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May 19, 2022

Health & Wellness

Coping with grief: Healthy grieving tips

EVERYDAY HEALTH, in its April 2022 newsletter, invites us into the realm of those grieving, especially on the loss of a loved one – such as a parent, spouse, sibling, daughter or son, friend, or pet – even the loss of a job or romantic relationship. Psychologist Sigmund Freud published a 1917 essay on the subject which he called “grief work.” He described it “as a period of time following a loss when a person must process or work through their thoughts, memories, and emotions in order to move on with life.”

Vacination and proper ventilation needed for spring’s indoor virus challenge

According to Wall Street Journal’s March issue, as people return this Spring to offices and other indoor spaces, infectious-disease experts highlight the vital roles of air quality and inoculation. Since the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the cause of the pandemic two years ago, opinion on the importance of temperature checks and deep-cleaning desk surfaces has now been dismissed as very little aids in the removal of the virus and its many mutants.

Mask guidelines relaxed, now what?

Towards the end of February, 2022, American government officials eased up on their guidelines on Covid-19 masking, including in schools. This shift occurred as a result of the decreased Omicron variant risks, and a steep drop in cases nationwide. As a result of this occurrence, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Friday, February 25th, made a change in the way it used risk assessment in U.S. counties.  Here are the three assessment factors now being used by the CDC.

COVID chaos on the roads

THE WEEK, January 21, 2022, Volume 22 Issue 1062, admonishes the pandemic for having caused a great deal of the dramatic increase in speeding, reckless driving, and deadly crashes on America’s highways, city avenues, and even residential streets. The trusted magazine states these amazing and tragic facts: “In 2020, despite millions of workers staying home and traffic plummeting, there were an estimated 38,680 U.S. auto-related deaths – a 7 percent increase from 2019.”

Marijuana may offer viable autism treatment

After having read my two-part article on marijuana, one of my readers asked the question about whether I had heard about a mother in Texas having used the drug for treatment of her autistic child. The below info will inform Sun City residents of my recent exploration into this subject.

Difficulties in using medical marijuana

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association informs us that “marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.” The association continues “Marijuana is the most commonly used (often) illegal substance in the U.S. and its use is growing. Marijuana use among all adult age groups, both sexes, and pregnant women (a terrible development for the unborn child) is going up. At the same time, the perception of how harmful marijuana use can be is declining.

Medical marijuana: The legal use, part 1

This past year of 2021 saw record sales of $1.38 billion dollars in Illinois revenue from the state’s 110 recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries. One-third of the Illinois-approved purchases were made by out of state visitors.

Use caution when eating and drinking and taking meds this holiday season

The pharmacy Update in “December, 2021 – Costco Connection” gives this strong advice from Lawrence Varga, B.Sc.Phm.: “Navigate your medications this holiday season.”

He cautions us not to be tempted to overindulge in alcoholic drinking now or at any other time during the year. Health professionals are aware of seniors possibly taking certain medications that need special treatment. The following information comes from this general manager of the store’s pharmacy operations in Canada. It concerns what happens on an empty stomach, on a full stomach, or when drinking.

The necessity of heart exercise this holiday season

The winter holiday season and its wasted non-nutritional calorie consumption has once again begun. Therefore, I thought it important to discuss heart problems often caused by a lack of exercise and poor diet choices. Dr. Tim Sanborn is one of six cardiologists on the Southeast Wisconsin Heart Institute staff located at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie (Wisconsin) Hospital. His comments will be quoted in the following paragraphs as they appeared in the Fall 2021 ChicagoLife Magazine under the subject: “Health Benefits of Exercise on the Heart.”

Safety 1st

Here is some excellent advice in these difficult times from Huntley’s Police Department’s Sergeant Kevin Keane. Seniors are especially popular targets of con artists who may pose as charity solicitors, grandchildren, home improvement providers and repair workers, romantic imposters, or internet scammers (just to name a few). It behooves us to learn how to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Diabetes the disease, part II

According to the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), “Diabetes can strike anyone, from any walk of life…in numbers that are dramatically increasing.” As stated also in my Part 1 on the subject, “Today, more than 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes.” Add to that figure, the fact that “Worldwide, more than 463 million people have diabetes.”

The miracle of insulin to help in the control of diabetes

My below report depicts the history of diabetes with its miracle discovery of insulin used to control and prolong the lives of the 34.2 million Americans living today with Diabetes 1 and Diabetes 2. I found Amanda Foreman’s Wall Street Journal column fascinating in its explanation of the discovery of insulin a century ago. Foreman refers to this event as one of the “greatest medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.”

The Problem with the longevity of COVID-19 Shots

Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) writer, Jo Craven McGinty, asks the question “Why don’t Covid-19 vaccinations last longer? Measles shots are good for life, chickenpox immunizations protect for 10 to 20 years, and tetanus jabs last a decade or more.”

Meanwhile, our country’s health officials are deciding whether to give authority for Covid-19 boosters to vaccinated adults as soon as six months after their initial inoculations. The info below is a synopsis of our writer’s answer to the above question in The Wall Street Journal.

The dangers of digital ‘e-dictions’

Today’s rising rates of depression and anxiety among all ages of people may be a result of our brains’ messengers getting hooked on pleasurable activities. This is especially true in the Covid-19 Era where more and more people are spending an extreme amount of hours at home in pursuit of video games.

Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University, gives us this essay adapted from her new book: “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.” Dopamine is the brain’s chemical that functions as a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. In the past 75 years, it has been discovered, however, that pain and pleasure are processed in the same part of the brain.

Health risks of air pollution for the heart

In addition to global warming and climate change with its rising sea levels, Dr. Tim Sanborn of Chicago Life Magazine (Summer 2021) addresses the importance of heart issues resulting from air pollution. Now acknowledged by the American Heart Association and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (along with many other organizations), air pollution has become a dangerous health hazard for heart trouble. More than smoking, obesity, and elevated blood glucose, air pollution is linked to over 3 million worldwide cardiovascular deaths annually. Only hypertension has led to greater cardiovascular mortality.

The mystery of long COVID illness

With fully vaccinated people having been saved (for the most part) from the severe illness and death of the Covid-19 virus, scientists are now identifying an array of less serious, but potentially debilitating chronic long-term symptoms of the Covid-19 disease. Now responsible for more than 80% of our country’s rapidly growing caseload of the viral scourge, the Delta variant or mutation is spreading even amongst our largely unvaccinated youth. The new scientific term “Long Covid” refers to symptoms that last for weeks or months beyond infection.

COVID-19 antibodies to the rescue?

In their article “Covid-19 Antibodies Remain Beneficial,” the Wall Street Journal explains that “Research indicates an enduring level of protection, but variants, like Delta, present risks.” The article’s authors, Brianna Abbott and Stephanie Armour, state that “Infection and inoculation both elicit an immune response against Covid-19 that lasts for months and possibly years, a growing body of research shows, but the power of vaccines against known variants make the shots critical to containing the virus.”

Two important questions about COVID vaccination

A Sun Day reader recently asked two very important questions for the newspaper’s health staff to answer. Here are the Sun City resident’s questions and my column’s researched answers from The Cleveland Clinic and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sitting on the psychological fallout from Covid-19

With the end of the U.S. pandemic’s emergency phase now in sight, experts are, nevertheless, awaiting a long-term impact on individuals’ mental health. Some people will resolve their feelings of anxiety and depression as they resume their normal routine, such as going back to work in an office setting, or reforming social connections. But then there are others who will face new mental health issues or those issues that already persist.

Damage from exposure to the sun’s uv rays is cumulative

I, like so many teenage girls who lived in the 50s through the 60s, welcomed our rich bronze skin tans as a sign of a healthy glow. Indeed, we lathered our skins with a baby oil and iodine mixture aided with the use of a tin foil plate placed under our chins to gather even stronger sun rays reflected onto our faces!

India’s and China’s viral misery

In a follow-up to my last column’s story, here is more info on what has led to the catastrophe of Covid-19 numbers and vaccination failures in India and many of the earth’s poorer countries, including China.

Poorest nationals fall behind on vaccine efforts

As recently as April 20, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated, “More than a quarter of the U.S. population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.”  

Meanwhile new versions, including a double mutation of the coronavirus, have been playing a role in the world’s fastest developing surge of cases.  

Key to reaching herd immunity: ‘Surveillance and containment’

My first article on this topic leaves us questioning “If herd immunity is out of reach, does that mean we’re doomed?”  

Our Wall Street Journal (WSJ) medical authors (Larry Brilliant, W. Ian Lipkin, Lisa Danzig, and Karen Pak Oppenheimer) all answer this question with a resounding “Not at all.”

Much more to be done

In its March 27 publication, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) presented “Herd Immunity Won’t Save Us – But We Can Still Beat Covid-19.”  The all-encompassing article was written by medical officers and immunology experts: Larry Brilliant, W. Ian Lipkin, Lisa Danzig, and Karen Pak Oppenheimer. The authors dismiss the fact that “herd immunity” would be an easy plateau to reach.

Is daylight savings time driving you coo-coo, coo-coo, coo-coo?

Today, sixty-per cent of the world follow standard time all year long. As a result, many U.S. citizens (feeling the loss of that one hour of sleep) and their states are questioning the impact that changing clocks appears to have on their health.

Preparing for the next pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic appears to be finally winding down! Current statistics show large decreases in case numbers and fatalities. Thanks to Sun City/Huntley’s fabulous management staff and outstanding neighborhood reps, seniors (choosing to do so) have already received their first corona virus vaccination with a second (booster) shot to be given to them in the next few weeks. Masks and social distancing practices are still advised by the government, but a post-pandemic world is now in reach.

Researchers find sunlight may cause less COVID transmission

Mark Puleo, an Accuweather staff writer, gave us an updated article on January 22. He informs us that researchers are continuing to increase their understanding of the role ultraviolet (UV) radiation plays in the pandemic spread.

2021 Exercise Resolutions by the numbers

Author, Jo Craven McGinty, in her Wall Street Journal article (January 2021), informs us of numbers important for carrying out successful workout resolutions this year. She first cautions us to mark the calendar day of March 7. This is an important date because, according to one study, it takes 66 days to develop a new habit. Unfortunately, according to Gallup Polls, 80% of resolutions are broken by mid-February, with the most common vow of “exercise improvement” then lost in the shuffle.

Illinois attempts to meet the challenge for safe and effective vaccine rollouts in 2021

Beset by confusion and disorganization in many of our states, our country’s most ambitious vaccination campaign ever has not yet met with its 2020 promises of delivery and number of inoculations.