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Intuitive Surgical beat analysts estimates and revenue rose about 13% for 1Q20, however, the company said the rest of 2020 is in question because of COVID-19.

The Sunnyvale, CA-based company said procedures with its da Vinci robot were trending at the higher end of expectations during the first two and half months of 1Q20. But the surgical robotics pioneers story changed sharply in the latter half of March.

The company said it experienced a decline in procedure volume as healthcare systems in the U.S. and Western Europe diverted resources to meet the increasing demands of managing COVID-19.

Heres how the numbers play out.

The company said 1Q20 revenue of $1.1 billion grew 13% compared with $974 million in the 1Q19. Worldwide da Vinci procedures grew approximately 10% compared with the first quarter of 2019, driven primarily by growth in U.S. general surgery procedures and worldwide urologic procedures.

In response to COVID-19, Intuitive's priorities are the health and safety of those we serve, including care teams, their patients, our employees, our communities, and our suppliers," Intuitive CEO Gary Guthart, said in a release. While we cannot predict the depth or duration of the disruption caused by the pandemic, we remain committed to our mission and the long-term need to improve patient outcomes.

The impact of COVID-19 on medtech companies varies. While Abbott Laboratories is surging because of various diagnostic options for the virus, companies that specialize in elective procedures have been hit extremely hard.

Conformis, a company known for its custom orthopedic implants, announced in March it was going to furlough one-third of its workforce. The Billerica, MA-based company said its product areas of knee and hip surgery were being impacted in unprecedented ways.

Obalon Therapeutics said it would explore financial and strategic alternatives because of the impact of COVID-19 on elective procedures. The weight loss solutions company said that these alternatives could include equity or debt financing; a sale of the company; a business combination; or a merger or a reverse merger with another party.

And late last month, Second Sight Medical Products announced it was winding down operations and laying off 84 of its 108 employees. The Sylmar, CA-based company had developed a cortical stimulation device intended to provide useful artificial vision to individuals who are blind due to a wide range of causes.

More here:
Can Intuitive Surgical Continue to Rise Above COVID-19 Disruptions? - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

Employees and members of the Allegiance Credit Union in Oklahoma share the same concerns as most Americans these days, a list that obviously starts with health and quickly veers to finances.

Yet those folks can take a bit of solace: No matter what challenges the coronavirus pandemic poses, the woman in charge of their credit union knows all about bouncing back from unthinkable devastation.

Amy Downs didnt merely survive the Oklahoma City bombing. Given a second chance at life, she transformed everything about herself since the horrific morning of April 19, 1995.

Before the pandemic, this spotlight was going to shine on Amys journey simply because the 25th anniversary of that unforgettable moment in U.S. history offered a timely opportunity.

Now, as we slog through another unforgettable time, her insights on navigating her ordeal carry a timely resonance.

Our old normal is gone, just like on April 19, for me, that old normal was gone, she said. Were not sure what that new normal will be yet, but things are going to be different.

***

On the fateful morning, Amy was at her desk on the third floor of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

She was talking to a pregnant colleague when the bombs detonated at 9:02 a.m.

The next thing Amy knew, she was in the basement.

Crammed into a sideways-V section of rubble, her legs were on a downslope, her torso folded over them. Debris mashed her head below her knees, creating the sensation of being upside down. She was further disoriented because a window curtain had wrapped around her head.

Strangely enough, her desk chair remained beneath her.

Six hours later, rescuers pried her out. Clich as it may seem, Amy emerged a different person.

In the moments of my near-death experience, she said, I saw crystal clear what I could have done with my life and what I hadnt done.

She soon learned how fortunate she was to have a do-over.

The blast claimed 168 lives, including 18 of the 33 employees at Amys workplace, then called the Federal Employees Credit Union. Among the victims: the pregnant woman.

***

Amys next several years were very dark.

She eventually found beams of light. The first: motherhood. Then she returned to school. That led to weight-loss surgery, which sparked a love of cycling. A joy of running followed, then she learned to swim so she could become a triathlete. Along the way, she met her new husband through cycling.

To celebrate turning 50, she tried swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 and running 26.2, all within 17 hours. With less than 10 minutes left, she crossed the finish to the raucous announcement, Amy Downs you are an Ironman!

As she said in a story on heart.org, Pretty much everything I do, before I cross one finish line, Im already looking for the next, trying to figure out how to level up. Ive also found that when you get your act together in one area, a lot of times it spills over into other areas.

***

Last fall, Amy agreed to deliver a speech at an annual meeting of a league of credit unions in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Her topic was going to be enduring challenges such as management changes, upstart online competitors and switching core software systems.

She titled it, How to Lead Your Team Through Disruption.

Once she started gathering her thoughts, she recognized the double meaning of her discussing disruption. She also was finishing a memoir, so the memories were especially fresh.

She was supposed to deliver the speech this week.

The pandemic scuttled it, of course. However, the league is holding weekly online meetings to help CEOs work through things together. While much of the talks are technical such as how to distribute federal bailout funds Amy asked to deliver a revised version of the speech she was crafting.

What were going through now is so much like what we went through back then, she said. Theres all this uncertainty and anxiety. I dont have the answer to everybodys business model, but I do know the story of how we made it through. Maybe thatll be encouraging to others like, `Hey, we made it, youre going to, too.

She boiled down her message to three things. Or, rather, opportunities.

The speech was so well received, shes been asked to give it twice next week.

The fact of the matter is, the pandemic has happened, she said. As leaders, we have to look at this and figure out how to make the best out of it. Youre going to struggle. How you handle the struggle is going to define your long-term success.

***

The bombing left Amys credit union with 15 employees and no office. It also claimed about 100 members.

We couldve easily gone under, Amy said.

Instead, Allegiance has grown from $70 million in assets to $300 million. It has 82 employees.

Amy is among four who remain from April 19, 1995. Shes had opportunities to leave. Good ones, she stressed.

I cant leave, though, she said. Its not because of what happened on April 19.

Its because of what we went through together afterward.

***

The day after the blast, then-CEO Florence Rogers visited Amys hospital room. She touched Amys face and brushed her hair.

Everyone in the room had heard that Florence hadnt been hurt. Yet Florence asked if anyone wanted to see her injury.

She turns around and yanks her pants down to show a big bruise on her rear end, Amy said. Shes laughing and we all laughed so hard we cried. We needed that levity.

With that PG-rated memory in mind, Amy came up with all sorts of emotional release valves for her employees during the pandemic.

There are voluntary prayer meetings daily and virtual happy hours on Fridays. They held a Tiger King trivia event (the zoo Joe Exotic ran is about an hour away). They also have a private Facebook page thats essentially a safe space for employees to share memes, videos and such.

Were just trying to create opportunities for connections, Amy said.

Another wrinkle was dropping $25 into every employees checking account and asking them to spend it on lunch at a local restaurant. They also were encouraged to post pictures on social media to further boost those businesses.

Amy felt good about that. She also felt good seeing local TV news stories about people helping people.

And I thought, `What are you doing, she said.

She looked across her room and saw stacks of her memoir, Hope Is a Verb: My Journey of Impossible Transformation. She had so many copies because a book launch event was canceled by the pandemic.

Her solution: On Saturday, the first 100 online buyers at CommonplaceBooksOKC.com. will get a free copy of her book.

Were calling it Spreading `Hope, she said.

(Amy also was to have participated in a CycleNation event benefiting my organization, the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. Its been pushed to Aug. 15. She persuaded all local credit unions to get involved as one giant team to commemorate the way they all came together for her group following the bombing. Shes also set up a relay featuring all the credit union CEO each riding one mile.)

***

About two weeks into sheltering in place, Amy received a text from one of her fellow credit-union survivors. He wrote: This is reminding me of April.

Among survivors, simply naming the month is all thats needed. Spring works, too; the bombing was on one of those beautiful days when you know winter is gone, so each year that seasonal change triggers as many emotions as the calendar date.

Trading texts with her friend left Amy in a bit of a funk.

Like everyone else these days, shes prone to bouts of feeling overwhelmed and scared.

The difference from everyone else is that those emotions draw her back to the muffled sights and toxic smells of the six hours she spent in that sideways-V hunk of rubble.

She copes by asking herself, If I lost everything today, what would I still have?

Its my family, my friends and my faith, she said. It helps to center myself on what I do have instead of what Im scared Im going to lose.

Continued here:
Lessons on enduring the pandemic from an Oklahoma City bombing survivor - Thrive Global

Electronic cigarettes were originally designed as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. But it turns out smoking e-cigarettes -- commonly known as vaping -- has its own risks.

In August 2019, the CDC began tracking cases of severe lung problems in people who vape. Thousands had lung damage that needed treatment in hospitals, and several died from the condition. Eventually, researchers tied these cases to vaping. The illness is now called e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI).

Doctors and researchers are still working to learn more about this condition, including its exact causes and long-term effects. But there are early signs of EVALI to watch for so you know when to get help.

Early Symptoms of EVALI

Although researchers know the condition is tied to vaping, theyre not yet clear how it happens.

Were still not exactly sure the exact cause of it, but there is an inflammatory response that occurs in the lung presumed due to something in the aerosol from vaping, says Joanna Tsai, MD, a pulmonologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Someone with EVALI may have breathing and digestive problems, along with other symptoms, including:

Fever

Chills

Cough

A hard time breathing

Shortness of breath

Chest tightness

Belly pain

Loss of appetite (not hungry)

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea

Weight loss

Some people say their symptoms formed over a few days, while others say it took several weeks. Those affected seem to have serious lung damage. They may even need intensive care and support with a ventilator, a machine that helps you breathe.

Whos Most at Risk

Anyone whos vaped in the last 90 days is at risk for EVALI. You dont have to be older or already sick.

Many of these patients were normal, healthy people, Tsai says.

The average age of people with EVALI is 24, and almost 4 out of 5 are younger than 35. Rachel Boykan, MD, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, says that might be because vaping products are most popular with younger people.

You may be more at risk if the product youre vaping has vitamin E acetate. The CDC says its the common chemical found in the lungs of people whove gotten sick. Vitamin E acetate comes from vitamin E. Its generally used to thicken liquids, particularly in e-cigarette or vaping products that have THC. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gets you high.

It also seems many of the people whove gotten sick werent just vaping nicotine.

[W]hen the outbreak of EVALI occurred with multiple deaths noted, we have learned that the majority of the individuals involved vaped THC, although there were still reports of people who vaped exclusively nicotine, says Tsai.

But that doesnt mean vaping nicotine is safer. Theres still a lot to learn. And Tsai says the industry is basically unregulated, which means theres no set standard manufacturers have to follow. So buyers dont always know what theyre getting.

What to Do if You Have Symptoms

See your doctor right away if you vape any kind of product and get any of the above symptoms. Theyll do a full exam and evaluation to rule out other illnesses, such as bacterial or viral pneumonia. You might get a chest X-ray or CT scan. Healthy lungs are filled with air and appear dark. The scan will show hazy-looking spots (opacities) if you have EVALI.

You may be given corticosteroids to lessen inflammation in the lungs. Or you might be put on a ventilator in severe cases. But its still not safe to go back to vaping if your doctor says its just a cold or stomach bug. While the CDC has several precautions for people who continue to use e-cigarettes or vape, it says the best way to avoid risk of EVALI is to quit vaping altogether.

WebMD Feature Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS on December 31, 2019

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What Are the Early Warning Signs of Vaping Illness? - San Saba News & Star

Losing a job is one of the most stressful events you can experience in your career, especially if the loss is sudden. Losing a job during the coronavirus pandemic can really compound that stress. When you get laid off or fired, you not only lose a steady source of income, but you can also lose purpose, a routine and a community of co-workers. It can even impact your physical health.

Oftentimes, people think, How can they be feeling so sad, so depressed, so grief-stricken about a job, but were losing a lot of pieces that were not recognizing... that do constitute pretty significant loss, said Lisa Orb-Austin, a licensed psychologist who focuses on helping professionals through career transitions. People feel a sense of heartbreak, especially if the loss was sudden.

Your mind and body can be sending you signals that job loss is impacting you more than you consciously know.

You cant sleep or you sleep too much.

Challenges with sleep are one sign that the job loss is impacting your health.

You might have trouble falling asleep, have trouble staying asleep, or find yourself getting up earlier than planned, said Kristin Bianchi, a Maryland-based licensed psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change.

One or two nights of sleeplessness are OK, but if its a pattern, its concerning. Those start to become worrisome, if thats happening over a long period of time, Bianchi said.

The stress you felt in your job may stay with you even after you lose it. Patricia Haynes, an associate professor in the University of Arizonas Department of Health Promotion Sciences, conducted research on how workplace stressors may leave a lasting impact on long-term health outcomes after unemployment. In one study, she and her fellow researchers found that individuals experiencing hindrance-related stressors like job insecurity and organizational politics were more likely to report insomnia after they lost their job.

The more barriers, like political barriers or barriers that have to do with promotions, the things that keep people from doing well in their job we found that those types of stressors are associated with increased likelihood of continued insomnia even after the job is gone, Haynes told HuffPost.

Your mental health gets worse.

The longer you go without a job, the more likely you are to report having depression, according to a Gallup survey of 356,000 Americans. One in five Americans unemployed for about a year or more were more likely to report that they have been or are undergoing treatment for depression.

Bianchi said two hallmark features of depression for unemployed professionals are when they lose interest in activities they used to enjoy and when they start to experience a low mood more often than not over a two-week period. It might look like sadness, feeling down, Bianchi said. It can also manifest as anger or irritability.

Your personality changes as you become less agreeable.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that unemployment can cause basic personality changes.

Of the 6,769 German adults in the study, who spent four years completing personality tests, those who lost their jobs during the experiment experienced significant changes in their levels of agreeableness compared to the adults who remained employed. Women became less agreeable with each year of unemployment. Meanwhile, men reported being more agreeable during the first two years of unemployment, but got increasingly less agreeable after that.

The researchers believe these changes can be due to how your outlook can change once you become long-term unemployed. In early unemployment stages, there may be incentives for individuals to behave agreeably in an effort to secure another job or placate those around them, but in later years when the situation becomes endemic, such incentives may weaken, the authors of the study wrote.

Your body aches, and you get migraines and an upset stomach.

When your body is stressed, your muscles tense up to guard you from a perceived threat. Its part of the bodys fight-or-flight response. Over time, being on high alert all the time can result in chronic stress-related problems like migraines. The American Psychological Association notes that pain in the low back and upper extremities has been linked to job-related stress.

Our brain is in constant communication with our gut, and job loss stress can also lead to gut discomfort. With anxiety, its not uncommon to see [gastrointestinal] symptoms emerge. People may report frequent stomach aches, or other GI distress, Bianchi said. We tend to see headaches and muscle aches when we are anxious.

Your appetite significantly changes.

Stress may cause an increase or decrease in an appetite, according to the American Psychological Association. Those appetite changes may or may not be accompanied by weight loss or weight gain, Bianchi said. Changes that are marked from what people are used to.

When you feel like you cant count on much like I dont have a paycheck coming in, I dont have a job having a routine creates something that you can count on.

- Psychologist Lisa Orb-Austin

What You Can Do To Support Yourself During Unemployment

Make a routine. When you lack the built-in structure of a work day, schedule a new routine that can get you out of your pajamas and is something you look forward to, Orb-Austin said. That can include physical exercise, lunch dates and breaks from your job search. Because of social distancing, meeting up with your friends may not be possible right now, but you can schedule online social dates like virtual game nights.

When you feel like you cant count on much like I dont have a paycheck coming in, I dont have a job having a routine creates something that you can count on, Orb-Austin said.

Getting up at the same time every morning, making sure you have consistent meals and developing your own daily routine can be beneficial for people who have lost their jobs, Haynes said.

Try mastering an activity. When you lose your job and your job search stalls, you can develop learned helplessness where you feel like no matter what you do, nothing changes, Bianchi said. To counteract that loss of agency, try scheduling activities that bring you a sense of pleasure, mastery or self-efficacy, she said.

In part, it helps [your] mood. But it also instills in us a sense of ones capability and capacity to continue living even if we are out of work at the moment, Bianchi said. It helps us to be more resilient.

Watch out for all-or-nothing thinking. Bianchi said that when people are down and demoralized, they can overlook the positive. Well see people tending to dismiss the positives... and over-focus on negative experiences and disappointments that theyve had, she said.

One concrete way to push back against these distorted thoughts that can lead to feelings of helplessness is to keep a credit list where you track any actions youve taken that you are proud of, Bianchi said. Those can be actions [youve] chosen, or you can also include in that positive feedback, Bianchi said, like compliments or the fact that someone called to check in on you, which is a reflection of a positive relationship youve created.

By reminding yourself of all the good in your life and all the actions you are taking, these reminders can strengthen our sense of self and maintain it in the absence of what tends to be a major source of identity, Bianchi said.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus

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What Happens To Your Body When You Are Unemployed - HuffPost

I'm heading into week six (has it really been that long?!) of having my kids home from school while working from home and social distancing. I'm focusing on keeping us all safe and healthy, which means I've been cooking and baking up a storm of healthy meals, but exercise? Even though I was used to working out six days a week, those first two weeks I didn't feel motivated to work out at all.

My brain needed a pause to process what the hell was going on. I needed time to allow my emotions and fears to come to light, and working out just didn't feel right. When I did head downstairs to my home gym, thinking that forcing myself to do a home workout would help me feel better, it just made my mind race to how much I missed my gym. I had thoughts like: "When will I be able to go back? What if my family gets sick? What if my husband and I get sick at the same time and there's no one to take care of our kids? What if I never hug my parents again?" It was all too much.

By week three, I started to accept and appreciate this new normal of slowing down, staying home, and spending time with my family. At the end of that week is also when we got the official word from the governor that school would be closed for the rest of the year. Shocked was my first response, but relief was my second. Things felt so up in the air until then, and even though this was going to be so incredibly hard, I felt settled knowing what to expect and how to move forward.

In my heart, I knew I needed a new routine that included taking time for me. Those early morning workouts were more than just exercise, and I naturally started to feel the inner pull to regain that time for myself again. Since I can no longer go to my CrossFit gym or yoga studio, and I'm also juggling homeschooling the kids and working, here's what needs to happen in order to feel inspired to exercise.

I used to wake up at 5:15 a.m. to make it to my 5:45 a.m. CrossFit classes, but the first two weeks of social distancing, I was staying up late watching the news, and wouldn't wake up until after 7:00 a.m. I've slowly been going back to my old sleeping schedule this is taking a LOT of inner motivation! I wake up early and do a workout from 5:30 to 6:15 a.m., and then I work from 6:15 to 8:15 a.m. Or now that the weather is warming up, I'll just work from 5:15 to 7:30 a.m., then go for a run. Exercising in the morning and making time for myself to be alone has really helped get my head in the right place to have a happier, more productive day.

While I used to get up early Sunday through Friday to work out, I'm giving myself the liberty to take more rest days. I see how I feel the night before, set my alarm if I want to work out, and so far this means three to five workouts a week. It feels good to honor my body instead of following a strict schedule. If I forced myself to work out six days a week, I'd feel much less motivated and probably wouldn't feel like working out at all. But who knows? Maybe this will morph into wanting to work out six days a week like I used to.

Part of the ease of my CrossFit classes was that the coaches designed the programming and they just led me through it I didn't have to do anything but show up. I tried heading into my home gym the first few days without a plan, and I spent 10 minutes trying to decide what to do, which ended up fizzling out my excitement for working out it felt like a chore.

I have a workout journal (that I've kept for years), so I started writing down the workout I'm going to do. My coaches post programming the night before so sometimes I peek at that for workout inspiration. I get the equipment I need out (which is usually just a pair of dumbbells, a jump rope, or a chair), I lay my clothes out in the bathroom, and make sure I have socks, sneakers, and a filled water bottle ready to go. Then all I need to do in the morning is wake up, get dressed, put on some music, and get moving.

I no longer have the competition of other people doing burpees faster than me or lifting heavier weights to push me, and that's part of the reason I was so upset about not being able to go to my gym. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to maintain the same level of fitness I built up over the years because I didn't have that community motivation. I also don't have access to the same equipment and hardcore workouts barbell and rower, I miss you!

Then I finally said, "who cares?" I realized that something was better than nothing, and that my workouts right now are serving a different purpose. They need to be more gentle and simple in order for me to feel inspired to do them, and they need to make me feel better, not worse.

That first week back to working out, aside from a few early morning workouts, I also did a lot of walking. I committed to walking three miles a day because this was something I knew I could stick too. Taking two walks with my family became a new daily habit, and I could even walk inside if it was raining (I hooked an old treadmill up to my standing desk.) I also felt more inspired to do 10 minutes here and there of yoga because quietly stretching just felt so good, and was another thing I could do while my kids and dogs crawled all over me with my family.

When I feel inspired to do a 45-minute workout in the morning, I keep those very basic and not nearly as intense as the CrossFit workouts I used to do. I begin with a five-minute yoga warmup, then a 20-minute EMOM workout, choosing just four or five moves, doing 45 seconds of each with a 15-second rest. For example, I'll do burpees, dumbbell deadlifts, plank slider walks, dumbbell step-ups, and shoulder presses. After that I do four rounds of five assisted pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 V-ups. These are three movements I've decided to focus on as a personal challenge to see how strong I get this helps motivate me to wake up! Then I follow up with some yoga. It's simple, easy to follow, and although I'm working my body, the simplicity of the workout acts as a sort of meditation to let my thoughts just settle.

Where I live, social distancing needs to happen through the middle of May, but I've mentally prepared myself that it could be extended. And although I still have my moments where something will set me off and bring me to tears, I'm trying to stay positive, remembering to take it one day at a time. These morning workouts for the past three weeks have been so good for my mental health. But if I'm too tired and want to sleep in, or I get interrupted by one of my kids who wants me to read them a story or make them banana pancakes, my workout doesn't happen and I'm OK with that.

I know this is only temporary, and because my family and I are healthy, I just feel so overwhelmingly grateful that I don't get upset about missing a workout. Tomorrow is another day, and another opportunity to do burpees or some sun salutations. When I look back at this time in my life, I don't want to remember how stressed I was because I didn't work out. I want to picture all the special moments I shared with my family, and how for once in my life, it was OK to slow down and enjoy the little things.

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Not Inspired to Work Out at Home During the Coronavirus? Here's What Finally Helped Me - POPSUGAR

AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 13, 2020 / Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. ("Apollo") (APEN), a global leader in less invasive medical devices for gastrointestinal and bariatric procedures announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed the review of the final Post-Approval Study (PAS) Report for the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System and accepted that all post-approval study requirements have been fulfilled.

The ORBERA Post Approval Study was a requirement following the US FDA's approval of ORBERA in August of 2015. The study was a multi-center, open label, prospective study with a primary safety endpoint and its secondary endpoint being effectiveness. All study endpoints were successfully met.

Notable study statistics include:

There were no instances of death, gastric perforation, bowel obstruction or acute pancreatitis. The most common SAE were nausea and vomiting, which tended to resolve within the first month after placement.

"As anticipated, the conclusion of the ORBERA post approval study confirms the impressive, medically-relevant weight loss from ORBERA that physicians can expect for their patients with underlying medical conditions that require them to lose up to 10% of their total body weight. The study also confirms a predictable safety result for properly selected and managed patients. The ORBERA balloon is the most studied intragastric balloon globally and the post approval study results are very consistent with ORBERA's long-standing published literature from Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific regions," said Christopher Gostout, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Apollo Endosurgery.

Obesity affects over 650 million people globally. An independent review by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy identified ORBERA as the only intragastric balloon that met their threshold standards for the treatment of obesity.1 More than 300,000 ORBERA balloons have been distributed worldwide in over 75 countries and the medical community has been using intragastric balloons from the makers of ORBERA for over twenty years.

About ORBERA

ORBERA is an incision-less, non-surgical weight loss solution designed for adult patients suffering from obesity, who are not appropriate for or considering surgery, but for whom diet, and exercise or pharmaceutical interventions have not worked.

In a non-surgical (endoscopic) procedure, the thin and deflated ORBERA balloon is placed into the stomach. It is then filled with saline until it's about the size of a grapefruit. The procedure typically takes about 20 minutes and the patient can generally go home a few hours later. After up to 6 months, through another non-surgical procedure, the ORBERA balloon is deflated and then removed.

Once the balloon is in place, the patient works with their physician and their staff in a formal lifestyle modification program to meet their long-term weight loss goals. Coaching takes place over 12 months while the balloon is in place. The program is designed to help the patient develop sustainable, healthy habits that will help keep weight off over time.

For additional information regarding ORBERA, please visit http://www.orbera.com and for full safety information please visit http://apolloendo.com/patient-labeling-and-dfus/#

About Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. is a medical technology company focused on less invasive therapies to treat various gastrointestinal conditions, ranging from gastrointestinal complications to the interventional treatment of obesity. Apollo's device-based therapies are an alternative to invasive surgical procedures, thus lowering complication rates and reducing total healthcare costs. Apollo's products are offered in over 75 countries today and include the OverStitch Endoscopic Suturing System, the OverStitch Sx Endoscopic Suturing System, and the ORBERA Intragastric Balloon.

Apollo's common stock is traded on Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "APEN". For more information regarding Apollo Endosurgery, go to: http://www.apolloendo.com.

2019 Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. All rights reserved. Any third-party trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. In addition, there is uncertainty about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the impact it may have on the Company's operations, the demand for the Company's products, global supply chains and economic activity in general. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: reports of adverse events related to our products, outcomes of clinical studies, developments in medical technology, regulatory approvals and extensive regulatory oversight by the FDA or other regulatory bodies, unfavorable media coverage related to our products or related procedures, reimbursement decisions by private or government payors, physician adoption and recommendations of procedures utilizing our products as well as other factors detailed in Apollo's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Apollo's website and are available from Apollo without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, Apollo disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

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Apollo Endosurgery Announces Completion of the US Post-Approval Study for the Orbera(R) Intragastric Balloon System - Yahoo Finance

Feel like taking on a fitness challenge while you're stuck in quarantine? How about one that can be done literally anywhere, like doing pushups every day? Dan Witmer of YouTube's Jump Rope Dudes set himself the task of completing 100 pushup reps every single day for 30 days; here's what he learned by the end of his month-long experiment.

"If you're a beginner and you want to start losing weight, doing pushups, or doing something every single day, that is awesome. Just taking action is a great way to get going, and pushups are not super super intense, so it's a great way to get your body acclimated to physical exercise as opposed to jumping on a bench press."

"The first thing I noticed about myself was my resistance to doing it every day," he admits. "The first six days were really easy, then after 10 days I was like, how much longer to I have to do this... But it was interesting to push through it and get it done."

Embarking on a challenge where you do the same exercise daily helps to build good habits, and it is that consistency which Witmer cites as a major plus: "If you have a weight loss or muscle building goal, being consistent is how you get there."

Not that you should expect to come out the other side of the 30 days completely ripped; Witmer also points out that this kind of challenge is good for building strength and maintaining a leaner physique, rather than for actually putting on mass. "If you want to see huge additions in muscle, you do have to lift weights. If you plan on seeing huge gains, you can't just do thousands of pushups to get that physique."

And doing 100 pushups every single day is not exactly practical in the long term. "It's extremely taxing on your body," he says. "If you're constantly working the same body parts and not giving them time to recover, they get fatigued, you can lose strength, you can get injured, and overall you're just wasting your time, because rest and eating right are actually how the muscles recover and build back up to make you stronger."

Additionally, doing the same move day in day out can lead to discomfort and even injury, Witmer explains. "It's great for discipline, it's not so great for your body; I did semi-injure myself. I think from locking my arms at the top, I started to get a swollen elbow, from doing those repetitions over and over again." Ultimately, Witmer recommends doing pushups two or three times a week in combination with other forms of cardio and weight exercises.

Read more from the original source:
What This Guy Learned Doing 100 Pushups Every Single Day for a Month - menshealth.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Recently, nutritionist Vanessa Spiller went shopping and was surprised at what she saw.

That trip last week "was the first time I walked into the store and went 'Whoa, things are looking a lot less full.' It was the first day I felt that way."

Spiller is a macro nutritionist with EMP 180 in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Macro nutrition focuses on protein, fat and carbs. The company she said, is "a nutrition health-coaching-based weight loss-nutrition center."

"It allows you to eat all foods being healthy," she said. "What we have to take accountability is how much of it we're eating."

Spiller starts with two key points of advice to guide shoppers:

"The main thing with pantry items is shelf life," she said. And "try to stay below 20 grams of carbs per meal or snack. Thats going to keep you on a pretty healthy range of carbohydrates."

Here are basic tips on what to buy followed by 10 tips on how to shop:

Plan accordingly

"I was telling people to plan for five days out," she said. "Now I am telling people plan for seven to 10 days out. That's No. 1."

Canned items

Tuna, chicken, salmon. Theyre just as nutritious, they just have a bit more sodium. Canned beans are one of the most nutritious items. (Tip: With canned vegetables or beans, she said, throw them in a strainer and rinse 'em. Its going to reduce the amount of sodium.)

Oats-pasta-rice

The key with these carbs is to watch portion sizes. If something is long-term youre going to be able to whip out some noodles with sauce. You can throw vegetables with that, you can throw beans in that. You dont even need a meat source. (Tip: To cut the carbs in some dishes, add a healthy item to the mix. So instead of a giant bowl of oats, mix with yogurt, for example.)

Nuts

Good oil

Good nut butter / peanut butter

Theres a lot you can do with peanut butter, she said. The nice thing with peanut butter is its going to go a long way. It can be an easy lunch or breakfast. Peanut butter has a long shelf life. It can go in a smoothie, she added, to get good fat and protein.

Vegetables

If you can learn to enjoy broccoli and cauliflower I think they are the highest nutritionally point vegetables on the market, frozen or fresh. Theyre pretty versatile. They can be eaten plain, they can be stir-fried. Also: Edamame, shelled or unshelled, is a good source of protein and fiber. Cauliflower rice can take the place of rice. And a frozen bag of green, yellow and red peppers also is a good buy. You can make up a quick stir fry or have a quick fajita night when you have that variety in the freezer.

Guilty pleasures

Spiller doesnt say cut out guilty pleasures like chips and cookies. I think those things should be limited. My cart included some of them. Alternative: Popcorn. Its a bit more nutritious and has more fiber. I never like to suggest staying away from anything. If youre going to enjoy cookies or chips pay attention to serving size. (Tip: Avoid this as a daily routine. Once or twice a week is preferable.)

Spiller's advice focuses on what to buy. Now here are our 10 tips and things to know on shopping with social-distancing measures in place:

Many stores are requesting households limit the number of shoppers to one.

Check out stores' online curbside-pickup and delivery programs.

If you shop in stores limit meandering. Make a list, stay organized, remain focused.

This is not a time to be pulling out every single melon or reading every ingredient on package labels.

It's easy to be cognizant of social-distancing measures near cashiers as many stores have markers down and shields up. But do the same in aisles near fellow customers.

Before you leave home, check out stores' websites for special hours set aside for first responders, elderly and those classified "vulnerable." If you are not in those categories, don't go.

Bring a sanitizing cloth to clean cart handles, or wear disposable gloves. You also can use the wipes to open freezer doors.

If paying with cash, ask the cashier if they prefer that you hand the bills to them or leave them on the counter shelf or conveyor belt.

Before leaving your house to shop, the last thing you should do is wash your hands. And when you return it should be the first thing you do.

Track how busy the store is by time and day. Forbes is reporting weekends are the busiest times to go.

Read more here:
How to shop, what to buy for your pantry: Shopping in coronavirus age - cleveland.com

Read: Wearing a suit makes people think differently

Racial bias, or at least blind spots, has also been embedded in dress codes, perhaps most notably in prohibitions on hairstyles popular among black people, such as braids and afros. Its a lack of perspective or empathy, says Angela Hall, an associate professor at the Michigan State University School of Human Resources and Labor Relationsa thoughtlessness about what might make someone elses life more complicated. But of course, the impact can be far less benign: Employment law is riddled with cases like that of a black woman who in 2010 had a job offer rescinded because she refused to cut her dreadlocks; the companys dress code stipulated only that hairstyles be businesslike, professional, and not excessive.

Hall notes that changes to work itself have spurred a reconsideration of what constitutes work clothes. On the day we spoke, schools in East Lansing were closed for a snowstorm, so she was working and parenting simultaneously. And the more that work leaves the officean evolution that may well be accelerated by the coronavirusthe harder it becomes to associate work with a particular mode of dress. The growing pains of that process have already created an icon of the contemporary workplace, however aesthetically unfortunate: the Patagonia power vest.

The seepage of work beyond the office is one of the defining experiences of modern employmentand from one perspective, the erasure of dress codes isnt helping. In the past, you could come home and take off your uniform or office attire with the knowledge that you were totally free until the next day, mentally and physically. Now many people wear the same jeans they wore to work to cook dinner, cellphone and laptop never too far from reach, the mind and body never totally disconnected from labor.

Even the mass entertainments that have made the suit-and-tie look such an enduring shorthand for professionalism are beginning to fade, no doubt because the same young Americans who now constitute the majority of the broader labor pool have real influence in shaping what ends up on your screens. TV series such as Silicon Valley and Superstore depict occupational aesthetics as something closer to what theyve been for millions of Americans for the past decade: people wearing the same clothes to their job that theyd wear to the movies or to lunch with a friend, sometimes complemented by a company-issued jacket or an ID-carrying lanyard.

Gurung, Cawood, and Hall all agree that the mandate for greater fairness in the workplacespurred by nondiscrimination laws and the need to retain workers in a tight labor marketwill likely spell the end of the dress code as we know it, sooner rather than later. For traditionalists, this might sound like an abandonment of pride and professionalism, but in reality, Cawood says, companies that overhaul, simplify, or drop their dress code rarely do anything but make their employees happier. Regulating bad behavioreverything from being a smelly desk neighbor to sexual harassmentdoesnt require rules about pantyhose or facial hair. Cawood points to General Motors as a model for policing how employees adorn themselves, even if it means managers actually have to manage. The entire dress code is two words: Dress appropriately.

Ultimately, what such simple dictates acknowledge is that workers are adults, not babies at productivity day care. People just generally know how to self-govern, and I dont think you need these archaic rules to punish that outlier that may or may not occur, Hall said. Just cover the things you want covered and call it a day.

This article appears in the May 2020 print edition with the headline Kill the Office Dress Code.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Continue reading here:
After the Pandemic, the Office Dress Code Should Never Come Back - The Atlantic

If youre a mom, youve probably laughed at the viral videos of other moms chronicling their bonkers days while being stuck inside with their children. In my regular communication with girlfriendscommiserating, talking each other off ledges, and discussing how much wine is too much wineI have received many of the same text: You got this, mama (usually paired with the flexing bicep emoji). The sisterhood has been a silver lining during this wild storm, but I keep coming back to a lingering question:

Where are the men?

I know where my man is. I can see him right now, as I compose this essay in the Notes app of my iPhone while helping my two-year-old put diapers on her dolls. He is sitting at his work station, going about his life pretty much as normal.

To be fair, I went on leave from my full-time job a week before the country shut down. Why, you might ask? Well, in my attempts to do it all (working full-time, writing books, mom-ing), Id started to acquire a number of medical issues: insomnia, heart palpitations, unwanted weight loss, anxiety requiring medication, and recurrent colds and infections. When a work situation triggered my first-ever panic attack, my doctor said, Enough is enough.

I was supposed to resume working (from home) this week, but decided to extend my leave upon realizing it would be impossible to work and care for my daughter given the dynamic in my household, a dynamic that has come into sharp relief during this crisis. What has happenedand what has shocked me, as someone who considers herself a feministis that I have bent and twisted myself to accommodate my husband. I have become that wife who takes care of everything so that he can focus on work.

Please know: My husband is not a jerk. He is not a slacker. He cleans maniacally. He does the dishes. He changes diapersnot nearly as many as I change, but whos counting? (Me. Im counting.) A few weeks ago, I walked in on him clipping my daughters fingernails and I nearly had an orgasm.

So, yes, he helps.

But, no, it is not 50/50.

In the past two weeks, I have done an estimated 71% of the childcare; my husband has done 29%. I can calculate this so precisely because I do nearly everything for our daughter except for a couple-hour reprieve in the afternoon (my friend said, You get TWO HOURS?! as if the idea of mandating any time to myself was radical).

Because Im on leave from my full-time job (which I realize is a huge privilege), it makes sense that I do more of the child care. But, I am confident the percentages would remain relatively the same if I resumed work. My husband would remain engrossed in his laptop, and I would be left to bend and twist, no doubt exacerbating all the medical issues that led me to take leave in the first place.

Despite the fact that Im doing the lions share of the child care during this pandemic, I continue to suggest (to myself, to others) that my husband is equally involved. The other day, I posted a photo of him holding a bunch of my daughters dolls with the caption, Dad-ing so hard. The truth behind the photo: He was just transporting all her dolls from her crib because I could not carry her and all the dolls. After the transport, he went to his corner to work for nine hours.

The main reason I dont tell the whole truth is that I really want to believe that I have a 50/50 household. Because I know thats what I should have. Thats what I was told I could have growing up in an age of female empowerment. If I admit I dont have it, what does that say about me? That I am a failed feminist?

In previous generations, there was an accepted script: Women did all the housework and child care; men brought home the long-lauded bacon. When a revolution allowed women to see that they could bring home bacon too, the script got revised. Or, rather, one half of it did. We were told girls can do whatever boys can do, but nobody talked about boys doing what girls do. Thats left women to do it all (and end up with a laundry list of medical concerns).

Courtesy of Kim Hooper

In a way, our generation of women is letting men get away with less than 50/50 because we dont want to admit that we havent demanded 50/50. We make up all kinds of excuses: Hes just not wired for child care like I am. We wear our subjugation like a badge of honor: Im just better at it than he is. Men are more than happy to abide this storyline: Wow, babe, youve got everything handled! We raise our fists with pride: Women should rule the world! Women probably could rule the world, but we are ignoring the other halfmen need to support them better so they can.

Again, I do not think all husbands are jerks. Some are. Most are just caught up in a system that predates our existence. Some may genuinely believe that mother knows best. They may lack confidence in themselves as fathers and default to biology being the reason. Mothers may believe this too and, in effect, step up as the primary caregiver. This perpetuates a vicious cycle: women step up, men step back. There you have ita dynamic in the marriage is established.

When I realized this dynamic in my own marriage and expressed discontent to my husband, he looked at me like I was speaking Swahili. When I attempted to explain how I was suffering mentally and physically with how much I felt was expected of me on a daily basis, he suggested I read books on time management. Seriously.

My husband says, I do more than most men, and I respond, Thats nice, but its not 50/50. When he says, I think it is 50/50, I dont know how to argue with that. The misperception is in his best interest; I expect he will cling to it as tightly as my daughter clings to her beloved pacifiers.

It does not surprise me that divorce filings are skyrocketing right now. I have to wonder if child care conflicts are a contributing factor. In general, the vast majority of divorces are initiated by women, and many cite unfair division of labor as a big reason. Many women are under so much pressure right nowacting as the primary parent even though their husband is home, while also juggling their own work commitments. Layer in all the general stress and anxiety of a global pandemic and its a recipe for matrimonial disaster.

Courtesy of Kim Hooper

My good friend, Dr. Huong Diep, a board-certified psychologist, summed it up like this: Most couples are not used to spending this much time together and may have relied on other coping strategies (e.g. working out, happy hours with friends, nannies) to successfully navigate their relationships and child care responsibilities. There was no official handbook for child care during a pandemic; so most couples are building the plane as they fly it and praying they dont crash.

To all the people Ive misled on social media, here is our quarantine reality:

My husband, daughter, and I rarely spend time together, the three of us. I do my 8-hour shift, my husband does his 2-3-hour one, and then we have a couple hours of together time, which usually involves me cooking dinner, my daughter feeding her dolls Play-doh, and my husband on his phone beating me at Words with Friends (the other day, he said, You could beat me if you spent more than 30 seconds thinking about your moves. Im still baffled that he thinks I have more than 30 seconds available for this game).

I felt I had to extend my leave from work to avoid divorce. My husband thinks we could swing it with me working. Its easy to be optimistic with a comfortable distance from the majority of the workhe said today, regarding our daughter, Shes been so easy lately! I do worry that extending my leave will jeopardize my career long-term. Corporate America is quick to mommy-track (or lay off) women who prioritize their families. But, its even harsher on men who dare to do so. Its not that I think my husbands job matters more than mine; its that I do not see child care dynamics in my household changing soon so I need to make decisions in the interest of everyones sanity. I guess Im letting the patriarchy win. For now.

All I have to say is this: Lets just hope I dont get the virus. I am always the one who gets the viruses (#motherhood). If I get it, and Im literally bedridden, our household shit will hit our household fan. And that will be another essay entirely.

See the original article on ScaryMommy.com

More:
From Full-Time Work to Stay-at-Home Mom: The Realities of Child Care During COVID-19 - Yahoo Lifestyle

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