Corona – was there anything else?

Dear readers,

it can go so fast: “Is anyone still interested in this?” we asked ourselves on Tuesday in our morning discussion group. A new assessment of the Standing Vaccination Commission was announced. do you remember? The Stiko is the body that decides in Germany who should be vaccinated and when. During the pandemic, these recommendations were basically “breaking news” – and always a reason for discussion. This was particularly the case when it came to vaccinations for children.

That seems far, far away now. During the pandemic I often asked myself – also in this newsletter – what the time after Corona would feel like.

What will we have to learn again after these months in lockdown? If a visit to the bookstore feels so unusual – what will it be like to experience the first concert again? Sitting in a packed cinema? Dancing at a big party? Staying in a room with many people without distance? For example, I wrote in “The Pandemic and Us” of March 11, 2021.

A little time travel

All of these things have now happened. I was at a concert again. I’ve been to the cinema again. Recently even for the first time in years in long-distance traffic without a mask. And that was all perfectly normal. Nothing to learn again. On the contrary: When I look at all the faces without a mask on the train to work in the morning, I sometimes have a hard time remembering what it looked like a few months ago. I find this human adaptability amazing.

Accordingly, the Stiko vaccination recommendation almost felt like a little journey back in time. Also because what is probably the most controversial decision by the committee once again affects the children. From Stiko’s point of view, Sars-CoV-2 vaccinations are only important for risk groups. However, healthy children and adolescents under the age of 18 are no longer recommended “covid-19 vaccination due to the rarity of severe courses”. Does that mean the decision to have your own child vaccinated against Corona was wrong? We answer this question in the section “The pandemic and us”.

Her

Anna Schughart

From head to toe

Blood must be under pressure. But if it is too high, it damages the blood vessels and thus important organs such as the brain, heart or kidneys. Hypertension is a creeping pest. However, those affected are usually only diagnosed with hypertension when their organs have already suffered permanent damage. Often they have no choice but to take antihypertensive medication. There are certainly possibilities lower high blood pressure naturally. This includes, for example:

• Drink less alcohol: Why alcohol increases blood pressure is not fully understood. The direct cause is the increased sympathetic activity. Men suffering from high blood pressure should not drink more than 30 grams of alcohol per day. For women, it should be less than 20 grams of alcohol.
• To do sports: Above all, endurance sports such as cycling, swimming or walking strengthen the cardiovascular system and prevent high blood pressure. The German Heart Foundation recommends being active for at least 30 minutes five times a week.
• Avoid stress: Psychological or emotional stress can also increase blood pressure. The greater the stress, the higher the blood pressure values ​​are usually. The German Heart Foundation advises taking regular breaks, allowing yourself relaxation phases and getting enough sleep.

You can find more tips here.

family ties

Mothers and fathers who interfere everywhere, and adults who simply don’t want to move out of their parents’ house: Those who are still too entangled with their parents take the chance of a self-determined life, says the couple and family therapist Sandra Konrad. In an interview with my colleague Ben Kendal, she explains, how we cut our cords healthy (+).

Konrad says: “Detachment is a lifelong process – it doesn’t just start when the children move out.” However, as long as we always only do what the parents want, we ignore our own lives. “And that is a guarantee of being unhappy.”

With all love

Intimacy doesn’t just begin in bed.

© Source: Ron Lach/Pexels

In a recent US survey, 49 percent of couples state that they share their life but not the bed with their partner. It is not known how many couples in Germany sleep in separate beds. But there will probably be more than they publicly admit. Separate sleeping places do not fit the prevailing romantic ideas about partnership. They are often equated with lack of love, distance, less closeness and a lack of sex. According to the sleep researcher Hans-Günter Weeß especially women better when they are alone – at least if you consider objective criteria such as the time it takes you to fall asleep, the duration of your sleep or the number of nights you wake up in the sleep laboratory. “Before you rob each other of sleep, I would always advise separate bedrooms.” Separate beds don’t have to be a relationship killer, says Weeß.

What is true, however, is that many couples who have been together for a long time have less sex. That doesn’t have to be bad, emphasizes sex researcher Laura Pietras. Nevertheless, frustration spreads among some couples when there is less movement in bed. What can help then and how couples can experience more physical closeness again, read here.

Well said

Someone is giving a lecture on a stage. Suddenly someone in the audience stands up and exclaims, “I don’t believe a word of it!” A nightmare? This is exactly the situation that career coach Martin Wehrle experienced – and explains how to defend yourself confidently against such attacks.

The pandemic and us

The Standing Vaccination Commission has revised its corona vaccination recommendation for children and adolescents. They should only be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they have previous illnesses. And all the others? Looking back, wouldn’t they have needed the vaccinations at all?

Although there is no vaccination recommendation for the group of healthy people under the age of 18, it is not generally advised against explains my colleague Laura Beigel. The fact that Stiko has radically streamlined its corona vaccination recommendation for children and adolescents is mainly due to the changed infection situation and growing immunity. The current corona situation is no longer a reason for Stiko to recommend vaccination for healthy children and young people. The fact that the corona vaccinations for children and adolescents are generally well tolerated and effective has recently had a major impact Meta study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) confirmed.

The serious side of life

Intoxication on prescription: Are psychedelics just drugs or will they soon be medicine?

© Source: RND Montage, Photos: Lucas Kapla/Dany Lines/unsplash,

In Germany, psychedelics such as magic mushrooms, LSD and MDMA are prohibited. At the same time, they are being researched worldwide as a remedy for mental illnesses. So far, only the active ingredient ketamine can be used legally in Germany. Is it only a matter of time before intoxication is available on prescription? That’s what my colleague Irene Habich asked herself (+).

Because: “Ketamine and other psychedelics are known to affect brain plasticity. After ingestion, greater neuron growth can be observed,” explains psychotherapist Andrea Jungaberle. The brain of the chronically mentally ill should be imagined as an English lawn: “Little grows there. But under the influence of psychedelic substances, it turns into a wildflower meadow, where maybe a few bumblebees still fly.”

Psychedelics sometimes show good results in the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression. However, these are mainly treated with antidepressants. If they are discontinued, however, it can have unpleasant consequences. A significant proportion of those affected develop anxiety, emotional lability, mood swings, irritability, dizziness, tremors and fatigue, reports RND author Christian Wolf. That’s why it’s important to slowly wean off antidepressants. Maybe even slower than usual (+).

The beautiful sides of life

Italian street food: calzone.

© Source: roberto valdiviarc/Unsplash

Greasy, tasty and very filling: All this applies to the calzone. As with pizza, the basis of the dish is a fluffy yeast dough. You can get creative with the filling. Maren Schulze wrote, how the calzone works best.

If you want it to be Italian, but a bit fresher, then bruschetta is a good choice (not just for starters). How to make the crispy treat yourself and what variations there are, we reveal here.

If you have any suggestions or criticism, please contact our editorial team directly magazin@rnd.de. We are happy!

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