Since 2011 increases in life expectancy have slowed after decades of steady improvement

After World War II, we gradually saw an improvement in living conditions in Western Europe, Canada and the United States. After 1970, a large increase in elders made us hope that we could live longer.

When we were little, someone of 60 years was an old “bomma” or “bompa”. Many of us have been past that age for a while and are still seen as young, youthful men or women. Many 60 and 70 year olds are still very active in many areas.

In any case, it will not be easy for the younger generation to achieve a better quality of life than what the current 70 and 80-year-olds could enjoy.

The 20 to 40-year-olds already have to work with two, to keep their standard of living reasonable. For the twenties, it is no longer so easy to build a good standard of living. With two full-time workers, they have become modern slaves. That will certainly have consequences on their age pattern.

Life expectancy or the estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live is a hypothetical measure, assuming that the age-specific death rates for the year in question will apply throughout the lifetime of individuals born in that year.

Between 2018 and 2020 average life expectancy at birth in the UK was 79 years for men and 82.9 years for women, according to the ONS. However, since 2011 increases in life expectancy have slowed after decades of steady improvement, prompting much debate about the causes. And there is a fear that, while we are living longer, we’re not necessarily living better – spending many years in poor health, unnecessarily.

And yet, science, and some so-called superagers, are showing us that ageing is not as inevitable as we think.

Experts say the ageing process shouldn’t create big problems until your late 90s; here’s how to keep your body young

Read more about it:

The nine rules to follow if you want to live to 100

The Importance of Self-Care in Today’s Busy World

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To remember

• today’s fast-paced world = easy to get caught up in hustle & bustle of everyday life.
• constant demands from work, family, + social obligations = no wonder people often neglect their own self-care.
• self-care  = practice of taking deliberate actions to promote physical, mental, + emotional well-being
• = essential for overall health & well-being
• Self-care => reduce stress + prevent burnout + improve our overall quality of life

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Preceding

Doing more

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Also of interest

1. When You Wonder If Anyone Cares
2. 30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.
3. No time like the present
4. The Order of Time – by Carlo Rovelli
5. Shortness of time
6. The express train of the speeding time
7. Work and career a major focus of young adulthood
8. Spend time creating new blogs
9. Extra Time
10. If Today Was Your Last Day On Earth?

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Related

1. Self-Care on a Budget
2. Putting Yourself First: Overcoming People-Pleasing Tendencies
3. diary of a lost 21 year old
4. Spirituality and Acceptance: The Key to Finding Inner Peace
5. One Task At A Time
6. Seagull yoga and always wanting to be somewhere else
7. #ThinkPositive2023: Mar 27
8. Stop Cribbing, Start Living: How to Shift Your Mindset and Find Joy in Everyday Life
9. The Art of Slowing Down: Why is it so challenging?
10. Qi Gong
11. Christine tricks herself into more mobility exercises
12. Natural Health. Bristol April 8th
13. Sibling Bonding
14. The Future is Bright
15. To-Do Lists
16. I’ll do it later
17. The Importance of Self-Care in Today’s Busy World
18. Healing
19. Ways To Shift From I Can’t To I Can
20. Be Your Own #1

Raising Me

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With constant demands from work, family, and social obligations, it’s no wonder that people often neglect their own self-care. However, taking care of oneself is crucial for overall health and well-being. In this post, we’ll discuss the importance of self-care and offer tips for incorporating it into your daily routine.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is the practice of taking deliberate actions to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves making choices that prioritize your own health and happiness. Self-care can take many forms, including exercise, healthy eating, sleep, relaxation, and socializing with loved ones.

Why is Self-Care Important?

Self-care is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it helps to reduce stress and prevent burnout. When we neglect our own needs, we become more vulnerable to the effects…

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Doing more

Much too often people forget the importance of self-care.

All too often, people spend a lot of energy on the work they have to do to earn a living. In most cases, they even go so far as to sacrifice themselves. And then things can’t help but go wrong. With the visible results in our current society where we encounter so many people with burnouts and end up in sick care.

As cited, we may assume that we can rebound a ball and by taking good care of ourselves we can also take care of those around us.

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To remember

• practising self-care = essential for maintaining physical, mental + emotional health

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Preceding

Creating Community and Togetherness

To nurture your relationships

That Tiny Eyes Girl

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Also of interest

1. When You Wonder If Anyone Cares
2. 30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.
3. No time like the present
4. The Order of Time – by Carlo Rovelli
5. Shortness of time
6. The express train of the speeding time
7. Work and career a major focus of young adulthood
8. Spend time creating new blogs
9. Extra Time
10. If Today Was Your Last Day On Earth?

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Related

1. Self-Care on a Budget
2. Putting Yourself First: Overcoming People-Pleasing Tendencies
3. diary of a lost 21 year old
4. Spirituality and Acceptance: The Key to Finding Inner Peace
5. One Task At A Time
6. Seagull yoga and always wanting to be somewhere else
7. #ThinkPositive2023: Mar 27
8. Stop Cribbing, Start Living: How to Shift Your Mindset and Find Joy in Everyday Life
9. The Art of Slowing Down: Why is it so challenging?
10. Qi Gong
11. Christine tricks herself into more mobility exercises
12. Natural Health. Bristol April 8th
13. Sibling Bonding
14. The Future is Bright
15. The Importance of Maternal Mental Health
16. To-Do Lists
17. I’ll do it later
18. The Importance of Self-Care in Today’s Busy World
19. Healing
20. Ways To Shift From I Can’t To I Can
21. Be Your Own #1

My blog full of dreams and thoughts

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Taking time for myself and practicing self-care is essential for maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health. It allows me to recharge and refocus, reducing stress levels and improving my overall well-being. Practicing self-care can take many forms, such as exercise, meditation, spending time in nature, or indulging in my favorite hobbies. By prioritizing self-care, I care for those around me.

#self-care #be you

View original post

Self versus Perceived Self

Critical Digest Room

For the purpose of introduction, the self is a common concept that is either privately or generally perceived and conceived.

Talking about private or generic perceptions of self, what is the self?

Many premises have been laid on this concept. Some view it as a representation of a person. Others see it as intrinsic features that constitute an individual. For this context, the self is a subjective view of a person and their social, religious and political standings.

Well, that’s by the way.
Let’s come down to private and public perceptions of self: do people see you the way you see yourself?

Self and personality are two concepts that hardly correspond to people’s views.

In consequence, there is usually a floating ego that earns no penny.

Here are the points:

1. You are not always who you think you are. You may think you are dedicated to your students or the…

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The Necessity of Rest

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To remember

• time physically away = luxury
• sabbath in rhythmic rejuvenation sense = regular rhythms of rest > to make space one day a week
• Our society = a go-go-go society
• we work best when we take the time to rest
• choosing to rest one day a week = don’t keep pace with others who are willing to prioritize work over all else
• life = marathon
• no end > tasks to be done
• we are the ones to protect quality of our rest
• digital world cannibalizes time
• Freedom =/=  absence of restrictions as finding the right ones > those that fit with the realities of our own nature and those of the world

Grace Begets Beauty

“Now I know that the best thing I can offer this world is not my force, but a well-tended spirit, a wise and brave soul.”

Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect

The dust has just settled from some glorious time on a vacation away from my phone. It was the kind of magical family affair out in the forest, miles from town, without cell service. The kind where the windows are perpetually open to let in the mountain breeze, and there was not the same frenetic keeping track of others as we so often have in our perpetually connected society. If someone wanted to go out, they went out – to run, walk, fish, hammock, or otherwise. Or if they wanted to stay in, they read on the porch, played a board game, puttered in the kitchen, or took a nap. There was no checking in, no “where are you’s”, simply …

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Danger of drugs – turning into a habit

“And then sort of dabbling. And then it just turns into a habit that you do once a week and then once a day and then, like, twice a day and then, like, without booze. It just became bad vibes.”

– Ed Sheeran has spoken candidly about his former drug habit and the circumstances that caused him to quit, along with the moment he also chose to limit his consumption of alcohol.  Read more here

Aeronautics, TikTok and Life stories

My search for female gardeners’ life stories helped me combat loneliness – and make great friends I was lonely after lockdown and wanted to know why women gardened so wrote to those I admired. Now I have a host of new friends from different generations and backgrounds Full story here

Star players – how Kerbal Space Program’s little green aliens are helping the space flight experts of the future It may be just a game but some players have gone on to careers in physics, engineering and aeronautics. Now the team behind Kerbal Space Program 2 is working with the European Space Agency to make it even more realistic Full story here

What makes me happy now: gymnastics at midlife A novelist’s childhood passion came back with a vengeance – there is nothing like the thrill of a new skill, that combination of speed, timing, muscles, guts Full story here

Brazilian TikToker goes viral showing the ‘cheerfulness of the favela’ Raphael Vicente, who has 3 million followers, wants to show that there is much more to favelas than crime and poverty Full story here

‘Mmm, straight back to the 70s!’ Writers revisit the foods they loved as kids, from Smash to Angel Delight Arctic rolls are back on the menu, with sales up more than 140% at Ocado. But which other retro delights deserve a comeback? We taste-test some old favourites Full story here

Levels of sound and visceral fat

Three stories you should read today Three easy ways to reduce belly fat (and they don’t include exercising) There are simple changes to your diet that will help you avoid the dreaded middle-age spread. Try these three dietary strategies for visceral weight loss. Faddy diets often claim to target belly fat, also known as visceral fat, but no diet can guarantee weight loss in a specific area. What we do know is that some foods promote greater visceral weight gain than others, so here are three dietary strategies to help avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread. ‘I taught Peloton classes while having chemotherapy for breast cancer’ Driven by personal tragedy, star instructor Leanne Hainsby explains how she kept up her high-pressure routine alongside gruelling treatments. This time last year, the life of Leanne Hainsby, 35, looked charmed. As the UK’s most popular cycling instructor on the global fitness platform Peloton, she’s young, beautiful and has the effervescent charisma needed to shine through a touchscreen and motivate the millions who take her weekly spin classes. When Peloton’s popularity surged during the 2020 lockdown, so did Leanne’s. Her Instagram numbers exploded, along with the keen interest in her life off of the stationary bike. Why the headphone generation are at risk of dementia Hearing loss is now affecting younger age groups, but they are ignoring the problems. Find out what you can do to maintain your hearing.“We are much more adapted to low-level and gentle sounds as a natural survival tool, so when we introduce artificially loud sound through headphones, we can damage our ears.”Any level of sound at or over 85 decibels can be harmful to the ears, especially over long periods, she warns. “Music through headphones at maximum volume is 100 to 110 decibels, and listening for long periods can lead to significant hearing loss.” If you do use headphones, she adds, take 15-minute breaks, and never use them for more than an hour at a time.

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Forget signing up to the gym and hours of cardio – there is an easier route to a better body

Want a younger, feel-good body? There’s a vital component most are neglecting, and it can slash years off your ‘metabolic age’.

To help you out today

	Struggling to get a good night’s rest? One sleep expert shares their secrets for better slumber, from evening exercise to early dinner and screen time.
	Prince Harry says cannabis helps him deal with anxiety, but some say the drug can lead to dependence and even psychosis. Read what mental health experts think about cannabis.
	If you can’t get a GP appointment, some at-home tests might be life-savers – but others are more trouble than they’re worth. Here are the health kits worth investing in.
	‘My husband’s a central heating dictator’: Our anonymous author’s husband has taken extreme measures in response to the spiralling energy bills. Read the full story here.

How to cure cold in just one day

It is the time of the colds, so perhaps some interesting advice to cure a cold.

Remember

• to take plenty of rest
• Drink plenty of fluids (think about Sage tea)
• keep the air moist + easier to breathe and reducing congestion
• we would not advice over-the-counter medications, like the article writer does. In case you want to take some drugs, use homoeopathic and/or phytotherapeutic drugs
• Gargle with salt water + use a saltwater spray for the nose

PrepYourSelf_stories

How to cure cold in just one day

Curing a cold in just one day is generally not possible, as it is a viral infection that typically takes a few days to a week to run its course. However, there are some steps you can take to alleviate the symptoms and speed up the recovery process:

Rest: Get plenty of rest to help your body fight off the infection and recover more quickly.

Hydrate: Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, tea, and soup, to help keep your body hydrated and loosen mucus.

Use a humidifier: A humidifier can help keep the air moist, making it easier to breathe and reducing congestion.

Over-the-counter medications: Taking over-the-counter medications such as pain relievers, decongestants, and cough suppressants can help alleviate symptoms such as fever, congestion, and cough.

Gargle with salt water: Gargling with warm salt water can help soothe a sore throat…

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Food for the kids

As a parent one would love to give the best food for the children. Though the food on offer for babies is not always up to expectations.

A study of children’s diets in eight countries found that under-5s in the UK have the highest consumption rate of mass-produced, ready-made foods, with these products making up nearly two thirds of British children’s average energy intake.

When looking at the food presented on the shelves in the supermarket, so many products promise all the best for babies or for children to grow up. Research by University College London (UCL) revealed that fruit juices and smoothies were the chief culprits, with experts warning that deceptive labelling is fooling parents into buying items which are packed full of sugar.

Child-nutrition experts have expressed concerns that consuming such foods from an early age could set habits for life, fuelling the risk of deadly diseases.

Research has already linked ultra-processed children’s foods – such as baby biscuits, puff and stick-style crisps, purée pouches and ready meals – with weight gain and growth problems.

Such foods are made by industrial processing and can contain additives such as flavourings, emulsifiers, colourings and preservatives. They typically contain less nutrients and more calories, sugar and salt than less-processed options.

For sure there should be better rules imposed for clearer nutrition information on these foods to make parents aware of the hidden sugar. It is misleading and unhelpful for products to make claims such as ‘no added sugar’, when the product contains high levels of naturally occurring free sugars because it has been processed (e.g. concentrated fruit juice).

“Much of children’s daily sugar intake is hidden in packaged and ultra-processed foods, many of which are marketed as healthy,”

Lisa Heggie, lead researcher on the study at UCL, said, warning that some yoghurts contain up to four teaspoons of sugar.

A new report by First Steps Nutrition Trust, due to be published this spring, will warn of concerns about the diets of British children and call for action to reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods.

It will highlight research comparing the diets of more than 66,000 children in eight countries, including the UK, USA, Australia, Brazil and Mexico, carried out by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo. Brazil.

The study, published in the journal Obesity Reviews, found 61 per cent of the energy intake of British children aged two to five years old came from ultra-processed foods.

Preschool children in the UK had the highest consumption of processed foods of all the countries studied, ahead of the USA, at 58 per cent, and Australia, at 47 per cent.

Vicky Sibson, the charity’s director, said:

“Ultra-processed foods dominate the diets of infants and young children in the UK and there are several good reasons to be concerned about this.”

Previous research comparing 19 countries in Europe had already found that Britain’s shopping baskets contain the highest proportion of ultra-processed foods. A 2017 study found 50.7 per cent of the UK shopping basket was ultra-processed foods, compared with 14.2 per cent in France and 13.4 per cent in Italy.

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Find to read more about it:

Children eat three times as much sugar as they should do

British toddlers’ diet among worst in world, experts warn

Sugar tax may have prevented 5,000 young girls from becoming obese

Worries for parents in America Today

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid reports of a growing youth mental health crisis, four-in-ten U.S. parents with children younger than 18 say they are extremely or very worried that their children might struggle with anxiety or depression at some point. In fact, mental health concerns top the list of parental worries, followed by 35% who are similarly concerned about their children being bullied, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. These items trump parents’ concerns about certain physical threats to their children, the dangers of drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy and getting in trouble with the police.

Parenting a child of any age is tough—”the toughest job you’ll ever love,” to quote a line from the Peace Corps — but parenting a teenager can be challenging on a whole other level. It’s as if the day your first child turns 13, you get a force-fed dose of Morpheus’ “red pill,” causing you to fall down the rabbit hole of The Matrix and into a disorienting reality where every aspect of your psychological existence is not as it seems.

When asked about their aspirations for their children when they reach adulthood, parents prioritize financial independence and career satisfaction. Roughly nine-in-ten parents say it’s extremely or very important to them that their children be financially independent when they are adults, and the same share say it’s equally important that their children have jobs or careers they enjoy. About four-in-ten (41%) say it’s extremely or very important to them that their children earn a college degree, while smaller shares place a lot of importance on their children eventually becoming parents (20%) and getting married (21%).

There are sharp differences by race and ethnicity when it comes to the importance parents place on their children graduating from college: 70% of Asian parents say this is extremely or very important to them, compared with 57% of Hispanic parents, 51% of Black parents, and just 29% of White parents.

In a nod to the adage about family life that parenting is the hardest job in the world, most parents (62%) say being a parent has been at least somewhat harder than they expected, with about a quarter (26%) saying it’s been a lot harder. This is especially true of mothers, 30% of whom say being a parent has been a lot harder than they expected (compared with 20% of fathers).

At the same time, most parents give themselves high marks for the job they’re doing, with 64% saying they do an excellent or very good job as a parent; 32% say they do a good job, while just 4% say they do an only fair or poor job as a parent. Mothers and fathers give themselves similarly high ratings, but there are differences by income and by race and ethnicity (upper-income and Black and White parents are the most likely to say they do an excellent or very good job).

 

Come to read more:

Parenting in America Today

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Teenager

Just retiring at 91

91-year-old crossing guard retires after decades of service

In the more than four decades she spent as a crossing guard, Louise Kobs, 91, helped countless children in Levittown, New York, get to and from school safely. “It was the greatest job,” Kobs told WABC. “I love it very much.” The great-grandmother was 50 years old when she started working as a crossing guard, and her son, Kevin, said her family spent years asking her to retire, but she kept telling them no. Finally, she decided it was time, and on Jan. 24, her last day at work, Nassau County declared it “Louise T. Kobs Day.” People came out in droves to celebrate her, stopping Kobs to give her flowers and hugs. She was “a staple of the neighbourhood,” one parent told WABC, and another said she “always brightens your day.” Several parents shared that she helped them cross the street back in the ’80s and ’90s, and while it won’t be the same without her, Kobs won’t be too far away — she intends to keep volunteering at her church and at the local police department. [WABC]

The reason your constant cough will not budge

The Covid pandemic has made us armchair experts on our own health, but we risk becoming a nation of hypochondriacs.

In pre-pandemic times, you’d never have called the office and said:

“Sorry, I’ve got a bad case of human rhinovirus A.”

A cold was a cold, and you’d probably have gone into work coughing and spluttering. Now we have swung to the other extreme: not only would a tickle in the throat make us think twice about leaving the house, but we’re armchair experts on precisely what variant of the coronavirus we think has infected us.

Psychologists agree that many of us have become more focused on our own health and are worrying over the meaning of each cough or sniffle in case it turns out to be something with a scary scientific name.

“We are sensitised to these symptoms and it causes us a shock of the stress hormone cortisol,”

says clinical psychologist Linda Blair.

“We’re overreacting and many people will then catastrophise.”

This January weekly data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has found high rates of flu and other respiratory viruses.

Prof Hawthorne said:

“It’s not clear why some of the current respiratory infections going around do seem to be lasting longer than usual – this has been noticed by doctors as well as patients, but we are not entirely sure why this is happening.

If you have had a constant cough this winter that you cannot budge, you are not alone. A royal college has warned that coughs that will not go away may actually be one infection following another after social distancing weakened the nation’s immunity. Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said doctors have observed that respiratory infections seems to be lasting longer than usual. Coughs that won’t go away may be one infection after another, after social distancing weakened the nation’s immunity, a royal college has warned.

 

Health editor Laura Donnelly explains when coughs should be investigated.

All Children Deserve Far Better Than What This World Frequently Throws At Them

“The way a society functions is a reflection of the childrearing practices of that society. Today we reap what we have sown. Despite the well-documented critical nature of early life experiences, we dedicate few resources to this time of life. We do not educate our children about child development, parenting, or the impact of neglect and trauma on children.”

—Dr. Bruce D. Perry, Ph.D. & Dr. John Marcellus

“This is the most important job we have to do as humans and as citizens … If we offer classes in auto mechanics and civics, why not parenting? A lot of what happens to children that’s bad derives from ignorance … Parents go by folklore, or by what they’ve heard, or by their instincts, all of which can be very wrong.”

—Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

“It’s only after children have been discovered to be severely battered that their parents are forced to take a childrearing course as a condition of regaining custody. That’s much like requiring no license or driver’s ed[ucation] to drive a car, then waiting until drivers injure or kill someone before demanding that they learn how to drive.”

—Myriam Miedzian, Ph.D.

All Children Deserve Far Better Than What This World Frequently Throws At Them

To remember:

• The author of Childhood Disrupted says: “[Even] well-meaning and loving parents can unintentionally do harm to a child if they are not well informed about human development” (pg.24).
• stress over having their parents angry at them for prolonged periods of time
• the health of all children needs to be of real importance to everyone
• along with the K-12 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity curriculum already taught (at least in Canadian public schools), cerebral diversity curriculum could also be implemented.
• ASD people, including higher functioning autistics, are often deemed willfully ‘difficult’ and socially incongruent > y feel compelled to “camouflage” or “mask => disproportionately high rate of suicide among ASD people
• a physically and mentally sound future should be every child’s fundamental right

2023 February 06 – Stories about health we think you should read

Five health treatments you should go private for With the NHS in crisis and its waiting lists growing longer, more people are taking control of where and when they have procedures. Learn more

The telltale signs that you’re completely drained – and how to recharge Feeling low and lost your get-up-and-go? This science-backed guide has the solutions you need for reigniting your spark. Get the tips

Why HRT may have health benefits beyond menopause Research shows HRT could help prevent Alzhemer’s in at-risk women – so should it be available as a pre-emptive health measure?A new study published in the Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy suggests HRT may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease in millions of women at risk of developing the condition, which has prompted a ripple of excitement in the world of women’s health. Instead of simply being a go-to remedy for hot flashes, brain fog and joint pain, should HRT be used as a preventative health measure? Instead of thinking of HRT as a replacement therapy, Dr Newson believes it should be considered a ‘hormone support treatment’ with the new, safer formulations enabling individual patients having access to it earlier as a preventative measure if they wish, rather than simply as a treatment only for menopause symptoms. Read on

	‘My symptoms seemed embarrassingly trivial – then I was diagnosed with MS at 49’. In his new book, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the shock of having a life-changing illness.
	How do you know which symptoms to take seriously? We ask the experts which health conditions warrant a trip to A&E and which are the ones that don’t. Read the list.
	With more and more young people choosing to cut their alcohol intake, could drinking go the same way as smoking? Boudicca Fox-Leonard investigates.
	‘My wife is fitter than ever while I’ve let myself go’. Our anonymous author feels fat, grumpy and old before his time – but can’t face the effort needed to get himself fit. Read more.

The Whale | What we can learn about morbid obesity from UK’s fattest man

How the typical British diet is fuelling the risk of cancer It is well known that processed foods are unhealthy, but a new study provides the most compelling evidence yet. Laura Donnelly, our Health Editor, explains how half of the items in everyday British diets are adding to our risk of developing cancer and reveals the biggest culprits – some of which may surprise you.

Health | The lessons I learnt from doing Dry January

British Columbia Vancouver just legalised possession of heroin and crack cocaine – this is what it looked like on the ground By Jamie Johnson, US Correspondent, in VANCOUVER I had been in Canada for less than 45 minutes when I came upon a desperate scene. A drug addict laying on the ground inside Vancouver’s Waterfront underground station, being treated by paramedics. He groaned as they rolled him over. Commuters kept walking. Vancouver is widely regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world – and for many it is. A bustling centre, burgeoning food scene, reliable public transport, nature on the doorstep and skiing nearby – it has it all. But the province in which it sits, British Columbia, has just decriminalised hard drugs. Adults in possession of 2.5g or less of heroin, crack cocaine, fentanyl or ecstacy will not be arrested and will not have their substances seized. For those who live on the periphery of society, this liberal attitude appears to be both a blessing and a curse. Addicts will not be punished for their actions, but the new law introduces no measures to help them become sober or make the drugs they are taking safer. An article describing East Hastings street in the Vancouver Sun was headlined: “Welcome to Hell.” I still wasn’t prepared for what it looked like up close. A small packet of crack cocaine CREDIT: Jamie Johnson/Daily Telegraph Just one block in, crouched in an alleyway, a crouched hooded man searched for a vein. He stabbed at it with a needle before plunging it in. I checked my watch. It still wasn’t 8am. Soon after I met Nicola, a blonde 40-something who had been hooked on drugs since she was a teenager. More placid than her neighbours, we started to talk as she pulled out a small plastic bag containing crack cocaine. It was an orderly process: place a small ‘rock’ on a piece of foil. Heat it from below using a blowtorch lighter. Inhale the vapour and fumes through a plastic tube. I reached out and asked to hold the bag. Being in possession, according to the new regulations, wasn’t a criminal act. After handing it back, raised voices boomed. Two men were fighting over a lighter ending with one pulling out a kitchen knife. I turned to leave, a syringe crunched under my foot. Justin Trudeau’s government insists the new drug laws will help, it’s just not clear yet who.

‘I’m holding crack cocaine in my hand – but in Vancouver, the police don’t care.’ Thanks to a radical new policy introduced by British Columbia, one of Canada’s most liberal provinces, adults in possession of 2.5g of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine or ecstasy will not be arrested or even have their drugs seized. More than 11,000 British Columbians have died from drug overdoses since a public health emergency was declared in 2016. That’s six people a day for six years in this province of just five million people.

Typical British diet fuelling the risk of cancer

Scientists said common daily fare – including most breakfast cereals, breads, snacks and convenience meals – appears to be endangering the nation’s health.

Researchers said the latest study by Imperial College London is the most comprehensive yet, involving almost 200,000 people aged between 40 and 69 who were tracked for over a decade, against the risks of 34 types of cancer.

They said the findings were particularly concerning because of the “exceptionally high” intake of processed foods in the British diet – making up around half of daily calories. Already years we do know that processed foods, or simply foods that have undergone a change – been processed, in fact – so-called to make them more digestible, or safer, or to preserve them, are not healthy at all. Though still, lots of people prefer to eat white bread instead of whole grain brown bread.

This recent study showed that for every 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food in a person’s diet, the chance of cancer rose by two per cent, while cancer death rates were six per cent higher.

Some of the sharpest rises were seen in breast and ovarian disease, where cancer mortality was respectively increased by 16 and 30 per cent.

Researcher Dr Kiara Chang said:

“The average person in the UK consumes more than half of their daily energy intake from ultra-processed foods.

“This is exceptionally high and concerning as ultra-processed foods are produced with industrially derived ingredients and often use food additives to adjust colour, flavour, consistency, texture, or extend shelf-life.”

Avoiding the most obvious examples of ultra-processed (UPF) isn’t all you need to do. Choosing supposedly healthy options such as higher-protein snacks, vegan meat substitutes and low-fat dairy products means you’re in danger of consuming food with lower nutrition.

When buying our food, we should pay more attention to the nutri-caloric value and check that there are no avoidable additives added to the product to be purchased. Much too often the factories like to present several claims on the packing which should get us the impression their product is ‘healthy’.

Researchers called for warning labels to be placed on processed foods, urging people to limit their intake, and said the sugar tax should be extended to cover more processed products.

The most commonly eaten ultra-processed foods in the UK are shop-bought mass-produced bread, ready meals, various breakfast cereals, reconstituted meat products such as ham, sweets, and shop-bought biscuits, buns and cakes, all, of which can be found too much sugar and also too much salt.

Previous studies have suggested a link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease, as well as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

In the new study, published in eClinicalMedicine, the team used UK Biobank data to examine the diets of 197,426 people. Their health was tracked over a decade and their risk of developing cancer or dying from it was also analysed.

The study found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing cancer overall, and specifically ovarian and brain cancers. It was also associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer, most notably  ovarian and breast cancers.

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Related

1. To Eat or to Not-Eat
2. We eat to forget. Then we eat for relief.
3. Pawns in the Game
4. Sugar and Big Food
5. 1908 – How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket (podcast 2020)
6. Processed foods under the spotlight
7. What To Think About When It Comes To Faux Meat
8. Alert! Soft drinks, instant noodles harming human, planetary health
9. Do You Eat Ultra-Processed Foods?
10. Processed Meats are Hazardous to Your Health
11. White Bean Burgers with Not-So-Secret Sauce
12. Eating ultra-processed foods could be associated with cognitive decline, study suggests
13. Ultra-processed foods should be central to global food systems dialogue and action on biodiversity
14. The common pantry foods that may be destroying your mood
15. The diet foods and drinks that could make you fatter as prominent health expert professor Tim Spector warns against ultra-processed foods.
16. Ultra-processed Foods and Health
17. It’s time to talk foods and diets not nutrients and rethink malnutrition says Dr Gyorgy Scrinis
18. How junk food ads mislead health claims
19. Article – Study on the regulatory process for the labeling of ultra-processed foods: the Colombian case
20. For healthy eating, Indians want a red label on packages to identify ultra-processed food: Survey
21. Ultra-processed food and your brain

Why did experiencing mental illness make me question becoming a mum?

When Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett weighed up the decision to have a child, she found herself frightened by the prospect of being a parent who’d struggled with mental health – and may struggle again

Why did experiencing mental illness make me question becoming a mum?

It is often said that we are in a mental illness epidemic. Such language is sensationalist, but there is no denying that the world in which we live doesn’t always seem designed to facilitate psychological wellbeing. One in four of us will experience mental illness in our lifetimes, and the conversation around it is increasingly open, writes Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett. For my generation, there is far less shame attached to “admitting” that you have experienced anxiety and depression (though it is worth noting that there are other mental health conditions that are far more stigmatised), or have seen a therapist, or are taking medication. This can only be a good thing, and when I suffered my own bouts of mental illness – two episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder in my twenties – I was moved but not surprised by how many friends and relatives opened up about their own struggles. There was one part of life, however, where I did feel that historical stigma, and that was when I was weighing up whether or not to become a parent. Parenthood, after all, would mean being totally responsible for the life and wellbeing of a child, and I was haunted by the idea that I might negatively impact that child’s life were I to become unwell again.

For the full story click here >

A key to effortless weight loss

After the Winter holidays, lots of people have the intention of the new year to lose some weight.

You may be disappointed to learn that despite the $255 billion global diet industry, £2 billion in the UK, objective studies show broad agreement that diets don’t work.

“I would agree with that,”

says Trine Balsvik,

“Eating less, focussing only on calories, it’s the worst, depressing, infuriating. Totally miserable. That’s not a life.”

Do you eat your evening meal early at 6pm or, like many of those who live in the Mediterranean, later at closer to 9pm?

New research shows that avoiding late eating could be an effective (and pain-free) way to lose weight for good. Kate Spicer explains the benefits of sticking to an eating “window” – and has some top tips for old-fashioned early suppers.

Depression, High cholesterol, heart attack risk and happiness matters

Three stories you should read today ‘How I’m reducing my heart attack risk – and you can too’ Now is not the time to be rushed to A&E with cardiac issues, so what can we do to reduce our risk? Liz Hoggard has the answers Statins help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. They reduce the amount of cholesterol laid down in the wall and stabilise plaques and furring up the arteries. But they can’t instantly reverse a process that has been going on for decades. Seven lessons from the world’s longest-running study on happiness Starting in the 1930s, researchers tracked the mood of 700 people throughout their lives. Here’s what they learned Ask any group of people what they want out of life – or what they want for their children’s futures – and most will reply, “Happiness”. We are a complicated species that desperately wants contentment, while being remarkably bad at knowing how to get it. Just look around us: adverts promise that a happy life can be bought with the perfect holiday, the perfect wedding or the perfect house, while our culture suggests that fulfilment comes from finding professional success while building the ideal 2.4 family. Enter The Good Life, a book that uses hard science to debunk much of that. ‘Chinese yoga helped me lose three stone and freed me from pain’ Manuela Roche was struggling with body confidence and had lost direction – but a Qigong class changed everything Friends suggested I try Qigong classes – a Chinese form of yoga – run by a Chinese Practitioner called Katie Brindle on Instagram. I felt the benefits after the first class. I loved the slow movement, the connection back to breath and the emphasis on mindfulness – it was the focus I needed.

‘What I wish I’d known before my daughter became depressed’

As increasing numbers of children and teenagers struggle with their mental health, we reveal what parents can do to help. Parenting a depressed or anxious child can be frightening, frustrating, traumatic and exhausting.  Understanding that their behaviours are neither your fault nor your child’s can really help, especially given the latest stats. Child referrals for serious mental health problems in England rose by 39 per cent last year – and in parts of the country, the waiting period for the first assessment is over a year. Ian Williamson, child and adolescent psychologist and author of parenting guide We Need to Talk, says the reasons for this rise are complex. “Lockdowns saw children losing 18 months of social development,” he says. “Social media now brings all sorts of pressures.”

Are School Curriculums Promoting Gender Stereotypes?

There is always a certain way of life associated with certain times. Each people have their own traditions and moral standards, which can also change a lot over the years.

The Beatles in 1964, the awesome four whose hairstyle was considered much too long and not for boys.

In Western Europe, it was so unheard of in the 50s–60s for girls to wear skirts shorter than calf height. Boys, on the other hand, were supposed to keep their hair very short. There were a lot of arguments when boys wished to wear their hair as long (if even still very short) as the Beatles’ hair.

As youngsters, we still saw our father walking in a swimming costume that covered the chest completely and came to half the thigh. Short bathing panties were also unheard of for us.

In our hippie years, we did a lot of work to change certain norms and values. But in certain areas, it still took years before society was open to valuing women and certain gender groups.

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To remember

• irrational body standards set by our institutions + how they influence our perception – of both societies as well as ourselves.
• primary school played a huge role in making young girls feel uncomfortable in their bodies.
• bothering of female students begins with onset of their menstrual cycle
• unsaid mathematical equation > length of skirt = directly proportional to immoral attitude
• access to sports was heavily shriveled
• straight boys not spared
• teachers insulting boys for wearing earrings to school
• stereotyping = boys, on average, understand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) better <> girls perform better in reading, writing + handicraft => classroom discourses > similar behaviour among kids – each student showing conformity to their respective gender roles.
• National Curriculum Framework 2005 prioritizes gender-sensitive education = means of attaining quality education. CBSE, acting under NCERT’s directives> designed kit on gender sensitivity => practice gender-sensitive learning => journey towards a gender-sensitive culture

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Preceding

Gender, genderless, androgyny, bisexuality, cisgender and transgender

Study says highlighting gender leads to stereotypes

Do the concepts of male and female need to have a formal official definition

Trans extremism, trans ideology, genderless a.o. categories and TERFs

The dilemma of gender neutrality

She/Her – They/Them – Person

The Concept of Gender Neutrality and You

The World of ‘Men’?

Gender Neutrality

For those who think there are no gender neutral people or that there is no reason to change gender

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Additional reading

1. Parenthood made more difficult
2. Anniversary of the 19th Amendment still a long way to go
3. 2014 Human Rights
4. 2015 Human rights
5. Added commentary to the posting A Progressive Call to Arms
6. Gender equality and women’s rights in the post-2015 agenda
7. Establishment of a European Pillar of Social Rights
8. Living in this world and viewing it
9. The focus of multiculturalism in Europe on Muslims and Jews
10. Grow strong in weakness
11. Happiness mapping and getting over gender mapping
12. Need to Embrace People Where They Are
13. Trusting present youngsters who are not necessary evil
14. Secularisation and Assignments given for all people
15. Going for sustainable development
16. Today’s thought “The times of ignorance” (November 5)
17. Intermarriage and Protecting the state of the Jewish and/or Jeshuaist family

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Related

1. No Mates
2. World Economic Forum Selects UAE Gender Balance Council As Knowledge Partner To Advance Gender Balance Globally
3. Canadian dad rips school board for sexually explicit book available to young children, gender policies
4. Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon set for months of legal battles over decision to block gender Bill
5. Scotland vows to challenge UK in court over gender law veto
6. Gender Recognition Veto Pulls Trans People Into Crisis ‘They Did Not Ask For’, MPs Warn
7. Scotland’s gender recognition bill halted by U.K.: What to know
8. UK Government Vetoes Scotland’s Law Makers: Reaction Roundup
9. U.K. blocks Scottish gender ID bill
10. Labour peer expertly explains why blocking Scotland’s gender bill is completely unjustified
11. Mario Lopez Criticized For Transgender Remarks: A Christian Response to Cultural Backlash
12. New WV Obscenity Bill Would Jail People For “Transgender Exposure” To Minors
13. Gender Neutral Uniforms, Safe Washrooms: NCERT’s Manual for Schools on Transgender Students
14. How & Why To Talk To Your Kids About Gender Identity
15. New York Times admits that hundreds of ‘top surgeries’ are being performed on children:…
16. American Girl publishes guidebook encouraging transgender puberty blockers
17. Six Questions EVERYONE Should Answer About Sex (and 5 To Stop Asking Sexual and Gender Minorities)
18. Agender – What does that mean?
19. Is Non-Binary the Future of Gender?
20. Practicing What You Preach
21. Horse by Chase Twichell
22. N.B. vintage clothing shop embraces gender neutrality and body positivity
23. Competitiveness and gender
24. South Africa commission for gender equality appoints new CEO
25. The Future of Gender
26. Framing Agnes, Chase Joynt’s Radical and Inventive Trans History Doc
27. Never Criticize Everyone, Be Specific
28. The Procrastinating Progress of Transnational Same-Sex Marriage Rights in Taiwan
29. More Female Journalists Ensure Better Feminist Perspectives In Journalism

Epiphany

By – Arusha upadhyay

One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.

-Malala Yousafzai

Like a lot of us, the lockdown provided me with a chance to ponder over the irrational body standards set by our institutions and how they influence our perception – of both societies as well as ourselves.

My primary school played a huge role in making me and other young girls feel uncomfortable in their bodies. Like most educational institutions, my school associated shame with a spotted skirt or a short-length skirt and normalized the usage of sexist and homophobic slurs. Our sports teacher would often stop girls who wore “short skirts” from playing on the pretext of “what if a guy saw you in this skirt?” My school never had a female cricket or football team, and even the little access to sports was heavily shriveled. This led to an…

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