Younger athletes are at greater risk of atrial fibrillation than older athletes, say researchers.
Athletes may have more than twice the risk of irregular heart rhythm
Younger athletes are at greater risk of atrial fibrillation than older athletes, say researchers
Athletes appear to be almost two and half times more likely than non-athletes to experience irregular heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation), suggests new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
In addition, those athletes involved in mixed sports such as football, rugby, or netball appear to have the highest risk when compared with athletes taking part in endurance sports such as Nordic skiing, orienteering, or rowing.
Previous studies have shown that physical activity can improve cardiovascular health and is associated with reduced illness and deaths, but they have suggested there is a threshold beyond which exposure to increasing levels of exercise is linked to heart issues including atrial fibrillation – a condition that can raise the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related problems.
UK researchers led by Canterbury Christ Church University in Canterbury set out to review existing studies on the subject and explore what impact the type of sport in which athletes took part had on their risk of atrial fibrillation to reach a more conclusive picture of overall prevalence among athletes.
They reviewed and analyzed 13 suitable studies that were published between 1990 and December 2020 which had looked at athletes who took part in sports including cycling, running, swimming, Nordic skiing, orienteering, rowing, football, rugby, and netball.
The 13 studies included data on 70,478 participants, collectively, which included 63,662 controls and 6,816 athletes.
The authors found that the risk of atrial fibrillation was 2.46 times higher among athletes than non-athletes.
When the authors split the studies into those that involved participants with and without cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure), they found there was no significant difference in the relative risk of atrial fibrillation in athletes and non-athletes with these risk factors.
However, in athletes and non-athletes without cardiovascular disease risk factors athletes had a significantly higher relative risk (3.7 times higher) of atrial fibrillation than non-athletes.
In addition, younger athletes (aged under 55) had a much higher risk (3.6 times) of atrial fibrillation than older athletes (aged 55 and older) who were 76% more likely to have the condition than non-athletes.
Analysis also showed that athletes taking part in mixed sports rather than endurance sports had a higher risk of atrial fibrillation.
Their study had some limitations such as the fact that it analyzed research with different approaches such as case control and cohort design, and there was limited data on female athletes, making it difficult to look at the relative risk of atrial fibrillation by gender.
Nevertheless, the researchers conclude: “Athletes have a significantly greater likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation compared with non-athlete controls.
“Younger aged athletes have a greater relative risk of atrial fibrillation compared with older athletes; however, exercise dose parameters, including training and competition history, as well as potential gender differences for the risk of atrial fibrillation requires future research.”
Reference: “Risk of atrial fibrillation in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis” 12 July 2021, British Journal of Sports Medicine.
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-103994
BioLytical Laboratories Inc. announced today that its INSTI® HCV Antibody Test has received approval for immediate market entry into the European Union
By providing access to the world’s first one minute HCV test, we are excited to play a role in reducing transmission in Europe to help diagnose and connect individuals to care.”
— Robert Mackie, CEO
Affecting an estimated 71 million globally, Hepatitis C (“HCV”) is a growing international health concern. It can remain asymptomatic and thus undiagnosed, and if left untreated, can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death.
With both taking the test and receiving results in real-time, bioLytical’s INSTI® HCV Antibody Test will help connect more people to care. Treatment can cure more than 95% of people with Hepatitis C, but access to diagnosis is still too low. Ending an epidemic starts with testing. That’s why we’ve developed an all-new, one minute solution for HCV antibody testing.
• The test is portable, does not require any additional equipment, and can be performed in a multitude of settings with easy-to-interpret results in real-time • Test performance in clinical studies demonstrated high accuracy of over 99% The innovative rapid through-flow technology allows INSTI® to provide accurate test results in real-time, offering medical professionals the ability to test patients easily and flexibly in different locations.
In 2018, a study found that a high dose of an omega-3 fatty acid given to patients with an elevated cardiac risk significantly reduced cardiovascular events.
Findings from the Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with Icosapent Ethyl–Intervention Trial (REDUCE-IT) were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This helped the prescription drug icosapent get approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and European Medicines Agency to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with elevated triglycerides. However, subsequent studies of supplements that combine purified ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have had mixed results.
Deepak L Bhatt, executive director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at the Brigham and lead investigator of the REDUCE-IT trial, along with colleagues at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, performed a meta-analysis of 38 randomized clinical trials of omega-3 fatty acids, including trials of EPA monotherapy and EPA+DHA therapy. These showed higher relative reductions in cardiovascular outcomes using only EPA.
“REDUCE-IT has ushered in a new era in cardiovascular prevention,” said Bhatt. “REDUCE-IT was the largest and most rigorous contemporary trial of EPA, but there have been other ones as well. Now, we can see that the totality of evidence supports a robust and consistent benefit of EPA.”
In total, these trials included more than 149,000 participants. They evaluated key cardiovascular outcomes, including cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes, bleeding, and atrial fibrillation. Overall, omega-3 fatty acids reduced cardiovascular mortality and improved cardiovascular outcomes.
The researchers note that there are crucial biological differences between EPA and DHA. While both are considered omega-3 fatty acids, they have different chemical properties that influence their stability and the effect that they can have on cholesterol molecules and cell membranes. No trials to date have studied the effects of DHA alone on cardiovascular outcomes.
“This meta-analysis provides reassurance about the role of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically prescription EPA,” said Bhatt. “It should encourage investigators to explore further the cardiovascular effects of EPA across different clinical settings.”
Reference: “Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” by Safi U. Khan, Ahmad N. Lone, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, Salim S. Virani, Roger S. Blumenthal, Khurram Nasir, Michael Miller, Erin D. Michos, Christie M. Ballantyne, William E. Boden and Deepak L. Bhatt, 8 July 2021, eClinical Medicine. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100997
REDUCE-IT was sponsored by Amarin. Brigham and Women’s Hospital receives research funding from Amarin for the work Bhatt did as the trial chair and as the international principal investigator. The present analysis was unfunded.
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies contains more than 800 remedies, recipes of decoctions, essential oils, tinctures, syrups, teas, and other natural remedies that our grannies have used for centuries.
New York, 07/10/2021 Book Of Remedies, also known as The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies, is a survival guide that contains useful information about medicinal and edible plants and plants that are supposed to be avoided backgrounder on some of the toughest ailments around. As a guide, it teaches people the art of identifying which plants are safe to eat and what is not. It can also give street-smart information about plants that can be used for food, shelter, water, and even clothing! Therefore, this book encompasses an area of our life that we mostly take for granted, survival. In this modern-day world, we tend to be comfortable with things that we already have because of “security,” but even that can be fragile and stripped away when a calamity or an emergency happens overnight. In this Book Of Remedies review, we’ll see if this book is worth your time and if it really can give you the right knowledge to go through life’s harshest situations. Indeed, it is one thing to be offered wisdom, but it is also to be offered the truth.
Book Of Remedies is simply one of the most useful and astonishing pieces of literature that I’ve ever come across. Of course, this isn’t biased since this is an extremely honest review, but it contains some of the best general knowledge you need to know about survival. Ever wondered what you’d do if, let’s say, you’re stranded on an island? Even worse, you’re lost in the wilderness. Left without food, shelter, and ample clothing over time, you can be dead within days. Book Of Remedies can inadvertently reverse that fate by giving you the knowledge and wisdom about wild plants and their functions as food, shelter, and clothing. Think of it as an encyclopedia of sorts where you can find out which is good to be eaten and bad for your health. Indeed, going out there guessing which type of plant is good or bad for you is already a gamble on a life and death situation! With this book, you can unlock the skill of identifying plants, as well as impressing others with your newfound knowledge!
Book Of Remedies also has a bonus. It has an index on some of the world’s most pesky illnesses. That’s right, this book isn’t just a book about herbal remedies; it’s also a book on what to do when you’re inflicted with a certain type of sickness. The illnesses are written in this book range from mild to severe cases, which would likely require you to drink up tons of medication that you would otherwise have a hard time on! This is not to say that you should ditch your prescribed medicine for these remedies, but this book is written by one of the best person to-go-to when it comes to surviving and plant knowledge, Dr. Nicole Apelian. Dr. Apelian was one of the guests in the show “Alone,” where she was forced (okay, not forced, voluntarily) to survive independently with only a knife. Of course, she had basic survival training, and she knew how to create fire, but what saved her, in the long run, is her knowledge of nature. Being so interested in how certain plants work, she became an expert on plant identification. Indeed, the plants around us have medicinal properties, capabilities to build shelter, and give us our food to snack on when we’re hungry. She survived at least two months in the wild with nothing but plants, some protein from tiny critters, and her trusty knife.
Book Of Remedies also contains tips and tricks on harnessing the power of nature to your full potential. For example, the book contains useful information on a special tincture formula that you can use if you have an autoimmune condition called Multiple Sclerosis. Besides that, there are tens and hundreds of “recipes” that you can use to make homemade herbal remedies just by using plants common on your driveway and backyard. For example, imagine knowing that cattails have anesthetic effects or that the common Broadleaf Plantain, which you may know as the “driveway plant,” is actually a useful plant that can be turned into a tea to relieve diarrhea upset the GI tract. It also contains vitamins and minerals!
Book Of Remedies is essentially what it is. The title speaks much about itself. It is a fading collection of remedies that were shrouded and “lost” in time. Native Americans back had extensive knowledge when it comes to plants. They were masters of it. They used these plants to their fullest potential, often exploiting them as bountiful food sources, sturdy materials for their homes and furniture, and even medicine for a wide variety of things such as fever, infection, pain relief, and others. Their knowledge was vast, but when the Europeans came to colonize, the knowledge about natural remedies began to fade over time as Native American populations dwindled along with it. It is extremely sad, but thanks to Dr. Apelian’s Native American heritage (yes, she has some connections with the natives!), this knowledge is being continued to be passed on at a low price in online and print media.
Book Of Remedies Official Website
Book Of Remedies official website can be accessed through this link here. Their website is quite easy to be accessed and contains ready useful information for anyone who would want to grab a copy of this book. What will get your attention the most is the video of Dr. Apelian right in the middle of the opening screen. She explains what this book is all about and why it was made in the first place. You can also see some specific book content on the video. It’s a fairly short video, so you may want to watch it first after reading this review before buying the book itself. Speaking of, you can also order your very own digital or print copy of Book Of Remedies just by scrolling down a little. You can also check out their disclaimer, privacy policy, terms and conditions, and further information at the bottom of the webpage.
What Does Book Of Remedies Offer?
Book Of Remedies offers knowledge, wisdom, and guidance to your everyday life. I know that sounds cheesy, but if you’re a person who loves gaining knowledge daily, then this book is exactly for you. We’re aware that the internet gives us some of the most useful information at the moment. We believe that it contains everything that we need to know about a certain type of thing. Interestingly, if we base what we know on the internet, we get influenced by hundreds and thousands of people from all walks of life. That means we expose ourselves to information that can be perpetrated by two people types – those who stand by the truth and those who spread lies, misinformation, and deceit. It is the advantage of print media, especially if a credible author writes it with an excellent educational background. Book Of Remedies offers some of the best and most truthful information you can have and more if you continue taking her advice by heart!
What Is The Content Of Book Of Remedies?
Book Of Remedies contains three main parts:
Plant Descriptions
Illnesses and How to Treat Them
Herbal Healing Recipes
Plant Descriptions
Book Of Remedies is not the lost book of herbal remedies without plant descriptions. You’ll find the most useful information on plants you may encounter in the wild, including images of what they look like. This section of the book will also tell you what they are used for, the benefits, some precautions about the plant, other details that may be useful to your survival, etc. It’s a plant catalog that you can use to differentiate what’s good and what’s bad. It shows you which plants will give you food, clothing, shelter, and even the liquids you need to survive. You wouldn’t believe how many plants we take for granted are extremely useful when the wrong times come. It will give you maximum awareness of the plants around you and give you the certain skills needed to gain something you can use when out on the hike or the great outdoors!
Illnesses And How To Treat Them
Since this is Book Of Remedies, a section for illnesses is also put into this extensive catalog of plants to easily see what herbs and plants can alleviate the illness that you’re having right now. One of the main points of this book is to pass down knowledge from the Native Americans to you. Having a whole host of natural plants that can help you alleviate multiple symptoms at once while also going for the root cause can give you the advantage that you need to break free from the side effects of certain strong medications that you take for some serious illnesses that you incur from outside pathogens and the environment.
Herbal Healing Recipes
Last but not least, Dr. Apelian put in some herbal recipes that can help you hack your way towards natural and organic healing. Dr. Apelian is proud that she has been studying plants for at least 20 years now since she’s an herbalist. Having two decades of extensive scientific background in the world of plants, Dr. Apelian has created different concoctions, recipes, and techniques in harnessing the full potential of the plants around us. Often, she makes them into powerful tinctures, which you can drop to your mouth or even make into a paste or powder for maximum effect. In some cases, Dr. Apelian has proven the effectiveness of her herbal tinctures by helping her go through the complications of multiple sclerosis.
In most cases, these herbal healing recipes listed in this book boost the immune system to keep it strong against infections, viral mutations, and other types of pathogenic incursion. However, Dr. Apelian clarifies that these recipes don’t heal the illness itself but rather make the immune system stronger. Therefore, these recipes help and indirectly heal the person from within by making their immune system extremely strong through continued use.
Is Book Of Remedies Useful?
Book Of Remedies is, without a doubt, highly useful for anyone from different walks of life. It’s a book that doesn’t discriminate whether you’re young or old. But, of course, it is far more useful if you got this book when you were younger. The truth is the time that you’re wasting in not buying this book only lengthens the time you’re ignorant of the useful things around you. Therefore, Book Of Remedies is one of the best pieces of literature that you can have. The information within this book won’t only save your life but will also give you the ample savings that you’d otherwise use when buying expensive medicine from your local pharmacies or drugstores. Who knows, your simple fever may just be alleviated by a common backyard “weed” that you thought was just fodder for your gardening tools. Even the little weeds that grow around the floor of your yard can turn out to be an anti-inflammatory agent used for asthma. There are many things you’re leaving out by not taking a look at this book. It is just as useful as encyclopedias and almanacs that we usually use back then in school!
How Do You Apply The Information Found In Book Of Remedies?
It is an interesting notion to take, but sometimes, some people just don’t understand how to apply the information found in this book. We have already told everything about Book Of Remedies, but sometimes the information found within this book won’t be used by everyone. In a stroke of luck, your immune system could act like Superman and be immune to all sorts of illnesses up to your senior years. What then could you do with the information you got from this book? For one, you could pass down the information you got from this book to your relatives and grandsons. You can also use the knowledge to create delicious and healthy recipes that involve herbs from your surroundings. Since Book Of Remedies has a digital product, you can also share it with other people around you. If you want to have an additional book for your library, you can buy the physical copy without hassle. It’s pretty simple to apply the information found in this book since you pretty much get an instructional manual on everything you need to do.
How Many Pages Does Book Of Remedies Have?
Book Of Remedies has at least 304 pages with improved paperback quality. Pages may vary on the digital side, though, but the content remains the same.
How Long Does It Take To Read Book Of Remedies?
If you’re a fairly fast reader, you can finish Book Of Remedies in around 13 hours from cover to cover without taking breaks. That means you’ll probably take at least 4 days to read the book all in all. It depends on how religiously you’ll devote your time to read the book. By all means, this book is longer than expected. Well, it’s an encyclopedia, so there’s that. A book that’s full of content can truly take time to finish!
Who Wrote Book Of Remedies?
Dr. Nicole Apelian and Claude Davis wrote Book Of Remedies, Sr. Dr. Nicole Apelian is an herbalist, scientist, author, educator, researcher, survival skills consultant, and many more. She is a highly accomplished woman in her field and has been studying plants for at least two decades. Since she had multiple sclerosis or MS last 2000, she has devoted all her learning to this book to share the wonderful knowledge passed on through the generations from the Native Americans. Meanwhile, Claude Davis, Sr. is a “wild west expert,” which means he specializes in survival skills. When you’re out in the desert, you’ll most likely need the information he contributed to this book to survive in the environment’s dry, hot, and harsh conditions. Combined, these two people can reliably give you the most knowledge that you can get from plants around the field and are both credible in their own right. Therefore, the content of Book Of Remedies is trustworthy just because two credible authors wrote it.
Where Is Book Of Remedies Published From?
While this information is unclear, it seems that the publisher of this book is Claudiu Giurgi. Book Of Remedies was published last 2019 and is still currently in circulation wherever needed.
In Which Medium Is Book Of Remedies Published?
Book Of Remedies is published through print and digital copies. The difference is clear. If you opt to go for the print copy, you get to have a full book with a hardcover and something to physically hold. However, when getting the digital copy, you virtually get it through the internet through downloading. It’s that simple.
What Are The Benefits Of Reading Book Of Remedies?
Book Of Remedies benefits include:
Knowledge to identify good from bad plants
Knowledge to identify their uses
Increased chance to survive in the wilderness with nothing but yourself
Better quality of life
Fewer side effects from mainstream drugs
Book Of Remedies has a lot of benefits in store for its readers. Since we now know it contains useful information on plant identification, we can get the primary benefit from this book is the knowledge to identify plants according to their type and uses. There are plants that are inedible. There are plants that are poisonous. As much as possible, you don’t want to be near those kinds of plants. What you want are edible and useful plants for your life. It is exactly what this book is giving you. It’s generally blessing you with an increased chance of surviving in the wild. Sure, you may not have your book with you, but it’s almost impossible that you don’t remember anything from this book even after years have passed. Think of it as a sort of educational course for you. With that said, you can considerably have a better quality of life since you’ll teach yourself how to live the natural way. Far from chemicals and other manmade substances bad for the health, Book Of Remedies can make you understand that you don’t need those things to survive. The last benefit listed up there is that you receive fewer side effects from mainstream drugs. Several studies show that some plants are better than their over-the-counter medicinal counterparts since they offer fewer side effects than usual. It is a great perk to have and an overwhelming benefit that you can exploit if you’re looking for alternative ways to alleviate the side effects that you’re feeling from a certain kind of drug.
What Are The Downsides Of Reading Book Of Remedies?
Generally, if you don’t like reading, then Book Of Remedies is practically useless for you. We have to remember that this book needs to be read from cover to cover to understand its application in our life. If you want, you can let somebody teach you what’s stored in this book, but it’s extremely better if you would be the one who would be doing the reading. That way, you can digest the information and pass it on to other people in the process.
Related Literature To Book Of Remedies
Being written by two authors who had the knowledge of medicinal plants from their heads, it’s quite hard to pinpoint related literature to Book Of Remedies. What we can relate to, though, is the difference between this book from other books that also showcase medicinal herbs. In general, other books tell us of the great benefits that plants can give us daily. For example, there’s a book by Thomas Easley called The Modern Herbal Dispensatory. However, what’s different about Book Of Remedies is that it contains an index of illnesses that the said plants can fix. There is also an instruction that comes with these plants so that their administration methods are done right. Therefore, Book Of Remedies gives a better reading experience when compared to other books.
How Much Does Book Of Remedies Cost?
Book Of Remedies costs $37 only! That’s right. You can get this book’s physical and digital product for a low price of $37 with a $8.99 shipping and handling fee! In total it costs $45.99. Unfortunately, shipping is only available in the United States of America, so there’s one downside we had yet to tackle! Yes, it sounds pricey for a book, but this book was sold for $100 in its heyday, according to several internet accounts. Therefore, the $45.99 price tag on this book can be seen as a blessing! Grab a copy of your book today before it’s sold out!
Where Can You Buy Book Of Remedies?
You can only buy Book Of Remedies from their official website. Copies of this book sold outside the website we’re posting here are considered illegitimate copies of the real thing. Why so? Because the books that are sold here on Book Of Remedies are sold by Dr. Apelian herself and are covered by a 60-day money-back guarantee! Also, you get two free books when you purchase Book Of Remedies from their official website! How cool is that?
Does Book Of Remedies Have A Money-Back Guarantee?
Yes! As previously mentioned, Book Of Remedies has a 60-day money-back guarantee. I know this is not a supplement or something, but if ever you feel like you think this kind of information is useless to you, send them an email at [email protected] and include the words “Return Question” in your subject line. They will ask you to return the product, of course. Once they get the product on their side, you get a full 100% refund (except for the shipping and handling fee).
Book Of Remedies Reviews
Book Of Remedies reviews is well and great both in mainstream and forum review panels. Here are some of Book Of Remedies reviews that we got online:
“For years, I have been taking out the weeds around my house. I liked to eat a lot of food that often gets mixed up inside my belly. My food choices are also bizarre. It leads to regular loose bowel movements now and then. When I stumbled upon this book, I was curious. Never in my whole life did I realize that the weed I kept taking out on the side of my house was an actual remedy for diarrhea! Thank you, Dr. Apelian, for the information!” – Gary Weiss
“With Book Of Remedies, I can finally be confident outdoors! I love hiking, and going through trails is quite scary for me, especially when we’re running out of daylight. It had truly come in handy, most especially when I wanted to eat in the middle of a hike!” – Larry Smith
Book Of Remedies Summary
Book Of Remedies is extremely useful and practical for life. So much has been already said in this review, and one thing stands out – it gives you an edge in life. For that matter, we recommend you get the latest copy of Book Of Remedies now before their stocks run dry. Then, who knows, you might use the information in this book in a serious and emergency in the future!
Disclosure: This product review is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute advice or an offer to buy. Any purchase made from this story is made at your own risk. Consult an expert advisor/health professional before any such purchase. Any purchase made from this link is subject to the final terms and conditions of the website selling the product. The content on this release does not take any responsibility directly or indirectly.
Can a Specialized Training Method Used by Olympians, Help Solve the Potentially Serious Issue of Muscle Loss After 40? Olympic Physician, Thinks So.Blood Flow Restriction Training or BFR, is a catalyst to garner more benefits from lighter exercise in order to build muscle, strength and increase lean body mass.” — Sports Scientist, Olympic Physician, Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, July 6, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — It is well documented, but astounding that physically inactive people can lose as much as 3-5% of their skeletal muscle mass each decade after age 30, also known as Sarcopenia. Strength and muscle loss with aging, is indeed, a well-known and common condition characterized not only by loss of muscle mass, but loss of function and balance and may compromise activities of daily living, or ADL perpetuating more and more health problems.High intensity exercise and significant resistance weight training, along with a ton of supplements and pills can help curb the early signs of sarcopenia; however, supplements are expensive and high-intensity workouts can become too difficult to actually do at the level needed to facilitate gains, and can be overly time consuming.
Cutting Edge Exercise Modality to Defy Muscle Mass: A well-researched, somewhat secret modality used by Olympians and Physical Therapists for decades to quickly build muscle, strength, power, and lean body mass is now making its way into mainstream workout sessions – called Blood Flow Restriction Training or BFR. BFR has been proven to have significant increases in muscle mass even in populations, including boomer and senior populations. This is great news in the fight against osteopenia and sarcopenia and the lifestyles these diseases significantly alter. The easiest way to avoid muscle loss is to continuously build muscle. As you age, BFR is an ideal process to continuously build muscles as you age.
Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD BFR Expert/Author BFR Theory and Application
Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD is an international BFR expert, Sport Scientist, and Clinical Physician who lectures, teaches, and authors BFR certification courses explains, “In my years of investigating the applications, mechanisms, and controversies of BFR, I have found the phenomenon to be a game changer that can be added to any current workout a person is doing. BFR is a catalyst to garner more benefits from normal exercise to build muscle and strength.”
“According to the American College of Sports Medicine, to elicit gains in strength and muscle growth, we need to work out at a level of 70% of our one rep maximum (Hughes et al, 2017). To some, that is unattainable. Many cannot even get to that level, much less work at the level for an extended time, but to reap the benefits of exercise, it is necessafy. BFR solves the problem. “By adding BFR to your workout, similar, if not better, gains in muscle strength and size can be attained at 20% of your one-rep max. (Loennek, 2017). BFR, using safe equipment and following guidelines can mitigate so many issues compromising strength, muscle, and balance,” continues Stray-Gundersen.
Fitness icon, Kathy Smith agrees. “I have been involved in the fitness industry for over 40 years, and one of the frequently asked questions in the Fitness Over 40 community, is ‘how do I defy muscle loss?’ BFR is the answer and I think it will revolutionize the industry.”
BFR will stimulate more motor units with exercise and impact fast twitch muscle fibers, which are negatively impacted with sarcopenia. All of this can be performed very safely for older adults, while still getting the benefits that are typically only obtained with high intensity exercise. BFR provides an opportunity to minimize muscle loss with age and allow maintenance of function. This is also just looking at the local muscular impact let alone the hormonal benefit.
What is BFR?
BFR is an exercise technique that manipulates the body’s circulatory system, and when combined with exercise, produces rapid gains in strength and fitness using lightweights, and in a very short period of time. BFR is a game changer for any level of fitness, for recovery, muscle growth, strength, power, performance improvement, and lean body mass. You can do BFR anytime, with any type of exercise and get results in less time than traditional exercise.
Mel Lavitt Uses B Strong BFR
Sounds too good to be true, but science says it works and, in less time, than traditional exercise, using only 20% to 30% of what is typically needed to increase muscle mass. B Strong BFR bands fight muscle loss by putting pressure on the veins directly beneath them in your arms and legs, creating a kind of valve. When one exercises, that pushes the blood past the valve back toward the heart.
The uniquely designed patent-pending bands safely slow down the delivery of oxygen so that the working muscle cannot keep up, creating a bit of a “crisis” in the muscle. The result of this ‘crisis’ actually tricks the brain to elicit and release significant amounts of growth hormone which helps rapidly improve the size and strength and power of muscles, build new blood vessels, actually strengthen bone, and get leaner due to an anabolic state which is breaking down fat without a long arduous exercise session.
Does it Work: A 2017 study by researchers in Sao Paulo involving 23 men and women between the ages of 51 and 70 found that while high-intensity weight training produced the best results, BFR training with weights weighing one-fourth as much produced substantial gains in both strength and muscle mass. BFR “constitutes an important surrogate approach to high-intensity resistance training as an effective training method to induce gains in muscle strength and mass in elderly,” wrote Carlos Ugrinowitsch and his colleagues.
Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD, sports scientist and co-founder of B Strong BFR Bands, a unique form of Blood Flow Restriction training, has used this well-researched method of training to stay ahead of the game and defy muscle loss. When following proper protocols, and safe equipment BFR can be a game changer in developing significant strength gains using light weights and in short sessions even more effective than lifting heavy weights.
“In my 30 years of maximizing human performance at the highest level of sport, I have never seen a more profound way to gain strength, power, and lean body mass, than with BFR,” says sports scientist, Olympic Physician, Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD.
Pam Wadler/Hollie Oliver Trent +1 212-966-0024 email us here
After several weeks the temperature does not fall below 30 in many places, life is difficult not only for people. Our pets also experience great discomfort in the heat, especially those with richer hair. Cats, like humans, can be quite affected by hot weather. They are prone to heat stroke and their skin can be sunburned. Experts from the London animal shelter Buttersey talked about how you can help your cats cope with the hot weather. Their tips will help your pet to go through the summer days completely safely and as easily as possible. If you suspect sunstroke, they recommend that you seek help from a veterinarian immediately and do not delay.
Give them a place in the shade
The cat should always be able to hide in the shade. This applies not only to animals that walk in the garden or are homeless. Experts advise to make sure that the pet has a place to hide from the sun and in the apartment.
Let them have access to fresh water
Like humans, cats need to drink plenty of water in hot weather. The water should be fresh and cool, but not cold. In hot weather, the cat needs to change the water much more often than in winter. Microclimate in the house Cats tolerate the heat in stuffy rooms as badly as their owners. It is worth regularly cooling the apartment using a fan or air conditioner. It is advisable to put nets on the windows – so the pet will not be in danger of jumping out of the open window.
Small enclosed spaces
In the villa you need to make sure that the cat does not hide in cramped, very hot rooms. It can enter a greenhouse or shed, or even hide in the car. Under such conditions, a pet can get a dangerous heat stroke. Protective cream
Cats that spend a lot of time outdoors can easily get skin burns. Animals with light fur and pure white specimens suffer particularly from this. Experts advise using a special sunscreen. It is applied mainly on the nose and ears of the cat. The products intended for humans are not suitable for cats, so it is better to seek advice from a veterinarian, warn acquaintances. It is best to choose a cream that does not contain zinc oxide.
New Zealand inventors have created a device that keeps the mouth almost completely closed with magnets attached to the teeth to accept the user using a minimum amount of liquid food, AFP reported.
The device is installed for the molars by a dentist. With it a person can open his jaws only 2 mm. In this way, the user can talk and breathe calmly, but not eat abundantly, explained Paul Branton of the University of Otago.
“This solution is non-invasive, reversible and cost-effective,” he said. “It’s attractive compared to surgery. There are no adverse effects. Our inventions will help fight the global obesity epidemic,” said the team behind the project.
Seven women who tried the device for two weeks lost an average of 6.36 kg. At first it seemed uncomfortable, but then it became bearable, as they define it.
There is a way to release the jaws in seconds in case of panic or vomiting. The women who tried it did not resort to it. One of the women in the experiment admitted that she managed to deceive the bite control device by eating melted chocolate.
For 14 months, since the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the king of Bhutan has been tirelessly touring the country to monitor the implementation of anti-cancer restrictions, Reuters reported.
Jigme Hesar Namgial Wangchuk wandered on foot, by car or on horseback through the 700,000-strong monarchy next to the pandemic-stricken India. Dressed in the traditional robe of gho and a baseball cap, with a backpack on his back, the king reaches even the most remote corners of Bhutan, located in almost impassable jungles inhabited by dangerous reptiles or high mountains.
On several occasions after such trips, he had to remain quarantined in a hotel in the capital, as national sanitary protocols require.
The result of the tour of the 41-year-old king, who studied in Oxford, is visible. There is only one coronavirus death in Bhutan. There are many more victims in neighboring India and China.
Often during the tours, the king was accompanied by Prime Minister Lotay Tsering, a urologist by profession. According to him, when people see the king live and hear the advice he gives them to beware of the infection, it has a much greater effect than the publication of guidelines.
In recent weeks, the monarch has been walking for five days on a path that at times reached 4,343 meters above sea level to thank health workers for their efforts in remote parts of the country.
Bhutan has one doctor per 2,000 population. Immediately after the pandemic, the country’s borders were closed, local lockdowns were introduced in some places, and testing for coronavirus was accelerated.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our world deeply, and small countries are no exception. But the challenges of a country of half a million people are significantly different than the challenges of a country with a population of 50 million”, said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, addressing on 28 June 2021 ministers of health and high-level delegates of the 11 countries that form the WHO Europe Small Countries Initiative.
Gathering virtually, the 7th high-level meeting of the Small Countries Initiative was an opportunity for countries to share experiences on how the pandemic has impacted them and discuss ways to move forward together.
The pandemic amplified numerous concerns for small countries:
a shortage of health workers, often exacerbated by border closures;
limited bargaining power for affordable access to medicines and vaccines;
lack of stockpiles;
limited supply chain management and production capabilities,
dependence on larger neighbouring countries for trade, production and access to medicines and vaccines; and
significant economic and financial constraints.
Country priorities
At the meeting, representatives expressed their priorities, including: the safe reopening of tourism, continuation and expansion of COVID-19 immunization programmes, expansion and improvement of digital solutions and innovation in health systems, as well as joint action to increase access to medicines. Mental health issues also emerged at the forefront, alongside the need to further support the health workforce, which in small countries has found itself especially stretched.
COVID-19 calls for a rethinking of health in the policy sector and the small countries are taking the lead in finding solutions together.
European Programme of Work
The meeting statement, “Building forward for all in the face of COVID-19”, confirms the small countries’ commitments to tackling these challenges and to implementing the core principles of good governance and leaving no one behind, the objectives and pillars of the European Programme of Work – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019–2023.
Solidarity and resilience are what characterizes successful COVID-19 responses in small countries. Specifically, small countries seek to:
capitalize on experiences to date to better prepare for future health emergencies;
advocate for the needs of small countries to WHO and other international bodies and partners;
ensure that equity and leaving no one behind are at the heart of COVID-19 response and recovery efforts;
further develop, implement and share long-term COVID-19 preparedness and response actions;
develop a roadmap of joint action and good practice in the implementation of the European Programme of Work.
The Small Countries Initiative brings together countries in the WHO European Region with a population of less than 2 million people. The 11 members are: Andorra, Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and Slovenia.
Expert group issues updated recommendations for the European Region on schooling during COVID-19
Schools should remain open for as long as possible with adequate public health and social measures in place, and governments should use the summer months to implement measures that protect in-person schooling in the next school year, an international group of experts established by the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe said in its latest recommendations on schooling during COVID-19.
The updated recommendations come against the backdrop of rising infection rates in some countries in the Region, primarily due to the combination of the relaxation of public health and social measures, increased social mixing and vaccine inequity across the Region.
“The summer months offer a valuable window of opportunity for governments to put in place the right set of measures that will help keep infection rates down and avoid resorting to school closures, which, as we have seen, have such a harmful effect on the education, social and mental well-being of our children and youth,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
“The spread of new variants, coupled with the presence of pockets of unvaccinated people in school settings, means that there is no time to lose. The time to act is now. We can’t allow the pandemic to rob children of their education and development.”
“Despite most countries offering remote learning, the learning loss and impact of not being in school have been challenging for children. This is particularly so for vulnerable and marginalized children. Over the past year, parents, caregivers and children have tried to adapt to their ‘new’ learning environment, but we can’t risk having another year of disruptions,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “We need to work together throughout the summer to ensure that children can go back to school safely and catch up with their learning.”
“We must get out of the COVID-19-caused crisis in education and health with more resilient education and health care systems, and pursue ambitious goals to recover education and transform it so that every student learns better, has stronger social and emotional skills, better health and well-being,” said Tao Zhan, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO-IITE). “We have to act now. The future of this generation is at stake.”
The updated recommendations focus on eight key points affecting children and schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic:
The use of PCR or rapid diagnostic antigen tests in school settings;
The need for studies that assess the effectiveness of risk-mitigation measures on infection control;
The importance of safeguarding educational outcomes, mental and social well-being;
The need to account for children living in vulnerable situations;
Changes in the school environment that benefit child health and infection control;
The importance of including children in all decision-making;
Vaccination strategies in school settings; and
Keeping schools open as the key overarching objective.
School closures should be considered only as a measure of last resort, if and when “large outbreaks occur or transmission in the community cannot be controlled by any other measures,” the TAG members note in their recommendations.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling
Across the WHO European Region, the pandemic had a dire impact on schooling during the 2020-2021 academic year. UNESCO’s monitoring of national distance learning solutions shows that 44 out of 53 countries in the WHO European Region closed their schools at the national level at the height of the pandemic in April 2020.
School closures have serious effects on the education, development and well-being of children and adolescents. In addition to depriving them of the necessary social interactions that support and promote their mental well-being, school closures led to remote learning arrangements that did not offer the same educational outcomes. In addition, even in the best settings, socially disadvantaged children and those in greater need of educational support have fallen behind, increasing social inequity between and within countries.
While most countries reopened their schools at the end of summer 2020, rising infection rates in the autumn and winter months led to more stringent measures across dozens of countries, including, in some areas, the closure of schools. However, research carried out in some Member States during the winter months of 2020 shows that SARC-CoV-2 incidence among students was lower than in the general population, with secondary infections in schools accounting for less than 1% of infections.*
In the 2020 to 2021 academic year, we saw the largest disruption to education in history. With these recommendations, we now have the evidence and tools to ensure that children and young people can return to in-person schooling safely.
Without an urgent injection of cash, billions globally are at risk of still being without lifesaving access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services by 2030, according to a new UN report published on Thursday.
Latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that three in 10 people worldwide could not wash their hands with soap and water at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, yet millions of people across the world lack access to a reliable, safe supply of water”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Latest estimates reveal that 3 in 10 people worldwide could not wash their hands with soap and water at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. @WHOhttps://t.co/favuo4F5L5
Between 2016 and 2020, it showed that access to safely managed drinking water at home, increased from 70 to 74 per cent; sanitation services went from 47 to 54 per cent; and handwashing facilities with soap and water, rose from 67 to 71 per cent.
And rather than sewer connections, last year for the first time, more people used pit latrines, septic tanks and other improved on-site sanitation to effectively contain and treat waste.
“Despite our impressive progress to date, to scale-up these lifesaving services, the alarming and growing needs continue to outstrip our ability to respond”, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
To maintain progress, the two UN agencies underscored the need for governments to adequately support safely managed on-site sanitation, including faecal sludge.
The study also made clear that if current trends persist, by 2030 billions of children and families would be left without life-saving WASH services.
It notes that still only 81 per cent of the world’s population would have access to safe drinking water at home, leaving 1.6 billion without; just 67 per cent would have safe sanitation services, leaving 2.8 billion in the lurch; and only 78 per cent would have basic handwashing facilities, leaving 1.9 billion adrift.
“Investment in water, sanitation and hygiene must be a global priority if we are to end this pandemic and build more resilient health systems”, Tedros stressed.
Inequalities prevail
The report also noted vast inequalities – with vulnerable children and families suffering the most.
At the current rate of progress, for least developed countries (LDCs) to access safely managed drinking water by 2030, the study spelled out that there would need to be a ten-fold increase.
“Even before the pandemic, millions of children and families were suffering without clean water, safe sanitation, and a place to wash their hands”, said the UNICEF chief. “The time has come to dramatically accelerate our efforts to provide every child and family with the most basic needs for their health and well-being, including fighting off infectious diseases like COVID-19.”
Spotlighting women
For the first time, the report also presented emerging national data on menstrual health.
In many countries, it showed a significant proportion of women and girls are unable to meet their menstrual health needs.
And disparities are significant among vulnerable groups, such as the poor and those with disabilities.
Offering fresh data on how social assistance spending has cushioned the unparalleled economic shock triggered by the pandemic, the UN Development Fund’s (UNDP) Mitigating Poverty assessment, revealed that in the 41 countries for which data was available, around 12 million people were prevented from falling below the poverty line, out of 15 million in danger.
Rich countries fair better
While the overall mitigation impact was strong, the study also uncovered that it was largely confined to high and upper middle-income States.
Rich countries spent up to 212 times per capita more than poor nations, on social assistance.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner pointed out that their ability to spend more on social protection measures, “played a critical role in keeping people out of poverty”.
For low middle-income countries, the report showed that social assistance spending was insufficient to avert a surge of people becoming newly-poor, and in low-income countries it was unable to prevent any income losses at all.
“This lifeline depends on where you live”, observed the UNDP chief. “The challenge now is to expand the fiscal space to allow all countries to implement and sustain social assistance spending measures, which is proven to be a highly cost-efficient and effective way to keep people from falling into poverty”.
Massive differences
The authors estimated that between 117 million and 168 million people became poor during the pandemic.
Although $2.9 trillion were invested in social protection policies globally, only $379 billion were spent by developing countries.
Meanwhile, on average, high-income countries allocated $847 per capita on social protection measures, including assistance and insurance, while low and middle-income counterparts spent an average of just $124 per head.
At the same time, total per capita social protection in low-income countries alone, was as little as $4.
‘Two-track recovery’
“The report provides some thoughts on how the pandemic impacted poor and vulnerable households in developing countries but also how important policy choices were to mitigate poverty increases”, said UNDP Chief Economist George Gray Molina.
It estimated that if applied to all poor and vulnerable households in the developing world, a temporary basic income – championed by UNDP – could have prevented the number of new extreme poor, globally.
Projections in the study illustrated that this could have been achieved by dedicating just 0.5 per cent of developing countries’ gross domestic product (GDP), spread over six months for income support-related measures.
“The bottom line, however, is that powerful social assistance programmes were out of reach for low-income countries, setting the stage for a two-track recovery from the pandemic”, the UNDP official said.
With cases now doubling in Africa every three weeks, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has spread to 16 countries and it is present in three of the five nations reporting the highest caseloads. The variant is the most contagious yet – up to 60% more transmissible than other variants.
Along with Alpha and Beta, Delta is fuelling an aggressive third wave across Africa, with case numbers climbing faster than all earlier peaks, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO experts warned on Thursday that the numbers have increased for six consecutive weeks, up by 25% last week, reaching 202,000 positive cases. Deaths also rose by 15% across 38 African countries, to nearly 3,000.
Young adults hit
The Delta variant, initially identified in India, is now dominant in South Africa, which accounted for more than half of Africa´s cases last week. Moreover, the variant was detected in 97% of the samples sequenced in Uganda and 79% of those sequenced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The variant also seems to be fueling illness among young adults. According to WHO experts. In Uganda for example, 66% of severe illness in people younger than 45, is attributed to Delta.
“The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave is like nothing we’ve seen before. The rampant spread of more contagious variants pushes the threat to Africa up to a whole new level. More transmission means more serious illness and more deaths, so everyone must act now and boost prevention measures to stop an emergency becoming a tragedy,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO´s regional director for Africa.
UNICEF/Arlette Bashizi
A nurse at North Kivu Provincial Hospital administers the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a 45-year-old soldier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Alpha and Beta
The Alpha and Beta variants have been also reported in 32 and 27 countries respectively. Alpha has been detected in most countries in north, west and central Africa, while Beta is more widespread in the south. Both are considerably more transmissible than the original virus.
With rising case numbers and hospitalizations across the continent, WHO estimates that oxygen demand in Africa is now 50% greater than for the first wave peak, one year ago.
Lack of shots
Eight vaccines have been approved for the WHO emergency use listing, however, shipments to Africa have, in effect, dried up.
“While supply challenges grind on, dose sharing can help plug the gap. We are grateful for the pledges made by our international partners, but we need urgent action on allocations. Africa must not be left languishing in the throes of its worst wave yet,” added Dr. Moeti.
Only 15 million people – a mere 1.2% of the African population – are fully vaccinated.
IMF Photo/Jeff Moore
A masked man walking in London’s West End
Delta dominant in Europe ‘by August’
Meanwhile in Europe, a ten-week decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the 53 countries that the WHO analyses, has come to an end.
The regional director for the UN health agency, Hans Kluge, informed on Thursday that last week the number of cases rose by 10%, driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings, and easing of social restrictions.
“This is taking place in the context of a rapidly evolving situation – a new variant of concern, the Delta variant – and in a region where despite tremendous efforts by Member States, millions remain unvaccinated”, he explained.
Mr. Kluge said that the Delta variant overtakes alpha very quickly through multiple and repeated introductions and is already translating into increased hospitalizations and deaths.
“By August, the WHO European Region will be Delta dominant”, the expert underscored.
New wave of deaths
However, by August, Europe will not be sufficiently immunized, with 63% of people currently still waiting for their first jab, and the region will still be mostly loosening restrictions, with increasing travel and gatherings, Dr. Kluge warned.
“The three conditions for a new wave of excess hospitalizations and deaths before the autumn are therefore in place: new variants, (a) deficit in vaccine uptake, increased social mixing; and there will be a new wave in the WHO European Region unless we remained disciplined”, he said.
Vaccines are effective
Mr. Kluge reminded that vaccines are effective against the Delta variant: “not one dose but two doses”,
He added that delays in getting vaccinated cost lives and the economies, and the slower vaccination programmes are, the more variants will emerge.
“We see many countries doing well, but the truth is that the average vaccine coverage in the region is 24% only, and more serious, half of our elders and 40% of our health care workers are still unprotected. That’s unacceptable”, the expert said, explaining that with these figures, the pandemic is nowhere over.
“And it would be very wrong for anyone – citizens and policymakers – to assume that it is”.
WHO/Europe has presented a new package of Russian- and English-language materials to help primary health-care workers in many countries of the eastern part of the WHO European Region to identify patients with risky drinking behaviours. The materials will allow health professionals to support people who might experience harm from drinking or be at risk without even knowing it.
Globally, the Region has the highest level of alcohol consumption, with associated deaths reaching almost 1 million each year. This is around 2500 deaths every day. Alcohol is the leading risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular and digestive diseases and cancers, as well as injuries.
Primary health care can help to reduce alcohol-related risks
Any amount of consumed alcohol can harm the body, and so dealing with these risks and offering support to patients is not only the role of addiction specialists. Health systems and health professionals at every level, but especially in primary care, should be empowered to address these risks by increasing patients’ health literacy and providing the necessary tools to meet their needs.
Quick and effective alcohol screening tests and brief interventions, such as short motivational counselling sessions, can help patients at risk to reduce their drinking levels and avoid serious longer-term health harms stemming from alcohol.
Moreover, early interventions in primary health care require fewer resources and are more cost-effective than the specialized treatment of already-manifested alcohol use disorders.
The Russian AUDIT: identifying alcohol use disorders at early stages
To help identify people at risk and offer brief interventions in health-care settings, WHO developed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). This simple screening test consisting of 10 questions allows general practitioners to identify people with harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption patterns before health and social consequences are pronounced and require urgent help.
AUDIT is one of the most frequently used screening instruments for alcohol use worldwide. But up to now, the Russian version of the tool has not been validated. A new WHO/Europe report presents the work on RUS-AUDIT, the Russian-language AUDIT test that is specially tailored for use in primary health-care facilities of the Russian Federation.
In addition to the test and the report, WHO/Europe presented the protocol and training materials that will allow RUS-AUDIT to become an integral part of the health system.
Tailored for eastern European countries
“The exchange of experience and collaboration with experts in the Russian Federation were critical elements of this work,” explained Dr Melita Vujnovic, WHO Representative to the Russian Federation. “This collaboration has gone on for several years now, and Russian primary health-care professionals in different parts of the country have been testing and implementing the WHO-recommended screening and brief intervention measures and providing valuable inputs to WHO. WHO and the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation continue to collaborate, contributing to the knowledge and experience base.”
Dr Vujnovic added, “We are looking forward to wider implementation of this important tool, which will help us all to get closer to achieving the global, regional and national targets for the prevention and control of harmful alcohol use, as one of the best buys to fight NCDs.”
RUS-AUDIT can help the Russian Federation and potentially other Member States to implement effective screening and brief intervention systems that can enhance other alcohol-control policies. It takes into account translation issues; the interpretation of questions by a Russian target audience, including the WHO concept of a standard drink; and the specific drinking patterns observed in the Russian Federation and other countries of the eastern part of the Region.
“To be effective, screening and brief interventions require reliable and easy-to-use instruments in the context of limited time spent in primary health care. RUS-AUDIT gives health professionals an opportunity to educate patients about the risks of excessive alcohol use, increase their health literacy and offer support to reduce drinking prior to the development of alcohol abuse,” said Dr Lyubov Drozdova, Chief Specialist of Preventive Medicine at the National Research Center for Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Long-lasting protection from alcohol harms
“In some countries of the WHO European Region, patients with alcohol use disorders can get medical help only if their health condition deteriorates to a critical level with strong manifestation of clinical symptoms,” pointed out Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, ad interim Head of WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. “Implementing screening and brief interventions and ensuring a continuum of care between primary and specialized health care are essential and lie at the very heart of the WHO European Programme of Work.”
The European Programme of Work 2020–2025 reflects WHO/Europe’s determination to leave no one behind and to strengthen the leadership of health authorities in the Region.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism could result in a more than $4 trillion loss to the global economy, UN trade and development body UNCTAD said on Wednesday in a report issued jointly with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The estimate is based on losses caused by the pandemic’s direct impact on tourism and the ripple effect on related sectors, and is worse than previously expected.
Last July, UNCTAD estimated that the standstill in international tourism would cost the global economy between $1.2 trillion and $3.3 trillion.
The steep drop in tourist arrivals worldwide in 2020 resulted in a $2.4 trillion economic hit, the report said, and a similar figure is expected this year depending on the uptake in COVID-19 vaccines.
Global vaccination plan crucial
“The world needs a global vaccination effort that will protect workers, mitigate adverse social effects and make strategic decisions regarding tourism, taking potential structural changes into account,” said Isabelle Durant, the UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General.
“Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism’s safe restart is critical to the recovery of jobs and generation of much-needed resources, especially in developing countries, many of which are highly dependent on international tourism,” the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili added.
Developing countries hit hard
International tourist arrivals declined by about 1 billion, or 73 per cent, last year, while in the first quarter of 2021 the drop was around 88 per cent, the report said.
Developing countries have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s impact on tourism, with estimated reductions in arrivals of between 60 per cent and 80 per cent.
They have also been hurt by vaccine inequity. The agencies said the “asymmetric roll-out” of COVID-19 vaccines has magnified the economic blow to the tourism sector in these nations, as they could account for up to 60 per cent of global GDP losses.
Rebound amid losses
It is expected that tourism will recover faster in countries with high vaccination rates, such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, international tourist arrivals will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023 or later, due to barriers such as travel restrictions, slow containment of the virus, low traveller confidence and a poor economic environment.
While a tourism rebound is anticipated in the second half of this year, the report expects a loss of between $1.7 trillion and $2.4 trillion in 2021, based on simulations which exclude stimulation programmes and similar policies.
Likely outcomes
The authors outline three possible scenarios for the tourism sector this year, with the most pessimistic reflecting a 75 per cent reduction in international arrivals.
This scenario sees a drop in global tourist receipts of nearly $950 billion, which would cause a loss in real GDP of $2.4 trillion, while the second reflects a 63 per cent reduction in international tourist arrivals.
The third considers varying rates of domestic and regional tourism. It assumes a 75 per cent reduction in tourism in countries where vaccine rates are low, and 37 per cent reduction in countries with relatively high vaccination levels, mainly developed countries and some smaller economies.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds “enormous potential” for improving the health of millions around the world if ethics and human rights are at the heart of its design, deployment, and use, the head of the UN health agency said on Monday.
“Like all new technology, artificial intelligence…can also be misused and cause harm”, warmed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World health Organization (WHO).
To regulate and govern AI, WHO published new guidance that provides six principles to limit the risks and maximize the opportunities intrinsic to AI for health.
Artificial Intelligence (#AI) holds enormous potential for improving the health of millions of people around ????????????, but only if ethics & human rights are put at the heart of its design, deployment, & use.
WHO’s Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health report points out that AI can be and, in some wealthy countries is already being, used to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and screening for diseases; assist with clinical care; strengthen health research and drug development; and support diverse public health interventions, including outbreak response and health systems management.
AI could also empower patients to take greater control of their own health care and enable resource-poor countries to bridge health service access gaps.
However, the report cautions against overestimating its benefits for health, especially at the expense of core investments and strategies required to achieve universal health coverage.
Challenges abide
WHO’s new report points out that opportunities and risks are linked and cautions about unethical collection and use of health data, biases encoded in algorithms, and risks to patient safety, cybersecurity and the environment.
Moreover, it warns that systems trained primarily on data collected from individuals in high-income countries may not perform well for individuals in low- and middle-income settings.
Against this backdrop, WHO upholds that AI systems must be carefully designed to reflect the diversity of socio-economic and health-care settings and be accompanied by digital skills training and community engagement.
This is especially important for healthcare workers requiring digital literacy or retraining to contend with machines that could challenge the decision-making and autonomy of providers and patients.
Guiding principles
Because people must remain in control of health-care systems and medical decisions, the first guiding principle is to protect human autonomy.
Secondly, AI designers should safeguard privacy and confidentiality by providing patients with valid informed consent through appropriate legal frameworks.
To promote human well-being and public interest, the third principle calls for AI designers to ensure regulatory requirements for safety, accuracy and efficacy, including measures of quality control.
As part of transparency and understanding, the fourth principle requires information to be published or documented before the AI technology is designed or deployed.
Although AI technologies perform specific tasks, they must be used responsibly, under suitable conditions by appropriately trained people, which is the fourth principle.
The fifth is to ensure inclusiveness and equity so that AI for health is accessible to the widest possible number of people, irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity or other characteristics protected under human rights codes.
The final principle urges designers, developers and users to transparently assess applications during actual use to determine whether AI responds adequately and appropriately to expectations and requirements.
Foodwatch is asking the European Council to render possible 0%-VAT for non-processed fruit and vegetables when revising the EU VAT framework so that Member States are able to subsidise these healthy food choices.
EU Member States have taken different approaches and adopted national strategies to solve the NCD-crisis. There is growing evidence on the effectiveness of prevention policies, so we are finally seeing more Governments starting to reshape food environments to make the healthier choice, the easier choice. Areas of action range from marketing restrictions for unhealthy foods, interpretive front-of-pack nutrition labels, minimum standards for school- and kindergarten-meals and fiscal measures like health-related food taxes. Evidence shows the need of a comprehensive strategy; there is no „silver bullet“ to reducing obesity. Unfortunately, Member States have very limited room for manoeuvre in terms of fiscal measures – more precisely on subsidies for fruits and vegetables.
foodwatch asks EU to put fruit and vegetables on the VAT exemption list
Fortunately, that situation could change. The European Council is currently revising the VAT framework . This might also include a so called “positive list” for product groups that can have a 0 percent VAT rate. For this reason, foodwatch has written to all EU Member States to ask for their support for the inclusion of unprocessed fruits and vegetables in the VAT exemption (0%) list.
The adult penguin Enrique of the species Eudyptes chrysocome, which lives in the zoo in St. Louis, USA, received special boots. They were provided by concerned zoo officials to relieve his arthritis, according to People magazine. In its tweet, the Daily Miror posted a photo of Enrique.
Due to his advanced age of 30, Enrique developed arthritis and calluses on his feet, and walking and swimming caused him pain and discomfort. By comparison, penguins live in the wild for about 10 years.
Initially, veterinarians tried to alleviate the suffering of the adult penguin with a special ointment. However, the ointment had to be applied every time after bathing and in the end did not work.
Looking for a way to help Enrique, the specialists were overshadowed by a brilliant idea.
Veterinarian Jimmy Johnson recalls seeing swans in another zoo wearing special shoes for limb problems. Johnson proposed the idea for Enrique to make orthopedic boots.
The penguin’s shoes are made in black and red, look like his real feet and are attached to them with a soft strap. Every morning, zoo staff put on Enrique’s boots and take them off the night before bed.
More than a third of the calories we eat are from sugar or white flour. Our body can not cope with such a huge load and it is worth thinking about how to completely eliminate these harmful carbohydrates from our menu.
Why is sugar harmful?
Sugar provokes many problems in the body, namely:
• decreased immunity
• autoimmune diseases
• heart disease
• diabetes
• irritable bowel syndrome
• chronic fatigue
• candidiasis
Studies show that one of the main reasons for reduced immunity is the fact that sugar prevents the penetration of vitamin C into white blood cells, which then suppress immunity. The more sugar you consume, the less productive your leukocytes are and therefore, the weaker their immune activity.
In addition, sugar stimulates the secretion of insulin in the pancreas, which in turn stimulates the production of triglycerides in the liver.
Nutritionists offer several steps to gradually give up sugar, the implementation of which should become a habit.
1. Eat regularly
Ideally, you should stick to 5 meals a day or 3 full meals + 2 snacks. Many people have a drop in blood sugar and this provokes a desire to consume something sweet and high in calories.
2. Choose whole foods
The closer the product is to its original form, the less processed sugar it contains. Fruits and vegetables usually do not cause metabolic problems, especially when consumed properly.
Start your day with protein, fat and phytonutrients.
Smoothies are ideal for this purpose. A typical breakfast, rich in carbohydrates and sweet or starchy foods, is the worst option, because then you will feel the urge to consume sugar all day.
3. Add spices to your food
Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom – all these spices will naturally sweeten your food and reduce your appetite.
4. Include in your diet a quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids
Nutrient deficiencies can increase appetite, and the lower the nutrient deficiency, the less the desire to eat. Several nutrients, including chromium, vitamin B3 and magnesium, improve blood sugar control.
5. Move more
Practice, dance or practice yoga. An active lifestyle can help reduce stress, increase your energy and reduce the need to recharge with sugar.
6. Sleep more
When we feel tired, we often reach for sugar, which is a source of energy.
7. Detoxify your body
After detoxification reduces not only appetite but also the desire to consume sugar.
8. Don’t ignore emotional issues
Often behind our desire to eat sweet foods lies our emotional needs.
9. Be careful with the hidden sugar in the food
Remember that all sweeteners: corn syrup, corn sugar, corn syrup with fructose, sucrose, dextrose, honey, molasses and brown sugar, are just harmful sugar. Avoid all these substances in the foods you buy.
10. Drink plenty of water
Sometimes thirst is masked by a feeling of hunger, so the more water you drink, the less craving for sweets you will have.
Turkey has begun mass production of a new test developed in the country, which with 99 percent accuracy detects the presence of a coronavirus in just 10 seconds, Turkish private television CNN-Turk reported.
The coronavirus detection system, called Diagnovir, is based on nanotechnology and has already passed reliability tests.
According to the rector of Bilkent University, who developed the project, Prof. Abdullah Atalar, the new system, which quickly gives reliable results, can take the place of previous PCR tests.
He pointed out that various institutions from all over the world are interested in her, including the German Football League.
“We believe that this is a system without an analogue in the world,” added Prof. Atalar.
If the result of the test with “Diagnovir” is positive, then it takes only 5-10 seconds to read. It takes 20-30 seconds to confirm a negative result, Turkish scientists explained.
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