Month: March 2024

2024-03-02T02:01:00

(BPT) – Summer means school’s out, but that doesn’t mean your student has to stop learning. High school students can make the most of their summer by applying to an online summer program. Students who participate in a virtual summer program can explore new subjects and expand their skills while still leaving plenty of downtime to enjoy the warmer months.

Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes, a summer enrichment program, offers intensive study of a single online course that can feed the passions and intellect of curious students. Not only does a virtual summer program give students unique academic experiences, but such programs also provide memorable experiences they’ll carry with them for years to come.

If your student is on the fence about taking an online summer course, check out the program’s top five reasons to apply.

1. Accessible education

When it comes to accessibility, online summer programs can’t be beat! Instead of traveling to a different country or flying your student to a different state, bring summer education to you. Virtual summer classes allow students to focus on learning from the comfort of home, with no travel required. Online programs also tend to cost less than on-campus day or boarding summer programs, allowing more students access to a quality education.

2. Smaller classes

Summer classes held in large lecture halls make it difficult for students to receive personalized attention. However, online programs often offer smaller classes, so instructors can focus on each student’s needs. Small online classes can also foster a more interactive environment where students can engage with peers and instructors for a more enriching learning experience.

3. College-level academics

High school students should use their summer time meaningfully. Online summer programs offer rigorous academic content that can prepare your student for future higher education. Whether they explore a new, interesting subject or deepen their knowledge of a core subject, such studies can set students up for future academic success.

4. Global community

Online summer programs connect your student to a vibrant global community where they can meet peers from different backgrounds and cultures. By collaborating with students from around the world, they’ll gain new perspectives and broaden horizons that may not be accessible in their hometown. Some peers may even become lifelong friends!

5. Student life

In addition to engaging small class sessions, these programs offer fun outside of class. Student life activities may include virtual social events, community engagement opportunities and workshops on topics like health, wellness and leadership. These extracurricular activities create a well-rounded educational experience that goes beyond the classroom.

Don’t let summer opportunities slip by! Your student should apply to one of Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes’ online summer courses. Get a taste of a college classroom experience that challenges students with advanced content not typically found in the high school curriculum.

All classes are taught by knowledgeable instructors who are passionate about their academic disciplines and committed to teaching high school students in an interactive online environment. To learn more about Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes classes and more, visit summerinstitutes.spcs.stanford.edu.

2024-03-01T17:51:34

(BPT) – More and more people are keeping heart health in mind when deciding what’s for dinner. With heart disease being one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., it’s no surprise.¹ And it couldn’t be more important. However, leading health experts associated with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans note that following a healthy dietary pattern, which includes nuts like walnuts, can help people achieve and maintain well-being and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease.²

Three decades of studies have demonstrated that walnuts can support cardiovascular health. Their nutritional profile makes them a delicious and convenient option for supporting heart health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved walnuts as one of the first qualified health claims for a whole food 20 years ago and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic also supports walnuts as a heart health-supporting food, confirming that eating nuts, particularly walnuts, is beneficial for your heart.³ Research suggests that regularly eating a healthy diet that includes nuts may reduce the risk of early death due to heart disease.

Why are walnuts good for your heart, and how should you incorporate them into your diet? Here are some fast walnut facts from California Walnuts, including more reasons to eat a handful of walnuts every day and ways to make it easier to do so.

• Since 1993, published research has been investigating how eating walnuts affects various heart health markers such as LDL (“bad”) and HDL (“good”) cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation and plaque formation.
• The American Heart Association certifies California Walnuts with their Heart-Check mark⁴ — a distinction that easily identifies foods that meet the nutritional standards set by the American Heart Association.
  
• One ounce of walnuts includes important nutrients for optimal health including 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat and 13g of polyunsaturated fat including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid. Walnuts are the only nut with an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3 ALA, an essential fatty acid that may play a role in heart health.^5,6
  
• Walnuts are versatile, making a great grab-and-go snack or delicious addition to a meal.
• Here’s an easy way to estimate how much is the right daily serving of walnuts: Grab a handful (~1 oz.) and you’ve got it right.
• Keep walnuts in the fridge to keep them fresh. A great home for them is in a sealed container in your deli drawer.

To inspire you to include walnuts in your next meal, here’s a delicious side dish that has earned the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark for meeting their criteria for a heart-healthy recipe. It’s a perfect example of how walnuts can elevate the taste and nutritional value of your meals.

Roasted Vegetables with Walnuts, Basil and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Brighten up your dinner table and help your heart with this colorful dish!

Ingredients

• 1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 small orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes, separated
• 4 ounces baby Portobello mushrooms, halved
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 small yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, snipped (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil, added with olive oil)
• 1/2 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and salt (and dried basil, if using). Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet, making sure not to crowd the vegetables. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. Add snap peas, zucchini, yellow squash and garlic, stir slightly. Top with walnuts and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more or until all vegetables are crisp-tender and walnuts are toasted.
3. Drizzle with balsamic and toss well. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve!

For more information, or to find more delicious recipes, visit walnuts.org/american-heart-month.

References:

1. Tsao, C. et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2023 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023;147:e93–e621. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001123

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

3. One ounce of walnuts provides 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13 g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5 grams of alpha linolenic acid, the plant based omega-3; 2g of fiber; 4g of protein. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces per day of walnuts, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

4. California walnuts are certified by the American Heart Association per one ounce serving. Heart-Check Certification does not apply to scientific research by an organization other than the American Heart Association, unless expressly stated.

5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. Fdc.nal.usda.gov.

6. Sala-Vila A, Fleming J, Kris-Etherton P, Ros E. Impact of α-Linolenic Acid, the Vegetable ω-3 Fatty Acid, on Cardiovascular Disease and Cognition. Adv Nutr. 2022 Oct 2;13(5):1584-1602. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac016. PMID: 35170723; PMCID: PMC9526859.

2024-03-01T10:31:00

(BPT) – Women veterans are dying by suicide at an alarming rate. Between 2020 and 2021, suicide rates among women veterans jumped 24.1%; that’s nearly four times higher than the increase among male veterans and vastly higher than that among non-veteran women, according to a new report released by DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

While there are many factors that contribute to the rise in suicide rates among women veterans, one consistent cause is military sexual trauma (MST), which includes sexual assault or sexual harassment at any point during military service. Among veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 1 in 3 women report experiencing MST.

Ginger MacCutcheon, a veteran of the Women’s Army Corps, survived several violent sexual assaults while in service. She kept what happened to herself for decades, through abusive relationships, periods of suicidal ideation, and even two suicide attempts. Then one day during a volunteer event, something triggered post-traumatic stress symptoms for MacCutcheon, and a fellow veteran took notice.

“He actually took me and signed me up for VA health care, and that was the first time I got any help,” she said. “I was grateful how the VA ‘rallied’ around me and got me into counseling, but if I had just gotten treatment earlier in my life it could have saved me from years of self-destruction and misery.”

DAV’s new report, Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness, takes a deep dive into the unique factors that have contributed to a surge in suicide rates among women veterans and offers informed recommendations to fill mental health care gaps that still exist.

“Women veterans face many unique challenges that when combined with their service, puts them at greater risk for suicide. That’s why it’s imperative that the VA, Congress and advocates turn their focus to creating a tailored, thoughtful approach to filling the gaps in mental health care for this population,” explained DAV National Legislative Director Joy Ilem.

Navy veteran Jennifer Alvarado suffered years of intimate partner violence and repeat military sexual trauma before she sought help. “I felt lost in a lot of ways, and I had to dig myself out of a very dark place while I was trying to be an exceptional sailor and wear my uniform with pride,” she said. “It was almost like I was living a double life.”

According to the VA, nearly 1 in 5 women veterans using VA care reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year.

When Alvarado turned to her leadership for help with the violence she was experiencing at home, she said she was met with sexual harassment at work. “I felt shame to begin with, but I felt even more shame when I reached out for help,” she said. By the time she left the Navy, Alvarado said her life was chaotic and unstable. At times, she found solace in drinking and, during one phase in her life, she considered suicide.

For many women veterans, sexual harassment and assault, in combination with stress from military service and other factors, can push them to a breaking point.

Alvarado’s hope is that no veteran experiences what she did. She said the VA must regain the trust of women veterans and make sure they know what resources are available to them. “Women veterans need to feel confident that they are going to get the care that they need and deserve.”

For more information and free assistance with VA healthcare and support services, visit dav.org.

2024-03-01T16:01:01

(BPT) – Do you love to get out in the world and visit new places, but often find yourself feeling uncomfortable while you’re en route to your destinations due to nausea? Unfortunately, many conditions — whether internal or external — can lead to unpleasant feelings of nausea, the most common being motion sickness.

Whether you’re flying, driving, on a train, a bus or a cruise ship, any kind of motion can leave you or other members of your family feeling queasy and unhappy. In addition, nausea can also be caused — or made worse — by many kinds of medications you may be taking, or may be due to migraines, morning sickness, hangovers or even stress and anxiety before and during your travels.

But whatever the causes may be, those feelings of nausea can put a real damper on your long-awaited trip, spoiling the journey you were anticipating with such excitement and enthusiasm.

The solution: A non-medication form of nausea relief

Although there are a number of medications available on the market that claim to target nausea, you may find that some of them can also cause other side effects that could make you feel worse.

If you’d prefer to find an effective non-medication solution to help you prevent nausea while you’re traveling, you may want to try specially designed wrist bands from Sea-Band Nausea Relief, which stimulate an exact acupressure point on your wrist by a plastic stud attached to the inside of the band.

This specific acupressure point in the wrist is called the P6 (or Nei Guan in Chinese medicine), and it can help relieve your nausea and upset stomach when pressure is applied. All you have to do is adjust the soft and comfortable wrist band to fit snugly on your wrist to help relieve feelings of nausea within minutes.

New product that’s suitable for any size wrist

If you worry that these bands won’t fit your wrists, or you’ve already tried them and they felt too snug for optimal comfort, Sea-Band has created a new size to help expand their use for everybody: XL Adult Sea-Bands. This new size is suitable for wrists with a circumference of 8 inches or more. Each pack contains one pair of XL acupressure wrist bands, one to be worn on each wrist, that can also stretch more to provide even more comfort.

You can learn more about them and order a couple of pairs online just in time for your next vacation at Sea-Band.com.

To Antarctica — and beyond

The top travel media brand Travel + Leisure has recently named Sea-Band as the “Best Non-medicated Seasickness Prevention” to stash in your luggage for The Ultimate Antarctica Packing List. So if you’re planning a trip to Antarctica — or anywhere else, for that matter — be sure to pack along some Sea-Band wrist bands of whichever size suits you best to help you enjoy every trip you take, nausea-free.

Planning a family or group adventure? You can purchase a couple of bundles that are available from their website only, such as their Family Pack or Large Family Pack, which provides you with both Adult and Kids wrist bands, along with Ginger Capsules and Ginger Gum to further help with relieving symptoms of nausea while you’re on the road, at sea or in the air. Bon voyage!