilient people by Lucy Hone

 

Life with Chronic Conditions: Optimists live longer than Pessimists

 

Life withChronic Disease: Ikigai (finding purpose)l

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

2020 Take a Break: August Holiday Gifts to Start Now: Activity Kits



Since 2011, the first Wednesday in August is all about making holiday gifts. After this year’s projects, a list of ones from previous years is included.

Covid is going to be with us for a while, so a well thought out “activity kit,” for children and adults alike will help them through, and possibly even enjoy, the months ahead. When thinking about what keeps us occupied, engaged, and de stressed, you’ll want to consider kits that promote learning; staying fit (mentally and physically); being in nature; and creating art

Hand lettering (Calligraphy): An ideal kit for adults as well as kids, you can find inexpensive calligraphy pens at places like Walmart. These are just fine for someone to find out if this is something they like doing. You can download worksheets on line, suggests videos for them to watch and include a pad of good calligraphy paper. Watch the video below to understand more about calligraphy and hand lettering for beginners. This will give you ideas for what you’d want to include in a kit. 



The Puzzler: Thrift stores, tag sales and even the Dollar Store are good places to pick up jigsaw puzzles at a fraction of their original cost. You can stack up a bunch of puzzles to give all at once, or if you can find enough of them, you can do a puzzle of the month club, dropping off a new one at the beginning of each month.

Bonfires!!: A friend suggested that we start planning to hold bonfire parties this coming winter, since we shouldn’t be meeting in doors. So things to include in a winter bonfire kit: masks, can make out of winter themed fabric and add extra layers since we need more than a bandanna when it’s cold out. Mugs and thermos for hot chocolate or some other warm beverage. Special bowls and cultery. Long matches for lighting bonfire. Fire starters-collect pine cones, melt some left candles and dunk the pine cones in several times; let dry and pack in a bag. Better yet, give them pine cones you've collect, along with odds and ends of candles, a cheap double boiler from the thrift store and directions on how to make them. Special warm blankets. Look around for end of summer deals on portable fire pits and other items that go towards a good bonfire.

De Stressing: Give one or several items for a kit. You can make many of these or look around for bargains:
• Coloring book for grownups (you can print some images on cover stock). Be sure to include markers, crayons, water colors etc.
• Audio book: Sometimes libraries give these away. A gift membership to Audible for a month or two is another option.
• A book or two. Dollar Trees sometimes will surprise you with the books they have for sale. Worth checking out if you are comfortable going to stores.
• Teas and a special mug. Teas that promote relaxation stress relief include lavender, peppermint, chamomile, passionflower and valerian
• Stress balls: Make your own using a balloons and a filler of rice or flour. 
• Chocolates: So this is the easy chocolate treat to make. Mix a can of condensed milk and a package of dark chocolate chips (my preference is Ghiradelli 60%) in a bowl and place in the microwave for one minute. Take it out and stir until its well blended. Add a teaspoon each of vanilla and cinnamon. Use high quality ingredients. Stir and pour onto a silt pat or a greased pan. Stick in fridge for several hours until it’s fully set and cut into tiny bite size pieces. Can add nuts if you like. Helps to try out recipes now so you'll know they'll work come December.

For the baker: A collection of different cupcake wrappers, sprinkles, and other supplies that encourage creative baking.

Adult Activity Kits: With yard sales taking place right up through Labor Day, this is a good time to be on the look out for bits and pieces that would make a good activity kit. If you find an old pot holder loom, it’s easy to pick up the loops on-line or make some yourself. For the person that likes needle point, crocheting, knitting etc. lots of people will put out UFOs (unfinished projects). You can pick up needles, yarns, wool and even patterns, which when combined in unique ways will provide hours of entertainment for budding fiber artists. Here is a list of kits sold on Amazon you can use as inspiration for your kits.

Previous Years  August Holiday Gifts to Start Now






2016 Bowls 

• 2017 Jars

• 2018 Puzzle Pieces 

2019 Candles