Universities must do more to tackle use of smart drugs, say experts

Universities must do more to tackle the growing number of students turning to “smart drugs” to cope with exam stress, leading academics have said.

UK institutions are being called on to consider measures such as drug testing to stem the rise of cognitive enhancement drugs being used by young people to improve their academic performance.

As hundreds of thousands of students across the UK prepare to sit their summer exams in coming weeks, Thomas Lancaster, an associate dean at Staffordshire University, said we were entering a “dangerous world” where students have access to the “study drugs”. He called on universities to have “frank discussions” with students and to develop policies around their use.

“Universities need to seriously consider how to react to the influx of smart drugs on campus. Educating students about smart drugs and seeing if they view this as cheating is important here. If the trend continues, universities may need to think about drug testing to ensure the integrity of the examination process,” Lancaster said.

Smart drugs, also known as nootropics, are a group of prescription drugs used to improve concentration, memory and mental stamina during periods of study. The most commonly used ones are Modafinil, Ritalin and Adderall. These substances are normally used to treat disorders such as narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Larissa Maier, a research associate at the University of Zurich, called for more education about the risks associated with the substances. Her concerns were echoed by Prof Tim Hales, the head of neuroscience at Dundee University. He said: “In the short term some of these drugs may not be harmful, but we don’t know about their potentially harmful cumulative effects. Different students will respond differently, particularly when taking other medications, alcohol or recreational drugs at the same time.”

The growth of smart drugs over the past five years has been well documented, especially in top institutions such as Oxford University. In May 2016 the Oxford student newspaper, the Cherwell, published a survey that showed 15.6% of students knowingly took Modafinil or another such drug without prescription.

Oxford has introduced workshops to educate young people about smart drugs.

A recent European study co-authored by Robert Dempsey, a lecturer in psychology at Staffordshire University, found that the majority of university students believe it is normal to use such drugs to enhance academic performance.

Maier said current estimates indicate about 10% to 15% of students have tried to enhance their cognitive performance with prescription drugs, alcohol or illegal drugs at least once. With a UK student population of 2.3 million, this works out at about 230,000 people.

Students at Oxford. Photograph: Pete Lusabia/Alamy Stock Photo

Oxford University said it had not seen evidence of a widespread problem, but added that students were strongly advised not to take any unprescribed drugs. “Students who are struggling to cope personally or academically will find a range of support at Oxford. They should talk to their tutors, their college welfare officers, Oxford University Student Union, their GP, or the university counselling service.”

The health risks that the drugs could pose are still unclear, but using them without a prescription is illegal and can lead to unwanted side-effects, such as increased anxiety and heart rate.

Maier said the number of students using the drugs could increase due to increased availability both at universities and online.

Dr Dominique Thompson, the director of the students’ health service at Bristol University, said she sees a handful of students a year who come in suffering the side-effects of the medications, such as insomnia. She put the rise in use down to increased competition and pressure on young people.

Thompson said: “There is a huge pressure to do well and excel and be different to everyone else as well as financial pressure now. That may be another factor as to why students feel they need to use any means to do well.”

The Guardian heard from several students who claimed to have faked ADHD symptoms in order to be prescribed Ritalin or Adderall. One student, from UCL, said: “I obtained the drugs from a friend who wanted Ritalin to use as a smart drug. She memorised the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and convinced a GP to prescribe it.”

Non-prescription sale of Noopept, a fine white powder that its makers claim enhances cognitive ability, was banned in the UK last year under the Psychoactive Substances Act. However, several British websites appear to be actively selling this substance.

Modup, a website selling Modafinil, told the Guardian that during exam time the volume of Modafinil shipped to the UK doubles. It claimed the campuses it mainly sent stock to were Oxford and Cambridge, followed by the London institutions Imperial and the London School of Economics.

One second-year student from Cambridge University, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I know quite a few people who have used study drugs, including several of my housemates and friends. They all tend to take Modafinil rather than either Ritalin or Adderall … given the sheer volume and quality of work expected of people here, I would be unsurprised if my college is representative of the university as a whole.”

Another student from Leeds said they had been taking Modafinil or some variant for essays and exams since the middle of second year. “My own work rate has always been fairly pathetic without it so it’s been vital for me in completing my dissertation and other big projects at uni. I do know people who work very hard anyway, but take it for the non-stop work they have to do for degrees like medicine.”

Universities do not appear to have a plan in place for tackling the problem. Dr Cathy Montgomery, a reader in psychopharmacology at Liverpool John Moores University, said: “Many universities don’t have specific policies regarding use of cognitive enhancers as this is a new area. Most universities do, however, have a drug policy, stating that the use of drugs is prohibited on campus, but this does not necessarily extend to medicines.”

But she said that before policies were put in place, more research should be done: “We need a large-scale epidemiological study looking at use of enhancers across the UK.”

Neal Patel, a spokesman for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “Unfortunately, prescription-only medicines are available to just about anyone with some spare cash willing to buy them from unscrupulous online providers. You may or may not get what you pay for.

“Unrealistic expectations of the benefits of these powerful medicines, coupled with peer pressure to use them, is an unhealthy mix for students. Our advice remains for people to steer clear of prescription medicines unless they are being prescribed under the supervision of a health professional.”

Universities must do more to tackle use of smart drugs, say experts

Why a tax break for employers is the smart way to improve mental health | Norman Lamb

Twenty-two billion pounds: that’s the estimated annual cost to employers and taxpayers of sickness absence. Much of that relates to mental ill-health – which, along with musculoskeletal complaints, causes about 80% of sickness absence – and sick leave seems to be on the rise.

A recent survey by the Engineers Employers Federation found that 41% of companies had witnessed an increase in long-term absences over the past two years.

On top of that, there is the cost of presenteeism – people turning up for work despite being unwell and underperforming as a result. The impact on productivity is massive. Many end up losing their job as a result of ill-health.

That’s the cold economics. But the human cost is dreadful. Lost earnings and the awful loss of self-worth that comes with the unemployment. Those with severe and enduring mental ill-health lose out the most, with an employment rate of just 7%.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, highlighted this miserable state of affairs in his Five Year Forward View for the NHS back in 2014. He focused on the role of employers, arguing that incentives should be offered to those “who provide effective Nice-recommended workplace health programmes for employees”. Enlightened thinking for an NHS boss: put more effort into prevention and everyone could benefit.

Now we have an opportunity to test this idea. This week the West Midlands became the first city region to publish an ambitious Action Plan for Mental Health. It is the culmination of more than a year’s work by the mental health commission I chaired on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority. At its heart is a focus on prevention and early intervention.

We were asked to look at the total cost of mental ill-health to the region, and to consider how we could make more effective use of resources in order to achieve better results for people and to have a positive impact on the regional economy. One of our key ideas is a trial of what we have called a wellbeing premium – a discount on an employer’s business rates in return for that employer committing to key evidence-based actions to improve the wellbeing of people at work.

We know, for example, that the training of line managers can have a positive impact on how people are treated at work, the culture in the workplace, and the support people receive when struggling with ill-health. We know that it is important to have someone at board level taking responsibility for wellbeing. There is also emerging evidence of the value of training people in mental health first aid.

Provided we can secure the funding to pursue this trial, our aim is to evaluate the impact over a two-year period. We hope to work with 100 employers, from businesses employing just a handful of staff up to large organisations. Our aim is to build the evidence of what works over that period.

We believe we will be able to demonstrate that, once companies have been encouraged to act through the receipt of the wellbeing premium, they will see the potential positive impact on their bottom line. For this reason, we believe that the wellbeing premium should be time-limited. Once a company sees the value, then there will be no need for any continued public subsidy.

This is a win-win situation. For employees, better support at work, reduced distress from sickness absence, and reduced loss of earnings. For employers, improved productivity, reduced sickness absence and fewer people leaving work unnecessarily at enormous cost to the business. For government, improved productivity – needed now more than ever. And supporting people more effectively to stop deterioration of health means a reduced burden on the NHS and savings on the benefits bill.

This proposal sits alongside other exciting initiatives. We are working with the government’s Health and Work Unit to deliver a multimillion-pound trial of individual placement and support. This is an approach, with a strong evidence base, that aims to get those with mental ill-health back into work. The trial will work in both primary and secondary care.

We will also use public procurement to encourage companies tendering for contracts to take action to improve the wellbeing of their workforce. Surely it’s not too much to ask for such companies to demonstrate that they are good employers.

These are just a few aspects of a new approach that aims to focus on preventing ill-health rather than repairing the damage once it’s done. Our health and care system is under unsustainable pressure. It will need more resources in the years ahead, but we can also be smarter at acting to prevent ill-health.

Why a tax break for employers is the smart way to improve mental health | Norman Lamb

Smart Ways to Handle Internet Addiction in Kids

Smart Ways to Handle Internet Addiction in Kids

5 Smart Ways to Reduce Your Healthcare Costs

While the whole world is still in shock over the outcome of the recent US Presidential Elections, the world’s most powerful country still has a lot of issues that need immediate resolutions. One of them is the continuous increase of the US healthcare costs. And regardless of what your political stance is, this problem remains to affect most Americans, especially those who are in their 50s.

Apparently, outgoing US President Barack Obama had his chance of reforming and enhancing the healthcare system. However, the system has not been properly given the needed improvements, because it has been maligned by dissenting opinions from political parties, business leaders, academic authorities, and media experts.

There have been numerous talks about the management of the healthcare system, but most of them lean towards commercialization rather than a benefit that everyone can immediately access. Well, there is nothing wrong in becoming rich, but as we progress, it is inevitable that many Americans will be financially challenged, making it more difficult for them to receive a decent and affordable medical care whenever the need arises. In fact, a lot of Americans have been paying for their healthcare costs already.

For many less privileged citizens, a decent healthcare does not only deal with costs, immediate solutions, or intense workouts. Whether you believe it or not, a lot of them are coping with chronic pains with a wavering hope of getting an appropriate medical resolution. Some of them are even suffering from a terminal illness that can neither receive a good hospital care nor an alternative remedy.

Meanwhile, the major populace of the Americans over 50 years old are able to access high-quality, safe, and affordable medical attention and healthcare choices. Most of the time, patients who can influence the institution receive the best and most rewarding outcomes, while those who expect the blessings from the higher power don’t get what they need – a sad truth that still exists today.

But such circumstance does not have to stay that way forever. You don’t have to suffer from expensive healthcare costs when there are actions you can do in controlling them. On this note, here are 5 ways you can take charge of your healthcare costs that come from well-informed, unintimidated, and fearless patients.

• 
  

   Negotiating with the hospital and/or clinic.

  
  

The patients are not only the people who are affected by the high healthcare costs. Even the medical institutions like hospitals and clinics, as well as, general practitioners in the locality are going through tough times as well.

As such, a lot of healthcare providers in the US are willing to come to terms with regards to medical prices. You can negotiate the costs of medical alternatives like going to other countries for the needed medical care – this happens to be a competitive business as of the present time.

If negotiations are successful, then healthcare insurers pay lesser costs than the retail prices for a certain medical procedure. It also helps the uninsured patients in covering their healthcare expenses. But before getting the treatment, it is best to request a quote from the medical establishment. Don’t hesitate to ask because you will never know anything at all if you don’t inquire.

• 
  

   Negotiating with your healthcare insurer.

  
  

Here’s the thing: every time healthcare insurers deny or ignore their promised medical coverages, then that would be easy money credited to their wallets. You don’t want that to happen.

Nowadays, insurers have strategized to keep on denying their promises. But if you have the unwavering power to insist, then you may have the chance to acquire what you have invested in. When all else fails, you can seek the help and support from healthcare consumer advocates who can talk with the insurers on your behalf – sometimes it comes with a fee.

• 
  

   Considering medical options from other countries

  
  

Globalization has a positive effect on the world economy today. As a result, we intentionally or unknowingly choose products that come from other countries.

We purchase various types of gadgets made in China, buy television sets and other appliances manufactured in South Korea, and/or spend on cars and vehicles assembled in Japan. This goes the same with medical products such as  medical apparatus.

As years pass by, we slowly embrace global products and trust their quality, especially when they carry well-established brands that we patronize. There are also instances when American patients choose to receive medical care in other countries.

• 
  

   Taking advantage of your travel options within the country.

  
  

Just in case you haven’t know it yet, there is a big disparity of 30 to 70 percent among the treatment quotes in the US. Patients who don’t settle with their doctor’s referrals or the availability of a hospital near their residence would actually look farther, but still within the border, for better and much cheaper medical choices that may reduce the travel expenses.

To make it more convenient, you can search online for comparative treatment costs in the US. There are websites that provide coherent medical details and health prices just like How Coster.  This way, you don’t have to go to the hospital or clinic for inquiries. You can just give them a call, which saves your expenses from traveling.

• 
  

   Staying fit and healthy.

  
  

I think you are aware of the saying, “Prevention is better than cure”. Although it’s an old adage, it still works effectively today. If you don’t want to spend on expensive medical treatments, then it is best to keep yourself fit and healthy.

Whether you are having joint problems, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases, most medical conditions become worse due to poor lifestyle habits. Smoking, alcohol drinking, and unhealthy eating top the list.

Apparently, there are so many advocates who strive to reduce, and hopefully, stop the undesirable lifestyle habits of the Americans. But due to the decrease of longevity rates in the US for the first time in 20 years and the rapid increase of juvenile obesity, the fight to a better and healthier living still goes on.

Never Compromise Again on Healthcare Costs

There you have it. Five ways to cut down the healthcare costs. If you are thinking which one is the most effective way, then that would be number 5. In any case, you are suffering from medical conditions, then it is best to listen and comply with what the doctor says and not do reckless activities to avoid frequent hospital trips, which can definitely increase your healthcare costs.

5 Smart Ways to Reduce Your Healthcare Costs

Raise Smart Children without Raising Your Voice

Many parents certainly ask themselves, is it possible to raise their children without raising their voice? Well, funny enough, the answer is no. It’s impossible. However, every smart parent must know how to be tactical, when it is wise to raise their voice, and when it is better to stay calm and not even consider yelling as an option.

When is it advisable to raise your voice to your children?

If you have a three-year-old running into the road full of fast vehicles, you better raise your voice, mommy. Your kid is in danger. You must yell the hack out of it, to prevent getting your kid run down by a car.

However, raising your voice as a usual daily practice, just for the sake of making him listen to you is not only unnecessary but also not recommended at all. It can cause more problems than make any good for you and your kid. If you want your children to grow into confident adults, then raising your voice as a usual practice is not the way. Here’s why:

– People who are used to yelling and themselves yell, even while they have a normal conversation, have a higher risk of getting heart diseases than those who speak calmly.

– Children used to yell at on daily bases experience much more stress which, according to research, might lead to mental illnesses. These children are more likely to suffer from depression, anger, anti-social behavior and they have lower self-esteem than children who are raised in calm harmonic families.

– Children who are raised in harmony, where both parents are aware that yelling is not the only option to make them obey, are more likely to become successful later in their adult life. Furthermore, these children are physically and mentally healthier; they manage to get more done and grow up into mature, confident young people who develop better communication skills.

Reasons for yelling

Funny enough, a parent who raises their voices to their children are usually not angry or disappointed by their kids at all. These people are not aware that their kids have nothing to do with their reasons for yelling. The most common reason that made them raise their voice is the stress caused by other people in their surroundings. Bad communication among family members, stress from work, anger from their boss or other factors can lead to raising their voice to their children. As adults know that their children are inferior to them, they wrongfully throw the whole anger gathered from their stressed day to their kids. Becoming aware of this is the first step towards solving this issue.

What to do to lower your voice?

When you become conscious of situations that caused you stress, and you feel that anger pours in, you have the urge to raise your voice to your children for unimportant things they did, sit down, calm yourself and take deep breaths. Deep breathing brings oxygen to your brain, which will enable you to think clearly. After you calm down, talk to your child with a calm voice. Explain to him why the thing he did is not acceptable. Offer him wiser options. Make him trust you by giving him reasons why his behavior is unacceptable.

Think of positive attitude

Also, instead of concentrating on the bad things your child does, try to think of the good ones. There must be one good thing he does during your time together. Try to praise him for that. Tell them you are proud of him. Thus, your child will feel useful, and he will want to be praise again. He will make every effort in the future for you to praise him again.

Moreover, small children can be more difficult when they start crying for no particular reason. Raising your voice to already stressed crying kid only adds up to worsening the situation. Hug him and talk to him instead. Give him a small present by kissing him in his cheek when he stops crying and calms down. Thus, you will show him that he is going to be praised for his good behavior. Certainly, it doesn’t mean that you will spend tons of money on toys and chocolates for him to behave well. Presents can be in the form of a hug, a kiss, cuddle or gentle touch. Thus, your kid will want to behave well in the future.

Remember that every good change takes time. You can’t certainly expect your child to change overnight the day you decide to change. This is a long-term process. First, you need to learn how to control your voice, and then expect the rewarding results of well-behaved children. Yelling for no particular reason is not an option.

Source:

WellnessEuphoria.com

Aish.com

Understood.org

Raise Smart Children without Raising Your Voice

"Don"t be a smart arse" – a junior doctor"s survival guide

Ask questions

Patients look to you for reassurance, but your job isn’t to always know the right answer – it’s to find the person in the building who does. The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask. Ask for help, share problems and try and find solutions for others who come to you for help.

Oliver Long, consultant anaesthetist, London

Don’t be a smart arse

Always seek advice from everyone and anyone including nurses, domestics, porters and your medical peers. Develop a bedside manner for your ward/hospital colleagues as well as with your patients – no-one likes a smart arse, medical degree or no medical degree.

Jude, community hospital nurse, Gloucestershire

Enjoy it – make friends and maybe even find love

It’s the hardest and best two years of your life. The job, and more importantly, your reaction to it, will define the person you will be, the speciality you will choose and the life you will lead. It is also where you will meet many friends that you will keep for life. As a final note, I find anecdotally that many foundation doctors also meet the love of their life in the first two years of training.

Tony, GP, Manchester

Related: What really happens the day junior doctors start work in the NHS

Don’t view patients as a set of signs and symptoms

Take a step back from observations and test results and look at the whole patient. Try not to view them as just a set of signs and symptoms that need to be sorted out but as a complex individual who lives beyond this admission to hospital.

Listen to relatives. Respect your patient’s autonomy even if they are making unwise or unsafe decisions. Listen to your patients more than you talk to them.

Catherine Bowdler, specialist physiotherapist, Cheshire

Eat and drink

Always make time to eat. Keep a water bottle with you. Hungry doctors don’t function as well as fed and watered ones.

Tom Palmer, doctor – emergency medicine, London

Don’t hide

On the senior team, we have seen people come and go and we expect problems, there’s very little that can surprise an NHS consultant. If you share it, it is likely we can solve it.

Find time to wallow in misery

You will be miserable and that’s fine, don’t apologise for it and make sure you schedule time to groan in the mess. On the shop floor, remember who you are and stay cheerful, you will be amazed at how a team of colleagues can carry each other through anything.

Anthony Hopkins, paediatric registrar, south west

Don’t fall out with the nurses

Never ever fall out with the nurses – they are your lifeline, and have an abundance of knowledge (about their patients, the hospital, how to make stuff happen, the location of teabags/mugs/secret chocolate supply etc)

Sarah, specialty doctor, south west

Tidy up after yourself

My advice is clear up after yourself eg blood-taking equipment, notes etc. Leaving stuff around makes you appear that you have little regard for other staff and you will get people’s backs up.

Edward Daniels, staff nurse, drugs and alcohol, Nottingham

Don’t view older patients as old and boring

Some of them are the most amazing people with incredible life stories that deserve to be listened to.

Anonymous, cardiac physiologist, East Midlands

Relax

The first day on your new job is going to be jam-packed. New hospital, new colleagues, new patients, and of course new hospital systems to figure out. These are the first days of the rest of your life in medicine so start off by taking a deep breath.

Christopher Meally, physician associate in cardiology, Warwickshire

Don’t overshare

Don’t talk loudly about how drunk you were on a night out while standing at the nurses’ station (everyone will hear you) – you deserve to let your hair down as much as the next person but your patient needs to see you as a professional, not imagine you staggering along the street.

Emily Graves, consultant haematologist, Sunderland

Make an effort to understand and value all members of the team

Everybody is essential, from the admin staff to the occupational therapists and other lesser known allied health professionals, and sometimes it can be easy to under-appreciate a team member’s contribution.

Hannah Wightman, occupational therapist, East Midlands

Don’t neglect your social life

If you have any time left over from working 48 hours a week, do not neglect your social and personal life. You will need this time to recharge your batteries.

Deborah Tomlinson, retired nurse of 40 years, London

Pass the granny test

Make sure everything you do passes the granny test. If it wouldn’t have been good enough for your granny, it’s not good enough for your patient.

Claire, mental health service manager, north west

If you would like to contribute to our Blood, sweat and tears series which is about memorable moments in a healthcare career, please read our guidelines and get in touch by emailing sarah.johnson@theguardian.com.

Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to read more pieces like this. And follow us on Twitter (@GdnHealthcare) to keep up with the latest healthcare news and views.

"Don"t be a smart arse" – a junior doctor"s survival guide

"Smart drug" taken by a single in 4 college students really does improve overall performance

A ‘smart drug’ taken by 1 in four students at Oxford University genuinely does improve brain electrical power and colleges need to take into account whether it need to be banned, scientists have explained.

Modafinil is at the moment offered on NHS as a treatment for narcolepsy but surveys have advised that a fifth of university students use it to improve performance for revising and exams following it was linked to improved cognition.

Oxford University and Harvard Health care School looked at 24 research into modafainil and have concluded that it actually does enhance considering capabilities, particularly in extended complicated tasks. It was also found to assist with planning, decision generating, flexibility, finding out and memory, and creativity.

It is the 1st ‘smart drug’ identified to in fact operate and it appears to have couple of side effects, say researchers.

But the scientists say the final results increase critical ethical inquiries about regardless of whether it need to be ‘classified, condoned or condemned.’

Dr Ruairidh Battleday explained: “Modafinil can and does enhance some cognitive functions.

“For the 1st time, we have a cognitive enhancer that appears not to have considerable detrimental cognitive, emotional, or bodily side effects.

“This implies that it is time for a wider societal debate on how to integrate and regulate cognitive enhancement . The ethical exploration is a large and essential goal for the close to long term: one that the two scientists, politicians, and the public need to be concerned in.”

Modafinil is taken by up to one in 4 college students at British universities  Photo: ALAMY

A survey run by the Oxford University student newspaper The Tab showed that 26 per cent of college students at the university explained they had utilized it. A single quarter of youngsters at Newcastle and Leeds claimed to have attempted the drug and close to a single in 5 at universities like Imperial, Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester.

Modafinil is normally prescribed to deal with sleeping issues and has been used in the past by the US Air Force to hold pilots alert throughout prolonged distance flights.

But physicians have anecdotally complained that they are currently being forced to give students valium to control withdrawal following exams due to the fact it results rest patterns so badly.

Professor Guy Goodwin, President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) said: “it’s the very first real instance of a ‘smart drug’, which can genuinely help, for illustration, with examination planning.

“Previous ethical discussion of this kind of agents has tended to presume extravagant results before it was clear that there were any.

“If appropriate, the current update signifies the ethical debate is genuine: how ought to we classify, condone or condemn a drug that improves human overall performance in the absence of pre-present cognitive impairment? “

The final results were published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

"Smart drug" taken by a single in 4 college students really does improve overall performance

Microsoft establishing "smart headband for the blind"

The aim of the undertaking is to produce a detailed knowing of the difficulties faced by blind and partially sighted folks as they travel in and about cities. A concept video launched in 2012 outlined some of characteristics of the gadget:

More info on the Alice band is anticipated to be revealed in the up coming handful of months.

The news comes following researchers at Oxford University unveiled a pair of wise glasses that can assist people with constrained vision to navigate and avoid walking into obstacles.

The intelligent glasses, which consist of a video camera mounted on the frame of the glasses and a personal computer processing unit that is tiny sufficient to fit in a pocket, are created to increase people’s awareness of what is close to them.

Photos of close by folks and obstacles – this kind of as kerbs, tables and chairs – are processed by specially-designed software, and projected onto transparent electronic displays, the place the glasses’ lenses would usually be.

Meanwhile, Google has filed a US patent for embedding microscopic cameras into make contact with lenses, which could be programmed to detect light, colour, specific objects, faces and motion with no obstructing the vision of the wearer.

The device could be potentially lifestyle-modifying for blind end users, as the camera and evaluation elements could method image data to establish the wearer is approaching a active road, for example.

The lens could then concern a command to a remote device, such as a smartphone, to omit a voice-created warning about the impending road.

Microsoft establishing "smart headband for the blind"

How To Sound Like A Smart Millennial When Hobby Lobby Comes Up At The Fireworks

Millennials are smart. But their voices usually get lost or overpowered by boomer voices. As I was reading through all the coverage about Pastime Lobby, I wondered, “What do Millennial females think about Hobby Lobby?”  I quit wondering and asked two millennials — sixteen and 21 years outdated — what does Pastime Lobby indicate to you (and your generation)?

Adora Svitak is 16 many years old. Her @adorasv twitter profile: I’m a author, feminist, and advocate for #stuvoice and literacy. Addicted to working and semicolons. I spoke at TED ’10, United Nations ECOSOC ’13. Washington State. adorasvitak.com:

When I found out about the Supreme Court’s decision, I was about as far from the United States as could be—sitting in bed in a Vienna apartment. Traipsing about Europe with my family for getaway meant living in a bit of a bubble: a bubble the place maternity leave means receiving one hundred% of your pay for 16 weeks (France), the place the most strong particular person in the nation’s government is a woman (Germany), or the place abortions are covered by public well being insurance (also Germany). To hear that the Supreme Court would enable firms to arbitrarily declare that their “religious beliefs” overrule a woman’s right to self-determination was a wake-up call for me as to how significantly catching up our nation needs to do.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s eloquent dissent points out the flaws in the ruling (e.g., does this indicate that any firm can claim any religious belief to stay away from having to pay for any process or medicine?). Numerous have pointed out that Hobby Lobby employs the excuse of religious ideas to steer clear of funding birth control for ladies, but is somehow okay with vasectomies for males furthermore, its company’s 401(k) program even invests in businesses that produce birth management. Succinctly, this is not about religious freedom. This is about deciding who has management more than women’s bodies: our employers, or ourselves.

What is possibly most irksome to me is the query asked by specific pundits, “Why must companies have to spend for ladies to have consequences-free sex?” These people plainly fail to realize two issues.

one) Birth handle isn’t just about intercourse. What about the girl who has an IUD to maintain from bleeding to a harmful extent since of uterine fibroids? What about the girl who will take birth manage pills to regulate her menstrual cycles?

2) So what if it is about sex? Allow me break it down for you, conservative pundits: girls oftentimes have sex, for enjoyable, without wanting to have infants. And there is practically nothing shameful or wrong about that. Pregnancy need to in no way be equated to some puritanical punishment for recreational intercourse. Birth handle is a important portion of public health, benefiting society overall thanks to fewer unwanted pregnancies and abortions. As a young woman coming into university this fall, I know that I want to live in a society that believes what I do with my entire body is #NotMyBossBusiness.

Julie Zeilinger is 21 years previous. Her @juliezeilinger twitter profile: Author, Media Correspondent and Editor in Chief of @The_FBomb. Books include A Little F’d Up and School 101. Coffee addict. Liz Lemon impersonator. juliezeilinger.com

As a rising college senior, I’ve presently been inundated with cautionary tales of becoming female whilst operating in corporate America. Now, thanks to the latest Hobby Lobby ruling, my generation of ladies can add possibly working for organizations whose rights are valued above our personal and the blatant undermining of our overall health and reproductive freedom to the record of our potential expert rewards.

Monday’s Hobby Lobby ruling solidifies the actuality of the war on women in this country, indisputably highlighting the way in which sexism is nonetheless rampant in American society in many approaches.

Initial and foremost, the determination reveals that persistent, blatant ignorance about women’s bodies has infiltrated the law of the land. The Hobby Lobby suit incorrectly conflates birth manage with pregnancy termination by objecting to insurance coverage coverage of IUDs and morning-soon after tablets on the grounds that they are equitable to abortion (a notion scientists have obviously disproven). This conflation ironically ignores the proof exhibiting that access to birth handle really decreases abortion charges and ignorantly overlooks the truth that birth manage is not only utilised for avoiding pregnancy, but also for several health-related circumstances this kind of as endometriosis, PCOS, amenorrhea and beyond.

Past health-related ignorance of women’s bodies, this ruling also signifies a willfully sexist desire to management women’s sexuality. As Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti factors out, “The underlying values that drove this organization to sue – and spurred a national debate – is the belief that girls getting pre-marital or non-procreative sex is incorrect.” Primarily all sexually energetic American women have employed birth handle at some point in their lives for causes that might contain remedy for healthcare situations, but also, importantly, in order to have safe and responsible sex – a decision that, in this day and age, need to be completely acceptable in and of itself. The double standard of this ruling is created specially clear by the reality that Viagra and vasectomies are nonetheless covered under these policies: thus, women’s sexuality underneath this policy is topic to manage whilst men’s sexuality is facilitated.

In addition to ignorance about and paternalistic attitudes in direction of women’s bodies, Hobby Lobby fails to identify the actuality of many American women’s lived experiences. The ruling – hardly for the very first time in American history –essentially privileges the rights of corporate elites above low-earnings men and women. A 2013 report on contraception identified that access to birth control is “uneven and unequal” amongst “economically disadvantaged or otherwise marginalized” ladies in the United States. Ruth Bader Ginsberg highlighted this point in her dissent, stating “the value of an IUD is nearly equivalent to a month’s complete-time pay out for workers earning the minimum wage.” Additionally, entry to family members arranging has been located to be economically advantageous for everyone, although barred entry to family members arranging and subsequent unplanned pregnancies amongst lower earnings girls usually even more push them into poverty. And however the religious beliefs of personified companies have been deemed much more essential than avoiding even more poverty amongst minimal-earnings females.

As millennials, it’s difficult to go through headlines that sound more like dystopian horror than reality and watch ignorant, regressive sexism become more ingrained in this country and even now feel hopeful about the long term we’re inheriting. But we have to battle back and have the energy to do so: The millennial generation, which comprised 19 percent of the American electorate in 2012, is 1 of the most diverse as nicely as possibly the most progressive and supportive of equality. We should loudly vocalize these beliefs – via social media, petitions, in our daily lives and beyond — and put them to action by voting for candidates who assistance them. Eventually, it is up to our generation to present the conservative base that supports this decision that their capacity to form this country based mostly on ignorance and privilege is coming to an end.

Join me on Twitter

How To Sound Like A Smart Millennial When Hobby Lobby Comes Up At The Fireworks

Hummus: Smart Healthful Snack Selection

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip or spread created from cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.  What helps make this tasty combine so healthier? Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) are really large in protein. Chickpeas and Olive Oil are acknowledged to be effective in stopping cholesterol build up in the blood vessels. Garlic and lemon juice are excellent antioxidants that decrease oxidative stress in the physique. They also perform to boost immune functions and fight off bacteria and viruses. Hummus can help you preserve correct blood sugar amounts. It also contains loads of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for strengthening intelligence and maintaining a wholesome heart. As if that wasn’t ample, this dish also has iron, vitamin B6, manganese, folic acid and amino acids. The amino acids discovered in hummus contain Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine which are identified to market excellent sound sleep and improve your mood. Wow, hand in excess of the gluten-totally free pita chips or carrots and dig in!

Elements:

• sixteen oz of fresh chickpeas (or one can)


•  1/four cup of liquid from chickpeas (either the water you soaked them in or from the can)two Tbsp of olive oil


• two Tbsp of Tahini


• 1 clove garlic (crushed)


• 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice


• 1/two tsp of salt or as per your taste

Instructions:

For very best results, if you are employing raw chickpeas you will need to soak the chickpeas in water overnight so that they get soft, straightforward to use and digest afterwards.  Soaking will also have the hulls rise to the prime of your soaking bowl as these really don’t blend nicely.

The up coming morning, drain (and reserve) the water from the chickpeas and then mix them into a smooth mixture in a foods processor. (I enjoy my Vitamix to blend, puree etc.)

You can also use canned chickpeas and save your cooking time as these can be blended straight away in the blender.

Variations:  You can increase the taste with spices like coriander powder, cumin, cayenne pepper or roasted red peppers.

You can  add hummus to lunches for your youngsters. It comes with all these great nutritional advantages and the large protein content material will assist you really feel full for longer. If you have any other healthy and delightful variations for hummus, please share them with our readers and us in the comment box.

 Great Resource: Middle Eastern Spice Set

Guest Author Bio: Lita is a busy mom, blogger and a freelance writer. She left the corporate globe back in 2008 to focus a lot more on her family, healthful living and her blogging profession. This hummus recipe which she found on Femina’s site is a single of her favorite snacks and it helped her lose her pregnancy bodyweight.

Be Well,

Beth

Hummus: Smart Healthful Snack Selection

Google Reveals New Item: "Smart" Speak to Lenses

Google/AP

Google “glucose” right now, and you will discover a slew of outcomes with Google in the header. This is simply because Google is acquiring into a new market: Diabetes. The company has just unveiled a new method for monitoring glucose, in a classically Google-clever way: Wise get in touch with lenses with small glucose-monitoring technological innovation will check wearers’ glucose amounts not by measuring the sugar in their blood, but by tracking it in their tears.

“It doesn’t search like considerably, but it was a crazy volume of function to get everything so quite tiny,” said Google researcher Brian Otis in a statement. The study, by the business that is also brought us Glass and driverless autos, was kept underneath wraps until finally yesterday.

The speak to lenses will keep track of glucose with a tiny sensor when per 2nd, and then transmit the data through a wireless transmitter. In accordance to Otis, the sensor is the smallest ever made, and took years of affixing tiny wires to tiny electronics to produce it.

The blood sugar monitoring industry will reach $ sixteen billion this yr, and the units available now – regardless of whether needle-based or wristband-based mostly – are not exactly handy or comfy for consumers.

“Smart” blood sugar monitoring has been in the works for numerous years, but no one has unveiled a reliable fix for the issue. Some academic institutions have also been working on glucose-monitoring contacts, but as Otis says, “You can get it to a specific degree in an academic setting, but at Google we were given the latitude to invest in this project.”

The electronics in the contacts lie on the periphery, so don’t obstruct the wearer’s vision. To electrical power the lenses, developers developed a method of pulling power from surrounding radio frequency waves. The company is testing the possibility of including a small LED light to indicate when the wearer’s glucose exceeds a certain degree.

More than 380 million folks are impacted by diabetes globally. Numerous have to prick their fingers up to ten instances per day to preserve track of their blood sugar and adjust insulin accordingly.

The notion could be a game-changer, for certain, but the particulars even now have to be worked out. Amid them will be how to in fact calculate blood sugar from tear sugar, and how the technology may well be affected below numerous weather problems and various emotional circumstances.

And, of course, the FDA will have to approve it before it goes to marketplace. But Google’s reveal is interesting, and could affect a lot of people’s lives.

“We’ve always said that we’d look for out tasks that seem a bit speculative or strange,” according to the official Google Weblog, “and at a time when the International Diabetes Federation (PDF) is declaring that the planet is ‘losing the battle’ against diabetes, we believed this task was well worth a shot.”

We’ll definitely be watching to see what takes place – and what other technologies may well soon be packed into the small technologies of a get in touch with lens.

Comply with me @alicewalton or locate me on Facebook.

More on Forbes:

Google Reveals New Item: "Smart" Speak to Lenses

Technology In The Crib: The Smart Child Onesie

Intel Core 2 Quad brand brand (Photo credit score: Wikipedia)

As wearable technologies gets to be a lot more mainstream–evident from the plethora of vendors showcasing at CES 2014 last week–one point gets to be clearer than ever: wearables may possibly be commencing in the crib, but are no longer are in their infancy!

With the “smart child onesie” on display at Intel Intel’s booth–manufactured by the company, Rest Devices–parents could now have the extra chance to maintain track of well being relevant information relating to their infants in the crib—including their respiratory fee, and as a result be a lot more conscious of any potential discomfort or illness creating.

Called the Mimo Little one, this may signify the new child keep track of of the long term, with the potential to check actual information other than cooing or motion of blankets from initial generation microphone-based monitors or even child-cams.

“Wearables are a engineering for the future”, mentioned Rich In a position, Co-Founder and CMO of X2Bio, a company which has created sophisticated wearable sensors to assess traumatic brain injury and concussions, and whose concussion monitoring application is presently currently being utilized by all 32 NFL teams. “Data from such wearable sensors has the likely to positively effect all of us in each and every element of our day-to-day lives”, extra Capable.

Two green stripes across the chest–sensors which record respiratory rate–provide mother and father or caregivers with modifications in respiratory rate. Potentially signaling breathing issues, this information could be beneficial in management of patients with asthma or even croup. An additional removable turtle shaped device clipped on front enables monitoring of body temperature as effectively as exercise level.

The Mimo Infant is powered by an Intel chip microprocessor created into a dual core Edison Edison Pc, the dimension of an SD card. While the Edison model will ship later this summertime a non-Edison version will be offered following week. The reported cost for 3 onesies and the turtle clip on will be $ 199.00 as a starter kit. A two-pak of onesies will retail for $ 29.00 for sized from to twelve months.

Data from infant Mimo will be offered via a smartphone app on iOS/Android, offering real time info for you or your healthcare provider. While nothing at all could change holding and touching your little one to assess any possible establishing problems, this technologies could surely include further data as an early warning method and new child monitoring system of the potential.

Intel has other novel items in their Nursery item category, which also characteristic Edison chips inside a toy frog recording a baby’s vitals linked to a LED show on a parent’s coffee cup, along with a handy milk warmer that starts heating when the frog–which is also connected–hears the baby cry.

Engineering for mother and father and infants in no longer science fiction!

Technology In The Crib: The Smart Child Onesie

The Best And Most Effective New Year"s Resolution: Put Your Smart Telephone On A Diet regime

When 3 doyenne’s of today’s mainstream media, Mika Brzezinski, Arianna Huffington, and Cindi Leive, stage a device moratorium for the vacation week, we have reliable confirmation that the influence of pressure and the 24/seven cycle of stimulation from our devices has hit our collective consciousness. As Arianna so aptly framed the dilemma: “Call it an iParadox.”

I couldn’t agree far more. So when savvy and articulate media icons, like Mika and Arianna, frame these issues for us, we all wind up taking a giant leap forward in comprehending.  And it’s not just hype, in accordance to the American Psychological Association, 80% of Americans say their tension has elevated or stayed the identical in the past year.   Anxiety in America 2012 

Go Past the Digital Detox

We all know that this sort of gesture, these types of extreme problems make fantastic statements (remember when Baratunde Thurston “#unplugged” earlier this year?). Everybody loves a brief, extreme detox to “reset.”

But let’s get true: If we are seeking for lasting change, as opposed to a short respite, I advocate we double down with a New Year’s pledge that commences new sustainable routines. Since it’s just also simple for us to get lost in the tumult of our personal digital storms, and to devolve into a existence of texts, selfies, headlines and tweets. I am talking about a set of each day rules, your day-to-day digital diet, which preserve you from becoming a slave to your gadgets.

Why? Simply because whilst crash diet programs really do not work for fat loss, crash approaches to dialing back our 24/7 connectivity really do not supply a lasting end result either. As any individual who has successfully lost fat and kept it off will inform you, there is no magic bullet for reaching one’s optimal excess weight.

A way of life comprised of balanced diet program, awareness about foods alternatives, sturdy peer help and healthier habits allows individuals to resolve the conflicts that led to the thoughts and behaviors which induced bodyweight obtain, and substitute them with ones that make them thin. The same is true for tension.

Just as declining a slice of pie after dinner by no means manufactured any person thin, a short-term moratorium on your electronic gadgets – a kind of “just say no” to digital overload, is a great start but is just a single part of a huge issue that calls for a multi-disciplinary answer.   

It is not sensible to basically stop consuming in an attempt to lose weight. In the same vein, you can’t just give up all your digital connection, either. Soon after all, your mobile phone and units are lifelines that we depend on, and by means of which others depend on us. What’s more—we really like them and we use what they supply us to thrive and stay linked. That is why it’s valuable to look at what the most effective weight management packages do to create a lifetime of confidence and lasting consuming habits. Let’s borrow from them to develop a lasting solution for managing pressure. Here’s the formula:

Opt for the highest level of communication.  That signifies prioritize mobile phone in excess of text, and encounter-to-encounter above telephone.

Set some guidelines for when and how you will use your devices. Mine consist of: In no way at the table (except if I am waiting for someone to demonstrate up). When I’m at dinner with my family members, the phone is off. No cell phones in business meetings. One gadget at a time (note: if this resonates with you, you actually need to have these ground principles).     

Leave it behind. Request by yourself, do you genuinely want your telephone when you’re grocery buying? Shoveling? Grabbing a salad with a buddy? Let’s wean ourselves off consistent attachment. (Study what occurred when Terri Trespicio made a decision to go out sans phone…to her massage.)

Routine time for replenishing rituals.  It’s one issue to begin to lower back on the time invested on routines (and with individuals) who drain you. But it is just as essential to make time for these issues that make you feel complete and refreshed and, effectively, like your self again—whether that is going for a run or studying a book (don’t forget people?). And while it sounds counterintuitive, yes, you require to schedule uninterrupted playtime—without your units.

Cultivate your safety net. Wonderful habits change packages, like AA, include support groups and safety nets. This vacation season I will co-opt my closest loved ones members to try out these tips along with me. And I will understand from my kids, who are so net native that they now are trending in direction of significantly less social, much less omnipresence in their device and media habits.  Let’s aid each and every other keep on track and concentrate with each other more on the communication with our voices and our eyes. It will make the vacation much more intimate and particular and set the tone for the New Yr.

The Best And Most Effective New Year"s Resolution: Put Your Smart Telephone On A Diet regime