Health tips

The art of a heartfelt apology

April 14, 2021 Adiantku 0

If you’ve been stuck mostly at home with one or more family members over the past year, chances are you’ve gotten on one another’s nerves occasionally. When you’re under a lot of stress, it’s not uncommon say something unkind, or even to lash out in anger to someone you care about. And we all make thoughtless mistakes from time to time, like forgetting a promise or breaking something.

Not sure if you should apologize?

Even if you don’t think what you said or did was so bad, or believe that the other person is actually in the wrong, it’s still important to apologize when you’ve hurt or angered someone. “To preserve or re-establish connections with other people, you have to let go of concerns about right and wrong and try instead to understand the other person’s experience,” says Dr. Ronald Siegel, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. That … Read the rest

How is treatment for myasthenia gravis evolving?

April 13, 2021 Adiantku 0

Myasthenia gravis (MG) — a medical term that translates as “serious muscle weakness” — is a rare neuromuscular disease. An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people in the United States have this disorder, which affects people of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. Recently updated consensus guidelines have added to our knowledge of different forms of myasthenia gravis and improved approaches to treatment.

What are the symptoms of myasthenia gravis?

Myasthenia gravis impairs the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles at a site called the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), where nerves make contact with muscle. This causes temporary weakness of muscles in use. When the affected muscle or muscle group is rested, it recovers strength.

Throughout the day, your body uses many muscle groups repeatedly; this is true even if you’re not especially active. Because myasthenia gravis is marked by use-related weakness in particular muscle groups, repeated activity of affected muscle makes … Read the rest

Preparing for a New Age without Information Blocking

April 10, 2021 Adiantku 0

Digital technologies have become prevalent in healthcare after the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009. Though we have seen adoption and meaningful use of technology in at least 96% of the hospitals in the United States, electronic access to health information is stymied.

What is Information Blocking?

“Information Blocking” means any practice that intentionally interferes, prevents, or materially discourages patients, providers and others from accessing, exchanging or using electronic health information (EHI) except as required by law or covered by an exception. These practices have plagued the healthcare industry and have been detrimental to improving overall patient-care. This stems from the physician’s reluctance to share patient health records outside their practice, unfair and restrictive contractual limitations, and excessive fees charged for non-standard interfaces to access and exchange health information records. These market forces created strong incentives to limit … Read the rest

Sleep, stress, or hormones? Brain fog during perimenopause

April 10, 2021 Adiantku 0

Often when people think of perimenopause, irregular periods and hot flashes come to mind. But some women may notice another symptom: brain fog.

You’re reading a letter and suddenly realize your thoughts have drifted off and you need to start again. Or you draw a blank when you’re trying to remember someone’s name, or find yourself standing in a room, wondering what you came there to get.

The good news is that these small cognitive blips are probably not anything you need to worry about long-term.

Sleep disturbances and stress may be part of brain fog

Those times when you are less focused and a bit forgetful are likely not just due to hormonal changes. Sleep quality, perhaps related to night sweats during perimenopause, could definitely contribute. Increased stress that sometimes accompanies this stage of life may also have you feeling frazzled and distracted. These factors can interfere with concentration … Read the rest

Black peer support: A role in mental health recovery

April 9, 2021 Adiantku 0

It’s been a troubling year for millions of Americans, marked by public reckonings over inequities in justice, health care, and most certainly mental health care. None of these inequities are new. Estimates suggest that only 22% of Black Americans — fewer than one in four — who need mental health care actually receive treatment. In addition to financial and insurance barriers to mental health treatment, a long history of discrimination in medicine makes it difficult for some people of color to form trusting relationships with medical providers. And that’s one reason why peer support has been gaining traction to help address unmet needs.

What is peer support for mental health?

Peer support is a relationship based on mutuality — that is, people with similar experiences listening, sharing, and encouraging one another. In the US, peer support training, certification requirements, and availability vary by state. In Massachusetts, for example, mental … Read the rest

Vaccine Administration in APJC: The Path Forward in 2021

April 8, 2021 Adiantku 0

As the calendar turns to April 2021 we’re reflective about the past year and more importantly, looking forward with determination and hopefulness. Along with the continuation of successful public health measures such as mandatory masks and social distancing, as vaccine administration in the APJC regions grows, we find ourselves cautiously optimistic. A successful rollout – both in our region and abroad – provides a clearer path forward to a more open world in 2021.

Vaccine Administration Support 

Cisco has been intent in supporting efficient vaccine administration from the first announcement of a viable vaccine. We’ve worked with our partners to create scalable solutions that can be implemented across healthcare and the public sector. Whether we’re helping facilitate smooth scheduling and patient access, enabling rapid deployment of pop-up vaccination sites, or ensuring the secure storage of COVID-19 vaccines – we’re committed to providing smart, timely and effective solutions.

We are all … Read the rest

What’s new in the updated asthma guidelines?

April 8, 2021 Adiantku 0

In 2007, The Sopranos was a hit TV show, patterned jeggings were a fashion trend, and the National Institutes of Health–sponsored National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) published the second edition of the Asthma Management Guidelines.

A lot has changed since 2007, including in the area of asthma. The NAEPP recently published the third edition of the Asthma Management Guidelines to address these changes. This update reflects recent advances in our understanding of the disease mechanisms causing asthma, and the current best practices to manage asthma symptoms. As such, the updated guidelines are an important tool, enhancing the ability of physicians and patients to control asthma and minimize the impact of this disease on their lives.

The toll of asthma in the US

Asthma is a chronic lung disease afflicting approximately 5% to 10% of the American population. It is characterized by symptomatic periods of wheezing, chest tightness, … Read the rest

Alq Gurley Reflects on His Career on ‘Monday Night Muscle’

April 7, 2021 Adiantku 0

This week’s episode of “Monday Night Muscle” featured hosts Bob Cicherillo and Shawn Ray having a past bodybuilder on that was at one time considered the “next” Shawn Ray.

Alq Gurley, the 1990 NPC Nationals Overall champion, was the featured guest, and he shared a lot of memories and thoughts about his decade-long bodybuilding career.

Gurley made headlines early on his career because he sat out his entire first season as a pro. He explained his mindset about that decision to Ray and Cicherillo.

“I sat out because I needed to make a lot of improvements … retool, size up, and be able to stand in when it came time to stand with the pros. So my rookie year, I sat it out. People were kind of pissed off at me about that. My first show was in ’92 at the Iron Man, and I placed 3rd behind Robby Robinson … Read the rest

Women, alcohol, and COVID-19

April 7, 2021 Adiantku 0

Excessive alcohol use is a common response to coping with stress. Alcohol use increased following the September 11th terrorist attacks and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The COVID-19 pandemic is following this same path. However, this pandemic is different in its scope and duration. COVID-19 is associated with both negative health and economic impacts, as well as grief, loss, and prolonged stress and uncertainty.

The emotional impact of COVID-19 on women

According to the U.S. National Pandemic Emotional Impact Report, compared to men, women reported higher rates of pandemic-related changes in productivity, sleep, mood, health-related worries, and frustrations with not being able to do enjoyable activities. Women with children under age 18 had higher rates of clinically significant anxiety, compared to men with children under age 18 and to women with no minor children. Women are more likely to shoulder the burden of household tasks, caregiving, and child-rearing than … Read the rest

Do vitamin D, zinc, and other supplements help prevent COVID-19 or hasten healing?

April 6, 2021 Adiantku 0

The appeal of safe, natural treatments is undeniable. It’s true for age-old conditions such as the common cold, and for new diseases, especially if they have no known cure. So it makes sense that there would be a lot of interest in supplements for COVID-19, whether as prevention or treatment.

Indeed, zinc, melatonin, vitamin C, vitamin D, and other supplements have been commonly prescribed from the earliest days of the pandemic.

But do they work?

Why supplements might help prevent or treat COVID-19

While science can show whether a drug is effective, we may not always know why. When antibiotics were first discovered in the 1920s, there was limited understanding of the biology involved. But lacking an explanation for their benefit did not discourage doctors from recommending these highly effective treatments.

If it’s less clear whether a drug works, biologic plausibility — that is, a logical and well-understood reason why … Read the rest