There are zillions of reasons why some countries have (so far) successfully dealt with the pandemic, while others have not. These causal elements are so intricate and interdependent that they cannot be disentangled from each other, but for the sake of shedding some light on this, let us offer three intriguing, emerging correlations underlying relative success. They may seem simplistic, but they say something and…
A new study published at Cambridge Open Engage (allowing research to be disseminated before it’s peer-reviewed and officially published) studied people who were meeting, or not, the recommended 150 minutes/week of moderate exercise during the pandemic and their reported emotional state. Those physically active during lockdown were significantly less depressed and more mentally resilient than those whose activity levels had declined—with the most striking effects…
An important new article in the New York Times argues that we aren’t paying serious enough attention to two factors critically important to the risk of developing a COVID-19 infection and its potential severity: immunity and inflammation. Just because older people are especially vulnerable doesn’t mean nothing can be done to slow or sometimes even reverse immunological decline to enhance resistance to this deadly disease.…
MONTHLY BAROMETER The slow and grinding economic recovery will be characterized by three prominent features. (1) Much more debt, which will trigger redistribution reforms (mainly through higher taxation) similar to those put into place during the Great Depression and WWII when the top marginal tax rate went above 80 percent in several countries like the US. It will also lead to financial repression. (2) Less…
A new study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences compared standard medication to medication plus a two-month yoga program for migraine sufferers. They found that the yoga group had fewer migraines, fewer headaches overall, and consumed fewer pills—even though their headache frequency was higher at the study’s start. This is important because migraine medications only work for about half of the patients. ACCESS…
There is an intriguing wellbeing twist in COVID-19’s multiple uncertainties. It seems bizarre that Japan, the world’s oldest and fastest-aging society, has so far recorded low rates of infection (13 confirmed cases per 100,000 people) and very low mortality rates (less than 1 per 100,000 people). By contrast and in relative terms, the US (a much younger society than Japan) and the UK fare poorly:…
