Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. Clean Juice in Bridgeport is preparing for its big grand opening on Saturday.

Clean Juice has been running a soft opening for a couple of weeks, giving its employees timeto practice and master their craft. Saturdays grand opening event will start at 8 a.m., and the first 25 customers get Clean Juice for a year.

The celebration also includes BOGO Smoothies, cold press juice and wraps at various times of the day. Customers who spend $35 between noon and 4 p.m. will get a free t-shirt.

The stores manager said it was important for the owner to open up a place with healthy choices for food and drink.

Our owner is actually a doctor, and he worked for 35years as an ER doctor, and he realized that food and our lifestyle has huge impact on our health and how we live and whether we end up in the hospital and those sorts of things, said general manager Kelsie Price. So he started moving more towards preventative medicine and wellness and as part of that, he wanted to open this store.

The Clean Juice franchise has over 140 stores across the country. Several 12 News reporters took a Restaurant Road Trip to the Bridgeport Clean Juice after its soft opening several weeks ago.

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Clean Juice to hold grand opening in Bridgeport - WBOY.com

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambrian Biopharma, a multi-asset longevity biotech, today announced the close of an oversubscribed Series C financing, which raised $100 million. The financing was co-led by Anthos Capital and SALT Fund, with participation from existing investors Apeiron Investment Group, Future Ventures, Moore Capital and others, to develop therapeutics to combat the biological drivers of aging, treat and prevent age-related diseases and lengthen healthspan. With this financing, Cambrian has raised approximately $160 million since the company was founded in 2019.

"We are thrilled to have such a visionary group of investors partnering with us to further Cambrian's mission."

The company also announced the appointments of Paul Farr, Partner at Anthos Capital, and former Allergan CEO and BridgeBio director Brent Saunders to its board of directors.

"We are thrilled to have such a visionary group of investors partnering with us to further Cambrian's mission. It's an honor to welcome Paul and Brent to the board to help Cambrian become the leader in the longevity biotech field," said James Peyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Cambrian. "The capital from our Series C round equips us to continue advancing our existing pipeline and also partner with more scientific innovators to bring more programs under the Cambrian banner."

Age-related diseases account for more than two-thirds of all deaths worldwide, taking 41 million lives every year, or nearly one death every second. Existing approaches to these diseases are almost exclusively reactive - waiting for people to get sick and only then using the rapidly expanding knowledge of biology to try to treat very sick patients.

Cambrian believes the future of medicine lies in approaching these diseases proactively, removing damage at a cellular level before a person becomes a patient. Each therapeutic in Cambrian's pipeline targets a different type of damage that builds up with age and will be tested for clinical safety and efficacy in an acute indication before using running multi-disease prevention trials.

"The reason I invest and build companies in biotech is to create a world where people can be happier and healthier for longer," said Christian Angermayer, Cambrian's Co-Founder and Chairman. "By developing the first medicines to slow the rate of aging, Cambrian is challenging us to think about today's most deadly diseases in a new way."

A Next Generation Drug Discovery "DisCo" Model

Cambrian operates as a Distributed Development Company (or DisCo) designed to bridge the gap that exists today between academic discovery and drug development. This unique drug discovery model combines the advantages of a venture capital firm and a big pharmaceutical company, with the nimbleness of a biotech startup. Cambrian's sourcing and development engine enables the identification of promising science, deep due diligence, deployment of capital and teams of drug development experts all under the same roof.

By leveraging established expertise and a scalable operating model, Cambrian achieves vast efficiencies in execution speed and the cost of developing new drugs. Cambrian's hypothesis-driven approach and industry-leading pipeline of drug candidates provides for reduced risk and multiple "shots on goal". To date, Cambrian has 14 novel therapeutics in development across its majority-held pipeline companies.

"Cambrian's novel business model brings efficiency, expertise and scale to create the first drugs designed to allow people to live longer in good health," said Paul Farr, Partner at Anthos Capital. "We are excited to support Cambrian's mission to build therapies that will revolutionize the way we approach healthcare in the 21st century."

Cambrian Operating Plans

Proceeds from the financing will support the advancement and expansion of a diversified pipeline of novel therapies, each with the potential to both treat and prevent age-related diseases, with the goal of extending human healthspan. Cambrian expects to initiate clinical trials for three programs in the next 18 months.

About Cambrian Biopharma

Cambrian Biopharma is building the medicines that will redefine healthcare in the 21st century therapeutics to lengthen healthspan, the period of life spent in good health.

As a Distributed Development Company (or DisCo), Cambrian is advancing multiple scientific breakthroughs each targeting a biological driver of aging. Our approach is to develop interventions that treat specific diseases first, then deploy them as preventative medicines to improve overall quality of life as we age. To date, Cambrian has 14 novel therapeutics in development across its majority-held pipeline companies.

For more information, please visit http://www.cambrianbio.com or follow us on Twitter @CambrianBio and LinkedIn.

Contact

MacDougall

Susan Sharpe

ssharpe@macbiocom.com

781-235-3060

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SOURCE Cambrian Biopharma

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Cambrian Biopharma Closes $100 Million Series C to Advance Healthspan-boosting Therapeutics to the Clinic - WFMZ Allentown

Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Dr Jennifer Prabhu, Co-Founder & CEO, Circee Health, to know more about the role and need for preventive medicine today.

What is preventative medicine? Preventative medicine is something I'm very passionate about. Preventative medicine is the art of just as it sounds, preventing disease before it starts preventing a disease from progressing.

Basically, prolonging a patient's life is the ultimate goal of preventative medicine, as I alluded to earlier as a primary care doctor, which is what I guess a general doctor is called in the US. It's very concerning to myself and my colleagues that preventive medicine has gone by the wayside. If you look at the statistics, the number of medical students that want to go into preventative medicine, internal medicine, paediatrics, family medicine, even OB GYN gynaecology is considered a preventative medicine field. The number has drastically dropped over the last several decades, especially now everyone is interested in going into radiology, Cardiology surgery, and I think that's mostly happening because of compensation.

If you do this, you won't develop heart disease at age 50, like your father did. So it's all about recognising early signs and empowering the patient to take care of their body and hopefully prolong their life. Like I mentioned earlier, in general, the benefit of more patients going to get their preventative checkups is better for obviously the person themselves. It's better for society, the amount of money spent on health care all across the world. And I can say, particularly in the US, is astronomical. So preventing surgeries and medications and chemotherapy, that sort of thing, of course, would be a great thing.

How can you reverse the disease without cutting someone open or giving them an injection? But we actually were seeing that happen to patients that truly listen to our plan. So we thought we could use our medical knowledge to help somehow lessen that burden and give back to society in that way and do something that we both love.

So that's when the idea of Circee health was born, Circee, the name actually is very important related to the patient.We try to teach the patient to take care of themselves. And Circee is the Greek equivalent of our Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. So that's where we got that name, we thought was very appropriate for what we're trying to do. So basically what we do is we call it a chronic disease reversal programme.

So at the moment, we are just online, which was influenced significantly by Covid, unfortunately, but we've noticed that was also a boon for us because we've noticed we can take technology and help as well. So we've been speaking with patients virtually through telemedicine, but also in that time period created an app which is actually artificial intelligence based. And this app, we've created an algorithm to take patient information, not just their health parameters but where they live and family history and things like that. And it personalises their medical experience.

And we can help guide them with what particular parameters, depending on their disease or their risk of disease or the amount of pollution in the city that they live in.

Use of technology in treating patients and how are using artificial intelligence to treat patients? We tailor their treatment and their suggestions based on that index that we've come up with. It's called the Circee Health Index. And we're very proud of that. The artificial intelligence factor is instead of my husband and I are sitting there with every patient and checking off all the boxes. The algorithm points us in a certain direction of how to treat the patient, and we ultimately make the final decision.

So that's where we are. Our app will be released, hopefully very soon. And we're excited about that. We do plan to make most of the app free, and that way we can reach more people again. Like I mentioned earlier, we really want to teach the general public how they can be healthier.

What are future plans for Circee? So 90% of the app will be free the rest. If patients desire more specific help coming off medications or specific testing that they might need to do to become healthier, then we can help them in that way for a nominal fee. So that's what our plan is. Future Directions we're hoping once the pandemic has calmed down. Our idea is to open kind of a health resort or a wellness clinic where we can in person teach patients how they can become better, whether it's meditation, yoga, plant based cooking classes, photography, drawing things like that just to treat the patient as a whole, not just a lab test result.

We also are hoping that we can collaborate with like minded physicians and healthcare workers, not just physicians, but nutritionists and physical therapists and instructors, personal trainers. Basically all like minded people that can have the same passion to help people get better and stay that way.

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We need to treat the patients much beyond the outcome of lab test results: Dr Jennifer Prabhu, Circee Health - ETHealthworld.com

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched a rolling review of molnupiravir, an antiviral pill for the treatment of Covid.

The laboratory reported on October 1 that if taken within a few days of a positive test the antiviral would cut hospitalisation and deaths by half among patients with early Covid symptoms.

Experts believe that this easily administered drug could revolutionise the global fight against serious forms of the virus.

The antiviral is one of the first drugs to be developed specifically for treating Covid patients, and may be the first oral pill used to combat the disease in the EU.

Health Minister Olivier Vran announced yesterday (October 26) that France has now ordered 50,000 doses of the drug.

Molnupiravir has been developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

Trials on 762 patients at high risk of disease progression showed that of those who received 800mg of molnupiravir twice a day, 7.3% were hospitalised and none died. Of the placebo group, 14.1% were hospitalised and/or died.

This is because molnupiravir inhibits the ability of the virus to multiply within the body.

Merck has already sought approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a decision expected in the coming weeks.

The EMAs review will assess the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug, continuing until Merck has compiled enough data to submit a marketing authorisation application. It is as yet unclear how long this will take.

The review could lead to Merck securing an order for molnupiravir from the EU, which said that it would only consider striking a deal once the drugs approval procedure began, Reuters reports.

It is expected that people will be able to take the pill at home over five days to reduce their symptoms and accelerate their recovery, easing pressure on hospitals around the world. It could also be used as a preventative measure for people identified as close contacts of a Covid case.

However, international health officials have warned that a future rollout of molnupiravir could result in the same global disparities that have characterised the Covid vaccination campaign, especially as Merck has already signed deals with countries including the US, the UK, Australia and Malaysia.

To combat this, Merck has said that it is committed to providing timely access to the drug around the world, and is planning a tiered pricing approach which will enable poorer countries to pay.

The company is also seeking to license generic versions of the antiviral, to build sufficient global supply of quality-assured product to orders globally, a spokesperson told Reuters.

Rolling reviews are used by the EMA to speed up the assessment of a promising medicine or vaccine during a public health emergency.

In normal circumstances, all of the data on a drugs efficacy and safety would be needed at the start of a formal application for marketing authorisation.

In this case, the EMAs human medicines committee will review data as it becomes available, allowing it to make a decision on the medicines authorisation within a shorter time frame.

At the beginning of the pandemic, doctors tested existing medicines such as hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir on Covid patients, but it has now been agreed that these drugs do not work to combat the virus.

Molnupiravir will be easier to administer than the medicines currently available, which are given intravenously and therefore can only be received in hospital. They also cost at least 1,000 per infusion.

Corticosteroids such as dexamethasone which combats the hyper-inflammation often associated with serious forms of Covid are also administered through a drip.

Other laboratories around the world are working simultaneously with Merck to find a treatment for Covid.

Pfizer also trialling an antiviral pill and Swiss company Roche which is developing a preventative treatment are two of the frontrunners in the race to find medicines that will treat symptoms of the virus.

Moderna approved by EU as booster jab, one week after France stops it

Frances flu vaccination campaign begins: Heres how to get your jab

Sanofi stops work on French Covid vaccine as it is no longer needed

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New antiviral Covid pill to be reviewed by EU medicines agency - The Connexion

According to an expert from Nuffield Health's Head of Preventative Medicine, there is an exercise which can lower high blood pressure instantly.   |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: High blood pressure or hypertension refers to a state wherein the force of blood against artery walls is too high. While initially it may not have too many symptoms, overtime the excess pressure against artery walls, if left unattended, can result in heart disease. Although high blood pressure is not potentially fatal in itself, it can overtime snowball and trigger a stroke or result in coronary heart disease.

How to lower high blood pressure reading?

If your blood pressure reading stands at 140/90, it is considered as high blood pressure; and if it reaches or goes beyond 180/120, it is known as severe hypertension. Hypertension risk or management majorly depends on lifestyle, diet and workout levels and this change is not instant. Over time, when unhealthy dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle become a part of daily life, it can increase risk of developing hypertension. And when the same becomes a health concern, combining diet with a good workout schedule can help with management. However, can high blood pressure be mitigated instantly?

According to an expert from Nuffield Health's Head of Preventative Medicine, there is an exercise which can lower high blood pressure instantly. Keep reading to find out.

The exercise that lowers high blood pressure instantly

As per the expert, isometric handgrip strengtheners can support quick adjustment of blood pressure. Just sitting down and squeezing one can be enough activity for your body to help reduce the systolic pressure. In an eight-week time, the same can reduce blood pressure by 8 to 10mmHg. The same, however, should be checked with a medical practitioner once before making it practice to avoid risk of hypertensive crisis a condition characterised by rapid rise in blood pressure to dangerous levels.

On the blood pressure scale, it can read as 180/120mmHg and can have the following symptoms:

This condition can cause harm to internal organs and can be potentially fatal.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a professional healthcare provider if you have any specific questions about any medical matter.

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Can you lower high blood pressure instantly? With THIS one exercise, you might - Times Now

Analysis: from chicken soup to sticking garlic up your nose, do some of the common treatments and cures for the cold actually work?

By Duane Mellor, Aston University and James Brown, Aston University

As we return to pre-lockdown levels of social mixing, colds are starting to become all too common. A TikTok video has gone viral involving putting garlic up your nose as a cold cure, just one in a long line of claimed treatments or cures. We asked two experts to examine some commonly held beliefs around colds.

Colds become more common in winter. Like other upper respiratory tract infections (in the nose, throat and windpipe) they are normally caused by a virus. There might be a little truth in the idea that getting cold can give you a cold, because as the temperature changes this can alter the lining of our throat and windpipe, which can possibly make it easier for viruses to infect cells. However, the main reason we get more colds in winter is spending more time inside, closer to other people the perfect environment to transmit viruses.

The TikTok trend involves putting cloves of garlic up your nose because it claims to act as a decongestant. Sticking something up your nose blocks the flow of mucus, so when it is removed, the flow starts and the mucus drips or even runs out of your nose. Mucus not only helps trap and remove pathogens including viruses, but also contains antibodies and can reduce how infectious and spreadable viruses are. So this is not a good idea.

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From MEDSimplified, what are the health benefits of garlic?

Garlic contains a range of compounds which might irritate the nose, and remember sticking anything up your nose isnt a great idea. It could damage the lining and lead to bleeding or even get stuck. So it doesnt really help and could be harmful.

Various herbal remedies claim to either prevent or speed up recovery from a cold. People often mention echinacea, a family of plants that grow in North America. Some trials have suggested a small preventative effect, but the evidence does not show statistically significant reductions in illness levels. Turmeric is also touted as a preventative medicine, but there is no robust evidence for its effectiveness either.

Nobel prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling suggested that vitamin C in high doses could be an effective treatment for many viral infections. But a Cochrane review, a very robust system in which researchers assess evidence, found that vitamin C did not prevent colds, but may reduce their duration, in some people. As vitamin C supplements of around 200mg per day are considered low risk, some suggest this is a reasonable strategy to shorten the effects of a cold.

Vitamin D has moved from being the sunshine vitamin associated with healthy bones, to being linked to reducing the risks around everything from heart disease and diabetes to viruses. This has included a lot of interest in vitamin D as a way of helping us fight off flu and more recently Covid-19.

Sadly, there are no miracle cures for the common cold

Laboratory experiments show that vitamin D is important in supporting immunity and this is critical in fighting off viruses. The problem may be that some people have inadequate vitamin D levels. Sunshine allows us to make our own vitamin D - but that happens less in winter. So it is likely that taking vitamin D supplements as advised by the UK government over winter is sensible so that you get enough, and this may help prevent you from getting a cold.

Chicken soup has been used through the ages to treat colds, and like honey it might have some benefits in managing symptoms. But it is unlikely to make a big impact on driving out the infection. The water in the soup will help with hydration, which is a often a problem when we have a cold. Like most hot drinks it can help to relieve painful sinuses. There are studies looking at the effect on our immune system cells, but the evidence from these is far from conclusive.

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From Jamie Oliver, how to make pukka chicken soup

Sadly, there are no miracle cures for the common cold. Some suggestions may be helpful, and are generally not harmful, such as getting enough vitamin C and D. But others are definitely not worth trying and could be risky, such as putting garlic up your nose. The best thing to do is get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Duane Mellor is Lead for Evidence-Based Medicine and Nutrition at Aston Medical School at Aston University, James Brown is Associate Professor in Biology and Biomedical Science at Aston University. This article was originally published by The Conversation.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RT

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6 popular beliefs about the cold - but are they true? - RTE.ie

Youth may be wasted on the young, but it's often squandered by the old. Well, older. Several everyday lifestyle habits have long been linked to premature aging. But science has recently discovered that by making some easy tweaks, you can actually reverse the aging processto literally make your cells get younger. Read on to find out moreand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You May Have Already Had COVID.

vegetarian foods

A study published last spring in the journal Aging found it was possible to reduce biological age by three years in eight weeks. Researchers had a test group consume a largely plant-based diet with a probiotic supplement, exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, do relaxation exercises, and sleep for at least seven hours each night. The scientists found that the participants' DNA became 3.23 years younger, on average, after only two months.

RELATED: If You Live Here, Fear COVID, Says Virus Expert

woman smiling while sleeping

Not getting enough sleep ages you inside and out. Scientists at UCLA discovered that just one night of bad sleep actually makes older adults' cells age faster. And a study published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology found that women who got good-quality sleep experienced 30% better "skin-barrier recovery" and had "significantly lower intrinsic skin aging" than those who got poor sleep.

RELATED: When to Get Your Booster Shot, According to an Expert

young woman running outdoors

Telomeres are the parts of our chromosomes that hold DNA; as we age, they get shorter. A 2017 study published in the journal Preventative Medicine found that adults who were highly physically active (defined as getting 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week) had telomeres that were nine years "younger" than those who were sedentary. Cardio seemed to be more effective than resistance training in that aspect, but resistance training has long-proven age-reversing benefits of its own: It builds bone density, helping stave off osteoporosis.

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RELATED: Easy Habits for Avoiding Dementia

Mature businessman experiencing a headache while working at his desk

"Cumulative DNA damage, immune dysfunctions, and oxidative stress are the most accepted theories regarding aging, and stress is actively involved in each," wrote the authors of a 2017 study in the journal Maedica. Prolonged stress causes the brain to pump out elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which actually suppresses two natural substances that keep skin looking plump and youthful: hyaluronan synthase and collagen.

RELATED: Ways You're Ruining Your Body, Says CDC

"Findings from research studies suggest that a diet containing lots of sugar or other refined carbohydrates can accelerate aging," says the American Academy of Dermatology. Remember those telomeres? A study at the University of California-San Francisco found that people who consumed more sugar-sweetened drinks, such as soda, had shorter telomeres. "Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence metabolic disease development through accelerated cell aging," the study's authors wrote. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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Studies Show These are Proven Ways to Reverse Aging - Yahoo Lifestyle

In a recent town hall, President Biden talked about the mental-health crisis we are experiencing in the wake of the pandemic: If you have a broken spirit, its no different than a broken arm. You shouldnt be ashamed of it. You should seek the help. Theres a lot of people who can help.

But are there?

At this point, I feel pretty confident in saying that everyone in higher education is aware of the mental-health toll the pandemic has taken. Ive written about it (The Staff Are Not OK), others have written about it, studied it, and covered it we are all aware. And while awareness and destigmatization are important when it comes to dealing with mental-issue concerns, weve reached a pivot point where we need to ask, Whats next?

Self-care means seeking help. Just reach out, we are told. But what if so many people are seeking help for mental-health problems that there is no one or nothing available to reach out to?

I have been pretty open about my past mental-health struggles. And I was doing fine during our extended Covid crisis until I wasnt. Last summer, what was supposed to be a week of vacation turned into five days of uncontrollable crying. I wasnt in crisis, but I knew I wasnt doing so well. I messaged my doctor (out of town on what I am sure was a much-needed vacation) and tried to get in to see my therapist (no immediate appointments were available unless it was a crisis).

When it comes to physical health, we often talk about preventative medicine to catch a condition before it becomes a crisis that leads to serious illness and hospitalization. Our insurance (if we are fortunate to have it) usually covers annual check-ups and routine tests. There are tiers of care: When I break my arm, I go to urgent care, but if I am having a heart attack, I go to the emergency room.

While its important to have a system in place for emergencies, its problematic when thats the only form of care readily available. Too often now, the only way to get mental-health treatment is to be in crisis. Everyone else gets put on a waiting list that may take a month, four months, or more. And even for those in crisis, the road to getting the help you need is anything but simple.

More than a decade ago, I did have a mental-health crisis. When things got really bad, I called the number for mental-health services, listed on the back of my insurance card. A recording answered and immediately informed me that if I was having a psychiatric emergency, I should hang up immediately and call 911.

I wasnt thinking about hurting myself or anyone else, so calling 911 didnt seem like the solution. But I also wondered: What would happen if I did? Would I be involuntarily committed? Restrained? Would they send the police and not an ambulance? At the time I had a 1-year-old daughter. What would happen to her if I called 911? What would happen with my job?

I stayed on the phone listening to the voice describing other options, and selected the one I thought might fit my situation. Waiting on hold, I began to practice my story. How do I sound bad enough that they understand I need help but not so bad that they send the cops? I must have told and retold the narrative three or four times to various people on the phone while they tried to get me appointments with doctors and therapists, all while making sure that I was OK and my daughter was OK and that we would continue to be OK until these appointments happened.

I had to bring my 1-year-old to the appointments because I was an adjunct and my husband was a graduate student. We couldnt afford child care, so wed arranged our schedules so that, when one of us was working, the other was off. I was repeatedly asked if I could find anyone to look after my daughter during the counseling sessions (she wouldnt have been there if I could), which only made me feel worse as a parent and a person. Once the medication started working, I stopped going to therapy. (I repeated the same pattern a few years later restarting therapy and then dropping it once I got the medication right.)

Im talking about all of this here because its important to understand what reaching out actually feels like and means in practice to someone in crisis. You are navigating systems and bureaucracies when you are the least capable of doing so, weighing the cost and benefits, deciding just how much to disclose. That is what all of us academics, staff members, students face in making the decision to seek help. Keep in mind that my crisis happened in the best of circumstances: I was fully insured and had relatively secure employment, and we werent in the middle of a pandemic.

Today, the fallout from Covid has placed our mental-health system (such as it is) under even more strain than before. People are reaching out in record numbers, and there simply arent enough trained professionals available to meet the need. We always knew that higher educations mental-health and counseling services were insufficient, but now they have reached a systemic breaking point.

In short, unless you are in crisis, there isnt much hope of seeing a therapist when you need to, let alone trying to find an expert who is attuned to your particular needs. Where you live heavily dictates the services and therapists you have access to, especially for people of color, for those who are LGBTQ, for those whose second language is English, and for people who arent religious. Telemedicine is helping, but the onus is on the person who may or may not be in some sort of crisis to start cold-calling therapists who may or may not take their insurance and may or may not even be taking new patients.

This past summer, when I felt myself struggling, I went looking for a therapist. I called office after office to inquire if they were taking new patients, but all of my messages went unreturned. At some point, I remembered that my employer provided a health-care advocacy service for all employees. I reached out to that service, outlining my issues and what I was looking for in a therapist. I was told that they would start looking immediately, but I should expect to wait at least 10 days to get a response not an appointment, mind you, just a call back with the name of a possible therapist.

Ten days. If it takes professionals who know the terrain and are doing this as their job 10 days to find a therapist for me, think of how much more difficult it is for people searching for help on their own.

The acute shortage of mental-health professionals is not the fault of our colleges and universities, but their reliance on a broken system to cope with the mental-health needs of their employees and students is. We help people in crisis but do little to prevent it from reaching that point. We have flooded the mental-health emergency rooms and urgent-care services, and there is little left for those of us who are teetering on the edge, trying to prevent a fall.

Administrators: Before you tell people on your campus that all they need to do is reach out, be cognizant of what help is actually available when they do. Unless leaders start talking about routine mental-health care, we will never get past the crisis phase.

I am not a mental-health expert, but here is the advice I would offer in this period of heavy demand for services and low supply:

President Biden was right when he said, if you have a broken spirit, its no different than a broken arm. We need to make sure that getting aid for our broken spirits is as straightforward a process as getting an X-ray and a cast for a broken arm.

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You Can Ask for Mental-Health Help, but Can You Find Any? - The Chronicle of Higher Education

This November, board-certified internal medicine physician Tyler Mork, D.O., celebrates one year at SSM Health Medical Groups Webster Groves location, 8670 Big Bend Blvd., Suite A.

Dr. Mork graduated medical school from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Chicago NorthShore.

Dr. Mork treats a wide range of medical conditions and sees patients ages 18 years and older. His clinical interests include diabetes, hypertension heart disease, vascular disease, kidney disease, osteoarthritis and mental health.

My priority is to take the time to get to know my patients. I believe that a trusting partnership must be established to effectively focus on prevention and proper management of medical issues, Dr. Mork said.

His practice is fully electronic with electronic records and MyChart. Patients can ask questions, see test results and request appointments. We use this technology to better connect with specialists, patients and to better manage patients needs, Dr. Mork said.

Dr. Mork continues to help SSM Health Medical Group expand its promise of exceptional health care services to individuals who live and work in Webster Groves and surrounding areas. SSM Health is also well supported by a strong network of medical specialists for patients who need referrals.

8670 Big Bend Blvd. Suite A

Webster Groves 314-447-1900

ssmhealth.com/medicalgroup

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Dr. Tyler Mork Offers Preventative Care With Personal Touch - Webster-Kirkwood Times, Inc.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Cases of the respiratory syncytial virus are much higher than what is typically seen this time of year, according to health officials at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes mild symptoms similar to those of a common cold. While most people recover within a couple of weeks, it can be more serious for infants and older adults.

This is a very unique year because RSV came onto the scene in the summer which very, very rarely happens in the state of Michigan, said Dr. Rosemary Olivero, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital.

As of Thursday, there were 21 infants in the hospital with RSV and all 21 of them were in the intensive care unit.

Olivero says the case numbers theyre seeing now are what they would see during a typical winter. This makes it almost impossible to know how long the RSV season will last or how bad it will be this year.

(It) certainly is related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shifts of the use of masks and how people are behaving in general, Olivero said.

She added that the areas where theyre seeing the most spread are in places where lots of children are congregating together, like daycares or other group childcare settings. These are the places where its important to be more careful.

If youre reliant on daycare, daycares do as much as they absolutely can to prevent the spread of infections but there may be limits to what you can do as a parent in that situation, said Olivero.

Children with underlying heart and lung diseases and those who are born very prematurely are at the highest risk for the virus.

Olivero recommends keeping infants away from anyone who is sick with any respiratory viral symptoms and avoid having your baby touch things that have been touched by other people or put in the mouths of other children.

There is a preventative medication called Synagis that can be given to those high-risk infants to help prevent serious lung diseases caused by the virus.

Olivero said its generally given to children in the winter but due to the unusual RSV season, the hospital has worked with insurance carriers to approve the use of the medicine now. She encourages parents to talk to their childs doctor about getting an appointment set up.

Many of the health measures that prevent COVID-19 can also help prevent the spread of RSV. Since RSV is spread both through contact with droplets from infected people and through surfaces, Olivero said masks can be effective but handwashing is vital.

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W. MI doctors warn RSV cases on the rise in children - WOODTV.com