The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and everyone is itching to get out and enjoy that beautiful sunshine — especially after a few months of quarantine and staying home to stay safe. But the numbers of COVID-19 cases are not encouraging. In fact, they're soaring. Just because we’re all ready to move on and shift gears into summer, we may be more likely to put ourselves and our...
Acne can be a frustrating problem that robs many of their self-confidence. It's hard enough to be a teen with acne, but adults often feel stigmatized by their acne struggles if they continue unchecked into adulthood. And now, with the need to wear masks during the pandemic, even those who don’t normally have skin problems may be having issues, too. Termed “maskne,” this mask-induced acne is a real...
COVID-19 has altered so much of our day-to-day lives, we barely blinked at all the candy chutes this Halloween, if we even noticed. Or maybe we did a stay-home Halloween. We've modified our routines, switched to working from home, and learned to help our kids through a Zoom call. And here we are, sliding into the holidays as new lockdowns are being implemented and restrictions tighten again for much...
Difficult times can call for desperate measures—and the pandemic is -definitely a difficult time-, so coping with the pandemic can call for desperate measures. Sometimes it feels like we’ve all slipped through the looking-glass, and while some of us are handling these challenges well, -others are struggling-—and who is which might switch at any time. All that’s missing is the Mad Hatter offering a...
It’s a scary time to be alive. Especially so if you or someone you love has a preexisting condition that may predispose you or them to a severe or seven deadly encounter with COVID-19. When going out for basic supplies, the smallest rogue coughs or sniffles are cause for concern. And then there’s the added complication of -asymptomatic- spreaders — people who don’t look or act sick but are actively...
It's stressful enough just trying to get by on an average day these days, isn't it? But then you compound that with myriad challenges on a global scale and many of us are truly suffering what's called "crisis fatigue." it may seem like a made-up term but it's a clinical reality that threatens the wellbeing of even the most well-adjusted people. It's very real and even dangerous. Here's how to recognize...
Early on in the pandemic, some sources seemed intent on sowing confusion over best practices. What their motivation was, one can only guess, but the result is that some people are still confused and feeling as though there's been a "back and forth" approach when the reality is that the experts have been aligned from the beginning and one thing is clear: mask use will help control the spread of the...
COVID-19 has left many of us feeling worried and uncertain about the future. We’ve watched the -statistics-, holding our breaths collectively as the numbers change. We’ve crossed our fingers while protests surge and reopenings abound. And now, we can only wait and see whether we’ve set ourselves up for a an even more devastating wave of disease. A look around the world has shown us how dangerous it...
Have all the headlines on infection numbers and antibody testing left you feeling confused? If so, you’re not alone. Even researchers have been scratching their heads, uncertain of how this pandemic is going to play out. But antibody testing is looking really promising. So let's look at how it works and how they hope to use it. Research on immune responses to coronaviruses has shown they can be tricky....
Being under quarantine has been a challenge for many of us. It's hard to feel stuck. Maybe you didn't even want to go out but now that you can't it sure sounds good, doesn't it? But if your health routine was dependent on going to the gym, heading out for a run, or daily shopping trips for fresh veg, this is going to be a challenge. Staying healthy during a quarantine can feel hopeless, like you may...