Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Longevity.
Everything You Should Know About Coronavirus At-Home Test Kits
It is vital that now more than ever we come together as a community and do our best to put a halt to the spread of COVID-19, commonly referred to as the Coronavirus. Doctors and officials have a limited supply of necessary materials, especially tests, to help accurately diagnose and treat this viral pandemic, which makes it all that much harder to identify those who are carrying it to reduce the number of infected cases.
By Alicia Springer6 years ago in Longevity
DAY 4: COVID-19 BY MY LONESOME
DAY 4 I had no idea what day it was today. Ugh. I had to ask a coworker. I suppose I could have just looked at my phone since it's always in my hand. So in that sense, it feels like a vacation, except it's not. Dang, just realized this very second that today's date is in the bottom right corner of my computer screen. Jeez. Sometimes I can be such an airhead (but I'm actually smart, just in different ways).
By Chrisie Jennings6 years ago in Longevity
Cold Corona
Nunavut, the largest territory in Canada, is currently COVID-19 free. Yet, it has followed the rest of Canada's pandemic protocols and has gone into shutdown mode. Although there are no confirmed cases of the spreading-like-fire virus, it remains one of the most at risk places. Why? Because Nunavut is an at-risk territory on a normal day.
By Oneg In The Arctic6 years ago in Longevity
How Speech Impediments Impact Children's Learning
The discipline of speech therapy is often an overlooked and relatively unknown aspect of healthcare. Working with all ages from youth to adulthood, speech therapy specialises in the evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders, and its absence can dramatically impinge upon a person's life chances. Equipped with a personal connection with the subject, for the purpose of this essay I will be focusing on the aspect of speech impediments and how drastically they can impact a child's development and how it is managed within education. Contrasting with Chomsky's theory that everyone is born with a language acquisition device (L.A.D.) and that humans are built to learn language, it poses questions towards people with speech impediments and inquires if their L.A.D.'s are broken or are they even issued with one to being with.
By Louisa Jane6 years ago in Longevity
How much sleep do you really need?
We are often instructed on the importance of sleep. We are told it is important for our overall health, for our feeling of wellbeing, for our productivity and our longevity. It impacts most of the processes going on in our body: from the immune system (1) to heart health (2).
By Caitlin Evans6 years ago in Longevity
An Open Letter to Anyone Struggling to Cope with COVID-19
I'll start by saying I'm sorry for how this is affecting you. Wherever you are, whenever you're from, the outbreak of COVID-19 has completely shook all our worlds and this is a scary and uncertain time we are facing. At this moment we are becoming a part of history. We've been fortunate in our lives to only ever read about crisises such as this, and we've been lucky to know that in the stories we've read, it all came to an end at some point. We're not quite there yet in our story here and now and we don't know when we might go back to neutralisation, but we are getting there slowly.
By Louisa Jane6 years ago in Longevity
MANAGING ANXIETY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
In times like these, those of us who struggle with anxiety are finding things even more difficult than usual. I have found that the best way to manage my anxiety is to find routine and stability in everyday life. When that is taken away and the floor opens up beneath your feet, how do you stop yourself from falling?
By Stephanie Wright 6 years ago in Longevity
Loneliness within Quarantine
Ever since this quarantine came into effect it feels like we've been stuck in a dystopian nightmare that is stuck on replay, and if you have ever read The Giver, you know that when things get worse they continue to get worse before they inevitably get better. It kind of feels like we are in the beginning of the end with limited to no knowledge of when we will see "better".
By Brandon Lee6 years ago in Longevity
I Work In Healthcare
I work in healthcare. I still have to go to work despite all that is going on in the world. Things are getting worse and worse every day, but the doctors, nurses, aides, and people within the hospital and healthcare system are here to fight for you. Social distancing seems like a simple concept to people, yet many are still not practicing it. Why? You see on the news all these doctors and medical professionals preaching the severity of COVID-19 and the benefits of staying home and then you see a segment about those in their 20’s who do not care and are out partying. Google what is happening in Europe and Asia; things are getting better slowly, but they are getting better because of the precautions the countries are taking. There are videos circulating on people in the intensive care units (ICU) that are attached to so many machines -- ventilators, oxygen support, and they are fighting for their lives. These people are someone’s grandparents, spouse, family member, or friend. Why do we still think this is not a big deal? It is a big deal. As a worker in healthcare, I care about every person that steps into my hospital no matter the scenario. I am sacrificing my own personal health to take care of your loved ones and I am okay with that, I chose that career and I would not change a thing. That being said, even though I am okay with my choice to do my part in saving lives, that does not mean that I am okay with otherwise healthy people only caring about themselves. It does not matter if you are prepared to fight the virus and you are healthy, it is not about you. Social distancing isn’t about you. It’s about the people who are going to suffer the hardest if they get hit with this. You might be prepared for this, I might be prepared for this, but the people who are immunocompromised, elderly or simply don’t have the access or means to handle a pandemic of this magnitude will not be. We need to come together as a nation and take the appropriate precautions no matter our health status. I know people who are scared to death of this virus and this pandemic. I see people on the news panic buying food and toilet paper followed by pictures of elderly people scouring for food to help them survive. Now is not the time to panic, it is the time to be responsible and think about what is not only best for you and your family, but for your neighbors and community. Get what you need and allow others who are not as quick to the stores the opportunity to get what they need too. I sympathize with people whose graduations are getting cancelled, whose senior years of school are getting cut short, those who cannot see their elderly family members due to this pandemic, and those who are suffering. We need to band together and fight this. Eventually we will see the light again. We will be able to go out with friends, food supplies will return to surplus, and things will go back to normal. This is just a break in the normal activities of day to day life; it's an extended pause that is allowing us to cherish time with our families and spend time self-reflecting. We need to stay inside, listen to healthcare professionals and scientists, and practice compassion for others. Follow what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends: practice appropriate hand hygiene, cover your coughs and sneezes into your arm, stay home if you are sick, and try your best to avoid exposure to the virus. ****
By Makayla Richards6 years ago in Longevity
Henrietta Lacks
In 1951, a young 30 year-old woman in Virginia, Henrietta Lacks, who was being treated for cervical cancer, had her tumor cells stolen by her doctor and sent to the hospital lab. She died not long after, but her cells, labeled HeLa for her name, mysteriously never died and are known to be the very first cells ever grown in culture. Her cell sample is known in the scientific community as 'Immortal Cells' and have been used for landmark research for the Polio Vaccine, gene mapping, cloning, and in-vitro fertilization.
By Lady Sunday6 years ago in Longevity
