For full disclosure, this certainly isn’t to say that smoking marijuana will protect you from COVID-19. It’s not the reason why a person gets COVID either. Generally, it doesn’t have anything to do with cannabis. Regardless of your view on cannabis, the results are intriguing. But can cannabis be used as a treatment for Covid-19?
SARS-CoV-2
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or the COVID-19 pandemic includes at least 272 million cases worldwide. It has resulted in 5.3 million deaths, and over 600 000 new cases daily as of December 2021. Its crown-like protrusions on its outer surface characterize it.
SARS-CoV-2 features RNA strands that encode its four main structural proteins. It has a spike, envelope, membrane, nucleocapsid, 16 nonstructural proteins, and several “accessory” proteins.
These proteins bind to the host cell by recognizing the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is a homolog of ACE. It then converts angiotensin I to angiotensin 1–9. The ACE2 is distributed mainly in the lung, intestine, heart, and kidney, and alveolar epithelial type II cells are the principal expressing cells.
ACE2 is also a known receptor for SARS-CoV. The S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV S protein binds with ACE2 to promote the formation of endosomes, which triggers viral fusion activity under low pH [1].
Is it possible to use cannabis as a treatment for COVID-19?
This study was published in the Journal of Natural products. The Oregon State University (OSU) research shows hemp compounds prevent coronavirus. It shows that it prevents it from entering human cells.
Findings of the study led by Richard van Breemen at OSU found a pair of cannabinoid acids. It binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It is blocking a critical step in the virus’s process to infect people [2].
The compounds are cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, which inhibit the same spike protein.
This compound is the drug target used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and many hemp extracts. But, it doesn’t have any controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Richard van Breemen demonstrated through research that they were effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2. It also includes variant B.1.1.7. It was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351 was first seen in South Africa.”
When researchers created antiviral interventions, any part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target. It targets the spike protein means cell entry inhibitor. It blocks and shortens infection by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells. In addition to that, binding to spike proteins will prevent the spike from binding to ACE2 enzymes.
The Research Method
Van Breemen’s team used affinity selection–mass spectrometric (AS-MS). It is a discovery of natural ligands to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It ranked these cannabinoid ligands by affinity to the spike protein. As two CBDA and CGBA have the highest relationships and proves to block infection.
AS-MS involves incubating an important receptor like the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This protein with a mixture of possible ligands such as a botanical extract.
The ligand-receptor complexes separate from nonbinding molecules using one of several methods. These are ultrafiltration, size exclusion, or magnetic microbeads. The ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was used to characterize the affinity-extracted ligands.
“Our earlier research reported on discovering another compound, one from licorice, that binds to the spike protein too,” he said. “However, we did not test that compound, licochalcone A, for activity against the live virus. We need new funding for that.” Licorice is an herb that grows in parts of Europe and Asia.
Fun fact: In November 2017, The World Health Organization announced that CBD showed no evidence of abuse or dependence potential in humans. There is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with using pure CBD.
In January 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its prohibited list, no longer banning its use by athletes.
Cannabis and the Cytokine Storm
One of the main events that occur in patients with COVID-19 is a “cytokine storm.” A cytokine storm is when your body releases pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to increased inflammation.
Cytokines are small proteins released by many different cells in the body. This includes those of the immune system, which coordinates the body’s response to infection.
Unfortunately, excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released in some patients. Similarly, it activates more immune cells, resulting in hyperinflammation. It can seriously harm or even kill the patient.
What happens is COVID patients suffer from lung fibrosis. It is an untreatable condition that leaves lung tissue scarred. This makes it more difficult for them to breathe.
C.Sativa is a type of cannabis in a cytokine storm study to reduce multiple cytokines and pathways related to inflammation and fibrosis.
Two of the cytokines that C.Sativa facilitated were TNFa and IL-6. These are the main targets when trying to block a COVID-19 cytokine storm.
A 2020 mouse-model study found that CBD, an active cannabinoid compound found in cannabis, the results suggests a potential protective role for CBD during ARDS.
It can extend CBD as part of the treatment of COVID-19 by reducing the cytokine storm, protecting pulmonary tissues, and re-establishing inflammatory homeostasis [3].
How Else Could Cannabis Benefit COVID-19 Patients?
The symptoms of COVID-19 include body aches, sore throat, headaches, and pain. Research shows that Cannabis can help treat these symptoms.
In a study in 2018, 2,032 medical cannabis users have examined. These ranging from 21 illnesses treated with Cannabis showed promising results. It has shown significant potential as a pain reliever. Its potency showed its ability to increase serotonin effects, a neurotransmitter that can induce pain relief [4].
The endocannabinoid system distributes throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. It is a part of the inflammatory and pain processing. It also plays physiological regulatory roles across every organ system.
This system interacts within its pathways and major endogenous pain pathways. It includes inflammatory, endorphin/enkephalin. THC is 20 times more anti-inflammatory than aspirin. It is also twice as anti-inflammatory as hydrocortisone. It has well-documented analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits. This includes arthritic and inflammatory conditions.
The CB1 and CB2 Receptors
The CB1 receptor is the most abundant G protein-coupled receptor in the brain. It is also one of the most productive in peripheral and central nervous systems.
CB1 receptors connect to the presynaptic peripheral and central nerve terminals. They’re found through the anatomical pain pathways. These receptors are also present in other neurological central and peripheral locations. The CB1 receptor with the “high” felt with some cannabis strains.
These receptors are within the peripheral tissues and immune cells. It helps the release cytokines, chemokines, and cell migration, including neutrophils and macrophages. Some are present in the central nervous system. It may also contribute to pain relief by dopamine release modulation.
Anxiety
For many COVID-19 Patients and patients in general, hospitalization can be stressful. As WHO stated, there aren’t any physical dependencies associated with CBD. They believe that the compound could help reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Besides that, CBD can increase serotonin activity and lower cortisol levels.
Reducing these chemicals is helpful for anxiety management as serotonin reduces anxiety. Cortisol is a stress hormone at higher levels in patients with anxiety and depression [5]. In a 2019 Double-blinded placebo trial with CBD. They took 37 18-19 Japanese teenagers with social anxiety disorder.
One group (N=17) took 300mg of CBD for four weeks, the other group took a placebo (N=20). The results state that CBD could be a practical option to treat social anxiety.
Watch the full Episode 86 and learn more about how CBD can help Covid by clicking here 👇
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 0:52 Sponsor Ads 2:01 Cup of Nurses Introduction 3:35 Episode Introduction 10:29 SARS Cov-2 Update 13:38 Is it possible to use cannabis as a treatment for COVID-19? 14:57 The Research Method by Van Breemen’s Team 21:23 How We Should Deal with C19 Vaccines 24:34 Fun Fact About the Use of CBD 25:08 Cannabis and the Cytokine Storm 31:48 What is C. Sativa? The compound in the Cytokine storm. 33:03 Mouse-Model Study of CBD 33:54 How else could Cannabis benefit COVID-19 Patients? 42:12 The CB1 and CB2 Receptors
Taking care of your heart health is essential so you can avoid developing cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease can refer to a number of conditions. These are the following [1]:
Heart Disease
Heart and blood vessel disease (also called heart disease). It includes many problems, many related to atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. Also, the buildup narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can block the blood flow, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when a blood clot blocks the blood flow to a part of the heart. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the role of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die.
Most people survive their first heart attack and return to their everyday lives. But experiencing a heart attack does mean that you need to make some changes.
The medications and lifestyle changes that your doctor recommends may vary. This depends on the damage to your heart and to what degree heart disease caused the attack.
A complete blockage of a coronary artery means you suffered a “STEMI” heart attack. It is also known as ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Partial blockage is an “NSTEMI” heart attack or a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
Angioplasty: Special tubing with an attached deflated balloon is threaded up to the coronary arteries.
Angioplasty, Laser: Similar to angioplasty except that the catheter has a laser tip that opens the blocked artery.
Artificial heart valve surgery: Replaces an abnormal or diseased heart valve with a healthy one.
Atherectomy: Similar to angioplasty except that the catheter has a rotating shaver on its tip to cut away plaque from the artery.
Bypass surgery: Treats blocked heart arteries by creating new passages for blood to flow to your heart muscle.
Cardiomyoplasty: An experimental procedure in which skeletal muscles are taken from a patient’s back or abdomen.
Heart transplant: Removes a diseased heart and replaces it with a donated healthy human heart.
Radiofrequency ablation: A catheter with an electrode at its tip is guided through the veins to the heart muscle to destroy carefully selected heart muscle cells in a very small area.
Stent procedure: A stent is a wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty.
Transmyocardial revascularization (TMR): A laser is used to drill a series of holes from the outside of the heart into the heart’s pumping chamber.
Stroke
An ischemic stroke (the most common type) occurs when a blood vessel that feeds the brain gets blocked. It is usually from a blood clot.
When the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off, some brain cells will begin to die. It can lose functions controlled by that part of the brain, such as walking or talking.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel within the brain bursts. It is most often caused by uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure).
Some effects of stroke are permanent if too many brain cells die after lacking oxygen. These cells are never replaced.
The good news is that sometimes brain cells don’t die during the stroke — instead, the damage is temporary. Over time, as injured cells repair themselves, impaired function improves. (In other cases, intact brain cells nearby may take over for the damaged brain areas.)
Either way, strength may return, speech may improve, and memory may improve. This recovery process is what stroke rehabilitation is all about.
Treatment
Gold standard treatment is tissue plasminogen activator, r-tPA (alteplase). It is given 3 hrs after the last normal some situations allow for 4.5 hrs.
Another treatment is called an endovascular procedure or a mechanical thrombectomy. It is a recommended option that can help remove a clot in eligible patients. Those with a large vessel occlusion or LVO are usually prioritized.
In this procedure, doctors use a wire-cage device called a stent retriever. They thread a catheter through an artery in the groin up to the blocked artery in the brain. The stent opens and grabs the clot. Special suction tubes may also remove the clot.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is sometimes called congestive heart failure. It means the heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should. But, heart failure does not mean that the heart stops beating — that’s a common misperception.
Instead, the heart keeps working, but the body’s need for blood and oxygen isn’t met. Heart failure can get worse if left untreated. If your loved one has heart failure, it’s vital to follow the doctor’s orders.
Treatments
Coronary bypass surgery. Blocked arteries can causeheart failure. To clear this, your doctor may recommend coronary artery bypass surgery. The procedure involves taking a healthy blood vessel from your leg, arm, or chest. The blood vessel is then connected below and above the blocked arteries Omit heart. This new pathway improves blood flow to your heart muscle.
Heart valve repair or replacement. If a faulty heart valve causes your heart failure, the valve needs to be repaired or replaced. Surgeons can repair the valve by reconnecting valve flaps. It can also be by removing excess valve tissue so that the leaflet closes. Sometimes, fixing the valve includes tightening or replacing the ring around the valve.
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). An ICD is used to prevent complications of heart failure. It isn’t a treatment for heart failure itself, but it is like a pacemaker. It is implanted under the skin in your chest with wires leading through your veins and into your heart.
The ICD monitors the heart rhythm. If the heart starts beating at a dangerous rhythm, or if the heart stops. When the heart stops, this device will try to pace your heart or shock it back into normal rhythm. An ICD can also work as a pacemaker and speed your heart up if it is going too slow.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Also called biventricular pacing. CRT is a treatment for heart failure in people whose lower heart chambers (ventricles) aren’t pumping in sync. A biventricular pacemaker sends electrical signals to the ventricles. It signals your ventricles to contract. This will trigger the ventricles to contract in a more coordinated way. It improves blood pumping out of your heart, and CRT may be used with an ICD.
Ventricular assist devices (VADs).— also known as a mechanical circulatory support device. It is a device that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of your heart (ventricles) to the rest of your body. Although a VAD can be placed in one or both ventricles of your heart, it is most implanted in the left ventricle.
The doctor may recommend a VAD if you wait for a heart transplant. In some cases, VAD is used as a permanent treatment for people who have heart failure. But those who aren’t good candidates for a heart transplant are first in line.
Heart transplant. Some people have severe heart failure, that surgery or medications don’t help. These people may need to have their hearts replaced with a healthy donor heart.
Medications
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These drugs relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and decrease the strain on the heart. Examples include enalapril (Vasotec, Epaned), lisinopril (Zestril, Qbrelis, Prinivil), and captopril.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers. These drugs, which include losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), and candesartan (Atacand), have many of the same benefits as ACE inhibitors. They may be an option for people who can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors.
Beta-blockers. These drugs slow your heart rate and reduce blood pressure. Beta-blockers may reduce signs and symptoms of heart failure, improve heart function, and help you live longer. Examples include carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL, Kapspargo Sprinkle), and bisoprolol.
Diuretics. Often called water pills, diuretics make you urinate more frequently and keep fluid from collecting in your body. Diuretics, such as furosemide (Lasix), also decrease fluid in your lungs to breathe more easily.
Because diuretics make your body lose potassium and magnesium, your doctor may also prescribe supplements of these minerals. If you’re taking a diuretic, your doctor will likely monitor potassium and magnesium levels in your blood through regular blood tests.
Aldosterone antagonists. These drugs include spironolactone (Aldactone, Carospir) and eplerenone (Inspra). They are potassium-sparing diuretics with additional properties that may help people with severe systolic heart failure live longer.
Diuretics like spironolactone and eplerenone can raise the potassium in your blood to dangerous levels. Talk to your doctor if this is a concern so you can modify your intake of food high in potassium.
Positive inotropes. These medications may be given by IV to people with certain types of severe heart failure who are in the hospital. Positive inotropes can help the heart pump blood more effectively and maintain blood pressure. Long-term use of these drugs has been linked to an increased risk of death. Talk to your health care provider about the benefits and risks of these drugs.
Dobutamine and milrinone are the most common.
Digoxin (Lanoxin). This drug, also called digitalis, increases the strength of your heart muscle contractions. It also tends to slow the heartbeat. Digoxin reduces heart failure symptoms in systolic heart failure. It may be more likely to be given to someone with a heart rhythm problem, such as atrial fibrillation.
Hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate (BiDil). This drug combination helps relax blood vessels. It may be added to your treatment plan if you have severe heart failure symptoms and ACE inhibitors or beta-blockers haven’t allowed.
Vericiguat (Verquvo). This newer medicine for chronic heart failure is taken once a day by mouth. It’s a type of drug called an oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator. In studies, those with high-risk heart failure who took vericiguat had fewer hospital stays for heart failure and heart disease-related deaths than those who received an inactive pill (placebo).
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia refers to an abnormal heart rhythm. There are various types of arrhythmias. The heart can beat too slow, too fast, or irregularly.
Bradycardia, or a heart rate that’s too slow, is when the heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute. Tachycardia, or a heart rate that’s too fast, refers to a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute.
An arrhythmia can affect your heart health and how it works. With an irregular heartbeat, your heart may not be able to pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.
Treatment
Vagal maneuvers. If you have a very fast heartbeat due to supraventricular tachycardia, your doctor may recommend this therapy. Vagal maneuvers affect the nervous system that controls your heartbeat (vagus nerves), often causing your heart rate to slow. For example, you may be able to stop an arrhythmia by holding your breath and straining, dunking your face in ice water, or coughing. Vagal maneuvers don’t work for all types of arrhythmias.
Cardioversion. This method to reset the heart rhythm may be done with medications or as a procedure. Your doctor may recommend this treatment if you have a certain type of arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation.
During the cardioversion procedure, a shock is delivered to your heart through paddles or patches on your chest. The current affects the electrical impulses in your heart and can restore a normal rhythm.
Catheter ablation. In this procedure, the doctor threads one or more catheters through the blood vessels to the heart. Electrodes at the catheter tips use heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in your heart to block abnormal electrical signals and restore a normal heartbeat.
Pacemaker. If slow heartbeats (bradycardias) don’t have a cause that can be corrected. Doctors often treat them with a pacemaker because there aren’t any medications that can reliably speed up the heart.
A pacemaker is a small device that’s usually implanted near the collarbone. One or more electrode-tipped wires run from the pacemaker through the blood vessels to the inner heart. If the heart rate is too slow or if it stops, the pacemaker sends out electrical impulses that stimulate the heart to beat at a steady rate.
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Your doctor may recommend this device if you’re at high risk of developing a dangerously fast or irregular heartbeat in the lower heart chambers (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation). If you have heart health issues, had a sudden cardiac arrest, or have certain heart conditions that increase your risk of sudden cardiac arrest, your doctor may also recommend an ICD.
An ICD is a battery-powered unit that’s implanted under the skin near the collarbone — similar to a pacemaker. One or more electrode-tipped wires from the ICD run through veins to the heart. The ICD continuously monitors your heart rhythm.
If the ICD detects an abnormal heart rhythm, it sends out low- or high-energy shocks to reset the heart to a normal rhythm. An ICD doesn’t prevent an irregular heart rhythm from occurring, but it treats it if it occurs.
Maze procedure. In the maze procedure, a surgeon makes a series of incisions in the heart tissue in the upper half of your heart (atria) to create a pattern (or maze) of scar tissue. Because scar tissue doesn’t conduct electricity, it interferes with stray electrical impulses that cause some types of arrhythmia.
The maze procedure is usually reserved for people who don’t get better with other treatments or who are having open-heart surgery for other reasons.
Coronary bypass surgery. If you have severe coronary artery disease in addition to heart arrhythmia, your doctor may perform coronary bypass surgery. This procedure may improve the blood flow to your heart. Because of this, your heart health may be compromised.
Heart valve problems
Once your heart health goes down, problems arise. When heart valves don’t open enough to allow the blood to flow through as it should, a condition called stenosis results.
When the heart valves don’t close properly and allow blood to leak through, it’s called regurgitation. If the valve leaflets bulge or prolapse back into the upper chamber, it’s a condition called prolapse.
Treatment
Heart valve repair: Patch holes in a valve. Separate valve leaflets that have fused. Replace the cords that support the valve. Remove excess valve tissue so that the valve can close tightly.
Surgeons often tighten or reinforce the ring around a valve (annulus) by implanting an artificial ring. In some cases, doctors use less invasive procedures to repair certain valves using long, thin tubes (catheters). These procedures can involve clips, plugs, or other devices.
Heart Valve Replacement: If the valve is not repaired, surgeons might remove the damaged valve and replace it with a mechanical valve. It can also be a valve made from cow, pig, or human heart tissue (biological or tissue valve).
If you had valve replacement with a mechanical valve, you’d need to take blood thinners to prevent blood clots for the rest of your life. Biological tissue valves break down over time and usually need to be replaced.
A minimally invasive procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may be used to replace a damaged aortic valve. In this procedure, the doctor inserts a long, thin tube (catheter) into an artery in your leg or chest and guides it to the heart valve. A replacement valve is moved through this catheter to the correct position.
Types of Cardiac Medications for Your Heart’s Health
Anticoagulant – is used to treat specific blood vessel, heart, and lung conditions.
Antiplatelet agent – keeps blood clots from forming by preventing blood platelets from sticking together.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor – expands blood vessels and decreases resistance by lowering levels of angiotensin II. Allows blood to flow more easily and makes the heart’s work easier or more efficient.
Beta-blocker: Decreases the heart health rate and cardiac output, lowering blood pressure and making the heartbeat more slowly, with less force.
Angiotensin II receptor blocker – rather than lowering levels of angiotensin II (as ACE inhibitors do), angiotensin II receptor blockers prevent this chemical from having any effects on the heart and blood vessels. This medication keeps blood pressure from rising.
Combined alpha and beta-blocker: Combined alpha and beta-blockers are used as an IV drip for those patients experiencing a hypertensive crisis. They may be prescribed for outpatient high blood pressure use if the patient is at risk for heart failure.
Angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor: Neprilysin is an enzyme that breaks down natural substances in the body that open narrowed arteries. By inhibiting neprilysin, those natural substances can have their usual effect. That improves artery opening and blood flow, reduces sodium (salt) retention, and decreases strain on the heart.
Calcium channel blocker Interrupts the movement of calcium into the heart and blood vessel cells. May decrease the heart’s pumping strength and relax the blood vessels.
Cholesterol-lowering medications: Various medications can lower blood cholesterol levels, but statins are the best first course of action. Other drugs may be recommended when statins prove ineffective or if a patient experiences severe side effects from statin therapy.
Digitalis preparation: Increases the force of the heart’s contractions, which can be beneficial in heart failure and for irregular heartbeats.
Diuretics: Cause the body to rid itself of excess fluids and sodium through urination. Help to relieve the heart’s workload. Diuretics also decrease fluid buildup in the lungs and other parts of the body, such as the ankles and legs. Different diuretics remove fluid at varied rates and through various methods.
Vasodilator: Relaxes blood vessels and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload. Available as pills to be swallowed, chewable tablets, and a topical application (cream).
Fact Sheet – Heart Disease
Taking care of your heart health is essential. Remember that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States [2].
There are about 3 million deaths in the US.
Cardiovascular disease alone accounts for almost 1/4th of the total deaths in the US.
One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease cost the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017. It includes the cost of heart health care services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing 360,900 people in 2019.
About 18.2 million adults age 20 and older have CAD (about 6.7%).
About 2 in 10 deaths from CAD happen in adults less than 65 years old.
Heart Attacks
In the United States, a person suffers from a heart attack every 40 seconds.
Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack. Of these,
605,000 are a first heart attack
200,000 happen to people who have already had a heart attack
About 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.
Race of Ethnic Group
% of Deaths
Men, %
Women, %
American Indian or Alaska Native
18.3
19.4
17.0
Asian American or Pacific Islander
21.4
22.9
19.9
Black (Non-Hispanic)
23.5
23.9
23.1
White (Non-Hispanic)
23.7
24.9
22.5
Hispanic
20.3
20.6
19.9
All
23.4
24.4
22.3
Cardiovascular Disease Beyond Death
Cardiovascular disease isn’t something that just happens one day and death follows it the next. It is a chronic heart health condition that gets worse over time. Often times it can be managed and people can live active and great lives even when they have comorbidity.
Cardiovascular disease is not a death sentence but when it is not managed properly, it can be a problem[3]. According to heart.org, almost half of the US population has some type of cardiovascular disease.
According to 2017 figures, 116.4 million people had hypertension, almost half of the US population at that time, and that is just hypertension alone.
Cardiovascular disease is such an issue that the AHA had to lower its guidelines for what hypertension is from 140/90 to 130/80 so that people can get treated sooner.
1 in 5 Americans reported having adequate aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening activity to meet the physical activity guidelines.
Estimates for 2035 are showing that more than 130 million people will have some form of cardiovascular disease and the total cost to the healthcare system would be $1.1 trillion.
Activity Guidelines for Your Heart Health
Key Guidelines for Adults
Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some physical activity is better than none. Those people who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits.
For substantial heart health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week.
Additional heart health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond 300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.
Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups two or more days a week. These activities provide additional heart health benefits.
Key Guidelines for Older Adults
The fundamental guidelines for adults also apply to older adults. In addition, the following vital guidelines are just for older adults [4]:
Older adults should do multicomponent physical activity as part of their weekly physical activity that includes balance training and aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises.
Senior adults should determine their level of effort for physical activity relative to their fitness level.
Older adults with chronic conditions should understand whether and how their conditions affect their ability to do regular physical activity safely.
Aging adults cannot do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly because of chronic conditions. They should be as physically active as their abilities and needs allow.
Diets Effects on Cardiovascular Disease
Trans Fats
Artificial trans fats or trans fatty acids are created in the industrial food-making process. By adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils, making them more solid [5].Restaurants and certain food businesses use trans fats because they make food taste better and improve texture. The oils can be reused many times over.
Although the FDA has guidelines on how much trans fats are allowed, they are not illegal to use. The FDA has stated that hydrogenated oils are not generally recognized as safe. Heart.org recommends ideal 2 grams or less, the closer to 0, the better.
Trans Fat in Our Diet
The FDA also does not require to list trans fats if the product contains <0.5g. So, if you think about it, some of the products can have 0.4g, and through your diet, the total can add up to well over the 2g recommendation.
Common foods that have trans fats:
Fast food
Doughnuts
baked goods
pie crusts
Biscuits
frozen pizza
Cookies
Crackers
margarine and other spreads
There are naturally occurring trans fats like those in dairy and milk products. Keep in mind those are occurring and also in small amounts. There’s no research on the difference between artificial trans fats and occurring ones.
One study looked at trans fat consumption in Iranian homes [6]. A study was done on 35,924 individuals and looked at their trans fat consumption. This consumption showed an association with heart health and coronary artery diseases.
It concluded that the average intake of trans fats was about 14g/1000 kcal. Trans fatty acids is accounted for 33% of fatty acid consumption. They concluded that 39% of coronary heart health events could have been prevented if unsaturated fatty acids had replaced them.
To watch the full episode of Ep. 85, check out the whole video here 👇👇👇
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 0:52 Sponsor Ads 2:01 Cup of Nurses Introduction 2:30 Episode Introduction 2:46 What is Cardiovascular Disease? 5:36 Heart Disease 9:50 What happens in the hospital when you get a heart attack? 26:00 What are the 2 types of stroke? 28:32 Treatments for Stroke 31:58 Heart Failure 32:20 When does heart failure happen? 34:48 Treatments for Heart Failure 48:00 Medications for Heart Failure 54:41 What is Arrhythmia? 55:03 Treatments for Arrhythmia 1:04:10 Heart Valve Problems 1:06:12 Treatments for Heart Valve Problems 1:07:01 Types of Cardiac Medications 1:11:58 Fact sheet – Heart Disease 1:14:49 Probability of Heart Attack Based on Ethnicity Group 1:17:47 Activity Guidelines for Adults 1:21:25 Diets Affecting Cardiovascular Disease
Experts say setting and measuring your goals is the act of selecting a target or object you wish to achieve. Sounds simple enough but setting goals is the easy part of this process.
The real challenge is not determining if you want the result, but if you are willing to accept the sacrifices required to achieve your goal. A great question to ask yourself is “What kind of pain do I want?” Your lifestyle might change drastically depending on the quest you take on. Are you ready to endure the boring and ugly process that comes before the exciting outcomes?
Everybody wants a gold medal. Few people want to train like an Olympian.
So first things first, we need to have proper systems in place to achieve goals. Here are some good examples of systems and goals:
If you’re a writer, your goal is to write a book. Your system is the writing schedule that you follow each week.
If you’re a runner, your goal is to run a marathon. The system you follow is your training schedule for the month.
In this example, we see that setting and measuring your goals are useful for setting the direction but systems are great for making progress and closing the distance on your goal. The system itself is what actually achieves the results.
How to Set Goals: Three Basic Strategies
Ruthlessly eliminate your goals
Think about this as your goals are competing with one another for your time and attention. Whenever you start setting and measuring your goals, you have to full focus and energy on your other pursuits. Sometimes this is pausing your other goals to focus on important goals. Other times you may just need to reprioritize yourself and reorganize where your attention should flow.
Ever heard someone say “If only I had more hours in the day!” What often looks like a problem of goal setting is actually a problem of goal selection. You don’t need more time, you just need to decide.
Stack your goals
Habit stacking works well to create a specific plan for when and where you will implement your goals, but also link your new goals to something you are already doing each day.
Example:
Meditation: After I brew my morning coffee, I will meditate for one minute.
Flossing: After I set my toothbrush down, I will floss my teeth.
For example, in one study scientists asked people to fill out this sentence: “During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].”
Researchers found that people who filled out this sentence were 2x to 3x more likely to actually exercise compared to a control group who did not make plans for their future behavior.
Set an upper bound
Whenever we set goals, we almost always focus on the lower bound. That is, we think about the minimum threshold we want to hit. Let’s reframe a few ways of thinking about this concept of setting upper bound goals. If you can do more than the minimum, why not go for it?
Before: An individual might say, “I want to lose at least 5 pounds this month.”
After: “I want to lose at least 5 pounds this month, but not more than 10.”
Before: An writer might say, “I want to write at least 500 words today.”
After: “I want to write at least 500 words today, but not more than 1,500.”
How to Achieve Your Goals Consistently
Showing up is more important than succeeding because if you don’t build the habits of showing up, then how can you close the distance between you and your goal?
Too often people set the right goals, but develop the wrong system. If you’re fighting your system every day to make progress, then it’s going to be really hard to make consistent progress. In the book Atomic Habits these are called Hidden forces. This hidden force is the environment in which you operate. Your ambition needs to align with the environment to make progress in the long run.
How to Align Your Environment with Your Goals
Even though we have free will at any given moment, we often make decisions based on the environment we are in. Whatever goal you choose to pursue, the environment should align with how you are setting and measuring your goals.
For example, if you want to not check your phone in the morning, then sleeping with your phone next to your bed won’t make it easier for you to wake up and not check email or social media. Try to remove the chances of making that “default decision”
A positive example would be; If you keep a water bottle with you throughout the day, then drinking water rather than soda is more likely to be the default decision.
Scientists refer to this process of making decisions as to choice architecture. The bottom line is: It’s very hard to stick with positive habits in a negative environment.
Here are a few strategies that are useful to better default decisions in your life:
Simplicity
It’s hard to focus on the signal when you’re constantly surrounded by static. It’s more difficult to eat clean when you walk into the kitchen and the fridge is filled with junk food. For most people multitasking is a myth. When in doubt, eliminate options.
Visual Cues
There is something called the Paperclip clip by Trent Dysmid. “Every morning I would start with 120 paper clips in one jar and I would keep dialing the phone until I had moved them all to the second jar.”
This is great for those that are visual people. Making progress is satisfying, with visual measures, it provides clear evidence for your progress. As a result, this will reinforce your behavior and add a little bit of immediate satisfaction to any activity.
Opt-Out vs. Opt-In
There is a famous organ donation study that revealed how multiple European countries skyrocketed their organ donation rates: they required citizens to opt out of donating rather than opt-in to donating.
You can do something similar by opting in ahead of time like for a workout class for next week because you’re feeling great today. When that day rolls around, you have to give excuses to opt-out rather than motivate yourself to opt-in.
How to Measure Your Goals
The last key factor for long-term progress on your goals is measurement. We as humans love to receive feedback. Can you recall how great it felt seeing your progress pic after working out for a few months? One of the most motivating things we can experience is evidence of our progress.
Measuring your results, it’ll give you feedback and insights on whether or not you are making progress. We measure things that we are currently doing or improving in our goal.
When I tracked my reading habit of 30 pages per day, I read more books.
When I journal my values, I began living with more integrity
When I measured my reps and sets during my workouts, I got stronger.
The trick is to realize that counting, measuring, and tracking are not about the result. Measure to discover, to find out, to understand. Are you showing up and making progress? Are you actually spending time on the things that are important to you?
0:00 Introduction 1:00 Cup of Nurses Introduction 3:13 Episode Introduction 4:44 What is Goal Setting? 11:31 Ruthlessly eliminate your goals 15:15 Stack your goals 16:18 Set an upper bound 19:25 How to achieve your goals consistently 20:04 How to align your environment with your goals 31:28 How to measure your goals
In this episode, we will talk about the science of blood. It is precisely what it comprises, its different types, administer it, and what to watch out for.
What is Blood?
When people think of blood, it’s usually the red liquid that comes out of your cut, or what you see in gore movies. But blood is more than just that. For one it has three different components:
Red Blood Cells: 44%
White Blood Cells and Platelets: 1%
Plasma: 55%
Many people are not familiar with how blood works or what it is even made of. If you are interested in blood or work in this field (blood banks, labs, etc.), this episode will teach you everything you need to know about it.
Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells are also called erythrocytes, and they account for 44% of your blood. These cells are round, flat, and look like a donut.
Hospitals check for red blood cells’ size, shape, and health when a person is in the hospital. It is also the first thing that doctors look into to identify a person’s health condition.
The RBCs have two crucial functions:
Takes oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to the rest of the body.
Removes carbon dioxide from the body, breathe it out, and returns it to the lungs.
RBC works with the help of hemoglobin, maintaining acid-base balance in the body. The red blood cells can live for 120 days and produce by the bone marrow. After 120 days, the spleen breaks them down, while the liver turns them into amino acids.
For RBCs to function they need nutrition to stay healthy. These cells survive and stay healthy with the help of Vitamins B12, B2, B3, folate, and iron.
Anemia
The biggest problem that occurs with irregular red blood cells is anemia. This condition is when the RBC has low oxygenation. It leads to developmental delays in children. In severe cases, anemia leads to heart failure. The most common symptoms of anemia are tachycardia, lethargy, pale skin, and chills.
Common Types of Anemia:
Iron-deficiency Anemia – happens when your body does not have enough iron to produce red blood cells. It is also the most common form of anemia. The most common causes of iron deficiency are when you have:
A diet low in iron
Sudden blood loss
Menstrual periods
Inability to absorb iron from food (ex. post-surgery)
Sickle Cell Anemia – is an inherited disease where the red blood cells look like a half-moon or sickle. This cell does not flow well in the blood vessels and causes blockage in the blood vessels. It can lead to organ damage, pain, and infection. Sickle cells also die after 20 days compared to normal RBC which is 120 days.
Normocytic anemia – the RBC is normal in shape, but the number produced doesn’t meet the body’s needs. It usually causes long-term conditions in the body like cancer, kidney diseases, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Hemolytic Anemia – is a condition when the RBCs are destroyed even before their lifespan is over. When this happens, the body does not have enough red blood cells to function as your bone marrow cannot meet the demand.
Fanconi Anemia – is the rarest form of anemia and is an inherited disorder like sickle cell. Anemia like this happens when the bone marrow cannot produce enough blood components. Red blood cells are also part of this blood component. Children born with this condition often develop leukemia [1].
Blood Types
There are eight blood types from the four blood groups. These are A, B, AB, and O. All red blood cells, positive or negative, have Rh factors except Type O.
The proteins can elicit an immune response when they contact their corresponding antibody. They stimulate the antibodies in the plasma to defend the body.
The antibodies in the blood protect your body from foreign invaders. Blood types have antibodies except for Type AB.
Type AB is in the plasma surrounding the RBCs. The recipient’s plasma antibodies must be the opposite of the antigen found on the donor’s red blood cell.
Blood Groups and Types
A blood type: has only A antigens on its surface but B antibodies in the plasma
Donates to: A and AB
Recipient of: O and A
B blood type: has only B antigens on its surface but A antibodies in the plasma
Donates to: B and AB
Recipients of: O and B
AB blood type: has both A and B antigens on its surface but NO antibodies in the plasma
Donates to: AB
Recipient of: O, A, B, and AB
UNIVERSAL RECIPIENT
O blood type: has NO antigens on its surface but has A and B antibodies in the plasma
Donates to: O, A, B, AB
Recipient of: O
UNIVERSAL DONOR
Rh Factor
These factors are either found on the surface of a red blood cell or not. Either a person has them, or they don’t!
If the factors are present on the RBC, the person is Rh POSITIVE. If the elements are absent on the RBC, the person is Rh NEGATIVE.
Example: A+ (has factors present) or A- (no factors present)
IMPORTANT! If a patient is Rh-positive, they can receive either Rh+ or RH- blood. On the other hand, if a patient is Rh-negative, they can only receive Rh- blood.
The same RBC antigen and antibody cause an immune response called agglutination. This is when RBCs stick together and the donor’s red blood cells will lysis. When this happens, a reaction called hemolytic transfusion occurs. A donor’s RBC is then compared to the patient’s antibodies.
White Blood cells and Platelets
White blood cells account for 1% of your total blood. The main difference between leukocytes and RBCs or platelets is that they have a nucleus. White blood cells are responsible for your immunity.
You’d think there would be more than 1% of total blood for such an important role. There are also different types of blood cells with extra responsibilities [2].
Types of White Blood Cells
There are five main types of leukocytes.
Neutrophils
62% of leukocytes are neutrophils. They are responsible for fighting off bacteria and fungi.
They live for about 6hrs – to a few days.
Lymphocytes
30% of leukocytes are lymphocytes. There are different types of lymphocytes.
B cells: responsible for antibodies and activating T cells.
T cells: are made in the thymus
Cytotoxic T cells: destroy infected cells (viral or cancer) through the use of granule sacs that contain digestive enzymes.
Helper T cells: activate T cells, macrophages, and B cells.
Regulatory T cells: suppress the actions of B and T cells to decrease the immune response.
Memory T cells protect against previously encountered antigens and provide lifetime protection against some pathogens.
Natural Killer T cells: destroy infected or cancerous cells and attack cells that do not contain molecular markers that identify them as body cells.
Monocytes
5.5% of leukocytes are monocytes.
It is made in the bone marrow and travels through the blood to tissues in the body, where it becomes a macrophage or a dendritic cell. Macrophages surround and kill microorganisms, ingest foreign material, remove dead cells, and boost immune responses.
During inflammation, dendritic cells stimulate immune responses by showing antigens on their surface to other immune system cells.
A monocyte is a type of white blood cell and a type of phagocyte.
Eosinophils
2% of all leukocytes are eosinophils. They are responsible for fighting off larger parasites and are part of the allergic inflammatory response.
They live for about 8-12 days.
Basophils
0.5% of leukocytes are basophils. They are responsible for histamine release during inflammation.
Platelets
Platelets are thrombocytes produced by the bone marrow. They are responsible for coagulation which is crucial to wound healing. If one of your blood vessels gets damaged, it signals platelets. The platelets then rush to the site of damage and form a plug, or clot, to repair the damage [3].
An average platelet count is 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood.
The risk for bleeding develops if a platelet count falls below 10,000 to 20,000.
Thrombocytopenia: IIs a condition when your bone marrow makes too few platelets, or your platelets are destroyed. If the platelet count gets too low, bleeding can occur under the skin. This is seen as bruising, inside the body as internal bleeding, or outside the body through a cut that won’t stop bleeding or from a nosebleed. Thrombocytopenia can be caused by many conditions, including several medications, cancer, kidney disease, pregnancy, infections, and an abnormal immune system.
Some people make too many platelets and can have platelet counts from 500,000 to more than 1 million.
Thrombocythemia – is a condition when the bone marrow makes too many platelets. The symptoms can include blood clots that form and block the blood supply to the brain or the heart. However, the cause of thrombocythemia is unknown.
Thrombocytosis – is a condition caused by too many platelets. But platelet counts do not get as high as thrombocythemia. It is also more common and is not caused by the abnormal bone marrow. It is often caused by another disease in the body that stimulates the bone marrow to make more platelets. Those affected with thrombocytosis often have cancer, infections, inflammation, and reactions to medications. The symptoms of thrombocytosis are not usually severe, and the platelet count becomes normal again once the underlying condition becomes better.
Plasma
Plasma makes up 55% of the total blood volume. It contains water, protein, glucose, clotting factors, hormones, electrolytes, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. Generally, it carries nutrients, hormones, and proteins to different parts of the body. It also carries the waste products of cell metabolism away from tissues. Other than that, plasma is also the vehicle for blood cells to the blood vessels [4].
In addition, plasma is the vehicle for transporting blood cells through the blood vessels.
Coagulation – many essential proteins, such as fibrinogen, thrombin, and factor X, are present in plasma and play a vital role in the clotting process to stop a person from bleeding.
Immunity – blood plasma contains disease-fighting proteins, such as antibodies and immunoglobulins, which play a crucial role in the immune system by fighting pathogens.
Blood pressure and volume maintenance – a protein present in plasma called albumin helps maintain the oncotic pressure. This pressure prevents fluid from leaking into the body and skin where less water is present. It also helps ensure blood flow through blood vessels.
pH balance – substances present in blood plasma act as buffers, allowing plasma to maintain a pH within normal ranges, which helps to support cell function.
Transportation – plasma transports nutrients, electrolytes, hormones, and other essential substances all over the body. It also helps to remove waste products by transporting them to the liver, lungs, kidneys, or skin.
Body temperature – plasma helps maintain body temperature by balancing heat loss and heat gain in the body.
Blood Product Administration
Nurses should always follow the best standard practices when administering blood transfusions. They must also follow the standard policies and procedures of the healthcare facility.[5].
Blood transfusion consent, blood typing, and cross-matching are all needed before administering blood. But these are not required if the situation is an emergency. Checking blood products against the order and using two patient identifiers is critical. Blood must be given to patients within 30 minutes after being taken from the blood bank.
The patient and family members are informed about the procedure including what to expect during and after it is done.
Before administration, two licensed personnel must verify the correct blood product and patient.
Blood products need a dedicated line for infusion and filtered intravenous tubing. Normal saline flushes the intravenous line, with no other solutions or medications.
Need to take vital signs before initiating the transfusion. The nurse stays with the patient for the first 15 minutes of the transfusion. This is done to check for any immediate reaction.
Vital signs are monitored for 15 minutes once the transfusion starts. It’s monitored during, after and one hour after the transfusion is complete.
Blood transfusion can create adverse reactions in the patient. The signs and symptoms of blood transfusion reactions for hemolytic and non-hemolytic reactions include:
Pain
Anxiety
Hematuria
Fever
Headache
Pruritus
Rash or hives
Nausea
Respiratory difficulties (common for non-hemolytic reactions)
The symptoms mentioned above, plus hypotension, bleeding, and oliguria shows hemolytic reactions. Blood transfusion should stop immediately but keep an IV line open for normal saline.
Patients are monitored by the healthcare provider and physicians must be noted immediately. The remaining blood products and tubing are then taken to the laboratory to be tested.
Want more blood? Click here 👇 to watch the full Episode 81:
SHOW NOTES:
0:00 Introduction 3:16 Episode Introduction 5:12 Red Blood Cells 11:20 Common Types of Anemia 19:50 Blood Types 26:45 Types of White Blood Cells 36:24 Platelets 47:00 Plasma 53:01 Blood Product Administration
Over the years, the issues among overcharging staffing agencies have become a problem. Many nurses have been asking for a better ratio and higher pay for their services, but it all seems to fall on deaf ears. Even before the pandemic, this has been an ongoing issue among the nursing community. Now that we are facing a pandemic, the same problem still exists.
In this episode, we will talk about the overcharging staffing agencies for nurses, how the pandemic affected nurses’ jobs, and even share some of our experiences as travel nurses.
In the letter, Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), and Representatives Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and David B. McKinley (R-W.Va.) wrote:
“We have received anecdotal reports that the nurse staffing agencies are vastly inflating the price, by two, three or more times pre-pandemic rates, and then taking 40% or more of the amount being charged to the hospitals for themselves in profits.”
They asked for an investigation by “one or more of the federal agencies with competition and consumer protection authority” to find any evidence of anti-competitive price patterns, price collusion, and higher pay for nurses due to the rate increases.
Our opinion is that they will find out the rates are driven by supply ad demand. There isn’t not necessarily pricing fixing or gouging going on, just a shortage of nurses.
Insider info: This started with Aya, who, at the start of the pandemic, where in New York they were charging like $350/hr bill rates. The hospital fired them and filed a complaint [1].
We don’t think this will have any impact on nurses as they have been underpaid for years. The market dictates the rate, not the agencies. Don’t forget that the hospitals got $35,000 for every Covid patient.
What does AMN Healthcare say about this?
AMN Healthcare is the largest travel nursing company, with a 17% market share, and most significant in allied healthcare staffing, with a 12% market share [2].
Kelly Rakowski, chief operating officer for strategic talent solutions at AMN Healthcare, wrote in an email to MedPage in a general response that its “pricing is agreed upon directly with our healthcare organization clients. Inflationary pressures and demand drive up the wages needed to attract clinicians to open positions. Any price increases are driven primarily by the compensation directly to healthcare practitioners.”
Several things contributed to the healthcare shortage; it was not only a national pandemic. The pandemic did two things: Increasing the direct number of patients needing care and driving some nurses out of the healthcare system due to burnout.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the seasonally adjusted number of nursing and residential care facility staff on payrolls nationwide dropped by 157,000 from October 2020 to October 2021, to just under 3 million.
Hospitals in states like Pennsylvania and Dewelare say the hospitals cannot compete with staffing agency pay rates, which makes them unable to retain local nursing staff.
Travel Nursing Fun Facts
The most popular contract spots are Texas, California, and New York.
The most popular cities for travel nurses are:
Denver, Colorado
New York, New York
Austin, Texas
Tucson, Arizona
San Diego, California
Dallas, Texas.
Only about 20% of people that start traveling go back to a perm job for more than two years. The highest paying contract for 36hrs is $5,000-$6,000 per week, gross [3].
The lowest paying contract for 36hrs is $2,000 per week, gross.
Nurses will not travel for less than $2,000 per week, gross.
To watch the full episode, click here for more 👇👇👇
SHOW NOTES:
0:00 Introduction 0:48 Cup of Nurses Introduction 2:33 Episode Introduction 3:00 Are Staffing Agencies Overcharging? 4:03 Letter about staffing agencies that are overcharging 10:48 How travel nursing agencies work 13:33 What AMN Healthcare say about this? 23:58 Who’s paying for FEMA nurses? 26:31 Travel Nursing fun facts
What is the Metaverse? The term “metaverse” is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry’s imagination. Think of it as the internet brought to life in a virtual environment you can go inside by looking at a screen. It is a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities. It is a world where people can work, meet, or play. And these make use of virtual reality headsets, AG glasses, phone apps, and others.
The Facebook Update
2021 –The parent company of the social network Facebook was renamed from “Facebook, Inc.” to “Meta Platforms”. Its chairman Mark Zuckerberg. Declared a company committed to developing a metaverse ecosystem.
Many augmented and virtual reality concepts are presented through the underlying technology. But it remains in or has yet to enter development. FB is currently investing 10 billion into the development of Meta.
What is the thesis for the Metaverse based on Mr. Zuckerberg? To be the next frontier in social connection, the same way that social media connected people in 2004?
What will you be able to do in the Metaverse?
Things like going to a virtual concert, online trips, and buying and trying on digital clothing. The metaverse is also a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the pandemic. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could see them, with the Horizon Workrooms.
“A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another,” Zuckerberg says. Video game companies also are taking a leading role. Epic Games, is the company behind the popular Fortnite video game. It has raised $1 billion from investors to help with its long-term plans for building the metaverse.
Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality
The distinctions between VR and AR come down to the devices they need and the experience itself. AR uses a real-world setting while VR is completely virtual. VR requires a headset device, but AR is accessed with a smartphone. AR enhances both the virtual and real world. Meanwhile, VR only enhances a fictional reality.
A good example of Augmented Reality on our phones was Pokemon GO. These new, evolving technologies produce endless opportunities for businesses and employment. By 2022, the AR and VR marketis projected to grow to $209.2 billion.
Will this be another way to get more data from me?
It seems clear that Facebook wants to carry its business model. And that is based on using personal data to sell targeted advertising, into the metaverse. “Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too,” Zuckerberg said in the company’s most recent earnings call. Is there more potential abuse for disinformation?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
We are on the brink of a technological revolution that will alter the way we live, work and relate to one another:
The first was the industrial revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production.
Then the second one is using electric power to create mass production.
The third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
Now the Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies. These technologies blur lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.
Billions of people connect by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are unlimited.
Growth of the fourth industrial revolution is happening versus, linear growth as in the other revolution. These possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as:
Artificial intelligence
Robotics
The Internet of Things
Autonomous vehicles
3-D printing, nanotechnology
Biotechnology
Materials science
Energy storage
Quantum computing
Transhumanism
The Journal of International Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation released an article titled “Transhumanism: the big fraud-towards digital slavery.”
Transhumanism is promoted according to the World Transhumanist Association as a philosophy that advocates for the use of technology to overcome our biological limitations and transform the human condition [1].
The transhumanists state that adding technological implants and inserting DNA into human beings will improve their condition. Man would leave biological evolution and would begin an expansion based on technology, and the post-human species would be born.
Essence of Transhumanism
The essence of Transhumanism is applying the so-called four emerging technologies that include:
Nanotechnology
Biotechnology
Information technologies
Knowledge sciences in the human being (NBIC)
The transhumanists consider the body a deficient and obsolete object like “scrap” or “excess luggage.” It is to be replaced with a “better container.” The transhumanists hide two subjects:
Use of technological implants as a weapon against the citizen
And the method they are developing their dangerous projects, which are suspected to be illicit human experiments in the world.
Technological implants like brain nanobots might cause losing mind control and thus, the carriers can be controlled by others and lose their autonomy. They can be spied on permanently with the cerebral internet and can lose their privacy their memory can be deleted and can lose their identity.
Thus, the humans who carry technological implants can be permanently spied on, and mentally controlled and they lose their identity. They can become human slaves at the service of transnational companies and economic powers.
Transhumanism Objective
The goal analysis reveals that transhumanism is only an intellectual swindle that leads to digital fascism. It is a society where the rich elites govern citizens with technological implants. They believe these people will be the digital slaves at the service of oligarchy.
The transhumanist symbol is the cyborg. It represents the man whose body abandons nature. For transhumanism, nature is an adversary. The goal is to have your body “as little carbon as possible”. It will be indifferent to the laws that rule the carbon as the transhumanist promotion summarizes it in Latin America:
“We are going to reinvent our biological constitutions and introduce silicon, steel, and microchips within us.” The transhumanist cyborgization according to its promoters will allow:
“Eliminating the death, improving the senses, having an infallible memory, increasing the intellectual capacity, having a greater physical performance and controlling the emotional responses.”
A Different Aspect
Another aspect of transhumanism is the transformation produced by the technological implants in the body. It will make their sexuality unrecognizable. The transhuman will be an asexual being. The main icon of transhumanism in the media is Ray Kurzweil.
He worked on the Army Science Board in 2006. Kurzweil was always known as “the successor and legitimate heir of Thomas Edison” and was also cited by Forbes magazine as “the supreme thinking machine.”
In 1999, President Bill Clinton, at a ceremony in the White House, gave him the National Medal of technology. Transhumanism uses a series of advertising cliches, being the main ones: “innovation”, “evolution”, “excellence,” and “digital citizen,” and different advertising campaigns in which the most promoted intellectuals and businessmen like Elon Musk.
Larry Page and Nobel Prizes like Mario Vargas Llosa, who promote human robotization, participate. Most amazing is that despite the unrealistic and almost delirious affirmations of transhumanists. Their theories are advanced and supported at the highest official level globally and are promoted daily by the press. And most remarkable is that they do not have more opposition from scientists or intellectuals who even spread their unrealistic postulates.
Thus, prestigious institutions like the United Nations, US and European universities, and governments adopt transhumanism as a part of their government plan. In Latin America, one of the prominent companies suspected of developing transhumanism is the Peruvian health insurance company ESSALUD. Based on evidence from recent investigations.
When It All Begun
Transhumanist experimentation would have begun in 2009. It was during the administration of US President Barack Obama. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton coordinated organized crime with President Alan García Pérez and this, in turn, with the President of ESSALUD Fernando Barrios Ipenza.
Barrios developed it secretly with the research units of Peruvian hospitals. He also involved the National Health Institute, the Peruvian state institution that gives the official certification for biomedical research in Peru, and the APRA, the party that governed Peru in that period.
The research units of Latin American hospitals would be camouflaging the development of their million-dollar transhumanist projects. It also involved swindling patients, such as the research unit at the Sabogal Hospital. It is where neuroscience research projects funded by Bill Gates are developed. It aims to camouflage experiments on transhumanists of mental control and cerebral internet in this hospital.
The Alberto Sabogal Hospital is located near the only military base of the US Armed Forces in Latin America, the brain net: violating the privacy of university students [2].
Want to know more about Transhumanism? Check out the full Episode 78 here 👇
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 1:58 Episode Introduction 4:15 Facebook is Now Meta 6:11 What will you be able to do in Metaverse? 15:17 Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality 17:00 Will this be another way to get more data from me? 21:15 The First to Third International Revolution 25:10 The Fourth International Revolution
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