The COVID-19 pandemic hit suddenly and changed our lives dramatically on a global level. On an individual level the changes include uncertainty, economic hardship, health issues, and psychological stress factors including fear and social isolation. The COVID-19 pandemic also brought with it depression and anxiety and other mental health issues.
Dr. Holger Cramer of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany recently posed the question “What if there was a second pandemic…?” A more silent one. While one pandemic is understandably garnering attention and resources, it would be detrimental to ignore mental health issues as they have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considering mental health as a second pandemic fits part of the definition of a pandemic where a disease affects the global population. Even though mental health issues are not caused by an infectious disease per se, using the framework of an all-out response in terms of focus and resources could be a useful model in addressing mental health issues.
Cramer states that there is some evidence that integrative and complementary healing can help with mental disorders. Behavioral approaches such as mindfulness and using herbs may help as well. He highlights the CDC's specific website recommendations on how to deal with mental stress:
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Take breaks from watching, reading or listening to news stories and social media
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Take care of your body
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Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate
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Try to eat healthy well balanced meals
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Exercise regularly
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Get plenty of sleep
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11Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco and substance use
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Continue with routine preventive measures as recommended by your health care practitioner
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Get vaccinated
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Make time to unwind
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Connect with others
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Connect with your community or faith-based organizations
Aside from getting vaccinated and continuing with routine preventive measures, this list provides a nice definition for integrative medicine self-help strategies. Helpful strategies for all of us and for our patients. In addition, the author stresses the importance of investing sufficient attention and resources in combatting this mental health issues…the second pandemic.
To read the brief, see https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2022.0473
Online courses help address healthcare professionals’ own health and wellbeing
Self-care is important, but it's frequently challenging to make it happen in one's own life. So, how to heal you, the healer, in these challenging times? A good question for those who have been or are on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic or for anyone in health care.
In the last two years the challenges of patient care and healing for practitioners has grown exponentially. Amid the challenges of health care jobs, resource shortages, preventable deaths, family life, one's own health issues, family issues, et. al., it is difficult to find the time and means for self-care. I want to share a myth I heard many years ago. The gist of it is as follows:
A woman was given enough food to make it to the top of the mountain where she would receive her full goddess powers to complete her life's mission. Along the way she gave her food away to those in need and never was able to reach her full powers. If you give all of you away without focusing on self-care and well-being, you cannot be the healer for the greatest number that you are striving to be.
It is incumbent on Healers and medical practitioners to take care of themselves so they can be helpful in taking care of others in their care. Take a moment now to deep breathe, practice mindfulness or sign up for a healing/self-care course with the integrative health care and well-being program of your choice.
Check your own institution or to find more information on integrative health institutions offering courses, see:
The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative at https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/education/healthcare_professional_wellbeing.html
The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at https://www.csh.umn.edu/community-engagement
The Duke Health and Wellbeing Programs https://dhwprograms.dukehealth.org/programs-training/professionals/mentoring-mindfulness-for-professionals/
Filtering DNA from the air to protect endangered
Environmental DNA (eDNA) describes the DNA that can be extracted from an environmental sample, such as soil, sediment, water or snow. Environmental DNA is currently being used to monitor aquatic animals based on DNA found in the saliva, feces, skin cells and urine of animals occupying or visiting bodies of water and is an accurate and efficient way to do identify species for conservation efforts.
Two studies, published simultaneously in Current Biology on February 7, 2022 used air rather than water for eDNA detection . Researchers vacuumed zoo animals’ DNA out of the air to identify animals in the area, an important finding as a method to locate and protect endangered species for conservation efforts.
The two studies took eDNA from the filtered air of 2 zoos independent of each other to identify DNA for terrestrial animals. In the air the DNA is carried by fungal spores, bacteria, vira, pollen, dust, sand, droplets, and fibrous material. Animal DNA has been filtered from the air previously, but the current studies approach this practice in a broader context.
One study was completed at the Copenhagen Zoo and the other was completed around the same time at Hamerton Zoological Park in Huntingdonshire, UK. The Copenhagen Zoo study was completed in three areas of the Copenhagen Zoo using three different air filtering devices including a water vacuum. Metabarcoding was used to detect vertebrate species from the DNA collected. The 49 detected species included zoo animals, locally occurring animals, and animals used as feed at the zoo. All animals found were known to occupy or visit the zoo. All filter devices utilized in the study were effective and the factors found to influence the detection were the distance from the filter and the biomass of the animal.
The ability to detect this range of vertebrates through airborne eDNA is supported by the concurrent second study. In the second study DNA was also filtered out of the air and animals were identified and validated. They also found DNA from dietary items, possibly via the detection of aerosolized fecal matter, which could also aid in surveillance. This study, completed at the Hammerton Zoo, determined airborne eDNA was recovered from hundreds of meters from sources, indicating that populations may be monitored at a distance, significantly advancing terrestrial ecology. These biomonitoring techniques are critical to our attempts to quantify causes and consequences of global climate change and for animal conservation.
To read more about these two studies, see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.014 and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.064
Breast cancer survivorship and institutional involvement in integrative care
Many oncology patients use integrative and complementary care in conjunction with their cancer treatment to provide support through a very difficult allopathic treatment process. A study published online in the Journal of Oncology on December 18, 2021 found a link between breast cancer survival outcomes and institutional involvement in integrative care.
The study used claims-based data to collect information for survival analysis and a survey to query oncologist about their institutions’ efforts in educating, supporting and providing 12 complementary and lifestyle approaches. The claims-based data was used to identify 4815 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients treated between January 2013 and December 2014, of these, 173 patients participated in the study. The 103 oncologists interviewed were affiliated with the patients found in the claims database and were queried on their institutions educational, supporting and provision of (1) nutrition consultation, (2) exercise consultation, (3) support groups or pairings, (4) spiritual services, (5) pyscho-oncology support, (6) massage therapy, (7) meditation, (8) yoga, (9) acupuncture or acupressure, (10) music or art therapy, (11) Reiki or therapeutic touch and (12)Tai chi or qi gong.
Based on the oncologists’ response, the institutions were put into one of four cohorts: low integrative score, low-mid integrative score, mid-high integrative score and high integrative score depending on the education, support and provision of these integrative services.
The study found the 5-year survival rate of patients in the low-mid integrative score cohort were three times higher than low institutions, and mid-high institutions posted 5-year survival odds 48% higher compared to low. The 5-year survival of patients in the low cohort was directionally but not significantly lower than the others.
The study concludes that moving institutions from ‘low’ involvement in integrative oncology to more education, support and provision of integrative therapies is linked to an incremental survival benefit for many cancer patients. Specifically, the authors of the study recommend institutions involved in the survival of breast cancer patients should increase education, access and funding for a core set of six therapies: nutrition counseling, exercise counseling, patient support groups, spiritual services, mediation and psycho-oncology support.
To read the study, see https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/4746712
Author bio
Matters of Note is written and compiled by Angie Lillehei, PhD, MPH, RN Editorial Director for EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing.