The World of Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is quite common in today’s society with people increasingly following a vegetarian diet.  It is a diet that is adopted for many reasons from the objection of eating meat for humanistic reasons or for religious reasons or for a healthier lifestyle.  Whatever may the reason be for following a vegetarian diet, it is a growing trend amongst many people.  Following a vegetarian diet has beneficial affects to the health and a not so beneficial effect to the health.  However, there are more health benefits to following a vegetarian diet.

What is Vegetarianism?

A vegetarian diet is a diet that does not include meat, seafood or their products.  However, the word encompasses many different types of vegetarianism.

 Types of Vegetarianism

• Ovo vegetarianism- They include eggs but not dairy products and all vegetables along with fruits.
• Lacto vegetarianism- They include dairy products but not eggs.
• Lacto ovo –vegetarianism- They include animal products like eggs, milk or honey as well.
• Veganism- They exclude all animal flesh and products as milk, honey, eggs.
• Fruitarianism-It only permits fruit, nuts, seeds that can be gathered without harming the plant.
• Pescatarian- includes eating fish and other seafood.

By:  Chavan, S.

Health Benefits

Studies have shown that a vegetarian diet has many health benefits.

• A vegetarian diet helps to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood lipids (fat) levels, which equates to a lower risk for heart disease.
• Lower levels of cholesterol are particularly beneficial to managing diabetes due to the great amount of fiber that vegetarians consume. Fiber seems to aid in maintaining low blood sugar.
• Having a vegetarian diet helps with to contribute to weight loss and/or weight management. Consuming a vegetarian diet helps to lower BMI levels more so than a non-vegetarian.
• A vegetarian diet may help in some form of cancer. Studies show that vegetarians versus non-vegetarians lowers their risks of developing cancer.  For example, a reduction in eating red meat due to the high volumes of iron in red meat can decrease the risks of developing colon and rectal cancer.
• Prevention of kidney stones and gall stones can be decreased with having a vegetarian diet for animal protein causes the body to discharge calcium, oxalate and uric acid which are seen to help in developing kidney stones and gall stones.

Risks of a Vegetarian Diet

Although following a vegetarian diet poses various health benefits it also has many health risks.

• Iron deficiencies
• Vitamin C deficiency
• Calcium deficiency, which is important for healthy bone and for the development of bone.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency, which is important to keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and to prevent anemia.
• Decreased levels of creatine, which is important for amino acids used by the muscles.

 Maintaining a Healthy Vegetarian Diet

Plant-based foods are difficult to obtain iron from, but cereals, legumes, and other plant-based are rich in iron.  However, including ascorbic acid and vitamin C to aid in maximizing the iron obtained in the plant-based foods can prevent iron deficiency.  In the case of calcium deficiency, vegetarians can derive calcium from green leafy vegetables such as kale, bok choy, spinach, etc. are good sources of calcium to replace dairy products derived from animals. And in regards to vitamin b12, vegetarians may consume soy milk and meat substitutes.

Reference

Appleby, Paul N. & Key, Timothy J.  (2016).  Proceedings of the Nutrition Society:  The long-term health of Vegetarians and Vegans.  UK:  Cambridge Core.

 Becoming a Vegetarian (2009).  Harvard Women’s Health Watch.  Boston:  Harvard Health Publishing.

Brazier, Yvette (2017).  What to Know About the Vegetarian Diet.  Medical News Today, 19. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com.

Bourassa, Lacey (2019).  Disadvantages of a Vegetarian Diet. People Are Reading. Livestrong.com.

Burr, Michael L (1982).  Vegetarianism, dietary fiber, and mortality. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 36:  873-877.

Chavan, S. (2015).  A Study of Vegetarianism.  International Peer-Reviewed Journal (5).   Research Horizons.

Dwyer, Johanna T. (1988).  Health Aspects of Vegetarian Diets.  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 48:  712-738.

Harvard Medical School (2004).  Vegetarianism:  Addition by Subtraction.  Harvard Health Letter.  Harvard Health Publications.

Mangels, Ann R. (2014).  Bone Nutrients for Vegetarians.  The American Journal of ClinicalNutrition, 100, 469-475.

ProCon.org. (2018).  Should People Become Vegetarian?

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE #1

'Reactivating': Coronavirus patients testing positive for
second time after recovery, officials say

“Officials in South Korea have reported around 100 patients thought to have recovered from COVID-19 have tested positive for the virus again” (Click on Detroit, 2020).

“More studies of these patients are needed to determine the truth, but it could have huge implications for nations relying on antibody tests to determine who is safe to return to work. It could also impact the development of a vaccine” (Click on Detroit, 2020).

RESEARCH SAYS..

A sister of COVID-19, also known as the middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and its ability for antibodies to respond, is not yet fully understood. (Al-Abdely et al., 2019). Due to the importance of understanding the impact that MERS-CoV or COVID-19 have on underlying medical conditions and mortality, research is still in progress.
A research study was conducted at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. 33 patients that were positive for MERS-CoV participated in the study. Specimens were collected in hopes to make gains with creating a vaccine for this family of viruses (Al-Abdely et al., 2019).
This research study considered the severity of each patient’s diagnosis, their daily symptoms, levels of certain cell activities, as well as their response to specific antibodies.
Research found that even patients who passed away from the virus, did have strong antibody responses during the second and third weeks of illness. However, their response was not sufficient for patient recovery. This presence of detectable antibodies assists researchers in developing vaccines and antibody therapeutics for this family of viruses (Al-Abdely et al., 2019).
In conclusion, the findings did broaden the understanding of the history of MERS-CoV to use in relation to the sister, COVID-19. However, more research is required.

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE #2

Can Coronavirus 'reactivate' in recovered patients?

QUESTIONABLE QUOTES

“They are saying that it’s possible that some virus has laid dormant within the person and it’s re-activated” (Fox News, 2020).

“Let’s wait until we see some U.S. studies before we start being concerned to really think that re-activation is possible“ (Fox News, 2020).

RESEARCH SAYS..

According to the nation’s health protection agency, also known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the duration of immunity to the disease known as COVID-19 is not yet understood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). However, patients with MERS-CoV, which is a respiratory syndrome that is related to COVID-19, are unlikely to be re-infected immediately after recovery. More research is required to determine whether similar immune protection will be of assistance for patients with COVID-19.

It is also essential to know that the Federal Drug Administration has not yet approved any medication to prevent the onset of symptoms after having been exposed to COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).

The information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does support what the media is saying. However, it only supports what the media is saying at the end of the news clip. It is important to take into consideration that headlines can be misleading. For example, the media is stating that experts are saying that there is a possibility that the second test for COVID-19 that is provided to those who tested positive for the virus could be detecting lingering strands of the virus and not a true re-activation (Fox News, 2020). They are also stating that there is a theory that some of the patients were re-infected. However, they do go on to say that more studies are needed to determine the truth (Fox News, 2020). Therefore, this media clip is a mix of both fact and fiction.

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE #3

Expert: Recovered coronavirus patients are still prone to infection

QUESTIONABLE QUOTES

“China’s national health commission says it’s possible for recovered patients to contract the virus again” (China Global Television Network, 2020).

“The antibody will be generated. However, in certain individuals the antibody cannot last that long for those patients who have been cured. There is a likelihood of relapse (China Global Television Network, 2020).

RESEARCH SAYS..

Outbreaks of COVID-19 are being monitored and contained with the public health measures that are being taken. However, there is still concern over the possibility of future recurrences (Yang et al., 2004). Finding a vaccine for COVID-19 continues to be a high priority.

Research has been in the works regarding finding a vaccine for the virus. SARS-CoV, a sister of the COVID-19 that is currently impacting the world we live in today, is considered a novel coronavirus. However, vaccines for other human coronaviruses have not yet been successfully developed (Yang et al., 2004).

Vaccination for the SARS-CoV has demonstrated effective immune responses to generate protective immunity in mice. However, this approach has only just started in human studies, and its potential to protect against human diseases has yet to be established.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER..

How Headlines Change the Way We Think

Al-Abdely, H., Midgley, C., Alkhamis, A., Abedi, G., Lu, X., Binder, A., Alanazi, K.,… Tamin, (2019). Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection Dynamics and Antibody Responses among Clinically Diverse Patients, Saudi Arabia. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 25(4).

Association For Psychological Science. (2014, December 30). How Headlines Change the Way We Think. Retrieved, May 5th, 2020 from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/how-headlines-change-the-way-we-think.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Retrieved April 24, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/faq.html

China Global Television Network. (2020, January 31). Expert: Recovered coronavirus patients are still prone to infection. Retrieved May 4, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ99J7mlaIQ

Click on Detroit. (n.d.). ‘Reactivating’: Coronavirus patients testing positive for second time after recovery, officials say. Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.clickondetroit.com/health/good-health/2020/04/13/reactivating-coronavirus-patients-testing-positive-for-second-time-after-recovery-officials-say/

Fox News. (2020, April 7). Can coronavirus ‘reactivate’ in recovered patients? Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://video.foxnews.com/v/6147782436001#sp=show-clips

Yang, Z., Wing-Pui, K., Huang, Y., Roberts, A., Murphy, B., Subbarao, K., & Nabel, G. (2004). A DNA vaccine induces SARS coronavirus neutralization and protective immunity in mice. Nature. 428(1).

The unknown can be intimidating, scary, and sometimes quite fascinating.  Currently, we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has caused many countries across the world to basically close.  This has been the first time in my life that I have seen something like this happen and I am wondering that if we were more prepared, could this shutdown have been avoided or at least modified?  When will the economy be able to open back up and will anything really ever be the same after something like this?  These are some of the questions that are on my mind and most likely on other’s minds as well.  Only time will tell what will happen in the future.

Initial Response

December of 2019 brought about a strange affliction that no one had ever seen before.  There were several strange cases of a new pneumonia that were popping up in Wuhan, China.  The World Health Organization (WHO) was only made aware about these findings on December 31st of 2019.  During the early days of January there was still so much unknown about SARS-CoV-2.  The WHO had reported that by January 3rd, 2020, there were already 44 cases of this unknown pneumonia with 11 of them being critically ill (WHO, n.d.).  At that time, they required more information before declaring something like a public health emergency.  Pneumonia is common in the winter and the symptoms were common of several other respiratory illnesses.  On January 12th, China shared the genetic sequence for covid-19 and on January 13th, there was a confirmed case of covid-19 in Thailand which would be the first case outside of China.  It took until January 30th for the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and by that time there were 7,818 confirmed cases worldwide with 82 of them being in 18 different countries across the globe (WHO, n.d.).  This has only been done a total of six times since 2009 and this is the first time I have seen it shut down countries.

How was the United States preparing for a potential battering from a new strain of coronavirus?

As you can see, the President did not take the threat seriously in the beginning.  Could that have been part of the reason that it has spread so rapidly in this country?  Could the WHO have declared this a public health emergency sooner?  The first case of the coronavirus was detected in Washington State on January 20th and it was a man who was returning from Wuhan, China.  The President created the coronavirus task force on the 29th in an attempt to manage the spread of this disease.  I’d like to also note an irrelevant fact that Japanese giant hornets or “murder hornets” were also found in the state of Washington.  Nothing good is coming from Washington these days.  After the coronavirus task force was established, travel restrictions for China.  It seems like that may have been a bit too late considering there was already someone in the country from Wuhan that had tested positive.

What did healthcare workers need to properly take on this issue?

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical staff was a worrisome issue for a lot of healthcare systems.  Some nurses and physicians were worried that they may run out of PPE for their facility and that would put their colleagues at risk for exposure.  As you can see, since there was much to be found out about this virus, every precaution was being taken to avoid the spread and to protect our healthcare workers.  Usually if no contact with blood or bodily fluids is expected, some people would not consider PPE (Cochrane, 2019).  Since there is still so much to learn about this virus, it is being treated aggressively.  Gown, gloves, n95 mask, and face shield are all worn into the room of a patient with a confirmed case of with the potential of having it.  At my hospital, I have to wear the n95 mask for my whole 12 hour shift as mandated by the emergency department medical director.  This is quite the mandate after being told prior to this pandemic that n95 masks are single use.  Now they’re taking every precaution to spare every single one.  Different organizations and different parts of the country are reporting varying degrees of availability of PPE.  Donald Trump was honoring some healthcare workers recently and a nurse from New Orleans reported that PPE in her area was sporadic, but manageable at the time whereas a nurse from New Jersey reported there was no shortage that she knew of (Chalfant, 2020).

Along with PPE, hospitals also were worried they may not have enough ventilators for these critically ill patients.  On March 28th, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had apparently shipped 8,100 ventilators, but New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated that FEMA contributed to a bidding war and felt it was more like eBay (Smith, 2020).  States and hospitals shouldn’t have to bid for life-saving equipment.  I could liken that type of behavior to war-profiteering.

Current Covid-19 Statistics

• About 1,193, 813 cases reported
• About 70,802 deaths
• About 167,000 recovered cases

As you can see, the projections for this virus by June 1st are that roughly 100,000 people will have died from SARS-CoV-2.  President Trump touted 80-90,000 people losing their lives because of this at the low end of the plane and that would be a success for this country (Leblanc and Hoffman, 2020).  The reason these numbers are so low is because of social distancing and the shut down of non-essential businesses.  Since Georgia has opened back up they have seen a rise in their number of cases so the opening may have been a bit premature.

What can we do to help control the spread?

Video beginning from 2:34.

Widespread accurate testing will help with reopening the country safely.  As John Oliver said, the virus could have been managed better and quicker with testing so they could do contact tracing and targeted quarantine.  The low-end of testing is 500,000 tests a day and some say 35 million tests run a day.  Only 200,000 tests are being run in the United States daily (Azad, 2020).

So, how did we do?

Considering the amount of deaths and cases so far in the United States and the current projections by June 1st, I feel that the United States could have done a much better job managing the spread of the pandemic.  It is clear from the scramble for PPE and ventilators in hospitals that we were very ill-prepared for something like this to occur.  I dread the thought of wondering what would have happened if the Ebola outbreak in 2014 would have wreaked havoc in the United States.  Early detection of the virus was important and containing the spread were some of the key points in keeping others safe from this.  It is possible the number of deaths could have been lower if the proper amount of testing was being done.  Now testing can help reopen the country safely, but the tests are just not available.  Not having the proper testing initially and even now is why the United States is currently failing to protect it’s own people.  There are protests going on in the country about people not liking the stay-at-home orders, but that is to prevent the spread of such a contagious illness and not end up killing more people.  So America, no, you did not do it right.  We can take this as a lesson for the future and be able to hopefully prepare better.  Do not believe something like this is a hoax.  Take the warning seriously and save lives.

References

Azad, A. (2020, April 21). The US needs to perform millions of coronavirus tests per week, experts say. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/health/millions-of-tests-report/index.html

CDC.  Cases in the U.S. (2020, April 29). Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

Chalfant, M. (2020, May 6). Trump disagrees after nurse reports ‘sporadic’ supply of protective gear. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/496451-trump-disagrees-after-nurse-reports-sporadic-supply-of-protective

Cochrane, J., & Jersby, M. (2019). When to wear personal protective equipment to prevent infection. British Journal of Nursing, 28(15), 982–984. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2019.28.15.982

LeBlanc, P., & Hoffman, J. (2020, May 4). Trump again shifts estimated US coronavirus death toll. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/03/politics/trump-coronavirus-death-estimates/index.html

Smith, D. (2020, April 2). Trump says US stockpile of protective equipment nearly gone amid coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/01/trump-coronavirus-stockpile-ppe-briefing

WHO Timeline – COVID-19. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline—covid-19

The lowdown on Sensory Processing Disorder

By: MattJP

First, let us get an understanding of what Sensory Processing is. Scratching your head yet just thinking about it? No need to fret, we will get through this together. Deep breath!  Sensory processing centers in our brain are basically an organization center that sorts and categorizes incoming sensations that it receives from the environment.  Think of the post office sorting mail by region, weight, and zip code, then shipping it to the right place with its intended message. That’s what our brain does but a million times faster and with a truck load more mail.  It’s our brains responsibility to sort it out by specific sensation, and interpret the proper message from that mail. Then we can lay the foundation for more advanced and higher-level abilities.

Take, for example, a baby, they will put just about everything and anything in their mouth, not because they think it will taste great, but by using their sense of taste and tactile information (is this hard or soft, smooth or lumpy) helps them to learn about the world they live in.  Yup, your little kiddo is using their sense of smell, sight, touch, taste, and hearing to help them set the basics for crawling to walking, talking, and playing.  All this new information grows exponentially every day, building on top of other skills children exhibit during play as a prerequisite for more precise movements and behaviors (Watts et al., 2012).

 Sometimes a child can have difficulty interpreting what that letter they received in the mail says; they can’t make heads or tail of the message.  Could it be the letter was sent to the wrong zip code, or was there too much mail going to one place? There are many reasons why a sensory message will be distorted and that’s what happens with sensory processing disorders. Maybe a child wont receive the sensory messages at the same time, or it comes too quick or too slow causing them to react.  This is what we see as parents, therapists, or teachers- the outcome of all those sensory signals not developing the right way in the brain.  Therefore, children can become either overwhelmed by an onslaught of sensory overload or they are not receiving the messages fast enough, craving even more.  Suppose you were reading a good book, but it was coming to you through that mail carrier that was such a slow poke, you couldn’t wait to read the rest of that book. For me it would be chocolate chip cookies. Alas, I’d find myself eating other kinds of cookies to try to manage or stave off my cravings.  That is happening when you see a child constantly banging or crashing into everything.  They are trying to get their fix on sensory information.  

The ABCs On Our Senses and OT

By: Marco Verch Professional Photographer and Speaker

There’s more to the story than meets the eye, because low and behold there’s two other senses that we rarely hear about. Introducing: Proprioception and Vestibular sensation! Pediatric Occupational Therapists use these other senses when working with children with SPD to help them organize and make sense of the information they are receiving and this in turn helps them attend to everyday activities and their occupations- play! It can help them interpret these sensory messages in a more controlled and organized manner, allowing them to perform daily activities such as dressing, school work or help focus to play with peers.

But what do these senses do, you might ask? Well, proprioception comes from sensory receptors in our muscles that help us to process where our body parts are in space. Like, for instance, am I hanging upside down from a tree or am I midair as I jump up and down on my bed? 

Vestibular sense comes from those receptors’ way down in our ears that help us position our bodies in relation to our head, giving us the ability to keep ourselves balanced and upright, to move around and walk with coordination. A dancer’s vestibular system is highly refined like an artist’s distinct painting technique, just look at how many times they can twirl and spin around without getting dizzy!

Do you notice any of the following:

• Do they have a hard time transitioning to new activities (having a meltdown when finishing breakfast to then getting dressed)
• Becoming overly frighten of loud noises and sirens 
• Hesitant to play with toys or other children or scared of heights. 
• When they hold crayons or pencils, they are always breaking from too much force or don’t apply enough pressure
• Walk on their tip toes
• Always bumping into things, falling down a lot when playing or tripping easily when walking and running
• Are very “handsy” or pushy with other kids and they also hug you very tight and hard
•  Does not like it when their hands get dirty or playing with sand, paint or sticky materials
• Sleeping at night is hard- getting to sleep and staying asleep
• Avoidance of many different foods 
• Does not answer to their name easily
• Becomes upset when their socks are not on right or they can feel their tag on the back of their shirt. 

Two kinds of Sensory Processing Disorders

• Overly sensitive- don’t like to get their hands dirty, avoids new foods, scared of loud sounds, hesitant to play with peers or on with new toys.
• Under sensitive- constantly jumping, running, bumping and throwing themselves into everything.  They usually hug you too hard and break their pencils or crayons with a heavy grip. 

How can Occupational Therapy Help?

I thought you would never ask! When an Occupational Therapist works with children that have Sensory processing disorder, they like to use a technique called Sensory Integration, that helps a child process their sensations even better. They put children on specialized swings, have them crawl over, under and through obstacles and play with a variety of sensory rich activities.  The OT picks specific sensory activities, introducing it to the child in a progressive manner this way the child can process the incoming sensation properly with the skilled modification of the therapist (Schaar & Nightlinger, 2007).

Because kids with SPD usually have such a difficult time processing the huge amount of sensory input we receive, we want to give you the tools you need as a parent to be able to work with your little one, helping them to organizing the world around them.  With the right activities and a little bit of modification you will see a big change in the way he or she plays with other kids, pays attention during school, or completing common developmental milestones .

Bottom Line…

Children with SPD have a difficult time organizing the content and even the speed at which they receive sensory messages from the environment, and this can cause chaos. Interaction with and participation in those meaningful and appropriate daily activities will seem all consuming and definitely like pulling teeth. But life doesn’t have to be so stressful and these are the best times of your life with your kiddo. With the right type of therapy along with a bit of modification to their environment, you can provide a just right approach to how your little one lives in the great big sensational world.

Great At Home Activities will help your little one get used to different sensations

• Make a sensory bin: fill a big plastic container with sand, uncooked pasta or dried beans (making sure no one will eat them) and fill it with feathers, cotton balls or their favorite toys. Make them explore the box to find them.
• Have them crawl and walk like an Animal
• Jump and crawl over a homemade pillow fort

Check out these sites to try these ideas and others:

-Playapy on youtube is a great channel formed by a pediatric OT. She has a whole series of animal crawls from A-Z! https://youtu.be/z4k1zkOr9XY

-Kids OT help, a youtube channel with great ideas and in-depth explanations of SPD and other common developmental diagnosis. She shares tips and ideas for sensory bins.

-OT mom leaning activities is a great website with hundreds of sensory activities https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/sensory-integration-activities.htm

References

Schaaf, R. C., & Nightlinger, K. M. (2007). Occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach: A case study of effectiveness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 239–246.

Watts, T., Stagnitti, K., & Brown, T. (2014). Relationship between play and sensory processing: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, e37–e46. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.009787

With school primarily being at home and online, one would think that there is more time to relax and take time on assignments. That days are leisurely paced and stress free. Many can argue that this is not the case. There are less physical outputs that can help calm and organized kids, like gym class and recess. There is an underlying fear that is present, that many of these children may not be able to vocalize, but know that it is there. It could be worry that something will happen to someone they love. It could be that they are scared to do anything because they think they will get the Corona Virus. From what they hear through television and their parents conversation, it’s seems pretty bad. People are dying. Could they die too? These are some of the thoughts that may be going on in the minds of many children today.

With underlying thoughts and fears that are emerging with this pandemic. It is important for adults to check themselves and recognize how much information that they may be exposing their children to. It is important to have reassurance that they are being safe by staying home and that by working together. Dr. John Piacentini and Dr. Diana Santacrose give insight on how parents can help their anxious children not only through the current state of affairs, but when dealing with children with anxiety in general.

What can parents do to help?

• Listen to children
• Focus on successes
• Pay attention to their behavior as a parent
• Avoid anxious questions and reassurances

Strategies for children Ages 2-10

• Bubble blowing
• Image Breathing like “Smell the flowers, blow out the candles.”
• Yoga Poses for relaxation
• I spy books as a distraction
• Scenario preparation; reviewing what will happen at school or the doctor’s

Strategies for 11-15

• Breathing and Meditation Apps
• Practice Mindfulness, “Today I am thankful for…” or “The best thing that happened today was…”
• Meaningful Exercises like walking a pet or tossing a baseball.
• Coloring Pages
• Humor

It is important to seek professional help when anxiety begins to interfere with school, home and social situations. Anxiety can look and feel different in older children. Not only may they exhibit symptoms like nausea and isolation, they are going through a huge change in their body and brain development. Activities that may have been helpful when they were a child may seem immature now.

Often times humor can help with difficult situations and reduce the stress level when something is out of the ordinary. This next video from Anxiety BC gives some perspective on what it may feel like to have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in your adolescent years. It helps to give all of these feelings a name and recognize that it is normal to feel anxious in certain circumstances. There are some resources that young teens may find helpful included at the end.

It is important to get anxiety under control when people are young so that they can become adults that have the capability to manage life stressors. Coping skills that are specific to individuals and can help them through tougher times that may emerge, whether it be medical procedures, graduation speeches, job interview or even surviving a global pandemic.

References:

Cahill, S. (2019). Yoga intervention for children 5-21 years.  Literature Review from 2017, Bethesda, MD: AOTA

Crowley, M., Greatorex, K., Mayes, L., McCarthy, D., Nicholls, S. & Wu, J. (2018). Innovations in practice: group mindfulness for adolescent anxiety-results of an open trial. Child & Adolescent Mental Health. May. Vol. 23 (2), p.130-133.

Fabris, M., Longobardi, C., Prino, L. & Settani, M. (2019). Soap Bubbles as a distraction technique in the management of pain, anxiety, and fear in the children at the pediatric emergency room: A pilot study. Child: Care, Health & Development. March, Vol.45 (2). p.300-305.

MEDIA 1:

Dr. Phil is a television medical professional who is known mostly for his T.V show about dramatic interventions with people suffering from behavioral/social issues. He warns about a different kind of emergency during this pandemic, mainly mental health issues. His tone is serious and concerned, and he uses several statistics to drive his point that the precautions we’re taking to prevent COVID are exacerbating other conditions in America, such as causing 22 million to become unemployed (Washington Post, 2020). He believes this leads to stress and the inability to feed oneself or obtain medical assistance. He claims the isolation leads to increased cardiovascular issues, and that more people will die from these problems than would die from COVID. He points out that we never closed our economy for other high death-toll causing issues such as:

• 250 deaths/year from poverty (Mailman School of Public Health, 2011)
• 360,000 deaths/year from swimming pool drownings (3,536 deaths/year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016)
• 45,000 deaths/year from car accidents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019)
• 480,000 deaths/year from cigarettes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019)

He believes we should not be sheltering in place or social distancing. Since the quarantine is in place though, he notes the importance of maintaining a daily routine and not just lying around the house, so as to avoid falling into depression or other health issues.

After fact checking several of his statements, it proved that the statistics he used are overall valid, though it’s hard to say whether his predictions and speculation is correct. One might even say his comparisons are inappropriate, as car accidents and drownings are not infectious/transmittable (although they do cause thousands of deaths every year).

By: John Voo

According to Fink (2020) with the New York Times, if Americans don’t quarantine/isolate, the death toll could reach up to 1.7 million citizens. The information Dr. Phil gave about isolation/loneliness causing or increasing heart disease is true, but, according to Xia & Li (2018), that’s more of an effect over prolonged periods of time, and what’s more, isolation isn’t the only cause of loneliness (e.g people in marriages and with kids can still suffer from it), so in effect, his point appears moot.

References

Washington Post. (2020). U.S. now has 22 million unemployed, wiping out a decade of job gains. Retrieved May 2, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/16/unemployment-claims-coronavirus/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Unintentional Drowning: Get the Facts. Retrieved 04/19/2020 from https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Motor Vehicle Injury. Retrieved 04/19/2020 from https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/didyouknow/topic/vehicle.html

Mailman School of Public Health. (2011). How Many U.S Deaths are Caused by Poverty, Lack of Education, and Other Social Factors? Retrieved 04/19/2020 from https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/how-many-us-deaths-are-caused-poverty-lack-education-and-other-social-factors

Xia, N. & Li, H. (2018). Loneliness, social isolation, and cardiovascular health. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 28(9), 837-851.

Fink, S. (2020). Worst-case estimates for U.S coronavirus deaths. New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/coronavirus-deaths-estimate.html

MEDIA 2:

Dr. Oz is a television medical professional who has questionable credibility due to making multiple claims on his T.V show that have been scrutinized by the Journal of Ethics (2017) for endorsing medical remedies and providing advice that lacks evidence-based research, and in some cases, were just blatantly wrong. In this particular YouTube clip, he promotes social distancing/isolation in order to slow down transmission to give hospitals a chance to better prepare to take care of people (i.e free up staffing, ventilators, vaccination development, etc). His tone is playful in his attempt to be educational. He doesn’t go into too much detail, but shares broad strokes of information that are easy to digest for non-medical personnel. He mimes hand washing to show the general public how to have better hand hygiene, though makes some questionable comments, such as hand washing HALVES the chance of catching COVID.

By: Kevin Dooley

I was unable to confirm this specific statistic, only that hand-washing is indeed largely promoted to lower the risk of transmission.

Dr. Oz emphasizes the need to stay strong during these times by exercising, sleeping well, and eating good foods (a general consensus for health overall). He lists some symptoms to recognize if you might have COVID, and then recommends staying home if it’s mild, and calling rather than physically going to the doctor (all of which has been actively promoted by the CDC as well). He claims no one under the age of 10 has gotten infected, though I was unable to find any scientific source that confirmed or denied this. He states that young people typically handle it fine and that commonly it’s those who are 60+ years old with underlying health conditions that are most at risk (also an idea promoted by the CDC, 2020).

Overall his message is easy to understand and supported by credible sources. It’s free of medical jargon and designed to draw in the attention of the general public. His personal credibility and the few unconfirmable statements he made were a little concerning though, and could be misleading to someone who whole-heartedly trusts his advice as a medical professional.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19). Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

Tillburt, J., Allyse, M., Hafferty, F. (2017). The case of Dr. Oz: ethics, evidence, and does professional self-regulation work? Journal of Ethics, 19(2), 199-206.

MEDIA 3:

Dr. Roger Seheult is a critical care specialist and pulmonologist, who discusses a trial treatment for COVID-19 called Remdesivir. This video is less for the general public and more for medical professionals. His tone is formal, and it has a lot of medical jargon, statistics, charts – all of which is used to break down studies concerning this drug. One study completed in China turned out to have too few case studies to prove helpful, thus cannot be used to confirm or deny the drugs potential. Regardless of the lack of data, he points out a news article from the U.S that claims the medication DOES effect the disease positively. In order to suss out where they got this belief, he takes a look at the American study of the drug and walks the audience through the research process.

By: Eelke

It appears that the American study derived their positive  results using incomplete data. It suggests that there may have been a statistically significant result had it been completed, but since the effectiveness wasn’t tested, the American article is claiming false-positives.

While Dr. Roger is very good at explaining step by step how the results were derived and giving examples to understand, it would be difficult for someone who is easily confused by numbers to understand the significance of the information in this video, and would probably deter many of the general population from watching it to completion. However, anyone who does understand statistics would find this rather credible, since he shows all the math that would be used based on the test results gathered to come to the conclusions that were published.

As for other options, Harvard Health Publishing (2020) notes that the cure for COVID-19 is still undiscovered, but scientists are working hard to find it. While some believed hydroxychloroqine could possibly be the answer, the evidence was weak.

By: george ruiz

Currently, the best treatment offered is rest, hydration, acetaminophen for fever/aches, and to avoid spreading it by reducing contact with others. Regardless of the lack of evidence of a remedy though, an article published by U.S Today (2020) states that U.S hospitals are preparing to administering Remdesivir to roughly 200,000 patients.

If Dr. Roger and Harvard Health are to be believed, then it is concerning that American media continue to promote the possible distribution of a “cure”.

References

Harvard Health Publishing. “Treatments for COVID-19.” Harvard Health, 24 Apr. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/treatments-for-covid-19.

Snider, Mike. “Coronavirus Treatment Drug Remdesivir to Arrive in Hospitals This Week, Gilead CEO Says.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 3 May 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2020/05/03/coronavirus-treatment-drug-remdesivir-coming-hospitals-week/3074612001/.