We May Be Facing an Epidemic of This Brain Disease

We May Be Facing an Epidemic of This Brain Disease

Post By Health

According to mounting data, one of the more serious side effects of the COVID mRNA jabs appears to be dementia, and worse yet, this previously untransmissible disease may now be “contagious,” transmissible by way of prions.

In my 2021 interview with Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., she explained why she suspected the COVID shots may eventually result in an avalanche of neurological prion-based diseases such as Alzheimer’s. She also published a paper detailing those mechanisms in the May 10, 2021, issue of the International Journal of Vaccine Theory. As she explained in that paper:¹

“A paper published by J. Bart Classen (2021) proposed that the spike protein in the mRNA vaccines could cause prion-like diseases, in part through its ability to bind to many known proteins and induce their misfolding into potential prions.

Idrees and Kumar (2021) have proposed that the spike protein’s S1 component is prone to act as a functional amyloid and form toxic aggregates … and can ultimately lead to neurodegeneration.”

In summary, the take-home from Seneff’s paper is that the COVID shots, offered to hundreds of millions of people, are instruction sets for your body to make a toxic protein that will eventually wind up concentrated in your spleen, from where prion-like protein instructions will be sent out, leading to neurodegenerative diseases.

What Are Prions?

The term “prion” derives from “proteinaceous infectious particle.” Prions are known to cause a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”) in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.

These diseases are collectively referred to as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). They’re characterized by long incubation periods, brain damage, the formation of holes in the brain giving it a sponge-like appearance, and failure to induce an inflammatory response.

In short, prions are infectious agents composed entirely of a protein material that can fold in multiple, structurally distinct ways, at least one of which is transmissible to other prion proteins, leading to a disease that is similar to viral infections but without nucleic acids.

Unlike bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which contain nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) that instruct their replication, prions propagate by transmitting their misfolded protein state to normal variants of the same protein.

According to the prion disease model, the infectious properties of prions are due to the ability of the abnormal protein to convert the normal version of the protein into the misfolded form, thereby setting off a chain reaction that progressively damages the nervous system.

Prions are remarkably resistant to conventional methods of sterilization and can survive extreme conditions that would normally destroy nucleic acids or other pathogens, which is part of why prion diseases are so difficult to treat.

More Evidence mRNA Shots Can Trigger Dementia

Today, there’s even more evidence to support Seneff’s theory. In August 2022, tech entrepreneur Sid Belzberg wrote² about prions.rip, a website he’d set up to collect data on the neurological side effects of the jabs. (This site is no longer live.)

Within a few months, the site had received about 15,000 hits and gathered 60 reports from people who got the jab and suffered neurological deficits shortly thereafter, including six cases of diagnosed CJD.

“Normally this disease affects 1 in a 1,000,000 people,” Belzberg wrote.³ “To get 6 cases you would need 6,000,000 hits to the site assuming everyone reports. The chances of getting 1 case in 15,000 hits is 1 in 66. To see 6 cases in 1 group of 15,000 is 1/66^6 or 1 in 82,000,000,000, or 20 times more likely to win a Powerball lottery! …

To reiterate, CJD is an exceptionally rare disease that is now a known and established severe adverse reaction (SAE) from the DEATHVAX™. Injecting this slow kill bioweapon can cause ailments that are about as likely to develop in the real word as getting struck by lightning twice. The proof is now irrefutable.”

Frameshifting Can Result in Prion Production

In mid-December 2023, researchers reported^4,^5,⁶ that the replacing of uracil with synthetic methylpseudouridine in the COVID shots — a process known as codon optimization — can cause frameshifting, a glitch in the decoding, thereby triggering the production of off-target aberrant proteins.

The antibodies that develop as a result may, in turn, trigger off-target immune reactions. According to the authors, off-target cellular immune responses occur in 25% to 30% of people who have received the COVID shot. But that’s not all.

According to British neuroscientist Dr. Kevin McCairn, this frameshifting phenomenon has also been linked to harmful prion production — and that frame shifted prions, specifically, are infectious and can be transmitted from one person to another. As reported in the Journal of Theoretical Biology in 2013:⁷

“A quantitatively consistent explanation for the titres of infectivity found in a variety of prion-containing preparations is provided on the basis that the etiological agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy comprise a very small population fraction of prion protein (PrP) variants, which contain frameshifted elements in their N-terminal octapeptide-repeat regions …

Frameshifting accounts quantitatively for the etiology of prion disease. One per million frameshifted prions may be enough to cause disease. The HIV TAR-like element in the PRNP mRNA is likely an effector of frameshifting.”

McCairn explained this mechanism in a February 19, 2023, interview with Health Alliance Australia (video above). In it, he noted:

“Mis-folded proteins caused by prions can impact every level organ and tissue system in the body … [They] bioaccumulate and are resistant to degradation, thereby building up …”

Prions may in fact be the primary molecule that is being “shed” by COVID jab recipients, and if those prions are due to frameshifting, that could be very bad news indeed, considering their implication in dementia.

Another doctor who believes we’ll be facing an “epidemic of prion disease” is Dr. David Cartland. In late February 2024, he posted⁸ 13 scientific papers linking the COVID jabs, prion diseases and CJD, noting that was just a “small selection” of what’s available in the medical literature.

Prions Implicated in Long COVID as Well

According to genomics expert Kevin McKernan, Ph.D., prions are also involved in long COVID (or as McKernan calls it, “long vax”).⁹ In one 2024 study,¹⁰ 96.7% of long COVID sufferers had received the jab. In an interview with the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), McKernan stated:¹¹

“If you frameshift over the stop codons, you’re going to be making proteins that are spike-mito proteins. When I talk to a lot of the long vax patients I hear of all these things that remind me of my time in the mitochondrial disease sequencing space …”

McKernan claims he tried to publish a paper on this in 2021 with Dr. Peter McCullough, but the editor of the journal “stepped in and torpedoed the paper.”¹²

World’s Largest Side Effect Analysis Has Been Published

In related news, the largest study¹³ to date on the side effects of the COVID jabs was published in the journal Vaccine in February 12, 2024, and it confirms what I and many other alternative news sources have been saying all along, namely that the mRNA jabs are the most dangerous medical products to ever hit the market.

The study — performed by the Global COVID Vaccine Safety (GCoVS) Project and funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Ontario and the Canadian Health Research Institute — evaluated the risk of “adverse events of special interest” (AESI) following COVID-19 “vaccination.”

Data from 10 sites in eight countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand and Scotland) were included, encompassing more than 99 million jabbed individuals.

Of the thousands of side effects Pfizer listed in its confidential report of post-authorization adverse events submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,¹⁴ the GCoVS focused on 13 AESIs that fall into three primary categories: Neurological, hematologic (blood-related) and cardiovascular conditions.

They calculated the AESI risk for each of the 13 AESIs based on the number of observed versus expected (OE) incidents occurring up to 42 days after injection. The “expected” number of side effects were based on vaccine adverse event data from 2015 to 2019. These rates were then compared to the adverse event rates observed in those who got one or more of the COVID jabs, either Pfizer’s BNT162b2, Moderna’s mRNA-1273, or AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1.

Largest Study to Date Confirms COVID Jab Dangers

The analysis¹⁵ revealed several concerning side effects, including increased risks of myocarditis, pericarditis, blood clots in the brain, and various neurological conditions. Here’s a quick summary of the findings:

• Myocarditis and pericarditis:

◦ Pfizer vaccine — OE ratios for myocarditis were 2.78 and 2.86 after the first and second shots, with the risk remaining doubled after the third and fourth shots.

◦ Moderna vaccine — OE ratios for myocarditis were 3.48 and 6.10 after the first and second shots. Doses 1 and 4 also showed OE ratios of 1.74 and 2.64 for pericarditis.

◦ AstraZeneca vaccine — OE ratio for pericarditis was 6.91 after the third shot.

• Blood clots in the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, CVST):

◦ An OE of 3.23 for CVST was observed after the first AstraZeneca shot.

◦ A significant increase in CVST risk was also noted after the second Pfizer dose.

• Neurological conditions:

◦ Guillain-Barré syndrome — An OE ratio of 2.49 was observed following the AstraZeneca jab.

◦ Transverse myelitis — Risk nearly doubled with the AstraZeneca shot.

◦ Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis — OE ratios of 3.78 (Moderna) and 2.23 (AstraZeneca) were noted.

These findings really underscore the potential for serious side effects from the COVID shots, including conditions that may lead to other consequences in the longer term, such as stroke, heart attack, paralysis and death.

Effectiveness and Safety Was Wildly Exaggerated in Trials

Considering those findings, it’s no surprise to find that effectiveness and safety were exaggerated in clinical trials and observational studies. In a guest post on Dr. Robert Malone’s Substack, Raphael Lataster, Ph.D., writes:¹⁶

“An unofficial series of four crucially important medical journal articles, two by me, appearing in major academic publisher Wiley’s Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice reveals that claims made about COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness and safety were exaggerated in the clinical trials and observational studies, which significantly impacts risk-benefit analyses.

Also discussed are the concerning topics of myocarditis, with evidence indicating that this one adverse effect alone means that the risks outweigh the benefits in the young and healthy; and perceived negative effectiveness, which indicates that the vaccines increase the chance of COVID-19 infection/hospitalization/death, to say nothing about other adverse effects.”

Summary of Papers

The four papers in question include:

1. “Sources of Bias in Observational Studies of COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness” published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice in March 2023, co-authored by BMJ editor Peter Doshi, Ph.D., statistician Kaiser Fung and biostatistician Mark Jones, which concluded that “case-counting window bias” had a significant effect on effectiveness estimates.¹⁷

As explained by Lataster, this “concerns the 7 days, 14 days, or even 21 days after the jab where we are meant to overlook jab-related issues, such as COVID infections, for some odd reason as ‘the vaccine has not had sufficient time to stimulate the immune system.’

This may strike you as quite bizarre since all of the ‘fully vaccinated’ must go through the process of being ‘partially vaccinated,’ sometimes even more than once. To make matters worse, the unvaccinated do not get such a ‘grace period,’ meaning that there is also a clear bias at play.

In an example using data from Pfizer’s clinical trial, the authors show that thanks to this bias, a vaccine with effectiveness of 0%, which is confirmed in the hypothetical clinical trial, could be seen in observational studies as having effectiveness of 48%.”

2. “Reply to Fung et. al. on COVID-19 Vaccine Case-Counting Window Biases Overstating Vaccine Effectiveness,” authored by Lataster, which discussed how the counting window bias not only affected effectiveness estimates in observational studies but also safety estimates, suggesting a need for reassessment of vaccine safety.¹⁸ The article also addresses “the mysterious rise in non-COVID excess deaths post-pandemic.”¹⁹

3. “How the Case Counting Window Affected Vaccine Efficacy Calculations in Randomized Trials of COVID-19 Vaccines,” again co-authored by Doshi and Fung, which detailed how case-counting window issues also overestimated effectiveness in Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials.²⁰

4. A second article by Lataster, in which he highlighted and summarized the evidence showing that clinical trials were affected by adverse effect counting window issues that led to exaggerated safety estimates.²¹

“Together, these four articles make clear that claims made about COVID-19 vaccines; effectiveness and safety were exaggerated in the clinical trials and observational studies, whilst also finding time to discuss myocarditis and perceived negative effectiveness, meaning that new analyses are very much needed,” Lataster writes.²²

Resources for Those Injured by the COVID Jab

Based on data from across the world, it’s beyond clear that the COVID shots are the most dangerous drugs ever deployed. If you already got one or more COVID jabs and are now reconsidering, you’d be wise to avoid all vaccines from here on, as you need to end the assault on your body. Even if you haven’t experienced any obvious side effects, your health may still be impacted long-term, so don’t take any more shots.

If you’re suffering from side effects, your first order of business is to eliminate the spike protein — and/or any aberrant off-target protein — that your body is producing. Two remedies shown to bind to and facilitate the removal of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. I don’t know if these drugs will work on off-target proteins and nanolipid accumulation as well, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to try.

The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) has developed a post-vaccine treatment protocol called I-RECOVER. Since the protocol is continuously updated as more data become available, your best bet is to download the latest version straight from the FLCCC website at covid19criticalcare.com.²³

For additional suggestions, check out the World Council for Health’s spike protein detox guide,²⁴ which focuses on natural substances like herbs, supplements and teas. Sauna therapy can also help eliminate toxic and misfolded proteins by stimulating autophagy.

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Older Adults: 9 Nutrients You May Be Missing

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Getting adequate nutrition can be a challenge as you get older. With age, the number of calories you need begins to decline. Every calorie you consume must be packed with nutrition in order to hit the mark.

Even then, you may fall short. “As we get older, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing some key nutrients,” says Katherine Tucker, RD, PhD, chair of the department of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston. In addition, the ability to taste food declines, blunting appetite. Some foods become difficult to chew or digest.

Several key nutrients in particular may be in short supply as you get older. Here are the top vitamins and nutrients to look out for — and how to get enough of them from foods. There is a wide range of options that can accommodate a variety of dietary preferences and budgets.

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B12 is important for creating red blood cells and DNA, and for maintaining healthy nerve function. “Getting enough B12 is a challenge for older people because they can’t absorb it from food as well as younger people,” says Tucker. “Even if your diet contains enough, you may be falling short.”

How to hit the mark: Eat more foods rich in B12. The richest sources include fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Talk to your doctor about whether you should take a B12 supplement.

Too little of this essential B vitamin is known for contributing to anemia and increasing the risk of a pregnant woman having a baby with a neural tube defect. Older people whose diets don’t include a lot of fruits and vegetables or fortified breakfast cereals may be falling short.

How to hit the mark: Now that breakfast cereals are fortified with folate, deficiencies are less common. “Still, if you don’t eat breakfast cereals or plenty of fruits and vegetables, it’s wise to ask your doctor if you should take a supplement that contains folate,” says Kathleen Zelman, RD.

Calcium plays many roles in the body. But it is most important for building and maintaining strong bones. Unfortunately, surveys show that as we age, we tend to get less calcium in our diets. “Calcium is so essential that if you don’t get enough, your body will leach it out of your bones,” Zelman says. Coming up short on calcium has been shown to increase the risk of brittle bones and fractures.

How to hit the mark: Help yourself to three servings a day of low-fat milk and other dairy products. Other good dietary sources of calcium include kale and broccoli, as well as juices and other drinks that are fortified with calcium. Calcium-rich foods are by far that best choice, says Robert Heaney, MD, a Creighton University professor of medicine and an expert on calcium and vitamin D. “The body needs both calcium and protein for bone health,” Heaney says. “So the ideal source of calcium is dairy products, not supplements.” If you tend to steer clear of dairy products, talk to your doctor about whether you should take a supplement.

Joanne Koenig Coste, a former caregiver who works with older people, says that smoothies made with yogurt, fruit, and even vegetables can be an attractive option for people who have lost their appetite, have trouble chewing, or have a dry mouth. “I used to make one for my mother with spinach, yogurt, a little orange juice, and a little pistachio ice cream,” she says. “My mother loved it. I’d divide it into small portions and freeze them for her. She’d take it out in the morning and have it for lunch.” Another favorite: a smoothie of vanilla yogurt, a little molasses and maple syrup, and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

“Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, maintain bone density, and prevent osteoporosis,” Zelman says. In older people, vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to increased risk of falling. Many Americans fall short on vitamin D, which is mainly produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight.

How to hit the mark: Many foods are fortified with vitamin D, including cereals, milk, some yogurts, and juices. Few foods naturally contain vitamin D. However, vitamin D is found in salmon, tuna, and eggs. Researchers are studying what the recommended level of vitamin D for optimal health should be. Many experts think older people need to take vitamin D supplements, since the skin becomes less efficient at producing the vitamin from sunlight as we age. For now, the best advice is to talk to your healthcare provider.

Getting enough potassium in your diet may also help keep bones strong. This essential mineral is vital for cell function and has also been shown to help reduce high blood pressure and the risk of kidney stones. But many older Americans don’t get the recommended 4,700 mg of potassium a day.

How to hit the mark: Fruits and vegetables are by far the richest dietary sources of potassium. Banana, prunes, plums, and potatoes with their skin are particularly rich in potassium. By helping yourself to fruits and vegetables at every meal, you can get enough potassium. If you’re considering potassium supplements, talk to your doctor first. Just as too little potassium can be a problem, too much potassium can be very dangerous for your health.

Magnesium plays a crucial role in some 300 different physiological processes. Getting enough can help keep your immune system in top shape, your heart healthy, and your bones strong. “Many whole foods, including vegetables, contain magnesium. But it is often lost in processing,” Tucker says. With age, the body isn’t as good at absorbing magnesium. Some medications older people take, including diuretics, may also reduce magnesium absorption.

How to hit the mark: Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans, and seeds. They’re all are great sources of magnesium.

Fiber helps promote healthy digestion by moving foods through the digestive tract. Foods rich in fiber, including whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, have many other health benefits, including protecting against heart disease. “If you don’t eat a lot of these whole foods, chances are you’re not getting enough fiber,” Zelman says. You’re not alone. Most Americans only get about half the recommended levels.

How to hit the mark: Eat more whole grains, nuts, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Be creative. “Try adding cranberry sauce to your turkey and whole wheat bread sandwich,” Coste says. “Family can help out with this, too. When you visit your parents, divide up pumpkin seeds, nuts, blueberries, or already-chopped vegetables into snack size bags and leave them in the refrigerator so they’re ready to eat.” Talk to your doctor if you’re considering taking a fiber supplement.

These are a type of unsaturated fat. They’ve been studied for a wide range of benefits, including possibly reducing symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis and slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease of reduced vision in the elderly. Seafood can be be part of a heart-healthy diet but omega-3 supplements have not been shown to protect against heart disease.

How to hit the mark: Nutrition experts recommend helping yourself to at least two servings of fish a week. Salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel are especially high in omega-3 fats. Some vegetable sources of omega 3 include soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed, and canola oil. Omega 3 supplements are available but talk to your doctor before you begin taking any supplements.

If you’re an adult trying to help your parents get more omega-3s, Coste says to make it as easy as possible for them. She suggests buying canned salmon to put on salad. “You can get little cans or open bigger cans and put them in a plastic container,” she says. “Put mixed greens in another container. Then all they have to do is open the containers up and toss them together with salad dressing.”

Water isn’t a vitamin or mineral, but it is crucial for good health. With age, sense of thirst may decline. Certain medicines make dehydration more likely. Water is especially important if you are increasing the fiber in your diet, since it absorbs water.

How to hit the mark: One sign that you’re drinking enough is the color of your urine. It should be pale yellow. If it is bright or dark yellow, you may need to drink more liquids.

If you’re concerned that you or your aging parent isn’t drinking enough water, Coste suggests buying 4-ounce water bottles. “You see a small bottle of water and you think, ‘I can drink that,'” Coste says.

Some people may need to limit their fluids due to conditions such as kidney or liver disease. Ask your healthcare provider what’s best for you. Taking in too much fluid can be unsafe, too.

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Natural Remedies for Poison Ivy Rash

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Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published July 8, 2017.

Poison ivy, oak and sumac are closely related plants, and may be found growing in similar environments. In fact, all three grow throughout the U.S. except Hawaii, Alaska and parts of Nevada.¹ Poison ivy is found throughout the U.S.; poison sumac is distributed mostly on the East Coast, from Maine to Florida; and poison oak is found along the West Coast and the south, from Texas to Florida and as far north as Illinois.²

While irritating and uncomfortable, poison ivy is not usually dangerous, unless the oil is aerosolized from burning. Inhaling the fumes can trigger an allergic reaction in your lungs. Nearly three-quarters of the population of the U.S. will break out into a rash when exposed to the plant leaves. Only 25% appear to be resistant to the contact dermatitis that results from exposure to the oil in the plant.³

The rash can be unbearably itchy if left untreated. However, while your primary care physician may want to prescribe a corticosteroid to address the symptoms, there are much safer treatments you may begin at home that don’t come with a slew of side effects. Steroids are commonly prescribed for a number of different conditions, including contact dermatitis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, cancer and arthritis.

They can be given topically, by injection, through inhalation or by mouth. In each case, the medication is linked with significant side effects, including fluid retention, elevated blood pressure, osteoporosis, mood swings and increased risk of infection.⁴ In other words, these are drugs you want to steer clear of as much as possible. Learn to recognize the plant (as prevention is the best medicine) and the treatments you can use at home to alleviate the symptoms as your skin heals.

Recognize the Poison Ivy Plant

The old adage, “leaves of three, let them be,” is helpful to identify poison ivy and poison oak, but poison sumac grows with seven to 13 leaves on a stem.⁵ However, depending upon your geographic location, species of the plant and the local environment, even the poison ivy plant may look different.

To reduce your chances of coming into contact with the plant, learn how to identify local varieties and differentiate them from other similar-looking plants. You may try speaking with your local gardening shop or using online sites such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service,⁶ or the National Audubon Society Native Plants Database.⁷

The eastern poison ivy plant (Toxicodendron radicans) typically has small hairs on the leaves and grows on rope-like vines that may grow up a tree or along the ground.⁸ They have three shiny, green leaves that turn red in the fall. Despite turning color in the fall, the leaves still contain the oil that causes the rash.

On the other hand, western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) grows as a low shrub with three leaves and does not climb. The eastern species rarely grows west of mid-Kansas, while the western variety populates most states, except the southeastern U.S;⁹ either species of poison ivy may have white or yellow flowers and produce green-yellow or amber-colored berries.

How the Rash Starts

The contact dermatitis you get from poison ivy is the result of a reaction to the oil in the plant, urushiol (pronounced you-roo-she-all). This oil is in the flowers, stem, leaves and roots. It takes very little of the oil to cause the reaction and the oil remains active in the plant long after the plant has died.¹⁰ Exposure to an amount less than a grain of salt may cause a significant reaction if you are highly allergic.

The rash typically begins in the first 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the plant, or any piece of clothing, lawn equipment or pet on which the oil has been deposited. While poison ivy is not truly contagious, if you touch someone who has the oil on their skin and it transfers to your skin, you may share the experience.

Within a couple of hours of contact with the urushiol, it is absorbed and metabolized.¹¹ Your immune cells recognize it as a foreign substance, sending out cytokines and white blood cells to take care of the invader. In this process, some of your normal tissue is damaged, which results in the symptoms you experience. In some cases, you may not react with your first or second exposure, leading you to believe you won’t get the rash.

However, increasing numbers of people have the allergic reaction to urushiol with repeated exposure. So, if you didn’t develop the classic poison ivy rash the first time you were exposed, you may the second or third time. Symptoms of the poison ivy rash appear on the area of skin exposed to the oil, and any other areas to which the oil transferred.

In other words, if you touched the plant then scratched your nose and swatted a fly on your arm, you’ll likely develop symptoms on your hand, nose and arm. The symptoms of poison ivy, oak and sumac include:¹²

Redness	Itching	Swelling
Blisters	Weeping at the blisters	Pain or burning at the site
Lesions can continue to appear for up to two weeks	Difficulty breathing if the plant was burned and you inhaled the fumes	Blisters may be in streaks depending upon how the oil was deposited on your skin

As much as possible, refrain from scratching the rash as bacteria under your nails can infect the broken skin caused by the blisters. Keep the area clean with soap and water to reduce the potential for infection. In most cases you can treat your poison ivy at home, unless you know you have breathed in plants that had been burned or you begin to have trouble breathing. It may also be necessary to see your doctor if:¹³

The reaction on your skin is severe or widespread	Your skin continues to swell over several days	The rash affects the area on or around your eyes, genitals or mouth
Your blisters begin oozing pus	You have a fever greater than 100 Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius)	The rash doesn’t improve significantly, or get better, within a few weeks

Prevention: Getting It and Spreading It

If you find poison ivy in your yard, there are several precautionary tactics you’ll want to use to prevent getting the rash. The first is to keep exposed skin away from the plants. If you have poison ivy in a wooded area and decide to leave it, ensure the rest of your family and neighbors who may use the area are aware of the situation.

If you are clearing an area of garden that may have poison ivy, oak or sumac, or if you are spreading a new load of mulch, you’ll want to wear long sleeves, long pants and gloves. Depending upon your mulch supplier, poison ivy plants and the potent, active oil may have been mulched with the wood chips.

Once out of the garden, remove your gloves and clothing as described below and wash your hands and any exposed skin. Hose off your garden equipment with mild soap and ensure your dog didn’t follow you into areas of the garden that may have poison ivy, oak or sumac. For the most part, your furry friend won’t experience contact dermatitis from poison plants as often as you do, as their coat protects them from the oil reaching the skin.¹⁴

Still, if you suspect your dog or cat has been in or near poison ivy, it may be prudent to give them a bath to prevent the oil from soaking to their skin or from transferring the oil to you or one of your family members.

Be aware the oil in the plant is hardy and remains potent long past the life of the plant. Most cases of poison ivy contact dermatitis occur in the summer months, but some cases may show up in the dead of winter. Dr. David Adams, a professor of dermatology at Penn State University, has seen cases near Christmas when people buying live trees rip dead vines off the trees, not realizing they are poison ivy.¹⁵

Removing the Plant From Your Yard

You’ll want to use a safe and effective method to kill the plants that are in your yard without resorting to chemicals that damage the environment and may poison you as well. No matter what method you use to remove the plants, it’s essential you take a few moments to cover your skin with long pants, long shirt and gloves.¹⁶ The extra minutes you spend preparing may save you days of itching and burning.

Duct tape your pants around your socks and your shirt around your gloves, ensuring the gloves you’re using don’t have holes. Once you’re done treating or pulling the poison ivy, you will want to strip off the clothes you’re wearing, being careful that you don’t touch the outside of the clothes with your bare hands. You may want to have a friend remove your gloves while they are wearing disposable vinyl gloves.

Then, donning a pair of vinyl gloves yourself, remove the remainder of your clothes and immediately wash them twice in hot water.¹⁷ This may seem extreme, but could save you days of discomfort and pain. Poison ivy is a perennial plant, which means it could take three or four tries to eradicate it.¹⁸

The fastest way to get rid of the plants is to dig them up, ensure you get at least 8 inches deep into the soil to remove as much of the root system as possible.¹⁹ Disposal of the plants you dig up is another important factor to reduce the spread of the oil.

Do not compost, shred or burn the plants as this causes the oil to spread. During burning, the oil aerosolizes and may cause contact dermatitis over your face, hands and any other exposed skin.²⁰ Instead, bag the plants and roots in plastic and dispose of them in the garbage.

Once the plants are removed, cover the area with cardboard or mulch to help prevent regrowth of the plants. Watch the area around the cardboard for tiny plants that may grow from roots you may have missed.

If suiting up and digging up the plants isn’t your style, consider a nontoxic solution of 1 cup of salt, 1 gallon of water and a tablespoon of dish soap.²¹ Mix this solution thoroughly and pour it into a sprayer. Use the stream setting on the sprayer if the plant is close to other plants you would like to save, as this formulation will kill all plant growth.

How to Treat Poison Ivy at Home

If you know you’ve been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, take precautions to minimize any potential outbreak. James Brauker, Ph.D., spent 25 years as a biomedical scientist studying skin inflammation. In this video, he explains the method he has used to reduce or eliminate outbreaks of contact dermatitis from the urushiol oil.

Once you have an outbreak, for the most part you may treat it at home, using natural products to help reduce the swelling, itching and pain without resorting to over-the-counter medications. Try a combination of the following remedies to address each of the different symptoms. Left untreated, your poison ivy will often resolve spontaneously within two to three weeks. These treatments may help your body heal faster and will often relieve the pain and itching from the contact dermatitis.^22,²³

Remove the oil — Alcohol wipes may help to remove the oil from your skin if you don’t have immediate access to soap, water and a washcloth. Remove the oil as quickly as possible after exposure to reduce the severity of the rash and possibly eliminate the potential of getting it.

Remember to wipe every area of skin that may have contacted the plant or equipment that had touched the plant. Get between your fingers and use a brush to clean under your nails. Oil that remains under your nails may be spread when you touch other parts of your body. Use cool water and not hot to avoid irritating your skin or opening your pores, as this will allow the urushiol to be absorbed more quickly.

Another astringent you can use to remove the oil is the juice from a fresh lemon. Squeeze the juice onto a cotton pad and wipe the area. While this may remove much of the oil, it is important to also wash and use a washcloth to continue to remove the oil. Wash the washcloth in hot water through two cycles to ensure the oil has been removed.

Itching and inflammation — Cold compresses may help soothe the skin and reduce discomfort. Soaking the area in a lukewarm oatmeal bath may help reduce inflammation and soothe your skin. You may use oatmeal in a container that accommodates the entire area or take an oatmeal bath. Filter the water as it leaves the tub or pour the fluid down the garbage disposal from a small basin used to soak an area of your body, so it doesn’t clog your drain.

Baking soda in a lukewarm bath is recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology to soothe the skin and reduce inflammation.²⁴ The inside of a banana peel or watermelon rind may also help reduce the itch from the rash.

Do NOT scratch — The rash is very itchy, but you must refrain from scratching as much as possible. Bacteria under your nails may trigger a skin infection and scratching increases the damage to your skin and the potential for scarring. If the blisters from the rash do break open, leave them alone and cover them to prevent infection.

Reduce the reaction — A paste, made from bentonite clay and water, covering the area where you first notice the contact dermatitis may reduce the reaction your skin experiences, and therefore your symptoms. Bentonite clay is a natural clay that may be purchased at your local health food store.

Speed up healing — Soak a paper bag in apple cider vinegar and lay it across the rash. If you cool the apple cider vinegar first, it will also help to reduce the itch as the vinegar helps to speed healing of the rash.

Cool the burning — One of the symptoms of contact dermatitis from poison ivy is a burning sensation over the rash area. The gel from an aloe vera plant may help cool the burn from the rash in much the same way it helps soothe a sunburn.

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Uncovering the Link Between Acorns and Fat Metabolism

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Could we learn something from the dietary habits of squirrels, particularly their penchant for acorns, which they depend on to fatten up for the winter? According to Brad Marshall, a molecular biologist, farmer and chef, the secret to staying slim may lie in the ancient relationship between squirrels and the oak trees that give them their favorite food source.

“All mammals evolved from a common ancestor. We have the same enzyme systems that control energy balance in and out and even though we live in different environments and we have different preferred foods, our metabolisms all essentially work the same way,” Marshall says.¹

Oak Trees Make Acorns to Fatten Up Squirrels

You may assume that squirrels evolved to eat acorns in order to gain weight before winter sets in. But Marshall points out that mammals have been around for at least 200 million years, while flowering plants like oak trees and hickory trees are comparatively much younger, evolving around 130 million years ago.

“I believe that the trees evolved to use mammals to move their seeds around for them,” Marshall says.² He cites a study of wild red squirrels,³ which found their body weight increased from about 310 grams to 330 grams in the fall when they eat the most acorns.

“They’re essentially adding about 10% of their weight in body fat during the part of the year when they’re eating these acorns and, of course, from the perspective of the tree, the tree needs those squirrels to fatten up. The tree needs a healthy squirrel population so that it can spread its seeds and so this is what squirrels eat.”⁴

In the fall, acorns and hickory nuts make up 90% of squirrels’ diets. This falls to about 50% to 63% in the summer, when squirrels are their leanest. Marshall poses the question:

“So … if you are an oak tree and it’s your imperative to fatten up your squirrels so that they can survive winter so that you can spread your seeds, what do you make your acorns out of?”⁵

Black oak acorns, which squirrels prefer, contain about 46% of calories from fat, 48% of calories from carbohydrates and 6.6% of calories from protein. “That is the equation that the oak trees decided to use.”⁶

The acorns, along with hickories and chestnuts, are very low in saturated fat with very high amounts of monounsaturated fat and “quite a bit of polyunsaturated fat along with starch in the acorns. That seems to be the recipe that is preferred,” Marshall points out.⁷ In the video, he then reveals data showing people in France, who eat more butter and dairy fat, are leaner than those in Italy and Spain, where olive oil is favored.⁸

Why Acorns Make Squirrels Fat

A squirrel digesting an acorn can teach us a lot about fat digestion and its effects on the body. When a squirrel eats an acorn, its body breaks down the fats it contains. During this process, the squirrel’s intestines release a substance called oleoylethanolamide (OEA). OEA acts as a signal telling the body that fats are being digested.

Once OEA enters the bloodstream, it triggers a reaction in the liver by activating a receptor known as PPAR-alpha. This activation starts the process of fat accumulation in the body. Researchers study this process by using special mice models called “knockout models,” where specific genes are removed to see the effects.

In studies focused on diet-induced obesity, these mice are fed a diet similar to the composition of acorns, which is high in fat, primarily from lard and some soybean oil.

This diet mirrors the fatty content of acorns and is designed to induce obesity and insulin resistance in mice. An important point is that lard is mainly composed of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs); modern lard contains more polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) than it used to. The diet for the mice includes about 5% soybean oil to ensure there’s enough PUFA.

This diet effectively causes weight gain and insulin resistance in mice. The studies show that having the PPAR-alpha receptor is crucial for the mice to develop insulin resistance, offering insights into how fats affect the body’s metabolic processes.

A similar process occurs in humans when they’re given a drug called fenofibrate, which also activates PPAR-alpha. In a study conducted on men, researchers used fenofibrate to intentionally activate PPAR-alpha to study its effects on the liver.⁹

Interestingly, Marshall explains, while fenofibrate is effective at lowering cholesterol, this was the first time researchers directly observed its impact on the liver in humans. The results showed that fenofibrate increased liver fat content by about 23%, which suggests that activating PPAR-alpha can have unintended effects on the body’s fat storage processes.

Additionally, the study examined the activity of two enzymes: delta-6 desaturase and delta-9 desaturase, also known as SCD-1. These enzymes play roles in fat metabolism, and their activity levels increased significantly — by about 58% and 36%, respectively — in participants whose PPAR-alpha was activated by fenofibrate. This increase in enzyme activity further indicates changes in how the body processes and stores fats.¹⁰

The significance of these findings lies in the connection to MUFA, like those found in acorns. The presence of MUFA can initiate the activation of PPAR-alpha, showcasing its role as a key regulator in fat metabolism.

What This Means for Human Metabolism

When glucose from foods like acorns enters a cell, it undergoes a process called glycolysis in the cell’s cytoplasm, converting into pyruvate. This pyruvate then moves into the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse, where it has two main pathways. One pathway involves conversion into acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) by an enzyme called pyruvate dehydrogenase, leading to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, a critical step in energy production from food.¹¹

During this cycle, acetyl-CoA is broken down, producing molecules called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NADH. The availability of another molecule, NAD+, is crucial here because a shortage can slow down metabolism. Your body has mechanisms to convert NADH back to NAD+ to maintain metabolic balance.

One primary method is through the electron transport chain in the mitochondria, which not only regenerates NAD+ but also produces ATP, the energy currency of the cell used for everything from moving muscles to brain functions.

However, not all energy production goes smoothly. When there’s an excess of NADH and not enough demand for ATP, an enzyme called pyruvate dehydrogenase can become less active, leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), like hydrogen peroxide. Another enzyme, NNT, helps convert this potentially harmful byproduct back into water, simultaneously converting NADH back to NAD+.

But, when PPAR-alpha, activated by the MUFAs from acorns, comes into play, it inhibits pyruvate dehydrogenase by activating a different enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. This action prevents the normal breakdown of pyruvate via the TCA cycle. Instead, pyruvate takes an alternate route through an enzyme called pyruvate carboxylase, favoring the production of a compound called oxaloacetate.

This shift redirects the cell’s energy processes, combining pyruvate from carbohydrates and acetyl-CoA from fats to create new fats through a process called de novo lipogenesis. Essentially, Marshall explains, the presence of PPAR-alpha, stimulated by fats in the diet, influences your body’s decision to convert carbohydrates into fat.

Why Diets High in Linoleic Acid Are Fattening

Acorns from red or black oaks are a mix of fats and carbohydrates, with their fat content being mostly monounsaturated and a good portion of it being linoleic acid (LA), a PUFA. LA accounts for about 80% of the fat composition of vegetable/seed oils. Examples of seed oils high in omega-6 LA include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn and safflower.¹²

Marshall explains that the presence of oleic acid, another component of the fat in acorns, is also important because it triggers a reaction in the liver that activates PPAR-alpha. Once activated, PPAR-alpha influences how the cell uses energy, leading to a preference for creating new fats rather than just burning carbohydrates for energy.¹³

This process involves several steps within the cell. High levels of NADH, which occur when PPAR-alpha is active, favor the conversion of substances in the cell in a way that leads to fat production. Specifically, delta-6 desaturase converts LA to arachidonic acid, which plays a role in creating molecules that can trigger reactions leading to the production of substances associated with obesity.

The activation of PPAR-alpha and another component called cytochrome P450 1B1 also leads to increased activity of an enzyme called SCD1. This enzyme, along with others involved in fat creation, ramps up your body’s ability to make fat.

As a result, certain fatty acid levels change, promoting the storage of fat over burning it for energy. This mechanism slows down the metabolic rate, causing your body to store more calories as fat.

From the perspective of an oak tree, this process is ideal, Marshall says. By producing acorns that lead to the storage of fat, oak trees help squirrels gain the weight necessary to survive the winter. This ensures the squirrels are ready to disperse the oak’s seeds, helping in the tree’s reproduction.

This intricate connection between the composition of acorns and the metabolic processes in animals that eat them illustrates a fascinating aspect of natural symbiosis that also gives clues to human obesity.

In short, Marshall notes, “Black and red oak acorns have evolved to be perfectly fattening,”¹⁴ and so, too, have the modern-day diets that mimic them, which are very low in saturated fat with very high amounts of MUFA, and PUFA like LA.¹⁵ Ideally, your intake of LA should be below 5 grams a day.

The easiest way to do this is to use an online nutritional calculator such as Cronometer to calculate your daily intake. Cronometer will tell you how much omega-6 you’re getting from your food down to the 10th of a gram, and you can assume 90% of that is LA. Anything over 10 grams is likely to cause problems but, as mentioned, I recommend keeping your intake below 5 grams a day.

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Genes vs. Lifestyle: Which Matters More for Health?

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Maybe you know a smoker who never exercises and is living happily into old age. Or perhaps you read about a veggie-loving marathon runner who had a heart attack in middle age.

These kinds of stories can’t help but make you think: If your health is simply written into your genes, what’s the point of all that exercise and healthy eating? Why not just do what you want?

But, says Laura Zimmermann, MD, medical director of the Rush University Prevention Center, these stories stick with us because they are unusual. They are examples of what scientists call “outliers.”

The reality is that, for most people, lifestyle habits like eating healthy foods and getting regular exercise have a big effect on age-linked health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, Zimmermann says.

So it’s only about lifestyle then? Not exactly.

Your genes, Zimmerman says, can raise your risk for many diseases. But they do not typically work alone. And it’s rarely a single gene that determines whether you will get a disease or not. More often you inherit some genetic characteristics that make you more likely to get a disease, she says.

And even that’s not written in stone. That is, these genetic characteristics (genetic predisposition) might not affect you at all unless they are triggered by certain aspects of your surroundings (environmental factors) or your lifestyle.

These “epigenetic changes” influence the way your genetic material, or DNA, works in your body. An epigenetic change happens when lifestyle or environmental factors cause a particular gene to turn “on” or “off.” In the case of cancer, for instance, such changes might turn on a gene that enables abnormal cells to grow. Or the changes could turn off a gene that would suppress their growth.

To make matters more complicated, each gene doesn’t have just one switch. Or even a half dozen switches. “There might be hundreds or thousands,” says John Kelly, MD, MPH, president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

This complexity makes it harder for scientists to figure out exactly which epigenetic change is to blame and exactly how it raises your risk for a particular disease. But experts are confident that lifestyle factors including poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise play a major role. “They are actually driving gene expression into negative territory,” says Kelly.

They play such a big role in so-called “diseases of aging” – like diabetes and heart disease, Kelly says, that they are better described as “diseases of toxic lifestyle over time.”

For example, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the U.S. Yet some research shows it may be possible to prevent 80% of heart disease. Why?

“I have a colleague who says that coronary heart disease is a foodborne illness,” says Kelly. “And he’s right! For the vast majority of people, it’s caused by food and can be reversed by food.”

Food affects your health directly through nutrition. It also has an indirect link through heart disease risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure. For example, there are more than 300 genetic variants that could raise your risk for high blood pressure. But even with high-risk genes, you can often cut your risk of heart disease by one-third with a healthy diet and regular exercise. (You also may need medication to lower your blood pressure – ask your doctor about this.)

For optimal heart health, experts recommend a plant-based diet. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go vegan or even vegetarian, says Zimmermann. “The goal is to replace some processed foods with whole foods, including fruits and vegetables.” Look for whole grains, lean protein (including nuts and seafood), and check packaging for added salt and sugar. Talk to your doctor if you’re unsure about how to design your own heart-healthy diet.

For exercise, experts recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. That’s 2 hours and 30 minutes a week – less than 30 minutes a day. And you don’t have to run the Boston marathon. A walk around the block, or a bit of gardening or even dancing should do the trick.

Put in this little bit of time and you can cut your risk for a number of diseases, whether you have a genetic predisposition for any of them or not. And yet, says Zimmermann, most people simply don’t do it.

Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. And that goes whether or not you are genetically predisposed to heart disease or not. If you smoke, consider stopping, especially if you have heart disease or you’re at risk for it.

Your doctor can also help you find a program to help you quit smoking.

Your health habits and environment interact with your genes in similar ways for other conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and to a lesser extent and some types of cancer.

Type 2 diabetes tends to run in families. There are several genetic variations including KLF14, ENPP1, and numerous others that increase the risk of developing diabetes by up to 30%. But dietary factors, including how much alcohol you drink, whether you’re a smoker, and how active you are all have the potential to tip the balance one way or the other, perhaps by turning a switch on a gene on or off.

An estimated 9 out of 10 cases could be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes.

The landmark Diabetes Prevention Program found that people could reduce their risk of developing diabetes by about 65% with a careful diet and exercise plan compared to just 35% with the blood-sugar lowering drug metformin.

There’s little doubt that genetic factors play a role in many cancers. Women who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or instance, have a 45%-72% chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime, which is much higher than average. But many women without any known genetic mutations also get breast cancer.

Perhaps more importantly, there’s evidence that good lifestyle habits can help lower cancer risk for people with and without a genetic predisposition to various types of cancer.

While a healthy lifestyle alone won’t prevent all cancers, mounting evidence suggests that it plays an important role. A study led by Cancer Research UK found that about 4 out of every 10 cancers could be prevented by smart lifestyle choices like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a healthy diet. Limitations on sugar, alcohol, and time in the sun may also help.

It’s true that certain mutations to the APOE gene raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If you have one copy of a version called APOE4, you’re two to three times more likely than average to develop this condition. People who’ve inherited two copies might have 12 times the average risk.

But it’s possible and even common to get Alzheimer’s if you don’t have an APOE mutation. While other, not-yet-discovered genetic factors might play a role, research suggests that lifestyle is a big factor. A meta-analysis of several studies, published in the Lancet Neurology, found that about a third of cases are caused by factors you may be able to control like diet and regular exercise.

Again, research shows diet and exercise are very important. While most healthy diets should help, the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) Diet – which emphasizes brain-boosting foods like vegetables, berries, fish, and olive oil – seems best.

Scientists still have a long way to go to unpack the complex interplay between your genes and your environment. Zimmermann is careful to point out that the impact of these factors varies between diseases and from person to person. There’s no doubt, she says, that in some cases, you can do everything right and still develop serious illness or disease.

The best you can do, says Zimmermann, is try to change the factors that are in your control, like diet, exercise, regular medical checkups, and taking your medication as prescribed.

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How Do You Get Health Care in Prison?

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A landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Estelle v. Gamble) makes incarcerated people the only group in the United States with a protected constitutional right to health care.

But the exact nature of that health care is open to interpretation.

For example, in the late 1970s, Jorge Renaud was serving 27 years in a Texas state prison when he somehow caught his head in the mechanical door to his cell. The incident almost severed his ear from his head. Renaud, now national criminal justice director of Latino Justice, a civil rights group, recalls that when he got to the infirmary, “an inmate literally stapled my ear together.”

Not exactly state-of-the-art care, by any measure.

Today, multiple medical organizations and correctional associations, including the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Diabetes Association, have issued standards for health care for the more than 2 million people in federal, state, and local correctional settings.

But those standards are entirely voluntary.

The predictable result is that the level of care varies widely from state to state, county to county, and facility to facility.

Here are some realities of correctional health care in the U.S.

Jail care is acute care

One of the most dramatic differences in correctional health care exists between jails and prisons. Jails are by definition temporary facilities, with an average stay of 26 days. (Prisons typically house people who are serving sentences of more than 1 year.)

That means that in jails, providers often only have time to address acute conditions, says Warren J. Ferguson, MD, a professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and head of the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health.

Bigger facilities usually offer more care

Larger facilities – both jails and prisons – are more likely to have a clinic with staff on site. They may even have their own pharmacies, says Ferguson.

Smaller facilities with only a licensed practical nurse on staff might need to call 911 for emergencies. More and more facilities, large and small, now rely on telemedicine.

Accredited institutions have higher standards

Institutions accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care or the American Correctional Association also tend to have better care, Ferguson says. These institutions typically screen a prisoner for a variety of illnesses within 24 hours of their arrival, though different organizations may require different screenings.

They may also do more to protect the privacy and dignity of inmates. For example, new commission standards require that pelvic, rectal, breast, and genital-area exams be done in private areas, such as behind a screen or curtain.

You can often find accreditation and other information on the website of specific facilities. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice webpage for the state’s Ramsey Unit, for example, shows that it houses over 1,500 inmates and has an on-site infirmary with 21 medical staff and accreditation from the Correctional Association.

You can also search for accredited facilities on the association’s website.

Inmates may have to pay for health care
The law mandates that incarcerated people receive health care, but that doesn’t mean it’s free. Most facilities require copays.

In Texas, for instance, the cost of a prison sick visit is $13, and experts say that in some cases, people in jails and prisons forgo care because of the cost.

It’s not always clear who gets to make this decision, and that can be a real problem, says Marc F. Stern, MD, a consultant in correctional health care and senior medical adviser to the National Sheriff’s Association.

That’s why, he says, “there are some jails and prisons that provide excellent care, then jails and prisons that don’t.”

“There’s no book, no manual that says you have to do this and can’t do that. It’s all been based on case law.” And that case law can vary from state to state.

To have case law, you have to have a case. And if the case has merit, that means something has already gone wrong for someone’s health care, says Aaron Fischer, JD, chair of the American Diabetes Association’s Legal Advocacy Subcommittee.

“A very significant part of my work is representing people who are in jails and prisons, either in individual cases where they were grievously harmed or in larger class-action lawsuits which are trying to change the system moving forward,” he says.

“The red flag for me is when a health care practitioner says something is needed and custody [prison officials] says it isn’t,” Fischer says.

These kinds of cases can lead to real change. A class-action lawsuit about prison health care led the state of California to create an extensive online dashboard to track vaccination rates throughout the system, trends in asthma and dental care, blood glucose levels, potentially avoidable hospitalizations, and dozens of other factors.

What Are Insulin Pumps?“There are so many extra barriers,” says Kathryn Godley, a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner who co-led a diabetes support group for men at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, NY, for 10 years.

For instance, incarcerated people with diabetes may have to make multiple trips to the infirmary to get regular blood sugar testing. They may not have access to snacks when blood sugar plummets. They may not be allowed to have insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors. Exercise may be limited.

The members of the support group at Great Meadow wrote a guide to managing diabetes while incarcerated that includes, among other things, exercises that can be done in a cell.

Larger facilities may try to provide specialized diets for diabetes or another condition, but it’s uncommon, says Leslie Soble, senior program associate at Impact Justice’s Food in Prison Project.

Diabetes, which affects about 9% of incarcerated people (vs. 6.5% of the general population), may be one of the hardest conditions to manage behind bars, as it requires healthy food, exercise, and regular blood sugar monitoring to keep in check.

Prison and jail diets “are extremely high in refined carbohydrates, sodium, and sugar and low in fruits and vegetables and quality protein,” Soble says, adding that there are exceptions. Impact Justice, a prison reform nonprofit, works closely with the Maine Department of Corrections to use fresh fruit and vegetables from on-site gardens.

Even prescribed treatments and medicines can be a problem. Prison and jail health care systems often follow strict protocols that can limit the types of treatment and care available. The result is that sometimes, important medicines or treatments may simply not be allowed.

“Prisons and jails are stagnant places when it comes to information,” says Daniel Rowan, program manager of the New Mexico Peer Education Project, who trains incarcerated people to be peer health educators in the areas of hepatitis C, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and more.

Most correctional facilities don’t allow internet access, but families, friends, and advocates can “snail-mail” educational materials from credible sources like the CDC or National Institutes of Health.

Other incarcerated people may also be a source of information, if not actual care. “Typically there was one person in every [peer education] class who had so much personal experience that they were an expert,” says Rowan.

In New Mexico, half of people who are incarcerated have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus. Project ECHO’s New Mexico Peer Education Project trains people held in state prisons to educate their peers about hep C as well as other infectious diseases and addiction.

There are similar programs in Indiana and Texas. Research suggests these programs can reduce risky behavior. And there are other benefits. For example, Rowan was trained as a Project ECHO peer educator midway through a 5-year prison sentence in Roswell, NM.

“When people are trained as peer educators, it’s pretty common to have an increase of confidence,” says Rowan, who is now employed full time with Project ECHO. “The ability to speak and communicate, shaking hands and making eye contact, are transferable skills.”

Some prison systems have medical grievance procedures. That’s your opportunity to ask for what you’re not getting.

“In Texas, they have patient liaisons on each unit,” says Savannah Eldridge, a registered nurse and founder of Be Frank 4 Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of incarcerated people.

When Eldridge gets requests for help from incarcerated people, she often gets resolution by going straight to the Texas Corrections Department’s Office of Professional Standards.

When that fails, there are often local nonprofit organizations that can help you advocate for your needs through official or legal channels.

One thing that can help your care is to keep protected health information (PHI) forms. This allows friends, family, and advocates to have access to an incarcerated person’s medical information. Eldridge advocated for the Texas PHI form to be valid for 2 years, up from just 6 months previously.

In the long run, health care on the inside cannot be separated from health care on the outside. In fact, more than 95% of people in prisons will eventually make their way back to the community.

Any health care provided inside a prison or jail stops as soon as the incarcerated person steps back into the community. There are other options, like Medicaid, but they may not always be available.

“There’s a major disconnect between health care in the correctional setting and health care in the community,” says Rodlescia Sneed, PhD, an assistant professor of public health at Michigan State University.

But, she says, there are ways to plan ahead. A person looking toward release from prison can connect with friends, loved ones, and outside aid organizations about setting up health care as they transition back into the community.

And many prison systems have caseworkers and re-entry programs to connect you with housing, employment, and health care resources after release from prison.

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A Human Response to Homelessness

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You may see them on your drive to work, while walking your dog at the park, or at intersections with crumpled signs requesting help. They are people without homes, sometimes even without shelter for the night.

There are more than half a million people homeless in the U.S. in any 12-month period, and almost 200,000 of them sleep without shelter on any given night.

“I think COVID made people more aware of the issue of homelessness,” says Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness in Washington, DC. “Everyone was told to stay home during the pandemic and people became acutely aware of those who couldn’t because they didn’t have a place to live.”

How does someone go from working and having a place to call home to living on the streets? It’s not always easy to tell. In some cases, bad decisions may play a part. But more often, circumstances take on a life of their own.

“People are often too quick to point to individual decisions as the reason for homelessness versus structural issues,” says Carolina Reid, an associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and research adviser for the Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Those structural issues include low wages, lack of affordable housing, lack of jobs, and deep-seated patterns of racism that are baked into our society and its infrastructure, she says. Other issues that can lead to people living without a home include:

But it’s not always easy to know how to react in a compassionate way to people living on the street. You may want to help but find it hard to engage directly with someone you don’t know. And it’s true that there are higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse in the population of people who are homeless. That can make it harder as well. But, say experts, there are things you can do to help in a compassionate way:

Acknowledge them as people first: “People who are homeless” is the term many experts suggest. It may seem like a small thing, but it acknowledges that these are human beings first. Homelessness is simply a description of their circumstances. You can also use other phrases, like “people without shelter,” or “neighbors in need.”

Know the root causes: It can be tempting to think a person experiencing homelessness is on the streets because of bad decisions. But the reality can be more complex. Many may find themselves without shelter because of issues beyond their control.

“Everyone makes poor choices, but those of us with a strong network can often rebound,” says Reid. Knowledge of the many reasons someone might be without a place to lay their head at night can be a good first step to making a difference. You can learn more about the roots of homelessness at advocacy organizations like the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Donate time: Look for organizations in your area that are doing something to serve those in need – whether faith-based or secular nonprofit.

“These organizations rely heavily on donations, whether it’s time or money, and they all have been stressed by COVID,” says Berg. Since the pandemic, many shelters have limited hands-on tasks such as serving food. Find out if you can help virtually. Small tasks like helping with mailings, phone calls, social media, or even making hygiene kits are other ways to lend a hand.

Donate money: Donating to homeless service organizations can help with everything from a hot meal or shower to providing services such as drug and alcohol counseling and job training. Nonprofits are making it easier to donate, too. Many offer online giving or the option to set up automatic monthly or quarterly contributions.

Donate stuff: Shelters need canned food, gently used clothing, and personal care items like soap, deodorant, and feminine products. “These organizations need donations, but they need support around the year, not just at holidays,” says Tracy Porter, founder of God’s Hands and Feet Global Ministry in Pasadena, CA. Porter, who was once homeless, now devotes herself to helping people in the same community.

For people living on the streets, blankets and coats are helpful as temperatures drop at night, says Porter. And don’t forget about the little people. Sadly, younger people make up a big chunk of those living without shelter. Consider donating backpacks and baby supplies. Many organizations will post their needs list online, or you can call to check.

Call the mayor: The mayor’s office is used to hearing from concerned citizens about a variety of topics. If homelessness is a big one for you, do not hesitate to reach out. Ask them to push forward the ideas that are proven to make a difference. Visit your mayor’s office website to learn what is planned in your area.

Be a friend: If you feel safe and you are so inclined, consider talking to people you run into who are unhoused. Ask them what they need – food, money, water. It’s possible that money may be used for drugs or alcohol, but the risk may not be as high as you think. In one study, those given cash moved into housing faster and spent most of their money on food, medicine, and personal care items.

Call the experts: Some cities have decided that law enforcement is not always the best response to homeless people – particularly those with a mental illness. The police focus on crime, and homelessness is not a crime. Find out if your city has a phone number for mental health experts who can respond if you see someone in need of help. You can also try local advocacy organizations that are experienced with populations that lack shelter. They may be able to point you to more resources.

Consider fostering a child: Children in foster care are more likely to become homeless. Some have aged out of the system with no support. Others continue to battle issues that prevent a stable life. Becoming a foster parent can break this cycle.

Write your member of Congress: Homelessness is a big issue, and that means big spending may be required to fix it. Consider reaching out to your local member of Congress via www.house.gov to find out who is responsible for bills and spending related to homelessness and do what you can to support them.

Be patient: Experts like Reid and others suggest we all have patience and empathy with the system. “This issue was created over decades and won’t change overnight,” she says. Nonprofits are on the front lines, and there are things you can do, too.

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Sex: Frisky (and Safe) After 50

Post By Health

“OK, so we know you’re not going to get pregnant.”

Sexuality educator Jane Fleishman, PhD, typically opens with this line when she goes into senior communities to talk about safe sex. It’s her way of trying to break the tension and clear the air. Sex talk can be awkward at any age, whether you’re 15 or 50-plus.

Then she brings out the puppets. But these aren’t the kind you see at a children’s puppet show. They’re made in the form of male and female sex organs – a vulva and a penis. That usually breaks the ice and gets a laugh.

“But then I say, ‘This is real stuff. You don’t want to get an infection from somebody else,’ ” says Fleishman, who got her degree in human sexuality studies while in her 60s.

There’s a real need for this type of education among people who are older, she says. To start with, sexual intimacy does not end when a person receives their AARP card.

About three-quarters of adults 65 to 80 agree that sex is an important part of a romantic relationship, regardless of age, according to a 2018 survey from the University of Michigan. And more than half of those in romantic relationships reported being sexually active. Men in this group were about four times more likely than women to be “extremely interested” or “very interested” in sex.

Another recent study found that 43% of women ages 50 to 80 were sexually active in the past year. And 62% were satisfied with their sexual activity. Only about 28% said menopause-related symptoms interfered with their ability to be sexually active.

Fleishman wants to make sure that those adults – many of whom may be widowed or divorced and dating someone new – are approaching sex safely, so she starts with the basics. “I talk about mouth to anus, mouth to vulva, mouth to penis, penis to vulva, penis to anus,” she says. “I really try to be as blunt as I possibly can be.”

Just as importantly, she discusses the need for consent and communication in a sexual relationship. “The business of consent is taught to teenagers and to college students now,” she says. “But nobody’s teaching older adults about it.”

Older adults are far less likely to get sexually transmitted infections (STIs), compared to other adult age groups. Still, infection rates are going up at an alarming rate, experts say. Between 2009 and 2019, in people 55 and older, STIs – including hepatitis C, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea – increased by four to five times, according to the CDC.

Part of the problem is a lack of knowledge. When researchers tested STI awareness in adults 65 and older with a questionnaire, they found plenty of gaps. “On average, older adults only correctly answered about 12 of the 27 items, which means they did not know facts about STI risk, presentation, transmission, or treatment,” says Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, who led the research at Texas A&M’s School of Public Health.

Health care professionals can provide helpful education and guidance, but only to people who are open and honest about their sex lives. That’s happening more now than it has in the past, says Nicole Williams, MD, of the Gynecology Institute of Chicago. But often, the conversation happens too late with her older patients. They’re just not as willing to talk about sex.

“They’re not worried about pregnancy. They’re just having unprotected sex and then coming to me and asking for testing,” she says. “I find that problematic because they’re getting exposed to HPV, trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, and other sexually related infections.”

Cornelius Jamison, MD, makes it a point to bring up sex with his patients in his family medicine practice in Michigan. He does his best to make the conversation comfortable and easy, but even still, older patients often have trouble speaking openly about it, says Jamison, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.

“It will be like the last thing at the end of the visit, where they’ll say, ‘Oh, and by the way, Doc, I was wondering, is it possible to get Viagra, Cialis? I’ve seen that they work, and I’m having some issues.’”

Jamison says he wishes more doctors would ask about sex during standard physical exams, no matter what the age of the person. “The desire to have sex never really goes away,” he says. “Sometimes providers aren’t thinking about that.”

Gynecologist Barb DePree, MD, has noticed a big spike in dating among women 50 and up. Dating apps that zero in on certain age groups could be one reason for that, says DePree, director of women’s health at Holland Hospital in Holland, MI. And the numbers bear that out. Nearly 20% of adults ages 50 to 64 report using dating apps or sites, according to Pew Research. While that’s not as high as the next age group down (38% for ages 30-49) it’s still a lot of online activity.

Whatever the reason, this spike in dating could do much to explain the rising number of STI cases in this older set. In addition, DePree says, many older adults don’t seem as accepting of condoms as younger people.

But protection is still important at every age when there’s a possibility of an STI. Where the penis is involved, that typically means a condom. For women, in particular, the vulva and vaginal tissues thin with age and could be more susceptible to infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, says DePree.

As women age, vaginal dryness is common, and DePree says most will benefit from a lubricant. But where condoms are involved, DePree has a tip: While silicone lubricant is a popular choice for postmenopausal women, it doesn’t pair well with condoms.

“Most condoms will be somewhat degraded with a silicone lube,” she says. Use a water-based lubricant instead.

But condoms won’t always help. Oral-to-genital transmission is also possible for STIs such as herpes and HPV, as well as in other types of sex. Ask your doctor about ways to protect against STIs when a condom isn’t possible.

Fun starts with being comfortable with your partner. And getting comfortable often starts with a conversation.

“Talk about previous STIs, talk about sexual partners, talk about whether or not you want to use condoms, whether or not you feel comfortable doing certain positions,” says Jamison from the University of Michigan.

“If someone’s had a hip replacement, then maybe this is not the position to do.”

And, importantly, get tested for STIs, says Williams. “I offer that to every one of my patients, no matter how old they are.”

Safe sex education, at all stages of life, tends to include only the cautions. Fleishman, the sex educator, says it’s important to talk about the joys and pleasures as well.

Many adults in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond discover a chance for renewal, excitement, and liberation in their sex lives. After all, says Fleishman, “There’s no expiration date on pleasure.”

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How to Pass a Kidney Stone in 24 Hours? Expert Tips Revealed | Credihealth

Post By Health

Glance at the topic:

Kidney stones that are located in the ureter closer to the bladder have a 79% chance of passing by themselves. On the other hand, those higher up in the ureter show only a 48% chance of passing without intervention.
Stones that are 4 mm or smaller usually pass on their own within 31 days. Those between 4 mm and 6 mm have about a 60% chance of passing without medical intervention, usually taking around 45 days to pass.
Surgical removal is the quickest way to deal with kidney stones especially those larger than 9 mm in diameter or denser than 700 Hounsfield Units HU.

Ever wondered how to pass a kidney stone in 24 hours naturally? Imagine if there was a way to pass a kidney stone within only one day especially designed for men who often suffer most from it?

Kidney stones are notorious for striking unexpectedly hard causing crippling pains that can be unbearable sometimes even leading someone into emergency rooms because they just can’t take any more of this excruciating agony!

According to experts worldwide, one out of every ten individuals will experience kidney stones sometime during their lifespan; however, males seem more susceptible than females when these statistics are recorded.

Knowing how quickly you should address this problem not only cuts short its duration but also helps manage symptoms effectively at home as well thus making them readable anywhere anytime!

This guide provides steps on how to help pass a kidney stone in 24 hours which aims at quick natural relief from this condition.

What is the Fastest Way to Dissolve a Kidney Stone?

When suffering from the excruciating pain caused by kidney stones finding out how fast can you dissolve them becomes a top priority, especially among men who tend to get affected more frequently than women.

We will look into various methods that can be used in disintegrating kidney stones rapidly thus reducing your 24-hour discomfort period.

Kidney stones vary in type and composition, which influences how they can be dissolved. The most common types include calcium oxalate, uric acid, and struvite stones.

Each type responds differently to various treatments, so understanding your stone’s nature could be crucial in choosing the right strategy.

Hydration: The Key to Dissolving Stones Quickly

One of the most effective ways to pass a kidney stone quickly, particularly for men, is to stay well-hydrated. Drinking ample water increases urine volume, which can help flush out stones.

Aim for at least 2-3 liters per day. Water dilutes the substances in urine that lead to stones.

Dietary Changes to Help Dissolve Kidney Stones

Wondering, how can I speed up passing a kidney stone. Modifying your diet can be a significant step.

Reducing intake of oxalate-rich foods like spinach, chocolate, and nuts, and increasing calcium-rich foods can prevent the formation of calcium oxalate stones. A balanced intake of salts and fluids is also critical.

Natural Remedies and Supplements

Many ask, does it hurt to pee out a kidney stone? The answer is yes, it can be quite painful. To ease this process, natural remedies like lemon juice and apple cider vinegar can be helpful. These contain citrate, which can break down calcium stones.

Supplements like magnesium and vitamin B6 also support stone breakdown and prevent new stones from forming.

What is the Best Position to Pass a Kidney Stone?

When trying to pass a kidney stone, knowing the best position to help facilitate the process can make a significant difference in your comfort and the stone’s movement. This section explores various body positions that may aid in the quicker passing of kidney stones, with practical advice tailored to ease your pain.

Body Positions to Ease Kidney Stone Passage

Here’s a quick look at some effective body positions:

Position	How It Helps
Lying on your side	Reduces pressure on the back and may help stones pass with less discomfort.
Gentle twisting	Mimics walking movements, helping stones move through the ureter.
Sitting with back support	Supports the back and allows gravity to assist stone movement down the ureter.
Knees to chest	Can help position the stone into a better spot for passing through squatting or curling.
Standing and leaning forward	Uses gravity to help move the stone, good during active pain episodes.

Lying Down: Does It Help with Kidney Stones?

Lying down can provide significant relief from the pain of kidney stones. When you lie down, especially on your side, the gravitational pull changes, which might help move the stone closer to the bladder.

How do you know when a kidney stone is close to passing? Typically, the pain shifts towards the lower abdomen and groin as the stone moves closer to the bladder.

You can also read: How To Sleep With A Kidney Stone?

The Benefits of Walking and Movement

Eases pain: Gentle walking helps manage pain by releasing endorphins.
Facilitates stone movement: Regular, light walking can encourage a kidney stone to move through the urinary tract.
Prevents new stones: Staying active reduces the risk of new stones forming.
Promotes overall health: Keeps muscles toned and the cardiovascular system healthy, supporting overall urinary health.
Improves digestion: Movement helps prevent constipation, which can be beneficial because straining can worsen kidney stone pain.

Remember, this can be an effective kidney stone home remedy, combining physical activity with adequate hydration and diet.

Specific Yoga Poses for Kidney Stone Relief

Cobra Pose Bhujangasana

How it helps: Expands the chest and abdominal region, potentially helping to dislodge stones.

Bridge Pose Setu Bandhasana

How it helps: Stretches the lower abdomen and can increase circulation to the kidneys, aiding in stone movement.

Wind-Relieving Pose Pavanamuktasana

How it helps: Press the thighs against the abdomen, which might help move or dislodge the stones.

Child’s Pose Balasana

How it helps: A gentle relaxing pose that helps soothe pain and is comfortable during kidney stone episodes.

Twist Poses Ardha Matsyendrasana

How it helps: Twisting the abdomen can help shift and potentially expedite the passing of stones.

These poses are geared toward those looking to understand how to pass a kidney stone in 24 hours. While not all stones can be passed naturally and within such a quick time frame, these positions can assist in alleviating the pain, which is often considered the most painful stage of passing a kidney stone.

How to Pass a Kidney Stone in 24 Hours Naturally

Passing a kidney stone quickly requires effective strategies, especially if you aim to do it within 24 hours naturally. Dealing with kidney stones can be very painful, so knowing the right methods to facilitate their passage is essential.

Let’s explore some natural approaches that can help you manage and hopefully speed up this process.

Drinking enough water is crucial when you are trying to pass a kidney stone. It can help the stone move through your urinary system more quickly. Aim for at least 12 glasses per day to flush your kidneys thoroughly.

Kidney Stones Apple Cider Vinegar

Using apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for kidney stones. The acid in the vinegar can help break down the minerals in the stones, making it easier for them to pass. Drink a mixture of two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar diluted in one glass of water several times a day to help dissolve the stones.

Over the Counter Medicine for Kidney Stones

There are over-the-counter medicines that can ease the pain of passing kidney stones and aid their expulsion. Non-prescription pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, can provide relief. Also, a doctor might recommend an alpha-blocker, which relaxes the muscles in your ureter, making it easier to pass the stone.

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

This remedy involves mixing lemon juice and olive oil in equal parts and drinking it. The lemon juice helps break down the stones, while the olive oil can ease their passage through your urinary tract.

Herbs like dandelion root, nettle leaf, and horsetail can promote kidney health and increase urine output, which may help in passing kidney stones faster. These herbs act as natural diuretics, increasing urine flow and helping to flush out the stones.

Will I Know When I Pee Out a Kidney Stone?

Yes, you will likely know when you pass a kidney stone because the intense pain usually decreases significantly. Passing the stone is often noticeable due to the sudden relief of symptoms.

What is the Most Painful Stage of Passing a Kidney Stone?

The most painful stage of passing a kidney stone is typically when the stone moves through the narrow ureter. This can cause severe pain in the back, side, lower abdomen, or groin.

By incorporating these strategies, including the use of kidney stones apple cider vinegar, and over-the-counter medicine for kidney stones, you may increase your chances of passing a kidney stone within 24 hours.

7-Day Kidney Stone Diet Chart

A well-planned diet not only helps in reducing the formation of new stones but can also aid in the easier passage of existing ones.

Below, you’ll find a 7-day kidney stone diet chart designed to minimize the intake of foods that promote stone formation, while emphasizing those that aid in your overall kidney health. This diet is also useful if you’re looking for ways how to relieve kidney stone pain instantly, as staying hydrated and eating the right food can often alleviate pain symptoms.

7-Day Kidney Stone Diet Chart

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
1	Oatmeal with sliced apples	Grilled chicken salad, no spinach	Vegetable stir-fry with brown rice	Calcium-rich yogurt
2	Wheat toast with avocado	Turkey wrap with lettuce and cheese	Grilled salmon with asparagus	Fresh pear slices
3	Greek yogurt with blueberries	Quinoa salad with cucumbers and feta	Chicken curry with long-grain rice	Mixed nuts
4	Smoothie with banana and coconut water	Pasta with pesto sauce	Beef stew with lots of root veggies	Apple slices
5	Cornflakes with milk	Lentil soup with carrots	Baked trout with lemon and herbs	Carrot sticks
6	Pancakes with honey	Sushi avoiding high-sodium soy sauce	Turkey meatballs with spaghetti	Orange slices
7	Scrambled eggs with toast	Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup	Pork or Chicken chops with mashed potatoes	Cucumber slices

Final Thoughts

Trying to figure out how to pass a kidney stone in 24 hours can be stressful and painful. While the methods we’ve discussed may provide some relief, it’s crucial to remember that each case is unique.

If you’re experiencing severe pain or have any concerns about your symptoms, it’s essential to consult a doctor. A healthcare professional can provide tailored advice and treatment options suited to your specific condition.

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#Pass #Kidney #Stone #Hours #Expert #Tips #Revealed #Credihealth

Is Edamame Good For You? Discover The Truth | Credihealth

Post By Health

Glance At The Topic

Edamame nutrition constitutes high protein, dietary fiber, healthy fats, low carbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
With the richness of a variety of nutrients, Edamame benefits health in various manners.
The potential health benefits include cardiovascular health, blood sugar and blood pressure regulation, muscle mass improvement, depression prevention, etc.
With moderation everything is good! Excessive Edamame consumption can lead to certain side effects like allergic reactions, stomach issues, and interaction risks with other medications.

Are you searching for the answer to your question “Is Edamame good for you”? If yes, then, this article will provide a comprehensive guide to determine whether edamame is healthy or not!

Well, edamame is the type of immature soybean consumed worldwide, especially in parts of East Asian countries. However, in the past few years, it has gained popularity in the U.S. as a delicious snack. Its excellent nutritional value makes it good for you to enjoy as a snack or include in your favorite dishes such as soups, dips, salads, and rice bowls. Edamame provides several vital nutrients like protein, potassium, iron, vitamins, and magnesium which help benefit your heart health, cardiovascular health, digestive system, and more. Let’s move directly to the article below to learn in detail what edamame is, is edamame good for you or not, along with its nutrition and potential benefits. We will also discuss its side effects, if any, and how to enjoy it as food.

What is Edamame?

Also called vegetable soybean in the U.S., edamame is a whole, immature soybean that is harvested before it ripens. The harvesting process starts when beans in the soybeans pods are approximately 80% mature and before they become yellow. These nutritious beans are bright green with a slightly nutty, sweet flavor and soft texture. They are available in many forms like fresh, frozen, and shelled in local grocery stores. Wondering, “Is edamame soybeans”? Yes, edamame is soybeans. The difference is that edamame beans are young, unripe soybeans with green in color while regular soybeans are fully matured and are generally beige or brown.

Is Edamame Good For You?

Curious to know, “Is edamame healthy for you”? Well, if you have no soy sensitivity or soy intolerance, then edamame is definitely a healthy food for you. It is a plant-based food that is rich in a variety of nutrients, including protein, carbs, healthy fats, fiber, iron, calcium, etc. All these nutrients have a specific and essential role that is beneficial for optimal health. Being rich in dietary fiber and protein, it supports weight management. Also, edamame is packed with antioxidants that help boost the immune system, alleviate toxins, and fight off free radicals causing damage. Moreover, rich in vitamins (like vitamin K) and minerals (calcium), this nutritious food aids in blood clot formation and contributes to healthy bones and teeth respectively. Let’s discuss the nutrition profile of edamame in depth to understand how healthy it is!

What Is Edamame Nutrition?

Edamame is the most nutritious plant-based food as it is highly rich in several essential nutrients. These potent nutrients promote your health, making them a healthy food to go for. As per the USDA, one cup of cooked edamame serving contains:

Protein: 18.5 g
Carbohydrate: 12.1 g
Fiber: 8 g
Energy: 224 Kcal
Fat: 7.57 g
Sugars: 3.38 g
Iron: 3.52 mg
Calcium: 97.6 mg

The following is the comprehensive edamame nutrition:

Protein: Edamame is a great source of protein. It benefits your health with 9 essential amino acids that the body needs for tissue repair, nutrient absorption, and protein synthesis. In one cup of cooked edamame, you can get nearly 18.5 g of protein.

Healthy Fats: Edamame consists of unsaturated fats which are healthy and promote heart health. Also, omega-3 fatty acids found in it provide energy and support the cardiovascular system, immune system, endocrine system, and many other body systems. One cup offers around 12.1 g of fat.

Carbohydrates: Edamame is also rich in low-carbohydrates as compared to other legumes which help reduce weight, prevent heart diseases, increase good cholesterol levels, etc. In one cup serving, you can have 13.8 g of carbohydrates.

Dietary Fiber: Dietary fiber greatly contributes to good digestive health and low bad cholesterol levels. One cup serves 8 g of fiber.

Vitamins and Minerals: Edamame is the powerhouse of vitamins and minerals which are vital for many bodily functions. Take a look at the following list:

Vitamin C: This is a type of antioxidant that strengthens the immune system and protects the body cells from severe damage.
Vitamin K: It makes the bones strong and helps in blood clot formation.
Calcium: This mineral contributes to healthy and strong teeth and bones, and also improves the muscles and nerve function.
Iron: This vital mineral helps supply oxygen to the blood and produce energy.
Folate: It has a significant role in cell division and DND creation which are very important for the formation of red blood cells.
Phytochemicals and Antioxidants: Edamame also contains some antioxidants and plant chemicals. Both compounds help the body to fight off free radical damage. Moreover, they reduce swelling and prevent the risks of some diseases.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Edamame?

The rich nutritional profile of edamame beans brings a lot of benefits to health. The following are some of the health benefits of edamame:

1. Supports Cardiovascular Health

According to a study, cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the U.S. population, declaring 65,000 cases yearly. When it comes to strengthening a healthy heart, you need a perfect combination of minerals, macronutrients, plant chemicals, and vitamins. Here, edamame promises to deliver all! Being rich in macronutrients like dietary fiber helps maintain cholesterol levels. In addition, as this nutritious food is an excellent source of unsaturated fats, it promotes good heart health. Besides this, fatty acids like omega-3 in edamame are also considered effective in preventing the risks of heart diseases, thus, improving heart health.

2. Maintains Blood Sugar Levels

A high carbs-rich diet can raise your blood sugar levels which, in turn, can lead to chances of getting health problems such as type 2 diabetes. Edamame is generally said to be a healthy food that can maintain your blood sugar levels. It’s all because edamame is highly rich in protein and fiber, and low in carbohydrates, making it a nutritious choice. According to research, a high amount of fiber can help keep the levels of blood glucose stable, lowering the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes.

3. Promotes Digestive Health

Eating edamame, an extremely fiber-rich food, helps promote your digestive health. It nourishes your gut with beneficial bacteria and reduces bowel movement issues. The soluble and insoluble fiber present in edamame has a significant role in promoting gut health. Soluble fiber makes the stools soft by absorbing water and making their pass easy, thus preventing constipation. On the other hand, insoluble fiber speeds up the travel of food substances through the stomach and intestine and causes more bulky stools, relieving regular bowel movement.

4. Prevents Depression

Edamame consists of folate, a type of vitamin that the body needs for the formation of DNA and proper cell division. A few studies have shown that low levels of folate are linked with depression which can change the DNA formation. A high amount of folate can contribute to preventing depression symptoms. This vitamin can help by stopping the extreme production of substances known as homocysteine in the body. Too much homocysteine can block the nutrients and blood from reaching the brain and also prevent the release of serotonin, a “feel-good” hormone. Serotonin can help improve mood, appetite, and sleep.

5. Reduce Menopause-Related Problems

Menopause occurs when the menstruation cycle of women ends. This natural process is linked with many related symptoms like mood swings, hot flashes, bone loss, and sweating. The soy isoflavones in the edamame can significantly benefit in relieving these problems. According to research, soy isoflavones may lower the risks of bone loss by lowering bone resorption (breaking down of bone tissue) and promoting bone formation. Moreover, soy isoflavones also reduce other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, irritability, and depression.

6. Improves Muscle Mass

Edamame is believed to be one of the highest sources of protein among the legumes. This makes it a great addition to your everyday diet, especially if you are a vegan and fitness enthusiast and looking for plant-based protein-rich food. Edamame offers a complete protein that benefits your health by providing all the nine essential amino acids that are highly required by the body to perform well. These amino acids play a key role in muscle repair, muscle growth, weight loss, and strength build-up.

7. Reduces Blood Pressure Levels

Well, foods like edamame are loaded with potassium which can help reduce high blood pressure levels. This mineral comes in an action by relaxing the walls of blood vessels which, in turn, lowers the blood pressure. In a single cup of edamame, you can consume around 67 milligrams of potassium. This helps meet 20% of the recommended daily value of this nutrient in the adult male population and 25% in the adult female population.

What Are The Potential Risks Of Edamame?

For most people, edamame might be a healthy food option but it may not be healthy for some due to the following side effects:

Allergies: Those who are allergic to soy foods need to avoid consuming edamame. It’s because they can cause some allergic reactions such as face swelling, rashes, and hives, and even in some cases, can lead to hypersensitivity.

Stomach-Related Problems: If you eat edamame beans raw or semi-cooked and in excess amounts, you may struggle with some soy-intolerance symptoms such as gas, bloating, and cramps. Also, if you have irritable bowel syndrome, do not consume these soybeans as it may lead to gastric irritation and pain.

Interactions Risks: Though rare, edamame can interact with some medicines., especially hormone-related drugs as it contains phytoestrogen which can impact sex hormones. So, always, consult the doctors before including these beans in your diet when on certain medications.

Nutrient Absorption Hindrance: Edamame also contains some anti-nutrients that may lower the ability of the body to absorb vital nutrients. In addition, they consist of certain compounds which may prevent the absorption of iodine, impacting thyroid function.

Note: If you experience any of these side effects after edamame consumption, seek medical help.

How To Add Edamame To Your Diet?

Edamame beans taste delicious when eaten as a snack. However, you can also enjoy it in different forms of dishes such as salads, noodles, etc. You can try the following ways to include such a nutritious food product in your everyday diet:

Mix edamame in your noodle dishes to enrich it with plant-derived protein and fiber.
Have it as a snack by sprinkling sea salt or soy sauce over the steamed edamame.
Prepare a high protein-rich salad by mixing edamame and organic green veggies.
Add it to your favorite recipes of stews and soups.
Mix it with cereal dishes such as rice bowls and quinoa salads.
Make an edamame hummus and use it as a dip or sauce to enjoy sourdough sandwiches and vegetable wraps.

Summing up

I hope you get the answer to your question ” Is edamame good for you” in this article. To conclude, edamame is a nutritious plant-based food loaded with many health benefits. All thanks to its rich nutritional profile which constitutes a high content of protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and plant chemicals, contributing to overall health. From supporting heart health and digestive health to maintaining blood sugar levels and blood pressure levels, it promotes your well-being. From an easy-to-make snack to a nutrient-dense ingredient in various recipes, edamame is surely an excellent food that can be a part of your wholesome diet. Remember that, it is always right to seek professional guidance before adding it to any of your meals, especially if you have some medical conditions or are allergic to soy products.

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#Edamame #Good #Discover #Truth #Credihealth

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What Are Prions?

More Evidence mRNA Shots Can Trigger Dementia

Frameshifting Can Result in Prion Production

Prions Implicated in Long COVID as Well

World’s Largest Side Effect Analysis Has Been Published

Largest Study to Date Confirms COVID Jab Dangers

Effectiveness and Safety Was Wildly Exaggerated in Trials

Summary of Papers

Resources for Those Injured by the COVID Jab

Recognize the Poison Ivy Plant

How the Rash Starts

Prevention: Getting It and Spreading It

Removing the Plant From Your Yard

How to Treat Poison Ivy at Home

Oak Trees Make Acorns to Fatten Up Squirrels

Why Acorns Make Squirrels Fat

What This Means for Human Metabolism

Why Diets High in Linoleic Acid Are Fattening

What is the Fastest Way to Dissolve a Kidney Stone?

Hydration: The Key to Dissolving Stones Quickly

Dietary Changes to Help Dissolve Kidney Stones

Natural Remedies and Supplements

What is the Best Position to Pass a Kidney Stone?

Body Positions to Ease Kidney Stone Passage

Lying Down: Does It Help with Kidney Stones?

The Benefits of Walking and Movement

Specific Yoga Poses for Kidney Stone Relief

Cobra Pose Bhujangasana

Bridge Pose Setu Bandhasana

Wind-Relieving Pose Pavanamuktasana

Child’s Pose Balasana

Twist Poses Ardha Matsyendrasana

How to Pass a Kidney Stone in 24 Hours Naturally

Kidney Stones Apple Cider Vinegar

Over the Counter Medicine for Kidney Stones

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Will I Know When I Pee Out a Kidney Stone?

What is the Most Painful Stage of Passing a Kidney Stone?

7-Day Kidney Stone Diet Chart

Final Thoughts

What is Edamame?

Is Edamame Good For You?

What Is Edamame Nutrition?

What Are The Health Benefits Of Edamame?

1. Supports Cardiovascular Health

2. Maintains Blood Sugar Levels

3. Promotes Digestive Health

4. Prevents Depression

5. Reduce Menopause-Related Problems

6. Improves Muscle Mass

7. Reduces Blood Pressure Levels

What Are The Potential Risks Of Edamame?

How To Add Edamame To Your Diet?

Summing up