The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Acupuncture may ease indigestion
Picking up an old craft or delving into a new one is a positive way to get through the coronavirus pandemic, according to mental health experts. “You might try knitting or something new; individuals should find what grabs them — that’s so important for creativity,” said clinical psychologist Mark Runco, who is director of creativity research and programming at Southern Oregon University.
Patrick Fratellone, a cardiologist with offices in Connecticut and New York City, recommends various crafts for all types of personalities. If you want a craft for dexterity, Fratellone advises to start with something yarn-based, or with a thread. “If you’re a rugged type of person, build birdhouses or something for the environment,” he said.
There are many free online classes on topics that include cloth dyeing, building a birdhouse and making jewelry. The bottom line is that you want to create something concrete, yet something that warms the heart and creates a bit of joy.
If you’ve never been a crafter, here’s what experts suggest:
■ Try yarn-based crafts. These are often a good starting point because many people have fond memories of loved ones knitting or crocheting.
■ Practice, practice, practice. Try to engage in your craft consistently or have a sense of routine; set aside a chunk of time each day — as little as five or 10 minutes.
■ Don’t just play around. Making something concrete confers a sense of accomplishment. “Working with one’s hands and creating something really does something for your self-esteem,” said Fratellone.
■ Share your craft. Making items for your friends and surrounding community can lessen feelings of isolation.
■ Be patient. “When there’s a burden of stress, you’re already in a deficit if that stress is high, and it may take you some time to see the psychological benefits,” said Craig Sawchuk, co-chair of the Division of Integrated Behavioral Health at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “The more you do [a craft], the more you activate certain parts of the brain.”
■ Don’t expect perfection. “I try to get people away from perfectionism because that’s an addiction in and of itself,” Fratellone said.
■ Find an online community. In addition to reaping the benefits of crafting, you’ll also receive the benefits of community. A recently published study found that individuals who felt depressed or anxious were more likely to engage in artistic pursuits, including crafts, if they had more social opportunities to learn and share their craft.
Acupuncture may help relieve indigestion, a new study suggests.
Chinese researchers did a controlled experiment to test acupuncture as a treatment for postprandial distress syndrome, or PDS, a common type of chronic indigestion characterized by an unpleasant sense of fullness after eating, sometimes accompanied by pain and burning in the throat and stomach. It has no obvious cause.
The study, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, randomized 228 otherwise healthy patients with PDS to receive either acupuncture three times a week for four weeks, or a sham treatment that looked similar but did not involve the accurate placement and manipulation of needles.
In the acupuncture group, 83% had some benefits from the treatment, compared with 52% of the controls. In the treatment group, 28% achieved complete elimination of post-meal fullness, bloating and early satiation, compared with 17% of those who received the placebo treatment.
The senior author, Dr. Cun-Zhi Liu of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said that there are drugs to treat PDS, but their efficacy is limited and their side effect sometimes intolerable. “If patients get acupuncture treatment from a trained professional,” he said, “they may feel improvement within two to four weeks.”
Not a crafter? Why you should ponder becoming one
What women should know about stroke
Stroke is a medical emergency. The faster you get treatment, the better your chances are of recovering.
Mayo Clinic experts say women who have stroke symptoms should not delay seeking treatment. They say some women don’t realize the symptoms could be life-threatening and don’t get the care they need in time.
“Risk factors for women are essentially the same as they are for men,” says Dr. Maisha Robinson, a Mayo Clinic neurologist.
But there are differences, particularly for pregnant women and women on oral contraceptives because they have an increased risk of stroke.
“Sometimes, particularly in younger women, the stroke symptoms are not recognized as quickly as we would hope that they would be,” says Robinson.
She says prompt treatment of symptoms improves your chances of recovery. Symptoms include difficulty talking, walking or thinking; sudden vision changes; sudden, severe headache; or numbness or paralysis. If symptoms happen, call 911 — no matter how old you are.
And to prevent stroke, you should manage health issues that increase your risk, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight and inactivity. And if you smoke, stop.