Health

Washington: Three-quarters of parents in a new national poll think peers better understand teen challenges including depression and anxiety, compared to teachers or counsellors in the school. The majority also agree that peer support leaders at school would encourage more teens to talk with someone about their mental health problems.

These are findings to C.S. Mott Children`s Hospital National Poll on Children`s Health at Michigan Medicine.

“Peers may provide valuable support for fellow teens struggling with emotional issues because they can relate to each other,” says Mott Poll Co-Director Sarah Clark, M.P.H.

“Some teens may worry that their parents will overreact or not understand what they`re going through. Teachers and school counsellors may also have limited time to talk with students in the middle of other responsibilities.”

Previous research suggests that as many as half of children and teens who have at least one treatable mental health disorder may not receive treatment due to several barriers. But teens who don`t have a diagnosed condition may still experience occasional problems with emotions, peer and family relationships, anxiety, academic challenges, substance abuse or other issues negatively impacting self-esteem. These type of situations may increase risk of developing or triggering depression during tween and teen years, experts say.

Some schools have instituted peer support leaders to give teens safe channels to share problems. Teens who serve as mentors in these programs are trained with oversight from teachers, counsellors or mental health professionals. They are available to talk with their fellow students on a walk-in basis at a designated place at school or by referral from school staff.

“We have seen strong examples of school programs that prepare teens to be good listeners and to identify warning signs of suicide or other serious problems,” Clark says.

“The peer support mentors` role is to listen, suggest problem-solving strategies, share information about resources, and, when appropriate, encourage their fellow student to seek help.”

“The most essential task is to pick up on signs that suggest the student needs immediate attention and to alert the adults overseeing the program. While this doesn`t replace the need for professional support, these programs offer young people a non-threatening way to start working through their problems.”

The nationally-representative poll report included responses from 1,000 parents of teens ages 13-18 about their views on programs like peer support leaders.

Weighing benefits and concerns of peer support, most parents say they see benefits to peer mentor programs. Thirty-eight per cent believe if their own teen was struggling with a mental health problem, their teen would likely talk to a peer support leader and 41% of parents say it`s possible their teen would take advantage of this option. Another 21% say it`s unlikely their child would seek support from a peer mentor.

However, parents did express some concerns about peers providing mental health support to fellow teens as well. 

Some worried about whether a peer would keep their teen`s information confidential (62%), if the peer leader would know when and how to inform adults about a problem (57%), if the peer leader would be able to tell if their teen needs immediate crisis help (53%), and if teens can be trained to provide this kind of support (47%).

“Some of the parents` biggest concerns pertained to whether the peer leader would be able to tell if their teen needed immediate professional intervention and how to initiate those next steps,” Clark says.

Despite these concerns, a third of parents still say they “definitely favour” having a peer support leaders program through their teen`s school, while 46% say they would probably support such a program. 

A quarter of parents also say their teen`s school already has some type of peer support program – and these parents are twice as likely to favour such efforts.

“This suggests that parent support increases once they understand how peer support programs work,” Clark says. 

“Most parents agree with the rationale for peer support programs but may be uncertain until they see how they operate and benefit students.

“Two in three parents, or 64%, would also allow their teen to be trained as a peer support leader, recognizing the benefits to the community, the school and their child`s individual growth. However, roughly half of parents worried whether there would be sufficient training and that their teen may feel responsible if something bad happened to a student using the program. About 30% weren`t sure if their teen was mature enough to serve as a peer support leader.

“Most parents approve of their teen being trained as a peer support leader, seeing it at as an opportunity to develop leadership skills and better understand the challenges that different teens face,” Clark says. 

“But many also wanted reassurance that teens in these roles would have the adult guidance and support necessary to deal with difficult emotional situations.”

“Close connection to knowledgeable adults is an essential part of any school-based peer mental health program, particularly in regards to suicide prevention,” she says.

Clark says parents of teens considering service as a peer support leader may want to learn more about the training and resources offered, including whether the peer support leaders receive counselling and support in the event of a negative outcome.

She adds that when it comes to young people`s mental health, “it takes a village” to support them and help identify warning signs that they may be in trouble.

“The adults in teens` lives – including parents, teachers and other mentors – serve critical roles during challenging times,” Clark says.

“But peers may also be an untapped resource to help teens who need someone to talk to,” Clark added. 

GENEVA: A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem the initial outbreak of the coronavirus earlier and questioned whether the U.N. health agency should have labeled it a pandemic sooner.

In a report issued Monday, the panel led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said there were “lost opportunities to apply basic public health measures at the earliest opportunity” and that Chinese authorities could have applied their efforts “more forcefully” in January shortly after the coronavirus began sickening clusters of people.

“The reality is that only a minority of countries took full advantage of the information available to them to respond to the evidence of an emerging pandemic,” the panel said.

The experts also wondered why WHO did not declare a global public health emergency sooner. The U.N. health agency convened its emergency committee on Jan. 22 but did not characterize the emerging pandemic as an international emergency until a week later. At the time, WHO said its expert committee was divided on whether a global emergency should be declared.

“One more question is whether it would have helped if WHO used the word pandemic earlier than it did,” the panel said.

WHO did not describe the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic until March 11, weeks after the virus had begun causing explosive outbreaks in numerous continents, meeting WHO’s own definition for a flu pandemic.

As the coronavirus began spreading across the globe, WHO’s top experts disputed how infectious the virus was, saying it was not as contagious as flu and that people without symptoms only rarely spread the virus. Scientists have since concluded that Covid-19 transmits even quicker than the flu and that a significant proportion of spread is from people who don’t appear to be sick.

Over the past year, WHO has come under heavy criticism for its handling of the response to Covid-19. U.S. President Trump slammed the U.N. health agency for “colluding” with China to cover up the extent of the initial outbreak before halting U.S. funding for WHO and pulling the country out of the organization.

An Associated Press investigation in June found WHO repeatedly lauded China in public while officials privately complained that Chinese officials stalled on sharing critical epidemic information with them.

Although the panel concluded that “many countries took minimal action to prevent the spread (of Covid-19) internally and internationally,” it did not name specific countries. It also declined to call out WHO for its failure to more sharply criticize countries for their missteps instead of lauding countries for their response efforts.

Last month, the author of a withdrawn WHO report into Italy’s pandemic response warned his bosses in May that people could die and the agency could suffer “catastrophic” reputational damage if it allowed political concerns to suppress the document, according to emails obtained by the AP.

Guwahati: For providing food and medicine to the patients, two robots were handed over to Assam medical and college (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal handed over two robots to Principal AMCH Dr. Sanjib Kakati as a part of the Covid-19 infrastructure equipment grant sponsored by Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Rotary Club of Dibrugarh and Rotary Club of Dhaka Royal, Bangladesh under the support of Global Grant at a function held at John Berry White Auditorium at AMCH, Dibrugarh.

The robots are remotely Controllable Robotic Vehicle that are designed for delivering foods, medicines and other necessary goods to the Covid-19 patients as well as patients with other extremely contagious disease inside the isolation chambers of the quarantine facilities.

Sonowal thanked co-founder Arunjyoti Borgohain Yantrabot Technologies Pvt Limited for designing the robot. Speaking about the countrywide inoculation drive of Covid-19 that started on Saturday nationally, Sonowal hailed all the frontline warriors and health workers for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic with conviction and valour. He also thanked the various departments and organisations for relentlessly contributing towards fighting against the pandemic.

Sonowal also stressed upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and the resultant initiatives in the field of science and technology that made tremendous contribution towards tackling the pandemic. He further added that the YANTRABOT robots will have a huge role in rendering care to the patients in the hospitals. He also appreciated Rotary’s service to mankind and requested the members of the organization to use Sports, Culture and Education as tools to bolster human development.

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Rameshwar Teli while speaking on the occasion thanked the Rotary Club of Dibrugarh for helping AMCH for dealing with Covid-19 pandemic and strengthening the infrastructure to fight against the virus.

Speaking on the occasion Rotary Past District Governor Rtn. Kalpana Khound, who gave the welcome address, briefed about the Covid-19 infrastructure project and also about Rotary India and Rotary District’s contribution to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

NEW DELHI: People adopting a “wait and watch” approach, lack of communication and glitches in CoWin app are the major reasons why only 53 per cent people got the COVID-19 shots on the first day in Delhi, experts said on Sunday.

In Delhi, 4,319 healthcare workers “ 53.3 per cent of those registered “ got the shots on Saturday, the first day of the world’s largest vaccination drive against the pandemic.

“There is a little bit of apprehension (about the vaccine). Also, people in India adopt a ‘wait and watch’ approach in important matters, be it purchasing a new car or an appliance. People consider the experiences of others before taking a call,” B L Sherwal, Medical Director of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, said.

In his hospital, 45 people got the jabs on Saturday.

“There is a need for creating more awareness and building confidence among people. No major vaccine-related side effects were reported on Saturday, which is going to encourage others to take the shots,” he said.

An AIIMS security guard had developed an allergic reaction after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. He was kept under observation of doctors at the hospital, an official had said on Saturday.

A total of 51 cases of minor reactions such as rashes, swelling at the injection site or fever were reported in the city on the first day, according to officials.

Sherwal said 53 per cent turnout should be considered “normal”. “Since people are voluntarily taking the jabs, many times they skip it if there is some important work,” he said.

“It took a lot of effort for 20 years to eradicate polio. There was resistance. Similar efforts will be needed in case of COVID-19 immunization campaign,” he added.

Suresh Kumar, medical director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, said technical glitches in CoWin app could be a reason why many people could not take the shots on the launch day.

CoWin is an online platform for monitoring COVID-19 vaccine delivery.

Only 32 people were given the jabs at LNJP hospital on Saturday.

“There were some glitches in the app at our hospital. We expect the number to increase during the course of the drive,” Kumar said.

N K Ganguly, former director-general of Indian Council of Medical Research, said the numbers will increase gradually as people become “well-informed” about the vaccines.

“The government will have to strengthen the information dissemination process. The vaccine has reached the centres, now information needs to reach everyone,” he said.

People are also facing difficulty operating the CoWin app. Technical glitches need to be rectified quickly to make the process smooth, Ganguly said.

Questions have also been raised on the efficacy of the vaccines, especially about Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

On Saturday, the Resident Doctors’ Association of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital requested the hospital to vaccinate them with Serum Institute’s Covishield instead of Covaxin.

The association wrote a letter and said the doctors were a bit apprehensive about Covaxin due to the lack of a complete trail.

Those taking Covaxin are asked to sign a separate consent form, acknowledging that the jab is being administered without the phase-3 trial.

Express News Service

All the teachers out there, beware. Conducting online lectures while sitting for long hours can be dangerous for you, as was seen recently in a case at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, Ghaziabad. 

A 40-year-old school teacher, was brought to the hospital in emergency, with severe breathlessness and discomfort in the chest. Some tests and scans later it was found that she had blood clots in both her main pulmonary arteries as well as in her leg veins (a condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis -DVT).  

Even her dietary pattern was erratic, and she wasn’t hydrating her body well, all adding up to her slowly developing this lethal condition. Even a small delay in treatment could have turned fatal for her, say doctors. “Prolonged immobilisation leads to clotting in the veins in our leg.

This clot can eventually travel to the lungs or heart and cause sudden blockage of blood vessels which can lead to low oxygen levels in the blood causing lung damage and, eventually, heart failure,” says Dr Amit Malik, Associate Director and Coordinator, Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, adding, “Pulmonary Embolism is a life-threatening condition and can happen because of the immobility of lower limbs for long duration or dehydration. It can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.”But this is not just a lone case. 

Doctors in various hospitals across Delhi-NCR have been getting patients of pulmonary embolism with alarming regularity. All this is due to an excessive lack of physical activity due to prolonged sedentary lifestyle, an aftermath of working out of a computer from home. While doctors have been warning people against the sedentary lifestyle, exhorting them to take a walk after every one hour of sitting, it seems not many are paying attention to this. This explains the steady number of patients of pulmonary embolism. 

“There are a lot of cases of COVID patients having pulmonary embolism – about five per cent of these are moderate to severe. But even in non-covid category we get such patients, four-five every month,” says Dr Akshay Buddhiraja, Akash Healthcare. Dr Arunesh Kumar, Head of Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram puts this number to two patients every week.  

“Apart from those with chronic sedentary lifestyle (teachers and those who sit for 8-9 hours in offices), pulmonary embolism happens in obese people, smokers, women who consume birth-control pills and those having DVT,” says Dr Buddhiraja adding, “It usually happens after 35 years of age, and the situation gets alarming if a patient has co morbidities.”“Even those who undertake long road trips or long-haul flights should be careful.

Once we got a patient who reached Delhi at night, after a long flight and by morning developed the symptoms,” says Dr Kumar, adding that train journeys are better since people usually move around in trains. Dr Kumar advises people who don’t walk or cannot walk to do feet exercises regularly. “The idea is to move calf muscles. Even massage can help to some extent,” he says.

A word of caution

• If you have a bed-ridden person at home change his posture regularly, and arrange for physiotherapy sessions

• For those having sitting jobs, take a break every hour and walk

• Get your risk factor identified if there is a genetic history of disease in your family.

• Be aware of the symptoms (unease in chest and breathlessness) in case you consume birth control pills

• Follow a diet and exercise regimen if you are over-weight/obese. And always keep yourself hydrated.

NEW DELHI: How does a candidate for DNB (a postgraduate medical degree) ranked around 34,600 in the entrance exam get allotted a high-demand specialty like radio diagnosis in a highly regarded institution? How does one ranked around 15,000 get into an institution which usually gets filled around rank 5,000? It is through an opaque process where candidates allotted to institutions that lose accreditation are ‘relocated’ to those where seats are still vacant. Candidates have accused the National Board of Examination (NBE) of facilitating such ‘back-door entry’ for select candidates.

Every year, the NBE, which regulates postgraduate courses in various medical specialties, mostly in private hospitals, allots candidates to hospitals according to their preference and ranking in the entrance exam. However, the board often withdraws accreditation of entire hospitals or of seats in a few specialties after allotment, leaving hundreds of students in the lurch. In most such cases, complaints about the hospitals that lose accreditation would have been made months or even years back, but NBE not only includes the seats in these hospitals in the counselling process, it even allots students to them only to later cancel accreditation.

Take the case of two students ranked in the range of 35,000 and allotted transfusion medicine in Nayati hospital in Mathura. The accreditation for Nayati was later cancelled and they were relocated to other hospitals for specialities like radio diagnosis and ophthalmology, both much more sought after. “How did they get to change their specialty? How come the seats they were given were never openly available for the mop-up counselling? There is zero transparency on how relocation is done and nothing is put in the public domain,” said a candidate still awaiting relocation months after accreditation was cancelled.

The roulette of relocation can also work against you. In one such case, a candidate with rank around 15,000 was allotted general medicine in Amaltas Medical College in MP in August last year. On November 6, NBE withdrew accreditation and offered a general medicine seat in a 200-bed hospital in Hyderabad. “I had chosen a medical college because according to the regulations, if I do DNB from a medical college or a hospital with over 500 beds, I don’t need to do an extra year of senior residency to have equivalence with MD/MS. Now, I’m being allocated to a 200-bed hospital, which means I’ll have to do an extra year. I’ve filed a case, but it’s a financial loss to fight a case and mental harassment on top of it,” said the candidate.

Candidates from an earlier batch allocated to Amaltas had complained to NBE about the institution over a year back. Yet, NBE included Amaltas’ seats in the 2020 counselling with no indication of the complaints or that it was under the scanner and allocated students there, and then went on to cancel its accreditation.

In another case, a student with rank around 16,500 was allocated emergency medicine in Columbia Asia Hospital in Bengaluru. The candidate had chosen Bengaluru as her husband was working in the city. She joined the hospital on August 26. The NBE conducted an inspection on September 10 and the accreditation for emergency medicine seats was cancelled by October end. “I was offered a seat in a 200-bed hospital in Ahmedabad and another in Delhi which were at the level of rank 22,000 or less. I was also told that if I didn’t join the allotted seat I would be debarred from DNB for three years,” she said.

Every year, accreditation of seats in over a dozen hospitals is withdrawn because they fail to maintain academic standards or to pay regular stipend. In 2020, for instance, about 100 students had to be relocated as accreditation for all DNB courses in hospitals like Aditya Birla Hospital in Pune, Nayati, Amaltas and CMRI, Kolkata, were shut down, while accreditation to specific courses in hospitals like Columbia Asia and Global Hospital, Pune was withdrawn.

“NBE doesn’t put out inspection reports of hospitals. There’s no public record of complaints received against hospitals and no date of accreditation. Why is NBE not taking responsibility for accrediting substandard institutions?” asked a former office bearer of the Association of DNB Doctors. NBE did not respond to TOI’s queries despite several reminders.

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Thursday, confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching India’s mass inoculation drive against the Covid-19 pandemic on January 16. “The massive countrywide Covid-19 vaccination drive will be rolled out by Prime Minister from January 16. This would be the world’s largest immunisation exercise,” the Health Ministry said. As part of the launch, PM Modi will be interacting with some of the beneficiaries who will get the vaccine shots on Saturday, through videoconferencing. ALSO READ | Corona Vaccination LIVE: PM Modi To Interact With Vaccinated Healthcare Workers From Coimbatore On January 16

This will be the world’s largest vaccination programme covering the entire length and breadth of the country and all preparations are in place to initiate the programme on the principles of ‘Jan Bhagidari’, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The PMO statement said the vaccination programme is based on principles of priority groups to be vaccinated first. Healthcare workers, both in the government and private sectors, including Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, will receive the vaccine during this phase.

Here Is All You Need To Know About India’s Covid Vaccination Drive

PM Modi To Launch Covid Vaccination Drive

As the country is all set to launch the vaccination drive, which is one of the largest immunization drives in the world, will be launched on January 16, by PM Modi.

“PM Modi will launch pan India rollout of Covid-19 vaccination drive on Jan 16 at 10:30am via video conferencing. Total 3006 session sites across all States/UTs to be virtually connected during the launch. Around 100 beneficiaries to be vaccinated at each session site on Jan 16,” PMO said.

According to reports, PM may also launch the CoWin (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network) App, a digital platform created for real-time monitoring of Covid-19 vaccine delivery and distribution.

Separately, sources said Modi is likely to interact via video link with some healthcare workers from across the country who will be receiving the shots on the first day. Officials at New Delhi’s AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals, which are among the shortlisted facilities, said they are “ready for a two-way communication”.

Over 3 Lakh People To Get Vaccinated

As the first phase of vaccination is set to cover 30 crore frontline workers, which include health care workers and policemen, on the first day of the drive around three lakh people will get the vaccine administered to them, at 3006 sites on the very first day.

As part of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries.

According to the guidelines issued to the shortlisted vaccination centres, healthcare workers (those registered in Co-WIN to be vaccinated) on the launch shall include not only doctors, nurses but also nursing orderlies, safai karamcharis, ambulance drivers, and would be from a mixed age group, including above 50 years.

1.65 Cr Doses Allocated To States, UTs

According to data from the health ministry, a full initial procurement of 1.65 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines, “Covishield” which is developed by Serum Institute of India, and “Covaxin” which is developed by Bharat Biotech has been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database.

“Therefore, there is no question of discrimination against any State in the allocation of vaccination doses. This is an initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come. Therefore, any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded,” the health ministry said.

Only 100 Vaccinations Per Day Per Site

The Union Health Ministry has also advised the states to administer doses to not more than 100 beneficiaries and not to organize “unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day”

The ministry also said that states and UTs have also been advised to increase the number of vaccination session sites that would be operational every day in a progressive manner as the vaccination process stabilizes and moves forward.

It is also worth mentioning that the Union Government will be bearing the cost of vaccination to healthcare and frontline workers.

Preventing Infections and Improving Survival

Your immune system is on patrol every day. It protects your body from bacteria, viruses, and other germs. But if something goes wrong, it can also cause big problems.

Sepsis happens when your body’s response to an infection spirals out of control. Your body releases molecules into the blood called cytokines to fight the infection. But those molecules then trigger a chain reaction.

“Sepsis is basically a life-threatening infection that leads to organ dysfunction,” says Dr. Richard Hotchkiss, who studies sepsis at Washington University in St. Louis.
The most dangerous stage of sepsis is called septic shock. It can cause multiple organs to fail, including the liver, lungs, and kidneys.

Septic shock begins when the body’s response to an infection damages blood vessels. When blood vessels are damaged, your blood pressure can drop very low. Without normal blood flow, your body can’t get enough oxygen.

Almost 1.7 million people in the U.S. develop sepsis every year. Even with modern treatments, it still kills nearly 270,000 of those. Many recover. But some have lifelong damage to the body and brain.

“We can get many people over that first infection that caused the sepsis,” Hotchkiss explains. “But then they’re at risk of dying from a second infection because of their weakened condition.”

Bacterial infections cause most sepsis cases. But sepsis can also result from other infections, including viral infections, such as COVID-19 or the flu (influenza).

Anyone can get sepsis. But certain people are at higher risk, including infants, children, and older adults.

The early symptoms of sepsis are similar to those of many other conditions. These can include fever, chills, rapid breathing or heart rate, a skin rash, confusion, and disorientation.

It’s important to know the symptoms. Sepsis is a medical emergency. If you or your loved one has an infection that’s not getting better or is getting worse, get medical care immediately.

Researchers are now looking for better ways to diagnose sepsis. One strategy is to use artificial intelligence to predict a patient’s risk of sepsis when they have an infection.

There are few medicines that help treat sepsis. Doctors try to stop the infection and support the functions of vital organs. This usually includes giving oxygen and fluids.

Hotchkiss and other researchers are exploring new treatments for the condition. His team has been testing ways to measure which immune cells are affected by sepsis.

The traditional understanding of sepsis, he says, is that the body responds too strongly to an infection. But his group has found that the body also makes too few of some important types of immune cells. This makes it hard for the body to effectively fight the infection that first triggered sepsis. It can also cause a lot of collateral damage, and make you more vulnerable to other germs.

Hotchkiss’s team is now testing ways to boost the immune cells that are vital for fighting infections using drugs. They’ve found they can increase these cells in patients with sepsis. Next, they will be testing whether this new approach can improve survival.

For now, preventing infections is the best way to avoid sepsis. See the Wise Choices box for tips on staying ahead of sepsis.

Ways to Improve Your Well-Being

Have you been feeling more stressed than usual? Many people are during these challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic has many people feeling overwhelmed.

Everyone feels stress sometimes. It’s a natural response to a challenge or demand. Stress can come from the day-to-day pressures of work and family.

But stress is much more than just being busy, explains Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of The Ohio State University, who studies the effects of stress on the body.

“It’s the feeling that you’re overloaded, out of control, and unable to cope,” she says.

Stress can also come from a sudden negative change in your life like a divorce or losing a job. Traumatic events like a major accident, assault, or natural disaster can cause severe stress.

It’s important for your health and well-being to learn how to cope with stress. Researchers are working to understand how stress affects health. They’re also studying ways to relieve stress. These techniques may help you to feel calmer and more relaxed.

Stress and the Body

Stress isn’t always bad. It’s actually a survival response. It helps you leap into action in the face of a threat. Your heart rate speeds up, and you breathe faster as you prepare to fight or run to safety.

Short-term stress can even help you perform—you’re more able to ace an interview or meet a project deadline. But when stress lasts a long time, it may also harm your health. Your body is constantly acting as if it were in immediate danger.

“There’s a really big body of research now that says that chronic stress promotes inflammationHeat, swelling, and redness caused by the body’s protective response to injury or infection.,” says Kiecolt-Glaser.

Inflammation is associated with many diseases, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and some mental health conditions.

Stress may also affect your metabolism—the chemical changes in the body that release energy and produce the substances you need to grow, move, and stay healthy.

Kiecolt-Glaser’s research shows that stressful events can cause the body to burn fewer calories at rest. Stress can also cause changes in mood and increase irritability with those around us.

Ways to De-Stress

The first step is to recognize the signs that you’re stressed beyond a normal level. Trouble sleeping can be one. Some people get headaches or stomachaches. Stress can also cause changes in appetite that lead you to gain or lose weight.

Once you know you need to reduce stress, there are practical steps you can try. Getting regular exercise can be helpful. Doing an activity you enjoy can also help with stress. This can be anything—from dancing to making art or getting out into nature or having fun with friends.

Making sure to get enough sleep is important, too. “People are more sensitive to stress when they don’t have enough sleep,” says Kiecolt-Glaser.

Staying socially connected is important, too. Close personal relationships are key to reducing stress. Reaching out to friends and family by phone, video chat, and email can help you stay in touch even when you’re not able to see them in person.

“Make a conscious effort to reach out and to maintain contact,” says Kiecolt-Glaser. “Loneliness is really destructive.”

Eating regular, well-balanced meals and avoiding alcohol and other drugs also help reduce stress.

Mindfulness Approaches

Using mindfulness helps some people cope with stress. It teaches you to focus on being present in the moment. Research shows that simply being aware of what you’re doing can improve well-being.

One study showed that people spent nearly half of their waking life not paying attention to what they were doing, says Dr. Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an expert on mindfulness. “And when they were not paying attention to what they’re doing, they were significantly less happy.”

Davidson’s research is shedding light on how mindfulness affects the brain to improve mood. “Regular mindfulness practices can have an impact on specific circuitry in the brain that we know to be important in emotion regulation,” he explains.

For those starting to practice mindfulness: One size is not likely to fit all. Davidson recommends starting modestly with three to five minutes, a few times a day. That way you don’t get overwhelmed and stop. There are many mindfulness apps available that teach different techniques.

Just Breathe

The simple act of controlled breathing can bring stress relief.

“It’s well known that slow breathing techniques have a positive effect on emotional state,” says Dr. Jack Feldman of UCLA, an expert on the neuroscience of breathing.

His research has identified the brain circuits responsible for breathing and sighing. Now he’s working to understand how breathing techniques affect the brain to improve mood.

Breathing techniques can be used to help people who are depressed or anxious. Controlled breathing may disrupt the brain circuits involved in depression, he explains.

There are many different breathing techniques you can try. Practicing a few minutes a day can help you get started.

“People who start up a breathing practice may find that it reduces their stress and anxiety considerably,” he says.

If you want to try controlled breathing, “belly breathing” is a simple form. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, taking air into your lower belly. The hand on your stomach should rise, while the hand on your chest remains still. Slowly exhale through your mouth.

For more tips on relieving stress, see the Wise Choices box.

New Delhi: The Education Ministry has asked the states to conduct a door-to-door survey to identify out-of-school children and prepare an action plan for their enrolment as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially on migrants, according to officials. The ministry has also recommended relaxing detention norms to prevent drop-outs this year as well as a slew of measures to address learning loss due to the coronavirus-induced shutdown of schools.

The move is particularly aimed at identification, admission and continued education of migrant children who have been affected during the pandemic, they said.

“In order to mitigate the impact of challenges thrown by the Covid-19 pandemic for out of school children, it was felt necessary for every state and UT to devise a proper strategy for preventing increased dropouts, lower enrolments, loss of learning and deterioration in the gains made in providing universal access, quality and equity in the recent years,” a senior ministry official said.

“The states and UTs have been advised to carry out proper identification of Out-of-School Children (OoSC) for 6 to 18 years age group through a comprehensive door-to-door survey and prepare an action plan for their enrolment,” the official added.

The ministry has also issued guidelines for offering support to students during the closure of schools and when they reopen.

“To ensure that school-going children have access to education with quality and equity and to minimize the impact of the pandemic on school education across the country, the Ministry of Education has prepared and issued detailed guidelines on steps to be taken by the States and UTs during school closure and when the schools reopen,” the official said.

Exploring the option of classroom-on-wheels and classes in small groups at the village level, increasing the access of children to online and digital resources, use of TV and radio to reduce learning losses and ensuring easy and timely access to the provisions of uniforms, textbooks and mid-day meals are among the recommendations made by the ministry for student support during the closure of schools.

Similarly, the guidelines for student support when schools reopen after prolonged closure include preparation and running of school readiness modules and bridge course for the initial period so that they can adjust to the school environment and do not feel stressed or left-out.

Identifying students across different grades based on their learning levels and relaxing detention norms to prevent drop out this year have also been recommended.

The ministry has also suggested encouraging children to read books beyond the syllabus and indulge in creative writing and problem solving for ensuring reading with comprehension and numeracy skills.

Large-scale remedial programmes and learning enhancement programmes should be held to mitigate learning loss and inequality, it recommended.