fact
Doctors used to prescribe ‘Obecalp,’ a sugar pill that is literally ‘placebo’ spelled backwards, for various illnesses such as psychosomatic disorders and chronic ailments.
The post Doctors used to prescribe ‘Obecalp,’… appeared first on Crazy Facts.
The pandemic has been difficult for many of us, but it’s been especially isolating and frightening for those living in nursing homes or assisted living centers.
For their own safety, elderly individuals have been kept strictly separated from their loved ones, and sometimes even each other. But that doesn’t mean they have to be alone.
In June of 2020, the staff and residents of Phoenix Assisted Care took matters into their own hands and put out a call for pen-pals on Facebook.
You can send my letters to:Phoenix Assisted CareKen201 West High StreetCary, NC 27513Thanks for writing me! ❤️
Posted by Victorian Senior Care on Thursday, June 25, 2020
Staff members took pictures of residents holding up signs listing their names and some favorite topics of conversation.
Members of the community were encouraged to write letters to these seniors.
Neither the residents nor staff members thought the post would go viral!
You can send my letters to:Phoenix Assisted CareIva201 West High StreetCary, NC 27513Thanks for writing me! ❤️
Posted by Victorian Senior Care on Thursday, June 25, 2020
The original Facebook post, created by the Victoria Senior Care page, has been shared over 325 thousand times and received of 16 thousand responses.
On October 2nd, Victoria Senior Care posted a statement of profound gratitude,
“We have been overwhelmed with the amount of love and kindness we have received from all over the world and thankful for every bit of it.
From sweet encouraging notes, letters about your families and pets, thoughtful gifts, snacks, activities, and so much more.
Our residents have received thousands of letters and are trying to get responses out as they can.”
It’s not too late to become a pen-pal with one of their many North Carolina senior residents. Like Mark for example…
You can send my letters to:Phoenix Assisted CareMark201 West High StreetCary, NC 27513Thanks for writing me! ❤️
Posted by Victorian Senior Care on Thursday, June 25, 2020
Or perhaps you’d enjoy chatting about cats and your current favorite novel with Crayteen?
You can send my letters to:North Pointe of AsheboroCrayteenPo Box 640 Asheboro, NC 27204Thanks for writing me! ❤️
Posted by Victorian Senior Care on Friday, June 26, 2020
Better yet, if you feel moved by this story, why not reach out to nursing homes in your area? The residents of Phoenix Assisted Care have more than enough letters to keep them busy.
You can give back in a year of social isolation by bridging the gap with something as simple as a letter. And it’s not just about giving back to our elders. They have plenty to teach us, if we take the time to listen.
How have small acts of kindness helped you cope during this pandemic? Let us know in the comments.
The post Seniors at an Assisted Living Centers Looking for Pen-Pals Went Adorably Viral appeared first on UberFacts.
Women have been saying for decades that it’s unfair and classist and sexist to force women to pay for menstrual products.
We don’t ask to menstruate, after all, and without said activity, all of society would cease to exist.
In the way back, women were banished to a “red tent” for the duration, their only company other menstruating women, and I’ve gotta say, that sounds pretty sweet.
That would never work now, because our households would collapse in our 4-5 day absence.
Scotland, though, is the first nation to step up and provide period products for free to every woman under their care.
The legislation came about after four years of grassroots efforts that were spearheaded by Monica Lennon, Scotland’s Labour health spokeswoman.
The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act passed unanimously and demands that local authorities make period products available to anyone who needs them free of charge – and some town councils have already been doing that good work going back to 2018.
Lennon spoke about the landmark decision.
“This will make a massive difference to the lives of women and girls and everyone who menstruates.
There has already been great progress at a community level and through local authorities in giving everyone the chance of period dignity.”
The struggle to pay for basic sanitary products on a monthly basis has been a constant source of consternation for people, especially during trying times like the ones we’ve had recently.
Research by the grassroots group Women for Independence found that 1 in 5 women has struggled to pay for period products, a fact that impacts their hygiene, health, and wellbeing.
Lennon continued:
“There has been a massive change in the way that periods are discussed in public life.
A few years ago there had never been an open discussion of menstruation in the Holyrood chamber and now it is mainstream.
MSPs have enjoyed being a part of that, and it has encompassed the menopause, endometriosis, as well as the types of products we use and their sustainability.”
Women spend an estimated $18/month on period products, which really adds up between the ages of 12 or so and 50.
The Scottish government had originally challenged the idea that the products should be free to all women, regardless of means, but cross-party support grew in the face of pressure from activists, trade unions, and civil society groups.
Image Credit: Pexels
Schools, colleges, and universities will also be required to provide the products for free, and have largely been doing so since 2017.
Many businesses like bars, restaurants, and even football clubs have also been offering free products of their own accord – seeing it had become almost common in recent years.
Lennon and others believe this landmark decision will serve as beacon for other developed nations to follow suit. It proves the the rights of women and girls are important, and at the very least, belong on the agenda.
The post Period Products Are Totally Free in Scotland appeared first on UberFacts.
We’re in the dark, freezing months of the year right now and this is when depression really rears its ugly head for a lot of people out there.
Gray skies, more hours of darkness, and freezing temperatures can really do a number on peoples’ mental health so it’s important to take care of yourself.
How do you cope with your depression?
Let’s see what folks on AskReddit had to say about this.
“I like to go outside and write songs.
I act like I’m someone important that people need to survive.
It’s weird, but it works sometimes.”
“I don’t suffer from major depression, so I know that this may seem rather flyweight. I go for walks.
I put my favorite music on while I’m driving and sing along. If I’m at home (alone–I get embarrassed), I’ll put on some really fun music and dance. I watch stand-up comedy for a laugh.
I’ll allow myself to indulge in some nice chocolate. And I give myself small tasks that I can easily accomplish and pat myself on the back for getting them done.”
“I stubbornly keep on breathing and I ignore everything my head thinks.
Depression lies.
I have a check list on the fridge of things I forget: keep warm, drink tea, take Zinc, being overwhelmed is a symptom you are quite fierce in reality, wear hat, eat proteins before noon, brush teeth before noon.”
“I have been struggling with anxiety and depression throughout all of Middle School, and into High School. Except no one knows about it, so everyone just thinks I’m fine.
But I don’t talk about it, because I am concerned about how people would react. Which really just makes everything worse. But some things I have done to help my self. I focus on the things that I do have. I am lonely and don’t have many friends but, I realized that thinking senselessly about the people who don’t care about me, doesn’t help at all and makes things worse.
But focusing on who cares about me, make me feel happy and cared for. Additionally, I have started a journal to record my thoughts that I have, when I go through a mental breakdown. Writing it down, helps me think about it more, and cope with it.”
“I sing.
I get anxious a lot and have problems because of it. But when I sing I feel like all my problems are gone.
Also, I read! When I read I’m not me anymore, I’m the book character and that takes all my problems away.”
“I like to walk around outside, I feel like it clears my thoughts.
One of my main things to do is to pour all of my emotions into something physical, ie a drawing, and then destroy it. Listen to happy music, read, take a bath are standard go-to’s. Hope this helps!
And remember you’re loved, wanted and needed in this world. also If you feeling suicidal please call a hotline, the world needs you.”
“I like to sit and think. some times I will draw and listen to music. I will play my favorite video games and chat with friends. but my favorite thing to do was to make up a new friend in my head then I would talk to them as if they were a therapist.
I like to do that because I feel it is easier to talk and vent to some that are not real then to talk to someone that might tell others. I do this a lot for more than just depression and it really helps if you have.
People say that I’m too old for an “imaginary friend” but I mean they are there for when you are sad and don’t want to talk o someone that’s real.”
“I do things that comfort me.
I mostly just watch RuPaul’s drag race, eat food and play video games.
I honestly just ignore it and let it build up. It’s not healthy but I like it.”
“I’ve dealt with major depression for almost 20 years now. A few ways I survive:
1. Give my dog (who’s passed away, so now my cat) a hug. I also talk(ed) to them
2. Read. Live in that world instead of mine
3. Listen to music
4. Journal (including keeping a gratitude journal), and just go back and reread
5. Sleep, so I don’t feel anything.”
“I try not to give myself to much importance. Meaning it’s okay not to succeed or to miss work.
The world doesn’t revolves around you. You are not that important.
For me, it takes all the stress off my shoulder and I can just simply be instead of doing and having.”
“Reading sci-fi and fantasy adventure books, the further they are from our reality, the better.
Also working with my hands, and doing something good for others (I’m currently renovating my mom’s apartment).”
“I have depression & anxiety.
I used to believe it when I was told by media in various forms and by specialists that working or volunteering in something you care about, always helps people with depression. It Doesn’t. Never believe that something Helps Everyone. I had a breakdown, then started volunteering after a while – that caused things to get worse.
How do I cope with depression? I read, if I’m reading I can mostly forget the real world, my real situation, my real future, I feel a bit better. My other coping mechanism is to sleep, even with nightmares sleep is far better than being awake.
If the anxiety worsens at the same time as the depression and becomes very, very bad I lie on my bed and look out the window. I can’t do anything else except get to the bathroom as needed. It’s like a weird paralysis.
In years past, I would cope with depression by drawing a picture daily of how my day had been. Write down 5 good things each day. Write. Just write. Thoughts, fears, worries, hopes, regrets, anything.
Lie on the lounge with my doona and a pillow while my mother did things and I would just watch and we would talk unless I was too bad, then I just observed and Mum did her things and talked to me.”
Now we’d like to hear from you
In the comments, share some tips that you use to deal with depression.
Thanks in advance!
The post People Discuss How They Deal With Their Depression appeared first on UberFacts.
Almost every article about how to feel better, feel healthier, and generally enjoy your life more contains the advice to get enough sleep. Not just enough, either, but good sleep.
While there will be periods in our lives when this is all but impossible for one reason or another (like a new baby), it really should be a priority for every last one of us
This Twitter thread explains why, especially now, it’s so important.
hi guys! i see so many of you basically ruining your sleep schedules and so i’m just going to drop this thread on why you should ABSOLUTELY get some sleep
— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
Number one? Your health! Current health crisis aside, chronic sleep deprivation can affect Alzheimer’s chances, the development of pre-diabetes, and wreck your immune system.
– consistently sleeping less than 6-7 hrs wrecks your immune system + doubles your risk of cancer
– sleep is a key factor in determining if you will develop Alzheimer’s
– improper sleep for even a week will disrupt your sleep enough that you could be classified as pre-diabetic— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
Your arteries and your waistline could suffer.
– short sleep brittles your arteries (leads to many cardiovascular diseases and problems)
– causes you to eat more as sleep deprivation causes a spike in the hormone that tells you you’re hungry and a decease in the one that tells you you’re satisfied— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
It could put your mental health at risk, too.
– if you’re trying to diet, your weight loss won’t come from your fat, it’ll come from lean body mass (so its pointless)
– countries whose citizens get the least sleep also have the highest rates of physical diseases/mental disorders— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
And if you’re already struggling, not getting enough sleep could make it all that much worse.
– a study showed a 60% amplification in emotional reactivity to negative stimuli in sleep deprived individuals
– poor sleep worsens the symptoms of various mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, suicidality— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
Not only that, but it could affect the people around you negatively, too.
– mri scans show decreased ability for the pre-frontal cortex (the brain region that regulates our emotions, is responsible for rational thought) to control the amygdala (associated with aggressive emotional response), making it difficult for people to control negative emotions
— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
And you’ll experience mood swings that won’t be fun for anyone.
– mri scans show decreased ability for the pre-frontal cortex (the brain region that regulates our emotions, is responsible for rational thought) to control the amygdala (associated with aggressive emotional response), making it difficult for people to control negative emotions
— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
If you are or have a young adult in your house, sleep is doubly important, and too many of them don’t get enough.
– poor sleep can be connected to aggression and hence bullying/violence
– there is a link found in adolescents between poor sleep and s**cd*l thoughts, attempts, and contemplation— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
Sleep deprivation could also predispose young people to addiction.
– because sleep loss also increases activity in the reward center of the brain, we are more susceptible to addiction
– sleep loss has been shown to be a reliable determining factor in the possibility that a child will develop an addiction in adolescence, adulthood— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
And yeah, there’s a reason it’s used as a torture device.
– otherwise healthy individuals have been shown to exhibit brain activity characteristic of mental disorders from a sheer lack of sleep
— ia (@1chigoko) June 24, 2020
So, do your best in these trying times, my friends. There are many things we can let slide, and things we can course correct later, but taking the chance to catch some extra zzzz’s when you can is never going to hurt.
In fact, if these tweets are right, it could definitely help.
The post Check Out an Eye-Opening Thread on the Real Dangers of Not Getting Enough Sleep appeared first on UberFacts.
Flossing is something that some people do regularly, I hear – but just as often, it’s something people fudge to their dentist about how much they actually take the time.
This query was posted in Reddit’s No Stupid Question forum, and honestly, it’s information we’ve all probably wondered at some point in our lives.
Just how many days could we floss before an appointment and manage to convince our dentist we’ve been flossing every day forever?
Read on for some pretty enlightening responses!
You can save time by only flossing the ones you want to keep.
I started a few weeks ago after having never flossed consistently and my gums stopped bleeding after about a week of consistent flossing.
For cases of mild gingivitis this is the answer. Ultimately though, if you already have calculus(tartar), flossing will not remove it and your past sins will still visible. But if we see healthy pink tight gums, we are happy.
However, if you have periodontitis, flossing will most likely not be enough and we’re gonna have to go scrapey scrapey.
A lot. But it can help if you floss well and rinse with diluted hydrogen peroxide.
Do your gums bleed when you floss? If so, you probably already have plaque beneath the gum line.
Don’t let that keep you from going to the dentist. They can do a deep clean and you can start your flossing routine after that.
2 weeks of flossing can show a big difference.
The best day to start flossing is yesterday; the 2nd best day is today.
The trick is you go to a different dentist for a cleaning before you go to your main cleaning.
10 days give or take and you will see significant difference. Factors that come into play are when you have tarter build up or deep pockets in your gums. So for example, you get your teeth cleaned regularly 6 months like we recommend, so flossing about a week or so before will bring down inflammation because you probs don’t have significant tarter buildup.
If you haven’t visited the dentist in some time and there is significant tarter then your gums will most likely not bounce back until it’s removed. You’ll definitely see a difference maybe less pain or bleeding but the tarter will continue to irritate your gums until it’s removed.
Moral of the story: floss nightly, save money, save time, save teeth, you won’t regret it
Dentist here.
If you’ve never flossed in your life, you likely won’t have good flossing technique anyway. You will likely have buildup then that can’t be removed by a couple weeks of flossing.
We aren’t judging you. Actually, some hygienists I know will roll their eyes at nice clean teeth and will fight for the patient with heavy buildup. There’s something so satisfying about removing calculus. Mmmm.
You’ve just got to remember that mouth stuff is ALL WE DO ALL DAY ERR DAY. Save the teeth embarrassment for your Mechanic or something. Not the dentist.
I hadn’t gone to the dentist in 5 years and recently got them cleaned.
My dentist told me I had really strong teeth genetically. Not entire sure what that meant but I did have tarter build up as I only brushed once in the morning.
Since going to the dentist though I have brushed twice a day and flossed too. I think I notice a difference in my gums but I’m not entirely sure yet.
It didn’t take too long to clean, 30 minutes to do my whole mouth.
On a side note, I’ve been flossing everyday since going to the dentist 7 months ago and they were quite impressed with the improvement today when I went in for a cleaning.
I simply started flossing in the shower and it has been a habit for nearly 7 months now.
I had not gone to a dentist in 10 years. Gums were bleeding every time I brushed.
Only had 4 very tiny cavities, and one significant one. They took care of one side of my mouth at a time, cleaned all the tarter pockets.
After about 7-10 days, my gums were no longer bleeding, even with flossing.
Totally depends on the person. Some people are more susceptible to tooth and gum damage than others.
Honestly, dentists don’t care. The whole purpose of their job is to clean your teeth because you can’t. Your teeth are strong enough that if you take regular care of them and don’t eat stuff that eats away at them, you can go your entire life without a visit to the dentist.
Since most people don’t do that, dentists exist, and they’re happy to help.
Yes of course. You won’t overdo flossing (unless your gum is already irritated don’t keep picking at it). Brush/floss nightly because it’s the most important time. Our mouths get dry at night and the soft plaque (white fuzzy stuff or grittiness on teeth) sticks and hardens creating tarter. This stuff sucks. It’s loaded with bacteria and causes significant damage if left prolonged.
Not to mention if you leave food or bacteria between your teeth each night it just cultivates and will basically go after your teeth for nutrients aka cavity. Same thing on the surface of your teeth. Floss whenever and however much but make sure to do it at night to disrupt the bacteria and destroy their homes. Fight the plaque before it fight back
This reminds me of when I went to the dentist and he asked when did I floss last?
I was like “bro, you were there!”
So I’m going to have to do some firsthand research here.
Dentists, weigh in with your gleaming thoughts in the comments!
We want to hear from you!
The post This Man Wonders How Many Days He Needs to Floss to Trick His Dentist Into Thinking It’s Been a Lifelong Habit appeared first on UberFacts.
There’s been a big effort in recent years to de-stigmatize mental illness in general, which is fantastic.
We’ve come a long way in talking about depression and anxiety, and with normalizing talking therapy, but when it comes to some mental illnesses, the stereotypes are still going strong.
That’s definitely the case with these 16 illnesses, and knowledge is power.
I have gender dysphoria and as a teen I starved myself to look more like a boy and so that my menstrual cycle would stop (amenorrhea caused by weight loss.) I also felt dirty and being thin made me feel clean and empty.
I hated myself and wanted to not exist. I literally wanted to starve myself into nonexistence. Vanity didn’t enter into it.
Schizophrenics don’t always hear voices. With mine, I hear people trying to break down my door, trying to open my windows, and movement under my house.
Schizophrenia often involves extreme paranoia rather than evil voices; my Bio Psych professor told us how her BIL, if off of his medication, believed that if he left the house for any reason someone would break in after he left to unplug the fridge and spoil all the food.
Mood/anxiety disorders do not need an objective reason for occurring – you don’t need to have a shit life to be depressed or to be in at any actual risk of something bad happening in order to have anxiety. They can just happen randomly or in connection to things that happened far in the past.
Therefore, the common notions that someone is ungrateful for being depressed or having anxiety or that they’re faking it because they “have no reason” to suffer from them is absolutely flawed and the attempt at “fixing” them by pointing out the good things in somebody’s life is futile and antagonizing.
OCD is not about being tidy and clean. It involves rescuing, intrusive thoughts and obsessively cleaning is just one of OCD related compilations. It can seriously f*ck up someone’s life.
An example would be turning a light switch on and off 30 times once entering a room or you fear something terrible will happen if you don’t.
It really annoys me when someone calls themselves OCD because they like a clean kitchen.
If you get angry and go off on someone they ask, “are you off your meds?”
That depression only makes you sad. There is a myriad of other feelings, and physical symptoms.
Mental illness does not make you particularly dangerous or a genius.
Not everyone with Tourette syndrome randomly yells out obscenities.
That crazy people don’t know they’re crazy.
Most people with PTSD and/or CPTSD haven’t been in the military or a war zone.
People with anxiety being highly strung, or nervous about things.
It can manifest itself in that way, but it’s more like there’s always something at the back of your mind that needs doing, but you’re not sure what. Even if you know what that thing is, you can see the end goal, and maybe even the steps to getting to that goal, but staying on that path requires you to fight with self doubt, and the “what ifs” that plague your mind when you’re on the way there.
Also, you can appear quite well adjusted in social situations, but in downtime, overthink every fucking thing.
It’s not liking your pens in color coordinated order- it’s feeling like if this ‘contaminated’ pen touches that one, your sister will die.
If you don’t hit the light switch an odd/even number of times, you’ll die.
The rituals can literally take over your life, and you know they don’t make sense, but you can’t stop.
Depression isn’t being sad all the time and crying a lot.
Parts of it can be but it’s different for everyone.
Personally, I don’t cry often and I’m not overwhelmingly sad, I just don’t feel things. Everything feels numb.
That eating disorders are a vanity thing.
And that people with an eating disorder only “want to be skinny and get attention ”
And that eating a banana is going to heal you.
Anorexic people aren’t all skinny teenage white girls.
I’m an average weight, adult man and it drives me crazy how hard it is to find support in the professional world because I’m “not thin enough”
The sheer exhaustion and feeling of weight. On particularly bad days it’s like I’m wearing a 50lb weight on each limb and a 100lb vest.
People love to say “Exercise and nature will cure your depression!” but it got to the point where I had to stop going to the gym because I was routinely leaving in tears halfway through my workout because I just could not physically or mentally do it anymore.
I have days where I can scarcely physically get out of bed. And all those things that are supposed to give you good endorphins – exercise, fresh air, sunlight, food, even sex… They leave me even more exhausted and miserable.
Now that we know better, let’s do better.
No one likes to be stereotyped, after all.
The post People Discuss the Mental Illnesses That Get Unfairly Stereotyped appeared first on UberFacts.
A child is a pure soul and like a neat canvas for parents to instill their values. Parenthood holds a different meaning for everyone, and it has a significant impact on a child. When we are at the developmental stage, we learn a lot of things from our parents. A lot of things we pick up are from our surroundings. We need to have a positive outlook on things since childhood to stay in the right mind frame. However, anxiety is a mental disease that can develop over time. Parents should always pay attention to their child’s wellbeing. What is
The post What Causes Social Anxiety in a Child? appeared first on Factual Facts.
A study from Harvard University finds that having no friends can be just as deadly as smoking. Both affect levels of a blood-clotting protein.
The post A study from Harvard University finds… appeared first on Crazy Facts.
If you’re fast approaching middle age (like I am) or are staring down the later years of your life and hoping to spend most of them lucid and enjoying the fruits of your labor, then keeping your mind in tact is likely something that interests you.
Dementia is scary, and it affects so many of our family and friends – which is why there’s so much research that goes into finding ways to combat it.
Most recently, a team from Cambridge University found that people who regularly swim outdoors in the winter had elevated levels of a protein that plays a key role in forming brain connections.
Image Credit: iStock
The protein in question has been found to help protect the brain against other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, too.
Professor Giovanna Mallucci, the Associate Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, talked about the results in an online lecture.
Researchers have known for some time that the process of forming new synapses declines over time, and also that this process can be influenced by temperature. Hibernating mammals, for example, experience a loss of synapses when they sleep through the winter, but they are restored upon awakening in the spring.
A previous paper, published in Nature, revealed that a “cold shock” protein in the brain – RBM3 – is responsible.
In mice, exposure to freezing temperatures caused a loss of synapses… but that their RBM3 levels skyrocketed as they warmed up, allowing them to form healthy new ones.
Image Credit: iStock
Researchers then measured RBM3 levels in a group of outdoor swimming enthusiasts, all of whom became hypothermic during their chilly dips.
When compared to a group of non-swimmers, the ones who swam in cold water had higher levels of RBM3 in their blood, leading to the belief that hypothermic conditions does trigger the release of this key protein in humans, too.
This foundation is exciting and strong, but without peer-reviewed research or other, similar findings, we can’t say for sure that taking winter dips in the water will keep your brain healthy for years to come.
Image Credit: iStock
Letting yourself get too cold, or wandering too far down the path to hypothermia, is also deadly – so don’t try this at home until the scientists are sure it’s something that works.
So… just don’t do it alone. Or do it at the gym if they have a cold dip pool. We just don’t want you to drown or get hurt.
The good news for those of us how HATE being cold? If the RBM3 protein is shown to help regenerate skills, we’ll likely see the development of drugs that can help stimulate the desired responses without having to go swimming in the freezing cold.
Three cheers for science!
The post Swimming in Cold Water Might Help Ward Off Dementia appeared first on UberFacts.