Wellness Tip 4d Changing Climate: Develop Trust for Better Health

Trust your neighbours to be healthy - The Times of India: "Eileen Bjornstrom, an assistant professor of sociology in the MU College of Arts and Science, found that people reported better health when they trusted their neighbours.

"I examined the idea of 'relative position,' or where one fits into the income distribution in their local community, as it applies to both trust of neighbours and self-rated health," said Bjornstrom.

"Because human beings engage in interpersonal comparisons in order to gauge individual characteristics, it has been suggested that a low relative position, or feeling that you are below another person financially, leads to stress and negative emotions such as shame, hostility and distrust, and that health suffers as a consequence.

"While most people aren't aware of how trust impacts them, results indicated that trust was a factor in a person's overall health," she stated. "

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Climate Change Update: Pray that naysayers are right about climate change | David Horsey Cartoons and Commentary - seattlepi.com

Pray that naysayers are right about climate change | David Horsey Cartoons and Commentary - seattlepi.com: "Environmentalists have heard President Obama say it is time to rise to the challenge of global warming and begin weaning the country from its oil addiction. But, when it comes to the pipeline, they fear his actions will not match his rhetoric. This week, the State Department gave the go-ahead to the Keystone XL pipeline, insisting the project would not have significant environmental impacts (a conclusion that seems to be at odds with concerns expressed by Obama’s own Environmental Protection Agency).


Energy Secretary Steven Chu also disheartened environmentalists by saying, “Having Canada as a supplier for our oil is much more comforting than having other countries supply our oil.” Essentially, Chu is echoing the most compelling argument of pipeline proponents, which is that we’d be crazy not to replace the crude the U.S. currently imports from problematic sources like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela with abundant oil from our Canadian compatriots. It would be a geopolitical coup and a boost to our economy." (view link for complete article)

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Climate Change Update: View: Market, Politicians Split on Climate Change - Bloomberg

View: Market, Politicians Split on Climate Change - Bloomberg: "No one can say for certain that any single weather event flows from the warmer air caused by carbon emissions, which in turn lead to more rainfall, floods and snowfall over some parts of the planet, and more drought in other parts. But last year was the hottest on record. Arctic ice is at record low levels. Regardless of what politicians say, insurers must factor all this into premiums.

Swiss Re, the second-largest reinsurer, is developing scenarios using probabilistic modeling to help government officials cope. The reinsurer studied the effects of climate change in vulnerable areas such as Samoa, Mali, Caribbean islands and Miami.
No matter which model it chose -- no change, moderate changes or extreme changes -- Swiss Re concludes it’s cheaper to adapt now than to sit and wait.
It recommends building codes that require more water- and wind-proofing, zoning laws that prevent planting trees close to buildings and power lines, redesigned beaches that absorb storm surge, and restoration of wetlands."

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Wellness Tip 4d Changing Climate: New Study:high-protein intake has been shown to reduce body weight and fat mass

Make Back to School a Healthy Occasion With Karoun Dairies' Low-Fat and Non-Fat Yogurts - MarketWatch: "A new study out of Madrid, Spain shows that low-glycemic foods, and moderately high-protein intake has been shown to reduce body weight and fat mass(1). As obesity rates rise, so do metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes often made worse by high sugar and excessive carbohydrate intake. Put aside the sugary snacks and make back to school healthy this fall with high-protein diet.

Reducing body weight and fat mass, not only helps to avoid detrimental health risks but it also has beneficial effects by lowering cholesterol, triglyceride concentrations and post-meal glucose curve. In other words, meals that contain protein keep the body's systems in check and helps stabilize blood sugar."

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Wellness Tip 4d Changing Climate: Laughter Improves Vascular Health | Psych Central News

Laughter Improves Vascular Health | Psych Central News: "“The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium (or inner cell wall of a blood vessel), after laughing was consistent and similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic exercise or statin use,” said Miller.

The endothelium has a powerful effect on blood vessel tone and regulates blood flow, adjusts coagulation and blood thickening, and produces chemicals in response to injury and inflammation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

“The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so it is very possible that laughing on a regular basis may be useful to incorporate as part of an overall healthy lifestyle to prevent heart disease.

“In other words, eat your veggies, exercise and get a good belly laugh every day,” Miller said."

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Climate Change Update: Extreme weather rages, but not concerns over climate change — Cleantech News and Analysis

Extreme weather rages, but not concerns over climate change — Cleantech News and Analysis: "Chinese consumers also were less concerned about climate change in the latest poll, and 64 percent said they were concerned in 2011, compared to 77 percent in 2009 (a drop of 17 percent).

For regions with respondents that were less concerned about climate change, other environmental issues also grew in prominence over climate change. For example, environmental concerns like air pollution, use of pesticides, water pollution, packaging waste and water shortages.

In contrast to the declines in concern in the U.S. and China, the study found that concern over climate change increased in Latin America to 90 percent in 2011, up from 85 percent in 2009. In the Middle East and Africa concern over climate jumped to 80 percent in 2011, from 69 percent in 2009 — the highest increase regionally."

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Climate Change Update: Mental illness rise linked to climate

Mental illness rise linked to climate: "The paper suggests a possible link between Australia's recent decade-long drought and climate change. It points to a breakdown of social cohesion caused by loss of work and associated stability, adding that the suicide rate in rural communities rose by 8 per cent.

The report also looks at mental health in the aftermath of major weather events possibly linked to climate change.

It shows that one in 10 primary school children reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of cyclone Larry in 2006. More than one in 10 reported symptoms more than three months after the cyclone.

''There's really clear evidence around severe weather events,'' the executive director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute, Professor Ian Hickie, said.

''We're now more sophisticated in understanding the mental health effects and these effects are one of the major factors.

''What we have seriously underestimated is the effects on social cohesion. That is very hard to rebuild and they are critical to the mental health of an individual.''

Professor Hickie, who is launching the report today, said climate change and particularly severe weather events were likely to be a major factor influencing mental health in the future."

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