The COVID-19 pandemic is bad not only for our physical health, but our mental health as well. It has killed thousands of people and disrupted our lives in terrible ways. So it’s not surprising that a recent survey finds that parents in the US are having a hard time.
Researchers did a national survey in June of 2020 of more than 1,000 parents with children under the age of 18, asking questions about mental health, insurance coverage, food security, child care, and use of health care. They found that compared to before March of 2020,
27% reported worsening mental health for themselves
17% reported worsening behavioral health for their children
Moderate to severe food insecurity rose by a third, going from 6% to 8%
Employee-sponsored health care went down only slightly, from 63% to 60%
24% reported loss of child care; however, among families with children 5 or younger, it was closer to 50%. Among those who lost childcare, the majority (74%) reported that a parent was watching the child instead. Obviously, this has implications for that parent’s ability to work.
40% reported cancellations or delays in their child’s health care, most commonly well-child care but also specialty and behavioral health care.
Connections to mental and behavioral health
One in 10 families reported worsening mental health for themselves as well as worsening behavioral health for their children. Among those who reported that both were happening, 48% reported loss of regular child care, 16% reported a change in health insurance status, and 11% had worsening food security. Clearly, these families have been hard-hit by the economic effects of the pandemic.
Interestingly, rates of mental health problems were similar across parents of different races and incomes. However, two groups of parents had worse declines in their mental health: female and unmarried parents; and families with younger children.
This survey was done before parents had to manage the implications of a new school year, which is going to bring new stress, especially as it appears that many if not most school systems will be providing at least some of their instruction remotely. Parents again are going to have to juggle working with not just caring for their child, but being sure that they are doing — and understanding — their remote schoolwork. For many families, this is essentially impossible.
It’s also important to remember that compared to families without children, families with children are more likely to be poor — and with job losses continuing and a predicted epidemic of evictions, poor families are going to have even bigger difficulties with basic needs such as food and housing.
The implications of this are staggering. It’s not just short-term homelessness and hunger we have to worry about — it’s the long-term educational, psychological, and health effects on children. This pandemic could quite literally change the course of millions of lives for the worse.
Responding to growing needs
So what can we do? Clearly, as a country we need to devote real financial resources to helping families with children, especially single-parent families and families with young children. That’s the biggest and most immediate need, and will require action from not just government but every possible source of funding.
We also need to devote resources to mental health support, making sure that anyone who needs it can get it. This won’t be cheap either, but the cost will be higher in so many ways if we don’t.
We need to find ways to look out for each other. At this moment when we need to be physically distant to prevent spread of the virus, we also need to be connected. We need to find safe ways to check in with members of our communities. That might be regular phone calls or socially distant check-ins with at-risk families, contributing to food pantries and clothing drives, volunteering to do online tutoring, donating to organizations that are helping families, and anything else that can make a difference.
Part of looking out for each other is doing everything we can to stop the spread of the virus. Along with lots of hand washing, that means that everyone over the age of 2 should wear a mask when they can’t physically distance — and that we must take physical distancing truly seriously. If we let our guard — or our mask — down, we will prolong the pandemic, with everything that means.
The number of people reporting depression symptoms shot up when the pandemic began, with a recent study suggesting depression tripled among Americans this past spring. The greater burden fell on people with fewer resources, socially and economically, and more exposure to stressful situations, such as job loss. Ongoing surveys are finding that 25% of respondents still report feeling depressed every day.
These kinds of struggles are heart-wrenching to witness. The following suggestions can help you both.
Ways to help care for a loved one in distress
Encourage your loved one to get treatment and stick with it. Ask if you can help arrange an in-person or telehealth appointment with a therapist. Gently remind your loved one about taking medication or keeping therapy appointments.
Don’t ignore comments about suicide. If you believe your loved one is suicidal, call the person’s doctor or therapist. Mental health professionals can’t divulge patient information without permission, but it is not a violation of confidentiality for the professional to listen to you. In urgent situations, bring your loved one to a local ER or call a local or national crisis hotline for advice. You can also try a suicide prevention text hotline. For example, you can contact the hotline provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness by texting “NAMI” to 741741.
Offer emotional support. Your patience and love can make a huge difference. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Try not to brush off or judge the other person’s feelings, but do offer hope. Suggest activities that you can do together, and keep in mind that it takes time to get better. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to say — it takes a great deal of training (such as that received by therapists) to advise people in emotional distress.
Recognize that depression may manifest as irritability or anger, which is often directed toward family and other loved ones. Remind yourself that a disease is causing your loved one to act differently. Try not to blame the person who is struggling — after all, you wouldn’t place blame if a physical illness was causing the person to change.
If a loved one has bipolar disorder, try to prevent reckless acts during manic episodes. It’s common for a person to make poor decisions when manic, so it’s a good idea to try to prevent this problem by limiting access to cars, credit cards, and bank accounts. Watch for signs that a manic episode is emerging. Disruption of sleep patterns can trigger an episode, so support your loved one in keeping a regular sleep schedule. Consistent patterns for other activities such as eating, exercising, and socializing may also help.
Take good care of yourself
Finally, remember to pay attention to your own well-being. Consider therapy for yourself, or join a support group. This is a crucial step to lessen your own risk for depression, because caregivers have high rates of depression and anxiety. Other forms of self-care can be very helpful, too.
Numerous mental health organizations sponsor such groups and can also provide you with information on the illness, the latest treatments, and coping tips. With encouragement, knowledge, and support, you’ll feel stronger and more empowered to help shepherd your loved one through this difficult illness.
Researchers sought to examine the impact of pandemic-related changes upon physical activity and sedentary behavior, specifically sitting, across the university population.
from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2SJJd6l
Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder virtually about early behavioral intervention is an accessible and effective approach during the coronavirus pandemic or in other instances when in-person instruction is not possible, according to a new study.
from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3ljZdbq
In an astounding about-face to its previous stance, the FDA issued a warning that mercury fillings may adversely affect pregnant women, children and other susceptible individuals, and should be avoided by these groups.
The safety communication1 was posted September 24, 2020, and with this, we have suddenly achieved an incredibly important goal that we’ve had our sights on for the last decade!
Goal Achieved: FDA Releases Amalgam Safety Communication
As noted in the FDA’s statement:2
“Today, the FDA is issuing updated recommendations concerning dental amalgam and potential risks to certain high-risk individuals that may be associated with these mercury-containing fillings …
The FDA has found that certain groups may be at greater risk for potential harmful health effects of mercury vapor released from the device [amalgam]. As a result, the agency is recommending certain high-risk groups avoid getting dental amalgam whenever possible and appropriate.”
Groups identified by the FDA as being at increased risk for harmful effects from dental mercury fillings include:
Pregnant women and their developing fetuses
Women who are planning to become pregnant
Nursing women and their newborns and infants
Children, especially those younger than 6
People with pre-existing neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease
People with impaired kidney function
People with known heightened sensitivity (allergy) to mercury or other components of dental amalgam
FDA Admits Amalgam Dangers
After years of pressure from Consumers for Dental Choice and its allies, the FDA finally admits the unvarnished truth about amalgam, noting3 that “Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury and a powdered alloy made up of silver, tin and copper” that “releases small amounts of mercury vapor over time.”
The agency also admits there are “uncertainties” and risks associated with this mercury vapor release, especially for the high-risk groups listed. In particular, there is “the potential for mercury in dental amalgam to convert to other mercury compounds in the body,” and mercury could potentially accumulate in body fluids and tissues, resulting in “unintended health outcomes.”
“These uncertainties in the most vulnerable patients are why today we are recommending people who may be at high risk for adverse health effects of mercury exposure use non-mercury alternatives to dental amalgam, such as composite resins and glass ionomer cement fillings,” the FDA states.4
While the FDA downplays the importance of its changed recommendation by stressing that the benefits of dental amalgam likely “outweigh their risks for most patients,” this update is nothing short of monumental, and opens the door, finally, for the elimination of dental mercury for all patients in the U.S., as has been done in many other countries already.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported Consumers for Dental Choice during these past 10 years, as it is this organization’s unwavering dedication that has now borne fruit.
Consumers for Dental Choice Sued FDA — and Won
The FDA is legally required to classify — that is, issue a rule for — all medical devices, including dental amalgam. But for 30 years, FDA dodged its legal duty to classify amalgam.
Consumers for Dental Choice put an end to FDA's negligence when, in 2008, this dynamic nonprofit organization assembled plaintiffs and sued FDA, demanding that amalgam be classified. The judge agreed and told FDA to sit down with Consumers for Dental Choice to determine a deadline. FDA was compelled to commit to classifying amalgam by July 2009.
But when July 2009 came around, it was clear the FDA had not considered the science — especially the evidence of harm amalgam can cause vulnerable populations like children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
Its abysmal rule reflected this shortcoming, as it did not restrict the use of amalgam for these most vulnerable individuals. The rule did not even require that patients be told that amalgam is made of mercury. Nonetheless, FDA's 2009 rule did acknowledge that amalgam could be harmful, and that there was no proof of safety for the populations most susceptible to this toxin.
In response, Consumers for Dental Choice challenged FDA's rule, while simultaneously pursuing other opportunities to advance mercury-free dentistry, like defeating pro-mercury state dental boards, fighting for amalgam fact sheet laws for patients at the state level, and getting amalgam into the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
As Consumers for Dental Choice racked up win after win — regaining licenses for mercury-free dentists persecuted by state boards, gaining fact sheets to protect dental patients, achieving an amalgam reduction requirement in the Minamata Convention — the FDA’s rule was looking increasingly archaic.
Decade-Long Wait Is Over
Nearly a decade after the FDA issued its flawed amalgam rule, Consumers for Dental Choice launched a nonstop campaign focused on getting the FDA to move on amalgam.
They assembled an accomplished team of experts to approach the FDA, and in 2018, unveiled the “Chicago Declaration to End Mercury Use in the Dental Industry” at the University of Illinois School of Public Health.
This declaration, signed by more than 50 heavy-hitter environmental groups, called on the FDA "to bring its policies in line with the Federal Government as a whole and with its responsibilities under the Minamata Convention and to publicly advise a phase down of the use of mercury amalgams with the goal of phasing out entirely."
The declaration also called for the immediate ban on amalgam use in children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. Working with key signatories to the “Chicago Declaration,” Consumers for Dental Choice were able to secure meetings with top officials at the FDA, during which they were able to submit scientific studies for the FDA to review.
The first sign of progress came with the FDA's September 2019 scientific review5 of amalgam, “Epidemiological Evidence on the Adverse Health Effects Reported in Relation to Mercury from Dental Amalgam,” which recognized that the elemental mercury in dental amalgam can convert inside the body into toxic methylmercury — the same type of mercury that the FDA warns about in fish.
The FDA also recognized bioaccumulative effects of mercury. Since patients are exposed to many sources of mercury — including high-mercury fish in their diets, occupational exposures and environmental mercury from waste incinerators — the mercury from amalgam could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.
FDA Reverses Stance on Amalgam
Consumers for Dental Choice also organized a strong showing of public support from you. Its online petition, which had nearly 50,000 signatures, was presented to the FDA in person at its first meeting with the agency. Many of you also submitted public comments on patient preferences to the FDA.
FDA was also made aware of the changes to amalgam rules in other parts of the world, such as amalgam phase-out dates set by the Philippines, Ireland, Slovakia, Finland, Nepal, Moldova, Czech Republic and New Caledonia, and the bans on amalgam use in children issued by the European Union, Vietnam and Tanzania.
Having finally reached the top of the FDA, Consumers for Dental Choice succeeded in persuading the agency to reopen and take another in-depth look at the amalgam policy.
A scientific advisory committee meeting — which included testimonies by 16 experts from the Children's Environmental Health Network, Tuskegee University, the International Indian Treaty Council, the Organic & Natural Health Association and the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, as well as city and county commissioners, a physician expert in environmental justice, a pharmacist specializing in toxicology and several attorneys — took place in November 2019.
You can see Consumers for Dental Choice's team and their colleagues in action in the video below, which features highlights of the advisory panel meeting.
Ultimately, the FDA advisory committee members recommended the agency provide information to patients about the risks of dental amalgam, especially for vulnerable populations. Many even agreed that the use of amalgam needs to end, which has been the goal of Consumers for Dental Choice all along.
Final Step Ahead
Now that the FDA has finally broken its silence on the dangers of mercury for pregnant and nursing mothers, children and people with certain underlying conditions, the final step — a full ban on amalgam for all — looms near.
The American Dental Association, which has long defended amalgam’s safety, is now running out of allies. For now, however, the ADA still maintains its contrarian view.
In response to the FDA’s updated recommendations, the ADA stated6 that there was “no new scientific evidence cited as part of the FDA recommendation," and that the ADA “reaffirms its position that dental amalgam is a durable, safe and effective cavity-filling option.”
On the upside, the ADA affirmed its support of patient decision-making, agreeing with the FDA’s statement that “all dental restorative decisions and treatment options should be made by the patient and the dentist.”
Seeing how the ADA’s ethical rules in the past were used by state dental boards to bar dentists from even informing patients about the fact that mercury is a key ingredient in amalgam, and how the ADA deceptively promoted amalgam as “silver fillings,” this shift, while small, is better than nothing.
In its September 24, 2020, safety communication on dental amalgam,7 the FDA specifically advises dentists against using the term “silver filling,” “as this may imply the filling is made solely from silver and does not accurately convey the mercury component of this restorative material.” The FDA also highlights this in its Dental Devices description page for amalgam, which received its last update September 29, 2020, noting that:8
“Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Approximately half (50%) of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight. The chemical properties of elemental mercury allow it to react with and bind together the silver/copper/tin alloy particles to form an amalgam.
Dental amalgam fillings are often referred to as ‘silver fillings’ because of their silver-like appearance, although the use of this term in not recommended because the term does not correctly explain the materials in amalgam.”
Most of us who have fought for this updated FDA amalgam policy for the past decade are still in shock that it finally happened, and without any significant forewarning. That said, it is fantastic good news, and we extend our thanks to all of you who have fought this battle with us.
The FDA’s updated recommendations change everything, because once amalgam is recognized as a hazard for specific high-risk groups, it doesn’t take much to expand that logic to include all people.
On August 28, 2020, Ireland began a national trial of their new Health Passport Ireland initiative.1 “Protecting Society and Economy,” their website reads, Ireland’s health passports are actually nothing more than a way to track and display results of COVID-19 testing — and facilitate increased COVID-19 testing for businesses and the public, plus display COVID-19 vaccination status, when one becomes available.2
At this time, Ireland’s health passports are being launched on a trial basis within a range of industries, including health care (hospitals and nursing homes), child care, education, agriculture, entertainment and others.3 It’s plausible that they could soon be required to gain entry into schools, hospitals, offices, airports and more.
It’s being touted as a measure that increases freedom — “Using the rapid real-time scanning technology, we can now enjoy freer travel with increased protection from COVID-19,” Health Passport Ireland states4 — but one day, when you head out the door, you may not be able to simply walk into a shop, restaurant or even a doctor’s office or your place of work like you used to, unless you can prove you don’t have COVID-19 and have been vaccinated via your “green” health passport app.
Display Your Scan ‘Whenever Appropriate’
As for how it works, the new health passport system claims to combine the “most advanced and validated testing solutions” so you can have immediate access to your COVID-19 status, which you can then choose to display or scan whenever appropriate.5 This involves first getting tested for COVID-19, after which an authorized medical administrator will create a Health Passport Ireland account in your name and update your COVID-19 test results.
Users will then need to download the Health Passport mobile app onto their phone, which will automatically be linked to their most recent COVID-19 test results. If your health passport turns green, it indicates you’ve tested negative “allowing you to safely enjoy daily life.” If not, you’ll be given a red status, at which point “you should self-isolate with medical attention.”6
Further, test results automatically expire over time, turning your health passport amber — a warning that it’s time to get tested again.
For those who haven’t been tested, Health Passport Ireland states that you can still immediately use the technology by downloading the app and using it to “easily scan others whenever needed,” and adding that by scanning others to get their COVID-19 status, “It gives great security for you and your family throughout our daily lives, for example when availing of services, whilst travelling, at events, at work and much more.”7
So, to sum up, in order to achieve the freedom you need to go about your normal, daily life, you only need to get tested for COVID-19, have a health administrator create a Health Passport account in your name, download the app on your phone, receive your COVID-19 test results on your phone (and get retested as required), then display your COVID-19 status whenever it’s requested.
Health Passports Going Global
Ireland’s health passport is a world’s first, developed by Irish-based ROQU Group. It’s designed, however, to expand on a global scale and is compatible with all official COVID-19 tests, including swab tests, blood tests and rapid diagnostic tests. According to Robert Quirke, president and CEO of ROQU Group:8
"Around the world, there is continued frustration and disappointment due to COVID-19 restrictions … Using our global visibility, we are helping local companies by making the best COVID-19 testing solutions readily available to all. As testing and research continues to improve, we want to ensure that Irish society and economy can easily access testing solutions that offer the highest levels of clinical validation.
The purpose of the pilot trial is to demonstrate how Health Passport works across a variety of real-life business and social scenarios.”
Expansion plans are underway, with ROQU noting that the system will soon be rolled out globally in countries such as Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Kenya, with other locations following.
“No matter where your test is performed worldwide, this can now be safely and securely updated into your private Health Passport account. This is vital for passengers departing and arriving into Ireland,” Health Passport Ireland stated.9
Ireland Pushed Health Passport for People With Disabilities
In June 2019, months before the pandemic was declared, Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) launched another health passport initiative, this time supposedly to help people with intellectual disabilities gain equal access to health care.10 The passports, which are available to people with intellectual disabilities within certain health care groups, include multiple sections, detailing personal information, communication abilities, medical history and more.
Once again touted as a way to improve health care access, privacy concerns aren’t mentioned, nor is the fact that, should such a passport fall into the wrong hands, it could be used to promote discrimination as opposed to ending it.
Vaccination Status Will Also Be Displayed
Health Passport Ireland (soon to be Health Passport Canada, U.S., Germany and more) isn’t only intended to display your COVID-19 test results. It will also display your official vaccination status, once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. Considering you can also link the app to other medical services and records, it’s not a stretch to assume it may one day be used to track the status of all of your vaccines and other medical procedures.
It seems we may soon be living in a world where your personal health data — including results from COVID-19 testing and data showing whether or not you’ve received certain vaccines — must be shared and authenticated before you’re able to enter a sports arena, travel by air or even enter your workplace.
Ireland’s Health Passport is only one such system in the works. The technology behind such innovations, which many are calling a threat to civil liberties and privacy, is already available to the general public in the App Store and Google Play via Civic Technologies’ Civic Wallet. Civic Technologies, which bills itself as a “leading innovator in digital identity solutions,”11 released its “Civic Wallet” app June 16, 2020. Previously it was only available in private beta mode.
In addition to offering a way for users to send and receive digital currency, including bitcoin, ethereum, CVC and USDC, which are U.S. dollars converted to assets on the ethereum blockchain,12 it will also offer proof-of-health verifications via its so-called Health Key.
Civic Technologies, in turn, has partnered with Circle Medical, an affiliate of San Francisco-based hospital UCSF Health, which will use the app so 500 of its employees can prove their COVID-19 health status. Civic plans to roll out its proof-of-health verification for companies with more than 500 employees.
Contact Tracing Army in the Works
In May 2020, Johns Hopkins launched an online course to train “an army” of contact tracers, for which hundreds of people joined within hours of its release. Those who take the course will be trained to interview people diagnosed with COVID-19, identify their close contacts who might have been exposed and then give them guidance on how to self-quarantine for two weeks.13
Meanwhile, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, set up with funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has partnered with the ID2020 Alliance to launch a digital identity program called ID2020 in Bangladesh.14 Your health information, in the form of COVID-19 test results, is set to be sent to an electronic database so that contact tracers can enforce isolation and quarantines, even if you’re healthy.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s April 21, 2020, white paper, “National COVID-19 Testing Action Plan — Strategic Steps to Reopen Our Workplaces and Our Communities,”15 also lays out a strategic framework that is clearly intended to become part of a permanent surveillance and social control structure that severely limits personal liberty and freedom of choice.
The Rockefeller plan calls for COVID-19 testing and tracing of 1 million Americans per week to start, incrementally ramping it up to 3 million and then 30 million per week (the “1-3-30 plan”) over the next six months until the entire population has been covered.
While it’s been said that quarantine will be voluntary, some related documents state that if you do not comply, police may enforce a detention order to assure compliance. It’s also stated in some states that you can be fined up to $2,000 a day or incarcerated for not staying in quarantine.16
A Health Passport, scanned at an airport or other entry point, would also be an easy way for authorities to keep tabs on your travel history and enforce self-quarantines for travelers coming from certain areas.
For instance, the city of Chicago issued an emergency travel order that mandates visitors coming from states with 15 or more new confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents according to a seven-day average, must quarantine for 14 days.
While the quarantine wasn’t being actively enforced, the city health commissioner announced that anyone who willfully defies the self-quarantine order could face fines of up to $7,000.17
Will Medical Privacy Continue To Be Violated?
Ultimately, this and other privacy violations, like contact tracing apps, could lead to a future in which a vaccine certificate or “unique patient ID number” replaces personal identifications such as your driver’s license, state ID card, Social Security card and passport, and is tied not only to your medical records in total, but also your finances.
If you may soon be required to “prove” that you’ve passed certain medical tests and received certain vaccines just to enter a building or go to work, it’s concerning to think what other information may also be required one day, and whether states will continue to take away additional freedoms and your right to privacy in the name of public health.
Apps that started out to track your COVID-19 test results and vaccination status could turn into tools of control and power, making it impossible for you to attend school, work or travel unless you have the right color or results.
“The next step could be using the same system to track other personal data — a person’s criminal record and social-media profile. And then all the information could be integrated into one online database that contains the entire personal history of every citizen — in the name of safety, of course,” Jurica Dujmovic wrote in Market Watch.18
“This crucial first step must be met with resolute resistance, lest it becomes a gateway to something that we, as a society, will no longer be able to defend ourselves from,” he adds. “If that happens, COVID-19 will be the least of our concerns.”
