Category Archives: Diet And Food

Kevin Uno, a 2019 Center for Climate and Life Fellow. (Photo: Martin Kirinya)

Kevin Unois a paleoclimatologist and Lamont Assistant Research Professor atLamont-Doherty Earth Observatorywho studies the role climate change plays in human population dynamics and migration.

Uno was named aCenter for Climate and Life Fellowin 2019. He received funding to examine how abrupt changes in climate affected Neolithic human settlement, diet, and abandonment in northwest Africa.

Unos project involves fieldwork at Gobero, an archeological site in Niger located in a small lake basin between the Niger River and Lake Chad. His work will reconstruct the climate conditions that led to the occupation and abandonment of the site and shed light on how different subsistence lifestyles influenced human resilience to climate change.

Whats the focus of your research?

My research focuses on understanding the role of climate and environmental change on humans over evolutionary timescales, reaching back over the last five million years or so. I develop records of dietary, vegetation, and rainfall changes in past ecosystems to better understand if and how evolutionary changes, such as the increase in human brain size or changes in our ancestors diets were influenced by environmental changes. One example of this: I recently measured carbon isotopes in hominin teeth to compare the dietary history of our genus,Homo, with other hominins over the last four million years. It turns out our ancestors diets took off on a different trajectory from other hominins starting about 2.5 million years ago.

Whats the problem youre trying to address with your Climate and Life funding?

The Climate and Life Fellowship is allowing me to take my research in a new but related direction to my previous research. One thing we dont know is how humans in different parts of the world will adapt to climate change. As an earth scientist and paleoclimatologist, I look to the past to understand how climate change has affected human populations. For my Climate and Life project, I am studying how climate change affected humans and animals at a relatively recent archeological site in Niger, located in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The site, called Gobero, was occupied from about ~10,000 to 3,000 years ago, during the African Humid Period. During that time, there was a lake at Gobero and we think most of the people there were fishing and living along its shore.

A view along the crest of a barkhan dune in the Sahara Desert, en route to Gobero, Niger in 2019. (All fieldwork photos courtesy of Kevin Uno)

A petroglyph on the way to Gobero. Rock art from the African Humid Period is common across the Sahara.

What do you find most exciting about the project?

The site of Gobero is the oldest known cemetery in the Sahara, so by far, the most remarkable thing about the site is the rich record of human occupation. Hundreds of burials have been discovered to date. This will allow me to reconstruct the diets and lifeways of the Gobero inhabitants. Our data show that they must have endured major climate fluctuations over decadal to centennial timescales, at times causing them to abandon the site. Seeing their responseto climate changes during the African Humid Periodwill provide new information about how populations in this region responded to major climate shifts in the past.

How might this project advance understanding of the challenges posed by climate change?

The challenges posed by climate change are immense and they are incredibly variable depending on where you are on the planet. The climate and landscape at Gobero during the African Humid Period were probably similar to much of the Sahel region and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa today, where today over 200 million people live and largely survive through subsistence farming tied to the annual rains. I hope we can better understand how human populations in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa have responded to shifts in mean climate state in the past to help scientists and policymakers plan for the future. Major challenges in the region today include desertification and soil degradation due to agricultural practices and overgrazing. On top of this, the region faces rapid population growth, little access to education, and high rates of violence. All of these challenges are exacerbated by climate change, which directly affects food security.

A rare, translucent cryptocrystalline quartz flake from a stone tool at Gobero.

Stone tools collected at Gobero. Most were used for processing seeds and other food sources.

When it comes to finding solutions to climate change, what gives you hope?

I find it hard to be hopeful about climate change sometimes. Im currently homebound in New York City amidst the coronavirus outbreak that is ravaging my city and country. What has given me hope in this situation is the generosity, compassion, ingenuity, and actions of individuals to address the pandemic. The collective efforts here are making a difference. On the other hand, I am disappointed with the federal governments response and handling of the situation. In thinking about our response to climate change, I am similarly encouraged and hopeful when I see what individuals, research teams, and some in the private sector are doing to solve the problem, but similarly dissatisfied with our governments response. My hope is that the peoples voice prevails so that we can build a government that along with the people, will work to solve this universal and immediate problem.

Whats a good source of information for people who want to learn more about climate change?

The April issue ofNational Geographiccelebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Its a cleverly designed issue that has two covers. On one side the cover and content give the optimists view on what weve done to address climate change and where we are headed. Flip the issue over and you get the pessimists view. My son picked it up immediately and together weve been pouring over it from both sides. While there are numerous websites you can go to, I find this milestone issue ofNational Geographic, which gives two views of the climate change story as it unfolds, a wonderful way to look at the problem. Which way will humanity decide to go?

In Niger, Unos team witnessed modern human migration from West and Central Africa toward Tripoli, Libya, where migrants look for passage to Europe. Refugees are fleeing because of food insecurity or lack of work, both related to changes in agricultural yields that can be linked to current climate change.

This post was first published by theCenter for Climate and Life,a research initiative based at Columbia UniversitysLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

See original here:
Examining How Early Humans Responded to Climate Change - State of the Planet

My name is Nabat Sherif (@nsherif), and Im 30 years old. Im from Toronto, Canada, and I work in public service by day and am a personal trainer and online fitness coach by night. I help Muslim women break out of their comfort zone and find their strongest selves.

I became an emotional eater when I was around 9 or 10 years old. Food provided me comfort. This lasted through my teen years and into university. The Freshman 15 was also all too real for me.

I was never active growing up and I struggled with confidence, making everything worse. I would get comments about my weight from people, and they always left a mark. Most of the comments were from my extended family, who meant well. But I still developed a poor body image as a result.

From 2011 to 2015, I gained and lost the same 35 pounds many times. But in 2016, I finally realized what I was doing wrong and made the right changes. I was tired of feeling uncomfortable in my skin and tired of feeling sorry for myself. I wanted to take matters into my own hands. I knew I deserved to feel good about myself.

I started off with calorie counting, but that didnt work for me. I did several rounds of Whole30 over a few years, too, and that taught me so much about how different foods affect my body. Ultimately, after I developed an understanding of what foods fueled me best, I started following a paleo diet for a long time.

Now Id say my nutrition is balanced and simple. I follow a method I call Plate Goals. Each plate that I eat has to be half greens, one quarter protein, one eighth fats, and one eighth starchy carbs. I also follow what I have dubbed the Worth It Method, where I can enjoy treats if and when theyre worth it to me. If I know I really want something, I make it count and have zero guilt about it. Im also a huge believer in intermittent fasting and have been doing it for years. It was a game changer for me.

I also reduced my intake of added sugar. I realized I had a sugar addiction and subscribed to the sweet and savory cycle which would cause me to overeat. Reducing my intake worked because it helped me gain control of my cravings.

I focused on nutrient-dense meals with no hard restrictions. This gave me food freedom and allowed me to focus on eating well, not necessarily eating less. It also gave me structure and discipline and taught me how to listen to my body and understand my hunger signals. It helped my relationship with food and ended the yo-yo dieting.

I really got into strength training with weights a year or two into my journey. I initially started with doing at home workout DVDs (I was not confident enough to go to a gym), then graduated to running. I ran my very first 5k in June of 2013!

After that, I built up the confidence to go to a gym where I tried a group weight-training class and fell in love. My strength training has evolved immensely over the years, especially after I became a trainer and started working with other coaches.

Strength training made me fitter, stronger, and changed my life. It helped me lose fat and gain muscle and ultimately change my body in ways that running and cardio never did. It also inspired me to become a personal trainer and coach.

Maintenance is a lifelong battle, but the journey gets easier. My weight-loss journey was just thata journey! There were ups downs, roadblocks and pit stops. As soon as I realized that this process was not linear, I cut myself some slack and embraced the process. The focus should be on building sustainable, healthy habits rather than going hard for a short amount of time and then quitting. Its all about consistency.

Years later, Ive come to realize that its not about how much weight you lose, but how much you improve your health. I celebrate non-scale victories far more than metrics. I ask myself how I feel. If Im feeling good, I keep up what Im doing. If Im not feeling good I re-evaluate and take action.

Theres no destination for this journey. Its a part of your life every day. Every day you make choices that will either keep you going, set you back, or stall you. Be consistent with making good choices and youll see results.

Go here to read the rest:
'Combining Intermittent Fasting With Paleo And Strength Training Three Times A Week Transformed My Body' - Women's Health

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A study published in the Journal of Human Evolution reveals for the first time the diet of fossil baboon Theropithecus oswaldi discovered in the Victoria Cave in Cartagena (Murcia), the only site in Europe with remains of this primate, which is four million years old and came from eastern Africa.

The new work analyses the diet of this primate based on its sole European fossil remains and thanks to the analysis of the oral micro-wear patterns on the teeth resulting from eating food. According to the conclusions, the feeding pattern of this guenon the most common primate in the fossil registry of the Pleistocene in the African continent would be different to that of baboon Theropithecus gelada, which is phylogenetically currently the closest species to T. oswaldi. Baboon T. gelada, which lives in the Simien mountains in northern Ethiopia, usually feeds on fresh herbs and sprigs.

Image Credit : Asociacin RUVID

The work, headed by professors Laura Martnez and Alejandro Prez-Prez, from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB), was also produced by expert from the Department of Biotechnology of the University of Alicante (UA) Alejandro Romero, as well as experts from the Faculty of Earth Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology of the UV, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Municipal Museum of Prehistory and Palaeontology of Orce (Granada) and George Washington University (USA).

Diet of the fossil baboon in the south of the Iberian Peninsula

According to UA researcher Alejandro Romero, the analysis with electronic microscopy that we did of the enamel of the teeth from Theropithecus oswaldi revealed a good state of preservation, which made it possible to define oral micro-wear. The pattern of micro-grooves that were observed on the enamel, adds Romero, is a reflection of the abrasive nature of the food that was chewed. Therefore, when compared with models of primates with known diets, it is possible to deduce the type of feeding ecology of fossil species.

In this sense, the analysis of the grooves caused to the vestibular side of the teeth resulting from eating these abrasive foods confirms that T. oswaldi specimens from the Victoria Cave had to have a more abrasive diet than the current T. gelada, and more similar to the solid food-based diet of other primates, such as mangabeys (Cercocebus sp.) and baboons (Mandrillys sphinx), who eat fruits and seeds, some of them with hard coats, in wooded and semi-open ecosystems, adds Laura Martnez from the Faculty of Biology of the UB.

However, other more recent studies based on observations of T. Gelada from the region of Guassa, also in Ethiopia, describe a more diverse diet, with the presence of rhizomes and tubers during the most unfavourable season. The difference found between T. oswaldi and T. gelada specimens add study authors indicates that the specialisation observed in current baboons could be derived from the fact that there were no fossils in their lineage. This could be a consequence of a regression in their ecological niche as an adaptation to ecosystems that were altered anthropically or as a result of climate change.

Victoria Cave: the long journey of the African baboon

The Theropithecus genus expanded beyond the Sahara desert, from the east to the north and south of the African continent. Their evolutionary lineage, which is also currently present in some geographical areas of Europe and Asia, came very close to disappearing some 500,000 years ago. Today, it would only be represented by the Theropithecus gelada species, a baboon that basically feeds on herbs and has an ecological profile closer to herbivores than primates.

In 1990, the digging campaign led by palaeontologist Josep Gibert found the first fossil remain, a tooth of Theropithecus oswald (Journal of Human Evolution, 1995), in the Victoria Cave (Cartagena). This karstic cave an old manganese mine has provided fossil remains of close to 100 species of vertebrates and is one of the few European sites from the Lower Pleistocene that has human remains. Outside the African continent, the fossil registry of baboon fossils is very scarce, as other remains have only been found in Ubeidiya (Israel) and Minzapur (India).

The new fossil remains of T. oswaldi with between 900,000 and 850,000 years of age were recovered by a team from the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB. The presence of this African guenon in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula strengthens the hypothesis of dispersion models of fauna from the African continent in Europe during the Pleistocene through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The study published in Journal of Human Evolution is framed within the Paleobaboon Research Project, which analyses the dental and cranial adaptations of primates from the papionine tribe as an analogous model of the evolution of the Hominini lineage, who they shared a common geographical space with at similar dates.

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Originally posted here:
Study reveals the diet of the Theropithecus oswaldi primate - HeritageDaily

Last week Governor Wolf recommended all Pennsylvanians begin to wear face masks in an effort to reduce person to person transmission of COVID-19. With the number of Coronavirus cases on the rise in Berks County and Pennsylvania, how else can we protect ourselves from COVID-19?

Is it possible to increase your health enough to improve your chances with COVID-19? There is no cure or vaccine for the novel Coronavirus. However, staying healthy is the best way to give your body a fighting chance.

As people age, their immune systems change, making it harder for their bodies to fight off diseases and infection. Who is at risk? Older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease.

Stefano Sarge is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer. A graduate of Governor Mifflin, Sarge is the co-founder of Ampersand Integrated Wellness, a local wellness company focusing on healthy lifestyles, managing injuries or other health related issues.

Now working from home himself, Sarge says the best way to begin an exercise routine is to get outside into nature. Its been shown and even supported with studies to help fight off anxiety and depression.

If youre just starting out, just look for things around your house says Sarge. Even if you dont have any weights you can use gallons of water. You can use broomsticks or use your couch and tables. Whatever you have, just keep it basic.

In addition to items around the house, Sarge suggests starting a daily routine of basic movements like squats, push ups, or planks. Most importantly, Sarge says this is the time to figure out what you like and dont like to do.

I would say my number one recommendation is to set up a schedule, develop a routine for yourself. The more you can make your workout consistent the easier its gonna be for you and its definitely gonna be a challenge at first.

Its not all about the workout, its also about the food you put in your body. There are no specific diets, or special foods, that will directly boost your immune system. However, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise will increase your overall health, and give your body a better shot at defending against diseases and illnesses.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, good nutrition lowers peoples risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. An overall healthy lifestyle must include good nutrition, regular physical activity, no smoking and stress management.

So what can you do to improve your immune system? Local certified nutrition and wellness consultant, Whitney George, fills us in. The number one thing that people can do first to improve the immune system response and function is to drop sugar from their diets.

Added sugars, refined carbohydrates, foods made out of flour, and even natural sources of sugars that are high glycemic like dried fruits, impair white blood cell function. Coinciding with the importance of sugar reduction for immune function is to increase non-starchy vegetables in the diet says George.

To maintain a balanced diet, George recommends eating 6-8 cups of non-starchy vegetables per day and 1/2-1 cup of low sugar fruits like berries, kiwi, and grapefruit.

It is from these plant foods that we get an abundance of phytonutrients like quercetin, rutin, luteolin, myricetin, resveratrol, and apigenin, which have immune strengthening properties says George.

Food sources of zinc (oysters, clams, shrimp, pumpkin seeds, liver) and vitamin C (red bell peppers, broccoli, rose hips, citrus fruits) are also imperative to support the immune response and keep it balanced and not tipping into the cytokine storm (which is the mechanism for death in those suffering from COVID pneumonia). Balancing blood sugar is key.

George also recommends pairing your non-starchy vegetables with high quality protein sources that are sustainably sourced (pasture-raised, grass-fed, wild caught) and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocado, coconut, coconut oil, nuts and seeds.

With everyone staying at home, take out is also a popular choice and a good way to support local businesses. So how can you eat out and still eat right? In general, when ordering from any restaurant, it is important to stick to the basics listed above says George.

Think about a plate that is 1/2 to 3/4s non-starchy veggies, paired with a protein source that is grilled or baked, not fried, and if you want to choose a starch, try to choose a whole grain like brown or wild rice or one that is not processed like a baked sweet potato.

BCTV and Berks Weekly are working together to bring you the stories of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. This media partnership is made possible in part by the support of Berks County Community Foundation.

More:
Berks Fitness and Nutrition Experts Weigh in on Staying Healthy at Home - bctv.org

Jackson, TN, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- America is going week three of its unprecedented lockdown due to COVID-19 fears. Both local and national governments as well as federal agencies have pretty much ordered the shutdowns of all non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of the virus. While were keeping ourselves isolated due to social distancing and stay at home orders to stay healthy, Diet Doc wants to remind consumers how important it is to take all aspects of your health into account during these uncertain times. Itll be important to maintain your health since your health status has a direct effect on your immunity, as well as your mental well-being. Other than using vitamin c, zinc and other herbal supplements, Diet Doc suggests that now may be a great time to invest in a total weight management program with guidance from specialized doctors and coaches who can conveniently help you by phone or computer, keeping your safety in mind. This type of program can:

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Diet Doc Stresses to Consumers the Importance of Keeping Weight Gain to a Minimum Amid COVID-19 - GlobeNewswire

Nothing makes us feel more connected than when a global health crisis sparks on one continent and jumps to the next, and then the next, as fast as the one we are in. From China to Italy, Spain, the US and back to Asia, the coronavirus made us realize that what happens in one market around the world has real ramifications everywhere.

So it's no surprise that the health, ethical, and planetary effects of plant-based eating are being touted now.Consumers are beginning to come to terms with the full impact ofour collectiveeating habits on the earth and the people aroundus. From our fashion choices, even"vegan" ones that end upcreating more plastic waste to "superfoods" like almonds, that use more water than almost nearly any other plant on the planet, plant-based or vegan consumers are asking: What istruly sustainable? And howdo our choices impact not just our own health but that of the planet and other human beings in communities far from our homes?Here are some simple ways to consider compassion and humanity along your mindful plant-based journey.

While consuming a plant-based diet is by-and-large better for our health and the environment, a sometimes overlooked element to consider is the human cost of our food choices. Do you know where your coconut oil comes from? Your quinoa? One of the most well-known cases of an over-consumed crop is the popularity of quinoa, which first helped support the farmers of Peru and then, when it took off as a "trendy" food five years ago, sent them into relative poverty when other countries began to produce it and take market share away from them.

Understanding the impact of your diet is the first step to consuming more mindfully. A simple Google searchthat includes [BRAND] + ethics or [FOOD ITEM] + sustainability is a great place to start. Another great place to start is through the quiz on foodprint.org, which estimates the carbon impact of your current diet. Try it.

Depending on the item it brings a range of results, for example, tortilla chips + sustainability gives you the results of a range of tortilla chip producers' sustainability mission while searching chocolate + sustainability brings about a bunch of articles about the cacao supply chain, which makes us think more about where our snacks and sweets come from.

To keep up with the latest agricultural news,perusesites like Acres USA, Modern Farmer, Edible Magazine andAnthropocene Magazine (Anthropocene is a newly minted term that refers to our current industrial era, in which the changes on earth are driven by humans). All these are great ways to learn more about what's happening in the food supply chain.

Keeping track of the most ethical foods is as daunting as the constant back and forth about what is healthy or not (such as the great coffee debate). There are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind that will help you be a more mindful consumer.

Yourbest betis to eat local, seasonal foods that don't need to get put on a ship or plane to get to your door. Loweringour carbon footprint is beneficial to the most vulnerable populations, including people of color and working-classfamilies, who aredisproportionately affected by climate change. Eating locally grown food not only reduces carbon emissions but supports small farmers and the food usually delivers more nutrients because it's fresh.Find a CSA near you throughLocalHarvest.org.

Efficient shipping options are easier than ever through aggregators likeThrive Market, Instacart,and Mercato that each finds the products you seek and delivers itfrom a variety of local vendors. Thesesites do the curation for you so you dont have todrivearoundlooking for plant-based foods. Imperfect Foods is a great option that helps reduce waste by shipping less-than-beautiful but perfectly edible produce that otherwise would have been thrown out.

Another possibility: grow your own! The US has seen a resurgence of Victory Gardenssince the sheltering at home orders have gone national, and growing your greens is one way to reduce your reliance on traditional grocery stores.To get startedhere is a guide for indoor gardening, even in a tiny apartment or basement.

The journey to be a more ethical consumer goes beyond what we eat. In our globalized economy, many other systems play a part in our relationship to the world and people around us. When making buying decisions, plant-basedconsumers could consider the impact of the packagingour food comes in. Are your meal kits sent to you in low-waste packaging? Here is a master list of sustainable alternatives for common products.

There are many organizations that do great work to help consumers make ethical consumption. Some of them include Fair Trade, Food Is Power, Equitable Food, and Fair Food Program. The Foodprint initiative has many useful resources for understanding the carbon impact of your diet and has a guide to sustainable food labels to look out for.

The good news? Adopting a plant-based diet does inherently have a net positive impact on the global food system. Eating local, seasonal foods, staying informed, and using your voice to amplify the rights of others are just a few ways to have a say in how your diet affects the earth. Were all in it together.

Read more:
How Plant-Based Eating Impacts Communities and The Environment - The Beet

You will already be regularly washing your hands and social distancing, but many of us are still likely to become infected with coronavirus. Doing what you can now to improve your health and boost your immune system will help your body cope. Thankfully, the majority of cases are mild and you should recover within a week, though if your symptoms are persistent it is vital to seek medical advice from NHS 111 rather than try to continue to manage at home. With that in mind, heres what you can do to put yourself in the best position to help your recovery.

Tom Wingfield, a physician and clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, says you should avoid anything that damages your lungs stop smoking, and dont expose others to secondhand smoke. Open fires are not great, and if you have allergies that irritate your lungs, avoid what you can. One upside of the lockdown is that air pollution has decreased. And, says Wingfield, [general aerobic] exercise will help your lungs.

There is no magic supplement. The advice is as its always been: reduce your alcohol consumption, exercise, sleep well and reduce stress. A varied, balanced diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit, is important, but there is little evidence for most vitamin and mineral supplements.

Getting out in the sun each day can also be beneficial, says the GP Amir Khan. The majority of people have low vitamin D because we dont have enough sunlight in the UK, and we are coming out of winter. Vitamin D levels will be depleted, so theres no harm in taking a vitamin D tablet.

Many people who are suspected of having had the virus report at least one day of fatigue. Now is not the time to try to tough things out. Your body is using all its energy to fight a virus that is infecting cell after cell, says Khan. Even with mild symptoms, youll have some days when you feel fine and other days when you are tired and achey. You can potter around the house and make food if you need to, but you shouldnt be doing any more than that and, where possible, you should be on the sofa or in bed.

Once you develop a fever, he says, your body is starting to use energy to raise your core body temperature to make it an unfavourable environment for the virus to reproduce. You shouldnt wait until you feel tired [to rest], because by then youve expended too much energy already.

Khan says: Everybody should be sticking to two to three litres of fluid a day as normal. When you have a fever, says Saira Ghafur, an honorary respiratory consultant at St Marys hospital in London, you can become dehydrated, so you need to make sure that even if you dont feel like it, youre drinking as much as possible. If you feel youre not peeing very much, thats another sign youre very dehydrated and should seek medical advice.

Take paracetamol, rather than ibuprofen. There has been concern that ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory, could reduce immune function and make coronavirus symptoms worse, but there is not enough evidence to confirm this. Still, the advice is to take paracetamol for fever and muscle pain instead. If you have been prescribed ibuprofen and develop symptoms of Covid-19 then discuss that with your medical practitioner, says Wingfield.

Khan has seen advice online about taking vitamin C to treat coronavirus but that doesnt mean you should be trying this at home. It has been used intravenously in very, very high doses in hospitals in China. Thats a big difference to what you get in a tablet. The jury is still very much out in terms of using intravenous vitamin C for coronavirus.

Taking a vitamin C tablet from the chemist or supermarket wont stop you getting an infection and it wont help treat the infection, says Khan. And certainly dont try to take very high doses.

Dont pin your hopes on superfoods or the social media posts about alkaline foods (a virus doesnt have a pH level, and you cant change the bodys pH level through diet). What about garlic? It may help reduce the length of things like a cold, but wont prevent it, says Khan. And theres no evidence it has any effect on coronavirus.

Its far from clear. On Monday, the author JK Rowling shared a video of Sarfaraz Munshi, the head of urgent care at Queens hospital in Romford, London, demonstrating breathing techniques that he said could relieve symptoms and prevent someone developing a secondary pneumonia infection. People with asthma and those recovering from pneumonia are often helped by respiratory physiotherapists, says Wingfield, who can help support your breathing with exercises. The main thing you are trying to do is make patients lungs open as much as they can and try and get rid of some of the fluid and inflammatory material.

Coronavirus, says Khan, causes inflammation around the alveoli, the air sacs at the peripheries of the lungs, and it can damage them. It reduces your lung capacity. If you are safely managing your condition at home [on advice from a doctor or the NHS 111 service], then breathing exercises might help.

What youre really doing there is forcing air into the alveoli by taking big breaths in and holding the alveoli open, and that will help clear any excess mucus, pathogens, as well as stop them from becoming hardened, which can happen. This is with the caveat that you are safe to stay at home and you dont need to be in hospital. If theres any chance of pneumonia, you should be in hospital.

However, Laura Breach, a spokeswoman for the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC), says while the exercises should be harmless for healthy individuals, she would not advise them, adding that they could make symptoms worse in someone suffering breathlessness. Although Munshis video was well-intentioned, the ACPRC says the techniques are not correct (it is preparing its own video). If you did try the exercise, you only need to take three or four breaths so as not to hyperventilate and become dizzy, and if you have coronavirus symptoms, there is no need to make yourself cough as part of the exercise. We would always encourage nose-breathing rather than mouth-breathing, because your nose is really important in humidifying the air that you breathe in and catching any particles in the air, says Breach.

There is no evidence these exercises will help healthy people prepare for the illness, she says. There are patients with longer-term respiratory conditions and we do teach them techniques to give them a better starting point. If its something you should be doing then your healthcare professional will have already advised that. Instead, the ACPRC says: Propping yourself up with pillows, or leaning forward onto the back of a chair can be beneficial to breathlessness.

Wingfield also questions whether the exercises can aid recovery from coronavirus its a slightly evidence-free zone and says if you are having trouble breathing, you should seek medical help rather than simply try to follow breathing exercises at home. But they can keep your lungs moving, and some people might find these exercises meditative and stress-relieving, says Wingfield. Ghafur agrees: None of this is evidence-based.

One of the big things in intensive care that were seeing with a lot of patients, says Ghafur, is you have to put them on a ventilator in what we call a prone position, which basically means youre lying on your front. Its not in any recommended guidance for patients who are not in intensive care, but if youre able to lie on your front for a while that can help breathing. Theres no harm in trying it, she says, but only if youre generally fit and healthy. Do not try to lie on your front if you are older, infirm, have mobility problems or are pregnant.

Lying continuously on your back is not ideal. If you can sit and take deep breaths in and out, that will help any respiratory condition youre taking in a bigger lungful of air and that will help remove any mucus. However, she adds that there is no evidence that this will improve your recovery.

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Do breathing exercises really work? UK doctors on how to protect against coronavirus and manage symptoms - The Guardian

The national crisis over the coronavirus has resulted in governments deliberately shutting down much of Canadas economy and throwing millions of people out of work. Some journalists have speculated about whether we are entering another Depression like that which began in 1929, as though they have some recollection of what that was like. In fact, almost no one alive today actually remembers that era. Even those of us who have heard word-of-mouth stories from survivors of the Depression, as I did growing up, are elderly people now.

My father, Thomas Lyman, was born in 1910, the oldest of four brothers, in Dresden, Ont., between London and Detroit. My mother, Antoinette Phelan, the oldest of eight children in her family, was born in 1912 in Mount Forest, two hours northwest of Toronto. They came to adulthood in the early 1930s and survived the Great Depression. There was nothing great about it. It was a nightmare in peoples lives that lasted for over 10 years and did not really end until the Second World War. Today, we know that it was the result of widespread drops in world commodity prices and sudden declines in economic demand and credit, which led to sharp reductions in global trade and rising unemployment. Let me describe that in human terms.

It was a nightmare in peoples lives that lasted for over 10 years

There wasnt a national labour force survey, as there is now, but estimates are that, at times, as many as one-third of working-age people in Canada were unemployed. It was extremely difficult to get a job. If you did, the wages were very low. Employers could basically dictate the terms of employment. My father was lucky to be hired by the Canadian Bank of Commerce (a predecessor of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) to work as a bank teller in a small branch in Mount Forest, where he met my mother. My mother worked as a cashier in a five and dime, what today we would call a convenience store, and after business hours she did her chores on a farm. They spent the entire Depression in Mount Forest. The bank, however, prohibited its employees from marrying (they might produce children and ask for a raise) so my mother and father dated from 1930 until 1940 when he enlisted in the Canadian army, married and left for six years in Europe.

Sometime in the 1930s my grandfather lost his farm in Dresden and moved his family to Windsor, Ont. There he got a job working in Detroit for the Detroit Free Press. With no television and no internet, newspapers were almost as fail-safe employers as banks were. Times have changed.

For the most part, though, wages were so low that even employed people could afford only the fewest of non-essentials. There was little entertainment. My father reminisced once that a big night out was when four friends shared the cost of a case of beer and played cards all evening.

The birth rate dropped by a third. Tens of thousands of young men could not find work and were not eligible for even the meagre welfare provided by governments then, so they lived in shanty towns and moved from area to area (often as hideaways on railway boxcars) depending on the season.

Hundreds of thousands of people and businesses went bankrupt. The banks often seized the farms and other property of the people affected, so families were left homeless. Farm production dropped. If you lived on a farm, your main diet was often root crops and rhubarb. Many people got scurvy; almost everyone was hungry much of the time. The poor diets and bad living conditions shortened lives; children often had to leave school after Grade 8 so they could work and help support the family. Both wages and prices dropped throughout the 1930s. In Western Canada, two-thirds of the rural population was forced onto relief, the small support available from governments.

For many, the worst effect of the Depression was the sense of hopelessness it engendered. No one who has ever heard first-hand accounts of what that was like would ever want to experience it.

When people today talk about the possibility of so extending the shut-down of the Canadian economy as to place us on the path to a Depression, they have no idea what that would mean. I hope they never find out.

Robert Lyman was born in 1946, precisely nine months after his father returned from the war. He grew up in Windsor and currently lives in Ottawa.

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Yes, times are tough, but let's not pretend it's anything like 1929 - Financial Post

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the esophagus, or food pipe. The esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.

Eosinophilic esophagitis causes chronic inflammation in the esophagus, which can make it difficult for a person to eat, drink, or even swallow saliva. A person may also experience related symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea, and malnutrition.

Both adults and children can get eosinophilic esophagitis. In children, the condition can lead to developmental issues, such as stunted growth.

In this article, we provide information on the symptoms and causes of eosinophilic esophagitis. We also outline the dietary and medical treatment options available.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus.

In people with EoE, white blood cells called eosinophils build up within the inner lining of the esophagus. These eosinophils release substances that cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation of the esophagus may lead to symptoms such as difficulty eating or swallowing.

EoE is a rare condition, affecting about 1 in 2,000 people. However, the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology state that the condition is becoming more common, though this may be partly because increased awareness has led to more diagnoses.

EoE can develop in children or adults and in people of all ethnicities. People who develop EoE typically have preexisting allergies, such as:

Experts have suggested that these allergies may trigger EoE in some cases.

The symptoms of EoE may differ from person to person. However, some of the more common symptoms include:

Children who develop EoE may become irritable and refuse to eat or drink. As a result, they may experience developmental problems, such as stunted growth.

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that is not usually present in the esophagus. In EoE, eosinophils accumulate in this part of the body, causing inflammation of the esophageal tissues.

Scientists have noticed that many people who develop EoE have some type of allergy. As such, the consensus is that a persons immune response to an allergen may cause the accumulation of eosinophils in the esophagus.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, abnormal immune responses to foods are the leading cause of EoE. However, experts do not yet fully understand the mechanism by which foods trigger EoE.

Other potential allergens that could contribute to EoE include:

According to the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, specific genes may also play a role in the development of EoE.

To diagnose EoE, a doctor will ask about a persons symptoms and whether they have any allergies.

If the doctor suspects EoE, an upper endoscopy (UE) will be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. A UE involves passing a long, flexible tube called an endoscope down the esophagus. A small camera on the end of the endoscope allows the doctor to look for inflammation.

During the procedure, the doctor may take a small sample of the esophageal tissue for further examination. The presence of eosinophils within the sample would indicate EoE.

A person who receives a diagnosis of EoE may require further medical tests to identify any allergens underlying the condition.

In most cases, a doctor will recommend an elimination diet, which involves removing food triggers from the diet and monitoring the effect on EoE symptoms.

Occasionally, they may use a blood test to detect a type of immune cell called immunoglobulin E (IgE), which a persons immune system releases in response to certain allergens. High levels of IgE indicate that the body is overreacting to an allergen.

A skin prick test is also an option. This test involves using a fine needle to insert a small amount of a suspected allergen beneath the skin. Redness or swelling at the site of the skin prick test suggests an allergic reaction to the substance.

However, blood tests and skin prick tests may not be useful, as they commonly produce false-positive results. Also, as experts believe that EoE may not be IgE-mediated, these tests may have little to no value.

There is currently no cure for EoE. However, a combination of dietary changes and medical treatments may help manage inflammation and alleviate symptoms.

Elimination diets can help a person identify their trigger foods so that they can avoid them in the future. There are different types of elimination diet, which vary in terms of convenience and effectiveness.

A doctor may recommend one of the following three elimination diets:

Empiric elimination diets involve removing all foods that commonly affect EoE. Such foods include:

Food test-directed elimination diets involve eliminating any food that a person has previously shown sensitivity to during a skin prick test.

After eliminating these foods from the diet, a person monitors their symptoms to check for any improvement.

Elemental diets involve using a special formula to supplement or replace the diet. The formula contains a combination of amino acids, which provide nutrition without triggering EoE.

Elemental diets are the most extreme treatment option, and doctors usually only recommend them for children. However, they may be necessary if other approaches are not working.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not yet approved any medications for the treatment of EoE. However, the following treatments may help manage inflammation or alleviate symptoms:

Most people with eosinophilic esophagitis will require ongoing treatment. However, the disorder is unlikely to cause further chronic illness or affect life expectancy.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the esophagus. People who have the condition may experience difficulty eating and drinking, which can lead to complications, such as weight loss and malnutrition.

The exact cause of EoE remains unclear. However, most people who develop the condition have preexisting allergies. Experts generally agree that these allergies may contribute to EoE.

There is no cure for EoE. However, a combination of dietary changes and medical treatments can help reduce inflammation and alleviate symptoms.

Read the rest here:
Eosinophilic esophagitis: Definition, symptoms, and treatment - Medical News Today

A map of planned changes to Liberty StreetCity of CincinnatiIt took roughly seven years to go from suggestions by neighborhood groups to fleshed out plans to wrangling at City Hall to reality, but it's finally here: work began this week on an effort to make Liberty Street safer for pedestrians and once again tie together the northern and southern halves of Over-the-Rhine.

The $7.4 million worth of alterations now underway along Liberty Street touch three neighborhoods and mark the first significant changes to the major OTR thoroughfare since the 1950s, when it was dramatically widened, proponents say.

"We have two different sides of the community," Over-the-Rhine Community Council President Maurice Wagoner said today. "It's difficult to cross Liberty Street and be safe going back to both sides of the neighborhood... It's been very gratifying to bring this neighborhood and make it one, instead of 'north of Liberty and south of Liberty,' again after 60 years."

The changes will include one less lane of traffic; medians; bump-outs at Sycamore, Main, Walnut, Vine, Race and Elm streets and Central Parkway; pedestrian islands; trees; and other features stretching from Sycamore Street to Central Parkway.

That's a busy seam between the two parts of OTR where pedestrians experience significant danger. Other improvements including repaving will stretch from Reading Road in Pendleton to Dalton Avenue in Queensgate. The intersection of Liberty Hill and Liberty Street will also receive a traffic light.

Council member Jeff Pastor lived on Sycamore Street when he was a child, he says.

"I've taken my own life in my hands many times as a kid just trying to cross Liberty," he said. "I watched my grandmother do the same thing. I think much of the job on city council is to fix the scars in our city. Liberty Street is one of those scars and this project will see one of our 52 neighborhoods attached back together."

The road narrowing was among the proposals brought to council in 2013 by representatives of the Over-the-Rhine Brewery District in northern OTR. But it encountered years of political turbulence.

Cincinnati City Council May 1 last year voted 8-1 to approve a road diet for Liberty Street though that plan was a little different from original proposals.

Concerns about on-street parking, access to FC Cincinnati's coming stadium and the cost of moving a major water main that runs underneath Liberty Street all played into a protracted fight around the proposed alterations.

Supporters of narrowing the street say the artery, widened in the late 1950s at the expense of a number of buildings, is a barrier for pedestrian flow between the two sides of OTR.

"There are two schools that sit directly on Liberty Street," Cincinnati City Council member Chris Seelbach said today. "Young kids cross this seven-lane highway every day. We wanted to make it safer. Second, we wanted to try and bridge Over-the-Rhine back together."

But those opposed to narrowing the street pointed out that it connects the neighborhood and the West End to both I-71 and I-75, and that the coming FC Cincinnati soccer stadium is likely to bring more congestion and traffic to the area.

The new compromise plan will reduce Liberty Street to six lanes. That's one more lane than the original five-lane plan drawn up after several years of community input and study, but one less lane than an alternate plan supported by Mayor John Cranley that would have added bump-outs to some sections of the road while keeping it at seven lanes. The seven-lane plan would have preserved parking on both sides of Liberty Street. The so-called five-lane plan would have potentially restricted parking on both sides during peak hours.

The compromise plan will end up reclaiming less right-of-way for future development than the five-lane plan would have 10 feet but also preserves most of the parking on the street, the city says, and won't cause the relocation of a water main that would have cost roughly $800,000.

Council member Seelbach, who long championed the original five-lane plan, called the eventual project underway now an example of how differing sides can come together and get things done.

Work should be done by March 2021, Seelbach says.

Continued here:
Work Finally Begins on Liberty Street Narrowing Project in Over-the-Rhine - Cincinnati CityBeat