JOURNAL
Amazing Sex Advice: All About Orgasms
Overcoming Obstacles: Solutions for Orgasm Challenges
One of the primary challenges to overcoming obstacles to orgasms is psychological barriers. Stress, anxiety, and past traumas can significantly impact one's ability to relax and fully engage in sexual experiences. These mental blocks can create a cycle of frustration and performance anxiety, further complicating the ability to achieve orgasm.
Another significant challenge is the lack of communication between partners. Open and honest conversations about sexual preferences, desires, and boundaries are crucial for a fulfilling sexual experience. Without this dialogue, misunderstandings and unmet needs can prevent both partners from reaching orgasm.
Stay Safe as Extreme Heat Continues via Kaiser Permanente
How to protect yourself as excessive heat continues
As extreme temperatures continue in California, we want to make sure you have the information you need to keep you and your family safe and healthy. Here are some important tips to help you stay cool.
A Helpful Guideline for the Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Process
In December, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control provided a vaccination implementation strategy that will roll out in phases or TIERs throughout the nation. The CDC recommends that in phase one, distribution is prioritized for healthcare personnel, long-term care facility residents, individuals with an underlying medical condition, including autoimmune conditions, and 70 or older individuals. These recommendations will proactively decrease the number of COVID-19 related deaths, preserve society's functioning, and reduce the extra burden COVID-19 is having on individuals already facing disparities. However, these are recommendations only and each state has its vaccination implementation strategy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
What will the workplace culture look like after the Covid-19 pandemic?
At the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended that employers allow flexible working when appropriate or possible. Eight months later, in November of 2020, many employees are still working remotely full-time or in a hybrid model that splits a percentage of time working remotely and spending a few days at an office location. As many offices begin to close the calendar year and turn toward the future, employees, finance professionals, human resources directors, and CEOs are all questioning what the future of work will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Easy tips on how to stay active while working from home. via Kaiser Permanente
Here are some tips that can help:
If possible, work at a standing desk. If you don’t have one available to use at home, try standing more throughout the day — for example, when you’re eating lunch, talking on the phone, or teleconferencing.
Even if you can’t go far, getting up and walk around a bit every hour. Consider setting the alarm to remind yourself to move regularly during the workday. Just taking the time to walk through each room of your home can help.
At night, instead of sinking into the couch to watch television, use an exercise ball to get some extra movement in for the day.
Give yourself credit for the steps you take during the day. If you set realistic goals, wearing an activity tracker to measure your progress might make sense. If you start standing and moving around your home more, you’ll see your activity level rise.
Women's Heart Health - Heart attack symptoms and the ways to care for yourself
Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of women every 80 seconds (AHA, 2020). While most of us are familiar with the iconic red dress, that symbolizes the American Heart Association’s, Go Red For Women Campaign. Not all of us are familiar with the statistic that doctors may be more likely to dismiss heart attack symptoms as not heart-related in women younger than 55. Researchers interviewed close to 3,000 individuals, both women, and men and found that 53 percent of women said their provider didn’t think their symptoms were heart-related, compared with 35 percent of men. (Harvard Health Publishing, 2018). This is because sixty-two percent of women present with more than three non-chest pain symptoms, compared to 54.8 percent of men. Because of this, 53 percent of women said their healthcare provider, misinterpreted or ignored young women who need care (Healthline, 2020). Additionally, women delay seeking care for symptoms such as dizziness or shortness of breath. In a small study conducted on women, ages 30 to 55, the most common reason why women delayed seeking care is that they had trouble recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack (Sing, 2015). If women experience three-non-chest pain symptoms of a heart attack, what are all of the warning signs?
Chronic Knee Pain and the RICE formula
At some point in one’s life, knee pain will affect you or someone you love and being informed in ways to avoid injury is the best steps to prevent chronic knee pain. Knee injury doesn’t just occur from a slip or fall, the swelling or pain could be a result of a childhood knee trauma, an injury from playing sports in high school that occasionally flares up, a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage, or a medical condition including arthritis, gout, and infections.
The knee is the biggest joint in the body, which assists with sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, and jumping. However, it also contains lots of mechanisms such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones that can tear, crack, dislocate, and swell.
A study conducted by the Osteo Arthritis Society International in 2013, found that 79% of the respondents reported chronic knee pain is one of the most significant factors in reduced productivity at work, and 14% reported having to take off 1 or more days of work in 12 months. Another noteworthy result from the study was that the respondents reported to take more days off from work due to being unpresentable for the work environment, where either they were limping or had to use an assisted devise. While knee pain is painful, it may go away with simple treatment. Let’s look at some of the strategies for preventing or alleviating chronic knee pain.
Income Inequality and its Impact on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
Income inequality continues to rise throughout the country. This issue is perhaps best summed up by the phrase; the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.
Too many people at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder are deprived of good working wages. In comparison, the wealthiest people in the country continue to make more and more money. While the prominent executives are taking home huge bonuses, the people down at the bottom are struggling to get by on minimum wage.
Naturally, this creates a troubling situation in the U.S. Income inequality has significant implications on the lives of millions of people. In this post, we look to explore some of the critical areas that are most impacted by the growing income inequality.
An increase in ACEs
ACEs are adverse childhood experiences, which primarily refers to any stressful or damaging events that happen during childhood, thus can affect health and development across the life course (Halfon, Larson, Son, Lu, & Bethell, 2017). Unfortunately, this can include domestic violence, children being abandoned by parents, a parent being imprisoned, or growing up in an uncertain home environment that’s plagued by arguments or drug abuse problems.
Is the Multi-Billion Dollar Wellness Industry Worth the Money?
We all know how important health and wellness are, and there is an increasing focus on becoming healthier, more balanced, and ultimately, happier. It’s big business too, with the global wellness industry now valued at a huge $3.72 trillion and accounts for approximately five per cent of the global economic output[1]. It seems that there are new trends and fads coming out every day, from spin classes and yoga to organic food, special drinks, guided meditation classes, and more. There is even a drive to feed our pets clean, healthy, natural food[2]. With the wellness industry now being “one of the world’s fastest, most resilient markets,”[3]outranking the pharmaceutical industry several times over, it’s easy to wonder, is it worth it? And if it is, is it something that is exclusively for high-earners and not for those on a budget?
Wellness trends
Wellness can be defined as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing,”[4]and it’s definitely something that is at the forefront of many people’s thoughts. Searches for ‘self-care’ on Google have increased by 25% in the last year[5], and people are paying for more and more wellness products and services. There are even wellness festivals popping up around the world. The Womad festival, for example, dedicates two acres of land to spa and wellness areas, including meditation led by Buddhist monks and shamanic healing. Likewise, Soul Circus in the UK focuses on wellness, with tickets costs around $260. Founder Ella Wroath explains that she “wanted to create a balanced event that left you feeling rejuvenated and inspired, rather than hungover and unhealthy”[6].
How Childhood Adversity Affects Adult Health
Everything that happens in our lives affects us; events can change us for better or worse, and some things affect us more than others. But did you know that suffering childhood adversity, such as extreme poverty, abuse, neglect, or a sick or alcoholic parent, can affect you right through your life? And it’s not just a mental health issue either. Experiencing toxic stress and adverse conditions as a child can actually alter your physiological make up and cause life-threatening physical diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The correlation between childhood adversity and later ill health was first discussed in a 1995 study by physicians Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda[1], and since then, the evidence has been mounting. Now, there can be little doubt that childhood adversity can and does affect later adult health. In that initial study, Felitti and Anda examined the childhood and adolescent histories of 17,000 people, looking for what they termed ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), or chronic, unpredictable, and stress-inducing life events[2]. Of those they studied, a huge two thirds had suffered at least one ACE and 90% of those two thirds had experienced more than one[3]. They then looked at the correlation between the patients’ ACE score and their health – and the results were shocking.