• Prescription food programs help people, including children, eat healthier.
• Fruit and vegetable prescriptions help people manage weight, blood pressure, and more.
• Using food as medicine can help reduce the risk of heart problems, especially for people at risk.

In the near future, a visit to your local clinic to monitor your heart health could lead to a prescription you’ll be able to fill at a local farmer’s market instead of a pharmacy.

Doctors are piloting new programs to help people eat more produce and providing resources to help, particularly for those who otherwise don’t have access to fresh foods.

Provide adults and children at risk a recipe for fruits and vegetables (and the money to buy them) can help them eat healthier, according to the largest study of its kind to date.

It can also significantly reduce risk factors for heart diseasethe leading cause of death in the United States, said researchers at Tufts University and Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Andersen Ross/Getty Images

Dietary prescriptions have helped people lower blood pressure and lose weight

The new research looked at data from nearly 4,000 people, including 1,817 children, from low-income neighborhoods in 12 different states, including California, Texas, Florida, New York and Minnesota. Participants had or were at risk of cardiovascular problems and were provided with nutrition lessons healthy eating habits.

They also received money specifically to purchase fruits and vegetables at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. The amount of money averaged about $63 a month, but varied by location and in some cases was based on the number of people per family, ranging from $15 to $300 (for a large family) a month.

Participants stayed in the programs for an average of six months. In that time, they reported eating more fruits and vegetables: about a quarter cup more a day for children and nearly a cup more a day for adults.

Dietary prescriptions also significantly improved heart health parameters such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels and body mass index, according to the study findings, published Aug. 29 in the journal. Circulation: cardiovascular quality and results.

The heart health benefits were about half the results of common medications, which is significant for a change in diet, lead author Kurt Hager of Chan Medical School told the University of Washington. Washington Post.

“Food as medicine” is a growing trend aimed at reducing healthcare costs and fighting inequality

More research is needed to understand how fruits and vegetables might help and how much you should eat to see results.

Previous evidence from small pilot studies had shown that food prescriptions helped people eat more fruits and vegetables and improved quality of life, but included limited data on specific heart health parameters.

According to the researchers, participants not only experienced improvements in specific health parameters, but also reported improved health and quality of life and decreased food insecurity.

It is not yet clear what role fruit and vegetables played, since other factors such as stress are major contributors to heart health problems.

“We know that food insecurity impacts health through several important pathways, including overall dietary quality, but also through stress and anxiety, mental health, and the trade-offs between paying for food and other basic needs such as housing costs, utilities and medications,” Hager said in a news release.

The study had limitations, such as the lack of a control group to confirm that food prescriptions were directly related to positive results.

However, according to a doctor not involved in the study, this is promising evidence to support further efforts to use nutrition as medicine.

“Poor diet and nutritional insecurity are the leading causes of chronic disease globally,” Dr. Mitchell Elkind, American Heart Association clinical chief scientist and professor at Columbia University, said in a news release. “This analysis of product prescribing programs illustrates the potential of subsidized product prescriptions to increase consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables, reduce food insecurity, and hopefully improve subjective and objective health measures.

These anti-inflammatory lunch recipes make lowering your cholesterol a delightful undertaking. They’re packed with ingredients like dark leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains to combat annoying symptoms of chronic inflammation like digestive issues, joint pain, and mental confusion. Plus, each meal is low in saturated fat and contains at least 6 grams of fiber per serving, which not only helps you feel full but also helps raise your “good cholesterol.” Recipes like our Black Bean Fajita Skillet and Spicy White Bean and Spinach Salad are flavorful and nutritious lunches you can whip up in 15 minutes or less.

Ozempic, a drug designed to help manage insulin levels, has become a household name after several people on social media talked about using it for weight loss. Although Ozempic is currently only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the management of insulin, a known side effect is weight loss and it is often prescribed for just that.

If you’re taking Ozempic, whether to manage your insulin levels or to lose weight, and aren’t seeing the results you want, it’s understandable to ask yourself: Why am I not losing weight with Ozempic? Particularly considering how much chatter has spread about the impact of medications on weight loss.

So, what might be interfering with Ozempic’s potential weight loss? Doctors analyze it.

What is Ozempic and how does it work?

Ozempic, which contains semaglutide, is an injectable drug typically prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes to help manage blood sugars.

Ozempic is designed to be used in conjunction with a diet and exercise program, according to Medline Plus. The drug specifically works by activating something called GLP-1 receptors in your body, explains Mir Ali, MD, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. This promotes the production of insulin in the body, which helps in blood sugar management. But one of the side effects is that it suppresses people’s appetite, Dr. Ali says.

Ozempic contributes to weight loss in two ways, Dr. Ali explains: It makes patients feel less hungry, and it also slows stomach emptying so they feel fuller, longer. Ozempic notes on its website that the drug can help you lose weight, noting that patients in clinical trials have lost up to 14 pounds with the drug.

The FDA has approved a semaglutide drug called Wegovy for weight loss, which is why Ozempic is often used off-label for this indication as well, says Dr. Ali.

So why am I not losing weight with Ozempic?

A lot has to do with lifestyle changes, says Christina Inteso, Pharm.D., clinical pharmacy specialist at Corewell Health. All of the FDA-approved weight-loss drugs, including semaglutide, are approved as an adjunct to a calorie-restricted diet and increased physical activity, she says. These drugs have been studied with lifestyle changes, more the drug.

If someone taking Ozempic doesn’t make lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet and exercising regularly, they may not see the same weight loss shown in clinical trials, Inteso says.

I’ve seen this happen, more commonly than I’d like, where people think they can just take the drug, without making any changes to their eating or physical activity habits, and still lose 10 percent of their body weight, says Inteso. Although these drugs are effective, there is still no magic weight loss pill that allows it.

Dr. Ali echoes this sentiment. The common reason I see in patients not expecting weight loss [on Ozempic] is that they aren’t actually changing their diet.

While experts agree that a lack of lifestyle changes is the main reason someone might not see weight loss results with Ozempic, Dr. Ali says there could be a problem with the dosage.

Depending on how these drugs work, we start on a lower dose and work our way up over a period of months, she says. Some patients see results immediately; others must take a higher dose to see results. Dr. Ali says it can take several months to arrive at the right dose for any given patient.

There may be other factors at play as well, says Inteso. Sometimes people may not see any effects from the weight-loss drug, and that could also be because it’s not the right weight-loss drug for them, she says. For example, if someone struggles with food cravings, but is given a drug that makes them feel full, the cravings for food will still be present, and the individual may have difficulty fighting that craving even though they feel full.

How to lose weight with Ozempic

If you’re taking Ozempic or another semaglutide drug, Dr. Ali says it’s important to have a conversation with your doctor about what type of diet and exercise program is recommended for you, and to follow that guidance.

But if you feel you’re doing everything right, it’s a good idea to have another conversation to check in and see what might be going on. If someone is taking the maximum dose and still not seeing results, we need to reevaluate the situation, says Dr. Ali. We encourage them to keep a food diary and watch the types of calories they are getting. Talking to a dietitian or nutritionist about switching to a healthier diet is also usually recommended.

If you suffer from obesity and aren’t seeing the weight-loss results you want with Ozempic, Inteso says it could simply be that this isn’t the right drug for you. We know obesity is caused by a variety of factors, and things like your individual genetic makeup could be preventing you from losing weight, she says.

Basically, it’s important to talk to and continue seeing your doctor to help you achieve your goals.

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VA providers are working together to provide culturally sensitive care to veterans of all backgrounds. Recently, two VA neuropsychologists teamed up to conduct a neuropsychological evaluation of a bilingual veteran through telemedicine. This successful meeting reflects VA’s national goals to improve VA health care services with telehealth.

It seemed like the veteran was really happy to talk to someone who could understand him, Dr. Ana Messler said. And there didn’t have to be that third party, an interpreter, stepping in in case things got lost in translation. It was really cool to see that happen.

A successful bilingual assessment using VA telehealth

Messler, a neuropsychologist at the VISN 20 Clinical Resource Hub, received a request for services for a veteran in a rural area. The referral provider was concerned about the safety of the veterans and whether they were developing dementia. The veteran required a neuropsychological evaluation.

Neuropsychological evaluations include a diagnostic interview and observations, as well as standardized cognitive tests to identify the cause of any cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. The neuropsychologist then recommends treatments. Tests vary based on the symptoms experienced by each veteran. They measure skills such as memory, attention, thinking speed, and problem solving. They can also predict veterans’ ability to manage independent living. Test performance can be easily influenced by language and culture.

The evaluation takes several hours. And it can be conducted in-person or via telehealth when the veteran can’t enter a facility. The assessment begins with a diagnostic interview followed by cognitive tests and discussion of the results with the Veteran.

During their first meeting, Messler discovered that the veteran spoke Spanish very well. He therefore decided that a culturally responsive assessment should be conducted in his preferred language. The veteran and his family welcomed him. Messler then contacted Dr. Yesenia Serrano to consult on the case. Serrano is a bilingual neuropsychologist at VISN 4’s Clinical Resource Hub and frequently works with Spanish-speaking veterans.

Traveling to a Spanish-speaking provider in another state was not an option for the veteran. Messler and Serrano then agreed to work together on telehealth assessment, collaborating on case planning. During the assessment, Serrano acted as an interpreter and administered tests involving language. Messler conducted the nonverbal portions of the tests.

Working with a Spanish-speaking provider made the assessment culturally relevant. It was more comfortable for the veteran. It allowed him to be more open with his responses everywhere. This has resulted in greater diagnostic clarity and more appropriate recommendations for treatment. Her caregiver also appreciated the culturally relevant recommendations provided by a provider with a similar cultural background. The veteran and his family were so grateful for the attention given during the evaluation process that, during the feedback session, the veteran exclaimed: Te amo !, in Spanish I love you!

The Power of Telemedicine VA

I think that’s just the power of being able to provide culturally appropriate assessments and having VA providers who have a variety of cultural backgrounds to help our veterans feel comfortable, Messler said. Because he was able to disclose this way, we were able to get the information we needed to help him.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities to increase the availability and access of TeleNeuropsychology. VA neuropsychologists are empowered to better serve veterans across the country, regardless of distance from a VA facility. These adaptations allowed Messler and Serrano to help the veteran quickly and without traveling to a VA facility with a Spanish-speaking provider.

Telehealth removes the barriers we once had to reaching all veterans and especially veterans in rural areas, Messler said. And we can often connect with family members back home who may simply accompany them to visit or not attend. Thanks to this collaboration, the veteran was not only able to obtain language-compatible services, but also to be rapidly evaluated by qualified operators and provided with very important therapeutic options that truly represented a turning point in his care. We were able to offer the family ways they could support him.

I think telehealth has helped ensure equity and inclusion in terms of service quality and access to services, Serrano said. And it provides opportunities for VA facilities to work together.

Resources for VA neuropsychologists

Because of cases like this, Serrano and Dr. Julija Stelmokas, a neuropsychologist at the New York Harbor VA, Brooklyn Campus, have been working with other neuropsychologists to facilitate education and improve culturally sensitive neuropsychological care for veterans of all backgrounds.

Veterans should receive assistance in their preferred language, especially when it comes to mental health and neuropsychology, Serrano said.

Messler’s experience with the case sparked his interest in ensuring that veterans of all backgrounds can receive the care that is best suited to their needs. She recently published a literature review, co-authored by two other neuropsychologists, including Serrano, to show the benefits of using TeleNeuropsychology services for culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the United States and its territories.

I got really interested in learning more about TeleNeuropsychology with racially and ethnically diverse veterans groups. Messler said. I think a lot of times people have these questions, they have these cases and they don’t know where to go. We’re trying to encourage people to really want to know more, to develop this area of ​​expertise and to address it.

Serrano said he wants to motivate other VA providers to be culturally curious and to think outside the box to help veterans of all backgrounds.

I want suppliers from all over the world to not walk away from these kinds of cases, to approach and ask others to help and to keep in mind how much impact a little effort can have. It was a great effort on our part. But the result was a positive outcome for the Veteran and the creation of something greater.

According to AARP, which cites data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, about 70 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will need long-term care in their remaining years. AARP notes that along with aging, the possibility of physical or cognitive deterioration increases. Family and friends may not be able to provide adequate care, and it is estimated that more than a third of the aging population will need to pay for the care of trained health care professionals.

Long-term care insurance (LTCI) is one way to deal with this costly possibility.

Consumer advocate Clark Howard notes on his website that long-term care for women averages 3.7 years and 2.2 years for men. Without long-term care insurance, a family can deplete all of its financial resources to provide for themselves or elderly relatives.

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Gail Raab, owner and broker of Insurance Depot, has been advising families on LTCI options for decades. She tells the following story:

I sold a shared long-term care policy to a couple in their 50s. The wife was athletic, in good health, and she did not feel she needed long-term health care coverage. She wanted it for her husband who was seven years her senior, but I explained that she could buy a policy where she and her husband could share the total benefits. If one spouse needs more than 50% of the policy, the other spouses’ share of the policy may be used. Eventually she accepted and purchased the shared LTCI policy. In the first year, her wife had a serious illness that put her in intensive care for a month, in the hospital for another few weeks, and she needed a year of physical therapy and rehabilitation. During this time, she was unable to take care of herself and needed long-term care. She thanked me over and over again for getting her to buy the shared policy, thus saving their retirement funds.

While regular life insurance will pay out the nominal amount of a policy to beneficiaries after one’s death, it does not alleviate the financial burden of a physical or mental illness while the policyholder is still alive. LTCI, while expensive, fills that need and can be applied at home or in an assisted living facility or nursing home where the caregiver works in addition to the facility’s regular staff.

LTCI is customized to an individual’s desires and wealth. Options can include any daily allowance the buyer selects, starting at $100 per day or $3,000 per month. Other options include the waiting period or number of days before benefits start, including 30, 60, 90, or 180 days; the zero wait period for home health care that begins on the first day long-term care is needed, after which the days used for home care can be used to meet the waiting period in a facility; the number of years the policy will continue to provide benefits, including two to ten years or lifetime; and the inflationary factor of compound interest rates of 3% or 5% simple interest; or no inflation pilot. In addition, couples have the option of receiving separate benefits or shared benefits, so they can take money from each other if needed for long-term care. In general, premiums are not guaranteed and can increase, and the many options affect the cost of the policy.

Medical care for an illness or injury is covered by health insurance policies, Medicare, or Medicare supplements. LTCI, however, only pays healthcare professionals and does not provide any treatment. A long-term care policyholder becomes eligible for benefits when they are unable to perform at least two forms of self-care, such as dressing, eating, bathing, moving in and out of bed, and moving independently. Cognitive impairment automatically qualifies a policyholder for long-term care benefits.

Is long-term care advisable for everyone? Sheldon Berch, an insurance broker for Siegel Insurance, suggests that it’s not imperative that the very wealthy who have sizable insurance policies leave to heirs and still be able to afford skilled care without LTCI. He adds that LTCI is not for the poor who can’t afford LTCI premiums. Georgia’s Medicaid Community Assisted Services program operates under the Aged and Disabled Waiver to help frail older adults stay in their homes or communities and receive services there as an alternative to nursing homes. Those who fall between the two extremes of rich and poor are strongly encouraged to buy LTCI.

Because LTCI is expensive and premiums rise periodically, the decision about when to buy isn’t fixed. Raab believes the best age to purchase long-term care is between 50 and 60. Howard and Berch agree. Berch says this age group often looks to their aging parents, who are in their 70s or 80s and who often don’t have LTCI. The younger group wants to plan for future needs without becoming a financial burden on their children. If purchased at an older age, in the late 60s and 70s, the premiums are much higher even though it is likely that fewer years would be required.

Applicants with serious health problems, such as diabetes, cancer, kidney or heart disease, may be denied LTCI or may be accepted for coverage at higher premiums.

Raab mentions a new long-term care product that Howard calls a hybrid policy. For a total lump sum, an individual can purchase a paid life insurance policy with long-term care benefits. For example, the individual may invest $100,000 with no further premiums and the proceeds will be paid to the insured’s beneficiaries upon her death. If the policyholder needs long-term care, the entire $100,000 can be used for caregivers, leaving no money with the beneficiaries.

However, the insurance company provides another sum corresponding to the nominal amount of the original life insurance policy, to be used if necessary for further long-term care. In this example, the sum would be another $100,000. This insurance product is available to older policyholders in their late 70s who can afford to put a large lump sum into this special insurance plan.

Howard praises the hybrid policy that combines life insurance with long-term care, pointing out that the policyholder gets long-term care coverage along with designated heir life insurance if LTCI is not used. If only a portion of the life insurance is used for long-term care, the balance of the life insurance goes to the beneficiaries upon the death of the policyholder. Hybrid policies replace traditional long-term care policies for the elderly, whose premiums would be prohibitively expensive and would have hikes. It is worth noting that premiums are not required when the insured receives benefits following a claim.

Raab suggests another option. Long-term care policyholders can buy LTCI with benefits that will increase with inflation over the years and wait on them when needed. Gives an example: If a policy is purchased with an annual compound inflation increase of 3% with an initial monthly benefit of $3,750 ($125 per day), that monthly benefit the second year will increase to $3,863, then $3,979 the second year. third year and up to $4,893 in year ten. The inflation factor and the number of years to add to the benefits (20 years or lifetime) are determined at the time the policy is purchased.

Raab shares this caveat: Long-term care policies are indeed worth gold and can prevent financial ruin. A friend’s affluent parents, who lived in an assisted living facility, both developed dementia that required around-the-clock care at the same time. Because they didn’t have long-term care coverage, the exorbitant expenses were paid out of pocket. Both parents have needed care for almost four years. After one parent died, the other parent needed care for another three years. My friend and her siblings have seen their legacy disappear.

The cost of long-term care insurance depends on your age, health status, gender, amount of coverage, how long you wait before starting treatment, and marital status.

Howard candidly states on his website: Getting old is a part of life. At some point, most of us will need treatment. Maybe in a nursing home. Assisted living. Qualified care in our homes. Are you prepared?

Berch adds this solemn advice: Don’t become a financial burden on your children. Do your financial planning now!

Raab is practical about long-term care insurance. When it comes to insurance, something is always better than nothing!

When Jessica Kennedy was five years old, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her mother told FRONTLINE in the 2008 documentary The medicated child that he couldn’t go a day without taking medication to stabilize his mood.

As long as I’m on medication, I’ll be fine, Kennedy told FRONTLINE when she was 12. It’s the only way to keep me settled. Taking my meds makes me calmer, more like I should be.

Now 28, Kennedy has been off psychiatric drugs for a decade. He said that although they seemed to solve his behavioral problems because he was more compliant, his performance in school suffered and his ideas about him became more lucid once he stopped taking them. Therapy now helps Kennedy deal with what her therapist thinks are symptoms of autism.

The meds were literally dulling all my emotions to the point where they didn’t solve the problem, she told FRONTLINE in a recent interview. I still had them, but I couldn’t express them.

The medicated child documented the increase in diagnoses of bipolar disorder among children from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s. This occurred in tandem with an increase in the prescription of antipsychotic drugs to treat them, despite the lack of independent research at the time on the their safety and efficacy in children. Since then, studies have found that children’s prescriptions for these powerful drugs have decreased, and fewer children are taking them for bipolar disorder. However, experts remain concerned about the lack of access to care beyond medicines amid a worsening mental health crisis for young people.

Diagnosis change and antipsychotic prescriptions decrease

By the mid-2000s, increasing numbers of children were being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a controversial trend since the disorder was previously thought to exist only in adults.

That increase followed a series of studies at Massachusetts General Hospital led by Dr. Joseph Biederman. In a landmark 1996 paper, Biedermans’ group theorized that many children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also met the criteria for bipolar disorder.

The documentary showed that the rapid increase in bipolar diagnoses was accompanied by an increase in prescriptions of antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers, used to quell disruptive behaviors and mood swings in children.

In the years following 2008, when the documentary premiered, concerns grew that bipolar was not the appropriate diagnosis for all the behavioral patterns practitioners saw. Researchers tried to address this problem in 2013, in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the guide doctors use to diagnose mental illnesses. They added a new diagnostic category for children who exhibit strong emotional outbursts and frequent irritability called disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

The new diagnosis appeared in the depression chapter of the textbook, which may mean that antidepressants often become the first line of treatment, said Dr. Eric Youngstrom, a clinical psychologist who co-chairs the Childhood Diagnosis Working Group on Depression. International Society for Bipolar Disorders. But Youngstrom also said there are numerous studies and analyzes showing that antidepressants aren’t very effective at treating disruptive behavior problems.

So there’s this group of kids that the book is trying to decide, do we look at it as a behavior problem or do we look at it as a depressive problem? he said.

The World Health Organization went with the former, choosing to add a new subdiagnosis to an existing behavioral disorder, instead of adding disruptive mood dysregulation disorder to its diagnostic manual.

From The medicated child on air, studies have shown a decline in antipsychotics prescribed to children. Two recent studies found that antipsychotic prescriptions decreased from the late 2000s to the late 2010s in both privately insured and Medicaid-insured children.

Dr Stephen Crystal and Dr Greta Bushnell, two of the study’s authors, said the decline in antipsychotic prescriptions for children was driven by new safety guidelines, as well as stricter requirements for prescribing such drugs for children. children with Medicaid. Several states require providers to receive approval from the state Medicaid agency before prescribing antipsychotics to children, another hurdle related to declining prescribing. Bushnell and Crystal concluded that this also had spillover effects on privately insured children.

The researchers also observed a decline in the number of children taking antipsychotics specifically for the treatment of bipolar in both the privately insured and Medicaid groups.

That tendency to attribute mood problems, mood swings, challenging behaviors [to] Bipolarity has been somewhat debunked, said Crystal, director of the Center for Health Services Research at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.

But medications can still be an effective treatment for some children. For children dealing with mood dysregulation disorders, including bipolar, caregivers’ and families’ decisions about whether to take medications must factor in the risk of not treating, said Dr. Janet Wozniak , director of the pediatric bipolar disorder research and clinical program at Massachusetts General. Hospital, in a hospital presentation in January 2020. Delaying treatment, she said, can worsen outcomes in adulthood.

It is terrifying to write these prescriptions; it is terrifying to receive these prescriptions. But what’s more terrifying [is] not treating, he said. Because there are suicide attempts, there is poor judgment, there is reckless behavior, there are criminal arrests, abuse and addiction.

The growing need for therapy outstrips resources

Jacob Solomon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD and autism and later Asberger syndrome when he was a child. At one point, he was taking eight different drugs at the same time.

Solomon was 16 when he arrived The medicated child. At 32, she still identifies with each of these disorders and, after years of trial and error and constant healing, she has said she feels like she’s found what works for him.

I really think that being where I am now, having been through all of this, is what matters, she said in a recent interview with FRONTLINE. I passed it.

Solomon works for United Airlines as a flight training planner and DJ in Denver. He produces and records his own music and has just finished his first album. Now he takes four drugs that he thinks help, but he has found maximum clarity by going to the gym every day. Solomon is not in therapy at the moment, he is currently using ChatGPT as a replacement counselor but has said he wants to get back to therapy soon.

Clinical guidelines recommend that children be counseled with or before using psychiatric drugs. However, Bushnell and Crystals’ study of privately insured children from 2007 to 2017 found that only half of the children prescribed antipsychotics had visited a psychiatrist or received treatment.

Dr. Laura Chavez, a researcher at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Ohio who has studied the use of antipsychotics and anxiety medications in children, observed a similar dynamic in a 2023 study she co-authored: While diagnoses of anxiety increased from 2006 to 2018, outpatient visits for therapy decreased.

And in recent years, the number of children and adolescents reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has grown. Diagnoses of ADHD are also on the rise.

Chavez said that despite growing mental health needs, resource shortages have contributed to a decline in therapy visits for children and adolescents.

Primary health care providers are indeed facing an onslaught of patients who really need help but have perhaps the least resources at their disposal to provide mental health, Chavez told FRONTLINE. Not a problem, we will be able to prescribe our way out.

Kennedy and Solomon grew up with drugs as their primary form of treatment, and both said they’ve now found ways to manage their mental health that aren’t entirely dependent on them. They live alone, something they think others didn’t think was possible when they were children. Kennedy is planning on pursuing a career working with children, working towards a degree in early childhood education.

Looking back on her childhood, Kennedy said: Even though I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate many things, which made things much more difficult, I feel like paying more attention to the child, and asking the child, and therapy would be big help.

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Whitmer’s speech was low on detail and he did not answer reporters’ questions.

Related:

A spokesman said the governor has been sticking to broad goals to make room for negotiations with the legislature, where Democrats’ lead of two House seats could soon disappear if two members win mayoral elections in November and step down.

Republicans interpreted the speech as a “leftist and progressive” wish list from a second-term Democrat, who earlier this year worked with legislative Democrats to enact sweeping policy changes, including repeal and codification of the right to work in favor of trade unions. of LGBTQ rights.

Here’s what Whitmer hopes to work on:

A mandate for paid leave

Whitmer backed the push to provide paid family and medical leave for all Michigan workers, granting time off for childbirth or ill health, but did not propose specific details or approve the legislation.

Whitmer called the matter “personal,” noting that when she had her first child, she was also caring for a mother who was dying of brain cancer. “I was sandwiched between them,” she said. “That time shaped me and showed me the challenges so many Michigan residents experience every single day.”

House Minority Leader Matt Hall, of R-Richland Township, slammed the proposal, arguing it would create a “payroll tax” for both small businesses and workers.

He pointed to a recently introduced Democratic bill for up to 15 weeks of paid annual leave that would require employers to pay into a state fund and allow them to deduct up to 50% of the cost from employees’ paychecks.

Business groups wary of a broad government mandate have also criticized the idea.

“Most small business owners already go to great lengths to provide paid time off and flexibility for their employees. This mandate could lead small business owners to downsize or go out of business altogether,” said Amanda Fisher, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses . she said in a statement.

Proponents argue that a robust paid leave law would help employers fill job vacancies while encouraging more people to re-enter the workforce.

Leave is critical to ensuring full labor participation, Monique Stanton, CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, a nonprofit that advocates for the poor, told Bridge Michigan.

Michigan has seen a pretty significant drop in the number of women in the workforce, and things like paid family leave help with that.

A 100% clean energy standard.

Whitmer offered broad support in a legislative push to require Michigan utility companies to produce 100 percent of their energy from clean, renewable sources, but the governor stopped short of proposing a deadline by which companies of public services would have satisfied this requirement.

Democrats in the Michigan Legislature have proposed requiring 100 percent clean energy generation by 2035, a timeline that would require, among other things, an aggressive phase-out of several newly built natural gas plants.

Whitmer has not yet committed to that timeline. Its previously published climate change plan calls for a zero-carbon energy standard by 2050.

But the governor said she and the House agree on ensuring that all of Michigan’s energy production comes from wind, solar or what she calls other common-sense sources, including nuclear.

We can achieve 100 percent clean energy by balancing reliability and affordability, Whitmer said.

State Representative Phil Green of Millington, who appeared to be the only Republican lawmaker to attend Whitmer’s speech, criticized the proposed clean energy mandate and suggested it would make Michigan a Third World country.

We already know this will drive up prices, Green said.

It puts us at a competitive disadvantage compared to manufacturing plants being built in China (and powered by coal-fired power plants). I see no way that this will improve Michigan’s economic position.

Solar and wind permits move into the state

Whitmer supported pending Democratic legislation that would move permits for larger wind and solar projects to the Michigan Public Service Commission, rather than city councils, where local opposition has delayed or derailed several developments.

Critics argue that the Democratic plan would divest control of local officials who know their communities best.

But Whitmer said the proposed state process would ensure that local perspectives are reflected in the planning process, while allowing us to move forward faster with the installation.

it should be easier to create jobs and build wind and solar projects. We enable clean energy projects through the MPSC just like all other sources of energy, the governor said.

Repeal the antiquated abortion law, expand insurance

Whitmer confirmed support for what advocates are calling a reproductive health law that would repeal several existing abortion laws, including a 24-hour waiting period law that requires women to be informed a full day before proceeding with a abortion.

We protect the freedom to make one’s own decisions without interference from politicians, Whitmer said, suggesting the state establish the right to abortion added to the state constitution last year through Proposition 3 approved by voters.

In a policy outline, the governor’s office also said Whitmer wants to ensure everyone has access to an abortion, regardless of where they live, work or what type of insurance they have.

Among other things, Democrats want to repeal a 2014 Michigan law that bars private insurers from automatically including abortion coverage in their policies, instead requiring customers to purchase a separate clause.

Abortion rights groups also want Michigan to become the 18th state to allow government-funded Medicaid insurance for low-income residents to pay for abortions. This would require state funds because federal funding can only be used to cover abortions in life-threatening cases, rape or incest.

Right to Life of Michigan, which helped enact many of the state’s existing abortion laws, accused the governor of using the passage of Proposition 3 as a Trojan horse to remove common-sense provisions meant to protect women and children who seek or undergo an abortion, as well as basic parental rights.

Codify the Affordable Care Act

With the federal Affordable Care Health Act facing legal challenges a decade after becoming law, Whitmer proposed codifying at the state level what she called the common-sense and cost-saving measures of the Affordable Care Health Act. it was Obama.

This includes: protections for residents with pre-existing medical conditions, the ability to remain with parental insurance until age 26, a ban on annual or lifetime coverage limits, and requiring insurance plans to cover essential services such as travel in ambulances, maternity care, mental health care and birth control.

Every Michigander deserves quality, affordable care, Whitmer said.

Prescription Drug Panel

Whitmer proposed creating what he called an independent, nonpartisan Prescription Drug Affordability Board, made up of leaders in business, healthcare, supply chain and academia, which would use data and evidence-based research evidence to address the cost of prescription drugs.

The governor did not provide further details about the board, how members would be selected or what authority they would have.

But he cited recommendations from a previously named task force that called for drug liability review committees that would have the authority to penalize and regulate certain entities in the prescription drug supply chain.

We need to hold bad actors along the supply chain accountable for rising prices while encouraging research and development for new treatments and cures made right here in Michigan, Whitmer said Wednesday.

Simplify business permits

Whitmer called on the Legislature to work with her to improve the state’s permitting process for construction projects, but offered few details about what she would like to accomplish on that front.

The governor said he wants to “streamline” permits for advanced manufacturing, infrastructure and construction projects, among others.

“I’ve heard from business leaders, especially from people in other states, that no state has gotten the permits right yet,” Whitmer said. “Michigan should be first. This is a bipartisan priority and I know we can get it done.”

Protect democracy

Whitmer said he wants to help protect democracy by, among other things, increasing election security and protecting election workers from intimidation.

“We cannot allow the will of the people to be sidelined or overturned, and we cannot allow politicians to remain in office despite being ousted,” Whitmer said, referring to former President Donald Trump.

The more comprehensive review of the effects of sedentary behavior on health and risk of death has intensified calls for reducing the time spent sedentary and increasing physical activity.

The extensive review, titled “Physiology of Sedentary Behavior,” was published this month in Physiological reviewsexamines current understanding of sedentary behavior (SB).

It is determined that the physiological evidence now available should be used to refine public health and clinical practice guidelines to extend beyond the widely prescribed simple message of exercise more and to move towards a more comprehensive message of “sit less, move more and exercise.”

The head of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Physical Activity Laboratory and the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes, Professor David Dunstan, is working with GPs and primary care providers to push for inclusion of the application “How much time do you spend sitting?” in any conversation about exercise, as the benefits of exercise also depend on how much time you spend sitting.

“Many of us think that if we take a short walk, run or gym session after a day spent sitting at a desk, we’re doing everything necessary for good health, but that’s not the case,” said Prof. Dunstan. “That’s because the benefits of these physical activities depend on how much time you spend sitting.

“If, for example, you sat at your desk for hours but then went out for a jog after work, yes, you would definitely get some health benefits from that jog, but the nine hours of sitting during the day drags those health benefits down.” below.

“By breaking up the time you spend sitting during the day, you stop the buildup of your sedentary time, which basically restarts the body’s engine (our muscles) and reduces your risk.”

There is a long list of recognized health risks associated with sedentary behavior, including high blood pressure, increased body fat, poor vascular function, and increased blood sugar and insulin.

Professor Dunstan hopes this review will help incorporate his evidence-based risk identification matrix into healthcare practice, which shows how physical activity and sedentary behaviors are inextricably linked to health risk.

“In the same way that the benefits of physical activity depend on how much time a person spends sitting, the health risks of excessive sitting also depend on how much physical activity a person engages in,” said Prof. Dunstan.

“That is why the question of how long you sit should be asked alongside how much physical activity you are engaging in, and that if you are physically inactive and sit for long periods, you may initially start with a reduction in sitting time as a pathway to being more active.

“We need to sit less, move more and exercise to reduce our health risk.”

Provided by the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute

As a third mom who is breastfeeding a 12-week-old baby, I respectfully ask that CMS enforce the legislation and policy established in 2012. As the Kaiser Family Foundation report on Medicaid coverage of pregnancy-related services points out, many states are currently not compliant to ACA requirements.

Right now, the United States is woefully behind our peers in all things maternal health. Our maternal mortality rates are worse than those of our parents’ generation, women’s and maternal health is understudied and underinvested in, and women’s pain during pregnancy and postpartum is continually ignored.

The failure of the US health care system to support women is incredibly short-sighted. Economists Henry Paulson and Timothy Geithner have published a report on economic uncertainty in the United States and one of their main recommendations is that the country needs population growth, even starting with new births. Some members of Congress are even calling on US women to focus on thriving families, but they don’t support investing in maternal and child health.

Today, most states do not allow breastfeeding support providers to enroll as Medicaid providers, which severely limits access. In some cases, it’s because there is no provider-type designation for lactation consultants. States may require credentials such as MD, NP, PA, or RN, as well as certification as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Many states integrate breastfeeding support services into the overall maternity care payment rather than reimburse them separately, which creates a disincentive to providing care and is time-limited, while many parents require support beyond the postpartum care visit. The universal payment for maternity care is already too low, so there is no longer any room for breastfeeding and infant feeding support, which are a clinical specialty. However, as in the case of women’s health, these specialties are rejected and devalued, despite their enormous health benefits.

Breastfeeding the infant is deeply connected to the maternal health experience, including the physical and mental health of the mother and the health of the infant. Those first hours, days and months are critical to your baby’s well-being.

We know that breastfeeding support helps improve breastfeeding rates for those who choose to breastfeed (and it’s their choice!). Society does not support those who want to breastfeed despite the obvious public health benefits that come with it. Research shows that families in maternal health deserts lack access to support services, and this is especially true for Black women.

Support for breastfeeding initiated during pregnancy reaches patients before the baby is born to help address other maternal health issues. Early mental health screenings can detect the risks of postpartum depression and anxiety. Postpartum lactation support appointments are also a good way to remind patients to show up for the six-week postpartum visit, which historically has been attended by only 60 percent of patients. The six-week postpartum appointment is essential to check the mothers health, including blood pressure to prevent preeclampsia and control diabetes problems or anemia problems.

The ACA’s CMS Medicaid Breastfeeding Services coverage must apply. Women have been waiting for 11 years.

Andrea Ippolito is a health technology expert and founder of SimpliFed, a maternal health company that provides support for infant feeding and breastfeeding.

Opinions expressed in Fortune.com comments represent the views of the respective authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views or beliefs ofFortune.

A new study has found that 12 percent of Americans are responsible for consuming half of the beef they consume on any given day, a finding that could help consumer groups and government agencies create educational messages about negative impacts on health and environment of beef consumption.

The 12 percent who are most likely to be men or people between the ages of 50 and 65 eat what researchers call a disproportionate amount of beef on any given day, a distinction based on the latest dietary guidelines for Americans. who suggest four ounces of meat, poultry and eggs a day combined for those consuming 2,200 calories a day.

The study, published in the journal Nutrients, analyzed data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which tracked the meals of more than 10,000 adults in a 24-hour period. The global food system emits 17 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to a third of all planet-warming gases produced by human activities. The beef industry is a major contributor to this, producing 8 to 10 times more emissions than chicken and over 50 times more than beans.

“We focused on beef because of its impact on the environment and because it is high in saturated fat, which is not good for your health,” said correspondent and study senior author Diego Rose, professor and nutrition program director at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Rose said the purpose of the study was to help target educational programs or awareness campaigns for those who eat disproportionate amounts of beef. Refining communication on the environmental impact of beef production is crucial at a time when awareness of climate change is higher than ever.

Rose said he and his fellow researchers were “surprised” that a small percentage of people are responsible for such a disproportionate consumption of beef, but whether the findings are encouraging to sustainability advocates has yet to be determined.

“On the one hand, if only 12% account for half of beef consumption, there could be big gains if you target that 12%,” Rose said. “On the other hand, that 12% may be more resistant to change.”

The study also found that those who weren’t disproportionate consumers of beef were more likely to have consulted the USDA’s MyPlate food guide system.

“This could indicate that exposure to dietary guidelines can be an effective tool for changing eating behaviors, but it could also be true that those who were aware of healthy or sustainable eating practices were also more likely to be aware of the tools dietary guidelines,” said Amelia Willits-Smith, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Of the meat eaten on any given day, nearly a third came from cuts of beef such as steak or brisket. But six of the top 10 sources were mixed platters such as burgers, burritos, tacos, meatloaf or spaghetti bolognese. Some of these foods may provide an easy opportunity for disproportionate beef eaters to change their eating habits.

“If you’re getting a burrito, you could easily ask for chicken instead of beef,” Willits-Smith said.

Those younger than 29 and older than 66 were less likely to eat large amounts of beef. According to Rose, this indicates that younger generations may be more interested in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“There is hope in the younger generations, because it is their planet that they will inherit,” Rose said. “I’ve seen in my lessons that they are interested in diet, its impact on the environment and what they can do about it.”

In addition to Rose and Willits-Smith, the study authors include Tulane Clinical Assistant Professor Keelia O’Malley and Tulane Masters of Public Health graduate Harmonii Odinga.