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Halsey says hypnotherapy helped her quit cigarettes after 11 years of smoking, but it doesn’t work for everyon – Business Insider India

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

While Halsey was chatting about makeup and beauty on Manny Mua's YouTube channel, the singer said hypnotherapy helped her quit cigarettes after smoking for 11 years.

"I had to get hypnotized," she said, describing the quitting process as a "journey."

Read more: Hypnosis could help irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

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During the first session, a hypnotherapist asks questions about your smoking rituals, and tries to replace the habit with a new one. "It's not enough to just remove smoking, you have to replace it with a new ritual," Smith said.

That's when, Smith said, you're hypnotized, and your brain shifts to a "theta" brainwave state, in which you're more relaxed than daydreaming, but more alert than sleeping. In this relaxed state, you're more open to hearing healthy alternatives to smoking, and hypnotherapists ask you to visualize your day with a new, healthy habit.

But you have to be open to hearing these suggestions. Smith cautioned that hypnotherapy is not mind control, and the desire to change smoking habits needs to come from within. "Let's say that your spouse just really wants you to quit and you're tired of them nagging you, but you yourself don't want to quit. Save your money and your time because this will not be effective," she said.

In a small 2007 study of 67 smokers, researchers found that hospitalized patients who went to one hypnotherapy session were more likely to be nonsmokers after six months, compared to patients who used nicotine replacement therapy or quit cold turkey.

But in another analysis of multiple studies, comprising 957 smokers, researchers at Cochrane found no proof that hypnotherapy provided any extra benefit in helping people quit smoking than counseling.

"There is no clear evidence that hypnotherapy is better than other approaches in helping people to stop smoking," said the New Zealand study's authors.

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Halsey says hypnotherapy helped her quit cigarettes after 11 years of smoking, but it doesn't work for everyon - Business Insider India

Jenna Dewan On Postpartum Life, Pilates, And Why She Follows An 80-20 Diet – Women’s Health

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

While most of us were busy scavenging for toilet paper and swapping sourdough starters, Jenna Dewan was in the middle of more labor-intensive pandemic preparations. Quite literally. The actress gave birth to her second childa son, Callum Michael Rebel Kazee, with fianc Steve Kazeeon March 6, 2020, just days before Los Angeless stay-at-home order went into effect.

I was in this postpartum-haze bubble, then a week later, everything just shut down, Jenna says. It was new; it was different; it was kind of scary. But we were all in it together.

Jenna had already planned for a hunkering-down period following Callums birth, sticking to the same First 40 Days model of postpartum rest and replenishment that she had used after the birth of her daughter, Everly, with ex-husband Channing Tatum in 2013. But what she hadnt planned for was a months-long isolationespecially considering how alone she had felt the first time around, giving birth to Everly in London, spending the first few weeks in an apartment with no Wi-Fi, then quickly transitioning to 15-hour shoot days on the set of Lifetimes Witches of East End.

I had this grand idea that with this baby, Im going to have friends and family over all the time, says Jenna. Talk about expectations and having to surrender.

Eric Ray Davidson

Leaning into unexpected curves has helped Jenna navigate a number of detours over the past three yearssplitting from Channing in 2018, building a new life as a single mom, reconnecting with Steve (whom shed met years earlier after one of his performances in the Broadway production of Once), and embracing new love.

I got here by following the flow, says Jenna, reflecting on her journey. Ive really been big on that. I know when Im swimming upstream and fighting it.

And so the self-professed free spirit has harnessed that submit-and-sink-into-it approach in pandemic life. Instead of getting bogged down with anxiety or fear, she has constantly looked for ways to swerve and grow through it all.

Most noticeably, the past year finally forced Jenna to take a beat. Shes been hustling since the early 2000s, kicking off her professional dance career on Janet Jacksons 2001 All for You tour. Film roles followed, including her 2006 breakout, Step Up. And the past five years, which have been especially busy for Jenna, included acting roles (The Resident; Berlin, I Love You; Soundtrack), hosting gigs (Flirty Dancing, World of Dance), and production projects (Step Up: High Water). When Hollywood shut down last year, Jenna was left with a largely open calendar.

Ive learned for the very first time what it means to actually be quiet, to be present, she says. Ive never been a homebody, and I love it.

Eric Ray Davidson

Eric Ray Davidson

Without external factors like work projects or lunch dates with friends to fill her up, Jenna turned her attention inward, establishing a new feel-good morning routine. By tending to her self-care early on, Jenna finds that shes able to give more to others throughout the day. So now, every morning after Callum wakes her (and Steve) up around 6:30 or 7 a.m., she feeds him, then feeds her own soul, starting with a 20-minute meditation session.

Jenna has relied on Vedic meditationa mantra-based practice similar to transcendental meditationfor years. Shes so serious about it that she has a dedicated nook at home where her kids arent allowed. And its where shes seated today as we talk.

I got here by following the flow. Ive really been big on that. I know when Im swimming upstream and fighting it.

Sunk deep in an overstuffed beige chair, Jenna starts rifling through the belongings on the table behind her, a spiritual grab bag of sorts. She lifts up a fist-size ivory crystalan aplite, she tells me, which is good for connection and meditation. She shows me her Super Attractor Journal, where she jots down her thoughts; her oracle cards, which she uses to set her intentions for the day; and The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, which shell open to a random page and read from. Completing the collection is a chunky sage smudge and, of course, a candle. When I ask what scents soothe her, she pauses and laughs, telling me the candle is This Smells Like My Orgasm by Gwyneth Paltrow. It was a gift, Jenna says with a grin. It smells good!

Breath work is another big component of her mindfulness. After meditating, shell often cycle through a holotropic breathing routine (two breaths in, one breath out) set to music, which she says has been transformative.

Eric Ray Davidson

Eric Ray Davidson

Its very effective for stress, Jenna says. Youre creating this rush of oxygen to your brain, and it calms your nervous system. It can be a little uncomfortable at first, but once you get past that, you really open yourself up.

Then, once centered, Jenna sweats it out. Her exercise of choice right now is Pilatesshe logs three or four one-hour Zoom sessions a week with her instructor Kim Carruthers. It gets you fit so fast, and you just feel stronger, Jenna says of her practice, which has transferred from the studios reformer to a mat at home. The dancer in me really likes it because it activates the same muscles in my core, she continues. Especially after recovering from surgery (her C-section), you feel things just all start to go where theyre meant to go [with Pilates]. Shes also become a fan of Isaac Bootss Instagram Live workouts, a high-energy combo of cardio and strength, which Jenna calls dancer wonderfulness.

As dance studios are closed, Jenna has had to get her groove on in small gaspsan online class here, a TikTok routine there. Through it all, she keeps a perpetual rhythm in her home. Im always dancing, even in the kitchen, she says. Callum laughs and smiles when I dance, especially when I give him a good hair whip. Its as if its the funniest thing that ever happened. And Evies always like, Dance party time!

When it comes to refueling, Jenna finds that her body does best with a mostly vegetarian diet. She follows an 80/20 approach80 percent of the time eating healthy and 20 percent of the time indulging. She starts every morning with a green smoothie (emphasis on the green), blending spinach, romaine, celery, cilantro, parsley, apple, banana, and lemon. For lunch and dinner, shes learned to keep it simple. In the beginning of quarantine, I was trying to cook more, Jenna says. But then people in the house were like, Youve got a lot of strengths. I dont know if cooking is one of them.

Eric Ray Davidson

I am not one of those people who thinks change doesnt happen. Instead, I own it, Im happy with it, and Im excited to see what develops from it.

Shes since pivoted to preparing and refrigerating nutritious meal componentslike quinoa, roasted vegetables, and black beansand letting her family combine them into entres. She does take pride, however, in a dish her family calls the Jenna Salad. Its a chopped medley of whatever vegetables are in the houseusually carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, avocado, and sometimes even sauerkrauttopped with a veggie burger and dressed with lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Its delicious, says Jenna. The warm veggie burger makes you feel like youre eating more than a salad. As for indulgences, Jenna goes for salty over sweet, with faves like nachos or french fries. I dont deprive myself, she says. But I try to choose healthy most of the time.

That balanced approach is just one more example of the laid-back, go-with-the-flow attitude that has seen Jenna through a myriad of milestones, including her most recent biggie in December: turning 40. As Jenna sees it, life has only gotten more fulfilling.

I feel better in my skin. I feel more grounded in my body, she says. I feel excited for this next decade and what is available to create. Even in this crazy year, I still have that feeling.

As Jenna looks to the future, shes set a few goals for herselfnamely, producing more projects through her company, Everheart Productions, and continuing to grow personally. But, as with all things, she recognizes that some of that, ultimately, will be left up to fate.

You cant really control how life is going to lookyou just know how you want to feel, says Jenna. I am in no way at that point where Im like, Ive got it all figured out. Im still learning more about myself every single day: what I want, how I want to experience it. All of that is in flux. I am not one of those people who thinks change doesnt happen. Instead, I own it, Im happy with it, and Im excited to see what develops from it.

Spoken, as ever, like a true free spirit whos mastered the art of embracing the unknown.

Photographed by Eric Ray Davidson Fashion editor: Kristen Saladino Styling: Katie Collins Hair: Kristin Ess, kristinesshair.com

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Jenna Dewan On Postpartum Life, Pilates, And Why She Follows An 80-20 Diet - Women's Health

Charyln Fargo Ware: How to Manage Inflammation and Your Diet – Noozhawk

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

Your body needs some inflammation to fight infection and speed healing. But too much for too long can push your immune system to attack healthy organs and tissues. This can lead to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and irritable bowel diseases.

A study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests diets impact on heart health is partly related to inflammation. The study found that higher levels of inflammatory markers were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease. Our dietary choices can increase or decrease levels of these compounds.

To lower inflammatory markers, choose green, leafy vegetables; dark yellow vegetables; whole grains; fruits; tea; coffee and fish. Red meat, processed meats, refined carbohydrates and sweetened beverages were associated with higher pro-inflammatory markers.

Researchers found dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The study only looked at women, but researchers said the results would likely apply to men as well.

How do you put this into practice? Plan your menu around foods such as tomatoes, blueberries, almonds, walnuts, lentils and salmon. Stock up on salad fixings.

Greens such as collards, broccoli, kale and spinach have antioxidants and other compounds that can help reduce inflammation and keep day-to-day damage to your cells to a minimum.

Spice your foods with turmeric, rosemary, cinnamon, cumin and ginger. Research has found they may slow down processes in your body that lead to inflammation.

Q: I used to meal prep, but now I work from home. Is it still a good idea to meal prep?

A: Prepping even a few staple items for the week can make healthy eating so much easier. As long as youre cooking, make a little more and freeze it or use it in another dish.

Even though many of us are working more from home, we still have work to do Zoom meetings, reports, helping with homework, laundry, etc. Meal prepping can help keep healthy eating plans on track.

Try batch-cooking chili or chicken tortilla soup, and freezing it in portions. You can prep quinoa ahead to add to salads later in the week. Its also helpful to cut up veggies in advance for a quick veggie tray or to use in a stir-fry. The more you do ahead, the easier it is to get dinner on the table.

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans continue to recommend at least two servings of fish a week. Heres a heart-healthy recipe, from Good Housekeeping, thats quick and full of protein and fiber. You can substitute any kind of fish you like.

1 cup couscous

cup water

1 orange

1 leek

3 cups baby kale

4 (5-ounce) skinless cod fillets

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

8 squares parchment

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange four (12-inch) squares of parchment paper on two baking sheets. In a bowl, combine couscous and water. Set aside.

Cut orange in half, and then peel 1 half, and coarsely chop fruit. Juice another half, and set aside.

Fold chopped orange into couscous. Slice the leek (white and light green parts only) into half-moons. Add the leek and baby kale to couscous mixture.

Divide the couscous mixture among the parchment pieces; top each with one 5-ounce cod fillet. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon olive oil, teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle orange juice over top.

Cover each with another piece of parchment; fold each edge up and under 3 times, tucking edge underneath. Roast in 425-degree oven for 12 minutes. Transfer each packet to a plate. Using scissors, cut an X in the center, and fold back triangles to serve.

Servings: 4

Per serving: 340 calories; 32 grams protein; 40 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat); 3 grams fiber; 330 milligrams sodium

Charlyn Fargo Ware is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Contact her at [emailprotected], or follow her on Twitter: @NutritionRd, or click here for additional columns. The opinions expressed are her own.

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Charyln Fargo Ware: How to Manage Inflammation and Your Diet - Noozhawk

Ann Arbor forum focuses on how plant-based diets can help the environment – MLive.com

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

ANN ARBOR, MI -- A2Zero Climate Action Plan is urging Ann Arbor residents to eat more plant-based meals to help the city go carbon neutral by 2030.

As part of the effort, the city held a virtual Sustainability Forum on Jan. 28 to showcase organizations promoting a plant-based diet. Some of the panelists came from Better Food Foundation, Project Grow and Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels. The forum was led by Zach Smith, community engagement specialist for sustainable development.

The Better Foundations program, called DefaultVeg, was formally introduced in Feb. 2020. It strives to refocus the current status quo from meat products to plant-based products. The food service provides plant-based meals by default, and instead gives their customers a choice to add meat or dairy upon request. By making plant-based options the default on a menu, it may nudge consumers towards a healthier option.

DefaultVeg preserves choice, no one is forced to have one diet or another. Theres always the choice to have the option that you want, said Trevor Leonard, program associate for Better Food Foundation.

Leonard spoke about a Harvard School of Public Health study that revealed the percentage of people who ate meat dropped 43 percent when an experimental group had their default meal changed from meat to vegetarian. The studies on their website also show that serving 1,000 plant-based meals can save 1,600 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to a car driving from Chicago to Paris, France.

How a vegan diet could fit into Ann Arbors carbon-neutrality plan

Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels (AAMOW) is also trying get residents to eat less meat. They are working on minimizing food waste by scheduling what days their clients want food, and try to offer seasonal specials by including food from local farms. One of their vendors participates in the Farm to Freeze program that freezes produce at the peak of ripeness, making healthy produce such as broccoli, cherries and blueberries accessible all year round.

As a result of their efforts, 94 percent of their clients say that they eat healthier and 97 percent say that AAMOW has helped them stay home, Director of Meals on Wheels Courtney Vanderlaan said, which has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the longest running community garden in the United States, Ann Arbors Project Grow has provided space and education for residents who are interested in growing their own organic vegetables since first starting back in 1972.

Project Grow farmers donated about 3,410 pounds of food to Food Gathers, an organization that works to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in the community, according to Joseph Schutte, Project Grow board member.

Having good, organic, fresh vegetables is not cheap, Schutte said. You can get it from the Farmers Market, its not cheap, but growing it yourself, you know exactly where it came from.

A University of Michigan study conducted by the Center for Sustainable Systems revealed that eliminating the transport of food for one year could save the greenhouse gas equivalent of driving 1,000 miles. The study also shows that shifting to having one vegetarian meal a day could also save the equivalent of driving 1,160 miles. As a result, growing vegetables near home and having at least one plant-based meal a day from a garden could help lower someones carbon footprint.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, limiting food waste can reduce the amount of methane released from landfills when these organic materials decompose. Eliminating food waste can contribute to at least 5 percent of the total greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The next Ann Arbor Sustainability Forum will be held on Feb. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. on Urban Forestry & Green Infrastructure. Registration beforehand is required.

Read more from The Ann Arbor News:

Q&A: Treeline director explains whats on the horizon for Ann Arbors urban trail initiative

Those cute chalk characters you see all over Ann Arbor sidewalks, walls come from this artist

10,000 veterans and healthcare workers vaccinated at Ann Arbor VA hospital

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Ann Arbor forum focuses on how plant-based diets can help the environment - MLive.com

Anemia and Anxiety: Understanding the Connection – Healthline

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

If youve been diagnosed with anemia, youve likely experienced the unpleasant side effects that it can cause. Some of these side effects and symptoms can mirror those of anxiety.

So, is there a connection between anemia and anxiety? The short answer is, maybe.

Anemia is a condition where your body doesnt have enough red blood cells. The job of red blood cells is to carry oxygen throughout your body, so when you dont have enough of them, your body isnt getting the oxygen it needs to function properly.

Eating a diet that lacks vitamins and minerals can also be a contributing factor to some types of anemia.

A 2013 study of schoolchildren in China found that of those who didnt have access to a well-balanced diet, 42.4 percent were anemic. After being given a multivitamin, the rate of anemia in these students went down by 7 percentage points. Interestingly, these students also reported decreased anxiety.

Many of the symptoms of anemia are similar to those of anxiety and some may actually create anxiety if youre experiencing them.

Symptoms of anemia may include:

Having these symptoms may magnify or increase anxiety. If youre experiencing uncomfortable digestive symptoms, you may worry about going out in public. If youre having chest pain or shortness of breath, you may worry that its a sign of something more serious.

These symptoms can also indicate other serious health problems. If youre experiencing any of these symptoms, see a healthcare provider or go to the nearest emergency room if the symptoms are severe.

If youre having symptoms of anxiety or anemia, its important to be evaluated by a healthcare professional as soon as possible to determine whats causing your symptoms and begin treating the underlying causes.

Anemia is diagnosed through blood tests, your medical history, and a physical exam.

Blood tests can show whether youre making enough red blood cells and whether theres enough iron in your body, while the medical history and physical exam will explore any symptoms youre having.

Lab tests to diagnose anemia can include:

There are many types of anemia. The type of anemia you have will depend on whats causing it and what other medical conditions you may have.

The most common types of anemia include:

It can be hard to distinguish between symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of anemia since many of them are the same. Symptoms of anxiety include:

The good news is, anemia is a very treatable condition. The treatment for anemia depends on the underlying cause and may include:

After a mental health professional or doctor has diagnosed you with anxiety, there are different treatment options available to help with symptoms. These options include:

If youre experiencing symptoms of anxiety that interfere with your daily life, help is available here:

If youre having thoughts of harming yourself, talk with your doctor, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

In addition to these treatment options, there are many things you can do to help reduce and manage your anxiety. These include:

Risk factors for anemia include:

Both anemia and anxiety are serious conditions if left untreated. However, once theyre diagnosed by a medical professional, treatments like diet adjustment, medications, and therapy can be extremely helpful.

Originally posted here:
Anemia and Anxiety: Understanding the Connection - Healthline

Greece’s Agriculture Ministry Will Promote The Greek Diet Brand – GreekCityTimes.com

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

Greeces Rural Development and Food inister, Spilios Livanos on Monday said that the ministrys main goal is to promote the Greek Diet brand.

Speaking to Skai TV, the minister said that the goal is to subsidise infrastructure, increase exports, train farmers and promote the Greek Diet brand.

He also spoke about the new EU Common Agricultural Policy, which will bring 19.7 billion to Greece, and stressed the need for judicious investment in infrastructure.

If we manage our investments in infrastructure soundly and increase production and exports, giving added value to our products, then we will have succeeded. If the money is spent on simple grants then we will have failed, as has been the case in previous decades. Our ally in this effort is the Recovery Fund, Livanos said.

Greece has the privilege of producing excellent products. These products must acquire an identity, they must acquire a branding as the Greek diet, he added.

Livanos noted that tourists can also be the best ambassadors of the healthy Greek diet.

The primary and secondary sector, which I have the honour to serve, is essentially the driving force for the Greek economy to start at another level. But it must be linked to tourism, culture and our health policy. If we succeed and create this new framework, internally and then externally, I believe in a few years we will work miracles.

He also pointed out the absence of a policy on oil and compared it with the successful policy on wine. Livanos expressed his optimism that within the next year there will be a policy for the exceptional quality of Greek oil, emphasising that we must connect the brand of Greek oil with the brand of the new Greece that is being built.

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Greece's Agriculture Ministry Will Promote The Greek Diet Brand - GreekCityTimes.com

Liposuction Recovery: What to Expect – Healthline

Posted: February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

Liposuction is the second most popular cosmetic surgery treatment, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Its a major procedure that removes unwanted fat in certain areas of your body. Your doctor performs this surgery by sculpting and contouring the areas of your body to permanently remove fat cells.

The areas of your body that receive this surgery commonly include your:

Its important to note that there are limits to the volume of fat that can be safely removed (about 5 liters), especially for an outpatient surgery.

If youre considering liposuction, heres what you need to know about the recovery process, including how long it will take, and tips that may help you heal faster.

According toboard certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Rady Rahban, recovery can be broken up into two categories: immediate and long-term.

Immediate recovery, meaning when you can go back to work, depends on the areas that are liposuctioned and the technique used, he explains.

This can take anywhere from 5 to 7 days before you can return to work and 4 to 6 weeks before you can get back to physical activities, such as exercise.

A long-term recovery typically lasts 3 months. This allows swelling to decrease.

Keep in mind that the recovery process varies for everyone and the type of liposuction that was performed.

These tips can help you feel more comfortable during recovery. They may also help you heal faster.

First, youll want to wear a compression garment to promote comfort and healing.

Use of compression garments in the first 72 hours after liposuction is critical in accelerating the drainage of large volumes of anesthetic fluid, speeding up the recovery process, and reducing pain, swelling, and bruising, explains Dr. Daniel P. Friedmann, MD, FAAD, board certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at Westlake Dermatology.

Surgeons vary in the duration they recommend for compression garments, but its typically worn for 4 to 6 weeks to prevent bruising and help the skin adhere to its new contour, adds Dr. Howard Sobel, founder of Sobel Skin and attending dermatologist and dermatological surgeon at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York.

You dont want to push yourself too hard while recovering from liposuction.

Rest is important, especially in the first 3 days of recovery when the incision(s) site is left open to drain anesthetic fluid.

During this time, Friedmann says that immersion bathing of any kind should be avoided until incisions have closed completely, which takes approximately 7 to 10 days.

Working out or doing strenuous activities is not recommended during recovery, according to Sobel. You should, however, walk around to get your blood flowing.

In addition to light exercise, such as walking, you can resume these activities 24 hours after surgery:

Even if you dont feel a lot of discomfort, Rahban cautions that you dont resume regular activities too soon.

Liposuction is a surgery like any other surgery, and therefore, you need to be careful to not be overly active too soon as it will cause extra swelling and more discomfort.

As with any cosmetic procedure, complications can occur.

While oral antibiotics and proper wound care help prevent infection, these additional complications, although some rare, could happen:

If you experience any of these symptoms, speak with your doctor immediately. Its so important that you choose an experienced surgeon to perform your liposuction, which may help prevent these symptoms.

Sobel recommends choosing a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic procedures. The procedure must also be performed in an accredited surgical facility only.

According to Friedmann, your doctor should stay in close contact with you to help ensure your smooth recovery. This includes scheduling a follow-up appointment after the first few days, and staying in close contact over the following weeks.

You should also reach out to your doctor if you experience any of the above complications. No matter how big or small, any concerns you have should be addressed by having an open dialogue with your healthcare provider.

Liposuction is a plastic surgery procedure that removes unwanted fat from a persons body. But as major surgery, there are steps and precautions that must be taken to ensure a smooth recovery. This includes:

You should also keep in contact with your doctor (preferably a board certified one) to address any concerns and avoid complications. They can help address your specific needs before and after treatment.

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Liposuction Recovery: What to Expect - Healthline

We Did Not Lose Loved Ones and Normal Life to COVID. They Were… – Truthout

Posted: February 1, 2021 at 10:51 pm

There is a great deal of talk about loss as we slog into the newest month of this long COVID winter. The lost lives more than 441,000 people in the U.S. alone are top of mind. The loss of livelihoods as businesses crumble under the weight of the pandemic. The loss of food and home security, a new truth for so many as hunger and eviction stalk millions of people everywhere.

Yet loss itself is a passive word; its what happens to your lap when you stand up poof, its gone. The fact of the matter is those lives, livelihoods, and bare sense of security at the table and in the home were not lost. They were stolen from us over a deliberate run of months that saw the previous administration ignore, obfuscate and outright lie about the quiet massacre that continues to devour the nation.

By now, the world that does not watch Fox News knows that very early on, Donald Trump was aware of the dangers of this pandemic but refused to act because it might make him look weak. Moves to curb the spread of the virus, such as invoking the Defense Production Act, were not deployed because they were deemed ideologically unsound: How can government be an agent of positive good if government is the problem, according to Ronald Reagan.

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There is no squaring this circle: They allowed base capitalist motives to drive the bus, for no other reason than to avoid making capitalism look bad.

But the vaccines! Trumps defenders will bray. We got them done so fast, we did that, that happened because of us! The push to see these vaccines into existence is commendable, and the fact that the science and medical communities actually pulled it off is nothing short of astonishing. This is not to be denied yet thats the one thing Trump and his people actively did to curtail this thing. Everything else, all the other necessities like testing, contact tracing, masks and fundamentally responsible leadership by example, all were left to rot by the roadside for purely personal and political reasons.

When the Biden administration came into the White House, they discovered that Operation Warp Speed the plan to get vaccines massively distributed was little more than a few wisps of smoke. Shipments of vaccine are spoiling because there was no network to distribute them. The elderly are made to wait in day-long lines to receive the shots. Communities of color are finding themselves far at the back of the line.

Across the country, the Trump-fed hope that the vaccine would save us (and his reelection hopes) crashed headlong into the reality that we cant get the vaccine because Trumps people failed to organize the process.

That, amazingly enough, is not even the worst part.

Top Trump officials actively lobbied Congress to deny state governments any extra funding for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout last fall, reports the scientific news journal STAT, despite frantic warnings from state officials that they didnt have the money they needed to ramp up a massive vaccination operation. Without the extra money, states spent last October and November rationing the small pot of federal dollars they had been given. And when vaccines began shipping in December, states seemed woefully underprepared.

Reaction from those affected by this wrecking ball nonsense was swift. On December 4, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Association of Immunization Managers sent a harsh letter to Surgeon General Jerome Adams:

Recent communications by senior Administration officials to Congress indicate that this Administration and some members of Congress do not support our request for substantial additional resources for vaccine administration and infrastructure.

We believe that it is neither a partisan nor political statement to share the very obvious fact that the vaccination of 330,000,000 Americans safely and effectively will take far more than the $340 million currently allocated to local, state, and territorial governmental public health agencies.

Not only did they ignore and disdain the threat of COVID-19. Not only did they comprehensively fail to prepare for the necessities of vaccine distribution. They actively lobbied to strip funding from states that were trying to get things organized.

We need to stop talking about loss when it comes to the Trump administrations handling of COVID-19. Sitting at a bar, dining at a restaurant, going to a concert, taking our kids to the park, crowding around the family table for a holiday meal, all the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands and friends who are gone forever these were not lost.

They were stolen. Never forget that, and never forgive it.

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We Did Not Lose Loved Ones and Normal Life to COVID. They Were... - Truthout

#MyTri: How 2020 Threatened to Squeeze My Heart to Death Triathlete – Triathlete

Posted: February 1, 2021 at 10:51 pm

Were bringing back#MyTriwhere well be letting triathletes tell their stories in their own words. To submit your triathlon story emailletters@triathlete.comwith My Tri in the subject line.

In October 2019, I ran my fastest marathon, cutting 20 minutes off my PR from 2013. Fast-forward to October 2020 and I can barely jog two minutes without aching chest pain, body-shaking palpitations, shortness of breath, and constant fatigue. What in the world could have brought me down so fast? A little-known heart condition called pericarditis.

As a family medicine physician, I will admit that I had only learned the basics of this vague diagnosis in medical school. As far as I knew I had never encountered it in any of my patientsor if they did indeed have it, I had not recognized it. Many patients complain of different types of chest pain, but inflammation of the pericardial sac is not the first item on the differential diagnosis. Unfortunately, pericarditis and myocarditis are on the rise now with the COVID-19 pandemic, because pericarditis is commonly caused by viral infections. Sadly, for me, the best way for me to understand this diagnosis better was to experience it firsthand.

RELATED: Meet 3 Triathletes Coping With Long-Haul COVID Symptoms

2019 had been a solid athletic year for me. I was swimming, biking, and running faster than ever. In April at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, I had notched my half-marathon PR (1:34), cutting off five minutes from my 2013 PR. I was swimming almost as fast as I had in high school. I had cranked up my biking speed to race at 22 mph consistently. I even competed at the USA Triathlon National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio in August, improving my performance from two years earlier. It was a special year of achievements and I hoped it signaled that 2020 was going to be even more incredible.

During the winter of 2019/2020, I worked on improving my strength, speed, and endurance. After running of months on the treadmill, when the spring came I could finally do what I loveget completely lost in my thoughts while pounding my shoes on the red dirt of the scenic country roads of Oklahoma. One week before the world came to a screeching halt, I participated in a fun St. Patricks Day 5K with my wife and kids. And after months of Zwifting, as the weather improved, my cycling friends and I were finally able to hit the roads. We worked our way up to 2- and 3-hour bike rides, routinely battling the ferocious Oklahoma wind. I was ready to race.

Looking back, I might have had some warning signs about my impending heart squeeze. During or after exercise, there was a tiny amount of heart fluttering, but no pain, and only the expected shortness of breath. Jogging up a flight of stairs at work caused a strong pounding of the heart, with a brief shortness of breath. But it always went away quickly, and I remained clueless that I had a ticking time bomb in my chest.

RELATED: Understanding the Athletes Heart

My heart problem eventually hit me hard, but in an ambiguous way that would delay diagnosis. I had been averaging 7-10 hours of training per week and making great strides in my fitness. My cycling buddies and I gradually increased our long bike ride distance, and they wanted to embark on a 100-mile century ride on June 20 to celebrate the summer solstice. I could have picked a more appropriate distance for my training, like 70 or 75 miles, but I figured I was in excellent shape and could easily handle the full 100 miles. It ended up being a horrible decision.

As we rode, we were averaging over 19 mph, with no problems whatsoever. When we stopped at mile 50 at a gas station to refuel, one poor decision I made was to down a huge Dr Pepper and a 700-calorie king-sized candy bar, instead of sticking to my water, Gatorade, Clif shots blocks, and Clif bars. My back was hurting around mile 70 and by mile 78 my chest started feeling weird. I pulled into a gas station, telling my friends that I was cutting my ride short, and I would end up with about 90 miles. I refueled one more time, resting by the gas station door, intentionally staying near people in case I started feeling worse. I must have been too delirious to realize that I should have called my wife to come pick me up. On the 12-mile bike ride home, my heart was strongly pounding against my ribs. I figured I was just getting tired. My legs would not spin like they had before, my power faded, and my average speed dropped significantly. I later told my friend that the north wind must have become stronger, but he told me that there was no wind at all that day.

The rest of that day and that week I was totally exhausted, with mild chest achiness and shortness of breath. I wrongly assumed that those were normal symptoms of riding intensely for five hours. I even got checked for COVID-19 twice, because of my symptoms to be safe, and I was negative.

Rather than resting until I was all the way better, I ran my best speed workout of the year and biked hard on the trainer. I swam some of my fastest workouts in years. But the symptoms got worse. Strong thumping palpitations that bounced my chest, neck, and head. Also, I experienced shortness of breath worse with exertion, and a sore ache to my chest that took hours to go away even after I rested. Lying down at night, the heart beats were so strong that my whole body was jolting, as if someone were rhythmically shaking my bed frame in pace with my heart beats. I felt a little better sitting up in my recliner, but it was still there. Bending over to pick up my kids toys off the floor or cleaning the kitchen counter left me feeling totally exhausted and out of breath. It rendered me useless for hours.

I listened to my heart with my high-powered stethoscope and it seemed normal at rest, but during exercise and for one or two minutes following there was a slight whooshing sound with each beat. Also, when I put my fingers in the rib space below my left pectoral muscle, I could feel my heart filling that space, trying to escape my chest with each beat. There was also a bubbly feel to the beat, like a fizzy ocean wave, which might be described medically as a thrill, rub, or fremitus. Later, four different doctors would try to hear and feel what I am describing, without success. I started to feel like I was crazy.

I saw my cardiologist and got checked out to make sure I was not having a heart attack, but all the tests came back normal. Labs for cardiac disease, thyroid, autoimmuneall normal. He ordered an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and treadmill stress test. I thought to myself: If there was ever a test for my seemingly exercise-induced chest pain, it should show up on ECG or ECHO, especially with exercise. Wrong, not a single test came back abnormal. I had wondered if I had torn a heart valve or some other rare malfunction, but everything looked great on ultrasound. We even tried a coronary CT angiogram, which is a non-invasive way to look for blocked coronary arteries, but they were thankfully squeaky clean.

Finally, because my cardiologist was suspecting pericarditis, we did a cardiac MRI, by far the most detailed way to look for pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart) or a pericardial effusion (fluid between the pericardium and the heart). Even this test said I was perfectly normal, and it was one of the worst experiences in my life. They had asked me beforehand if I was claustrophobic, and I had said that I was not. Within 10 seconds of entering the MRI machine, I developed a diagnosis of claustrophobia and my mind had to dive into a deep, deep spiritual place to prevent me from clawing and scratching my way out of that infernal tube. The plain white wall was about six inches from my face with no distracting visual cues whatsoever, and there was no way to tell how much time was passing. Plus, for a cardiac MRI, they want you to wear a heavy chest pad which constricts your breathing, and they want you to hold your breath for 10 to 20 seconds 70 times! Plus, I was expecting a 45-minute test, and it ended up taking 90 minutes.

To prove that I was not insane, I sought out pericarditis support groups and found amazing solace in the Global Pericarditis group on Facebook. I have learned so much from these amazing people struggling with Peri as they call it. I found out that most of their cases are much worse than mine. Many of them visit the nations leading experts at the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic. I learned that Peri is not always detectable on tests. For many people, it causes fever, stabbing back pain between the shoulder blades, and debilitating chest pain that keeps them crippled on the couch all day every day. Many of them discovered their Peri at the Emergency Room when the doctors had to drain large amounts of fluid from the pericardial effusion around their heart. They were suffering from a restrictive condition called tamponade, where the fluid between the heart and the pericardial sac becomes so massive that it literally squeezes the heart to death. The worst cases might end up getting a pericardial window or a total pericardiectomy, a surgical procedure where they cut out most of the Pericardial sac, so that a future tamponade would be impossible.

They also take strong medications. The cardiac specialists usually recommend NSAIDs, like indomethacin or ibuprofen with food and lots of water to prevent gastritis, stomach ulcers, and kidney injury. They also put many patients on colchicine, an anti-inflammatory medicine, normally written for gouty arthritis. When my cardiologist put me on the full dose, I quickly developed crushing headaches, severe lightheadedness, and nausea and vomiting. I embarrassingly demonstrated the last side effect in front of my medical student, who watched me clutch my stomach and vomit in the nearest receptacle. Thankfully, those side effects were resolved by taking a lower dose.

Many pericarditis patients are on daily long-term prednisone steroid pills, which can cause tons of medical problems: blood pressure and blood sugar issues, fluid retention and weight gain, brittle bones, insomnia, and many more side effects. Prednisone is particularly difficult to taper off without causing additional problems. Many patients are trying to get on a daily injectable biologic medication called Kineret that shows great promise in treating Peri but is not easily covered by most insurances. Other powerful medications are currently undergoing clinical trials.

Fortunately, most cases of Pericarditis are self-limited in a few weeks or months, with or without medication, but some cases progress to a chronic condition causing disability. Peri can be caused by viruses, heart procedures, heart disease, or for absolutely no good reason at all. In my case, it seemed to be caused by over-exertion of my heart from intense endurance exercise.

Pericarditis is like trying to drive a car, but moving faster than 5 mph causes the engine to smoke and overheat. You are forced to put a golf cart speed governor on a racecar, where no matter how hard you push the pedal, you must move at a turtles pace. Pushing the effort even a little too hard while swimming feels like lava flowing into the ocean, steaming, and sizzling.

According to the support group people who visit the experts, the trick to exercising with Peri is to keep the heart rate less than 100 bpm. To accomplish this, I can walk at 17 min/mile or slower, but if I go any faster my chest pays a price for hours or days. I used to swim a 1:25/100-yard pace for a mile or more, but now I can barely do a quarter-mile at 2:30 pace, just barely moving my arms and legs fast enough to avoid sinking. I tried biking for 10 minutes at 8 mph, but even that raised my pulse over 100. Also, sitting hunched over to grab the handlebars compressed my chest and made me so short of breath I had to quit. Because of all of this, I have been struggling mentally and gaining weight, because I cant simply go out for a run like in the past. I cant even jog one mileI can only walk slowly, and even that might exhaust me.

RELATED: Understanding the Effects of Exercise On Your Heart

To make 2020 almost completely horrible, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 10. It started with a runny nose, and a slight cough, and then I got tested to be safe and went home to quarantine. That evening I started to have severe fatigue, body aches, chills, and a horrible dry cough. I also noticed an odd symptom: my scalp and arms were tingling, and all of my skin had a buzzing feeling. Oddly, when I sneezed, my scalp and my arms went totally numb for several seconds. We tested my kids three days later, after they started showing symptoms, and my youngest three were also positive, so they joined me in my quarantine room. We had hoped that my wife and our two older kids had been spared, but as ferociously contagious as COVID-19 is, all of them ended up testing positive one week later. The kids thankfully had very mild illnesses, and my wife only required a few days of rest.

One of the biggest blessings that came out of 2020 was that my friends and I were able to safely direct two local youth and adult sprint triathlons. I had the supreme blessing of witnessing many first-time triathletes navigate their way through the swim, bike, and run in Enid and Fairview, Oklahoma. Although I could not race myself, I thoroughly enjoyed vicariously racing through watching my children, their friends, my nieces and nephews, and many others race their hearts out with huge smiles on their faces.

So, what have I learned as a physician? I will quickly prescribe a sedative medication for any of my patients that need an MRI, because my claustrophobia was like a near-death experience for me. I am also more likely to believe my patients have an actual medical problem based off vague symptoms, even if their labs and imaging return completely normal. I will not dismiss new information from a patient who is telling me accounts of people in support groups or with similar issues, because it might lead to the correct diagnosis. I will dig even deeper to try to find the correct diagnosis.

What have I learned as an athlete? Exercise is great, but I must be much smarter with my training. I have overcome setbacks before, and I will overcome this one too. I once overcame debilitating foot pain that lasted two years. I simply need to be patient and avoid overdoing any physical activities. I need to follow my cardiologists advice to rest and let my heart heal. Running and racing triathlons is a wonderful thing, but so is using those 7 to 10 hours per week instead to spend more quality time with my family and work on my creative hobbies. Having gained 15 pounds, I also must now try to lose weight through diet alone, without being able to do as much exercise as possible in the past.

With intense nostalgia, I find myself gazing out at the red dirt country roads, longing for the day when I can freely run and train without my heart trying to squeeze me to death. But I still have hope. Hope for healing and recovery. Hope for an epic comeback. Hope for a return to normal.

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#MyTri: How 2020 Threatened to Squeeze My Heart to Death Triathlete - Triathlete

Lost in Translation – Splice Today

Posted: February 1, 2021 at 10:50 pm

President Joe Biden is already proving to be a better friend to the LGBTQ community than his predecessor. During his first week in office, Biden issuedan executive orderextending federal LGBTQ protections, reversedTrumps trans military ban, and includedgender-neutral pronouns and honorificson the White Houses contact page.

With these victories came the inevitable backlash. Abigail Shrier, author of the controversial bookIrreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,denounced Bidens executive order on Twitter, claiming that it unilaterally eviscerates womens sports. Other self-described gender critical (i.e., anti-trans) feminists agreed, creating the hashtag#BidenErasesWomento voice their opposition. Meanwhile, at least 14 states have introduced aslew ofanti-trans bills. Contrary to what lawmakers and gender critical feminists say, its not about protecting women and children. Its an organized effort to legislate trans bodies based on misinformation, ignorance, and bigotry.

Earlier this year, Montana lawmakers introducedHB 113, which wouldvebarred health care professionals from providing gender-affirming services to trans adolescents such as puberty blockers and hormones. The bill died on its third reading in anarrow 51-49 voteon January 26 after five Republicans who initially supported HB 113 changed theirminds. Similar bills inUtah,Alabama,Missouri,Texas,Mississippi,Indiana, andNew Hampshireare still on the table.

The argument supporting these bills is the same that Shrier makes in her book, which is that providing puberty blockers and hormones to minors can cause a lifetime of damage. The facts are more nuanced. According to the MayoClinic, puberty blockers dontchange an adolescents body permanently. Instead, theMayo Clinics websiteexplains, it pauses puberty, providing time to determine if a child's gender identity is long lasting. If a child decides not to continue medical transitioning, normal development will resume once the child stops taking puberty blockers.

Atalking point among anti-trans activists is that 70 to 80 percent of adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria eventually grow out of it, or desist. The exact numbers are hard to pin down. A2008 studyfound that 61 percent of children with gender dysphoria desisted by the age of 29, while a2019 studyfound that about 10percent desisted within 18months of seeking treatment. The 80 percent number comes from a2013 study whichinitially reported that out of 127 Dutch children who sought gender-affirming health care at a clinic, 47 of them still went to the clinic as adolescents, while 80 of them stopped. It was initially reported that the 80 desisted, but asJame M. CantorandJesse Singalrespectively point out, only 56 of the 80 said they desisted, while the rest didntrespond to the researchers questionnaires. The actual study says 54 percent desisted, not 80.

Cantor and Singalwhovebeenheavily criticizedfor theirviews on trans issuesconclude that most children who initially report having gender dysphoria eventually grow out of it. Even if this is true, making gender-affirmingcare for children illegal isntthe solution. A study published inPediatricslast year shows that having access to puberty blockers in adolescence reduces the risk of suicidal thoughts in transgender adults. Is it worth risking the lives of trans kids who legitimately need puberty blockers and hormones because a few might later change their minds?

While Montanas HB 113 has been defeated,HB112remains. Known as the Save Womens Sports Act, the bill seeks to ban young trans girls from competing in girls sports. This is the latest example of an ongoing debate; the main argument against including trans women in sports is that since trans women naturally produced testosterone for a significant period before undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT), they have an unfair physical advantage over cis women. Once again, the truth is more complex.

Medicalphysicist Joanna Harper, whosalso an athlete and a trans woman, publisheda study in 2015that looked at run times for eight trans distance runners over a seven-year period, and found littledifference from cis runners times. Likewise, a2017 literature reviewfound no direct or consistent research that proves trans women have an unfair physical advantage. However,a 2019 studyshows only modest changes in muscle mass in trans women after a year on estrogen, as did amore recent studythat looked at the athletic abilities of trans women serving in the Air Force.

It's still no excuse to outright ban trans women from sports because rules can be adjusted. Dr. Timothy Roberts, who led the most recent study, toldNBC Newshe suggests making it so trans women athletes have to be on HRT for at least two years instead of the International Olympic Committees current one-year rule.Even then, Robertspointedout that many cis female athletes have physical advantages over others. We have a lot of elite female athletes who tend to be tall and thin with slender hips, he said, and we're not outlawing them.

HB 112 and HB 113 are just the latest attempts to banish trans women from public life. Like bathroom bills, these new bills perpetuate the ideathat the trans rights movement seeks to harm women andchildren. No evidence supports this; trans people, for the most part, just want to live their lives in peace with full bodily autonomy like everyone else.

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Lost in Translation - Splice Today


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