Tag: Health

Be well: Floss your teeth daily for better heart health

Less plaque, fewer cavities and healthier gums may be the more obvious benefits of flossing your teeth — but did you know it could also lower your risk of heart disease?

“There are a lot of studies that have talked about — at least for periodontal disease — the connection between gum disease and heart health,” said Sasha Ross, DMD, a periodontist for Cleveland Clinic. 

Gum disease can cause high blood pressure and lead to inflammation and bacteria in the heart, research has shown, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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“There’s really a very strong association between the two, where patients who have periodontal disease are at a much greater risk for having heart disease, stroke or other issues like that,” Dr. Ross also told Fox News Digital.

Some 43% of adults 30 and older have some type of gum disease, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For adults 65 and older, that number rises to 70%.

Some people are more susceptible to complications even if they brush and floss every day, while others can do the bare minimum but have no issues at all, Dr. Ross pointed out. 

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Those who have heart valve disease are at a higher risk, according to Dr. Marietta Ambrose, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

“The bacteria that live in your mouth when you have gum disease can cross into your bloodstream, enter the heart and directly infect the vulnerable heart valves,” she said in a 2022 article on Penn Medicine’s website. 

“That’s especially concerning in our patients who have artificial heart valves.”

People should brush their teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day, either before or after brushing, says the American Dental Association (ADA).

Some signs of flossing negligence include bleeding or swollen gums, plaque buildup, cavities, loose teeth, bad breath and gum recession, Dr. Ross said.

“I think a lot of people are never taught how to properly floss and what kind of floss to use, so at one of these visits we can work with you and show you how to do it,” she said. 

“Then just make it part of your daily routine. I say it’s really good to floss once a day, ideally at night before you go to bed.”

For those who are unsure about the proper way to floss, Dr. Ross recommends using a water pick or special brushes designed to clean between the teeth.

For best results, here are specific flossing instructions, as shared by Healthline.

Break off around 18 to 24 inches of floss. 

Wrap it around both middle fingers and hold the floss taut.

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Glide the floss up and down between each tooth. 

Avoid pulling the floss up into the gums, as this can cause bruising or injury.

As the floss reaches the gums, curve it slightly to allow it to clean the space between the gums and the tooth.

For each tooth, use a new, clean section of floss.

In addition to regular brushing and flossing, visit a dentist regularly and limit sugary foods and drinks to protect dental health, the ADA recommends.

To read more pieces in Fox News Digital’s “Be Well” series, click here.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will announce a plan to give children access to mental health treatment

A mental health crisis among children in Illinois will be fought by streamlining and easing access to necessary treatment and coordinating between six separate state agencies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to announce Friday.

A report examining the capacity and condition of Illinois’ response to behavioral health in young people has been in the works for nearly a year. It sketches avenues to help families understand mental illness, then make it easier for them to get required care without wrangling among disparate state agencies. A copy of the report was obtained in advance by The Associated Press.

“It’s all really geared toward creating an experience for families, where the boundaries between those different state agencies that are there to serve them are less visible,” said Dana Weiner, whom Pritzker tabbed for the initiative. She is on loan from the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, where she is senior policy fellow.

“What families (should) experience is a simplified, centralized, clear way to get access to services to understand what their children are struggling with and to identify the things that might help address those challenges,” Weiner.

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The deterioration of mental health among children predates the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the spread of the coronavirus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021 found 44% of American children had depressive episodes lasting at least two weeks and nearly half had thought about suicide, according to the report.

Friday’s announcement marks the beginning of work to ready the plan for implementation, a report on which Pritzker expects by October. There’s $22.8 million in the governor’s fiscal 2024 budget proposal to complete the planning.

The report identifies technological, practical, legislative and other means for marshaling the expertise among the Departments of Human Services, Children and Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Healthcare and Family Services, Public Health and the State Board of Education.

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The program must be agile for responding to changing needs, given the volatility of mental illness, the report says. It suggests widespread screening of children which might telegraph future suffering and emphasizes the necessity of early intervention.

Recognizing problems quickly is critical, Weiner said. The U.S. Surgeon General discovered in a 2021 study that on average, there is an 11-year gap between recognizing a child’s potential mental health issue and that child getting treatment.

“I’m optimistic because in all of the cases that I’ve listened to and worked on over the last year, there are opportunities to intervene earlier when problems aren’t as severe,” Weiner said. “We can reduce the number of false starts or missed opportunities.”

At the same time, the report recognizes the need to provide incentives to draw people to the field, both by making education more attainable but also drawing upon paraprofessionals or aides to conduct critical work which doesn’t need extensive formal education. With worker shortages hampering many sectors, finding qualified people to fill crucial roles might be one of the effort’s bigger challenges.

But help is available in existing “touch points” in children’s lives — teachers and pediatricians, for example, as well as parents, Weiner said. It doesn’t mean the teacher is the health care provider, but is the recipient of the necessary information to be able to refer a child who needs help.

Asked for her message to parents of troubled children, Weiner said, “We are going to make this easier for you to care for your children and to obtain needed services as well as important information to help you understand how to keep your kids healthy and strong.”

Philadelphia voters say Fetterman's health won't impact their vote, citing Biden's age and health

Philadelphia voters shared whether they were concerned about Lt. Gov. John Letterman’s health if elected to the Senate and if it would impact their vote in the midterm elections, with some citing President Biden’s health as reassurance. 

“He might not be healthy mentally, but he seems healthy,” Devon, from Philadelphia, said. 

“Look at Joe Biden. He’s an older guy,” he continued. “You know he has his health problems, and he’s still able to run the country.”

But Kevin, living in Philadelphia, said he’s concerned about Fetterman’s health and lack of campaign engagement. 

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“You can’t run for office telling people you’re okay if you’re not okay,” Kevin said. “If something shows up he should be providing some kind of documentation that he has a clean bill of health.” 

Fetterman, serving as the 34th Lt. Gov of Pennsylvania, suffered a stroke in May, undergoing surgery on May 17 – the day Pennsylvania voters elected him as the Democratic candidate for Senate. Fetterman returned to the campaign trail in August and recently agreed to debate his opponent, Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, scheduled for Oct. 25. 

“I have no issues with his health all, because I still think he’s able to do his job,” Betty, from Philadelphia, said. She said speech issues are expected after a stroke and mentioned Biden stammers in his speeches.

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Loreal, living in Philadelphia, said she has been less concerned about Fetterman’s health than Biden’s and older leaders.

Joe Biden became the oldest president ever elected to office when he won in 2020, and will be 80 in November. Some Congressional leaders within the legislative branch are even older, including Senator Dianne Feinstein at 88, whose been reported to show signs of memory loss. 

“We’ve had older people who’ve had other serious health concerns that have certainly been ones to be concerned about, but they’re doing just fine,” Loreal said.

In the 2020 presidential election, Philadelphia, a strongly left-leaning city, was crucial to Joe Biden winning Pennsylvania. Yet Fetterman statewide only leads Oz, 52% to 47%, in the Pennsylvania Senate race, according to the latest CBS News poll.

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“It looks like he’s recovering,” Will, from Pennsylvania, said. “I’m gonna trust what he’s telling us.”

“Even if it’s gonna take him a little bit of time while he’s in the senate to get it all the way back he’s by far the best option,” he said. 

John Fetterman returns to Senate campaign trail after health scare, contest with Mehmet Oz enters final months

Pennsylvania Senate candidate and the state’s Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is heading back to the campaign trail after health troubles sidelined him for more than 90 days.

Fetterman, 52, will host an event Friday evening in Erie County, Pennsylvania where the Democrat is expected to open up about a stroke he suffered in May that threatened his political aspirations as well as his life.

Campaign spokesman Joe Calvello said Fetterman’s return to the campaign trail will start with a few lower-profile events before ramping up his schedule.

“He’ll talk about how blessed he is to be back,” Calvello said. “It’ll be somewhat emotional — a little raw about what he went through, how grateful he is to be campaigning again.”

NEW POLL: DEM JOHN FETTERMAN LEADS MEHMET OZ IN PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE DESPITE POOR BIDEN APPROVAL

Fetterman’s recovery is also in question as he previously declined to take prescribed medication. “He’s following the doctor’s orders,” Calvello clarified, saying the Democratic candidate is also adhering to a low-sodium diet and is walking three to five miles per day.

“He’ll miss a word here or there when he’s speaking sometimes, or maybe in a crowded room he’ll miss hearing a word,” the spokesperson said. “Besides that, he’s rock solid.”

DR. MEHMET OZ CLAIMS DEMOCRATIC OPPONENT JOHN FETTERMAN ‘WAS LIVING OFF DADDY’S MONEY UNTIL HE WAS 46′

The return to the campaign trail comes as the Democrat is in one of the most contested senatorial races in the country, against Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has repeatedly drawn attention to Fetterman’s absence from the campaign.

“Have You Seen This Person?” Oz asked in a poster shared online last month. “It has been 90 DAYS since Fetterman’s last public campaign event. Pennsylvanians deserve answers.”

ELECTION SPOTLIGHT: DR. MEHMET OZ AND JOHN FETTERMAN SQUARE OFF OVER BIDEN PERFORMACE, ECONOMY

The Senate’s current 50-50 tie makes each senatorial race important for both parties but the Pennsylvania contest is especially consequential as it will fill the vacancy left by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

The contest is already the most expensive senate race in the country and has featured major endorsements including one from former President Donald Trump, who backs Oz.

Fetterman’s absence from the campaign has not severely impacted the lead he holds over Oz in most polls as Fox News and Beacon Research have Fetterman up 11 points.

Other polling data shows a smaller gap between the candidates as Blueprint Polling and Suffolk University have Fetterman up 9 points, Fabrizio Ward has Fetterman up 6, and Cygnal has Fetterman up 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Legion Health (YC S21) Is Hiring a Founding Engineer – Austin, TX

Full-stack engineer
at Legion Health
Austin, TX

What is Legion Health?

Legion Health is tackling the biggest problem in the mental health space: the massive (and growing) lack of high-quality mental health professionals—and, the resulting lack of access to care.

Today, most telemedicine services, hospitals, and insurance companies are in dire need of mental health clinicians. Yet, thousands of these talented clinicians spend many of their days feeling unproductive; they are interrupted by administrative tasks, patient no-shows, and sub-optimal scheduling.

Legion more efficiently schedules and load-balances doctors’ and nurses’ time, allowing companies API-based access to a sizable latent supply of clinical time. This also allows doctors and nurses the flexibility to work for as many (or as few) hours as they want, maximizing their pay by matching them with the best patients for their backgrounds.

Join us in building the future of mental health.

About the role:

We’re looking for a passionate and creative founding engineer to join our team as an early member! You will work closely with the co-founders, help define the product roadmap, and have a lot of room for flexibility. You are expected to gradually take responsibility for the full engineering stack at Legion Health. You should take the initiative to improve the system at both the design and implementation levels. As Legion grows, you may also help with recruiting and managing our engineering team.

Responsibilities include:

Own end-to-end implementation of projects including initial scoping of features, design of product, architecture of the database, and development of the final deliverable
Work directly with customers to understand their needs and to inform product design decisions

Collaborate with teammates across a wide range of functions including mentoring more junior engineers
Learn new skills and technologies (as required) to solve different engineering challenges while maintaining flexibility
Uphold security requirements and maintain compliance with HIPAA security regulations.

Why you should join Legion Health:

Legion Health is expanding access to mental health care by more optimally balancing clinician time.

Our organization is still incredibly small. We (the co-founders) have been best friends since college. We treat everyone we work with as part of our family—including our contractors and interns. We love those who seek ownership, dream about possibility, and are driven towards building the future they want to see.

What we’re looking for:

– “Full-stack capable” engineer with 2+ years of experience as part of a development team
– Enjoys innovating with little direction and having the autonomy to learn and experiment.
– Data-oriented and ruthlessly measures the success of hypotheses.
– Loves building things together as a team.
– Familiar with TypeScript and Node.js
– Strong backend experience and a passion for clean code
– Capable of weighing tradeoffs between robustness and speed
– Based in (or willing to move to) Austin, TX
– Willing to consider remote in certain circumstances

Bonus:
– Experience with React, NextJS, GraphQL
– DevOps experience (AWS/Heroku/GitHub)
– Experience with API design for public APIs and platforms
– Experience in health care (or other highly regulated industries)

Legion Health is an equal opportunity employer.

Equal employment opportunity:
At Legion Health, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Legion Health believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a global company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

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