October 8 is National Depression Screening Day

Man holding a red unhappy face sign

Over 16 million American adults are affected by major depression each year. But only a third of those with severe depression seek appropriate treatment, perhaps because they do not know that it is affecting them, or they believe that this feeling is “just a normal part of life.”

Clinical depression is a serious mental illness that can complicate other medical conditions. It can also lead to suicide if not treated. With so many adults dealing with depression, it is important to recognize the impact of this disabling condition, not only on the person dealing with it directly, but also on family, friends, and coworkers. Clinical depression can affect anyone.

National Depression Screening Day is held every year on October 8 as part of Mental Illness Awareness Week. Increased awareness of mental illnesses such as depression can fight stigma and help those with the condition recognize that they are not alone.

Major depression is a type of mental illness; it is not simply feeling sad or down. Know the symptoms of major depressive disorder. If you have several of these symptoms, consider taking a free anonymousonline depression screening test.

However, remember that online tests are not professional diagnoses. Share the results of an online test with a medical professional for appropriate follow up on your mental health concerns.

Screening for depression is the first step toward getting appropriate care.

TIP - How to Tell if Eggs are Fresh

Fresh chicken egg cracked out of its shell

Your grandmother may have had to check the freshness of farm eggs by dunking them, still in their shells, into water. The belief was that fresh eggs would sink and eggs you would not want to cook or eat would float.

This old wives’ tale is not entirely accurate, however. It is true that the air cell inside the eggshell enlarges as the egg ages. But floating eggs may still be safe to eat. Crack the egg into a bowl and check its appearance and smell before deciding whether to use or discard it. A spoiled egg has a distinctive sulfur-like odor known as “rotten egg smell.” If the egg smells OK, it is likely safe to cook with.

There is a better way to check the freshness of eggs you get from the grocery. Check the egg carton!

Eggs packed at plants that are under US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection have a pack-date number on the carton. These 3-digit numbers (called Julian dates) range from 001 to 365, and indicate the date (from January 1 through December 31) that the eggs were packaged. The American Egg Board states that raw eggs stored in their cartons in the refrigerator are safe to eat for four to five weeks beyond the Julian date.

Egg packing at plants not under USDA inspection comes under state laws for labeling. Most require a Sell-By or EXP date, which is a direction to the store, but is also the consumer’s guarantee of freshness for a couple of weeks past that date.

For a downloadable infographic explaining Julian and Sell-By dates and many other labels found on egg cartons, please see: https://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-types-packaging.

Things to Do - Oct 6-10 Eggstravaganza Virtual Family Week

A very full nest of eggs

It used to be that we felt we could not eat many eggs because the yolks contain cholesterol. Now we know that saturated fat, not dietary cholesterol, has a great effect on blood cholesterol and thus the risk of stroke and heart attack.

In fact, research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in April 2020 reviewed the effect of eggs in the diet on 177,000 people in 50 different countries. The researchers found no association between those who ate an average of more than an egg a day compared to those who ate less than one egg per week on measures such as blood lipids, mortality, and major cardiovascular disease events. Moderate egg consumption is safe!

Manitoba (Canada) Egg Farmers is sponsoring a five-day Eggstravaganza! Starting Tuesday, October 6, each day offers a fun family activity. On the 6th, learn to cook classic deviled eggs with dietitian Carla D’Andreamatteo and her daughter. Carla has worked with Virtual Ability in the past on a nutrition education research project. She also did a presentation on Healthinfo Island during the Women in Science celebration.

There is a Twitter Party for adults on the 7th and TWO fun events for kids on the 8th. Learn magic tricks you can do at home on YouTube at 8am SLT with magician Cary Tardi. At 5pm SLT attend a party with Elsa, Spiderman, and your children on Zoom.

Friday, Oct 9, which is World Egg Day, Canadian egg farmers answer your questions about hens, eggs, and egg farming. This special week ends on Saturday with a virtual tour of a working egg farm

If that’s not enough family activities about eggs, your kids can sign up for a free fun egg-tivity kit that contains an activity for each day of the Eggstravaganza week.

Support Virtual Ability When You Shop at Amazon

If you are one of the many people who use Amazon.com, you can support Virtual Ability every time you shop. Just use https://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-0613580 to launch Amazon instead of the usual “www.Amazon.com”, and Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase price to Virtual Ability, Inc.® There is no additional cost to you (or to VAI) whatsoever. 

Virtual Ability uses the funds generated by this program to help pay for our community services, including our Second Life islands. 

Just remember to use this link when you sign into Amazon, and you will be directly helping us! 

 

How does AmazonSmile work? 

When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the customer’s selected charitable organization. 

What is the AmazonSmile Foundation? 

The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile. 

Can Virtual Ability tell what I purchased? 

No. All we get is a donation deposit every few months. We have no way to be able to tell who has participated or what they have purchased.