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Rice University Study on Diabetes in Hispanic/Latino Adults

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Wearable glucose monitors shed light on progression of Type 2 diabetes in Hispanic/Latino adults

Study by Sansum Diabetes Research Institute and Rice University points to new directions for improved diabetes care

In one of the first studies of its kind, medical and engineering researchers have shown wearable devices that continuously monitor blood sugar provide new insights into the progression of Type 2 diabetes among at-risk Hispanic/Latino adults.

The findings by researchers from Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI) and Rice University are available online this week in EClinicalMedicine, an open-access clinical journal published by The Lancet.

“The fresh look at the glucose data sheds new light on disease progression, which could have a direct impact on better management,” said Rice study co-author Ashutosh Sabharwal, professor and department chair in electrical and computer engineering and founder of Rice’s Scalable Health Labs. “An important aspect of our analysis is that the results are clinically interpretable and point to new directions for improved Type 2 diabetes care.”

The study builds on SDRI’s groundbreaking research to address Type 2 diabetes in underserved Hispanic/Latino communities. SDRI’s Farming for Life initiative assesses the physical and mental health benefits of providing medical prescriptions for locally sourced fresh vegetables to people with or at risk of Type 2 diabetes, with a focus on the Hispanic/Latino community. SDRI recently added a digital health technology called continuous glucose monitoring to this research.

Continuous glucose monitors track blood sugar levels around-the-clock and allow trends in blood glucose to be displayed and analyzed over time. The devices typically consist of two parts, a small electrode sensor affixed to the skin with an adhesive patch, and a receiver that gathers data from the sensor.

“We found that the use of this technology is both feasible and acceptable for this population, predominantly Mexican American adults,” said study co-author David Kerr, SDRI’s director of research and innovation. “The results also provided new insights into measurable differences in the glucose profiles for individuals at risk of as well as with noninsulin-treated Type 2 diabetes. These findings could facilitate novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the risk of progression of Type 2 diabetes for this underserved population.”

Sabharwal, who is also a co-investigator of the Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP) engineering research center, said, “The collaboration with SDRI aligns with our mission to use technology as an important building block to reduce health care disparities.”

“We are excited about the application of digital health technologies for underserved populations as a way to eliminate health disparities and improve health equity,” Kerr said. “This opens up potential for a larger number of collaborations to support SDRI’s evolving focus on precision nutrition and also the expanded use of digital health technologies for both the prevention and management of all forms of diabetes.”

Sabharwal is the Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering in Rice’s Brown School of Engineering.

Study co-authors include Souptik Barua of Rice and Namino Glantz, Casey Conneely, Arianna Larez and Wendy Bevier of SDRI.

The research was supported by the Department of Agriculture (2018-33800-28404), the National Science Foundation (1648451), the Hearst Foundation, the Mosher Foundation, Sun Life Financial, the St. Francis Foundation and the Blooming Prairie Foundation.

This release can be found online at Rice University’s website.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

Know Your Slots: The Different Machine Types Explained

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By: Claire Ward

Slot machines have been around for well over a century. Today, they have enjoyed a renewed attention thanks to the popularity of online casino sites.

There is definitely a lot of variety in the slot marketplace. So, knowing which kinds of machines are available and understanding how they work before you dive in is a good idea.

To that end, here is a quick overview of the different slot machine types and what benefits they bring to the table for players.

Progressive Jackpot Slot Machines

The concept behind progressive jackpot slots is simple enough; all players are effectively contributing to a central prize pool. The biggest jackpot pays out whenever a given combination of symbols are hit.

The longer that the main prize remains intact, the larger it will grow. Progressive jackpot slot machines are found both at land-based casinos and at online gambling sites, often with multiple machines contributing to the total jackpot. It is no surprise that this has led to record-breaking wins in recent years.

Bingo Slot Machines

As outlined in this comprehensive guide on electronic bingo machines, slots which aim to emulate the experience of playing bingo dont pit you directly against ‘the house’, but rather require two or more players to compete against one another.

This creates a more communal, social experience as compared to standard slot games. While there are still spinning reels and different symbols, the bingo-based inspiration for these games is an interesting twist. In general you can expect to find bingo slot machines at brick and mortar casinos more commonly than online. There are plenty of bingo-based gambling sites that have this market cornered in the digital sphere.

Multi-payline slot machines

In a classic slot setup, you will find a set of three reels which, once set spinning, will land in a random order. If the middle line of symbols match a paying combination, you will receive a prize. For multi-payline slots, this concept is expanded upon even further. Rather than one horizontal line from left to right being eligible for symbol-matching purposes, many of them are.

Multi-payline slots can have anywhere from three or four paylines to over 50 available. Another consideration to note here is that the more paylines you want to play, the more money you will need to bet on a given spin.

It is also worth checking to see whether multi-payline machines have particular requirements for jackpot eligibility tied to the number of paylines played. You may need to bet across all potential paylines if you want to walk away with the top prize.

Bonus Game Slot Machines

In the era of video slots and online slots, it has become common for machines to offer bonus games built in alongside the standard reel-spinning aspects of play.

These bonus games can take all sorts of forms. One form is simply allowing you to match playing cards and other symbols in a pair-finding exercise. Other games give you control of a playable character in a small-scale equivalent of a skill-based video game.

There will typically be conditions which need to be met in order to unlock bonus games, such as matching a certain number of wild symbols.

Aside from being a nice change of pace and an entertaining distraction in their own right, bonus games in slot machines can also provide you with a means to multiply your winnings even further. These bonus games are potentially lucrative, so long as the reels fall favorably for you.

Themed Slot Machines

While plenty of slots use symbols such as playing card suits and juicy fruits, others are centered around other themes and points of inspiration. Some slots are now fully licensed spin-offs from major motion pictures.

While you might think that these themed slots are different to their “by-the-numbers” slot counterparts, the truth is that they rely on the same principles for play. If you understand how one machine works, then you should have an easy time getting into the others that are available.

It is this accessibility and ease of use which makes slot machines so attractive compared with other types of gambling. Whether you play at a casino or online, you should be able to quickly get the hang of the different games that are offered.

Women Face A Myriad Of Injustices; Can A Better World Emerge?

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By Andi Simon, Ph.D.

What does it say about our culture when moms and their children are facing unbearable pain and trauma during the pandemic? This crisis has amplified the way women in the U.S. are undervalued, or not valued at all. While it is widely known that America lags far behind all other industrialized countries in paid maternity leave, appropriate childcare and suitable work/life balance for mothers, the challenges of the current public health crisis have brought to the fore front the severity of these issues. Why, we must ask, do mothers have to disproportionately bear the burden of household work and care for family members? To add to the unfair burden of labor, women still earn 18% less than men, often with little or no employer or spousal support.

How can this be? What are we missing in this story?

As a corporate anthropologist who worked from the time my daughters were three weeks old (having obtained no paid leave then either), I have gotten past the anger and frustration. Like many women, I have accepted this as just the way it is. But, does the workplace have to continue to operate with these unfair standards?

Before the pandemic, women made up more than half the work force at 58%. This was the highest percentage of woman in the workplace than what had been observed for a long time. Yet 40% of children are born to single mothers. At the same time as the role of men as fathers and co-caregivers has shifted, so had the role of single mothers in the workplace. Only 69.6% of men are employed full-time, and 6.3% are unemployed (5.9 million), as of February 2021. The academic dropout rate for men is 20% higher than for women: 6.2% of men don’t complete high school and 58% who start college don’t complete a four-year program (48% at private institutions).

During the pandemic, 10 million jobs have been lost. Over half these positions were held by women, often women of color. In December 2020 alone, 140,000 jobs were eliminated– all of which had been held by women.

Women, on the other hand, have generated most of the new jobs since the 2008 recession.

Before the pandemic, women owned and ran 40% of the businesses in the U.S. Many of these businesses were second incomes. Others were necessity businesses–from hair salons to “solopreneurs”–trying to thrive in a gig economy that, since 2019, has grown to encompass one third of the workforce.

To add one more injustice, our healthcare system is among the world’s worst for women.

US women have the highest maternal mortality rate among 11 developed countries. Women in the US also have one of the highest rates of c-sections. US women also face the greatest burden of illness, highest rates of skipping needed healthcare because of cost, most difficulty affording healthcare, and report the least satisfaction with their quality of care. One in three women in the US report having emotional distress. Clearly, we need to transform the US healthcare experience quickly into one that cares about women’s health.

When will men, who have the power to change our society, recognize the pain they are creating for women?

When you add it all up, women seem like superheroes. They attempt to achieve work-life balance. They worry about childcare and parent care. They try to build careers and grow businesses, often with family and friends as the major source of funding. They strive to provide healthy, safe environments for their families, sometimes with little or no help. Is this as good as it gets for women?

I venture to guess that no, it can get better. It will get better. It must get better. How? By all of us–women and men–fighting for a new, improved normal. By refusing to accept defeat, women can make a change.

About Andi Simon

Andi Simon, Ph.D, author of Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business, is an international leader in the emerging field of corporate anthropology and founder and CEO of Simon Associates Management Consultants. A trained practitioner in Blue Ocean Strategy, Simon has conducted over 400 workshops and speeches on the topic as well as consulted with a wide range of clients across the globe. She also is the author of the award-winning book On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights. Simon has a successful podcast, On the Brink with Andi Simon, that has more than 125,000 monthly listeners, and is ranked among the top 20 Futurist podcasts and top 200 business podcasts for entrepreneurs. In addition, Global Advisory Experts named Simons’ firm the Corporate Anthropology Consultancy Firm of the Year in New York – 2020. She has been on Good Morning, America and Bloomberg, and is widely published in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Business Week, Becker’s, and American Banker, among others. She has been a guest blogger for Forbes.com, Huffington Post, and Fierce Health.

11 Travel Safety Tips

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By: Doug Parisi, Director of Training

With many starting to travel again, there are new safety precautions people should take given COVID.

Here are 11 tips to ensure your long-awaited travel plans aren’t interrupted.

COVID Enforcement Isn’t Your Responsibility

If you find someone not following the mask rules, inform someone who is in charge. Don’t risk being detained or removed due to an altercation with a stranger.

Don’t Rely On Technology For Your Itinerary

We are dependent on our smart phones for almost everything. Low batteries, lost phones or no signal can disrupt your plans. Before you leave home, print your dates, times, confirmation numbers, locations, and contact information for all your travel. Rental cars, airlines, hotels, and tourist attractions can help you recover lost information. Share this information with friends and family.

Don’t Risk Your Safety For The Perfect Photo

Selfies have resulted in unnecessary injuries.

Don’t Make Your Vacation Public Until You Return Home

Posting on social media announcing a trip informs people your home is vulnerable, since no one is around.

Let Your Financial Institution Know You Are Traveling

Monitoring charges on credit cards is common today. If your credit card company/financial institution doesn’t know you are traveling, it could result in extra scrutiny on your account due to out of state charges. If your financial institution can’t contact you about out of state charges, it might result in charges being declined while you’re away.

Back Pockets Are Horrible Place For Valuables

Wallets, passports and valuables should be kept in secure spots, such as cargo or in front pockets. Minimize your wallet or have an alternate wallet just for travel.

Travel With A First Aid Kit

A small one for air travel or a larger one for road trips. Don’t rely on emergency services in the short term. Secure wraps, tourniquets, bandages, and hemostatic agents, which can all save lives. This is a must for any cross-country travel.

Be Aware of State Laws

If you are driving through a state, make sure you know the state laws for securing your weapon or speaking to an officer if you are stopped. Violations can be met with fines, confiscation of the weapon or even arrest.

Have Cash On Hand For Emergencies

Don’t use unfamiliar ATMs. Many travelers have been scammed by recording devices or card readers. When possible, use credit cards to minimize the amount of cash on your person.

Secure Your Items In The Hotel Room Safe

Too many people hide belongings in suitcases. This is a known practice that is easily thwarted. Instead, secure your treasured items in the hotel room safe to be extra safe.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

Situational awareness is critical when traveling. Be aware of cars or people who may be following you. Trust your instincts when you start to feel unsafe.

How To Host Inclusive Corporate Training

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Is your corporate training program inclusive? If not, here’s how you yan do it.

However, surprisingly, even the greatest of the companies with impeccable work culture often gloss over accessibility in their workplace design and inclusion in regards to training and development as an afterthought.

It’s crucial for every organization and its leadership to understand that training employees will never have a one-size-fits-all solution. Every employee has a different learning capability. They interact and engage with the program in different ways. Therefore, they can not be expected to yield similar results. That’s simply impractical.

That’s where inclusive training plays an important role. Inclusive training includes the steps that you take to remove every hindrance that prevents or could prevent your workforce from reaching their full potential.

The more inclusive and accessible your training is, the more it’ll help employees retain what they learn. It helps a majority of employees stay engaged and, consequently, improve the ROI of the program.

Here’s how you can achieve greater engagement and ROI:

Use the Right Language

Start by adopting an LMS that offers multilingual features. Take Totara LMS, for example. Once you have an LMS that supports different languages, identify the linguistic capabilities of your team members. Even if you have English as your working language, you can still translate training in the language that a maximum number of your employees speak.

When they learn in their own language, this helps them retain information and understand concepts better.
You should also tone down your training. Make it more user-friendly, avoid technical terms, steer clear of jargon, and use shorter sentences.

Adopt Different Methods to Deliver Content

We’ve already talked about how different learners have different capabilities to engage with the content. Thus, finding different ways to deliver content to your employees is considered one of the best practices.
While a few might learn better with employees, there are others who may prefer PDFs or infographics to grasp the content better. You should consider offering different options to employees if you want your training to be inclusive and effective.

Also, be sure that your content can be accessed from different operating systems on different devices. This will allow your employees to engage in microlearning and be a part of the program even when they’re on the go.

Consider Age and Technology Literacy Gaps

Your entire workforce will not be tech-savvy, and you need to keep this in mind. In an organization, you will not only find millennials that are comfortable around technology. You have your workforce that is built of individuals from varied generations.

While you wouldn’t want the baby boomers in your team to feel left out, you also wouldn’t want your millennials to lose interest. So, how do you create a balance? By pairing individuals from different age groups together.
Make employees from different generations and tech skills study buddies. While millennials can play their part in helping the older generation learn about technology, baby boomers can help millennials learn from their experience.

Encourage Self-Paced Learning

As companies adopt remote working as their permanent or temporary work arrangement, remote training with the help of different online courses became a norm. However, the workplace was not the only change that individuals had to face.

Those in the workforce working from home had to deal with changes that were taking place at their home as well. Many have kids who are homeschooling or may need to take care of elderly family members. It is likely that their stress levels are higher than usual.

It’s true that the training program should be completed on time and it’s important for everyone to be involved. However, inclusive training means offering flexibility and encouraging self-paced learning.

Conclusion

Inclusive training in today’s time is a crucial practice. The best ways to make your training more inclusive is by using different languages, delivering content in more than one way, pairing up different employees from different generations together, and encouraging self-paced learning. The more inclusive you make your training, the more successful it’ll be.

Level Up Your Gut Game

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By: Sherry Torkos, B.Sc.Phm., R.Ph.

You’ve got guts. Gut instincts. Go with your gut. All of these familiar sayings suggest that your gastrointestinal (GI) tract is truly your body’s seat of power. Without a healthy gut, you won’t get the nutrients you need to function at your best. But your gut isn’t just part of an elaborate food processing system. It also helps eliminate toxins and protect against harmful bacteria and viruses that can trigger infection. That’s not surprising since up to 70 percent of your immune system lives in your gut.

The health of your GI tract also influences your blood sugar levels, heart health, mood, weight, and more. Now that you know why keeping your GI tract in top form is so important for optimizing your overall health and wellbeing, let’s discuss how to keep it, and you, at the top of your game.

Meet Your Microbiome

Your GI tract is home to more than 100 trillion bacteria that perform a wide range of critical functions. Collectively, this bacterial community is known as your microbiome. While your microbiome contains both beneficial and harmful bacteria, the ratio between the two matters. A healthy gut typically contains about 85 percent beneficial bacteria. The other 15 percent of your gut is made up of harmful bacteria, or pathogens, that are kept in check by your beneficial bugs.

Fostering a healthy microbiome isn’t just a numbers game. Diversity among your beneficial bacteria matters too. In fact, studies show that a more diverse your microbiome is, the better.¹ The composition of the bacteria in your gut governs several things including your appetite, how your body regulates your blood sugar levels, and how well your body fights off infections. Having more strains of beneficial bacteria in your microbiome plays an important role in promoting better health. The types and amounts of bacteria also impacts your intestinal wall, which is a semi-permeable lining in your gut designed to let nutrients into your bloodstream while keeping harmful toxins, pathogens, and partially digested food particles out. A compromised intestinal barrier—often called a “leaky gut”—can contribute to a number of health problems like food sensitivities, inflammation, and even some autoimmune conditions.

Enemies of a Healthy Gut

There are lots of factors that can disrupt the balance and diversity of your microbiome–a condition technically known as dysbiosis. Here are the top five gut disruptors:

The standard American diet that is low in fiber and nutrients, and packed with refined sugar, gluten and chemical additives.
Alcohol overindulgence. Research suggests that even moderate drinking could lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and subsequently cause gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC. could lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and subsequently cause gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.can lead to bacterial overgrowth and trigger bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.
Overuse of medications like antacids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.
Exposure to harmful chemicals, such as nicotine, mercury and mold.
Chronic stress which alters the gut’s nervous system.

The good news is that you can change these risk factors by simply making a few tweaks to your daily habits.

Boost the Good Bugs in Your Belly

Considering all the ways your microbiome keeps you healthy, it makes sense to give it some TLC every day. Here are some of the best ways to support the trillions of bacteria in your gut:

Eat more veggies. Fresh vegetables are loaded with the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your gut bacterium needs to thrive. Including high-fiber veggies on the daily also keeps you regular. Some great options include artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, kale, leeks, onions and spinach. These veggies also contain prebiotics.

Include fermented foods. Yogurt, kimchi, kombucha and miso provide some beneficial bacteria. Just be aware that some brands of commercial yogurt may not contain live, viable probiotics that contribute to a healthy microbiome.

Get your zzz’s. Studies show that shortchanging the amount of shuteye you get or having an erratic sleep schedule both may increase the risk of an imbalance in your microbiome called dysbiosis; and boosts the odds of gut inflammation. Try to get at least eight hours of high quality sleep each night.

Get moving. Researchers have found that physically active people have healthier, more diverse microbiomes. Plus, regular workouts help ease stress that can undermine a healthy gut.

The Power of Probiotics

One of the easiest ways to support a healthy microbiome is with a probiotic supplement. There are dozens of friendly bacterial strains found in probiotic supplements and they all help the body in different ways. For instance, Bifidobacteria bifidum strengthens gut immunity while Bifidobacteria breve reduces intestinal inflammation. Bifidobacteria longum works to counter antibiotic-resistant bacteria and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol. Lactobacillus gasseri, on the other hand, produces vitamin K for healthier bones and arteries, as well as antimicrobial substances that help prevent indigestion, diarrhea, and vaginal yeast infections. Some studies also suggest that this particular probiotic strain may help reduce belly fat and lower your BMI.

While a comprehensive probiotic supplement can contain a variety of strains, some include prebiotics, too. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that promote the proliferation of your good gut bacteria. We do get some prebiotic fibers through our diet, however it is challenging to consume enough on a consistent basis to obtain the health benefits. Prebiotic fibers also play an independent role in good health by improving your gut’s immune response, normalizing your bowel movements and supporting healthy weight loss.

Discover the Secret of Synbiotics

Supplements that combine probiotics and prebiotics are known as synbiotics. Adding a comprehensive synbiotic like Pro+ Synbiotic to your supplement regimen is a great way to improve your gut and immune health. Pro+ Synbiotic contains a proprietary a-gluco-oligosaccharide prebiotic designed to support bacterial diversity for a healthier gut. The right synbiotic also promotes a healthy immune response, supports a better mood, and helps to relieve constipation and bloating, while also enhancing the feeling of fullness. Together, these actions help support weight loss and better overall health.

Choosing a high-quality synbiotic is critical. Look for a synbiotic that contains a variety of well-researched probiotic strains and prebiotic fibers, and which documents that the bacteria can survive the trip through your stomach to arrive alive in your gut. Paired with the gut-friendly habits, an effective symbiotic can ultimately help you find belly bliss and better health. Trust your gut on this one.

References

Deng F., Ying, L., & Zhao, J. The gut microbiome of healthy long-living people. Aging: Open-Access Impact Journal on Aging. 2019;11(2):289-290.

About Sherry Torkos, B.Sc.Phm., R.Ph.

Sherry Torkos is a pharmacist, author and health enthusiast with a passion for prevention. Sherry graduated with honors from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1992. Since that time she has been practicing holistic pharmacy in the Niagara region of Ontario. Her philosophy of practice is to integrate conventional and complementary therapies to optimize health and prevent disease. Sherry has won several national pharmacy awards for providing excellence in patient care. As a leading health expert, she has delivered hundreds of lectures to medical professionals and the public. Sherry has authored 18 books and booklets, including, “The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine,” “Saving Women’s Hearts,” and “The Glycemic Index Made Simple.”

Best CBD Oil for Sleep

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Best CBD Oil for Sleep: Top Brands In 2021

Poor sleep quality affects your personal life and productivity at work. Perhaps an issue is keeping you up at night, or you have a health condition that makes it hard for you to have sound sleep. CBD oil can help, and the CBD market offers a variety of brands to consider buying. It can be a challenge deciding which product to utilize, especially if you have never used CBD before.

However, things become easier when you know the features of the best CBD oil for sleep. Below is a guide on CBD oil and how it can help you have better sleep, including products to keep in mind during purchase.

How to Choose the Right CBD Oil for Sleep

You should spend your hard-earned money on quality CBD sleep oil. Manufacturers make CBD oil differently, and the market has multiple top brands to consider using. Keep in mind the following factors when buying CBD oil for insomnia.

Active Ingredients

The best CBD oil for sleep contains simple ingredients, usually CBD and a carrier oil such as MCT, hemp seed oil, or olive oil. However, some companies provide flavored CBD oil. Ensure that the flavoring is from all-natural sources. Common CBD oil flavors include mint, citrus, and berry. The carrier oil should also be organic to protect your health from the harm of artificial components.

Quality of CBD

The best CBD for sleep is made from grown organically hemp, which is free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Natural farming practices ensure that farmers grow hemp that does not pose health risks to consumers. Colorado is one of the popular locations from where CBD brands get high-grade, organic hemp. Nevertheless, some manufacturers have their own hemp farms.

Note that hemp and its byproducts are legal federally according to the 2018 Farm Bill that became law. The regulation has made it possible for more farmers to grow hemp without getting in trouble with the authorities. Many states have already legalized hemp, so CBD brands have more areas to get quality hemp. They can also grow their own hemp plants.

Strength

CBD hemp oil for sleep comes in various concentrations ranging from 10mg/ml to 60mg/ml and even higher. If you are a beginner, start with the lowest strength a brand provides. However, if you have been using CBD oil for a while, you can try out a stronger potency. Nonetheless, the CBD oil strength you choose also depends on the severity of your symptoms.

Price

Some top CBD brands are costlier than others are. However, quality is what matters. You can get a more affordable CBD oil that is also high-quality. A high price does not necessarily mean a product is of better quality than others, and a lower price does not mean poor quality. The pricing depends on the manufacturer. If you do not have a tight budget, you can buy pricier CBD oil as long as it is high-grade with safe, organic components.

Type of CBD

Companies use three types of CBD in making CBD oil. Full-spectrum CBD provides the effect that enhances the effectiveness of CBD. Experts explain that CBD works more efficiently when used with other hemp components. Full-spectrum CBD contains cannabinoids–mainly CBD–and has minor ones like CBG, CBC, and CBN.

It also incorporates THC, terpenes, flavonoids, and fatty acids. THC is the cannabinoid responsible for making users high, but hemp contains only 0.3% THC, so full-spectrum CBD oil made from hemp will not make you high. On the other hand, broad-spectrum CBD oil doesn’t have any kind of THC, but contains CBD and the minor cannabinoids and also has terpenes.

If the only component you want from hemp is CBD, go for CBD oil that contains CBD isolate. Other hemp elements are removed to remain with CBD only.

Best CBD Oil for Sleep: 2021’s Top Recommendations

With the above factors in mind, you stand a better chance of choosing the right CBD oil for sleep. Every product is made differently, and you should research it before making any purchasing decision. Below are the top CBD oils for sleep to try out in 2021.

Fab CBD

Fab CBD is a common brand name in reviews about the best CBD oil. The company provides a high-quality CBD oil formula made using organic Colorado hemp and MCT oil. It also uses the CO2 method to extract CBD from hemp. The process provides pure CBD that is free of contaminants, and it is the best way to derive CBD from hemp plants.

CBD Type & Strength: With Fab CBD, you get to use full-spectrum CBD oil. The brand provides four strengths to choose from 300mg, 600mg, 1200mg, and 2400mg, and they all come in 30ml bottles.

Flavors: Apart from the natural flavor, the CBD oil is also available in mint, vanilla, citrus, and berry flavors.

3^rd Party Test: The company third-party tests the product at Pro Verde Laboratories to ensure customers get quality CBD oil. You can view the lab report on the Fab CBD website to verify the components you will be ingesting.

Price: Nonetheless, Fab CBD oil is affordable, with the price ranging from $39-$129.

Overall Score: 4.5/5

Joy Organics

Joy Organics is a USDA organic certified brand that provides high-quality CBD oil to help you sleep. The product reduces stress, provides a calming effect, and help you have a restful night of quality sleep. The oil is vegan and supports your overall wellness.

CBD Type & Strength: It contains full-spectrum CBD, and you can get it in various CBD amounts per bottle, which are 450mg, 900mg, 1350mg, and 2250mg. These quantities translate to 15mg, 30mg, 45mg, and 75mg of CBD per serving.

Flavors: Joy Organics CBD oil has lime, Unflavored Organic, Summer Lemon, Tranquil Mint, Orange Bliss flavors

3^rd Party Test: every batch is third-party tested for purity and potency. It is cruelty-free and contains MCT oil and organic stevia, which is a quality sweetener.

Price: The CBD oil available at a price range of $44.95-$89.95.

Overall Score: 4/5

Verma Farms

Verma Farms makes unique CBD oil with ingredients to help you sleep. Apart from CBD, it contains melatonin, chamomile, and ginseng, components that improve sleep quality. Melatonin is a substance that tells your body it is time to sleep. The formulation is also very tasty and incorporates MCT oil. These elements are all-natural to protect your health.

CBD Type & Strength: The CBD oil contains broad-spectrum CBD. A bottle carries 1000mg CBD, 60mg of melatonin, 500mg chamomile, and 1000mg ginseng. However, each 1ml servings gives your body 33.3mg of CBD.

Flavors: we only reviewed the sleep version of their oil. (Note: They offer several fruit flavors on other versions)

3^rd Party Test: The lab report from Botanacor is easily accessible on the Verma Farms website.

Price: you can get the CBD oil at a premium price tag of $124.99.

Overall Score: 4/5

How to Use the Oil for Sleep?

If you are asking whether CBD help with sleep–yes, it can. However, you need to use CBD oil correctly to ensure you get the benefits it offers for sleep. You should administer a few drops of the best CBD oil under your tongue and wait for 15 seconds or more before swallowing. The oil moves into your bloodstream fast to provide relief for insomnia. Use CBD oil before you go to bed and have the effects kick in to help you fall asleep.

However, if you are on prescription drugs or have a medical condition, speak to your doctor before using CBD sleep products. CBD interacts with some medications, which could affect their performance. Nevertheless, most people tolerate CBD quite well and do not experience any wellness problems when using it.

Dosage Guide for CBD Sleep Oils

As mentioned earlier, CBD beginners should start with the lowest CBD oil concentration. Doing so allows your body to gently familiarize with the product and respond accordingly. Surprising your system with more potent CBD oil is not a good idea. With time, you can shift to a higher CBD oil strength if need be and continue enjoying the benefits it offers.

Nonetheless, if you have been using CBD products for a while, you can try out stronger CBD oil and provide your body with the sleep support it needs.

Other Benefits of CBD Oil

Apart from improving sleep quality, CBD oil has other benefits that enhance full-body wellness. For instance, CBD oil has calming effects that come in handy when you are stressed or anxious. It helps you calm down and focus on what is essential instead of obsessing about a stressful situation. A sense of calm helps you stay composed and boosts the quality of life in general.

CBD also has mood-regulating properties that help with depression symptoms. It can put you in a better mood and help you alleviate the negative thoughts and feelings. Besides, CBD is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation can cause serious health conditions such as cell damage and heart problems. CBD helps your body fight inflammation-related illnesses. It also supports recovery after exercise to enable you to be in good shape and achieve your fitness goals.

Besides, research has shown that CBD has pain-relieving capabilities. The benefit is helpful for many people dealing with various types of pain, including migraines, arthritis, and backache. You can try CBD oil for pain instead of using addictive over-the-counter painkillers.

CBD oil can also lower the severity and frequency of seizures. To provide more proof to that, the FDA in 2018 approved a drug called Epidiolex, which contains CBD to help in treating epilepsy in children. If medications have not been as effective, speak to your doctor about using CBD oil.

Other CBD Products to Try Out

With the legalization of hemp and its byproducts, the CBD market is flooded with a variety of CBD products for buyers to consider using. Aside from CBD oil, manufacturers also offer CBD gummies, topicals, vape pens, capsules, and powders.

If you do not want to swallow CBD oil or want a more convenient way to use it, CBD capsules are ideal for you. They are more discreet, as they look like regular pills. They are great for on-the-go CBD use, and you will not taste any CBD oil. Each capsule contains a specific amount of CBD, so you do not have to measure anything.

CBD gummies are a delicious way to consume CBD. They are available in various mouthwatering flavors, and like capsules, each gummy carry a given amount of CBD. While some brands provide jars of gummies with one flavor, others provide bottles with differently flavored chews.

However, CBD infused gummies are efficient, as they ensure you ingest the full amount of CBD as the manufacturer intended. Gummies coated with CBD might lose some of their potency due to high temperatures and humidity.

The CBD topical category features several products, including creams, salves, and bath bombs. Topicals provide relief to the affected body part instead of targeting your entire body. For that reason, they are efficient for issues such as joint pains and muscle soreness. Besides CBD, topicals usually contain additional components such as essential oils that give them fantastic aromas.

They also incorporate skin-nourishing ingredients such as shea butter and aloe vera extract. Make your baths more relaxing with CBD bath bombs. However, CBD salves tend to have higher CBD amounts than creams, making them suitable for severe symptoms. Since CBD has anti-inflammatory properties, its topical might help with skin conditions such as Acne and Psoriasis.

Top CBD brands also provide CBD vape pens. Vaping provides quick relief as CBD moves almost immediately into your bloodstream. When you draw on the mouthpiece, the vapor moves into your lungs and crosses into your bloodstream quickly to provide wellness benefits such as calming your body.

Despite vaping being the fastest way to get CBD into your system, vaping, in general, has been linked to lung problems. That is why you should be careful. If you have not started vaping, speak to your physician before beginning for your safety.

You can also use CBD in the form of powder. You can consume it as it is or add it to your baking recipes. Besides, you can add CBD powder to food and beverages and enjoy the benefits.

Lastly, How Do You Buy the Oil?

You should buy CBD oil from manufacturer websites. That way, you are confident of getting high-grade products directly from a given brand. Instead of single items, you can also buy bundle packs to save money. If there are any discounts and deals, use them. Nevertheless, if hemp is legal in your area, you can go to a CBD dispensary near you and buy CBD oil. Make sure the store is reliable and licensed. Besides, only spend money on the best CBD oil for sleep.

Identifying high-quality CBD oil from the many available brands does not have to be difficult. First, check the quality of CBD. It should be made from organic hemp, as it is free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Such components are harmful to your health. You should also find out the CBD extraction method a company uses. The best way to make CBD from hemp is using CO2. It is a solvent-free process that enables manufacturers to make clean CBD and safeguard your health.

Apart from in-house tests, an excellent brand takes its CBD oil through third-party testing at a certified laboratory. The lab report should be easily accessible on a brand’s website. While some manufacturers use lot numbers at the bottom of CBD oil bottles, others use QR codes on product labels to enable buyers to access the lab reports.

That is not all. The best CBD oil for sleep contains all-natural components. Check the carrier oil and flavors to ensure they are from organic sources. Artificial ingredients are terrible for your health. Go for CBD oil brands that are open about their manufacturing process, lab testing, and ingredients. The last thing you need is having an allergic reaction because a given brand failed to mention all ingredients.

Choose CBD oil with simple components. CBD and carrier oil are enough, but some manufacturers offer flavored CBD oil as well.

A CBD company should also have informative, well-designed product pages on its website. It should provide all vital details about its CBD oil. A worthwhile brand also has responsive, professional customer support. That way, you get immediate feedback to your queries and any concerns you might have.

Some brands offer free shipping on all USA orders. Others only deliver orders free if they exceed a certain amount of money. The return period also differs depending on the brand. While some offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, others provide a 60 or 90-day return period.

Summary

CBD oil can improve the quality of sleep you get as long as you buy a high-grade product. Ensure the CBD oil you purchase contains safe, organic components and goes through third-party testing. The market offers various CBD oils to use, and we have discussed some of them. You can identify more using the factors we have discussed above.

Nonetheless, CBD oil has other health benefits that include alleviating anxiety, stress, pain, and depression. Such conditions also disrupt sleep and if CBD can help manage them, then CBD users can sleep better. If you have a medical condition, remember to speak to your doctor before you start using CBD oil. The same applies if you are on medication.

The Business Coalition for the Equality Act

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Top North Carolina Businesses Register Unprecedented Support for the Equality Act as More than 400 Major U.S. Corporations Join Coalition to Urge Protections for LGBTQ People

The Business Coalition for the Equality Act is believed to be the largest business coalition to ever come together to speak out in support of legal LGBTQ equality

Today, the Business Coalition for the Equality Act announced it has grown to include more than 400 major U.S. corporations (including 13 major North Carolina corporations) calling for the urgent passage of the Equality Act–federal legislation that would modernize our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit protections for LGBTQ people, as well as improve protections for women, people of color, and people of all faiths. The announcement signals unprecedented support for the Equality Act among America’s business leaders, who join a majority of Americans, hundreds of members of Congress, hundreds of advocacy organizations, and more than 60 business associations–including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers–in endorsing the federal legislation.

North Carolina corporations that have joined the coalition include Cargo Transporters, Inc., ABB Inc., ViiV Healthcare Company, GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Truist Financial, Advance Auto Parts (Advance Holding), Red Hat Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Company, Food Lion, LLC, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Bank of America Corp., Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Replacements Ltd. They employ 457,002 people across the state, have 13 headquarters in the state, and generate $151.9 billion in annual revenue for North Carolina.

As a whole, the 416 member companies of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act represent a major swath of America’s economic engine, with member companies overseeing business operations in all 50 states, company headquarters spanning 33 states and a combined $6.8 trillion in annual revenue. The 416 members of the coalition collectively employ more than 14.6 million people in the United States. The Business Coalition for the Equality Act is believed to be the largest business coalition to ever come together to speak out in support of legal LGBTQ equality. The largest former effort was the business amicus brief for marriage equality, which included 379 businesses.

“We are seeing growing support from business leaders because they understand that the Equality Act is good for their employees, good for their businesses and good for our country. Employers care about their employees’ ability to rent an apartment, send their kids to school, visit the dentist, and pick up the groceries free from discrimination. They realize that when LGBTQ employees and their family members are protected in their daily lives, it makes them more secure and confident in their jobs, and also more productive,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Thank you to every company that is speaking up and advocating for the passage of the Equality Act. It’s time for the Senate to listen to the business community and the public and pass this long overdue legislation.”

The Equality Act ensures everyone in America, including LGBTQ people, are protected from harassment and discrimination in all areas of life. Currently, even if an LGBTQ person works for a company that provides clear non-discrimination protections and inclusive cultures, that employee and their family members can still experience discrimination in other areas of life and have no legal recourse. In the majority of states–29 states in total–that lack explicit nondiscrimination protections, these employees can be denied healthcare, loans, housing, and basic goods and services because they are LGBTQ.

The business community’s support reflects the broad and overwhelming support for the Equality Act in communities nationwide. New polling from Hart Research Associates found that 70 percent of Americans (including 50 percent of Republicans) support the Equality Act. Hundreds of members of Congress and more than 600 organizations, including the nation’s top leaders in civil rights, education, health care, and faith organizations have also endorsed the legislation.

Corporate endorsements for the Equality Act have more than doubled since the Equality Act passed the U.S. House in 2019.

Business Support for the Equality Act

American Airlines: “American’s mission of taking care of people on life’s journey includes making the case for greater equity and inclusion, two of our company’s core values that are also critical to our success,” said Molly Wilkinson, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and PRIDE EBRG Executive Sponsor. “That’s why we’re proud to join with the Human Rights Campaign and this broad coalition of businesses in support of the Equality Act, a measure that would protect Americans from the kind of discrimination, harassment and unequal treatment that runs counter to our purpose. American has proudly stood with the LGBTQ community for decades and will continue to advocate for full inclusion, equity and protection under the law, because all of our team members and customers deserve to feel welcome and safe.”

Levi Strauss & Co.: “Levi Strauss & Co. is proud to support the Equality Act,” said Anna Walker, Vice President, Public Affairs. “We have a long history of supporting equal rights for the LGBT community, from being the first Fortune 500 company to extend health benefits to unmarried domestic partners more than 20 years ago, to being the only California business in 2007 to file an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage. The time has come in this country for full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both good for business and simply the right thing to do.”

Dow: “Dow has been a proud supporter of the Equality Act since it was first introduced; and we continue advocating for the full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the eyes of the law,” said Louis Vega, President, Dow North America and VP Government Affairs & Advocacy, North America. “Ensuring equality and opportunity for all is not only the right thing to do as a matter of human decency, it is good for society and business.”

IBM: “A workforce that reflects the diversity of today’s society drives new ideas and innovation,” said Carla Grant Pickens, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. “At IBM, we seek to hire the most talented individuals regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or other personal characteristics. We also believe that equal protections should extend beyond an employer’s four walls, which is why IBM stands with HRC in endorsing the Equality Act. It’s time that civil rights protections be extended to LGBT+ individuals nationwide on a clear, consistent, and comprehensive basis.”

Marriott International Inc.: “At Marriott, we believe that every individual, including those in the LGBTQ community, should feel welcome, safe and respected when they enter one of our properties. As a global hospitality leader, our principles of non-discrimination extend to all travelers, and include sexual orientation and gender identity. That is why we are proud to join with the Human Rights Campaign and support passage of the Equality Act, to help ensure equality under the law as well as under our own roof.”

Matt McKee – HONEY DOO!

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CONTEMPORARY STILL LIFE: HONEY DOO! PAYS HOMAGE TO BEES, OUR INVALUABLE POLLINATORS

A new series of the limited edition contemporary still life, Honey Doo! which is printed on polished aluminum, has been released by Matt McKee and is available in several popular sizes from his website.

Honey Doo! is an image that was created to dramatize the urgency of food security and the dangers of man manipulating our food supply in many ways, including endangerment of the bee population. McKee hopes that the image which comes in 40” x 50”, 16” x 20”, and 5” x 7” sizes will get people talking about food bioengineering, nutrition, and sustainable lifestyles.

It is McKee’s hope that by drawing attention to bees, people will become more conscious of their critical role in our food supply. Honey Doo! is part of the Sweet Blasts portfolio that features food items on the fuse of a hand grenade to spark conversations about our food supply and sustainability. The image comes in 40” x 50”, 16” x 20”, and 5” x 7” sizes.

Honey Doo! is priced at $3,175.00 (40” x 50”), $675.00 (16” x 20”), and $100.00 (5” x 7”). These are limited editions; all signed and numbered.

Disney’s “Soul” Wins Academy Awards

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Disney’s academy-award winning film, “Soul,” won both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the Academy Awards.

Disney and Pixar’s Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Soul Original Score Vinyl album and Music From and Inspired by Soul vinyl album are available now.

Hosted by “Soul” co-director and co-writer Kemp Powers, Soul Stories on Spotify celebrates all of life’s greatest influences and acknowledges the spark that lives within us now:

Listen to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross offer a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the “Soul” score and discuss the inspirations and influences behind their award-winning work.
Award winning composer Jon Batiste sits down at the piano to discuss his musical inspirations and share his jazz arrangements for “Soul.”