health department

NPR and Bob Boilen | June 7, 2021: "We're publishing this Tom Jones Tiny Desk (home) concert on his 81st birthday. It's a poignant moment in the life of a singer whose career spans 56 years and more than 100 million records sold; the passing of his wife, Linda, in 2016 after 59 years of marriage was devastating and resulted in the longest break between recordings of his career. But now Tom Jones is back with a new album, Surrounded By Time, and ready to share his deepest feelings, channeling songs by others with a voice still rich and muscular. The songs on the album (and for this Tiny Desk) deal so eloquently with time and aging. Tom Jones sings Bob Dylan's "One More Cup Of Coffee" and going "down to the valley below." Then, he takes on Malvina Reynolds' folk tune "There's No Hole In My Head" and turns it into a fierce statement about being yourself. When Tom Jones was 33, and after one of his infamous shows in Las Vegas, jazz com...

Middlescence is defined as the time between adolescence and senescence.  "It is a paradox of life that we do not begin to live until we begin to die. Death begins at thirty, that is, deterioration of the muscle cells sets in." https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsnr.2020.0008   From the video below: Life begins at 40: the biological and cultural roots of the midlife crisis | The Royal Society. In this lecture, Professor Mark Jackson, winner of the 2018 Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal, explores a rich range of historical sources to argue that the midlife crisis emerged as a result of demographic changes, new biological accounts of ageing, and deepening anxieties about economic decline, political instability, rising level of divorce, and the impact of family breakdown on social cohesion.   Watch the Q&A here: https://youtu.be/q9erYW2KsUg

 Some goods points in the video below. Quality = f (K P t) -- explained at beginning:   Patrick Winston's How to Speak talk has been an MIT tradition for over 40 years. Offered every January, the talk is intended to improve your speaking ability in critical situations by teaching you a few heuristic rules. 00:16 - Introduction 03:11 - Rules of Engagement 04:15 - How to Start 05:38 - Four Sample Heuristics 10:17 - The Tools: Time and Place 13:24 - The Tools: Boards, Props, and Slides 36:30 - Informing: Promise, Inspiration, How To Think 41:30 - Persuading: Oral Exams, Job Talks, Getting Famous 53:06  - How to Stop: Final Slide, Final Words 56:35 - Final Words: Joke, Thank You, Examples

"At the end of our lives, we all become philosophers" is a quote from the podcast episode "Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers" by AoM: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/podcast-643-life-lessons-from-dead-philosophers/ The Greek word “philosophy” (philosophia) is a compound word, composed of two parts: 'Philos' (love) and 'Sophia' (wisdom), "love of wisdom".  Eric Weiner traveled thousands of miles around the world to visit the haunts of philosophers as he sought to better understand their insights and how he might apply them to his own life. He wrote about this philosophic pilgrimage in The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers .  Google Podcasts link View this post on Instagram Get your fill of portable wisdom. My new book, "THE SOCRATES EXPRESS: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers” is out on Tuesday! #philosophybooks #trains #bookstagram A post shared by Eric We...

Coronavirus: Lockdown's heavy toll on Italy's mental health - BBC News. What started as a physical health emergency is morphing into a psychological one: From BBC: "Italy’s coronavirus death toll is the second highest in the world, and its lockdown is the strictest and longest in Europe.Doctors say both things are creating a mental health emergency. The BBC has been given access to a psychological support centre run by the Red Cross, where staff say they’re overwhelmed by calls from people struggling. Psychologists are warning that Italy is not equipped to deal with the crisis, and that the rest of Europe must prepare. If you've been affected by a mental health issue, help and support is available. Visit Befrienders International for more information about support services in your country, or visit BBC Action Line. Film by the BBC’s Europe Correspondent Jean Mackenzie, produced by Sara Monetta, filmed and edited by Andy Smythe." Psychiatrist Jud Brewer offers help...

From the psychiatrist Judson A. Brewer, M.D., Ph.D. in the NYTimes: Anxiety and its close cousin, panic, are both born from fear and uncertainty. We have plenty of that with the current COVID-19 pandemic. If information is lacking, our prefrontal cortex lays out different scenarios about what might happen. Some of these scenarios can be pretty scary. Anxiety is contagious. The spread of emotion from one person to another is called social contagion. "People can sneeze on your brain", says Dr Jud. "Our own anxiety can be cued or triggered simply by talking to someone else who is anxious. Their fearful words are like a sneeze landing directly on our brain, emotionally infecting our prefrontal cortex, and sending it out of control as it worries about everything from whether our family members will get sick to how our jobs will be affected." To break the anxiety cycle, do 2 things: 1. become aware when you are getting anxious or panicking and what the result is. 2. bring...

There is evidence that hunger increases discounting for food rewards, biasing choices towards smaller but sooner food reward over larger but later reward. Researchers found strong evidence that hunger causes large increases in delay discounting for food, with an approximately 25% spillover effect to non-food commodities. This discounting can cause negative outcomes in many non-food domains: - consumer - investment - medical - inter-personal Caution may be necessary when making decisions involving non-food outcomes while hungry. In conclusion, sleep and eat on it, before making a final decision. References: https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-019-01655-0 https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/empty-stomachs-lead-to-poor-decisions-research-says-951019.html

See how it works in the BBC video below: How to Make Your Face More Likable: "cough out a laugh". The video was based on the work of the Bulgarian American psychology professor Alexander Todorov: https://psych.princeton.edu/person/alexander-todorov https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2010/03/sci-brief See a few computer simulated models here: http://tlab.princeton.edu/demonstrations/

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

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 Cupertino to San Francisco, a growing consensus has emerged that screen time is bad for kids: The benefits of screens as a learning tool are overblown, and the risks for addiction and stunting development seem high, as per the NYTimes. “Doing no screen time is almost easier than doing a little,” said Kristin Stecher, a former social computing researcher married to a Facebook engineer. “If my kids do get it at all, they just want it more.” Here is the problem: America’s public schools are still promoting devices with screens — even offering digital-only preschools . The rich are banning screens from class altogether. Athena Chavarria, who worked as an executive assistant at Facebook and is now at Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropic arm, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, said: “I am convinced the devil lives in our phones and is wreaking havoc on our children.” Ms. Chavarria did not let her children have cellphones until high school. Chris Anderson has has 5 children and 12 tech rules. Th...

The major 5 personality factors are abbreviated in the acronyms OCEAN or CANOE: - Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious) - Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless) - Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved) - Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/callous) - Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident) Researchers from Northwestern University sifted through data from more than 1.5 million questionnaire respondents to find at least four distinct clusters of personality types exist — average, reserved, self-centered, and role model — challenging existing paradigms in psychology. Read more here: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/september/are-you-average-reserved-self-centered-or-a-role-model/ The personality types are based on 5 widely-accepted basic character traits - you can run a simple test created by Jordan Peterson for Dr Oz here: https://www.doctoroz.com/quiz/quiz-whats-your-perso...

From WSJ: Researchers studied surgeons as they performed surgical simulations and found they could identify novice from experienced surgeons by analyzing brain scans taken as the physicians worked. Prefrontal cortex , the part of the brain involved in planning complex behaviors was more active in the novices. Skilled surgeons had more activity in the motor cortex, which is important for movement. The researchers, who developed a machine-learning system to analyze the scans, also showed that training resulted in a shift toward higher activity in the motor cortex. Simple mnemonic: Prefrontal cortex Planning Pre-proficient level Motor cortex Masters The scans were not MRIs but fNIRS , short for functional near-infrared spectroscopy . A person wears a skull cap embedded with tiny lasers that beam near-infrared light into the skull. Some of that light reflects back out and can be captured by a detector placed nearby. The quality of the detected light gives scientists clues as to whether bl...

This study from Germany  included 633 students. Use of computer games was found to be negatively related to all personality and mental health variables: self-esteem, extraversion, narcissism, life satisfaction, social support and resilience. The use of platforms that focus more on written interaction (Twitter, Tumblr) was linked to depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. In contrast, Instagram use, which focuses more on photo-sharing, was linked to positive mental health variables. The major 5 personality factors are abbreviated in the acronyms OCEAN or CANOE: - Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious) - Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless) - Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved) - Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/callous) - Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident) References: What does media use reveal about personality and mental health? An exploratory investigation ...

From WSJ : Snap judgments people make about others’ trustworthiness are wrong more often than most people think. These first impressions are formed in milliseconds, based on instinctive responses in the brain’s emotion-processing center, the amygdala. Some people conclude a stranger is reliable because he or she looks like someone trustworthy the person already knows. Or they make judgments based on stereotypes, such as an unconscious belief that older or more feminine-looking people are more trustworthy. This poses a challenge to anyone who must gain others’ trust to perform well in meetings, interviews or other gatherings. There are ways to head off other people’s shaky snap judgments, try this: - a happy expression , with the corners of the mouth turned upward and eyebrows relaxed, is likely to inspire trust. Facial expressions are important even when you think no one is looking. People tend to distrust others whose “dominant face,” or habitual expression, is grumpy, disapproving or...

Sleep is a key element in adolescent development. However, teens are spending increasing amounts of time online with health risks related to excessive use of electronic media (computers, smartphones, tablets, consoles, etc.). This excessive use is negatively associated with daytime functioning and sleep outcomes. Adolescent sleep becomes irregular, shortened and delayed in relation with later sleep onset and early waking time due to early school starting times on weekdays which results in rhythm desynchronization and sleep loss. In addition, exposure of adolescents to the numerous electronic devices prior to bedtime has become a great concern because LEDs emit much more blue light than white incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs and have therefore a greater impact on the biological clock. A large number of adolescents move to evening chronotype and experience a misalignment between biological and social rhythms which, added to sleep loss, results in: - fatigue - daytime slee...

From the NEJM: More than half of U.S. physicians report significant symptoms of burnout — a rate more than twice that among professionals in other fields. Medical students and residents have higher rates of burnout and depression than their peers who are pursuing nonmedical careers. Physicians with symptoms of burnout are twice as likely to leave an organization as those without such symptoms "The health system cannot sustain current rates of clinician burnout and continue to deliver safe, high-quality care". What to do? Here are some examples (more reading available at the reference links below): - To prevent burnout, Mayo Clinic has leadership-effectiveness scores for every division head and department chair. - University of Colorado health uses medical assistants to set the agenda for patient visits and write the notes (almost 3 assistants per physician) References: http://bit.ly/2rFjlxx http://bit.ly/2DFQ0sz Comments: Amazing when you offload physician administrative task...

In a recent study, playing computer games, using social media, texting and video chatting were all associated with less happiness. “The advent of the smartphone is the most plausible explanation for the sudden decrease in teens’ psychological well-being.” The happiest teenagers were those who used digital media a little less than an hour a day. The key to digital media use and happiness is limited use. Here is the 2-step solution: 1. Aim to spend no more than one hour a day on digital media 2. Increase the amount of time you spend seeing friends face-to-face and exercising – two activities reliably linked to greater happiness Prof Jean Twenge has made a whole career of this topic (http://www.psychology.sdsu.edu/people/jean-twenge). Here is a recent interview: Are smartphones making a generation unhappy? References: Teenage screen addicts lose out on happiness, study shows http://bit.ly/2rt9TNR

From this Reuters/Yahoo article : "Dr. Brian Halloran, a vascular surgeon at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, starts planning his garden long before spring arrives in southeast Michigan. His tiny plot, located in the shadow of the 537-bed teaching hospital, helps Halloran cope with burnout from long hours and the stress of surgery on gravely ill patients. "You really have to find the balance to put it a little more in perspective," he said. Hospitals such as St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor have been investing in programs ranging from yoga classes to personal coaches designed to help doctors become more resilient. But national burnout rates keep rising, with up to 54 percent of doctors affected." Burnout as a syndrome is marked by emotional exhaustion, cynicism and decreased effectiveness. A 2015 Mayo Clinic study found that more than 7% of 7,000 doctors had considered suicide within the prior 12 months, compared with 4 percent of other workers. Some blame the way medicine is ...