New research suggests that older people could increase their core temperature and heart rate by using electric fans.

Six females and three men with an average age of 68 sat in a room where the temperature was around 108 degrees F for over 100 minutes. Craig Crandall, the lead author of the study and professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, believes that although these temperatures are not often, they still occur. He was referring to the 1995 Chicago heat wave that maintained temperatures over 108 degrees.

For about 30 minutes, the humidity was kept at 30 percent and then increased by 2 percent every 5 minutes, reaching a high of 70 percent.

The volunteers were placed in the heated rooms and on days that were chosen at random, they were given a 16-inch electric fan which was positioned at approximately three feet away from them.

Scientists revealed that when the individuals had fans blowing on them, their heart rate was usually nine beats per minute higher than the other days.

Without the electric fan and at a humidity of 50 percent, the standard core temperature was 98.3 degrees F. With the fan the temperature increased to 98.7 degrees. The investigators also noted that the heart rate with the electric fan was 88 while without the fan the rate was 79.

These findings are available for the 100 minutes period, and the lead author believed that an increased time could alter the conclusions of the test. Crandall is concerned of the core temperature and heart rate that an individual can reach if exposed to an electric fan for approximately eight hours a day.

A cardiologist at the Heart Hospital in Texas at Baylor in Plano admitted that increased core temperatures could worsen conditions such as angina, which is an intense chest pain because not enough blood is pumped to the heart or high blood pressure.

Crandall said that elderly individuals are advised to use the air conditioning to cool off as well as hydrating with cold drinks, especially water and using wet compresses.

The lead author of the study is determined to conduct more research with his colleagues to analyze when exactly does the electric fan turn from helpful to harmful.

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Spreading awareness, no matter the cause, might appear worthless and superficial. However, the power over that rests in the individual who chooses they will tell the story, donate or volunteer.

One such day of awareness is World Suicide Prevention Day that, whether you know it or not, influences your life in some measure and must be taken seriously.

The World Health Organization mentioned that suicide kills more than 800,000 people each year, globally. In 2014, approximately 43,000 were Americans. In Texas and the U.S., suicide is the second-leading reason of death for 10- to 34-year-olds.

The event that first started in 2003, World Suicide Prevention Day, tries to raise awareness of the power that suicide has and also help lessen the stigma circling related mental health problems.

Recently, more organizations like To Write Love on Her Arms are adopting this day as an essential waypoint to start the conversation on suicide and mental health. Their goal is to inspire hope to people and to let them know they are not alone.

Non-profit organizations like National Alliance on Mental Illness are trying to bring support and local resources.

The public policy leader for the NAMI Texas, says he wants to increase access to treatment while bringing mental health problems out of the shadows. The organization is aiming to enhance through advocacy, education and support the lives of individuals affected by mental illness.

Schools play a fundamental role, along with medical professionals and parents in recognizing kids who may be at risk of suicide.

The leader of Catholic University’s Suicide Prevention Lab, David Jobes, believes that people are usually avoiding the topic and consider it something that is better left unsaid. He also asserted that one of the biggest myths regarding suicide is that children don’t consider it. Jobes also tried to raise awareness of the fact that suicide is not an impulsive decision but rather a planned activity.

It is where schools and parents must intervene. Moreover, suicide is not always caused by depression although in 40 to 50 percent of the cases, individuals that ended their lives were depressed.

We certainly can save lives and make a difference with proper support, identification, and treatments specific to suicide. Most of the people who consider suicide, don’t want to dye. They are showing others warning signs and communicate what they do not want to do. However, individuals must be there to notice all the signs and lead them to the proper care they need.

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Even though the number of moms that begin breastfeeding their babies at birth increased, they end up stopping sooner that recommended by specialists.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is reminding mothers all over that breastfeeding within an hour of birth protects the baby from multiple risks including death.

When a mother has her baby close to her, she provides him all nutrients and antibodies needed, and the proximity to the mother is known to be the best protection from illness.

Besides the nutritional advantages, breastfeeding defends babies against respiratory diseases, stomach bugs, ear infections, and some allergies.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics babies who are breastfed are less likely to become obese teens and adults. However, this practice not only has enormous benefits for the children, but it also has tremendous health benefits for mothers.

Most women encounter hormonal changes during lactation that generate a delay in their menstrual cycle. According to Dr. Lakkampally, this can lead to lower estrogen production and reduce the risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer among women.

Also, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, a woman sheds her breast tissue which further leads to the removal of the cells with potential DNA damage.  By preventing ovulation, breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.

It can also decrease the risks of cardiovascular disease in mothers and delay the return of the menstrual period, which supports extending the time between pregnancies.

Moreover, the rates of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) are highly decreased in babies that are breastfed.

Dr. Ruth Petersen, director of CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity, believes that mothers must have permanent support from communities, clinicians, health care leaders, families and friend to achieve their breastfeeding goals.

According to the 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, eight out of 10 newborns were breastfed, which reveals that most mothers have the intention to do so.

Although mothers start breastfeeding, only half of the infants are still breastfed at the age of 6 months and fewer that one-third (around 30.7 percent) are breastfed at 12 months of age.

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Infertility coverage might be expanding to same-sex couples. New Jersey residents Erin and Marianne Krupa, Sol Mejias, and Sarah Mills have filed a lawsuit against Richard J. Badolato who is the commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance. The main reason for the lawsuit was that the mandate discriminates against same-sex couples.

These women that are in monogamous same-sex relationships consider that the mandate, by its discriminatory language, excludes lesbian couples.

According to the lawsuit’s results, despite being diagnosed with infertility, Erin could not prove that she had unprotected sexual intercourse with a man because of her committed same-sex relationship. It was the reason why the two ladies were not protected by the mandate and had to spend $25,000 on fertility treatments.

The same situation revealed when Mejias was denied coverage when at-home insemination attempts failed repeatedly, but these were not proof enough that they were trying to conceive.

The four women that filed the lawsuit were ultimately given coverage for specific procedures only after each of them was first evaluated by doctors, but they were still not offered complete infertility treatment. They also needed to sustain notable personal costs that their insurance company, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (HBCBS), failed to reimburse.

Serena Chen, the director of reproductive medicine at Saint Barnabas Medical Center admitted that the insurance companies would use the New Jersey mandate’s wording as an excuse to deny insurance claims. It is why many same-sex couples have to discover a way to get the fertility treatments they need.

The couples that have the financial stability end up paying out of pocket for the treatments. However, most of them seek companies that offer a better insurance coverage.

In February 2016, New Jersey State Senate majority leader Loretta Weinberg recommended an amendment that would extend the insurance coverage for women having same-sex relationships. To do so, the women must first be evaluated by specialists licensed to practice medicine and surgery in New Jersey to determine the couple‘s infertility.

After the lawsuit, a variety of medically-sound ways to determine a woman’s infertility were recommended. These could be done without the need of heterosexual intercourse.

Suing the state instead of the insurance companies seems to be the best way to fight the mandate change that all the insurance companies will later have to follow.

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