#over saturation of the market is only harming people in the industry
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That there are 3 Pinocchio movies coming out this year bugs me so much
For one, I understand that one of them is actually a Russian movie that is just getting an English dub this year, but I believe with 2 other Pinocchio movies coming out this year already the studio should have been able to tell that this isn't a good time to release this, and either worked to get it out before last year ended (or even within the first week or so of the year) or decided to delay it and put it out when there weren't already others coming out
For another, Netflix is continuing to be idiotic. Like they do have an interesting director and cast, but the reality is that Disney is essentially a cult, more people are going to watch the Disney version, full-stop, if only because Disney made it. Additionally, that leaves Netflix open to even more issues and criticism when they just continue to plummet. There will be comparisons made between the 2, especially with them both coming out this year, and unless the Netflix one is flawlessly amazing, they are likely going to encounter a number of people who will review it without watching to give it worse reviews than the Disney one and people will watch it, enjoy it, and still review it poorly because they are obsessed with Disney and firmly believe that they make the best content and listen to no other arguments
Netflix also has continued to go on about lost profit and such (They didn't lose shit, they just didn't get as much as they were expecting, companies completely ignore the difference between the 2 and it is infuriating -_-, but I digress), in part because of a lack of subscribers, yet they are likely paying a lot for this movie (given the director and cast (though the Disney one also has heavy hitters)), and aren't seeming to think about the fact that this isn't actual going to draw people in. Disney is cheaper than Netflix (I'm unsure of the current base price on Netflix but to give a good idea my parents pay $20/month for Netflix to give us 4 screens to use at once, it is my understanding that Disney has a bundle to get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, for $20/month), if they both come out with Pinocchio movies at around the same time, there is no incentive for people not already paying for Netflix to pay to see this Pinocchio over the other when they can pay much less to have access to the Disney one instead unless they happen to be obsessed with someone involved in creating it. It isn't logical for Netflix to have heard Disney is releasing a Pinocchio this year and for them to think, "Yeah we should release ours this year too"
Now, I do not know who announced their movie when or who started filming first or whatever, but realistically, given the supposed state of Netflix's finances and their terrible way of managing it (not only in the past but their current plans in place to "help" only seems to be hurting them), they should have heard Disney was making a Pinocchio and releasing it this year and thought, "Okay, so that means we either have to release it before x time or after x time to ensure we get the best out of releasing this movie" as people should when they own a business (honestly, it amazes me studios aren't better about this, like yes you can run into issues if you sit on something too long or whatever, but realistically, if something happens that means the market for a movie won't be as good as it should be, you should be able to put it on a brief hold or whatever to release it at a better time, but because of their desire to immediately make back money spent (or at least start making money back) and move on, there are probably a number of movies that didn't make as much as they potentially could have if they had just waited a bit to release it (also there are people whose pay is based on the amount the movie earns, who lost out on potentially getting more money since companies don't sit on fully finished movies if they could make more money if released at a better time))
Finally, this is an easily solvable issue if studios were not so obsessed with money and one upping each other. Realistically, there should be an online system connecting all of the production studios that everyone in the industry can use and see. In it, they should be listing things like projects currently being worked on, planned projects, etc. And their planned release schedule, this would allow a company to hop on there and easily determine one of the following options, "Oh, so X studio is already making Y movie, which is very similar to your pitch of Z, so we are going to pass for now, perhaps consider some changes to make your premise stand out more," "Oh, so X studio is making Y movie and it is set to release at M date, we will make your movie, Z, but will not release it until N time has passed to ensure you get the best release possible" "Oh, we here at studio A have been working on movie Z for several months, but now studio X is making Y movie and plans to release it at about the same time we were planning on releasing movie Z, that isn't allowed, we will file a claim about it" etc.
This would vastly help a number of people, but it isn't in place in part because the studios are terrified that information will get out about their project and either lessen the revenue it brings in or that another studio will "Steal" their ideas, but if they used this system, idea theft would be immediately obvious and would be easier to go after a studio for it. The other revenue issue is actually only an issue if your entire project is ruined by spoilers about it, and if knowing everything about a project spoils the project for anyone viewing it, it probably shouldn't be made in the first place because that means people will watch it a maximum of 1 time and then never again, whereas if they can watch it again and again despite knowing what happens then obviously the "spoilers" don't matter. This also has an additional piece though that the studios likely don't like, which is that if they list a project they are working on, and another studio likes it enough, they could offer the production more money to do it through their studio instead, and since studios know this and don't want to have to pay more, they don't want that, even though it would be beneficial to most everyone else involved in the project
This would force diversity into the industry, grant protections to studios, and give the best options available to project creators (who often deserve way more than they get) and should be in place, but because the people in charge of all this are paranoid assholes who want to hoard as much money for themselves as possible, it isn't in place
#Netflix#Disney#lionsgate#Pinocchio#dumbass shit#production studio#easy solution#capitalism is destroying more than it is helping#over saturation of the market is only harming people in the industry
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When I see people saying âyouâre blaming sex workers for what MEN are responsible for!â âŠI blame the johns AND spoiled camgirls that try to glamorize it. Does anyone even know what supply and demand is anymore? The johns/âcustomersâ make the DEMANDS, and the sex workers give the SUPPLY. Since the supply is so enormous these days, misogynistic creeps are having a field day. They are handing these men this đ© on a silver platter. So yeah, maybe we should use our brains and question it lol. Maybe we shouldnât be so quick to put ourselves right under menâs thumbs. Oh yeah, but letâs keep pretending that women are the ones in control and that this is somehow âempoweringâ. Delusional.
Also, Iâm going to brutally honest and harsh here - OnlyFans is typically not a good way to make money if you donât already have a carefully cultivated gigantic online following from another platform. Iâm talking 70k subscribers on YouTube levels (and up). But people with 6 subscribers on OF wanna act like theyâre #girlboss entrepreneurs. The most education in business some of these people probably even have is a business elective in high school... and yeah that sounds mean, but itâs true. I doubt people with high education and an already defined career path are choosing to do that line of âworkâ in droves, and whatâs more, if you donât have a career path, and you choose to do that, then you are severely damaging your future prospects. Seriously, shilling out Scentsy MLM crap would be more productive than starting up an OF. The market is already beyond saturated. Like I said, youâd either have to already have a significant following AND/OR do the most degrading, depraved porn you can think of, to stand out from the rest.
And inb4 I get inundated with âTHATS âWHOREPHOBICâ! ITS MISOGYNISTIC TO CRITICIZE THE PATRIARCHAL INSTITUTION OF âSEX WORKâ. DONT YOU KNOW THIS IS A FEMINISTâS DREAMâ âŠâŠyeah yeah, we hear you, Prostitution Is Empowering, War is peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. We know weâre living in Orwellian times. You donât have to keep reminding us.
I just⊠All the women defending it - why?? Why on earth would you want to profit off of something that only exists to harm women and benefit men? As self-respecting women, we should reject pornification and male violence as much as we possibly can in our society. Having a âif you canât beat âem, join âemâ attitude about it is kind of deranged ngl. Itâs like ok you THINK youâre being revolutionary and feminist while men control the puppet strings on your back. âDance, puppet, dance! Post more sex content!! Us men are waiting!!! Chop chop! đ Oh but itâs so empowering, donât forget đâ They say while laughing. The men that pay for these sexual content and full-service âfavorsâ all view the women they buy from as cattle. And some of these women are happy to be The Straight Manâs cattle. Itâs so bizarre and there should be case studies done on it tbh. Playing right into what men want and then reframing it as ârevolutionaryâ and âempoweringâ while these men view them as cows grazing on grass in the pastures, so to speak. Itâs disturbing and then these so-called âfeministsâ think âwow I have so much power over these men âșïžâ. Itâs delusional to the point of psychosis, and I really do think it happens as a defense mechanism in many cases. Like I said, this phenomenon needs to be studied and peer-reviewed.
And as far as âfull-serviceâ goes- if an industry is filled to the brim with r*pe, murder, and all sorts of abuse, it can NEVER be reclaimed as something empowering or morally acceptable. Theyâll trick you into thinking itâs just a harmless choice, when it coincides with abuse and trafficking. Itâs two sides of the same screwed up coin.
Society as a whole is just headed toward their own undoing and destruction. Itâs all become so hedonistic and empty - All anyone even cares about is instant gratification and pleasure, especially sexual pleasure. How ANYONE could lean into that and encourage it, even frame it as empowering; Iâll never, ever know.
BONUS:
(Yes I think itâs more than a bit distasteful to edit those statistics into a nutrition label, but Iâm not the one who made the infographic, so.)
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Whole Food Supplements -- Resurge2020
Alternative To Typical Synthetic Supplements Is Needed, Say Experts
Whole food supplements is currently a topic of worldwide interest. A profusion of evidence has recently come to light suggesting that ordinary synthetic multivitamin supplements may be hazardous to your health. Goran Bjelakovic, a respected scientist from the University of Copenhagen, headed up a massive meta-study that looked at the results of 67 placebo-controlled trials previously undertaken to determine the effects of vitamin and anti-oxidant supplements on longevity. In the end, the study combined observations of 232 000 test subjects. By using such a large population sample, a study can become much more powerful with regards to spotting large-scale trends and overcoming human bias.
LINK--Â https://bit.ly/3g8CKf8
The results of the analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, were nothing less than shocking. Looking at patients with diabetes, heart disease and lung cancer, as well as healthy, normal individuals, there was no apparent benefit to taking popular fractionated supplements like Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Selenium, or beta-Carotene. In fact, the results went in the opposite direction - there was an increased chance of death (16 percent) amongst Vitamin A users, a 7 percent higher death rate amongst beta-Carotene users, and a 4 percent mortality increase in Vitamin E users. Beta-Carotene and Retinol, promoted as anti-carcinogenic agents, may promote lung cancer. That's right - pills marketed as helping you towards a longer, healthier life are in fact correlated with a speedier demise. This study used typical supplements on the market made from synthetic vitamins.
To add insult to injury, a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition under the unimaginative title of "Ascorbic Acid Supplementation Does Not Attenuate Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness Following Muscle-Damaging Exercise But May Delay The Recovery Process" indicated that supplementation with anti-oxidants from synthetic sources may reverse many of the beneficial effects of physical training.
Now, this is not to say that anti-oxidants or vitamins are bad for you. Far from it - these supplements were created on the basis of solid science. Anti-oxidants are still believed to protect cells from the ravages of free radicals. The problem, rather, is the idea that you can get those benefits from synthetic isolated compounds. Disease and the aging process are usually far more complicated than test-tube studies can account for. Furthermore, the issue of bioavailability is an ever-present concern. Many typical synthetic supplements include huge amounts of the advertised vitamin, but lack the additional compounds needed to ensure that their key ingredients are actually absorbed by the body. Passing straight through the digestive tract, these 'miracle health cures' often wind up doing little beyond giving people expensive urine. To the rescue...Whole Food Supplements.
LINK-- https://bit.ly/3g8CKf8
What the layperson should take from all this is not a sense that we've made no progress in the last century regarding uncovering adequate means of personal health maintenance. There's one thing that nobody is disputing, and that's the importance of a healthy, well-rounded diet replete in fruit, orange, yellow and dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, high quality carbohydrates and lean proteins and supplementation from whole food supplements. . When you avoid taking in harmful chemicals such as those in food preservatives, flavorings, flavor enhancers and 'synthetic vitamin additives', you'll not only reduce your intake of toxins. You'll also be forced to tap into the most nutritionally reliable source available, namely natural nutrition. Human beings have evolved to consume unprocessed plant and animal food sources. Recent research suggests that the superiority of natural ratios and formulations has been massively undervalued.
Whole food supplements are foods that haven't been processed or refined, or have undergone as little processing as possible for preservation or human consumption. Much as is the case with organic food, whole food supplements call for the avoidance of chemically assisted agriculture. The concept is one of a minimization of human interference with the processes of nature. This is based on the guiding principle that nature's products make for healthier products than the products of human industry.
While this is a claim met by much resistance from the refined food and pharmaceutical industries, it's being repeatedly borne out by the results of research. A study of women shifted from a diet high in processed foods to one replete with whole foods and whole food supplements resulted in a 61% decrease in saturated fat intake. They also experienced increases in dietary fiber of 60 percent, a 45 percent increase in vitamin E, a 60 percent improvement in vitamin C intake, and a five-fold increase in carotene intake. The net result of this new phytochemical-rich diet was an induced drop in total cholesterol of 13 percent - meaning less risk of heart disease and stroke, statistically still the biggest killers of people in first world countries. In the short term, they also saw vast improvements in bowel function and overall perceived health. Clearly whole food supplements are preferable to typical synthetic supplementation.
So the message, actually, seems to be rather clear. Eat a diet comprised primarily of whole foods and whole food supplements, and you'll be a shoe-in for long life and a vital, healthy old age. It sounds simple, but there is a problem with that approach, at least in our current era of constant industry and nine-to-five workdays. Progressively, people in developed countries are struggling to keep up with the clock. Even as work-induced stress makes the disciplinary challenge of sticking to a diet more daunting, so spending what little free time one has on grocery shopping can seem like its own special kind of waste. Unlike processed foods, whole foods are not very easily stored, meaning that to eat according to such a diet, you'll need to visit a farmer's market and buy your food fresh every few days. This is where well-meaning eaters so often falter in the journey towards health improvement and a trimmer waistline, entering the lifelong trend of yo-yo dieting.
LINK-- https://bit.ly/3g8CKf8
Furthermore, many foods may not even be available in certain countries. Tell someone that lives in South Africa to eat more kale and you might as well be informing them of the beneficial effects of zero gravity.
Bent on finding their way around these obstacles to simple health maintenance, scientists have worked an angle that may sound, at first blush, a little counterintuitive. The goal of pharmaceutical supplementation has always been to preserve or improve upon the nutritional efficacy of whole foods in tablet and powder form. Through a rigorous process of trial and error, it was discovered that, by curing vegetables, herbs and other nutrient sources, grinding them up into powder, and forming that powder into tablets or capsules, it was possible to retain much of their nourishing value .This is only true of whole food supplements that have been processed using little or no heat. And so, it appears, one can finally enjoy the benefits of healthy eating via the simple act of popping a few pills. The benefit over ordinary eating is in the combinations of nutrient sources (and the quantities thereof) chosen, designed to complement each other and aid in the most complete, favorable absorption of the ingredients. Due to the incredible decrease in size that desiccation brings, it's also possible to consume far more of said nutrients, avoiding the sometimes undesirable need to stuff one's face with greens.
The effect of whole food supplements has been very favorably contrasted with artificial supplements such as multivitamins. The reason whole food supplements come out on top is simple: your body recognizes the ratios of nutrients in whole foods and processes them far more easily than supplements consisting of isolated or fractionated nutrients.The body recognizes whole food supplements as nutrition and is able to metabolize and utilize them efficiently.
The best idea, say experts, when it comes to determining your whole food supplements requirements is to decide on the readily available foods that you can and will eat consistently, then fill in the gaps from there. A general list of the most highly recommended vegetables with regards to anti-aging and health benefits would include kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, red and green peppers, garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green peas, asparagus and carrots. At Rutgers University, New Jersey, nutritional and food science Professor Paul A. Lachance headed up a study, published in the Journal of The American College of Nutrition, to evaluate 29 popular fruit, and ranked them in descending order of value according to the benefits they confer. His top ten list read as follows: kiwi, papaya, cantaloupe, strawberry, mango, lemon, orange, red currant, mandarin orange and avocado. To be effective these foods must be eaten raw.
In terms of supplementing beyond this list, when it comes to picking the right whole food supplements for your purposes, you'll probably want to look for much the same things you might have looked for in artificial supplements in the past - compounds to promote joint health, brain health, immunity and so on, by the use of anti-oxidants like resveratrol, beta-carotene along with other amino acids and vitamins. The difference may not lie in the listed ingredients, but rather in the manner those ingredients were derived - from common (and some not-so-common) plants, vegetables, fruits, herbs and so on. This is how natural whole food supplements companies source their nutrients.
What Supplements Should You Take?
Whether you use vital nutrients as your barometer of what and how much to eat, or the guide in determining what wholefood supplements you need, determining their presence or lack thereof is probably the best way to evaluate a diet. Below are listed some of the vital nutrients most people should consider supplementing in their diets - the ones people are typically deficient in, and those that provide the most benefits. Included are the foods in which those nutrients can be found.
Anti-oxidants
Anti-oxidant supplementation is, obviously, sought after for its promised effects of protection against disease, cellular breakdown, cancer and ultimately aging. In 2004, a study by the USDA revealed the best dietary sources of anti-oxidants. Published in the peer-reviewed publication of the American Chemical Society, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study showed that foods like beans and artichokes take pride of place in the anti-oxidant-rich-food hierarchy. The study also demonstrated powerfully beneficial effects from pecan nuts, cinnamon and russet potatoes.
B-Vitamins
The B-Vitamins play a highly important role in cell metabolism. Once thought to be a single vitamin, these were later discovered to be a group of chemically distinct vitamins that frequently coexist in particular foods. Health supplements that contain the full roster of eight B-Vitamins are called Vitamin B Complex supplements. These vitamins help to maintain good muscle and skin tone, promoting cell growth, particularly of red blood cells, and thereby providing protection from anemia. They support and increase the rate of metabolism, meaning that they can also assist in maintaining a healthy weight. Notably, they decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer, but only when consumed as a whole food, not as a synthetic fractionated tablet. Most B-vitamins must be consumed daily, as any excess is speedily excreted in the urine. Good sources include potatoes, bananas, lentils, chile peppers, brewer's yeast, whole food supplements, molasses, tuna, animal livers and meat. Since the vitamin B12 cannot be produced by vegetable sources, deficiency in this nutrient is of particular concern for vegetarians, who need to get it by consuming supplements or fortified breakfast cereals to avoid possible ill consequences on health. For the more omnivorous amongst us, good sources are fish, meat, poultry and eggs.
LINK-- https://bit.ly/3g8CKf8
Beta-Carotene
A famed member of the antioxidant family, Beta-Carotene is worth mentioning alone, especially for its assistance in the uptake of vitamin A. It's the substance that colors carrots orange, and assists in the buildup of epidermal retinol, responsible for protecting the skin from sun damage. It's abundant in crude palm oil and Vietnamese gac, which have the highest Beta-Carotene content of any vegetable or fruit. These are, unfortunately, often filtered for clarity before sale, a process which removes all carotenoids. Other sources include papayas, mangoes, carrots, yams, spinach, kale and sweet potato leaves and quality whole food supplements.
Calcium
It's the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust, but that doesn't mean that conscientious calcium consumption shouldn't be a concern of anyone looking to live to a sturdy, healthy old age. Calcium is essential for many essential cellular processes. "Calcium plays an important role in building stronger, denser bones early in life and keeping bones strong and healthy later in life," says the National Osteoporosis Foundation, and it's a recommendation that has been hammered into us through media to the point of filtering into commonsense and popular culture. Prolonged calcium deficiency leads to rickets, poor blood clotting and an increased risk of fractures.
The best known sources of calcium are dairy products. Unfortunately, lactose intolerance is far from a rare disorder, and various other ailments and personal philosophies (such as veganism) keep certain individuals from consuming dairy products. Luckily, there are numerous good vegetable sources of calcium, including nuts, seeds, seaweed, oranges, figs, beans, broccoli and fortified products like soy milk. One poorly recognized sources of calcium is ground eggshell. For information on the calcium content of foods, visit the USDA National Nutrient Database online. The easiest way to consume calcium that the body will recognize as food is to take whole food supplements.
Magnesium
It plays a vital role in regulating neuromuscular activities, most notably those of the heart. It assists in maintaining good blood pressure, healthy muscle tone and good skin pallor. It helps us metabolize calcium and vitamin C, and as such deficiency in magnesium can result in calcium depletion, kidney stones, muscular irritability, nervousness and confusion. Yet the stunning fact is that the majority of people on earth (around 80%) are known to be deficient in Magnesium. Typical rates of intake are between 143 and 266 mg per day - significantly lower than the FDA's recommended daily intake of 350 mg. Deficiency in Magnesium has also been implicated in the development of chronic diseases like asthma, osteoporosis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Good food sources include nuts, seeds, spices, bran cereals, quinoa, soybeans, coffee, cocoa, tea and green, leafy vegetables. It has been speculated that the reduced intake of dietary magnesium in developed countries can be correlated with the rise of food refinement and the use of modern, magnesium-free fertilizers. Amongst dietary supplements, magnesium citrate has been regularly proven as the most bioavailable, beating the oxide and amino-acid chelate forms for its rate of absorption. Synthetic supplements can not be absorbed: use whole food supplements to maintain proper levels.
L-ascorbic Acid
Better known as vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid is perhaps the most popular of supplements, and has been used to treat disease ever since the French explorer Jacques Cartier boiled the needles of the arbor vitae tree to treat scurvy in 1536. The resultant tea was later shown to contain 50mg of vitamin C per 100 grams. Like Magnesium, without regular uptake vitamin C is quickly eliminated through the urine, so it's easy to become deficient without supplementation. While oranges are famous for their vitamin C content, the more obscure but vastly more potent sources, such as kakadu plums, camu camu, rose hips and Indian gooseberries are slowly gaining popular recognition, as are common sources like blackcurrants, red peppers, parsley and guava. Animal sources of this nutrient include oysters, pork, beef, calf and chicken livers, cod roe and, as unpalatable as it may sound, lamb brain. The easiest way to maintain proper levels is with whole food supplements.
Coenzyme Q10
An oil-soluble, vitamin-like substance found in most plants and animals, CoQ10 is responsible for supporting the process of ATP generation, responsible for ninety five percent of the human body's energy. The organs with the highest energy requirements - such as the liver and heart - thus require the most Co-Q10. Known for this strengthening effect on the heart muscle, CoQ10 has been used to treat many forms of cardiac condition, although the extent of its role in energy production is still not fully understood. It has been shown to have beneficial effects on sufferers of migraine headaches, to lower blood pressure, reverse gum disease, and aid in weight loss. It is known for its ability to slow the shrinkage of the thymus gland, thus preventing the weakening of the immune system that typically accompanies old age. It is also being investigated for its potential to mitigate the effects of cancer.
The best dietary sources of CoQ10 are sardines, mackerel, the livers of beef, pork and lamb, eggs, spinach, broccoli, peanuts, wheat germ and whole grains. The easiest way to maintain levels is with whole food supplements for rapid absorption.
Dietary Fiber
While it might be a bit of stretch to call it a nutrient, dietary fiber or 'roughage' is vital to the health of the digestive system, and thus to the efficacy with which all other nutrients get absorbed. Roughage is comprised of the indigestible parts of plant foods that easy the progress of food through the digestive system, easing defecation.
Good plant sources of fiber include psyllium seed husk, bran flakes, legumes, oats, rye, barley, prune juice, plums, lentils, beans, quinoa, berries, bananas, broccoli, carrots, artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, whole grain foods, wheat, corn bran, flax seed, green beans and tomatoes.
Soluble fiber or probiotic supplements can also be beneficial to easing the symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. The FDA reports that studies have found that "diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart disease."
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The nutritionally important Omega 3 fatty acids - Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentanoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA) - have been credited with supporting cardiovascular health, circulation and healthy vision, as well as promoting better function of the brain and immune system. DHA and EPA are made by microalgae which, living in seawater, are consumed by fish and plankton, accumulating to high levels in their internal organs.
Use of omega 3's in the form of fish oil has been shown to reduce risk of heart attack, lower blood pressure, and offset the effects of arthritis. It also causes a decrease in LDL, the 'bad' form of cholesterol. Additionally, there is some evidence that it helps in ameliorating depression and anxiety. Amongst cancer patients, fish oil clearly reduced tumor growth, increased survival times, and help patients retain muscle mass during treatment. It has also demonstrably reduced the symptoms of sufferers of mental disorders, including chronic aggression and ADHD.
The best dietary source of omega 3's is probably fish. However, a much publicized risk of regular fish ingestion lies in the potential for heavy metal poisoning by the accumulation of toxic elements in the gut - notably mercury, lead, nickel and arsenic. However, a 2004 study by the FDA has indicated that, of the 44 popular commercial fish oils tested, all passed contaminant safety standards. Thus it is recommended that health conscious individuals get their omega 3's this way - by mixing fish oil into their foods, or taking gel supplement capsules. Omega 3 supplementation has turned into a food marketing trend, with many companies selling everything from fortified yoghurts and juices to milk, eggs and pasta. Flax seeds, which produce linseed oil, also have a very high omega 3 content, and are probably the most widely available botanical source of omega 3. Other sources include chia, kiwifruit, perilla , lingonberry, butternut, black raspberry, broccoli and strawberries. The best and easiest way to obtain this is by taking exceptionally pure, cold processed oils in whole food supplements.
Flavonoids
These plant secondary metabolites are best known for their antioxidant activity. This impression may be a little inaccurate. The massive increase in the antioxidant capacity of the blood after the consumption of flavonoid-rich foods is most probably due to increased levels of uric acid. In essence, the body sees flavonoids as foreign, invading compounds, and does its best to eliminate them. This induces the activity of Phase II enzymes, which help to eliminate carcinogens. Cancer researchers at UCLA found that people who eat foods containing certain flavonoids appear to be virtually immune to lung cancer. The best among these appear to be strawberries, green and black teas, Brussels sprouts, apples, beans and onions, parsley, pulses, red wine, and gingko biloba. Evidently, only small quantities of such flavonoids is required to see the desired effects, an overindulgence can reverse them into negative territory. Other applications of flavonoids includes the treatment of easy bruising, hemorrhoids and varicose veins.
Interferon
Discovered by Japanese virologists at Tokyo University in the 1950's, interferons are cell-signaling proteins produced by the immune systems of vertebrates in responds to viruses, parasites and other threats. They assist the response of the immune system by dampening viral replication, thus increasing the resistance of host cells to infection. This is an effect that can be used protectively by the administration of interferon drugs. Interferon therapy is commonly used as a treatment for cancer, as well as in the treatment and control of autoimmune disorder and multiple sclerosis.
Throughout Eastern Europe and Russia, interferon is taken intranasally as a means of preventing and treating respiratory diseases of viral origin, like flu and cold. Good food sources of this substance include quark cheese and flax oil, but the best method of ingestion is probably by supplementation. The only natural compound formula created by the discoverers of interferon is a Shaklee exclusive Nutriferon recommended dose is 2 tablets daily. For more information visit http://www.thenutritionnurse.com
Iron
Crucial to the functioning of all known organisms, Iron is a vital component of hemoglobin, the compound in blood responsible for delivering oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. It also plays an important role in enzyme reactions in various tissues. Iron deficiency is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency, and is most prevalent in children and pre-menopausal women - an estimated 90% of women fail to get the recommended daily amount. The outcome is iron deficiency anaemia, which results in fatigue, impaired concentration, impaired immune function and a sallow, yellow pallor, among other unpleasant maladies. Infants and pregnant women typically require iron supplementation for optimum health.
Good whole food supplements sources of iron include red meat, fish, poultry, tofu, beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, peas, and fortified products like bread and breakfast cereals. In supplementary terms, the most bioavailable form of iron is that which has been chelated into amino acids. This is often referred to as iron glycinate.
Phosphatidyl Choline/Lecithin
This is one of those dietary components that most people haven't heard of. It's got a difficult name, and there are no major illnesses associated with deficiency in it. However, the potential benefits to consuming it are tremendous. Think improved liver, brain, reproductive and cardiovascular health. In fact, it's sometimes marketed as a nootropic drug for the improvements to neurotransmitter efficacy that it can bring. Research indicates that phosphatidyl choline is intimately involved in the mediation of mood, memory and cognitive function.
The most widely available source of this nutrient is lecithin, which can be derived from soy or egg yolks - in fact, the phosphatidyl choline component of this substance is so great that the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Other foods rich in phosphatidyl choline are beef, veal, chicken and turkey livers, brewer's yeast, fish, peanuts and cauliflower.
Vitamin E
As with a lot of the vitamins, Vitamin E is the collective name for a set of related tocopherols and their corresponding tocotrienols, which have been tied to colon, heart, prostate and immune system health.
Food sources highest in Vitamin E include avocado, asparagus, egg, seeds, nuts, palm oil, spinach, milk, vegetable oils, wholegrain foods, wheat germ, rice and olive oil.
Resveratrol
This phytoalexin, which is produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens, has been correlated with a decreased risk of cancer, increased life expectancy, and lowered blood sugar levels in diabetics. It has also been seen to impact on the four major signs of aging. It is found in the skin of red grapes (and the seeds of muscadines), and as such can be had easily enough by drinking a glass of red wine, which accounts for the cardioprotective effects of the popular beverage. However, it turns out that rather high doses are required for strongly positive effects on humans - levels typically only reached by means of supplementation. The fruit of the mulberry has also been shown to contain notable levels of resveratrol. The most potent and bioavailable form is VIVIX. This is a Shaklee exculsive anti aging tonic and is 10 times more effective than taking resveratrol alone. Only available from an independent Shaklee distributor. See the above link to the Nutrition Nurse.
Zinc
Over two hundred enzymes in the human body depend on zinc for their function. An essential mineral responsible for promoting normal growth, development and immune function, zinc is nonetheless not present in sufficient quantities in the diets of most people in the developing world, two billion of whom are estimated to be zinc deficient. Zinc deficiency is associated with many diseases, including, amongst children, delayed sexual maturation, growth retardation, diarrhea and susceptibility to infection. In fact, zinc deficiency has been linked to the death of over eight hundred thousand children every year.
Zinc levels in food vary according to the levels of essential nutrients in soil, a level which must be maintained by soil conservation. Assuming that levels of zinc in soil are equal, the most zinc-rich plants are wheat germ and bran, seeds, beans, nuts, and blackcurrants. Many cereals are also fortified with zinc sulfate and oxide. Nonetheless, many people supplement this element in their diets as an insurance policy against poor eating habits.
LINK-- https://bit.ly/3g8CKf8
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How Much Does Custom Keto Diet Cost?
Since the seventies we limit our consumption of fat, we avoid saturated fat. For over 40 years people have been buying low-fat food. We have reduced our consumption of meat. We have integrated vegetarian meals, tofu, legumes,âŠ. Can we say that we are healthier? Fats have been replaced by carbohydrates. Our carbohydrate consumption has increased by 46%. But why then have we changed the diet of our ancestors?
It was Ancel Keys, an American scientist, who in the 1970s wanted to understand why cardiovascular disease was on the rise. He claimed that the culprit was saturated fat. However, several factors could explain the rise in cardiovascular diseases: the high number of smokers in the 1970s, the increase in the consumption of industrial foods with the arrival of women on the job market and the arrival of trans fats. Its study is now questioned, the scientific approach has not been respected. Researchers like Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Jeff Volek and Dr. Tim Noakes have sought to understand why the low-fat diet, which was supposed to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, did not meet expectations at all. They discovered that saturated fats are not harmful to the heart and health. Rather, they have a protective effect. What causes cardiovascular disease and is the cause of many diseases is inflammation. Carbohydrates are the primary source of inflammation. Another important source of inflammation is omega-6. It is therefore also important to eliminate foods that do not have a good omega-3 / omega-6 ration (industrial meat, canola oil, etc.). The results of these studies are very well explained in the book "the great myth of cholesterol" by Dr. J. Bowden and Dr. S. Sinatra. Another important source of inflammation is omega-6. It is therefore also important to eliminate foods that do not have a good omega-3 / omega-6 ration (industrial meat, canola oil, etc.). The results of these studies are very well explained in the book "the great myth of cholesterol" by Dr. J. Bowden and Dr. S. Sinatra. Another important source of inflammation is omega-6. It is therefore also important to eliminate foods that do not have a good omega-3 / omega-6 ration (industrial meat, canola oil, etc.). The results of these studies are very well explained in the book "the great myth of cholesterol" by Dr. J. Bowden and Dr. S. Sinatra.
Currently your diet is based on the recommendations of Canada's Food Guide, which is rich in carbohydrates (about 300 g / day), moderate in protein and low in fat. There has been an increase in type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease in all countries that have followed these recommendations.
Here is what the ketogenic diet offers. We increase our consumption of fat, which will become our main source of energy, and we reduce carbohydrates to 20g / day. Protein consumption remains moderate. By respecting the ration 75% good fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrate your liver will produce ketone bodies, that is to say energy made from lipids (fat) and only after a few days of carbohydrate reduction. But the first weeks the ketone bodies will be released in the breath and in the urine. You will have a funny breath, smell similar to nail polish. This is due to the fact that our cells have always used glucose (energy produced from glucoses) as a source of energy, so it requires a period of adaptation. It can take up to a month before your mitochondria (the energy plant in your cells) use ketones as an energy source. We then say that you are keto-adapted. Your breath and urine will return to normal.
You will notice that you are less hungry, the cravings will disappear. After a few months your blood balance will improve (may take up to 6 months) and your physical condition will improve. You are going to lose weight.
You will have more energy. Ketones are the ideal fuel for our cells, including our heart and brain cells. Indeed, the combustion of ketones in the mitochondria is 25% more efficient than the combustion of carbohydrates.
You will feel less pain. Unlike glucose, ketones do not excite the brain since they stimulate the production of GABA (a brain inhibitor, a natural calming type). This is the reason why ketones soothe pain, have a general anti-inflammatory effect.
But How Much Does Custom Keto Diet Cost? You will find out here.
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Managing Our Plastic Addiction
New Post has been published on http://www.truth-seeker.info/featured/managing-our-plastic-addiction/
Managing Our Plastic Addiction
By Asma Jarad
Managing Our Plastic Addiction
The invention of synthetic plastic in 1907 by Belgian-born American immigrant, Leo Hendrik Baekeland, gradually and completely changed life for people around the world. In the search for a substitute to shellacâa natural electrical insulatorâBaekeland invented Bakelite. Because it provides endless possibilities with its unique ability to be molded into virtually anything, Bakelite was marketed as âthe material of a thousand uses.â
Over time, plastic evolved even further and replaced our reliance on natural materials such as metal, wood, stone, and animal tusks, becoming the material of infinite uses. Indeed, the development of plastic has proven invaluable to people and the environment. However, as with all good things, there is always a price to pay. Unfortunately, plastic products show up in places we donât want them to; piling up in landfills, blocking our waterways, and polluting our oceans.
We are endowed by our Creator for good, so how can we utilize plastic in the countless beneficial ways it is offered without harming our health and contaminating our environment?
Plastic Everywhere
In the 1960s, plastic began gaining popularity due to its exceptionally versatile characteristics. Our lives today are saturated with plastic products; from the medical field, tech devices, furniture, toys, car and plane parts, to food containers and drinking vessels; reliance on plastic is everywhere. In addition to being precisely moldable, plastic is light yet durable, provides a practical alternative to glass and ceramics, is cheap to produce, and sterile enough to be used in medical procedures and devices.
It is indeed difficult to imagine a day without plastics because they make our lives easier, healthier, and safer. For example, safety helmets people use for riding a motorcycle or bike are nearly 100% plastic. Plastics also furnish our lifestyles; whether itâs the cellphone in our hands, the clean water delivered to our faucets, the television mounted on our walls, or the structural foundations of our homes, innumerable lifestyle possibilities would not be available if not for plastic.
As practical human beings, we know that there is no such thing as an all-around good thing. Everything has its downfalls and when it comes to plastics, there is no exception. With increased reliance on plastic as an alternative to natural resources, we gradually learn the negative result of the proliferation of plastics in our lives. As we become increasingly aware of taking care of the environment and reducing our waste, we also cannot ignore the collecting plastic debris, piece by piece occupying vast miles of ocean space, clogging our waterways, and piling up in landfills. The troubling effect of plastic waste certainly cannot be disregarded.
Since the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to natural processes of degradation, plastic pollution has become a leading environmental plague. According to Rick LeBlanc, an expert in the area of sustainable packaging, âNormally, plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. But plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-1,000 years to decompose, while plastic bottles can take 450 years or more.â
There are solutions to this epidemic which include what I learned in grade school as the 3 Rs: reuse, recycle, and reduce. According to Laura Parker, a National Geographic staff writer who specializes in covering climate change and marine environments, âA whopping 91% of plastic isnât recycled. Billions of tons of plastic have been made over the past decades, and much of it is becoming trash and litter.â
When we reuse and recycle rather than tossing away, we reduce the need to create more plastic products, thus helping to stave off what many experts fear will be a time in the not so distant future where the ocean will be filled with more plastic waste than fish. Roland Geyer from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, specializes in industrial ecology and found that âThe rapid acceleration of plastic manufacturing, which so far has doubled roughly every 15 years, has outpaced nearly every other man-made material.â Unlike other man-made materials such as steel, nylon, and glass, the lifespan of plastic products in our lives average under a year.
Tips for consuming less plastic as described by Stephanie R. Kinnon, a Vancouver-based freelance writer, include:
â Make an effort to purchase products with minimal plastic packaging.
â Use cloth bags for grocery shopping.
â Reuse plastic containers within your home. For example, plastic grocery bags can be reused for additional trips to the grocery store or as lunch bags, gym bags, and garbage can liners. Yesterdayâs yogurt container can become tomorrowâs lunch pail. Old margarine containers can become storage vessels for an assortment of household items.
â Familiarize yourself with plastic recycling in your community.
Plastics on Our Health
In addition to the negative impact we inflict on the environment with our over-consumption, lack of recycling, and reliance on plastics, there is also a documented adverse effect on our personal health. For example, plastic containers are made with additives such as bisphenol-A (BPA), an industrial chemical that some experts claim is toxic because it binds to estrogen receptors and influences bodily processes such as cell repair, fetal development, growth, energy, reproduction, and fertility. When certain plastic containers are made, BPA is added to aid in product resiliency.
BPA is meant to remain sealed within the product, however, it commonly seeps into the food or beverages the container is holding. Given this information, BPA has been banned or restricted on several fronts, however the common replacements, bisphenol-S or bisphenol-F are similar to BPA in structure and toxic effect. To minimize BPA exposure, Aline Petre MS, RD, recommends avoiding packaged foods, drinking from glass bottles, being selective with toys, not microwaving plastic, and only buying powdered infant formula.
Whether we like it or not, plastics are here to stay. Despite the negativity surrounding them, plastics are critical to our modern lives. Without plastics, we would not have much of the technology we enjoy and depend on such as cell phones, computers, TVs, and lifesaving medical devices. Plasticsâ versatility has raised our standard of living and helped shift reliance from natural materials in a safer, lighter, cheaper, reliable, and durable manner. It is incumbent upon each one of us to do our part in becoming plastic savvy to preserve our environment and protect our health.
We must reduce our waste by choosing reusable and recyclable plastics to keep them out of landfills as well as out of the water we share with other living creatures. When we are done with our plastic products, we should take responsibility for delivering them to reputable recycling centers where they are converted into other useful products. The benefits of recycling are far reaching as they include reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, conserving natural resources, preventing pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials, and saving energy.
As Muslims who seek to follow in the footsteps of our ultimate altruistic role model, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), we should heed his teachings when he advised us to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and to avoid going into excess as reported by Abu Huraira, âVerily Allah likes three things for you and He disapproves three things for you.
He is pleased with you that you worship Him and associate nor anything with Him, that you hold fast the rope of Allah, and be not scattered; and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning and the wasting of wealth.ââ(Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 12. Wealth comes in many forms, including a healthy environment. In the Quran, God commands us to avoid wasting resources and to be mindful of our guardianship role. He says, âBut seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.â (Quran 28:77).
âââ
Asma Jarad is a Chicago-based freelance writer and editor published across multiple forums.
Reprinted from the Summer 2019 issue of Halal Consumer© magazine.
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Tips You Can Make Use Of Custom Perfume Boxes
Custom perfume boxes allow you to create Custom perfume packaging that perfectly fits your brand. As a part of our daily routine, perfumes have become so common that we no longer even notice them. Nearly everyone uses perfume in their daily lives. Many of us become obsessed with perfume due to its smell and attraction.
As a result, this market is a large saturated one. If you want to stand out amongst your competitors, you must come up with unique custom designs such as custom perfume boxes.
What are Custom Perfume Boxes?
Custom perfume boxes are unique packaging solutions that enhance the attraction of your perfume that are totally suitable for your brand. Customized designs, not only increase the aesthetic quality of your brand but also allow customers to know about your brand.
Customization of Perfume Boxes
Custom perfume boxes used to be simple and elegant, with minimal colors and aromas. Custom perfume boxes, they have significantly developed over the past decade. For perfume brands, the following packaging tips will help them master the packaging game for their perfume products.
1.      Create Unique artwork and logos
2.      Eco-friendly Packaging
3.      Visual Experience of your Custom Packaging
4.      Keep it simple
5.      Material Flexibility
Create Unique artwork and logos
You can turn your perfume brand's custom perfume boxes into storyboards to give it a unique look. Make use of unique styling features on them. Choose different aesthetic techniques to grab the attention of your targeted audience.
When designing a logo for your custom packaging donât just rely on your design but also add the essence of your perfume to it. Make sure to deliver subliminal messages about the aesthetics and quality of your brand.
Eco-friendly Packaging
Also, Eco-friendly perfume boxes are less harmful to the environment because people use them for recycling and decoration purposes. If you are a perfume brand, then you should buy environment-friendly custom perfume boxes to prevent wastage and pollution.
Looking for a packaging company that can provide you with an eco-friendly custom perfume box is one of the most overwhelming tasks. Look out for Halcon Packaging to help you save both money and the environment.
Keep It Simple
It is crucial to print only the most relative information on your perfume packaging when you design and order it. You're more likely to attract customers by emphasizing the advantages and features of your product, rather than telling them about its history.
Studies have shown that patterns of consumers usually depend upon the packaging color of the product by which customers recall their favorite perfume products. Try to go for bright colors and minimal designs to attract more audiences.
Enhance User Experience of your Custom Packaging
Now comes the packaging of perfumes, their logo, and their corporate identity. Very few bother the text printed on the perfume boxes. So, the key to successful logo designs of packaging is simplicity and more visual experience than textual content. Overly complex packaging for perfume products can be a little bit confusing for consumers.
Material flexibility
You can improve the packaging by making changes to the material. Do not undervalue the sensory experience your customers have when interacting with your product. Looking for custom perfume packaging boxes? At Halcon Packaging, we provide different kinds of materials to ensure to make you feel comfortable with your product. Select a material that completely matches the personality of your product.
Why You Choose Us?
Halconâs packaging is considered one of the best-customized packaging companies with many trustworthy customers. We provide the best competitive prices that no other company can match.
The quality of our custom perfume boxes is the best in the whole industry. If you want to grow your perfume business with the best custom packaging, let us help you to take your business to the highest levels of success. You must experience it with us. For further details, donât forget to give us a reminder at Halcon Packaging
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Tips You Can Make Use Of Custom Perfume Boxes
Custom perfume boxes allow you to create Custom perfume packaging that perfectly fits your brand. As a part of our daily routine, perfumes have become so common that we no longer even notice them. Nearly everyone uses perfume in their daily lives. Many of us become obsessed with perfume due to its smell and attraction.
As a result, this market is a large saturated one. If you want to stand out amongst your competitors, you must come up with unique custom designs such as custom perfume boxes.
What are Custom Perfume Boxes?
Custom perfume boxes are unique packaging solutions that enhance the attraction of your perfume that are totally suitable for your brand. Customized designs, not only increase the aesthetic quality of your brand but also allow customers to know about your brand.
Customization of Perfume Boxes
Custom perfume boxes used to be simple and elegant, with minimal colors and aromas. Custom perfume boxes have significantly developed over the past decade. For perfume brands, the following packaging tips will help them master the packaging game for their perfume products.
1. Create Unique artwork and logos
2. Eco-friendly Packaging
3. Visual Experience of your Custom Packaging
4. Keep it simple
5. Material Flexibility
Create Unique artwork and logos
You can turn your perfume brand's custom perfume boxes into storyboards to give it a unique look. Make use of unique styling features on them. Choose different aesthetic techniques to grab the attention of your targeted audience.
When designing a logo for your custom packaging donât just rely on your design but also add the essence of your perfume to it. Make sure to deliver subliminal messages about the aesthetics and quality of your brand.
Eco-friendly Packaging
Also, Eco-friendly perfume boxes are less harmful to the environment because people use them for recycling and decoration purposes. If you are a perfume brand, then you should buy environment-friendly custom perfume boxes to prevent wastage and pollution.
Looking for a packaging company that can provide you with an eco-friendly custom perfume box is one of the most overwhelming tasks. Look out for Halcon Packaging to help you save both money and the environment.
Keep It Simple
It is crucial to print only the most relative information on your perfume packaging when you design and order it. You're more likely to attract customers by emphasizing the advantages and features of your product, rather than telling them about its history.
Studies have shown that patterns of consumers usually depend upon the packaging color of the product by which customers recall their favorite perfume products. Try to go for bright colors and minimal designs to attract more audiences.
Enhance User Experience of your Custom Packaging
Now comes the packaging of perfumes, their logo, and their corporate identity. Very few bother the text printed on the perfume boxes. So, the key to successful logo designs of packaging is simplicity and more visual experience than textual content. Overly complex packaging for perfume products can be a little bit confusing for consumers.
Material flexibility
You can improve the packaging by making changes to the material. Do not undervalue the sensory experience your customers have when interacting with your product. Looking for custom perfume packaging boxes? At Halcon Packaging, we provide different kinds of materials to ensure to make you feel comfortable with your product. Select a material that completely matches the personality of your product.
Why You Choose Us?
Halconâs packaging is considered one of the best-customized packaging companies with many trustworthy customers. We provide the best competitive prices that no other company can match.
The quality of our custom perfume boxes is the best in the whole industry. If you want to grow your perfume business with the best custom packaging, let us help you to take your business to the highest levels of success. You must experience it with us. For further details, donât forget to give us a reminder at Halcon Packaging.
Reference:
https://customfoodandpackaging.blogspot.com/2022/03/tips-you-can-make-use-of-custom-perfume.html
#As a result#Custom Perfume Boxes#Perfume Boxes wholesale#Eco-friendly Perfume boxes#Halcon packaging#Cosmetic Boxes
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Customer Reviews for Lead Generation and Conversion
Before we understand how customer reviews can help with lead generation, we need to understand first if your prospects are reading it in the first place. You also need to learn how negative reviews can affect your purchasing decision. Understand that customer reviews are the user-generated and personal opinions of the consumers. You may have acquired the handyman's service in the past with poor feedbacks but felt very satisfied with his service.
What Are Online Customer Reviews?
Customer reviews and recommendations are the standard methods to generate a generally positive image of your brand. Providing quality service to receive reviews or asking your loyal customers to leave a testimonial is significant for your business. Study shows that 92% of your potential customers will read reviews before purchasing your offerings. Some people may think that reviews can be biased and should not be taken that seriously. However, it would be best not to undermine the power behind this user-generated content, especially on Lead Generation.
Is It Worth the Whole Effort?
Regardless of whether the customers are reading and listening to their reviews, having a healthy collection of positive reviews can affect how the customers perceive your company or product. Unfortunately, most companies will neglect this, thinking that the ROI will not be enough. However, customer reviews can help your business in several ways: - Several Positive Reviews Can Mitigate the Effect of Negative Reviews- You cannot please everyone. There will be a time when you will encounter unsatisfied customers who will leave you a terrible review. You should never feel worried about this. As long as you have a healthy collection of positive reviews and respond appropriately to the negative feedback, you should manage the possible harm that it could cause. - Improving your Conversion Rate- Aside from helping with your lead generation, customer reviews for your business will also help in your conversion rate. Having a large volume of positive reviews increases the probability that a customer will complete their purchase.
Why are Online Customer Reviews Essential for Your Lead Generation Campaign?
Around 51% of the consumers in the US will rely first on user-generated content such as customer reviews and recommendations over any other type of information. To advance your lead generation campaign, it is vital to implement this in your marketing strategy. Since we always need more leads, here are some reasons to convince you that reviews are imperative to increase your sales leads. Improve Your Brand Trust
It will be challenging to convince the customer to provide the information you need based only on your promises. They know that a company will be doing everything to please them. Know that the customers have different options available when choosing the company they prefer. You need to give them a reason why they should choose you. Customers want to know that they will be getting their money's worth. How do you do this? You can't, but your customers can. They can help you by leaving positive online customer reviews and testimonials about your business. Increase Your SERP with Customer Reviews
Some people may think that SEO is all about coding and developing content. However, based on the changes implemented on Google's algorithm, your SERP can now be affected by user-generated content like customer reviews for your business. Companies receiving more reviews means that they are keeping their audience engaged, which also affects your SEO. Moreover, Google will translate the reviews as fresh content and will recrawl them. If you appear prominently on the critical search result, your organic traffic will increase. Your potential customers will find you; thus, increasing your sales leads. Unique Branding
If your business belongs in a heavily saturated industry, you want to stand out and differentiate yourself from the other companies. Think about it this way, if you are hiring a business consultant, one has a collection of reviews online, and the other does not, who are you most likely to choose? You may select the one with reviews since it is a sign of their professionalism and expertise in the industry. He also has a higher trust rating. With online customer reviews, you are setting your business apart from your rivals. It Promotes Quality Content
Google and other search engine sites love content. Having a page solely reserved for customer reviews and recommendations could be additional content for Google to crawl. Therefore, you can guarantee that you will have a high ranking. Remember to avoid encouraging reviews from Anonymous users since Google announced last 2017 that they are removing this from their algorithm. The more reviews that you will receive, the longer the content will be. Your clients may add critical keywords in their testimonials to will help you place on search engine results. Creates a Human Element
We've mentioned all the technical benefits of customer reviews for lead generation. Apart from that, responding to reviews will make your customers and prospects think you care for them. You pay attention to their disappointments and are willing to address them. You are also grateful for their trust. It will convince other customers that you are the perfect choice for them. It also increases your customer retention rate.
How to Use Your Online Customer Reviews to Generate Leads?
Online reviews have become a crucial way to verify the value and quality of the company's service or product. It serves as an endorsement from a third party that most consumers trust. Nowadays, it has also become necessary for your lead generation efforts. We will tell you how you can take advantage of it to advance your marketing strategy. Encouraging Your Customers to Leave Reviews To start, you need to increase the number of your customer reviews and recommendations. However, most of the time, customers will only leave them when disappointed with your service. It could be an issue since the study shows that customers who are reading reviews before purchasing will value your star rating, the comments, the volume of the reviews, and the authenticity of the reviews. You will need to accumulate several feedbacks before you can gain the trust of your target market. Consumers will never feel empowered if your reviews will not provide them with enough information. According to the report of BrightLocal, a company will need to have at least ten authentic reviews before a customer considers doing business with them. Understand that while quantity is essential, you should also pay attention to the quality. It should contain enough information to give them something to expect. Verifying Customer Reviews
Reviews have become essential in helping people reach an intelligent purchasing decision. Unfortunately, most marketers and business managers will overlook this fact. Based on the statistics released by Washington Post, 61% of the customer reviews found on the electronic category of Amazon are fake. Consumers can now quickly identify if the reviews are fake. There are also auditing services that can help determine the authenticity of the testimonial. Having fake reviews will be detrimental to your consumer trust. Address Negative Reviews
Readers will also pay attention to your ratings. Some listing sites will use a 5-star rating; others will have ten stars. This metric translates to how satisfying the customer experience is. Therefore, it will be a problem for you if you receive a one-star rating from your customer. Based on the research, negative reviews can discourage 40% of your customers from considering your company; that percentage is a massive number. If you try to improve this, it will be beneficial for your business. Every increase in your star rating will enhance your revenue by about 5%-9%. Moreover, 31% of your prospects will be willing to invest more money in a company with generally positive online customer reviews. Requesting Customer Reviews Most consumers will be willing to leave a review about your company if you ask them properly. The best time to do this is shortly after completing the sale transaction. With this, the details about their experience will still be fresh. Those who have been impressed with your level of service will likely leave you a favorable and thorough review. A comprehensive customer review for your business offers different benefits. Most of your prospects will trust the veracity of the information provided on a detailed review. You could also offer small incentives to your audience who will leave you a review. Some companies are successful in accomplishing this without sacrificing the authenticity of the reviews. For instance, some online shopping sites will reward you with points after leaving reviews. Once you accumulate enough points, you can then exchange them for discount cards or vouchers. Respond to Their Concerns
Responding appropriately to all types of customer reviews will reward you in multiple ways. It will not only improve customer experience but can also increase the authority and professionalism of your business. Unfortunately, not a lot of companies will take advantage of this. Only 51% of the companies will respond to negative reviews. It is imperative to respond publicly to negative reviews before moving your conversation on private. Positive reviews also warrant a response. Replying to them will make the customers feel that they are valued and that you appreciate their loyalty. Responding to all kinds of reviews will improve your SEO and online authority. It will make it easier for you to advance your lead generation campaign by then. Featuring the Top Feedback Another powerful way to accumulate leads through customer reviews and recommendations is by featuring the top reviews of the month. Consumers who see reviews from an unaffiliated listing site to the company website will have a 58% likelihood of investing in their product or service. They will possibly spend more time on a website that highlights reviews. Therefore, there is also a higher probability that they will click and navigate other parts of your website, including your CTA button. It is crucial to make the reviews accessible to your audience, especially those going through your sales funnel. The best way to showcase these reviews is through your website.
Online Customer Reviews to Increase Conversion Rate
Having a steady source of high-quality leads is necessary to ensure that your business will remain profitable and competitive. Customer reviews provide an unbiased and objective recommendation of the services and product, which can help in your lead generation campaign. To ensure that you can take advantage of its benefits, it is imperative to use them optimally. Start by asking the customers who have been impressed with your service to leave you a review. Once you have a good number of reviews, start interacting with them. 92% of the customers will read the review before purchasing your product. Make sure that your company is using the reviews well to generate interest and capture sales leads. Read the full article
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US Pharmaceutical Law: Practical or Profitable?
By Szofi Wiksell, The Ohio State University Class of 2023
June 17, 2021
The United States pharmaceutical sector and subsequent healthcare system mystifies countries around the world with prescription drug prices âsignificantly higher than in other nations, averaging 256% [higher]â. [1] Breaking this figure down further, 82% of US prescription drug spending consists of brand name drugs, which only constitute 12% of prescription drug volume. [1] Defining the scope of this issue holistically, brand name drug prices have increased â68% between 2012 and 2018.â [2] This analysis begs two key questions: why are US drug prices so much higher than those of other countries, and why arenât generic drugs more highly saturated in the market?
Why are prescription drugs in the US so expensive? This question can be posed by many, particularly the 58 million Americans priced out of them. [3] Currently, âmore than 1 in 5 American adults report inability to pay for needed drugs.â [3] To put prices into perspective, âthe list price for a one-year supply of Humira â the number one . . . drug that treats arthritis . . . [is] over $58,000 . . . more than the annual median household income in Michiganâ. [4] Furthermore, a new life saving drug for children with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition affecting 1 in 11,000 babies, costs $2.1 million dollars per dose. [5] A widely scrutinized legal practice of pharmaceutical industries exacerbating medication insecurity is price gouging; the highly publicized EpiPen scandal exemplifies this as the company gouged their prices by 500% over seven years, from $103.50 to $608.61 (wholesale price). [6] Given that lawmakers are elected to represent the will of the people, itâs curious that prices have stayed high and continue rising while â9 in 10 U.S. adults report that the costs of prescription drugs are usually much higher . . . than what consumers should be payingâ. [3]
Many developed countries utilize pharmaceutical price caps, meaning price ceilings, which are instituted to prevent price gouging and halt prices altogether from rising to what is deemed unethically high. US lawmakers have dodged implementing price ceilings due to the alleged innovation tradeoff. Â Basic economics and stock market principles explain that there must be a high reward for taking on high risk. This theory directly applies to the pharmaceutical industry as ânumerous studies have shown a firm link between prices and profits on the one hand and higher levels of research and drug innovation on the otherâ with research showing that âprice controls will come at a cost to innovation and long-term patient well-being.â [7] Further simplified, âlow prices . . . allow more individuals to afford existing drugs now, but if they come at the expense of drug revenues, they reduce the incentive to invest in new curesâ. [7] Quantifying the risk involved, âbetween 2009 and 2018, the median cost of developing a new drug was $985 million, while the average sum totaled $1.3 billion . . . [and] oncology and immune-modulatory drugs were . . . $2.8 billion and a mean of $4.5 million.â [8] In turn, pharmaceutical companies argue that price ceilings would reduce their incentive to develop drugs for billions of dollars as their net profits would decline. The risk is indeed massive as drug trial success rates are 14% in Phase 1, 35% in Phase 2, and 59% in Phase 3. [8]Â If the innovation tradeoff is so massive for price caps, how are countries with price caps faring? Well, for countries with price caps, regulated prices have resulted in lost revenue from $18 billion to $27 billion annually for pharmaceutical companies, a loss that has led to a reduction in global research and development spending of $5 billion to $8 billion per year. [9] These sacrifices in global R&D have costed consumers âthree to four new molecular entities annually.â [9] Conclusively, US price caps could ultimately lead to a loss in medical innovation and lives lost due to delayed drug launches as âcutting prices by 40-50% in the US will lead to between 30 and 60% fewer R&D projectsâ as for every 10% decrease in prices, R&D investment decreases 5.83%. [10]
While a lack of controls on the US pharmaceutical industry has arguably increased medical innovation, it also encourages prices to stay high by limiting generic drug entry into the market. In turn, a common policy recommendation to lowering drug prices involves desaturating the pharmaceutical market; âfrom 1995 to 2015, sixty pharmaceutical companies merged into tenâ and reports found that âless competition was associated with higher drug prices . . . . [as] sole source suppliers have led to higher prices and market fragilityâ. [2] Brand name pharmaceutical companies monopolize the industry and maintain high prices by gatekeeping the market from generic drug makers; big pharma companies obtain long exclusivity periods, which are âlegally protected limits on introducing competitor generic drugsâ. [2] Once this period ends, the brand name drug loses âmore than 80% to 90% of the market within six monthsâ to cheaper alternatives such as generics.â [2] In turn, targeting the exclusivity periods would drive drug prices down. Certainly, generics on average cost â54%â less and drive brand name drug prices down â31%â in just the first round of releases. [11] These exclusivity periods exist as a result of patent protection for pharmaceutical products, which usually provide the drug â20 years of exclusivity from the date of the applicationâ. [2] Moreover, companies can extend this 20-year period through two methods: patent thickening and evergreening. When companies obtain a multitude of patents making it harder for generic competitors to enter the market, patent thickening comes into play. Evergreening stands as when a company barely remodifies a product to create a new patent to keep generics from entering. These drugs have no added benefits as âsecondary patents are not used for inventing new drugs . . . . they [combine] modified forms of an already existing drugâs active ingredients and new combinations of old chemical compounds that have long been on the marketâ [2]; in this way, they simply serve to harm consumers by raising prices as âevery time that the brand company switches from one version of a drug to another . . . the generic has to go back to the drawing board . . . [and is] kept off the market for yearsâ. [2] This means evergreening keeps prices high with no benefits of newly formulated drugs to consumers while patent thickening keeps generics from obtaining patents and entering the market to lower prices at the get go.
Overall, the protections that exist for big pharma both spur innovation and stunt it by providing more incentives for R&D, with the possibility for high gain with no price caps, and by limiting generic development. The limitation of generic development keeps prescription drugs unaffordable for many, but the pricing of current drugs keeps innovation high. All of this points to one final question: is current US medical innovation worth the cost if so few can afford the drugs in the end?
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[1] McGrail, S. (2021, February 3). US Prescription Drug Prices 256% Higher Than Other Countries. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://pharmanewsintel.com/news/us-prescription-drug-prices-256-higher-than-other-countries
[2] A Price Too High Cost, Supply, and Security Threats to Affordable Prescription Drugs. (2019). Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/191206_Report_APriceTooHigh.pdf
[3] ICYMI: 58 Million American Adults Canât Afford Prescription Drugs. (2019, November 12). Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/icymi-58-million-american-adults-can-t-afford-prescription-drugs
[4] Peters Announces Investigation into Rising Prescription Drug Costs. (2019, November 5). Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-announces-investigation-into-rising-prescription-drug-costs
[5] Carrol L., and Dunn, L. (2019, May 24). $2.1 million drug to treat rare genetic disease approved by FDA. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/2-1-million-drug-treat-rare-genetic-disease-approved-fda-n1009956
[6] Miyashiro, A. (2017, September 14). Mylanâs EpiPen Pricing Scandal. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://sevenpillarsinstitute.org/mylans-epipen-pricing-scandal/
[7] Kennedy, J. (2019, September 9). The Link Between Drug Prices and Research on the Next Generation of Cures. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://itif.org/publications/2019/09/09/link-between-drug-prices-and-research-next-generation-cures
[8] Gardner, J. (2020, March 3). New estimate puts cost to develop a new drug at $1B, adding to long-running debate. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/new-drug-cost-research-development-market-jama-study/573381/
[9] Aldonas, G. (2005, February 17). Pharmaceutical Price Controls in OECD Countries, Implications for American Consumers, Pricing, Research and Development, and Innovation. Retrived May 30, 2021 from https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Aldonas-SenHELP-Rx-2-17-05.pdf
[10] Abbott, T. and Vernon, J. (2007). The Cost of US Pharmaceutical Price Regulation: A Financial Simulation Model of R&D Decisions. Retrieved May 30, 2021 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/25151519?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
[11] Generic Competition and Drug Prices. (2019, December 13). Retrieved May 30, 2021 from
https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/generic-competition-and-drug-prices
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New Post has been published on Qube Magazine
New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/prioritising-hygiene-and-preventing-cross-contamination-during-the-pandemic/
Prioritising hygiene and preventing cross-contamination during the pandemic
NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES
The far-reaching implications of the ongoing pandemic have presented countless challenges for modern facilities management (FM) teams, but perhaps not many more pertinent than establishing effective cleaning practices. James Taylor, Marketing Director Specialties EMEIA at Berry Global, discusses the cleaning solutions delivering positive change in the sector.
As the world continues to be engulfed by one of the most unprecedented events in modern living memory â with the UK entering a second lockdown as we write this article â health, hygiene and overall wellness are top of the agenda for leadership teams across a range of industries. For facilities managers, this means taking the necessary steps to safeguard occupants of all types of premises during the crisis has become of paramount importance.
Charged with the maintenance and management of buildings, and most importantly the people within them, facilities managers have a vital role to play in ensuring the most appropriate and effective prevention and contamination strategies are implemented. And while the exact dynamics of transmission are still being determined, it is known that Covid-19 can live on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to three days , according to research from the Centres for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
The close and careful sanitisation of all high traffic âhigh-touchâ touch points, common surfaces, floors and fittings, therefore, has become one of the most important aspects of the role of FMs if they are to prevent cross-contamination of harmful bacteria and effectively limit the number of confirmed cases.
Nonetheless, while maintaining cleanliness of surfaces with the greatest concentration of microbes can prevent them acting as vectors for the spread of the virus, achieving it across progressively complex and diverse environments is certainly not a simple task. Professionals must not only consider the increased demands placed on staff, but also adapt cleaning practices to the requirements of the given environment, by implementing the most effective solution to meet infection prevention targets.
Add into the mix the wider business considerations such as the environmental impact of cleaning practices, as well as the cost efficiencies of solutions being used, and the challenge being faced becomes even greater.
Breaking the chain of infection
The positive news for modern FMs is new cleaning technologies are increasingly being deployed that instil greater confidence when it comes to delivering effective and efficient infection control. Whatâs more, todayâs professionals who are tasked with breaking the chain of infection of Covid-19 have arguably the broadest range of high-quality cleaning solutions at their disposal â each developed to tackle very specific cleaning tasks.
For present-day facilities teams, fundamental to the success of any hygiene strategy is finding the perfect balance of cleaning solutions that not only deliver high hygiene standards, but also avoid common inadequacies when it comes to infection control.
Traditional woven cloths, for instance, have for a long time remained the backbone of many cleaning professionalâs arsenals. This is despite extensive research revealing that some 30%Â of the germs they pick up whilst cleaning are subsequently deposited onto the next surface wiped â a critical misstep when it comes to cross-contamination prevention.
Re-usable 100% cloths have made significant improvements in this arena, with their superior cleaning performance and greater microbial removal proficiencies making them a logical substitute for woven cloth equivalents. Despite this, they do present their own disadvantages. A study by the American Journal of Infection Control found that 93% of microfibre cloths tested, used to clean hospital rooms after being laundered, still contained dangerous levels of bacteria such as E. Coli.
A clean outlook
In an age where infection control has assumed the primacy in efficient hygiene management processes, one solution that is adding significant value is working with disposable microfibre wipes and cloths.
The limited time usage of microfibre based solutions feature a unique structure that facilitates the removal of 99.99% of bacteria, securely trapping it in the material without the use of chemicals, and significantly reducing the risk of cross-contamination. While, by virtue of being completely disposable after use, safeguarding against bacteria being released onto the next surface cleaned.
When it comes to superior cleaning efficacy and lower pathogen transmission, disposable 100% microfibre wipes and cloths also provide significant benefits. Comprehensive testing conducted under simulated cleaning conditions, against numerous bacteria at University College London recently discovered that the number of median log3 MRSA and K. pneumoniae incorporating a soil suspension on single-use solutions were consistently lower than re-useable (laundered) microfibre cloth comparatives.
Relatedly, while disposable cloth and mops displayed no relevant microbial contamination following extensive investigations, spore forming bacteria were recovered from both pristine and laundered microfiber cloths and mop heads used for cleaning hospital rooms after washing (Berry Global/University College London Hospitals report, 2019).
Spray and wipe solutions
Of course, while the adaptability and clinical performance of disposable cloths and mops are applicable for a wide number of cleaning practices, inevitably categorically niche cleaning procedures will require a more tailored solution.
For high touch surfaces that are routinely cleaned with spray and wipe systems, the improved dwell time delivered by advanced impregnated wipe systems can maximise the effectiveness of regular cleaning regimes.
Sophisticated impregnated wipe systems allow cleaning professionals to simply add their own chemical of choice to the dispenser bucket and wiper roll, instantly creating different high performing impregnated wipes for various areas. This makes them a more efficient choice when compared to purchasing varying pre-saturated wipes. Such a degree of flexibility is an essential requirement for cleaning teams operating under budgetary restraints.
Disposing of re-usable materials
In an age where being environmentally conscious and sustainable is becoming more and more imperative for organisations, organisations face new considerations when it comes to selecting cleaning materials. The ecological balance of cleaning solutions, for instance, has rapidly moved its way up the criteria checklist during the selection process.
Facilities management professionals spanning a breadth of industries are realising the wider benefits of disposable cleaning solutions. Using such materials not only means the extensive and thorough cleaning required to stave off Covid-19 can be achieved, owing to the superior cleaning performance and greater microbial removal competencies of re-usable 100% microfibre cloths, wipes and mops, but it can be done so while limiting the risk of cross-contamination.
In large and complex working environments, in particular, the carbon emitting cycle of laundering a wide assortment of disposable solutions can have a heavy burden on the environment.
Over the life cycle of a typical washable cloth and mop, a total of 0.8KwH energy is consumed per wash and 1.6KwH per tumble dry cycle (2.4KwH total). Given that each reusable cloth/mop is used 200 times on average over a period of 3 months, a total of 480KwH would be consumed over the average product life cycle.
To put this into context, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , such consumption produces 0.339 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent to 842 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle or CO2 emissions from 38.2 gallons of fuel consumed.
It is in this regard that the effectiveness of disposable microfibre cloths for cleaning surfaces and floors, when compared to re-useable equivalents, can be particularly advantageous. Such solutions eradicate time-consuming and high carbon emission emitting laundering processes, while at the same time markedly improving infection control management.
For more information about the ChicopeeÂź range please visit https://chicopee.com/en-eu/microfibre
 Prioritising hygiene and preventing cross-contamination during the pandemic
NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES
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Mental health apps abound. Picking the right one is tough
New Post has been published on https://depression-md.com/mental-health-apps-abound-picking-the-right-one-is-tough/
Mental health apps abound. Picking the right one is tough
In the eyes of the tech industry, mental health treatment is an area ripe for disruption.
In any given year, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience a form of mental illness, according to federal estimates. And research indicates only about half of them receive treatment in a system that is understaffed and ill distributed to meet demand.
For tech startups looking to cash in on unmet need, that translates into more than 50 million potential customers.
Venture capital firms invested more than $2.4 billion in digital behavioral health apps in 2020 â more than twice the amount invested in 2019 â touting support or treatment for issues such as burnout, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At least seven mental health app companies have achieved âunicornâ status â being valued at more than $1 billion.
But even as industry hype mounts, researchers and companies are scrambling to prove these apps actually work. Of the estimated 20,000 mental health apps available for download on personal computers and smartphones, just five have been formally vetted and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which largely has taken a hands-off approach to regulating the space.
âDevelopment has really outpaced the science,â said Stephen Schueller, a clinical psychologist at UC Irvine who specializes in the development and evaluation of digital mental health products.
Type âdepressionâ or âanxietyâ into an app store, and youâll be met with a dizzying list of results. There are thousands of âwellnessâ apps such as Headspace that counsel people on breathing exercises and other techniques to help them feel more mindful. Apps such as Woebot and TalkLife profess to help manage conditions such as anxiety and postpartum depression using games, mood journaling or text exchanges with peers or automated bots.
Some apps are meant to be used alongside in-person therapy, and others are meant to be used on their own. Several of the most popular, such as Talkspace, BetterHelp and Ginger, promise access to treatment with a licensed therapist over text message, phone or video. Others, including Brightside and Cerebral, connect users to psychiatrists who can prescribe antidepressants.
Most products make their money by charging consumers a monthly or annual fee, with the option to purchase extras such as video sessions with a therapist. Others contract directly with employers or insurers.
And, yes, a small portion of these apps have promising research to back them up. Several studies, for example, have found that cognitive behavioral therapy, a mainstay of treatment for depression and anxiety that seeks to help patients change negative thought patterns, is as effective when delivered using web-based platforms as when done in person by a licensed professional. And the pandemic has bolstered claims that patients are willing to trade in-person visits for the ease of online connection.
âDigital mental health can be viewed as a way to extend the mental resources that we have,â said David Mohr, who directs the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A step-care model, for example, would allow patients with milder symptoms to be treated via technology while reserving in-person care for patients who need something more.
The challenge for consumers is separating the apps that might help from those that offer little more than distraction â or could actually do harm.
Some companies offering mental health treatment had recently been doing something totally different. For example, an online seller of erectile dysfunction and hair loss treatments has started offering psychiatric evaluations and prescribing and selling antidepressants.
Tech companies are by nature for-profit and, in the rush to compete in a saturated market, many are selling a product with an appealing user interface but little evidence of effectiveness. A 2020 analysis by Australian researchers reviewing nearly 300 apps for anxiety and depression found just 6% of the companies that boasted an evidence-based framework in the app store description for their products had published any evidence.
Nor do star ratings and download totals offer much context: An April study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School found little correlation between app store metrics and treatment quality.
âNo one is competing based on privacy, safety or evidence. Theyâre competing on aesthetics, in part, on page ranking, marketing on brand awareness,â said Dr. John Torous, director of the digital psychiatry division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and one of the authors of the April study. âThereâs an implicit assumption that the app is better than nothing. But what if it isnât better than nothing?â
One problem, said Dr. Ipsit Vahia, a geriatric psychiatrist and medical director of the McLean Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, is that randomized control studies of the kind that might prove an appâs effectiveness can take years, far slower than the rapid innovation in tech. âIn general, the healthcare industry and the technology industry work at very different paces,â Vahia said.
Dr. David Mou, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital who is chief medical officer at Cerebral, said he agrees that everything new in healthcare must be done deliberately and conservatively to avoid patient harm. But he said some people in the mental health field are painting all companies with the same brush and failing to differentiate those that are data-driven from those trying to grow at any cost.
âThey look at us and say weâre all VC-backed bros in a basement trying to redesign healthcare,â Mou said. âAnd thatâs not true. It may have been true 10 years ago, but it isnât true today.â The long-term winners, he said, will be those that are âevidence-based and measure quality like crazy.â
Cerebral offers online therapy and medication management and delivery for a variety of mental illnesses. The monthly subscription fees range from $29 to $325, depending on the level and frequency of care, as well as insurance coverage. Mou said Cerebral is already able to demonstrate some advantages. While many top hospital systems might have a months-long wait for care, he said, someone in crisis can reach a Cerebral provider almost immediately. âWithin minutes you are able to talk with someone with one of our instant live visits. That in itself is a huge win.â
Even critics of the tech explosion are quick to acknowledge that the current brick-and-mortar system of mental health is dated and inadequate. In recent years, the issues surrounding mental illness and lack of access to treatment have infiltrated public dialogue. Brain illnesses that many families once squirreled away from view have become the stuff of celebrity culture and dinner-table chatter.
Yet even as advocates have made strides in acceptance, truly improving the lives of people with mental illness has proved to be stubbornly difficult. Over the last several decades â while the U.S. successfully lowered death rates for cancer, heart disease and other major illnesses â deaths by suicide and drug overdose have continued to climb.
Federal law theoretically requires insurance companies to cover mental illness as they would any other illness. But finding affordable care remains a challenge, largely because of a shortage of licensed mental health professionals and ongoing inequities in insurance coverage.
In a nation where huge swaths of the population lack a primary care doctor and health insurance â but most everyone has a cellphone â connecting people to treatment via mobile apps would seem a logical solution. And, for some, the opportunity to talk about their mental health challenges anonymously makes online treatment an attractive alternative.
Still, many of the experts who welcome the potential for innovation in mental health treatment acknowledge that consumers are getting little guidance in how to choose a reputable option. âWellnessâ apps that promote a healthy lifestyle or apps that help people manage their disease without providing specific treatment suggestions can avoid FDA regulation. But even those that offer patient-specific diagnoses and treatment recommendations that would seem to fall squarely under the FDAâs authority do not seem to garner the agencyâs attention, according to industry experts.
âThe FDA has been really, really lax on enforcing in digital health for reasons that are not entirely clear to me,â said Bradley Merrill Thompson, a lawyer at Epstein Becker Green who advises companies on FDA regulations. âAnybody could spend 20 minutes on the app store and find dozens of examples of apps that make medical device claims, and that have been doing so for some time, without any effort by the FDA to rein them in.â
In response to questions from KHN about the agencyâs approach to regulating mental health apps, the FDA sent a brief statement. âAs circumstances change and new needs arise, FDA is ready to meet and address these challenges, especially in the areas of mental health,â the statement reads in part. âWe would like to see more evidence-based products in this area, which is why we remain committed to facilitating the development of additional safe and effective therapies for patients who rely on these products.â
Dr. Tom Insel, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has a unique view of the evolving landscape. In 2015, Insel left his job as director of the National Institute of Mental Health, a post he had held since 2002, trading the halls of government for the open floor plans of Silicon Valley to work in digital mental health. He started at Googleâs Verily, then co-founded Mindstrong Health, a startup researching how smartphone technology could be used to predict and diagnose mental health crises. He has since left to advise California officials on behavioral health issues.
Insel said he believes in the promise of digital mental health but that it will take time to find its highest and best use. He noted, for example, that most of the apps on the market focus on the problem of access: They make care more convenient. But theyâre overlooking a more basic problem: quality. Unlike most fields of medicine, mental health providers rarely measure whether the care they provide makes patients better.
âA lot of what we need is not just more access. Itâs not just recreating the brick-and-mortar system and letting people do it by phone or Zoom,â Insel said. Instead, he argued, digital health should focus on measuring whether treatments improve peopleâs lives.
âI have no doubt that this field will transform mental health treatment and diagnosis,â Insel said, âbut weâre in the first act of a five-act play. I donât think weâre anywhere near the kinds of solutions that we need in the real world.â
This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), an endowed nonprofit organization.
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Ten Signs You Need To Have A Sex Makeover
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Eco-Minded Entrepreneurship: 7 Leading Green Business Ideas
Guest post by Chloe Taylor
If youâve always dreamt about preserving the environment or even spearheading the efforts of waste management, toxic waste reduction and greenhouse gas emission reduction, this year is the perfect time to start your journey. Modern social and political environments, with all of their flaws and drawbacks, have actually proven to be full of opportunities for ambitious eco-entrepreneurs across the globe. An ever-greater number of people are creating sustainable businesses that not only benefit the environment but offer more jobs every year. Letâs take a look at some of the best and most innovative ecological business ideas.
Organic catering services
The organic movement is not just a trend - itâs a way of life that is swiftly taking over the world. The industry offers plenty of opportunities for new businesses, and if you love organizing events and spreading the benefits of an organic lifestyle, then organic catering would be the perfect fit for you.
In addition to providing local and national clients with food grown on organic farms, you can also combine the two businesses and grow the food yourself. This will not only entice your clients to trust you more because the food comes directly from your company, but they will love the simplicity and scope of services that your brand offers.
Eco-friendly fashion line
The fashion industry tends to get a bad reputation with its dubious means of production and exploitation of both natural resources and underpaid workforce. But you can change all of that by starting an organic, environmentally friendly fashion line on your own.
Materials like organic cotton, plastic bottles and all other recyclables can be used to create a green fashion line by making accessories like handbags and jewelry while enabling proper working conditions for your employees. Also, remember to always obtain materials from reputable companies, so you know exactly how they are made.
Green up the oilfield industry
Production processes have always been the biggest source of pollution in the world, but things are slowly changing. Even one of the least environmentally-friendly industries, the oilfield industry, is getting greener thanks to various technological advancements which allow entrepreneurs to boost the efficiency of drilling and reduce negative environmental impact. Newly-developed oilfield equipment allows users to employ oil reserves from a bigger area and reduce operational risks. If youâre interested in this type of industry, donât think you need to skip it just because itâs not greenâyou can do your best to introduce green changes and modern, efficient tech into the field!
Green cleaning service
With the majority of cleaning services using harmful and toxic chemicals, you can differentiate yourself by starting an eco-friendly cleaning service that will use only natural materials. Not only is this option healthier, but it will also enable you to develop your unique selling point (USP) right away that will attract new customers quickly.
Remove toxic elements
Another green business venture can actually be removing toxins from peopleâs homes and offices. When providing an asbestos abatement service, there are several key things to keep in mind. First of all, you will need to assess your competition and write a good business plan. The market is not overly saturated, and asbestos continues to be a lucrative part of the construction trade, despite the ban on its use, imposed in 1978.
Asbestos is a very toxic mineral when it comes in contact with the air and it can be found in paint, cement, and other building materials. You can find asbestos testing at affordable prices and it will be imperative that a professional ascertains the presence of the toxin before you start decontaminating the area. Additionally, in order to reduce its amount, you will need to learn proper asbestos handling techniques.
Ecological landscaping
Landscaping can be a very rewarding business venture, both financially and spiritually, but most landscaping services implement solutions that are not eco-friendly, and can actually waste a lot of resources like water and energy, while being detrimental to the surrounding ecosystem.
What your business can do differently is make homeownerâs backyards and surroundings greener by implementing sustainable, eco-friendly solutions like water and energy management systems. You can also strategically place trees and other plants around the landscape so that they require fewer resources.
Organic products
Besides organic foods, you can open up an organic products store. You can create all of your products from natural resources, using natural materials. People love DIY products like soaps, face masks and grooming products, so why not use this to your advantage and provide something thatâs both useful and healthy?
Environmentalism has become a powerful movement in the world, with people across the globe contributing to the preservation of our planet by implementing eco-friendly solutions into their homes and businesses. You can contribute to the fight against global warming by launching an eco-friendly business yourself.
Chloe Taylor is a graduated journalist from Adelaide, Australia who loves exploring everything related to decor, aesthetic and organizing. She is also very passionate about sustainability and enjoys writing about it. Her biggest dream is to travel the whole world and take some stunning photographs of beautiful places. Besides all this, she enjoys drinking coffee and reading a beautiful book from time to time.
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No Fish, Lower Subsidies â Where Next for Chinaâs Coastal Fishermen?
[By Yu Yani]
Here on the Bohai Sea, Tianjinâs central fishing harbour is welcoming tourists again after being quiet for months due to the coronavirus. Liu Cuibo waves off one group and his phone rings again and again with others arranging boat trips. âEveryoneâs sick of being cooped up,â he says, his mood bright.
Liu, 56, started working in fishing after graduating from high school. He was a fisherman for the first 20 years, but in 2013 started taking tourists on fishing trips.
In 2011, residents of the fishing village he was born in were moved into apartment buildings to make way for the high-rises that sprung up by the harbour, and the village was demolished. Once, 160 fishing boats sailed from here â now, only 30 do. Fishing communities all along Tianjinâs 95-mile coastline have similarly disappeared. The other fishers he knows have either sold their boats and found other work or moved into tourism like him.
Tourists in Shandongâs Yantai take photos while they wait for a speedboat ride (Image: Liu Yuyang / China Dialogue)
Liu told China Dialogue they have no other option: fish populations have been shrinking, while subsidies have incentivized boat-building, increasing overall numbers and limiting the space for fishing.
China catches more fish from the ocean than any other nation, landing over 10 million tonnes every year since 1995. This is more than the maximum 8 or 9 million tonnes that experts say is safe for the coastal fisheries, which have been depleted by decades of overfishing.
To stem the loss, China has been implementing closed seasons on the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas since 1995, giving some protection to fisheries by preventing boats from operating during critical fish growing and spawning periods. In 2017, those closed seasons were lengthened to up to four months in some places.
According to the China Fishery Statistical Yearbook, in 2008 there were 7.6 million traditional fishers in China. With fish populations depleted, from 2015 the government has acted to reduce fishing subsidies and apply increasingly stringent closed seasons. By 2018, the number of fishers had fallen to 6.2 million.
Meanwhile, the WTO has been working to conclude a deal banning harmful fishing subsidies this year, as part of efforts to reach UN sustainability targets. Chinaâs fishers have little choice but to make changes.
Searching for a way out
Over a decade ago, homestyle fish restaurants became popular along the Tianjin coast, and Liu noticed diners taking an interest in his boat. Seeing an opportunity, he added a seating area to the deck and started fishing in the mornings and taking tourists out on boat trips in the afternoons. His income increased and stabilised.
He remembers that fishing was becoming less profitable back then. âThere was no good fishing season. Now you might get a bit of a good season, but only for mantis shrimp.â Good fishers can still make a bit of money, he said, but others are struggling.
But with living standards on the rise, there are more people taking holidays and huge potential for leisure fishing.
Tourists pay 200 yuan ($29) each for a dayâs boat trip and seafood meal, with up to 12 in a group. A good year can see Liu earn 100,000-200,00 yuan.
The local government is encouraging fishers to shift into tourism, organizing a fishing festival and designating a marine tourism zone, with sea fishing one of the attractions.
In 2017, the Tianjin government also toughened safety requirements for leisure fishing that necessitated boat upgrades. Liu, planning to expand his leisure fishing business, spent tens of thousands of yuan replacing his wooden boat with a new steel one.
He also started marketing his business. He filmed short videos, just like heâd seen youngsters do, on how to cook seafood. In time he became popular online, and some viewers became his clients.
Heâs glad he changed as itâs now more expensive and the government approvals arenât as easy to get. âYou couldnât make the shift even if you wanted to,â he says.
Gao Mingjun, 51, had fished from Dandong, Liaoning for over 20 years, until five or six years ago when he switched to clam-farming. He was required to hand his boat and its certificate to the government.
Aquaculture involves big initial investments. Gao and eight or nine others each chipped in 500,000 or 600,000 yuan and rented 2,000 mu (330 acres) of shallows. Clams take two or three years to grow, and Gao says the operation was quite profitable in the early years, making an average of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a year.
When he was fishing, his annual earnings amounted to only several tens of thousands of yuan, even after receiving 30,000 or 40,000 yuan in fuel subsidies. The aquaculture business pays better and is easier work. He and his partners have bought a boat together for maintaining the clam farm.
Aquaculture farms near Shandongâs Yantai. (Image: Liu Yuyang / China Dialogue)
While other local fishers must buy feed for their shrimp and sea cucumber farms, clams feed on plankton and other microscopic organisms already present in the sea.
The work might be easier than fishing, but Gao Mingjun is still busy keeping an eye on the young clams and dealing with customers. There are risks too: algal tides, typhoons and disease.
The good times didnât last long though. Gao told China Dialogue that clam prices have fallen since October last year. Heâs not sure why, but suspects the market has become saturated as more fishers switch to clam-farming.
The coronavirus epidemic also hurt sales, while clam seed prices went up. Gao is not confident about the future but the lease on his 2,000 mu runs for three years, so he and his partners have to keep going. In late April, with the pandemic easing, he travelled to Fujian to buy clam seeds. He will decide what to do when the lease ends â if the clam trade isnât working out, he says heâll grow strawberries, a local speciality.
Livelihoods reliant on subsidies
Jiang Xialiang, a fisher in Xiangshan, Zhejiang, saw about four-fifths of the fishers he knew quit around 2008 â the work simply wasnât profitable, and high fuel costs were only making things worse.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show the price of diesel fuel rose above 7,000 yuan ($1,000) a tonne in the first half of 2008 â a 23 percent increase. With a third of boats in some key fishing grounds becoming unprofitable, the central government quickly responded by boosting fuel subsidies 133 percent.
Jiang estimates one third of fishers he knew made it through only because of that subsidy. He says the payments, which started in 2006, reached their peak in 2014, when he received 300,000 yuan for his 270-horsepower vessel.
The sudden increase made fishersâ lives easier but caused new problems. In 2015, the ministries of finance and of agriculture announced that the industry was becoming over-reliant on the subsidies.
There has long been international concern that fuel subsidies increase the number of motor-powered fishing vessels, and that the more intensive practices made possible by subsidies are worsening the depletion of fish populations. The WTO started exploring ways to reduce fishing subsidies as early as 2001.
In their 2015 announcement, the finance and agriculture ministries said they would aim to reduce, by 2019, the fuel subsidy for domestic fishing (that is, excluding distant-water fishing) to 40 percent of 2014 levels, and to encourage both a reduction in the size of the fishing fleet, and job changes.
By 2019, Jiang received a fuel subsidy of only 120,000 yuan, rather than the 300,000 of 2014. He grew up by the sea, has been working on fishing vessels since he was 15 and canât imagine a new career. Now, at 57, âI canât change direction, Iâm like a train on its tracks,â he said.
But shrinking subsidies are forcing some to consider alternative work. Despite his 26 years of fishing experience, Wang Xinyuan, of Dandong in Liaoning, is one of them.
With costs going up and catches in decline, there are very few options for Chinaâs fishers. (Image: Jiang Yifan / China Dialogue)
At 46, he has two options: to captain a distant-water fishing vessel working off Africa for a salary of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a month, or to work on marine ranches off Liaoning. Heâs worried about healthcare if he falls ill in Africa, and would risk not getting paid if for any reason he had to return midway through a two-year contract. As for marine ranching, that would involve long stints at sea, only returning home for two or three days a month, and a salary of 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month.
Wang purchased a 150-horsepower boat in 2016. As a licence for a vessel that size would cost 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, like many other local fishers he opted to skirt the rules and get one for a 12-horsepower boat. But this means smaller subsidies â only 9,000 yuan a year for the last two years.
How can fishing be sustainable?
The subsidies are reducing, but coastal fishing will continue. How can the remaining fishers ensure that fish populations are used sustainably?
Fujian, where Gao Mingjun went to buy clam seed, is trialling catch quotas as part of fishing reforms. Closed seasons havenât stopped fishery depletion, so other methods are being used to reduce catches but increase incomes.
Li Wei, China fishery policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), told China Dialogue that all coastal provinces are now trialling catch quotas, following on from initial trials in Zhejiang and Shandong in 2017.
Chinaâs Fisheries Law establishes such quotas as a fundamental part of the countryâs management of fisheries. Put simply, the aim is to keep fisheries sustainable by catching less than is naturally replaced. The government determines a total allowable catch, and that is allocated across fishing vessels as quotas.
But a lack of data on fish populations, due to inconsistent surveying, makes it hard to set that total allowable catch.
Li Wei explained another problem: âThere are too many fishing vessels currently. If a scientifically determined total allowable catch was divided across those boats, each would receive only a very small quota, perhaps too small to be practical. That means pressure on fishersâ earnings. Vessel numbers need to come down as the quotas are implemented, and fishers helped to find other work.âÂ
In early 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture said it aimed to reduce the number of motor-powered fishing vessels to 20,000 lower than a 2015 baseline by 2020 â a reduction in total engine power of two million horsepower. But even if achieved, at the end of 2020, China will retain over 180,000 motor-powered fishing vessels with total engine power of over 13.4 billion horsepower.
Li Wei also pointed out that Chinaâs coastal fishers usually catch a range of fish species, and that China isnât yet restricting where they can work. This will make it harder to allocate quotas based on historical fishing data.
These quota trials, which are still in the early stages, aim to monitor and gather data on fishing activity. This includes persuading fishers to fill in logs, designating specific locations for offloading and selling catches, and experimenting with different quotas. But progress across provinces has been uneven and problems have arisen. Li Wei said: âMonitoring quotas is costly and involves significant change in regulatory thinking and models. A lot of resources will be needed to support this process.â That means financial help, government assistance, research and even public education.
The fishers themselves are key to the trials. Li Wei explained that at this early stage the trials cover less than 100 vessels in each province and only apply to jellyfish, shrimp, crab and shellfish â which only take a year or two to grow. Research carried out in Zhejiang and Fujian by an NRDC team found that current quotas are relaxed enough that catches have neither reduced nor market prices increased. The trials, then, appear more targeted at practising the operation of a quota system rather than delivering substantive, long-term changes to fishery resources.
A fishing vessel gets ready to set out to sea from a Fujian province harbour at the start of the fishing season. (Image: Jiang Yifan / China Dialogue)
Already facing reduced fuel subsidies, the busy fishers now must fill in logs and can only land and sell their catches at designated locations. This makes their lives more difficult, theyâre basically making sacrifices to cooperate with the governmentâs new approach. Li Wei says this is an essential process which will have long-lasting significance: âQuotas will finally give us a way to manage the ecological balance in coastal fisheries. Many countries have seen resources recover and quality and prices of seafood improve after implementing quotas, with greater profits for the industry as a whole, and in the end the fishers benefit. In the long-term, we can reduce catches and increase incomes.â
It will take some time for fisheries to recover and there is no telling who will last that long â but for many fishers, more change is inevitable.
Wang Xinyuan is a pseudonym to protect the subjectâs identity.
Yu Yani is a freelance journalist based in Beijing, focusing on environmental issues. This article appears courtesy of China Dialogue Ocean and may be found in its original form here.
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