health department

A quote from this NEJM article : "Socrates underscored the perils of an unexamined life. Yet for some physicians, a closely examined professional life would force a painful recognition of what’s missing. Robert Pirsig, whose philosophical writing focused on quality and values, crystallized the problem decades ago: “We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.”" The author of the article lists a few interventions he had tried at this workplace in the second article below. Many of those don't seem to reach the root of the problem though. References: RVU Medicine, Technology, and Physician Loneliness | NEJM https://buff.ly/2MEUBwd Navigating Loneliness in the Era of Virtual Care | NEJM https://buff.ly/2DKhICP

From the NYTimes: Brutal commute toll: to save 1 minute of time spent in traffic, people would trade away 5 minutes of any other leisure activity Extreme evening traffic on highways (double the usual time) increased the incidence of nighttime domestic violence by 9% How do deal with this: “Throughout life, mindfulness, healthy eating, sleeping and exercise, and hobbies that blow of steam all help”, according to Rebecca Mooney. References: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/upshot/stuck-and-stressed-the-health-costs-of-traffic.html

From the Guardian: Burned-out billionaires are taking extended multimillion-dollar 'sabbaticals' to recharge: A 40-year-old tech CEO, fresh off selling his multimillion-dollar business, embarked on an extended world tour, visited 66 countries over two years via private jet. The trip included learning to hunt with a bow and arrow with the San people in the Kalahari Desert and filming a documentary in South Africa – and it cost "well into the seven figures." "It could be a couple of million dollars to take your family around the world with a teacher in tow." These wealthy clients are looking for an escape, and some want that escape to be educational as well. "Often they want to get some sense of a back-to-basics lifestyle and learn the skills of our ancestors, like how to hunt and cook their own food," Barber told the Guardian. References: https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/themes/luxury/109786608/burnedout-billionaires-are-taking-extended-multimilliondo...

Mnemonic CLICC: C omfort: stay calm and patient L isten: show interest in their passion I nspire: expose them to new ideas C ollaborate: ask for their opinion C elebrate: use “put-ups”, “not put-downs” Comfort: stay calm and patient Practice active listening and provide support. For teens: Be present and pay attention to changes in behaviors. Offer validating and reflecting statements to help them label their own emotions when in distress. Practice relaxation techniques such as counting to ten, deep breathing, meditation, or positive self-talk. Help them identify strategies to manage stress and control their impulses. Listen: show interest in their passion For teens: If a teen wishes to talk about a difficult topic, supportive listening helps them express their thoughts and make sense of their experience. Pick a safe place to talk during an activity, while playing video games or a sport, or while driving in a car. Give them time to express themselves. Allow them to share their story w...

From the NYTimes: “People tend to overreport their height and underreport their weight,” said the senior author, Cynthia L. Ogden, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. The new figures, she noted, are the result of actual measurements: Meet the average American man. He weighs 198 pounds and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. He has a 40-inch waist, and his body mass index is 29 , at the high end of the “overweight” category. The picture for the average woman? She is roughly 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 171 pounds, with a 39-inch waist. Her B.M.I. is close to 30." Men and women gained more than 30 pounds from 1960 to 2016. According to recent longevity studies, the ideal BMI is closer to 20. The countries with the world's oldest populations are Japan, followed by Germany, Italy, Greece, Finland, and Sweden. Long-lived Okinawans subscribe to the nutritional behavior of “hara haci bu” or “eat until you are only 80% full.” Their “rainbow diet” is based on diverse fruits and vegetables, wi...

People who live in neighborhoods with more green spaces may have less stress, healthier blood vessels and a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes. Residential greenness is associated with lower levels of sympathetic activation, reduced oxidative stress, and higher angiogenic capacity. This is independent of age, sex, race, smoking status, neighborhood deprivation, statin use, and roadway exposure. For this study (see the link below), researchers tested for a variety of biomarkers of stress and heart disease risk in blood and urine samples from 408 patients at a cardiology clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Residents of the greenest neighborhoods had lower urinary levels of the hormone epinephrine, indicating lower stress levels, and lower urinary levels a marker of oxidative stress known as F2-isoprostane. Green space might encourage more physical activity. A higher density of trees and shrubs may also improve air quality by reducing levels of some air pollutants. Annemarie Hirsch...