Tag: physical

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Health Risks of Lockdowns

Lockdowns (also commonly known as “mass-quarantine”) have been enacted by over 50 countries around the world. While such measures have been proven effective for containing the outbreak, the stay-at-home mandates have created many unwanted side effects by disrupting social interaction and jeopardizing our personal health, especially in children.

Here are the most undesirable consequences of prolonged lockdown. Please watch for these in yourself and loved ones:

  • Physical Inactivity. Day after day, many of us have overlooked how little exercise we’re getting. But this neglect can be costly, leading to insulin resistance, muscle atrophy, decreased aerobic capacity, increased blood pressure and a higher risk of collapsing upon resuming exercise. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity, and performing muscle strengthening exercises (involving the major muscle groups) at least twice a week.
  • Weight Gain. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a food environment that is conducive to weight gain, increasing the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and lower back pain. These problems are further exacerbated by the unhealthy eating habits that accompany prolonged television and gaming. To combat this potential crisis, schools must invest in lesson plans for physical activity that can be accessed on-demand or streaming, so that children can keep active without violating local ordinances. Work with your doctor and design a health plan that includes foods rich in immunomodulatory content such as Vitamin A, C, and D, as well as probiotics.
  • Behavioral Addiction Disorders. Screen-time is only going up — but being stuck indoors for an indefinite period of time is unavoidably accompanied by even more screen time – watching television, online gaming and social networking. These new habits can potentially develop into behavioral addiction disorders. Take control of your electronic environment by implementing external stoppers (any trigger that persuades the user to log off), implement software programs that control your screen time, or even set a simple timer on your smartphone.
  • Insufficient Sunlight Exposure (Vitamin D). Sunlight is essential to your health in the proper amounts. When you go without sunlight for a prolonged period of time you are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, allergy and asthma, mental disorders and diabetes. People deficient in vitamin D run a significantly higher risk of respiratory tract infections. An interesting fact about the human body is that many of the functions of your immune cells are modulated by Vitamin D. Make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D through foods such as fatty fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks and/or high quality supplementation.
  • Social Isolation. Social isolation is now regarded as the primary public health concern in the elderly, but has also shown to increase sedentary behaviors in youth, causing depression and anxiety. Self-isolation should be seen as a global healthcare and societal issue. To counteract the burdens of sedentary and depressive lifestyles, use forms of social contact (technology or in-person) that don’t violate your local ordinances, but that will alleviate feelings of isolation and it’s debilitating psychological consequences.

SOURCES

Health risks and potential remedies during prolonged lockdowns for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Giuseppe Lippi, Brandon M. Henry, Chiara Bovo and Fabian Sanchis-Gomar. Diagnosis 2020; 7(2): 85-90. De Gruyter Publishing.

COVID-19—Related School Closings and Risk of Weight Gain Among Children. Andrew G. Rundle, Yoosun Park, Julie B. Herbstman, Eliza W. Kinsey, and Y. Claire Wang. Obesity Journal Volume 28, Number 6. June 2020.

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Keeping clean

We’ve always been passionate about cleanliness and we take your health seriously. We thought it’s important to share with you the following measures we’ve established to protect your health and safety:

Environmental

All high-contact surfaces are cleaned after each use and at the end of each day. This includes things like:

  • Worktables and benches
  • Lab tools and machines
  • Doorknobs and keys
  • Computers and mobile devices
  • Daily vacuuming and dusting

Product

All returned items must pass through a rigorous inspection and disinfection process before being restocked. This 3-step process involves:

1 — Physical evaluation. We inspect the hinges, adjustment and overall condition of the frame to ensure it’s in perfect condition.

2 — Hand wash. Each frame is then washed by hand with an eco-friendly surfactant (soap) and water, then dried with a fresh towel.

3 — UVC disinfection. Finally, all frames are exposed to germicidal UV bulbs that reach every surface of the frame.

Only then are frames repackaged and returned to inventory.

People

All personnel are required to maintain the following protocol:

  • Wash their hands before and after preparing packages or initiating lab work, and regularly throughout the day
  • Masks are required in the office, store room and laboratory
  • Maintain social distancing
  • Daily self-screening and temperature check
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Bullying

Groups are powerful things: they’re part of human development and form the social structure of a child’s life. During middle school and adolescence these structures take on a very important role, offering a wide range of prosocial benefits as well as positive emotional and behavioral assimilation. But they can also take on negative attributes which can bring out the worst in people.

A youth’s identity is influenced by their peer groups. So much so, that it can alter their individual autonomy. And when a peer group endorses negative behaviors, adolescents will engage in those behaviors to preserve their position in the group. This is where bullying comes in.

Bullying occurs as peer groups negotiate their positions, status and relationships with each other. Numerous studies have found that students bully others in order to advance their own social position. It’s a means of achieving dominance that’s exacerbated by the fact that kids often reward the bully with attention and status.

While some bullying may not be intentionally designed to harm, it nevertheless takes place by way of jokes or through forms of play. Sometimes it’s hard to say where the joke ends and abuse begins. Younger children typically exhibit physical and verbal aggression, but teenagers will focus on what’s called “relational aggression,” which is more social in nature (usually involving exclusionary behavior). It’s common for children and adolescents to grow psychologically and emotionally dependent on their peer relationships, because it helps them to establish a positive perception of themselves and nurture independence from adults.

Bullying is common around the world. 30% of students in North America and Europe have been involved in it. This includes physical, verbal, relational and cyberbullying. Here are the 3 main types:

Verbal. Teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting and threats of harm

Social (Relational). Purposefully excluding another, spreading rumors, public embarrassment.

Physical. Hitting/kicking/punching, spitting, tripping and pushing, theft or breaking things, inappropriate hand gestures.

Here are some tips to prevent bullying:

  1. Know what it is. Make sure your children understand what bullying is so that they can identify it, and know how to get help.
  2. Communicate. Check in with your kids often about their school life and social circle. Make sure you listen carefully, as children may not initially describe the situation fully.
  3. Do what you love. Encourage kids to do what they enjoy: art, music, sports and gaming will boost their confidence and remind them that there’s a great big world out there with many possibilities.
  4. Lead by example. Model how to treat others in your own familial interactions. Create an atmosphere of respect even when there are disagreements.

SOURCES

The Game of Bullying: Shared Beliefs and Behavioral Labels in Bullying Among Middle Schoolers. Małgorzata Wójcik and Maria Mondry. SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. American Psychological Association. 2020, Vol. 24, No. 4, 276-293.

https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/how-to-prevent-bullying