March Mindfulness is Mashable's series that examines the intersection of meditation practice and technology. Because even in the time of coronavirus, March doesn't have to be madness.

I can't remember a time when I didn't agonize over what I ate.

Like many others, I believed I took up too much space no matter how much I weighed and it led to distorted eating habits. I'd log every bite in the MyFitnessPal app; photograph my food for a dedicated Tumblr blog; limit myself to 25 almonds a day; shame myself if I dared to go to bed full.

I believed that when I lost enough weight, my approach to food would shift overnight. I'd stop obsessing and I'd never overeat or emotionally eat, or eat "bad" food again. Despite being in the "normal" range on the Body Mass Index scale (even though BMI is bullshit), I wasn't one iota happier, and my food obsession remained.

That misbelief was, of course, a fantasy, but thankfully I discovered something that is actually helping me change my eating habits and, more importantly, my mental relationship with food: the mindful eating program on the Headspace app.

"Instead of focusing on what we put in our mouths, we are focusing on the why and the how."

Headspace is one of many meditation apps out there. I've tried plenty Calm, Buddhify, Stop Breathe Think but Headspace is far and away my favorite. (While this isn't sponsored, I do receive a premium Headspace subscription through my employer as a perk.) Like other apps, it has plenty of exercises for stress, anxiety, productivity, creativity, and sports performance. But what hooked me was its mindful eating program. It may not be for everyone some of Headspace's language around eating may cause a double-take but for me, the experience has been largely helpful.

I prefer Headspace over the others for several reasons, the biggest being that it lays out the practical reasons for meditating. It's difficult to sit in a lotus pose every day if you don't know how it can actually benefit your life. Headspace's tracks are organized by an array of applicable life pain points and then drilled down even further. For example, there are several "Anxious Moment" meditations dedicated to, say, interviews or difficult conversations. And, out of all the apps I tried, Headspace is the only one with dedicated tracks for mindful eating, like a pre-meal track or one for cooking.

Mindful eating is a form of meditation that teaches us to focus on our meals and how they make us feel. Mindful eating isn't about what you're eating, according to Headspace's Director of Healthcare Partnerships Sarah Romotsky.

"Instead of focusing on what we put in our mouths, we are focusing on the why and the how," Romotsky, who is also a registered dietician, said in an interview with Mashable. "The ultimate goal of mindful eating is to promote a more positive relationship with food and with ourselves."

Headspace offers a Mindful Eating "pack," a 30-day course that teaches you mindfulness techniques, as well as "singles," which are one-off meditations like "Eating Without Distraction" and "Eating With Appreciation."

I've completed the Mindful Eating pack and have kept using its techniques beyond the 30 days of the course. Here's what I've learned:

Traditional diets are focused on restriction, and, while some sources cite it as a way to lose weight, mindful eating is not. Diet culture fosters anxiety and fear around food, while mindful eating wants to reframe that relationship, Romotsky said.

While those who are recovering from an eating disorder should definitely consult a medical professional before incorporating a new food practice into their life, there is scientific research showing that mindful eating supports recovery from distorted eating.

Thanks largely to the body-positive movement, I knew that there is no "good" or "bad" food food does not have a moral value, and eating a food that is not "good for me" does not make me a bad person. But just being aware of a fact does not make it automatically sink in. Practicing mindful eating, however, made me realize that even if a food is not "good for me" in terms of nutritional value, eating it is not wrong and doesn't reflect on my value as a person. Labels I put on it are just that, labels I (or rather, my brain) put on it, thanks to years and years of absorbing diet culture.

"The one thing that people can do today to start promoting a better relationship with food and relationship with themselves overall is to change their terminology of good and bad," Romotsky said.

Each exercise in the Mindful Eating pack was 10 minutes long; I set aside time in the morning before going to work to complete it (and still do, just with different packs). While it may seem like nothing, it's anything but. As I progressed through the 30 days, I remembered the techniques I learned in those 10 minutes per day. Even if I forgot at the onset of a meal, I'd remember in the middle and pause to take some breaths. Speaking of forgetting...

Like meditation as a whole, mindful eating is a practice. The Headspace app actually put this reminder in a push notification: "It's not meditation perfect, it's meditation practice."

This stuff is difficult to learn, and expecting perfection from ourselves for whatever bullshit reason we create that it's "just in our heads," that we're not exerting physical effort so it must be easy is not only wrong, it is also going to backfire, and badly. This is an excellent opportunity for self-compassion: Be kind to yourself when you forget to take deep breaths or pause before eating. Beating yourself up into creating a new habit can work, but that's a habit in itself. Instead, create the habit of being kind to yourself. It's actually one of Romotsky's suggestions, so take an expert's word for it.

I've thought the same way about food for decades, so it's not realistic to think I can just unlearn those patterns after a few meditation sessions.

"Trying to unlearn something after 30 years of behavior is difficult," she said. "You can't expect a turn of a switch and have a better relationship with food and a better experience with food overnight." That being said, it is possible. It just takes time and self-compassion to get there.

Set realistic expectations for yourself, Romotsky suggests. If you have a full-time job not to mention children and familial obligations it's unrealistic to believe you will be on-point at mindful eating with every single piece of food you put in your mouth. Rather, the habit will become automatic over time if you keep up with it.

"It will become intrinsic, just the way everyone's current behavior of food has become autopilot," she said.

Practicing mindful eating and meditation as a whole has changed my perspective. I realize that I am not my thoughts, and my thoughts are not inherently true. Just because my brain labels a food "good" or "bad" does not make it so it is just the product of decades of diet culture and socialization. And if that is true of food, then many of my negative thoughts, such as those about my body or my intelligence or what have you, may just be that as well: thoughts. Not the truth.

If you've tried meditating once, you know it's hard. But that's part of the fun, or at least that's how I've learned to see it. Just as with learning any difficult skill, meditation has allowed me to look inward and learn more about myself and my habits, and how to promote more positive ones.

I started with mindful eating because I knew my relationship with food could be better. Now, I'm realizing that the practice has a ripple effect, quieting not only thoughts about food, but also thoughts of self-judgment and unrealistic expectations. Who knows what else it will bring? I'm excited to find out.

If you feel like youd like to talk to someone about your eating behavior, call the National Eating Disorder Associations helpline at 800-931-2237. You can also text NEDA to 741-741 to be connected with a trained volunteer at the Crisis Text Line or visit the nonprofits website for more information.

See more here:
6 Important Lessons That'll Change The Way You Think About Mindful Eating - Mashable India

Diets that contain a variety of fresh, nutrient-rich foods can help reduce feelings of fatigue. Such foods include kale, oats, and watermelon, among others.

However, some processed foods such as white bread and baked goods can worsen fatigue in some people.

Read on for more examples of foods that could help beat fatigue. This article also takes a look at foods and drinks to avoid, along with some general tips for boosting energy.

In general, foods that can help boost energy levels are fresh rather than highly processed. They also tend to be rich in nutrients.

Some examples include:

Whole eggs contain plenty of nutrients. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a typical egg contains 7 grams (g) of protein. It also provides 4% of the recommended daily intake of calcium and 6% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

Eggs are also a source of fats. According to the National Institute on Aging, fat provides energy and helps the body absorb vitamins.

Bananas are a good source of potassium, fiber, and carbohydrates. This combination of carbohydrates and fiber provides a long lasting source of energy.

In fact, according to one small study, trained cyclists who ate bananas performed equally to those who consumed sports drinks during a 47-mile time trial. The researchers concluded that bananas are a good source of energy, specifically before and during long periods of exercise.

Whole almonds are rich in nutrients such as fats, fiber, and protein. Both protein and fat provide a feeling of fullness and can help increase energy levels.

Almonds also contain vitamin E and magnesium. They make a great afternoon snack.

Watermelons are a great source of hydration. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, watermelons are 92% water and contain vitamin C, vitamin A, and many other nutrients.

Dehydration can increase feelings of fatigue. However, a review from 2010 suggests that proper hydration increases mental alertness and improves well-being.

Kale is a leafy green vegetable rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and iron.

Red blood cells in the body contain iron. This mineral is essential for carrying oxygen around the body for cells to use as energy. For this reason, low levels of iron can cause a lack of energy.

According to the USDA, 1 cup of raw kale also contains plenty of potassium and vitamin A.

Spinach is another green leafy vegetable rich in iron. It is also high in vitamin K and magnesium.

Spinach and kale make an excellent combination in salads.

Chia seeds are rich in nutrients. For example, 1 ounce of chia seeds contains 4 g of protein, 11 g of fiber, and 9 g of fat.

Fiber is useful for preventing blood sugar spikes around meal times. Rapid changes in blood sugar levels are another possible cause of fatigue.

Oats are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates.

The body can easily break down refined carbohydrates and use them to provide a short-term energy boost. Sugar is one example of a refined carbohydrate.

However, complex carbohydrates are more difficult for the body to break down. This makes them a longer lasting source of energy.

Some foods and drinks might increase feelings of fatigue. For example, foods that are high in sugar can temporarily boost energy, but this spike often leads to a dip immediately after.

Examples of foods that could increase fatigue throughout the day include:

There are also some general diet-related behaviors a person can try to help keep their energy levels up during the day. These include:

However, different people may respond differently to these strategies, and something that works for one person might not work for another.

Making some other lifestyle changes can also increase energy levels throughout the day.

For example, the American Council on Exercise suggest that regular exercise can prevent fatigue. A person should aim to exercise on 35 days per week.

Also, the National Sleep Foundation explain that a good nights sleep helps the body with:

These benefits can help maintain energy levels throughout the day.

Managing stress is another way to fight fatigue. Over time, chronic stress can cause symptoms such as tiredness and exhaustion. There are many things a person can try to reduce their stress levels, including meditation and exercise.

There are several foods that can help beat feelings of fatigue during the day. Look for foods that are high in protein, good fats, and fibers. Foods high in iron and other nutrients are also helpful.

It is best to avoid highly processed or sugary foods when trying to boost energy levels.

Continued here:
Foods that beat fatigue: What to eat and other diet tips - Medical News Today

For most of us, eating in line with the Mediterranean diet is a smart choice. Theres solid research that basing your diet around vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains can:

The Mediterranean diet also allows for some animal protein mostly chicken and fish, and some dairy foods. And pasta, red meat, and sweets are limited, but not forbidden. It includes foods that people like to eat, so its pretty easy to follow and sustainable. Its less about whats off limits, says Samantha Cassetty, RD, a nutrition and weight-loss expert with a virtual nutrition counseling practice based in New York City.

Still, changing your diet isnt easy. Every day you make about 200 food decisions its overwhelming, Cassetty says. On top of that, youre making decisions about your family, your work, and every other aspect of your life.

And then theres the time commitment. Most people dont find spending 30 or 40 minutes cooking and cleaning at night all that delightful it feels like a chore, Cassetty says. So its easy to default to takeout or something thats quick and convenient, but less healthy.

Having a plan can help. It can help you develop a strategy and game plan. Having healthy items in place can help you work on your process and reach your goals, Cassetty says.

It can save you some time, too. With the Instant Pot, you dont have to stand over it and watch your pot boil it frees up your hands to do other things. If you want to fold a load of laundry or check off some emails, it gives you some time to do that. And because its all happening in one place, it reduces cleanup. You havent made too much of a mess, Cassetty says.

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Cassetty is also a fan of the Instant Pot for Mediterranean diet meal prep. She says almost every week she makes a big batch of quinoa with equal parts quinoa to vegetable or chicken broth, cooked for one minute. It comes out perfectly. Youre just steaming it in there, she says.

She also like to prep chicken breasts with some broth, garlic, or Italian seasoning. She cooks them for 12 minutes and lets the pressure release naturally, then shreds it to add to salads, grain bowls, or tacos. You can add other seasonings and transform it into any number of weeknight dinners, she says.

Beans, brown rice, and hard-boiled eggs would also be good choices for meal prepping foods for the Mediterranean diet.

And Cassetty points out that foods dont have to come from Italy, Greece, or other Mediterranean countries to satisfy the diets requirements. You can follow its principles with foods that come from other locations and cultures. For example, bean and veggie tacos in a whole-grain corn tortilla shell would fit within the framework of the diet.

Americas Test Kitchens "Mediterranean Instant Pot" cookbook is filled with complete meals you can cook in your Instant Pot. Next time youre thinking of turning to takeout or convenience foods, prepare one of these one-pot meals instead:

This dish blends garlic, lemon, and olives in a to-die-for combination.

Prepared in single-serving ramekins, these frittatas are loaded with veggies and perfect for breakfast or lunch all week.

For this recipe, you cook the bulgur first, and you can finish preparing the tabbouleh salad while the fish is cooking. You could substitute haddock or striped bass for the cod.

Want more tips like these? NBC News BETTER is obsessed with finding easier, healthier and smarter ways to live. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Transitioning to the Mediterranean diet? Your Instant Pot can help - NBC News

Things are rapidly changing around us, but the good thing is that as we do our part to flatten the curve, we can eventually see an end in sight. That means we can pack up our work from home essentials and plan to get back outside. Get out of that pair of sweatpants and into a pair of jeans you love while Everlane is marking all of their denim down to $50.

Personally, I swear by the Cheeky Straight Jeans in the Ankle length (thanks to being 51). Theyre comfortable all day, with just enough stretch, and are the perfect length for a small cuff at the ankle. They come in a handful of colors that will go with everything in your closet. Or go for the Performance Jean for men, which says everything about it in its name. The four-way stretch organic denim gives you movability and because its part of Everlanes Uniform line, theres a 365-day guarantee if they rip, fade, or shrink.

https://www.pntrac.com/t/TEFNS0VFQUVMRkVHTUFFREhLRE0?sid=50-denim&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.everlane.com%2F

Scouted selects products independently and prices reflect what was available at the time of publish. Sign up for our newsletter for more recommendations and deals. Curious about a specific product or brand? Let us know! If you buy something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

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You're Gonna Leave the House Eventually. Grab Everlane Denim While It's on Sale - The Daily Beast

Several young people have fallen seriously ill from the coronavirus in Europe, the Trump administrations coronavirus task force said on Wednesday, suggesting that the elderly are not the only group vulnerable to the flu-like virus. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force response coordinator, urged millennials to heed health guidelines more forcefully and avoid any large social gatherings. There are concerning reports coming our of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and very seriously ill in ICUs, she said during the task forces briefing on Wednesday. She said the task force feared that Americans had seen data from China and South Korea that suggested the flu-like virus largely affected the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions. It may have been that the millennial generation, our largest generation, our future generation... there may be [a] disproportional number of infections among that group and so even if its a rare occurrence, it may be seen more frequently in that group and be evidence now. She said millennials cannot have these large gatherings that continue to occur across the country.. you have the potential to spread it to someone. She added that there does not appear to be significant mortality among children.

The task force issued 15-day guidelines on Monday that, in part, said states with evidence of community transmission should close bars, restaurants, and places where large groups congregate. They also called on all Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

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Trump Task Force: Millennials Are Getting Seriously Ill From Coronavirus and Need to Avoid Socializing - The Daily Beast

Good nutrition somehow has a direct impact on ones overall health and quality of well-being. When you follow a healthy diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you arent just satisfying your hunger, but youre nourishing your body too. Nutrition serves as an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle, the importance of which just cannot be undermined. But are we even familiar that the benefits of good nutrition go beyond weight? The Bridge caught up with Arunava Bhattacharyya, a certified personal trainer, and nutritionist to discuss how good nutrition helps boost ones health and how to go about it.

Source: Instagram / Arunava Bhattacharyya

Proper nutrition means to be benefitted with all kinds of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that a human body needs to work its best. Usually, the source of daily calories consumed becomes just as important as the number of calories we consume. Nutrition trainers often stress upon limiting the consumption of empty calories, which comes with food that provides little or no nutritional value at all.

There is a common belief that in order to become fit, you should hit the gym or maybe enroll yourself in Zumba classes or be involved with any physical activity. Even when doctors come across an overweight person, they usually advise for a morning walk or jog. But I have been stressing upon how important nutrition is to our health. There is a lot beyond the kind of physical activities we do daily, says Arunava.

Also read: Could proper nutrition be the Achilles heel to coronavirus?

However, there is a piece of much differing information out there when it comes to nutrition. As a consequence, it can be sometimes difficult to figure out the healthiest ways to eat. But having said that, one might wonder what to expect to familiarise with specific requirements and limitations while consuming a proper diet.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Ghee always had its own benefits, but in between, it had a nasty reputation of being high in saturated fats. Ghee, butter, and coconut oil are rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT). MCT is helpful in boosting energy and increasing endurance, besides it plays an important role in improving weight management, he explains.

But then, how does one build an ideal nutritional plan? Experts suggest it is all about balanced proportions of a nutrient-rich diet from various food groups, and adhering to several healthy eating habits. Besides, vitamin and mineral use has skyrocketed over the past decade as the nation has experienced a massive health and wellness boom.

In general, it is believed by health experts that our diets should be our main source for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Should health supplements replace a well-balanced diet, one may argue. Human bodies, as Arunava admits, are naturally designed to absorb and make use of nutrients as they occur in foods.

Source: Instagram / Arunava Bhattacharyya

The deadly coronavirus presents many uncertainties, and none of us can completely eliminate our risk of being infected. But what we can definitely do is eat as healthily as possible. If infected, our immune system is responsible for fighting it, because research shows improving nutrition helps support optimal immune function. Micro-nutrients essential to fight infection include vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, and the minerals iron, selenium, and zinc.

The fear of Coronavirus is more because of the way it has been spreading. As a matter of fact, there is not enough research to suggest where this virus is originating from. One of my friends called up and said that his father is prescribing homeopathic medicines to help people cure them of coronavirus. To me, 99% of it is misinformation that has been floating around, Arunava suggests.

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Know what this nutrition expert believes is best to fight coronavirus - The Bridge

Malnourished people tend to be more prone to disease (Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

In light of the ongoing global health concerns, wellness is top of mind for people around the world.

While one should never disregard their health, it is now more critical than ever to ensure we take care of ourselves and our loved ones.

Our bodies are naturally equipped to fight off disease, and while no one is invincible, we can significantly lower our risk of infection by strengthening our immune system.

At times like these - when our travel is impacted, major events are canceled, and the news fails to offer any glimmer of hope = it can seem like we dont have any control. But we do.

We can choose what goes into our bodies, and we have the power to protect ourselves in this way. Keep reading to learn how you can take control, strengthen your immune system, and remain strong and healthy through these uncertain times.

Humans are not defenseless. Our bodies are naturally equipped with a complex and powerful immune system to fend off disease.

Both to its credit and detriment, our immune system can be compromised depending on ones lifestyle. Treat your body right, and you can give your cells a fighting chance of fending off infections. Here are five basic steps to strengthen your system:

We get it - all of these are common sense practices that should be incorporated into any healthy lifestyle, but thats the key: a healthy lifestyle.

The immune system is based on the constant creation and death of cells. When we keep these cells in a steady state of health, we can take charge and defend our bodies to the best of our ability.

Those who can should exercise regularly(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Professors at Harvard School of Public Health have noted that those who are malnourished - even micronutrient malnourished - tend to be more prone to disease.

Those in developing countries and the elderly tend to be most at risk, as these two populations either dont get enough food or decrease the variety in their diets, but young, affluent, and seemingly healthy people can also experience micronutrient malnourishment.

To function at full capacity, cells need the essential nutrients - not just carbs, proteins, and fats, but vitamins A-K, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, boron, and more.

The Standard American Diet - along with popular diet trends such as Keto and Paleo - relies on foods such as meat and dairy that are severely lacking in these micronutrients. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, tend to be extremely high in these essential nutrients that support healthy cell function. Think of it this way: when one consumes a dairy product, such as cows milk, they are likely opting out of a more nutrient-dense option, such as pea milk.

While its true dairy does contain some nutrients - mainly calcium, protein, potassium, and fortified vitamin D -it also contains harmful trans and saturated fats, artery-constricting cholesterol, natural bovine hormones that may stimulate unregulated cell growth (increasing the risk for hormone-dependent cancers), and inflammatory properties. When there are ample amounts of foods that offer the same nutrients without the side harmful side effects, there is no reason to consume dairy for the sake of meeting nutrition needs.

Dairy containsharmful trans and saturated fats, artery-constricting cholesterol, natural bovine hormones and inflammatory properties(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

In addition to micronutrients, antioxidants are key. These compounds are mostly found in plant foods and help fight inflammationthe nexus for disease. In fact, a whole foods, plant-based diet contains 64-times the amount of immunity-boosting antioxidants compared to a diet that includes meat and dairy. Cut out the antioxidant-depleted animal foods and incorporate these nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich plant foods into your diet.

Need help transforming these foods into meals? Start with this Chocolate Beet Magic Soup, Anti-Inflammation Recovery Smoothie, or this Mediterranean GoodBowl.

Inflammation is part of our immune systems toolkit. When we scrape our knee, break down our muscles via exercise, or become infected with a pathogen, the immune system triggers an inflammatory response to help the body heal.

Cells rush to the injury or infection site and work to destroy the pathogen or heal the wound. Temporary, or acute inflammation, is perfectly natural. You might experience some site-specific swelling, soreness, or redness, but it will go away within a few days.

Long-term, or chronic inflammation, however, can compromise your immune system.

Essentially, the immune system goes into overdrive, and over time it simply cannot keep up. Because chronic inflammation overtaxes the immune system, researchers have definitively stated that chronic inflammation is malignant and sets the stage for disease.

Certain foods are known to cause inflammation, and when one consumes these foods regularly, they can lead to chronic inflammation. Food should not be a stress to the body - it should be purely supportive and healing.

Dairy - from plain cows' milk to yogurt - is a highly inflammatory food. Researchers believe a number of its compounds trigger an inflammatory response, including its unbalanced ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s, high levels of trans and saturated fats, the sugar molecule D-galactose, and foreign compounds the human body doesn't recognize such as Neu5gc (a simple sugar molecule the human body does not make or need - thus mounting an immune response to fight this 'foreign invader').

Nuts like walnuts are inflamation-fighting and immunity-boosting

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Ways To Boost Your Immunity On A Plant-Based Diet - Plant Based News

All too often, like the boy who cried wolf, the word crisis is casually tossed about to grab attention or stir emotions. Unfortunately, crisis understates the imminent threat that the coronavirus outbreak poses to our personal and collective health and economic future.

We know almost instinctively what to do when floods or tornadoes strike, but many feel powerless in this pandemic. To contain the disease and minimize its effects, everyone must act to lead us through what lies ahead.

Foremost are personal efforts to protect your health and those around you. You have heard this before, but the single most effective thing you can do is wash your hands with soap and warm water frequently even up to once an hour. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow crook when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Eat a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables (frozen or canned) and get proper sleep.

If you are over 65 and or have pre-existing health conditions like lung disease, diabetes or are immunosuppressed, remain homebound and limit interaction. Social distancing is highly effective in limiting spread of the coronavirus. Healthy individuals age 50 to 65 are also at risk and must limit public interactions.

If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care. Call your provider, urgent care clinic or emergency room before going in person. Medical personnel will advise you if you need to be evaluated in person. Frequently clean and disinfect hard surfaces and objects, such as doorknobs, countertops, touchscreens and cell phones.

Our traditional, heroic volunteerism in the face of a natural disaster can be tremendously beneficial, now more than ever. Young adults and teenagers can electronically organize groups to individually babysit for parents especially healthcare professionals, first responders, police, firefighters and food service workers who cannot work from home.

Visit your elderly homebound neighbors, either virtually or from outside, maintaining social distancing. Volunteer to prepare or pick up meals and deliver them to the homebound. If you have a favorite restaurant, offer to deliver meals for 1 or 2 hours a day for free. My husband and I are going to do this to help small businesses survive through the pandemic. One caveat, do not do volunteer work if you have a fever or cough!

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We need free and vastly more available coronavirus testing. As a former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I suggested more funding for the agency. A $525,000 appropriation was made to the State Hygienic Laboratory for testing kits; its possible more will be required.

Drive-by testing should be fast-tracked and implemented immediately. We need to know who has symptoms or is ill and how many are infected but asymptomatic. Restrictions on telemedicine should be temporarily lifted and all insurers should reimburse such care.

We should develop a volunteer healthcare workforce through temporary licensure of physicians, nurses and physicians assistants who have retired or whose licenses lapsed. My husband and I both former Army medical professionals would be willing to volunteer to reduce the potential burden on current health care personnel, as I am sure other former Army active duty and reserve members would.

Immunity should be granted to volunteer healthcare providers and expanded telehealth service unless conduct is significantly outside the standard of care. This approach also should become part of our preparedness planning. State and federal lawmakers should also loosen unemployment compensation rules for those who are temporarily out of work or see their work hours reduced; temporarily increase in SNAP benefits and low-interest small business loans; temporarily defer student loan repayments; and suspend FICA tax collection for up to 90 days.

Our best selves prevail in any disaster because we come together to help others. A pandemic differs because we must maintain distance and hygiene, but not in how we respond in spirit and action. Iowa and America have always risen to the challenge and we will do so again.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks represents District 41 in the Iowa Senate. She is an ophthalmologist, former president of the Iowa Medical Society and former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Originally posted here:
To fight coronavirus in Iowa: Good hygiene, free testing, more telemedicine - The Gazette

When uncertainty is high, few things are more reassuring than having a plan to follow.

By Gaurav Gupta

Change is hard and complex, and changing the behaviors of millions of people is especially so. It is seductive to try to make it simple or at least more defined and straightforward. For the millions of people who decide to go on a diet each year, for example, following a program like Atkins or Paleo is a straightforward way to get started. For the business leaders who are looking to make their businesses more efficient, more effective or more nimble, particularly when prompted by external events like the current global pandemic, following a methodology like Six Sigma or Agile similarly provides a seemingly easy way to get started and a roadmap to follow. When uncertainty is high, few things are more reassuring than having a plan to follow.

There are successful stories to look to for inspiration and a well-documented process to follow that requires little upfront thought and planning. But for every company, like GE, that was successful in driving change through Six Sigma, there are countless others that were not as successful or successful at all. For every successful Atkins weight loss victory there are countless people who started and stopped achieving no meaningful results.

The data below shows searches on Google for some popular management techniques and diets. These searches are a proxy for the popularity of these methodologies and show a dramatic decline in the popularity of Six Sigma and Quality Circles. We can see that Agile still has some runway. One possibility for this trend of a rise in popularity followed by a gradual decline, is that these methodologies are simply being replaced by newer, more effective ones. Another hypothesis is that these methodologies got popular on the backs of some great successes but eventually were found to not be universally effective.

Google search data

The reality may well be a combination of both. What is clear is that many organizations, in their quest to find easy answers to the complex questions inherent in managing a modern-day business, turn to the most popular ideas of the day and mostly fail to see any real benefits. None of these methodologies are inherently bad or invaluable if they didnt work in at least some scenarios, they would never have gotten so popular. However, once popularized they are stretched in their application or implemented in a manner that reduces the concept to some seemingly sensible but limiting techniques that are implemented without a robust understanding of the underlying ideas.

So, before jumping on the bandwagon of Agile or 360 feedback (or the latest diet) there are a few questions you should ask yourself:

Why are we doing this and how will our business performance be improved?

While it might seem obvious at the start, once the teams have been spun up, the budgets established, the implementation timeline determined and the objectives cascaded to each unit, function and department, the goals are often no longer clear. When a process is so well established, it becomes easy to default to. There is a risk of operating on a sort of autopilot looking at procedural metrics and losing sight of the business goals and how the context may have shifted since the start of the whole effort. Companies start to focus on how many Six Sigma black belts have been trained or how many projects have been completed, instead of focusing on the business impact of these efforts. This is especially true in rapidly changing environments where it can be difficult to tease out the impact of the efforts. Worse still, often the reasons for following a particular management fad is the fear of missing out on some terrific benefit that everyone else is realizing. A few years ago, in a conversation about the future manufacturing footprint, a leader of a large food business admitted that the main reason behind pursuing a large investment in a Chinese facility was that everyone else was doing so. This may well have been the right decision, but it was certainly not made based on robust analysis of the available information.

What are the principles behind the approach?

In an increasing fast paced world, success is contingent on many employees actively engaged in making things better. As my colleague Justin Wasserman remarks, Operational excellence can be achieved through engagement instead of enforcement. Engagement requires more than an understanding of processes and methods; it requires an understanding and commitment to the principles and ideas followed by actual actions and behaviors. Almost all management methodologies originated from some principles and specific goals that the company that developed them was looking to achieve. For example, at its heart, Lean is about focusing on activities that add value to a customer. This can mean different things in different businesses, but too often businesses jump right into techniques and methods without reflecting on the principles and goals that underpin them. A one size approach may fit most, many, or hardly anyone at all. It could be highly dependent upon what youre trying to accomplish.

I worked with a paper and pulp company which, in its quest to be more efficient, implemented a Lean program. The Lean methodology, which originated from Toyota, was designed for the automobile industry which has an almost infinite number of different products models, configurations, colors and the like. By contrast, a manufacturer of corrugated paper has just a few. For an automobile manufacturer, minimizing working inventory is critical you dont want to be stuck with a lot of clutch assemblies if consumer interest moves further to automatic transmissions. However, the downside to minimizing working inventory is that the supply chain is not as resilient and you increase the probability of lost production from missing components or materials. For a paper company, this lost time is far more valuable than the reduction in working inventory. By implementing a method (to reduce working inventory) rather than adoptingthe principle (focus on what adds value to the customer) the company actually became less efficient.

Which parts of this approach is relevant to our business?

Another way to stay focused on relevance to your business is to ask which techniques/methods are actually relevant to solving your biggest challenges. In the previous example, some aspects of Lean manufacturing such as reducing product waste were highly relevant, whereas others were not. Another version of this is to understand which functions or departments are likely to benefit from the methodology. The iterative approach that is the hallmark of the Agile methodology may be highly effective for sales or product development but may be less so for customer service or human resources.

What is the most effective way to implement the approach?

Even when the methodology checks out to be a good fit with the needs of your business, poor execution can undermine the effectiveness of its implementation. Companies often rely on newly created departments or technical experts who are steeped in the methodology to lead the implementation. This can backfire, as these individuals are typically highly committed to the approach and can fail to see the limitations, overlook the essential step of creating strong buy-in, and can push too far too fast, leading to disruption and cynicism. Starting from the underlying principles and an understanding of which aspects of the approach are most relevant to the business allows leaders to develop an implementation plan that integrates with the business operations, includes a clear articulation of the benefits to be realized, demonstrates early success and engages employees through early and active participation.

New and popular management approaches and ideas can be very useful for businesses in keeping pace with the rate of change. However, beware of the frequency with which these ideas and concepts get replaced with a rigid methodology and tools. These techniques so often get blindly applied without a robust understanding of the underlying principles or without a clear sense of connection to the real business challenges, all of which, not surprisingly, is highly ineffective at making any meaningful change.

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Silver Bullets Are Seductive But Unhelpful Especially In Uncertain Times - Forbes

Dr. Levy, senior physician in medicine and genetics at Boston Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, is being honored for his many years of groundbreaking work with patients who have genetic metabolic diseases including phenylketonuria (PKU), homocystinuria, cobalamin metabolic disorder, and others; as well as for his training and mentoring of the next generation of genetics service providers; and for his major contributions to the development of newborn screening in the United States and around the world.

Dr. Levy's medical career spans more than 60 years. He hasmentored over 60 medical genetics fellows; published more than 400 research articles, reviews, book chapters, and proceedings from research meetings; written 2 books and created 2 educational videos for patients and clinicians; served on editorial boards and as a reviewer for numerous prominent research journals; and founded and formerly directed both the Maternal PKU Program and the Inborn Errors of Metabolism/PKU Program at Boston Children's Hospital.

"Harvey Levy is a physician scientist who has been instrumental in the development of newborn screening programs for metabolic diseases," said former ACMG Executive Director Dr. Michael S. Watson, FACMG. "Of particular importance has been his melding of knowledge of clinical genetics, population genetics and metabolic diseases to identify critical issues in the transition from a disease-based understanding of particular metabolic diseases to a population-based prevention program that has had enormous impact on hundreds of newborns in the United States."

"We take newborn screening for granted now," said Gerard Berry, MD, director of the Metabolism Program and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. "There are laws in different states that babies need to be screened for certain diseases. But when Harvey began, this was uncharted territory. People didn't understand the power of newborn screening and how it could change lives by allowing someone to get on a diet or a medication that they need to take for life in order to be healthy. Harvey played a major role in allowing all of this to come to fruition. These same individuals, who might have been institutionalized years ago because of severe intellectual disability, are now students in elite colleges. Harvey possesses insight and super-ability to understand what is really important for healthcare. Newborn screening is one of the major healthcare successes of the previous centurymaybe the most important healthcare success. And Harvey was part of a group of unique individuals who helped to see that through."

The news that he had received the David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award came to Dr. Levy as a delightful surprise. "This means a great deal to me because of the ACMG, where I've been an active member for a number of years," Levy shared. "It's a wonderful organization full of outstanding individuals, so to be in that company is particularly gratifying. And it's very, very nice to be appreciated."

"The Rimoin family is proud to recognize Dr. Harvey L. Levy, whose outstanding work includes studies that formed the basis for newborn metabolic screening, the discovery of the first human vitamin B12defect and the establishment of cobalamin defects, and the development of Maternal PKU programs," said Dr. Ann Garber, David Rimoin's surviving spouse."Based on his scientific accomplishments, along with his remarkable integrity, empathy and collaboration, our family is pleased to honor Dr. Levy with the David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award."

Beyond his list of academic achievements and leadership positions, the nominations for Dr. Levy to receive this award stressed his abounding generosity of time, knowledge and skill while working with patients, families and the broad range of clinical providers and researchers who have collaborated with him.

"He's dedicated himself to the study of PKU and metabolic disorders with an energy and intellect and soul that is extraordinary," said neuropsychologist Susan Waisbren, PhD, a professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Levy's long-time collaborator at Boston Children's Hospital Metabolism Clinic. "One of the qualities I've always found striking is the respect he has for professions outside of medicine. In his mind, every member of the clinical team is important. He truly feels this and it shows in his academic as well as clinical work. He has included as co-authors psychologists, dieticians, social workers, genetic counselors, nurses, administrators, secretaries, and parents.

"The patients adore him, always," she added, "and they recognize a certain compassion and ability to see the whole person, not just the metabolic disorder."

"Harvey is one of those special individuals who one may encounteronce in a lifetime," said Dr. Levy's collaborator at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Berry. "He's much more than an accomplished geneticistand investigator.First and foremost, he's a very endearing individual with a wonderful bedside manner, and he's beloved by patients and families whom he's cared for over the years. Harvey goes out of his way to make things better for patients and their families."

As an example, Dr. Berry, who has knownDr. Levy for several decades, recalled a case around 15 years ago, when a baby had been born with PKU in a suburban hospital outside of Boston. "Without telling anyone, Harvey drove to the hospital just to say hello to the new parents and to see the baby," Dr. Berry recounted. "He didn't need to do that. Everything was already in place, people were already taking care of what needed to be done, but he felt compelled to drive out there on a Friday evening to say hello."

Harvey L. Levy was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1935, the eldest of three sons. His father owned a one-room mercantile that supplied clothing to families of the surrounding area, which comprised mostly farmland during that period. His mother, who was a homemaker, graduated from Hunter College and served as a technician in a research laboratory in New York before her marriage. He credits her with some of his initial interest in research.

"I was a guy who was looking for answers to things, so I was always interested in science. And I particularly liked chemistry," Dr. Levy recalled. "My mother was a very intelligent person and very interested in education and music and arts, and also interested in science. I talked with my mother quite a bit about science. So, I think she had a feeling that maybe it would be a good idea for me to be a doctor."

Dr. Levy began studying history as an undergraduate student at Emory University and then switched to an early admission program at the Medical College of Georgia. One of his medical school professors, the famous Dr. Victor Vaughan, headed the department of pediatrics and had a profound influence on the direction of Dr. Levy's career. "I was always interested in pediatrics because of its developmental aspects," explained Dr. Levy. "I felt that if I was going to do something in terms of disease, preventing or helping patients in a significant way, I had to start early, and the earlier the better."

After completing his medical degree in 1960, Dr. Levy served an internship in pediatrics at the Boston City Hospital under Dr.Sydney Gellis, a renowned teacher of pediatrics. Following the internship he moved to New York and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, where he spent a year under Dr. Dorothy Anderson, the discoverer of cystic fibrosis. Then, as world events escalated toward the start of the Vietnam War, he was drafted and served 2 years in the Unites States Navy as a medical officer stationed in the Philippines.

His introduction to genetics came when he returned to his medical training in 1964 as a second-year pediatrics resident at Johns Hopkins University, where he met the pioneering pediatric clinical geneticist Dr. Barton Childs. What he learned from Dr. Childs about DNA triggered memories of an earlier time, and brought forth questions that further defined Dr. Levy's future career.

"If I go back to my childhood, my upbringing, I had three cousins from one of my father's brothers, whose family we were very close to, and all of these cousins were developmentally disabled," Dr. Levy said. " No reason was given for their disability and I always thought if I got into genetics, then maybe I could discover the causes of brain disease, particularly intellectual disability, and maybe I could influence the prevention of it."

Dr. Levy returned to Boston, where he served as Chief Resident in Pediatrics back at the Boston City Hospital. During that year he heard a lecture by Dr. Mary Efron, director of the Amino Acid Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, in which she described her studies on metabolic disorders and their enzymatic defects as well as how newborn screening was helping clinicians to identify infants with these disorders so they could receive immediate preventive treatment.

"I became so fascinated with that. It was just absolutely the thing that I really wanted to do," recalled Dr. Levy. "Here was chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, and the prevention of disease! So I asked Dr. Efron if I could do a fellowship with her, which resulted in an NIH-funded fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. And that began the journey that has continued to this day."

One cold, fateful Friday afternoon while he was working in Dr. Efron's lab, a telephone call came from Dr. Robert MacCready, director of the Massachusetts Newborn Screening Program. Dr. MacCready asked if someone could come to the screening lab to look at an unusual screening result. Dr. Efron was ill, so Dr. Levy rode his bicycle seven miles across town to the State Laboratory Institute, where he recognized the unusual spot on the paper chromatogram test as a high level of methionine, the hallmark of a genetic disorder he had recently learned about called homocystinuria.

"I called the baby's doctor and asked if I could see the baby at the Massachusetts General Hospital the following Monday," Dr. Levy recalled. "The family and baby came that Monday and I confirmed that the infant indeed had homocystinuria. I asked if they had other children, and was told, 'Yes, we have a daughter.' And I asked if she was ok, and they said she was fine. I asked to see her and she was brought to the next visit, where I immediately recognized that she was developmentally delayed and had other features of homocystinuria that had only recently been described. She was born before screening for homocystinuria had begun. So that launched me into the field of methionine metabolism and some very interesting new areas of research." Much of this research was in collaboration with the late Dr. Harvey Mudd of the NIH, who was the world's foremost authority on methionine and on sulfur amino acid metabolism in general.

Dr. Efron passed away and Dr. Levy assumed Dr. Efron's position as consultant to the Massachusetts Newborn Screening Program and, in 1972, was appointed Director of the program. Four years later, he became Chief of Biochemical Genetics for the New England Newborn Screening Program, a position he held until 1997. Throughout this period, Dr. Levy collaborated with the famed, late microbiologist Robert Guthrie, MD, PhD, of Buffalo, New York, who had established newborn screening with his invention of the PKU test. During this time, he also continued to conduct research and to diagnose and treat patients with metabolic disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital. An extraordinary influence for Dr. Levy during this time, and continuing to the present, is the internationally famous Canadian biochemical geneticist Dr. Charles Scriver, with whom Dr. Levy has often collaborated.

Toward the end of the 1970's Dr. Levy moved to Boston Children's Hospital, where he transformed the PKU Clinic it into a larger, comprehensive clinicthe Inborn Errors of Metabolism clinicthat now sees patients and families from around the world who are affected by a range of diseases: PKU, galactosemia, histidinemia, methylmalonic acidemia, problems with vitamin B12 metabolism and many other disorders. The hospital recently named the metabolic program after Dr. Levy.

At Boston Children's Hospital Dr. Levy became concerned about infants born to mothers who have genetic metabolic disease. "Before we began newborn screening girls who had PKU became delayed in their mental development, so very few bore children," Dr. Levy explained. "But now that we were treating them from infancy, they were bearing children. Even though their babies were genetically normal, they would be born with multiple severe problems if the mothers were not strictly treated for PKU during the pregnancies. So, with an extraordinary group of very talented professionals, including psychologists, nutritionists, a nurse, and a social worker, as well as physicians, we organized the New England Maternal PKU Program and followed these women on very strict dietary treatment throughout their pregnancies. We found that this regimen prevented many of these problems that the babies would otherwise have."

Today Dr. Levy is considered one of the foremost proponents worldwide for newborn screening. He led a successful effort in Massachusetts to expand newborn metabolic screening with new technology so that 20 to 30 disorders of amino acid, organic acid and fatty acid metabolism could be included rather than only 5 or 6 disorders previously screened. Within the ACMG, Dr. Levy led the effort to develop "ACT Sheets," one-page synopses of the newborn screened metabolic disorders so that physicians caring for infants can easily read an explanation of the biochemical, clinical and treatment characteristics of the disorders when contacted by a newborn screening program about an abnormality. As part of a contract funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Dr. Levy began and led the Newborn Screening Translational Research Network of the ACMG.

Though many of his contemporaries have retired, Dr. Levy continues to lead research efforts that examine the long-term outcomes of expanded newborn screening using tandem mass spectrometryincluding the medical, biochemical and neuropsychological outcomes in relation to early treatment. He is also involved with clinical trials to develop new therapies for PKU and homocystinuria. Dr. Levy is driven to continue his work because there is still much work to do. "The fact that we've had to rely on complicated diets that alter the lives of patients so they cannot enjoy a normal meal with their family or their friends, they have to only be able to eat this very difficult diet, and also the fact that we still discover diseases for which we have no treatment, " he explained, "these are the issues that trouble me. There are still individuals we discover during newborn screening or we discover later on because we didn't screen for their disorder, and they have severe disorders for which we have no treatments. There are still metabolic diseases that are not being prevented."

Dr. Levy still spends time communicating face-to-face with patients. "If you have a new baby, in a room with the family, you have to present this very complicated story, and the family has no idea what this is about," he explained. "So, we spend a great deal of time explaining the biochemistry, the genetics, the problems that can occur and the treatments that can prevent these problems. Early on, we just thought about biochemistry. But today we become more involved in talking about the genes, because we think it's important for families to understand the origin of these disorders since at some point we are likely to talk to them about the possibility of gene therapy, actually introducing the normal gene into the child. So, they need to understand where the disorder comes from. It's a complicated and long process. The family will take in as much information as they can, but as you can imagine, a lot of what we tell them will be forgotten or not understood. So, we go over everything with them again, and for as many times as they need."

One of the most pleasing aspects of Dr. Levy's career, he recounted, has been working with wonderful and dedicated individualspsychologists, nutritionists, dieticians, nurses, social workers, coordinators, administratorsand within the community of clinicians and researchers who study metabolic genetic disorders, a "relatively small, cohesive group of delightful, brilliant people" as he describes them. "It's been an extraordinarily wonderful professional life, as gratifying as any professional life I could ever dream of," reflected Dr. Levy. "Little did I know when I started that I would have this kind of life and little did I know that I would be awarded with the awards and certainly nothing comparable to the David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award."

The David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award given by the ACMG Foundation. A committee of past presidents of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics selects the recipient following nominations, which come from the general membership.

About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) mission to "translate genes into health." Through its work, the ACMG Foundation fosters charitable giving, promotes training opportunities to attract future medical geneticists and genetic counselors to the field, shares information about medical genetics and genomics, and sponsors important research.To learn more and support the ACMG Foundation mission to create "Better Health through Genetics" visit http://www.acmgfoundation.org.

Note to editors: To arrange interviews with experts in medical genetics, contact ACMG Senior Director of Public Relations Kathy Moran, MBA at [emailprotected].

Kathy Moran, MBA[emailprotected]

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

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Pediatrician and Geneticist Dr. Harvey Levy Receives 2020 David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Genetics from the ACMG Foundation for...