Types of Exercises You Can Do When Going Through Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a type of medical precise health care that involves kinesiology, exercise recommendations, health education, mobilization, electrical, and physical agents to treat and reduce chronic pain caused by an injury initiated by accidents, trauma, or illnesses. If you have been experiencing pain and have loads of questions you need to ask, this is the perfect opportunity for you to visit an orthopedic clinic.

The most suitable remedy that your physiotherapist would recommend are exercises to aggravate the pain. PT exercise is part of your therapist's strategy to help regain your body's change and promote normal growth of muscles and tissues. If you have pain and abnormal functional mobility, your therapist may describe the following exercises.

Flexibility Exercises

Every patient who visits an orthopedic center has different forms of pain. Thus, every physiotherapy needs to consult with their patients and find out the exact cause of pain. They are keeping in mind that every condition has a different treatment and exercises.

Flexibility exercises aim to improve endurance, strength, and balance. Also, it stretches the muscles. The primary purpose of flexibility exercises is for one's body to stay pliable. It eliminates discomfort even when you are in a stationary place for a duration of time, like at your office place. Examples of flexibility exercises include body yoga, pilates, forward bend, stretches, cross-over, seat side straddle, among many others.

Range of Motion Exercises

Range of motion exercises involve activities that focus on improving movement with a particular joint. Therefore, ROM is the ability of the joints to move flexibly. A joint can move either 180 or 360 degrees.

The goniometer and inclinometer usually determine the amount of motion in the joints. The exercises recommended by your therapist may either be active, passive, or both. It helps to relax the muscles and lose tension. Operational activities involve the injured performing it, while passive exercises require a therapist to do it on behalf of the patient.

Functional Mobility Exercises

The exercises tend to improve the stability and mobility of the joints. The functionality helps us perform our daily activities; otherwise, we would remain useless in completing tasks or running errands. Ways to improve the whole body's function are to access it from the ground up through exercises to prevent injuries. Examples of these exercises are:

• Foot stability-stationary runner
• Ankle mobility standing plantar/dorsiflexion
• Knee stability- lunge matrix
• Lumbar spine stability

These are just examples, but there are many more others that your therapist might assist you in identifying with them.

Cardio-Respiratory Exercise

Most people believe that cardiovascular patients are not supposed to get involved in any exercise. These are all myths. Talk to any cardiologists, and they always encourage their patients to exercise. However, it is good to know and understand your cardiorespiratory endurance. Cardiorespiratory endurance is the level at which your heart, lungs, and muscles work collectively. Running and jumping exercises help your heart and lungs take in oxygen. Try also side to side hops and burpees.

Physical therapy exercises are good, but your therapist should include other forms of alternatives like electrical and physical agents, mobilization, among other treatments. Get direct access to a physical therapist and achieve your rehabilitation goals. Don't let that pain get in the way of your happy, healthy life.

TWO SPECIAL RELEASES SHIPPING ACROSS NEW YORK STATE, EAST COAST AND SELECT MARKETS NATIONALLY: Launches will be at its Tasting Room, 518 Craft, in Troy, NY throughout the holidays

Troy, NY -- Tuesday, November 24, 2020 --Shmaltz Brewing Company officially turns 24 this Hanukkah season as the largest, the smallest, the most award winning, and astonishingly still the only Jewish celebration beer company in the country. And what a time for Anniversaries as the roller coaster of a year just keeps rolling. With so much uncertainty still looming for 2020 and beyond, couldn't we all use some tasty and delightful craft beer comfort?! 
A long way from the first 100 cases brewed in 1996 and delivered in a Grandmother's Volvo - Hanukkah Beer is all new for 2020! 8 malts, 8 hops, 8% abv of course - Shmaltz cooked up bright shiny gift of its new Golden Jelly Doughnut Pastry Ale brewed with 600 pounds per batch of real purees of Raspberry & Cherry with a generous slathering of pure vanilla. A glorious tribute to the beloved Sufganiyot, dating back to the 1500s, the official chosen beer of this holiday season will be available in 12oz Can 4-Packs and limited draft through their East Coast wholesalers and through Brew Pipeline nationally: 
-Shmaltz Direct: Gasko Meyer - Upstate New York, SKI Beer - NYC, Long Island and Westchester, Horizon - Massachusetts, Black River Traders - New Jersey, Shangy's - Philadelphia PA, Savatt - Pittsburgh PA, DOPS - Maryland/D.C./Delaware , Freedom Beverage - North Carolina, Aleph - South Carolina, Cavalier - Florida, Full Clip - Texas, Johnson Brothers - Iowa, Kysela - VA, WV
-Brew Pipeline: Guardian (So Cal), Mussetter (Nor Cal), Orcas (WA), Quail (AZ and NE), Beverage Distributors (OH).
Regional retailers confirmed to carrying Hanukkah Beer this year include Total Wine, Whole Foods, Price Chopper, ABC and Publix in FL plus 100s of high-end independent craft beer specialty stores across the country. Check shmaltzbrewing.com or info@shmaltzbrewing for local availability. 
For this very special release, celebrations kickoff all week long including a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Wednesday 11/25 at its Tasting Room (518 Craft, 200 Broadway, Troy, NY) now featuring local artisanal chocolate hero, Primo Botanica and new 3rd wave custom espresso roaster, Alias Coffee. Plus Thanksgiving morning for the virtual Turkey Troy with Collar City Runners, Small Business Saturday with local Troy food and craft markers, Small Brewery Sunday (Brewers Association) and Cyber Monday with new gift pack offerings, delectable flavor collaborations, and the annual favorite, the "Build Your Own Beer Menorah" promo. Details at Facebook.com/ShmaltzBrewing.
Shmaltz will also be launching Hanukkah 2020 along with its newest art installation at their Tasting Room in Downtown Troy: Negative is Positive: Hindsight is 2020, a curated art show by photographer Thom Williams of Troy Arts Center with over a dozen regional and local artists exploring personal, political, and aesthetic themes of the current moment. 
The local launch began with WEQX and Capitol Craft Beverage Trail Virtual Makers Happy Hour and will also include a Holiday Doughnut Festival featuring renown Cider Belly, Cosmic Donuts, and more for the Hanukkah holiday, this year from Thursday, Dec 10 to Friday Dec 18. More details for local and regional delights will be posted on Facebook and Instagram. 
PREVIEW ALERT! Coming in December and launching into the New Year: SHE'BREW: #RBG IPA4-packs of 16oz cans and draft, this soon to be #Notorious IPA will be launching in New York State at both breweries in December and around the region and the country over the coming week. Details to follow!
From the label for the coming #RBG Tribute:
For our fourth She'brew Release, when Lauri from Moustache Brewing mentioned that #RBG was her Beacon of Empowerment - the verdict was IN! The perfect inspiration for our next Shmaltz tribute collaboration. The launch was set for Int'l Women's Collab Brew Day in March 2020 -- and then the disastrous case of our current Global Pandemic stormed into reality.
But RBG was also a once in a lifetime kind of event -- a truly epic hero who changed our country and our consciousness for the better through her work and by her example. Intelligence and emotion, collaborative in spirit yet ferocious in her commitment to progress, the most serious positions from the highest responsibilities exhibited with constant charm and wicked wit.
This year is clearly different from all other years -- and we brewed this sincere offering to give huge thanks to a guardian and a champion in the way we know best -- by upholding the bar for #Notorious IPAs equally balanced for a commemoration of life and just causes everywhere - L'Chaim!
-Jeremy and Lauriand the extended Shmaltz/Moustache posseA portion of the profits from She’brew’s #RBG IPA will go to the ACLU Women's Rights Project and the Pink Boots Society.
Judges L to R: Laura Kavanaugh (Shmaltz Den Mother), Megan Kanan (518 Fam - spranklemarketing.com), Teresa Casey (CCBT, Mackin & Casey), Alex Haraburda (Shmaltz Sales Rep), Deanna Fox (Food Journalist), Shikole Struber (518 Fam), Mariah Fannan (MFR Sales), Jeremy Cowan (Shmaltz Founder/Owner), Kimberly Stoehr (Moustache Sales Rep), Lauri Spitz (Moustache Co-Founder), Vinessa Monaco (Head Unicorn Wrangler), Erin Grace (CCBT, Mackin & Casey), Matthew Spitz (Moustache Co-Founder), Elise Deming (Cap. Lawrence), Kirsten Brenner (518 Fam), Tracy Kennedy (Collar City Runners), Matt Polacheck (Shmaltz Art Director)
About Shmaltz Brewing CompanyFounder and owner Jeremy Cowan established Shmaltz Brewing in San Francisco in 1996. The first 100 cases of He'brew Beer® were hand-bottled and delivered throughout the Bay Area from the back of his Grandmother's Volvo. Shmaltz Brewing now sells across 25 states, through 40 wholesalers and in nearly 5,000 retailers. 
RateBeer.com ranked Shmaltz as one of the "Top 100 Brewers in the World" in 2013, and the brewery recently brought home 1 platinum, 10 gold and 6 silver medals from the World Beer Championships. In the past several years, Shmaltz Brewing introduced its line of upstate New York focused farm beers under the 518/838 Craft brand name and acquired and rebranded the Alphabet City Brewing beers. In July 2018, Shmaltz opened 518 Craft, a new bar and tasting room in downtown Troy, NY. Shmaltz beers are available at 518 Craft as well as throughout Upstate New York, the East Coast and in select markets nationally at the best craft beer bars and retailers. 

Healthcare Workers and Trauma: Why COVID-19 Is the “Perfect Storm” 

Healthcare workers are a gritty and resilient lot. But in the face of COVID-19, many are now struggling with PTSD. Mark Goulston, MD, and Diana Hendel, PharmD, explain why—and explore some of the “storm factors” that have come together in such a devastating way.

          Nashville, TN (November 2020)—Healthcare professionals are no strangers to stress. They must regularly field huge challenges, rapid changes, and the unpredictability that comes with caring for human beings—and many thrive in this demanding environment. But COVID-19 is a new ball game. The deadly virus, currently in full surge mode, has healthcare workers struggling like never before—and many are showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

          Psychiatrist Mark Goulston is not surprised. He says for almost a year now, workers have battled a “perfect storm” of factors that have overwhelmed them to an unprecedented degree.

          “Fear, grief, and exhaustion are only part of it,” says Dr. Goulston, coauthor along with Diana Hendel, PharmD, of Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020, ISBN: 978-0-7852-4462-2, $17.99). “COVID-19 has unfolded amid a backdrop of devastating political and cultural reactions as well as other factors that have coalesced in a way that’s deeply traumatizing.”

          History has shown us that frontline workers may suffer from post-traumatic stress following a deadly outbreak. It happened following the SARS and Ebola epidemics, and early research shows it is happening with COVID-19 as well. Why Cope When You Can Heal? takes an empathetic, informed approach that helps people navigate traumatic stress and PTSD, process their experiences, and heal from the inside out. 

          “Traumatic stress is different from routine stress,” notes Dr. Hendel. “Stress is temporary. We can build the resilience to endure it. But trauma threatens our sense of safety and changes how we see the world. It can create long-lasting harm—and it must be approached in a different way from stress.” 

          The first step is understanding why this pandemic and the conditions surrounding it have proven to be so devastating. Drs. Goulston and Hendel list some of the factors that add up to a perfect storm for trauma and PTSD: 

STORM FACTOR 1: It all happened so quickly. Reports of a pneumonia-like virus in Wuhan, China, began circulating in December 2019. The virus spread across the globe like wildfire, and by March 26, the U.S. had the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, with at least 81,321 infections and over 1,000 deaths.¹ This was just the beginning of the surge in the U.S. A massive nationwide effort to “flatten the curve” went into effect. Nonessential businesses closed, and office workers set up shop at home. Education went online. Churches closed. Every aspect of normal life changed drastically…and it happened shockingly fast. 

STORM FACTOR 2: Healthcare workers have faced (and continue to brace for) wartime conditions.Many have seen and done things that have scarred them for life. At the beginning, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other healthcare workers braced for a massive influx of sick patients. Hospital leaders launched government-recommended, stringent infection control protocols as they went into “surge” mode, setting up triage tents and dedicating floors and wings for coronavirus patients. And they prepared for the grim likelihood that a shortage of beds and ICU equipment would force them to make impossible life-and-death decisions. Surge mode continues in current hot spots today, and healthcare workers everywhere are either bracing for either a resurgence or anticipating that they will become the next hot spot. 

STORM FACTOR 3: Workday realities are harsh and upsetting. Healthcare workers experience intense, overwhelming, and unforgettable moments on the job. They face moral injury when having to make impossible life-or-death decisions. They grieve for patients who die alone with no soothing human touch, and comfort family members who must say goodbye via video screen (if at all). Plus, many healthcare workers must isolate from families, or if they must continue living at home, they must go to extreme measures to stop the spread of the virus and constantly worry that exposure could happen at any moment. 

STORM FACTOR 4: Their own lives are at risk. While healthcare workers have been busy caring for their patients, they have been getting infected themselves. As of June 2020, nearly 600 healthcare workers had died.² By September 2020, the latest report by one of the largest nurses unions, National Nurses United (NNU), has that number at more than 1,700.³

STORM FACTOR 5: They are running on fumes. Healthcare professionals work long shifts that they compare to living nightmares. They post photos of their exhausted faces marked by red and purple bruises caused by their PPE. Many have been working 24-hour shifts so they can make fewer trips home and lower the risk of passing the virus on to family members and other citizens. But what’s more, they don’t have time to hit pause—the need for healthcare workers is too great—and the shortage of available healthcare workers continues to grow. This means they don’t have the time or ability to pause, reflect, and process the crisis that continues grinding away at them. 

STORM FACTOR 6: They have received a distressing lack of national and united support. From supply-chain issues, to clear and concise guidelines, to messaging and instructions to the public, there has been a lack of a cohesive plan for the country. Unfortunately, healthcare leaders and workers must do their incredibly difficult jobs inside a healthcare system that is often disjointed and fragmented and part of a deeply divided nation wracked by strife. And in the early days of the pandemic, America’s lack of readiness equated to equipment shortages of virus tests, ventilators, and PPE.

STORM FACTOR 7: The just-get-over-it culture in America AND in healthcare make matters worse.America’s just-get-over-it culture has created a double whammy for healthcare providers in terms of trauma. Exhibit A: the big push to quickly reopen the country and the divisiveness that has only intensified over the course of 2020. As more and more businesses reopened (too soon, in the eyes of many experts), the virus surged in many places. As a result, healthcare workers have gotten little relief from their workload and its heavy psychological toll.

Meanwhile, healthcare has its own version of the just-get-over-it culture. In some settings, workers are expected to buck up, figure it out, get it done with the equipment they have, and move on to the next patient. Trying to navigate a pandemic in such a culture (where burnout is already rife) is pushing workers to the breaking point.

          It’s clear health workers need help. And while there are no clear or easy solutions, providing healing tools and plenty of empathetic support can go a long way, says Dr. Goulston.

          “It’s imperative that symptoms that arise in the face of this trauma are not ignored, downplayed, or dismissed and that the stigma of PTSD is not perpetuated because of lack of knowledge or unwillingness to learn,” he says.

          “With good leadership in healthcare, PTSD can be treated and managed,” adds Dr. Hendel. “We owe it to healthcare professionals to give them the tools and support they need to heal from the trauma they have faced and continue to face every day. We owe it to the patients they serve. And we owe it to the future of the healthcare industry, our nation, and our world.”

# # #

1. Donald G. McNeil Jr., “The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases,” New York Times, updated March 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/health/usa-coronavirus-cases.html. 
2. Christina Jewett, Melissa Bailey, and Danielle Renwick, “Exclusive: Nearly 600 US Health Care Workers Have Died of COVID-19,” Kaiser Health News, June 8, 2020, https://khn.org/news/exclusive-investigation-nearly-600-and-counting-us-health-workers-have-died-of-covid-19/. 
3. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/graphics/documents/0920_Covid19_SinsOfOmission_Data_Report.pdf

# # #

About the Authors: 
Mark Goulston, MD, FAPA 
Dr. Mark Goulston is the coauthor of Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020) and Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, Spring 2021). He is a board-certified psychiatrist, fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, former assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA NPI, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer. He is the creator of Theory Y Executive Coaching—which he provides to CEOs, presidents, founders, and entrepreneurs—and is a TEDx and international keynote speaker. 

He is the creator and developer of Surgical Empathy, a process to help people recover and heal from PTSD, prevent suicide in teenagers and young adults, and help organizations overcome implicit bias. 

Dr. Goulston is the author or principal author of seven prior books, including PTSD for Dummies, Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In, and Talking to Crazy: How to Deal with the Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life. He hosts the My Wakeup Call podcast, where he speaks with influencers about their purpose in life and the wakeup calls that led them there. He also is the co-creator and moderator of the multi-honored documentary Stay Alive: An Intimate Conversation About Suicide Prevention. 

He appears frequently as a human psychology and behavior subject-area expert across all media, including news outlets ABC, NBC, CBS, and BBC News, as well as CNN, Today, Oprah, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune,Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, Fast Company, Huffington Post, and Westwood One. He was also featured in the PBS special “Just Listen.” 

Diana Hendel, PharmD 
Dr. Diana Hendel is the coauthor of Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020) and Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, Spring 2021). She is an executive coach and leadership consultant, former hospital CEO, and author of Responsible: A Memoir, a riveting and deeply personal account of leading during and through the aftermath of a deadly workplace trauma. 

As the CEO of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital, Hendel led one of the largest acute care, trauma, and teaching hospital complexes on the West Coast. She has served in leadership roles in numerous community organizations and professional associations, including chair of the California Children’s Hospital Association, executive committee member of the Hospital Association of Southern California, vice chair of the Southern California Leadership Council, chair of the Greater Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, board member of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and leader-in-residence of the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University Long Beach. 

She earned a BS in biological sciences from UC Irvine and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UC San Francisco. She has spoken about healthcare and leadership at regional and national conferences and at TEDx SoCal on the topic of “Childhood Obesity: Small Steps, Big Change.”

About the Book:  
Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020, ISBN: 978-0-7852-4462-2, $17.99) will be available in bookstores nationwide and from major online booksellers. 

Wonderfilm Announces Its Latest Feature, All In, Has Begun Filming in Boston

Against all odds, the students, faculty, staff and parents of one of the smallest private educational facilities in America band together to save their school. How they did it was nothing short of a miracle.    LOS ANGELES/BOSTON (November 24, 2020) – Emmy Award winning producers, Jeff Bowler and Bret Saxon’s Wonderfilm Media just completed the forth of eight weeks of principal photography on the highly anticipated documentary, All In: Miracle at St. Bernard’s. The feature-length documentary is based on the incredible true story of how St. Bernard’s, a small private Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, found itself 100 years after its founding, facing a dramatic shut-down. The film follows the community as they pour their hearts and souls into saving their school from being permanently shuttered. A miracle ensues.    A Real-Life David and Goliath StoryWith enrollment dwindling, by 2018 St. Bernard’s was the smallest school in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, with a total of 99 students. The Catholic Diocese of Worcester made the difficult decision to close the school. Led by the school’s principal, Linda Anderson, students, parents, faculty, alumni and the townspeople of Fitchburg hatched an idea to raise enough money to take the school independent and keep it open. They worked tirelessly to raise the daunting amounts needed. Unfortunately, like the school, the town was struggling, and fundraising proved extremely difficult.   With quickly approaching deadlines, extreme pressure from the budget shortfalls, the Diocesan Superintendent of Schools informed all parties of the dire straits they were facing, and that short of a miracle, the school would cease to exist. Then the football team started winning.  It All Came Down to Football
 Almost every eligible student at the school joined the football team. With an enrollment so small, that meant the St. Bernard’s football team had 26 boys. Miraculously, despite going up against schools often ten times as big as St. Bernard’s, the team, led by Coach Tom Bingham, was winning, and winning, and winning. And with each win, the media started reporting on this David beating Goliaths. “St. Bernard’s was going up against teams from the top schools in New England, with thousands of students, multi-million-dollar endowments, and players who were much larger physically – and winning,” said All In producer Jeff Bowler. The St. Bernard’s team went on to win the state Super Bowl played in Gillette Stadium. The 26 boys on the team, fighting for every inch of the field that their hero, New England Patriot Quarterback Tom Brady, called home on Sundays, won the State Championship, generating enough national publicity to raise the money needed to save the school, including a huge donation from a still anonymous donor.   Shortly thereafter, with funds in hand, the school officially became independent, with the full support of the Diocese. In the first year following the miraculous football season, admissions are soaring, and an entire town’s spirits have been raised in celebration of saving their historic high school. 
 “As a St. Bernard’s alum and filmmaker, I was tapped by the school to help tell this truly remarkable story to the world,” said Bowler. “This feel-good, underdog tale is about so much more than football. The story is about a community that rallied together to create their own miracle. Faced with the closing of their beloved high school, students and faculty members stepped up to the plate to save their school, with unwavering perseverance.”    All In: Miracle at St. Bernard’s is being produced by Wonderfilm’s Jeff Bowler and Bret Saxon. The Emmy Award-winning duo have enjoyed success in feature documentaries, including the 2017 documentary, UNCHAINED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS, narrated by Oscar nominee Josh Brolin, which won the Emmy for Best Documentary, in the sports category, as well as the 2009 feature-doc, DIRTY OIL aka DOWNSTREAM, directed by Leslie Iwerks, which was short-listed for an Oscar.   All In is being directed by Gregg Backer (Producer/Director HBO Sports, Real Sports). Other producers include Foglight Entertainment’s Gregg Backer and Evan Kanew with Nathan Bilotta serving as Executive Producer.  All In: Miracle at St. Bernard’s is currently shooting in Fitchburg, Boston and Los Angeles.  Wonderfilm Media recently wrapped supernatural horror LULLABY directed by John Leonetti (Anabelle), with Alcon, in Toronto. Cast and crew adhered to all COVID-19 production guidelines and there were no cases of the virus on set. The film is set for a major release next October. Wonderfilm latest release, Dead Reckoning with K.J. Apa and India Eisley, just premiered November 13.   Upcoming Wonderfilm Media projects include the biopic on Tampa Bay Rays breakout star, Randy Arozarena. The outfielder escaped Cuba on a makeshift boat in 2015, started a new life in Mexico before making his way to the U.S and has become the most talked-about MLB player in baseball. Wonderfilm is also developing the highly coveted Steve McQueen biopic as a limited series based on Marshall Terrill’s book, “A Tribute To The King of Cool”.   About Wonderfilm MediaWonderfilm is a leading entertainment company with offices in Hollywood, Boston and London. Wonderfilm focuses on the production of high-quality feature films and episodic television that offer international appeal through the Company’s commitment to elevated storytelling. Wonderfilm has seen twelve of its features released over the past twelve months, including the Nic Cage thriller Primal and the Guy Pearce vehicle Disturbing the Peace. Wonderfilm was founded by Jeff Bowler, Bret Saxon, and John Lewis.  

Morneau Shepell announces appointment of Chitra Nayak to Board of Directors

TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2020 /CNW/ - Morneau Shepell is pleased to announce the appointment of Chitra Nayak to its Board of Directors, effective today. Ms Nayak was previously the Chief Operating Officer (COO) platform and Senior Vice President of global sales development for Salesforce. She currently serves on the board of directors of Invitae and of Intercom.

"On behalf of the Board and the Company, we are thrilled to welcome Chitra," said Jill Denham, Chair of the Board. "She has held numerous leadership positions and brings a wealth of expertise in technology, sales and operations that will help to advance our strategic plan." 

Ms Nayak was also COO of Comfy by Building Robotics and COO of the U.S. business of Funding Circle. She held leadership positions at AAA Northern California, Charles Schwab & Co and she began her career at the Boston Consulting Group. Ms Nayak holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. 

About Morneau Shepell Inc.
Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. Morneau Shepell is a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.

Morneau Shepell announces appointment of Brad Levy to Board of Directors

TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2020 /CNW/ - Morneau Shepell is pleased to announce the appointment of Brad Levy to its Board of Directors, effective today. Mr. Levy currently serves as the President and Chief Commercial Officer of Symphony Communications Services.

"On behalf of the Board and the Company, we are pleased to welcome Brad," said Jill Denham, Chair of the Board. "Based on Brad's experience in financial services and technology, we are confident he will bring innovative ideas to the table. We look forward to working together to further advance our strategic plan." 

Previously, Mr. Levy was the Chief Executive Officer of MarkitSERV and held various positions at Markit, Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. He also held board and advisory positions with TradeWeb, LoanX, BondDesk, CDS IndexCo and others. Mr. Levy's charitable involvement includes Relay for Life, St. Baldrick's Foundation and the Center for Food Action. Mr. Levy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the State University of New York at Albany. 

About Morneau Shepell Inc.
Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. Morneau Shepell is a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.

Since COVID hit in March, many have integrated wine and a medley of chocolate chip cookies into a daily diet. It seems like there is extra time to binge watch Netflix and food. This holiday season, in addition to the stresses of everyday life, there will be even more emotional triggers that may drive us to overindulge. Being with certain family members or being further isolated from family can cause us to have certain visceral reactions and emotions. Many of us turn to food to deal with these added stressors. Often it makes us focus on the pleasure of taste and texture, and lets us detach ourselves from our emotions. These behaviors can become habitual and we begin to look to food to escape our current stress or feelings. Here are tips on how to head into this Holiday season with self-care and self-love. 

• Surround yourself physically or virtually with people who support you and bring out your best self. Maybe you haven’t picked up the phone and reached out to a loved one in a while. This might be the perfect time. If you know you are going to be home alone for the holidays, seek out a friend who may be alone too and maybe do a zoom Thanksgiving. Humans need to feel connected. Being with other people actually releases dopamine, the happy hormone in our brains. 

• Move. But only pick movement that makes you happy. Your body craves movement. It actually feels better after you’ve moved (again released dopamine here). Whether a walk, run, bike ride, hike, yoga or pilates, your mind and body will thank you.

• Lose the self judgement. This holiday season, be kind to yourself. Don’t punish yourself with negative self-thoughts or over exercising the following day. Instead take a few breaths. Acknowledge the overindulgence and move on.

• Try meditating. With heightened stress as a combination of COVID and the holidays, this might be the perfect time to start meditation, and it has been proven to help with stress. Meditation in itself has you focus on your breathing, keeping your mind away from all your stressors.  

• Schedule some self-pampering. Yes, you may be home, and you may be alone, and while you cannot go to a spa, it doesn’t mean you cannot light some candles, turn on some music and take a long bath. Think of things that make you feel good and do them. 

• Practice gratitude. Commit to writing down one thing on a daily basis you are thankful for. Sometimes realizing what we do have changes our perspective and helps us come from a place of abundance rather than a place of scarcity. 

• Sit with your emotions. Next time you feel lonely, anxious, or sad instead of reaching for food, sit with your emotions, feel them mentally and physically. Yes, it might feel uncomfortable, but recognizing and identifying your emotions is the first step in helping ourselves better handle them. 

Overall, looking at ourselves with love, gratitude and with self-compassion can help us relieve a bit of our stress going into this challenging time. Let us help ourselves this holiday season, and hopefully with a few of these tools, we can be a little healthier and happier. 

Molecular iodine oral rinse found completely effective against SARS CoV-2 in university testing.

November 23, 2020

Boca Raton, FL – ioTech International today announced that testing has recently been completed at the Institute of Antiviral Research at Utah State University comparing the antiviral efficacy of 4 oral rinses. The testing compared 2 rinses recommended by the American Dental Association in their interim guidance against Covid-19 (1.5% hydrogen peroxide and 0.2% povidone iodine). A third oral rinse, which earned the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance (0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate) and a molecular iodine oral rinse being developed by ioTech International were also tested. The in vitro testing was conducted at a Level 3 Biocontainment laboratory by university researchers.

Testing was conducted to determine both the cytotoxicity and antiviral efficacy of each of the 4 rinses. The only rinse to demonstrate complete effectiveness against the SARS CoV-2 virus was the molecular iodine oral rinse containing molecular iodine 100 ppm (parts per million). The molecular iodine rinse was completely effective within 30 seconds. The other 3 rinses were only partially effective, even after 60 seconds. Neither of the iodine rinses (molecular iodine nor povidone iodine) were cytotoxic in the testing. Both the hydrogen peroxide and the chlorhexidine gluconate rinses demonstrated toxicity.

Michelle Mendenhall, Principal Investigator at Utah State University stated “The Institute provides evidence-based research exploring the antiviral and virucidal activity of a wide range of compounds. We are pleased to have conducted this study which compares, for the first time, the virucidal efficacy of three oral rinses used in professional dental offices and a newly developed rinse against SARS-CoV-2.”

Rodger Kolsky, Director of R&D at IoTech International stated “Molecular iodine is the only biocidal form of iodine. IoTech International’s unique, patented formulas provide consistently high levels of molecular iodine for our current products and the additional products that we are developing. These test results provide additional confirmation that our products will have a meaningful impact on people’s lives”.

The study details were just published in the International Journal of Experimental Dental Science, a peer-reviewed, scientific journal. A copy of that article is provided below for your convenience. For further information, contact ioTech International. To read the article online, please visit: https://www.iotechinternational.com/post/comparative-analysis-of-antiviral-efficacy-of-four-different-mouthwashes-against-sars-cov-2

Successive drug launches will drive NASH market growth across seven major markets, says GlobalData 

Several pharmacological treatments for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are expected to be launched in the seven major markets (7MM*) over the next 10 years. It is anticipated that these products can demand higher prices than the current off-label therapies, considering no therapy has been approved for the indication, and drive strong growth in the NASH market, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. 

GlobalData’s research reveals that the market for NASH treatment in 7MM will undergo a very rapid growth, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 68.8% from 2019 to 2029. The growth is expected to be driven by the significant NASH population and launch of approved therapies over the next 10 years, which will garner higher prices. 

Mohammad Uddin, Senior Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Currently, majority of physicians recommend lifestyle changes as the principal standard of care, particularly in those at early stages of their disease where mortality rates are low. If pharmacological intervention is used, treatment options include vitamin E and pioglitazone. However, many have disregarded the use due to observable adverse events associated with the therapies, such as cancer risks and lack of efficacy in relation to the current regulatory requirements. Owing to the large population and current treatment use being infrequent, there is a significant opportunity for companies to introduce regulatory approved branded therapies into the market and garner high revenues. 

“As such, several therapies have either completed or entered Phase III clinical trials for NASH, including Intercept’s Ocaliva (obeticholic acid), AbbVie’s cenicrivivoc and Madrigal’s resmetirom, all of which have demonstrated effectiveness in NASH resolution or at least one stage of liver fibrosis improvement. FDA currently requires one of the two endpoints to be met while EMA has indicated both should be met, although this could be changed to follow that of the FDA.” 

GlobalData’s report considers the impact of the FDA’s recent complete response letter (CRL) issued to Intercept’s Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) on expected revenue generation of the compound.  

Mr Uddin continues: “Intercept resubmission of a new drug application for Ocaliva is expected, and if approved, will generate significant uptake since it will be the first therapy approved for the indication, although sales are likely to be slowed by the CRL considering some physicians will still hold a negative opinion of Ocaliva’s clinical profile. 

“In response, developers of other pipeline therapies will be keen to leverage heightened efficacy results within their trials, with Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) indicating considerably higher rates of NASH resolution compared to current Phase III therapies while Inventiva’s lanifibranor has shown significant efficacy results in its Phase IIb trial.” 

Several barriers will hamper the rapid uptake of the NASH market at the start of the forecast period, including reimbursement issues and lack of validated NASH specific non-invasive tests (NITs). However, improved access to drugs and the introduction of NITs to assist in the diagnosis and measuring treatment response are expected to drive growth during the latter parts of the forecast, with the most efficacious therapies set to be the highest earners. 

Mr Uddin concludes: “Primary research conducted by GlobalData suggests efficacy profiles of therapies, specifically related to regulatory endpoints, will have significant influence on the physician treatment choice and increase reimbursement rates, as indicated by payers. Therefore, therapies such as Ozempic and lanifibranor are expected to hold significant proportions of the NASH market by 2029.”  

*7MM = The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan