Okay all -- It's early days for figuring out how to help people with
Long COVID.
That said, a bit of promising research is starting to surface.
I'm taking the unusual step of emailing EVERYONE because at this point
many of you with anxiety and depression symptoms may have some Long
COVID (brain fog, sleep issues, the depression or anxiety itself!).
A good write-up about what Long COVID is can be found here. Yes, you
can had a trivial case of COVID-19 and still get Long COVID symptoms for
days, weeks, months, or years. Some cases of it are somewhat "mild": https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html
*The bottom-line of the video is right at the end. For long COVID:
-- Get outside one hour per day.
-- May cover up if sensitive to sun (near UV rays will get through
clothing anyway)
-- Best if in nature (surrounded by green)
-- Do not look directly at sun (duh)
-- May wear a hat (near UV rays will get through clothing anyway)
-- Sitting in a sunny window no longer good enough (most glass now has
to be certified to block the rays we want)
He also promises to talk about how intermittent fasting may help in a
future video.
*
Roger Seheult, MD is the co-founder and lead professor at https://www.medcram.com/
He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical
Care, and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Professor at the University of
California, Riverside School of Medicine. He is also an ER doctor.
Before the pandemic, MedCram mainly seemed to be training for doctors to
pass exams. Since the start of COVID, Dr. Seheult has done occasional
more accessible videos for the general public on COVID-related topics.
To actually understand why something this simple may help -- and listen
to some research, please watch:
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #research
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected]
@[email protected] #Vaccines #COVID #longcovid #science #medicine
#covid19 #coronavirus #sars-cov-2 #covidisnotover #CDC
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected]
#depression #anxiety #sleep #brainfog
.
.
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can subscribe at @[email protected]
TITLE: Across U.S., Conservatives Target Bans on LGBTQ+ "Conversion Therapy"—Bans Repealed After Threats of Lawsuits Based on Freedom of Religion & Speech
My commentary: As I have said many times, I fully expect our various mental health professions in the USA to split into conservative/fascist and democratic/progressive associations -- each with its own "ethics" code -- in the near future.
Thank you Dr. Pope for summary below.
Michael Reeder, LCPC
-------- Forwarded Message --------
The Associated Press released an article: “In Iowa and elsewhere, bans on LGBTQ+ ‘conversion therapy’ become a conservative target.”
Here are some excerpts:
One of Iowa’s largest cities repealed its ban on “conversion therapy”… after a Christian organization threatened legal action, part of a deepening national movement to challenge protections for LGBTQ+ kids.
The city council in Waterloo voted this week to remove its restrictions after Liberty Counsel warned in a letter June 30 that it would “take further action” if the city did not repeal the ordinance by August 1. It was enacted in May.
The organization, which is based in Orlando, Florida, argued the ordinance infringes on the constitutional right to free speech and acted on behalf of a therapist in Waterloo “who was concerned about the implications of this on the practice of counseling,” Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel founder and chair, said in an interview in which he promised further litigation targeting states.
In Iowa and across the country, efforts are spreading to curb the rights of LGBTQ+ kids and adopt restrictions on gender and sexuality in classrooms, youth sports and medicine.
In recent years, local bans on conversion therapy in Florida also fell with the help of Liberty Counsel, which describes itself as a Christian ministry that is “restoring the culture by advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the family.”
Such therapy has been discredited and is opposed by, among others, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, citing research that shows it leads to increased risk of suicide and depression.
“The mental health mainstream believes that one, that these practices don’t really work, and two, that they may cause harm,” said Dr. Jack Drescher, a Columbia University psychiatry professor and editor of the chapter on gender dysphoria in the psychiatric association’s diagnostic manual.
<snip>
Laws prohibiting mental health professionals from attempting to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity are on the books in 22 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank. In 13 states, including Iowa, some municipalities have adopted their own provisions.
The issue has the potential to come to a head in the next year if the U.S. Supreme Court decides early this fall to hear the appeal of a Washington state therapist, Brian Tingley, whose lawsuit was dismissed.
While early lawsuits similar to Tingley’s failed, a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 prompted a new round of cases, said Christy Mallory, legal director at the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, which researches sexual orientation and gender identity. That ruling invoked free speech protections to block a California law that required anti-abortion centers to provide information about abortion.
In 2020, a panel of three federal judges in Florida relied in part on that 2018 ruling and became the first federal appeals court to block ordinances in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County that banned conversion therapy. Liberty Counsel represents the two therapists who won that case.
The diverging federal rulings in the Washington and Florida cases may be a reason for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in this term, bringing another high-profile LGBTQ+ issue to the docket.
Staver is confident the Supreme Court will strike down bans in the near future. And Liberty Counsel has imminent plans to sue over statewide bans, he said.
“I think it is a losing proposition for any state or local government to have one of these laws, and they would be wise to repeal them before they also are sued,” Staver said.
In Iowa, Senate Democrats and a Republican in the House introduced bills for conversion therapy bans that didn’t make it out of subcommittees in 2020. That was the last time there was a concerted effort for a ban in the state, said Damian Thompson, public policy director at Iowa Safe Schools, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ children.
Meanwhile, in Iowa and elsewhere, laws have since been passed to prohibit teachers from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade six, to restrict the restrooms transgender students can use, and to ban treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans minors. Many are facing challenges in court.
Republican lawmakers say the laws are designed to affirm parents’ rights and protect children. The issues have become flashpoints in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
But many parents and advocates worry about the deterioration of the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ kids.
In Waterloo, a city of over 65,000, Councilor Jonathan Grieder said he had heard concerns about conversion therapy happening in the area. He worked with Thompson at Iowa Safe Schools to draft an ordinance after watching statewide efforts stall but a ban pass in another Iowa city, Davenport, and in Linn County.
The Waterloo council approved it 6-1 in May, but overturned it 4-3 on Monday amid the prospect of costly litigation.
Archer Trip, of neighboring Cedar Falls, addressed the council before the repeal vote as a “survivor of conversion therapy” who had been placed there in high school.
“It does not work. Now, I am a proud queer man, but I am also here to protect everyone else,” Trip said. “We should protect our children.”
Archer’s twin sister, Nic Trip, who was also put in conversion therapy, testified: “Unfortunately, not all parents always make the safest decision for their children. What is the line of what is OK to do to our children?”
Mayor Quentin Hart said, not mentioning the Liberty Counsel, that there was “threat of impending litigation moving forward,” which put the members in a “tough situation.”
“I don’t believe that the Waterloo City Council are cowards,” Hart said. “I believe that they do have a decision to make tonight.”
The decision disappointed Thompson, who said Iowa Safe Schools will continue to advocate for local bans despite far-right groups’ success in turning a “common sense” issue into a “wedge culture war” one.
“Which is a shame,” Thompson said, “because in the meantime it only results in more kids being victimized and more kids, ultimately, receiving lifelong trauma.”
Ken Pope
Ken Pope, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Hector Y. Adames, Janet L. Sonne, and Beverly A. Greene
Speaking the Unspoken: Breaking the Silence, Myths, and Taboos That Hurt Therapists and Patients (APA, 2023)
Hector Y. Adames, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Melba J.T. Vasquez, & Ken Pope:
Succeeding as a Therapist: How to Create a Thriving Practice in a Changing World (APA, 2022)
Ken Pope, Melba J.T. Vasquez, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, & Hector Y. Adames:
Ethics in Psychotherapy & Counseling: A Practical Guide, 6th Edition (Wiley, 2021)
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
—Steve Biko (1946-1977), anti-apartheid activist & co-founder of the South African Students' Organization
One of the things I've been so impressed by is how #SocialWorkers know such a broad range of resources. Now as a #therapist (through a #counseling program), I'm feeling like my program skips this piece of the puzzle. I'm trying to figure out how to learn it on my own. For example, I recently learned our area has a ton of free legal clinics and money workshops (some with childcare!), which is awesome. How do social workers learn about what types of resources exist?