Covid_19: Open letter from Italy to the international scientific community

As you surely know, Italy is suffering a dramatic spreading of the coronavirus.

In just 3 weeks from the beginning of the outbreak, the virus has reached more than 10.000 infected people.

From our data, about 10% of patients require ICU (Intensive Care Unit) or sub ICU assistance and about 5% of patients die.

We are now in the tragic situation that the most efficient health system of the richest area of the country (Lombardy) is almost at its full capacity and will soon be difficult to assist more people with Covid-19.

This is the reason why an almost complete lockdown of the country has been ordered: to slow down and hopefully stop the contagion as soon as possible.

The virus is spreading at maximum speed, doubling the number of infected people in just 2,4 days[1].

Read more at https://left.it/2020/03/13/covid_19-open-letter-from-italy-to-the-international-scientific-community/

Urban Highway Removal: To Your Health

The famed U.S. intellectual Lewis Mumford once said, “Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends.” A recently released report on freeway removal from by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy and EMBARQ (producer The City Fix) seems to be getting a bit closer to that ideal, providing case studies on cities that have successfully removed freeways tearing their cities asunder or separating waterfronts from the enjoyment of residents.

The report notes that cities are undertaking these highway removal projects to foster economic development and offer better solutions to meet mobility needs. One additional key aspect to consider is the effect of these highways on quality of life and public health—from air pollution to traffic crashes to limiting the ability of residents to be active in their daily lives. These considerations will need further research, but several positive benefits can be observed from what already exists.

Removing a freeway and replacing it with a greener boulevard or park can reduce the “urban heat island” effect and air pollution. In Seoul, Korea, when the city turned the Cheonggyecheon Expressway into a 5.8-kilometer linear park and daylighted stream, this led to a reduction of the heat island effect by as much as 8 degrees Celsius, according to summertime measurements in comparison to nearby paved roadway conditions.

Read more at https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/urban-highway-removal-to-your-health

Why is Vegetable Oil in EVERYTHING? | The History and Corruption Behind Processed Oils

Bar Brothers: the limits of physical endurance... motivational video

Possibly one of the worst inventions by man

The humble chair is one of the worst inventions and a hidden yet leading cause of health problems. 

Use the chair as less as possible - ideally under an hour per day. Sitting on a chair (office, car seat, dining chair, sofa etc) any more than that is likely to be as damaging as say smoking.

At the molecular level, your body was designed to be active and on the move all day long. When you stop moving for extended periods of time, it's like telling your body it's time to shut down and prepare for death.

The forgotten art of squatting and how it can do wonders for your health

Our failure to squat has biomechanical and physiological implications, but it also points to something bigger. In a world where we spend so much time in our heads, in the cloud, on our phones, the absence of squatting leaves us bereft of the grounding force that the posture has provided since our hominid ancestors first got up off the floor. In other words: If what we want is to be well, it might be time for us to get low.


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On the whole, squatting is seen as an undignified and uncomfortable posture—one we avoid entirely. At best, we might undertake it during Crossfit, pilates or while lifting at the gym, but only partially and often with weights (a repetitive maneuver that’s hard to imagine being useful 2.5 million years ago). This ignores the fact that deep squatting as a form of active rest is built in to both our evolutionary and developmental past: It’s not that you can’t comfortably sit in a deep squat, it’s just that you’ve forgotten how.

Read more at https://quartzy.qz.com/1121077/to-solve-problems-caused-by-sitting-learn-to-squat/

Motivational video for those who aspire to be physically fit

How many "monkey bar" pull ups can you do? Most people can barely do one.

Remember, this is one of the most natural ways of building your arm muscles.

On a different note, monkeys and chimpanzees do this hundred times a day effortlessly.

Text neck: how smartphones are damaging our spines

Are smartphones a pain in the neck? According to new research carried out by a US doctor, they are far worse – “text neck” is becoming an epidemic that could lead to permanent damage.

The posture we adopt as we stare at our phones, according to the surgeon behind the paper, increases the stress on the neck and can cause excessive wear and tear that may eventually require an operation to correct it.
Dr Kenneth Hansraj says that although our heads weigh between 10lb and 12lb, as we angle them down to look at our phones, the effective weight on our necks increases – at a 15-degree angle it is about 27lb rising to 60lb at 60 degrees.

Constantly looking down at an angle places enormous strain on the spine and can result in permanent harm, according to a new report.