Madam Lichtenstein's Cosmic World

Pandemic Stress Reducers

Are you feeling extra anxious and stressed now? Many of us are. Consumer Reports has offered a few ways to reduce stress during this pandemic. Read the full article in the above link and here are the toplines --

The Basics: Eating, Sleeping, Exercise

Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet can help you manage stress and reduce anxiety, and may help maintain a strong immune system. These goals may seem unreachable when you’re stressed out, but they don't have to be. 

Before you give in to a food craving, ask yourself whether you're really hungry or whether you're actually feeling frustrated, sad, empty, or lonely. Once you identify the feeling, it's easier to consider better choices. Here, other strategies for reinforcing healthy eating.  

Whether you go to the gym regularly or like to walk, jog, or ride a bike outside, your exercise regimen has probably been disrupted, too. That means you’re probably not getting your usual stress-relieving dose of the feel-good neurotransmitters endorphins that exercise provides. But most areas still allow solitary outdoor walks and runs (as long as you socially distance), and today, there are more ways to exercise indoors than ever. And you may not need a whole lot of physical activity to improve your mood; even a 15-minute walk can make a difference.

And though it’s not surprising that stress can keep you from sleeping well, a lack of sleep and an abundance of stress can create a vicious cycle: lying in bed awake can lead you to ruminate even more, and those swirling thoughts can further keep you from dozing off.

Basic bedroom sleep hygiene—keeping the room cool and dark, staying off electronics before bed—is a good place to start. Some sleep apps may be helpful as well, by blocking out outside noise, for instance.

Breathe . . . Deeply

Stressed-out people tend to take quick, shallow breaths, which further exacerbates the fight-or-flight response.

Interrupting that cycle through a conscious effort to breathe slowly and deeply—aiming for five to six deep breaths per minute—just for a quarter-hour or so a day is a surprisingly effectively way to relieve feelings of anxiety and stress.

Corsica recommends diaphragmatic breathing, a form of slow, deep breathing that involves a purposeful expansion and contraction of the diaphragm and belly. A small study published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2017 found that people who engaged in 15 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing 20 times over 8 weeks showed improved attention and mood, and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, compared with a group who didn’t do the breathing sessions.

Want to try? The Cleveland Clinic is one source for online instruction in the technique. The University of Michigan’s Michigan Medicine provides video instruction. 

Focus on the Short-Term

It's hard right now not to wonder how the pandemic will resolve, but thinking shorter-term has been found to be a more useful way to handle the stress, according to a study led by Neupert and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

“My lab’s study found the best recipe for dealing with everyday stressors is to try to simultaneously plan ahead about what you can control and stay in the moment mindfully,” she says. “That means recognizing what’s going on in the present without trying to change it. That’s what we found was the best combination for resilience to stress.” 

These findings might be especially relevant now, she says. Mindfulness—which has been defined as staying focused on the present—has long been known to help reduce stress, and there are techniques you can use to get better at it, such as yoga (you can search for "yoga for anxiety" or "restorative yoga" online, and if you're new to yoga, here's how you can get started) and meditation (the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center provides free online guided meditations).

Mapping out and following a plan for the week or just the next day can also help, by giving you a better sense of control, experts say. Clinical and forensic psychologist Paula A. Madrid, Psy.D., of New York City, recommends creating a daily schedule of simple, reasonable actions to take: call a friend, try a new recipe, work in the garden. If you’re working from home, shower and dress, says UC Irvine's Garfin.

Look to a Positive Future

It may feel like we've all spent an eternity social distancing, but the pandemic will eventually end, Madrid points out. And while there’s no way to know what details of your life may change permanently, it’s fine to put your imagination to work in a positive way.

“Project your mind to the future, to a year or even a few months from now, to give you a sense of relief from the present,” Madrid says.

Planning a future winter vacation or figuring out the details of your next landmark anniversary party can remind you that there are happy activities to look forward to down the road.

Working on projects or skills that you can use after the pandemic—learning a language, taking an online knitting class, or reorganizing your home—may also be helpful, says Corsica: “Tasks that distract you in the here and now but also benefit you in the future are wonderful.”

Keep Up Key Connections

Whatever communities are most important to you—whether it’s your religious congregation, gym buddies, or book group—try to stay in touch.

You may not be going out, but technology today provides us with multiple ways to connect with other people. For instance, your gym or house of worship may be holding livestream or recorded sessions online. And you can “see” friends and family on your smartphone, tablet, or computer by using video conferencing services like Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom, many of which offer free versions (be aware, though, of potential privacy concerns).

If you miss catching a favorite show with a friend, innovations like Google Chrome’s free Netflix Party extension let you share that experience long-distance, too. Playing online group games like Words with Friends can also help you feel connected.

“Try to find whatever ways you feel comfortable with to stay socially connected,” says Neupert. “Reach out via phone, text, video conference when you find yourself missing a social connection or feeling lonely.” 

That said, you may feel you’re getting too much contact with others, especially if your family is large and your home is small. “You don’t usually spend this much time with anyone,” Garfin points out. Make sure to carve out private time for yourself, and let each member of your family do the same.

Limit Your Intake of News

Watching and reading endless news stories about the pandemic? Getting accurate information is crucial for well-being during quarantine, according to a review of research published online in February’s The Lancet. Having the right info about the real risks of contracting COVID-19 and the reasons for self-quarantining and social distancing can also help keep you from catastrophizing, experts say.

At the same time, too much information—even if it's correct—can be overwhelming. “Staying glued to the TV, watching the exact same press conference three times, is probably one of the worst things you could do,” Garfin says. 

How much is too much? Madrid’s rule of thumb is “Do not watch the news more than an hour a day.”

And limit the number of media options to those that you really need. Stick with trusted, science-backed sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and news from your state or local government and health department sites, which can advise you on issues such as park closings or transit changes in your area. If you're frustrated by the ever-changing guidance and advice, know that it's normal in a new situation. As experts learn more about the coronavirus, you can expect guidance to change again. 

 

Find a Way to Nature

Feeling a connection with nature has real, restorative effects on your sense of well-being and, according to a 2019 study from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, even 20 minutes can measurably reduce levels of stress hormones.

That’s especially true if you can get a little exercise while you’re outside. “It’s helpful to take walks for mental and physical health within social distancing guidelines,” Garfin says. 

But if you're stuck indoors, research suggests that soaking in a view of a natural setting—trees, a lawn, a garden—can reduce stress symptoms, as can exposure to household plants or herb gardens. Even sitting near a window that provides sunlight can help improve your sleep and quality of life, which in turn can ease feelings of anxiety. And a small 2015 study from the Netherlands found that gazing at photos of nature helped people recover from stressful events. No pictures of forests or fields on hand? Try a virtual tour of a national park or live cams of waterscapes. 

Do Good to Feel Good

Hardship can be easier to bear when you feel it's for the good of the larger community, according to the authors of The Lancet review about quarantines.

Research also shows that giving to others in some way—whether it’s sewing masks, food shopping for an at-risk neighbor, or talking a not-so-tech-savvy friend through setting up FaceTime—can make you feel happier and less stressed, Neupert notes. (Here, a rundown of ways to help.) "And it’s a two-way street," she adds. "People you reach out to can benefit you, too."

Know When to Get Expert Help

Some of us may need, or simply want, more support in coping with anxiety or sadness.

Seek help right away if you've thought of harming yourself or others. If you don't have a mental health provider, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, which offers free, confidential help.

For others, "if you realize that your thoughts, behaviors, or feelings are preventing you from feeling like you’re functioning or able to get through a day, that’s a sign to reach out,” says Neupert, including “if you’re having trouble getting out of bed, or you’ve lost interest in activities, or you feel really hopeless.” 

Fortunately, finding counseling or a medication consult via phone or computer is far easier than it used to be. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has been training its member doctors in telehealth, and regulations on telehealth have been temporarily relaxed.

If you have a therapist or psychiatrist, ask whether he or she can “see” you virtually (check your insurance coverage first). Many health insurers are also now offering telemedicine services, or your primary care provider may be able to recommend a mental healthcare provider who does virtual counseling.

Your local hospital may also have sliding scale mental health services, and some local health department websites offer contact information for social service resources. Companies, like Amwell and MDLive, offer telehealth psychiatry as well as psychological therapy. (Costs vary depending on insurance; out-of-pocket fees are usually less than $100.) 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a long list of mental health resources, including hotlines and warmlines—for non-emergency situations. The APA has a resource list as well, along with advice for families of those who are struggling emotionally.

Additional reporting by Nadia Torres

 

 

Consumer Reports

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How to Turn Plants Into Tinctures, Like an Ancient Alchemist

Jessica Leigh Hester of AtlasObscura offers a beginner’s guide to extracting flavors from herbs and flowers.

Hieronymus Brunschwig had a cure for whatever ailed you, and it all came down to plants. More specifically, it hinged on coaxing things from them.

In the early 1500s, the German surgeon-alchemist was sure that distillation could do some very heavy lifting when it came to human health. Brunschwig believed that distillation—one method of extracting flavors from flowers, herbs, and other plants, by boiling and condensing water—could calibrate the body, which was frustratingly prone to falling out of whack.

A tall order, but Brunschwig was not one to shy away from an encyclopedic effort. In his book one of the first printed distillation manuals, he arranged plants alphabetically, and noted their sneaky synonyms. He tallied the afflictions that various plants could defeat, and annotated which portions of flowers, stalks, and leaves were especially potent. He even indicated the months when each plant species were at their most formidable.

“Water of lekes,” distilled from roots in June, may be a balm “after the byrth of a chylde,” he wrote. “Water of lettys,” swallowed at “mornynge and nyght,” could comfort the “lyver.” The book promises drinkable salves for nearly any malady from head to toe, however ineffable. You could distill a remedy for headaches, marital discord, or bad dreams. You might chug some water of dill, or dab a bit on your temples.

There’s a long history here. Ancient Arabic alchemists made tinctures by macerating flowers and herbs, accenting them with spices, and setting them to boil and condense in glass vials over wood fires. By the Middle Ages, distillation was widely practiced by physicians, botanists, and apothecaries. The Victorians were enamored with tinctures, and during the Prohibition era in the United States, when alcohol was hard to come by, moonshiners applied the principles of distillation to make high-octane booze. (In the U.S., it’s still very much illegal to craft your own hard liquor at home, though Americans are permitted to buy and use distillation paraphernalia for other purposes.)

We asked Sarah Lohman, a historic gastronomist and the author of Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine, to lay out a recipe for making simple infusions at home.

1. Collect your materials

No need to overthink this—most any herb or flower will do. “Lavender, thyme, basil, you can create whatever you want to add into baked goods, dinner, ice cream, whatever you’re thinking,” Lohman says.

“I guess if you’re really foolish, you could infuse something that’s poison—but just don’t do that,” Lohman adds. Only use plants you recognize. If you’re scouting for wild edibles, use a guidebook or go with a seasoned pro. “If you stick to herbs you find in the grocery store, you should be in good shape,” Lohman adds. You’ll also need a container. Plastic, snap-top takeout containers work nicely for the initial infusion.

The process is pretty, and fairly hands-off.

2. Measure out the ingredients

Besides your plant material, you only need high-proof alcohol. The higher the proof, the faster the infusion happens, Lohman says—and if it’s really high, around 180-proof (meaning it’s 90 percent alcohol and 10 percent water), you’ll likely need to cut it with water in order to douse the burn. Vanilla extract, for instance, is 70-proof, so it’s 35 percent alcohol. “You make the infusion at a higher proof, and then you usually add water to bring down the proof to a comestible level,” Lohman says.

If you have a cup of Everclear and a cup of water, for instance, you’ve slashed the proof in half—from roughly 90 percent to 45 percent. For flavored spirits, such as things you’d add to cocktails, you’d want to hover around 20 or 25 percent. Keep on adding splashes of water until you get there.

3. Walk away

Place the plastic container in a sunny windowsill, and then leave it alone for at least 24 hours.

4. Sample and adjust

Since high-proof alcohol kills whatever microbes cross its path, you don’t have to worry about things getting funky the longer you leave your concoction stewing. “The worst-case scenario is that you make something you don’t like the taste of and you throw it out,” Lohman says. That said, you’ll want to test your infusion daily so that the flavor doesn’t get stronger than you like.

A little clove goes a long way, while something like basil or thyme will be more subtle. To get a punchy flavor, you’ll either need to begin with more plant material or let the infusion sit around longer.

This is where tasting is crucial. A delicate flavor, such as wheatgrass, might take a few weeks to develop, while a more-aggressive lavender comes through in just two or three days—anything beyond that might be overbearing. On the other hand, if the flavor is too toothless, you can keep adding more of the ingredients—one vanilla pod here, a clove there. “It’s a little bit of trial and error,” Lohman says.

As you experiment, keep a log of the tweaks you make. This makes the whole thing replicable, if things go well—and if they don’t, you know what to change in the next go-around.

5. Decant it

Once you’ve arrived at the flavor you want, you’ll need to fish out or strain the plant material so that the flavor doesn’t keep evolving.

After that, you might want to pour it into a pretty glass jar. (There are lots of apothecary-aesthetic shops online.

The finished product makes a creative, inexpensive gift. “At this point, you’ve bought a bottle of vodka, plucked some stuff from the garden, and that’s it,” Lohman says. “It’s a very low-risk at-home hobby.” Not to mention a delicious way to tap into an ancient practice, with a modern twist.

World Wide Sonic Meditation

A good way to reduce stress.

Requiring no musical experience at all, the meditation invites participants to take part in a “world-wide musical exchange” through a series of synchronized breathing and tonal exercises. Held in the Cloisters in New York City. before the pandemic.

 

Don't Just Avoid the Virus - Defeat it by Strengthening Your Immunity

I found this valuable article on Medium.com regarding how we can boost our immunities to help fight the virus. Thank you Amory B. Lovins and Eric Rasmussen MD  Do your own research but find out if this advice is helpful to you.

 

Why do most people who catch the new virus have mild symptoms and some have none, while others, chiefly the old and sick, develop fatal pneumonias? Because people differ in “immune competence” — their ability to fend off and overcome infection. Proven methods can strengthen that ability. Yet amid debates about how quickly and strictly we must keep apart and stay home, this powerful complement to avoiding exposure and treating infection is being largely ignored. We’re striving to keep the virus away from people and cure them if they get sick, but without also strengthening our natural defenses. This is a serious omission, and you can help fix it.

Isolation, distancing, handwashing — all the effective ways to avoid exposure to the virus — remain absolutely crucial to avoid catastrophic overwhelm of healthcare. But that exclusive focus obscures a second powerful tool: strengthening our immune and body-repair competences can slow contagion too. Both these strategies buy time to find and isolate outbreaks, surge test kits and ventilators, improve and deliver therapies, and develop vaccines.

Stronger immune competence also makes COVID-19 and other more ordinary infections milder and briefer. Reducing the risk of fatal pneumonias — especially for the old, sick, and poor — creates “virtual ven­tila­tors” to augment scarce real ones. Milder, briefer illness saves suffering and cost, makes working from home more productive and unexpected excess parenting less challenging, and helps us adapt to these strange new circumstances. And an “im­­­munity mission” — boosting our overall immunity within our communities — could engage our pent-up yearning to protect each other by cultivating health.

Yet individual and community immunity aren’t on the CDC or WHO websites, nor in great articles from The Atlantic, Washington Post, New Yorker, and Vox. We’re told to avoid exposure, but not to reduce “host hospitality” (us being hospitable to the virus) by making ourselves more resistant to viral infection. Slowing the spread and flattening the curve will take both.

On March 10 (though not in later pathfinding articles), The New York Times broke the silence, endorsing five of eight standard immune-boosting methods: sleep, calm/hope/de-stressing (yes, meditation may help prevent colds), nutrition, exercise, and reducing alcohol (an immune suppressant). Next, add hydration, nontoxicity, and physiological balance. All are vital: your health and immunity depend on what you eat, drink, breathe, do, and feel.

The article also edged more controversially toward two of the half-dozen supplements that can boost immunity — vitamin D and zinc. Otherwise, news organizations’ standard advice is “skip unproven supplements” that “probably won’t help, and may harm” — notably vitamin C, a “myth” and “fallacy” that doesn’t protect. So our best newspapers say supplements can’t boost immunity. Maybe they’re not reading the research right.

Meanwhile, one to six grams per day (g/d) of a certain substance was proven to shorten the use of a ventilator for 471 patients needing more than ten hours of ventilator support, by an average of 25% (even more for the sickest patients). That reduction in patient requirements is like discovering a lot of unused ventilators. An average of about 2 g/d of the same substance shortened ICU stays by 8.6%, equivalent to a lot more ICU beds. A day’s dose costs 58¢ (top quality, retail price), so there is now good evidence we can spend a few dollars to reduce an ICU stay that costs thousands.

Well-controlled trials found the same substance could prevent and help treat pneumonia. When sepsis or influenza A pneumonia caused life-threatening respiratory failures, tens-of-g/d intravenous doses of the same substance proved safe and effective. The Shanghai Government Medical Association and a top Xi’an hospital use and recommend it for COVID-19, with three clinical trials underway (one already posted). Fifty tons of it just got shipped to Wuhan, where success has now led many New York hospitals to adopt this therapy in severe COVID-19 cases, with encouraging results.

What’s this mysterious substance? The same vitamin C that mainstream media dismiss as having little or no benefit against viral respiratory infections! Based on modern studies and recent rigorous evaluations, vitamin C is far more than just a “vitamin”; it is a foundational molecule that protects and regulates every cell, and actually seems to be the most effective antiviral agent known. So why do some say to take none a day?

The medical evidence cited (also by NIH) as supposedly debunking the use of vitamin C in respiratory illness — the 2013 Cochrane Review of 64 clinical trials — actually found consistent curative value, especially at higher doses and in children. Its senior author concluded that “all 21 placebo-controlled studies published since 1970” using at least one gram per day of vitamin C reported milder or shorter colds. He also wrote the papers cited above on ventilator and ICU savings, and the citations above on pneumonia prevention and mitigation. “[I]nertia and prejudices against vitamin C” persist, as his excellent review paper explains, based largely on outdated and poorly performed studies demolished decades ago. Indeed, his Cochrane Review recom­mended that “consistent effect of vitamin C on…duration and severity…and low cost and safety” may make it “worthwhile for common cold patients to test on an individual basis whether thera­peutic vitamin C is beneficial for them. Further therapeutic… [trials] are warranted.” That’s hardly a description of a myth.

Doubts whether vitamin C can also help to prevent colds confuse evidence of absence with absence of evidence: NIH rightly found “not enough evidence,” and a Danish review agreed the clinical trials available by 2010 (nearly all even today) are “largely irrelevant.” Why? Evidence-based medicine requires large, controlled, usually randomized and double-blind, clinical trials — but industry and govern­ment won’t fund their high cost for unpatent­able over-the-counter supplements. Such trials are especially difficult to perform rigorously for vitamin C. Further, that Cochrane Review rested on deeply flawed clinical trials. Nearly all doses were far too small or infrequent to trigger the threshold effects that practitioners claim and science predicts. Unreport­ed quality of the vitamin C used may have made doses severalfold less effective. Outcomes were linked to whether subjects took any C, but only rarely to how much or how often. And decisively, “none of the iden­ti­fied controlled trials directly test[ed]” the preventive claims that the Review supposedly refuted.

With no better evidence, then, what should we do? Cochrane Review, NIH, and CDC agree vitamin C is generally safe (minor exceptions are clear). Even top-quality C (fully buffered, fully reduced l-ascorbate, described and sourced in a medically vetted lay user’s guide) is cheap and ubiquitous. Seventy-odd years’ unrefuted observations, buttressed by hundreds of basic-science papers, show that at least 3–5 grams per day, spread through the day, largely protects against known viruses. That’s equivalent to about 40–70 medium-sized oranges per day. Taking more, nearly to stool-loosening level, is even better. (A 2018 trial with 1,444 Korean Army recruits given 2 grams three times a day found 20–40% fewer colds.) Therefore:

• Even if no supplement worked, we should take better care of ourselves in all other ways that boost immune and repair competence. Public-health strategy should combine reducing exposure to the virus with making any infections fewer, shorter, and milder.
• The Cochrane Review found that even little and infrequent vitamin C did make colds shorter and milder. Various viruses, including corona­viruses, cause colds, so taking vitamin C should make COVID-19 illness shorter and milder too, and the pandemic less severe, even if vitamin C doesn’t prevent infection. It may still make the course of the illness less severe, reducing the burden on our healthcare system.
• So shouldn’t at least healthcare, EMS, grocery-store, pharmacy, delivery, and other frontline workers, and groups most at risk of severe illness (old, sick, poor, homeless, refugees, prisoners), be encouraged and helped to start using this safe, cheap, easy, and available substance now?
• Simple question: Is it riskier to take enough high-quality vitamin C that may keep you well and seems to help cure you if you get sick, or to take none?

With or without supplements, stronger community immunity is a low-risk, equity-enhancing, socially mobilizing way to do no harm, do much good, and buy precious time. Immunity will become even more vital if no universal-vaccine miracle emerges and if this single-strand RNA virus’s rapid mutations outpace specific vaccines. Not hedging that bet may soon look negligent.

Thirteen years ago, when Lovins co-keynoted the annual meeting of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement for its founder, Harvard Med’s Don Berwick MD MPP (later head of Medicare and Medicaid), Dr. Berwick rephrased the medical dictum primum non nocere — “first, do no harm” — thus: “When harm is underway, proceed urgently to learn how to stop it, and act urgently on the learning.”

Let’s roll.

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Reducing Stress through Meditation During the Pandemic

This is certainly a stressful time. Whether you live in a hot spot like New York City (where I am) or in a place that has (hopefully) not experienced an out break yet, we can't help but feel much more stressful. It is not only health, social and familial stress but also economic, professional and job-related stress. The full solutions to these hardships are yet to be found. But hopefully we can find ways of channeling our stress into productive actions.

Here is a list of some of the free stress reducing services being offered which can be accessed anywhere over the internet. I hope this list is useful and helpful. Stay safe.

Travel the World - Virtually

Open Center in NYC Offering All Types of Free Online Seminars - Meditation, Herbal Medicine, Shamanic Healing and others.

Meditation by Oprah and Deepak Chopra

Yoga, Meditation at Integral Yoga in NYC

Meditation at FreshPrana

If you have others, please send them on and we will add to this list.