Left-handedness has long posed a challenge in many cultures, as nearly everything has been designed for right-handed individuals. I also have a relative who is left-handed, and the school saw no issues in that regard. He was an excellent student, graduated with top grades, and went on to a professional school where he had to use specialized instruments. The issue? Most of the instruments were, once again, designed for right-handed users.

He struggled significantly to find left-handed instruments, and he wasn’t alone. I also had a friend who was left-handed and enjoyed playing golf. Most golf equipment is similarly designed for right-handed players. Again, he faced difficulty finding left-handed golf clubs. But one time, he had a great chuckle when someone stole his golf clubs from the trunk of his car. “I wonder how surprised they’re going to be when they find out they can’t use those clubs because they’re made for a left-handed golfer,” He said with a glorious smile on his face.

Have you ever tried using your opposite hand to perform your daily activities? Do you believe that training your non-dominant hand can open up new creative channels or stimulate old, dormant brain regions? Recent studies show that the benefits of non-dominant hand training might be more useful than previously thought, yet more complex.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if you started using your “other” hand for everyday activities? Perhaps you have heard claims that training your non-dominant hand can unlock hidden creativity or tap into unused parts of your brain. The reality is more complex than these claims, but recent research has provided some interesting insights into what happens when we try to use our non-dominant hand.

What the Science Shows

The idea that using your non-dominant hand will suddenly make you more creative is largely a myth. As researchers have found, while blogs and self-help articles often promise dramatic cognitive boosts, the scientific evidence tells a different story. Any improvements you gain will likely be specific to the skills you practice, rather than providing a general creativity enhancement.

Actual Changes in Your Brain

When you persistently train your non-dominant hand, measurable changes occur in your brain. Studies using advanced brain imaging have shown that sustained practice with your non-dominant hand creates new neural pathways and strengthens existing ones. This process, called neuroplasticity, demonstrates your brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganize itself.

For example, research on precision drawing with the non-dominant hand revealed increased functional connectivity among various brain regions involved in hand control and movement planning. Similarly, studies on learning to use chopsticks (granted, most of us rarely use chopsticks) with the non-dominant hand showed significant changes in brain activity patterns after just a few weeks of practice.

A Possible Schedule to Use

The following is based on research in this area, but it serves as a simple and potential guide for anyone who wants to test some of the research theories. This is not a specific training program for anyone, but a more recreational activity. Remember that research always has imperfections, and some of these results are due to the samples used, the areas where it was conducted, and the researcher’s own biases.

Training your non-dominant hand requires a structured approach, which begins with fundamental skills before advancing. If you think you will be turned into a Picasso or a best-selling author because of these exercises, you may be disappointed. There was only one Picasso, but you can possibly improve some things for yourself. Exactly what they will be, at this point, is an unknown. Daily practice of 15–20 minutes may lead to enhanced abilities.

Start with the basics (Weeks 1–2)
Write your name slowly with your non-dominant hand, followed by practicing the alphabet and basic words. The initial appearance of your writing does not need to be perfect. Back to that time in elementary school when you were first learning your alphabet, and how your handwriting had to be improved by repeatedly drawing circles and then letters. Using the non-dominant hand will be very much like the initial learning. This is the handwriting part of your exercise.

Now, draw basic shapes, including circles and lines, while concentrating on maintaining control rather than achieving perfection. The initial exercises help your brain learn fundamental motor patterns, which serve as a foundation.

Move into daily life (Weeks 3–4)
After gaining control of your writing movements, begin using your non-dominant hand for basic everyday activities. Begin by using your non-dominant hand to hold your coffee cup and use a spoon to eat during meals, starting with basic foods.

Do not attempt this while using hot liquids or foods in your non-dominant hand. We don’t want anyone to have an unpleasant experience. So, care is the watchword here. Spend daily intervals with your computer mouse positioned on the opposite side of your normal use. This technique helps you connect your practice sessions to actual, real-world applications.

Refine your skills (Weeks 5–8)
Progress to performing more accurate tasks with your non-dominant hand. The activities you should attempt next include threading needles, using scissors for basic cuts, and brushing your teeth. Add creative elements too — spend time drawing, painting, or playing instruments if you have them.

Master advanced coordination (Week 9+)
The last step involves performing complex tasks that will push your abilities to their limits. The brain development process benefits significantly from learning to use chopsticks, while activities like playing catch and writing whole paragraphs integrate all your learned skills. Progressively incorporate your non-dominant hand into your hobbies, cooking activities, and problem-solving tasks. But always proceed cautiously with every activity in which you will engage.

Will this program work for you? Only you can make that determination, and you are also the one who will decide whether you want to engage in this activity. It might be interesting, it might be useful, or it might be something you decide to toss aside. No harm.

The post Why Scientists Want You to Use Your Other Hand appeared first on Medika Life.

The probability of suicide attempt and suicide death was 1.48 and 1.47 times higher, respectively, for wives of cancer patients compared to those whose spouses never had the disease, according to data from Denmark’s national patient databases.

Some variables affected the severity of that risk. Suicide attempts and fatalities among patients’ spouses were more common among those whose tumors were more aggressive, but this was not the case for cancers with better prognoses. This highlights the seriousness of the situation for cancer caretakers. Suicide attempts and fatalities were more common among people with a history of mental illness following a spouse’s cancer diagnosis. But we need to remember that not all individuals with mental illnesses seek treatment, so not all of them receive a diagnosis, and that means they get left out of the statistical calculations.

Caregiving for a loved one with cancer is fraught with difficulties on many fronts, including the physical, mental, and practical. Cancer treatments have a profound impact on patients, but they also place heavy financial and emotional strains on loved ones, who may already have quite a bit on their plates with which they must contend.

Witnessing a loved one’s suffering, on top of the challenging nature of caring, can induce severe psychological discomfort. Few studies have examined the rates of suicide, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm among cancer patients’ caregivers, even though depression is the leading cause of suicide.

Because of shorter hospital stays, more outpatient therapy, improved survival rates, and patients’ preferences for at-home care, the primary care environment for cancer patients has moved from hospitals to patients’ homes. Therefore, more people will need to pitch in to take care of cancer patients’ day-to-day needs, especially those who are close to the patients, such as friends and family. Caregivers play a crucial role in the treatment journey of cancer patients. Currently, there are an estimated six million of these caregivers worldwide.

Nearly 40.1% of men and 38.7% of women in the nation will develop cancer in their lives. Its effects on poor countries are equally significant and warrant investigation.

What About the Caregiver’s Quality of Life?

For cancer caregivers, the relationship between stress and well-being runs counter to what one would expect. Caring for someone reliant on you increases your chances of anxiety by 86% and sadness by 65%. The majority of unpaid caregivers are women (45–65 years old), who stay at home and are the patient’s daughter or husband, according to studies that have profiled this demographic. Among the 7663 caregivers who made up one overall sample, women made up 66.72%. The majority of research agrees that female caregivers outnumber male caregivers for cancer patients.

If women are the primary caregivers of cancer patients and provide assistance in the home, and research has not adequately assessed their quality of life, what can we learn from the current body of research?

Among all relatives, 11% felt a heavy burden as a caretaker, and the median number of hours spent caring for a loved one each week was 15. Family members who reported a low or medium caregiver load were more resilient and engaged in self-care more frequently than those who reported a high caregiver burden. Caregivers who reported carrying a heavy load were more likely to be younger, better educated, and less knowledgeable about the value of self-care. They also frequently reported acting as an informal caretaker for the patient.

Nearly half (43.5%) of caregivers said they had to deal with high financial costs, and almost a third (35.0%) said they experienced isolation or the loss of friends due to caring for someone else. Comparatively, 33% said they had unfavorable effects on their bodies. Starting at 13%, the percentage of people experiencing overwhelming or severe stress increased to 59.5% as the disease progressed, substantially quintupling from the baseline.

Relatives of people with advanced cancer may cope better with the caregiving load they face if they practice self-care and build resilience. However, little attention has been paid to these ideas. What is the motivation for caregivers of cancer patients?

In a survey asking about their primary drivers, 75% of people mentioned love as a driving element, while 50% cited a sense of duty. While 3.5 percent cited remorse as their driving force, 8% cited financial gain as their primary motivator. Tragic loss accounted for 30.5% of caregivers’ responsibilities, followed by mental health issues at 28.0%, and financial concerns at 15.5%.

Considering the research or lack thereof, caregivers for cancer patients who go through increasing stages of the disease must feel like they are trying to push the ocean back with a broom.

Their sentiments are understandable, but there is help available, and I am listing both groups and other available resources for these individuals. We cannot leave them feeling hopeless and helpless. We must employ all our abilities, too, in a larger sense, to support these individuals in their valiant efforts.

I understand the demands and the difficulties, the strain, and the stress of caring for someone with metastatic cancer that marches on to become ever more ravaging because my mother died of cancer. She was fortunate because she had four daughters, including a granddaughter who, in managerial fashion, set up a schedule for each person’s involvement.

We were all given a shift (day and night) and time for respite care and self-care so we would not burn out. It was a time of great stress, but we are all proud of our involvement. Fortunately, this was when hospice care was in its infancy in the US, but we could find a major hospital that had cobbled together a knowledgeable cancer hospice team. They provided both care and medication for us, and we are forever grateful to them and the wonderful oncologist who took care of my mother in the hospital.

Groups and Resources

The American Cancer Society: downloadable guide

National Coalition for Cancer Survivors

Cancer Care Resources

National Cancer Institute

Cancer Support Community (Gilda’s Club)

National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

Cancer Hope Network

Ovar’s Coming Together (ovarian cancer)

Colon Cancer Foundation

Cancer care can be overwhelming for anyone, so don’t think you are in any way weak if you are feeling the task is grinding you down and you are having suicidal thoughts.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. For TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.

The post Cancer Patient Caregivers Are Being Forgotten in Suicide Risk appeared first on Medika Life.

A young man with a neurodivergent disorder displayed emotion as he jumped up from his seat, tears running down his cheeks; it was nothing less than heart-wrenching. Those who understood cheered him on, and those who didn’t took the opportunity to try to bring him down with cutting remarks and foolish comments on blogs and TV sound bites. They paid a price for all that, and one quickly deleted her distasteful blog post after receiving significant blowback.

Famed magazine editor Tina Brown and her husband, Harold Evans, have a son with one of these disorders. She wrote an article in a recent issue of the New York Times in which she revealed one of her son’s actions after a party in an upscale area of Long Island. Brown’s son, who lives with her at home, is now 38, and rather than seeing him as disabled, it has opened her eyes to his “secret power.”

Brown’s son’s secret power, she said, was evident after the Hamptons party when he told the hostess, “Thank you very much. No one spoke to me, really, so it was a very boring evening. The food was OK. I doubt I will come again.” How many of us would be brave enough to have said that after one of these upper-crust power parties? Undoubtedly, few, if any, would dare utter those comments.

I once had a neurodivergent patient in a large hospital where he had been for several years and where the staff on the unit believed he was a dangerous man, given to rages. His diagnoses were many, including intellectual deficits, anxiety disorders, and the inability to accept the fact that he was not white.

Being relatively new at the hospital, I was summoned to the unit when the nurse described a terrifying scene of someone “rampaging through the unit.”

Yes, he was large but not very tall. His clothing was ill-fitting because they couldn’t find anything to hold up his pants, and he had a rope instead of a belt. What started the alleged rage that day? The staff had gone into his shared room and thrown out all of his comic books and his precious Frankenstein videotape. He identified with Frankenstein because, even with his intellectual disability, he knew people related to him that way, and he wanted something that would have hope in it.

Once I talked to him, we began to understand each other, and he knew he could trust me, I began to accompany him to the ward dining room, where he had always collected his food tray and immediately dumped it in the trash and asked to go back to the unit. Now, he would sit with me as I encouraged him to eat, and I would distract him with conversation. When I told him about famous Black basketball players, he became amazed and expressed his desire to have a poster for his room.

He had a severe case of social anxiety disorder that the staff chose to see as disruptive behavior and never explored the many facets of his personality. I managed, across a period of months, with the help of an intern, to reach the point where he could go to the dining room and eat with either my intern or me next to him.

Things progressed from there, and even though an experienced rehab woman said, “He’ll never leave this hospital,” indeed he did. He even went with a group to the mall. I can’t tell you how ecstatic he was the first time he bought a pair of sneakers for himself.

The “monster” wasn’t that at all, but a young man who was, in so many ways, terrified by the people around him and who tried to hide in his room as the only safe place he could find. The end of the story is truly heartening because they discharged him to a group home, where he actively engaged in all the activities, even accompanying the group to shop at the local supermarket.

We met there unexpectedly a few years later, and he yelled out to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy for him. His family was ecstatic that he had returned to the community and to the family that loved him. How many other patients like him are lingering in inappropriate settings and receiving too little attention?

Another patient I had at a similar hospital, who had been an abused, adopted child, had Klinefelter syndrome. Seven feet tall and with a love of making jokes and deceiving the staff with his little “lies” about hiding whiskey on grounds, he was a delight.

But the police on grounds didn’t see him that way, especially when three of them jumped him, and he broke one of their officer’s arms. They immediately shackled him and took him off in a police car to send him to a forensic unit. He didn’t belong there and he didn’t belong in that hospital either. I never knew what happened to him.

What Are Neurodivergent Disorders?

Primarily, we may associate neurodivergent disorders as autism, but it encompasses far more. Since the word was coined in 1943, researchers have been conducting an explosion of studies on autism. A developmental disorder now recognized as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by restricted and repetitive interests or behaviors as well as impaired social communication abilities.

More and more studies are shedding light on ASD, a complicated illness, providing information for all. Professionals and parents can benefit from a comprehensive awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by reading up on topics, including the disorder’s prevalence, its connections to hereditary factors, successful parent programs, and treatment options.

Some estimates put the prevalence of neurodiversity among adults at 8% worldwide. When people talk about neurodiversity, they usually mean a combination of conditions like dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

It is problematic for employers because these diagnoses are on the rise among adults already working. When faced with neurodivergent personnel, business owners may ask how they can best help their staff without negatively affecting the company.

Should we say “on the rise in adults,” or is it that the disorder is now being recognized as never before because it was an invisible disorder? Now, we are identifying more individuals with the disorders we previously failed to diagnose, and it’s not just about recognition but also about being willing to assist them with their needs in society.

The Disorders Under This Umbrella Term

How many neurodiverse disorders exist, and can an individual have more than one? Without a doubt, mental health professionals can diagnose individuals with multiple mental health disorders, so it would seem reasonable that anyone with one of these disorders could also have more than one. The list is long and some of the disorders are not often diagnosed.

Neurodivergent individuals may have some of the following symptoms:

Asperger’s syndrome is now part of the autism spectrum.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD)

DiGeorge syndrome
Down syndrome
Dyscalculia is a problem with numbers
Dysgraphia, a disorder of writing
Dyslexia is a reading disability
Dyspraxia with motor control issues
Problems with cognition
Mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, OCD, and others
Prader-Willi syndrome
Difficulties with processing sensory information
Social anxiety
Syndrome of tremors
Williams syndrome (WS)

Additionally, researchers have recently discovered that eating disorders should be included in the listing of neurodivergent ones.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Information

The diagnosis is often made by a mental health professional, where an individual may have been referred by either a pediatrician or other medical professional who has noted special needs in this individual.

In neurodiversity, the emphasis is not on “dysfunctions” or “deficits,” but on utilizing an individual’s distinct strengths to compensate for their weaknesses and assist them in adjusting to their surroundings, be it at home, in the classroom, or on the job.

Individuals with neurodiversity may require individualized support to achieve their goals. Changes to the classroom setting, such as allowing students to use noise-canceling headphones, increasing opportunities for mobility, or granting students additional time to complete tests, may be necessary.

A neurodivergent test is a battery of questions designed to ascertain whether an individual’s brain operates in a neurotypical fashion. Although the patient can do some of these tests at home, only a doctor’s examination can definitively identify a neurodivergent disorder.

Neurodivergent exams are mostly used for educational purposes. Seeking further information from a medical expert would be helpful for individuals who obtain high scores on neurodivergent tests.

There are many resources available online that will direct individuals to information on neurodivergent disorders, and they include:

Raising Children Net (Australia)

Children’s Health Council

American Autism Center

ADDitude

ChildMind Institute

Association for Autism and Neurodiversity

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

CHADD

LD Resources Foundation

Autism Speaks

This is not an all-inclusive list; others may be found online. When searching, please keep in mind that some of the offerings may be privately owned facilities or practices, not no-profit groups that provide information and direction for parents.

The post Invisible Disabilities Need Our Attention and Understanding Like No Others appeared first on Medika Life.

Lifestyle changes are the goal of population-wide interventions. For example, exercise affects blood pressure and has many other health benefits. But for these solutions to work, people must commit to them for a long time, and not following through is still a big problem. Because most patients will not stick to this lifestyle change, it is important to consider how much exercise interventions cost and how much time they take. Isometrics can provide the answer patients and healthcare providers have been seeking. A large analysis of 270 clinical trials found that isometric movement training is the best way to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Isometric training aims to tighten or contract a muscle or group of muscles. The muscles being worked on do not get longer or shorter, and the joints involved do not move. You stay in one place during the exercise, and your body weight helps keep you strong and stabilize your core and joints.

Isometric exercise can help people with pain or injuries get stronger and more stable. It does not involve the full range of motion or movement and only works on certain muscles.

The key to isometrics is that they can be done without equipment and throughout the day if you wish. If you’re sitting in an office or working to prepare meals in your home, you can still exercise while doing anything else. It’s an all-inclusive exercise program you can do whenever you have a few minutes or while doing something else. Always discuss this with your healthcare professional before starting any exercise regimen. Here are a few to try:

Press Your Hands Together
With your elbows bent, clasp your hands together or press your palms together in front of your chest. Use the same amount of force in both arms. Hold down each button for 10 seconds, then let go. Do this five or six times. These moves will make your biceps, chest, and triceps stronger. You could do them while reading texts. So, it’s perfect for students, researchers, or writers.

A-Hold
Keep your back straight and your shoulders back. Take deep breaths and tighten your abs like you are getting ready to punch someone. Hold for five seconds. Then, let out a breath and “crunch” your abs as if doing a sit-up. Take a few deep breaths, then exhale all the way. Since this is a quiet exercise, no one will know you are working out your abs hard while taking notes. It can be especially helpful during dull meetings.

Glute Squeeze
Sometimes, sitting in a chair all day can hurt your back. Having strong glutes can help. As an easy isometric exercise, squeeze your glutes and hold the contraction for 10 seconds. Then, relax.

Press on the Wall
Put your hands against a wall about three feet away and space them out shoulder-width apart to move your shoulders and work your core. For 10 seconds, press hard against the wall and then let go. You can also lower your body toward the wall and press back up to turn this into a push-up.

Isometrics may be something to consider for your daily routine. As we already know from research, they can reduce BP, but exercise also has mental health benefits and maintains mobility, which then maintains independence and strength. Some studies have shown that it can reduce depression and anxiety and is a very effective means of combating stress, whether on the job or in life. It may even work where pills fail.

The post Whatever Happened to Isometrics as a Promising Muscle-Management Method? appeared first on Medika Life.

It’s much easier to light up a cigarette, which is not a controlled substance than to pop a pill for which you need a prescription. In fact, our body has specific nicotinic receptors in the spinal cord and brain.

Once, when I stopped smoking, I was visiting a friend and her sister, and she kept indicating that I should light up with them. I didn’t want to, but she said, “But what will you do with your hands?” Such a serious matter—what to do with one’s hands.

I guess I would’ve done with my hands what anyone else did: put them in a pocket or on the table or chair where I was sitting. What would anyone need to do with their hands if they didn’t have a cigarette? Well, now there’s a new push to become one of the crowd, and it’s vaping.

The question, of course, is now not one of what I would do with my hands but whether vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. Remember the major lawsuits that were tried over years and years where people died of lung cancer (John Wayne smoked several packs a day, as did Edward R. Murrow, and both died of lung cancer). How many people have died because they smoked? I have a few in my family, and even though one stopped smoking for at least 30 years, cigarette smoking proved to be her death knell.

How Is Vaping Safer Than Cigarettes?

No one else has ever thought about giving up smoking like you have, correct? Well, many people say they want to quit, and it’s good for your health to stop smoking because it can cause damage to almost every part of your body, including your heart.

Smoking or being around smokers is a factor in almost one-third of heart disease deaths. And, there’s danger even in second-hand smoke, or, some would say, third-hand smoke. What is third-hand smoke?

There are pollutants in the air that get spread when people smoke tobacco. This is called third-hand smoke. Chemicals that are found in third-hand smoke include nicotine and chemicals that cause cancer, like formaldehyde, naphthalene, and others.

Over time, third-hand smoke gets on most surfaces. It can get stuck on soft surfaces, like clothes, furniture, drapes, beds, and carpets. It also settles on hard objects like floors, walls, and cars as dust-like particles. There may still be third-hand smoke around for months after the person who is smoking has stopped.

You might want to try e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other reusable and throwaway vaping devices to make the switch from regular cigarettes to not smoking easier. If you smoke e-cigarettes (also called vaping), is that better for you than chewing tobacco?

Might e-cigarettes assist you in quitting smoking for good? And are e-cigarettes better than prescription products to help you stop smoking? Researchers are looking at these questions; some are weighing in on vaping, but I have doubts.

Vaping is not without consequences, and the CDC released a report a few years ago that indicated people who were vaping had deaths associated with it. They hypothesized some fatalities resulted from using illegal vaping products, which might have contained harmful ingredients. There have been 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and 68 deaths linked to this disease, according to the CDC.

What’s in vaping? An analysis by a major university startled even the researchers, who found products they had difficulty identifying. Researchers found and measured six possibly dangerous additives and contaminants in e-cigarette liquids and aerosols.

Metals, carbonyls, free radicals, and phthalates are just some of the known toxicants that have been found and measured in e-cigarette liquids and fumes so far. If we’re concerned about having smoke with a carcinogenic product in it, how do we feel about having smoke that has metal in it? No one needs or wants metal fragments in their lungs.

Research is clear at this point that vaping carries with it specific dangers that may be as bad or even worse than cigarettes. However, if someone were smoking and wanted to stop, would it be better to vap or take the prescription product? That research has now been published, and it leans in the direction of vaping rather than the prescription product. But there’s another issue related to vaping.

The smoke in an e-cigarette product does contain nicotine and researchers have concluded that those who vap do so constantly during the day. As a result, they are exposed to higher levels of nicotine and all the other damaging products. Higher exposure, therefore, would lead to an addiction that may be as serious or even more serious than cigarette smoking. Heavy smokers may smoke more than a pack a day, but how many vap products does a vaper use during the day?

The big difference is that while there is a prescription product to help people stop smoking, there is no product that would help people stop vaping. Therefore, we have a new addiction with no apparent remedy at this point. Not only is the addiction potentially life-threatening, but many people believe it is a benign activity. The lack of information regarding vaping needs to be addressed, just as cigarette smoking was addressed when its cancer potential was revealed.

The post The Dangers of Fighting Cigarette Addiction With Vaping Are Not Vague appeared first on Medika Life.

For instance, let’s consider Jack and the Beanstalk. We believe Jack is a loving child who wants to do whatever he can for his poor mother and sets out to sell whatever he can, which is the family cow. What does Jack get for the cow? A couple of beans, and that sounds like Jack has been scammed.

But Jack, in his optimistic persistence, lets the beans grow (reality is put on hold here because beanstalks don’t grow overnight) into a giant beanstalk that Jack naively climbs to steal from the giant who lives there. Do we wish to teach our children how to be better thieves or how to have empathy for poor families? Jack and the Beanstalk is only one story, and it’s not the worst.

What about the Little Red Riding Hood, who goes with her basket of goodies to visit her grandmother’s house and is stopped by a wolf? It’s a pretty grim tale that includes deception by the wolf, the wolf swallowing the grandmother and assuming her place, and, finally, the hero, in the form of a woodsman, coming to save the children from the wolf. Of course, how he saves the grandmother can be unnerving, and perhaps that ending should have been changed.

Hansel and Gretel are even worse when their parents (the stepmother is the instigator here) abandon them in the woods, and a wicked old woman puts Hansel in a cage to fatten him up for eating. Why were they abandoned? Because of the family’s financial situation, the husband gave in to her request to remove his children from his previous wife. It’s not a pleasant tale to tell children; they might fear being abandoned and left to survive in a forest of evil old women.

There are, of course, lots of different ways to look at fairy tales. Still, it’s fun to look at the clear and not-so-clear lessons that these old stories teach kids. Fairytales were even the topic of a famous psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim, who wrote “The Uses of Enchantment,” a detailed dissection of fairytales and their underlying messages to children.

These days, bedtime stories can teach morals and useful life lessons, while many old fairy tales have scary or violent themes. These are some good ideas and lessons that children can learn from modern children’s books:

1. Understanding and kindness: Stories can teach children the importance of caring about others and understanding how they feel and what their lives are like compared to the child’s life.

Children can learn to accept and value people from different backgrounds through stories worldwide where cultural differences are outlined, and belief systems vary. These stories can also help them appreciate how unique each person is and value that, too. In the US, the native peoples have stories that children should read to help them realize how we are connected to nature and must protect it.

3. Strength and determination: Adults, whether in fairytales or life, are children’s first teachers. They can learn to be strong by modeling the behavior of adults and those who don’t give up when things get tough. The thread of persistence is clear in many fairytales.

4. Being honest and doing the right thing: Stories can show how important it is to always do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Sometimes, it’s hardest when the right thing may present hardships for a child. Who shares their lunch with another child who has none?

5. Creativity and imagination: The wonder in these tales is that anything is possible—trees can talk, carpets can fly, and people have magical powers. Reading stories that interest kids can help them develop new ways to complete tasks and encourage them to problem-solve.

6. Eco-friendly: Stories teach kids how important it is to look after the Earth and all its living things. Even the tiniest things have a purpose and aid us in our lives. It teaches them to honor life in all its forms. Are their stories about how little insects or worms enrich our lives? Worms in the earth are essential to keeping the ground healthy for plants.

7. Giving back to the community: Stories can show how a family or group of friends can work together to help each other. How community gardens may be places of wonder and connection is another theme.

8. Self-love and confidence: Kids can learn to be as sure of themselves as characters who love and accept their flaws. They can also learn to use questioning when appropriate.

9. Working together: Stories can show why working together is beneficial and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from teamwork.

Children’s bedtime stories may contain tales of wonder and hope, resilience and goodness, and that’s probably the element that made the Harry Potter series so successful. These tales can open the gates of creativity and shape children’s views of what the future can bring if goodness rules in the face of adversity.

I recall being on a plane, and when I looked to the adjacent aisle, an older man was engrossed in reading one of the Harry Potter books. Yes, the books, written by a woman who had been on welfare in the UK, had something for kids and adults. Now, she’s a billionaire.

Truly, these are teaching stories for the world’s children to face in the future, and preparing them may be as simple as picking an appropriate bedtime book to read as they make their way into a safe and comforting slumber.

The post Fairy Tales Shock and May Deceive—Are They Still Relevant? appeared first on Medika Life.

Pharmaceutical companies have given us a great deal of information sometimes causing confusion when we think about neurotransmitters. But, outside of pharmaceuticals, there is another way we can help ourselves to better health. Exercise is one way researchers have discovered we have influence over crucial neurotransmitters.

Whoever thought that exercise could have such dramatic effects on our ability to maintain brain health? Well, the jury is in on that one, and the gains are impressive—gains that we cannot ignore. The good news is that you don’t have to exercise to exhaustion to reap the benefits. But it’s not simply one hormone, dopamine, that is in play here, which can mean gains for all of us.

Of course, dopamine is a complex hormone-neurotransmitter of interest. Exercising raises levels of this hormone associated with motivation, pleasure, and contentment. New research shows a possible link between better reflexes and dopamine levels when exercising. In 1979, researchers found the good news about dopamine and reflexes when they observed older lab rats and their swimming abilities. Once the older rats got the biosynthetic precursor of dopamine, L-dopa, their swimming ability and endurance increased.

As people live longer, and with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease affecting their cognition, it’s crucial to find ways to prevent cognitive impairments. Despite researchers’ best efforts, traditional methods for developing effective treatments have mostly been unsuccessful. Curiously, research has shown that exercise, particularly endurance exercise, can boost cognitive function as we age and has positive benefits in brain health generally.

The hippocampus, which helps with memory recall and recognition, can be modified in young adults through aerobic exercise. A three-month intervention examined whether healthy older persons (60–77 years) also exhibit such flexibility. Researchers have observed a correlation between cognition and exercise in persons in their twenties and thirties, suggesting that it persists into old age. The results? Improvements in fitness were positively associated with improvements in early spatial object recognition and memory.

This research on aerobic exercise and cognition also noted one caveat of concern. As people get older, the benefits of exercise on the brain seem to decrease. This is especially true for the hippocampus, a critical part of the brain.

We need to consider, however, that many intervening variables were not accounted for in this research and may play a major role in older persons’ cognitive processes benefiting from exercise. Of course, genetic inheritance, diet, and lifestyle are always issues that need to be considered and may contribute, either minutely or massively, to changes that may come about after these exercise protocols.

One thing we must note is that exercise is always a good idea, and we should not write it off because of one research project. Just because one research study produced an interesting result doesn’t mean it applies to everyone.

But what about the hormone irisin that is involved in both exercise and body fat? A slight increase in irisin levels can improve insulin resistance caused by a diet. This hormone can help muscles function better by affecting fat. And there is much more evidence for the involvement of irisin as well as in body fat—white versus brown fat.

Another interesting finding of research on irisin is that it can contain neuroinflammation, which has been thought to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, neuroinflammation has been viewed as the major killer of brain neurons as we age.

To date, all of this research is bringing new attention to the complex relationships in our bodies. The intricate muscle-fat-bone axis now includes skeletal muscle, which is thought of as an endocrine organ that secretes irisin. This may be a little–known hormone that has a major effect on our body overall.

Developments in the understanding of the skeleton’s role as an endocrine organ in glucose tolerance and testosterone production through the secretion of a bone-specific protein are encouraging. Now that bone-skeletal muscle is officially recognized as an endocrine “gland,” the therapeutic possibilities for this hormone-secreting tissue are endless.

The main point is that exercising regularly is crucial for our health and mental abilities as we grow older, and we are only now beginning to fully appreciate its importance. The overall maintenance of our bodies goes beyond just keeping our muscles in shape. Anyone who can sit in a chair can exercise. Don’t believe it? Go to YouTube and watch this video.

The post The Hormones That Get Too Little Attention and Bring Big Benefits appeared first on Medika Life.

Advertisements on the Internet and television are now widening the scope of attention regarding total body odors and how to contain them. Many new products are offered for our anatomy’s most intimate parts. We must wonder if they are safe, whether they will cause any problems, and what we should look for.

There are two ways to approach the question of body odor: antiperspirant and deodorant. Antiperspirants prevent the sweat glands from producing, and deodorants cover up any odor from the sweat you produce. Over time, the formulation of some of these products has caused concern because some of them contain aluminum, and it was feared that that might contribute to either breast cancer or some cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s.

Compounds based on aluminum are what make antiperspirants work. They block the sweat glands to keep sweat from reaching the skin’s surface. According to some prior research, these aluminum chemicals could enter the skin and alter how estrogen receptors function in breast cells. However, it is not believed that this is a cause of breast cancer any longer. In fact, the American Cancer Society has indicated that these products are safe and do not cause cancer.

But in 2021, a citizen petition was sent to the US Food and Drug Administration saying that benzene, a chemical that is known to cause cancer, was found in more than half of 108 batches of antiperspirant and deodorant body sprays from 30 different brands. Benzene is a Class One toxic substance that is not to be used in any drug substance product, and we have recently learned that it may still be in some cosmetics, even high-end products. The petition to the FDA did result in several products being removed from the market.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals like parabens and are found in some deodorants and antiperspirants. These chemicals can act like hormones in the body, affecting how hormones are normally controlled. Studies have found a connection between endocrine disruptors and many health issues, such as infertility, children having delays in their brain development, and even cancer.

It is important to know that because of these possible health risks, the European Union and several other countries have banned the use of some parabens in cosmetics, like deodorants and antiperspirants. However, in the United States, the FDA has permitted using some parabens, as anti-microbials in food packaging to prevent spoilage. Does this seem wise?

What about whole-body deodorizing products and their safety? The FDA comes down on two sides: deodorant and antiperspirant. Deodorants do not need FDA approval because they are considered cosmetics. Some of the ingredients in these all-over deodorants come from plants and minerals. They may also contain essential oils like lavender, mint, cucumber, coconut, and coconut, and acids to make the pH level more acidic. The goal is to eliminate the germs that make you smell bad when you sweat.

However, there is a real health concern about antiperspirants and deodorants. Many everyday items, like deodorants and antiperspirants, contain chemicals called phthalates. These chemicals are also found in many beauty and self-care products. Phthalates are added to products because they help keep the skin wet and help the products work better on the skin. They are also sometimes used in fragrances. They are also used to keep nail polish from chipping.

Because of the law, there are very few phthalates in the world. However, the government must know about any leak into the atmosphere, no matter how small. Phthalates are known to harm the environment but are not controlled in beauty or personal care items. The FDA does not look at or approve cosmetics or the chemicals that go into them before they are sold to the public.

Sometimes, a chemical may not have been included in the manufacturing process but may spontaneously develop in the packages after it reaches the retail market. A group of products, including acne treatments, sunscreen, and several other skin–care products, were recently found to contain benzene. This carcinogenic product can be produced after the item is manufactured since chemicals will begin to break down and then form benzene. There is no evidence that this has happened with antiperspirants or deodorants, but consumers need to be aware of it.

We all need to remember that our skin is the largest organ of our body, and this waterproof covering protects us from contaminants, bacteria, and other materials that could damage our health. An informed consumer who carefully reads package ingredients and any warnings on the labels is sure to be a healthier consumer.

Deciding where, how much, and when to use antiperspirants or deodorants is a vital decision on your part and should not be made casually. Some skin on your body is much more likely to absorb chemicals than other areas of skin. A word to the wise is sufficient here.

The post It Hits Your “Pits” to Stop Odors, But Are They Safe? appeared first on Medika Life.

This has gone on for years but isn’t confined to food containers like the one on your desk, but also to the wrapping that may be used where you pick up your sandwiches or the packaging used in the supermarket for all the items you purchased there or even for shipping food products.

Every time you eat one of the products that has been wrapped, shipped, or slipped into a container with a specific chemical in it, you are, in effect, damaging your health, or endangering yourself or your children, if they also use those containers or wrappers.

What do you think should have been done decades ago when it was known that this was not a safe material to have near food? And what’s the stuff that’s so dangerous? It’s PFAS, the forever chemicals, and they are endocrine disrupters.

The information we have shows that people who are most likely to be subjected to endocrine disruptors (EDs) are more likely to have cancer, reproductive problems (like infertility, endometriosis, and miscarriages), metabolic problems (like diabetes), and/or immune system problems. Children who are exposed to endocrine disruptors also show behavioral and psychological problems. The disturbing results in children, in utero, and after birth, are particularly disturbing.

In the US, The Endocrine Society has indicated that hormonal disrupters put unborn children at the highest risk. Animal studies show that even small amounts during pregnancy can lead to obesity later on. Some disrupters directly affect cells in the pancreas and fat and liver cells. This can all cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The EU has made rules about these chemicals with Regulation 2017/2100 and Regulation 2018/605. But these scientific factors are not a way to find EDs and do not fully protect people’s health.

For food contact purposes, the FDA said that makers can no longer sell grease-proofing substances containing PFAS. When these chemicals are used on food packaging paper and paperboard are taken off the market voluntarily, they will no longer be a major source of dietary exposure to PFAS from approved food contact uses. Where do we find PFAS used?

Paper and paperboard packaging is treated with grease-proofing chemicals to stop grease and oil from leaking and to make the packaging resistant to water. Materials with PFAS were used to make fast food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, take-out paperboard cases, pet food bags, and other similar kinds of packaging.

The FDA had given manufacturers three years to exhaust their supply of products containing this material. During the three-year moratorium, however, consumers continued to be exposed to these substances, and we do not know the long-lasting results of such exposure in terms of human health. Some manufacturers have already removed themselves from markets requiring them not to use this material in their products. We do not have information regarding which manufacturers have left the markets where they would have used PFAS. But this is only one small part of the equation; what about shipping food products or ingredients?

The issue now becomes one of finding safe wrapping and packaging materials that are not problematic should they come in contact with food either for us or animals, even in animal feed. How do we know which ones are safe and which ones still contain PFAS? We don’t, which leaves us with a quandary regarding how much exposure we will accept if we do not know where the exposure may be.

A question lingers in my mind regarding PFAS and food. While the FDA has indicated manufacturers can no longer make products containing this material for food packaging, what about all of the facilities that still have these kinds of packaging materials on hand? No one told them they had to discard all of these materials and purchase new ones without the dangerous PFAS in them. Who knows how much stock they had on hand?

Can we believe that all of the packaging materials in all of the shops or all of the food preparation companies are now free of PFAS? I know these are disturbing questions, but we must consider that the food is still unsafe because it may still be placed in packaging or wrappings containing the now-forbidden material. This can happen at the packaging level, whether at the manufacturer or retail level.

The post PFAS Is a Culprit Affecting Health, and It’s in Packaging — But No More in the USA appeared first on Medika Life.

While participants with chronic tinnitus reported more difficulties hearing in noisy environments than controls in some studies, participants with chronic tinnitus also more frequently reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. It is interesting to note that participants in one study with chronic tinnitus did not report more noise exposure than controls, despite this finding in other studies. This latter finding is not surprising given that participant recall limits the accuracy of self-reports of noise exposure and that exposure episodes’ frequency and repetition affect the participant’s recall.

Due to its potential connection to aging, many people believe that tinnitus is only a problem for adults. However, research in publications has indicated otherwise. Tinnitus affects between 4.7% and 46% of children in the general pediatric population and among children whose hearing is good. It also affects between 23.5% and 62.2% of children who have hearing loss. However, these estimates may not relate to real-world situations.

Some experts say that the numbers for children’s tinnitus prevalence are too low because of problems with communication. On the other hand, it could be said that kids lie about having tinnitus when they are asked to please the person asking. A subjective experience, tinnitus in children may be very difficult to know its extent in the population. In adults, its assessment may be quite different.

Often, chronic tinnitus-related distress (TRD) happens along with or instead of psychological or psychosomatic symptoms like depression, anxiety, or other somatization symptoms that may or may not happen in the context of clear medical factors like vertigo, sweating, blurred vision, headaches, periods of weakness, pain, nausea, or shortness of breath.

People who said they had chronic tinnitus were more likely to have weaker middle-ear muscle reactions, fewer cochlear nerve responses, and more activity in the central auditory pathways.

Reports indicate hearing loss linked to getting older before age 65 is more common in men, especially in people who have been around noise a lot. Also, in line with what has been written, people with chronic tinnitus were more likely to have had a concussion and show signs of anxiety and/or depression.

People who say they have tinnitus are often given the wrong diagnosis and think that their doctors do not understand or appreciate their condition. This feeling that their doctors do not understand can make their condition worse by making them depressed, stressed, tired, unable to cope, losing the ability to do daily tasks, having poor cognitive functioning, or even committing suicide. It is a very serious condition when we consider its far-reaching effects on someone’s life and their psychological difficulties.

There is a lot of agreement around the world that specialized cognitive-behavioral therapy should be used to help people with tinnitus. This is because there is more evidence that this type of therapy works to reduce patients’ distress and impairment. However, it has been suggested that CBT could also change how people experience tinnitus, but this has not yet been tested across studies.

Numerous options are available in addition to those that doctors provide, both online and elsewhere. When searching online, it is important to be wary of any claims that they can “cure,” “reduce,” or “eliminate” tinnitus. You can download many sound-therapy apps for free or very little money and use them on your phone.

One new app is receiving favorable attention. The MindEar app uses chatbots to help people with tinnitus use a virtual cognitive-behavioral therapist. The app also uses sound therapy, mindfulness, and meditation techniques to help people tune out the effects of their tinnitus in their minds.

For anyone with tinnitus, the thing to remember is that there are ways to learn to cope with it and to utilize various means at their disposal in a self-help mode. All is not lost, and the future will bring even better resolution to those affected by tinnitus.

The post Do You Hear What I Hear? The Bane of Tinnitus appeared first on Medika Life.