Archive for the ‘Hormone Physician’ Category

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Estrogen, Human Growth), by Route Of Administration (Oral, Parenteral), by Type Of Disease, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global hormone replacement therapy market size is expected to reach USD 39.6 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 7.7%. A significant rise in the incidence rate of hormonal disorders in the newborns, adults, and elderly and populations is driving the market. The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) affects one in every 15,000 newborns, thereby boosting the demand for the therapy.

Estrogen replacement hormone therapy helps in reducing the vaginal indications of menopause, such as dryness, burning, itching, and pain during intercourse. Estrogen is available in the forms of pill, gel, skin patch, cream or spray form. It is highly successful for treating problematic menopausal night sweats and hot flashes. Around 45% of women between the ages of 40 to 60 years of age were reported taking counseling sessions from a physician regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause.

Growing awareness about menopausal signs and the treatment options is growing the HRT market. Owing to the significant development for ERT, there has been an initiation of very safe treatment options for the patients situated in various geographies of the world. For example, augmentation of innovative drug delivery systems like transdermal estrogen patches and vaginal estrogen drugs.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Methodology and Scope

2. Executive Summary

2.1 Market Outlook

2.2 Segment Outlook

2.2.1 Product

2.2.2 Route of Administration

2.2.3 Type of Disease

2.2.4 Region

2.3 Competitive Insights

3. Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.2.1 Market Driver Analysis

3.2.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.3 Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Business Environment Analysis Tools

3.3.1 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.3.2 PESTEL Analysis

4. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Product Analysis

4.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Product Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 2027

4.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Product Market: Segment Dashboard

4.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Product Segment

4.3.1 Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy

4.3.2 HGH Replacement Therapy

4.3.3 Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy

4.3.4 Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy

5. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Route of Administration Analysis

5.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Route of Administration Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 2027

5.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Route of Administration Market: Segment Dashboard

5.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Route of Administration Segment

5.3.1 Oral

5.3.2 Parenteral

5.3.3 Transdermal

5.3.4 Others

6. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Type of Disease Analysis

6.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Type of Disease Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 2027

6.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Type of Disease Market: Segment Dashboard

6.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Type of Disease Segment

6.3.1 Menopause

6.3.2 Hypothyroidism

6.3.3 Male Hypogonadism

6.3.4 Growth Hormone Deficiency

6.3.5 Others

7. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Regional Analysis

7.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Regional Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 2027

7.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Regional Market: Segment Dashboard

7.3 Regional Market Snapshot (Market Size, CAGR, Top Verticals, Key Players, Top Trends)

7.4 Market Size, & Forecasts, and Trend Analysis, 2016 to 2027

7.4.1 North America

7.4.2 Europe

7.4.3 Asia Pacific

7.4.4 Latin America

7.4.5 Middle East and Africa (MEA)

8. Competitive Analysis

8.1 Strategic Framework/ Competition Categorization (Key innovators, Market leaders, emerging players

8.2 Vendor Landscape

8.3 Company market position analysis (Geographic Presence, Product Portfolio, Strategic Initiatives, Employee Strength)

8.4 Company Profiles

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rowxnu

See the original post here:
Insights into the Worldwide HRT Industry to 2027 - Featuring Abbott Laboratories, Novartis & Pfizer Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

As scientists around the world race toward finding an effective treatment and cure for COVID-19, health officials in China have started encouraging an alternative type of medicine to help those who get sick with the respiratory infection traditional herbal remedies.

Using herbs for illness isnt a novel idea. For thousands of years, herbs like licorice, ginger, and ephedra have been used to treat respiratory infections like the flu and pneumonia.

Some remedies, like forsythia, were put to the test for SARS and found to be somewhat effective in laboratory studies.

Anecdotally, people have claimed herbal medicines have kept them healthy or improved their symptoms, but the bulk of research on herbs is inconclusive. Health experts warn that we dont have enough data to support the use of herbal remedies for COVID-19.

Though we may eventually find that certain herbs may be beneficial for the coronavirus, the science is scarce and now is not the time to start experimenting with herbal remedies on your own if you contract COVID-19.

Everything has to be taken with an understanding that we dont have any data with the coronavirus, Dr. Felicia Gersh, the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine in Irvine, California, told Healthline. Who knows what the future may bring.

Herbal remedies have long been used to treat infections and viruses, such as the common cold, influenza, fever, and even herpes.

Some are thought to enhance the immune system and put the body in a healthier position to fight infections. Others are believed to be powerful antivirals that block certain viruses from replicating in the body.

But just because weve seen some promise with other illnesses does not mean people should assume herbal remedies provide the same benefit with COVID-19.

Every virus is unique in its structure and behavior. The herbs that seem to work for other viral infections will need to be tested to see if they also hold up against COVID-19.

This ones a little bit more of a dangerous virus, said Jeffrey Langland, PhD, an assistant research professor at Arizona State Universitys Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy and associate professor of medical microbiology at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe.

Historically, theres been a major lack of evidence surrounding natural medicines.

For one, its been difficult to secure the necessary funding to study the health effects of plants and herbs. The United States is a very pharmaceutical-driven society, so thats where the priority has historically been.

Research has also been somewhat inconsistent. There are so many parts of a plant the root, stem, leaf, flower and its hard to get studies that consistently analyze the same portion of a plant.

Langland has been leading up a team of researchers who have been studying if and how certain herbs could potentially be used to treat COVID-19.

His team is testing over 30 herbs, and looking at each plants antiviral and immune-supportive properties.

Langland is hopeful theyll find a treatment, but says it will take time to get the results and put the science behind botanicals.

Even for those herbs we find effective, we want to go through and make sure we look at any sort of toxicity, and sort of side effects that may be associated with them, look at quality of extracts, and start to move that forward, Langland said.

Were not going to jump and throw this out there for people to start using without regarding things like safety, Langland added. Just like any pharmaceutical, we cannot rush this.

Just like any other medicine, herbal remedies could cause adverse side effects.

Take licorice, one of the remedies that officials in China have recommended for COVID-19.

According to Gersh, licorice is thought to be an effective treatment for herpes viruses.

Licorice paste, when applied to a herpes sore, can prevent the virus from replicating and stop it in its tracks, says Gersh. But it also has a major downside.

It can activate a hormone in the body called aldosterone which causes fluids retention and can actually induce hypertension, Gersh said.

Because hypertension is a huge risk factor for COVID-19 complications, Gersh said she would be concerned about using licorice, especially in high quantities, in someone with coronavirus.

St Johns wort is a widely available supplement but it can cause issues if a person is on medication.

It can interact with other medications that a patients on and block their absorption in the body and prevent them from acting, Langland said.

Furthermore, some peoples immune systems are overreacting to COVID-19, triggering widespread inflammation that can be even more problematic than the infection itself.

Certain herbs, if misused, could boost the immune system even more and lead to a cytokine storm, or a fatal overactive immune response, according to Gersh.

One of the biggest problems, according to Langland, is that many herbal and natural remedies are low quality.

There is so much herbal medicine that is adulterated, which means the product youre buying has been spiked with other botanicals or doesnt contain any of the botanicals that are labeled on the bottle, Langland said.

If you are getting the product from a local health store, theres a good chance you arent getting a high quality product, he added.

You cant assume every herb is safe. It may have some properties that could be potentially harmful, Gersh said.

If you are considering trying herbal remedies for COVID-19, keep in mind that we dont fully understand the risks and benefits.

How a botanical works in one persons body may be drastically different from how it behaves in another, depending on their health, age, and symptoms.

With botanicals, you want to treat people individually, Langland said, noting how the type of herb and dosage would likely vary from person to person.

If people are curious about herbal remedies, its best to consult a physician or naturopathic doctor who is well versed in various herbs and their properties.

I wouldnt advocate that people willy-nilly start taking all kinds of herbal products and not have a clue whats in it, Gersh said.

You want to have data, and be aware of any potential side effects before you take herbal products for an infection as potentially life threatening as COVID-19.

Health officials in China are recommending traditional herbal remedies for COVID-19, but many experts warn that we dont have enough data on COVID-19 to understand how different herbs may affect peoples health.

Though herbal remedies may seem harmless, if misused, they could increase a persons risk for COVID-19. We may find that certain herbs are effective in preventing and treating COVID-19 in some people, but there currently isnt enough data regarding the use of herbal remedies for the new coronavirus.

See original here:
Herbal Remedies and COVID-19: What to Know - Healthline

Infertility is a disease that affects millions of people in the United States but is rarely discussed openly. Twelve percent of married women between the ages of 15 and 44 experienced infertility, along with just over nine percent of men in that age group, according to a 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those numbers translate to about one in eight couples who have trouble getting or staying pregnant. There are a variety of treatments for infertility, but they can be costly and are not accessible to everyone.

Guest host Anita Rao talks about infertility with Dr. Steven Young of UNC fertility, associate professor Belle Boggs, fertility advocate Nichelle Sublett, reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Desire McCarthy-Keith, and Liberty Barnes, medical sociologist and ethnographer.

On this episode of Embodied, a series about sex, relationships and your heath, guest host Anita Rao talked to doctors, experts and those with firsthand knowledge about the issues surrounding infertility in American culture. Dr. Steven L. Young joined Rao to talk about who is affected by infertility, what causes it and what treatments are available. He is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a physician at UNC Fertility.

Dr. Young also talked about the technology available today that is advancing fertility treatments.

Preimplantation genetic testing allows looking at all the chromosomes with a pretty good accuracy now say 98 to 99 percent accuracy, he explained. And so one can choose among many embryos the best one by finding which ones have normal chromosomal complement.

CDC statistics show African American women are more likely to be infertile than white women, but they are almost half as likely to seek treatment as white women. Dr. Desire McCarthy-Keith explored the reasons why black women are more likely to experience problems with fertility and why they are less likely to seek treatment. McCarthy-Keith is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Shady Grove Fertility Atlanta.

She said knowledge is power and recommends that women who would like to have children investigate their ovarian reserve.

Women need to understand that we are on a timeline with our fertility from birth. - Dr. Desiree' McCarthy-Keith

You can have an ultrasound at the beginning of a menstrual cycle to look at the ovaries and see how many follicles or little egg sacs are developing in the ovaries. There's a hormone test that can be done called AMH, which stands for anti-mllerian hormone. It's a simple blood draw that will measure this hormone level in your blood. And that level is a reflection of how much activity and follicle development there is in the ovary, she said.

Nichelle Sublett and Belle Boggs share their personal journeys with infertility. Sublett had five miscarriages over five years. She is a fertility advocate and Mrs. North Carolina 2018. She discussed the emotional and psychological impacts of pregnancy loss.

It really is a death. I know some people may not understand that, but this is a child that you hoped and dreamed for, and you had plans for. And you've probably mapped out half their lives by the time you see your positive pregnancy test, Sublett said.

It's absolutely the hardest thing my husband and I have ever been through, was going through those five miscarriages. - Nichelle Sublett

Boggs is an associate professor in the department of English and director of the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at North Carolina State University. She struggled with fertility for five years, and during that time wrote the memoir and cultural history The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine and Motherhood (Graywolf Press/2016).

Cost was a big factor for Boggs and her husband when it came to fertility treatments.

Only 16 states in the whole country have laws requiring health insurance companies to write fertility care into their policies. And North Carolina is not one of those states, she explained.

Medical sociologist and ethnographer Liberty Barnes digs into how cultural stereotypes play into who receives fertility treatment. She also discusses the financial barriers to fertility treatment, LGBTQ couples and her book, Conceiving Masculinity: Male Infertility, Medicine, and Identity (Temple University Press/2014).

There was a lot of care in the medical system around protecting these men's masculine identities, I would argue, and that it was about making sure that men felt comfortable in the clinic. - Liberty Barnes

Barnes also described the historically inaccurate statistics used in the United States when it comes to fertility.

We were looking at the statistics that we use in the United States to track infertility and the statistics we've used since 1955 The study is reproduced every five to 10 years in waves. Women of color were not included in the study until the fourth wave, which wasn't until 1970. Men were not included until this century until 2002. And there were no questions asking about the sexual orientations of the respondents until 2002.

Note: This program originally aired July 18, 2019.

Read more here:
Fertile Ground: The Silent Struggle Of Infertility - WUNC

One thing that everyone can agree on right now is that the times we are living through are full of stress.

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, has resulted in abrupt and shocking changes to our lifestyles that we had little warning about and time to plan for and little to no control over.

We are living in confusion and fear as we try to avoid contagion and deal with the new social and economic realities. Considerable uncertainty exists about the future.

If any combination of factors leads to stress, the current times are full of them. Not only is the situation surrounding the virus causing stress, but that stress can impact how our bodies respond to the virus if we are exposed.

Some health-care experts warned that stress is contributing to complications and fatalities for those who become infected.

Many factors can affect an individuals response to illness, including age, gender, other medical conditions, lifestyle, genetics, socio-economic status and access to health care. These factors can generally be identified and measured to some degree.

However, defining stress is totally subjective, an individual factor that is not only hard to quantify but one for which experts do not have a common definition.

The National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes stress as a physical and emotional reaction that people experience as they encounter changes in life. The changes we react to are called stressors.

Stress is normal, and the American Institute of Stress noted that some degree of stress is beneficial. It activates the fight or flight response whereby humans react to threats in their environment. A real-time example would be the immediate reaction to the sound of a fire alarm, causing a response to take quick action to extinguish the fire or escape.

The stress associated with a positive life changes, for example, a promotion at work, can be motivational and challenging.

However, when stress becomes overwhelming and persistent, it can negatively impact a persons health. People may perceive stressors differently. A change that one person may take completely in stride or consider a challenge may be perceived as a dire threat by another.

Many times, people dont realize the effects that situations are having on their health.

Some typical physical reactions to stress that people may experience include accelerated heartbeat, shortness of breath, tense muscles, headache, upset stomach and insomnia. Emotional reactions may include anxiety, depression, moodiness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed and loneliness.

Research shows that intense and prolonged stress can weaken the immune system. For example, the substance gamma interferon, which is produced in the body to activate the immune system, can be reduced by stress. Corticosteroid, a stress hormone, can lower the number of lymphocytes, which are infection-fighting cells.

People can become more prone to illnesses and less able to fight them off. In addition, the immune system becomes weaker with age, and older people cannot fight infections as well as the young can. Older people are also more likely to become infected, and the infection is more likely to be fatal.

Studies also show that once an infection, such as the influenza virus, takes hold, it can suppress the immune response and allow a secondary infection to move in. Often, a bacterial infection like pneumonia will follow a viral infection like influenza.

Just about every bodily system can be affected by stress. Stress can cause the airway between the nose and lungs to constrict, leading to rapid breathing (hyperventilation) and shortness of breath.

These respiratory changes can be deadly in someone infected with COVID-19, especially if the patient has a condition like asthma or emphysema. This makes hospital ventilators critical because ventilators move oxygen into and out of the lungs of people who cannot breathe sufficiently on their own.

Physicians have long recognized that stress plays a role in a patients recovery.

Audrius Plioplys, M.D., a retired pediatric neurology specialist with over 45 years of experience, has served as medical director for several pediatric skilled-nursing facilities and was on the staff of Michael Reese and Mercy hospitals.

The longtime resident of North Beverly shared some insights on the subject.

Certainly, stress can produce or contribute to many illnesses, said Plioplys. I have seen quite a few patients with epilepsy where stress clearly exacerbates their seizures.

My medical expertise is neurology. In clinical practice, I have many cases where stress will exacerbate, or even cause, headaches, both tension headaches and migraine headaches.

Plioplys said it would be no surprise to learn that stress is contributing to the prevalence, severity and fatality rates of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even before this pandemic, concern has grown about rising levels of stress in the U.S.

At a 2017 conference, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., gave a presentation on the public-health consequences of stress. He cited such factors as a 24/7 work culture; fewer supportive, in-person social connections; financial challenges; relationship/family issues; and health problems.

For years, public-health professionals have offered advice on flu stress to get through annual flu outbreaks. The precautions that are being instituted nowwashing hands, avoiding crowds, etc.have been shared numerous times before.

Mental-health professionals have also studied and written about the increased stress that can develop from watching or listening to hours of bad news on subjects such as terrorist bombings, school shootings, natural disasters and, now, the virus pandemic.

Studies conducted after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center showed that excessive following of media coverage caused some people to experience post-traumatic stress symptoms even though they were nowhere near ground zero.

Fortunately, helpful coping mechanisms for dealing with stress are available. First and foremost, it is important for people to learn to recognize how their body and mental states are reacting to stressors, such as working from home or missing church. They may not be able to control the situation, but they can control their response.

In his presentation, Murthy recommended several buffers, including getting enough sleep, increasing social connections and practicing meditation or other contemplative activities. The beneficial results of these buffers for individuals also positively affect families, workplaces and society.

Plioplys also recommended meditation.

One of my standard recommendations for treating headache patients, said Plioplys,is meditation, specifically for the purpose of decreasing stress.

Indeed, of the many therapies suggested to deal with stress that have been studiedfrom relaxation techniques to yoga to aromatherapymeditation has shown the most positive results.

Advice for news consumers is to be informed without becoming overwhelmed; watch, read or listen to objective news services that offer helpful advice and limit exposure, especially before going to bed at night. Avoid repetitive, sensational coverage that only heightens negative emotions.

Coping mechanisms to avoid include those that lead to unhealthy habits like over-eating and over-imbibing in alcohol. Ultimately, these reactions lead to more problems than to solutions. The same is true for self-medicating. Taking any kind of over-the-counter or natural supplement should always be first discussed with a physician.

Isolation, feelings of loneliness or loss of control can increase stress, which is not good news given the current shelter-at-home directives. This is especially true for the elderly and the poor who have less access to computers and less technological know-how to reach out to others via the internet and social media. Family, friends and caregivers should be aware of this and help as they can.

Many good websites are available with information on stress and how to deal with it. Look for those connected to government and professional health-care organizations and to sites affiliated with hospitals and medical centers.

Although many physicians offices and clinics are temporarily closed for non-emergency in-person visits, these practitioners are still available by phone or videoconference. They can help with advice and referrals.

On April 11, Gov. J. B. Pritzker acknowledged that this is a time of crisis and announced a new service, Call4Calm, that will be available through the state to allow Illinois residents to speak for free with mental-health professionals about issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

We are living in a deeply unprecedented moment, and holding the emotional ramifications of that inside will only be harder on you, Pritzker said. Please know that you dont have to feel it all alone. I want you to know that were here to help.

Residents can text the word TALK, or for service in Spanish the word HABLAR, to 552-220.

They will be asked for their first name and ZIP code, which will be used to connect callers with a health-care provider in their area. People can also seek information for other pandemic-related issues by entering key words such as shelter and unemployment.

By taking a positive approach to dealing with negative situations, we can all get through the stress of these troubling times.

Link:
Stress plays big role in people's reaction to pandemic - The Beverly Review

People with hypothyroidism who choose dried thyroid extract (DTE) over levothyroxine alone perceive that it works better, but patients may not be aware of the risks, new research suggests.Those were some of the findings from the qualitative analyzes of nearly 700 online posts from three popular online hypothyroid forums, which found that 75% of patients felt they did better with DTE than standard levothyroxine therapy (LT4). .

The results were due to be presented at the Endocrine Society annual meeting in late March, but the meeting was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were subsequently published online April 3 in Medicine by Freddy J.K. Toloza, MD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and a research collaborator at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues.Made from dried pork thyroid glands, DTE is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it predates the agency, but it was protected and is legally sold by prescription under the names of Nature Thyroid, Thyroid USP and Armor Thyroid.

DTE is currently used in 10-29% of hypothyroid patients, despite concerns about the risk of side effects associated with hyperthyroidism.

"Current guidelines (American Thyroid Association) strongly suggest the use of levothyroxine over DTE as thyroid replacement therapy. We agree with this recommendation due to concerns about the side effects of DTE," Toloza told Medscape Medical News."However, additional research needs to be done to understand if this recommendation applies to all hypothyroid patients," he added, and for those patients taking DTE, more research is required to determine who is at risk for side effects and the methods to prevent them. .Toloza said hypothyroid patients taking DTE frequently described the lack of individualized treatments and the feeling of not being heard as problems influencing their choice.

"These findings reinforce the need for patient-centered approaches in current clinical practice. Physicians must listen carefully to their patients and consider their individual needs and the context of each patient," he noted.A select group of patients improves in combination with T4 / T3When asked to comment, endocrinologist Rachel Pessah-Pollack, MD, of New York University Langone Health, told Medscape Medical News: "Animal-derived desiccated thyroid hormone contains both T4 and T3. We generally do not recommend use this because it can vary in concentration, which means that the actual preparation is not physiological. "Pessah-Pollack, co-author of the 2012 American Thyroid Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Joint Clinical Practice Guidelines on Hypothyroidism, added that one of the main concerns about the use of DTE is the risk of iatrogenic hyperthyroidism, which could lead to atrial fibrillation and fractures

"That is one of the main factors that drives many professional societies to really use caution with regard to DTE. That is also the reason why large societies recommend not using DTE based on the evidence to date." , He said.

However, the whole question of "combination therapy" in hypothyroidism is debatable. Doctors may also prescribe a "combination" of synthetic levothyroxine (LT4) and treatment with triiodothyronine (LT3); This, along with the use of DTE products, has been a topic of debate for many years.

The current guidelines (2014) of the American Thyroid Association do not specifically rule out the use of synthetic LT4 / LT3 therapy, but "recommend only against routine use of combination therapy." And while they do not expressly endorse the use of DTE, they did delete a statement that "should not be used."

"There is definitely a select group of patients who do better on T4 / T3 combination therapy, and we are still trying to delineate who that population is," Pessah-Pollack told Medscape Medical News.

"As long as these patients are closely monitored and aware of the risk of hyperthyroidism and their levels are followed to ensure that they are not hyperthyroid, in selected cases this is appropriate."

"But the first line is to ensure that a good evaluation is done Clearly, this helps us understand that we do need more studies in this area, well-designed and blinded studies to really help us get to the bottom of this controversy."

Those taking DTE cite improved symptoms, well-beingToloza and colleagues analyzed 673 posts from three online forums, Medscape's parent company WebMD, PatientLikeMe, and Drugs.com, selected from an initial 1235 post because they included more comprehensive information.

Approximately half (51%, n = 257) of the patients had primary hypothyroidism / Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 25% (n = 126) had postsurgical hypothyroidism, and 16% (n = 81) had postablation hypothyroidism. Among the 172 publications in which DTE dose information was available, the mean dose was 84.1 mg / day. The duration of treatment varied widely, from 2 weeks to 45 years.

Among the publications describing the source of the DTE prescription, initial interest was primarily patient-driven in 54% (n = 88), while 46% (n = 74) said a physician fueled their interest in try the DTE. (Type of clinician not reported.)

Among the publications that mentioned the source of DTE, local pharmacies were the most common (63%, n = 75), followed by pharmacies outside the United States (31%, n = 37) and online (6%, n = 7).

Previous thyroid treatments were mentioned in 300 publications, of which 93% mentioned monotherapy with LT4.

Among the reasons for switching to DTE, there were no improvements in clinical symptoms (47%, n = 75), development of side effects (24%, n = 38), no change in general well-being (22%, n = 36). ), and without changes in laboratory work (7%, n = 12).

The perceived benefits of DTE included an improvement in clinical symptoms (56%, n = 155), a change in general well-being (34%, n = 94), the possibility of reaching a previous state of health (7%, n = 19) and a low cost compared to the previous treatment (3%, n = 8).

Specific symptoms reporting improvement included fatigue (28%, n = 43), weight gain (17%, n = 26), and neurocognitive symptoms (5%, n = 8). The average time to notice the benefits with DTE was approximately 30 days, but it varied widely from 2 days to 4 months.

Most publications (77%, n = 99) stated that DTE was more effective than their previous therapy, while 13% (n = 17) described it as equally effective and 10% (n = 13) said it was less effective.

DTE side effects were described in 20% (n = 136), including weight loss (15%), fatigue (11%), palpitations (11%), heat intolerance (11%), sleep disorders (10%), high blood pressure (7%) and hair loss (5%).

"Doctors think they know how you feel"A qualitative analysis of the publications yielded five main themes: experience with previous therapies before starting DTE, perceived effectiveness and benefits of DTE, side effects of DTE, need for individualized therapy for hypothyroidism, and barriers to obtaining DTE.

One patient posted, "Synthroid (levothyroxine) did not help and gives me negative side effects my endocrinologist attributed all side effects to everything except Synthroid."

Another wrote: "(The armor) changed my life I'm glad I found a medication that makes me feel normal again everyone has improved; the mood, the skin (no itching), no pain head, goiter is depressed. "

Others cited the lower cost of armor compared to Synthroid.

However, some expressed negative experiences with DTE, such as: "My doctor hoped this medication would help with brain fog, energy, and tiredness. I experienced the opposite."

And some were unable to obtain it. One wrote: "Doctors think they know how you feel and don't even tell you about Armor. I asked my doctor and they said there weren't enough studies to show its effectiveness."

Better evaluation, more data neededPessah-Pollack noted that the study data does not address whether the patients' initially prescribed doses of levothyroxine were optimal, noting that changes are sometimes needed, such as during pregnancy, after weight gain, or if the patient is taking other certain medications.

"It is unclear from the symptoms reported by the patient whether they actually had an evaluation of their thyroid levels to ensure that their thyroid hormone dose was correct before switching to T4 / T3 replacement There are many factors that they should be taken before deciding that the drug itself is not working. "

What is urgently needed, he said, are "well-designed, blinded studies that look at this controversy."

"Here, we don't know why patients feel better We need to do additional work that includes validated symptom questionnaires and comparing the thyroid levels of patients on armored thyroid with those on levothyroxine monotherapy."

Toloza agrees: "It cannot be said that DTE works better for the user due to the limitations and nature of the data used in our study."

"However, our findings are in line with previously published research, which has shown that a subset of patients may prefer ETD to levothyroxine and have greater satisfaction with this treatment. However, the reason behind this has not yet been established. understands well, "and should be further investigated.

Pessah-Pollack has reported being an advisor to Boehringer Ingelheim-Eli Lilly and Radius Health, and moderator for Sanofi.

Medicine Published online April 3, 2020. Summary

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. (tagsToTranslate) hypothyroidism (t) thyroid disorder (t) goiter (t) hyperthyroidism (t) chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (t) adverse effects (t) side effects (t) patient safety (t) thyroid (t) Endocrine Society

See more here:
Patients say dissected thyroid is better than standard therapy - NewsDio

NEW YORK, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Estrogen, Human Growth), By Route Of Administration (Oral, Parenteral), By Type Of Disease, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05879593/?utm_source=PRN

The global hormone replacement therapy market size is expected to reach USD 39.6 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 7.7%. A significant rise in the incidence rate of hormonal disorders in the newborns, adults, and elderly and populations is driving the market. The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) affects one in every 15,000 newborns, thereby boosting the demand for the therapy.

Estrogen replacement hormone therapy helps in reducing the vaginal indications of menopause, such as dryness, burning, itching, and pain during intercourse.Estrogen is available in the forms of pill, gel, skin patch, cream or spray form.

It is highly successful for treating problematic menopausal night sweats and hot flashes. Around 45% of women between the ages of 40 to 60 years of age were reported taking counseling sessions from a physician regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause.

Growing awareness about menopausal signs and the treatment options is growing the HRT market.Owing to the significant development for ERT, there has been an initiation of very safe treatment options for the patients situated in various geographies of the world.

For example, augmentation of innovative drug delivery systems like transdermal estrogen patches and vaginal estrogen drugs.

Further key findings from the report suggest: The estrogen replacement therapy segment dominated the overall market in terms of revenue share in the year 2019. On the other hand, the parenteral segment is likely to showcase the fastest growth rate over the forecast period from 2020 to 2027, owing to the rising number of hormonal disorders Menopause is likely to showcase the fastest growth rate over the forecast period. Women are vulnerable to certain diseases and conditions such as osteoporosis and hot flashes during and after menopause. About 73% of postmenopausal women suffer from hot flashes North America dominated the overall hormone replacement therapy market in terms of revenue share in the year 2019. The increase in the incidence rate of hypogonadism due to a rise in obesity and poor health in the geriatric population drive the market. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, more than 2.5 million Americans received testosterone treatment in U.S alone in 2014 Some of the key players in this market are Abbott Laboratories; Novartis; Pfizer, Inc.; Mylan Laboratories; Merck and Co.; Novo Nordisk; Bayer Healthcare; Eli Lilly; and Genentech.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05879593/?utm_source=PRN

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Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Route Of Administration, By Type Of Disease, By Region And...

For all of these reasons, stress-induced breakouts manifest in many different forms, so it's "impossible to generalize" about exactly how it will present itself (i.e. as blackheads or pustules or cysts), Marchbein explains, though she does note that cystic acne is "especially common with stress."

"Keeping routines can be profoundly helpful in times of unprecedented stress and uncertainty," Rieder says. "When we have seemingly lost control of [many of] the elements that give us peace, including our occupations, finances, and health, normalcy in any sense is welcome [and] things that we take for granted and often do automatically are important to maintain."

Perhaps number one on this list is sleep both getting enough of it and also trying to stick to regular sleep-wake hours. Sleep is crucial to our health for many, many reasons, however, as pertaining to overall skin health, the importance of getting your Zzz's ties back to cortisol. This is because when we're sleep-deprived, our bodies produce an increased amount of cortisol, which, as previously established, can spiral our skin out of balance.

Next on the list of important routines to maintain is "eating regular meals [and] having dedicated time both to yourself and for socializing, exercising, and practicing self-care in the way that you best respond to," Rieder explains. In terms of self-care, he personally recommends activities like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, exercise, and skin care, but the entire idea here is to take the time regularly to take care of yourself in a way that feels good to you.

It's also worth noting that one factor that can be both a source of self-care and stress is technology. While streaming an online exercise class is a highly recommended form of self-care among all the experts we spoke to, spending too much time on your phone or computer is not especially when it feels like terrifying news updates pour in on an hourly basis. Still, it's also important to stay informed.

Again here, it's about striking a balance that feels right to you and prioritizes your mental health. Rieder's recommendation: "Find one or two news sources that are trustworthy and spend no more than 30 minutes daily informing yourself," he says.

"It is easy to get attached to your only source to the outside world your phone and television during a time like this," Vega agrees. "While it is good to be connected, you also need to detox from the overwhelming stress of the world in general."

When it does spring up, stress pimples respond best to a few specific topicals: salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and retinol, Marchbein and Vega explain. Each ingredient works in different ways to combat breakouts. Salicylic acid can unclog pores, benzoyl peroxide is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, and retinol increases skin cell turnover rate.

That doesn't mean that you should use all three at once, however. Instead, Vega recommends using retinol as a long-term solution, and keeping either a salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide product in your medicine cabinet to use as a spot treatment as needed.

Pimple patches can also be used as a spot treatment for acne, Marchbein suggests. "These are hydrocolloid adhesive stickers that contain certain active ingredients such as salicylic acid and/or tea tree oil, which are delivered to the pimple while its in place," she explains. "By occluding the pimple, these active ingredients are able to penetrate the skin more deeply allowing them to potentially work better."

For large, painful acne, "I would typically recommend heading to your dermatologist for a steroid injection to reduce the pain and inflammation of cystic breakouts," Marchbein explains, however, "at this point, medical visits should be for true emergencies only."

If you do find yourself reaching for, touching, or picking at your skin more often than normal, Lee suggests covering trouble spots with a bandage, "or better yet, apply an acne spot treatment, a dollop of cream right over the pimple or the red bump," she says. "If you reach up to pick at the bump, you will be reminded that there is cream on the area and hopefully this will remind you to not pick at your skin."

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Stress Acne: How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Stress Pimples Expert Advice - Allure

captionStress may cause gray hair prematurely.sourceManop_Phimsit/Shutterstock

Stress can affect the body in many different ways. And while it seems that stressful life events like being president may cause gray hair, the truth is a bit more complicated.

Gray hair is likely caused by a combination of genetics, aging, and hormones, and there is some research to suggest that stress can turn hair gray prematurely. Heres what you need to know.

When youre born, your hair color is determined by natural pigments in your skin called melanin.

Human hair follicles contain two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin, says Leann Poston, MD, a licensed physician. The wide diversity of possible hair colors comes from the production ratio of these two types of melanin.

Melanin is created from melanocytes, which are the cells found in your skin and hair follicles. When melanocytes stop producing melanin, your hair color changes to gray.

Melanocytes often stop producing melanin as you age, which is why gray hair is so common among the elderly. However, its common for hair to start turning gray around age 35.

Overall, Poston says that a combination of factors such as genetics, hormones, and your environment will determine exactly when your hair turns gray.

Though stress alone will not cause gray hair, there is some research that suggests it may speed up the graying process.

For example, a 2020 study published by the journal Nature found that when mice were exposed to stress, they lost melanocyte cells and gained gray hair as a result.

This is an interesting study that links stress to an abnormal conversion of stem cells to a more differentiated form, melanocytes, Poston says.

Melanocyte stem cells typically decrease in numbers as you age. But premature activation, associated with increases in a stress hormone called norepinephrine (or noradrenaline), actually caused these cells to decline more quickly in mice leading to the gray hair that researchers observed.

Poston says she doesnt believe this animal study is enough to definitively say that the same is true for humans. But other research has also suggested that stress can accelerate graying.

For example, a 2018 study in the International Journal of Trichology observed an increase in oxidative stress as a result of psychological stress and higher levels of oxidative stress, which contributes to a complicated biological imbalance in humans, are associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases as well as premature aging.

The study suggests that premature gray hair, or the graying of hair by age 20, is linked with higher levels of oxidative stress, which may increase with more of your everyday psychological stressors like a difficult job or the pressure to provide for your family.

In addition, cigarette smoking and vitamin deficiencies which can also increase oxidative stress have been associated with early graying.

Overall, genetics and aging are likely to be more determinate for when your hair turns gray. But, as some research has suggested, psychological stress and other unhealthy risk factors may accelerate this graying process.

Read the rest here:
Does stress cause gray hair? It may lead to premature graying - Business Insider

It might feel like were fighting a losing battle most of the time. As many of us stay home adhering to the UAEs social distancing regulations amid the coronavirus outbreak, a combination of anxiety, stress and boredom can have us skipping workouts, snacking constantly and generally eating our feelings.

That doesn't mean you should let guilt get to you or start some impossible diet, however. If you, like many other people right now, are struggling to maintain a healthy weight while stuck at home, then these simple bite-sized tips could help you get back on track.

Skipping meals can be very unhelpful, says Rita Martins, a clinical dietician with Mediclinic City Hospital. You may feel hungrier later and overdo it on unhealthy snacks.

To ensure you dont do this, Nadine Aoun, a clinical dietician at Medcare Women and Children Hospital, advises trying to maintain the same routine you have at the office. She suggests eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack in between each meal.

You know what they say: Eat breakfast like a king and Aoun is someone who subscribes to that belief. Never skip breakfast, she says.

Rawan Nucho, clinical dietician at Aligned Health by Right Bite, agrees. Starting your day with a balanced breakfast consisting of proteins, carbs and good fats keeps you fuller longer.

Dr Ruba El-Hourani, a clinical dietician at RAK Hospital, says some studies have shown the influence of intermittent fasting to maintain healthier body weight. This is a great way, provided that its done properly.

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Read more: Is intermittent fasting a fast track to weight loss and anti-ageing?

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Stick to a daily routine with your exercise, eating, cooking and self-care, says holistic health and nutrition coach Jo Owen. Writing up a weekly meal plan can reduce waste, save money and give you focus by cutting down on faff.

This is the same advice Baraa El Sabbagh, a dietician, sports nutritionist and recipe book author, gives. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail, am I right? Whenever you have your meals planned the week before or even the night before, youre a lot more likely to make better decisions. By doing this, you eliminate having to make last-minute decisions because youve reached an absurd level of dizziness because of hunger.

This is near impossible to do if your cupboards are laden with crisps, cookies or cake. But if you avoid the junk food aisles in the virtual or real supermarkets, then you wont be able to reach for them. Instead, have healthy snacks like unsalted and raw nuts, dark chocolate, fat-free popcorn, fruits and vegetables, says Aoun. She suggests having vegetable sticks with guacamole or hummus, low-fat Greek yoghurt with mixed frozen berries or an apple cut up into slices and smeared with organic peanut butter, for example.

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Read more: Our comprehensive guide to healthy snacking

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Holistic nutritionist Maria Marlowe, founder of Healthy by Marlowe, says to rely on the power of vegetables. Set a goal to fill 50 per cent of your plate with veggies at every meal, she says. The more vegetables we eat, the more full we feel on fewer calories. Vegetables effectively crowd out other less healthy foods, and provide us with an abundance of nutrients and fibre that we need to stay healthy.

Whats the Ideal Plate Ratio? Marlowe explains that on top of 50 per cent vegetables, we should be aiming for our plates to contain 25 per cent healthy protein and 25 per cent whole grains or additional vegetables, and then some healthy fat on top. For protein, this equates to about 85 to 115 grams of meat or one cup of beans or lentils. Healthy fats include olive oil or avocado. Eating this way will help you feel full and energised throughout the day, keep your immune system strong and curtail mindless snacking.

If youre not a professional chef, chances are there are a few bland meals in your repertoire. Keeping your meals exciting and flavourful will make sure you dont go reaching for the nearest ready-meal or ordering delivery instead. Add garlic, onion and lots of spices such as turmeric, oregano and rosemary to your meals, advises Dr Cherry Ezzat, an anti-ageing and functional medical practitioner at Dermalase Clinic.

Its easy to rely on packaged and processed foods during this time, says Marlowe. But we are very lucky to still have access to plenty of fresh food. She suggests ordering vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli and cauliflower You may want to focus on longer-lasting produce, such as cabbage, winter squash, citrus, zucchini, apples, garlic and ginger. She relies on Greenheart Organic Farms in Dubai for her vegetable deliveries.

You may have heard this saying before, but perhaps youre not sure why its being said. Dr Ezzat explains that it simply means making sure you eat plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables, as they are high in vitamins and minerals. Each colour you eat adds to your general health, she says. Red protects against heart disease. Blue and purple prevent blood clots and delay cell ageing. Green inhibits carcinogens and boosts detoxification. Orange benefits skin and vision. The more you eat of these, the more you fill up on health-boosting, nutrient-dense foods instead of high-calorie junk.

Owen says we all need to put our focus on real food. Not foods with a list of ingredients you cant pronounce. The more healthy whole foods you eat with plenty of protein and healthy fats the less room youll have for higher calorie processed comfort foods. When you give your body what it truly needs, youll have fewer cravings for empty calories and junk food, which usually leads to consuming fewer calories overall.

There are a few ingredients Marlowe always makes sure she has in the pantry in order to make quick and easy healthy meals. This includes coconut milk and curry paste. I always keep these on hand to whip up my favourite red Thai curry, she says. Simply add fresh or frozen vegetables and a protein of choice and you have a satisfying, flavourful meal ready faster than delivery. Be sure to choose a curry paste without added sugar. She uses Thai Kitchen products.

Instead of opting for regular pasta, try buying a variety with fewer calories, says Marlowe. There are so many naturally gluten-free bean and legume-based pastas on the market now that taste great and provide more fibre and protein compared to traditional pasta. I recommend throwing a steamer basket full of chopped vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and squash over your boiling pasta water for a super-quick pasta primavera. Simply add some garlic sauted in olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

A number of studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have a range of healthy benefits and this includes reducing symptoms of metabolic syndrome, a collection of conditions that encompasses belly fat, as well as decreasing fat in your liver. Marlowe suggests keeping jarred wild sardines or anchovies in your pantry at all times. These are a quick and convenient omega-3-packed protein source that can be added to various different dishes.

Upgrade your comfort foods, Marlowe advises. You can make just about any comfort food healthier and waist-line friendly. If you want to make ice cream, for example, she suggests blending up frozen bananas instead. For sweets, you can make cocoa-date truffles.

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Read more: Why not try these vegan gelato recipes?

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In these times of social distancing, food does bring joy and comfort and thats OK, says Dr El-Hourani. However, its important to be mindful of these extra calories and create a balance to ensure you dont go overboard.

She suggests focusing on your food while you chew. Eat without distraction of your phone, computer or TV, and eat slowly to savour and activate your senses.

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Read more: How to start your mindfulness and meditation practice

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What is that, you ask? At its core, intuitive eating is learning to tap into your intuition and honour your body, Owen explains. She suggests the following these three principles: Eat nourishing foods when you feel hungry without overdoing it; learn how to feel satisfaction from other areas of life without using food for comfort, satisfaction or feeling of belonging; learn to respect your body for all it does for you and youll naturally become more gentle and mindful with your choices.

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Read more: Learn all about intuitive eating

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This is one of El-Houranis top tips. Try to have your last meal at least three hours before going to bed, so that your body can digest it better. Good digestion, she says, is key to healthy weight management.

While I dont focus on calorie counting, it can be helpful to have an approximate calorie goal range, says Owen. Why not use the extra time to evaluate your food intake and choices? If you find yourself gaining weight, its not always the case that youre eating too much, she adds. If youve been eating too few calories, weight loss can stall, too. Try playing with the numbers and see what works. She advises using apps such as Cronometer and MyFitnessPal to track your food. Most of us carry our phones at all times, which makes tracking convenient.

Rawan Nucho, clinical dietician at Aligned Health by Right Bite, says its important to cut back on coffee. Sip more on herbal teas such as peppermint, cinnamon, chamomile, ginger and much more, as they keep your urge to snack low and can provide you with great [health] benefits.

Aoun says green or black teas are two of natures most potent sources of antioxidants, and sipping them regularly has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke, to which people with diabetes are more susceptible. For the sake of your blood pressure, choose decaffeinated tea, she adds.

Its not just sugary drinks such as Coca Cola and Sprite we should be avoiding, but also juices, smoothies and milkshakes, says Aoun. [These are] high in calories, sugars and creamers. Again, she advises sipping on herbal teas or making homemade lemonade with artificial sweetener.

Not only does drinking water help with digestion and toxin elimination, says Owen, but its also an important element in our overall health and can be helpful with weight loss. Keep your water bottle with you throughout the day for regular sipping and add in fruits like lemon or orange slices, pomegranate or mint for added flavour and natural sweetness.

Aoun advises getting in at least eight to nine glasses of water per day.

El Sabbagh, who is also a personal trainer, says we should be moving our bodies for about 60 minutes per day in order to burn calories. This can definitely help with weight management, but the benefits of exercise definitely dont stop at physical health. While were at home, its important to also maintain a positive mindset and your mental health will improve tremendously by exercising at home, because of the endorphins and feel-good hormones released after breaking the slightest sweat.

El Sabbagh says you dont have to lift weights and swing kettebells around. Ive been working out using water bottles at home, you could put on a YouTube video, engage in bodyweight exercise, yoga, dancing, Pilates, step. You also dont need to do an hour in one go. It could be broken down into 30 minutes per session or even 15 minutes per session and continue to move two to three times per day, she adds.

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Read more: How to create a home workout space without spending a fortune

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Owen is a big advocate of keeping up an exercise routine while staying at home, but shes also aware it can get boring if you dont mix it up. When we exercise, our body releases endorphins that make us feel good and further motivate us towards eating sensibly, staying focused and keeping a positive mindset. She advises going online and using platforms such as Instagram and YouTube to find free workouts from local personal trainers and gyms.

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Read more: Try these virtual yoga classes with UAE instructors

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You dont have to do actual exercise to make sure you keep moving throughout the day. Stand up or walk around while you read and answer emails and other messages on your phone, Martins suggests. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take an activity break. For example, take a three to five-minute standing or walking break every hour. She also reminds us that household chores also count as exercise. Mop or vacuum fast enough to get your heart pumping.

Watch this video of mobility workouts you could try:

That being said, Owen also notes that if you feel like you need to rest, then rest. If youre already tired and feeling rundown, you would be better of getting the rest you need so you can recharge and give more effort at your next workout.

This is a big deal at the moment, says Owen. When youre under stress and / or youre not getting enough sleep, the stress hormone cortisol is elevated and this can hinder weight loss. When youre tired, youre also more likely to eat more. Studies show people consume up to 25 per cent more calories when theyre tired. This also leads you to crave a quick energy fix, she adds. This usually comes in the form of sugary snacks and drinks or processed foods.

Dr Ezzat says we need to aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night.

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Read more: Having strange dreams? Find out what that means

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El Sabbagh, who is also a certified dietitian and recipe book author, says its important to know the difference between when youre hungry and when youre bored. Some of the food triggers while staying at home could be boredom, emotion or even habitual, she explains. For example, if something is bothering us we might stress eat or whenever we watch TV we might have a snack. Its important to ask ourselves every time we walk into the kitchen for a snack: Am I hungry or am I eating this out of boredom/stress/habit? If you realise youre not actually hungry, then its key to distract yourself, she adds. Try a new TV series or, better yet, do something with your hands. Some people take up knitting, reading, painting, drawing or doing a puzzle. Anything to keep the hangs and mind occupied instead of eating out of boredom.

Nucho suggests that, before you start snacking unnecessarily, you have a glass of water. If you cant decide whether youre actually hungry or bored, it might just be that youre thirsty. For some people, the feeling of thirst can be mistaken for hunger, and could make you want to reach for a sweet or salty snack, which in turn will make you thirstier. And thus, a vicious cycle emerges.

No matter what you do, maybe the number of the scales just keeps getting higher. Owen says: Its worth noting that there could be other underlying conditions, including hormonal imbalances, that can hinder weight loss. So, if you suspect this it might be a good idea to seek out a healthcare practitioner who deals with this, such as your physician, a naturopathic doctor or functional medicine doctor.

Martins stresses that amid the current crisis its important to focus on the present. Some days you will feel better than others, but dont stress and keep calm, even if some days you feel like you dont want to do anything. Try to motivate yourself and think about how it will be much harder to deal with after, if you end up with unwanted extra weight. As long as you motivate yourself to maintain the weight you currently have, then youre doing well, she adds. Relax and keep active.

Updated: April 13, 2020 07:57 PM

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Worth the weight? 31 expert tips on maintaining a healthy size while staying at home - The National

Diabetes is so common you likely know someone who has it. Its a part of American life when 30.3 million Americans have diabetes. That breaks down to nearly 1 in 10 people who are managing the disease.

Because of the prevalence of diabetes, its important to have some knowledge of the disease. In fact, there are millions of people who are prediabetic or already suffering from the disease and dont yet have a diagnosis.

Diabetes has two main forms, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. What is thedifference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Read on to learn about the disease of diabetes and its different types.

Causes of Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is technically one disease, although some consider the two types of different diseases. Your body has an immune system. This system is working to fight off things like bacteria and viruses to keep it healthy.

In a person who has type 1 diabetes, the immune system works in overdrive. It attacks some of the healthy cells in the body. These cells are the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Once the body does this to its own cells, it cant make insulin.

Insulin is an important hormone in the body. Insulin helps the body manage sugar, preventing it from getting too high or too low.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a little bit different. In type 2, the body becomes resistant to insulin. The body makes it, but the insulin cant do what its intended to do.

This makes the pancreas think theres not insulin and it makes more. When the body doesnt use the insulin the glucose will build up in the bloodstream.

What Are the Symptoms of Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that can be managed. More on that later. But if the disease is not managed there are several symptoms that indicate your body is having a problem. Here are some general symptoms that show for both types of diabetes:

Not all diabetes sufferers will feel all the symptoms but these are the most common ones. They all connect back to how the body is managing or NOT managing the sugar and insulin.

Type 1 and type 2 might share some common symptoms but they present in different ways.

Type 1

Type 1 symptoms typically develop quickly. They show up suddenly and with many of them at the same time. Type 1 diabetes used to be referred to as juvenile diabetes because it more commonly shows up in children or adolescents.

In type 1 patients, in addition to the above symptoms, they often become moody or irritable. They might have sudden weight loss too.

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes patients develop their symptoms slowly. Many will already be diabetic for a while before the symptoms develop. Type 2 diabetes patients also will experience numbness and tingling in their hands and feet as a symptom too.

Risk Factors

There are some risk factors associated with diabetes. Type 1 diabetes cant be prevented. Type 2 diabetes can be avoided even if you have the risk factors by making some changes in lifestyle.

Lets take a closer look at some of the risk factors for both types.

Type 1

A person is at a higher risk for type 1 diabetes if they have a family history of type 1 diabetes. So, if they have a parent and or a sibling who already has the disease and develops symptoms, they should see a doctor right away.

As already mentioned, type 1 diabetes is most common in children and adolescents but it can develop at any age.

A study of genetics shows there are certain genes that make a person have an increased risk to develop type 1 diabetes. Its interesting to note that the further you live from the equator, the higher the prevalence of type 1 diabetes cases.

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes can be avoided. There are some risk factors to be aware of. If you are or have:

If you have ever given birth to a baby that is 9 pounds or more you also have a higher risk factor to develop type 2 diabetes. Also, if you have been pregnant and had gestational diabetes, you are at a higher risk.

You can lower your risk factors to develop type 2 diabetes by doing several things. These include:

People who eat a healthy and balanced diet with lower sugar intake and regular physical activity can reduce their chances of getting type 2 diabetes even if they carry some of the other potential risk factors.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you are showing symptoms of diabetes, you should see your primary care physician. The doctor will order a test calledtheglycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This test will look at your blood sugar levels for the last two to three months. If levels are consistently high, they know there is an issue.

As already stated, living a healthy lifestyle with a smart diet and physical activity will be part of managing diabetes.

Diabetes managementis required for type 1 patients. They dont make their own insulin, so it is necessary to get the insulin injected into their body. Some patients do injections several times a day. While other type 1 diabetics choose to wear an insulin pump that helps to provide it throughout the course of a day.

Type 2 patients are different. With the right diet and exercise regimen, they can actually control and reverse their diabetes. For some patients, diet and exercise are not enough and medications are needed as additional support.

Regular testing of blood sugar levels is a must as a diabetic. Blood sugar spikes or drastic drops can be life-threatening, so regular testing of the blood will be a part of any diagnosis.

Understanding the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease but it can be managed with care and knowledge. Understanding thedifference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is an important part of understanding the disease.

For more important health-related articles like this one, be sure to visit our blog often.

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What is the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? - - VENTS Magazine

Dublin, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Estrogen, Human Growth), by Route Of Administration (Oral, Parenteral), by Type Of Disease, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global hormone replacement therapy market size is expected to reach USD 39.6 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 7.7%. A significant rise in the incidence rate of hormonal disorders in the newborns, adults, and elderly and populations is driving the market. The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) affects one in every 15,000 newborns, thereby boosting the demand for the therapy.

Estrogen replacement hormone therapy helps in reducing the vaginal indications of menopause, such as dryness, burning, itching, and pain during intercourse. Estrogen is available in the forms of pill, gel, skin patch, cream or spray form. It is highly successful for treating problematic menopausal night sweats and hot flashes. Around 45% of women between the ages of 40 to 60 years of age were reported taking counseling sessions from a physician regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause.

Growing awareness about menopausal signs and the treatment options is growing the HRT market. Owing to the significant development for ERT, there has been an initiation of very safe treatment options for the patients situated in various geographies of the world. For example, augmentation of innovative drug delivery systems like transdermal estrogen patches and vaginal estrogen drugs.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Methodology and Scope

2. Executive Summary2.1 Market Outlook2.2 Segment Outlook2.2.1 Product2.2.2 Route of Administration2.2.3 Type of Disease2.2.4 Region2.3 Competitive Insights

3. Market Variables, Trends & Scope3.1 Market Segmentation3.2 Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping3.2.1 Market Driver Analysis3.2.2 Market Restraint Analysis3.3 Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Business Environment Analysis Tools3.3.1 Porter's Five Forces Analysis3.3.1.1 Bargaining power of suppliers3.3.1.2 Bargaining power of buyers3.3.1.3 Threat of new entrants3.3.1.4 Competitive rivalry3.3.1.5 Threat of substitutes3.3.2 PESTEL Analysis3.3.2.1 Political & legal3.3.2.2 Economic3.3.2.3 Technological

4. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Product Analysis4.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Product Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 20274.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Product Market: Segment Dashboard4.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Product Segment4.3.1 Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy4.3.1.1 Estrogen Hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)4.3.2 HGH Replacement Therapy4.3.2.1 HGH replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)4.3.3 Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy4.3.3.1 Thyroid hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)4.3.4 Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy4.3.4.1 Testosterone hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

5. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Route of Administration Analysis5.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Route of Administration Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 20275.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Route of Administration Market: Segment Dashboard5.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Route of Administration Segment5.3.1 Oral5.3.1.1 Oral market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)5.3.2 Parenteral5.3.2.1 Parenteral market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)5.3.3 Transdermal5.3.3.1 Transdermal market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)5.3.4 Others5.3.4.1 Others market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

6. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Type of Disease Analysis6.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Type of Disease Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 20276.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Type of Disease Market: Segment Dashboard6.3 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2027 for the Type of Disease Segment6.3.1 Menopause6.3.1.1 Menopause market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)6.3.2 Hypothyroidism6.3.2.1 Hypothyroidism market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)6.3.3 Male Hypogonadism6.3.3.1 Male hypogonadism market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)6.3.4 Growth Hormone Deficiency6.3.4.1 Growth hormone deficiency market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)6.3.5 Others6.3.5.1 Others market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

7. Hormone Replacement Therapy Market: Regional Analysis7.1 Hormone Replacement Therapy Regional Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 20277.2 Hormone Replacement Therapy Regional Market: Segment Dashboard7.3 Regional Market Snapshot (Market Size, CAGR, Top Verticals, Key Players, Top Trends)7.4 Market Size, & Forecasts, and Trend Analysis, 2016 to 20277.4.1 North America7.4.1.1 North America hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.1.1.1 U.S.7.4.1.1.1.1 U.S. hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.1.1.2 Canada7.4.1.1.2.1 Canada hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.2 Europe7.4.2.1 Europe Hormone Replacement Therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.2.1.1 U.K.7.4.2.1.1.1 U.K. hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.2.1.2 Germany7.4.2.1.2.1 Germany hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.3 Asia Pacific7.4.3.1 Asia Pacific hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.3.1.1 Japan7.4.3.1.1.1 Japan hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.3.1.2 China7.4.3.1.2.1 China hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.4 Latin America7.4.4.1 Latin America hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.4.1.1 Brazil7.4.4.1.1.1 Brazil hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.4.1.2 Mexico7.4.4.1.2.1 Mexico hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.5 Middle East and Africa (MEA)7.4.5.1 MEA hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.5.1.1 South Africa7.4.5.1.1.1 South Africa hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)7.4.5.1.2 Saudi Arabia7.4.5.1.2.1 Saudi Arabia hormone replacement therapy market, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

8. Competitive Analysis8.1 Strategic Framework/ Competition Categorization (Key innovators, Market leaders, emerging players8.2 Vendor Landscape8.3 Company market position analysis (Geographic Presence, Product Portfolio, Strategic Initiatives, Employee Strength)8.4 Company Profiles

Companies Mentioned

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If you're struggling to sleep during the outbreak of Covid-19, experts have some advice on how to get more shut-eye. OcusFocus/ Istock.com pic via AFP

PARIS, April 9 You might find yourself struggling to sleep during the current Covid-19 outbreak, as stress, uncertainty and changes in our usual routine make it more difficult to relax at night and drop off.

Here, we round up some expert advice on how you can try to maintain a regular sleep pattern and get a more restful night's shut-eye.

Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake-up time

Waking up and starting your day at the same time every day is the most important way to stabilise your body clock, says Professor Greg Murray, at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. He advises sticking to consistent sleep and wake times which fit your natural rhythm.

If you're a night owl, it's okay to stay up a little later and get up a little later, just make sure these bedtimes and wake up times are the same every day, he says.

Dr Elizabeth Cozine, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, agrees, Try to go to bed at the same time every night, maybe sleeping in a little bit later than you normally would because you're not rushing to get to the office. And see if you can try to get somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep, which is what most adults need, and make that a regular part of your day.

Avoid napping

Professor Murray also advises trying not to nap during daylight hours, as it can make it hard to fall asleep at night. If you must nap, he says to restrict your sleep to just 30 minutes.

Get some sunlight during the day

Professor Kevin Morgan, who is a sleep expert at the University of Loughborough, UK, says that staying indoors means we don't soak up enough sunlight, and this can affect our sleep patterns and our need to nap during the day.

To help synchronise our body clock, we should try to get enough sunlight during the day, particularly in the morning, to let our body know it's daytime. He recommends exercising outdoors, if you can, or at least just walking to the grocery store or sitting in the garden.

And avoid bright light in the evening

In the evening, Professor Murray says we should avoid bright light, as this suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which makes us feel sleepy. This also includes avoiding the blue light from computer screens and smartphones, so try to read a book or take a bath instead of watching TV to help you relax.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine

Be careful how much caffeine you have every day, says Professor Morgan, who adds that working from home, or just being at home, offers more opportunities for tea and coffee breaks. Caffeine suppresses the chemical adenosine which contributes to sleepiness and promotes sleep.

He also advises limiting your alcohol intake, as although it can help you fall asleep it can also cause you to wake up early, as well as affect the quality of your sleep so you actually feel more tired the next day.

Try to relax

Psychiatry professor Adam Abba-Aji at the University of Alberta, Canada, says that if you're feeling anxious during the Covid-19 outbreak, usually the first sign of it will be a lack of sleep.

It becomes difficult to switch our brains off, he said. Where there's a lack of sleep, people sometimes resort to ... alcohol or some other sedatives.

Instead, Abba-Aji suggests trying to relax and switch off with some yoga before you head to bed.

Try meditation

You might not have tried meditation before, but Dr. Cozine says there's a lot of evidence to suggest it can improve sleep, as well as help ease stress and anxiety.

I've found that it helps me turn off those hamster wheels of thoughts that are rolling in my brain, and it also helps me to get ready for the next step, she says.

I'm not talking about sitting Zen, cross-legged for three hours thinking about I don't know like a desert or something. I'm talking about maybe five minutes where you just reset. AFP-Relaxnews

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Women have to deal with a fair share of health inconveniences that come across as the sign of being healthy but can be equally disturbing and painful. One such inevitable function of the female body is menopause. Menopause is a stage that comes during aging where the female body diminishes its reproductive abilities, and the long period of menstrual cycles come to an end. It might sound convenient to some, but it often goes far from that, and each woman can have a different experience. Menopause induces several changes in a female body, which can be hard to deal with. Along with the decline in the production of hormones such as Progesterone and Estrogen, there are various side effects of this natural process.

The changes that menopause brings with it are not only limited to being physical but it also drastically affects mental well being. Most women don't take it seriously, though when it crashes upon them, things can get a little tough to handle. Medications, for sure, offer benefits and help to heal the symptoms, but some can also achieve the same through the usage of natural remedies. One such ingredient, called CBD, is gradually gaining popularity among women to treat symptoms of menopause.

What is CBD?

CBD or cannabidiol is the non-psychoactive component of the plant cannabis, which is rich in innumerable healing properties. The therapeutic product is widely used worldwide to treat health ailments, and women are gradually accepting it to treat various menstrual conditions as well. Being a completely natural ingredient, it can provide benefits for some while furnishing minimal side effects. The good thing is that you can get CBD products from various websites that offer high-quality products, ranging from providing seeds used in medical treatments to CBD infused products, the choices are endless.

Here are five menopause symptoms that CBD might help with:

1. Reducing depression and anxiety

The hormonal changes that menopause brings with it, give rise to a hormonal imbalance in the female. Estrogen and progesterone have a direct influence on the mental well being of a woman, and in the series of its fluctuation during menopause, it is very likely for a woman to feel depressed or deal with anxiety. CBD is an excellent ingredient to help one with these symptoms. This powerful ingredient owns anti-anxiolytic properties that help in reducing anxious thoughts. It also influences the production of Serotonin, which is a happy hormone that helps to reduce frequent mood swings and make you feel pleasant.

2. Promotes a healthy sleeping pattern

Lack of sleep can leave you feeling groggy and disoriented, imagine experiencing it when you need it the most to ease your already worn-out body. Tragic, isn't it? A widespread symptom of women going through menopause is experiencing disturbances in their regular sleeping pattern. Sleep is a significant function that our body needs to carry out both as a healing method and to regulate several body functions. Still, menopause can make it hard to fall into deep slumber easily. CBD is known to offer a good night's sleep without any side effects. So if you are experiencing a disturbed sleeping pattern, then it may be worth taking into consideration the help of CBD products.

3. Heals body pain

Body ache is a common condition that people face while aging though if you have recently started facing it, then it can be due to the several hormonal changes that your body is undergoing. Menopause brings body pain with it that can sometimes leave a woman bed-ridden. Other than ingesting medications based on the recommendation of a physician, CBD can be highly beneficial in easing pain to a great extent. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol can help to protect your joints against inflammatory damage that can take the shape of severe arthritis.

4. Improves genital health conditions

Deteriorating genital health in females is one of the concerns that the majority of menopause medications might fail to improve. The imbalance of hormones can reduce the blood flow in the pelvis area, which, as a result, can reduce the elasticity and health of the vagina. Surprisingly, CBD products offer its benefits to improve genital health as well. Being an efficient vasodilator, CBD helps to increase the blood flow in the pelvic region to regain the lost elasticity. At the same time, the anti-inflammatory properties help to combat inflammation.

5. Adjusts hormonal homeostasis

Hormonal imbalance is one of the major concerns during menopause, which leads to almost every other condition that women suffer during this period. Hormones have a significant role in shaping and regulating our body functions, and fluctuation in hormones generally invites several ailments with itself. Edibles and other products containing CBD can directly influence the hormonal balance, but it has an active role in regulating the endocannabinoid system of the body. With supplementation of efficient fuel, the endocannabinoid system regulates the homeostasis in the body to produce different hormones, hence creating a healthy balance.

These are a few of the ways that CBD might be able to help to heal menopause symptoms. It is recommended to consult an expert regarding its safe usage, to help you make a plan to manage these symptoms.

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Right now, our homes are our safe havens. They keep us protected, healthy, and hopefully virus-freeeven if they can get pretty boring at times. But in order to make sure that our homes remain safe sanctuaries, it means that we have to maintain their cleanliness every single day, too. Whether it's the first time you've ever spent this long at home or you're a working-from-home pro, you could likely use a lesson on how to disinfect for coronavirus from those who know best: doctors and cleaning experts.

We rounded up a few of the leading experts in healthy cleaning practices for their top advice on keeping your home clean during quarantine. Get ready to turn that boredom into inspiration with these expert cleaning tips. And for more advice on what could use a wipe down, check out25 Things You Should Clean Every Day and How to Do It.

There's a big difference between cleaning your space and disinfecting, says Marcela Barraza, founder of MB Green Cleaning. Cleaning removes germs without killing them whereas disinfecting stops them in their tracks. That's why she recommends cleaning first and then disinfecting for coronavirus.

"It is very important that you clean [to] remove dirt and debris from surfaces first, because germs and bacteria might hide under the dirt. Once the surface is clean with the least amount of bacteria, the disinfectant will do its purpose by killing them," Barraza says.

Allow the disinfectant to sit for three to five minutes so it can do its job. "If you spray and wipe right away, you are taking the disinfectant away before it can do its job," she says.

It's imperative right now to clean all the surfaces you touch every day. "We all know we have to disinfect areas like the bathrooms, light switches, and doorknobs, but we should also focus on not-so-obvious areas," Barraza says. Think about laptops, kitchen cabinet handles, toilet handles, sink faucets, remote controls, and desks (especially if you're working from home at the moment). Remember: Clean first, then disinfect. And for more surfaces that could use your attention, check out 15 Things in Your House Experts Say You Should Wipe Down Every Day.

Not all cleaners are made with the right ingredients. Audrey Sue, MD, internal medicine physician in Southern California, says to "be sure to check out this list of EPA-approved detergents, which meet criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." And for more ways to keep your home safe, here are 15 Ways to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus at Home.

Whether you're using hand sanitizer or alcohol-based cleaners on your kitchen counter, you'll want to make sure the alcohol content is strong enough to kill germs. "Make sure they consist of at least 70 percent alcohol in order to be effective," advises Sue. You can tell by checking the back of the container.

Just because two types of cleaners are good on their own, it doesn't mean they're meant to be mixed together. "Some common household cleaning products when mixed together can become lethal, literally," explains former critical care nurse Robert Lambert, RN, founder and owner of Iatric Professional Cleaning Service. "These combinations can cause eye, nose, throat, and lung problems, nerve damage, and in some cases, explosives." For example, bleach mixed with ammonia can release chloramine vapors. So leave the mixing up to the chemists and just use that multi-surface cleaner you already know and love.

Right now, it can be easy to feel the need to go overboard with disinfecting surfaces for coronavirus. But this isn't necessarily a good thing, especially when it comes to bleach. "Using more bleach is not going to be better," says Lambert. "Bleach is a skin and eye irritant [and] can cause respiratory issues if [you're] breathing vapors in a poorly ventilated space." And for more cleaning products to be wary of, check out 15 Cleaning Products You Should Keep Far from Your Kids.

You might be used to reusing your gloves when you clean, but now's not the time for that. "Wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting and discard them immediately after," Barraza recommends.

You might be wearing mostly loungewear these days, but that shouldn't stop you from keeping up with your laundry. In addition to your usual loads, Barraza recommends disinfecting your hamper and washing its fabric lining if it has one. And for more on your clothes and COVID-19, check out Is Coronavirus on My Clothes? Experts Weigh In.

"Consider washing your sheets and towels more often than you normally do," Barraza says. Plus, you'll want to change hand towels daily.

The sanitize setting on your laundry machine is key. "The sanitize cycle is designed to reduce the amount of microorganisms on clothing, like germs and bacteria," explains Barraza.

Don't double dip, Lambert says. No, he isn't talking about chips and salsahe's referring to rags. "I am talking about wringing out a dirty cloth and using it again," he says. If you do this, you're introducing germs into your cleaner and then rubbing them onto new surfaces.

"This is especially true with the COVID-19 situation. Have a stack of clean clothspreferably microfibersubmerged into a bucket of solution," he says. Once you've used one, toss it into a laundry bag and repeat.

None of us clean our sponges as much as we should, but now is the time to change that. "You can kill the germs on your sponge by nuking it in the microwave for about a minute," says Natasha Bhuyan, MD, regional medical director at One Medical. Just be careful to soak the sponge in water first so it doesn't catch on fire in the microwave.

It's important to use your hands in addition to your eyes to make sure that you're cleaning things thoroughly. For example, Lambert says that some kitchen counters made with stone or granite can look deceivingly clean when they're not. "If you think you can 'see' that your counter is clean after scrubbing it, you may be fooling yourself," he says. So use your gloved hand to see if there's a spot you missed.

"There are many myths about household items that can be used against COVID-19 that are not accurate," explains Bhuyan. "Hand dryers, spraying chlorine on yourself, and using a UV disinfection lamp on your skin are not effective ways to kill coronavirus. They're also potentially unsafe for your health." So keep to the cleaners that are recommended by health professionals and the CDC instead.

"This may sound counterintuitive coming from a cleaning service owner, but don't lose your mind about cleaning while you're quarantined at home," says Jonathan Browne of Sparkle Clean Maids. "Being overly anxious has scientifically studied effects on your immune system. Cortisol, the stress hormone, causes your immune system to become dramatically more vulnerable to infection from viruses." So, yes, it's important to keep your home clean, but don't stresstoo much over making it absolutely perfect.

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How to Disinfect for Coronavirus in Your House, According to Experts - Best Life

With change and situations out of our control comes stress. It's a natural response during crisis, and the novel coronavirus pandemic is no different.

Adding a quick gratitude exercise to your day could help reduce stress, allowing your immune system to function at its best.

Image Credit: MundusImages/E+/GettyImages

As the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 keep mounting, so do our anxieties. And unfortunately, stress can come with some serious consequences for the immune system.

"When we're chronically stressed, we stay in red-alert mode practically full time," Tanya Peterson, certified counselor and author of The 5-Minute Anxiety Relief Journal: A Creative Way to Stop Freaking Out, tells LIVESTRONG.com. "This harms our immune system by either weakening it so we are less effective at fighting off viruses or sending it into overdrive, potentially leading to serious autoimmune conditions."

The good news? A little bit of gratitude can go a long way in combatting the effects of stress.

Read on for more on the connection between stress and immunity and the five-minute gratitude practice that can help you recenter.

Psychological stress leads to high cortisol levels, which impairs the immune system's functions, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Cortisol, the hormone produced in response to stress, is released by the adrenal glands to manage acute stressors, explains Brandi Moore, NMD, a naturopathic physician with Reclaim Integrative Health in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"When used this way, it works to support immune function by decreasing inflammation," Moore says. "However, when a person is chronically stressed, cortisol can suppress the immune system, making them more susceptible to becoming sick."

Chronic stressors such as financial problems, caregiving or worries related to the current coronavirus pandemic can elicit a "threat response," according to the University of California. That response physiologically wears out our cells, making it more difficult for our bodies to recover.

Decreasing stress is the best way to lower cortisol and in turn bolster the immune system. Moore says one easy way to do this is by practicing gratitude.

Many studies agree. Practicing gratitude, which means acknowledging the goodness in life, was linked to significantly lowered levels of stress in an October 2018 study in Psychology, Health & Medicine.

A February 2019 study in Clinical Psychological Science also linked a positive mindset to a stronger immune system.

"When an individual practices gratitude, it shifts their perspective, giving them a more positive outlook on life and decreasing stress," Moore says.

You can change anxious thoughts to grateful thoughts, which pulls your attention away from whats wrong and onto whats right."

Image Credit: Leonardo De La Cuesta/Moment/GettyImages

Being grateful and having a positive outlook may be easier said than done, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed by stress.

"Thankfully, we're not at the mercy of our stress response but can actually control it," Peterson says. "Journaling is a powerful tool to help us intentionally slow our thoughts and change our perspective."

Moore also recommends journaling to her patients. It's a simple idea: Write down how you feel or what you're thinking. And to get the most out of it, have a clear goal in mind for why you're doing it.

"You can change anxious thoughts to grateful thoughts, which pulls your attention away from what's wrong and onto what's right," Peterson says. "When you journal, you not only rein in your racing thoughts but you guide them and develop new perspectives."

It's especially helpful to focus on the mind-body connection, she adds. "What happens to one manifests in the other," she says. "When your body is stiff and sore, what is often going on in your mind? How do your beliefs affect you physically?"

Read more stories to help you navigate the novel coronavirus pandemic:

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A Gratitude Exercise to Reduce Stress and Support Immunity - LIVESTRONG.COM

Thank you," "To Our Heroes" and "We Love You," read some of the signs. Hundreds of cars drove past Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Friday evening to give thanks to medical staff. Bridgewater Courier News

The coronavirus is causing fear, stress and anxiety for many, potentially preventing them from getting a good nights sleep.

Xue Ming, a professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a specialist in sleep disorders, said in a statement that sleep helps the immune system fight inflammation, infection and disease while producing proteins that are needed to recover from illness.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has increased anxiety, often fueled by reading news on screens, which is extending bedtimes, exposing people to blue light and keeping the adrenaline system up," Ming said. "Also, our daily routines have changed work and school hours are less structured, and people are sleeping in later than usual. Without strong discipline, a person could sleep later, following their biologic circadian rhythm, which is more than 24 hours."

Reduce stress:NJ mental health efforts, tips to combat stress during coronavirus crisis

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Making sure your child gets enough quality sleep is important for health and development.(Photo: PeopleImages, Getty Images)

Ming offered the following suggestions toavoidsleep disruption:

The earliest sign of depression is sleep disruption, Ming stated, and depression makes sleep fragmented even though some depressed persons sleep longer.

"Anti-depressants can further suppress the quality REM sleep," she said. "Sleep deprivation also can lead to irritability, hyper-reactivity and mood swings."

Among the supplements that help with insomnia include amino acids, such as glutamate, Ming stated, and they are involved in the production of GABA, a major sleep neurotransmitter.

Coronavirus tips: : How to handle groceries during the pandemic

When insomnia persists, Ming suggested herbal supplements, such as tryptophan, which also is an amino acid; melatonin or valerian root.

"A balanced diet rich in proteins ensures GABA synthesis," Ming said. "Vitamins and essential minerals are important to bodily functions that maintain sleep health. For example, vitamin B and D play important roles in biochemical pathways in the cells.

"Sleep aids should not be used frequently or long-term, however," she continued "Always seek the advice of your physician before using these sleep aids. For example, valerian root has been reported to cause liver damage in some people."

When sick, the body needs more sleep to increase immunity, Ming stated, and a natural defense mechanism adapts inflammation-induced sleep, which helps fight infection.

"If your sleep is disrupted by a chronic cough, use cough medicine at bedtime under a physicians guidance," Ming suggested.

Keeping a bedtime routine and regular sleep time can condition your body to fall and stay asleep, she stated.

About two hours before bedtime, Ming suggested dimming the lights; practicingmeditation, yoga and deep breathing; listen to light music; wear a visor or sunglasses if in a lighted environment,and wear earplugs if necessary.

"Do not drink caffeinated or hot beverages or take a shower as that can rev up your adrenaline system," she suggested. "Stop using any blue light-emitting device, which can affect your bodys production of melatonin, a sleep hormone. Avoid anything that prompts anxiety, such as an argument, watching horror movies, vigorous exercise, hot beverages or shower/bath, which are all counter-productive for falling and staying asleep.

Also avoid alcohol at bedtime. While alcohol can induce sleep, when the alcohol level drops a few hours later, your sleep becomes fragmented. Likewise, eating close to bedtime can lead to gastric reflux due to a full stomach, which can disrupt sleep."

Circadian rhythm dictates the optimal times for falling asleep effortlessly and can vary by age, Ming stated.

The best time for adults is to go to sleep is from 9 to 11 p.m. earlier if elderly and they should get seven to nine hours of sleep, she suggested. For older teens and young adults, the optimal time to go to sleep is between 10 p.m. to midnight and haveeight to 10 hours of sleep, she continued. For young children and those who are school age, a bedtime between 7 and 8 p.m. is optimal, with nine to 11 hours of sleep, she concluded.

Email: bmakin@gannettnj.com

Bob Makin covers Rutgers for MyCentralJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. To get unlimited access to his informative and entertainingwork,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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COVID-19 has such a wide range of symptoms that you'd be hard-pressed to talk to two people who experienced the same exact thing.

COVID-19 looks different on everyone. It's not the flu; it's not the common cold. Unlike those viruses, the novel coronavirus doesn't come with a set of symptoms that show up in everyone. Some people experience a scratchy throat; some people experience shortness of breath. Some people get diarrhea and some lose their sense of smell. Most run a fever and experience debilitating fatigue.

Despite the breadth of symptoms, one thing is for certain: COVID-19 does not discriminate. People of all ages, backgrounds, social and economic classes, races, sexualities and origins can get this coronavirus -- here are the stories of some who have recovered, and not one is the same.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

These stories are not meant to scare you, but instead shine a light on what people are experiencing. I hope that these stories reveal how serious the coronavirus pandemic is -- that even the healthiest people are at risk -- and encourage you to follow your state's public health mandates and stay-at-home orders.

Olivia, who prefers to disclose only her first name, was studying abroad in Paris in late January. She flew back to the states on Sunday, March 15. The following Tuesday, she says she began to feel like she had a cold.

"I thought nothing of it and figured it was from the travel, since the only symptoms I had were congestion and a headache," Olivia tells CNET. "The next day I started feeling worse, but still hadn't shown any of the major signs of [the coronavirus] until I woke up at 3 a.m. Thursday morning and I was running a 100.2 fever."

Olivia's symptoms quickly progressed at that point, and she soon felt as if she had the flu: body aches, chills, extreme fatigue and a fever up to 102 degrees. At some point between the Tuesday when she first began to show symptoms and the following Thursday, Olivia also lost her sense of taste and smell, and thus lost her appetite.

She got tested on Saturday, March 21.

"I started to feel better over the next couple of days, my fever broke, and I was able to get up and move around and started to feel like myself," Olivia says, with the congestion and loss of taste and smell the only lingering symptoms.

"Now, just a little over two weeks since I started seeing symptoms, I consider myself to have completely recovered," she says. "I remained quarantined the entirety of my two weeks being sick and maintained limited contact with my family as well."

Looking back, Lauren Rowello, a freelance writer, says the first sign was minor coughing in her children. Her youngest had one day of fever, but nothing seemed serious.

"I vaguely remember my spouse also coughing and not feeling great, but that seems like so long ago," Rowello tells CNET. "We're in New Jersey. My spouse commutes a few times per week to NYC and travels throughout the US for work as well," she says, adding that her spouse is likely patient zero for their family.

Rowello didn't realize she had COVID-19 until a minor cough progressed to bronchitis and eventually led to pneumonia. Her cough turned into hacking and wheezing -- she was spitting up mucus and experiencing shortness of breath. This all happened within a matter of days.

Because the difference between bronchitis and pneumonia can sometimes be tricky to spot, Rowello had to get a chest x-ray.

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"I should have followed the trail of symptoms and illness through my house, but I didn't expect any of it to be a big deal -- especially since everyone else dealt with it so easily," Rowello says. "The severity of my symptoms seemed to come out of nowhere and progressed so fast that I didn't have much time to react to them."

Rowello's doctor put her on steroids to treat the inflammation and counteract her overwhelming immune response. She was also put on multiple medications for breathing assistance. Three weeks later, she's still coughing -- although infrequently -- and dealing with fatigue.

"I'm mostly back to normal -- working, cooking and doing some child-rearing again -- but I'm constantly exhausted and still dealing with some breathing issues," she says. "I'm still taking multiple medications to assist with that."

Dr. Tracy Gapin, a board-certified urologist and mens' health specialist, is still not feeling 100% himself four weeks after he first developed coronavirus symptoms.

One Friday night in early March, Dr. Gapin was at home watching TV with his wife. Out of nowhere, he suddenly developed "shaking chills." His skin began to hurt and he was running a fever of 100.

Luckily for Dr. Gapin, those were the worst of his symptoms. Prior to breaking out in chills, he experienced night sweats a couple of times, which he thinks may be related. At the time, though, he didn't pay it any mind because he felt fine otherwise.

He ran a fever for only one day and had no respiratory symptoms whatsoever -- no coughing, no wheezing, no mucus gunkiness in the chest.

Now playing: Watch this: Keep in touch with loved ones while keeping your distance

1:32

Since that Friday night with the chills, Dr. Gapin says he's been dealing with a particularly intense, persistent fatigue. "This isn't simply being tired," he says, "but it's a dense brain fog that has really limited my cognitive function I've had to take multiple naps on some days to get through the day."

Still, he feels fortunate that his symptoms were mild overall.

Dr. Gapin believes that everything he practiced before the coronavirus outbreak, and everything he preaches to his patients, is actually what saved his life -- that his habit of optimizing immunity prevented his case of COVID-19 from progressing to severity or fatality.

"Every aspect of my health was really a big part in my getting over this virus," he says. "Immune optimization, hormone health, nutrition, fitness -- all of it is important."

Interestingly, Dr. Gapin notes, his wife, two children and 70-year-old mother-in-law -- all of whom he was around before developing symptoms -- had no signs of the coronavirus. Gapin says he assumes they are all asymptomatic carriers, a stark reminder that anyone can have COVID-19 and not even know it.

Many people who have had COVID-19 and recovered are sharing their stories online. People share for different reasons -- to enlighten the public about what it's like to have coronavirus, to explain that everyone is at risk for the virus, to encourage people to stay home. Here's a collection of stories about the coronavirus that recovered patients have shared online. Interpret them how you will.

Though the medical community says that the coronavirus generally causes more severe illness among elderly and immunocompromised folks, a 22-year-old woman shared her harrowing experience with contracting coronavirus.

While people with compromised immune systems are at great risk of contracting the coronavirus, young people who are otherwise healthy can and have been infected. This 31-year-old reporter shares his experience with it.

Anyone can be infected and the symptoms can be harsh even if you are otherwise totally healthy, as this historian shared on Twitter.

Chris Cuomo, CNN host and the brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, contracted the coronavirus and shared his experience.

This virus is protean in nature, Dr. Michael Hall, a physician who has formed a working relief group with World Health Organization colleagues and Third Wave Volunteers to fight the coronavirus in the southern US states and Caribbean, tells CNET.

"It displays in each individual a myriad of signs and symptoms," Dr. Hall explains. "It's very stealthy and takes two to 14 days after exposure to display signs of infection." The early signs are "quite profound and very pathologic," he says, noting that anosmia -- loss of smell -- is apparently very common.

Other signs of infection can include nasal congestion and headaches, which may be mild to severe in nature. A cough -- typically dry, like a tickle in the throat -- and fever are also common, Hall says. Gastrointestinal upset, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, is on the symptom list, too.

Dr. Hall, who's treated patients with COVID-19, says the duration of illness seems to be rather long, and at some point, many people develop a feeling of "lung burn." He equates this to what you might feel when breathing at a very high altitude.

COVID-19, in short, is tricky -- advice, guidelines and public health mandates keep changing and are expected to continue changing.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Here is the original post:
What it's like to have the coronavirus, according to people who've recovered - CNET

Newswise The constant barrage of news about the global coronavirus pandemic is causing fear, stress and anxiety for many during waking hours and preventing them from getting a good nights sleep.

Xue Ming, a professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and a specialist in sleep disorders, talks about how COVID-19 is bringing new challenges to sleep cycles, how sleep helps the immune system fight inflammation, infection and disease while producing proteins that are needed to recover from illness, and what can be done to get on the right track to a healthy sleep routine.

How have the pandemic and social isolation brought new challenges to sleep?

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased anxiety, often fueled by reading news on screens, which is extending bedtimes, exposing people to blue light and keeping the adrenaline system up. Also, our daily routines have changed work and school hours are less structured and people are sleeping in later than usual. Without strong discipline, a person could sleep later, following their biologic circadian rhythm, which is more than 24 hours.

What are some tips for avoiding sleep disruption?

Schedule an anxiety and worry time. For example, in the morning make a list of anxiety-provoking thoughts, such as job insecurity, health and education. Then, put this list away and out of your bedroom. Keep the same lights-out time, whether you have to get up at certain time or not. Nightshift workers should expose themselves to bright light to keep awake while working and then wear sunglasses when returning home in the morning and take melatonin if falling asleep is an issue.

How can sleep affect your mood?

The earliest sign of depression is sleep disruption. Depression makes sleep fragmented even though some depressed persons sleep longer. Anti-depressants can further suppress the quality REM sleep. Sleep deprivation also can lead to irritability, hyper-reactivity and mood swings.

Are there supplements people with insomnia can take?

Amino acids, such as glutamate, are involved in the production of GABA, a major sleep neurotransmitter. A balanced diet rich in proteins ensures GABA synthesis. Vitamins and essential minerals are important to bodily functions that maintain sleep health. For example, vitamin B and D play important roles in biochemical pathways in the cells. When insomnia persists, you can try herbal supplements, such as tryptophan (an amino acid), melatonin (13 mg) or valerian root. These sleep aids should not be used frequently or long-term, however. Always seek the advice of your physician before using these sleep aids. For example, valerian root has been reported to cause liver damage in some people.

If you get sick, how should you change your sleep routine?

When you are sick, your body needs more sleep to increase immunity. Our natural defense mechanism adapts inflammation-induced sleep, which helps us fight infection. If your sleep is disrupted by a chronic cough, use cough medicine at bedtime under a physicians guidance.

Remind us what good sleep hygiene means.

Keeping a bedtime routine and regular sleep time can condition your body to fall and stay asleep. Start about two hours before bedtime: dim the lights; practice meditation, yoga and deep breathing; listen to light music; wear a visor or sunglasses if you have to be in a lighted environment; and wear earplugs if necessary.

Do not drink caffeinated or hot beverages or take a shower as that can rev up your adrenaline system. Stop using any blue lightemitting device, which can affect your bodys production of melatonin, a sleep hormone. Avoid anything that prompts anxiety, such as an argument, watching horror movies, vigorous exercise, hot beverages or shower/bath, which are all counter-productive for falling and staying asleep. Also avoid alcohol at bedtime. While alcohol can induce sleep, when the alcohol level drops a few hours later, your sleep becomes fragmented. Likewise, eating close to bedtime can lead to gastric reflux due to a full stomach, which can disrupt sleep.

Are there optimal times for people to fall asleep? A persons circadian rhythm dictates the optimal times for falling asleep effortlessly. This can vary by age. The best time for adults is to go to sleep is from 9 to 11 p.m. earlier if elderly and they should get seven to nine hours of sleep. For older teens and young adults, the optimal time to go to sleep is between 10 p.m. to midnight and have eight to 10 hours of sleep. For young children and those who are school age, a bedtime between 7 and 8 p.m. is optimal, with nine to 11 hours of sleep.

The rest is here:
How to Sleep Healthy During the Pandemic - Newswise

Sleep: The most underrated antioxidant

07-Apr-2020 New Delhi

Posted 03 Apr 2020

Have you ever wondered what is the importance of day and night, what is the role of sleep, how do we set a good circadian rhythm? Well all this revolves around the hormone melatonin!!

Setting up the circadian rhythm helps in production of good amounts of melatonin hormone. Melatonin does help in reducing the pigmentation, anti-ageing and also reduces hair fall so on and so forth.

Dr. Pallavi Sule, Dermatologist and Aesthetic Physician, starts by first explaining the meaning of Melatonin: "Melatonin is a hormone primarily secreted by the pineal gland which is known to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Usually it is consumed in the form of tablets to help people in jet lag, shift works by regulating the circadian cycle as a short term treatment for trouble in sleeping".

She explains:

How does melatonin get secreted?

The pineal gland is sensitive to light. When it is dark the body secretes more melatonin and prepares the body to sleep and when it is day/ light (artificial lights) the production of melatonin decreases. Low levels of the hormone give brain signals to stay awake.

So what's new about this hormone and why is it studied in more detail than before?

Sule said: "Melatonin is also known for its antioxidant benefits!! We all are living in a very stressful environment, be it the external or internal stressors like pollution, food consumed (adulteration), solar radiation, sleep patterns, work environments and so forth!! Any kind of stress releases free oxygen radicals in the body, which damages our DNA, causing degenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. Oxidative damage also leads to aging and hair fall which we know is one of the major causes.Melatonin hormone serves as a potent antioxidant, presumptive anti aging substance and anti cancer agent."

Let's understand how sleeping according to the body clock helps our body in general health and well being!

Sule further elaborates on this imperative subject adding, "Maintaining good sleep hygiene and a good sleep quality has many advantages. The sleep wake cycle governs two hormones- Cortisol and Melatonin."

Release of Human Growth Hormone: Experts estimate that 75 per cent of this hormone is released during sleep. It is released in the Stage 3 of sleep cycle which is usually 1-1.5 hrs after one falls asleep. Sleep deprivation or altered cycles affects the release of this hormone. In children it will affect the growth and health.

Sleep and its relation with Liver: There is a great relationship between sleep cycles and liver functions. Scientific studies suggest that most patients with advanced liver diseases have disturbed sleep patterns. The liver has its own clock for detoxification and regulation of hormones. Disturbed sleep results in raised cortisol levels (stress levels) and vice versa. This hampers the regulation of hormones by the liver. Here, now the liver is overworked and cortisol levels in the body are high during daytime. This circulating cortisol hampers the liver's regulations of melatonin and so the melatonin hormone levels are also high during daytime. Resulting in day time fatigue and drowsiness, and night time alertness.

Lastly, how can we increase melatonin levels?

"Many formulations are available in the market in the form of tablets and gels for topical application. But we must not forget the most important factor in production of the right amount of melatonin hormone in the body is sleep." IANS

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Sleep The most underrated antioxidant - The Weekend Leader

Many readers of the Post must be taking angiotension receptor blockers (ARBs) for high blood pressure. As products these are tagged with names ending in -sartan. My personal poison is candesartan, but theres a losartan, a valsartan and many others. Well call them sartans here to cut down on the acronyms.

In my column for Saturdays paper I gave a whimsical overview of hypothetical treatments for COVID-19, and I forgot to so much as mention the sartans. Strange error for me to make. But it could be because these drugs have undergone a strange swing in reputation in the COVID era.

For a few weeks physicians and researchers studying COVID and the nasty little cuss that causes it, SARS-CoV-2, were nervous about the sartans (and their older cousins, the ACE inhibitors). It had quickly become apparent that SARS-CoV-2, like the classic SARS virus Canadians know too well, uses the natural enzyme ACE2 to penetrate cell walls in the lung and possibly other organs.

ACE2 is angiotensin converting enzyme 2. It is part of the fiendishly complicated renin-angiotensin hormone system that the kidney uses to tell the rest of the body to send it enough blood to do its job. This is the same system that the sartans fool with to lower your blood pressure, so there was an immediate question of interaction between the drug, the enzyme and the virus that exploits the enzyme.

Sartans increase ACE2 expression: they upregulate it, in the language of pharmacologists. This sounds bad if youre frightened of a virus that uses ACE2 opportunistically to turn your lungs into hamburger. It sounded bad to enough family doctors that medical authorities had to put out advisories telling them not to run wild and start switching their high blood pressure patients away from sartans.

This now seems like a good call, because the latest thinking subject to change at any moment, no doubt is that sartans might actually help fend off the virus. Original SARS was shown in mice to actually downregulate or reduce ACE2 while exploiting it; this caused high blood pressure and lung failure, making the virus more or less the opposite of a sartan. Taking sartans actually appears to give you more ACE2 receptors, and that is, paradoxically, what you might want. Rather than increasing the attack surface for the virus, it gives you more receptors to spare so that the system keeps working.

Well, there are about two dozen people on Earth who understand this stuff and Im not one of them. But the concept seems credible to those who studied original SARS closely. They even thought about using sartans as a treatment for SARS when there still seemed some danger it would run amuck, as SARS-2 is doing.

Pictured taken March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

This is all theory (an untested mechanistic hypothesis, grumble the Olympian deities of evidence-based medicine), but it has found some empirical support. As the COVID virus was executing its cavalry charge through the city of Wuhan and Hubei province, a group of Chinese doctors were retrospectively studying the medication histories of persons who had both COVID and chronic high blood pressure. They wanted to check whether sartans and other pills for hypertension were bad. In their data, sartans came out looking very good, with users having significantly lower odds of developing severe COVID. It is an effect strong enough to have shown up in a fairly small universe of 511 patients.

I am not promising that the sartans will save us, but if you are a fellow user, you can feel slightly more comfortable about having to take em

It could still be due to chance, and Im sure none of you are keen on trusting that two and two make four if someone in mainland China says so. But doctors in other countries are now working on replicating the Chinese effort in a similar way, and in countries with state-provided medicare and good electronic records, signs of sartan protection (or harm) could be sought, very quickly, at the level of whole national populations. (I know it sounds as though Ive described Canada in that sentence, but forget that: we are a shambles. Think Denmark.) I am not promising that the sartans will save us, but if you are a fellow user, you can feel slightly more comfortable about having to take em.

National Post

Twitter.com/ColbyCosh

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Colby Cosh on COVID-19: Sartans at Thermopylae? Blood pressure meds vs. the coronavirus - News Lagoon

5 months after its launch within the U.S., Disney+ has made its debut in India. Content material from the streaming service has been built-in into Disney-owned Hotstars library, and that is a sensible transfer as a result of Hotstar already has over 300 million customers within the nation.

Disney+ is binging its authentic reveals like The Mandalorian, and providing titles from your complete Star Wars franchise, Pixar and Marvel content material, and a lot extra. Many of the Disney+ content material is obtainable in regional languages, with customers in a position to stream in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.

This is every thing you should learn about Disney+ Hotstar in India.

With the combination of Disney+ content material, Hotstar has been rebranded to Disney+ Hotstar. Theres a free tier that features adverts, and two paid plans. The Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan prices 399 ($5.30) a yr, and it contains entry to chose TV sequence and flicks from Disneys again catalog together with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Lion King, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon, and extra in a number of Indian languages.

Finest on-line studying instruments for teenagers: ABCmouse, Studying IQ, & extra

The Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan additionally contains entry to all main sporting occasions, together with cricket, soccer, Components 1, and extra. This plan used to value 365 ($2.85), and the minor enhance in value is nicely price entry to all the brand new Disney content material.

If you wish to stream Disney+ originals and entry worldwide TV reveals from the likes of HBO, Showtime, and Fox, you may wish to subscribe to Disney+ Hotstar Premium. This plan helps you to stream reveals like The Mandalorian, your complete Star Wars franchise, and a lot extra. You additionally get limitless entry to all of Hotstars sporting content material.

Disney+ Hotstar Premium prices 1,499 ($20) a yr, a rise of 500 ($7.75) from Hotstars earlier premium plan. What which means is that you simplyre principally paying simply 500 a yr for Disney+ content material in India. And no, in the event youre questioning, there isnt a method to simply subscribe to Disney+ content material on Hotstar.

Like Hotstars earlier plans, you solely get to stream premium content material on one machine at a time. That is the trade-off for the low annual price, so if you should stream reveals on a couple of machine, you may should arrange one other account. This limitation is just for content material that is tagged premium; different TV reveals and flicks may be streamed on two gadgets directly.

Should you paid for Hotstars VIP or Premium plans, youll be upgraded to the Disney+ plans at no additional value all through your membership. Youll have to pay the up to date charge when you renew your subscription. So in the event youre on the Premium tier, it is possible for you to to entry all of Disney+ originals till your subscription runs out. To resume, youll have to shell out 1,499 as an alternative of 999.

The Hotstar UI hasnt modified a lot, however theres now a devoted Disney+ part that hosts all of the Disney content material. Just like the Disney+ app in different areas, its damaged down into 5 classes: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Nationwide Geographic. The category-wise breakdown makes it simple to seek out your favourite TV reveals and flicks.

Again when Disney+ launched, it made a giant deal about providing The Simpsons, the primary time the present was accessible on a streaming service. Nevertheless, the present will not be accessible in India. I additionally could not discover X-Males: The Animated Collection, and flicks from the again catalog, together with The BFG, The Sound of Music, and so forth.

For now, the notable omission is The Simpsons. However theres lots of content material accessible to stream on Disney+ in India, and this is a brief listing of the very best TV reveals and flicks accessible proper now:

No. Hotstar remains to be restricted to 1080p content material, and there isnt any Dolby audio right here both. The bitrate hasnt modified, and I measured a median of three.5Mbps at 1080p. For some context, most Netflix reveals at 1080p have greater than double that bitrate, and I often see a bitrate of seven.5Mbps to 10Mbit.

After all, Disney+ content material within the U.S. is obtainable in 4K, and once I examined the service over there, I acquired a bitrate of 17Mbps to 20Mbps. Having mentioned that, you are basically paying a tenth of what Disney+ prices in different markets, so it is not too dangerous a trade-off.

That is simply the beginning of Disney+ in India, and we should always see much more from the service within the coming months and years. Disney mechanically gained entry to an enormous userbase by integrating its catalog inside Hotstar, and that solidifies the rebranded Disney+ Hotstar as the very best streaming platform in India.

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Disney+ is now live on India's Hotstar: Everything you need to know - Best gaming pro

Newtown Apr 2, 2020 (Thomson StreetEvents) -- Edited Transcript of Onconova Therapeutics Inc earnings conference call or presentation Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 8:30:00pm GMT

* Abraham N. Oler

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - VP of Corporate Development & General Counsel

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CFO

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - Chief Medical Officer and Senior VP of Research & Development

* Steven M. Fruchtman

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director

Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd., Research Division - MD of Healthcare Research & Senior Biotechnology Analyst

H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division - MD of Equity Research & Senior Healthcare Analyst

Good afternoon, and welcome to Onconova Therapeutics Corporate Update and Full Year 2019 Financial Results Conference Call. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, this call may be recorded.

At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Avi Oler, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and General Counsel.

Abraham N. Oler, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - VP of Corporate Development & General Counsel [2]

Thank you, operator. Good afternoon, and welcome to Onconova's fourth quarter and full year 2019 corporate update and financial results conference call. Earlier this afternoon, we issued a press release outlining our financial results and business progress during the year. If you have not seen this press release, it is available on the Investor Relations page of our website at http://www.onconova.com.

On today's call, Dr. Steve Fruchtman, President and CEO, will discuss the company's recent highlights and anticipated clinical and business milestones. After Steve completes his opening remarks, Mark Guerin, our CFO, will review our 2019 financial results. Following Mark's report, we will move to the Q&A portion of the call, which will be joined by Dr. Rick Woodman, our Chief Medical Officer. Lastly, Steve will come back with some final brief comments and a review of upcoming milestones.

Before we begin, I'll remind everyone that statements made today during this conference call will include forward-looking statements under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made as the underlying facts and circumstances may change. Except as required by law, Onconova disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future information, events or circumstances. Please see the forward-looking statements disclaimer in the press release issued this afternoon and the risk factors in the company's current and future filings with the SEC.

With that, I'll turn the call over to Steve.

Thank you, Avi. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining today's call. I would like to apologize for the delay in initiating the call. There were some technical factors from the operating system that really was out of our control. I also hope all of you are safe and practicing the guidelines as per our CDC. As you know, this is a very serious pandemic. So obviously, please take good care.

2019 and early this year represented a period of significant advancement in Onconova, highlighted by our recently completed enrollment of the pivotal Phase III INSPIRE trial in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. With planned INSPIRE enrollment now complete, we await the reporting of 288 survival events before releasing top line survival data. As disclosed earlier this afternoon, we expect top line survival data to be available during the second half of 2020.

Survival events INSPIRE trial are occurring at a slower rate than anticipated from historical published data. The reporting of this data set is expected in the second half of this year. This is our best estimate at this time, however, the impact of the evolving situation with COVID-19 is not known.

As you recall, the INSPIRE trial is an open-label, randomized, controlled international study designed to determine the efficacy, safety and tolerability of single agent intravenous rigosertib in the treatment of patients with second-line higher-risk MDS. Patients in this study are less than 82 years of age and have progressed on, relapsed or failed to respond to previous treatment of methylating agent therapy. The study randomizes patients to receive either rigosertib with best supportive care or the physician's choice of therapy with best supportive care. The primary endpoint of this study is overall survival of all randomized patients in the intent-to-treat population.

There is a second opportunity for an FDA approval, which is the sequential analysis of the overall survival of the very high-risk subgroup as defined by the revised International Prognostic Scoring System. Should rigosertib prolong survival in the INSPIRE trial in a statistically significant manner, we believe rigosertib could be the first new treatment for higher-risk MDS in more than 15 years.

In addition to the INSPIRE trial, we are preparing for a pivotal Phase II/III combination trial of oral rigosertib and azacitidine for the treatment of adult patients, which [aid the risk] HMA-naive, high-risk MDS. We received feedback from the FDA in 2019 and are preparing a Phase II/III protocol. We anticipate this study will begin later this year in conjunction with the data readout from the INSPIRE study.

At the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2019, Onconova presented a number of abstracts highlighting our development programs for both intravenous and oral rigosertib. The genomic data from the INSPIRE trial identifies the most common mutations in high-risk MDS following azacitidine failure, including those of the RAS pathway that are targeted by rigosertib. We believe the Phase II data of oral rigosertib in combination with azacitidine forms a foundation of a future adaptive trial in HMA-naive, high-risk MDS patients. We appreciate the recognition by ASH expert reviewers designate this data to be of such value that it was given an oral presentation at ASH.

As presented at ASH, a Phase II combination of oral rigosertib and azacitidine showed an overall response rate of 90%, 9-0, and a complete response rate of 34%. Complete response or CR, by definition, signifies the patient has a normal-appearing bone marrow and the bone marrow produces a normal peripheral blood count. Thus, these patients who are typically transfusion-dependent are rendered transfusion independent, which clearly offers great clinical benefit. The median duration of response is 12.2 months. The company believes this data support the design of a planned Phase II/III adaptive trial in HMA-naive high-risk MDS patients.

We have also made important progress with additional pipeline programs as well. Beyond rigosertib's focus in MDS, we are pleased about our other pipeline progress. And in particular, the progress of our plans to study rigosertib in RAS-driven cancers, including a study in KRAS-mutated lung adenocarcinoma. We anticipate the first patient to be entered onto the trial once the COVID-19 environment improves sufficiently. While a checkpoint inhibitors represent a significant advancement in the standard of care in treating lung cancer, tremendous unmet medical need remains. In our view, making our novel combination approach, which now will target RAS, of great interest to pursue.

ON123300 is our investigational first-in-class dual inhibitor of CDK4/6 and ARK5, which we believe has the potential to treat numerous cancers, including refractory metastatic breast cancer where CDK4/6 inhibitors have helped authority approval. As a reminder, we entered into a license agreement with HanX Biopharmaceuticals for ON123300 in December of 2017, under which HanX will provide all funding required for Chinese IND-enabling studies performed for Chinese health authority IND approval. We and HanX also intend for these studies to comply with FDA standards. The IND was approved in January of 2020 by the Chinese health authority. The manufacturer for ON123300 has been identified already and qualified. We plan to file a U.S. IND to ON123300 in the fourth quarter of 2020 after obtaining the required manufacturing data for the aspirant.

For those who are not familiar with the field, CDK inhibitors have emerged as promising compounds targeting very large indications such as hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer. The current generation of commercially-approved CDK inhibitors has limitations. Due to its unique targeting of ARK5 as well as CDK4 and 6, we believe ON123300 has the potential to overcome many of these limitations, making our drug candidate potentially suitable for certain cancers that may not be responsive to the current generation of CDK4/6 inhibitors. If successful, we believe ON123300 could address this very large market opportunity with a potentially better therapeutic. We maintain global rights to ON123300 outside of China.

The fourth quarter of 2019 and early 2020 was productive on the business development front as well. We executed a license agreement for rigosertib for Canada with Knight Therapeutics, we executed a license agreement for rigosertib for Australia and New Zealand with Specialised Therapeutics, we reacquired the rights to rigosertib in Greater China from HanX Biopharmaceuticals and we entered into a pre-approval access collaboration with Inceptua Medicines for rigosertib in select countries outside of the United States.

As a reminder, Onconova retains the rights in the United States, Europe and China for rigosertib, and we look forward to further business development opportunities.

And now I'd like to turn the call over to Mark Guerin, our Chief Financial Officer, for a discussion of our financial results for fourth quarter 2019. Mark, please?

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Mark Patrick Guerin, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CFO [4]

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Thanks, Steve, and good afternoon, everyone. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2019, totaled $22.7 million compared to $17 million as of December 31, 2018. Besides the $9 million of net proceeds from the financing we closed in early 2020, common stock warrant exercises since December 31, 2019, have added $5.7 million to the company's cash balance, resulting in a cash balance at February 29, 2020, of approximately $32.6 million. Based on our current projections, we expect that our cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund ongoing trials and operations into the third quarter of 2021.

Our net loss was $21.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to $20.4 million for the comparable period in 2018. Research and development expenses were $15.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, and $16.9 million for the comparable period in 2018.

General and administrative expenses were $8.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 and $7.6 million for the comparable period in 2018. We continue to manage our resources carefully while maintaining our primary focus on completing the INSPIRE trial.

This completes my financial review. I'll now turn the call back to Steve.

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Steven M. Fruchtman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director [5]

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Thank you so much, Mark. With that, we'd like to open the call for questions. After the Q&A, I'll finish with some closing comments.

Because of COVID-19, the Onconova office is closed. So to make this as expeditious as possible, when a question is asked, I will -- we're all in our home offices, so I will ask our internal expert to answer your question.

So operator, please go forward.

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Questions and Answers

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Operator [1]

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(Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from Dr. Joe Pantginis with H.C. Wainwright.

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Joseph Pantginis, H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division - MD of Equity Research & Senior Healthcare Analyst [2]

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Hope you're all well and hope you all stay well. A few questions, if you don't mind. First, on INSPIRE. Steve, I want to merge 2 of your prepared comments. Obviously, as you said, that nothing is new in 15 years, especially in the advanced population. And then you had your comment that based on observations for unblinded data, it appears to have a slower rate of events versus historical controls. So I'd like to approach that from a devil's advocate perspective. Obviously, all of us want to hope that it's due to the presence of rigosertib. So I guess from a devil's advocate perspective, what do you believe could also be impacting that? Obviously, beyond the placebo group or the control group acting better than expected, but no changes in therapeutic regimens, et cetera. So I'm just curious what your thoughts might be.

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Steven M. Fruchtman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director [3]

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So Joe, thank you for that question. I will ask our expert devil's advocate, Dr. Rick Woodman, to answer your question. Rick?

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Richard Charles Woodman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - Chief Medical Officer and Senior VP of Research & Development [4]

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Thank you, Steve, for that illustrious introduction. So thank you for the question, Joe. I think we have to keep in mind that the historical data regarding survival was collected well over 12 years ago and was not really collected in a randomized controlled trial. I think one of the potential factors that could be contributing to the event rate not being what we historically anticipated is improved supportive care that's occurred since that time the original azacitidine studies were done and survival was captured. I think that at this point in time, we do not see any impact of COVID on the survival events. But obviously, this is something we're monitoring through our safety reporting process, and we will continue to go forward with that, looking very carefully on a regular basis at the event rates.

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Joseph Pantginis, H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division - MD of Equity Research & Senior Healthcare Analyst [5]

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Very, very helpful. And then I'll put 2 in here at the same time. With regard to the news flow around INSPIRE, based on your goal of hitting a medical conference later this year, I guess, presumably ASH, if the data -- or if you hit the events ahead of time, would you anticipate just putting out a more simplistic press release that the -- maybe the primary had been met and then hold the data until ASH? And then secondly, based on the relatively late addition of additional geographies enrolling sites like in Brazil, are you looking at any potential over enrollment?

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Steven M. Fruchtman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director [6]

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So I'll take the first one first, Joe, if I may. So regarding release of information, if -- it looks like it's aligned and ideally, we will present the survival data at ASH. Clearly, if we have the data prior to ASH, we will be in discussions with ASH to inform them of our need based on SEC guidance that the data needs to be released to the Street, and we will do that in a timely fashion via a press release of some sort. And at the same time, make sure we inform ASH that the data will be released and yet ASH will permit us to present the data at that medical conference. And I think you had a second question, Joe, that I'll ask Rick to take.

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Richard Charles Woodman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - Chief Medical Officer and Senior VP of Research & Development [7]

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Yes. Thank you, Joe. Your question was regarding over enrollment in INSPIRE now that we've reached 360. The current industry practice for sponsors is that patients who have consented to the study prior to achieving planned enrollment be given the opportunity to be screened and considered the study for participation. We are doing that. We are obviously following closely health authority guidelines such as the FDA's as well as national guidelines. None of those guidelines have yet said that over enrollment with screened patients is not possible. So I anticipate there may be a few patients that would still come into the study.

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Joseph Pantginis, H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division - MD of Equity Research & Senior Healthcare Analyst [8]

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Got it. And my last question. Obviously, you had some BD developments as well with regard to China rights to rigosertib from HanX, but you're obviously still dealing with that company for 123300, which is a mouthful. You got to get a better name. But the -- just curious how things might be going and potentially relicensing in China and beyond.

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Steven M. Fruchtman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director [9]

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Thanks, Joe. Avi, can you take that, please?

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Abraham N. Oler, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - VP of Corporate Development & General Counsel [10]

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Sure. Thanks for the question, Joe. And you're right. We have an existing program with HanX Biopharmaceuticals, but the program with rigosertib is now -- China rights are available. So that means the largest markets in the world outside of Japan and in China, Europe and the United States, Onconova maintains all those rights. And now we've licensed rights in the fourth quarter, as Steve mentioned, to partners in Canada and in Australia and New Zealand. Those territories very much remain available. And as we complete enrollment here and as we approach data, we believe it's going to be an exciting time for Onconova on various fronts, including business development.

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Operator [11]

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Our next question comes from Dr. Ahu Demir with NOBLE Capital.

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Ahu Demir, NOBLE Capital Markets, Inc., Research Division - Biotechnology Research Analyst [12]

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Nice to hear everyone's voice, and I hope you're safe and you all stay safe. So my first question, first of all, congratulations. We needed some good news. Congrats on the completion of enrollment. So since you're expecting data in the second half, do we expect any genomic, any other types of data that will be press released or presented at the conference prior to the top line data?

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Steven M. Fruchtman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - CEO, President & Director [13]

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Rick, please?

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Richard Charles Woodman, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. - Chief Medical Officer and Senior VP of Research & Development [14]

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Read more:
Edited Transcript of ONTX earnings conference call or presentation 24-Mar-20 8:30pm GMT - Yahoo Finance

Have you ever wondered what is the importance of day and night, what is the role of sleep, how do we set a good circadian rhythm?? Well all this revolves around the hormone Melatonin!!Setting up the circadian rhythm helps in production of good amounts of melatonin hormone. Melatonin does help in reducing the pigmentation, anti ageing and also reduces hair fall so on and so forth..Dr. Pallavi Sule, Mumbai based Dermatologist and Aesthetic Physician starts by first explaining the meaning of Melatonin, HOW DOES MELATONIN GET SECRETED?

So what's new about this hormone and why is it studied in more detail than before??

Dr. Pallavi Sule, explains, "Melatonin is also known for its antioxidant benefits!! We all are living in a very stressful environment, be it the external or internal stressors like pollution, food consumed (adulteration), solar radiation, sleep patterns, work environments and so forth!! Any kind of stress releases free oxygen radicals in the body, which damages our DNA, causing degenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. Melatonin hormone serves as a potent antioxidant, presumptive anti aging substance and anti cancer agent."

Dr. Sule further elaborates on this imperative subject saying, "

Go here to see the original:
Sleep is the most underrated antioxidant - Times of India

Komen is providing breast cancer patients with transportation, food delivery and other resources to meet critical needs during the stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Mike DeWine.

One of Downtowns most visible, crowd-drawing events is on the postponed list. But the needs of the cancer patients it serves are not.

Citing concerns for the health and safety of participants, supporters and staff, Susan G. Komen Columbus recently decided to postpone the 2020 Komen Columbus Race for the Cure scheduled for May 16. The event is the largest Race for the Cure in the United States. Last year it drew more than 21,000 participants.

With its primary fundraiser on hold, Komen still tends to the real-time needs of people living with breast cancer. Were hoping we can still see pink. We have a vision for an actual race, says Julie McMahon, Komen Columbus interim executive director. But our primary mission is to help women today.

McMahon says Komen still provides transportation, food delivery and other resources to meet critical needs during the stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Mike DeWine. It is launching programs to provide special support to immunosuppressed patients so their treatment isnt disrupted, using sources like Uber Health for transportation and Amazon delivery for food.

Komen Columbus is hosting virtual support groups and wellness activities such as yoga and coping skills education, and its Facebook page livestreams content as well. This is only made possible by our tens of thousands of supporters here in Central Ohio. Our partners and sponsors have been amazing, McMahon says.

The Komen website details information on its response to the pandemic.

The organization is helping breast cancer patients grapple with unanswered questions, such as whether their treatment protocol makes them especially vulnerable at this time. For example, McMahon says, most hormone therapy does not cause immunosuppression, while most chemotherapy does. Its also talking with clients about whether treatment can be paused or delayed. For people about to start treatment, this is especially scary, she says.

She says the information provided by Komen is by no means medical advice but offers general guidance about questions that may be on patients minds or things to consider. Of course, you consult with your physician on your personal treatment.

Komen is guiding women on postponing routine screening mammograms so those resources can be targeted directly toward patients now undergoing treatment.

The re-allocation of resources now required during a world pandemic has immediate consequences for patients who are relying on clinical trials to give them hope. Research is affected, and many clinical trials are at a halt for women with no remaining options, McMahon says. We pray for them, and we pray with them.

Last years local Race for the Cure raised more than $1.3 million last yearwhich represents about 80 percent of the organization's annual budget. It uses the funds for education, screening and research. Money also is used for community outreach and programing for underserved and uninsured women.

The organization was about to host another fundraiser when Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton closed the Arnold Expo and Classic to most spectators and visitors. When the CDC issued guidelines that limited gatherings to 50, we were very concerned. We want to be leaders and show how important we think this is, says McMahon, who has a background in public health and epidemiology.

The decision to postpone major events threw crucial fundraising support into a tailspin that will reverberate for months or years to come. We cant stop fundraising right now, but it will look differently. The Race for the Cure sustains us year-round. Its going to be difficult for us moving forward.

Laurie Allen is a freelance writer for Columbus CEO.

See the rest here:
The Komen Columbus race is postponed, but heres how its still helping patients - Columbus CEO

Family Features Michele Adams is quick to say, I dont want to throw anyone under the bus, but it took her being hit by a car for her thyroid disease to finally be diagnosed.

Adams has always been an active person, but for a few years, she had felt tired and had a constant tightness in her throat. She was diagnosed with post-nasal drip but did not feel relief after a year of treatment.

I thought this exhaustion, hoarse voice and lump in my throat were just my new normal, Adams said. Id accepted it, and I shouldnt have.

During this time, Adams went on a bike ride in northeastern New Jersey something she still does frequently. However, on this day, Adams was struck by a car as she was biking.

The incident resulted in an MRI scan. Adams was not seriously injured, but doctors noticed something unexpected. The scan revealed nodules in her lower neck, which suggested thyroid disease?.

I now realize I had symptoms of a thyroid condition for years, Adams said. Id had it up to here with not feeling like myself. Once I had the MRI results, I knew to seek out a thyroid expert, and I found an endocrinologist.

What you probably do not know about your thyroid

Thyroid disease is more common than diabetes and heart disease, but more than half of Americans with thyroid disease are unaware, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). This lack of awareness can endanger a persons health and well-being.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located low in the front of the neck below the Adams apple. It produces thyroid hormones that influence almost every cell, tissue and organ in the human body.

Common signs of thyroid diseases include:

Unexplained changes in weight

Depression, anxiety or feelings of irritability

Changes in memory or ability to concentrate

Joint or muscle pain or weakness

Fatigue or trouble sleeping

Fast or irregular heartbeat

Irregular menstrual periods

Cheryl Rosenfeld, D.O., is a thyroid expert and AACE member. Rosenfeld is also the physician who treated Adams thyroid disease.

If the thyroid does not function correctly, it can affect every possible aspect of a persons life, Rosenfeld said. Remember that thyroid conditions can cause changes in mental health, including depression. Ive also spoken to patients whove experienced an inability to concentrate, which seriously affected their performance at work.

Several disorders can arise if the thyroid produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism) or not enough (hypothyroidism).

Other thyroid diseases include:

Nodules

Thyroid cancer

Graves disease

Hashimotos thyroiditis

Thyroid eye disease

Undiagnosed thyroid issues can also place a person at increased risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility and other serious conditions.

What to do if you are up to here with not feeling like yourself

Once I was placed on treatment for Hashimotos and hypothyroidism, my life changed completely, Adams said. My throat is no longer sore, and Im able to go out with my family or spend time at the gym without feeling completely drained of energy.

The first step to ensure your thyroid gland functions properly is to speak with a health care provider about your symptoms and whether a thyroid test is needed.

An endocrinologist is a specially trained doctor who is qualified to diagnose and treat hormone-related diseases and conditions, including thyroid cancer and all other diseases related to the thyroid gland.

Visit thyroidawareness.com to learn more about thyroid health.

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BY JEFFREY L. BAYLIFFDuring our virus closures and movement restrictions I thought it would be a perfect time to ...

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What you need to know about your thyroid | News, Sports, Jobs - Lock Haven Express