The state of California enacted, on June 9^th, the End of Life Option Act. This Act allows physicians to prescribe lethal medication to those patients that suffer from malignant or terminal illnesses, such as cancer, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s or others. This took place amid debate about reflection on ethics in these situations.

The End of Life Option Act Already Used by 111 People

Since its enacting and the end of 2016, over 250 people applied for the “end-of-life option process”, according to the law. From 250, 191 people received prescriptions from 173 different physicians.

These are statistics put forth by the California Public HealthDepartment, which mirrors findings published by the Oregon Health Authority.

Health officials state that 111 people ingested the drugs, killing themselves. There were 21 people that died of natural causes before taking the medication. And, for the rest of 59 people, there is not clear evidence as of what had happened. They also received prescriptions.

On a granular level, there were Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and white people that took advantage of the End of Life Option Act. Approximately half of them were women. Those who ingested aid-in-dying drugs mostly had college education/ They were also receivers of one form or another of medical care.

Further, those who made use of the End of Life Option Act suffered from malignant cancer diseases, or neuromuscular disorders, heart or lung diseases, among other. The average age of using the End of Life Option Act was 73 years.

The moral and ethical dilemmas regarding the End of Life Option Act heated the debate when the Act was proposed and approved. There are strict regulations regarding the way in which the Act can be activated. Only individuals with fatal, deathly illnesses can make use of the Act.

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According to a new study released on December 1^st, 2016, teens who spend less time in the open are more susceptible to nearsightedness than others who spend most of their time engaging in outdoor activities. Furthermore, scientists say that the same also applies to young adults in their 30s.

As the findings suggest, the individuals who spend more time exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVB), are less likely to suffer from myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness. The participants of the study were people aged 14 and 39. By analyzing the results, the team of researchers was able to determine that they were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on and still benefit from good eyesight even in their 60s as opposed to individuals who spend less time exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

“Increased ultraviolet B radiation exposure was associated with reduced myopia, particularly in adolescence and young childhood”, reads the paper.

Nearsightedness is associated with the condition when an individual is forced to come closer to the objects in order to clearly distinguish them. The study focused on 371 people affected by myopia, respectively 2,797 healthy individuals who lived all across Europe. The subjects originated from countries like Italy, Norway, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Estonia. On average, the study participants were 65 years old.

The team of researchers was looking for traces of Vitamin D in the subjects’ bloodstream. The reason is that previous studies linked the lack of Vitamin D with a higher risk of developing nearsightedness later in life. Moreover, the scientists were also interested in the subjects’ diets, habits, educational levels, and medical histories. However, they were most interested in the amount of time the subjects have spent outdoors between nine p.m. to five p.m. in their teenage years.

Based on the scientists’ discoveries and the data gathered from the participants, it turns out that people who have exposed themselves to ultraviolet B radiation in the early years of life were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on in their mid-60s.

Furthermore, this study lines up perfectly with other previous investigations into the matter conducted back in 2015. However, as much as the ultraviolet B radiation exposure is linked to preventing nearsightedness from affecting the population in the future, the researchers did not find any clear evidence that the lack of Vitamin D has something to do with myopia.

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According to the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers face a lot of stress while taking care of their loved ones. Since it is important that the caregivers have the energy to tend to the needs of their patients, the AA released a special Caregiver’s Guide on how to Recognize and Manage Caregiver Stress.

The most common signs of caregiver stress are:

–    Anger;

–    Denial;

–    Anxiety;

–    Social withdrawal;

–    Exhaustion;

–    Depression;

–    Lack of concentration;

–    Irritability;

–    Sleeplessness;

–    Health problems.

Experts are recommending caregivers who are struggling with one or more of these symptoms to concentrate on their health and make sure that they are strong enough to perform their duties.

Me-Time Is Essential

Respite care, or professional care at a specialized institution, is always available when a caregiver feels a dire need for a break.

Experts found that many people caring for a relative struggling with Alzheimer’s are reluctant to seek for respite care as they are afraid that the patient will feel abandoned.

There is nothing shameful in needing some personal time. If caregivers refuse to take a break from performing their duties, they might end up resenting the patient, causing more harm in the long-run.

Know Your Limits

Stress can cause a variety of health problems from stomach irritation, blurred vision, and high blood pressure to irritation, and other behavior changes.

Doctors know that caregivers face a lot of stress, so they are recommending a healthy diet, plenty of exercises, and rest. Moreover, caregivers must pay attention to the signals sent by their bodies and seek medical attention as soon as they feel something is wrong.

It’s important to remember that ignoring symptoms might lead to severe mental or physical health issues.

Understand the Patient

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease. This means that the mental capacities of the patient slowly degenerate. With time, the symptoms change, the patient’s personality being affected.

Most family caregivers don’t know all the subtleties of the disease, this leading to a state of anger when the patient’s disease starts manifesting itself in different ways.

Doctors recommend family caregivers to educate themselves about the disease and learn all there is to learn about it so that they will know what to expect as the disorder advances.

Summing It Up

A healthy, stress-free caregiver knows when to ask for help and plan some personal time. The ideal caregiver is also an Alzheimer’s expert and is able to tell when his or her body needs help as well.

For more information, you can check out the pdf released by the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Although leprosy is a disease remembered for causing the death of many people in the 1500s, it seems that it’s still present in some animal species, such as the British red squirrels. Based on the latest study conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh and EPFL, many red squirrels across Ireland, Scotland, and England died due to leprosy.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered a leprosy strain in Brownsea Island squirrels which was similar to the one which killed thousands of people in five hundred years before. It means that the disease has not been completely eradicated from the country, but it remained hidden in other animal species.

The scientists say that they will continue their investigation to find out the source of this outbreak. This way, they will be able to develop an efficient strategy to address this issue and to make sure that this life-threatening disease will not spread to humans.

Leprosy is a contagious disease caused by a bacterium which can live in the host’s body for several years without triggering any symptoms. It usually leads to nerve decays, eyesight problems, and severe skin lesions.

The team found similar symptoms in the British red squirrels including swollen digits, ears, eyes, and alopecia or hair loss. Despite the fact that many specimens were infected with leprosy, this is not the primary factor influencing the massive decline in the squirrels’ population.

Experts stress that many British red squirrels died due to habitat loss, pollution, lack of food, and excessive hunting. More precisely, these animals were hunted in the middle ages because their fur brought great profit to merchants.

Although there were once more than a few million British red squirrels across the world, just 120,000 specimens are remaining. Biologists observed that the squirrel population plummeted, so they decided to collect samples from various regions throughout the United Kingdom.

The team compared the samples with the DNA of infected people in Mexico and skeletons from the 1500s. Based on the lab results, they concluded that all of them presented the Mycobacterium leprae, which caused the classic form of leprosy.

The researchers say that one of their projects is to develop a captive breeding program aimed to boost the immunity of the British red squirrels. If the program is successful, the mortality rates will drop as well as the risk of an outbreak among humans.

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According to the American Psychological Association, this year’s election has been more than stressful for the Americans. More precisely, election stress affected half of those voters.

The survey included all American citizens regardless of their ethnicity or age. As tomorrow it will be decided who is going to be the next U.S. president, people are more stressed than ever. The complete study will be revealed in January 2017.

Around 3,500 American adults participated in the survey which was made online. Harris Poll, the APA representative, interviewed 3255 people in English and other 256 people in Spanish.

Based on the findings, election stress has taken its toll on 52 percent of Americans, who believe that the 2016 presidential election represents a stressful and hostile campaign. Also, specialists established that people who regarded the election stressful had an average stress level of around 5.1, where 10 represents a high level of stress and one is somewhere between little to no stress.

Participants who said that they were not affected by election stress had a median stress level of about 4.4. According to Dr. Vaile Wright, APA’s Research Director, Americans are affected by this year’s election because the presidential campaign has been more hostile than ever.

Based on ethnicity, the results showed that Hispanics experienced the highest levels of election stress, as 56 percent of them were affected by the campaign, while 52 percent of Native Americans and Whites were stressed by the election as well.

Over 45 percent of Blacks and other 43 percent of Asians were also affected by the presidential election. In case Trump wins, around 11.3 million Hispanics will most likely be deported, so that is why they are most stressed.

Trump also promised to build a wall that would separate the United States from Mexico. According to Dr. Asim Shah from the Baylor College of Medicine, people shouldn’t worry about these things, although both candidates promised to hold on to their promises.

Shah underlined that no politician could carry out everything he or she plans to do because the United States political system is very rigorous.

Shah’s piece of advice is simple: people should avoid any exposure to social media related to politics in order to reduce the election stress. It means that they should no longer watch TV programs related to the presidential campaign as well. Plus, they should refrain themselves from any political conversations, because people have various opinions.

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Thanks to a great initiative from the Society of American Florists (SAF), free flowers will be offered on Manhattan streets in a few weeks from now.

According to statistics, flowers improve your mood and encourage people to gather together. This project is called ‘Petal It Forward’ and it is a widely-spread phenomenon in over 225 cities throughout the United States.

People who receive flowers will also get a second free bouquet that they can share with a colleague, complete stranger, family member, or a friend. According to Vivian Anastasia, a store owner from Newbury, delivering flowers has a positive impact on so many people every day.

Her family-owned store sells and designs flower bouquets for any life occasion, while it also has a delivery service which transports flowers to customers living in the nearby towns or across the country.

SAF was founded back in 1884 and consists of many allied organizations, designers, educators, importers, suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, and growers among others. That is why this national trade association represents a significant part of the United States floral industry.

This free flower campaign started in 2015 and spread in over 40 cities across 27 states throughout the country. Based on the estimates, more than 4,000 free flowers were offered in Time Square, whereas this initiative had a positive impact on over 212 million people.

According to the latest study conducted by the SAF, just smelling or seeing flowers improves your mood, while receiving them as a gift makes that particular occasion hard to forget. Scientists from Harvard and Rutgers University have previously conducted surveys to prove the positive impact of flowers on a person’s emotional state.

These results do not only apply to individuals who receive flowers but also to those who give them. More precisely, 80 percent of Americans declared that they felt happy whenever they received flowers, whereas 88 percent said that they felt happy when they gave flowers to someone dear to them.

According to Jennifer Sparks, SAF Marketing Vice President, although Americans have a hard time because of the presidential campaign which aims to divide people, free flowers will have the opposite effect by bringing them together. That is the reason why SAF members give two free bouquets instead of one in order to transform this event in a tradition that will find a well-deserved place in the American culture.

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