Dementia coverage: Hope vs hype
There’s a spark of hope for the almost 750,000 Canadians who are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia with the introduction new medications—or so we think!
Promising the ability to delay the onslaught of disease with marketing style headlines like “game-changer” and “revolutionary advance” news of potential treatments can be encouraging when you’re out of options. Unfortunately, however, media write ups may not tell the whole story. Some physicians are warning that the difference between these medications and placebos (or sugar pills) in effectiveness is moderate. As well, the side effects for users might have long-term considerations or lead to the need constant medical tests, injections, and risk of brain-swelling or bleeding, These will not only be costly, but potentially add stress for patients and caregivers in return for minimal results.
Truthfulness in medical breakthrough news, especially when overwhelmingly positive calls for the checking of sources, sample sizes and peer reviews (most reputable articles are). Also, it’s wise to find out if the author has any financial connections that could be influencing the information being presented. (who really profits off of this)? And, if course, its recommended that you seek the advice of your own doctor.
Source: alz.org/ca
Worldwide loss of man’s precious bodily fluid
Recently a shocking decline in men’s ability to reproduce has been reported. Sperm levels have been decreasing in men worldwide since the beginning of the century with the blame sitting, for some, with the rise of microplastics.
Latest warnings arising from data showing men’s sperm counts decreasing by an alarming 50% recently. Some see this as a business opportunity, with the launch of comp There is debate amongst the scientific community, claiming some recent reports are fueled by alarmism. Their many voices stem from diverse opinions and biases around reproduction that are driven by a range of motivators, whether it’s political views, environmental worry or economic drive tied to the marketing of ‘at-home-sperm-testing kits’, the opening of fertility clinics and men pre-emptively freezing their sperm.
People with an environmental bent may see sperm decline as population control—less people… less environmental strain. A economically driven person may see lower birth rates as a decline of monetary growth. But for the every-man, this situation and its cause, may be worry some.
The final word. It’s hard to sort the noise from the truth but the message is clear, fertility rates are an issue that face men too.
Source: nymag.com
The autistic experience of an in person staff meeting
“This meeting could’ve been an e-mail” is a common refrain that I’ve heard a lot. But many beyond our community do not understand the stress, anxiety, and inner turmoil that participating live in work meetings causes. Employees often report fear of being judged as not being seen as a ‘team player’ or ‘on top of your work” and for many people living with autism, these meetings- and many other parts of daily work-are a recipe for disaster.
It’s a war for talent in right now in the job market. Yet many trained adults with autism are unemployed. (Autistic adults have an employment rate in Canada of only 14.3 percent) Considering the majority of higher functioning adults with autism are said to be deeply skilled in S.T.E.M. subjects they present an untapped resource? Why aren’t they getting hired?
People with autism struggle to fit in with the status quo, and try not to rock the boat. The data shows that most workplaces however, reward neurotypical behaviour without realizing the bias in their work expectations and system set up. (Propensity for live meetings is a good example). There are also few accommodations available in workplaces so autistic employees struggle to manage with little accommodation.
Adults with autism have the lowest employment rate in Canada. Our attitudes must shift in how we view a ‘good worker’, One size does not fit all.
Source: medium.com
