Bleach's Connection to Immune System Problems - Bacteria use hydrogen peroxide to weaken the immune system & cause pneumonia, new study finds. Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent used to whiten teeth or hair, as a stain remover, as well as for cleaning surfaces & disinfecting wounds.

submitted by /u/anutensil
[link] [comments]

China expands drug bulk-buy program, puts pressure on pharma firms

China expands drug bulk-buy program, puts pressure on pharma firms
Reuters: Health
China has expanded a pilot drug bulk-buying program to almost the entire country in an attempt to negotiate lower prices from drug manufacturers, heaping fresh pressure on multinational pharmaceutical companies and their domestic rivals.

Chinese city sells discounted pork as meat prices soar: media

Chinese city sells discounted pork as meat prices soar: media
Reuters: Health
A city in southern China is selling a limited quantity of pork at discounted prices to help consumers cope with soaring prices, as the world's top pork-eating nation deals with a meat shortage caused by the death of pigs due to African swine fever.

Fewer cardiovascular events seen in diabetics after weight-loss surgery

Fewer cardiovascular events seen in diabetics after weight-loss surgery
Reuters: Health
(Reuters Health) - For obese diabetics in a large U.S. study, weight-loss surgery was linked with a significant reduction in long-term rates of major cardiovascular problems.

How to Be Honestly Happy in the Present Moment

“Every day there is only one thing to learn: how to be honestly happy.” – Sri Chinmoy

Happiness is something we hear a lot about. Advice on how to be happy proliferates on the Internet and almost anyone you ask will give you a different suggestion on how to achieve it, how to know if you have it, what to do if you lose it. If you say you want to be happy, that implies that you are somehow not happy at present. In reality, you probably are happy, yet you’re expressing an overarching desire for happiness in your life — your entire life. Trying to map out a strategy that ensures you’re absolutely happy all the time, however, is both unrealistic and unsatisfying. What is a good strategy, though, is learning how to be honestly happy today.

I have some experience on the subject of trying desperately to find happiness, searching in all the wrong places, expending energy doing what I thought would make me happy and wasting precious time in the process. It wasn’t until I realized that happiness is already within me and I have but to embrace it that I stopped my frantic search and started experiencing happiness.

How did this all come about? Furthermore, what secrets about happiness did I discover that may prove useful to others? Here are some of the tips I learned about how to be honestly happy today.

Be open to new experiences.

Not everything you do today will be thrilling, causing you to gasp in recognition of how happy it makes you feel. You must be willing to take some unpleasantness, including sadness and pain that may accompany the experience, before or after you acknowledge that you are happy.

This takes patience and practice, yet it also requires courage. It’s not always easy to do, although it is something that you can learn.

One example from my childhood stands out. It was winter and my mother ushered us kids outside to play. My brother wanted to go sledding down Devil’s Elbow in a nearby city park. I was afraid, having heard many stories of broken bones and lost eyes from sledding the steep, icy hillside with its hidden stumps and tree limbs. I watched my brother take a few turns down the hill before I summoned the courage to go myself. I recall flying down the hill, feeling exhilaration, fear and uncertainty. I made it halfway before the sled careened off a submerged stump and I catapulted into the thorny bushes adjacent the sled run. I suffered a few cuts, but nothing major. It was, however, one of the most wonderful experiences I’d had to that point. I was proud of my accomplishment and happy I’d overcome my fear. Oh, and in that moment, flying down the hill, I was honestly happy.

Learn to distinguish fake happiness from honest happiness.

Not only is fake happiness distinctly different from honest happiness, it’s also easy to recognize one you know what to look for. Fake happiness is feigning glee or forcing a smile on your face when you feel anything but happy. Not that you shouldn’t make it a point to smile even in the midst of difficulties, but trying to fool others isn’t being honestly happy. You’re not really happy, just pretending to be.

What is honest happiness, then? It’s generally the by-product of being actively involved in doing something. Suppose you’re diligently working, yet decide to take a break to call your son or daughter. You’ve been thinking about the fact that your child has been having a tough time at school and asked for your help. Even though you are busy, you love your child and want to help him or her do their best. The words of encouragement, tips and questions you offer could make all the difference. When your child expresses thanks for your assistance, you experience happiness. This is being honestly happy.

Freely congratulate others for their success.

Let’s take an example from the workplace when one of your co-workers receives accolades for a job well done. You’ve also worked hard, although you know that your co-worker really does deserve this recognition. You offer your congratulations to your colleague and mean it. You are genuinely happy for his or her happiness. In this instance, you’re being honestly happy.

I had a bittersweet experience during the announcement of winners of a screenwriting competition where I knew I was a semi-finalist and wanted so much to be named the top winner. As the names were called, and mine wasn’t, I just knew I made it to number one. I came in second. Although initially I felt the sting of disappointment, I knew that the winner’s script was judged better than mine. I congratulated her on her winning script and receipt of the top screenwriting award honor. I meant it and it felt good. I was honestly happy in that moment.

Embrace opportunities to learn how to be honestly happy.

Happiness exists on many levels. Not all are blissful and all-encompassing. Some are tender, some are bittersweet. Some happiness makes you feel like you’re going to burst, while at other times, it sneaks up on you. The key is to acknowledge your happiness in the moment, and look for the little things in life that bring much joy.

You can be happy for what happens to others, what happens to you as a result of your actions. You can be honestly happy that today is filled with sunshine, that you’re blessed with good health, have a wonderful family, sufficient savings, excellent credit, terrific friends, a welcoming and comfortable home, pets that provide endless comfort and  joy, and so much more.

Indeed, from the time you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep at night, you have countless encounters and opportunities to learn how to be honestly happy. When you embrace this unfolding panoply of priceless experiences, you’ll know what it is to be honestly happy today.

Family Outriggers: Storm Parents, Godparents, Honorary Aunts

After the birth of her first baby, a friend of mine from the midwest asked if I would be willing to be a “storm parent” for her child. She explained that where she came from, parents designated someone nearby to be there for their children in emergencies if their parents couldn’t get to them. Coming as she did from the tornado corridor, it made sense. Parents can’t always get right home if kids get dismissed from school early due to a pending storm. More frightening is if kids are out in the neighborhood when sirens blare to take shelter. When the storm parents are closer to where they are playing, kids are taught to run there instead of trying to make it home.

We don’t live where tornados are a frequent problem. But emergencies happen no matter where families live. New to the area and far from family, my friend asked if I could be a back up in the event of some kind of “storm” where her kids needed a trusted adult when mom and dad couldn’t get to them immediately or if they needed additional support. 

During the time the family lived in our town, there never was an emergency where I was needed. But there was comfort for them knowing that I could be. Most important, it drew me closer to the family. The experience has made me think about the function of “storm parents”, both formal and informal.

Consider this: According to an Upshot analysis of data from a comprehensive survey of older Americans, 20% of young families live more than a couple hours’ drive from their parents. In college towns like mine, the percentage is much higher, with young couples living here while they go to graduate school or while they are in entry level academic jobs. Acquiring education and experience requires moving away and then moving on. Grandparents and other close relatives can be many states or even a continent away. 

In other places, grandparents and other relatives may be geographically close but not close enough to provide regular or emergency support. A two-hour drive away might as well be Mars. Home for the holidays and vacations may happen easily but what does a young family do when there’s an unexpected “storm”? The advent of face to face video calls has certainly helped but, however supportive virtual contact may be, there are times when time on the phone or email isn’t the same as a shoulder to cry on or a hug.

Sadly, there are other extended families where biological relatives simply aren’t a support for a young family. Life-style choices that are at odds with the values of children’s parents, overwhelming problems of their own, mental illness, or addiction can make them unable or unwilling to be a harbor in a storm.

This is why honorary members of a family who live close by (or who have the time and resources to visit regularly) can be so important. It does “take a village’ to raise a child. I suggest it also “takes a village” to give parents the support they need to do it well. 

Family Outriggers

Honorary family members do have a variety of names – storm parent, godparent, honorary aunt or uncle, or a cute name devised by a child. Regardless of title, such people serve as “outriggers” for a young family. Just as outriggers on a boat stabilize it in choppy waters, these people provide a stabilizing support to the family as the children grow and grow up.

Godparents are storm parents plus. They are chosen by parents to guide their child’s spiritual journey, although few confine their relationship to religious instruction. To be given that responsibility is an honor and a trust. These days, non-religious parents have also adopted the title of “godparents” to honor special friends; asking them to become an additional guiding and loving adult in their children’s life. In other families, such close friends are named honorary aunties or uncles. Although not biologically related, the title says they have a special and close relationship with both the parents and the children. 

How to be an outrigger

Take it seriously: Whether you are asked to be a godparent, honorary aunt or uncle, or some other chosen title, it is serious business to be taken seriously. It’s an honor but it’s also an obligation. Ideally, you are making a very long-term commitment of involvement with another family. Think carefully whether it is a role that is right for you before you take it on. If you have the time and emotional room to say yes, it will enrich your life. Although it is difficult to say “no”, it prevents disappointment and distress if you take it on but then can’t respond as the parents expect.

Form independent relationships with the children: It’s really not enough to see the kids as extensions of their parents or to get together with them only on special occasions. An honorary family member is expected to take the time to really get to know each child as an individual. That means spending time with them, learning their interests, and genuinely connecting with them.

Understand your importance as a role model: When there are lots of adults who love them, kids have more role models to look up to and to take after. This is especially important when a child’s temperament and interests don’t match up with their parents’. The artist among athletes, the mechanically minded kid among academics, etc. can feel lonely and odd indeed within their family. But if there is a relative or an honorary adult family member who shares their interests and who provides support, their difference gets positively defined as being “just like Auntie”. 

Be a trusted advisor: Raising kids isn’t easy. Being the kid being raised sometimes isn’t so easy either. An outrigger adult provides a listening ear, loving support, and alternative perspectives when things are challenging. As the kids become teens, then young adults, they often turn to outrigger adults for advice or comfort or a “second opinion” when they disagree with their parents. You can offer alternative solutions to problems and provide another interested listener for kids who are convinced their parents just don’t understand them. The parents may need the support and advice of someone who isn’t quite as emotionally invested when they find themselves in conflict with their kid. Sometimes it’s a challenging line for the honorary family member to walk: How to support the child’s confusion, pain, upset while not betraying the values and love of the kids’ parents. 

Have fun: Being an outrigger honorary family member isn’t all obligation and work. It also provides a way to enjoy children without having primary responsibility for them. Just as grandparents are often allowed to “spoil” the grandkids, (at least a little) you can be a source of silliness, fun, and experiences that their parents can’t be. When they get too tired or cranky, you get to give the kids back to their parents – who, by the way, had the break you provided by taking the kids off their hands for an hour or two. You get to be a hero. The kids get to have some fun their parents may not have time or skills to provide. The parents get to have a genuine break because they trust you with their children. Best of all, there is more love to go around for all. It’s a win for everyone.

4 Reasons for Misdiagnosis by a Therapist

In medicine and psychology, misdiagnosis is sadly a part of the profession. Whether it’s a doctor trying to diagnose a disease or a psychologist trying to diagnose a mental disorder or mental illness, there are no foolproof tests for most conditions (contrary to most people’s beliefs).

In medicine, we sometimes see physicians who intentionally misdiagnose a patient for financial gain. This is a horrible betrayal of a patient’s trust, and results in patients getting treatment they don’t need — which could even hurt their health.

Do therapists ever misdiagnose someone with a mental disorder? And if so, why?

Diagnosis — in both medicine and mental health — is not an exact science. Entire television shows have enjoyed successful runs due to this (e.g., House, MD). There is a lot of trial and error that goes with coming up with an accurate diagnosis. Most misdiagnosis is unintentional and done usually because the therapist doesn’t have all of the information about the patient’s symptoms. Or the symptoms follow a pattern indicative of two similar mental disorders.

One common type of misdiagnosis is in bipolar disorder. Because most forms of bipolar disorder includes the presence or history of one or more major depressive episodes, bipolar disorder can be misdiagnosed as major depression. Upon further examination and over time, however, most clinicians can identify and correct these kinds of misdiagnosis.

There are times, however, that therapists intentionally misdiagnose a patient. This is potentially unethical and may even be fraudulent, depending upon the exact nature of the misdiagnosis.

4 Reasons Why Your Therapist May Misdiagnose You

1. The therapist isn’t sure of the exact diagnosis.

Therapists often err on the side of underdiagnosis of a disorder if they’re not entirely certain what diagnosis is appropriate for a patient. This misdiagnosis often takes one of two forms: an adjustment disorder or the simplest, mildest form of the disorder.

An adjustment disorder will be diagnosed if it’s not clear the patient meets the criteria for a full-blown disorder diagnosis and has an identifiable stressor preceding the advent of the patient’s symptoms. In other cases, a therapist might diagnose the least severe form of a disorder (or the one with the least amount of stigma attached to it).

When a therapist is more certain of the diagnosis — through additional sessions, interviews, or assessments — they will often update the patient’s diagnosis to reflect their more in-depth understanding of the patient’s symptoms.

2. The therapist wants to get paid by insurance.

If you’re seeing a therapist that’s paid for by your health insurance plan, the therapist’s hands may be tied as to what kind of disorders they get paid to offer treatment for. For instance, many insurance companies either don’t pay for or limit treatment available for an Adjustment Disorder diagnosis.

In these cases, the therapist might use a diagnosis they likely know is incorrect so that they can get paid by the patient’s insurance company.

3. A patient asks the therapist to change their diagnosis.

You may think diagnoses are writ in stone, unchangeable once made. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, diagnoses can be changed as needed to accurately reflect a patient’s disorder. They can also be changed if a patient requests a change and the therapist agrees.

One reason for such a request might due to a job or something related to their career., such as a security clearance or specific job requirement. Other times it may be because they work in certain sensitive government, police, or military positions. Pilots and certain types of sensitive jobs — such as working at a nuclear power plant — also have mental health requirements.

While employers don’t ordinarily have access to your confidential mental health records, for some jobs it may be a requirement that such records are shared. In cases such as this, the therapist and patient may agree for the record to reflect a diagnosis that’s different the what the therapist may have ordinarily given.

4. The therapist is committing fraud for their own financial gains.

This is the rarest of reasons, but needs to be acknowledged since it does occasionally happen.

Unlike #2 above, in some instances a therapist might misdiagnose a patient in order to order additional testing. The therapist might get a kickback from the professional providing the additional assessment, or they may do it themselves, and also bill for that unnecessary assessment.

Some therapists may be engaging in Medicaid or Medicare fraud by diagnosing patients with a disorder they don’t have, then further bill those services for treatment the patient — unaware of their diagnosis — never receives.

* * *

Most misdiagnosis is done inadvertently and can be the result of incomplete information. A lack of information could be due to a poorly conducted intake interview or a reticence on the part of the patient to be entirely truthful or share the whole picture when first talking with their therapist.

But in the cases outlined above, sometimes misdiagnosis is done on purpose. A misdiagnosis done on purpose is not always a clear ethical violation, but it can be. If you’re afraid that perhaps you’ve been the victim of a misdiagnosis, ask to see your formal diagnosis in your mental health record. You are entitled by law to see such records.

And if you’re still in doubt, get a second opinion. Because an accurate diagnosis is necessary and beneficial to patients, as it helps inform the treatment that is likely to be the most effective.