By: Fresh n' Lean, the nation's largest organic meal delivery company
Dek: An immunity-boosting diet featuring yogurt, salmon and oranges can help you prevent the flu.
Meta Description: Flu season is here, so grab an apple and get some sunlight.
Flu season is here – and food is one of your best ways to fight back.
More than 2.6 million flu illnesses are estimated nationwide so far this flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
While the flu vaccine can help prevent the flu or weaken its impact, an immunity-boosting diet is also beneficial.
Here are eight dietary tips to help you avoid getting the flu.
The sunshine vitamin
Soak up the sun to keep the flu away.
Vitamin D, which is produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight, promotes bone health by regulating calcium and phosphorus levels. It’s also known to boost the immune system.
But that’s not all. A study published in 2017 showed Vitamin D supplementation helped protect against respiratory tract infections such as flu.
Beyond sunshine, fresh fish and eggs are also good sources of Vitamin D, and supplements can help you improve your Vitamin D levels.
An apple a day…
… Yes, it really can help to keep the doctor away.
Apples contain soluble fiber, which can build up immune health and reduce inflammation, and tons of antioxidants.
Other foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, barley, and citrus fruits such as oranges, which contain Vitamin C and can help you bounce back quickly if you get sick.
Yogurt
The best way to boost your immune system is through your gut.
It’s estimated that 70-80% of our immune system cells are in our GI tract, and probiotic-rich yogurt with live and active cultures is a great food to promote gut health. Just as washing your hands helps to limit invaders from entering the body, eating healthy can help provide essential nutrients for our GI tract cells and the bacterial lining, which can directly influence our GI health, systemic inflammation and our immune system.
Stock up on salmon
Oily fish such as salmon are effective in reducing inflammation because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Other foods rich in omega-3s include anchovies, oysters and walnuts.
Beyond being anti-inflammatory, omega-3s may also reduce anxiety – a key aspect to maintaining health.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil has shown antiviral and antimicrobial properties due to one of its primary components, Lauric Acid. It can be used for cooking and as a replacement for butter in recipes.
Additionally, coconut oil is commonly used to support good dental health and many pediatricians use is topically to help with skin issues.
Make sure to look for coconut oil that’s cold-pressed and produced organically without the use of hexane, an oil-extracting chemical.
Skip the sugar
Treat sugar like fuel for bad health. Excessive sugar intake can increase inflammation, reducing the body’s ability to ward off viruses such as influenza.
Sugar is naturally found in many foods such as fruit (fructose) and dairy (lactose).
The problems escalate with added sugar, the kind found in candy and junk food.
Veggies are your friends
If it’s green, it’s probably good for you.
Cruciferous veggies like kale, broccoli and cauliflower are especially beneficial because they aid our detox systems.
Focus on the colors in healthy foods – they’re part of the plant’s immune system, so eating the rainbow in your diet increases your phytonutrient intake and boosts nutrients to help support your immune function.
Drink your water
Hydration is vital, even in the cold of winter.
Regularly drinking water can help you maintain and improve your immune system.
Water helps to fuel the body’s metabolic processes.
And if you end up coming down with the flu, drinking water and other clear liquids will help you avoid dehydration.
If you would rather not receive future communications from Jacobson Strategy, let us know by clicking here. Jacobson Strategy, 6304 Vista Verde Drive East, Gulfport, FL 33707 United States
Start the New Year – and Decade – Off Right with Active Winter Workout Habits in the Freezing Months
Fitness Together®Studio Owner and Certified Personal Trainer Encourages Embracing Cooler Temperatures to Avoid Unmaking Fitness Progress During Holidays
BEVERLY, MA (December 16, 2019) – As winter weather settles in throughout the United States, athletes and people trying to stay active face the same dilemma: how to work out during the freezing months. Fitness Together®studio owner and ACE certified personal trainer Derek Maxfieldsays that, even though it’s easier to stay indoors or fall into a cycle of skipping your workout routines, his Beverly, MA studio trainers encourage clients to endure and embrace the cooler temperatures to bring you closer to your new year and decade fitness goals.
“As with any challenge to your professional, personal, or fitness goals, adversity creates opportunity,” says Derek. “Cooler weather is an opportunity to push your limits and strengthen areas of your workout which you overlook in warmer months, such as strengthening your heart for greater blood distribution throughout the body, noticing the importance of warm-ups and cool-downs, and – most importantly – building tolerance to adversity.”
Here are more helpful winter workout tips from Derek:
Find outdoor activities you enjoy.
To build up tolerance to the cold, pick an activity you enjoy and get outside. Have you ever been snowshoeing or cross-country skiing? Find your local ski rental shop and take your family on a new adventure at a local park. For those located near mountains, pick up skiing, snowboarding, and sledding. For those without mountains, towns and cities typically set up seasonal ice rinks for skating. Getting active in winter can even include building a snow fort with your family, picking a snow ball fight, making snow angels, or collecting snow cones for fresh scents in the home.
How to stay motivated.
Reverse how you perceive the cold weather. Instead of thinking how cold you might feel at first, think of how many extra calories you’re able to burn in the cold as the body works against the cold to regulate its temperature. Nutritionally, be mindful at holiday parties and meals to not over-indulge, potentially unmaking progress you’ve made. It’s always better to start the new year – and decade – off right with good habits than having to dig yourself out of a hole.
Warm-ups and cool-down exercises.
Rehabilitation exercises and stretches generally help to avoid getting hurt during workouts in colder weather or for any winter-time activity, such as shoveling snow. In addition to keeping active overall, exercises like bird dogs, back extensions, planks, squats, and hip lifts are helpful, ensuring the core, hips, and lower back are healthy for movements like shoveling.
Derekis the owner of the Fitness Together®studio inBeverly, MA, and has conducted over 35,000 personal training sessions throughout his career. Derek’s specialty as a certified personal trainer is identifying exercise activities that clients enjoy in order to achieve full engagement and results. Derek was named the 2013 Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year, has actively participated inprofessional groups such as BNI, Beverly Rotary, and the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce, and is the host of an award-winning information program called “Half Hour of Health” that airs on BevCam, Beverly’s exclusive access television network.
Experienced professional trainers at Fitness Together®studios are dedicated to creating personalized fitness routines that are tailored to each client's specific health and wellness goals. Fitness Together studio owners seek to utilize some of the most educated, experienced trainers in the industry along with real-world fitness experience to help clients achieve optimal health through a customized, industry-leading fitness program. Sessions take place in a private workout suite, which means no distractions and no waiting for equipment, so clients can focus on producing results. To begin your journey with a Fitness Together professional trainer, please visit fitnesstogether.com to locate one of the nearly 140 locations nationwide to find the one nearest you.
About the Fitness Together®Brand
The Fitness Together®brand is a one-on-one private, personal training franchise focused on changing clients’ lives with improved fitness and health. Whether the aim is to lose weight, tone and tighten muscles, or simply achieve better health, Fitness Together trainers partner with clients to help create a workout plan tailored for the individual’s goals, and focus on results. Clients receive the accountability they need and the privacy they desire with the Fitness Together brand.
Fitness Together Franchise, LLC began franchising in 1996, and has approximately 140 locations across the United States with additional locations planned for 2020. To learn more about the brand and owning a Fitness Together® franchise, visit www.fitnesstogetherfranchise.com. Each Fitness Together®is independently owned and operated. Fitness Together®and Fitness Together + design are registered trademarks owned by Fitness Together Franchise, LLC.
HIIT timing matters for increasing fitness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is only effective for improving fitness when performed at 60-second intervals, according to new research from Liverpool John Moores University, presented today (Tuesday 17 December) at The Physiological Society early career conference, Future Physiology 2019: Translating Cellular Mechanisms into Lifelong Health Strategies.
Currently 40% of people in the UK do not meet the Government’s physical activity guidelines, with a lack of time cited as the most common barrier.
HIIT, meaning short burst (anywhere from 20 to 90 seconds) of intense cardio exercises is a time-efficient alternative that has been making headlines in the last decade. Specifically, home-based HIIT, which involves doing HIIT training at home using simple body weight exercises, has become popular because it gets rid of the barriers such as the time and money required to go to the gym..
Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University compared two popular HIIT protocols (60HIIT and 30HIIT) performed for six weeks, three times per week, in a sample of 26 previously sedentary men and women. 60HIIT means 6-10 60-second intervals with 60 seconds of rest, whereas 30HIIT means 4-8 30 seconds intervals with 120 seconds of rest.
They kept track of training adherence and intensity remotely via a heart rate monitor that fed info through a mobile app. The researchers looked at three parameters of fitness: aerobic capacity, stiffness of arteries, and body composition (meaning how much muscle and fat they had) during the six weeks of HIIT.
Aerobic capacity increased after six weeks of 60HIIT but there was no difference for 30HIIT on any of the three parameters. This means that 60HIIT should be used over 30HIIT because the former improves fitness whereas the latter doesn’t.
Hannah Church, one of the researchers involved said:
“In order for people to get the most out of HIIT, which may be the answer to the difficulties of paying for and getting to the gym, we need to get the timing right. Our research showed just how important this is, because we found that 30 second intervals with 120 seconds of rest meant that participants’ heart rates didn’t stay up. 120 seconds is just too long to be resting for!”E
The Physiological Society brings together over 4,000 scientists from over 60 countries. The Society promotes physiology with the public and parliament alike. It supports physiologists by organising world-class conferences and offering grants for research and also publishes the latest developments in the field in its three leading scientific journals, The Journal of Physiology, Experimental Physiology and Physiological Reports. www.physoc.org
Rice, Texas Heart Institute scientists model how synthetic gels can tune body’s inflammatory response
HOUSTON – (Dec. 16, 2019) – Hydrogels for healing, synthesized from the molecules up by Rice University bioengineers, are a few steps closer to the clinic.
Rice researchers and collaborators at Texas Heart Institute (THI) have established a baseline set of injectable hydrogels that promise to help heal wounds, deliver drugs and treat cancer. Critically, they’ve analyzed how the chemically distinct hydrogels provoke the body’s inflammatory response — or not.
Hydrogels developed at Rice are designed to be injectable and create a mimic of cellular scaffolds in a desired location. They serve as placeholders while the body naturally feeds new blood vessels and cells into the scaffold, which degrades over time to leave natural tissue in its place. Hydrogels can also carry chemical or biological prompts that determine the scaffold’s structure or affinity to the surrounding tissue.
The study led by chemist and bioengineer Jeffrey Hartgerink and graduate student Tania Lopez-Silva at Rice and Darren Woodside, vice president for research and director of the flow cytometry and imaging core at THI, demonstrates it should be possible to tune multidomain peptide hydrogels to produce appropriate inflammatory response for what they’re treating.
“We’ve been working on peptide-based hydrogels for a number of years and have produced about 100 different types,” Hartgerink said. “In this paper, we wanted to back up a bit and understand some of the fundamental ways in which they modify biological environments.”
The researchers wanted to know specifically how synthetic hydrogels influence the environment’s inflammatory response. The two-year study offered the first opportunity to test a variety of biocompatible hydrogels for the levels of inflammatory response they trigger.
“Usually, we think of inflammation as bad,” Hartgerink said. “That's because inflammation is sometimes associated with pain, and nobody likes pain. But the inflammatory response is also extremely important for wound healing and in clearing infection.
“We don’t want zero inflammation; we want appropriate inflammation,” he said. “If we want to heal wounds, inflammation is good because it starts the process of rebuilding vasculature. It recruits all kinds of cells that are regenerative to that site.”
The labs tested four basic hydrogel types — two with positive charge and two negative — to see what kind of inflammation they would trigger. They discovered that positively charged hydrogels triggered a much stronger inflammatory response than negatively charged ones.
“Among the positive materials, depending on the chemistry generating that charge, we can either generate a strong or a moderate inflammatory response,” Hartgerink said. “If you're going for wound-healing, you really want a moderate response, and we saw that in one of the four materials.
“But if you want to go for a cancer treatment, the higher inflammatory response might be more effective,” he said. “For something like drug delivery, where inflammation is not helpful, one of the negatively charged materials might be better.
“Basically, we're laying the groundwork to understand how to develop materials around the inflammatory responses these materials provoke. That will give us our best chance of success.”
The THI team helped analyze the cellular response to the hydrogels through multidimensional flow cytometry.
“The results of this work lay the groundwork for specifically tailoring delivery of a therapeutic by a delivery vehicle that is functionally relevant and predictable,” Woodside said. “Aside from delivering drugs, these hydrogels are also compatible with a variety of cell types.
“One of the problems with stem cell therapies at present is that adoptively transferred cells don’t necessarily stay in high numbers at the site of injection,” he said. “Mixing these relatively inert, negatively charged hydrogels with stem cells before injection may overcome this limitation.”
Hartgerink said the work is foundational, rather than geared toward a specific application, but is important to the long-term goal of bringing synthetic hydrogels to the clinic. “We have been speculating about a lot of the things we think are good and true about this material, and we now have more of a sound mechanistic understanding of why they are, in fact, true,” Hartgerink said.
Co-authors of the paper are Rice graduate student David Leach and alumnus I-Chi Li and THI researcher Alon Azares.
The National Institutes of Health, the Welch Foundation, the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology, the National Science Foundation and a Stauffer-Rothrock Fellowship supported the research.
An illustration shows how effective a selection of custom-designed peptide hydrogels are in controlling inflammation. The gels developed at Rice University serve as scaffolds for new tissue and show promise for treating wounds and cancer and for delivering drugs. The hydrogels are designed to dissolve in the body as they are replaced by natural, functional tissue. (Illustration by Tania Lopez-Silva/Rice University)
Researchers at Rice University and Texas Heart institutes tested a sampling of synthetic, biocompatible hydrogels to see how tuning them influences the body’s inflammatory response. The hydrogels are being developed to help heal wounds, deliver drugs and treat cancer. (Credit: Rice University/Texas Heart Institute)
The Texas Heart Institute (THI), founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. More information about THI (@Texas_Heart) is available at www.texasheart.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.
Health Canada Approves New Indication for ERLEADA®* (apalutamide) for the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mCSPC)
In the Phase 3 TITAN study, ERLEADA®, in combination with androgen deprivation therapy, achieved statistical significance in dual primary endpoints of overall survival and radiographic progression-free survival in patients with mCSPC regardless of extent of disease
TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today that Health Canada, following a Priority Review, has approved ERLEADA® (apalutamide) for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC).1
This approval is based on results from the Phase 3 TITAN study, which achieved statistical significance in the dual primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) and radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) at the first pre-planned interim analysis.2 The trial recruited patients with both high- and low-volume disease burden, high- and low-risk disease, and previously treated, relapsed or newly diagnosed disease.1,3Results were presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Prior to this approval, there has not been a treatment option in Canada that delays disease progression and extends overall survival for patients with prostate cancer regardless of their disease stage, risk or disease volume.
"Given the urgency to delay the progression of metastatic prostate cancer, there continues to be a need for additional therapeutic options beyond traditional androgen deprivation therapy," said Dr. Fred Saad, Professor and Chief of Urology, University of Montreal Hospital Center.** "This new indication for ERLEADA® represents an important advancement for patients regardless of the extent of their disease and may enable some patients with mCSPC to live longer."
In the TITAN study, ERLEADA® plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) significantly extended OS compared to placebo plus ADT, with a 33 per cent reduction in the risk of death (HR=0.67; 95 per cent CI, 0.51-0.89; P=0.0053).1 ERLEADA® plus ADT also significantly improved rPFS compared to placebo plus ADT, with a 52 per cent lower risk of radiographic progression or death (HR=0.48; 95 per cent CI, 0.39-0.60; P<0.0001).1 As reported in the published results from the TITAN study, the two-year OS rates, after a median follow-up of 22.7 months, were 82 per cent for ERLEADA® plus ADT compared to 74 per cent for placebo plus ADT.2 Based on these results, the Independent Data-Monitoring Committee recommended unblinding the study to allow crossover of patients receiving placebo plus ADT to receive ERLEADA®plus ADT.
"While the relative survival rate for regional or localized prostate cancer is nearly 100 per cent after five years, we still lose three in four patients with distant or advanced prostate cancer," said Dr. Stuart Edmonds, Vice President, Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship, Prostate Cancer Canada.*** "Canadian families facing mCSPC need more treatment options to help them live longer and spend more time together, and we are pleased that there is an option to fill that gap."
About the TITAN Study1 TITAN is a Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in patients with mCSPC. The study included 1,052 patients in 23 countries across 260 sites in North America, Latin America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Patients with mCSPC were randomized 1:1 and received either ERLEADA® (240 mg) plus ADT (n=525) or placebo plus ADT (n=527).1 The recruitment period for the study spanned from December 2015 to July 2017.2 The study included patients with mCSPC, including those with high- or low-volume disease, previous docetaxel use, previous treatment for localized disease, and those who had either relapsed from localized prostate cancer or newly diagnosed disease.1
An Independent Data-Monitoring Committee was commissioned to monitor safety and efficacy.1 Dual primary endpoints of the study were OS and rPFS.1 Secondary endpoints included time to cytotoxic chemotherapy, time to pain progression, time to chronic opioid use, and time to skeletal-related event.1 Exploratory endpoints included time to PSA progression, PFS2, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and time to symptomatic local progression.2 For additional study information, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.
The most common adverse reactions (≥15 per cent) that occurred more frequently in ERLEADA®-treated patients (≥2 per cent over placebo) from the randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial were hot flush, fatigue, arthralgia, rash and hypertension.1
About Prostate Cancer and mCSPC Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men.3 Approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and one in 29 will die from the disease.4
Metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), also known as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), refers to prostate cancer that still responds to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and has spread beyond the prostate to other areas of the body.5
About ERLEADA® ERLEADA® is an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) and for the treatment of patients with mCSPC.1
ERLEADA® received Health Canada approval for nmCRPC on July 3, 2018 and was approved for mCSPC on December 13, 2019. ERLEADA® is taken orally, once daily, with or without food.1
The Canadian Urological Association (CUA) and the Canadian Urological Oncology Group (CUOG) Guidelines for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) recommend clinicians offer apalutamide (ERLEADA®) as a treatment option for patients living with high-risk nmCRPC, defined as a PSA doubling time (PSADT) of less than 10 months, with an estimated life expectancy of greater than five years.6
For full Product Monograph and more information about ERLEADA®, please visit www.janssen.com/canada.
About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension.
*All trademark rights used under license. **Dr. Saad was not compensated for any media work. He has been compensated as a consultant. ***Prostate Cancer Canada was not compensated for any media work. Prostate Cancer Canada has received funds for patient engagement.
Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding ERLEADA®. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Inc., any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2018, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.
References
1 ERLEADA® Canadian Product Monograph. December 3, 2019.
2 Chi, K. Apalutamide for Metastatic, Castration Sensitive Prostate Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. Accessed September 2019.
6 Saad F, Aprikian A, Finelli A, et al. 2019 Canadian Urological Association (CUA)-Canadian Uro Oncology Group (CUOG) guideline: Management of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Can Urol Assoc J. 2019;13(10):307-314.
SOURCE Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
Two Homes for the Holidays . . . and How Divorce Affects Your Children
By Hara Wachholder
At the young age of two, I became quite the traveler. Well . . . not in the way you might think. I did not have extra miles sitting on a card to travel around the country. My traveling consisted of venturing several times a month between two cities about twenty minutes apart. What sounds like an easy trip between neighboring towns felt like a journey that never seemed to end.
I am the adult daughter of divorced parents. While I now have the ability to decide who to visit, I was not given this privilege until the age of seventeen or eighteen. Instead, I would bounce back and forth like a ping pong ball between my parents’ homes for over fifteen years. Just as I would start to get comfortable somewhere, I would have to pack my bag and start all over again.
I am not going to sugar-coat this. Being the child of divorced parents can be traumatizing. Parents tend to argue over who will get to have their child for birthdays and holidays as well as for spring, summer, and winter break. Plus, there is the issue of different parenting styles and different rules in each of the households. Children are often caught in the middle witnessing the arguments or at least sensing the tension if they are not directly involved. Trust me when I say that children know a lot more than they may let on. On a personal note, I did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so I chose to continue to shuffle back and forth between my parents without speaking up for myself. There are many children out there that have also selected this path.
This is why I have chosen to share my perspective as a child of divorce. There are so many thoughts and feelings that swirl through the mind and heart of a child. No child can prepare themselves for what is to come, and this is my point to all of the divorcing or divorced parents out there. Yes, I know you are hurting; however, you still have the crucial job of raising your children and supporting them before, during, and after this difficult process. We, the children of divorced or divorcing parents, often feel like collateral damage, a pawn being dangled or a prize to be won.
I want you to think about this as you put together a structured plan for your children or begin the very overwhelming process of fighting for custody. This is a huge transition and not an easy one. This is not about maintaining control or “winning” in the outcome. This is about taking the time to understand the needs and concerns of your children.
During the holiday season, there can be added pressures. For instance, parents may feel it is necessary to create the illusion that everything is “picture perfect” and are waiting until after the holidays to drop the bomb of the divorce. There might be some parents who choose to try to keep everything the same, including past holiday traditions to avoid upsetting anyone. There are also the parents who feel that they have to overcompensate now that they are alone. Or we have the parents that want to compete with their former spouse to provide the children with better gifts or more exciting holiday plans like a week-long cruise to the Caribbean.
Of course, in the eyes of a child, the thought of double the gifts can be quite appealing. However, double the gifts does not mean that it will cancel out the fact that their lives are changing. If, as you are reading this article, you realize that you have been guilty of the aforementioned examples, it is important to remember that the holiday season would be a great time to establish new traditions that meet the needs of your new family dynamic as well as focus on creating a more positive environment for yourself and your children. That would be a very meaningful gift to give this year. As the saying goes, “Stay in your lane!” Focus on your relationship with your child and make new memories rather than making this a competition.
Speaking of holiday gifts, I have the pleasure of announcing the release of my new book. My Parents Are Getting a Divorce . . . I Wonder What Will Happen to Me is an interactive discussion book written by yours truly and my mother, Karen Kaye. As a mother-daughter team of therapists with personal and professional experience with divorce, we wanted to provide a bridge of understanding between parents and their children. Our book creates a safe space for children to share their innermost thoughts and feelings while also teaching healthy coping skills for children to empower themselves during a chaotic and confusing time in their lives. The goal is to take children out of the middle and provide them with a voice as well as the tools that will allow them to grow into healthy, balanced individuals.
Hara Wachholder, LMHC is a licensed mental health counselor with the State of Florida and received her master’s degree in counseling from Nova Southeastern University. It was after the resolution of the long-winded custody battle between her parents that Hara recognized her calling to help others going through the same struggle. Hara Wachholder is currently the clinical director for a family therapy center located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
5 SIGNS YOU MAY BE A HYPOCHONDRIAC AND HOW TO TREAT IT
It is hard not to be a hypochondriac when each click of the mouse leads you to a news story about an illness or an alarming new study. With continuous medical research and findings, this can perpetuate health anxiety. Never before have laypeople had so much health information at their fingertips 24/7. What happens when this becomes an obsession and one is routinely convinced he/she is suffering from the “disease du jour?” We turned to Board Certified NYC Internist and Gastroenterologist Dr. Niket Sonpal and New York-based Neuropsychologist, Dr. Sanam Hafeez, for a better understanding of the signs and treatment for hypochondriacs.
According to Dr. Sonpal, the following are signs that you may be too worried about your health and wellness:
Frequent Doctor Visits
Dr. Sonpal recalls the same patient coming in regularly asking him to “check this lump on my neck,” “is the color of my tongue normal?” “Listen to my heart, I think it beats too fast… Hypochondriacs are consumed by the uncertainty of medicine and fearful that the disease is, in fact, inside them. If you find yourself “visiting” doctors regularly and you are found to be healthy, you may have health anxiety that requires the attention of a therapist not a physician.
Incessantly Online
From a medical standpoint, Google can be a great tool if used correctly. “For a hypochondriac, Google is like crack-cocaine,” says Dr. Sonpal. There is always a disease or a symptom that the hypochondriac can link to him or herself. Hypochondriacs tend to be more obsessive and convince themselves that if they feel something or see something on their body, it is always the worst-case scenario.
Avoidance
As a result of the overwhelming fear of getting an illness, individuals suffering from hypochondria may avoid certain places or activities that could potentially pose a health risk. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School states that an “avoidant group was found to have higher levels of hypochondriacal symptom severity, functional impairment, and anxiety, as well as lower quality of life.” From these results, we can link avoidance to some of the characteristics of hypochondriac patients. If it’s flu season, the hypochondriac may avoid airplanes, movie theatres or other enclosed crowded public areas where they feel germs are more likely to spread. This gives them a false sense of security from illness.
Repetitive Body Checks
Most individuals might not notice a bruise on their leg that occurred from a minor fall a few days earlier. Still, individuals with hypochondria analyze their entire body for signs of illness. The constant body checks often result in the mind being more likely to notice subtle changes that many people would not see. Another effect of hypochondria can be seen in obsessing over a specific organ in the body and repeatedly demanding that area be checked.
Total Avoidance of Doctors
Juxtaposed to the patient who visits doctors all the time, is the person who is so deathly afraid of finding out something is wrong, that they skip important medical visits like yearly physicals, mammograms, gynecology visits, dental visits etc. For this group of people, this is dangerous. By the time something is caught, it can be at an advanced stage.
Dr. Sanam Hafeez provides insight on how to manage hypochondria and what steps to take to move forward:
Find a Physician Who Understands That You Are a Hypochondriac
Find a physician who you can confide in, and confess, “I have health anxiety.” This will enable the physician to treat you more effectively from a physical and mental health standpoint.
Stop Googling
In the age of health blogs, DIYS, and self-diagnosis tutorials, the internet is filled with erroneous information that can add to a hypochondriac’s medical anxiety. Staying offline provides individuals with the ability to prevent the constant checking and worrying that increases their anxiety.
Cognitive Behavorial Therapy
C.B.T. breaks down unrealistic or unhelpful thoughts and encourages patients to replace them with more rational ideas. They can then learn to cope more realistically with anxiety-provoking situations. The therapy has been shown to remain effective in reducing symptoms of health anxiety for at least a year, and if needed, its benefit can be reinforced by a brief refresher.
Meditation
For individuals who want to try to manage their health anxiety on their own, meditation is advised. Hypochondria tends to stem from the lack of control over your body, which can lead to obsession over our health. Meditation allows individuals to connect with themselves while being able to manage their stress. This relaxation technique helps ease overall anxiety and additionally provides better coping mechanisms for improving your overall functioning.
Dr. Niket Sonpal is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Clinical instructor at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn who specializes in gastroenterology. He is a graduate of Medical University of Silesia – Hope Medical Institute in Poland. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, he was selected to be the 2013‐2014 Chief Resident at Lenox Hill Hospital–Northshore LIJ Health System. Dr. Sonpal has completed his Fellowship in gastroenterology & hepatology at Lenox Hill Hospital and continues his work in the field of medical student and resident test preparation. He now serves as the associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Brookdale University medical center. He is the co‐author for the best-selling Master the Boards: USMLE Step 2 CK, Master the Boards Step 3, And Master the Boards: Internal Medicine. He is also the Chief Operating Officer for Medquest Test Prep, Director of Medical Education for Picmonic Test Prep, and a recognized expert on medical test prep.
Dr. Sanam Hafeez
Dr. Sanam Hafeez PsyD is a NYC based licensed clinical psychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s College and the founder and Clinical Director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. a neuropsychological, developmental and educational center in Manhattan and Queens. Dr. Hafeez masterfully applies her years of experience connecting psychological implications to address some of today’s common issues such as body image, social media addiction, relationships, workplace stress, parenting and psychopathology (bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, etc.). In addition, Dr. Hafeez works with individuals who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), learning disabilities, attention and memory problems, and abuse. Dr. Hafeez often shares her credible expertise to various news outlets in New York City and frequently appears on CNN and
CoBank Releases 2020 Year Ahead Report – Forces That Will Shape
the U.S. Rural Economy
Challenges remain in the forecast for rural economies
DENVER (December 12, 2019)—The U.S. rural economy will continue to face headwinds in 2020 and is expected to underperform relative to the economy of urban America. Since 2014, GDP growth in rural counties has averaged almost 1% less than in urban counties. That trend is likely to continue without a significant upswing in agricultural commodity prices, energy exploration, rural manufacturing and other industries upon which rural economic growth depend.
Despite that bearish prognosis, there is room for optimism, according to a comprehensive 2020 outlook report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division. The U.S. farm economy has demonstrated its resiliency in the face of trade wars, extreme weather and other disruptive events. While the downside impact of trade disputes and tariffs will remain severe for many, some agriculture sectors will see stronger exports and higher prices. Rising animal protein and dairy exports will be a bright spot for producers in 2020.
“Most current signals indicate the overall domestic economy is on firm footing, thanks almost exclusively to the consumer,” said Dan Kowalski, vice president of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division. “However, without a meaningfulU.S.-China trade deal, the U.S. agricultural economy will continue to struggle with uncertainty in 2020.”
The CoBank 2020 outlook report examines 10 key factors that will shape agriculture and market sectors that serve and impact rural communities throughout the U.S.
Global Economy: Less Trade, Slower Growth
After a year of trade tensions, declining GDP and the slowest global economic growth since the depths of the financial crisis, the world’s leading economies hope to turn the page in 2020. The prognosis, however, offers little to support such optimism. Consumer strength the world over has prevented further slowing in the global economy. The direction and severity of the U.S.-China trade dispute will continue to have the most significant influence on the world economy in 2020. A leveling off of trade tensions would allow global economic growth to bottom out in early 2020 before showing signs of life later in the year. However, the vulnerable state of the global economy makes it susceptible to contraction if trade conditions worsen.
U.S. Economy: Expansion for Those Left Behind
The U.S. economy will enter 2020 decisively split—powered by a resilient and confident consumer but hamstrung by a risk-averse business sector that has stopped investing. Now that stimulus effects from the 2017 tax reform and the 2018 spending bill have faded, the economic expansion will show its age, losing steam in the coming year. There is evidence that since 2017 more people, including those in rural communities, have broadly shared the benefits of economic growth, despite the continual rise in wealth inequality.
Monetary Policy: Sustain and Prepare
All eyes will be on the central banks as the world inches closer to the end of the longest period of economic growth in history. Japan and Europe are still stimulating their economies with negative interest rates and quantitative easing. After three rate cuts in 2019, the U.S. Federal Reserve is holding a more conservative stance with its target rate near 1.5%. China has the most room to maneuver with its short-term rate just under 3%. All these accommodative stances are made possible because inflation remains inexplicably low despite tightening labor markets. Federal Reserve Chair Powell’s role in 2020 is to keep the late stage expansion going while simultaneously preparing for the recession that will arrive sooner or later.
U.S. Government – Policy and Trade Up in the Air
Agricultural policy at the federal level has been wrought with uncertainty and volatility. The trade environment for 2020 remains hazy as well. Beyond a possible U.S.-China phase one deal, more progress with China will be a challenge. As a result, it is difficult to see trade as a bright spot in 2020. The atmosphere in Washington today has given way to progress on agricultural labor legislation and the USMCA. But a protracted partisan fight over impeachment is on tap in the Senate. This rancor makes it difficult to advance legislation that helps agriculture, which would give either side a win for the hotly contested 2020 election. Market Facilitation Program payments to farmers helped make up for persistently low commodity prices in the last year.
U.S. Farm Economy – Trade Uncertainty Lingers
Without a substantive U.S.-China trade deal, the U.S. agricultural economy will continue to struggle with trade uncertainty in 2020 as questions linger as to whether USDA will continue to soften the blow of the trade war for farmers and ranchers with government payments. Amid persistently low commodity prices and rising costs, U.S. farmers and ranchers continue to struggle with low and declining working capital. Farm debt, already at record levels, is expected to continue climbing, as credit quality in farm loans declines, particularly for grain and dairy producers. However, stable farm real estate values have helped farmers. The resiliency of farmland values, despite the steep drop in net farm income over the years, has allowed farmers to restructure debt and address tight cash flow and liquidity crunches.
Specialty Crops – Labor and Water in the Spotlight
Fruit, nut, and vegetable markets will continue to face rising production costs in 2020 due to mounting regulations, particularly as they relate to controls over groundwater in California. Regulations under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) are about to go into effect and could potentially cause acreage shifts between crops of varying water needs. Other government action in 2020 could have a favorable impact on specialty crop growers. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act currently being debated in Congress is a hopeful sign for an improved regulatory environment for agricultural labor. If passed, it would help ease the tight labor supply plaguing agriculture.
Grain, Farm Supply and Biofuels – Time to Transform
Challenges for the grain sector will persist in 2020, fueled by commodity price pressure, policy uncertainty and export weakness amid growing global supply abundance, especially for corn and soybeans. U.S. wheat producers and exporters, though, may benefit from an improved export pace in 2020 with the Russian wheat crop struggling. Biofuels also face challenges in 2020. U.S. ethanol production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, is expected to fall by 1.9% in 2019 to 15.8 billion gallons and remain flat in 2020. The outlook for farm supply companies is mixed and continues to be heavily influenced by weather. To improve its value proposition, this sector is actively pursuing vertical and horizontal consolidation.
Dairy and Animal Protein – Exporting Your Way to Success
With dairy and animal protein production looking toward another year of increased production in 2020, a rebound in exports will be critical to profitability in both sectors. Per capita consumption of animal protein in the U.S. will likely set a new record in 2019. Overall dairy consumption in the U.S. will remain strong in 2020 as Americans continue eating more cheese and butter, but fluid milk will likely continue its long-term decline. Strong demand and rising exports, though, will not erase financial stress at the farm level. Producers of beef, pork, poultry, and dairy will likely experience stress from higher feed costs due to lower crop yields this fall.
Rural Electricity – Demand Grows for Cleaner, Lower-Cost Power
Companies throughout the electricity supply chain are likely to face heightened, simultaneous demands for cleaner and less expensive power generation in 2020. These pressures reflect the intense popular concern about climate change, wealth and income inequality, and slowing economic growth—three issues which Americans rank as equally important in recent polling. In many rural communities, these concerns are likely to manifest in more numerous and more vehement calls for greater renewable power generation. For utilities, the task of justifying multi-million dollar expenditures on new renewable resources will be easier in 2020 as the unsubsidized costs of solar, wind, battery energy storage, and flexible natural gas-fired resources continue to decline.
Rural Communications – Investors Have Come to Buy
Rural and regional telecommunications operators will become targets in 2020 for investors and strategic buyers as the pool of available mid-sized fiber transport companies dries up. Demand for these companies has been so strong that valuations are reaching levels that were unthinkable a few years ago. Mergers and acquisition activity in rural markets should be brisk as the growth in data traffic offers attractive returns for investors, and opportunities for strategic buyers to gain scale and access to new markets. 2020 will also bring the launch of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), the latest broadband incentive program from the Federal Communications Commissions and its largest effort to close the urban-rural digital divide.
CoBank is a $136 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.
TRAIN IT RIGHT NEWSLETTER
Sign Up and get a free 7 day Train it Right HIIT Program!
