isolation Archives - Amazing Health Advances

NEW STUDY Shows Social Isolation Harms Brain Health, Increases Risk of Dementia

AHA Publisher — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 07:00:17 +0000

Stephanie Woods via NaturalHealth365 – Social isolation, “the absence or near absence of social connections or relationships,” and loneliness are not healthy. There is evidence of an association between living socially isolated and adverse health effects, such as depression, anxiety, various physical stress responses, decreased immunity, and more. However, researchers have now established a strong link between social isolation and dementia later in life. Socially Isolated People Are More Likely to Develop “Later Dementia” The study, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, used data gathered from the UK Biobank. Researchers found that socially isolated individuals had a 26% greater probability of developing dementia than a socially active person. Those older than 60 are the hardest hit. Depression was also linked to later dementia in this study, but the link was not nearly as significant as it was with social isolation. This means that even though social isolation can cause depression, it is not depression that can lead to dementia. Instead, it is the social isolation itself that increases the risk factor for dementia and negatively affects brain health. A 2021 study concluded that the forced social isolation that affected most people during the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a domino effect of repercussions regarding mental health. It examined dementia patients and their caregivers, exploring the impact of that social isolation. More than 50% of dementia patients experienced a decline in memory function; more than 30% felt sadder, while almost 40% experienced an increase in their anxiety symptoms. This increase in anxiety symptoms caused a rise in dementia symptoms, including agitation, hallucinations, and difficulty in daily life activities. In short, it made the patients’ dementia worse. CDC Knew Social Isolation Was Significant Health Risk and Recommended It Anyway During Pandemic With No Sound Evidence for Its Effectiveness to “Flatten the Curve” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites several studies that point to health risks associated with social isolation in adults over 50. Studies show that social isolation can increase the risk of: premature death from all causes dementia by about 50% heart disease by 29% stroke by 32% anxiety, depression, and suicide In addition, heart failure patients who were socially isolated had: 4-fold increase in the risk of death increased risk of hospitalization by 68% increased risk of emergency room visits by 57% Here Is What to Do to Reduce Your Dementia Risk There are many steps individuals can take to decrease their risk of dementia. Maintain good physical health Eat a healthy organic diet Monitor blood pressure and keep systolic BP at 130 mm Hg or lower, starting at around 40 years of age Reduce exposure to secondhand smoke Reduce exposure to air pollution Take measures to prevent falls to avoid head injury Limit or avoid alcohol consumption Don’t smoke or quit smoking Keep the brain active with puzzles, lessons, and discussions Maintain a healthy weight Prevent diabetes by keeping sugar intake very low Get 7 to 8 hours of good quality, restful sleep Encourage and enforce regular social interaction Senior centers or senior daycare facilities can be a good way to help adults get some social interaction. In the event of another pandemic with forced isolation, there should be plans in place for older adults who may suffer greatly from loneliness and isolation. And let’s remember that humans of all ages are social creatures. We thrive on interacting with others. We also know that during the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation was ineffective in stopping the spread of the so-called “virus.” So in the next round of pandemic, before complying with potentially harmful government-mandated lockdowns, shouldn’t we demand evidence from our health authorities that support the alleged rationale for over-reaching pandemic control measures? Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com NIH.gov CDC.gov TheLancet.com Assets.publishing.service.gov To read the original article click here.

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Lockdown Has Encouraged Older People to Embrace Technology, Reconnect and Build New Relationships

AHA Publisher — Tue, 18 May 2021 07:00:12 +0000

University of Stirling via News-Medical – The COVID-19 lockdown was a catalyst for many older people to embrace technology, reconnect with friends and build new relationships with neighbors, according to University of Stirling research. Understanding the coping mechanisms adopted by some over 60s during the pandemic will play a key role in developing interventions to help tackle loneliness, isolation and wellbeing in the future. The study, led by the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, surveyed 1,429 participants – 84 percent (1,198) of whom were over 60 – and found many had adapted to video conferencing technology to increase online contact with existing social networks, while others reconnected with previous networks. Participants reported that lockdown had led them to engage with neighbors and other members of their communities for the first time, while several said social distancing had brought an additional meaning to life, by highlighting what was important to them. Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the paper comes six months after the study – funded under the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office’s Rapid Research in COVID-19 programme – reported in its preliminary findings that social distancing had increased feelings of loneliness in older people. Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Anna Whittaker, who led the study, said: “Our research found that the COVID-19 lockdown triggered feelings of loneliness in older people – with many experiencing less social contact and support. However, the study also highlighted positive outcomes, for example, lockdown encouraged some older people to embrace and engage with technology – such as Zoom, Whatsapp or FaceTime – to stay in touch with loved-ones or participate in exercise classes or religious groups. Those who engaged in such activity were able to prevent high levels of loneliness, therefore, helping older adults to increase their digital literacy and use of remote social interactions could be a really important tool for addressing loneliness. “Participants also reported actively looking for new social contact while restrictions were in place – such as contacting friends who they had not spoken to in years and increasing interactions with neighbors and other members of their communities. Significantly, many of our participants reported that social distancing has actually led them to find new sources of satisfaction in life. “Our study also highlighted that encouraging safe social contact through physical activity and engaging with people in the community may be an effective way to reduce loneliness, improve wellbeing, increase social activity, and improve social support.” The study – which involved a survey conducted between May and July 2020 – examined the impact of social distancing during the pandemic on loneliness, wellbeing and social activity, including social support, in Scottish older adults. Participants were asked about the strategies they adopted to increase social interaction during this time and reported that the way they interacted with their friends and family, faith, chosen group activities and, to a lesser extent, their employer and colleagues, had changed. More than 300 participants mentioned ‘Zoom’ – the video conferencing tool – in their answers. More than 150 participants reported that their religious gatherings had moved online – replacing face-to-face gatherings – while 91 said that social gatherings with family and friends had changed in favour of online ‘games nights’. New activities included bingo and quiz nights, while other activities moved online – such as bridge nights, book clubs, choir rehearsals, and dance and exercise classes. The role of community – particularly neighbors – was mentioned by more than 300 participants and some reported the common experience of getting to know previously unknown neighbors and increase interaction with others in the community at local shops or parks. A pleasant Scottish summer also supported such interactions, several said. At least 100 people said social interactions were linked to their physical activities – such as time spent outdoors while walking for exercise, walking the dogs or active commuting. Professor Whittaker added: “Our research underlines the importance of addressing loneliness and social support in older adults – but particularly during situations where risk of isolation is high. Although specific to the pandemic, this study has wider implications of helping us to understand the impact of social distancing and social isolation on older people. “The findings may be applicable in the future – both in and outwith pandemic situations. In Scotland, the recommendations for improvement may be through encouraging older adults to get to know their neighbors better, getting involved with local buddying systems and community initiatives, including via digital means, and engaging in physical activity, such as daily walks in the community.” “While it may prove difficult to consider any aspect of the pandemic positive as such, it is important and worthwhile to reflect on what it has taught us, both about ourselves and society and about the necessary tools to tackle Scotland’s increased levels of loneliness and isolation. For example, we’ve seen first-hand how important the community response has been in terms of supporting older people throughout lockdown and it has been inspiring to witness how people across the country stepped in and stepped forward to help those in need around them. Even as restrictions ease, we hope to see this sense of community spirit continue. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 has also demonstrated just how important increased digital inclusion is and how easily those without access to technology can feel out of the loop. It’s reassuring to see so many older people reporting that they have been able to embrace and engage with technology to stay connected and active. However, it’s equally important to ensure those who are unable or do not wish to use the internet have alternative ways to stay connected to their communities and support networks. As we take steps towards recovery together, it is vital that no one is left behind and those most impacted are supported to play a full part in society again. We know we will be living with the ongoing effects of lockdown loneliness for a long time to come, and this research will be incredibly valuable when considering how best to tackle loneliness and isolation and to improve the wellbeing of older people going forward.” Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of Age Scotland To read the original article click here.

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Are You Addicted to Doomscrolling? (Plus How to Stop)

AHA Publisher — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 08:00:55 +0000

Christine Ruggeri, CHHC via Dr. Axe – Do you have a habit of scrolling endlessly through social media, looking for answers or clarity? If this perpetual rabbit hole of scrolling — refreshing and scrolling again — is leaving you feeling agitated, hopeless and drained, you’re officially doomscrolling. Doomscrolling can have a major impact on your mental and physical health. If you’re caught in the routine of scrolling several times throughout the day, searching aimlessly for more and more negative content, it’s time to cut back on your time online and find new, more positive outlets. It’s for your own health, after all. What Is Doomscrolling? Doomscrolling is when you continue to scroll through bad news or even seek it out, even when it leaves you feeling sad or agitated. It’s been described as an “endless procession of negative online news.” For many people, the pandemic has intensified these habits. Findings from this past April that were reported by Pew Research Center indicate that 53 percent of American adults say the internet has been essential for them during the pandemic. In addition, 34 percent of U.S. adults describe the internet as “important, but not essential.” It appears that we may be using the internet now more than ever. Over the last eight months, many adults began working from home, from their computers, making internet use even more prevalent. People also are suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness, so they use the internet to connect with others. But why are people doomscrolling if it leaves them feeling sad or even panicked? For some, it’s like an addiction that’s fed by the false notion that staying informed will provide a sense of security — when, in reality, it causes just the opposite. Doomscrolling not only negatively impacts your mood, but it can also disrupt sleep, focus and concentration. Because it alters your mental health, it can also negatively affect your physical health and cause issues such as: headaches sugar cravings overeating low energy brain fog digestive issues If you’re constantly doomscrolling, you may be dealing with chronic stress, which can have a serious impact on your overall health. How to Stop 1. Set Aside Time to Scroll If you like to scroll through your Facebook feed or Twitter for the latest news, you’re not alone. Many adults use social media as their news source. To avoid doomscrolling and its effects on your mental and physical health, however, set aside a specific amount of time for scrolling through the news. Maybe that’s 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. Make it work for your schedule, and set a timer on your phone if you have to. You can also track your screen time to keep yourself accountable. Why is it so important to reduce your social media and scrolling time? One study published in the American Journal of Health Behavior indicates that people categorized as “Wired” or “Connected” in defining their social media use have an increased association with the the risk for depression and anxiety. 2. Declutter Your Phone and Laptop If you’re prone to doomscrolling, it may be time to minimize the apps on your phone, laptop and desktop so you’re less likely to use them in between tasks or when “wasting time.” If you’re triggered by one app in particular, then delete it from your phone so that it’s not always at your fingertips. Why consider deleting a social media app? A study published in Cureusfound that prolonged use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. 3. Stop All Notifications From News Sources Are you getting a push notification every time a news story breaks? If so, stop! Push notifications are meant to enhance and increase smartphone engagement. They can be distracting and leave you scrolling, again, even when you were in middle of a task. Stop all push notifications, which entice you to spend more time scrolling. 4. Don’t Click on Triggering Articles You can usually tell from the headline whether or not the article will trigger you. More bad news? More divisive? Then skip it. These articles can leave you feeling isolated, sad, angry and hopeless. Instead, stick to positive, informative and uplifting content. 5. Avoid Debate Commenting Let’s face it — your social media debate commenting rarely changes a person’s mind or gives you a sense of security or community. In fact, it likely makes you feel more isolated and agitated. One study conducted in the U.K. suggests that posting about feelings and venting on social media predicted low mood and self-estreem and high paranoia. If you’re doomscrolling and come across a post that makes you want to comment, perhaps discuss the issue with your spouse or loved one instead. You’re likely to get better clarity and positive reinforcement that way. 6. Don’t Read News Articles on Social Media Does all of your news come from social media? If you are constantly refreshing your social media timelines for the newest stories, it’s a much better idea to visit a specific news website instead. Or, better yet, rely on a printed newspaper that you can read leisurely in the morning and put away for the remainder of the day. You may actually retain the information when reading news in a different format, like print. One study published in Human Factors found that a scrolling format reduced understanding of complex topics from web pages, especially for readers who were lower in working memory capacity. 7. Find Your People We need to maintain a sense of community for our mental and physical health. Communicating with groups of like-minded people is good for the soul. Organizing charity events or working together to conduct acts of kindness make it even better. Research shows that community-belonging is an important component of health prevention and can even promote healthier behaviors, like exercise and improved diet. 8. Find Other Outlets If you’re doomscrolling out of boredom, work on finding other outlets that actually improve your overall health and well-being. Add uplifting activities into your daily routine, like going for a walk outdoors, yoga at home, meditation, reading a fictional story, talking on the phone or Zooming with friends, and cooking for loved ones. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Protecting your Mental Health During a Pandemic

AHA Publisher — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 08:00:14 +0000

Chloe Bennett, B.Sc. via News-Medical Net – During times of global pandemic, understandably anxiety and distress may be increased due to both primary factors such as fear of the virus itself or due to secondary factors such as those associated with having to isolate from others. However, there are multiple ways to both protect and improve mental health during such times. Maintain Your Routine Daily routines can play an important role in protecting mental health. Either maintaining existing routines or creating a new one is recommended and should feature: going to sleep and waking up at similar times each day, exercising regularly, putting aside specific times to work and relax, eating healthy, regular meals, and maintaining personal hygiene. Adhering to such factors can increase purpose and motivation and improve overall mood and wellbeing. Reach Out As a growing number of people worldwide are being urged to remain at home and limit their physical contact with others, feelings of isolation may be on the rise. To prevent this isolation from adversely affecting your mental health, it is crucial to reach out to others. Use technology to your advantage and try to communicate with your family members and friends who you are unable to see face to face through video calls or group chat. Feeling more connected and having the opportunity to discuss any potential worries and positive experiences with others is essential during times of crisis. For those with limited social networks, there are a variety of helplines or online groups that you can connect with to gain similar support. It is also essential to be self-aware and avoid burnout caused by over-committing to the number of virtual social interactions. Do Something for You One way to improve your mental health is to keep busy. If you are self-isolating, learning a new skill can be a great way to improve your mental wellbeing by increasing your sense of purpose and boosting self-esteem. Whether it is baking, cooking, signing up for an online course, or learning a new language, using your time to take up something of interest to you can keep the mind active and focused, while filling up your day. Ask for Help If you have an existing mental health condition that has been exacerbated by COVD-19, or, perhaps, you are developing new anxiety or depressive symptoms, it is important to ask for professional help. A lot of medical providers such a doctor’s surgeries are operating in revised ways during the pandemic, such as through video or telephone consultations. Therefore, those requiring emotional support can still get the help they need. Stay Active Taking part in regular exercise has been found to improve not only physical health but also mental health too. Research has shown regular physical activity to reduce anxiety and depression across all age groups and can be beneficial in reducing age-related cognitive decline. Whether you are limited to indoor activities only or have a garden or outdoor area that you can use, there are multiple ways to remain active and safe during the pandemic. Workouts and exercises such as yoga, stretching, or high-intensity interval training can be found online that require minimal equipment or time. These can be completed both indoors and outdoors. Alternatively, walking, jogging or biking can be a great way to boost endorphins and improve mood. Limit Social Media Use Due to an increased amount of time spent at home, individuals may be spending an increased amount of time on social media sites, including those releasing the news. While the use of such sites may be beneficial in remaining connected with others and informed, it may also worsen mental health. Overexposure to information relating to the pandemics can result in increased anxiety and distress. For example, a cross-sectional study conducted amongst Chinese citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak revealed that more than 80% of participants were frequently exposed to social media. Furthermore, anxiety amongst the sample was positively correlated with frequent social media use. Based on this evidence, to avoid detriments to mental health, it is recommended to reduce your intake of pandemic-related information by only seeking it out a maximum of once or twice a day from trusted sources. Practice Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of observing what it is occurring both inside and outside of ourselves, moment by moment. It has been found that using mindfulness practices to increase our attention to our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and the external environment in the present moment can improve mental wellbeing. A variety of techniques can be employed, and multiple mobile applications can be downloaded that takes the participant through guided exercises. Such techniques can be used during periods of crisis. However, they can be more beneficial if used routinely, for example, when waking up or before going to sleep. The technique has also been credited for its ability to help identify early signs of anxiety and stress, enabling individuals to cope with them better. A study investigating the impact of daily mindfulness practice during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst the residents of Wuhan, China, found that those who practiced it developed reduced levels of anxiety and less impacted sleep compared to those in the control conditions. Based on this, mindfulness may be useful in assisting people in coping with anxiety-evoking pandemics. References and Further Reading NHS (2019). 5 steps to mental wellbeing. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/ Fiorillo, A., & Gorwood, P. (2020). The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and implications for clinical practice. European Psychiatry, 63(1). Doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.35 World Health Organization. Looking after our mental health. who.int/news-room/campaigns/connecting-the-world-to-combat Coronavirus/healthyathome/healthyathome—mental-health?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIruvE8ILA6QIVDO7tCh1rhQvdEAAYASAAEgI-efD_BwE Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., … & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. Plos one, 15(4), e0231924. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231924 NHS (2018). Mindfulness. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/ Zheng, M., Yao, J., & Narayanan, J. (2020). Mindfulness Buffers the Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak Information on Sleep Duration. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/wuh94 To read the original article click here.

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How Does Chronic Stress Induce Bone Loss?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 07:00:03 +0000

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters via EurekAlert – Clinical studies have found that bone mineral density in patients with anxiety or depression is lower than in ordinary people. The brain, commander of the body, receives and processes external signals, and then sends instructions to peripheral bones. But how does anxiety induce a decline in bone mineral density? Researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators now have an answer. They found that a central neural circuit from the forebrain to the hypothalamus mediates chronic stress-induced bone loss via the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. Their study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on September 10. The researchers found that isolation can significantly increase anxiety levels, thus inducing bone loss in human subjects. Biochemical analysis showed that prolonged isolation increases the concentration of norepinephrine and decreases osteogenic markers in serum. These changes were consistent with the observation of elevated anxiety and reduced bone formation in subjects. In order to identify the neural mechanism underlying chronic stress-induced bone loss, the research team used a mouse model where mice were subjected to unpredictable chronic mild stress. They found that after four to eight weeks of chronic stress, the mice displayed significant anxiety behaviors. The bone mineral density of the mice in the stress group was significantly lower than in the control group. These results confirmed the correlation between stress-induced anxiety and bone loss in experimental animals, and provided a good animal model for follow-up neural mechanism analysis. Through extensive experiments, researchers identified a population of inhibitory neurons expressing somatostatin in the brain nucleus that are known as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the forebrain. These neurons were activated when animals showed anxiety behaviors and transmitted “anxiety” information to the neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). “Activating the BNST-VMH neural circuit can simultaneously induce anxiety-like behaviors and generate bone loss in the mice, whereas inhibition of this circuit can prevent stress-induced anxiety and bone loss at the same time,” said Prof. YANG Fan from SIAT, the co-first and co-corresponding author of the study. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that glutamatergic neurons in nucleus tractus solitaries (NTS) and the sympathetic system were employed to regulate stress-induced bone loss. “This study provides a new perspective for the systematic study of the regulatory mechanism of brain homeostasis on metabolism and endocrine function of the body in special environments,” said Prof. WANG Liping, Director of the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute of SIAT. To read the original article click here.

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‘No Lockdown’: Doctors Warn Shutdowns Unleashing Massive Health Crises and Upheaval

AHA Publisher — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:00:53 +0000

Paul Strand via CBN News – A growing number of doctors are trying to show why they believe lockdowns and shutdowns are doing more harm than the coronavirus itself. More than 1,200 have banded together in the group A Doctor A Day, and at SecondOpinionProject.com, they are presenting their case for why the lockdowns have been a medical disaster. “We’re looking at an increase in tens or hundreds of thousands of just suicides alone from the increased unemployment,” explained Dr. Paul Fronapfel, a pediatric anesthesiologist. ‘Every Town, Every City’ Dr. Simone Gold, who helped found A Doctor A Day, said, “Cases of depression or of drug abuse that were in check have gotten worse. We’re seeing that all over the country – every town, every city.” Addiction specialist Dr. Molly Rutherford added, “The morbidity and mortality from joblessness and from mental health crises and relapse and suicides, homicides, shootings – all these things – are just going to continue to get worse.” The doctors in this Second Opinion Project warn the coronavirus has been overhyped. 99.7 Percent Survive “The message has been disseminated that this is some terrible infection that’s a killer; that everybody is at risk of dying,” said cardiologist Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter. But he pointed out, “We know that 99.7 percent of people that get infected with COVID survive.” Fronapfel added, “Ten times as many people die from other things on any given day.” Dr. Mark McDonald, an adolescent and adult psychiatrist, brought up children, saying, “The risk of death to children from flu, seasonal flu, is 20 to 30 times higher than that of the coronavirus. And yet we have never closed schools. We have never asked children or teachers to wear masks, to play separately, to eat separately, to arrive and leave separately from schools because of the flu. And now we’re doing that for the coronavirus.” ‘This Is Child Abuse’ “In my opinion, this is child abuse,” he said of the fear being infused in kids. “I am absolutely appalled and I think it makes no scientific or rational sense whatsoever.” Gynecologist Dr. Olga Swanson suggested, “We cannot lock up our young generation in the house for the next 12 or 18 months while we’re waiting for a vaccine.” That could be a vain hope, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Singer, who pointed out, “There has never been a successful coronavirus vaccine. The last one they tried was the original SARS epidemic. They tried a vaccine. It killed all the (trial) monkeys.” ‘Nothing That Can Replace a Childhood for a Child’ So instead of waiting around for a vaccine, Swanson insisted, “The kids need to go back to school. They need to go back to school for the main reason that they need social interaction. And there’s nothing that can replace a childhood for a child.” “We’re talking about not only social isolation, depression, boredom, but we’re also talking about a strategic loss in education,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Jane Hughes. “If you take a look at Boston and some of the other places where they had online schooling, 20, 30, 40 percent of students didn’t ever log in.” Swanson added, “There are plenty of children in poverty who rely on schools for meals, who rely on the schools for safety.” Hughes concluded, “So I think we’re going to see the ripple effects, psychologically, socially, emotionally for a long time to come.” ‘Pure & Unadulterated Hysteria’ “What is driving the current response to this coronavirus is pure and unadulterated hysteria,” McDonald said. “This is actually a full-on societal anomaly that has infected virtually everyone in the country to some degree.” He said of this COVID obsession and terror, “We have to understand that it’s nonsense. Otherwise, we’re going to be locked into that in perpetuity.” “It seems that people think it’s more contagious than it is,” addiction specialist Rutherford said, adding it takes more than a casual passing by of an infected individual. “People who catch this virus are in close proximity for several minutes, possibly even an hour or two with the infected person.” Sunlight Kills It in a Second The best place to be is not inside, but in the great outdoors, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Singer, who said, “When you’re outside, the sun is shining, the chances of spreading this disease are practically zero. If this virus gets hit by sunlight, it dies in a second.” So after all the guff people have taken for being outside, Rutherford commented, “This virus is very unlikely to spread outside, so it doesn’t make any sense that parks and beaches are closed at this point.” People Afraid of Dying from COVID-19 Are Dying From Other Things Many of doctors involved in the Second Opinion project tell of people who’ve died because they were too scared of COVID-19 to go to the hospital. Cardiologist Dr. Steven Hearne said of one man suffering heart pain who refused to go, “He declined because he was afraid he’d catch the virus. He basically waited till the last minute. 9-1-1 was called. EMS showed up and he arrested right there, had CPR, and didn’t make it.” Dr. Lionel Lee, a specialist in emergency medicine, spoke of another man and his family. “As he got weaker and weaker, they didn’t know what to do because they were getting constant bombardment from the news, saying ‘stay home, don’t go to the hospital: you’re going to get COVID,'” Lee noted. When his family realized he was dying, they got him to Dr. Lee, who reported, “We coded him for about 30 minutes and he passed away.” “I have had several colleagues who have told me that they have had patients die on them,” Lee added. ‘They’re Afraid They’re Going to Catch It on the Street’ Rutherford said of her own recent experiences, “I’ve had several patients who were worried about going to the Emergency Department when they clearly needed to go.” And cardiologist Hearne added, “I still have several patients who are afraid to come to my office. They’re afraid they’re going to catch it on the street walking down the road. And that’s just not the case.” For anesthesiologist Dr. Andrew Zak, this is personal. He said on SecondOpinionProject.com, “The example that really hits home the most is my own mother. She became ill, and she’s also very debilitated and has dementia. Her caregiver was very concerned. However, my relatives, they were very afraid to bring her into the hospital. And now it turns out, two weeks later, she indeed did have a stroke, which went undiagnosed and untreated. And at this point, she is now in much worse condition, and it’s just been devastating.” ‘Patients Are Getting Tossed Aside Right Now by Bureaucrats’ But there have also been people kept from getting absolutely necessary medical care because that care was labeled non-essential. That led plastic surgeon, Dr. Alina Sholar, to say, “Patients are getting tossed aside right now by bureaucrats focused on the virus with a total lack of consideration for the future care and the future health of everyone else.” Even Dr. Anthony Fauci recently warned on CNBC that the lockdowns could cause “irreparable damage.” Rutherford explained, “The consequences in terms of mental health for many of my patients and many people throughout this country are devastating. And it’s going to get worse the longer we keep our economy locked down.” ‘This Is a Lives-for-Lives Situation’ Sholar declared, “This is not a money-for-lives situation. This is a lives-for-lives situation.” Dr. Alfonso Di Carlo said of the government figures clamping down on citizens, patients, and physicians, “We need to start rising up and telling these officials, ‘look, we respect you, but you’re not a doctor.” He went on, “In this country we have rights. All our people in this country, we’re endowed by our Creator; we have rights and civil liberties. And we get to choose what we want to do, not have government dictate medical health care issues on us.” The doctors involved in the project represent more than 21,000 years of medical practice have even written to the White House, warning, “The millions of casualties of a continued shutdown will be hiding in plain sight, but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke or kidney failure. In youths, it will be called financial instability, unemployment, despair, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and abuse.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from CBN News click here.

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‘Cardiac Arrests up 800 Percent’: 600+ Doctors Warn Lockdowns Doing Much More Damage Than COVID

AHA Publisher — Fri, 22 May 2020 07:00:54 +0000

Paul Strand via CBN News – A new grassroots organization of doctors is telling the nation it needs a second opinion about the way to handle this pandemic medically and mentally. During a media call, several of these doctors spoke of horrible medical results for people because of excessive panic over the coronavirus. They also told of harm done to ill or injured people because the medical world has been largely cut off to them while almost all resources have been redirected to deal exclusively with COVID-19. Dr. Simone Gold is an emergency room physician documenting these harms as she’s contacted fellow medical professionals across the country and helped form this new group A Doctor A Day. For Fear of the Virus, ‘They’re Actually Hurting Themselves’ “People are not getting their health care,” Gold shared. “We’re so worried about the fact that patients believe that they are going to get sick if they show up for medical tests. But they’re actually hurting themselves.” They’re avoiding hospitals even during emergencies. “There are all these patients out there not showing up to emergency departments,” Gold stated, saying where she works, “The volume in the emergency department is incredibly low. Maybe 60 percent of what it usually is. And this is across the nation. Everybody’s had the same experience, excluding the New York metropolitan area.” “Actually, it’s quite empty,” she reported, saying of her own hospital, “I got a letter just this last week that we are firing 50 percent of our technicians.” Layoffs have been widespread in hospitals across the country since the pandemic hit. They’re Telling Trump Real World Examples of People Hurt More than 600 of these physicians involved with A Doctor A Day have sent a letter to President Trump, asking his coronavirus task force to keep in mind the full implications of a shutdown. In that letter, they warn millions of Americans are endangered by much of the medical world being cut off from them or by them cutting themselves off from it. The letter says, “These include 150,000 Americans per month who would have had a new cancer detected through a routine screening that hasn’t happened, millions who have missed routine dental care to fix problems strongly linked to heart disease/death, and preventable cases of stroke, heart attack, and child abuse. Suicide hotline phone calls have increased 600%.” The letter includes actual cases from the doctors’ own practices: “Patient A.F. has chronic but previously stable health conditions. Her elective hip replacement was delayed, which caused her to become sedentary, resulting in a pulmonary embolism in April.” “Patient R.T. is an elderly nursing home patient, who had a small stroke in early March but was expected to make a nearly complete recovery. Since the shutdown, he has had no physical or speech therapy, and no visitors. He has lost weight, and is deteriorating rather than making progress.” Flattening the Curve Made Sense, but Not Much Has Since In the media call, Gold spoke of the goal America was originally given when everyone was told they must “flatten the curve.” That goal was making sure hospitals weren’t overwhelmed by potentially millions of people dangerously ill from the coronavirus. She agreed with that goal when it was first voiced, saying, “I always was concerned if we’d have enough ventilators and ICU staff. That was always what I knew to be the potential problem. So I was encouraged when people said that we were going to try to slow things down for that particular reason. That makes medical sense. Everything that has followed since that does not make scientific sense and is flat-out detrimental to society.” “I cannot say strongly enough that the healthcare system not only is not overwhelmed, it is underwhelmed,” Gold insisted. “I can tell you of scores of nurses who’ve been laid off and scores of technicians who’ve been laid off. And in my specialty, emergency physicians have cut their hours by 35 percent. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career. My point is: the curve has been flattened.” “The reality is that we are way past the time where being locked down makes any scientific or medical sense,” said Dr. Jeff Barke, a primary care physician in Newport Beach, California. Herd Immunity Seriously Hampered He talked up the idea of herd immunity and addressed what he sees as the danger and illogic of keeping children and young people locked up. “We are taking the healthiest folks – the youngest, the strongest: our children – and we are in effect protecting the healthiest herd from being exposed and allowing them to get herd immunity,” Barke argued. “We’re seeing over and over, especially with the statistics on children, that children are almost completely spared from the ravages of this virus.” Santa Monica pediatrician Robert Hamilton added to the point, saying, “COVID-19 has actually been a relatively benign infection for children. In one study of about 150,000 people, only 1.7 percent of them were in the age category between zero and 18 years of age.” He pointed out those few young people infected were for the most part asymptomatic, meaning the small number who were sickened were, as he put it, “a tiny minority of a tiny minority.” Pediatrician Assures Children Won’t ‘Infect All of Us & Kill Us All’ But the fact that most children will by asymptomatic has caused the fear that if schools open up again and most of the students get infected, they’ll unknowingly carry the virus to the people who could be hurt or even killed by it. Or, as Hamilton paraphrased those who worry about such a thing, “’Oh my gosh, children are the ones who are going to infect all of us and kill us all!’” Hamilton said of that, “There was a recent study following a child who turned positive in the French Alps. He was exposed to over a hundred people. None of them turned positive.” The pediatrician also cited a study done in Iceland that shows basically the same results. He suggested these studies say of infected children, “They are not what I call ‘the bubonic plague rodents’ that we sometimes look at them as.’ Children are not actually the cause of the problem…they’re not the super-spreaders that people sometimes think.” So he argues for schools opening sooner rather than later. Care Put Off Can Cause Many Medical Crises This new group A Doctor A Day is also pointing out how halting most so-called “non-essential” surgeries and treatments during the pandemic can cause multiple medical crises. Gold explained, “There are problems pushing off what’s called ‘an elective surgery.’ That’s a very gray area. Things go from ‘elective’ to ‘urgent’ rapidly.” Dr. Steven Giannotta echoed what Gold said, speaking of the crucial surgeries done by him and his associates at a hospital at the University of Southern California: surgeries for cancer, brain aneurysms, brain tumors, heart and liver transplants, and stroke care. “When the lockdown came, we dutifully reduced our capacity to approximately 30 percent of normal,” Giannotta reported. “All of those patients who were in the pipeline to have their cancer treated or their brain aneurysm treated or their spinal condition treated were all put on hold.” And that put many of those patients at increased risk. On the flip side, the care Giannotta was not willing to see cut back involves stroke victims. But many of those people just aren’t showing up to get examined and get care. “Which means people are sitting at home with potential symptoms of stroke and are, for whatever reason, refusing to access the healthcare system,” Giannotta explained. Media’s Made Being COVID Positive Feel More Dangerous Than It Is He put much of the blame for that on news coverage, saying, “We’ve allowed the media to try to stigmatize COVID positivity.” Many people are already afraid they’ll get the virus at a medical office or in a hospital, and Giannotta charged media link getting the COVID virus to death: “They’ve stigmatized now our healthcare system and people are afraid to access the healthcare system for fear of becoming COVID positive, as if that is the worst possible outcome.” But he pointed out the odds for most people dying from COVID-19 are actually statistically very low, “Whereas all of our patients with care for their brain tumors being delayed and along with our stroke victims, who are unfortunately suffering strokes because they won’t access the healthcare system, are being very severely impacted by these lockdown tactics.” They’re Hurting Their Heart for Fear of the Virus Hurting Them Speaking of heart conditions, Gold added, “Why are we not concerned patients are not showing up at their cardiologist’s when it’s well-known if you don’t go to the cardiologist’s regularly, your heart disease will worsen? Why are we not concerned about the stroke patients that are having strokes at home, not getting treated or dying?” “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States,” cardiologist Gabe Vorobiof at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles pointed out. Speaking of those suffering from heart conditions, he reported they’re not keeping their doctors’ appointments or going to hospitals because “there are a huge number of patients that are simply terrified of what the media is putting out and they’re terrified of contracting this infection.” The results of that are deadly. “In-home cardiac arrests in the New York area are up 800 percent,” Vorobiof shared. “The majority of those cardiac arrest patients were not revived.” In other words, they died. “Ambulatory cardiology practices have seen about a 60 percent decline in patient volumes since late March. We’ve seen across-the-board reductions in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks),” Vorobiof reported, saying the same is true of those suffering strokes. “We’ve also seen reduction of patient visits for valve disease and transcatheter valve replacement. Procedures are way down.” Lockdowns & Pandemic-Panic Making Many Mental Problems Worse Gold introduced psychiatrist Dr. Mark McDonald, saying, “He’s had patients commit suicide because of depression and picking up drug use again.” McDonald runs a practice in West Los Angeles for children, adolescents, and other young people. He said during the lockdown, “I have had probably a 50 percent decline in patient visits due to patients being scared of coming to the office. These are children, adolescents, and young adults. They’re worried that if they get the coronavirus infection, they’ll die. And that’s what they’re hearing in the media and that’s what their parents are telling them.” He added, “And this is not isolated. I’ve had many patients call me recently in a state of panic. They don’t know what to do. They’re drinking again. They’re thinking of jumping off a bridge. They’re really suffering and there’s very little I can do. I have nowhere to send them because there are no resources available. Often they won’t even come into the office.” ‘A Pandemic of Hysteria’ “This, in my view, is a pandemic of hysteria and emotional overwhelm,” McDonald stated. “It’s not a medical pandemic. But the downstream consequences medically are very, very severe.” “There’s an emotional and social toll that this is taking on children, being in lockdown for this period of time,” said pediatrician Hamilton, backing up McDonald. “Issues of depression, suicide threats, that sense of futility, despair, fear, paranoia really, are taking ahold in our younger people, particularly older kids, junior high and high school ages.” Psychiatrist McDonald added, “I’ve had to increase my frequency and dosage of benzodiazepines, which is the valium and Xanax family of drugs, which are highly addictive, in order to treat overwhelming increases of panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, and generalized anxiety.” He added, “I hate using these drugs; I’m very conservative in my prescribing them. But I don’t have any choice because patients have no other resources. A lot of my patients have had substance abuse issues. They have nowhere to go. All of the AA meetings, 12-Step programs, outpatient and inpatient substance abuse programs — they’re done....

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Anger, Anxiety, Insomnia: Tweets from Twitter Users Could Predict Loneliness

AHA Publisher — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 08:00:35 +0000

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania via Newswise – Loneliness is estimated to affect roughly one in five adults in the United States. It also stands as a public health crisis because loneliness has been tied to depression, cardiovascular disease and dementia, among other conditions. Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – A team of researchers at Penn Medicine came together to determine what topics and themes could be associated with loneliness by accessing content posted by users on Twitter. By applying linguistic analytic models to tweets, the researchers found users who tweeted about loneliness post significantly more often about mental well-being concerns and things like struggles with relationships, substance use, and insomnia. Findings from this work, published today in BMJ Open, could lead to easier identification of users who are lonely and providing support for them even if they don’t explicitly tweet about feeling alone. “Loneliness can be a slow killer, as some of the medical problems associated with it can take decades to manifest,” said the study’s lead author Sharath Chandra Guntuku, PhD, a research scientist in Penn Medicine’s Center for Digital Health. “If we are able to identify lonely individuals and intervene before the health conditions associated with the themes we found begin to unfold, we have a change to help those much earlier in their lives. This could be very powerful and have long-lasting effects on public health.” By determining typical themes and linguistic markers posted to social media that are associated with people who are lonely, the team has uncovered some of the ingredients necessary to construct a “loneliness prediction system.” “Social media has the potential to allow researchers and clinicians to passively measure loneliness over time,” said study co-author Rachelle Schneider, a research coordinator in the Center for Digital Health. “Through validating our data, we can develop a reliable and accurate tool to do this monitoring.” Focusing on Twitter users in Pennsylvania with publicly accessible accounts, the team found 6,202 who included words like “lonely” or “alone” more than five times over the period reviewed, which stretched from 2012 to 2016. Comparing the entire Twitter timelines of these users to a matched group who did not have such language included their posts, the researchers showed that “lonely” users tweeted nearly twice as much and were much more likely to do so at night. When the tweets were analyzed via several different linguistic analytic models, the users who posted about loneliness had an extremely high association with anger, depression, and anxiety, when compared to the “non-lonely” group. Additionally, the lonely group were significantly associated with tweeting about struggles with relationships (for example, using phrases like “want somebody” or “no one to”), substance use (“smoke,” “weed,” and/or “drunk”) and issues with regulating their emotions (“I just wanna,” “I can’t,” and/or the use of expletives). “On Twitter, we found lonely users expressing a need for social support, and it appears that the use of expletives and the expression of anger is a sign of that being unfulfilled,” Guntuku said. “Moving forward, we will need to test this in order to determine if one may cause the other – does loneliness cause anger, or vice versa?” Users in the group that didn’t post about loneliness seemed to display some social connections, as they were found to be more likely to engage in conversations, especially by including others’ user names (using “@twitter_handle”) in their tweets. The study’s senior author Raina Merchant, MD, the director of the Center for Digital Health, explained that once loneliness is identified, it can be addressed in a number of ways. “It’s clear that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model,” she said. “Some interventions include buddy systems, peer-to-peer networks, therapy, and skill development for navigating day-to-day interactions with others.” In the future, the researchers hope to develop a better measure of the different dimensions of loneliness that online users are feeling and expressing. Guntuku said that early work is showing that a predictive model they developed as a result of this study is accurately predicting loneliness in a patient population that opted-in to share their Twitter data and took a validated loneliness survey. The hope is to soon launch an initiative that identifies lonely patients receiving care in the hospital and then to develop interventions for them and their families/support systems. To read the original article click here.

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