By Michron Robinson

The Ashley Lashley Foundation is continuing earnestly in its bid to educate the primary school population about healthy lifestyles and eco-consciousness.

On Tuesday, the organisation headed by social, climate change and youth activist Ashley Lashley ventured to the Sharon Primary School in St. Thomas with the roll out of the second session of their Eco-Active Youth tour.

Using the morning to engage with the students, Lashley quizzed them on various climate and healthy living topics, including What does climate change mean?  Some who dared to rise to the challenge provided sensible and informed responses.

The highlights during the morning included experiments carried out by the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology officer Brandon Spooner, who provided live examples of how “clouds” and “tornadoes” are created. The kids enjoyed that thoroughly, but what they also loved was the get fit aspect by fitness expert Spinny who took them through various paces in moving their bodies. No one shied away from getting into the push up positions or even squatting to the uptempo Bajan tunes.

While speaking to Barbados TODAY Lashley said that she was encouraged by this second school tour. “Our team is very excited to have the 2023 edition of the Eco Active Youth campaign underway. We have welcomed some new partners on board and expanded to include 30 schools, which is an increase from the 20 schools in last year’s pilot,” she said.

The founder of the initiative also explained that she’s excited about the new partnerships seen this year. “We have brought the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology onboard, to give a practical demonstration of different weather patterns we observe, and we have taken this same approach in highlighting the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Our team has worked very hard to bring this year’s campaign to life and we are all looking forward to interacting with all the kids and teaching them how they can adopt healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.”

In December, there will be a Grand Finale event where all 30 schools that have participated throughout the programme will be celebrated.

(MR)

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Civil society is calling for healthier foods to be made more affordable by lowering tariffs on healthy food imports and placing higher tariffs on less healthy foods. This proposal follows recent analysis showing the import tax on healthier foods to be on average 10 per cent higher than on unhealthy food imports.

Concerned with the growing number of citizens being diagnosed with non-communicable diseases because of poor dietary choices, in 2022 the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados Inc. (HSFB) commissioned the University of the West Indies Deputy Principal Professor Winston Moore and Lecturer, Dr Antonio Alleyne to examine whether food prices are truly proving prohibitive to healthy eating and to recommend a policy approach to make healthy foods more affordable.

The policy proposal points out the significant contrast between the high tariffs attached to healthy food imports like fresh vegetables and fruits, compared to the low taxes placed on unhealthy food imports high in salt, sugar and fat, such as cookies, chips and ice cream. It clearly illustrates that, on average, unhealthy foods carry an import tariff of 35 per cent, while healthy foods are taxed at around 45 per cent.

The policy proposal urges the government to flip these tax rates, thereby allowing healthy foods to be sold at a much cheaper price.

According to Professor Moore, “In our island more than half of the population can be considered obese or at risk of being obese as well, and this is largely related to diet. What we have seen is that the choices that we make in relation to food are fundamentally related to the prices. The trend is that (as a people), we go for cheaper foods, which tend to be the unhealthy ones. If we can make healthy foods cheaper, and make unhealthy foods more expensive, we hope it makes it clear for consumers when they go into the supermarket, that they should make a switch, as it would be cheaper for them to consume healthier foods.”

The findings echo the results of the recently released United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022, which illustrates the high costs attached to healthy eating across the region and the preference of low- and middle- income families to consume cheap, energy dense unhealthy foods instead.

The policy proposal highlights the steps taken by Mexico to increase the excise tax on all imported energy-dense foods including salty snacks, chips, sweets, chocolates, cakes, pastries, and frozen desserts, and Chile’s introduction of a “fat-tax” on high in fat and sugar imports, as examples Barbados can consider in developing its own plan to reduce unhealthy eating.

“In essence, by increasing the prices of unhealthy products, taxes can get people to consume less of them and improve nutrition and health. Healthcare costs would be lower, and people would live healthier, longer lives. Governments could use the resulting revenue gains by helping low-income families or cutting other taxes,” Professor Moore adds.

The proposal goes even further by illustrating the benefits of local producers and manufacturers changing their own recipes by lowering the sugar, salt and fat content in the foods being produced.

“Some manufacturers will argue that there is a fall off on the local market when recipes change, and I understand this. However, if you explain to the public the benefits of the reduction and that it is better for you in the long run, it can go a long way. In addition, the manufacturers should see this as an opportunity to innovate and develop new products that can then be exported to other regions in the Caribbean. We need to innovate and try new products and use the domestic market as that testing market to then get into other markets in Latin America and Caribbean and internationally,” the economist asserts.

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados

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In February 2018, I had a slight pain in my lower right side, similar to an exercising pain. I didn’t think much of it, but I thought it could be my appendix. I decided to go to the doctor that evening. Well, that evening I had no pain, and as most men decide, I would not need to go to the doctor. However, my daughter, who was 17 at the time, insisted I go. She was almost to the point of tears. I could see the worry on her face and hear the concern in her voice.

I went to the doctor. As it turned out, nothing showed up in the initial check, so I was sent to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a mass on my left side, which then meant a CT scan. They found a definite mass on the left and several lymph nodes that were inflamed. Notice the pain I had was on my right. The mass was found on the left. The pain I felt was nothing to do with it, but maybe was a sign from God.

I had to be scheduled for a colonoscopy, and following that, it was confirmed that I had a cancerous growth in my left colon and would need to have surgery. The whole time my wife was by my side, and it was through her love and support, and that of my children, that I maintained my sanity.

I approached this new ‘adventure’ in my life with a certain level of strength and determination. The surgery was on March 6, 2018. It was determined that cancer had not spread through the lining of the colon into the muscles. A number of lymph nodes removed all showed negative.

I was told that I would not need to do chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but just adjust my diet and exercise regimes. I have since then made myself an advocate for colon cancer awareness by sharing my journey with many groups, businesses, and organizations. I hope to encourage people to get early screenings. I will continue to share my story whenever I can, and I want to help find a way to eliminate cancer from being a part of anyone’s life. My life is an open book. Ask me anything.

My advice: The first step is to get checked. If needed, you can start with the stool test; however, the gold standard is the colonoscopy. It is carried out easily in the doctor’s clinic. You are home the same day with little to no side effects. I have had three now, and I have never had any issues.

March 6th 2023 will be exactly five years that I have been cancer free. This is a milestone for those of us who have had cancer. My five-year survival rate would have been 90 to 95 per cent as I detected it very early.

Once detected early, it can be removed, and treatment can be very minimal in most cases. Stay positive and keep smiling through the whole process, as hard as it may seem. Take it from someone who has been there. It was through my positive attitude that I was able to handle the situation.

Since 2018, I became a self-appointed advocate for colon cancer awareness. I have shared my story on TV, radio, print media and social media – wherever I get the chance to raise the awareness and speak of the importance of early screening and detection.

I joined a US-based organisation called Fight CRC and became one of their “Relentless Champions”. They tell me I am the first person not only in the Caribbean to be a part of their organisation but also the first person outside of the US to have come forward and joined them.

Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) is the leading patient-empowerment and advocacy organization in the United States, providing balanced and objective information on colon and rectal cancer research, treatment, and policy. We are relentless champions of hope, focused on funding promising, high-impact research endeavours, while equipping advocates to influence legislation and policy for the collective good.

We are Relentless Champions of hope in the fight against colorectal cancer.

I am here to talk with anyone, share my journey and story with whoever needs to hear it or who may need encouragement. I had my wife and two children by my side throughout and if it wasn’t for them, I do not know what would have happened. I had them to be strong for and they were there to be strong for me.

I am here for you. Contact me anytime at: www.facebook.com/beatingcoloncancer; beatingcoloncancer@gmail.com.

“Remember, colon cancer is beatable, treatable, and preventable.”

Graham Bannister

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All collections from the sale of ‘Pump It Up’ packages will be deposited directly towards the re-establishment of services at the Carlton Home

View the full post New Carlton Home to treat more than substance abuse on NOW Grenada.

More needs to be done by Government officials, health-care providers and civil society to help expand the access to primary ear and hearing care in Barbados, the Founder and Chairman of the The Deaf Heart Project said Saturday.

Che’ Greenidge said even though World Hearing Day is an international day celebrated every year, the lack of attention it has received so far in Barbados is worrying, considering the critical need to expand ear and  hearing care on the island.

“That to me is just testament of the fact of how much we neglect our ears and neglect our hearing, whatever our varying degree of our hearing ability may be or what hearing loss we may be experiencing,” Greenidge said as she addressed attendees of Saturday’s World Hearing Day Barbados 2023 event, held at Solidarity House.

This morning, our main goal is to channel appropriate ear care, primary health care as well, and understand that the two are closely related,” she said.

Greenidge praised Audiologist at Barbados Speech and Hearing Centre, Dr Mariella Stabler, volunteers from the Barbados Community College and representatives of Rotary Club Of Barbados for joining forces for the worthy cause on the special day, stressing that partnerships in the area are invaluable.

She stated: “These are the types of partnerships that are needed to make sure that we are promoting healthy ears [and] ear care because once we have more persons involved in the community and more persons aware of it, then we would be able to make sure that this is a [continuous] event.

“We understand the fact that our deaf community, our deaf colleagues, their ears need taking care of too, and this is something that persons may not have thought about.”

Meanwhile, John Hollingsworth, Director of the National Disabilities Unit, said the event organised was an important one, stating: “This exercise this morning, apart from addressing the whole issue of hearing treatment, speaks to the need for significant work as it relates to issues affecting persons with disabilities.”

The director also reiterated government’s commitment to assisting members of the deaf community, stating that an expansion of the Deaf Empowerment Project, which is an initiative used to help the deaf and hearing impaired better communicate with persons when conducting business in both the public and private sectors, would soon be expanded into government offices at the beginning of the new financial year.

“We have on the cards a project called the Video Relay project, which basically assists persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to be able to communicate with the essential services in Barbados. This project is set to begin sometime in the new financial year — after April — where a deaf person who wants to access the services of the hospital, police, immigration department, [etc],” Hollingsworth said.

“What they will be able to do is with their cell phone, approach these agencies and the person at the reception or another person within the organisation, who happens to have a government-issued cell phone, will be able to share that with the deaf person, and they will be able to communicate with the organisation via an interpreter [using the phone].”

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What do Prince Harry, Miley Cyrus, Elon Musk, Harry Styles and Kristen Bell all have in common?

Aside from being rich and famous, these individuals have been open about their use of psychedelic drugs, touting benefits such as spiritual growth, the curbing of grief and reduced stress, anxiety and depression.

During a recent online chat with trauma expert Gabor Maté, Prince Harry admitted that psychedelic drugs helped him acknowledge the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and to move forward from that trauma.

PRINCE HARRY ADMITS PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS HELPED HIM 'DEAL WITH THE TRAUMAS' OF THE PAST

In an interview with Anderson Cooper of "60 Minutes" right after his book, "Spare," came out, the Duke of Sussex also said, "I would never recommend people to do this recreationally. But doing it with the right people if you are suffering from a huge amount of loss, grief or trauma — then these things have a way of working as a medicine," Prince Harry admitted.

"For me, they cleared the windscreen, the windshield, the misery of loss," he also said. "They cleared away this idea that I had in my head that — that my mother, that I needed to cry to prove to my mother that I missed her. When in fact, all she wanted was for me to be happy."

Celebrities are far from the only ones who have embraced psychedelics (also known as hallucinogens). 

An estimated 5.5 million U.S. adults use them, according to a 2022 study from Columbia University — despite the fact that these substances are largely illegal.

Why are so many people turning to these drugs, and what should everyone know about the risks and benefits involved? Here's some key information.

Psychedelic drugs are defined as "a class of psychoactive substances that produce changes in perception, mood and cognitive processes," according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF). 

"Psychedelics affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions. They can also cause a person to hallucinate — seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted."

Some of the most common types of psychedelics include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as acid), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), DMT (dimenthyltryptamine), MDMA (ecstasy), ayahuasca, 2C-B, mesacaline, NBOMe (N-methoxybenzyl) and ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

Some psychedelics are found in nature, derived from trees, plants and seeds. Others are synthetically created in laboratories.

Psychedelics aren’t new. For centuries, civilizations around the world have embraced them for medicinal use and for their mystical and spiritual properties. 

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Today, a growing number of people (famous or not) are turning to the drugs for both recreational use and to curb depression, anxiety and other mental health issues — and in many cases, they’re breaking laws along the way.

With so many celebs and high-profile people sharing their psychedelic stories, it begs the question of how they’re getting access to these still-illicit substances.

Dr. Farah Khorassani, associate clinical professor at the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California, Irvine, pointed out that most "regular" people don't have access to these drugs, as they are not approved by the FDA for medical use.

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The doctor surmises that people using these drugs in the U.S. may be doing so in the rare areas where psychedelic-assisted therapy is being conducted, or they could be enrolled in clinical trials. Or, illegal purchase is also possible. 

"If someone decides to buy a psychedelic on the street, it's important to remember that these substances aren't regulated, and they carry the risk of adulteration and contamination with other illicit substances," the associate clinical professor pointed out.

There are also "psychedelic retreats" in places like Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica, but these are not generally accessible to the masses, she said.

In 1973, the U.S. federal government classified psychedelics as a schedule 1 substance, which means they have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."

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Since then, ketamine and esketamine have been the only psychedelic drugs to gain FDA approval for use by medical practitioners across the U.S., although they’re still illegal for recreational use. 

Ketamine is widely used as a treatment for depression and pain management.

Some states have been working toward legalizing more psychedelics. 

In the state of Oregon, it is now legal for adults to take psilocybin (magic mushrooms) for mental health treatments.

Other states and cities — including some parts of California, Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington, D.C. — have decriminalized magic mushrooms, which means people can use them recreationally without penalty, though they’re not yet FDA-approved for medical use.

In November 2022, Colorado passed the Natural Medicine Health Act, which legalized the supervised use of five psychedelic substances that come from plants or fungus for people 21 years of age and over.

A handful of other states are also taking steps toward wider legalization.

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Dr. William Prueitt, a Yale psychiatry resident with Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, believes the FDA is starting to recognize the promise of psychedelic therapies for treating mental health conditions. 

"Psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapies have been granted breakthrough therapy status by the FDA for major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), respectively," he told Fox News Digital in an email.

"These medicines are both currently undergoing trials for FDA approval, which so far have shown positive results."

While Prince Harry has said he used hallucinogenic drugs to heal from trauma — namely, the death of his mother, Princess Diana — actress Kristen Bell has talked about using magic mushrooms after she heard they could help with depression.

Chelsea Handler said she takes them as a daily mood-booster. Boxer Mike Tyson once told Reuters that magic mushrooms helped him overcome suicidal tendencies.

Numerous studies appear to support the use of psychedelics as a mental health tool. Research by Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, suggests that psychedelic treatment with psilocybin (magic mushrooms), when combined with psychotherapy, can relieve major depressive symptoms for up to a year.

Dr. Alan Davis, director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at The Ohio State University, has done extensive research on the use of psychedelic therapy to treat mental health problems.

This year, his team launched OSU’s first clinical trial on psychedelic therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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"These people are going through a pretty intensive psychotherapy process, and psychedelics are just one part of that," Dr. Davis told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"In our clinical trials, we've seen that psychedelics can be effective for treating depression, anxiety and PTSD. We've also seen some evidence that it can help with addiction issues, OCD and social anxiety."

At Numinus Wellness, a psychedelic therapy provider with locations in Utah, Arizona and Canada, doctors prescribe ketamine for mental health therapy. 

"It allows patients to get to the root cause of problems faster than with traditional talk therapy or antidepressant medications," Dr. Reid Robison, chief clinical officer at Numinus, told Fox News Digital via email. 

"By opening your mind with the help of psychedelics, you are able to feel deeper, listen more intently and speak more freely."

Dr. Robinson claims that patients given a single dose of ketamine experienced a rapid reduction in depressive symptoms during the first 24 hours — with effects lasting up to seven days.

Psychedelics are not for everyone, doctors say — and they carry risks that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Without the right preparation and supervision, psychedelics can create what Dr. Davis calls "challenging experiences." For some people, the drugs could cause them to relive traumatic memories from their past — potentially triggering severe anxiety.

"If that’s not done in a supportive environment, it can lead to panic, paranoia and other challenges," Dr. Davis said. "It's critical that psychedelics are used in a safe, therapeutic setting to minimize those risks."

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In particular, he noted that psychedelics can be dangerous for those who have a genetic predisposition to psychotic disorders — for instance, someone who has a family member with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 

In those cases, the drugs could trigger a psychotic episode.

There is also the risk of developing hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder.

That's when someone experiences visual flashbacks for anywhere from a few days to over a year after the psychedelic experience.

Dr. Khorassani of the University of California, Irvine, warned that psychedelics have the potential to cause adverse effects in the central and peripheral nervous system.

"Because most psychedelics are classic hallucinogens or dissociative drugs, they can induce unpleasant feelings such as paranoia, psychosis, disorientation and loss of coordination," she told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"It is rare for these symptoms to persist. Other physiologic effects such as nausea, numbness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, high body temperatures and increased muscle tension are also possible." 

For these reasons, she said people with cardiovascular disorders should steer clear.

At Numinus, Dr. Robinson said his team will not treat individuals who are not candidates for psychedelic treatment. That includes pregnant women, those with a history of epilepsy or another seizure disorder, or patients with severe cardiovascular disease — including uncontrolled blood pressure, heart failure, coronary artery disease or previous heart attack or stroke.

Tracy Wright of Fox News Digital contributed reporting. 

View the full post Life after suffering a dangerous heart attack on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo, DR
In the “Great Forum,” a total of 18 speakers and panelists reflected on the approach to the pandemic, with the mistakes and successes experienced by the country, moderated by Eddy Perez Then, director of the Research Center and presidential advisor for COVID-19.

Chanel Rosa, former director of the National Health Service (SNS), in explaining the context in which the virus struck, pointed out that “the worst thing that happened to us was that the pandemic occurred in the middle of an electoral process, because we all become more petty, more denigrating… and this is transversal to the political class of the Dominican Republic, unfortunately, these are things that happen”.

Rosa emphasized that the good things done in both governments and continuity should be recognized. “It was not easy to manage a pandemic for two governments, however, the fact that a new government took office did not prevent us from continuing with public policies and I feel very proud,” he said.

Among the measures taken, he pointed out the declaration of the State of Emergency and social protection, such as the FASE program, as well as the creation of a national commission for the management of Coronavirus; while among the lessons learned, he listed the strengthening of the Provincial Health Directorates, the Collective Health Programs and the training of health professionals.

Mario Lama, current director of the SNS, said, “we learned that the management of this pandemic was dynamic… we were learning along the way, from the patients themselves and from the panorama we had… we did not take from what was happening in other countries.”

He added as a significant achievement that 18 hospitals were available for the treatment of COVID-19 and, as a lesson, that they had to innovate, creating, for example, daily reports to inform the population about how the hospital occupancy was.

Eladio Pérez, Vice-Minister of Collective Health, indicated that “we all became epidemiologists at that time” when dealing with new medical terms and highlighted the work carried out by the General Public Health Laboratory.

Mr. Perez explained that among the strategies for epidemiological management, the operational structure of the National Laboratory was strengthened and took advantage of his presentation to announce the Forcontact Project, an electronic platform that will allow contact tracing for COVID-19, which will later be used for other diseases.

Santo Domingo, DR
The director of the San Lorenzo de Los Mina Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Leonardo Aquino, indicated yesterday that between 90 and 100 children are admitted daily to the center, of which 45% are for “respiratory phenomena.”

While the other pediatric ailments are febrile syndromes (high fevers), acute diarrheal diseases, and other pathologies.

Aquino also stated that the cases of respiratory diseases “have always predominated,” mainly in hospitals, because they are located in areas close to neighborhoods and sectors where there is little awareness of “proper health care.”

He also indicated that fewer patients were admitted with respiratory ailments last year because, in previous years, the vestiges of Covid-19 and its variants were still felt.

She also revealed that the health system is taking “adequate” measures to prevent these diseases through the influenza vaccine, one of the leading “producing agents” of these phenomena. In that order, the person in charge of Pediatric Emergency, Marlene Perez, indicated that most respiratory problems are asthma or acute respiratory infections.

Half of the people consulted in the Pediatric Emergency Department of this hospital, located on San Vicente de Paul Street, Santo Domingo East, pointed out that the patients came for flu-like processes and fever, among whom two had severe congestion.

“She woke up with no strength in her body, with no spirit. She has had the flu and fever for several days,” said a mother with her little girl in the emergency room.

“Since last night she has been coughing a lot with a little cough and congestion. She is already on her third nebulization,” explained another mother named Julissa, who had her six-month-old baby with her.

Like them, other parents accompanied by their children occupied the spaces in the emergency room of this health center, seeking attention for their ailments.

At the Reid Cabral

During the tour made by journalists of this media, at least 15 patients waiting for attention at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital were consulted. Two presented flu-like processes and congestion, while two others presented fever.

The others came for routine consultations, vomiting, stomach problems, sore throats, and other ailments that afflicted their children.

In Event Hall A of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestras (Pucmm), the venue of the event, its rector, Presbítero Secilio Espinal, highlighted prior to the invocation the role played by higher education institutions, schools, and colleges in a moment of “uncertainty”, as the one experienced in the Covid-19 pandemic. “Higher Education institutions saw the need to design policies and procedures, as well as organize the different environments for the development of academic, administrative, research, and extension activities with the highest possible quality, preserving physical and emotional health of those involved,” Espinal said.

Secilio Espinal added that a great innovation in the educational field was the implementation of the Flipped Classroom teaching-learning Methodology, aimed at guaranteeing a competency-based approach and meaningful learning, ensuring that the student uses time outside the classroom to learn theory and concepts independently, and time within class sessions to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create knowledge. He also called for a minute of silence for all those who have died from the virus. Immediately afterward, the director of the newspaper Listín Diario, Miguel Franjul, gave some introductory words for reflection in which he reaffirmed the commitment assumed by the authorities and citizens of the nation at that moment of crisis, taking the case of the same medium.

“The Listín Diario sighted what could come here and since February 5 it has focused on this threat. In this forum, it is necessary for the population to know how we accepted it, how we reacted, to what extent we were resilient… which gave rise to the idea of holding this forum last December,” said Franjul. Franjul took advantage of the moment of his address to thank the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera, for making an appointment and collaborating so that many health specialists and experts could come to explain his ideas; in addition, to the scientists, academics, and authorities who decided to participate. He also paid tribute to the doctors and nurses for their hard work.

Then Dr. Daniel Rivera, in his opening remarks, stated that the Dominican Republic has been a benchmark for management in all areas of the COVID-19 pandemic for other countries, a feat that has even been recognized internationally. At least five exhibitors and 11 panelists will present the experiences and actions adopted by the country in the face of the pandemic. The first speakers will be Dr. Mario Lama and Chanel Rosa, director, and deputy director of the National Health Service (SNS), respectively, under the moderation of Eddy Pérez Then, director of the Research Center and presidential adviser for COVID-19.