canfitpro 2020 Virtual Series caters to fitness professionals and fans with sessions led by world-leading fitness, wellness and mental health experts
TORONTO, ON, July 29, 2020 -- During the pandemic lockdown, more Canadians realized the therapeutic benefits of exercise – reduced stress, improved sleep, weight loss, more energy. Many report that fitness has improved their mental health and contributed to a sense of connection, routine, accomplishment and perspective.
The increased popularity of fitness is one positive outcome of the recent health crisis. Participation in online fitness classes is strong. People are returning to the gym. Canadians are embracing physical activity to help them cope after months of staying home.
Fitness fans across Canada can join fitness professionals to learn online from world-class fitness experts, leaders, pioneers and innovators from around the globe as part of canfitpro’s 2020 Virtual Series.
Well-known presenters include:
Dr. Jonathon Fowles, director of Acadia University’s Centre of Lifestyle Studies and chair of the National Advisory Council for Exercise is Medicine Canada. Dr. Fowles will talk more about Canadians’ and their exercise habits.
Silken Laumann, former Olympian and founder of Unsinkable. Laumann will speak about building resilience and courage in a changing world
Ashley Callingbull, the first Canadian, and the first Indigenous woman in Canada to win the Mrs. Universe title. As a survivor of childhood poverty and abuse, Ashley will speak about overcoming obstacles and turning our life in a positive direction.
Dr. Rumeet Billan, award-winning, internationally recognized entrepreneur, learning architect, and humanitarian. She has led ground-breaking research and will be speaking about her findings related to mental resilience and workplace happiness in the context of COVID-19.
Emma Barry, global fitness authority who advises to the fastest-growing segments in the sector: boutique studios, budget clubs, digital workouts and fit-tech start-ups. Barry can speak about how small boutique gyms can stabilize and survive the pandemic.
Lawrence Biscontini, developer of Brain Bootcamp a workout focused on movement of muscles, mouth and mind simultaneously to promote neurogenesis.
Sadie Nardini, renowned ultimate wellness and yoga expert, creator of Yoga Shred Cardio and Anatomy Fitness Flow.
Luka and Jenalyn, World of Dance contestants. This well-known ballroom dancing pair have competed head to head against the very best in the world in multiple genres and styles of dance. They will share their fitness journey to prep for World of Dance.
Beto Perez, creator of popular salsa-inspired group fitness program Zumba
These presenters, along with canfitpro chief operating office Mo Hagan, are available for interviews and fitness demos (via videoconference) leading up to the Virtual Series on August 14, 2020.
The canfitpro 2020 Virtual Series of online training events will take place over two days August 14 and 15, with subsequent one-day online training events September 19, October 17 and November 14, 2020.
The virtual series will offer 15 educational tracks with 135 sessions in areas of specialization including business management success, boutique fitness, Women Who Influence, moving your business online, group fitness, personal training, strength training, recovery, mind & body, coaching, wellness and nutrition. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from this virtual Series will be donated to Unsinkable to support mental health awareness.
About canfitpro: canfitpro is the largest provider of education in the Canadian fitness industry. Founded in 1993, canfitpro delivers accessible, quality education, certifications, conferences, trade shows, and membership services. canfitpro's over 100,000 members include some of the world's finest fitness professionals, health club operators, industry suppliers, and fitness consumers. www.canfitpro.com
National study: Poor, low-income voters have power in 16 US Senate races, presidential election
Major drive underway to harness voting power of the poor around a policy agenda
Data on low-income voter study available for all 50 states
EMBARGOED COPIES OF REPORT AVAILABLE
(Embargoed until 8 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Aug. 11 )
Potential poor and low-income voters across the country have the power to affect theoutcome of 16 U.S. Senate elections and the presidential race, according to an embargoed study released Thursday by the Poor People’s Campaign.
Robert Paul Hartley, an assistant professor at Columbia School of Social Work, wrote the study, titled “Unleashing the Power of Poor and Low-Income Americans: Changing the Political Landscape.”
Low-income people are less likely to vote in national elections than those with higher incomes for many reasons, including that candidates don’t speak to their issues; they don't think their vote will make a difference; and/or they have mobility/time impediments.
But, based on data from 2008-2016, if those poor and low-income people matched the voting rates of those with higher incomes, then there are 16 states where the additional voters could meet or exceed the midterm election margins of victory, the study says.
Thirteen of those states have Senate elections in 2020, and the campaign is drawing on this study to inform its organizing approach to November.
“We believe this evidence supports our campaign’s analysis that organizing can change the narrative of our electoral process and lead to policies that are just and representative for all Americans,” writes Shailly Gupta Barnes, the campaign’s policy director, in the foreword to the study.
Among the key findings of the study written by Hartley, faculty affiliate of the Center on Poverty and Social Policy and Columbia Population Research Center, are:
_ Low-income voters are about 22 percentage points less likely to vote in national elections than those with higher incomes.
_ Low-income eligible non-voters make up about one-fifth of the total electorate in states like Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia, or in several more states for midterm election years.
_ An increase of at least 1% of the non-voting, low-income electorate would equal the margin of victory in the 2016 presidential election in Michigan or a 4% to 7% increase in states such as Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin.
The evidence in the study "is not intended to diminish the impact of voter suppression that might target low-income or minority voters, nor the role of gerrymandering, which has been struck down in some places as unconstitutional," Hartley writes in the study's conclusion. "Even though individuals report one reason for not voting, other reasons may also matter, including accessibility. Ultimately, it is true that low-income Americans are less likely to vote, yet it does not have to be that way."
Nationally, 140 million people are poor or low-income, or more 43% of the population. That includes 60.4% of Black people (26 million); 64.1% of Latinx people (38 million); 40.8% of Asian people (8 million); 58.9% of Native and Indigenous people (2.14 million) and 33.5% of white people (66 million).
Of the 225 million who are eligible to vote, 63 million are poor or low-income. The report focuses on the 34 million potential poor and low-income voters who did not participate in the 2016 election.
While the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival doesn’t endorse parties or candidates, it does elevate issues of importance to poor and low-income families.
In Kentucky, for example, the campaign organized among poor and low-income people for years around an agenda that included voting rights, housing, good jobs, education and health care.
These and other issues were taken up by then-Attorney General Andy Beshear, who ran for governor on a platform similar to the PPC’s in 2019. His victory over incumbent Matt Bevin can be attributed in part to the organizing and participation of poor and low-income voters before and leading up to that election.
The study shows poor and low-income people could have met or exceeded the average margins of victory from 2008-2016 for U.S. Senate races in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
All but three of these states - Missouri, Nevada and Ohio - are holding U.S. Senate elections in November.
The study also contains information for the 2016 presidential elections and where the impact of low-income eligible voters would meet the margins of victory, including in key battleground states.
Informed by this study and its organizing over the past several years, on July 26 -- 100 days from the Nov. 3 election -- the Poor People’s Campaign began its voter outreach effort called “We Must Do MORE: Mobilizing, Organizing, Registering, Educating People for a Movement that Votes.”
The effort will focus on the following states: Kentucky, Texas, Michigan, Maine, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Georgia, Mississippi, West Virginia, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania, based on their importance in the presidential election, U.S. Senate races or both.
The campaign will reach out to poor and low-income voters and potential voters about its Jubilee Platform to build power around policies that start by meeting the needs of the poor, including health care for all, paid sick leave and a $15 minimum wage.
An online news conference will be held at 1 p.m. EDT Aug. 11 with Hartley and Gupta Barnes; newly engaged voters; and the campaign’s national co-chairs, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis.
Reporters should register for the news conference here.
___The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, is building a broad and deep moral fusion movement rooted in the leadership of poor people to unite our country from the bottom up. We demand that both major political parties address the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. Our updated agenda, A Moral Policy Agenda to Heal America: the Poor People’s Jubilee Platform, addresses these issues. -- Yolanda Barksdale Pronouns: she/her/hers Press Secretary and Communications AssociateRepairers of the BreachCell: (919) 396-6312"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." - Rep. John Lewis
DALTON PARTNERS WITH VIDO-INTERVAC TO COMBAT COVID-19
TORONTO – July 28, 2020
Dalton Pharma Services, a leading North American pharmaceutical cGMP CDMO, is pleased to announce a partnership with the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization–International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), a global leader in human and animal infectious disease research and vaccine development, in their effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Under the terms of the partnership, Dalton will be responsible for the formulation and fill/finish of VIDO-InterVac’s innovative COVID-19 vaccine, to be used in early Phase clinical trials, in Dalton`s State-of-the-Art cGMP, Health Canada approved biopharmaceutical facility in Toronto, Canada.
On April 23rd, the Canadian Federal government announced a $1.1B strategy to support COVID-19 vaccine research and clinical trials. VIDO-InterVac has made significant progress in their COVID-19 vaccine development with funding from both the federal government and Government of Saskatchewan, and hope to initiate clinical trials of their vaccine in Q4 2020.
“Dalton is pleased to apply its expertise in aseptic formulation and sterile fill/finish towards developing this leading-edge therapy. We look forward to working with VIDO-InterVac in support of their efforts to develop an effective vaccine for COVID-19,” said Peter Pekos, CEO of Dalton Pharma Services.
Dr. Volker Gerdts, Director and CEO of VIDO-InterVac, stated, “The development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine is of utmost urgency and VIDO-InterVac is excited to have Dalton as a trusted partner as we work together on this critical initiative.”
To strengthen Canada’s role in responding to infectious diseases, the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) works with international partners to study human and animal pathogens and develop solutions. With 160 interdisciplinary personnel, over $200 million in containment infrastructure, and more than four decades of experience, VIDO-InterVac develops vaccines and technologies that protect health. VIDO-InterVac receives operating support from the Government of Canada, and Government of Saskatchewan. Visit www.vido.org
Dalton Pharma Services is a leading North American cGMP pharmaceutical organization providing integrated drug discovery, development and manufacturing services. We are FDA registered, Health Canada approved and bring over 30 years of experience to every project. We deliver fully integrated solutions with an emphasis on speed, flexibility and quality. Our integrated services (drug discovery, formulation and process development, custom synthesis,cGMP sterile fill/finish of liquids and powders, cGMP API manufacturing and/or dosage form manufacturing and Accelerated Stability Testing) all at one location helps us to be adaptable, flexible and cost-effective.
Acute exercise has beneficial effects on the immune system during prostate cancer
Peer reviewed Experimental study People
UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 01.00 GMT 29 JULY 2020
Not for publication or broadcast before this time
New research published this week inExperimental Physiologyfound that in prostate cancer survivors, a moderate bout of exercise kept the cell count of certain type of immune cells at a normal level, suggesting the exercise is safe for prostate cancer survivors. After 24 hours after a moderate bout of cycling, the immune cell count of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the body’s first line of defence, had returned to resting levels.
Prostate cancer treatments, including androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), have numerous adverse effects that reduce physical function and quality of life. Exercise is recommended for cancer survivors to reduce the side effects of treatment and has shown to have many benefits.
However, the effects of prostate cancer treatment and acute exercise on the immune system have only been briefly examined. Exercise oncology guidelines were initially based on the responses seen in healthy, older adults. But individuals with cancer have different physiological responses to exercise, many of which we are only just beginning to understand.
Exercise helps the immune system mobilise by causing NK cells to move into the blood and be transported them to areas of need, such as sites of infection or tumours. At the tissues, these cells move out of circulation and in cancer patients they can the infiltrate the tumour and potentially slow the tumour's rate of growth. This has been shown very elegantly in animal models but the exercise and immune response in cancer survivors is limited, with only a few studies in prostate cancer.
The researchers, based at Victoria University in Australia, had volunteers (11 cancer survivors currently receiving ADT treatment, and 14 men with prostate cancer not on ADT, and 8 healthy controls) completed a cycling task to determine their maximal aerobic fitness.
The researchers chose to use a moderate intensity exercise session that was consistent with current exercise oncology guidelines but was also a bout that would be practical for prostate cancer survivors to perform on their own.
To ensure that the exercise bout used to stimulate the immune system was the same degree of difficulty for everyone, they standardised based on their maximal effort.
To determine immune function, they obtained blood samples before exercise, immediately after and 2h after they finished cycling. The participants then came back the next day (24h) after exercise, and immune function was assessed again after one night of recovery. They also measured several key hormone levels, including adrenaline and noradrenaline, as they play a role in activating and mobilising the NK immune cells.
The researchers found that 24 hours after a moderate bout of cycling, the immune cell count of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the body’s first line of defence, had returned to resting levels.
They also showed that the immune cell mobilisation with exercise does not appear to be significantly altered during prostate cancer treatment, which provides direct evidence that acute exercise that falls within current oncology guidelines also appears to be beneficial for the immune system.
A limitation of the study is the modest sample size, and also that they examined cytokines and proteins that are related to NK cell function but did not directly assess the killing capacity of the NK cells.
Erik D Hanson, first author on the study said,
“One of the most enjoyable aspects of working with these men is how willing these men are to help their fellow prostate cancer survivors. Many of them realise that these studies are not likely to benefit them directly. However, they do not hesitate to volunteer and are willing to do just about whatever is asked of them for the collective good.”
Adapted from Pedersen 2016. Mar 8;23(3):554-62. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.01.011. Epub 2016 Feb 16.
We can eliminate Hepatitis C in Canada by 2030
In Canada, an estimated 250,000 people are living with chronic hepatitis C but as many as 44% are not aware that they have it.1
Partnerships are essential in solving some of the most pressing public health challenges.
MONTREAL, July 28, 2020 /CNW/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company, firmly supports efforts to eliminate hepatitis C. In Canada, an estimated 250,000 people are living with hepatitis C but almost half (44%) of Canadians infected are unaware they are living with the disease.1
We are 10 years away from the World Health Organization's (WHO) mandate of curing the world of hepatitis C. In 2016, Canada was one of the 194 countries that committed to eliminating the disease by 2030.
AbbVie supports a wide range of efforts to help elevate and prioritize hepatitis C elimination because achieving the shared goal of elimination by 2030 will take more than medicine. It will take transparent and collaborative partnerships with healthcare professionals, governments, and community organizations to remove barriers to care.
"To reach the WHO 2030 goal of hepatitis C elimination, we must see this objective as a national and provincial health priority year after year. As the challenge is to identify people who are unaware they have Hepatitis C, and therefore need care, building meaningful elimination initiatives will help us to reach the goal of disease elimination," Denis Hello, Vice-President and General Manager AbbVie Canada.
In Canada, the most at-risk populations for hepatitis C include Indigenous people, people with experience in the prison system, people born between 1945 and 1975, immigrants and newcomers, and people who inject or use drugs1. Up to 35% of all hepatitis C infections in Canada are among immigrants and newcomers from countries where hepatitis C is common1. People who inject drugs account for up to 66% of past or current HCV infections1. Through partnerships with organizations such as HepCURE in Toronto and the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, AbbVie continues to work towards the goal of disease elimination.
HepCURE has developed a comprehensive clinical treatment program that specifically addresses the unmet needs of marginalized individuals and people who inject drugs. Along with creating awareness and educating the community, the program fast-tracks access to diagnosis and treatment by eliminating linkage to care barriers and leveraging technology to track and monitor treatment related interventions and outcomes.
"We invest a lot of time understanding the needs of the patient population to develop solutions that truly address treatment related barriers and medication adherence issues. We also work very closely with community-based providers to support patients during treatment which leads to better care and help them achieve their treatment goals," explains Christian Marcoux, Executive Director, HepCURE.
Through their outreach work and a goal of micro elimination in the immigrant community, the Hepatitis C Project at the Jewish General Hospital identifies patients who may have been lost to follow up due to cultural or language barriers; and links them to testing, care, and initiates treatment as required.
"At the Jewish General Hospital, we see thousands of people on a yearly basis with a variety of liver diseases. A significant number of them are immigrants and newcomers. Hepatitis C is one of the common diseases that we find among this population. I must say that we have a great referral system with our local community health centres," explains Dr. Nir Hilzenrat, Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist.
Building meaningful elimination initiatives with stakeholders such as these, we are working to find sustainable solutions that allow more patients to be screened, linked to care, and treated sooner. Let's work together to ensure that Canada is one of the countries that is on track to reach our shared WHO 2030 elimination objective.
About AbbVie AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca and www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvieCanada and @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.
BETADINE® povidone-Iodine products demonstrate rapid effectiveness in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19
Research published by the Infectious Diseases and Therapy journal and the British Dental Journal
PICKERING, ON, July 28, 2020 /CNW/ - Purdue Pharma (Canada) announces the results from two studies that independently evaluated in vitro virucidal activity of BETADINE® povidone-iodine (PVP-I). The studies found BETADINE® PVP-I killed 99.99% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, in 30 seconds or less.
Research results and conclusions
In a study conducted at Duke-NUS Medical School, BETADINE® PVP-I products were tested at various concentrations, including 0.45%, 1.0% and 10%. All tested concentrations killed 99.99% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 30 seconds in vitro. Researchers concluded, "The broad-spectrum antimicrobial and rapid virucidal activity of PVP-I products against SARS-CoV-2 suggests its importance in infection control. As an additional protective barrier to the PPE [personal protective equipment], these products may help reduce disease transmission."1 The authors suggest applicability of the findings to the ongoing fight against COVID-19 saying, "the use of PVP-I products can augment health and hygiene measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community."1
The study, which was published in the Infectious Diseases and Therapy journal on July 8, 2020, is complemented by laboratory testing completed at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Center (TIDREC) at the University of Malaya, Malaysia, which also demonstrated BETADINE® PVP-I effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, with 99.99% of the virus killed in just 15 seconds. The TIDREC research has been accepted by the British Dental Journal (BDJ) and was published as a Letter to the Editor on June 26, 2020. The BDJ is published by Springer Nature on behalf of the British Dental Association.
"These results are very exciting, and our teams at Purdue Pharma (Canada) and Avrio Health (Canada) remain passionate about supporting the health of Canadians," says David Pidduck, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Purdue Pharma (Canada). "We know that we must continue to be vigilant in stopping the spread of COVID and measures such as hand hygiene, wearing a mask, social distancing and using antiseptic products may all play an important role."
About BETADINE®
BETADINE® products have been trusted in Canada and around the world for over 60 years for the prevention and treatment of infections. In vitro and clinical studies have demonstrated that BETADINE® PVP-I products treat a broad range of viruses, fungi and bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. PVP-I formulations have been widely used for infection control because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and established safety profile. In addition to its broad antibacterial and antifungal activity, PVP-I has demonstrated in vitro activity against a range of viruses, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.
BETADINE® products marketed over-the-counter in Canada include BETADINE® SORE THROAT Gargle (PVP-I 1%), BETADINE® SORE THROAT Spray (PVP-I 0.45%) and BETADINE® Antiseptic Solution (PVP-I 10%).
BETADINE® is a registered trademark of Purdue Pharma (Canada).
About Avrio Health (Canada)
Avrio Health (Canada) is the consumer health division of Purdue Pharma (Canada). It champions improvements to quality of life through the reimagining of innovative product solutions. It has a strong portfolio of well-respected and proven effective brands, including SENOKOT® and BETADINE®.
Referenced studies
1Anderson, D.E., Sivalingam, V., Kang, A.E.Z. et al. Povidone-Iodine Demonstrates Rapid In Vitro Virucidal Activity Against SARS-CoV-2, The Virus Causing COVID-19 Disease. Infect Dis Ther (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-020-00316-3
Building A Stronger Immune System Through The Healthy And Scrumptious Recipes In My Pinewood Kitchen
Nashville, TN, July 28, 2020 ̶ ̶ Mee McCormick understands only too well the importance of healthy food, having watched her single mother suffer with a host of debilitating auto-immune diseases, some of which she inherited, that led her to make the decision in her mid-twenties to change her own fate. Today, chef and author Mee McCormick is an expert who healed herself of Crohn's disease, gut issues, and other immune system challenges with whole food recipes when doctors couldn't help her.
Offering microbiome-friendly meals with a Southern spin, My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure, is a follow-up cookbook to her wildly successful, life-enhancing My Kitchen Cure. Mee is living proof that you can change your fate by what’s on your plate and her recipes will help heal your gut and fight a host of autoimmune diseases. With over 130 mouthwatering, whole food recipes that can be customized for Keto, Paleo, or vegans, it truly is an "all-inclusive" eating plan for everyone in the family.
From smoothies, soups and salads, to dinners and desserts, every recipe in the book is gluten-free and gut-friendly. Mee has since forged the way for a new kind of hospitality: a fully-inclusive table where everyone can eat delicious Southern comfort classics without sacrificing taste, regardless of even the most severe food allergies or dietary restrictions – all while stressing the importance of intestinal health and how to improve your own gut microbiome. Her book shows us which foods are nutritional powerhouses and which ones we must avoid, and how to eat real food every day without breaking the bank.
Mee McCormick is a rising Southern culinary and wellness innovator, restaurateur, author, TV cooking personality, farmer, rancher, wife and mother. She splits her time between Nashville and nearby Nunnelly, Tennessee; a tiny, unincorporated community in Hickman County; home to her biodynamic farm and restaurant Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile – that is unique in that every meal is created with the intention to serve everyone with the same deliciousness, regardless of dietary restrictions. In fact, some members of the community drive hours to get a taste of her farm-to-table cuisine and her mouthwatering Pinewood’s Grain-Free Fried Chicken!
Mee authored her first cookbook My Kitchen Cure, which led to wild success and a book deal with HCI for her second cookbook, My Pinewood Kitchen, published in April 2020. She frequently appears on Today in Nashville, and she participates in nationally-recognized food festivals and events, spreading the same level of care and hospitality to audiences everywhere that she has become known for throughout the state of Tennessee. Visit: www.meemccormick.com or www.pinewoodkitchenandmercantile.com.
My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure/130+ Crazy Delicious, Gluten-Free Recipes to Reduce Inflammation and Make Your Gut Happy
By Mee McCormick
HCI BOOKS / $26.95
ISBN: 9780757323522
Available wherever books are sold
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FRONTLINE EXPERTS USING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES TO GET CANADIANS BACK TO THE GYM
Physicians on frontlines of COVID-19 partner with GoodLife Fitness to set the standard for gym safety
[Toronto, ON] — Two doctors at the heart of downtown Toronto’s COVID-19 response are venturing outside hospital walls to help support the health of Canadians. Emergency Physicians and Healthcare Design Experts Christopher Hicks, MD, MEd, FRCPC, and Andrew Petrosoniak, MD, MEd, FRCPC of Advanced Performance Healthcare Design (APHD) have partnered with GoodLife Fitness to set the standard for how fitness is done in the COVID-19 era.
Hicks and Petrosoniak played an integral role in guiding, supporting, and testing the COVID-19 response process and protocols at St. Michael’s Hospital, a leading academic health sciences centre in Toronto, and have been on the frontline caring for COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic.
“We’ve been working in the hospital setting to design the safest possible conditions. It was a unique challenge to be able to apply what we’ve learned to a new environment, but the same principles apply. We recognize it’s important for Canadians to have access to gyms for their physical and mental health, so this project is really important to us,” said Dr. Christopher Hicks.
They partnered with GoodLife to use simulation, combined with clinical and behavioural psychology expertise, to create customized solutions for the unique needs of fitness clubs.
“Our goal has been to meet or exceed the new health and safety parameters laid out by the different levels of government across the country. That’s why we developed The GoodLife Standard,” says Jason Sheridan, Senior Vice President of Operations for GoodLife Fitness. “GoodLife recognized that we are living in unprecedented circumstances and that, while we have an incredible wealth of knowledge on our own teams, we knew we needed to consult external experts in this specific field to make sure our reopening plan was as responsible and effective as possible.”
In preparation for their work with Canada’s largest fitness club chain, Hicks and Petrosoniak completed thorough research on the fitness industry, as well as GoodLife spaces, processes, and policies, with a specific focus on the company’s proposed re-opening plans including The GoodLife Standard and new operating model.
A comprehensive situational analysis was completed by interviewing many of GoodLife’s internal experts, analyzing Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) plans and strategy, and reviewing risks using Failure Mode Effective Analysis (FMEA). Table-Top Simulations, similar to role-playing, were completed by acting out certain potential scenarios over video conference calls, with various members of GoodLife’s leadership team. During this phase, they focused on efficiency and risk mitigation with workflows being iteratively refined.
“This pandemic has taught us that we’re linked far more than we ever thought we were,” says Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak. “To imagine that we can engage in activities within our towns, cities, and around the country without any impact on others is simply not true. In fact, when we come to the gym, it’s a social contract with those around us that we’re going to behave in a responsible way and that those who are sharing the space will do so as well.”
To test that social contract, the process culminated with a live, in-club simulation. The space was prepared so that it was set up in the new operating model and in accordance with The GoodLife Standard. Hicks and Petrosoniak had associates and members participate in many different scenarios to simulate what an actual experience would be like, including arriving at a club, checking in, working out, and leaving. During this time, the team was able to identify confusion points and blind spots that may encumber safety. They were then able to address and solve those issues, as well as eliminate friction associated with compliance before clubs opened.
“What we’ve seen here with GoodLife is that they’ve created a space that follows the recommendations and, in fact, goes above and beyond the recommendations that have been put in place,” says Dr. Christopher Hicks. “I’m a big believer in the work that GoodLife has done and the process they’ve engaged in. Adding the two of us into the pictures as frontline healthcare providers and medical designers I think really shows an added level of commitment on behalf of the organization to really understand the nature of the problem and to make the process of reopening fitness Clubs as responsible as I think it could possibly be.”
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment For Depression And Anxiety
San Francisco, CA, July 27, 2020 - Feeling anxious, helpless and depressed by all the tragedies in the news? Nearly forty years after his five-million-copy bestselling book, Feeling Good, made a positive difference in the lives of countless people with its uplifting message: When you change the way you THINK, you can change the way you FEEL, and helped cognitive therapy become the most popular and extensively researched form of psychotherapy in the world, critically-acclaimed author and world-renowned clinical psychiatrist David D. Burns, M.D., brings the newest installment to his revolutionary research in Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
Now, Dr. David Burns brings us a radical new approach that makesultra-rapid recovery possible, even in a single two-hour, book-therapy session. Feeling Great emerged from 40 years of research on how therapy actually works and is based on this paradoxical idea:Your negative thoughts and feelings are NOT the result of some defect, like a chemical imbalance in your brain or a “mental disorder,” but from what is most beautiful and awesome about you and your core values. And the moment you realize this, recovery will be just a stone’s throw away.
In as little as a two-hour, book-therapy session, Feeling Great will help you:
1. Pinpoint and eliminate the powerful forces that keep you stuck;
2. Learn that your thoughts, and not the circumstances of your life, create all of your
feelings;
3. Discover why depression and anxiety are the world’s oldest cons;
4. Crush the ten types of distorted thoughts that rob you of happiness and self-esteem;
5. Learn why self-acceptance is the greatest change a human being can make.
David D. Burns, M.D.,is an Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. More than 50,000 mental health professionals have attended his workshops throughout the United States and Canada. His weekly Feeling Good Podcasts (approaching three million downloads) provide therapists and the general public alike with tips to overcome depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, and habits and addiction. Dr. Burns lives in the San Francisco Bay area. To learn more, visit www.FeelingGreattheBook.com.
For national interviews, Dr. Burns can provide patients who are willing to participate and support the claims in the book. For interviews, reviews, mentions—or to receive a hard copy of the galley, please contact Justin Loeber, at 212-260-7576 or: justin.loeber@mouthdigitalpr.com.
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety
PESI Publishing
Release Date: September 2020
Hardcover / $26.99
ISBN: 9781683732884
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The Wealthy World’s Response to COVID-19, in Four Graphs … The U.S. Comes in Dead Last
After six months of COVID-19 pandemic, let’s pause, and assess the performance of countries and their leaders. Sadly, by most standards the U.S. has little to be proud of. (All data come from Worldometers)
Since it’s only fair to compare countries with comparable resources and healthcare infrastructure, we’ll look at the “Wealthy West” – the U.S., Canada, and a dozen Western European nations. (Others, like Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand, aren’t shown because their COVID-19 numbers are too small to show up on these graphs.) Also, to level the playing field statistically, we’ll present per capita numbers rather than the raw numbers.
Total Cases. We begin with the daily progress of new cases, the most widely-used measure of the pandemic’s spread:
Every nation’s curve peaked 4-6 weeks after the pandemic first took hold, but with peaks several times greater in the hardest-hit countries (Spain and Belgium) than in the least-hard-hit (throughout Scandinavia). As measures such as face masks and social distancing took hold, twelve of the fourteen countries then saw a dramatic, steady decline in new cases. Those countries now typically see fewer than 10 new cases per MM in a typical day.
Sweden and the U.S. are the outliers, with little or no decline from the initial peak and a further surge around week 13. Sweden’s new cases are now down roughly 70% from their peak, while the U.S.’s have risen to levels never seen in even the hardest-hit countries. Sweden is noteworthy because it alone chose to take a laissez-faire approach, keeping schools and many businesses open throughout. But in the U.S., there is simply no positive way to spin the pandemic’s progression. Some try to attribute the U.S.’s current surge to an increase in testing, but even if that were true (see below), more testing just cannot explain that many new cases.
Deaths. With fewer cases comes fewer deaths. Also, all over the world the case fatality rate– i.e., the ratio of deaths to reported cases – for COVID-19 is declining. Reasons include better medical understanding of how to treat the most serious cases, healthcare systems that are now less heavily stressed, and a demographic shift in infections to younger patients, since COVID-19 is clearly most destructive to the elderly.
The following graph shows reported COVID-19 deaths by month, with the most recent months shown darkest and to the left. Countries are sorted in descending order of total deaths per capita since June 1 – roughly when most economies began to reopen:
April saw the most deaths for every country shown, with steady monthly declines since then. Many countries are now reporting just a handful of COVID-19-related deaths per week. However, three countries stand out for deaths since June 1 – the U.S., Sweden, and the U.K. Sweden saw high deaths continuing into June because of its continued surge, but the pace has slowed significantly in July. The U.K.’s ongoing high number of deaths continues to trouble and baffle – witness Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent announcement of an independent inquiry into the government’s response. However, the U.S.’s number does not baffle: the continuing surge in cases makes more deaths inevitable for at least a few more weeks, even at the lower mortality rates we’re now seeing.
To put the U.S.’s deaths in harsher perspective: the European countries shown (excluding Sweden and the U.K.) plus Canada, have a combined population roughly equal to the U.S.’s. Yet in the nearly two months from June 1 through July 26, that group of twelve countries has reported a total of only 6,400 COVID-19 deaths, compared to 41,000 in the U.S.; proportionally, the comparison is even starker for July alone.
Testing. Second only to motivating or mandating safe public practices, testing is the most important action a nation can take to control a pandemic’s spread, especially when a significant portion of those infected are asymptomatic. It’s critically important that nations test strategically – that is, testing people as the result of contact tracing, periodic testing in high-risk and high-contact occupations like health care and food service, and testing individuals when a recent experience justifies it.
By contrast, necessary testing occurs simply because people show symptoms. At least one test is needed to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis, at least two more to confirm a recovery, and a few additional tests for obvious candidates like the patient’s housemates. Testing for these reasons doesn’t really enable a nation to control a pandemic’s spread. The following graph shows the progress of total strategic tests performed in 40 relatively affluent countries worldwide – we assume that each reported case generates six necessary tests, with the remainder of a nation’s total tests considered as strategic tests:
The U.S. has significantly ramped up its strategic testing, but so has virtually everyone else. Even today, the U.S. ranks just in the middle of the pack. Claims that the U.S. leads the world in testing are flatly untrue – and would be even if we showed total rather than strategictesting as the metric.
Lastly, turnaround time matters! Having to wait 8-10 days for the results of a COVID-19 test is a little like waiting four months for the results of a pregnancy test. The average turnaround at the two major U.S. testing labs is now 4-6 days, and that doesn’t include the time needed to schedule a test, deliver it to the testing lab, and communicate the result back to the patient. This is a huge problem, especially with the current surge creating high demand for necessary tests.
Red state/blue state. The following graph tracks the weekly progression of new cases in U.S. states, divided into six groups depending on how they voted in the 2016 presidential election – red for Republican, blue for Democrat. Color intensity varies with the margin of victory. California, an outlier in many respects, is shown in green:
A clear pattern emerges. In the early stages of the pandemic, a small but populous group of states, virtually all in the Northeast or the industrial Midwest, was hit the hardest, and most were heavily blue states in 2016. Then, from mid-April to mid-May, virtually every hard-hit state saw declines in new cases, while the others stayed low. Now, in the recent surge, the hardest-hit states include every state in the South, plus California, Arizona, and three less populous mountain states.
This graph is not intended as a political statement – it is, after all, nothing more than publicly available data. The enormous state-to-state differences in how COVID-19 has spread are clearly attributable to how quickly states chose to reopen their economies, and how closely their residents observed sound personal health practices. But the underlying causes of those differences bear discussion.
SUMMARY. The numbers show that the U.S.’s performance in response to the pandemic has been shockingly poor, if not disastrous. They reflect a failure to control the spread of new cases, continuing deaths, inadequate testing, and the politicization of decisions that should be purely science- and data-based. All this has happened in spite of available resources in and economic sacrifices by the U.S. that are comparable to the other countries of the Wealthy West. Clearly, a sober, honest national discussion about balancing individual freedom with public safety and economic well-being with personal health is necessary, or history is doomed to repeat itself.
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