Good Life

  An ageing society view focuses on changes in the population structure, whereas a longevity society perspective focuses on changes in how we age and the exploitation of life-expectancy gains. Both the ageing society and the longevity society pose crucial challenges for the decades to come, and both are unprecedented developments in human history—never before have so many lived for so long—yet longevity is the more distinct of the two. The problems of an ageing society are related to scale and are about how many people are living to older ages. Throughout history, many individuals have survived into their 70s and 80s. By contrast, longevity poses a distinct and original problem, that is, the need to plan for the very plausible probability that children born today in high-income countries will live into their 90s and even beyond.   The combined forces of ageing and longevity produce a mix of both opportunities and problems. This Health Policy examines some of the broad issues a long

  Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home. Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include: Feeling sad or having a depressed mood Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much Loss of energy or increased fatigue Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others) Feeling worthless or guilty Difficulty think

  CoolSculpting uses extremely low temperatures to target specific areas of stubborn body fat. Every year, millions of people follow extreme  diets  or undergo surgery, hoping to achieve a slimmer figure.    This can be a difficult goal for many reasons, so it's no surprise that the idea of banishing body fat without restrictive eating or going under the knife draws thousands of people each year to cryolipolysis, which is commonly known by the brand name CoolSculpting.   Cryolipolysis is the process of using cold temperatures to destroy fat cells just below the surface of the skin. (The clue is in the name: “cryo” means cold, “lipo” means fat, and “lysis” means “destruction.”)   Although the term “CoolSculpting” is often used to refer to the process of cryolipolysis, it’s actually the brand name of a specific medical device used to achieve cryolipolysis. The procedure is usually carried out by a doctor, a nurse, or a physician assistant, though some medical spa professionals can al

  FRIDAY, April 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) of any severity is associated with increased risk of chronic cardiovascular, endocrine, and neurologic comorbidities, according to a study published online April 28 in  JAMA Network Open . Saef Izzy, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a longitudinal cohort study using hospital-based patient registry data to examine the incidence of cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, and psychiatric comorbidities in patients who experienced mild TBI (mTBI) or moderate-to-severe TBI (msTBI) from 2000 to 2015. Patients were matched to an unexposed group without head injuries. The analyses included 4,351 patients with mTBI, 4,351 with msTBI, and 4,351 unexposed individuals. The researchers found that compared with unexposed individuals, those with mTBI and msTBI had significantly higher risks of cardiovascular, endocrine, neurologic, and psychiatric disorders. In particular, in both

  If a loved one is overweight, you may be concerned and want to intervene. After all, having a high  body mass index (BMI)  is associated with a higher risk for health issues like  type 2 diabetes ,  heart disease , and  cancer , as well as a low quality of life, as the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  notes. But not so fast, experts say. Weight loss is a sensitive topic and a personal choice. If you wish to talk to your friend or family member about it, taking a mindful approach can help you get your message across, if it is welcome, without hurting your loved one’s feelings. “Talking to a loved one about weight and weight loss can be extremely triggering for that individual,” says  Ariela Vasserman, PsyD , a psychologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “Timing and empathy are two key factors when attempting to have a conversation. Most attempts from others tend to elicit intense feelings of shame and humiliation, which likely promote more avoidance of the d

  On Monday, the rand fell over 3% to R15.78/$, as traders around the world sought refuge in safe-haven currencies. On Monday, the US dollar touched a two-year high as a wave of risk aversion rocked global markets, while the Chinese yuan was set for its longest three-day losing run in over four years, owing to mounting concerns about China's economic slowdown. Investors dropped currency market darlings including the Australian dollar and the offshore Chinese yuan as the crisis in Ukraine entered its third month and mounting fears of a China-wide COVID-19 outbreak sparked a panic in Chinese stocks. The dollar rose 0.6 percent against a basket of competitor currencies to 101.75, its highest level since March 2020. "Fears about Covid-19 continuing to affect China's lack of action can only explain this dollar supremacy," said Juan Perez, director of trading at Monex USA in Washington. "According to economic figures, Chinese data has been OK, but there is rising fear

Stock markets and oil prices fell on Monday as concerns grew that Chinese lockdowns designed at combating a spreading Covid epidemic could wreak havoc on a global economy already beset by decades-high inflation. On Monday, the JSE's All-Share Index fell 3.5 percent, with Anglo (-7.5%), Sibanye (-6.5%), and Sasol (-6%) among the worst losers. Last week's sell-off was sparked by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments that the US central bank would raise interest rates by half a percentage point next month and maybe multiple times this year. This has bolstered the dollar, which also benefits from its historic safe-haven position. On Monday, the rand fell more than 2% and was trading at R15.70/$, its lowest level since January of this year. Oil prices denominated in dollars fell more than 5% on Monday. Shanghai topped the losses among the world's major stock markets, closing down more than 5%. Though losses were less severe on Wall Street than in Euro

  SARS commissioners, dating back to Pravin Gordhan, were implicated in "improper conduct and maladministration" regarding an IT contract, according to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. • SARS utilized a Treasury policy to avoid following standard procurement procedures, but Mkhwebane said she "could not find convincing reasons for them to do so." • Normally, the public protector may only investigate a complaint two years after it occurs, but Mkhwebane said she was departing from that rule due to "exceptional circumstances."The Hawks should investigate alleged illegal activity by current and former SA Revenue Service employees, according to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. ·           On Friday afternoon, less than three hours after the State Capture Inquiry released its latest report, which found that Gordhan was instrumental in resisting the Guptas' takeover of Treasury, Mkhwebane released her report on SARS' 2006 contract with software fi

  Meta, Teladoc, Pinterest, Qualcomm, and others are among the stocks that have made the most significant premarket changes. Metaphor — In premarket trade, shares of Facebook's parent company rose more than 16 percent after the internet corporation revealed better-than-expected quarterly results. According to StreetAccount, daily active users, which fell for the first time in the fourth quarter, rebounded a little and surpassed analysts' estimates. Despite a revenue shortfall, the stock rallied. Prior to the announcement, the stock was down 48% year to date. Teladoc - Teladoc's stock price plummeted 43 percent after the telehealth business issued dismal revenue projections and missed profits expectations. Teladoc reported a loss of $41.58 per share on  $565.4 million in sales. FactSet polled analysts, who predicted a loss of 60 cents per share and $568.7 million in revenue. McDonald's — The food chain's stock rose 2% in premarket trade as first-quarter revenue excee

  A bill allowing cryptocurrency was overwhelmingly passed by parliamentarians in the Central African Republic. Bitcoin will be accepted as legal money alongside the CFA franc in Central Africa. The CAR is the world's second country to declare bitcoin official tender. Last year, El Salvador did so. The Central African Republic has become the world's second country to embrace bitcoin as its official currency, following El Salvador's decision last year. According to a statement from the presidency, lawmakers in the CAR's parliament voted unanimously to adopt a measure legalizing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin will be accepted as legal money alongside the CFA franc in Central Africa. According to Reuters, President Faustin-Archange Touadera's chief of staff, Obed Namsio, hailed the decision "a crucial step toward opening up new chances for our country." The Central African Republic is rich in diamonds, gold, and other important minerals, yet it i