News

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic

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Following the death of George Floyd while in custody in Minneapolis, protests have mushroomed around the U.S. to decry police violence, raising concerns among public health officials about the potential for further spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the economic toll of the continuing pandemic is prompting some states to cancel or scale back plans to expand health coverage to more of their residents.

And President Donald Trump said he will withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. But it seems he lacks the legal authority to do that on his own.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Agnes Carey of KHN and Joanne Kenen of Politico.

Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:

  • Although public health officials are warning about the dangers of a resurgence of COVID-19 caused
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Healthy Recipes

Anxious or depressed? | Health Beat

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Learning to accept situations that you have no control over can help you adapt to change—a skill that can be learned in therapy. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

The specter of COVID-19 has no doubt worsened anxiety and depression, but make no mistake: Folks experienced challenges well before the pandemic.

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults reported having a mental illness in the past year and upwards of 17 million adults and 3 million children suffered a major depressive episode, according to one recent study.

About a third of adults felt worried, nervous or anxious on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, the study found.

And that’s before COVID-19.

If you’ve counted yourself lately among the anxious or worried, take solace in knowing that mental health services are well within reach.

Spectrum Health recently unveiled an online resource for mental health services, which people can access without a doctor’s

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Fitness & Diet

Explore these 7 new reasons to garden | Health Beat

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There’s no better time than now to get into gardening. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

As gardening continues to make its comeback, people are getting used to the obvious benefits, like thriving farm markets, farm-to-table restaurants and a boost in backyard bee populations.

But there are even richer paybacks for those willing to get their hands a little dirty, even if it’s just with container plants on their patio, said Meghan Jados, a registered dietitian at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital.

Just over one in three Americans grow some kind of food, according to the National Gardening Association, the highest level in decades.

Many of them are health and eco-conscious millennials like Jados, who are embracing gardens in record numbers.

“We moved into a new house about five years ago on 3 acres,” she said. “The previous owners had a huge garden and had already done much of the work.

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