Tag: medical

Mental Illness on the Rise in the Visually Impaired

Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Depression and anxiety impact the daily lives of millions of Americans, heightened this past year by the challenges of dealing with isolation during the pandemic. New studies now indicate that mental health symptoms among those with vision loss are being diagnosed five times higher than the national average. Hadley, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the nation’s leader in distance and online learning for visually impaired adults from all 50 states and more than 100 countries continue to experience a surge in enrollment for workshops, podcasts, and discussion groups designed to…

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Reducing the Risk of Dementia Through Better Air Quality

Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: < 1 minute Improving air quality may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to several studies by the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021. Previous reports have linked long-term air pollution exposure with the accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease-related brain plaques, but this is the first accumulated evidence that reducing pollution, especially fine particulates in the air and pollutants from the burning of fuel, is associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Both increasing levels of air pollution and increasing cases of dementia are worldwide public health crises. While…

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Granting Wishes Regardless of Vaccination Status

Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Make-A-Wish’s recent decision regarding how to begin to lift some restrictions for wishes involving air travel and large gatherings was made to protect the health of children with critical illnesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision has generated misinformation and falsehoods on social media and in some media outlets. Here are the facts: Make-A-Wish has not, does not, and will not deny wishes to children who are not vaccinated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has safely granted over 6,500 wishes to children and families – regardless…

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93% of US Adults Set Health Goals

Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Medifast, the global company behind one the fastest-growing health and wellness communities, OPTAVIA, today released findings from a nationally representative study on consumer health priorities and motivators. In a survey from December 2020, the company found 63% of Americans had adopted new, positive health routines amid the pandemic, 96% of whom planned to continue embracing healthy habits in the new year. This new study, which surveyed 1,230 U.S. adults, found that almost all U.S. adults (93%) have health and wellness goals and 84% are actively working toward achieving them. Health Goals: Many of…

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56% of People Think COVID is Never Going Away

Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Americans are adjusting to life in the “new normal” with more than half (56%) saying COVID-19 is never going away, according to a new healthinsurance.com national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults. Healthinsurance.com began conducting monthly consumer pulse surveys since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 on topics ranging from health insurance, life insurance, telemedicine, and general health to well-being during a pandemic, technology usage, and personal finance. Key healthinsurance.com April 2021 Survey Findings: 56% think COVID-19 is never going away 91% say they will miss some aspect of pandemic life 62% are afraid to cough or sneeze in…

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