5 Ways to Improve Urban Living and Reduce Premature Death

(The Real Agenda News) Science proves it: Living in large cities results in less healthy life.

Urban life is harmful to health, so how can we transfer this public health emergency to the citizenship and the decision-making process?

More than 100,000 scientific articles talk about air pollution and health, according to Pubmed, the largest database of biomedical publications.

The scientific evidence is clear: current urban life has serious negative impacts on our health. But the simple fact of living in a city should not imply these risks, especially because they are perfectly avoidable.

We have a double challenge ahead: to make this information understandable to public opinion, that is, for people on the street who are not scientists, and as the ultimate goal, to transfer it to political decision-making.

The company ISGlobal developed the interactive digital report The Cities We Want, which aims to summarize and adapt scientific information on urban life and health so that it is understandable to a general public. 

Scientists and communicators have started working together to explain with simple words, videos and illustrations, the keys to build healthier and more sustainable cities.

During the preparation of the report, one of the key messages that we have heard the most from scientists is that it is a global public health emergency that can be addressed from today, because there are many measures available to design healthy cities. That is, the situation is very serious but there are solutions.

The cities we want are cities designed for people: spaces with good air quality, low noise levels and no heat islands. Urban environments with more green spaces that promote healthy levels of physical activity.

So here are 5 measures that cities can apply to put health at the center of priorities:

1. Reducing Air pollution from motorized traffic

Cities were built mainly around cars generate pollution and promote unhealthy lifestyles. In some cities private vehicles occupy between 65% and 70% of the city’s space.

The World Health Organization proposes a series of comprehensive solutions to recover public space for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to reduce levels of air pollution – a toxic air we breathe in 98% of cities in low-income countries, and in 56% of high-income countries.

2. Reducing noise caused by motorized traffic

Urban planning also plays an essential role in reducing noise levels. The populations most report noise pollution, create noise maps and carry out action plans to reduce noise in the most affected areas.

Some of the most frequent strategies are the use of sound-reducing pavement in the roadways, the limit of traffic volume, the reduction of speed limits or the promotion of silent zones and the creation of green spaces.

3. Increase Physical activity through active transport

Lack of physical activity is the fourth risk factor for global mortality and causes one in four cases of breast and colon cancers.

Active transport, or moving on foot or by bicycle on a daily basis is the most practical and sustainable way to increase physical activity. 

A good public transport network makes it easier for citizens to walk and reduce the use of private vehicles. In addition, the availability of green spaces is important to perform physical activity safely.

These measures are collected in a study published in The Lancet, which analyzes physical activity in 14 large cities.

4. Reduce the infrastructure for motorized vehicles and increase green spaces

In the cities, the temperatures are usually higher than in the areas that surround them and the night temperature can reach up to 10 degrees more than in the surrounding area. This effect is known as “heat island”.

Islands of heat and high temperatures increase mortality, especially cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

For this reason, it is necessary that the urban design incorporates as a priority the prevention of the increase in temperatures. 

The insulation of buildings can be improved to depend less on the use of air conditioning, to change urban materials for others that absorb less solar radiation, etc. 

There are several mitigation plans, such as this guide from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

5. More natural spaces to increase access to nature

The city of the future must be a green city. Scientific studies associate green spaces – urban parks, gardens, tree-lined streets or forests, among others – to numerous health benefits, such as stress reduction, the fact of living longer or in a better state of general and mental health.

Nature must be part of the city. Beyond scattered points, the natural spaces must be a plot that communicates all the urban space and benefits all the citizens.

It is estimated that with better urban planning and transportation, cities could avoid 20% of premature deaths each year.

The post 5 Ways to Improve Urban Living and Reduce Premature Death appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Bombshell Study – Federal Cannabis Prohibition Major Cause of Premature Death in U.S.

The mythology behind the War on Drugs has been dealt another blow in the form of a study finding that medical cannabis, if legal nationwide, would prevent 23,500 to 47,500 premature deaths every year.

While the DEA continues to claim cannabis has “no accepted medical use,” medical science has actually been making leaps and bounds in understanding the plant’s medicinal properties and applying them. This is why 29 U.S. states have legalized some form of medical cannabis.

The range of conditions cannabis can treat—thanks to its ability to stimulate the body’s endocannabinoid system and reduce inflammation—is significant to the health of the population as a whole, as this study demonstrates.

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“Adverse effects of moderate Cannabis use on physical health are subtle and rarely fatal, while Cannabis use is associated with decreased rates of obesity, diabetes mellitus, mortality from traumatic brain injury, use of alcohol and prescription drugs, driving fatalities, and opioid overdose deaths…

Specifically:

“Marijuana use is estimated to reduce premature deaths from diabetes mellitus, cancer, and traumatic brain injury by 989 to 2,511 deaths for each 1% of the population using Cannabis.” This means “an estimated 23,500 to 47,500 deaths prevented annually if medical marijuana were legal nationwide.”

Cancer ranks among the top five leading causes of death, according to the CDC. Researchers say their analysis underestimates the real potential of nationwide medical cannabis, suggesting their estimation of preventable premature deaths would double if other causes such as “drunk driving, homicide, or fatal opioid overdose” were included.

We know from previous studies that opioid overdose deaths plummet in states with legal medical cannabis, and that cannabidiol (CBD) actually blocks the opioid reward in the brain—showing exactly how it treats addiction.

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The authors make no bones about the logical conclusion of their study:

“Cannabis use prevents thousands of premature deaths each year, and Cannabis prohibition is revealed as a major cause of premature death in the U.S.”

This adds to the numerous ways in which the war on drugs is really a war on people. Prohibition prevents access to medicine, fuels mass incarceration, steals from innocent people through civil asset forfeiture, props up the black market, and denies billions in economic opportunity.

As the opioid epidemic rages, premature deaths from opioids are sure to increase with continued federal prohibition. Congress goes out of its way to suppress cannabis from having any role in solving opioid addiction. Lawmakers stripped out all mention of medical cannabis in the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, not even allowing a simple study of its efficacy.

Veterans returning from war zones with chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are continually denied medical cannabis by lawmakers and the Veterans Administration. In turn, those who fight overseas wars of aggression for politicians must become criminals to obtain the medicine they need where pharma meds fail.

Even small advances are always under the threat by drug war crusaders and Big Pharma shills. Just yesterday, the House blocked an amendment—in place since 2015—that prevents Dept. of Justice from cracking down on legal cannabis states. If the amendment fails in the House-Senate committee, rabid drug warrior Jeff Sessions will get the teeth he needs to wage war against legal weed states. Prohibitionist groups such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana are urging the feds to “systematically shut down” the cannabis industry.

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The willful ignorance required by prohibitionists grows more astounding by the day. Maybe knowing that cannabis prohibition causes upwards of 40,000 premature deaths a year will cause at least a few to consider the facts, which lead to only one rational conclusion.

Loneliness, Isolation Are Bigger Health Threats than Obesity

Obesity always makes headlines for being one of the biggest health threats in the U.S. (as well as globally). But according to a recent study, loneliness and social isolation may be even more deadly than obesity or than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Lack of social connection can be so deadly, in fact, that the feeling of loneliness is a stronger predictor of mortality than obesity. [1]

Social isolation and loneliness are different, but they are typically connected. Social isolation, or lack of social connection, means you have a lack of contact with other people. Loneliness is more about lacking an emotional connection, and it’s something you can feel even if you’re surrounded by people.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and her colleagues discovered that social isolation and loneliness may increase the risk of premature death by as much as 50%.

The researchers came to these conclusions by conducting two meta-analyses of studies exploring potential links between loneliness, social isolation, and mortality. [2]

Their findings were presented at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, held in Washington, D.C.

More than 300,000 adults encompassing 148 studies were involved in the first meta-analysis, while the second included 70 studies involving over 3.4 million adults.

In the first meta-analysis, Holt-Lunstad and her team found that the risk of dying early was 50% lower among people who said they had good social connections, compared with those who reported being more socially isolated.

The team found in the second meta-analysis that loneliness, social isolation, and living alone all increased the risk of early death.

Overall, the combination of loneliness, social isolation, and living alone was found to increase the risk of premature death as much, if not more, than obesity and other major health conditions. By comparison, obesity increases the risk of dying before age 70 by about 30%. [1] [3]

Holt-Lunstad said:

“There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators.” [3]

This, according to Holt-Lunstad, is worrisome considering that the aging population is growing. [2]

“Indeed, many nations around the world now suggest we are facing a ‘loneliness epidemic.’ The challenge we face now is what can be done about it.” [2]

She continued:

“Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need––crucial to both well-being and survival.

Extreme examples show infants in custodial care who lack human contact fail to thrive and often die, and indeed, social isolation or solitary confinement has been used as a form of punishment.

Yet an increasing portion of the population now experiences isolation regularly.” [3]

That’s why she believes that social connections must be treated as a public health concern. To ease the burden, Holt-Lunstad says she thinks policy makers and community leaders need to provide even greater opportunities for locals to come together, such as by adding recreation centers and community gardens.[1]

Additionally, schools should emphasize the importance of friendship and connectedness, she said, and doctors should include social connectedness in medical screening.

So many people boast hundreds of Facebook “friends” but can barely count on two hands how many true friends they have in real life (if they can tell the difference at all).

If you feel that you’ve become socially isolated, why not try volunteering? It’s a great way to do good, feel better about yourself, and meet new people, i.e., potential friends.

Isolation increases your risk of premature death, but volunteering has been shown to lower the risk.

Sources:

[1] Pulse Headlines

[2] Medical News Today

[3] The Telegraph

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.