Tome medidas para limitar el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular
En la última década se ha producido un aumento de factores de riesgo cardiovascular, como la hipertensión arterial no controlada, la diabetes y la obesidad, cada uno de los cuales aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades cardíacas y accidentes cerebrovasculares. Estas tendencias están llevando a los investigadores a concluir que la prevalencia de las enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECV) seguirá aumentando.
Más del 60 % de los adultos estadounidenses tendrán algún tipo de ECV para 2050, según las proyecciones previstas de la American Heart Association, que celebra 100 años de servicio salvando vidas como la principal organización mundial sin fines de lucro dedicada a la salud del corazón y el cerebro de todos. Además, se espera que los costos totales relacionados con las ECV casi se tripliquen en ese período hasta alcanzar más de 1.8 trillones de dólares.
El aumento será impulsado por una población más anciana y diversa, pero estos factores de riesgo están aumentando incluso entre niños y adultos.
“Reconocemos que el panorama de la salud cardiovascular cambiará en las próximas tres décadas debido al tsunami que se avecina de aumentos en los costos de la atención médica, una población de mayor edad que vive más tiempo y un número cada vez mayor de personas de poblaciones de pocos recursos”, dijo la voluntaria de la American Heart Association, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA. “Aun así, estas siguen siendo las principales causas de muerte y discapacidad en Estados Unidos”.
Si bien se necesitan cambios sistemáticos continuos en la ciencia, las políticas y la atención de salud, la mayoría de las ECV se pueden prevenir a nivel individual. Usted puede ayudar a cambiar el rumbo de las terribles perspectivas de la ECV y, al mismo tiempo, mejorar su propia salud siguiendo y alentando a otros a seguir los “Life’s Essential 8” de la American Heart Association.
Coma mejor. Intente seguir un patrón de alimentación saludable en general que incluya alimentos integrales, frutas y verduras, proteínas magras, frutos secos, semillas y cocinar con aceite de oliva y de canola.
Manténgase activo. Los adultos deben realizar 2 horas y media de actividad física moderada o 75 minutos de actividad física vigorosa por semana. Los niños deben tener 60 minutos cada día, incluidos juegos y actividades estructuradas.
Deje el tabaco. El uso de productos que suministran nicotina por inhalación, que incluyen cigarrillos tradicionales, cigarrillos electrónicos y vaporizadores, es la principal causa de muerte evitable en los EE. UU.
Duerma bien. La mayoría de los adultos necesitan dormir entre 7 y 9 horas cada noche. Los niños de 5 años o menos necesitan entre 10 y 16 horas, incluidas las siestas; de 9 y 12 horas, en niños de 6 y 12 años, y entre 8 y 10 horas, entre los 13 y 18 años.
Controle el peso. Lograr y mantener un peso saludable tiene muchos beneficios. El índice de masa corporal es un indicador útil. El IMC óptimo es menor de 25, pero menor de 18.5 se considera bajo peso. Puede calcularlo en línea o consultar a un profesional de la salud.
Controle el colesterol. Los niveles altos de colesterol no HDL, o “malo”, pueden provocar enfermedades cardíacas. Su profesional de atención médica puede considerar el colesterol no HDL como el número preferido para monitorear, en lugar del colesterol total, porque se puede medir sin ayuno previo y se calcula de manera confiable entre todas las personas.
Controle el nivel de azúcar en sangre. La mayor parte de los alimentos que consume se convierten en glucosa (o azúcar en sangre) que su cuerpo utiliza como energía. Con el tiempo, los niveles altos de azúcar en sangre pueden dañar el corazón, los riñones, los ojos y los nervios.
Controle la presión arterial. Mantener su presión arterial dentro de rangos aceptables puede ayudarle a mantenerse saludable por más tiempo. Los niveles inferiores a 120/80 mmHg son óptimos. La presión arterial alta se define como una presión sistólica de 130 a 139 mm Hg (el número superior en una lectura) o una presión diastólica de 80 a 89 mm Hg (el número inferior).
Encuentre más formas de cuidar su salud en el nuevo año y más allá en heart.org.
As travel to the Moon grows more accessible, countries may have to navigate territorial disputes.
Neil A. Armstrong/NASA via APWayne N White Jr, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Many wars on Earth start over territorial disputes. In order to avoid such disputes in outer space, nations should consider enacting national laws that specify the extent of each settler’s authority in outer space and provide a process to resolve conflicts.
Space is an international area, and companies and individuals are free to land their space objects – including satellites, human-crewed and robotic spacecraft and human-inhabited facilities – on celestial bodies and conduct operations anywhere they please. This includes both outer space and celestial bodies such as the Moon.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits territorial claims in outer space and on celestial bodies in order to avoid disputes. But without national laws governing space settlers, a nation might attempt to protect its citizens’ and companies’ interests by withdrawing from the treaty. They could then claim the territory where its citizens have placed their space objects.
Nations enforce territorial claims through military force, which would likely cost money and lives. An alternative to territorial claims, which I’ve been investigating and have come to prefer, would be to enact real property rights that are consistent with the Outer Space Treaty.
Territorial claims can be asserted only by national governments, while property rights apply to private citizens, companies and national governments that own property. A property rights law could specify how much authority settlers have and protect their investments in outer space and on celestial bodies.
The Outer Space Treaty
In 1967, the Outer Space Treaty went into effect. As of January 2025, 115 countries are party to this treaty, including the United States and most nations that have a space program.
The Outer Space Treaty is the main international agreement governing outer space. However, it is not self-executing.
The Outer Space Treaty outlines principles for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and celestial bodies. However, the treaty does not specify how it will apply to the citizens and companies of nations that are parties to the treaty.
For this reason, the Outer Space Treaty is largely not a self-executing treaty. This means U.S. courts cannot apply the terms of the treaty to individual citizens and companies. For that to happen, the United States would need to enact national legislation that explains how the terms of the treaty apply to nongovernmental entities.
One article of the Outer Space Treaty says that participating countries should make sure that all of their citizens’ space activities comply with the treaty’s terms. Another article then gives these nations the authority to enact laws governing their citizens’ and companies’ private space activities.
This is particularly relevant to the U.S., where commercial activity in space is rapidly increasing.
UN Charter
It is important to note that the Outer Space Treaty requires participating nations to comply with international law and the United Nations Charter.
In the U.N. Charter, there are two international law concepts that are relevant to property rights. One is a country’s right to defend itself, and the other is the noninterference principle.
The international law principle of noninterference gives nations the right to exclude others from their space objects and the areas where they have ongoing activity.
But how will nations apply this concept to their private citizens and companies? Do individual people and companies have the right to exclude others in order to prevent interference with their activities? What can they do if a foreign person interferes or causes damage?
The noninterference principle in the U.N. Charter governs relations between nations, not individuals. Consequently, U.S. courts likely wouldn’t enforce the noninterference principle in a case involving two private parties.
So, U.S. citizens and companies do not have the right to exclude others from their space objects and areas of ongoing activity unless the U.S. enacts legislation giving them that right.
The accords explain how important components of the Outer Space Treaty will apply to private space activities. One section of the accords allows for safety zones, where public and private personnel, equipment and operations are protected from harmful interference by other people. The rights to self-defense and noninterference from the U.N. Charter provide a legal basis for safety zones.
Aside from satellite and rocket-launch regulations, the United States has enacted only a few laws – including the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 – to govern private activities in outer space and on celestial bodies.
As part of this act, any U.S. citizen collecting mineral resources in outer space or on celestial bodies has a right to own, transport, use and sell those resources. This act is an example of national legislation that clarifies how the Outer Space Treaty applies to U.S. citizens and companies.
Property rights
Enacting property rights for outer space would make it clear what rights and obligations property owners have and the extent of their authority over their property.
All nations on Earth have a form of property rights in their legal systems. Property rights typically include the rights to possess, control, develop, exclude, enjoy, sell, lease and mortgage properties. Enacting real property rights in space would create a marketplace for buying, selling, renting and mortgaging property.
Because the Outer Space Treaty prohibits territorial claims, space property rights would not necessarily be “land grabs.” Property rights would operate a little differently in space than on Earth.
Property rights in space would have to be based on the authority that the Outer Space Treaty gives to nations. This authority allows them to govern their citizens and their assets by enacting laws and enforcing them in their courts.
Space property rights would include safety zones around property to prevent interference. So, people would have to get the property owner’s permission before entering a safety zone.
If a U.S. property owner were to sell a space property to a foreign citizen or company, the space objects on the property would have to stay on the property or be replaced with the purchaser’s space objects. That would ensure that the owner’s country still has authority over the property.
Also, if someone transferred their space objects to a foreign citizen or company, the buyer would have to change their objects’ international registration, which would give the buyer’s nation authority over the space objects and the surrounding property.
Nations could likely avoid some territorial disputes if they enact real property laws in space that clearly describe how national authority over property changes when it is sold. Enacting property rights could reduce the legal risks for commercial space companies and support the permanent settlement of outer space and celestial bodies.
U.S. property rights law could also contain a reciprocity provision, which would encourage other nations to pass similar laws and allow participating countries to mutually recognize each other’s property rights.
With a reciprocity provision, property rights could support economic development as commercial companies around the world begin to look to outer space as the next big area of economic growth.
Wayne N White Jr, Adjunct Professor of Aviation and Space Law, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Los ensayos clínicos ayudan a los investigadores que estudian enfermedades crónicas a responder preguntas importantes sobre las enfermedades y sus opciones de tratamiento. Sin embargo, la incertidumbre sobre qué esperar y la falta de conocimiento sobre cómo comenzar pueden impedir que los pacientes participen en un ensayo clínico.
Elegir participar en un ensayo clínico significa ayudar a un equipo de estudio a determinar si un nuevo método de diagnóstico, tratamiento o prevención es eficaz. Si vive con una enfermedad crónica, como la enfermedad de Crohn o la colitis ulcerosa, y desea ayudar a encontrar respuestas para otras personas que comparten su experiencia, un ensayo clínico es una opción a considerar.
Una vez que identifique un estudio que le interese, querrá hablar con los profesionales involucrados en su tratamiento en curso, un coordinador de investigación clínica y su familia a fin de reunir la información necesaria para determinar si el ensayo clínico es una buena opción.
Para encontrar información adicional sobre ensayos clínicos y comenzar a explorar ensayos en su área, visite crohnscolitisfoundation.org y considere estos pasos para participar en un ensayo.
1. Hablar con su médico
Su gastroenterólogo y otros proveedores de atención médica pueden ayudarlo a determinar si un ensayo clínico es adecuado para usted y pueden ayudar a orientarlo hacia los ensayos recomendados. Es importante preguntar si su médico seguirá involucrado en su atención médica si participa en un ensayo y de qué manera.
2. Encontrar un estudio
Si necesita ayuda más allá de su equipo de atención para identificar oportunidades de ensayos clínicos en su área, las organizaciones dedicadas a su condición pueden ser un buen recurso. Por ejemplo, la Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation ofrece un Buscador de ensayos clínicos en línea para personas con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.
3. Hablar con el coordinador de investigación
Un coordinador de investigación de ensayos clínicos puede proporcionar detalles específicos a sus circunstancias y necesidades. Puede analizar los posibles beneficios y riesgos, por qué se realiza el ensayo y quiénes forman parte del equipo de atención médica. Puede hablar sobre tratamientos anteriores y cómo este estudio puede diferir de sus experiencias previas. Otras preguntas que podría hacer incluyen cuáles son sus opciones si el ensayo no funciona, los costos que podría esperar y cuál será su compromiso personal.
4. Evaluar lo que se adapta a usted
Una vez que tenga la información necesaria, podrá considerar si está listo para continuar con el registro para la prueba. Deberá sopesar factores como su compromiso de tiempo, la distancia del viaje y si el ensayo afectará sus obligaciones personales o profesionales.
Hoping to win over customers, businesses from Amazon to Zoom have taken to touting their good deeds in corporate social responsibility reports.
CSR reports let companies spotlight what they’ve done for workers, consumers, communities and the environment – essentially all their goals beyond simply making a profit. Research shows that CSR statements are linked to rising sales.
As a marketing professor, I thought that raised an interesting question: When companies find success with CSR disclosures, are they bringing in new customers – or are their extra sales coming from their existing base alone?
In a recent study of several hundred Chinese companies, a colleague and I put the question to the test. We found that a CSR disclosure lowers a business’s dependence on current customers by 2.1%.
That’s welcome news for businesses. It means those additional sales are coming from new customers, who are indeed impressed by the company’s CSR efforts.
But the findings weren’t all positive.
To sell more products, companies generally need to buy more supplies. So a logical follow-up question is: Does a company’s CSR disclosure lead it to source purchases from new suppliers?
In fact, we found the opposite. Companies that released CSR disclosures seemed to scare away new suppliers. This is probably because suppliers often bear the costs when a company chooses to prioritize social responsibility.
Becoming dependent on suppliers comes at a cost to businesses. When suppliers know a company depends on them, they tend to demand payment in cash rather than credit. That can hurt a company, because it now has less cash for investments.
So while CSR reports impress customers, they appear to antagonize suppliers – and that comes at a price.
Why it matters
Prior research has shown that CSR disclosures can boost sales, but it’s long been unclear whether these additional sales are sourced from old customers or newly acquired ones. Our work brings clarity that businesses can use in making decisions.
The findings are also of interest to lawmakers, regulators and corporate responsibility advocates who are debating making CSR reports mandatory.
The U.S. doesn’t require businesses to release CSR reports, but some countries do. One is China, which in 2008 mandated that all public companies submit annual CSR reports starting in 2009. This created the conditions for the nearly natural experiment we conducted.
Interestingly, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reportedly considered making some form of corporate social responsibility reporting mandatory. In the absence of requirements, many American corporations will continue to voluntarily report their CSR.
In other words, the need for empirical evidence on the cost and benefits of CSR disclosure is greater than ever.
First, I’m using a company’s public disclosures to measure its environmental risks and the activities it has undertaken to mitigate them. Second, I am researching how CEO incentives shape a company’s environmental disclosure, activities and spending – or the lack thereof.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Vivek Astvansh, Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics, McGill University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Preparing for game day means gathering the right gear to ensure the pregame parking lot festivities are as exciting as the game that follows.
Elevate your game-day experience with this ultimate guide of essential tailgating gear to keep your squad happy no matter the score at the end of the day.
Comfort and Convenience Items
Comfort is key for a long day of tailgating, so be sure to bring the right gear to keep everyone safe and comfortable, including:
Folding chairs and tables
Pop-up tent or canopy
Blankets
Portable heater
Sunscreen
Insect repellant
First aid kit
Tool set
Hand-washing station or hand sanitizer
Trash bags
Cooking and Grilling Equipment
No tailgate is complete without a feast, and to cook up a storm, you’ll need the right equipment, such as:
Portable grill, smoker or griddle
Propane or charcoal
Lighter and lighter fluid
Grilling tools (tongs, spatula, grill brush)
Meat thermometer
Cooler with ice
Disposable tableware, cups and utensils
Storage containers
Aluminum foil
Food and Beverages
A successful tailgate is powered by delicious food and refreshing beverages. Stock up on crowd-pleasers like these:
Burgers
Sausages or hot dogs
Ribs
Wings
Veggie burgers
Coleslaw
Potato salad
Chips
Dips
Nuts
Pretzels
Sandwiches or wraps
Condiments, including ketchup, mustard, mayo and relish
Cookies
Brownies
Fruit skewers
Water
Soda
Sports drinks
Beer
Wine
Games and Entertainment
While the game is the main event, tailgate games are a staple for pregame festivities. Consider bringing options such as:
Cornhole
Ladder toss
Horseshoes
Football
Frisbee
Portable Bluetooth speaker
Portable TV or projector
Portable generator
Coloring books and crayons
Small children’s toys
Find more tips and ideas to make your tailgate a hit at eLivingtoday.com.
El invierno puede traer muchas oportunidades para reuniones acogedoras con nuestros seres queridos y estos momentos pueden ser momentos que iluminan nuestros días durante los meses fríos. Sin embargo, pasar más tiempo en espacios interiores durante el invierno aumenta las probabilidades de que los virus respiratorios se propaguen.
Los virus de la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS pueden enfermar a las personas lo suficiente como para que necesiten ir al doctor o al hospital. “Enfermarse a causa de estos virus puede ocurrir con más frecuencia en los meses de invierno”, dijo el Dr. Manisha Patel, director médico principal del Centro Nacional de Inmunización y Enfermedades Respiratorias de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés). “Las vacunas contra la gripe y el COVID-19 de esta temporada, así como la vacuna contra el VRS, son la mejor manera de evitar enfermarse gravemente para que las personas puedan pasar tiempo con amigos y familiares”.
¿Cómo puedes proteger a tus seres queridos?
Millones de personas ya se han vacunado este otoño e invierno. De hecho, este año más personas se están vacunando contra la gripe y el COVID-19 en comparación con el año pasado en estas fechas. Las vacunas son la mejor protección contra enfermarse gravemente. Para ayudar a mantener saludables a tus seres queridos este invierno, ofrécete a llevarlos a vacunarse. Asegúrate de que sepan que es seguro recibir más de una vacuna en la misma cita.
CDC recomiendan que todas las personas a partir de los 6 meses de edad reciban las vacunas contra la gripe y el COVID-19 de esta temporada.
¿Tus seres queridos tienen alto riesgo? Según los CDC, algunas personas tienen mayor riesgo de enfermarse gravemente a causa de los virus respiratorios, estas incluyen a:
Personas que no están al día con sus vacunas. Las vacunas reducen aproximadamente a la mitad tu riesgo de ser hospitalizado por la gripe o el COVID-19. En 2023, el 90% de los adultos ingresados en el hospital a causa de del COVID-19 no estaban al día con su vacuna contra el COVID-19. Las personas que no se vacunaron contra la gripe tuvieron el doble de probabilidades de tener que visitar a un doctor a causa de la gripe.
Adultos mayores. La mayoría de las hospitalizaciones y muertes a causa de la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS son en personas de 65 años o más. Si tú ayudas a cuidar a un amigo mayor o ser querido, hazle saber que tiene un riesgo de enfermarse gravemente por estos virus y que las vacunas pueden ayudar a protegerlo de tener que ir al hospital.
Personas que viven en centros de cuidados a largo plazo. Los virus respiratorios pueden propagarse entre las personas que reciben cuidados a largo plazo y que pueden ser mayores o tener condiciones de salud que aumentan su riesgo de enfermarse gravemente a causa de la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS.
Personas embarazadas. Las vacunas contra la gripe y el COVID-19 durante el embarazo brindan protección contra enfermarte gravemente y protegen a tu bebé durante sus primeros 6 meses. Una vacuna contra el VRS durante el embarazo protege a tu bebé de enfermarse gravemente por el VRS en sus primeros 6 meses de vida.
Anima a tus seres queridos a vacunarse ahora mismo.
Las vacunas contra la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS son la mejor manera de que tú, tus amigos y familiares, arriesguen menos y hagan más de lo que disfrutan este invierno. Anima a tus seres queridos a vacunarse ahora mismo para ayudar a que se protejan de enfermarse gravemente por estos virus.
Visita cdc.gov/ArriesgaMenos para aprender más sobre las vacunas contra la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS. Habla con un doctor sobre qué vacunas son adecuadas para ti, o visita vacunas.gov para encontrar una farmacia cerca de ti.
Grupos adicionales que tienen mayor riesgo
En los Estados Unidos, dicen los CDC, hay algunos grupos adicionales de personas que tienen mayor riesgo de contagiarse de virus respiratorios.
Personas que viven en zonas rurales del país. Las personas que viven en áreas rurales también tienen un mayor riesgo de enfermarse gravemente a causa de la gripe, el COVID-19 y el VRS. En estas regiones, menos de la mitad de los adultos se vacunaron contra la gripe el año pasado. Menos de uno de cada cinco recibió una vacuna actualizada contra el COVID-19. Las vacunas son aún más importantes en las zonas rurales donde hay menos doctores o clínicas de atención médica.
Latinos y afroamericanos. En el pico de la temporada de los virus respiratorios el año pasado, las personas afroamericanas tenían más probabilidades que las personas blancas o hispanas de ser hospitalizadas por la gripe, el COVID-19 o el VRS. Al final de la temporada, los hispanos tenían más probabilidades que los blancos no hispanos de haber estado en el hospital a causa de la gripe.
From kickoff to the final whistle, game day is all about spending time with friends and family while rooting for your favorite team. When it’s your turn to host, you can bring all the fun of a tailgate party to the comfort of your couch with the proper plan for hosting.
Show Your Team Spirit
Make your guests feel excited from the moment they walk through the door – or as soon as they pull in the driveway – by decking out your space in team colors and memorabilia. Use football- or team-themed banners, flags, balloons, coasters and tablecloths to set the mood.
Wear your favorite jersey and create a stadium-like atmosphere with fun props like foam fingers or pom-poms for guests to use and cheer on their team.
Prep Ahead of Time to Score Big
Avoid a rush before kickoff by making a checklist of everything you’ll need. Ensure your TV and sound systems are working correctly and that you have access to the right channel or streaming platform.
Make a store run at least a day in advance to grab everything you’ll need for your watch party: dishes, snacks, drinks, tablecloths, trash bags and some household essentials like Finish Ultimate Dishwasher Detergent. Finish Ultimate tackles dish cleanup in the kitchen like a pro, so hosts can enjoy all the fun parts of game day without the worry.
If possible, pack your coolers the night before – just as you would for tailgating at the stadium – and prep and cook any dishes you can ahead of time, so you can enjoy the action with minimal interruptions.
Feed the Fans
Football fans are often foodies, too. A buffet-style food setup allows guests to help themselves to their favorite snacks and dishes throughout all four quarters.
Review your game plan ahead of kickoff to make sure your game day menu offers a variety of finger foods, such as wings, sliders and nachos. Then, take your menu to the next level with unique eats like this new saucy, cheesy creation – the TRUFF Hot Honey Bacon Cheddar Dip with Pretzel Bites – to add a spicy twist.
To complete the roster of game day eats, include a veggie tray or charcuterie board and a variety of beverages, including water, soda and juice. To stay on theme, consider serving cake or brownies in the shape of a football for dessert or topping cupcakes with icing in the team’s colors.
Tackle Cleanup
All those delicious snacks your guests are enjoying are sure to make a mess. For hosts tackling cleanup during the game, don’t miss out on all the on-screen action–turn to the star player to make cleanup a breeze: Finish Ultimate Dishwasher Detergent.
Finish Ultimate tackles tough game day messes, even without pre-rinsing, leaving hosts more time to cheer on their team and less time in the kitchen cleaning up.
Create the Perfect Viewing Environment
Ensure everyone has an unobstructed view by arranging your seating strategically. Use a combination of couches, chairs and floor cushions to accommodate your guests. Scatter small tables throughout the area within easy reach for guests to place their drinks and snacks while the action is live.
To ensure fans never miss a moment of the action, turn the TVs in other rooms to the game as well; just ensure the sound is down in case the main screen is ahead or behind of the secondary viewing options.
Consider Downtime Entertainment to Keep the Energy High
While the main event is watching the action, you can keep the excitement going during halftime and commercial breaks with fun activities like cornhole, football trivia, bingo, mascot matching or an old-fashioned game of catch. Also have some board games, card games or video games on hand for those who might want to take a break from watching or children who aren’t as engaged in the on-screen action.
Starting the morning on the right foot can set the tone for a productive day. Even when crunched for time before work or school, eating a filling breakfast before heading out the door is an important part of setting yourself up for success.
Between work, kids and making it to that early morning workout session, finding time to prepare a quick and tasty meal can be a real challenge. For a flavorful and easy breakfast that can be on the table in just 8 minutes when you’re in a rush, try this Quick Breakfast Skillet. With crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and rich cheddar cheese, it’s a perfect way to fuel your morning.
The secret, convenient ingredient: fluffy Minute Butter & Sea Salt Jasmine Rice Cups. Ready in just 60 seconds to fit into the day with no hassle, this versatile and flavorful ingredient is perfectly portioned in a BPA-free cup and features a delicious blend of familiar flavors to liven up breakfast.
Or try something new and delicious with this One-Pot Rice Shakshuka. A dish with origins in the Middle East and Northern Africa, shakshuka is traditionally made with a base of tomatoes, vegetables and seasonings, such as cumin and paprika. Then eggs are cracked on top and cooked in the sauce.
This version takes it a step further with the addition of Minute Instant White Rice, which provides a heartier texture to keep you feeling satisfied longer. Simply precooked and dried – nothing added but convenience – you can enjoy its light, fluffy texture after just 5 minutes in the microwave or on the stove. Plus, it works for those with dietary restrictions, including gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian.
Find more breakfast inspiration to keep you energized and ready to conquer the day at minuterice.com.
In high-sided, ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, bell pepper, cumin and smoked paprika; saute 8-10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Add tomatoes and water to skillet. Bring to boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes, or until most water is absorbed.
Using spoon, create six small wells in rice mixture. Crack one egg into each well. Transfer skillet to oven; cook 12-15 minutes, or until rice is tender, egg whites are set and yolks are runny, or until cooked as desired.
Garnish shakshuka with parsley before serving.
Tip: For spicy eggs, stir 1 tablespoon harissa paste into rice mixture before adding eggs. Or serve shakshuka with hot sauce.
Approaching your regular day with a new mindset can send you in an interesting direction.
d3sign/Moment via Getty ImagesLorraine Besser, Middlebury
Imagine it’s Monday morning, too cold and too dark, but once that alarm goes off, you know you’ve got to rally. The kids have to get to school. You’ve got to get to work. And, of course, your ever-growing to-do list hangs over your head like a dark cloud, somehow both too threatening to ignore and too threatening to start its tasks.
On days like this, you may be grateful simply to make it through. But then it begins, all over again.
While you can’t escape the grind, you can transform it. The latest psychological research on the good life points the way: By shifting your mindset, you can make your day-to-day more interesting and create psychological richness within your life. Psychological richness describes a robust form of cognitive engagement. It’s distinct from happiness and meaning, but just as important to the good life.
In collaboration with Shigehiro Oishi and his research lab, I’ve investigated whether the field of positive psychology has largely overlooked an important dimension of the good life. As the philosopher on our team, I had two directives. First, I helped to define the concept of psychological richness and understand what distinguishes it from happiness and meaning. Second, I set out to explore why psychological richness is valuable.
Our initial studies found that people value experiences that stimulate their minds, challenge them and generate a range of emotions. Many would choose a life full of these experiences, which we describe as psychologically rich, over a happy life or a meaningful life.
This insight points to the important role psychological richness can play within the good life, but it stops short of explaining why it’s good and why people ought to make space for psychological richness within their lives. These are value-laden questions that can’t be answered through empirical research. Their answers are found instead through philosophical analysis.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by embracing a mindset characterized by curiosity, creativity and what I call “mindfulness 2.0.” When you bring these three perspectives to your day-to-day, you transform the grind into endless opportunities to experience the world as interesting. You develop the capacity to enhance your own life.
Mindfulness 2.0: Noticing without judging
What I call “mindfulness 2.0” means bringing nonevaluative awareness to the world around you – paying attention without judging.
Familiar from mindfulness practices, it’s a form of noticing that brings forth details you typically overlook: the texture of a houseplant’s leaves, the faces of the strangers you pass on the sidewalk, the differing heights of the cans on a store shelf. By bringing these details into your awareness, you stimulate your mind, allowing you to engage mentally with your surroundings in an active manner. Noticing things through mindfulness 2.0 is the first step toward having an interesting experience.
A good place to practice mindfulness 2.0 is during your morning commute. Because it’s routine, you probably don’t feel the need to engage much with the details of what you are doing. Instead you’ll find other ways to pass the time, such as listening to the news or your favorite podcast. These activities distract you from the otherwise boring commute by disengaging you from it.
Noticing an intriguing pattern as birds gather overhead can engage your mind as you move through the world.Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
But you can also get through the commute by engaging with it to make it less boring. Here’s where the power of mindfulness 2.0 kicks in. Through actively noticing things around you – be it the people clustered at the bus stop, or the traffic patterns created by a stoplight, or a flock of birds swooping overhead – you engage your mind and set yourself up to experience the interesting.
Curiosity: Exploring through questions
Curiosity isn’t just for kids. No matter how much you know, there’s always something to be curious about – especially if you’ve learned to notice the details through mindfulness 2.0.
Say you’ve noticed, during your commute, the group of people gathered around the bus stop. Now let your curiosity take off: Was that bus stop always there? How long has that exceptionally weird real estate advertisement been stuck on the seatback? So many people lined up this cold morning. You might wonder if you’d feel a little more connected if you were with them. But then you notice that no one is talking. Do they ride the same bus together, every day, without acknowledging each other?
Through asking questions, you ask your mind to consider something it hadn’t before. You create new thoughts, and if you let your mind keep going, you’ll have an interesting experience, all the while making that same commute. Even better, you’ll have created that interesting experience on your own. You’ve harnessed an ability to enhance your life, an ability that’s completely within your control.
Creativity: Trying something new
While people often think of creativity as a talent, native only to artists or inventors, everyone has the ability to be creative. Creativity is a skill that involves forming new connections with your mind. You’re creative whenever you do something new or different. Whether it is painting a brilliant landscape or wearing a new color combination, developing a new dish or simply tweaking a recipe, it all falls under the umbrella of creativity.
When you are creative, in big or small ways, you generate novelty within your life, and this puts you on the path toward experiencing psychological richness. Novelty all but forces the mind to think and feel in new ways, stimulating that robust form of cognitive engagement that brings the interesting.
Even just a little bit of creativity will bring novelty to your day-to-day routine. Wear something you don’t normally wear. Add a little flair to your handwriting or choose a different colored pen to write with. Change the patterns on your screen saver. Notice the impact these little tweaks have on your day. Little by little, they’ll add up to make your day just a little more interesting.
Everyone’s experience of what’s interesting is unique. There’s no one interesting experience for all of us, because the interesting depends entirely on how our minds engage, react and respond. Through developing mindfulness 2.0, and bringing curiosity and creativity to your experiences, you train your mind to engage, react and respond in ways that will transform any experience into an interesting one.
This is the power a mindset can bring. It’s a capacity to enhance our lives that anyone can develop.
Lorraine Besser, Professor of Philosophy, Middlebury
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
It can take a lot of effort to understand the many different Medicare choices.
Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty ImagesGrace McCormack, University of Southern California and Melissa Garrido, Boston University
The 67 million Americans eligible for Medicare make an important decision every October: Should they make changes in their Medicare health insurance plans for the next calendar year?
The decision is complicated. Medicare has an enormous variety of coverage options, with large and varying implications for people’s health and finances, both as beneficiaries and taxpayers. And the decision is consequential – some choices lock beneficiaries out of traditional Medicare.
Beneficiaries choose an insurance plan when they turn 65 or become eligible based on qualifying chronic conditions or disabilities. After the initial sign-up, most beneficiaries can make changes only during the open enrollment period each fall.
The 2024 open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, marks an opportunity to reassess options. Given the complicated nature of Medicare and the scarcity of unbiased advisers, however, finding reliable information and understanding the options available can be challenging.
We are health carepolicy experts who study Medicare, and even we find it complicated. One of us recently helped a relative enroll in Medicare for the first time. She’s healthy, has access to health insurance through her employer and doesn’t regularly take prescription drugs. Even in this straightforward scenario, the number of choices were overwhelming.
The stakes of these choices are even higher for people managing multiple chronic conditions. There is help available for beneficiaries, but we have found that there is considerable room for improvement – especially in making help available for everyone who needs it.
The choice is complex, especially when you are signing up for the first time and if you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Insurers often engage in aggressive and sometimes deceptive advertising and outreach through brokers and agents. Choose unbiased resources to guide you through the process, like www.shiphelp.org. Make sure to start before your 65th birthday for initial sign-up, look out for yearly plan changes, and start well before the Dec. 7 deadline for any plan changes.
2 paths with many decisions
Within Medicare, beneficiaries have a choice between two very different programs. They can enroll in either traditional Medicare, which is administered by the government, or one of the Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurance companies.
Within each program are dozens of further choices.
Traditional Medicare is a nationally uniform cost-sharing plan for medical services that allows people to choose their providers for most types of medical care, usually without prior authorization. Deductibles for 2024 are US$1,632 for hospital costs and $240 for outpatient and medical costs. Patients also have to chip in starting on Day 61 for a hospital stay and Day 21 for a skilled nursing facility stay. This percentage is known as coinsurance. After the yearly deductible, Medicare pays 80% of outpatient and medical costs, leaving the person with a 20% copayment. Traditional Medicare’s basic plan, known as Part A and Part B, also has no out-of-pocket maximum.
People enrolled in traditional Medicare can also purchase supplemental coverage from a private insurance company, known as Part D, for drugs. And they can purchase supplemental coverage, known as Medigap, to lower or eliminate their deductibles, coinsurance and copayments, cap costs for Parts A and B, and add an emergency foreign travel benefit.
The Medicare Advantage program allows private insurers to bundle everything together and offers many enrollment options. Compared with traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans typically offer lower out-of-pocket costs. They often bundle supplemental coverage for hearing, vision and dental, which is not part of traditional Medicare.
Understanding the tradeoffs between premiums, health care access and out-of-pocket health care costs can be overwhelming.
Turning 65 begins the process of taking one of two major paths, which each have a thicket of health care choices.Rika Kanaoka/USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics
Different Medicare Advantage plans have varying and large impacts on enrollee health, including dramatic differences in mortality rates. Researchers found a 16% difference per year between the best and worst Medicare Advantage plans, meaning that for every 100 people in the worst plans who die within a year, they would expect only 84 people to die within that year if all had been enrolled in the best plans instead. They also found plans that cost more had lower mortality rates, but plans that had higher federal quality ratings – known as “star ratings” – did not necessarily have lower mortality rates.
While many Medicare Advantage plans boast about their supplemental benefits , such as vision and dental coverage, it’s often difficult to understand how generous this supplemental coverage is. For instance, while most Medicare Advantage plans offer supplemental dental benefits, cost-sharing and coverage can vary. Some plans don’t cover services such as extractions and endodontics, which includes root canals. Most plans that cover these more extensive dental services require some combination of coinsurance, copayments and annual limits.
Even when information is fully available, mistakes are likely.
At 65, when most beneficiaries first enroll in Medicare, federal regulations guarantee that anyone can get Medigap coverage. During this initial sign-up, beneficiaries can’t be charged a higher premium based on their health.
Older Americans who enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan but then want to switch back to traditional Medicare after more than a year has passed lose that guarantee. This can effectively lock them out of enrolling in supplemental Medigap insurance, making the initial decision a one-way street.
For the initial sign-up, Medigap plans are “guaranteed issue,” meaning the plan must cover preexisting health conditions without a waiting period and must allow anyone to enroll, regardless of health. They also must be “community rated,” meaning that the cost of a plan can’t rise because of age or illness, although it can go up due to other factors such as inflation.
People who enroll in traditional Medicare and a supplemental Medigap plan at 65 can expect to continue paying community-rated premiums as long as they remain enrolled, regardless of what happens to their health.
In most states, however, people who switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare don’t have as many protections. Most state regulations permit plans to deny coverage, impose waiting periods or charge higher Medigap premiums based on their expected health costs. Only Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York guarantee that people can get Medigap plans after the initial sign-up period.
Deceptive advertising
Information about Medicare coverage and assistance choosing a plan is available but varies in quality and completeness. Older Americans are bombarded with ads for Medicare Advantage plans that they may not be eligible for and that include misleading statements about benefits.
A November 2022 report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance found deceptive and aggressive sales and marketing tactics, including mailed brochures that implied government endorsement, telemarketers who called up to 20 times a day, and salespeople who approached older adults in the grocery store to ask about their insurance coverage.
The Department of Health and Human Services tightened rules for 2024, requiring third-party marketers to include federal resources about Medicare, including the website and toll-free phone number, and limiting the number of contacts from marketers.
Although the government has the authority to review marketing materials, enforcement is partially dependent on whether complaints are filed. Complaints can be filed with the federal government’s Senior Medicare Patrol, a federally funded program that prevents and addresses unethical Medicare activities.
Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries seek information from an insurance broker. Brokers sell health insurance plans from multiple companies. However, because they receive payment from plans in exchange for sales, and because they are unlikely to sell every option, a plan recommended by a broker may not meet a person’s needs.
Help is out there − but falls short
An alternative source of information is the federal government. It offers three sources of information to assist people with choosing one of these plans: 1-800-Medicare, medicare.gov and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, also known as SHIP.
Telephone SHIP services are available nationally, but one of us and our colleagues have found that in-person SHIP services are not available in some areas. We tabulated areas by ZIP code in 27 states and found that although more than half of the locations had a SHIP site within the county, areas without a SHIP site included a larger proportion of people with low incomes.
Virtual services are an option that’s particularly useful in rural areas and for people with limited mobility or little access to transportation, but they require online access. Virtual and in-person services, where both a beneficiary and a counselor can look at the same computer screen, are especially useful for looking through complex coverage options.
As one SHIP coordinator noted, many people are not aware of all their coverage options. For instance, one beneficiary told a coordinator, “I’ve been on Medicaid and I’m aging out of Medicaid. And I don’t have a lot of money. And now I have to pay for my insurance?” As it turned out, the beneficiary was eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare because of their income, and so had to pay less than they thought.
The interviews made clear that many people are not aware that Medicare Advantage ads and insurance brokers may be biased. One counselor said, “There’s a lot of backing (beneficiaries) off the ledge, if you will, thanks to those TV commercials.”
Many SHIP staff counselors said they would benefit from additional training on coverage options, including for people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. The SHIP program relies heavily on volunteers, and there is often greater demand for services than the available volunteers can offer. Additional counselors would help meet needs for complex coverage decisions.
The key to making a good Medicare coverage decision is to use the help available and weigh your costs, access to health providers, current health and medication needs, and also consider how your health and medication needs might change as time goes on.
This article is part of an occasional series examining the U.S. Medicare system.
This story has been updated to remove a graphic that contained incorrect information about SHIP locations, and to correct the date of the open enrollment period.
Grace McCormack, Postdoctoral researcher of Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California and Melissa Garrido, Research Professor, Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Según los CDC, algunas personas tienen mayor riesgo de enfermarse gravemente a causa de los virus respiratorios, estas incluyen a:
