It seems that in the new millennium, almost everyone suffers from hair issues. Be it hair thinning, hair loss, hair fall, hair breakage or damage, or dandruff issues, every one of three living individuals is a victim of poor hair health. Healthy hair starts from a healthy scalp. A healthy scalp has the right balance of oil and moisture, which keeps the hair follicles strong. In turn, strong hair follicles produce healthy hair. Many factors can contribute to an unhealthy scalp, such as harsh chemicals, heat damage, and poor diet. You can promote healthy hair growth by taking care of your scalp and using gentle products. Hair growth oils are serums that aid in the repair of nutrients to your scalp and the stimulation and development of hair. Finding the best oil for hair growth can be challenging, with many brands and companies claiming to have the best formula. That’s why you need to do your research first! In this article, you’ll learn about all the different oils known to be some of the best for hair growth.
Best oil for hair growth & thickness:
Regular Oiling of your hair is necessary if you want healthy & strong hair. Luckily, the following 8 hair growth oils can assist you:
Moroccan Argan Oil
If you’re looking for the Best oil for hair growth to improve the health and appearance of your hair, look no further than argan oil. This oil, produced from the kernels of the argan tree, has been used to preserve and nourish hair in Morocco for generations. Argan oil has a high quantity of vitamin E and vital fatty acids, making it an ideal choice for promoting hair development. In addition, argan oil can help to repair damage caused by heat styling and environmental stressors. Whether your hair is dry, curly, or brittle, a few drops of argan oil can make a difference. You can apply it to your scalp or add it to your shampoo or conditioner. You can also use it as a leave-in conditioner or overnight treatment.
Virgin Coconut Oil –
Coconut oil has been shown to improve hair growth and prevent hair loss. The Best oil for hair growth is also a natural conditioner that can help keep your hair healthy and strong. If you are looking for an oil that will help your hair to grow faster and thicker, then coconut oil is the best choice. Coconut oil is rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin E, iron, and fatty acids for healthy hair growth. Coconut oil can help reduce protein loss, a common cause of hair loss. Coconut oil can also help improve blood circulation to the scalp, promoting hair growth. Use it as an overnight hair treatment for the best results.
Almond Oil
This oil is derived from almonds and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Almond oil is a most effective natural oil that has been shown to protect scalp health and promote hair growth. It is rich in nutrients and antioxidants that help keep your hair healthy and strong. Almond oil is one of the best Hair growth oils, rich in nutrients like vitamin E and fatty acids, which can help promote hair growth. Due to its rich consistency, almond oil can be used as a conditioner, mask, or oil treatment. Almond oil is also beneficial for preventing hair loss.
Olive Oil
Olive oil may be a good option if you’re looking for a natural way to improve your hair health and encourage growth. This popular kitchen staple has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for various ailments, including hair loss. Olive oil is high in antioxidants and nutrients that can nourish the scalp and hair follicles, promoting hair growth. It can also help reduce inflammation and dandruff, two common scalp conditions that can lead to hair loss. This oil may be used as a pre-shampoo treatment, as a leave-in conditioner, or even as a hair mask. Use olive oil with egg and curd as an excellent protein hair mask.
Jamaican Black Castor Oil
Jamaican Black Castor oil is natural oil used for centuries to promote hair growth. The oil is extracted from the seeds of the Jamaican Black Castor tree and is rich in nutrients that are essential for healthy hair growth. Jamaican Black Castor oil is a popular choice for those looking to improve the health and appearance of their hair. It is an all-natural oil that has been shown to promote hair growth. It is also said to help with dandruff, scalp itchiness, and hair thinning.
Black seed (kalonji) Oil
Black seed oil, or “Kalonji” oil, is derived from the seeds of the Nigella sativa plant and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for its various health benefits. When applied topically to the scalp, kalonji oil is thought to improve hair health by stimulating hair growth, reducing hair loss, and treating scalp conditions like dandruff. In one study, kalonji oil effectively treated alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. Kalonji oil is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants for healthy hair growth. It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, which can help to improve scalp health and promote hair growth.
Black sesame oil
Black sesame oil has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine to promote hair growth. Recently, scientific studies have confirmed that black sesame oil has hair growth-promoting properties. Black sesame oil is rich in omega-6 fatty acids essential for hair growth. The oil also contains phytosterols, compounds that can block the action of hormones that cause hair loss. If you’re looking for a natural way to promote hair growth, black sesame oil may be worth trying. Just be sure to purchase pure, cold-pressed black sesame oil for the most benefit.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is generated from the jojoba plant, similar to the sebum that our scalp produces. This makes it an effective natural hair treatment for dandruff and dry scalp, which can lead to hair loss. Jojoba oil can also help to protect your hair from damage and breakage. Hair growth oil is rich in nutrients like vitamin E and B-complex vitamins, which are essential for healthy hair growth. You can use Jojoba oil on its own or add it to other hair products, such as shampoo or conditioner.
Now that you know the best oils for hair growth, learn how to use them. Here are some ways you can use the oil mentioned above to improve your hair health:
You can use many different essential oils along with hair oil for instant hair growth. The most helpful hair growth essential oils include rosemary, tea tree, lavender, and peppermint. Each of these herbs has different properties that can help to stimulate hair growth. When using herbs and essential oils for hair growth, it is important to understand how to use them correctly. For example, you can dilute rosemary oil before applying it to the scalp. Peppermint oil, on the other hand, can be applied directly to the scalp.
Can I Use Ayurvedic herbs in hair oils for hair growth?
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical practice that takes a comprehensive approach to health and wellness. At the same time, no scientific evidence exists to support the usefulness of ayurvedic herbs for hair development. Many have been used for centuries to enhance general health and vitality.
A few different ayurvedic herbs are commonly used for hair health, including amla, Bhringraj, Brahmi, Reetha, and Shikakai. Amla is a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help to protect the hair from damage and promote growth. Bhringraj, or “Keshraj,” is the king of all herbs for hair growth. It prevents hair loss, treats dandruff, and maintains overall scalp health. Brahmi is thought to improve circulation and promote hair follicle health. Reetha and Shikakai are natural cleansers and conditioners that can help to keep the scalp healthy and improve the appearance of the hair.
Onion juice– Apply onion juice to the scalp before using oil masks. Rich in sulfur, onion juice promotes healthy scalp and hair regeneration.
After showering hair, rinse- Rinse hair with apple cider vinegar to get a clean and healthy scalp. You can also use rice water and caffeine to promote hair growth and shine.
Aloe Vera & Flaxseed gel mask- This duo-power mask is brilliant for removing dry and damaged hair.
Henna, Hibiscus & Curry leaves- Mix these ingredients in a blender or mixer to get a thick, rich paste. Apply it as a hair mask to get beautiful shiny hair.
Ginger- Add ginger to your hair oil and heat it. Apply this hot oil treatment to your scalp to promote hair growth.
Do not cook a meal with these ingredients. These ingredients promote healthy hair and scalp health. To get the best out of your hair, incorporate these ingredients into your oil masks, shampoo, and conditioner.
CONCLUSION –
Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, so be sure to take good care of your scalp and hair. These above-mentioned hair growth oils provide advanced hair care to your hair and scalp. You should also Use mild shampoo and conditioner and avoid harsh chemicals. Be gentle with your hair when brushing and combing, and use a wide-toothed comb to avoid damaging your hair. Use silk or satin pillowcase. Protect your hair from the sun rays and wind, and try to style it in ways that minimize stress on your strands. With proper care, you can enjoy healthy, beautiful hair for years.
Robert Epstein, who received his Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard in 1981 and served as the former editor in chief at Psychology Today, is now a senior research psychologist for the American Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology, where for the last decade he has helped expose Google’s manipulative and deceptive practices. In this interview, he explains what got him interested in investigating the internet search monopoly in the first place:
“In 2012, January 1st, I received some emails from Google saying my website contained malware and that they were somehow blocking access. This means I had gotten onto one of Google’s blacklists.
My website did contain some malware. It was pretty easy to get rid of, but it turns out it’s hard to get off of a Google blacklist. That’s a big problem. I started looking at Google just a little bit differently. I wondered, first of all, why they were notifying me about this rather than some government agency or some nonprofit organization? Why was a private company notifying me?
In other words, who made Google sheriff of the internet? Second, I learned they had no customer service department, which seemed very strange, so if you have a problem with Google, then you have a problem because they don’t help you solve the problem.
I learned also that although you can get onto a blacklist in a split second, it can take weeks to get off a blacklist. There have been businesses that have gotten onto their blacklists and have gone out of business while they’re trying to straighten out the problem.
The thing that really caught my eye — because I’ve been a programmer my whole life — was I couldn’t figure out how they were blocking access to my website, not just through their own products … Google.com, the search engine, or through Chrome, which is their browser, but through Safari, which is an Apple product, through Firefox, which is a browser run by Mozilla, a nonprofit organization.
How was Google blocking access through so many different means? The point is I just started to get more curious about the company, and later in 2012, I happened to be looking at a growing literature, which was about the power of search rankings to impact sales.
This was in the marketing field and it just was astonishing. In other words, if you could push yourself up one more notch in their search results, that could make the difference between success or failure for your company; it could mean a lot more income.
It turns out that this initial research was saying that people really trust those higher ranked search results. I simply asked a question. I wondered whether, if people trust those higher rank search results, I could use search results to influence people’s opinions, maybe even their votes.”
What Epstein discovered through his subsequent research, which began in 2013, is that yes, biased search results can indeed be used to influence public opinion and sway undecided voters. What’s more, the strength of that influence was shocking. He also eventually discovered how Google is able to block website access on browsers other than their own. His findings were published in 2016 in U.S. News & World Report.1
Google’s Powers Pose Serious Threats to Society
Google’s powers pose three specific threats to society:
1. They’re a surveillance agency with significant yet hidden surveillance powers. As noted by Epstein:
“The search engine … Google Wallet, Google Docs, Google Drive, YouTube, these are surveillance platforms. In other words, from their perspective, the value these tools have is they give them more information about you. Surveillance is what they do.”
2. They’re a censoring agency with the ability to restrict or block access to websites across the internet, thus deciding what people can and cannot see. They even have the ability to block access to entire countries and the internet as a whole.
The most crushing problem with this kind of internet censorship is that you don’t know what you don’t know. If a certain type of information is removed from search, and you don’t know it should exist somewhere, you’ll never go looking for it. And, when searching for information online, how would you know that certain websites or pages have been removed from the search results in the first place? The answer is, you don’t.
For example, Google has been investing in DNA repositories for quite a long time, and are adding DNA information to our profiles. According to Epstein, Google has taken over the national DNA repository, but articles about that — which he has cited in his own writings — had vanished in 2020.
Some of the articles have now resurfaced, but to get a better view of what Google has been doing since at least 2011, a new search engine, Freespoke.com, is a great source for those searches.
3. They have the power to manipulate public opinion through search rankings and other means.
“To me, that’s the scariest area,” Epstein says, “because Google is shaping the opinions, thinking, beliefs, attitudes, purchases and votes of billions of people around the world without anyone knowing that they’re doing so … and perhaps even more shocking, without leaving a paper trail for authorities to trace.
They’re using new techniques of manipulation that have never existed before in human history and they are for the most part, subliminal … but they don’t produce tiny shifts.
They produce enormous shifts in people’s thinking, very rapidly. Some of the techniques I’ve discovered are among the largest behavioral effects ever discovered in the behavioral sciences.”
While surveillance is Google’s primary business, their revenue — which in 2022 exceeds $256 billion a year2 — comes almost exclusively from advertising. All that personal information you’ve provided them through their various products is sold to advertisers looking for a specific target audience.
How Google Can Shift Your Perception Without Your Knowledge
Epstein’s controlled, randomized, double-blind and counterbalanced experiments have revealed a number of different ways in which Google can shift public perception. The first effect he discovered is called SEME, which stands for search engine manipulation effect. For a full description of the basic experiment used to identify this effect, please listen to the interview.
In summary, the aim of his experiment was to see whether search results biased toward a particular political candidate would be capable of shifting users’ political opinion and leanings.
“I had predicted, when we first did this, that we would get a shift,” Epstein says, “because … people do trust higher ranked search results, and of course we had biased the search results so that, if in that first group, someone was clicking on a high-ranking search result, that would connect them to a webpage which made one candidate look much better than the other …
I predicted we could get a shift in voting preferences of 2% to 3%. I was way off. We got … a shift of 48%, which I thought must be an error because that’s crazy …
I should note that in almost all of our experiments, especially those early ones, we deliberately used undecided voters. That’s the key. You can’t easily push the opinions or voting preferences of people who are partisan, who are strongly committed to one party or another, but people who are undecided, those are the people who are very vulnerable. In our experiments, we always find a way to use undecided voters.
In these early experiments, the way we guaranteed that our voters were undecided was by using people from the U.S. as our participants, but the election we chose was the 2010 election for the prime minister of Australia.
They’re real candidates, a real election, real search results, real webpages, and of course, because our participants were from the U.S. they were not familiar with the candidates. In fact, that’s why, before they do the search, we get this almost perfect 50/50 split regarding who they’re going to vote for, because they don’t know these candidates. The information they’re getting from the search, that, presumably, is why we get a shift.”
Simple Trick Effectively Masks Search Bias
Another thing Epstein noticed was that very few seemed to realize they were seeing biased search results. In other words, the manipulation went virtually undetected.
In a second experiment, they were able to achieve a 63% shift in voter preference, and by masking the bias — simply by inserting a pro-opponent result here and there — they were able to hide the bias from almost everyone.
“In other words, we could get enormous shifts in opinions and voting preferences with no one being able to detect the bias in the search results we were showing them,” Epstein says. “This is where, again, it starts to get scary. Scarier still is when we moved on to do a national study of more than 2,000 people in all 50 states.”
What this large-scale investigation revealed is that the few who actually notice the bias are not protected from its effects. Curiously, they actually shift even further toward the bias, rather than away from it.
As evidenced by other studies, the pattern of clicks is a key factor that makes search bias so powerful: 50% of all search selections go to the top two items and 95% of all clicks go to the first page of search results.
“In other words, people spend most of their time clicking on and reading content that comes from high-ranking search results. If those high-ranking search results favor one candidate, that’s pretty much all they see and that impacts their opinions and their voting preferences,” Epstein says.
Subsequent experiments revealed that this click pattern is the result of conditioning. Most of the things people search for are simple matters such as local weather or the capital of a country. The most appropriate and correct answer is always at the very top. This conditions them to assume that the best and truest answer is always the most high-ranked listing.
Google May Have Shifted Millions of Votes in 2016 Elections
The ramifications of the search engine manipulation effect can be immense. Of course, having power to shift public opinion is one thing; actually using that power is another. So, Epstein’s next target was to determine whether Google is using its power of influence or not.
“Early 2016, I set up the first-ever monitoring system, which allowed me to look over the shoulders of people as they were conducting election-related searches on Google, Bing and Yahoo in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election. I had 95 field agents (as we call them), in 24 states.
We kept their identities secret, which took a lot of work. And this is exactly, by the way, what the Nielsen company does to generate ratings for television shows. They have several thousand families. Their identities are secret. They equip the families with special boxes, which allow Nielsen to tabulate what programs they’re watching …
Inspired by the Nielsen model, we recruited our field agents, we equipped them with custom passive software. In other words, no one could detect the fact that they have the software in their computers. But that software allowed us to look over their shoulders as they conducted election related searches …
We ended up preserving 13,207 election-related searches and the nearly 100,000 webpages to which the search results linked … After the election, we rated the webpages for bias, either pro-Clinton or pro-Trump … and then we did an analysis to see whether there was any bias in the search results people were seeing.
The results we got were crystal clear, highly significant statistically … at the 0.001 level. What that says is we can be confident the bias we were seeing was real, and it didn’t occur because of some random factors. We found a pro-Clinton bias in all 10 search positions on the first page of Google search results, but not on Bing or Yahoo.
That’s very important. So, there was a significant pro-Clinton bias on Google. Because of the experiments I had been doing since 2013, I was also able to calculate how many votes could have been shifted with that level of bias… At bare minimum, about 2.6 million [undecided] votes would have shifted to Hillary Clinton.”
On the high end, Google’s biased search results may have shifted as many as 10.4 million undecided voters toward Clinton, which is no small feat — all without anyone realizing they’d been influenced, and without leaving a trace for the authorities to follow.
According to Epstein’s calculations, tech companies, Google being the main one, it was possible to shift 15 million votes leading up to the 2020 election, which means they had the potential to select the next president of United States.
Google Has the Power to Determine 25% of Global Elections
Many who look at Epstein’s work end up focusing on Google’s ability to influence U.S. politics, but the problem is much bigger than that.
“As I explained when I testified before Congress, the reason why I’m speaking out about these issues is because, first of all, I … think it’s important that we preserve democracy and preserve the free and fair election. To me, it’s pretty straight forward.
But the problem is much bigger than elections or democracy or the United States. Because I calculated back in 2015 that … Google’s search engine — because more than 90% of searches worldwide are conducted on Google — was determining the outcomes of upwards of 25% of the national elections in the world.
How can that be? Well, it’s because a lot of elections are very close. And that’s the key to understanding this. In other words, we actually looked at the win margins in national elections around the world, which tend to be very close. In that 2010 Australian election, for example, the win margin was something like 0.2% …
If the results they’re getting on Google are biased toward one candidate, that shifts a lot of votes among undecided people. And it’s very, very simple for them to flip an election or … rig an election … It’s very, very simple for Google to do that.
They can do it deliberately, which is kind of scary. In other words, some top executives at Google could decide who they want to win an election in South Africa or the U.K. or anywhere. It could be just a rogue employee at Google who does it. You may think that’s impossible … [but] it’s incredibly simple …
[A] senior software engineer at Google, Shumeet Baluja, who’s been at Google almost since the very beginning, published a novel that no one’s ever heard of called ‘The Silicon Jungle’ … It’s fictional, but it’s about Google, and the power that individual employees at Google have to make or break any company or any individual.
It’s a fantastic novel. I asked Baluja how Google let him get away with publishing it and he said, ‘Well, they made me promise I would never promote it.’ That’s why no one’s ever heard of this book.”
A Dictator Unlike Anything the World Has Ever Known
Another, and even more frightening possibility, is that Google could allow its biased algorithm to favor one candidate over another without caring about which candidate is being favored.
“That’s the scariest possibility,” Epstein says, “because now you’ve got an algorithm, a computer program, which is an idiot … deciding who rules us. It’s crazy.”
While this sounds like it should be illegal, it’s not, because there are no laws or regulations that restrict or dictate how Google must rank its search results. Courts have actually concluded that Google is simply exercising its right to free speech, even if that means destroying the businesses they demote in their search listings or black listings.
The only way to protect ourselves from this kind of hidden influence is by setting up monitoring programs such as Epstein’s all over the world. “As a species, it’s the only way we can protect ourselves from new types of online technologies that can be used to influence us,” he says. “No dictator anywhere has ever had even a tiny fraction of the power that this company has.”
Epstein is also pushing for government to make the Google search index a public commons, which would allow other companies to create competing search platforms using Google’s database. While Google’s search engine cannot be broken up, its monopoly would be thwarted by forcing it to hand over its index to other search platform developers.
The Influence of Search Suggestions
In 2016, Epstein also discovered the remarkable influence of search suggestions — the suggested searches shown in a drop-down menu when you begin to type a search term. This effect is now known as the search suggestion effect or SSE. Epstein explains:
“Initially the idea was they were going to save you time. That’s the way they presented this new feature. They were going to anticipate, based on your history, or based on what other people are searching for, what it is you’re looking for so you don’t have to type the whole thing. Just click on one of the suggestions. But then it changed into something else. It changed into a tool for manipulation.
In June 2016, a small news organization … discovered that it was virtually impossible to get negative search suggestions related to Hillary Clinton, but easy to get them for other people including Donald Trump. They were very concerned about this because maybe that could influence people somehow.
So, I tried this myself, and I have a wonderful image that I preserved showing this. I typed in ‘Hillary Clinton is’ on Bing and on Yahoo, and I got those long lists, eight and 10 items, saying, ‘Hillary Clinton is the devil. Hillary Clinton is sick’ … all negative things that people were actually searching for.
How do I know that? Because we checked Google trends. Google trends shows you what people are actually searching for. Sure enough, people were actually searching for all these negative things related to Hillary Clinton. Those [were] the most popular search terms.
So, we tried it on Google and we got, ‘Hillary Clinton is winning, Hillary Clinton is awesome.’ Now you check those phrases on Google trends and you find no one is searching for ‘Hillary Clinton is awesome.’ Nobody. Not one. But that’s what they’re showing you in their search suggestions.
That again got my research gears running. I started doing experiments because I said, ‘Wait a minute, why would they do this? What is the point?’ Here’s what I found in a series of experiments: Just by manipulating search suggestions, I could turn a 50/50 split among undecided voters into a 90/10 split — with no one having the slightest idea that they’ve been manipulated.”
YouTube’s Up Next Algorithm
YouTube, which is owned by Google, also has enormous influence on public opinion. According to Epstein, 70% of the videos people view on YouTube are suggested by Google’s top secret Up Next algorithm, which recommends videos for you to view whenever you’re watching a video.
Just like the search suggestions, this is a phenomenally effective ephemeral manipulation tool. There’s no record of the videos recommended by the algorithm, yet it can take you down the proverbial rabbit hole by feeding you one video after another.
“There are documented cases now in which people have been converted to extreme Islam or to white supremacy, literally because they’d been pulled down a rabbit hole by a sequence of videos on YouTube,” Epstein says.
“Think of that power. Again, it’s not powerful for people who already have strong opinions. It’s powerful for the people who don’t, the people who are vulnerable, the people who are undecided or uncommitted. And that’s a lot of people.”
The Creepy Line
Most people now have Amazon Prime. If you are one of those who do, you can watch the following documentary on Prime. It is well worth your time to do so. Epstein and many other experts provide a very compelling overview of the dangers that we discuss in our interview. In my view, this is a must-watch and one to recommend to your friends and family.
A question Epstein raises is, “Who gave this private company, which is not accountable to any of us, the ability to determine what billions of people around the world will see or will not see?”
That is perhaps one of the biggest issues. Epstein and others attempt to answer this question in this documentary, “The Creepy Line,” which is a direct quote from Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt.
“Traditional media have very serious constraints placed on them, but Google, which is far more penetrating and far more effective at influencing people, has none of these constraints,” Epstein says.
“There are lots of good people in [‘The Creepy Line’], lots of good data, and it explains my research very clearly, which is wonderful. It explains my research better than I explain my research. ‘The Creepy Line’ is available on iTunes and on Amazon. I think it costs $3 or $4 to watch … If you’re an Amazon Prime Member it’s free [from time to time]. It’s an excellent film.”
Google Runs a Total Surveillance State
In his article3 “Seven Simple Steps Toward Online Privacy,” Epstein outlines his recommendations for protecting your privacy while surfing the web, most of which don’t cost anything.
“My first sentence is ‘I have not received a targeted ad on my computer or mobile phone since 2014.’ Most people are shocked by that because they’re bombarded with targeted ads constantly.
More and more people are telling me that they’re just having a conversation with someone, so they’re not even doing anything online per se, but their phone is nearby — or they’re having a conversation in their home and they have Amazon Alexa or Google Home, these personal assistants — and the next thing they know they start getting targeted ads related to what they were talking about.
This is the surveillance problem … The point is that there are ways to use the internet, tablets and mobile phones, to preserve or protect your privacy, but almost no one does that. So, the fact is that we’re now being surveilled 24/7, generally speaking, with no awareness that we’re even being surveilled.
Maybe some people are aware that when they do searches on Google the search history is preserved forever … But it goes so far beyond that because now we’re being surveilled through personal assistants, so that when we speak, we’re being [surveilled].
It goes even beyond that, because a few years ago Google bought the Nest company, which makes a smart thermostat. After they bought the company, they put microphones into the smart thermostats, and the latest versions of the smart thermostats have microphones and cameras.
Google has been issued patents in recent years, which give them, basically, ownership rights over ways of analyzing sounds that are picked up by microphones in people’s homes.
They can hook you up with dentists, they can hook you up with sex therapists, with mental health services, relationship coaches, et cetera. So, there’s that. Location tracking has also gotten completely out of hand. We’ve learned in recent months that even when you disable location tracking … on your mobile phone, you’re still being tracked.”
This is one of the reasons I strongly recommend that you use a VPN on your cellphone and computer, as this will prevent virtually anyone from tracking and targeting you. There are many out there but I am using the one Epstein recommends, Nord VPN, which is only about $3 per month and you can use it on up to six devices. In my view, this is a must if you seek to preserve your privacy.
How Google Tracks You Even When You’re Offline
You can learn a lot about a person by tracking their movements and whereabouts. Most of us are very naïve about these things. As explained by Epstein, location tracking technology has become incredibly sophisticated and aggressive.
Android cellphones, for example, which are a Google-owned operating system, can track you even when you’re not connected to the internet, whether you have geo tracking enabled or not.
“It just gets creepier and creepier,” Epstein says. “Let’s say you pull out your SIM card. Let’s say you disconnect from your mobile service provider, so you’re absolutely isolated. You’re not connected to the internet. Guess what? Your phone is still tracking everything you do on that phone and it’s still tracking your location.”
As soon as you reconnect to the internet, all that information stored in your phone is sent to Google. So, even though you may think you’ve just spent the day incognito, the moment you reconnect, every step you’ve made is shared (provided you had your phone with you).
In terms of online tracking, it’s also important to realize that Google is tracking your movements online even if you’re not using their products, because most websites use Google Analytics, which tracks everything you do on that website. And, you have no way of knowing whether a website uses Google Analytics or not.
Steps to Protect Your Online Privacy
To protect your privacy, Epstein recommends taking the following steps, seven of which are outlined in “Seven Simple Steps Toward Online Privacy.” The last one, Fitbit, is a more recent concern.
Use a virtual private network (VPN) such as Nord, which is only about $3 per month and can be used on up to six devices. In my view, this is a must if you seek to preserve your privacy. Epstein explains:
“When you use your mobile phone, laptop or desktop in the usual way, your identity is very easy for Google and other companies to see. They can see it via your IP address, but more and more, there are much more sophisticated ways now that they know it’s you. One is called browser fingerprinting.
This is something that is so disturbing. Basically, the kind of browser you have and the way you use your browser is like a fingerprint. You use your browser in a unique way, and just by the way you type, these companies now can instantly identify you.
Brave has some protection against a browser fingerprinting, but you really need to be using a VPN. What a VPN does is it routes whatever you’re doing through some other computer somewhere else. It can be anywhere in the world, and there are hundreds of companies offering VPN services. The one I like the best right now is called Nord VPN.
You download the software, install it, just like you install any software. It’s incredibly easy to use. You do not have to be a techie to use Nord, and it shows you a map of the world and you basically just click on a country.
The VPN basically makes it appear as though your computer is not your computer. It basically creates a kind of fake identity for you, and that’s a good thing. Now, very often I will go through Nord’s computers in the United States. Sometimes you have to do that, or you can’t get certain things done. PayPal doesn’t like you to be in a foreign country for example.”
Nord, when used on your cellphone, will also mask your identity when using apps like Google Maps.
Do not use Gmail, as every email you write is permanently stored. It becomes part of your profile and is used to build digital models of you, which allows them to make predictions about your line of thinking and every want and desire.
Many other older email systems such as AOL and Yahoo are also being used as surveillance platforms in the same way as Gmail. ProtonMail.com, which uses end-to-end encryption, is a great alternative and the basic account is free.
Don’t use Google’s Chrome browser, as everything you do on there is surveilled, including keystrokes and every web page you’ve ever visited. Brave is a great alternative that takes privacy seriously.
Brave is also faster than Chrome, and suppresses ads. It’s based on Chromium, the same software infrastructure that Chrome is based on, so you can easily transfer your extensions, favorites and bookmarks.
Don’t use Google as your search engine, or any extension of Google, such as Bing or Yahoo, both of which draw search results from Google. The same goes for the iPhone’s personal assistant Siri, which draws all of its answers from Google.
Alternative search engines suggested by Epstein include SwissCows and Qwant. He recommends avoiding StartPage, as it was recently bought by an aggressive online marketing company, which, like Google, depends on surveillance.
Don’t use an Android cellphone, for all the reasons discussed earlier.
Don’t use Google Home devices in your house or apartment — These devices record everything that occurs in your home, both speech and sounds such as brushing your teeth and boiling water, even when they appear to be inactive, and send that information back to Google. Android phones are also always listening and recording, as are Google’s home thermostat Nest, and Amazon’s Alexa.
Clear your cache and cookies — As Epstein explains in his article:4
“Companies and hackers of all sorts are constantly installing invasive computer code on your computers and mobile devices, mainly to keep an eye on you but sometimes for more nefarious purposes.
On a mobile device, you can clear out most of this garbage by going to the settings menu of your browser, selecting the ‘privacy and security’ option and then clicking on the icon that clears your cache and cookies.
With most laptop and desktop browsers, holding down three keys simultaneously — CTRL, SHIFT and DEL — takes you directly to the relevant menu; I use this technique multiple times a day without even thinking about it. You can also configure the Brave and Firefox browsers to erase your cache and cookies automatically every time you close your browser.”
Don’t use Fitbit, as Google purchased it in 2021, a move that will provide them with all your physiological information and activity levels, in addition to everything else that Google already has on you.
Bought a high-quality mattress of late? Well done!!
What did you say? You do not want to compromise on your sleep and hence invested heavily in buying the ‘best mattress around’?
Good sleep is important for everyone.It prepares us to take up hard challenges for the next day. Good to know you value your sleep highly and this should be the reason why you have made a heavy investment in your mattress. Having invested so much, you would definitely want your mattress to withstand the ‘test of time’ and last really long, right?
From your previous experiences, you would surely agree with us that our mattresses do not last as long as we want them to. Mattresses often get dirty or wet and this affects their lifespan adversely. The dirt or moisture can even lead to fungal and bacterial infections on the sleeper.
No, we are not here to discourage you, particularly when you have just bought an expensive mattress! All you want to tell you is that the Sleepsia mattress protectors can be the ‘hero’ that can protect your mattress from the usual ‘enemies’. It can increase the ‘lifespan’ of your mattress and help you extract the ‘optimum’ value from your investment.
How can it do so? Why should you buy a Sleepsia mattress protector? We will discuss this in this blog.
Benefits of buying a mattress protector
Well, there are manifold benefits a mattress protector can provide. Here, we are discussing just a few of those-
Gives you a breathable sleeping experience
This premium mattress protector from Sleepsia is made of soft fabric to give you an airy and breathable sleeping experience. The high-quality fabric used in this protector prevents the mattress from overheating and regulates the heat to suit your body temperature. What you get as a result is a cool environment to sleep in. With its highly effective airflow function, the mattress protector prevents the buildup of moisture as well.
A Sleepsia mattress protector can be an extremely beneficial addition to your bedding. It is made of a thin, waterproof material to keep your expensive mattress safe from liquids. These protectors are two-layered, with a soft, absorbent layer on top and a waterproof layer at the bottom, to stop liquids from getting to the surface of your mattress. If you are looking to protect your mattress from blood, beverages, other accidental spills, and pets, the Sleepsia mattress protector is just what you need.
Efficiently designed to ensure complete protection
A Sleepsia mattress protector includes a deep pocket mattress pad to ensure complete protection to your mattress. Because of the deep pocket design of the cover, it is easier to accommodate mattresses of different thicknesses in it. Moreover, the 360° strong elastic band attached to it makes sure that the cover does not shift or slide while used. It is also easy to remove the mattress from the protector after use.
Keeps the mattress strain-free & hygienic
Do you enjoy having breakfast in bed on a regular basis? Do you have a pet who likes your mattress too much? Do you have a baby with frequent nighttime accidents?
If the answer to all the above questions is an emphatic ‘Yes’, the premium mattress protector from Sleepsia can be the savior for your mattress. It will absorb all the ‘beating’ and would keep your mattress stain-free and clean. It will put a protective barrier around your expensive mattress to keep it fresh and hygienic. Keeping your mattress hygienic is important as we spend 8 to 10 hours, on an average, lying on our mattresses. This is necessary for your own health and that of your family members as well. So, go for the Sleepsia mattress protector and keep you and your family free from bacteria, sweat, pet hair, bed bugs, fleas, dust particles, food crumbs etc.
You do not need to worry at all about cleaning the Sleepsia mattress protector. It can be easily washed in a washing machine, with a mild detergent. This will also save you from periodic cleaning of your expensive and heavy mattress, which is such a difficult affair when it gets dirty.
Protects you from allergies
An uncovered mattress can be a ‘bastion’ of harmful allergens. Bed bugs and mites are the most common and these can have an adverse effect on human health. If you have sensitive skin or are prone to allergies, you must protect your mattress from these allergens. The Sleepsia mattress protector has hypoallergenic features. It has tightly woven covers and casings to provide a barrier to these household parasites so that they do not get access to your sensitive skin. The mattress protector will prevent bacterial growth and will keep you away from various allergies. Furthermore, this premium mattress protector prevents us from shedding body oils and skin onto our mattresses. As the mattress protector can be washed easily, any bed bugs or dust mites that may have landed on it get killed off during the washing and drying process.
Make the best of the ‘trail offer’ of your new mattress
Most new mattresses come with risk-free trial periods lasting up to a full year. However, such a trial offer usually comes with a condition that if you are not satisfied with the product, you can return it, albeit, in a clean and presentable condition. Now, if, during the trial period, you try to return a mattress with wear and tear, stains, or other such signs, the terms of your trial may become void and you may not get a refund. Therefore, we would advise you to give your new mattress the much-needed protection of the Sleepsia mattress protector and make the best use of the trial offer, if you have any.
Conclusion
Hope the discussion above gave you a clear idea if you were wondering whether mattress protectors were necessary for you. These premium mattress protectors from Sleepsia are a must if you want to prolong the lifespan of your new or older mattress and keep your sleeping space hygienic. Order the Mattress protector now to know more.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions, and data contained in these publications are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of Credihealth and the editor(s).
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It’s easier than ever to manage your health care online, but things can get more complicated when you’re dealing with the care of a child, family member or other person. In these situations, a health care proxy can be a highly effective tool to help you assist in that person’s care more effectively.
A health care proxy allows a person (the proxy) to see the medical information of someone else through their own online account. With proxy access to another person’s information, it can be easier to assist in that person’s care.
Proxy access can be set up between any two trusted people, and it’s most commonly used for family members. For example, a parent could be a proxy for their minor child, or an adult could be a proxy for their spouse or elderly parent.
Maintaining patient confidentially is essential in health care. It builds trust between patient and provider, improves communication and gives patients more control over who has access to their medical information. With proxy access, only medical information is shared – insurance information is not. Proxy access can be revoked at any time by the person whose information is being shared (if that person is 18 years old or older).
What kind of patient information can someone with proxy access see online?
Proxies for patients 12 years old or younger can see almost everything about the minor’s medical information.
Proxies for patients who are 13 through 17 years old have a more restricted view of the minor’s medical information. Proxies for patients in this age range can:
Schedule appointments for the patient (but can’t see appointment information after scheduling)
Review immunization records
Review certain test results (like COVID-19 tests, drive-up strep tests and drive-up flu tests)
Send and receive messages
Review letters
How do proxies work at our care group?
We’ll walk you through the process to request or share health care proxy access at our clinics. These processes are unique to our organization. It’s important to note:
At this time, we’re only able to share information about care received across our care group.
If you don’t receive care with us, you’ll need to establish a medical record in our health system to become a proxy.
If you’d like to set up proxy access to information about care received elsewhere, please contact the organization that provided care.
How do I request or share access to a health care proxy?
Across our care group, we’ve made it easy to establish a health care proxy once you log in to your account. Once logged in, go to Account Settings and select “My proxy access”. The process varies depending on the age of the patient. For patients under 18, you can request access as the first step. Patients who are 18 or older must share access to another person before they can become a proxy.
View our proxy access FAQs (PDF) for detailed instructions on how to request or share proxy access.
Why is a proxy’s view limited for patients who are 13 through 17 years old?
HealthPartners is required to follow state and federal laws that protect a person’s privacy, some of which give minors certain privacy rights. These laws taken together have shaped our policies and determine what online features are available electronically to proxies of minors.
Can proxy access change or expire?
Across our care group, proxy access will change the day before the minor turns 13 (for minors whose proxy was established when they were 12 years old or younger). On that day, proxy access will become more restricted as described above.
For minors who are 13 through 17 years old, proxy access will end the day before the minor turns 18. An 18-year-old can share proxy access again by creating their own online account and filling out the proper form.
For patients 18 years old or older, proxy access expires 10 years after it’s established. When proxy access expires, the patient can share proxy access again by filling out the proper form in their online account.
How do I revoke another person’s proxy access at HealthPartners and Park Nicollet?
Patients ages 18 years old or older can revoke proxy access at any time. For assistance with revoking access, call our web support team at 952-853-8888 or 877-726-0203 (toll free). We’re available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.
How do I end my own proxy access to another person’s information at HealthPartners and Park Nicollet?
Proxies can end their access at any time. For assistance with ending access, call our web support team at 952-853-8888 or 877-726-0203 (toll free). We’re available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.
Can multiple people have proxy access to a patient?
Yes, a patient can have more than one person as a proxy. Separate access requests must be submitted for each proxy.
Can someone have proxy access to multiple patients?
Yes, a person can act as a proxy for more than one patient. Separate access requests must be submitted for each patient.
For things like appointment reminders and alerts, will proxies get the same notifications patients do?
Not exactly. For patients 12 and under, proxies will get appointment reminders and alerts, not the patient. For patients 13 through 17 years old, we don’t currently send appointment reminders. Proxies of patients 18 and older will get the same reminders and alerts the patient does.
Can proxies see health insurance information?
No. HealthPartners members do not have the ability to request or share proxy access to their insurance information. But policyholders automatically have limited access to their child or adult dependent’s information, including:
The ability to print and order ID cards for all dependents.
Full access to health plan claims for dependents 12 and younger.
Access to claim dates, total cost of services and amounts applied to the family’s deducible and out-of-pocket limits for dependents 13 and older (including adult dependents).
However, the provider and visit description are not available.
What if I have another question?
If you have other questions, we’re here to help.
Call our web support team at 952-853-8888 or 877-726-0203 (toll free). We’re available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.
Some days your sciatic nerve pain may be just a dull ache. Other days sciatic pain is constant, sharp and has you looking everywhere for relief.
No matter the cause of your sciatica, it’s important to know how to manage your sciatic pain at home and when to get help from a doctor or specialist.
Read on to learn more about sciatica at-home treatments you can try, such as heat and cold therapy, as well as targeted therapies like physical therapy and injections.
How to treat sciatica at home
Most people can find relief from sciatica without surgery, using a combination of treatments.
In general, you’ll want to focus your efforts on your lower spine, buttocks and hamstring muscles, since tightness or pressure in these areas may be causing your sciatica or making it worse.
Below, we cover when and how to use sciatica treatments available to you at home.
1. Cold and heat therapy
These types of therapies are what they sound like – applying cold or heat to your body to help reduce pain. But they’re used at different times for different reasons.
When to use cold therapy for sciatica pain relief
Cold therapy is best for new pain – this can be pain related to a new injury or discomfort after exercise or stretching.
Cold therapy for sciatica involves applying something icy cold – an ice pack, frozen gel pack or even a bag of frozen veggies – to your lower back for about 15-20 minutes.
At the first signs of sciatica, use cold therapy three times a day for 2-3 days. If you have soreness after exercising, one 15-20 minute session should be enough.
There are different reasons why cold therapy helps to reduce the pain and inflammation of sciatica:
Lessens painful sensations – When nerves first get hurt, they let the body know by sending out sensations that are sharp, tingling and painful. Cold therapy decreases the sensations that nerves send out.
Numbs the area – Blood vessels shrink when they get colder, making it more difficult for blood to get through. This causes numbness so you’re less likely to feel pain or have muscle spasms.
Reduces inflammation – When you get hurt, your blood vessels react and cause swelling in the surrounding tissues to keep the injury from spreading. Because cold therapy shrinks blood vessels, there’s less inflammation and swelling.
When to use heat therapy for sciatica pain relief
Heat is for healing, but it usually doesn’t feel good on a new injury. So, hold off on heat therapy until the sharp pain of sciatica starts to go away – usually within a couple of days.
Both dry heat and moist heat are options for sciatic pain relief. Dry heat includes things like heating pads, heat wraps, heat patches and saunas. Moist heat is when water is involved – warm baths, hot showers, steam towels or moist heat packs.
In most cases, 15-20 minutes of heat therapy should be enough for your sciatica. But if your pain is severe, you can apply low-level heat for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Here’s what heat therapy does:
Increases circulation – Heat opens up blood vessels, increasing the blood flow, oxygen and nutrients to the injury. This helps speed up healing. But if you use heat therapy on a new injury, all that extra blood flow can actually worsen inflammation and make your injury hurt more.
Relaxes muscles – Applying heat to your muscles relaxes them, improving the flexibility of your muscles and joints. When your muscles are relaxed, you’re also less likely to have painful muscle spasms.
Makes it easier to exercise – Using heat therapy before you exercise or stretch can loosen up muscles and joints. And since things aren’t as tight, you’re able to work out more effectively, allowing you to build strength and flexibility.
2. Stretching and exercise
Getting your body moving is often one of the best ways to send the pain away. But it can be hard to know which stretches and exercises are best for your body – and how to do them correctly. That’s where a spine physical therapist can help.
A spine physical therapist can teach you specific exercises and stretches, and help create a personalized plan so you can get the most out of your in-person sessions and continue your physical therapy at home. Depending on several factors, including how long you’ve been experiencing sciatica, a more intensive physical therapy program like TRIA Neck and Back Strengthening Program may be recommended. A spine strengthening program is specifically designed for people with chronic back pain.
Types of stretches for sciatic pain
Muscle tightness in your hips and your upper legs can put pressure on your lower back, making sciatica worse. Stretching can loosen your muscles so you have more flexibility throughout the day.
Nerve flossing exercises These are slow and gentle movements that target specific nerves in the body. These exercises are sometimes called nerve gliding or neural gliding and may help improve range of motion while reducing nerve pain and damage.
Nerve flossing exercises can be done while sitting, standing or lying on your back. An example of sciatic nerve flossing would be to stand with one foot on a chair and the other foot on the floor. From there, lean forward until you feel a stretch in the leg that’s on the floor. Hold for a few seconds before returning to a standing position.
Lower back and hip stretches If you have sciatica, you likely have a condition like a herniated disc, bone spur or pregnancy that is putting extra pressure on the sciatic nerve root in your lower back. Stretching your hips and lower back can relieve some of the pressure. A good exercise for this is the table stretch.
Face a table and stand with your feet a little further apart than your hips.
Place the palms of your hands flat on the table with your arms outstretched. Your arms should be straight in front of you and your back should be flat.
Pull your hips away from the table until you feel there’s stretching in your lower back and hips, and then hold the position for about one minute.
Move your hips from side to side while you’re bent forward to increase the stretch.
Hamstring stretches If you have sciatica, you may have pain and tightness in your upper legs. A great stretch for this is the scissor hamstring stretch.
Place one foot about 3 feet in front of the other then push your hips forward as you pull your shoulders back – but try to make sure that your hips are still even.
Put your hands on your hips. If you feel unstable, rest your hand on a chair or flat surface.
Bend forward from your waist so your upper body is over your front leg – most of your weight should be over your front leg and your back should be straight.
Hold 5-10 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.
Piriformis muscle stretches The piriformis is a muscle that’s deep in the buttock. If it’s tight, it can irritate the sciatic nerve. While piriformis muscle problems can happen to anyone, they are especially common during pregnancy. So, one of the great stretches for pregnancy-related sciatic pain is the seated piriformis stretch. Here’s how it works:
Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
Put the ankle of your affected leg on your opposite knee.
While holding your back straight, lean forward until you feel a stretch deep in your buttock.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Types of activities and exercise for sciatic pain
Low-impact exercise can help get sciatic nerve pain under control and build up your strength. But while there are many benefits of exercise, make sure you don’t push yourself too far. If your go-to exercises are uncomfortable, consider taking the plunge and spending time in the water.
Swimming, water aerobics or even walking the length of the pool are all ways to get moving while lessening the pressure on your nerves. Other low-impact exercises to try are walking, yoga or cycling.
For best results, stretch your back and hips before heading out – maybe even use some heat therapy to relax your muscles.
3. Massage therapy
Massage is another way to ease muscle tension and pain. When doing massage for sciatica at home, focus on your lower back, the rear pelvis and thigh. But try to stay away from spots that are especially painful since it’s possible to make your sciatica worse. Applying heat before a massage can help loosen things up while cold therapy can reduce pain.
If your back is sore, an ice massage can be a great way to go, assuming you have a friend or family member willing to lend a hand. Here’s how to do it:
Start by freezing water in a paper cup.
Remove the cup from the freezer and tear off the upper part of the cup so you can see ice over the top of the cup.
Rub the ice into your back and thigh, peeling way more of the paper cup as the ice melts.
4. Medications for sciatica pain relief
Different medications can help with pain and inflammation from sciatica, including:
Oral anti-inflammatory medications
It’s best to start with over-the-counter (OTC) options before talking to your doctor about prescription options. Oral anti-inflammatory medications can provide fast-acting, short-term pain relief. Ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) are often recommended but ask your doctor about what makes sense for your unique situation.
Topical ointments, gels or creams
Topical creams, ointments and gels for sciatica can block nerve pain and relax the muscles that may be causing discomfort. Even better, they start to work right after you use them.
Most people find that these products help – at least a little bit. But not all people experience sciatica in the same way, so look for one that says it will treat the symptoms you have. If you’re pregnant, it can be a good idea to look for one that says it’s safe during pregnancy.
To use, rub the ointment, gel or cream near where it hurts. It’s also important to apply the product to the rear pelvis – the area that’s closest to the sciatic nerve root. Sciatica starts at the nerve root, so if you’re able to stop the pain there, you may be able to stop it from spreading.
Prescription medications
Your doctor may prescribe different types of oral medications for sciatic pain, including:
Muscle relaxers – These medications can help with painful muscle spasms.
Tricyclic antidepressants – These antidepressants can reduce the amount of physical pain you feel but may take a while to work. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why antidepressants reduce pain, but it’s possible that they release chemicals that reduce the pain signal.
Anti-seizure medications – The medications can calm your nerves, reducing the burning, stabbing and shooting pain that often comes with sciatica. They work by blocking pain signals.
Prescription pain relievers – Medications like opioids can be an effective way to make the pain go away. But opioids often make your pain worse when you stop taking them. Plus, they can also be addictive. So, doctors usually reserve them for severe pain, and then only prescribe them for a short period of time.
Targeted therapies for sciatica pain treatment
If at-home treatments for sciatic pain aren’t giving you enough relief or working as well as they used to, more targeted medical treatments may help.
Steroid injections
Your doctor may recommend a steroid injection in your lower back to reduce the inflammation around the nerve root that may be causing sciatic pain.
The effects of steroid injections are temporary and only last a few months. But with less pain, you‘ll be more comfortable when doing stretches and exercises that will help you heal.
If your pain returns, you won’t be able to get another steroid injection right away since more serious side effects are possible if you have too many, too close together.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is a clinically proven way to reduce pain and improve muscle strength. Typically, physical therapy for sciatica usually takes 6-12 weeks, and most people come in for physical therapy sessions 2-3 days per week. Here’s what you can expect:
Evaluation – Your physical therapist will likely do special tests such as strength testing and motion testing. This helps them determine the main cause of your pain, assess your range of motion and mobility, and more.
Therapeutic exercises – Your physical therapist will use different techniques to work the affected area and improve the strength and mobility of certain muscle groups.
Education – Your physical therapist will help you understand what’s causing your pain, the importance of staying active and how to exercise safely.
Tailored exercise program – Your physical therapist will create a personalized treatment plan that includes the best stretches and exercises for you. They’ll also offer guidance to ensure that you do them correctly.
But as we mentioned earlier, the type of physical therapy program that’s best for you will depend on a few different factors, including how long you’ve been managing sciatic pain. If you have acute or shorter-lasting sciatic pain, a standard physical therapy program is where you can start.
But for those with chronic sciatic pain that lasts more than 12 weeks, a more targeted spine strengthening program like TRIA Neck and Back Strengthening Program may be recommended. A spine strengthening program like TRIA’s uses FDA registered medical strengthening equipment proven to help you improve your spinal fitness and reduce pain without surgery.
Chiropractic therapy
Depending on what’s causing your sciatica, a chiropractor may be able to move your body in ways that can reduce pressure on your sciatic nerve. Chiropractic care is generally safe and a review of medical studies suggests it can help with sciatica and other types of back pain.
Acupuncture
During acupuncture, a trained specialist places extremely thin needles in different places and at varying depths that are believed to provide pain relief to specific areas of the body. Acupuncture works for most people who try it.
Acupuncture may work for sciatica by:
Releasing hormones that reduce pain and improve mood.
Stimulating blood flow to relax muscles, improve inflammation and help you heal better.
Helping to block the pain signals sent out by the brain.
Biofeedback
Electromyography (EMG) biofeedback is a type of therapy that checks for problems with nerves, muscles or how they interact with each other. During the biofeedback session, the therapist will put special sensors on your skin that are attached to a machine that measures muscle tension.
The theory is that once you have an idea of what’s causing your pain, you’ll be able to change your behaviors to lessen your pain or make it go away completely. It’s also possible that biofeedback may relax the muscles that are contributing to your pain. Some people find biofeedback very helpful but there isn’t strong data showing that it works.
When is sciatica surgery recommended as a treatment?
Surgery for sciatica is rarely recommended as a first treatment step. That’s because a combination of nonsurgical treatments can often be effective at healing pain. There’s no guarantee that nerve pain will go away – or stay away – after surgery. Surgery may provide more sciatic pain relief initially, but long-term pain relief is likely the same as nonsurgical treatments.
Surgery may make sense for you if the cause of your sciatica won’t go away on its own. For example, you have a bony growth pressing down on your sciatic nerve. Doctors generally won’t consider surgery unless you’ve had sciatic pain for at least six weeks. But back surgery may be recommended immediately if you have any of the following:
Caudia equina syndrome – an emergency situation where all the nerves in the lower back are suddenly and severely compressed, resulting in loss of motor and sensory function in the lower body
Tumors that are pressing on the nerves in the lower back
Sciatica in both legs
An infection in the pelvis that can’t be treated with medication
When should I see a doctor about my sciatica?
If your sciatic pain isn’t going away with at-home treatments, it’s time to get help. Make a medical spine care appointment with a spine specialist if you have sciatic nerve pain that:
Is affecting your quality of life
Has lasted more than three months
Keeps coming back
Continues to get worse
Visit urgent care or an emergency room if you experience any of the following:
Sudden, severe pain in your low back or leg, and numbness or muscle weakness in your leg
Problems with bladder or bowel control
Pain following an injury, such as a traffic accident or a fall
Support for your sciatica
Managing your sciatic pain and keeping future flare-ups away is possible. It will likely take a little effort on your part – but we can help.
At TRIA, our spine care specialists develop personalized treatment plans to help people find lasting relief from even the most difficult cases of sciatica.
Physical therapy can often be covered by insurance plans, but you may need a referral from a doctor. So, it’s a good idea to contact your insurance company to learn which services are covered – you can usually find contact information on the back of your insurance card.
Sometime in the spring of 2020, after centuries, perhaps millennia, of tumultuous coexistence with humans, influenza abruptly went dark. Around the globe, documented cases of the viral infection completely cratered as the world tried to counteract SARS-CoV-2. This time last year, American experts began to fret that the flu’s unprecedented sabbatical was too bizarre to last: Perhaps the group of viruses that cause the disease would be poised for an epic comeback, slamming us with “a little more punch” than usual, Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Tennessee, told me at the time.
But those fears did not not come to pass. Flu’s winter 2021 season in the Southern Hemisphere was once again eerily silent; in the north, cases sneaked up in December—only to peter out before a lackluster reprise in the spring.
Now, as the weather once again chills in this hemisphere and the winter holidays loom, experts are nervously looking ahead. After skipping two seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, flu spent 2022 hopping across the planet’s lower half with more fervor than it’s had since the COVID crisis began. And of the three years of the pandemic that have played out so far, this one is previewing the strongest signs yet of a rough flu season ahead.
It’s still very possible that the flu will fizzle into mildness for the third year in a row, making experts’ gloomier suspicions welcomingly wrong. Then again, this year is, virologically, nothing like the last. Australia recently wrapped an unusually early and “very significant” season with flu viruses, says Kanta Subbarao, the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute. By sheer confirmed case counts, this season was one of the country’s worst in several years. In South Africa, “it’s been a very typical flu season” by pre-pandemic standards, which is still enough to be of note, according to Cheryl Cohen, a co-head of the country’s Centre for Respiratory Disease and Meningitis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. After a long, long hiatus, Subbarao told me, flu in the Southern Hemisphere “is certainly back.”
That does not bode terribly well for those of us up north. The same viruses that seed outbreaks in the south tend to be the ones that sprout epidemics here as the seasons do their annual flip. “I take the south as an indicator,” says Seema Lakdawala, a flu-transmission expert at Emory University. And should flu return here, too, with a vengeance, it will collide with a population that hasn’t seen its likes in years, and is already trying to marshal responses to severaldangerous pathogens at once.
The worst-case scenario won’t necessarily pan out. What goes on below the equator is never a perfect predictor for what will occur above it: Even during peacetime, “we’re pretty bad in terms of predicting what a flu season is going to look like,” Webby, of St. Jude, told me. COVID, and the world’s responses to it, have put experts’ few forecasting tools further on the fritz. But the south’s experiences can still be telling. In South Africa and Australia, for instance, many COVID-mitigation measures, such as universal masking recommendations and post-travel quarantines, lifted as winter arrived, allowing a glut of respiratory viruses to percolate through the population. The flu flood also began after two essentially flu-less years—which is a good thing at face value, but also represents many months of missed opportunities to refresh people’s anti-flu defenses, leaving them more vulnerable at the season’s start.
Some of the same factors are working against those of us north of the equator, perhaps to an even greater degree. Here, too, the population is starting at a lower defensive baseline against flu—especially young children, many of whom have never tussled with the viruses. It’s “very, very likely” that kids may end up disproportionately hit, Webby said, as they appear to have been in Australia—though Subbarao notes that this trend may have been driven by more cautious behaviors among older populations, skewing illness younger.
Interest in inoculations has also dropped during the pandemic: After more than a year of calls for booster after booster, “people have a lot of fatigue,” says Helen Chu, a physician and flu expert at the University of Washington, and that exhaustion may be driving already low interest in flu shots even further down. (During good years, flu-shot uptake in the U.S. peaks around 50 percent.) And the few protections against viruses that were still in place last winter have now almost entirely vanished. In particular, schools—a fixture of flu transmission—have loosened up enormously since last year. There’s also just “much more flu around,” all over the global map, Webby said. With international travel back in full swing, the viruses will get that many more chances to hopscotch across borders and ignite an outbreak. And should such an epidemic emerge, with its health infrastructure already under strain from simultaneous outbreaks of COVID, monkeypox, and polio, America may not handle another addition well. “Overall,” Chu told me, “we are not well prepared.”
At the same time, though, countries around the world have taken such different approaches to COVID mitigation that the pandemic may have further uncoupled their flu-season fate. Australia’s experience with the flu, for instance, started, peaked, and ended early this year; the new arrival of more relaxed travel policies likely played a role in the outbreak’s beginning, before a mid-year BA.5 surge potentially hastened the sudden drop. It’s also very unclear whether the U.S. may be better or worse off because its last flu season was wimpy, weirdly shaped, and unusually late. South Africa saw an atypical summer bump in flu activity as well; those infections may have left behind a fresh dusting of immunity and blunted the severity of the following season, Cohen told me. But it’s always hard to tell. “I was quite strong in saying that I really believed that South Africa was going to have a severe season,” she said. “And it seems that I was wrong.” The long summer tail of the Northern Hemisphere’s most recent flu season could also exacerbate the intensity of the coming winter season, says John McCauley, the director of the Worldwide Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute, in London. Kept going in their off-season, the viruses may have an easier vantage point from which to reemerge this winter.
COVID’s crush has shifted flu dynamics on the whole as well. The pandemic “squeezed out” a lot of diversity from the influenza-virus population, Webby told me; some lineages may have even entirely blipped out. But others could also still be stewing and mutating, potentially in animals or unmonitored pockets of the world. That these strains—which harbor especially large pandemic potential—could emerge into the general population is “my bigger concern,” Lakdawala, of Emory, told me. And although the particular strains of flu that are circulating most avidly seem reasonably well matched to this year’s vaccines, the dominant strains that attack the north could yet shift, says Florian Krammer, a flu virologist at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Viruses also tend to wobble and hop when they return from long vacations; it may take a season or two before the flu finds its usual rhythm.
Another epic SARS-CoV-2 variant could also quash a would-be influenza peak. Flu cases rose at the end of 2021, and the dreaded “twindemic” loomed. But then, Omicron hit—and flu “basically disappeared for one and a half months,” Krammer told me, only tiptoeing back onto the scene after COVID cases dropped. Some experts suspect that the immune system may have played a role in this tag-team act: Although co-infections or sequential infections of SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses are possible, the aggressive spread of a new coronavirus variant may have set people’s defenses on high alert, making it that much harder for another pathogen to gain a foothold.
No matter the odds we enter flu season with, human behavior can still alter winter’s course. One of the main reasons that flu viruses have been so absent the past few years is because mitigation measures have kept them at bay. “People understand transmission more than they ever did before,” Lakdawala told me. Subbarao thinks COVID wisdom is what helped keep Australian flu deaths down, despite the gargantuan swell in cases: Older people took note of the actions that thwarted the coronavirus and applied those same lessons to flu. Perhaps populations across the Northern Hemisphere will act in similar ways. “I would hope that we’ve actually learned how to deal with infectious disease more seriously,” McCauley told me.
But Webby isn’t sure that he’s optimistic. “People have had enough hearing about viruses in general,” he told me. Flu, unfortunately, does not feel similarly about us.
School is in session, pumpkin spice is in season, and Americans are heading to pharmacies for what may soon become another autumn standby: your annual COVID shot. On Tuesday, the White House announced the start of a “new phase” of the pandemic response, one in which “most Americans” will receive a COVID-19 vaccine just “once a year, each fall.” In other words, your pandemic booster is about to become as routine as your physical exam or—more to the point—your flu shot. One more health-related task has been added to your calendar, and it’s likely to remain there for the rest of your life.
From a certain standpoint, this regimen makes a lot of sense. The pandemic’s biggest surges so far have come in the winter, and a fall booster could go a long way toward mitigating the next of those surges. What’s more, the new plan greatly simplifies COVID-vaccination regimens, both for the public and for providers. “It has been bewildering in many cases to understand who is eligible for a booster, how many boosters, when, which boosters, how far apart,” Jason Schwartz, a vaccine-policy expert at Yale, told me. “I think that has held down booster uptake in some really discouraging ways.” In a sense, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha told me, the new plan just codifies the way things already worked: The last time low-risk Americans became eligible for another shot was last fall. (The elderly and immunocompromised have operated on a different schedule and will likely continue to do so, Jha said.)
Still, some public-health experts worry that the White House is jumping the gun. Back in April, a number of them toldStat News’s Helen Branswell they were concerned that the U.S. would adopt such a policy without the data needed to support it. When the White House made its announcement on Tuesday, many felt their concerns had been vindicated. “We’ve had twists and turns and surprises every single step of the way with COVID, and the idea that we’re going to have one shot and then we’re done is not really consistent with how things have worked in the past,” Walid Gellad, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told me. The plan, in his view, glosses over considerable uncertainties.
For one thing, it assumes that the virus will follow an annual schedule with peaks in the fall and winter—not unlikely, but also not a given. For another, we still don’t have a firm grasp on the magnitude or duration of the benefits offered by the new Omicron-specific vaccine. For all we know, Gellad told me, the added protection afforded to someone who gets the shot tomorrow may have largely dissipated by New Year’s Eve.
And that’s not to mention the massive uncertainty presented by the specter of future variants. In a briefing Tuesday, Jha acknowledged that “new variant curveballs” could change the government’s plans. But the announcement itself includes no such caveats, which some public-health experts worry could cause problems if course corrections are needed down the line. For all we know, new variants could necessitate more frequent updates, or, if viral mutation slows, we might not even need annual shots, Paul Thomas, an immunologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Tennessee, told me.
If the routine the White House describes sounds a lot like flu shots, that’s no accident. The announcement explicitly recommends that COVID vaccines be taken between Labor Day and Halloween—“just like your annual flu shot.” That comparison, though, is part of what concerns critics, who worry that the shift into a more flu-like framework will entail the adoption of a vaccines-only approach to COVID prevention. Many of the interventions that have proved so effective over the past two and a half years—masking, distancing, widespread testing—have not traditionally been a major part of our flu-season protocols. If we treat COVID like flu, the thinking goes, such interventions risk falling even further by the wayside. The announcement, which makes no mention of any other prevention tactics, doesn’t offer much reassurance to the contrary.
But that reading, Jha told me, is “just clearly wrong.” Although vaccines are “the central pillar of our strategy,” he said, testing, masking, and improving indoor air quality are all important as well. But as my colleague Katherine Wu has written, the country has been relying more and more on vaccines—and less and less on the other interventions at our disposal—for some time. Even if you do read the new policy as an abnegation of masking, ventilation, and the like, it may not functionally be much of a departure from the status quo
For now, Thomas said, the White House’s plan makes sense—as long as it stays sensitive to changing circumstances. “We keep learning new things about this virus,” he told me. “The rate of mutation is changing. The spread through the population is changing.” And as such, he said, our response must be flexible.
The White House announcement seems like a good-faith attempt to balance competing priorities: on the one hand, the need to communicate uncertainty and acknowledge complexity; on the other, the need to keep the message from getting so complex that it confuses people to the point they tune it out entirely. In this case, the administration seems to have come down on the side of simplicity. That could be a mistake, Gellad says—one that public-health authorities have made over and over throughout the pandemic. “When you try and make things simple and understandable and present them without sufficient uncertainty,” he told me, “you get into trouble when things change.”
HARTFORD, Conn. — Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs will pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products, which have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced the deal Tuesday on behalf of the states plus Puerto Rico, which joined together in 2020 to probe Juul’s early promotions and claims about the safety and benefits of its technology as a smoking alternative.
The settlement resolves one of the biggest legal threats facing the beleaguered company, which still faces nine separate lawsuits from other states. Additionally, Juul faces hundreds of personal suits brought on behalf of teenagers and others who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products.
The state investigation found that Juul marketed its e-cigarettes to underage teens with launch parties, product giveaways and ads and social media posts using youthful models, according to a statement.
“Through this settlement, we have secured hundreds of millions of dollars to help reduce nicotine use and forced Juul to accept a series of strict injunctive terms to end youth marketing and crack down on underage sales,” Tong said in a press release.
The $438.5 million will be paid out over a period of six to 10 years. Tong said Connecticut’s payment of at least $16 million will go toward vaping prevention and education efforts. Juul previously settled lawsuits in Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina and Washington.
Most of the limits imposed by Tuesday’s settlement won’t affect Juul’s practices, which halted use of parties, giveaways and other promotions after coming under scrutiny several several years ago.
Teen use of e-cigarettes skyrocketed after Juul’s launch in 2015, leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare an “epidemic” of underage vaping among teenagers. Health experts said the unprecedented increase risked hooking a generation of young people on nicotine.
But since 2019 Juul has mostly been in retreat, dropping all U.S. advertising and pulling its fruit and candy flavors from store shelves.
The biggest blow came earlier this summer when the FDA moved to ban all Juul e-cigarettes from the market. Juul challenged that ruling in court, and the FDA has since reopened its scientific review of the company’s technology.
The FDA review is part of a sweeping effort by regulators to bring scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of regulatory delays. The agency has authorized a handful of e-cigarettes for adult smokers looking for a less harmful alternative.
While Juul’s early marketing focused on young, urban consumers, the company has since shifted to pitching its product as an alternative nicotine source for older smokers.
“We remain focused on our future as we fulfill our mission to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes – the number one cause of preventable death – while combating underage use,” the company said in a statement.
Juul has agreed to refrain from a host of marketing practices as part of the settlement. They include not using cartoons, paying social media influencers, depicting people under 35, advertising on billboards and public transportation and placing ads in any outlets unless 85% of their audience are adults.
The deal also includes restrictions on where Juul products may be placed in stores, age verification on all sales and limits to online and retail sales.
Juul initially sold its high-nicotine pods in flavors like mango, mint and creme. The products became a scourge in U.S. high schools, with students vaping in bathrooms and hallways between classes.
But recent federal survey data shows that teens have been shifting away from the company. Most teens now prefer disposable e-cigarettes, some of which continue to be sold in sweet, fruity flavors.
Overall, the survey showed a drop of nearly 40% in the teen vaping rate as many kids were forced to learn from home during the pandemic. Still, federal officials cautioned about interpreting the results given they were collected online for the first time, instead of in classrooms.
