How to help Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder during COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been rightly described as “the new war” as millions of families all over the world are bravely fighting against COVID-19 by accepting challenges of lockdown, social distancing, suspended work routines, and financial insecurities. These challenges are definitely amplified when it comes to people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With traits of impaired social and communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and redundancy, teenagers with ASD can face magnified difficulty to understand and adapt to this new way of lifestyle.
Impact of COVID-19 on teenagers with ASD and their families?
Social distancing has created new challenges for families who care for teenagers with ASD. All around the world, teenagers with ASD receive support services and resources like behavioral therapy, special education, speech, and occupational therapies, etc. But due to the lockdown, delivering these services for normalizing the lifestyle of ASD teenagers has become difficult to manage virtually over a video call. Parents are therefore gearing themselves up for becoming all-in-one support for their children while maintaining their own work responsibilities. Thus this is a grave concern for families and parents as they have to keep an open mind and humble understanding to help their children with ASD.
Strategies to support teenagers and young adults with ASD during COVID-19

• It is important to educate teenagers with ASD about COVID-19 and social distancing in order to avoid unnecessary fear and anxiety. Media or TV exposure for COVID-19 can be misinterpreted and misleading. The rightful use of clear, direct, and authentic information besides visual aids can be beneficial for helping ASD teenagers.
• Routines are very important to teenagers with ASD and thus it is crucial to keep most routines like bedtime, mealtime, etc. similar. During this lockdown, many routines are bound to change related to work but it is only with love and support that parents can help their children adapt to these changed routines.
• Learning new skills has to be the highlight in this lockdown. This is the time for parents to indulge in fun activities with their children to help them manage challenging situations by learning a new task. The tasks may be related to learning familiar music, visual aids to try better communication, engaging in hobbies, etc.
• It is natural for parents and children to worry about one another during these times and thus parents of teenagers with ASD should make more efforts of frequent communication about likes and dislikes, emotional worries, motivating ideologies, etc. to recede worries and loneliness.
• Seeking health consultation from neurological specialists is crucial for parents living with teenagers having ASD. If any teenager or young adult is having problems in coping up with the current lockdown and social distancing or is exhibiting increased aggressive behavior leading to self-injury, it is very important to seek mental health consultation.

Many clinics are continuing to provide care through telehealth services, including talk therapy and medication management. If you are looking forward to a free tele-consultation regarding ASD, please contact info@advancells.com for help.

Hypertension- Complications and Prevention

Blood pressure can be simply defined as the pressure of the blood on artery walls while the heart pumps blood to different parts of the body. Stress and anxiety cause a rise in blood pressure and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, majorly proves unhealthy for the body by causing damage to blood vessels and organs like heart, brain, and kidneys. Recently with the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, hypertension poses a high risk of coronavirus disease and thus it is important to be aware of such conditions and prevention measures.
Symptoms of High Blood Pressure?
The general symptoms of severe hypertension can include: Headaches, Chest pain, Nosebleeding, Fatigue and Dizziness, Shortness of breath, and Blurred vision.
Types of hypertension?
Hypertension can be either primary or secondary. Let us discuss them in brief:

• Primary Hypertension

Also known as essential hypertension, it tends to develop in adults gradually over years with no identifiable cause. Some factors that can be held as the cause are:
Genetics: People might be genetically predisposed to high blood pressure.
Physical metabolic changes in the body: Metabolic changes in the body might cause changes in the biochemical balance, leading to an increase in blood pressure.
Environment and lifestyle: A lack of exercise and physical activities might lead to heart problems. Poor dietary habits add to this risk and can lead to hypertension risks.

• Secondary Hypertension

Secondary hypertension is usually caused due to underlying medical conditions like heart defects, kidney diseases, sleep apnea, alcohol and drug abuse, prior medications, or hormonal dysfunctionalities.
Complications of High Blood Pressure?

• Ventricular hypertrophy due to high blood pressure can lead to heart failure.
• Hardening and thickening of the arteries can lead to stroke or heart attack.
• Hypertension can lead to weakening and bulging of blood vessels, thus forming an aneurysm.
• Metabolic defects in the body might lead to diabetes and kidney defects.
• Memory loss or dysfunctionality of brain regions related to balance due to loss of blood flow.
• Blood vessel damage might lead to vision loss or blurring.

Risky Blood Pressure Readings?
Once you have done a blood pressure diagnosis, let’s check which is the hypertensive range:

• Normal

Systolic mm Hg less than 120
Diastolic mm Hg less than 80

• Elevated

Systolic mm Hg: 120 – 129
Diastolic mm Hg: less than 80

• Hypertension 1^st Stage

Systolic mm Hg: 130 – 139
Diastolic mm Hg: 80 – 89

• Hypertension 2^nd Stage

Systolic mm Hg: 140 or higher
Diastolic mm Hg: 90 or higher

• Hypertensive Critical

Systolic mm Hg: Higher than 180
Diastolic mm Hg: Higher than 120
Tips to Control High Blood Pressure?

• Eat foods that are lower in fat, salt, and calories. Low-fat dairy, fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and fish proteins are recommended.
• Maintain a healthy body by stabilizing your weight. A heart-healthy diet and exercises help in this process.
• Meditation and exercise can help to reduce stress and anxiety. This lowers the blood pressure and keeps the cardiovascular system healthy.
• Limit the amount of smoking and alcohol consumption. Also, avoid illegal drug abuse of any sort.
• Smile and help others. A happy you is a healthy you.

Book PPE Kit: Advancells PPE Kit

Will India Become a Global PPE kit Giant by 2021?

Currently, healthcare and related workers all over the world carry a significant risk of coronavirus infection and in addition to the impact, these workers also pose a transmission risk to their patients and family. Thus, maintaining and managing good health of these workers during this COVID-19 pandemic is crucial and research has shown that the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) along with proper training can actually combat this viral infection burden majorly. Adequate PPE kit supplies have been the subject of critical attention worldwide and on that note, India has become the second-largest PPE kit manufacturer in the world owing to the hard work of several PPE kit online suppliers throughout the pandemic.
According to a news article by Times of India, published on 5^th May, India had achieved an awesome feat of producing 1.5 lakh PPE kits/day on an average and on May 2^nd, the production count had reached a huge 2.06 lakhs/day. The report also said that there was a lump sum count of 15.96 lakh PPE kits in the centre-state buffer stock and will be sufficiently increasing. In a more recent tweet, Union Minister Smriti Irani confirmed the expectations by saying that as of 18^th May report, India now produces around 4.5 lakh PPE kits/day by surpassing its previous count.  Earlier, there was no prior domestic manufacturing of PPE kits and the equipment had to be imported but the COVID-19 situation has made India come forward magnificently to manufacture and export PPE kits to the whole world in the fight against coronavirus.
The govt. has currently declared certifications for around 600 domestic companies for making PPE kits in India and several of them are currently in the full-time manufacturing process of PPE kits. According to latest reports, the centre had ordered 2.22 crore PPE kits and 1.43 core kits in that demand list will be made by Indian domestic manufacturers. Besides delivering to the centre, domestic MAKE IN INDIA companies is also targeting the global market with their ‘good quality at an affordable price’ motto for enhancing India’s economy. Companies like Advancells Group, Alok Industries, Aditya Birla, JCT Phagwara etc. are working very hard to aid this supply by manufacturing govt. certified PPE kits and related coronavirus protection kits for helping the world with health and safety against this pandemic, and govt. institutes like Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) are helping them by being at the forefront of developing new scientific technologies and testing facilities related to the PPE kit manufacturing.
In a recent statement, Dr KS Sundararaman, Chairman, Indian Technical Textiles Association (ITTA) clearly said that this is the best period for India to capture the business opportunity besides supporting the global health crisis of coronavirus, as a strong anti-China sourcing sentiment is currently underway. The high manufacturing count of PPE kits during the COVID-19 pandemic can ensure a vibrant global market for India’s economy and at the same time can help the health workers worldwide maintain their safety and prevention. Thus the inevitable question arises, “Will India become a global PPE Kit giant by 2021?”

How can a positive attitude help you heal with Stem cell therapy?

There is a sufficient body of scientific evidence that links positive affirmation, belief and hope with self-healing. This is like a placebo effect of the drug control administered to a patient during a clinical trial. The patient thinks he is receiving a novel drug that can miraculously transform his health condition. Just a positive thought will give him faith in the medicine even though he is not being administered an actual drug. Several studies have found positive outcomes in placebo patients that may even be comparable to drug test groups. Similarly, if you go a physician and even if he prescribes you a sugar pill or vitamin tablet, you can see beneficial effects. This is because you have faith in the medical profession and your doctor.Your mind starts sending signals to the body assuring that things are fine and the body will manifest that way.

Looking through a scientific dimension

Positive attitude has been shown to reduce the perception of pain in patients of chronic diseases. On the other side, negative emotions like anxiety, stress have been associated as a trigger for several diseases. They not only lower your immune response but also make you prone to several genetic and lifestyle disorders. Our mind has the power to affect us physiologically. As rightly said “You become what you think”. This does not mean positive thinking will work on a seriously ill dying patient. There is no measurable percentage by which you can state improvement levels. Positive thinking cannot replace medical advancements but it can certainly bolster the effects of a therapy. While people think this could be fairly achievable, remaining positive at all times isn’t all that easy. Negative emotions and thoughts can easily shake your belief. If you think on the Bright side, there is nothing to lose and there are no risks involved in being just happy.

If we speak about stem cell therapy, just like other medical advancements, it is at a very nascent stage for several diseases. Definitely, there is scientific proof behind the mechanism of working of stem cells. But still there is a section of people who believe that this wont work. And it will not work for them. Their negative attitude will affect the working of stem cells.For all patients undergoing stem cell therapy at Advancells, we recommend having a positive attitude and faith in the treatment process. This certainly accelerates their healing process. Faith is a strong emotion and it is built with sufficient knowledge behind a process. Asking questions and clarifying queries in advance will give sense of trust. We work closely with patients to impart scientific knowledge and ensure complete satisfaction before treatment.

Science and psychology work together and stem cell therapy is another domain where attitude just matters.

How much is a stem cell treatment effective for a knee?

Knee is probably the most hardworking joint of our body making it susceptible to injuries and chronic conditions such as arthritis. This could be extremely painful in performing day to day activities. The treatment regime usually includes use of anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy or even surgery. These days, knee replacement surgeries have become fairly common. However, getting the surgery itself is very challenging as it immobilizes the patient, restricting them to a bed-ridden state for up to a month. The procedure itself is very painful and could cause a lot of discomfort to the patient. This can deter the patients from getting one just due to the fear of surgical intervention.

Stem cell therapies are a new promising treatment for chronic knee problems. Stem cells have been proven beneficial in reduction of pain, inflammation and increasing joint mobility. Stem cell therapy can even prevent the need for future knee replacement surgery. Unlike a surgery, patients undergoing stem cell treatment have very fast recovery time and the patient can regain mobility immediately after the procedure. The procedure is very simple involving isolation of stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow or fat tissue. These stem cells will be concentrated and injected directly into the knee. Healing will then occur gradually over the next few weeks. So, it is exploiting the body’s natural mechanism to accelerate the process of repair and healing. Some patients also experience immediate relief upon injections. This also means the treatment is very safe and since no foreign agent is injected, there will be no immune reaction and the cells are easily accepted in the body.

A lot of recent research has shown that stem cells can even help in regrowth and repair of cartilage. Patients show improvement even after a year of follow up with a significant reduction in pain and improvement in their walking distance. Stem cells basically release therapeutic growth factors that aid in repair and regeneration of the damaged tissues. Thus, stem cell treatment can be seen as a very viable alternative to avoid surgery and address knee pain issues.