Dr. Mustafa Demir

Dr. Mustafa Demir is an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the City University of New York. He is particularly interested in law enforcement and police-community relations. He has twenty years of law enforcement experience as a police administrator, having worked for both the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Dr. Demir will present May 15th at noon SLT. He will talk about fears of terrorism, with emphasis on the effect of trust in government, laws, and policies. Most people seem to be more afraid of cyberterrorism than of other types of terrorism. Dr. Demir’s research shows that only trust in government can mediate these fears.

Dr. Manish Kumar Asthana

Dr. Manish Kumar Asthana is an associate professor of psychology at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in northern India. He is particularly interested in cognitive psychology, fear conditionings, and the emotions of stress and anxiety.

Conditioned fear is a type of learned reaction that associates a fearful reaction to a neutral stimulus, in the absence of the original reason for fear. Dr. Manish will explain how imagery-based interventions can lessen the effect of conditioned fears. His session begins May 15th at 7 a.m. SLT.

Ms. Maria Nieves

 

Ms. Maria Nieves is a practicing clinical psychologist in Brazil. She is a master’s student at the Catholic University of Pelotas in southern Brazil, where her degree will be in Behavior and Health. Her presentation topic is fear related to climate change.

Her session May 15th at 9:30 a.m. SLT is titled “Worry Related to Climate Change among Brazilian Adults.” She reminds us that it’s ok to worry about the world ending due to the climate crisis.

There is scientific consensus that global warming is happening, and anyone with access to information about climate change is potentially susceptible to experiencing an anxiety response. She explores whether those responses are pathological or just logical in the face of what's been going on.

Mr. Aman Kumar Prajapati

Mr. Aman Kumar Prajapati is an assistant professor of psychology at Invertis University Bareilly in northern India. His presentation May 15th at 8 a.m. SLT is titled “Near Death Experience and Transformation of Afterlife Belief.”

This psychological systematic review will explore how near-death experiences influence individuals’ fears and beliefs about the afterlife. It synthesizes findings across studies to reveal patterns of spiritual transformation, increased belief in life after death, and shifts in existential outlook following near-death experiences.

Conference May 15: “Facing Our Fears: Managing Anxiety about Life’s Uncertainties”

Virtual Ability’s 14th annual Mental Health Symposium will take place on May 15, 2025.  The theme of this year’s Conference is “Facing Our Fears: Managing Anxiety About Life’s Uncertainties.”

Fear is a built-in human reaction. Fear of large carnivores, fire, dark, starvation, and strangers likely contributed greatly to the survival and early evolution of humanity. The modern world has given people even more causes for fear: community violence, biased public institutions, horrific war, climate change, racism, gender violence, and artificial intelligence, among many others. Fear can at times be useful, but it can also negatively impact the quality of life for some people. Disabling fear is a treatable condition. The varied causes and levels of intrusiveness of a fear demand individualized therapeutic approaches. The broad theme of this conference allows us to look at the topic of fear from a number of different perspectives.

The Symposium will take place in the virtual world of Second Life, at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability island.  The conference will also be live-streamed on Virtual Ability’s YouTube page.

Virtual Ability hosts this annual Symposium to share information about mental health and mental disabilities with the general population. Within our cross-disability community we have members who deal with a variety of mental health issues. Not only is this an opportunity for our community members to learn more about topics related to mental health from experts they probably would not have a chance to meet otherwise, it allows the general public to attend a professional conference at no cost. The current schedule for the conference is here: https://virtualability.org/mental-health-symposium-2025/

Displays and Exhibits for Healthinfo Island for May 2025

In Second Life, you can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the SLURLs in this posting. Click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.  If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

NOTE: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. All the posters this month are about mental health.
**The 2025 Mental Health Symposium is May 15. The topic is "Facing our Fears:  Managing Anxiety about Life's Uncertainties." Two exhibits that are specific to the Symposium are #6 (Facts About Fear) and #7 (Anxiety Disorders). Check them out! Here is the symposium schedule:
https://virtualability.org/mental-health-symposium-2025/

Mental Health Awareness
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

Basic Facts About Depression
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/190/181/24

Music and Mental Health
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

How to Get Mental Health Help
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Signs and Symptoms of Poor Mental Health
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

**Facts About Fear
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

**Anxiety Disorders
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

Bipolar Disorder
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

Thank you to Mook for help with the posters this month.

How to Face a Scary Diagnosis

1. Acknowledge Your Feelings

• Your emotions are normal. Allow yourself to experience them, but in a healthy way.

2. Gather Information and Educate Yourself

• Get as much information from your medical team in print as you can. Ask for clarification of anything you don’t understand. Get a second opinion if you are uncertain, either about the diagnosis or about your ability to work well with this medical team.
• Look up additional information on your own. But beware of Dr. Google! You will find an incredible amount of information online, but not all of it (maybe not even most of it) is credible. Pay attention to the source of information. You can usually trust the webpages of official associations related to your diagnosis, and to legitimate medical and research sites.
• Collect your information into a notebook or folder. Keep it organized and updated.

3. Secure Your Support

• Create a contact list of all family members, neighbors and friends whom you consider supportive.
• Choose your contacts wisely. Some of your friends are always willing to lend a shoulder or an ear, or help out with transportation or other tasks. But there are others who are alarmists or doomsayers, or who make everything about themselves. They do not belong in your support system.
• Consider joining a support group, whether it is local in-person, online, or by phone. Chatting with people with a similar diagnosis can give you a sense of community and provide valuable insights.
• Seek support, when you need it, only from those most likely to be able to provide what you need.

4. Take a Break

• Don’t let fear get you down by letting it take over your thoughts. 
• Schedule some daily worry-free time to relax, pursue a hobby, spend time in nature, or chat with someone from your support team. 
• Perhaps getting away physically is an option, even if it’s only going out to eat or visiting a local park. Your life includes so much more than just the diagnosis.

5. Be Patient With Yourself

• Express your feelings. You might consider journaling or sharing with a supportive family member or friend.
• Concentrate on what brings purpose and meaning to your life. Stay connected with people who have a positive, optimistic outlook.
• Focus on maintaining healthy habits, including diet, exercise, and rest.
• Set realistic goals for yourself. Learn to say no and to ask for and accept help gracefully. Focus on your abilities and useful coping strategies, rather than emphasizing your limitations or “what might have been.”
• Seek professional mental health help if you need additional support.

Remember that what comforted you before the diagnosis is likely to work now.

Tips to Crush the Craving

 

Here are some tips to crush that craving: 

• Fool Your Brain! That’s where cravings start, so you can use that neurological fact to satisfy the craving in a more healthy way. That’s why, if you are trying to quit smoking, reach for a stick of gum instead of a cigarette. If you have a craving for sweets, try eating a plain baked potato. It will offer a similar serotonin boost along with healthy fiber.
• Take Your Time! If you are going to indulge the craving, do it slowly. It takes a while for your brain to become satisfied. If you eat slowly, you won’t need to eat as much before your brain sends the satiety signal.
• Hold On Just a Little Longer! If you put off indulging for five minutes (you can even set a timer), often the craving feeling will pass.
• Enjoy Yourself! If you do give in to a craving, don’t beat yourself up about it. Pleasure is important in our lives, so appreciate the occasional indulgences.

Exercise-Induced Pain

The saying “No pain, no gain” is absolutely wrong!

Most fitness experts will agree that exercise should be free of serious discomfort. Pain from physical activity usually means you’re doing it incorrectly somehow. If you continue to exercise that way, you might actually cause some physical damage.

We need to learn to distinguish between physical injury and routine mild discomfort from overdoing the activity a little. Sure, you’re going to be a little sore if you run an extra mile or pile on the reps at the weight machine. But how much discomfort is an indicator of a health problem?

Here are some ways to tell:

• Learn to monitor your body and read its messages. Compare what you are feeling now with what you have felt in the past. Is this pain something you’ve felt before? What was the outcome of this feeling?
• Any new pain, even if it is mild, is a warning sign. Stop exercising and figure out what is causing it.
• Take seriously a pain that is sharper than anything you’ve felt before or that appears suddenly in a part of the body where you’ve never had pain before. These types of new pain may indicate either an acute injury or a problem with chronic overuse. One example is Achilles tendinitis. That causes pain around the ankle that comes and goes. If you ignore it, it may progress to a torn tendon.
• Muscle soreness pain that you don’t feel until the next day is pretty common, and is due to overuse. If you touch or squeeze the achy muscle, it is tight and sensitive. To help the muscle heal, keep it moving. Stretch the muscle before exercising and massage it afterwards. This helps remove lactic acid which is produced when muscles are used. It’s the lactic acid that is causing overuse pain.
• You can fix overuse pain yourself, but if the pain lasts more than 48 hours or is so bad it’s incapacitating, seek medical attention.

Here’s to pain-free physical activity.

Tips to Organize Your Bill Paying

Do you worry you may have forgotten to pay an important bill? Do you sometimes get late payment reminders? Here’s a three-step process to stop both the worry and the late fees.

1. Set regular days and times to pay your bills. Start with something simple like the 5th, 15th and 25th of each month. Put that date in your calendar/reminder system for each month of the year!
2. Are you more of a morning dove or a night owl? Whichever you are, it’s best to schedule bill paying for the time of day when your energy is highest. BE sure that your scheduled date for bill paying (per tip #1) includes that time of day.
3. Create a separate e-mail account for e-statements. That way it will be simpler to find all the bills on each of your scheduled bill-paying dates.

These tips can save you time and money and, best of all, lower your anxiety about paying bills.

Sprouted Grains are the April Grain of the Month

The Whole Grains Council has declared sprouted grains to be the “grain of the month’ of April. That’s correct, sprouted grains aren’t a single kind of grain. But they are important food sources. The unsprouted grains we eat are dormant seeds.

All living things go through many changes when they grow. Grains are no exception. The biochemical changes that occur as grain sprouts affect both micro- and macro-nutrients. This makes the nutrition in the grain more available to the growing plant, and to us when we eat sprouted grain. Sprouted grain seeds are now a health food staple.

A grain seed consists of three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The germ is the baby plant embryo. The endosperm contains starch that the embryo can turn into sugars to feed on as it develops, before the plant can make food on its own. The bran not only protects the unsprouted grain, but also adds nutrients.

Sprouted grains are also known as malted grains. There is no definition in food regulations for “sprouted grain,” so the Cereals and Grains Association made their own definition.

“Malted or sprouted grains containing all of the original bran, germ, and endosperm shall be considered whole grains as long as sprout growth does not exceed kernel length and nutrient values have not diminished. These grains should be labeled as malted or sprouted whole grain.”

Every type of grain contains different nutrients. When sprouted, these nutrients change in ways unique to each grain type. The results also depend on germination conditions such as light, temperature and time. In all cases, the nutrients in the grain become more bio-available.

The starch in the endosperm is broken down by plant enzymes into simple sugars that are more easily digested. Proteins are broken down by plant enzymes into peptides and amino acids. The gluten protein in barley, rye, and wheat is “pre-digested” by plant enzymes in the sprouting seeds. People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity may be less reactive to the gluten in sprouted seeds.

Sprouted seeds also contain less phytate. This is a common chemical in plant foods that binds some minerals, making them less available in the diet. Sprouting decreases the amount of phytate in the seed, making phosphorus and other minerals easier to absorb.

Sprouted grains generally cook faster than unsprouted grains, because of the changes that have occurred within the seed.

Sprouted seeds may be dried and ground into flour. This flour acts a little differently from regular grain flour, in that the gluten bonds are stronger. That means less kneading is necessary. Fermentation is more rapid, reducing rise times. Products made with sprouted grain flour have a longer shelf life.

Ready to try some sprouted grain recipes? Here are some links.

How to Make Sprouted Grains - https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-sprouted-grains-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-204466

Sprouted Whole Grains - https://savoringtoday.com/category/soaked-sprouted-grain/

Homemade Ezekiel Bread - https://littlebitesofjoy.com/home-made-ezekiel-bread/

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for April 2025

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the SLURLs in this posting. In Second Life, click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images. If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

April 25 is World Malaria Day

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

Fat Facts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

Measles in Adults
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

April is National Garlic Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

Feeding a Healthy Brain
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32

Why is March 24 World TB Day?

The date, March 24th, marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). His research opened the way toward diagnosing and curing this disease.  Tuberculosis is the world's leading infectious disease killer, causing more deaths each year than malaria or AIDS.  It kills 3 people every minute. However, tuberculosis is preventable and curable.  Although the bacteria that causes TB is becoming more and more drug resistant, there is a vaccine against TB.

To learn more and spread awareness of this preventable killer, please see: 

• https://www.cdc.gov/world-tb-day/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/default.htm
• https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day
• https://www.stoptb.org/advocate-to-endtb/world-tb-day

Why is March 21 World Down Syndrome Day?

Human DNA consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes… for most people. People with Down Syndrome have an extra 21st chromosome, making 3 copies not 2. Therefore, the awareness day for Down Syndrome is March (3rd month) 21, to signify the third 21st chromosome.  On March 21, join the "Lots of Socks” campaign. Wear your craziest or mismatched socks to engage people in conversations about Down Syndrome. Here are some Down Syndrome sock sources:

• https://lotsofsocks.worlddownsyndromeday.org/en-us/collections/lotsofsocks-socks
• https://johnscrazysocks.com/products/world-down-syndrome-day-crew-socks

People with Down Syndrome have a wide range of physical and mental capabilities, and must deal with a large ombre of health and life challenges. It is important to not stereotype this diverse group of individuals.

To learn more about Down Syndrome:

• Down Syndrome International https://www.ds-int.org/
• (US) National Down Syndrome Society https://ndss.org/
• (UK) Down’s Syndrome Association https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/
• Canadian Down Syndrome Society https://cdss.ca/
• Down Syndrome Australia https://www.downsyndrome.org.au/ 

Reasonable accommodation at work?

The ADA explains that your employer must give you reasonable accommodations unless that would pose an undoable hardship. Most accommodations are obvious and are cheap or free to implement. You don't have to accept the first accommodation your employer offers, if it doesn't work for you. But sometimes you and your employer can't seem to find a good accommodation. What can you do then? 

It will help to look at the accommodations you have already tried, to see why they would not work. Brainstorming potential accommodations with an outside resource, such as JAN, Vocational Rehabilitation, or a job coach may turn up additional possibilities. Maybe it’s time to do a trial accommodation with one of their suggestions. 

Another option if you can’t be accommodated in your present job, a possible solution would be reassignment to a vacant job, or the creation of an entirely new job.

 

Quinoa is the March Grain of the Month

The Whole Grains Council has declared QUINOA to be the grain of the month of March.

Quinoa is not as well-known as other grains. It is a native of the Andes in South America, and it isn’t even really a grain! It is considered a pseudo grain, a member of the same plant family as spinach and Swiss chard. Pseudo grains are similar in nutrition and culinary use to true grains.

Quinoa is a very diverse plant, making it adaptable to a wide range of cultivation environments. It grows best, though, in cooler high-altitude environments. A major crop in the time of the Incas and an important food for poor communities up to the present century, quinoa is now mainly produced by small farmers and growing associations in Peru and Bolivia. The UN declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa to celebrate recognition of its potential to improve worldwide health.

Quinoa is a tall plant; it can become up to nine feet (almost 3 meters) tall! The seeds of quinoa come in a variety of colors, including white, red, and black. Since the seeds mature at different rates, harvesting is done by hand, a labor-intensive process. Mechanized harvesting of quinoa is difficult. During processing before packaging, quinoa seeds are rinsed to remove the bitter-tasting saponincoating that protects the plant from insect pests.

Quinoa is one of few plant foods that provides complete protein. It offers all nine essential amino acids. It is rich in antioxidants and helps you feel fuller for a longer time. Quinoa also has a very high ratio of protein to carbohydrate in its germ; protein is about sixty percent of the germ in quinoa, while only about three percent in wheat. And quinoa is gluten-free, a boon for people with celiac disease.

Quinoa seeds are generally washed in a sieve before being boiled. Each cup of raw quinoa seeds will turn into about 3 cups when boiled for 12-15 minutes. Cooked quinoa is chewy, and has a slightly nutty flavor. It is often used as the base for both warm and cold salads, and is common in Latin American recipes.

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for March 2025

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits in Second Life using the SLURLs in this posting. While there, click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.  If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

You may want to start here this month: How to Be More Optimistic
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30 

Misinformation About Science
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

Lumpectomy
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

Red No. 3
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

Young Men Get Colon Cancer
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Medications for Type 2 Diabetes
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

Get the Most Out of Probiotics
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

Climate Change Conclusions
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32 

Job Accommodations Have Low Cost and High Impact

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to offer accommodations for employees with disabilities who request them in order to enable them to do their jobs. Some employers push back against these requests, saying that they will be too expensive or probably won’t be effective. Both arguments are false, as shown in a recent report published by the Job Accommodation Network.

The report surveyed employers from 2019 to 2023. Results include:

• Almost half (49.4%) of accommodations incurred no cost.
• The one-time median cost for 43.3% of accommodations cost $300.
• 68.4% of employers felt the accommodations were extremely or very effective; 18.3% of employers felt the accommodations were somewhat effective.
• Effectiveness was defined as leading to direct or indirect benefits such as improved employee retention, productivity and morale, reduced workers’ compensation costs, and improved workplace diversity.

Consider sharing these results with your employer when asking for ADA accommodations.

Let’s Participate in Research

Isn’t research done by … researchers?

Well, yes, research is designed and conducted by researchers, but research subjects are an important part of a research project.

Why would anyone want to be a research subject? None of the healthcare advances we rely on would have been possible without people volunteering to be part of research studies of the safety and effectiveness of new medications and therapies. While research subjects may not personally benefit from the research findings, others will.

All legitimate research studies are carried out under the review and approval of an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB is responsible for ensuring that the rights and welfare of all research subjects are respected in the design and during the conduct of the study.

Before participating in a research study, you will be fully informed about the purpose of the research, what your participation will be, and any risks or benefits of the study from your participation. This is called informed consent.

Studies vary widely. Some are simply questionnaires. These you can usually do from home via your computer. Other studies involve working with medical professionals to try out newly developed medications or therapies. You may need to commit to going to a laboratory or doctor’s office a certain number of times. Because this type of study is more time intensive, you will most likely be compensated for participating.

You will want to weigh the risks and benefits as you decide whether to participate. If you do decide to participate in a study, remember, you can leave at any time during the process.

Once you have decided that you’re willing to be part of a research study, how do you find one to volunteer with?

Many research studies are disability-specific. Perhaps the simplest way to find out about these opportunities is to consult the national organization that supports your particular disability. Most of these large organizations maintain lists of current research studies that their members might wish to assist with.

For instance, the Amputee Coalition publishes this list online:

https://amputee-coalition.org/research/volunteer-research-opportunities/

The type of studies listed ranges from a survey about amputees’ experiences with showering and bathing prostheses (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AC_bathingprostheses ), to a 4-visit laboratory study of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on persons with transtibial amputation ( https://amputee-coalition.org/research/volunteer-research-opportunities/ ).

Other organizations maintain databases of research studies. A few are listed below. The World Health Organization maintains an International Clinical Trials Registry Platform:

https://www.who.int/clinical-trials-registry-platform

The US government maintains a similar international listing here:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/

The European Union maintains a list of clinical trials here:

https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search

For clinical trials in Africa, please see:

https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/GIS_Viewer.aspx

For more examples of research studies you might qualify to participate in, check out the posters in the Research Pavilion on Healthinfo Island. Click the poster to find out about the study and how to apply.

Here is the SLURL:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/119/203/30

You will also find information about the design and operation of clinical trial studies in the Research Pavilion here:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/130/217/30