THE HEART IS A DIFFICULT AND EXTREMELY ENDURED ORGAN, designed to work smoothly for many years. But it happens that from birth or as a result of an illness, its structure is disturbed. If there are problems with the valves that are between the chambers of the heart, surgery can be done. Sometimes the valves are reconstructed, sometimes they are replaced with prostheses. In Germany in the year perform about five thousand operations for replacing heart valves in the US, according to various sources – from fifty to 182 thousand; We could not find statistics for Russia . Anya M. tells how she lives with a mechanical heart valve.

I was born with a ventricular septal defect. Prematurity affected my general well-being, so I spent the first months of my life within the walls of the hospital.

I don’t remember the first operation at all – it was performed when I was three years old. The septal defect was removed, but later, for some unknown reason, aortic valve insufficiency developed. They tried to fix it when I was six by doing a second operation – but in the end they just postponed replacing the valve with an artificial one. The heart was given a few more years to grow to the size of an adult’s organ. As far as I understand, if the valve is severely insufficient, there is no option “not to operate”, otherwise you greatly risk your health and well-being. It can be postponed, but this entails a whole list of restrictions – depending on the situation, sports can be prohibited, in addition , you need to undergo regular examinations. At the same time, I can not say that I felt somehow particularly bad, but perhaps I have already forgotten. I remember that I was forbidden to do physical education at school, so instead of it I read comics or talked with classmates.

The second operation was more difficult than the first: I was already at a conscious age. It was impossible to get sick or catch cold in front of her , so I was transferred to home schooling for six months . My classmates – I do n’t know whether they themselves or on the instructions of the class teacher – made a whole bunch of postcards with pictures and words of support. Now, after many years, it seems very nice to me.

Memories of how everything went are vague – I remember being taken to a cold operating room, where there were bright spotlights. How they did a puncture to remove fluid from the lungs, how several doctors held me while one pierced my lung through my back. How they took me to take X-rays to the intensive care unit, at the entrance to which, instead of a tile, there was thick glass, under which were various toys from kinder surprises. Like grandmother and aunt, they brought the newest and most stylish Barbie dolls every time they visited. I also remember that my mother lived with me in the same room and often left to smoke for a long time. And yet she was very thin, and on the background of constant stress due to my health in she developed severe anxiety and appeared agoraphobia. I was a kind of staunch soldier who, at the age of six, instead of being afraid of mom’s breakdowns, just calmly walked to the nurse and asked to call a doctor and give her a sedative.

The third planned operation was performed when I was twelve. I again went to home schooling for six months – I do n’t know if it was a condition on the part of the doctors or my mother decided that it was better this way. I was not upset – my friends came to my house, the first normal mobile phone, Internet friends and game consoles appeared, so I didn’t have to get bored . Now I realize that my parents were most likely worried about the outcome of the operation and spoiled me with gifts while I had the opportunity. I then buzzed all their ears that I wanted a dog, and we went to choose a puppy. They took him away a month after the operation. I don’t want to think that maybe this is how my parents tried to prepare for the worst.

The experience formed in me an absolute indifference to my body. For some, even an injection is a scary thing, but for me it’s just manipulation of the bag that contains my brain and personality.

The most difficult thing that had to be endured during the third operation was the emotionality of the relatives. Mom’s condition more or less stabilized, she was on antidepressants and sedatives and still lived with me in the same room. There I made friends with a girl animator – she also had a valve replaced. In her family, however, did not have any money on gifts to doctors and nurses, so it sewed up yesterday’s students. As a result, the seam had to be redone. Despite this, she constantly entertained the children in the department.

I spent a little less than a month in the hospital, but I went through a lot. There was resuscitation, and requests to give a drink, directed to doctors passing by, and a withdrawal in the intensive care unit, and taking out drains, and injections every few hours, dressings, droppers, wild pain in the chest and back, balls that doctors forced to inflate to restore lung volume. It was a real school of life, packed in a month. I definitely got stronger, but not only.

It seems to me that the pain I experienced and the procedures formed in me an absolute indifference to my body. For some, even an injection is a terrible thing, but for me it’s just manipulation of the bag that contains my brain and personality. With a bag to keep track of to function well. This is an unusual point of view, but it seems to me that it makes it much easier to cope with illness. Need to donate blood, go for an ultrasound or gastroscopy? I don’t care, just do what you need to do and forget about it.

Ten years have passed since the last operation . I every year go through everything in the survey is the same medical center. I know that this is individual – there are those who do it every two or three years. During the observation period, I changed two doctors, and the recommendations were different: one dissuaded from any physical activity in general, the other claims that everything that is not professional sports is possible. I try to stay in the middle and do cardio and yoga. There are no difficulties with travel – I pass metal detectors and scanners calmly.

In general, there are two types of valves: mechanical and biological. On the basis of what the choice between them is made, I do not know for sure. The biological one is made of biomaterials, wears out and requires replacement – but with such a prosthesis you do not need to take drugs that reduce blood clotting. A mechanical valve, like me, is a lot longer, but and anticoagulants should be taken for life. It is necessary to constantly monitor the clotting parameters in order to adjust the dose.

I have a coagulometer at home with which I can do it myself. You need to apply a drop of blood from your finger to the test strip, insert it into the device and wait for the result. Here are just the prices for sets of strips bite: for twenty-four pieces you have to pay about seven thousand rubles. If you just left the hospital, you need to check your blood several times a day, and I honestly do not know what to do in this situation if there are no funds.

Obviously, if you you drink anticoagulants, then have you more liquid than the other blood. Bruises appear very easily. This also imposes restrictions on certain procedures: in order to pull out wisdom teeth, I had to consult for a long time and tediously with either a dentist or a cardiologist, connect them with each other and work out a scheme for switching from tablets to subcutaneous preparations and vice versa. It is impossible not to drink anticoagulants at all , because because of the valve, there is a high risk of blood clots. Women with mechanical valves also “win” in the biological lottery: periods on anticoagulants turn from four days to seven days, and there is also a ban on oral contraceptives – almost all hormonal drugs affect blood clotting. I was especially “lucky”, and my periods are not only long, but also abundant, so for one or two days a month I drop out of life – I take a day off or work from home, without explaining the reasons.

It also becomes much easier to get unidentified bleeding, it is much more difficult to treat it , because now you cannot simply inject a drug that clotts blood. We have to look for workarounds with huge droppers and a week-long hospital stay . The main advice that I can give: do not be nervous and always keep the cardiologist’s phone in contact. And also do not trust the gynecologists from the city ​​polyclinic – they can pretend that they understand what a mechanical valve is, and then advise the pepper tincture, which dramatically reduces coagulation.

Another consequence of the operation is a long, straight scar in the center of the chest. But the scar does not bother me at all , it has long become the same color as the skin and stands out slightly. He is a part of me, I see him every day in the mirror, and everyone sees him when I put on sweaters or dresses with a cutout. The most interesting point is mechanical ticking. This is the sound of the opening and closing of the valve petals, which corresponds to the pulse. In a noisy room, you ca n’t hear it, but if you are at the exam and in the audience there is deathly silence , then the sound can be heard. Usually people think that this is a loud wrist watch – I do n’t know where the thought goes when they realize that I am not wearing the watch .

This is a kind of secret that
I, by coincidence – read: when I am in a quiet room next to someone – I can tell close people

Once I was visiting a friend, we drank whiskey in the kitchen. There was a large clock on the wall, and the conversation somehow did not go well . He drank, thought and complained aloud: “What are these loud Casio!” I laughed to myself, but didn’t correct him . Now I understand that this is wrong: I want to convey to people that this also happens.

The only time I was embarrassed for the discomfort it caused was at the university. I was sitting right behind the language pair teacher . At some point, she confusedly asked the audience what kind of annoying sound it was from, where did it come from ? Someone from the group replied that these were probably fans on the power supplies of computers. Such an answer, it seems, did not suit her, but she did not develop the topic . I felt ashamed, but I didn’t say anything . Up to now I think about this and do not understand how it was necessary to do.

Acquaintances, friends and young people react to this sound in different ways, but never negatively. True, the number of racist jokes I’ve heard about the ticking of a bomb is countless. When I am with a partner, this sound gives out my heartbeat, and it easily determines whether I am worried or calm. This is such a cheat in fact – I do n’t know how I’m going to play poker.

Most of the time I am in noisy places and nothing betrays my peculiarity. This is a kind of secret that I, by coincidence – read: when I am in a quiet room next to someone – I can tell close people. I do n’t often wear revealing clothes; a couple of times straightforward acquaintances asked what it was – but more often people either do not notice, or tactfully pretend not to see. I myself always try to learn about the health features of other people and talk about my own. The more different people you meet, the better you understand how hard life can be.

EVEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT INTERESTED IN AROMATHERAPY , oils and diffusers, there are scented candles at home – if not purchased, then received as a gift. These candles are produced by many perfume brands or companies specializing in home decor, and scents range from traditional vanilla or lavender to ” Gwyneth Paltrow ‘s vagina ” (however, this is just a bold name for a mixture of geranium and bergamot scents). Another option that does not lose popularity is incense sticks, which spread the aroma when ignited. We decided to figure out if odorous combustion products are harmful and what to look for when choosing such pieces for the home.

Are there any hazardous components in the candles ?

Information about the dangers of candles – with and without scents – can most often be found on sites dedicated to natural cosmetics. It says that paraffin candles, when burned, release more than a dozen carcinogenic components, unlike “safe” beeswax or soy wax. In the United States, there is the National Candle Association ( NCA ), which deals with the safety of candles and sets standards for their production. According to her data , all the candles are lit the same, and flavors, whether synthetic or natural, do not emit toxic substances.

One study by scientists from the United States and Europe concluded that scented candles are not harmful to health under “normal conditions”. In another work by the University of South Carolina, it turned out that paraffin suppositories still release substances that can lead to bronchial asthma or even cancer – but in theory, if they are lit daily for many years. Another study showed that candles and incense sticks can contain many harmful components – from mechanical particles that pollute the air to lead, which is added to wicks, although, for example, American manufacturers have long abandoned it .

Several years ago, The Telegraph reported on the results of a study conducted at the University of York – it turned out that the component limonene, which gives citrus aroma to products, can be dangerous. In the air, it quickly turns into carcinogenic formaldehyde. Overall, there is evidence that the use of candles can be harmful, but it is not yet clear to what extent – after all, people have been using scents and burning candles for thousands of years, and no confirmed cases of related illnesses have been reported. Apparently, the best approach is moderation, as well as good ventilation and fire safety.

What about sticks

The authors of one of the studies claim that the smoke of incense sticks is more dangerous than cigarette smoke – in a laboratory experiment, it more often caused mutations in the cells of animals and bacteria. It’s worth noting that only four sticks and one cigarette were tested, and two of the researchers were employees of a tobacco company. In addition, the smoke of cigarettes when smoking goes directly into the lungs, so the effect on their cells can be different – and yet, probably, the harm from frequent use of sticks can be compared with the harm of secondhand smoke. Unlike candles, which are made by big brands that care about their own reputation, the origin of the sticks is often unknown.

In Taiwan, they studied air samples from temples constantly fumigated with incense – and it turned out that the concentration of carcinogenic substances (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) was very high. Their levels were forty-five times higher than those of smokers at home. Frequent use of burning incense has been reported to increase the risk of respiratory problems, allergic contact dermatitis, and neoplasms. Scientists’ recommendations boil down to reducing the time spent in rooms where sticks are burned, and if you do it at home, how to ventilate. Any combustion leads to the appearance of smoke, and smoke can irritate and harm the lungs.

How to use it correctly

The NCA’s statements about the safety of candles are accompanied by an important caveat – the candles must be made of high quality, and they must be used correctly. Fragrances must meet the standards of the International Fragrance Association ( IFRA ). At the same time, it is difficult to find a link to the IFRA certificate on manufacturers’ websites or on packages, but it is assumed that decent brands comply with these standards anyway (otherwise, they will face problems in the market). In general, we can recommend not buying cheap candles of unknown origin – most likely, their quality will be worse, and the components may be harmful.

On the website of the perfume brand Jo Malone, you can find tips for the correct use of scented candles: do not leave the fire unattended, do not light candles in a draft, do not let the wick burn out completely and protect the surface on which the candle stands. To keep the surface of the wax even, without a hole in the center, you cannot extinguish the candle too quickly – you need to let the entire surface melt. In people with bronchial asthma and other allergic diseases, volatile substances can cause an unwanted reaction – however, this applies not only to burning scented candles. You shouldn’t burn candles and sticks in small confined spaces like a bathroom – the place should be well ventilated.

THE HUMAN HEART IS A DIFFICULT ORGAN. His left ventricle pushes oxygen-rich blood into the vessels, through which it is delivered to all tissues and organs. The right ventricle, on the other hand, pushes the blood returning through the veins into the pulmonary artery so that it is enriched with oxygen in the lungs. The pressure in the pulmonary artery differs from the usual one, which was measured more than once at a doctor’s appointment for each person; normally it is 8–20 mm. rt. Art., and if the rates are too high, pulmonary hypertension is diagnosed.

At the same time, it is much more difficult for the heart to work, it begins to increase in size, a person does not feel well, shortness of breath, fainting occurs, it becomes difficult to move. If the disease is not treated, heart failure develops with all possible consequences, including death. Pulmonary hypertension is considered rare and is even included in the list of orphan diseases in Russia – although we are not talking about isolated cases, but, for example, about 500-1000 new diagnoses per year in the United States. Begimai Sataeva told us about life with pulmonary hypertension, about working forty hours a week and about a treatment machine that becomes part of your body.

I am twenty-five years old, I grew up and lived in Bishkek, and in 2015 I left to study gender under the Erasmus Mundus program. Out of six possible countries and universities, it fell to me to study in Poland and the Netherlands, and after graduating from the magistracy in the city of Utrecht, I stayed to live in the Netherlands. Now I work in an international organization, in the department of external relations and share an apartment with two girls, the same young professionals, in The Hague.

Back in Kyrgyzstan, I was worried about a number of symptoms – for some time I ignored them, but when I went to the doctor, I did not receive any specific information. For example, one day (this was in my second year of undergraduate studies) it became difficult for me to breathe. Then I studied and worked, I was late for class, and at some point my heart began to beat violently, my breath stopped and my head began to spin a little. I did not understand what was happening, I stopped, looked around, it became easier for me, I went on more slowly. This began to happen more and more often, gradually becoming my usual rhythm. I connected it with anything: I work a lot, do not sleep at night, jet lag, student life, anemia, and so on. About a year later, I had a short fainting spell, it became difficult to climb stairs, I could no longer walk quickly and, in general, could not withstand physical activity, I quickly got tired.

I was referred to a doctor in the mountain medicine department with suspected heart disease. They made a drip and let me go home. It turned out that the equipment for diagnosing heart pathologies was taken to the regions. In principle, this answer suited me: I had a bunch of other important things to do and projects and did not want to deal with diagnoses and stay in the hospital at all. In general, the process of going to a doctor in Kyrgyzstan is a lot of stress. Queues, a paper system, a million certificates and extracts, a depressing atmosphere. There was no specific diagnosis, and I did not insist – I did not want to be in public hospitals, I simply could not physically run around different offices and floors.

Doctors asked several times if I had taken drugs for weight loss – the disease can also develop because of them

I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in September 2016 when I came to study in the Netherlands. I got on my bike, drove a few meters and fainted. Passers-by crowded around, one of them a doctor who was on a run. I got up, dusted myself off and wanted to go on about my business – I hadn’t even come to my senses after a twelve-hour flight. But an ambulance rushed in, and they simply did not let me go – the doctor gave me an EKG and said that I should go with her to the hospital. They did not immediately understand what was happening there, but they clearly suspected something more serious than fatigue after a long flight. A few days later I fainted again, in the bathroom in the morning. This time, I myself understood that I needed help. I was urgently transferred to the intensive care unit, prescribed several examinations, consultations with a cardiologist and a pulmonologist, and asked my parents to come.

Pulmonary hypertension is of several types and can occur for various reasons, in my case it is idiopathic – that is, it arose on its own, without an obvious reason. The risk can be influenced by genetic factors and, for example, life in the highlands. And the doctors also asked several times if I had taken drugs for weight loss – the disease can also develop because of them. No, I did not take them, but I saw them everywhere and everywhere: in bazaars, in pharmacies, in advertisements on TV and on the Internet. In Bishkek, and throughout the CIS, they are available completely freely. These are teas, tablets, syrups “for body shaping”. I was warned not to take any medication without consulting a doctor.

Pulmonary hypertension begins very slowly, and because of its nonspecific symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose it at an early stage. Shortness of breath, difficulty with exercise, fainting begins. In Central Asia, there is no adequate therapy, people are simply sent home – and the outcomes are the most unfavorable. As far as I know, heart and lung transplants are performed in Russia, but these are extreme measures. In general, it is impossible to completely recover from this disease, but there is supportive therapy that is needed for life. This is exactly what I get.

I came to the Netherlands in critical condition, and I was immediately prescribed treatment. I receive the medicine around the clock: a special apparatus is attached to my body in the chest area, which, like a dropper, constantly injects a small amount of the drug. With this device you can live a full life, travel, ride a bicycle, work. I have already ceased to perceive it as something alien – it is a part of me, an additional organ. The therapy is not felt in any way, it does not hurt me, although sometimes wearing the device can cause slight discomfort. At the very beginning, the body got used to it for a couple of months, there was nausea, lack of appetite, fatigue, but then I returned to normal life.

I did not immediately realize and accept my diagnosis – everything happened very quickly. I thought about my studies, my plans, the tooth that I broke when I fell off the bike, and I didn’t think that I would have to carry a device with medicine around the clock. I stayed in the hospital for two months, my mother and sister came to me and they, I think, also did not fully understand what was happening. The doctors and nurses were responsible for everything, I myself did not have to do anything special, so the realization of the diagnosis and new life with the device began to come later, when I was discharged from the hospital. The nurses came to me, taught me how to use and take care of the device, change the cassettes with the medicine, what to do in case of emergency. Gradually, I began to understand what was happening to me and was happening, that I needed to be more attentive in some aspects, more closely monitor my health.

At first it was scary and unusual. After I was discharged from the hospital, they gave me taxi coupons for several months while I got used to getting around the city. I remember looking at girls who were having fun riding their bicycles, and I wondered if I could ever do that. And she was able to, gradually joining the Dutch student life. Now I have almost no restrictions: except that you cannot swim and run marathons, you need to take a shower carefully, change cassettes and treat a vein under sterile conditions, be at home during the delivery of medicines. But I live the ordinary life of an ordinary girl, work forty hours a week, meet friends, travel, sometimes I allow myself a couple of glasses of wine.

However, after graduation, I was going to return home to Kyrgyzstan, and when they told me that I needed to stay in the Netherlands in order to have access to therapy, it came as a shock. I was afraid of the future in the country, I did not understand how to look for housing and work, I did not know the language. But I was lucky with people, I was supported and supported by the family from whom I rented a room in Utrecht. Gerda sometimes jokes that she has two daughters – me and her own daughter Paula. They went with me to all examinations, talked to doctors, explained how things work in Holland, helped in everything. I don’t think I could have done it all alone.

Older relatives constantly insisted that one should not talk
about illnesses to her husband or young man.

In the Netherlands, on the street and in the metro, you can meet people with catheters attached to their faces, oxygen tanks, hearing aids – and no one pays attention to this. At the same time, I remember well the words of my older relatives in Kyrgyzstan – they constantly repeated that all men are unfaithful and that one should not talk about illnesses to one’s husband or young man. It is clear that my therapy is quite noticeable, it is impossible to hide it – and I would not. But at first, when they put the device on me, I was terribly shy of it, I was ashamed of my body, I didn’t tell my friends and family for a long time. I don’t know why I had such a reaction – perhaps because the culture in post-Soviet countries is fixated on female beauty, everyone should have perfect nails, eyelashes, and a figure. This is probably why we still sell and openly advertise the very same drugs for weight loss.

I would like the girls to bother less about their appearance, sincerely love and accept themselves, which is what the experience of life in the Netherlands teaches me – here people, for example, dress so that it is first of all comfortable. At some point, I had an idea for a photo project, but I was not ready to tell my story. It was scary to open up to the public, relatives, friends, acquaintances. But one day an announcement appeared in the tape about the help of a girl with the same diagnosis – I remembered how I suffered myself, and decided that it was time to talk about it.

When I talked with photographers, not all of them understood my idea. We corresponded with Azhara Shabdanova for several months, and it became clear that it was time to shoot, because if you delay, the “spark” and relevance of the project will disappear. I bought tickets to Moscow and we filmed. It was unusual to see myself from the outside. I wear the device every day, but in the photo it looked somehow strange. Then I realized that I just never saw such photos in the media, on billboards or on Instagram. Nobody just talks about this – for Holland it is not something unusual, but for Kyrgyzstan, on the contrary, it is a taboo topic.

When I was preparing for filming, I set several tasks: first, to normalize my own perception of the body, to show that this also happens, and there is nothing special, strange or bad about it. Remove the taboo on the concept of physiology and the body in general. Secondly, I wanted to tell my story from the medical side, to show my therapy, to tell about existing technologies. I would like people to finally start demanding that the health care system should work properly from the state. In the future, I plan to develop a public awareness campaign on pulmonary hypertension, both in terms of body perception and medicine.

A TOPIC EXCITING TO MANY ON QUARANTINE OR IN SELF-INSULATION, is how to maintain your physical shape, not lose activity completely to zero and eat so as not to cause special harm to health. We have compiled instructions that will help you stay active and maintain a good mood.

Decide on a strategy

Selection of home workouts are practically endless – you can use the channels of trainers on the YouTube, broadcasts of sports halls (eg, World Class Network puts training records) or for the phone or tablet app, like Nike Training Club and of adidas UEFA Training , offering high-intensity training with alternation of power and cardio … The advantages of apps are that they help you track your progress and create personalized programs; but Youtube is easiest to bring to the big screen – it may be more convenient to those with whom the eyes get tired, and those who want to practice is not in it alone.

Prepare your workout space and form

Avoid exercising in pajamas and slippers – this can be traumatic and does not contribute to a sense of performance. Just like in the gym or on the street, you need shorts or leggings, a sports bra, a T-shirt, and trainers. Prepare a clean towel to wipe off sweat and place under your knees during push-ups or under your forearms in the plank. Vacuum the room. You can practice on a carpet, a special rug or a thick towel – but this does not apply to explosive movements or jumping, in which the rug can slide on the floor.

Avoid injury

The goal of quarantine is to smooth the curve of the spread of the viral infection in order to reduce the burden on clinics and doctors. Seeking medical attention if you do not have severe symptoms is undesirable – and it would be especially disappointing to get hurt right now. Follow the technique of the exercises, simplify too complex ones and focus on your own fitness and level of fitness. Do not forget the warm-up and stretching, listen to your instincts and stop in time.

Don’t do it all at once

Lack of activity can be very disturbing, but don’t push yourself too hard – it increases the risk of injury and the likelihood that training can get bored. If you use personal activity apps, some days will be designated recovery or rest days. To prevent activity from dropping to zero, these days you can do stretching or dancing – but it is better to rest large muscle groups after squats, push-ups and crunches.

Don’t berate yourself if you fail to stick to the plan.

In a period when there is little good news, difficulties appear as if out of nowhere – every day you have to answer new questions for yourself about whether to go to the store and whether to meet with your parents. At the same time, the flow of offers is growing to take free courses, learn how to cook, or engage a child in fifty more ways. Feelings of guilt because you do not have time to do everything planned can very easily arise against such a background. We suggest that you minimize all unnecessary things – do the work you can, and determine for yourself a sufficient amount of training, for example, thirty minutes a day.

Strive for variety in your food

When you are at home all the time, it is difficult to find a balance: to cook often boring and tedious, but if you cook rare, but large portions, you will have a long time there is one and the same. Alternatively , prepare several bases such as chopped vegetables and ready-made buckwheat, rice or pasta, which you can eat separately for a couple of days , mixing and adding various additional ingredients and spices. The diet should contain vegetables and fruits, cereals, protein sources (for example, beans, eggs, fish or chicken).

Don’t overwhelm your emotions

A lot of disturbing news, inability to walk and get distracted, or simply boredom can lead to overeating. Try to distract from negative emotions in other ways: move around, do breathing exercises, or hug those around you. And if your hands reach for chips or cookies while watching the show in the evening, try at least replacing fast food with berries, nuts, or sticks of carrots and sweet peppers (especially if you did not manage to eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits with breakfast, lunch and dinner ).

Chat with loved ones

During this period, it is difficult for everyone, and everyone experiences the situation in different ways. The transition to remote work does not mean that you need to eat at the computer now . Dinner at a common table with a partner without laptops and phones will provide an opportunity to discuss what exactly bothers each or each of you. It is also a moment to dream about the plans that you will carry out when the crisis period finally ends.

And again, do not berate yourself

Without the usual level of activity during the quarantine, many of us will gain weight – perhaps we should accept this fact and certainly not blame ourselves for not exercising enough or not eating too healthy. The main task now is to contain the spread of the infection. The second and personal for everyone is to do work, maintain their mental and physical health and live in peace with others, taking into account all the restrictions associated with quarantine. And the better we all observe it, the sooner we can return to our usual walks, jogging or dining in a cafe.

Testing for the new coronavirus in different countries and even cities is not the same: the policy adopted depends on at what stage of the outbreak a particular place is, as well as on the availability or lack of tests and on the priorities of the healthcare system. There are methods that detect the virus itself, and tests for antibodies to it; you can hear that it takes from several minutes to several days to get the result. We figure out how the tests work and whether you need to buy them yourself if you have no symptoms.

How Antibody Tests Work

During a coronavirus infection (visible or asymptomatic), the immune system reacts by producing antibodies – these are special proteins also called immunoglobulins; they are specific, that is, they approach this virus like a key to a lock. By determining their presence in the blood, you can find out if a person had this virus. It is important which antibodies the test detects – for example, type M immunoglobulins (IgM) appear on the seventh day, and disappear by the 21st; other antibodies, such as IgG, appear about two weeks after infection and remain in the blood for a long time, providing immunity from re-infection. Recovered people who have detected IgG to coronavirus can become plasma donors – it is used to treat COVIZ-19 patients.

Detecting not the virus itself, but the immune response to it, that is, the antibodies developed in a person, is a different approach to testing. The tests that are used for this are also cheaper and easier to work than PCR for detecting viral RNA. A drop of blood is needed for the analysis. Among the disadvantages is that such a test has a lower specificity, that is, it can more often give a false negative result. In addition, the production of antibodies in the body takes several days, so at an early stage after infection, the result may be negative, although the body has a virus.

When analyzing antibodies, they are bound by a viral protein in the test system – that is, to create a system, you must first obtain this protein and produce it in a laboratory in large quantities. This is being done in Russia as well – for example, scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported that using one of the viral proteins they successfully detected antibodies to the virus in infected people. As said one of the developers in my facebook, the test system is ready and now there is its clinical trials; if everything goes well, then the test can be registered (now this is done according to an accelerated procedure).

What tests are used in Russia 

The Ozone online store began selling kits for taking biomaterial from the nasopharynx – you can come with it for analysis to one of the Medsi clinics or call a nurse at home. At the same time, Yandex launched a free testing facility. We are talking about PCR analysis for viral RNA, the most accurate and sensitive method. Both Rospotrebnadzor and manufacturers say the probability of detecting the virus is 94–98%. True, most likely, such indicators are achieved under ideal conditions. Practitioners who treat patients with a new coronavirus infection say that in reality the accuracy is 70-80% – this is primarily due to the human factor.

It is already clear that coronavirus pneumonia differs in a specific picture on CT, even if the analysis for the virus gave a negative result – therefore, those who come with symptoms of pneumonia are given tomography. In such cases, the diagnosis is formulated as “probable COVIZ-19”.

Who should do the test on their own

Ideally, for mass testing, the results are collected and analyzed centrally – this helps to better understand how the epidemic is progressing, to determine the number of people with asymptomatic infection, to calculate the proportion of seriously ill or dead. It is unclear whether such a register will be created with the results of analyzes carried out by the same Yandex. It makes sense to test yourself “just in case” if, upon receiving a positive result, you are ready to take action – for a couple of weeks, completely abandon any contacts and exits from the house.

Theoretically, home tests for antibodies may appear – this requires a drop of blood from a finger, but at home it is possible (this is how, for example, glucometers used by people with diabetes work). Some countries are now planning to test a large sample of the population for antibodies in order to understand what proportion of people are already immune to the new coronavirus. So far, it is believed that immunity lasts for several months – after that there will be a repeated risk of infection, but it is assumed that a vaccine will be created before the second wave of infection.

“SIT EIGHT”, “DO NOT SUTULE”, “KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT” – these and other phrases have historically been used by older relatives to correct the posture of younger ones (raise your hand if you regularly hear something like this). It is curious that history has always been silent about the consequences of stooping, for the sake of combating which, in some especially sophisticated cases, they could be forced to walk with books or a tray on their head. We decided to restore justice – and together with the experts we figured out how harmful it is to health and whether it is harmful at all.

About correct posture and stoop

When the spine is in a neutral position, it is not actually straight, but has three gentle curves . The lowest, in the lumbar region, bends inward towards the front of the body – this is lumbar lordosis. The middle one, located in the thoracic region, bends outward – this is thoracic kyphosis. The upper part in the cervical spine bends forward again – this is cervical lordosis. If you look at animals that walk on four legs, you will notice that they do not have such bends. And this is logical, because we need lordoses and kyphoses for upright walking.

The essence of correct posture is to stand, walk, sit and lie in a position in which the muscles and ligaments are in the least tension. At the same time, the “waviness” of the spine should be preserved, but not become more pronounced, turning into hyperlordosis (excessive deflection in the back) or, what interests us more in connection with the stated topic, stoop.

“Curvatures of the spine are formed in humans by the age of 5-6 under the influence of various factors, including muscle traction. In this sense, stoop is a curvature of the spine in the form of increased kyphosis, a natural bend in the thoracic spine, ”says Elena Belenko, vegetative neurologist, candidate of medical sciences, head of the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology.

“Sometimes a stooped posture can be a sign of a spinal disorder. For example, Scheuermann-Mau disease, ankylosing spondylitis, congenital anomalies and some other conditions. But even if we are not talking about the diseases I mentioned, stoop in itself can become a problem, ”adds Anton Surnov, a neurologist and chiropractor.

According to Surnov, hyperkyphosis – the same stoop, only in a scientific way – is often combined with scoliotic deformity. That is, with a curvature of the spine in the lateral plane. Such changes together and in the long term lead to overload and spasticity (cramps) of some muscles and weakness of others. Spastic muscles, in turn, are often the cause of chronic back pain. “That is why, from the first years of schooling, it is advisable to pay attention to how the child’s posture is formed. It is much easier to prevent such changes than to cure them in the future, ”the expert sums up.

Why is wrong posture dangerous?

It is important to monitor your posture not because it is aesthetically pleasing, but because in this case the whole body will function optimally . So, posture supports bones and joints in the correct position, allowing you to reduce wear on the articular surfaces and reduce the risks of related conditions (for example, arthritis and osteochondrosis), reduces the load on the spine, and prevents fatigue (muscles are used more efficiently and the body spends less energy).

“Changes in the spine can, according to the principle of feedback, affect the work of the nerve centers of the back, which control the work of internal organs and blood vessels. Here, patients have complaints such as a feeling of lack of air, a feeling of interruptions in the work of the heart, dizziness, cold and numbness in the arms and legs, ”explains Elena Belenko.

Also, problems with posture can disturb balance, increase the risk of falling (and this is especially important for older people), and make it difficult to digest food. Poor posture also puts additional strain on the neck, which can lead to tension headaches, one of the most common types of pain that feels like a tight band is being pulled over your head.

How to sit properly for an adult?

As already mentioned, it is important not only to sit correctly. However, since we sit more often and most of all – especially in connection with the coronavirus, when we have to spend a lot of time at home – it is worth figuring out how to do this. Here’s what the experts recommend :

Sit with your back straight and your shoulders squared, buttocks touching the back of the chair

MAKE SURE all three normal curvatures of the back are present while sitting (a small rolled towel, a lumbar roll, or a lumbar curvature chair may be used)

DISTRIBUTE BODY WEIGHT evenly over both thighs

Bend your knees at a right angle, keep them level or slightly above your hips

LET YOUR HANDS AND ELBOWS PROPORTION ON the table, keeping your shoulders relaxed

Why posture should be practiced in childhood

“In childhood, bones, including the bones of the back, vertebrae and joints, as well as ligaments and muscles, are still very soft, elastic and mobile. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the health of the back as early as possible, when the probability of preventing the problem remains, ”explains Elena Belenko. So doctors in this sense are in solidarity with parents and grandparents.

The expert says that with age, natural changes in the spine join the seemingly simple stoop. If the back is initially healthy, they may appear later or manifest themselves less strongly, but if there is reinforcement of the stoop and curvature of the spine, any risks increase.

What can be done to prevent the child from slouching?

According to Elena Belenko, it is very important to pay attention to the full-fledged physical development of the child: active games in the fresh air, swimming and massages will have a positive effect on health here and now and in the future. “And when doing tasks that involve working at the table, it is important to ensure that the height of the table and chair is appropriate for the child’s height,” she adds.

“Often, parents, observing a stooped posture in a child, try to pull back their child as often as possible in the hope that this will help correct the situation. Usually such actions do not bring results and the child continues to slouch. This is due to the fact that when trying to correct the position of the body, he experiences pain or discomfort in the tense muscles. Therefore, the posture quickly becomes a stoop again, since there are no painful sensations in this position, ”says Anton Surnov.

The doctor explains that it is important to influence the muscles in such a way as to relieve tension and restore their work – with the help of massage, physiotherapy, manual therapy, exercise therapy. A correctly selected complex often leads to the fact that posture changes without additional efforts and reminders.

Do posture belts and corsets work?

Everything is not so simple here. Experts say that while they do neutralize the muscles, they do nothing to strengthen those that support our “verticality” and relax those that are tense when the person slouches. As a result, as soon as the belt or corset is removed, the body returns to its original position.

Exercises for correct posture

Although sport is really the head of everything, the gym alone, unfortunately, will not be able to completely neutralize the effect of improper sitting (or standing). Studies have shown that women who regularly exercise sit in the same way as their “counterparts” who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The good news: the scientific community agrees that the best solution to the problem is to move more during the day. Ideally, you need to get up and walk, but even the banal fidgeting in the chair and the constant change in the position of the legs will be more useful than nothing.

With regard to specific exercises, doctors advise the omnipotent bridge and bar. Because when it comes to strengthening the muscles that promote healthy posture, the emphasis is on the gluteus and back muscles.

And you can also try stretching (imagine that a cord passes through the whole body from the crown to the heels, which pulls you up – you need to reach for it, but not stand on tiptoes and try to keep your back straight) or bring your shoulder blades down with your shoulders down (lingering in this position for 5-6 seconds and repeating the exercise 4-5 times).

“At any age, it is beneficial to strengthen the muscular structure of the back to maintain posture and spine health. It is also important to do stretching, relieve tension in the back, and develop flexibility. If you already have back problems, first of all you need to see a neurologist. Since physical exertion through pain, of course, will not be useful, but will only aggravate the manifestation of the disease, ”comments Elena Belenko.

And by the way, wear comfortable low-heeled shoes. It is true that high heels put additional stress on muscles and harm posture, so they should only be worn on special occasions.

I was sitting at the table with my grandmother and suddenly felt that I was terribly annoyed by the way she was eating. I was seventeen years old, and suddenly I began to acutely hear and feel chomping sounds. I was angry, cursed, and this, of course, offended my grandmother.

Soon, something new was added – I began to react to my sister’s whispers when she read books aloud. We fought, my sister told me to go to treat my nerves.

Over time, the problem only grew. I began to be annoyed by completely different sounds that were made by people around. The nastiest ones are published by people who chew gum. If I’m on the bus and someone is chewing gum over my ear, I usually politely ask the person to stop. I’m not telling people that I have a disorder, I’m just saying that I have sensitive hearing. The main thing is to speak delicately, because they are strangers after all. Everything that is connected with the mouth, with the teeth, with the jaw, with the saliva freaks me out. I myself chew very softly so that nothing can be heard.

At first I thought I was just hearing something. I can reluctantly hear what I do not need to hear, for example, someone’s whispering away from me. I can be in one room, but hear what is being whispered about in another. If these are my family and I hear that they are talking about me, then I shout through the wall that I am in the next room and actually hear everything.

But if these sounds start to annoy me, then the irritation quickly turns into anger. At this point, I’m ready to explode or run away from the source of the sound. I am beginning to hate the person who is torturing me so, and I feel that this must stop immediately. Sometimes people have a reaction to the grinding of nails on the glass – so I have an intolerance to some sounds right up to trembling. Rage chokes me, I want to close my ears, start singing – do everything to drown out this sound.

For a long time I tried to understand why this is happening. Maybe this is because when I was little, guests came to us and always kissed me on the forehead and on the cheeks? Then I wiped off all the kisses from myself. Maybe this reaction is related to hypersensitivity or anxiety.

Once I had to make a remark to my mother-in-law. It was at the table, she ate soup and sipped with great appetite. I didn’t know what to say, because this is my mother-in-law, a person much older than me. I had to pluck up the courage and ask her to eat more quietly, that is, do not sip – I referred to the fact that I have a sensitive hearing. She, of course, was offended. The subsequent times, when we sat at the table with her, I just turned on the music, tried to switch my attention to something else, or put on a film so as not to hear. I had to talk to her three times and explain that I have such a disorder. She looked at me and, apparently, thought that I was an arrogant girl who decided to teach her. She is a doctor, but not all doctors have heard of misophonia. Therefore, I had to find this article on Wikipedia and read excerpts from there, give examples that I was not the only one with such problems, and only after that my mother-in-law somehow accepted me.

It’s even more difficult with my husband. He sometimes snaps seeds, and we fight because of this. He says that he cannot eat without sound, cannot go to another room, because the TV is only in one. If I say for the hundredth time, “please stop slurping,” it could explode. And when they don’t hear me, I feel bad, my hands drop, I don’t know how to be, what to do – I really suffer.

A husband can watch a movie with enthusiasm and not notice that he is gnawing a burr. But this is also a sound that pisses me off – I can grab his hand and hold. Only psychologists who deal with aggression can help me. Because this is partly one of the manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The psychologist advised me to practice meditation, she said that you just have to practice a lot in order to allow yourself not to pay attention to sounds, to become so calm, always a person in Zen. But I somehow doubt that I will succeed, therefore, for the time being, it is mainly headphones and earplugs that are saved.

When the term “misophonia” first appeared, one of the scientists decided to conduct an experiment. He advertised in a newspaper looking for people with hearing or hearing problems. The father brought his daughter, a teenage girl, and began to eat ice cream with her. She could not stand it, burst into tears, ran out of the office in hysterics. I understand well the emotions of this girl, because this disorder affects everything in general. It is very difficult to live like this in society.

Sometimes, if the sound does not stop, I feel really bad. Recently I could not sleep in any way, I listened to all the sounds in the house and on the street. I was scared, I thought that someone was sneaking up on me now. I had a panic attack.

I work with this as best I can: at the table I talk a lot, I find topics for conversation, so as not to hear chomping in silence. The air purifier also saves – it’s a big whopper that buzzes, you get such a white noise that distracts and even soothes. At the same time, being in nature, I am incredibly imbued with sounds, they calm me down.

I go to work, and if an unpleasant sound appears there, then I muffle it with music or clicking on the mouse. My colleague has an intolerance to the sound of styrofoam, he immediately runs out of the room, so I’m not the only one. I go to lunch an hour later than everyone else so as not to hear people eating.

By some miracle, because of the sounds, my condition does not extend to the child – my daughter is three years old and you cannot explain to her that you need to quieter or chew silently. Over time, of course, I will have to teach her to behave differently and not make such sounds.

The coronavirus vaccine is the hottest topic. Doctors believe that if there are no restrictions on health, it is necessary to be grafted. This will help us build herd immunity faster and cope with the pandemic. However, many people are still afraid to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In part because there are many myths circulating around vaccines and their potential health effects. We decided to analyze the ten most popular ones together with the experts.

The coronavirus vaccine can affect female fertility, so it is dangerous for pregnant women to get vaccinated. It also causes infertility.

The truth is , the COVID-19 vaccine causes the body to make copies of the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. So she teaches the immune system to fight the virus. The myth appeared when they began to write that this adhesion protein is the same as the protein that is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. But in fact, scientists say , these are different proteins.

“Not a single official source in Russia or any other country links coronavirus vaccination with the risk of infertility. Here you need to understand that the vaccine affects the immune system. Infertility is most often an organic problem. Research on the effectiveness of a vaccine for our reproductive system is impossible, because for this you need to take a group of vaccinated people and monitor this group for 5-10 years. Moreover, both before the onset of pregnancy, and after, in order to determine whether there is any effect of the vaccine. Therefore, the standard restriction for vaccination is pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding and, of course, children under 18 years of age, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze, chief physician of the Nearmedik network of clinics.

“As for other vaccines, they, like antibiotics, are prescribed when the risk of complications for the mother and fetus exceeds the possible harm from the disease. When planning a pregnancy, specialists from the Ministry of Health recommend vaccination as a measure to protect the reproductive system, which is also under threat when infected, ”adds Tuyaara Sannikova, deputy chief physician for outpatient work at the Crimean branch of the FGBU FNCTs FMBA of Russia .

If a person has already had a coronavirus, he definitely does not need to be vaccinated.

People who have had COVID-19 still need to get vaccinated. At least because, as it turned out, it is possible to get infected with the new coronavirus again. Another question is that they will not do this in the first place, because they already have antibodies in their bodies.

“At the same time, antibodies in the body do not exist forever. According to research, on average they last about 3-4 months, – comments Maria Ordzhonikidze. “ Therefore, after 3-4 months, it is recommended to re-check the level of anti-rbd antibodies, observe changes and, if the level has dropped significantly, discuss the situation with a doctor and decide on the need for vaccination.”

“Also, do not forget that the virus has different strains: in December 2020 , the rapid spread of the new COVID-19 mutation began in several Western countries, so the disease you have suffered is not a reason to refuse vaccination. However, according to the WHO recommendation, people who have had the disease should be vaccinated no earlier than six months after recovery, relying on a blood test for the strength of immunity (IgM and IgG), ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

Vaccines appeared too quickly (we have coronavirus only a year), so they can not be effective.

Pharmaceutical companies have invested significant resources in the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine due to the global nature of the pandemic. An emergency called for the same response – but that doesn’t mean someone bypassed security protocols or failed to conduct adequate testing.

“The terms of development and testing have not been shortened – these processes are strictly controlled by international protocols. The reason for the rapid release of the vaccine is in the mobilization of resources: a record number of employees, a large amount of money and hardware were involved in the development , and all bureaucracy was minimized, ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

“NIITsEM Gamaleya has been dealing with vector vaccines for fifteen years. And more than six years ago, they have already been released and successfully used. In particular, according to this principle, the Ebola vaccine and the MERS vaccine , similar to the coronavirus, but a different strain, were made, says Maria Ordzhonikidze about the Russian vaccine. – It took scientists several weeks to change the gene that carries the adenovirus. Figuratively speaking, the locomotive was invented long ago, but have it peretsepili car, which is also well traveled. ”

The expert adds that an article in The Lancet is also an important evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine . “This is one of the oldest and most respected publications about medicine in general. Those who know firsthand how the international scientific world works, understand that our vaccine and the publication of it in the journal is a great achievement that should be proud of, ”adds Maria Ordzhonikidze.

The media constantly write that vaccines are dying, which means that they are unsafe and it is better not to be vaccinated.

“ No such precedents have been recorded with the Sputnik V vaccine,” Maria Ordzhonikidze comments on the myth . – With all the accidents with vaccination other vaccines should be dealt individually. But it is worth noting that life expectancy in general for humanity in the twentieth century has become higher precisely because vaccines were invented against many diseases to help overcome the disease, and it is thanks to various vaccinations that infant mortality has significantly decreased when compared with other historical periods. ”

If the vaccine is done, you can not wear a mask and gloves and stop using an antiseptic

Experts are of the opinion that vaccinated by COVID-19 still need to take precautions. At least because many approved vaccines require two doses at regular intervals, plus it takes time for antibodies to begin to develop.

“If the vaccination is two-component, like Sputnik V, then the formation of immunity begins after the first phase, and ends 3-4 weeks after the second round of vaccination. Thus, the patient has a window of 6–8 weeks between the first round and the formation of final immunity. The term is quite long, so doctors, researchers and scientists recommend during this period to protect yourself from visiting crowded places, hypothermia, contact with someone with ARVI symptoms, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze.
“Vaccination protects against severe course and complications, reduces the risk of the disease itself, but does not completely eliminate it, ” adds Tuyaara Sannikova. – A person can still carry the virus. In addition, maintaining social distance and using personal protective equipment reduces the risk of infection not only with COVID-19, but also with any other infections that are transmitted by airborne droplets and by household contact. ”

Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are scarier than coronavirus itself

“The reaction to the vaccine can be fever, weakness and aches. At the same time, the disease itself can be asymptomatic, or it can be with complications such as lung damage, connecting the patient to a ventilator, and even lead to death. By Unfortunately, such cases are not counted units and thousands, so to compare them with the side effects from the vaccinations correctly “, – explains Tuyara Sannikov.

Most of the side effects from coronavirus vaccines are believed to be short-lived and benign. An exception is the presence of an allergy in a person , especially severe, in which the possibility of vaccination must be discussed with a doctor.

“If there is a hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine, then this is a medical withdrawal from any vaccination. In the same way as we get a medication from influenza vaccination if a patient is allergic to chicken protein, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze. In the case of the Sputnik V vaccine, the expert adds, the developer also gives information on how to use the vaccine with caution in cases of central nervous system damage, epilepsy, coronary syndrome, previous pericarditis and myocarditis, as this can complicate the process.

The vaccine can enter cells and change DNA

Vaccines use messenger RNA to instruct our cells how to distinguish the spike protein from the coronavirus. RNA is something made from DNA but not designed to integrate with it.

“The biomechanism of the vaccine action completely excludes the ‘technical’ possibility of the components to be incorporated into the human genome, ” notes Tuyaara Sannikova. Maria Ordzhonikidze agrees with her: “The Sputnik V vector vaccine is like a locomotive that delivers the trailer to the right place and blocks only the spike that clings to the cell of the body. After that, the virus becomes harmless and after a while, unable to “catch” and penetrate into the body, it just leaves it. ”

You can catch the coronavirus from the coronavirus vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine does not infect humans with the coronavirus. This is only a protein that is part of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Protein, in turn, only helps the immune system recognize and fight the virus , but does not cause any infection.

“ There is no live virus in the vaccine . The vector created during vaccination is a “non-living” virus. It does not have a gene for reproduction, therefore it is completely safe for humans, ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

The Russian vaccine is definitely worse than all the others. And in general, they did not experience it properly, but they are already vaccinating us with might and main.

In this sense, doctors are unanimous: the vaccine has been tested well and it is definitely not worse than foreign options. “To be vaccinated or not is a personal and voluntary decision of each person, ” says Tuyaara Sannikova in this regard. – But Russian vaccines have undergone preclinical and laboratory studies, during which they have proven their ability to prevent infection with COVID-19. They are registered and approved , among other things, by the World Health Organization. ”

All of these vaccines just don’t work. Why else are there so many of them ? Scientists around the world could unite to make only one ideal, because the new coronavirus is a global problem

According to experts, the vaccine is not a superhero shield and a glass dome that makes the coronavirus pass three kilometers away from us . The first is the way to alleviate the condition of the body when dealing with a virus, but it can be done in different ways.

“Today there are several types of vaccines: inactivated (when a live virus is inactivated by physical or chemical methods and introduced into the body), based on virus-like particles (they are only being investigated now, because they are expensive and not for mass production), subunit (when a complete copy of the virus was invented in the form of certain proteins, as in the EpicVac vaccine) and vector (such genetic engineering, when a gene of some protein is isolated from a whole virus and used).

2020 and the beginning of 2021 were not easy for all of us: the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in the world, lockdown is intensifying in many countries, and peaceful protests continue in Russia, accompanied by massive detentions of our friends and acquaintances – in such conditions, calm it is difficult to keep even the most stress-resistant people. As an outlet, people began to turn to creativity – even those who had never been involved in needlework before began to try themselves in sewing, knitting, macrame, ceramics and other creative practices that allow, at least for a short time, to escape from everything that happens in the world and focus on mechanical work. , as well as brighten up the free time formed during the pandemic. Interest in creativity is backed up by numbers: according to Etsy, in 2020 the demand for needlework kits has increased by as much as 221%.

We decided to find out whether creativity helps us to come to our senses, that psychologists, as well as people who have found a new occupation for themselves, think about needlework as an auxiliary method of therapy.

The beneficial effect of creativity on mental health has been talked about for several years – back in the twentieth century, after the First World War, embroidery was used as an auxiliary method of treating PTSD in soldiers. One of the famous examples was the English actor Ernest Tesinger, who received a serious injury to his hands – handicrafts helped him to return to his former life. Tesinger subsequently launched sewing kits for soldiers with similar injuries to help them recover from physical and mental wounds, and to provide a small but income. The company was named Disabled Soldiers’ Embroidery Industry, and customers were from the middle class to the aristocracy and even the royal family . The result looked really beautiful and convincing: the soldiers were not afraid to tackle the smallest and most intricate designs – and the fruits of their work were presented at international exhibitions and still adorn some historical monuments (including St. Paul’s Cathedral in London).

Another example from history illustrating the influence of creativity on maintaining morale was South African anti-apartheid activist Ruth First. In 1963, a woman was repressed by the government and was imprisoned in solitary confinement for 117 days. As says the author of the book «Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle» Claire Hunter, take control of the time, helped her embroidery. The woman counted the days, embroidering a black line on the back of her robe every day, crossing them every six days. Sometimes First caught up with time, embroidering lines after the fact after a few days, and sometimes, on the contrary, came back. “She was denied writing materials, so this simple handicraft, hidden from prying eyes, was a small act of rebellion against the loss of freedom,” – says the writer.

Research to date shows that being creative has a direct impact on our mental health. For example, in 2018, researchers at the University of Minnesota gathered about seven hundred teenagers, asking them to engage in a variety of creative practices for thirteen days , documenting their experiences in a separate diary. Scientists published the result of their work in the Journal of Positive Psychology – it turned out that in the days when the study participants were engaged in creativity, their “positive affectivity” (in simple terms, good mood) was much higher than usual.

In a prison cell, Ruth First counted the days, embroidering on the back of her robe in a black line every day, crossing them out every six days.

If we talk about some specific practices, then, according to British scientists, avid knitters are much more likely to feel happy and peaceful, which affects their cognitive function, as well as communication with others. Working with clay can also effectively relieve situational stress, says University of Arcadia researcher Stephen Robbins. In addition, the authors of The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature, published in the American Journal of Public Health, argue that “creative engagement can help reduce stress and depression, and serve as a means of alleviating the burden of chronic disease. ” According to the authors, art significantly affects the level of anxiety, and in some cases can even relieve pain: in the studies they studied, it is said that sometimes the use of art therapy in hospitals can shorten the length of a patient’s stay in the hospital. In addition, some patients who underwent surgery or were critically ill in intensive care felt less need for pain relievers if a painting or a picture of a beautiful landscape adorned the wall next to their bed. In addition, scientists have noted tactile practices like ceramics as an effective means of expressing feelings and bringing unconscious experiences to the surface.

Maria became interested in ceramics in the summer of 2020 – according to her, it was a difficult time in her life: she lost her favorite job and a constant source of income, her dad died in an accident – the lockdown and the pandemic that unfolded in the world added fuel to the fire. According to Maria, she felt overwhelmed and lost confidence in herself. Ceramics helped her to restore her former joy to life. “When the former calm and cloudless life fell apart, it was ceramics that gave me back the feeling of control. Under the strict guidance of the master, you can do whatever you want with clay – and until the product has been fired, almost any mistake can be corrected. You can stick back the broken piece, wipe the scratch or unevenness, erase the imperfectly drawn line of underglaze paint with a sponge and paint again. It helps a lot in dealing with anxiety and self-doubt. For three hours on Saturdays, I fell out of reality, the process completely absorbed me. Nice and interesting people came to the classes, music played in the workshop, there was fruit and sometimes even wine, and while communicating and sculpting, I could forget for a while about everything that happened to me, which haunted me day after day. I felt a great satisfaction that I, a person without art education, can just like that already at the first lesson from the mud of raw clay to create a plate in which you can then serve real food. It was a delight. Meeting me from the first lesson, my partner did not fail to note that my eyes were burning and I was smiling, ”she says. According to Maria, the new hobby influenced not only her, but also those around her: her partner began to draw more, and her daughter showed interest in modeling, and now they have a corner for creativity at home, where they spend time together. “Ceramics by itself did not bring me out of depression – it was mostly psychotherapy that did it. But pottery gave me some kind of positive reinforcement and faith in myself, brought back pleasure to life, a thirst to create something real, expectation of a miracle and anticipation – what will the products be like when they return from firing? ” – she notes.

Psychologists, as a rule, explain the positive effect of needlework on stress and anxiety disorders by the fact that this activity provides a relatively quick and visual result of the invested effort – this greatly increases our self-esteem, and anxiety fades into the background. “The benefits of handicraft, in my opinion, consist of several components: first, it is an activity that brings pleasure and can turn our attention (at least in part); secondly, handicraft is an understandable process that has an end result, and this helps very well to cope with the feeling of uncertainty. Also, a person’s sense of guilt decreases due to the fact that he allegedly “does nothing” in the current period of his life. In addition, concentration of attention during painstaking and monotonous work carries elements of “mindfulness” (mindfulness techniques are also recommended for reducing stress). But with all the obvious advantages of needlework, this cannot be an independent method of treating various disorders (including PTSD), but it can be a good addition as a resource activity and a way to reduce anxiety and a sense of uncertainty, ”says clinical psychologist Mikhail Berezin.

Elena Bolyubakh, head of INGO. Crisis Center for Women ”. Crafting works well for relieving situational anxiety, she says, although it cannot be a panacea for trauma management. “This is a much more complex process, since everyone has individual mechanisms for coping with painful memories. In 2018, we launched a project and photo exhibition “ What Women Are Silent About ”, in which women talked about episodes of violence and getting out of violent relationships – or, conversely, about how their life is developing now – using collages created during the sessions art therapy. It took three to four hours to create each work, and then we offered women full-time psychological consultations in order to work through the newly surging memories. Needlework is a good auxiliary tool in trauma treatment, but it is important to remember that it will not replace talking with loved ones and professional help, if needed, ”she notes.

A person’s sense of guilt decreases due to the fact that he allegedly “does nothing.” And concentration of attention during painstaking and monotonous work carries the elements of “mindfulness”

Julia, the author of the podcast “ Brilliant! »About problems associated with life with mental disorders, diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BAD) type II. Macrame helps her to cope with difficult moments in life. “It all started, like many others, with a pandemic. It was very sad at home, but scared outside. Rare outings most often began and ended with trips to the flower shop near the house (plants are also a meditative daily job), and at some point in the apartment, space began to run out rapidly. So I decided to try making suspensions (braided pot holders) – I ordered 400 meters of cord (that’s how macrame ropes are called) and started learning YouTube, ” she says. – During the lockdown period, my partner and I tried to do anything – we tattooed each other, baked bread, but it was macrame that hooked me. Because of my illness, quick and visible results are very important for me in whatever it is, so knotting turned out to be a fantastic process, orderly and foldable. ” According to Yulia, macrame has become a resource activity for her, a quick result gave motivation and strength. Now she is not limited to suspensions and does more large-scale work, although she is less likely to find time for her favorite pastime.

Our life is still only vaguely reminiscent of the previous one, and it is absolutely normal to worry about this, even if from the outside it seems that the world is slowly returning to its former course. And if you believe that creativity will really help you regain control over your emotions and calm anxiety, then when, if not now, remember a long-forgotten hobby or find a new activity to your liking? The main thing is to remember: if you are feeling really bad, it is probably best to see a professional therapist.

Gli scienziati di Harvard hanno dato al mondo una vera sensazione, che hanno preparato per 25 lunghi anni. Si è scoperto che tutti coloro che, dipendenti da diete alla moda, hanno escluso per sempre panini e torte dalle loro vite, hanno tagliato per sempre le loro vite.

Greater Boston, l’ospedale universitario della Harvard Medical School: è qui che la sensazione scientifica è stata covata per un quarto di secolo. Lo studio, che, dopo essere stato pubblicato su una rivista di profilo ristretto, è apparso immediatamente sulle prime pagine di tutti i principali media mondiali. Si credeva che il rifiuto completo dei carboidrati semplici fosse la base non solo della nutrizione sportiva, ma l’assioma su cui si basano le diete moderne più popolari. Ma ora, secondo la scoperta di scienziati americani, tutte queste privazioni sono vane.

La ricerca ha coinvolto circa 300mila persone. Gli scienziati monitorano da molti anni la loro dieta, malattie e problemi oncologici. I volontari in questo esperimento scientifico erano persone di diverse nazionalità, di età compresa tra 44 e 70 anni. Tenendo conto del sesso e dell’età, gli scienziati hanno valutato la relazione tra l’assunzione di carboidrati e la mortalità. I risultati furono sorprendenti.

Walter Willet , professore all’Università di Harvard: “ Una persona, ovviamente, può vivere senza carboidrati. Ma si è scoperto che per la maggior parte delle persone questo è il percorso verso la morte prematura! ”

Ma tutti gli argomenti a favore dei carboidrati sono stati annullati lo scorso anno dagli scienziati canadesi guidati dal Dr. Mashid Degan . In 18 paesi per 8 anni, hanno monitorato l’alimentazione di 135mila persone

Mashid Degan , professore, capo dello studio: ” Abbiamo scoperto che le persone che consumano alti livelli di carboidrati hanno un rischio molto più elevato di morire prematuramente “.

Ma a chi credere? Si scopre che questa scoperta è diametralmente opposta alla sensazione scientifica degli scienziati di Harvard? Questo non è del tutto vero, spiega il professor Willett :

Walter Willett , professore all’Università di Harvard: “ Ciò che conta davvero è il tipo di carboidrati. E se si mangia carboidrati sani come grano intero pane, si ridurrà il rischio di morte “.

È importante chiarire qui: i carboidrati sono divisi in semplici e complessi. I cibi semplici (o veloci) includono zucchero, miele, marmellate, conserve, soda, pane bianco e tutti i tipi di pasticcini. I carboidrati complessi (o sani) sono le patate, la pasta di grano duro, i cereali (grano saraceno, farina d’avena, orzo, riso integrale) e anche i legumi (piselli, lenticchie, fagioli).