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By Richard Thomason, Blue Shield of California Foundation, December 30, 2019 Domestic violence is a complex phenomenon that impacts families across generations. Victims can become perpetrators. Perpetrators are often victims. Family members who were never physically touched by violence are still deeply affected. Fear and shame can generate silence. These factors, and many others, allow the cycle to continue. A 2017 survey showed that 58% of Californians have been touched by domestic...

By Shannon Green, The Orlando Sentinel, January 3, 2020 Are you going to be OK, mom? Shibbon Winelle said those were among the final words uttered by her son, Bryce Gowdy, before he left their motel room and stood in front of a freight train. Bryce, who was 17, died of suicide a week before the Deerfield Beach football star was due to start classes at Georgia Tech on a scholarship Jan. 6. Bryce, his mom and his brothers were homeless again, and family members said he wrestled with his...

To ring in the New Year, I could quote statistics of how certain feelings benefit your cholesterol levels and pump up your immune system and extend your life by 2.3 years. We could discuss that science has proven that appreciation begets happiness and happiness is healthy. But you’ve already heard all that. So on the everyday shortcut wisdom front, what I really have found of value, if you want to have a life worth extending, is to love what you have, to appreciate the life you are living...

Have you heard, the year 2020 has been declared the Year of the Mother. Organizations and individuals from around the U.S. are invited to join the Year of the Mother movement. The official launch is 1/20/2020. On 1/20/20, you are invited to join the launch by posting your story and what you believe mothers need to be more supported using hashtag #yearofthemother Because we know that that a stable and supported mother can change everything... Learn more and get involved throughout the year...

By Dan Levin, The New York Times, December 28, 2019 Every month, Lila Edwards wakes up early for a two-hour road trip with a group of girls that ends with them walking single file through a metal detector. Inside an empty classroom, Lila eagerly and anxiously awaits Inmate 01740964. When the inmate, a woman serving a 40-year sentence for murder, walked in during a recent visit, Lila collapsed into her arms and didn’t let go for more than a minute. These monthly visits at a minimum security...

By Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times, December 30, 2019 The last two decades have brought both a sharp decline in automaking jobs in the United States and the rise of a deadly epidemic of opioid abuse. According to a new study, the two trends may well be related. The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that opioid deaths were about 85 percent higher among people of prime working age in counties where such factories remained open. The finding underscores the role that...

If we search the content of our hearts, we can locate several areas that can benefit from a dose of humility, which increases understanding of the necessity of gratitude. To consciously achieve success, it will require sacrificing your ego, pride, and sense of entitlement without relinquishing self-dignity. On the journey, individuals often encounter setbacks from poor decision-making skills, which alter their lifestyles, sense of security, and even general well-being. If you fall into this...

By Elissa S. Epel, The American Journal of Psychiatry, January 1, 2020 There has been growing scientific interest in telomere biology over the 35 years since its fundamental mechanisms were deciphered. Telomeres, the finely regulated protective caps at the tips of our chromosomes, play a critical role in aging, from yeast to humans. Telomeres are made of long, winding strands of repeat sequences of noncoding DNA, covered with protective proteins. Although their regulation and functions are...

By Katie May, Winnipeg Free Press, January 2, 2020 Manitoba’s largest sexual assault treatment program has expanded care for victims of domestic violence. Seeing a need for trauma-informed treatment that wasn’t solely for people who have been sexually assaulted, the forensic nurses at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre are now using their training to care for people who’ve been physically abused by their partners. Since Nov. 1, the team of about 14 sexual assault nurse examiners has also been...

Thoughts to share - “Abuse is never deserved, it is an exploitation of innocence.” Lorraine Nilon “When you can identify the insecurities inside the person that is hurting you then you can begin to heal. It isn’t about you. It is about their past.” Shannon L. Alder “Trauma… does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive.” Danielle Bernock Take care, Michael A diagnosis is not a destiny “...

By Miwako Nagasu, Kazutaka Kogi, and Isamu Yamamoto, BMC Public Health, December 30, 2019 Background There is rising public concern over the widening health inequalities in many countries. The aim of this study was to clarify the associations of socioeconomic status (SES)-related variables, such as levels of household disposable income and employment status, and lifestyle factors with mental health conditions among Japanese adults aged 40 to 69. Methods A cross-sectional study of 3085...

By Katherine Knott, The Daily Progress, January 2, 2020 Dr. Fern Hauck was nervous when she moved to Charlottesville more than 20 years ago to take a position at the University of Virginia Medical Center. She worried that the area wouldn’t be as diverse as she was used to — but then she found out about the International Rescue Committee’s local refugee resettlement program. Hauck, a family medicine doctor, wanted to provide refugees and immigrants in the area with a medical home, and in...