A new study has shown that high blood pressure increases your risk of dying from COVID-19. Doctors in China noticed a pattern when treating patients – nearly half of those in critical condition were also suffering from high blood pressure. A total of 2,877 patients were analyzed, where 29.5% of people had a history of high blood pressure. Data showed that those patients who had higher blood pressure had double the risk of dying from COVID-19.

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Out of the 10.5% of the overall population with diabetes or prediabetes, 14.3 million people over 65 have one of the two chronic conditions.

High Blood Pressure May Double Your Risk of Dying From COVID

Additionally, patients with diabetes also had worse symptoms than those without. In the U.K., data showed that 19% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 also had diabetes. Only an estimated 6% of the U.K. population has diabetes. Those with Type 1 diabetes were worse off than those with type 2.

Diabetes and high blood pressure contribute to 5 out of the 10 top leading causes of death according to the CDC.

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The other day, I went to the grocery store with my little brother. While loading the car, I turned around, shut the trunk, and in a lapse of judgment, took my eyes off of my 4-year-old brother and accidentally hit his head with the trunk of the car. He had leaned his head forward to look inside the trunk and I had not noticed. 

I picked my brother up and put him on the hood of the car as I examined his injury and tried to decide what to do. A store employee had seen the whole thing happen and offered him some ice. I quickly thanked him and took the ice, holding it to my brother’s head as I thought to myself, “Are you even supposed to ice injuries?” I took the ice to appease onlookers, but found myself, as I have with so many things in the past year, wondering if that was, in fact, the right thing to do. The more I learn about health the more I learn that most things I thought I knew were not true.

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After telling my dad about the whole thing, he confirmed that ice was in fact, not necessary or desirable in most cases. So, when should you use ice? 

As far as temporary pain relief, icing an injury is better for your health than taking something like ibuprofen or Tylenol. In some cases, it may be beneficial to ice. For example, when you need to avoid swelling and inflammation for mobility reasons like sports events where one has to continue participating, ice makes sense. A pitcher, for instance, may need to ice their shoulder in order to numb pain and prevent swelling so they have the mobility to continue pitching. However, once the event is over, it’s better off to the body heal naturally without ice.

When we injure ourselves, the body’s response is typically inflammation, swelling, and pain. During inflammation, blood clots form, and vessels constrict to stem the flow of blood from damaged tissue, while healthier vessels signal the body to get to work repairing the damage. Local nerve endings become more sensitive as a way of letting the body know what it should and should not do. 

All these responses are very natural and necessary. However, when we ice injuries, we slow blood flow to the area and prevent inflammation and swelling. In other words, ice can slow down the healing process.

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While many people still learn the “RICE” method in school, today the doctor who wrote the RICE method no longer recommends it. 

When I wrote my best-selling Sportsmedicine Book in 1978, I coined the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for the treatment of athletic injuries (Little Brown and Co., page 94). Ice has been a standard treatment for injuries and sore muscles because it helps to relieve pain caused by injured tissue. Coaches have used my “RICE” guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping.

Why Ice Delays Recovery -Dr.mirkin.com

Additionally, many pro-ice studies are based on anecdotal and/or circumstantial evidence while many other studies have come to inconclusive results on cryogenic therapy. One study done in 2008 by the Emergency Medicine Journal came to the conclusion “There is insufficient evidence to suggest that cryotherapy improves clinical outcome in the management of soft tissue injuries.” Another study done by The Journal of Athletic Training, in 2012 found similar results saying “Insufficient evidence is available from randomized controlled trials to determine the relative effectiveness of RICE therapy for acute ankle sprains in adults.”

Next time you injure yourself, in most situations, you’ll likely be better off letting the body do its thing without the interference of ice.

When intimation is chronic condition, we recommend: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections 

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Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the economy was propped up by the Federal Reserve System. The central banks had reinflated the stock market, and while President Trump was boasting about a booming economy we were actually well on our way to an economic crash. It’s highly likely that an economic crash would have happened even without coronavirus, but whether or not it would have been as severe as it is now is debatable. With more people unemployed than during the time of the Great Depression, it is unlikely the economy will be quick to recover even if we do return to “normal”.

Noam Galai, Getty Images

In truth, the economy was a Fed-induced bubble before the pandemic. The central bank has managed to reinflate the stock market bubble despite the economic destruction, but it is nothing but a Fed-induced sugar high. And the economy won’t likely rebound quickly, even after things open up.

Nearly Half of Small Business Owners Expect to Close Down Permanently

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A recent survey conducted by a financial services company shows that nearly half (47%) of small businesses expect to close down permanently, and 41% say that they are looking for full-time work somewhere else. Less than half of small business owners that participated in the survey applied for PPP loans (38%) and 37% of those who did apply said the program was “slow to distribute funds”. Small businesses employ nearly 60 million Americans, accounting for 47% of America’s workforce. There are already several small businesses that have permanently closed leaving many unemployed. It is unlikely that the economy will be quick to recover without small businesses.

The water bottle brand Starkey, produced by Whole Foods, has tested positive for high levels of arsenic according to tests from Consumer Reports. Starkey water is sold by Whole Foods and is also available at Amazon.

Consumer Reports tested dozens of water bottle brands and found that Starkey water contained high levels of arsenic, ranging from 9.45 to 10.1 ppb (parts per billion). These numbers are nearly 3 times higher than any other water bottle brand tested and is very close to the federal regulations limit of 10 ppb. Data was collected from 4 samples of water, and only one sample tested above federal regulations.

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Arsenic is a dangerous heavy metal that has been linked to health problems such as a higher risk of cardio vascular disease, cancers, and lower IQ scores in children. Experts do not believe that the federal regulations for arsenic protect the health of the public.

A 2014 study in the journal Environmental Health found that an arsenic level of 5 ppb or greater in a child’s household water supply was associated with a 5- to 6-point reduction in IQ, compared with those who lived in homes that had arsenic levels below 5 ppb.

Bottled Water Made by Whole Foods and Sold on Amazon Contains High Levels of Arsenic

Many consumers are paying more for bottled water under the impression that it is safer. New Jersey and New Hampshire have both lowered the level of acceptable arsenic in water to 5 ppb. Many consumers would probably be surprised to know that there are stricter regulations for arsenic in tap water than bottled water. California requires distributors to disclose if their water has arsenic levels higher than 5 ppb.

To know what’s in your water you can look at the companies water quality tests reports. Consumer reports has compiled a list of more than 120 water bottle brands.

A recent study has shown that after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, transgender people were less likely to experience depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts than before surgery. Their improvement in mental state can still be seen, and oftentimes continues to increase several years post-op. Gender reassignment surgery is generally considered the last step for treatment of gender dysphoria. Before surgery patients take feminizing or masculinizing hormones to adjust external sexual features, but the hormones did not have the same effect on mental health as the surgery did.

Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune

Many transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals find comfort with their gender identity, role, and expression without surgery,” but for others, surgery is essential and medically necessary to alleviate their gender dysphoria,

Sex-reassignment surgery yields long-term mental health benefits, study finds

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Gender incongruent people within the study were six times more likely than the general population to visit doctors for mood and or anxiety disorders, three times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants, and six times as likely to be hospitalized for suicide attempts. These mental health problems diminished and continued to diminish the longer it had been since patients underwent surgery. The likelihood of treatment of an anxiety or mood disorder reduced 8% each year post-op for up to 10 years. Transgender people are still more in need of mental health care compared to the rest of the population, the research team suggests this is partly based on stigma, economic inequality, and victimization.

In today’s society, it’s proven to be much harder for the younger generation to accomplish things the older generation seemed to have an easy time with. Buying a house, finding a job, and now, staying skinny, are all significantly harder than they were in decades past.

A study done in 2016 by the Obesity Research and Clinical Practice journal shows that adults today have to work out more and eat less than adults 20-30 years ago to maintain the same weight. The study examined the diets of 36,400 Americans from 1971 to 2008 and the physical activity of 14,419 Americans between 1988 and 2006. The data showed that people in 2006 taking in the same number of calories and the same nutrients, as well as working out the same amount as someone in 1988 would have a BMI that was around 2.33 points higher.

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While the data shows that people today are heavier, it also shows that there are environmental changes that make it much harder to maintain the same weight as someone in decades past.

Unfortunately, while the mainstream media appears to be catching up to us, they’re not there yet. The study and another article that covered the study pointed towards numerous possibilities for our newfound weight gain but neglected to mention some of the more important ones.

Just what those other changes might be, though, are still a matter of hypothesis. In an interview, Kuk proffered three different factors that might be making it harder for adults today to stay thin.

Why It Was Easier to Be Skinny in the 1980s

First, the article points to chemicals that people are more regularly exposed to than they were in decades past. People are more widely exposed to pesticides, flame retardants, food packaging, and other chemicals that could be altering our hormonal process and the way we gain and maintain weight. While this is true, they don’t go into many of the more important toxins and chemicals that are causing weight gain, like vaccines. Data has shown a direct correlation between increases in vaccination and and weight gain.

Additionally, the study points to the use of prescription drugs which has rapidly increased since the ’70s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs today and are frequently linked to weight gain.

Lastly, the article talks about an increase in meat consumption as a cause of weight gain. Americans consume more meat than they did in the ’80s, and meat is more commonly treated with growth hormones and antibiotics. The article neglects to mention that most meat that comes from factory farms is raised on corn as opposed to grasses and other healthier alternatives.

While the article links antibiotics in animals to weight gain, it does not link an increase in human antibiotics to weight gain. Antibiotics destroy important gut bacteria that make it harder to maintain a healthy weight. The article suggests that our gut microbiome has “somehow changed” between the 1980s, and now without pointing out what might cause changes in gut health. Additionally, the article does not point to a rise in refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or glyphosate as reasons for our weight gain.

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A PHE (Public Health and Environment) report was released on Tuesday that confirmed COVID-19 disproportionately affects minorities. However, many have been quick to point out that the PHE has not acknowledged the cause of this problem.

Communities that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 tend to be in areas of higher air pollution. This has been shown in communities in the US, UK, and all over the world. Consequently, this puts these communities at higher risk for health problems that exasperate COVID-19. Air pollution causes an estimated 40,000 deaths a year in the UK alone (very close to the coronavirus death counts to date).

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“Air pollution is linked to diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, asthma attacks, and those with underlying health conditions are dying more from Covid-19,” she said. “So I expected the black and minority ethnic community to come out worse, because health inequalities are worst in the BAME community, let alone adding a lethal respiratory virus.

Omission of air pollution from report on Covid-19 and race ‘astonishing’

Many experts are surprised that the PHE report neglected to bring up air pollution as the cause for minorities being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The evidence that air pollution contributes to diminishing health in these communities is overwhelming.

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Prof Francesca Dominici, of Harvard University in the US, also said pollution was an important factor. “We have a large body of evidence that health risks associated with air pollution exposure are higher among ethnic minorities.” Her research has shown that even a small increase in previous pollution exposure is linked to an 8% rise in Covid-19 deaths.

Many have said it is irresponsible to leave out this information. To neglect to mention the fact that minorities are disproportionately affected because of air pollution perpetuates systemic racism. It sets a precedent that these communities are wholly responsible for their own circumstances despite the fact that they are continually oppressed by the system.