I SAID I WOULD DO IT. I AM A WOMAN OF MY WORD. ENJOY YOU LOVELY LIL MONSTERS❤️

1000 posts it says ive done... cheers to 1000 posts of being a small jester

ive been wondering this but do notes influence the likelihood of someone reblogging that content? IM CURIOUS SO PLEASE VOTE HERE

this doesn’t include when the post is first made, this is more like the post is cycling for maybe a couple of days

hi! ive given up.

ive spent every night for the last two months (although we’ve been together much longer) thinking about seeing my girlfriend, thinking about how it would feel to be held by her to soothe myself to sleep, trying to think of any way to get money to go see her - and i cant. ive never been this heartbroken before, ive never experienced this type of hurt in any of my other relationships.

i want to get a job but my dad wont let me, i have absolutely no skills or ways to make money on my own, my girlfriend is saving up for a car and other expenses so she cant pay for it cuz she makes minimum wage ($8.50)

ive tried everything. theres nothing i can do. i’m so tired of crying all the time and just getting my hopes up for this shit to happen. im so tired, guys. i’m crying typing this. the hurt im feeling almost constantly over this is too much.

with all the expenses including bags and everything, it’d cost ~$500 to fly her up to see me. she lives in florida and i live in washington. if i managed to get ~$300 by june, that would probably also work, because im visiting texas and plane tickets are cheaper there.

i’m so tired. i’m so god damn tired. the amount of times my bank has fucked me over, the amount of times ive relapsed with my financial addiction (which ive got under control now and donations would go into a savings account locked till i have enough), the amount of times ive had to spend my own money on necessities that my dad should be paying for- its bullshit. my heart hurts, i cant stop crying, i dont even see a point in living anymore. i need physical contact with the only person who cares about me. i need to kiss her and hug her and be around her. she makes me so fucking happy, i couldnt describe the amount of heartbreak im feeling right now. 

other people need donations much more than i do but i would really appreciate a reblog as putting myself out there like this is very anxiety inducing.

my goal is $400, because hopefully i’ll get birthday money when it comes around or something but its already so much money to ask for. if all my followers donated $2 i could get to $500 in no time, and that’s already more than i need. so heres my info. rb if u can, please. help two severely mentally ill struggling nb femme lesbians out.

https://cash.app/$josielu

https://www.paypal.me/josielu

TLDR; help an interracial lesbian couple out because we cant get to each other on our own, and if u cant donate pls rb

ur secret santa again ^^ i hope u dont mind me sending another ask but 500 characters are a bit too little.. anyways, im a student in 11th grade right now, what about u? and do u stan any other groups than astro? im guessing monsta x from what i saw on ur blog? whos ur bias in mx? i was told ur bias in astro is eunwoo btw, mine is moonbin ^^ ok, ill be heading to bed, its getting a bit late! (also id totally die for u too, u seem like such a sweet person!! take care and rest well!)

YA i know what u mean 500 characters seems like a lot but the reality is that its 2 little.. especially for ME someone who will never shut up so please feel free to send as many asks as u want!!!! 

i literally have no idea what 11th grade means but if u want an age im 15 turning 16 :-o! i do stan monsta x im starting to feel bad though all i ever rb is mx bc thats what i see the most.. ill have to follow more astro/day6 blogs soon and eventually u of course rm..... (rachel maria) 

and for the bias question i dont actually have a proper bias??? in both mx and astro i love all of them so much u could say i bias the whole group but in the google doc vivi didnt put an “all” option so i just chose eunwoo jsjssknkejk and oh?? binnie!!!!! would u mind briefly telling me how u got into astro??? i know u would have to send like 10 asks but in all honesty? i wouldnt mind reading all 10 asks 

i hope u had a good rest!!!!! i love u??/??/ 

AAF Update: week 3: Attendance matters

As I mentioned last time, I was on the verge of writing an article on attendance.  If you search for “AAF attendance”  you will find a series of articles saying the AAF is lying about their attendance.

week 1

Atl 6 @ Orl 40 20,191

SD 6 @ SA 15 27,857

Mem 0 @ Birm 26 17,039

SLC 22 @ AZ 38 11,751

week 2

Atl 12 @ SD 24 20,019

Orl 37 @ SA 29 29,176

SLC 9 @ Birm 12 17,319

AZ 20 @ Mem 18 11,980

week 3

Mem 17 @ Orl 21 20,394

Birm 28 @ Atl 12 10,717

SA 11 @ SD 31 14,789

AZ 15 @ SLC 23 10,412

Could they be? Absolutely...but they actually may not be.

When you give the AAF crowds the eyeball test a lot of the images do not suggest the same numbers the league is reporting, but a lot do.

San Antonio is (as I predicted) leading the league in attendance. I figured Orlando would do pretty well --- they are.  Birmingham is solid, about what you’d expect.

Everyone else...well...is worthy of discussion.

San Diego is a little disappointing, but not entirely unexpected.   West coast football attendance is hit or miss.  If you drop a crap team into a west coast stadium or do not promote your team properly, you could see a poor turnout.  And weather plays a role.  There are far too many great things to do on the west coast, so the attendance tends to be a bit soft at all levels of football.

San Diego drew an announced 20K, but their crowd looked more like 10K.  This could possibly be explained in a fair way by the term “paid attendance”.  Ultimately while it would be great to have the fans making it to the games buying hot dogs, cokes, programs, and merchandise, really it’s fine to announce how many tickets you sold.

It was raining in San Diego that day and as a former resident of San Diego, I can buy that turnout may have been a little of for that reason, especially as they drew 14K for their second home game.  Also recall that San Diego drafted former University of San Diego Superstar QB Josh Johnson.  He might have been the highest profile QB in the league and the best local draw.  It is possible that his pick might have helped attendance as one could imagine the fans of a former NFL city wanting desperately to find some reason to buy into the AAF. With his NFL success keeping him out of the league, that certainly could cause a little ennui among some SD fans in week 1.

Arizona’s and Salt Lake’s number look like they might be overstated a bit, and I can buy they may be pumped up, but again if it’s paid vs. actual attendance maybe they aren’t.  (I would not be surprised if there is a league rule to overstate any sub-10K draw as something over 10K.  I think in the grand scheme of things, they know their real numbers and it doesn’t in any way change an impartial viewer’s analysis.)

I think Memphis’s number is accurate.

Takeaways...

A startup league generally cannot afford teams that draw like the bottom four in the league. This league doesn’t have individual owners, so local fans cannot count on a rich owner to overrule his logic and keep a team in a market for a potential money bleeding second season.

It may seem premature to talk about cities being at risk of losing their franchises, but when you think that it is a 10 game season, it really isn’t.

Orlando may be the best team in the league by a very narrow margin and they have handled their business (marketing) fairly well. They appear to have the best depth at QB in the league and as such are safe from QB injuries killing their viability.  They are safe.

San Antonio has the hungriest fans in the league. Even if they had the worst team in the league they would be leading this league in attendance.  As it is, their team is very much middle of the pack. I think this week was just a hangover from last week’s near loss, but they have some problems on both sides of the ball.  Stats suggest Woodside is probably not the QB they need to be rolling with if they want to contend, but in terms of survival....?  Safe.

San Diego was lost without Josh Johnson but now has found offensive life. It’s a good offensive scheme and Martz can teach it.  They are getting better and will likely see growing attendance numbers.  Safe.

Birmingham has the second hungriest fans in the league, probably the second to fourth best team in the league, and about 10 former members of the crimson tide.  Their attendance will creep up slightly.  Safe.

Memphis...I don’t want to pile ill-tidings onto a person, but I thought if Mike Singletary didn’t move from Christian Hackenberg to Zach Mettenberger by this week that he might actually have been in danger of being the first AAF coach fired. (He was killing a workable market.)  He did change QBs, and as much as he might want to downplay the results, those results speak for themselves.  RB Zack Stacy is certainly a good back at this level.  Memphis is solidly middle of the pack and may be better when they aren’t starting the league’s worst starting QB.  Look for their attendance to come into line with Birmingham’s.  If Singletary sticks with Mettenberger....Safe, otherwise at risk.

Arizona...has a selected a bad stadium situation but is in a workable market and has a good team.  Arizona was considered the leagues best team in the pre-season, but honestly the differences between the teams is not very pronounced. Still they are better than average.  I think the league would be wise to invest more money in promotion in that market in hopes to pushing up attendance this year and then look for another stadium next year. An unknown brand in their market. At risk to in trouble.

Salt Lake City fans need to show up for games if they want to keep their team/ever have pro (ish) football.  This is the market the AAF could most easily walk away from.  They have a good coach who will have them around 500.  With that in mind, they really need to be averaging 18K at season’s end.  They only have 5 home games and they just burned one. SLC has a solid team on the field and every attribute an AAF team needs to succeed. If they can’t draw significantly better, I would say....In trouble. I think they could be in Sacramento next year even though compared to SLC, Sacramento has shitty stadiums. Still you can stack up outhouses around Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium and draw 22K.  That is the bar for SLC fans to keep in mind.

Atlanta is in trouble. Their coaching is putting out the league’s lowest scoring and what an eyeball test suggests is the league’s least threatening offense. The team’s talent looks up to par with what should be two solid AAF caliber QBs and a lot of other good talent, but this looks like a train wreck as a franchise. I don’t think putting a team in Atlanta in that stadium was a bad idea --- it actually makes pretty good sense in media terms --- but maybe they hired the wrong coaches. You can’t go 0-10 or even 2-8 in Atlanta and hope of attendance north of 10K.   A craptastic season will create AAF credibility problems that will lead to attendance hangovers in Atlanta in potential future seasons.... Mixing a lukewarm audience that isn’t convinced they need the AAF with a non-competitve team that isn’t exciting is a recipe for a relocation.  In trouble. If a team will be in Raleigh next season, I think this is the most likely team to move there.

I dont think the monetizing on your mentally ill page is a bad idea, IF you do it the right way. I think the idea behind spreading the word of mental illness, raising awareness and destigmatizing it is what we need to do. If selling buttons or stickers or shirts or what have you to sell accomplishes this goal then go for it! I would buy a pin that says " __awareness" I would NOT buy a pin that says "SOS my girlfriends bipolar" BUT ur smart and you get it so I doubt you would do that anyway lol

Well considering I have bipolar and bpd and am currently battling stigma from MH professionals yeah I just i see on redbubble the site i use for my vegan designs. Like I looked up bipolar some of it was just horrible like there was these his and hers tops and it was basically correlating bipolar gf w/ crazy etc and i just...idk i find it in v. bad taste especially since i found no evidence to suggest this person has bipolar or any mental illness that is heavily stigmatised. I understand using dark humor to cope but i feel if you are going to sell on the nose dark humor related merch it should be about a disorder you personally have. You know? Also i would not sell even dark humor stuff that uses the word crazy in reference to bipolar. Like when I say dark humor and stuff i mean like i used to follow a blog called self harm shark and some ppl sent it hate saying it glorified it and such but honestly it helped me on tough nights not to cut/not to feel less alone i actually felt less crazy because many user submitted stuff I could relate to and its one of those things where you might think youre alone in feeling this or that and you realise youre not and that is sad sure that someone else experiences it too but it is relieving to know youre not the only one it makes you feel less crazy bcos u realise its not just you so its almost like not normal but its not like youre the only one who experiences it therefore you just idk im not good at explaining it just makes me at least feel less crazy etc. But yeah i mean..idk i just think yeah certain things shouldnt be joked about and i feel like if youre not suffering with said mental illness or dont have a relative or partner or anything with said mental illness you shouldnt really even consider making dark humor or on the nose jokes/humor/memes to sell etc. Cos it comes off as more well..do you actually think that? Are you stigmatising us or thinking these things? Are you trying to make a buck off mental health but you dont care about the mentally ill? You know you just never know someones intentions. I know like for example i woudlnt want to buy vegan merch off someone whose not vegan who doesnt believe in the vegan lifestyle..when I could buy a vegan pin or magnet or coaster set etc from a vegan trying to work hard to make a living its just yeah... I have some designs in mind actually that i have already created for bipolar and mental illness. I actually have one saying my mental illness is not your adjective or something like that. I do have one i created that says ‘bipolar af’ i created it when manic and now ive come out of mania im not entirely sure if its a good idea to sell it or not? I mean im not sure if that is like idk if the as fuck bit makes it sound bad or if it could be misinterpreted and seen as like..the whole using it as an adjective thing like what if people buy it who are like buying it to like use bipolar as an adjective in that terms like you know how people say the weather is so bipolar or quite often bipolar is used to describe someone who just has mood swings or someone who people might define as highly strung or ‘crazy’ idk im not sure if the AF bit makes it seem like thats how its gonna be viewed. I mean to me idk I guess it was just an idea of a shirt or pin etc saying hey im bipolar and you know im not ashamed but in less words...idk if youve noticed but im extremely like anxiety riddled and so worried of being seen as what i despise and that..like worried my designs or words might be misinterpreted or that i might have like a dark humor post or something and maybe it is abit too on the nose or that people might be upset about it or so on. I dont know because no one can police how someone copes with their illness but it is different when that person it putting it out there for sale on pins and stuff you know? Oh btw I am going to be making pins and magnets and other stuff. I am currently working on deciding if i do it through Teepublic/Redbubble or if I use this local manafacturer I found in Leeds (im from good old britland lmfao or brexshitland)  Which might be more costly because Idk that i’d be able to afford to bulk buy the products..i mean I could always do like a uhh thing where whats it called where you have a campaign and you set a limit/target so you say once i reach 100 sales i’ll buy the product and ship it out kinda thing? But idk because i mean what if it takes literally a year to reach 100 sales and people dont want to wait that long. So im not sure...i mean I could do a gofundme maybe but idk how that works..or how to set it up. I really want to focus on my Mental health blog and socials and that combines with my poetry as much of my poetry is mental health related and so recovery related too. So my poetry is less of something i really need to worry about maintaining because i write when i want to when i get inspired or when I need to vent to keep my mental health in check. So i just do it off the cuff as and when and post it to my poetry tumblr. I  have over 500 pieces stock piled that I just need to schedule to my WordPress site. So thats not an issue. So I guess right now I need to work out where to focus iike Mental Health stuff or vegan designs for my Rb or what I could do is just dedicate a day a week to the vegan designs on redbubble as its not very time consuming to create the designs. And then I can upload them like as and when maybe just spend an hour a day uploading designs and making a new instagram post and sharing that on facebook and here.  So then I have 6 days minus an hour a day to work on my mental health stuff which is my main focus and passion tbh. I guess ive been delaying it because ive been strugglign so much lately ive felt like a fraud or felt like i’d be a fraud preaching happiness and recovery and talking about things to help yourself during depressive episodes etc when i was just mooching around watching tv and just feeling blah...you know? I just..I dont know where to start with the mental health stuff and im so afraid of failing and fucking up or being judged and people thinking i suck or like recently i got accused of faking my mental illnesses from a guy in a UK businesses networking group..he sent me a tirade of hate and how he was gonna shame me for being a fake and claimed he had borderline PD and bipolar too and how hes learnt most people fake it and take advantage of the system put in place to help people really mentally ill luckily the admins removed him from the group..but its just..it really got to me you know. My biggest thing is being told im faking it because so many people think borderlines fake their mood shifts because we change happy to suicidal in seconds or at least i do sometimes at my worst..its just hard..i get it can seem attention seeking because we over react to minor issues and arguments but thats literally the definition of our disorder. we are emotionally unstable and we think and like evrything to us is in extremes i love to the max i get angry over reactive to the max i ahve extreme fears of abandonment triggered by slight changes in my relationships w/ people things others might not even pick up on.. idk i got a lot to say and dont know where to start! haha but thank you I will definitely look more into creating mental health based merchandise..

Top 4 Rutin Benefits (Rutoside, Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) – LiftMode (2019)

Rutin is a powerful bioflavonoid and phytonutrient found in most fruits and vegetables. Often referred to as “Vitamin P”, Rutin is comprised of a quercetin molecule bound to a sugar molecule called rutinose. Gut bacteria help break down this sugar molecule enabling Rutin’s beneficial effects to be released and absorbed by the colon. Meaning consuming more soil-based organisms like probiotics or organic vegetables ensures proper assimilation of the Rutin qualities. [1]

Rutin was historically used in traditional medicines to treat conditions associated with poor blood flow, chronic pain and high cholesterol. It is currently studied for its neuroprotective, cardiovascular and blood health-boosting abilities. These benefits stem from this bioflavonoid’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

This article focuses on the top recognized benefits of Rutin, its uses and recommended dosage. If you’d like more information about this potent dietary supplement, please refer to our complimentary blog post here or the product description.

  Top 4 Rutin Benefits and Effects

Rutin has a number of incredible benefits. Rutin extract is considered to have powerful antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Additionally, current research is finding Rutin to be effective in treating various chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction.[2] Below is a list of the top Rutin benefits.

  Reduces Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

A great benefit of Rutin is its ability to fight oxidative stress. This antioxidant is naturally found in high amounts in foods like apples, citrus fruits, black tea and in Rutin or Quercetin extracts.

An antioxidant’s function is to destroy ‘free radicals’ – these are chemical substances in the body that cause damage to your DNA. When there is an overload of free radicals in the body, this leads to a phenomenon called oxidative stress, increasing the risk of several diseases. [3] Consuming more antioxidant-rich foods or supplements has been found to slow the pace of damage and promote a healthy immune system. [4]

In addition, animal studies show that Rutin may reduce inflammation and chronic joint pain.  One study in Russian found Rutin to inhibit the production of free radicals in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis [5]

  Improves Blood Flow

As a powerful bioflavonoid, Rutin is being examined for its abilities to improve blood circulation and prevent blood clots. In traditional medicine, Rutin was used to heal blood-related disorders. In fact, researchers found Rutin to be a natural treatment for varicose veins, haemorrhoids, as well as to reduce leg swelling and heaviness. [6]

Further, researchers studied Rutin as an alternative treatment for thrombosis – a condition causing the formation of blood clots in arteries and veins which is associated with increased risk for stroke/heart attack. Rutin, or Quercetrin-3-rutinoside, was found to inhibit both in vivo and in vitro formation of blood clots in thrombosis by blocking the enzyme disulfide isomerase (PDI), an essential component in the development of this disease. [7]

  Supports a Healthy Metabolism

One of the top attributes of Rutin is that it supports a healthy metabolism. In fact, Rutin was found to be a promising treatment for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic dysfunction is comprised of 3 or more symptoms, including elevated blood pressure, high blood glucose, cholesterol and increased fat around the waist. These symptoms are associated with increased risk in getting type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.[8]

In rat models, scientists found flavonoids such as Rutin to be effective in the prevention of metabolic dysfunction by inhibiting such spikes, reducing inflammation and lipid accumulation. [9]

  Strengthens Heart and Brain Health

Rutin may have cardiovascular and neuroprotective properties. Maintaining a healthy heart and brain is crucial to our well-being. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease accounts for around 17 million deaths per year. Recent medical literature suggests that Rutin may help treat CVD –  by maintaining blood vessel elasticity, decreasing blood vessel fragility, lowering capillary permeability and preventing complications linked to hypertension.[10] [11]

One study evaluated the effects of Rutin on the heart and liver tissues of rats on a high-alcohol and hypercaloric diet for 95 days. After 53 days on the diet, Rutin was administered every 3 days for a period of 9 days. At the end of the study, overall liver and heart function improved due to the decrease in total lipids or “bad cholesterol” and an increase in “good cholesterol” or HDL-cholesterol – as opposed to the control. Thus, Rutin may be a promising alternative to reduce the risks of cardiovascular and liver disease.[12]

Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, researchers believe Rutin can protect us against brain injuries and neurodegenerative disease. Studies are being conducted to test the effects of Rutin in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The researchers believe that Rutin protects the brain by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing antioxidant enzyme activity.[13]

Side Effects and Dosage

Although there is no precise RDA for Rutin (vitamin P), studies have found 500 mg to 4 g daily to be generally well tolerated.  Since Rutin and Quercetin are usually found together in nature, combining the two pure extracts would make for a great stack. If you decide to combine them, it is recommended to take half the serving size of each.

Side effects of using Rutin are generally rare and mild when taken in recommended doses. Some may experience some minor side effects including rashes, digestive upset, headaches and flushing.

Before taking any supplement or medication, be sure to consult your doctor. There isn’t enough evidence evaluating the safety of Rutin for pregnant or nursing women, it is best to avoid it.

DO NOT EXCEED THE RECOMMENDED SERVING SIZE FOR THIS SUPPLEMENT.

  Conclusion

As we gathered above, the chief benefits Rutin are its abilities to improve heart and brain health and improve circulation. Rutin can be found most fruits and veggies but is especially high in apricots, cherries, grapefruit, plums, apples, buckwheat and capers.

Rutin is a widely consumed supplement because of its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It may also be beneficial in preventing and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, a condition with the highest mortality rates in the world. For more info on Rutin, please refer to our product description page!

Medical Disclaimer

Not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease or ailment. Please read and fully understand the potential adverse effects before using this product. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and are not written by a medical professional. Please consult your doctor before using any supplements, especially if you have any medical conditions.

  Murielle

Health Consultant, studying Health Sciences and Naturopathic Medicine Researched & written by Murielle and verified by the Liftmode.com Research Team

  Citations and Supporting Literature

[1] Salaritabar, A., Darvishi, B., Hadjiakhoondi, F., Manayi, A., Sureda, A., Nabavi, S. F., … Bishayee, A. (2017). Therapeutic potential of flavonoids in inflammatory bowel disease: A comprehensive review. World journal of gastroenterology, 23(28), 5097–5114. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i28.5097 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537178/

[2] Al-Dhabi, N. A., Arasu, M. V., Park, C. H., & Park, S. U. (2015). An up-to-date review of rutin and its biological and pharmacological activities. EXCLI journal, 14, 59–63. doi:10.17179/excli2014-663 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614038/

[3] Pham-Huy LA, He H, Pham-Huy C. Free radicals, antioxidants in disease andhealth. Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun;4(2):89-96. PubMed PMID: 23675073; PubMedCentral PMCID: PMC3614697. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23675073

[4] Free Radicals, Antioxidants in Disease and Health, LA Pham-Huy et al., Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun; 4(2): 89–96. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23675073

[5]Ostrakhovitch EA, Afanas’ev IB. Oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritisleukocytes: suppression by rutin and other antioxidants and chelators. Biochem Pharmacol. 2001 Sep 15;62(6):743-6. PubMed PMID: 11551519. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11551519

[6]Mansilha, A., & Sousa, J. (2018). Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Chronic Venous Disease and Implications for Venoactive Drug Therapy. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(6), 1669. doi:10.3390/ijms19061669 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6032391/

[7] Bekendam, R. H., & Flaumenhaft, R. (2016). Inhibition of Protein Disulfide Isomerase in Thrombosis. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 119, 42–48. doi:10.1111/bcpt.12573 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26408919

[8] “Metabolic Syndrome”, can be found on MayoClinic.org  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-2035191

[9] Li T, Chen S, Feng T, Dong J, Li Y, Li H. Rutin protects against aging-related metabolic dysfunction. Food Funct. 2016 Feb;7(2):1147-54. doi:

10.1039/c5fo01036e. PubMed PMID: 26804783. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26804783

[10] Chuffa LG, Fioruci-Fontanelli BA, Bordon JG, Pires RB, Braga CP, Seiva FR, Fernandes AA. Rutin ameliorates glycemic index, lipid profile and enzymatic activities in serum, heart and liver tissues of rats fed with a combination of hypercaloric diet and chronic ethanol consumption. Indian J Biochem Biophys. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729704/#b13-etm-0-0-5365

[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24879037 Hosseinzadeh H, Nassiri-Asl M. Review of the protective effects of rutin on the metabolic function as an important dietary flavonoid. J Endocrinol Invest. 2014;37:783–788. doi: 10.1007/s40618-014-0096-3.

[12] Chuffa & al., op., cit., 10

[13]  de Andrade Teles, R. B., Diniz, T. C., Costa Pinto, T. C., de Oliveira Júnior, R. G., Gama E Silva, M., de Lavor, É. M., … da Silva Almeida, J. (2018). Flavonoids as Therapeutic Agents in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Evidences. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2018, 7043213. doi:10.1155/2018/7043213  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5971291/

The post Top 4 Rutin Benefits (Rutoside, Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) – LiftMode (2019) appeared first on LiftMode Blog.

Top 4 Rutin Benefits (Rutoside, Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) – LiftMode (2019) published first on https://liftmode.wordpress.com/

Top 4 Rutin Benefits (Rutoside, Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) - LiftMode (2019)

Rutin is a powerful bioflavonoid and phytonutrient found in most fruits and vegetables. Often referred to as “Vitamin P”, Rutin is comprised of a quercetin molecule bound to a sugar molecule called rutinose. Gut bacteria help break down this sugar molecule enabling Rutin’s beneficial effects to be released and absorbed by the colon. Meaning consuming more soil-based organisms like probiotics or organic vegetables ensures proper assimilation of the Rutin qualities. [1]

Rutin was historically used in traditional medicines to treat conditions associated with poor blood flow, chronic pain and high cholesterol. It is currently studied for its neuroprotective, cardiovascular and blood health-boosting abilities. These benefits stem from this bioflavonoid’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

This article focuses on the top recognized benefits of Rutin, its uses and recommended dosage. If you’d like more information about this potent dietary supplement, please refer to our complimentary blog post here or the product description.

  Top 4 Rutin Benefits and Effects

Rutin has a number of incredible benefits. Rutin extract is considered to have powerful antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Additionally, current research is finding Rutin to be effective in treating various chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction.[2] Below is a list of the top Rutin benefits.

  Reduces Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

A great benefit of Rutin is its ability to fight oxidative stress. This antioxidant is naturally found in high amounts in foods like apples, citrus fruits, black tea and in Rutin or Quercetin extracts.

An antioxidant’s function is to destroy ‘free radicals’ – these are chemical substances in the body that cause damage to your DNA. When there is an overload of free radicals in the body, this leads to a phenomenon called oxidative stress, increasing the risk of several diseases. [3] Consuming more antioxidant-rich foods or supplements has been found to slow the pace of damage and promote a healthy immune system. [4]

In addition, animal studies show that Rutin may reduce inflammation and chronic joint pain.  One study in Russian found Rutin to inhibit the production of free radicals in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis [5]

  Improves Blood Flow

As a powerful bioflavonoid, Rutin is being examined for its abilities to improve blood circulation and prevent blood clots. In traditional medicine, Rutin was used to heal blood-related disorders. In fact, researchers found Rutin to be a natural treatment for varicose veins, haemorrhoids, as well as to reduce leg swelling and heaviness. [6]

Further, researchers studied Rutin as an alternative treatment for thrombosis – a condition causing the formation of blood clots in arteries and veins which is associated with increased risk for stroke/heart attack. Rutin, or Quercetrin-3-rutinoside, was found to inhibit both in vivo and in vitro formation of blood clots in thrombosis by blocking the enzyme disulfide isomerase (PDI), an essential component in the development of this disease. [7]

  Supports a Healthy Metabolism

One of the top attributes of Rutin is that it supports a healthy metabolism. In fact, Rutin was found to be a promising treatment for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic dysfunction is comprised of 3 or more symptoms, including elevated blood pressure, high blood glucose, cholesterol and increased fat around the waist. These symptoms are associated with increased risk in getting type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.[8]

In rat models, scientists found flavonoids such as Rutin to be effective in the prevention of metabolic dysfunction by inhibiting such spikes, reducing inflammation and lipid accumulation. [9]

  Strengthens Heart and Brain Health

Rutin may have cardiovascular and neuroprotective properties. Maintaining a healthy heart and brain is crucial to our well-being. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease accounts for around 17 million deaths per year. Recent medical literature suggests that Rutin may help treat CVD –  by maintaining blood vessel elasticity, decreasing blood vessel fragility, lowering capillary permeability and preventing complications linked to hypertension.[10] [11]

One study evaluated the effects of Rutin on the heart and liver tissues of rats on a high-alcohol and hypercaloric diet for 95 days. After 53 days on the diet, Rutin was administered every 3 days for a period of 9 days. At the end of the study, overall liver and heart function improved due to the decrease in total lipids or “bad cholesterol” and an increase in “good cholesterol” or HDL-cholesterol – as opposed to the control. Thus, Rutin may be a promising alternative to reduce the risks of cardiovascular and liver disease.[12]

Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, researchers believe Rutin can protect us against brain injuries and neurodegenerative disease. Studies are being conducted to test the effects of Rutin in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The researchers believe that Rutin protects the brain by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing antioxidant enzyme activity.[13]

Side Effects and Dosage

Although there is no precise RDA for Rutin (vitamin P), studies have found 500 mg to 4 g daily to be generally well tolerated.  Since Rutin and Quercetin are usually found together in nature, combining the two pure extracts would make for a great stack. If you decide to combine them, it is recommended to take half the serving size of each.

Side effects of using Rutin are generally rare and mild when taken in recommended doses. Some may experience some minor side effects including rashes, digestive upset, headaches and flushing.

Before taking any supplement or medication, be sure to consult your doctor. There isn’t enough evidence evaluating the safety of Rutin for pregnant or nursing women, it is best to avoid it.

DO NOT EXCEED THE RECOMMENDED SERVING SIZE FOR THIS SUPPLEMENT.

  Conclusion

As we gathered above, the chief benefits Rutin are its abilities to improve heart and brain health and improve circulation. Rutin can be found most fruits and veggies but is especially high in apricots, cherries, grapefruit, plums, apples, buckwheat and capers.

Rutin is a widely consumed supplement because of its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It may also be beneficial in preventing and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, a condition with the highest mortality rates in the world. For more info on Rutin, please refer to our product description page!

Medical Disclaimer

Not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease or ailment. Please read and fully understand the potential adverse effects before using this product. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and are not written by a medical professional. Please consult your doctor before using any supplements, especially if you have any medical conditions.

  Murielle

Health Consultant, studying Health Sciences and Naturopathic Medicine Researched & written by Murielle and verified by the Liftmode.com Research Team

  Citations and Supporting Literature

[1] Salaritabar, A., Darvishi, B., Hadjiakhoondi, F., Manayi, A., Sureda, A., Nabavi, S. F., … Bishayee, A. (2017). Therapeutic potential of flavonoids in inflammatory bowel disease: A comprehensive review. World journal of gastroenterology, 23(28), 5097–5114. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i28.5097 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537178/

[2] Al-Dhabi, N. A., Arasu, M. V., Park, C. H., & Park, S. U. (2015). An up-to-date review of rutin and its biological and pharmacological activities. EXCLI journal, 14, 59–63. doi:10.17179/excli2014-663 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614038/

[3] Pham-Huy LA, He H, Pham-Huy C. Free radicals, antioxidants in disease andhealth. Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun;4(2):89-96. PubMed PMID: 23675073; PubMedCentral PMCID: PMC3614697. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23675073

[4] Free Radicals, Antioxidants in Disease and Health, LA Pham-Huy et al., Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun; 4(2): 89–96. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23675073

[5]Ostrakhovitch EA, Afanas'ev IB. Oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritisleukocytes: suppression by rutin and other antioxidants and chelators. Biochem Pharmacol. 2001 Sep 15;62(6):743-6. PubMed PMID: 11551519. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11551519

[6]Mansilha, A., & Sousa, J. (2018). Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Chronic Venous Disease and Implications for Venoactive Drug Therapy. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(6), 1669. doi:10.3390/ijms19061669 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6032391/

[7] Bekendam, R. H., & Flaumenhaft, R. (2016). Inhibition of Protein Disulfide Isomerase in Thrombosis. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 119, 42–48. doi:10.1111/bcpt.12573 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26408919

[8] “Metabolic Syndrome”, can be found on MayoClinic.org  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-2035191

[9] Li T, Chen S, Feng T, Dong J, Li Y, Li H. Rutin protects against aging-related metabolic dysfunction. Food Funct. 2016 Feb;7(2):1147-54. doi:

10.1039/c5fo01036e. PubMed PMID: 26804783. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26804783

[10] Chuffa LG, Fioruci-Fontanelli BA, Bordon JG, Pires RB, Braga CP, Seiva FR, Fernandes AA. Rutin ameliorates glycemic index, lipid profile and enzymatic activities in serum, heart and liver tissues of rats fed with a combination of hypercaloric diet and chronic ethanol consumption. Indian J Biochem Biophys. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729704/#b13-etm-0-0-5365

[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24879037 Hosseinzadeh H, Nassiri-Asl M. Review of the protective effects of rutin on the metabolic function as an important dietary flavonoid. J Endocrinol Invest. 2014;37:783–788. doi: 10.1007/s40618-014-0096-3.

[12] Chuffa & al., op., cit., 10

[13]  de Andrade Teles, R. B., Diniz, T. C., Costa Pinto, T. C., de Oliveira Júnior, R. G., Gama E Silva, M., de Lavor, É. M., … da Silva Almeida, J. (2018). Flavonoids as Therapeutic Agents in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Evidences. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2018, 7043213. doi:10.1155/2018/7043213  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5971291/

The post Top 4 Rutin Benefits (Rutoside, Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) - LiftMode (2019) appeared first on LiftMode Blog.

The World Anti-Doping Agency Just Gave Olympic Athletes the Green Light to Use CBD Products

The World Anti-Doping Agency just gave Olympic athletes the green light to use CBD products - or cannabinoids - to manage their pain.

And it only took 2,800 years. More on that in a moment…

The ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote extensively about CBD and cannabis in his five-volume medical text.

This is huge news for people who depend on their bodies to perform at peak levels day in and day out.

But it's also big news for my patients at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine.

You see, living where I do in South Florida, I have a lot of patients of retirement age. And they moved to this area so they could enjoy their days outdoors playing golf and tennis all year round.

But the aches and pains that go along with getting older sometimes keep my patients from doing the things they love.

My patients want natural solutions to treat their pain. And that's what I offer them. But now, I have a new tool in my arsenal that's highly effective, natural and safe - CBD.

You see, my patients know that Big Pharma's painkillers are not a good long-term choice. By now, everyone is aware of the opioid epidemic in our country. But even over-the-counter pain meds are dangerous…

Low-dose aspirin is toxic when taken too often. Regular use increases your risk of bleeding, getting ulcers, developing hearing loss and having liver and kidney failure.1 Even conventional doctors and the FDA have stopped recommending that everyone take a low-dose aspirin daily because they finally get that the risks outweigh any benefit.

Acetaminophen, or Tylenol, is marketed as the world's safest drug. But recent studies found it can increase blood pressure, double your risk of certain cancers, lead to broken bones and cause liver damage.2,3,4,5

NSAIDs increase your risk of heart attack and stroke - within just one week of consistent use. And the more you use, the more your risk goes up.6

Cannabis-based remedies were one of the world's leading medicines for thousands of years.

The two oldest forms of medicine - Ayurveda and Chinese - used CBD oil to treat everything from high blood pressure and cancer to sexual dysfunction and pain. And the ancient Egyptians wrote extensively about it in the world's oldest medical textbook, the Ebers Papyrus.

And as it turns out, the very first Olympians, back in 776 B.C., used CBD oil to treat a variety of illnesses and ailments.

Years later, the ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, wrote extensively about it in his medical text De Materia Medica.

In this five-volume pharmacopoeia, he said that “[cannabis] is a plant of much use in this life” and that its uses include… “the treatment of inflammation and [arthritis],” as well as the “twisting of the sinews,” or tendons.7

CBD was also widely used extensively in America until the 1930s. In fact, it made up half of all medicines prescribed and sold.

But then the government got involved and declared this lifesaving drug illegal. Luckily, they've reversed course in recent years. Today, CBD products are legal in some states.

That's a relief for a lot of my patients because CBD is leading a pain-relieving revolution we haven't seen since the invention of aspirin. And today's research backs up what 10,000 years of use has found.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine found that CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammation and pain in animals without causing either tolerance or addiction.8

In a separate study, researchers applied CBD oil to severely arthritic rats for four days. Their research reported a significant drop in inflammation and pain, without side effects.9

A third study followed 2,700 cancer patients in severe pain for six months. After using CBD oil, almost every single study participant reported that their chronic pain was cut in half - with none of the side effects they got from their prescription medications.

If severe pain were all that CBD treated, I'd still recommend it. But this miracle oil has also been proven to treat cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and heart disease. Look for more on that in a future letter…

Knock Out Pain with These 3 Herbal Remedies

Take the original aspirin. White willow bark contains salicin, the same compound found in aspirin. It comes from a tree native to Europe and Asia. Hippocrates had his patients chew on white willow bark to reduce inflammation.

Studies show it not only relieves arthritis pain but also increases mobility in the back, knees, hips and other joints. And a study in the American Journal of Medicine found it extremely effective for lower back pain.

I recommend 240 mg per day.

Try the “golden miracle.” That's what I call curcumin. This South Indian spice has 619 health benefits that are supported by nearly 7,000 studies. But curcumin is best known as a powerful anti-inflammatory. In fact, studies show it reduces arthritis joint pain by 60% and joint swelling by 73%. Another clinical trial found it was more effective than prescription strength NSAID.

Look for a supplement that contains piperine. This black pepper extract boosts absorbency by 2,000%.

I recommend 400 mg to 500 mg twice a day.

Use this “NSAID substitute.” That's how researchers at the University of Miami refer to ginger. In their study, they compared a ginger extract to a placebo in 247 patients with osteoarthritis. The ginger reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40% over the placebo.11 And a second study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that ginger reduce pain in both muscles and joints by as much as 25%.12

Ginger contains 12 different compounds that fight excess inflammation. Some block the enzyme which triggers it. Some lower pain-receptor and nerve-ending sensitivity. Together they work as well as any over-the-counter remedy you can find.

I recommend you take 750 mg of liquid ginger extract a day.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

P.S. I'm currently working on my own CBD product to release in the next couple of months. With my decades of experience searching for natural herbal cures around the world, this seemed like the obvious next step.

The studies and research I've read have been incredible. And I can't wait to share this new powerful no-prescription-required treatment with my patients. Stay tuned!

1. Harvard Health Letter. Weighing the risks and benefits of aspirin therapy. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/weighing-the-risks-and-benefits-of-aspirin-therapy. November 2017. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 2. Harvard Health Letter. Acetaminophen may boost blood pressure. February 2011. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/acetaminophen-may-boost-blood-pressure. Accessed May 8, 2018. 3. Walter RB, et al. “Long-term use of acetaminophen, aspirin, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of hematologic malignancies: results from the prospective Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study.” J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(17):2424-2431. 4. Williams LJ, et. al. “Paracetamol (acetaminophen) use, fracture and bone mineral density.” Bone. 2011;48(6):1277-1281. 5. FDA U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Can an aspirin a day help prevent a heart attack? 6. Harvard Health Publishing. FDA strengthens warning that NSAIDs increase heart attack and stroke risk. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fda-strengthens-warning-that-nsaids-increase-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-201507138138. Updated August 22, 2017. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 7. Pedanius Dioscorides. Full Text of De Materia Medica. https://archive.org/stream/de-materia-medica/scribd-download.com_dioscorides-de-materia-medica_djvu.txt. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 8. Xiong W, et al. “Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors.” J Exp Med. 2012;209(6):1121-1134. 9. Hammell DC, et al. “Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis.” Eur J Pain. 2016; 20(6): 936-948. 10. Chandran B and Goel A. “A randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.” Phytother Res. 2012;26(11):1719-1725. 11. Altman RD and Marcussen KC. “Effects of a ginger extract on knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis.” Arthritis Rheum. 2001;44(11):2531-2538. 12. Ozgoli G, et al. “Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea.” J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15(2):129-132.

The post The World Anti-Doping Agency Just Gave Olympic Athletes the Green Light to Use CBD Products appeared first on Dr. Al Sears, MD Anti Aging Pioneer Alternative Health Newsletter.

The World Anti-Doping Agency Just Gave Olympic Athletes the Green Light to Use CBD Products

The World Anti-Doping Agency just gave Olympic athletes the green light to use CBD products - or cannabinoids - to manage their pain.

And it only took 2,800 years. More on that in a moment…

The ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote extensively about CBD and cannabis in his five-volume medical text.

This is huge news for people who depend on their bodies to perform at peak levels day in and day out.

But it's also big news for my patients at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine.

You see, living where I do in South Florida, I have a lot of patients of retirement age. And they moved to this area so they could enjoy their days outdoors playing golf and tennis all year round.

But the aches and pains that go along with getting older sometimes keep my patients from doing the things they love.

My patients want natural solutions to treat their pain. And that's what I offer them. But now, I have a new tool in my arsenal that's highly effective, natural and safe - CBD.

You see, my patients know that Big Pharma's painkillers are not a good long-term choice. By now, everyone is aware of the opioid epidemic in our country. But even over-the-counter pain meds are dangerous…

Low-dose aspirin is toxic when taken too often. Regular use increases your risk of bleeding, getting ulcers, developing hearing loss and having liver and kidney failure.1 Even conventional doctors and the FDA have stopped recommending that everyone take a low-dose aspirin daily because they finally get that the risks outweigh any benefit.

Acetaminophen, or Tylenol, is marketed as the world's safest drug. But recent studies found it can increase blood pressure, double your risk of certain cancers, lead to broken bones and cause liver damage.2,3,4,5

NSAIDs increase your risk of heart attack and stroke - within just one week of consistent use. And the more you use, the more your risk goes up.6

Cannabis-based remedies were one of the world's leading medicines for thousands of years.

The two oldest forms of medicine - Ayurveda and Chinese - used CBD oil to treat everything from high blood pressure and cancer to sexual dysfunction and pain. And the ancient Egyptians wrote extensively about it in the world's oldest medical textbook, the Ebers Papyrus.

And as it turns out, the very first Olympians, back in 776 B.C., used CBD oil to treat a variety of illnesses and ailments.

Years later, the ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, wrote extensively about it in his medical text De Materia Medica.

In this five-volume pharmacopoeia, he said that “[cannabis] is a plant of much use in this life” and that its uses include… “the treatment of inflammation and [arthritis],” as well as the “twisting of the sinews,” or tendons.7

CBD was also widely used extensively in America until the 1930s. In fact, it made up half of all medicines prescribed and sold.

But then the government got involved and declared this lifesaving drug illegal. Luckily, they've reversed course in recent years. Today, CBD products are legal in some states.

That's a relief for a lot of my patients because CBD is leading a pain-relieving revolution we haven't seen since the invention of aspirin. And today's research backs up what 10,000 years of use has found.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine found that CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammation and pain in animals without causing either tolerance or addiction.8

In a separate study, researchers applied CBD oil to severely arthritic rats for four days. Their research reported a significant drop in inflammation and pain, without side effects.9

A third study followed 2,700 cancer patients in severe pain for six months. After using CBD oil, almost every single study participant reported that their chronic pain was cut in half - with none of the side effects they got from their prescription medications.

If severe pain were all that CBD treated, I'd still recommend it. But this miracle oil has also been proven to treat cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and heart disease. Look for more on that in a future letter…

Knock Out Pain with These 3 Herbal Remedies

Take the original aspirin. White willow bark contains salicin, the same compound found in aspirin. It comes from a tree native to Europe and Asia. Hippocrates had his patients chew on white willow bark to reduce inflammation.

Studies show it not only relieves arthritis pain but also increases mobility in the back, knees, hips and other joints. And a study in the American Journal of Medicine found it extremely effective for lower back pain.

I recommend 240 mg per day.

Try the “golden miracle.” That's what I call curcumin. This South Indian spice has 619 health benefits that are supported by nearly 7,000 studies. But curcumin is best known as a powerful anti-inflammatory. In fact, studies show it reduces arthritis joint pain by 60% and joint swelling by 73%. Another clinical trial found it was more effective than prescription strength NSAID.

Look for a supplement that contains piperine. This black pepper extract boosts absorbency by 2,000%.

I recommend 400 mg to 500 mg twice a day.

Use this “NSAID substitute.” That's how researchers at the University of Miami refer to ginger. In their study, they compared a ginger extract to a placebo in 247 patients with osteoarthritis. The ginger reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40% over the placebo.11 And a second study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that ginger reduce pain in both muscles and joints by as much as 25%.12

Ginger contains 12 different compounds that fight excess inflammation. Some block the enzyme which triggers it. Some lower pain-receptor and nerve-ending sensitivity. Together they work as well as any over-the-counter remedy you can find.

I recommend you take 750 mg of liquid ginger extract a day.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

P.S. I'm currently working on my own CBD product to release in the next couple of months. With my decades of experience searching for natural herbal cures around the world, this seemed like the obvious next step.

The studies and research I've read have been incredible. And I can't wait to share this new powerful no-prescription-required treatment with my patients. Stay tuned!

1. Harvard Health Letter. Weighing the risks and benefits of aspirin therapy. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/weighing-the-risks-and-benefits-of-aspirin-therapy. November 2017. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 2. Harvard Health Letter. Acetaminophen may boost blood pressure. February 2011. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/acetaminophen-may-boost-blood-pressure. Accessed May 8, 2018. 3. Walter RB, et al. “Long-term use of acetaminophen, aspirin, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of hematologic malignancies: results from the prospective Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study.” J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(17):2424-2431. 4. Williams LJ, et. al. “Paracetamol (acetaminophen) use, fracture and bone mineral density.” Bone. 2011;48(6):1277-1281. 5. FDA U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Can an aspirin a day help prevent a heart attack? 6. Harvard Health Publishing. FDA strengthens warning that NSAIDs increase heart attack and stroke risk. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fda-strengthens-warning-that-nsaids-increase-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-201507138138. Updated August 22, 2017. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 7. Pedanius Dioscorides. Full Text of De Materia Medica. https://archive.org/stream/de-materia-medica/scribd-download.com_dioscorides-de-materia-medica_djvu.txt. Accessed on August 17, 2018. 8. Xiong W, et al. “Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors.” J Exp Med. 2012;209(6):1121-1134. 9. Hammell DC, et al. “Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis.” Eur J Pain. 2016; 20(6): 936-948. 10. Chandran B and Goel A. “A randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.” Phytother Res. 2012;26(11):1719-1725. 11. Altman RD and Marcussen KC. “Effects of a ginger extract on knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis.” Arthritis Rheum. 2001;44(11):2531-2538. 12. Ozgoli G, et al. “Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea.” J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15(2):129-132.

The post The World Anti-Doping Agency Just Gave Olympic Athletes the Green Light to Use CBD Products appeared first on Dr. Al Sears, MD Anti Aging Pioneer Alternative Health Newsletter.

Five questions for: Mike Burrows of AgendaShift

My travels around the landscape of DevOps brought me to Mike Burrows, and the work he was doing around what he terms AgendaShift, an outcome-based approach to continuous transformation. While these words could be off-putting, I was more intrigued by the fact that Mike had set up a Slack site to articulate, test and improve his experience-based models – as he says, there’s 500 people on the site now, and as I have experienced, it’s very participative. So, what’s it all about – is there life beyond prescriptive lean and agile approaches? I sat down with Mike (in the virtual sense) to find out the background of, and hopes and dreams for, AgendaShift.

1. What led you to write a book about lean/agile/Kanban — what was being missed?

Good question! I’m one of those people that laments the rise of prescription Lean-Agile space, and though I found it easy to find people who were in sympathy with my view, I didn’t find a lot of constructive alternatives. I myself had developed a consistent approach, but calling it “non-prescriptive” only told people what it wasn’t, not what it was! Eventually, I (or perhaps I should say “we”, because I had collaborators and a growing community by this time) landed on “outcome-oriented”, and suddenly everything became a lot clearer.

2. How would you explain AgendaShift in terms a layperson might understand?

The central idea is principle #2 (of 5 – see agendashift.com/principles): Agree on outcomes. It seems kinda obvious that change will be vastly easier when you have agreement on outcomes, but most of us don’t have the tools to identify, explore, and agree on outcomes, so instead we jump to solutions, justify them, implement them over other people’s resistance, and so on. I believe that as an industry we need to move away from that 20th century model of change management, and that for Agile it is absolutely essential.

Around that central idea, we have 5 chapters modelled on the 5 sessions of our workshops, namely Discovery (establishing a sense of where we are and where we’d like to get to), Exploration (going down a level of detail, getting a better sense of the overall terrain and where the opportunities lie), Mapping (visualising it all), Elaboration (framing and developing our ideas), and Operation (treating change as real work). Everything from a corporate ambition to the potential impact of an experiment is an outcome, and we can connect the dots between them..

3. You went through an interesting development process, care to elucidate?

Two key ingredients for Agendashift are to be found in the last chapter of my first book, Kanban from the Inside (2014). The first is the idea of “keeping the agenda for change visible”, a clue to where the name “Agendashift” came from, and worthwhile to develop further how one might populate and visualise such a thing (and I took inspiration not just from Kanban, but also from Story Mapping). The second was the kind of bullet point checklist you see at the end of a lot of books.

I and a few others independently around the world (Matt Phillip most notably) realised that we had the basis for an interesting kind of assessment tool here, organised by the values of transparency, balance, collaboration and so on (the values model that was the basis for my book). In collaboration with Dragan Jojic we went through several significant iterations, broadening the assessment’s scope, removing jargon, eliminating any sense of prescription, and so on. We found that the more we did that, the more accessible it became (we now have experience using it outside of IT), and yet also more thought-provoking. Interesting!

Other collaborators – most notably Karl Scotland and Andrea Chiou – helped move Agendashift upstream into what we call Discovery, making sure than when we come to debriefing the assessment that we’re already well grounded in business context and objectives. The unexpected special ingredients there has been Clean Language (new to me at the time, and a great way to explore outcomes) and Cynefin (already very familiar to me as model, but now also very practical once we had the means to create lots of fragments of narrative, outcomes in Agendashift’s case).

4. Who is the AgendaShift book aimed at, is it appropriate for newcomers, journeymen or masters?

I do aim in my writing for “something for everyone”. I accept though that the complete newcomer to Lean-Agile or to coaching and facilitation may find that it assumes just a bit too much knowledge on the part of the reader. My third book (working title “Right to Left: The digital leader’s guide to Lean-Agile”, due 2019) will I think have the broadest possible appeal for books in this space. We’ll see!

5. How do you see things progressing – is nirvana round the corner or is that the wrong way to think about it?

We’re coming up to the 2 year anniversary of the public launch of the Agendashift partner programme, 2 years into what I’m told is likely a 3-year bootstrap process (I have some fantastic collaborators but no external investment). General interest is definitely growing – more than 500 people in the Agendashift Slack for example – and I’m seeing a significant uptick in demand for private workshops, either directly from corporates or via partner companies. Its potential as a component of leadership development and strategy deployment is gaining recognition too, so we’re not dependent only on Agile transformation opportunities. I believe that there is potential for Agendashift in the digital and DevOps spaces too.

There is a lot of vested interest in imposed Agile, and in all honesty I don’t see that changing overnight – in fact I tell people that I can see the rest of my career (I’m 53) being devoted to outcomes. Over time though, I believe that we will see more success for transformations that are based on genuine engagement, which can only be good for the likes of Agendashift, OpenSpace Agility, and so on. Eventually, the incongruity of imposed Agile will be exposed, and nirvana will be achieved :-)

  My take: Not the weapon, but the hand

I’m all for methodologies. Of course, I would say that – I used to run a methodology group, I trained people in better software delivery and so on. From an early stage in my career however, I learned that it is not enough to follow any set of practices verbatim: sooner or later (as I did), edge cases or a changing world will cause you to come unstuck, which goes a long way to explain why best practices seem to be in a repeated state of reinvention.

I was also lucky enough to have some fantastic mentors. Notably Barry McGibbon, who had written books about OO, and Robin Bloor, whose background was in data. Both taught me, in different ways, that all important lesson we can get from Monty Python’s Holy Grail: “It’s only a model.”

Models exist to provide a facade of simplicity, which can be an enormous boon in this complex, constantly changing age. At the same time however, they are not a thing in themselves; rather, they offer a representation. As such, it is important to understand where and when they are most suited, but also how they were created, because, quite simply, sometimes it may be quicker to create a new one than use something ill-suited for the job.

And so it is for approaches and methods, steps we work through to get a job done. Often they are right, sometimes less so. A while back, myself, Barry and others worked with Adam and Tim at DevelopmentProcess to devise a dashboard tool for developers. So many options existed, the thought of creating something generic seemed insurmountable…

… until the epiphany came, that is: while all processes require the same types of steps, their exact form, and how they were strung together, could vary. This was more than just a, “Aha! That’s how they look!” as it also put the onus onto the process creator to decide which types of step were required, in which order.

Because of this, among many other reasons, I think Mike is on to something. In another recent conversation, Tony Christensen, DevOps lead at RBS, said the goal had become to create a learning organisation, rather then transforming into some nirvanic state. True Nirvana, in this context at least, is about understanding the mechanisms available, and having the wherewithal to choose between them.

  Image: AgendaShift

  from Gigaom https://gigaom.com/2018/07/06/five-questions-for-mike-burrows-of-agendashift/

The JIBC EMR course

What it is

EMR (emergency medical responder) is the lowest level of training one can have to work with BC Ambulance, and is a prerequisite to get into the PCP program. While most people who take this want to go down that path, it can also be used if you’re interested in going into fire, search and rescue, ski patrol etc. It is a three-week intense course similar to OFA 3 but with a pre-hospital focus rather than the workplace. You will be taught how to handle a variety of medical and trauma calls, get CPR-HCP (health care provider) certified, and even administer medications.

Weekly schedule

The first week we covered the equipment we will be using in our jump kits, how to operate the cot and load into the ambulance, emergency moves, how to perform a primary survey, CPR-HCP certification testing which includes a quiz, and began to cover cardiac and respiratory emergencies and the medications we are able to give.

The second week we wrote a quiz on the material from the first week, covered our diabetic protocol and medications, and dove head first into trauma. This included spinal management, some basic OFA skills, burn management, chest and abdominal trauma (flail chest, sucking chest wounds from stabbings or bullets), bowel eviscerations and protruding objects, and unstable fractures (pelvic and double femur fractures).

The third and final week was mainly spent practicing calls for our final practical exam, but there was still one more quiz covering week 2 material and a day talking about delivering babies, maintaining an IV line for paramedics, and stable fracture management (making arm splints and learning about the traction splint for legs).

The patient assessment model

We have a PAM (patient assessment model) we use for every single call scenario. It comprises of a scene survey, primary survey, and secondary survey. The first thing you must do is a scene survey to make sure the area is safe to enter. The acronym we were taught was HEMP BC:

H – hazards we rule out to make sure the scene is safe

E – environment. Is the patient outside in the freezing BC rain or safe in their beds indoors?

M – mechanism of injury or illness (MOI). Basically what caused the patient’s emergency

P – number of patients involved

B – body substance isolation (BSI) precautions. To remind you to put on gloves and think about glasses/masks/gowns if the situation calls for it.

C – condition of patient. What info you can gather just by looking at your patient (are they unconscious, obviously short of breath, grey and sick looking to indicate cardiac emergencies etc)

Once you determine the scene is safe to enter and you greet your patient, you’re going to want to do a primary survey. This is meant to be fast (2 minutes or less for EMR level) and to make sure you fix any life or limb threatening injuries. The faster you can memorize the order of your primary the faster you will be, and be sure to follow the order as it was made to tackle the most serious things first. This is just a brief overview, you will go through each step with more detail in the course, so don’t panic if you have no clue what any of this means.

D – Delicate spine, or D-spine. This is when you rule in/out spinal precautions

LOC – Level of Consciousness. We use the acronym AVPU (alert, verbal, pain, unresponsive)

A – airway. Examples of fixing an airway problem would be suctioning out fluids, placing the patient in a head tilt chin life/jaw thrust to lift the tongue out of the way, or inserting an airway adjunct (OPA or NPA).

B – breathing. Make sure patient breathing is adequate, if not you may need to ventilate for them with the use of a BVM

C – circulation. Assess the patient to see if they have a pulse or not, and the quality (ex. strong and regular). Obviously if there is no pulse you will want to start CPR

RBS – rapid body survey, meant to quickly feel the patient from head to toe for fractures or bleeds

S – skin assessment. This is meant to see how the patient is circulating

O – oxygen, this is when you determine if your patient needs O2 at all, and how much

A – another airway check. Mainly meant to remind you to go back and put an airway adjunct in if you haven’t already done so (for unconscious patients)

P – position. If your patient is unconscious and doesn’t require spinal precautions, you will roll them into recovery.

I – Interventions. If you find a bleed or a fracture etc this is when you go back and deal with them

RTC or Non RTC – Rapid Transport Criteria. Is this patient in critical condition and we need to transport ASAP to the hospital, or can we stay on scene a bit longer?

After your primary comes the secondary survey. This will be done in the back of the ambulance if you determined your patient was RTC, or on scene if you ruled in Non RTC. It involves critical history, vitals, head to toe examination, and a functional inquiry.

The first step in a secondary is to get a critical history from the patient, essentially we want to find out more about why we’re being called today and find out relevant patient medical history. The acronym for this is CHAMPLE:

C – chief complaint. What is the main reason the patient called 911 today

H – history of the chief complaint, a helpful acronym mainly used for pain but can be modified for any call is LOTTARRPS:

              L - location

              O - onset

              T - type

              T - timing

              A – associated symptoms

              R - radiation

              R - relief

              P - provocation

              S – severity

A – allergies (be sure to ask how the patient reacts to allergies)

M - medications

P – past medical history

L – last oral intake/last bowel movement

E – events leading up. Different than onset, this is asking how the patient has been feeling the past couple of days

The next step is taking vitals (if you’re on scene your partner can do these for you). The ones we want to know are GCS (measures level of consciousness and awareness), heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, skin assessment, pupils and their reactiveness, and blood oxygen percentage. If your patient is RTC you need to be taking vitals every 5 minutes, and every 15 minutes for not RTC.

Then comes your head to toe inspection. This is similar to the RBS but more thorough and you want to write down every bump and bruise you find on the patient. The final step is to do a functional inquiry. This is asking the patient 2-3 questions about every body system (neuro, cardio, respiratory, GI, GU, endocrine, and musculoskeletal).

Quizzes and Examinations

We had 3 quizzes (multiple choice), one final written exam (multiple choice as well), and two final practical examinations (one trauma, one medical). The passing grade for all of these was 71%, and we were given one remedial per quiz/exam. If you were not able to get 71% or higher on your remedial, unfortunately you would be withdrawn from the program.

The final practical exam remedials could be one of three things:

500 word essay (if you failed on something that wasn’t skill related)

Skill station (if you failed to do something technical that wasn’t life threatening such as the traction splint, arm splint, spinal collar application, vitals). You would not have to do a full call over again you would just need to demonstrate the skill

Full call remedial (if your overall mark was under 50%)

Tips for success

Read as much of your EMR textbook as you can before the course. While technically you are not required to pre-read, your days will be long and exhausting and you will probably not want to read 3 or more chapters a night before class

Take advantage of blackboard. This is the online access through JIBC and it has literally everything on there to make you successful. The practice quizzes were identical to the actual quizzes, you had access to call scenarios, and even links to web versions of your textbooks (so you don’t have to spend $35 on a CPR booklet that only has a page or two of necessary reading)

Practice practice practice! The more you run calls, the better you will be. Many of us would stay after class and come back on weekends to go over things we were struggling with but didn’t have time to cover in class.

Accept feedback. Not only from your instructor, but from your classmates as well. Odds are if you only have one instructor they will not see all of your calls but your classmates will and can give constructive feedback.

If you don’t know something, ask. It seems obvious but never be afraid to ask for more help. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses so if the medical calls aren’t your jam, ask help from those who love it. Can’t grasp spinal? Watch those who do and let them teach you. Can’t get a blood pressure reading? SAY SO and don’t make a number up!

Get a watch. Preferably one that does 24-hour clock and has a stop watch function as you will need these for vitals.

Don’t work on the weekends. Between weekend practice sessions, reviewing material for the upcoming quiz, and reading new material for the week there’s just too much on your plate to balance work.

Hopefully this has been helpful! As I said earlier, don’t worry if this looks overwhelming and you’re a complete beginner. Everything will make a little more sense as the course goes on, but I won’t deny it’s very fast paced and a lot to take in. If you’re willing to put in the effort of studying and practicing you’ll do just fine. The majority of my EMR class was beginners and we all passed in the end 😊