Cruel Bear Bile Industry Thrives Despite Pandemic Risks Says World Animal Protection
TORONTO, April 2, 2020 /CNW/ - World Animal Protection is raising concerns over the recent news that the Chinese government is recommending the use of a bear bile product to treat severe symptoms caused by COVID-19.
In a new report from the global charity called Cruel Cures, this shocking development is described as both 'tragic and ironic,' given that the handling and consumption of wild animals is believed to be the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. World Animal Protection is urging the Chinese government to remove this drug from its recommended list and only include plant-based traditional medicines.
The report also reveals the abhorrent cruelty of bear farming and the unacceptable growth of the bear bile trade.
China has been farming bears since the 1980s to extract bile from their gall bladder, predominately for use in traditional medicine. It is used to treat a variety of ailments from liver disease to hangovers, but plant-based alternatives do exist.
The bile is extracted from live, suffering bears and is one of the most extreme forms of animal abuse in the world. The bears are largely bred in captivity and trapped in small, barren cages in factory farm style conditions for the duration of their long, miserable lives.
They suffer unthinkable traumas. Most commonly, their bile is drained from their gallbladder using a metal tube through a surgically created opening in the bear's abdomen. The intense, agonizing process that the bears are forced to endure causes them to cry out in agony.
The report also states approximately 24,000 bears are currently kept caged and farmed for their bile for traditional medicine products across Asia - including in China, Vietnam and Myanmar. This should raise major concern in the wake of the COVID-19 contagion, as 60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and of these 70% are thought to originate from wild animals. While COVID-19 is a pandemic like no other to date, collectively, zoonotic diseases cause over two million human deaths annually, as a result of people coming into close proximity with animals.
Melissa Matlow, Campaign Director for World Animal Protection Canada says:
"The COVID-19 pandemic is ringing the alarm bells that the consumption and trade of wild animals needs to end. Farming bears for their bile is cruel, endangers bears in the wild, carries serious public health risks and is completely unnecessary as plant-based traditional medicine alternatives are available. It's time to stop the intensive farming, consumption and trade of wildlife to end animal suffering and help to prevent another pandemic."
Matlow adds that bears are still hunted from the wild for their gallbladders and due to a depletion in Asiatic black bears, bears are being hunted in places such as Canada and Russia.
The report also found illegal bear bile products are still being sold in shops in Toronto and exported to countries in Asia. During the charity's investigation, six of the 25 stores visited were found to stock bear bile products or offered the opportunity to order a bear bile product.
Consumer research also shows that 1 in 14 Canadians have knowingly used traditional medicine containing animal parts. However, when informed of the cruelty involved, more than half surveyed were then against the use of animal parts in traditional medicine.
World Animal Protection is asking governments around the world, including the Canadian government, to support a global ban on the farming and trade of wildlife. Bear gallbladders and bear bile have been trafficked in Canada for decades and there is concern this latest recommendation by the Chinese government will increase the illegal trade here.
It is recommended Canada strengthen legislation and enforcement to ensure consistent protection for bears across the country and to ensure authorities have the support they need to crack down on the trade and sale of illegal bear bile products.
Recent developments in China and Vietnam have been encouraging, where both countries have banned the consumption of wild animals. Yet, the ban must be extended to include the use of wildlife in traditional medicine, preventing animals such as bears, tigers and pangolins from being abused. Not only will this drastically reduce the human health threat, it will prevent animal suffering too.
World Animal Protection will continue to promote better welfare for bears, while we move to end the bear bile industry for good.
About World Animal Protection
From our offices around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Kenya and Canada, we move the world to protect animals. Last year, we gave more than 3 billion animals better lives through our campaigns that focus on animals in the wild, animals in disasters, animals in communities and animals in farming. More information can be found at www.worldanimalprotection.ca
SOURCE World Animal Protection
Canadians are feeling unprecedented levels of anxiety, according to Mental Health Index
Pandemic has caused a dramatic 16-per-cent drop in Canadians' mental health, according to Morneau Shepell's Mental Health Index: a score of 63
TORONTO, April 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Morneau Shepell, the leading provider of total well-being, mental health and digital mental health services in Canada, announced today the results of its new Mental Health Index, which includes a measure of how the pandemic is impacting Canadian workers' mental health. The index will be released monthly.
The Mental Health Index found a statistically significant decrease in mental health, when compared to pre-COVID-19 benchmarks. The change represents a current score of 63 compared to the benchmark of 75. The size of the change is unprecedented in the three-year period when the benchmark data was being collected. An overall score of 63 is very concerning. Such a score is typically only seen in the subset of employees who have major life disruption and mental health risk. The largest negative change was seen in the measure of anxiety, followed by helplessness, optimism and isolation.
In addition to the overall assessment of mental health, the survey also specifically asked about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of respondents (81 per cent) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting their mental health, ranging from some concern but an ability to cope (49 per cent) to feeling the crisis has a negative, very negative or significantly negative impact on their mental health (32 per cent).
"We can't ignore the reality that mental health concerns and anxieties will continue to worsen as COVID-19 escalates. Now is the time for business leaders and governments to take action, ramp up mental health efforts and help normalize the anxieties that individuals may be feeling," said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer. "We're proud to see our governments and many Canadian organizations stepping up to the plate to expand mental health offerings for those who need it, including individuals who have been laid off. We strongly encourage all Canadians to inquire about the services available to them through their current or former employer. Together, we can minimize long-term damage and ensure that we come out of this challenging time stronger than before."
The Mental Health Index also assessed the main COVID-19-related factors that are leading to these mental health concerns. The top concern having an impact on mental health relates to the financial impact of the pandemic (55 per cent), followed by the fear of getting ill or having a loved one pass away (42 per cent, respectively) and uncertainty around how the virus will impact family (33 per cent). Regardless of the concern, all have the potential to detrimentally impact mental health and well-being long after COVID-19 is contained.
"Perceptions of COVID-19 have changed drastically since the first case entered Canada in January, from initially viewing the virus as an unknown to now as a threat," said Paula Allen, senior vice president of research, analytics and innovation. "These findings confirm that COVID-19 is not just an infectious disease issue, we are looking at a mental health crisis. This survey is of working Canadians, which makes this pandemic as relevant for businesses as it is for public health."
Morneau Shepell will be publishing the national Mental Health Index on a monthly basis. It will assess change in mental health and the issues Canadians are most anxious about as the situation evolves, during and after the pandemic.
About the Mental Health Index The monthly survey by Morneau Shepell was conducted in English and French from March 27 to March 30, with 3,000 respondents in total. All respondents reside in Canada and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The margins of error for the survey are +/- 3.2 per cent, valid 19 times out of 20. Morneau Shepell will publish a full report in the coming weeks.
About Morneau Shepell Morneau Shepell is the leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee well-being through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial well-being 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.
Financial losses from treating COVID-19 patients could devastate health care sector, experts say
HOUSTON – (April 2, 2020) –The federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) includes hundreds of billions of dollars of funding for the health care sector, but with health care facilities facing unprecedent expenditures, that might not be enough, according to an economics expert at Rice University and a physician at Texas Children's Hospital.
The cost of caring for COVID-19 patients is predicted to exceed that of typical insurance reimbursement in part because of steps required to prevent the spread of the disease, according to a new blog post by Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice, and Dr. Heidi Russell, a physician at Texas Children's Hospital and associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
The legislation adds $100 billion in funds to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to pay health care providers for expenses or lost revenues attributable to the coronavirus. The funds are only to be used to reimburse for expenses and lost revenues that have not been repaid from other sources. Eligible health care providers comprise for-profit, not-for-profit and public entities as well as Medicare- or Medicaid-enrolled suppliers and providers that deliver diagnoses, testing or care to individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19.
Before the outbreak, administrative costs totaled about 8% of all health care spending, the researchers said. "Currently, administrative needs like planning how patients will be tested and where coronavirus patients will be treated as well as allocating limited space and PPE (personal protective equipment) resources are taking up a larger percentage," they wrote.
Smaller community hospitals, particularly those in rural areas, will be equipped to manage only the mildest cases of COVID-19, the researchers said. Transferring sicker patients to larger centers prepared for the most intensely ill will cause additional strain on already overloaded facilities.
"Patients with underlying illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease, are always more complicated and costlier to care for," the researchers wrote. "These are the majority of patients being hospitalized with COVID-19."
Given that hospital and physician expenditures represented $1.9 trillion in spending in 2018, $100 billion may be "woefully inadequate" to compensate health care providers for unreimbursed expenses and lost revenue from the pandemic, the researchers said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the U.S. health care system,” the researchers concluded. “Our communities, medical providers and health care facilities are responding in an unprecedented manner to prevent the system from collapsing.
“The extraordinarily high health care costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic will force a new debate regarding how much health care providers should be reimbursed for their services, why U.S health care costs are so high, and what amount taxpayers are willing to accept in order to maintain national health security.”
Ho is also a professor in the Department of Economics at Rice and a professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research examines the effects of economic incentives and regulations on the quality and costs of health care.
For more information, contact Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at averyrf@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.
Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks as the No. 2 university-affiliated think tank in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blog.bakerinstitute.org.
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
Responding to Covid-19: How to Navigate a Public Health Emergency Legally and Ethically
Early-view essay in the Hastings Center Report, March-April 2020
Few novel or emerging infectious diseases have posed such vital ethical challenges so quickly and dramatically as the novel coronavirus. An early-view essay in the March-April 2020 Hastings Center Report offers guidance at a time when health care institutions and governments are desperately confronting these challenges. The authors are Prof. Lawrence O. Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, director of the WHO Center on Global Health Law, and a Hastings Center fellow; Eric A. Friedman, the Global Health Justice Scholar at the O’Neill Institute; and Sarah A. Wetter, a law fellow with the O’Neill Institute. Their essay addresses these vital questions as the United States responds to the Covid-19 pandemic: When the health system becomes stretched beyond capacity, how can we ethically allocate scarce health goods and services? How can we ensure that marginalized populations can access the care they need?What ethical duties do we owe to vulnerable people separated from their families and communities?How do we ethically and legally balance public health with civil liberties? The full text of the essay, “Responding to Covid-19: How to Navigate a Public Health Emergency Legally and Ethically,” is available for free. “How we respond to this pandemic, whether we act ethically and safeguard the most vulnerable among us, will be a test of our humanity,” Gostin said. “Everyone will suffer, and many will die, in the coming months, but those who are unemployed, uninsured, poor, or disabled will suffer most. As a society, we have an ethical duty to do all we can to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged among us.”To ethically allocate scarce goods and services, the authors point to a “World War II-style mobilization” and call on the president “to exercise his full authority under the Defense Production Act to mobilize industry to project urgently needed resources.”The authors discuss steps that should be taken to ensure that marginalized populations, like people with disabilities and people of color, receive a fair distribution of scarce resources. “In addition to identifying specific groups that need special care, ethical distribution requires a fair process in deciding,” they write. That process should include the public and must be transparent and grounded in scientific evidence. Fair distribution is not only a national issue but also a global one. “Globally, lower‐income countries will face much more scarcity than wealthier states and, if Covid‐19 takes hold, a higher burden of disease,” they write. “The United States is ethically obligated to assist—even if this means reducing American stockpiles—to maximally protect and equally value all human life.” The essay offers several recommendations for protecting vulnerable populations, including under- and uninsured persons and immigrants, and assuring that they have access to care. Among the recommendations is this: “Governments must assure that Covid‐19 testing and care, and vaccines and treatment once available, are free so that cost does not cause anyone to delay or avoid care.” The authors address the economic and social disruption that results from physical distancing, quarantine, and other measures to control the spread of infections. To balance public health and civil liberties, they write, “a basic rule is that governments should employ the least restrictive means necessary to protect public health.” That standard should “be based on rigorous scientific assessment of risk and effectiveness.” Further, “containment measures must not be a subterfuge for discrimination.” “At a time of vast inequities, we are all only as safe as the most vulnerable among us—both in the United States and globally,” the essay concludes. “We are in uncharted territory, where vital human connections and economic activity are disrupted in ways not seen in generations. If we want to safeguard the public’s health while being faithful to our most fundamental values, then we must ensure that our response is effective, ethical, and equitable.”
OMA Urges Governments to Distribute Personal Protective Equipment and Critical Care Supplies Now
TORONTO, April 2, 2020 /CNW/ - The Ontario Medical Association is urging immediate government action to distribute personal protective equipment and critical supplies to community-based physicians and other health-care workers in medical clinics, long-term care facilities, primary care practices and other community-based organizations.
Across Ontario, community-based physicians have been flagging, for several weeks, the need for protective equipment and supplies. A growing number are reporting that they have little or no PPE. As a result, they have had no choice but to dramatically reduce in-person visits or use homemade masks. Others who have no PPE have closed their clinics and are only doing virtual or telephone visits.
"Every day, we are hearing from community doctors that there is a critical shortage of personal protective equipment. Many clinics will soon have to close to ensure the safety of their staff and themselves. This puts providers and the patients in these communities at risk. It also increases the pressure on hospitals, which again increases the risks to patients. We need urgent action now," said OMA President Dr. Sohail Gandhi.
To date, 10 percent of all COVID-19 positive patients in Ontario are health care providers. It is vital that health care providers stay healthy to provide care to those who may contract the virus in the future, but also to ensure that we are able to continue to effectively care for patients who have other acute health care needs.
More than 1879 doctors recently responded to an OMA survey confirming an immediate need for PPE supplies in the community. About 72 percent of respondents reported that they had a fewer than 5-day supply of surgical/procedure masks. Over 87 percent reported that they had a fewer than 5-day supply of eye shields. A number of respondents answered that they had 0 days' supply of various items.
Evidence has demonstrated that asymptomatic transmission can occur. The risk to patients and health care workers is unknown. Coupled with this, community transmission is also happening. These two factors have made it difficult to screen out suspected COVID-19 cases. This poses a real dilemma for clinicians if they cannot maintain a safe distance, particularly if they need to physically examine a patient.
Patients with certain chronic and other conditions need in-person medical care as part of their health care management. Others, such as infants and young children, need immunizations and minor procedures. Without access to that in-person care in the community, the only alternative is to visit the Emergency Department, and this is counter-productive to efforts to increase hospital capacity for a potential COVID-19 surge. Patients who have delayed care for their conditions may get sicker and may be hospitalized. This will take up needed beds and places the patient at risk for infections, including COVID-19.
"We applaud the PPE drives that are growing across the province. These efforts reinforce the seriousness of this issue. While we are hopeful this will partially help the situation, the real solution is for government to immediately move PPE and Critical Supply to all front-line community health care workers across all levels of patient care." said Dr. Gandhi.
About the OMA
The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario's 43,000 plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario's health-care system.
SOURCE Ontario Medical Association
CoBank Quarterly: Global Pandemic, Economic Hibernation Disorient Markets, Industries and Communities
Labor and supply chains among the biggest challenges facing essential rural industries
DENVER (April 2, 2020)—COVID-19 has brought the U.S. economy to a screeching halt, ushering in a recession in the process. For most businesses, the sudden stop to the economy is more jolting than the financial crisis of 2008 and has forced hard, immediate decisions about employees and finances. According to a new Quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, COVID-19 has also underscored the critically important nature of agriculture and other industries essential to rural America.
“This quarter will largely define the next year in terms of the economy and how severe the damage caused by the coronavirus will be,” said Dan Kowalski, vice president, Knowledge Exchange, CoBank. “Nearly everyone will be impacted to varying degrees and the pace of the recovery will be uneven. But the economy had been on good footing and it’s entirely possible that we can get back to reasonable strength within a few quarters.”
The U.S. grain sector remains stuck in a rut, with pressure on commodity prices, weakening basis for corn and soybeans in some markets, and export volatility likely over the next two to three months. Since 2020 began, corn prices have declined by 12% and soybeans prices have dropped by 7%.
While crop farming fundamentals remain challenging, ag retailers enter the 2020 growing season on relatively stable footing. Retailers are optimistic for a full agronomy season given pent-up demand for fertilizer and crop protection products following last year’s complicated and wet fall application season.
The U.S. ethanol complex is navigating through an extremely difficult operating environment exacerbated by the recent collapse in crude oil and gasoline prices and a virtual overnight evaporation of demand. Several large players have restructured or exited the business, with more expected to do so over the next three months.
The U.S. chicken industry entered 2020 with optimism largely driven by expectations for renewed exports to China. That focus swiftly changed to the domestic market in early March when the spread of the coronavirus dramatically shifted the U.S. market to at-home eating, boosting chicken demand. Chicken production grew 7.7% in the first two months of 2020.
The U.S. cattle complex has seen a swift and sharp decline in the last month following the drop in global equities and oil prices. Since mid-January, April live cattle futures have fallen by approximately 25%. The beef complex profit pool is shifting in favor of packers at the cost of lower feeding margins. The loss of restaurant and foodservice customers due to COVID-19 will test beef prices this spring.
China’s demand for U.S. pork has set export records, but it hasn’t led to strong prices or profit margins. While international demand has been significantly higher than last year, so has U.S. pork supply. Hog producers are expected to realize negative margins through April, before margins turn to positive territory this summer. To realize strong margins, producers will need strong export growth to continue.
Milk prices have fallen precipitously in recent weeks due to COVID-19. The seasonal increase in milk supplies with the spring flush was met with economic weakness in China and other countries, impacting dairy exports. School closings have impacted fluid milk consumption. Home stockpiling has provided some price support, but not enough to offset the losses related to food service.
Despite strong exports, cotton prices have sunk to new lows on fears of slower global economic growth. U.S. cotton exporters are optimistic of faster export pace following India’s announcement of lockdown into the first half of April, which may impair India’s cotton export pace. Meanwhile, rough rice futures surged to new highs, driven by a surge in retail rice sales and tighter global stocks.
U.S. specialty crop growers are fearing an even tighter labor situation unfolding this spring as processing of new H-2A visa applications in Mexico is impaired by COVID-19 complications. Specialty crops growers have benefited from the surge in produce sales at grocery stores but saw reduced exports due to logistical issues related to COVID-19.
Broad segments of the power and energy sectors are likely to realize falling revenues in Q2 2020 and possibly beyond. Electric utilities will suffer from weakening electricity consumption by the commercial and industrial sectors. Rural water systems will also face challenges during the economic downturn.
The full Quarterly report is available on cobank.com. Each CoBank Quarterly provides updates and an outlook for the Global and U.S. Economic Environment; U.S. Agricultural Markets; Grains, Biofuels and Farm Supply; Animal Protein; Dairy; Other Crops; Specialty Crops and Rural Infrastructure Industries.
About CoBank
CoBank is a $145 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 70,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.
CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.
Servier partners with Innovative Medicines Canada Members to Donate 100,000 Masks to Help Protect Front-Line Healthcare Workers Battling COVID-19
LAVAL, QC, April 2, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Servier Canada, along with other pharmaceutical companies, members of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), are continuing their efforts in the fight against COVID-19 by donating 100,000 N95 masks for front-line healthcare workers battling the virus. The donation is in response to the federal government's request for additional protective equipment.
"As a leading company in Health and Life Sciences, Servier's very first thoughts go to the front-line medical community. Healthcare workers are operating every day within clinics and hospitals to relieve patients suffering from COVID-19, often at the cost of their own safety. Through this donation, we want to help to protect them and to bring our own contribution to the fight against the virus", said Servier Canada's CEO Frederic Fasano.
"Our industry will continue to collaborate with all levels of government, with civil society groups and with each other in unprecedented ways in response to this crisis", said IMC President Pamela Fralick. "Our members are playing a leading role in Canada and around the world in the race to find effective treatments, better diagnostic tools, and to create vaccines to help identify, treat and ultimately, stop the spread of COVID-19", she added.
The donation is one of several initiatives supported by Servier to contribute to the fight against the pandemic on the ground. "In Canada, as well as in many other affected countries, Servier is providing personal protection equipment to hospitals and is making donations to foundations and NGOs. In France, the location of Servier's Global headquarters, many healthcare professionals employed by Servier have volunteered and have been made available to health authorities to join medical staff on the front-line against the virus. We at Servier consider this contribution as part of our mission and responsibility", said Frédéric Fasano. "Servier also puts its best efforts to ensure the continuity of its manufacturing and supply operations in order for its medicines to remain available to Canadian patients who rely on them", he added.
Servier Canada is the Canadian affiliate of Servier Group, an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes). With a strong international presence in 149 countries and a turnover of 4.6 billion euros in 2019, Servier employs 22,000 people worldwide. Entirely independent, the Group reinvests 25% of its turnover (excluding generic drugs) in research and development and uses all its profits for development. Corporate growth is driven by Servier's constant search for innovation in five areas of excellence: cardiovascular, immune-inflammatory and neuropsychiatric diseases, cancer and diabetes, as well as by its activities in high-quality generic drugs. Servier also offers eHealth solutions beyond drug development. Servier has been present in Canada since 1978.
BEACON launches free digital program Stronger Minds to support continuously evolving mental well-being concerns of Canadians through COVID-19 crisis
Sponsored by Manulife and Green Shield Canada,Stronger Minds provides guidance from the extensive team of BEACON psychologists – updated daily in response to everchanging worries
TORONTO, April 2, 2020 /CNW/ - MindBeacon, provider of the leading digital mental and behavioural health therapy service BEACON™, announces the launch of Stronger Minds, created to support all Canadians through heightened stresses related to COVID-19. Available Monday, April 6, the new digital program provides participants with day-to-day guidance from the extensive MindBeacon team of clinical psychologists. Through the BEACON digital platform, Stronger Minds participants will access guidance in the form of short expert Q&A videos, quick reads and resilience-building activities – all focused on protecting our emotional well-being as the COVID-19 crisis progresses. Fresh and useful insights will be provided daily, in response to the evolving worries expressed by Canadians as they participate in the program. Stronger Minds will be offered indefinitely, in recognition this crisis has an uncertain timeline.
Stronger Minds by BEACON is a free program that will be available for all Canadians. This is made possible through support from Manulife and Green Shield Canada (GSC) as part of their commitment to communities through the pandemic crisis. Created to address the specific emotional worries stirred by the pandemic, Stronger Minds is distinct from the existing treatment service offered through BEACON's guided digital therapy (iCBT). Unlike therapy, Stronger Minds requires no assessment to participate. BEACON recognizes that all Canadians are looking for expert-led support without the need to engage in a course of therapy.
"We have seen firsthand that our customers are looking for ways to access mental well-being support and information as we continue to navigate the impacts of a pandemic," says Donna Carbell, Head, Group Benefits, Manulife. "The time to act is now. Our sponsorship of Stronger Minds enables Canadians to access mental health information from their home. Manulife is dedicated to helping people become healthier – financially, physically, mentally and socially."
"During the COVID-19 crisis, we've heard from Canadians right across the country - and mental health challenges have been a common theme," says Joe Blomeley, GSC's EVP, Individual, Public Sector and Mental Health. "It's in our DNA to step up in moments like this and bring high-quality mental health care options within easier reach. BEACON digital therapy has already improved the mental health of thousands of Canadians, and we are excited about the potential of the Stronger Minds program."
"Our MindBeacon team of clinical psychologists, with our collective expertise and experience, makes us well-suited to help people with the challenges that matter through this time – whether it's difficulties with social isolation, supporting struggling family members, worries about financial insecurity, and much more," says Dr. Peter Farvolden, clinical psychologist and Chief Science Officer for BEACON. "Canada is in this together and we're wholeheartedly ready to help Canadians cope through the stressful events of this time, so they can successfully face every day as it comes."
About MindBeacon Group The MindBeacon Group of companies is dedicated to helping Canadians improve their mental well-being to live their best lives. MindBeacon provides evidence-based therapy that is affordable and easy-to-access through BEACON™, the guided digital therapy service (iCBT) which has helped thousands of Canadians struggling with depression, anxiety, insomnia and posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI/PTSD). MindBeacon provides in-person and video therapy through CBT Associates, a leading psychology clinic network.
SOURCE MindBeacon
Psychologists to public: Here's how to stop touching your faces and #flattenthecurve Researchers offer science-backed suggestions for how to kick the habit
HOUSTON – (April 2, 2020) – The average person touches their face 23 times an hour. It's an activity so common most people don't realize when or how much they’re doing it.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, health organizations are urging people to stop touching their faces to stop the spread of the virus and flatten the curve. Jim Pomerantz, a professor of psychological sciences at Rice University and chair of the Psychonomic Society Governing Board, and his fellow members of the society have teamed up to develop a list of five science-backed recommendations for kicking or minimizing this routine habit.
"The thing that's become totally clear, if it wasn't clear already, is that viruses are spread through human behavior," he continued. "Typically we'll do something like shaking someone's hand and then failing to wash our hands properly, followed by touching our faces and then we're off to the races with an infection and symptoms that will show up in 2-14 days. It's much better to prevent an infection than to try to deal with it after the fact, and that's the purpose of our work here."
Absent a vaccine, which won't be ready for some time, Pomerantz said avoiding touching your face is more effective than any other medical interventions for stopping the spread of the virus.
"Rather than taking advice from a neighbor or your grandmother who tells you to take supplements or eat chicken soup when you've got the flu, we were looking for science-based steps that we all can take that are simple, proven to be effective and we can start doing today to reduce the frequency of this behavior," he said.
Pomerantz and his fellow researchers developed a chart of recommendations, which is available online. The recommendations are as follows:
Increase awareness. Ask a partner to tell you when you touch your face, wear perfume or bracelets to remind you not to touch your face, and/or carry a pen and paper to record how many times you touch your face each day.
Help others. Think of the people you are trying to protect by not touching your face, and gently remind others when you notice them touching their face.
Do other things with your hands. Put your hands in your pockets, hold a ball or a deck of cards in your hands, or make fists with your hands for one minute if you bring them near your face.
Change postures. Keep your elbows off the table, sit in chairs without armrests or in the middle of the couch, and sit on your hands if you find it is hard to avoid touching your face.
Practice relaxation techniques. Focus on taking long, slow, deep breaths and on relaxing muscles that feel tense, sit in a quiet place and focus on the present moment rather than the past or future, or spend time in nature at a safe distance from others.
"Many of us have taken a course in introductory psychology where we learned about conditioning and the laws of behavior, and how we can establish and change behavior," Pomerantz said. "We know that this works. And if people put these ideas into practice immediately we're going to see, we hope, some flattening of the curve much more quickly than otherwise."
For more information on the chart or to schedule an interview with Pomerantz, contact Amy McCaig, senior media relations specialist at Rice, at 217-417-2901 or amym@rice.edu.
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
How to Exercise When You Have an Eating Disorder
Trying to overcome an eating disorder can be one of the toughest things that you’ve ever done in your life. While you may be shying away from physical activity, it’s definitely something that you should be investing in during your recovery. Let’s take a look at some of the basics of why exercise is an essential part of your recovery and how you can perform it successfully.
Realize Exercise Effects All Realms of Health
When it comes to your health, there are many areas to focus on. Some of these include mental, emotional, and physical health. Exercise works to enhance all these realms of health during your recovery period. The trick is finding a proper balance between using exercise as a healing aid and overutilizing it and hindering your recovery.
Eliminate Old Beliefs
Many people who have dealt with an eating disorder have created some false beliefs between exercise and weight control. The truth is that while exercise can be utilized to help control weight, it provides so much more. It’s essential to create mental peace. Don’t attribute burning calories to exercise. Rather, consider exercise one of many treatment options for eating disorders.
Look into inpatient programs as well to help you overcome these old beliefs and habits.
Listen to Your Body
Your body is very adept at alerting you of when there’s an issue. The tricky part is actually listening to what your body is telling you. If your body is telling you that it’s tired after 20 minutes of yoga, then stop. Don’t push your body beyond its limit for the sake of getting exercise in. You may find that you need to start your exercise intensity with a slow walk. Then, increase the duration over time. At the beginning, you may not be able to tell when you need to push yourself or rest, so take it slow.
Bring Curiosity to Your Exercise
If you used to spend hours running on the treadmill so you could burn the exact amount of calories you ate, then tracking your exercise is not a great idea. Instead, bring some curiosity to your exercise. Try starting a different type of exercise routine. Yoga is a great form of exercise that can allow you to focus on mastering poses instead of constantly tracking the calories that you burn.
Having an eating disorder can change the way you live your entire life. Overcoming that eating disorder all starts with utilizing exercise as a necessary recovery tool. The above are four great tips that you can implement to turn exercise into a healthy way to overcome your disorder instead of looking at it as a necessity for weight control.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan
TRAIN IT RIGHT NEWSLETTER
Sign Up and get a free 7 day Train it Right HIIT Program!
