Life insurance is an important way to provide protection for your family. However, it&#39;s often misunderstood, and misconceptions are plentiful&mdash;including that it&#39;s expensive and difficult to purchase. But once you have a basic understanding of what life insurance is, how it works and the two main types of life insurance, you&rsquo;ll be on your way to providing protection and financial security for your family.

What is life insurance? 
<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/how-do-i-know-which-type-of-life-insurance-is-right-for-me">Life insurance</a> is a contract between you and an insurance company where you make a monthly or annual payment&mdash;the premium&mdash;and the insurance company pays a specified amount of money&mdash;the death benefit&mdash;to your beneficiaries when you pass away.

If you have people who depend on your income, like underage children, a spouse or elderly parents, then life insurance is imperative. You should also consider life insurance if someone would incur additional costs if you pass away (like childcare for example). The money obtained from a policy can help your family pay their regular monthly bills, your children&rsquo;s future college tuition or for your funeral expenses and outstanding medical bills. In some cases, people decide to purchase a policy when a major life event takes place&mdash;like getting married, buying a home, starting a business or having a baby&mdash;but life insurance can be purchased at any time.

In fact, the sooner you buy life insurance, the lower your monthly or annual payments will likely be. Other factors that determine the cost of life insurance are your health status, medical history and driving record. Smoking status is also a large determinant of your payments, with non-smokers generally receiving significantly better rates.

While historically, purchasing life insurance required medical exams and blood testing, this is often no longer the case. In fact, for relatively healthy individuals, many insurance companies offer a benefit of up to $1 million without a medical exam or blood test. For larger policies or for people with extensive medical histories, a medical exam can still be required.

Two basic types of life insurance 
The <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/what-different-types-life-insurance">two main types of policies</a> are term life insurance and permanent life insurance.

Term life insurance offers a cash payout if you pass away during a specific period of time (for example, 10, 20 or 30 years); you pay via a fixed monthly or annual premium during the term of the policy. Term insurance is a viable option for covering specific costs such as a mortgage or college education. Often times, insurance companies will allow you to convert your term policy into a permanent policy for a specified period of time after purchase.

Permanent life insurance offers lifetime protection with a cash payout at the time of death, regardless of when that is. It often includes a cash account value that you may be able to access while you are alive, which has the ability to grow, similar to money in other investments (mutual funds, or bonds). Your monthly payments may be fixed or they may be flexible depending on the type of policy you choose. Permanent life insurance is a viable option for people looking to pass money on to their family after they pass away, or for people concerned about paying for funeral costs or medical bills at the time of their passing.

Some employers offer life insurance as a benefit to their employees. While this is generally temporary&mdash;good only while you are employed with the company&mdash;it may be wise to take advantage of this benefit, as the monthly payments may be offset by your employer. But if you have family who is dependent upon your income, additional insurance, outside of work is generally required. Life insurance can be purchased online, over the phone or from a licensed financial professional.

Medically reviewed in July 2018.

What Is Life Insurance?

We&rsquo;ve quoted Ben Franklin before, but his words are still as true as ever: &ldquo;An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.&rdquo; And taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act&rsquo;s free, preventive medicine coverage -- as an adjunct to your smart lifestyle choices of no Food Felons (they&rsquo;re trans and saturated fats, added sugar and syrups and any grain that isn&rsquo;t 100 percent whole), no tobacco, and no smoking anything, walking at least 30 extra minutes daily (heading for 10,000 steps a day), and de-stressing with mindful meditation -- can head off or reverse a lot of health problems. For example, if guys with elevated LDL cholesterol (but no symptoms) are identified and put on a lipid-lowering medication, that could prevent 25 percent of non-fatal heart attacks; and if everyone over the age of 50 had regular colon cancer screenings, more than 60 percent of deaths from that cancer could be avoided.&nbsp;

That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s good for your health -- and the country&rsquo;s healthcare bill -- that the ACA provides <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-screening-tests/what-preventive-screenings-should-get" target="_blank">preventive screenings</a>, tests and counseling for abdominal aortic aneurysm, alcohol misuse, breast cancer, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, colorectal cancer, depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity and tobacco use, as well as sexually transmitted infections. And it pays for <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/vaccines-and-immunizations" target="_blank">vaccination</a> against hepatitis A and B, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus (HPV), flu, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (TDP) and chickenpox. (In Canada, the Task Force on Preventive Care recommends their government-provided preventive services.) So, ask your doctor about taking advantage of the ACA&rsquo;s preventive health care services and screenings: you&rsquo;ll enjoy better health and a younger RealAge.

Medically reviewed in March 2020.

Take Advantage of Your ACA Preventive Care Benefits

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The holidays are a time of festivities with family and friends, making merry and, for some, increased risk of a heart attack. In fact, a study presented at a 2013 European Society of Cardiology meeting found that death from heart disease tends to be higher during January and February. We talked with cardiologists Frank Arena, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/lakeview-regional-medical-center">Lakeview Regional Medical Center</a>, Hoang Nguyen, DO, of Regional Medical Center and Taral Patel, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/tristar-summit-medical-center">TriStar Summit Medical Center</a> about potential heart attack triggers during the winter season and what you can do to keep your ticker going strong.

1. Be kind to your body 
According to Dr. Patel, those at increased risk include people with diagnosed heart disease, those who have already had a heart attack, been treated with stents or had bypass surgeries, smokers and people with diabetes. But even if this doesn&rsquo;t describe you, your heart may not be as healthy as you think. &ldquo;A heart attack is not a singular event,&rdquo; says Dr. Arena. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the end result of the culmination of a series of events. You have a heart attack because you&rsquo;ve spent years and years building up plaque around the arteries.&rdquo;

Maintain good health: Healthy eating habits and regular exercise throughout the year can help keep problems at bay. If you have diabetes, be sure that it&rsquo;s under control. Smokers could give themselves the best gift of all by <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/quit-smoking">kicking the habit</a>.

2. Take a chill pill 
While the holiday season is a celebratory time of the year, it can also bring about added stress from strained family relationships and overstretched finances.

&ldquo;One thing that surprises me is how much stress and emotion play into it,&rdquo; says Patel. &ldquo;Mental and emotional stress is a huge factor that I think we downplay.&rdquo; Some may suffer from <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/what-broken-heart-syndrome">broken heart syndrome</a>: &ldquo;A sudden stressful event can cause a person to have chest pain and a sudden heart attack,&rdquo; says Patel. Stress overload can also make it tough to get enough sleep, which can fuel overeating. &ldquo;Insomnia makes adrenaline levels go up, blood pressure goes up, we get carb cravings,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;You just continue to make poor choices in the moment because you aren&rsquo;t sleeping.&rdquo;

Stress less: Take time to relax; try <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-meditation-help-relieve-stress">meditation to calm down</a>. Make sleep a priority. You&rsquo;ll be more clear-headed for handling family issues and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/anxiety/money-stress">making spending decisions.</a> Get enough shut-eye to prevent spikes in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/endocrine-system/how-does-cortisol-affect-body">the stress hormone cortisol,</a> which increases appetite.

3. Maintain your medicationsI 
If you regularly take prescription drugs to treat a chronic condition like heart disease, continue to do so during the holidays. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very busy during the holidays,&rdquo; says Dr. Nguyen. &ldquo;People are doing things they shouldn&rsquo;t be doing and eating things they shouldn&rsquo;t be eating. They forget to take their medication; they forget to check in with their doctor. Things like that tend to lead to heart attacks.&rdquo;

Be prepared: Don&rsquo;t rely on your memory for taking your pills; separate them into pill containers labeled by day. Set reminders in your phone. If you&rsquo;re traveling, take the entire bottle of each medication with you. If your return trip is delayed, you won&rsquo;t run out. You&rsquo;ll also have a list of your medications and dosage if needed.

4. Take it easy on the alcohol 
More partying means the toasting flutes and champagne will be in full force. While celebrating in moderation is ok, going overboard is not. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re drinking a fair amount, say, more than two or three drinks or anything enough to give you a hangover, you&rsquo;re creating a lot of adrenaline,&rdquo; says Arena. This can lead to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/arrhythmia/what-is-holiday-heart" style="line-height: 1.6em;">holiday heart syndrome,</a> or atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by a fast, irregular heartbeat. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s contributed to by the buildup of adrenaline that comes when&nbsp;people overindulge and become dehydrated, which makes their hearts start pounding,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;The adrenaline is what leads to heart issues. The same triggers that cause you to go into atrial fibrillation can cause a heart attack as well.&rdquo;

Tame the tipples: Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Don&rsquo;t have more than one drink per hour, and alternate drinks with water to stay hydrated. Skip sugary drinks; it&rsquo;s more difficult to tell how much alcohol you&rsquo;re imbibing. Stay festive by switching to seltzer water and lime or mixers&mdash;sans the alcohol. If you have heart disease risk factors, you&rsquo;ll want to take extra precautions to avoid holiday heart syndrome: Limit yourself to no more than two drinks per day, avoid overeating (it may trigger a reflex response that can cause an arrhythmia) and avoid caffeine.

5. Beware of cold-weather activities 
If you&rsquo;re tempted to join the family for a sled ride or feel compelled to shovel snow, you may want to think twice, especially if you&rsquo;re not physically active throughout the year. &ldquo;Winter activities can increase stress hormone levels and blood pressure,&rdquo; warns Patel, adding stress on the vessel wall. &ldquo;This is what causes the rupture, which causes the heart attack,&rdquo; he says. Cooler temperatures can also play a role. &ldquo;Even if you&rsquo;re not shoveling snow and it&rsquo;s not super cold, your arteries constrict a bit to keep your core warm,&rdquo; Patel says. &ldquo;That also increases blood pressure and shear stress [on the blood vessels].&rdquo;

Know your limits: If you&rsquo;re not used to lots of strenuous activity limit your time outside, dress warmly and don&rsquo;t overexert yourself.

6. Don&rsquo;t ignore the symptoms 
Maybe you&rsquo;ve just sat down for Christmas dinner or have begun exchanging gifts&mdash;and you&rsquo;re not feeling quite right. Don&rsquo;t worry about ruining the moment&mdash;it will only become worse if you&rsquo;re having a heart attack. Nguyen says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-attack/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack?myAttribute=yay" style="line-height: 1.6em;">heart attack symptoms</a> like chest pain, discomfort or shortness of breath require immediate medical attention. &ldquo;You should never ignore symptoms when it comes to the heart,&rdquo; he adds.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

6 Ways To Prevent a Holiday Heart Attack

Got a great reason to jump out of bed in the morning? Only 37% of North Americans say they do, according to a recent Gallup Poll. But a study might motivate you to find your sense of purpose: Turns out having a mission in life can help you become healthier and live longer.

When researchers from Mount Sinai Health System in New York City reviewed the results of 10 studies involving more than 137,000 people, they found that those with &ldquo;a sense of meaning and direction, and a feeling that life is worth living&rdquo; were 19% less likely to have a heart attack or <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stroke">stroke</a> or to need a cardiac bypass or stents to open up clogged arteries. And overall, those leading purpose-driven lives were 23% less likely to die prematurely.

Why does a sense of purpose make you healthier? 
If you&rsquo;re fired-up with a passion for living -- whether it comes from coaching Little League baseball, volunteering at the local soup kitchen, playing your tuba for community groups, or being a good parent -- you&rsquo;re more likely to keep up with health screenings, eat healthily and get exercise. Plus, you get these additional health benefits, according to the Mount Sinai study:

Less inflammation: Recent research has shown that people with a strong sense of purpose also had lower levels of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/inflammation/what-is-inflammation">inflammatory</a> chemicals and stress hormones. The reason goes deep: Scientists at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that having a sense of purpose switches on healthier genes. Blood tests of 80 people revealed that those who felt happy when doing good for others had less activity in genes that boost inflammation. Those less generous, more short-sighted and concerned with their own pleasure, had more activity in pro-inflammatory genes, as well as lower activity in antiviral and antibody genes, which help protect against viral infections. As one of the researchers noted, &ldquo;We can make ourselves happy through simple pleasures, but&hellip; at the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose.&quot;

Sharper mental powers: A strong sense of purpose could keep your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mental-fitness-nervous-system/how-can-i-exercise-brain-and-keep-sharp">brain sharper</a>, longer. Scientists from Chicago&rsquo;s Rush University Medical Center autopsied the brains of 246 older adults. They found the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease in those who had lived with a sense of purpose and those who didn&rsquo;t. But when they looked back at thinking tests performed while the volunteers were living, they discovered a profound difference: People with a strong sense of purpose had a 30% lower rate of decline in thinking skills and memory.

Greater independence as you age. A sense of purpose may have a bonus for your encore years, especially if you&rsquo;ve got big plans for retirement. In the on-going Rush University study, older people with a strong sense of purpose were 30% less likely to have trouble with basic necessities like getting dressed and taking a shower, 44% less likely to have trouble with managing their money, shopping, taking care of their home and getting around town and 39% less likely to have difficulty walking distances, going up and down stairs and doing heavy housework.

So how&rsquo;s your sense of purpose? 
Do you feel driven by passion and meaning? If not, make time to explore the world, try new things, experiment, get together with friends and family to see what makes you feel like a million bucks. Spend some time thinking about what really matters to you, what you&rsquo;d like most to contribute to the world because you think it&rsquo;s important, and that you&rsquo;d love to do. It&rsquo;s one of the essential 7 Do-Over Deeds in Dr. Mike&rsquo;s book, This Is Your Do-Over. You&rsquo;ll make the world -- and your own mind and body -- a better place.&nbsp;

Find Your Sense of Purpose

When it comes to money and happiness, a lot of us think the grass is greener on the richer side. We&rsquo;d be happier in a bigger house with a heated pool and plenty of money left over to treat our kids, grandkids and friends. Wouldn&rsquo;t we?

Some happiness experts, including psychologist Ron Siegel, say we would likely readjust to our &ldquo;happiness set point&rdquo; after the novelty wears off. In this sense, money can&rsquo;t buy lasting happiness.

Other researchers say money&nbsp;can&nbsp;buy happiness&mdash;to an extent. One 2009 study asked participants to report how happy they were in relation to their household income. The study, as well as past research, found that happiness tends to increase with income up to a point ($75,000 in one study, and about $90,000 in this study), but the increase is relatively small. Money makes you a little happier up to a point, but not a lot.

Participants were asked to predict how happy they thought other people feel at different income levels. Respondents were fairly accurate in predicting that higher levels of household income are not associated with higher levels of happiness at the top end of the income distribution (e.g., at $90,000 compared with $125,000). That is, both predicted and actual happiness leveled off at $90,000+.&nbsp;But they greatly underestimated the happiness of people who made less money.

Bottom line: Money does matter, but not as much as many people think. What seems to matter more is what people do with their money. Here are two ways to spend it that really can bring more joy to your life&mdash;no matter your income.

<ol>
	<li>Be charitable.&nbsp;Research shows that those who spend their money on others are consistently happier people. This finding held true for both the rich and the poor. And it&rsquo;s not like you have to give it all away to achieve happiness; if you can see your money making a difference in other people&rsquo;s lives, it will make you happy even if the amount you gave was quite small.</li>
	<li>Pursue experiences instead of material items.&nbsp;This bit of advice has been floating around for years, but research shows that even though people know this to be true, many still believe material goods are a better use of their money. A 2014 study surveyed how participants felt before and after making a purchase. Before buying, participants said they believed that life experiences would make them happier, but that material items had more value. But after their purchases, they felt that life experiences not only made them happier, but also had higher value.</li>
</ol>

If you&rsquo;re worried that &ldquo;life experiences&rdquo; are out of your budget, don&rsquo;t stress. Life experiences can range from a hiking trip an hour away to a salsa dancing lesson nearby. As long as it&rsquo;s an experience you&rsquo;ll be able to bank in your memory, you&rsquo;ll be glad you did it.

There&#39;s a strong connection between our finances and our emotions&mdash;and too much money stress can harm your health.

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

We found a meme of &ldquo;Honest Abe&rdquo; Lincoln online accompanied by the quote, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t believe everything you read on the Internet.&rdquo; Well, a study confirms Abe&rsquo;s advice&mdash;and shows how often it is ignored!

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Tulane University published a study in the American Journal of Infection Control revealing the most read/most popular posts on Facebook during the initial <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/zika-virus">Zika</a> scare were the least accurate medically, even though the majority of posts about Zika during the study&rsquo;s one-week window were accurate.

The most popular post was a false one claiming that birth defects from Zika actually come from an insecticide, and that Zika was a host invented by chemical companies. It had over 19,600 shares! The most popular accurate post about Zika; a press release by the World Health Organization, was shared only 964 times! We want people to be accurately informed (you&rsquo;re entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts!), because <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/be-an-informed-patient-and-get-healthier">health misinformation</a> can be dangerous. If you believe that Zika is a hoax, you won&rsquo;t adequately protect yourself from the mosquitoes carrying it.

Take Abe&rsquo;s advice and be a detective the next time you&rsquo;re reading health information on social media. Ask: &ldquo;Where did the person get the information?&rdquo; and be skeptical of people and web sites that don&rsquo;t identify their sources. Sources you can rely on include government health organizations (sites ending in .gov), major medical schools (sites ending in .edu), and articles from journals and research publications like JAMA and The Lancet.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

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60 Seconds To Better Health

If you wanted to get to the top of the Great Pyramid you&rsquo;d have to clamber over 203 huge steps to reach the 454 foot summit. The top of the Eifel Tower? Today there are 1,665 steps (a lot smaller than the pyramid&rsquo;s) and it&rsquo;s 984 feet tall. Dubai&rsquo;s Burj Khalifa, the world&rsquo;s tallest building, scrapes the sky; it&rsquo;s 2,722 feet tall with 2,909 stairs. &nbsp;Luckily, you don&rsquo;t have to take that many steps to gain the great health benefits of losing weight.

Doing a little has big rewards! &nbsp;If you&rsquo;re overweight or obese, shedding just five percent of your body weight (that&rsquo;s nine pounds for someone who&rsquo;s 180) can help reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Recently, researchers compared the health improvements of 40 obese men and women who lost five percent of their body weight with those who shed 10 and 15 percent. The 19 folks who shed five percent saw almost as much improvement in the function of their beta cells (that&rsquo;s where insulin is produced) and in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/article/lean-protein-blood-sugar-control">insulin sensitivity</a> as those who lost 10 and 15 percent. And that&rsquo;s great news for folks who think they have to go from severely overweight to thin to see health improvements.

Just aim for five percent at a time by making simple lifestyle changes: Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day, de-stress with 10 minutes of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-do-i-meditate">mindful meditation daily</a>, and start a walking routine pronto. Remember, every journey starts with one small step.

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

Little Steps, Big Rewards: Making a Workout Workable

Visiting Grandma&rsquo;s house ... running in your local turkey trot ... relaxing on the sofa watching football ... making a trip to the ER...

Wait&mdash;the ER? You bet! Every year, countless people spend time in the ER due to preventable accidents. If you want to avoid quality time with the ER doc this Thanksgiving, read on!

1. Punt Food Poisoning 
Whenever you&rsquo;re dealing with raw meat, there&rsquo;s always a risk of some bacterial contamination and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/prevention-food-poisoning/how-prevent-poisoning-from-meat" target="_blank">food poisoning</a>. Cooking such a large item such as a turkey can make it especially difficult to tell that the entire thing is cooked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), be sure to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/food-storage-health/how-safely-thaw-a-turkey" target="_blank">completely thaw the turkey</a>&nbsp;before cooking. Set the oven temperature to at least 325 degrees and continue to roast the bird until a food thermometer registers a minimum temperature of 165 degrees on the inside.

It&rsquo;s best to cook stuffing in a casserole pan, but if you choose to stuff a turkey, make sure the stuffing also reaches a temperature of 165 degrees.&nbsp;

2. Avoid the Penalty of Rushing 
Every year, I see several patients with hand cuts. The culprits? Carving knives and glassware. Often the cause is an extremely sharp carving knife that can cut fingers and hands as easily as it can a turkey breast.&nbsp;The other major cause of cuts is broken glass. The guests have left, and you&rsquo;re hurrying to clean up. You stick your wet hand with the sponge into a wine glass and it cracks&mdash;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/first-aid-safety-and-preparedness/what-do-i-do-if-i-cut-myself" target="_blank">cutting your hand</a>. The moral of the story? Slow down! As one patient jokingly put it, &ldquo;I probably shouldn&rsquo;t have been washing stemware after I&rsquo;d had three or four glasses of wine myself!&rdquo;

3. No Foul Play in the Kitchen 
Burns&nbsp;are another common injury on Thanksgiving. The kitchen can be a dangerous place, especially around the oven and grill. Again, don&rsquo;t be a speed demon when preparing the big meal. Have a plan and leave yourself plenty of time to get everything done.

Cooking fires in the kitchen are three times more likely on Thanksgiving Day than any other. With all the family around&mdash;especially kids&mdash;there&rsquo;s so much commotion and activity that it raises the risk of accidents happening; we also tend to let down our guard when the day feels festive. Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves while cooking. Keep children out of the kitchen, and watch to make sure pan handles aren&rsquo;t sticking off the stove edge.

A special note of caution for deep-frying a turkey.&nbsp;Yes, I know it&rsquo;s delicious! But if you&rsquo;re not careful, this cooking method can result in serious burns and fires. Research the proper way to deep fry (and by research, I don&rsquo;t mean just look it up on YouTube!). Once you&rsquo;ve figured out the &ldquo;how,&rdquo; use extreme caution as you go about frying your bird.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/skin-burn-treatment/skin-burns-treatment" target="_blank">How to treat a burn&mdash;and when to see a doctor</a>

4. Leave the Tackling to the Pros 
Everyone loves the annual family football game! But the only thing worse than having to go the ER on Thanksgiving is having to stop in the middle of your victory play. So take steps to prevent it from happening. Pull uber-aggressive Cousin George out of the game before he knocks someone&rsquo;s tooth loose. Stop the game every 5-10 minutes for a water break. Make sure the field where you&rsquo;re playing is level&mdash;check it for any holes or rocks and patch them up before the start of the game. (Or hello, sprained ankle!) And play the game before Thanksgiving dinner, not after you&rsquo;ve had some wine and are as stuffed as your bird.

Thanksgiving Safety Tips From an ER Doc

Visiting the Aloha State can help your body, mind and spirit.

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We all know that choppy financial waters can lead to some serious money troubles, like the inability to pay monthly bills, a lower <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-good-credit-score">credit score</a> or even home foreclosure. But financial issues can not only affect your bottom line. They may also lead to serious health issues, including chronic stress.

If you&rsquo;ve ever felt stressed about your finances, you&rsquo;re not alone. In fact, 64 percent of Americans report that money is a significant source of stress in their life, according to the Stress in America 2020 survey published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Even among those adults who are employed, more than half say that job stability is a source of stress.

Many of us are stressed about money, and it&rsquo;s not only hurting our wallets.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

How stress harms the mind and body 
According to the APA, chronic, everyday stress may lead to a number of mental and physical health issues.

It contributes to depression or anxiety. Although depression can have many possible causes, the inability to cope with chronic stress can increase your risk. Runaway stress can also negatively impact your relationships with your partner, family and friends.

If you&rsquo;re experiencing feelings of sadness, anger or hopelessness, changes in your sleep or eating habits, loss of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed or <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/suicide-and-suicidal-behavior/article/spot-subtle-warning-signs-of-suicide">thoughts of self-harm or suicide</a>, it&rsquo;s important to get help ASAP. Talk with a therapist or trusted family member or friend. Depression can be overwhelming and even scary, but you don&rsquo;t have to go it alone.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It can harm the cardiovascular system. Sustained, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/high-blood-pressure/article/know-your-numbers-blood-pressure">elevated blood pressure</a> and constant surges of the body&rsquo;s stress hormones can take a serious toll on your heart and blood vessels, making you more susceptible to high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

It can cause gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea or constipation. Constant stress can trigger <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-ibs">irritable bowel syndrome</a> (IBS) and can affect how your body digests and absorbs nutrients.

It may affect the reproductive systems in both men and women. Men can experience decreases in testosterone and sperm production and may even develop erectile dysfunction as a result of unchecked stress. Women may experience changes in menstruation, severe PMS symptoms and decreased libido.

The good news is that are steps you can take to get your finances in check and get your financial stress under control in the process.

Boost your finances to boost your health 
Effectively managing your money won&rsquo;t just set you up for a more comfortable financial future&mdash;it&rsquo;ll help you take control of your stress, too. Not sure where to begin? Try developing some smart money habits.

Create a budget&mdash;and stick to it. Taking a closer look at your income versus your expenses every month can help you identify good and bad spending habits. You&rsquo;ll also discover new opportunities to save and thwart unnecessary spending. The best part? You can choose a strategy that works with your budget and lifestyle, like working with a financial advisor, keeping a highly detailed spending journal or downloading a free budgeting app.

The most important thing is to choose a technique that fits your needs and your lifestyle. If tracking your budget becomes a hassle, it will be harder to dedicate the time to actually doing it.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/slideshow/healthy-hacks-to-save-money">Make saving easier</a>. When you&rsquo;re planning your budget, be sure to include a monthly savings goal. Then, set up automatic transfers from your checking to your savings account. Building savings into your budget&mdash;and setting up automatic transfers&mdash;will make it feel like a regular monthly expense.

Plan for your future. When the time comes, will you be ready to retire? If you don&rsquo;t already have one, consider opening a Roth IRA or 401(k). It&rsquo;ll help set you up for a solid retirement and boost your peace of mind.

If you&rsquo;re feeling stressed about your finances, it&rsquo;s important to find the tools and resources that can help you spend less, save more and feel good about your financial future.

Sources:

American Psychological Association. &ldquo;Stress in America 2020. A National Mental Health Crisis.&rdquo; October 2020. 
American Psychological Association. &ldquo;Stress effects on the body.&rdquo; November 1, 2018. 
National Institute of Mental Health. &ldquo;Depression.&rdquo; Last revised February 2018. 
Labanski A, Langhorst J, Engler H, Elsenbruch S. &ldquo;Stress and the brain-gut axis in functional and chronic-inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases: A transdisciplinary challenge.&rdquo; Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020;111:104501. 
Palomba S, Daolio J, Romeo S, Battaglia FA, Marci R, La Sala GB. &ldquo;Lifestyle and fertility: the influence of stress and quality of life on female fertility.&rdquo; Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16(1):113. 
Ilacqua A, Izzo G, Emerenziani GP, Baldari C, Aversa A. &ldquo;Lifestyle and fertility: the influence of stress and quality of life on male fertility.&rdquo; Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16(1):115.

The Link Between Your Finances and Your Mental Health

The bond between mothers and their children can be powerful. In the hours, weeks and months after birth, many babies begin to view their mom not just as a teacher and nurturer, but also as a model for how to navigate life. But mothers&rsquo; loving guidance often extends beyond their own sons and daughters, says Deborah Ingram, MD, a pediatrician at <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/plantation-general-hospital">Plantation General Hospital</a> in Plantation, Florida.

&ldquo;A mother&rsquo;s influence on the mental, physical and emotional health of her child can affect public health for generations,&rdquo; Dr. Ingram explains. &ldquo;Children will replicate their mother&rsquo;s values, so you are leaving a footprint that will last decades into the future.&rdquo;

Mother&rsquo;s Day&mdash;or any day of the year, really&mdash;is a great opportunity to celebrate all the ways a mother has the potential to change the world for the better, one child at a time.

Their superpowers start before the baby is even born 
A woman can start making the world a healthier place even before her pregnancy, says Ingram. &ldquo;When a mother comes to the table with a positive attitude, takes care of herself and surrounds herself with people who support her, she is already being a positive influence on her baby,&rdquo; she explains.

By maintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy&mdash;giving up smoking and alcohol, eating well and keeping up physical activity&mdash;expectant mothers can also help ensure healthier outcomes for their babies. A study published in 2015 in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth suggests that a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy may have lasting benefits. Researchers found the children of women who did not gain excessive weight, did not smoke and were physically active during their pregnancy had a lower risk of obesity by the time they were 8-years old.

They can create healthy eaters 
Researchers have consistently found that parents can have a profound influence on their children&rsquo;s eating habits. That influence is twofold&mdash;both in the types of foods a mom provides and eats herself, and in how she encourages her child to try new things.

A 2010 study published in Public Health Nursing found that when mothers modeled healthy eating choices for their toddlers by consuming fruits and vegetables four or more times a week, the children were more likely to do the same. The researchers also found that when mothers viewed their children as &ldquo;picky eaters,&rdquo; the kids were less likely to eat healthy food.

Toddlers often refuse certain foods or prefer eating one or two specific things. This is considered normal behavior. Ingram points out that, yes, children may be headstrong and turn up their nose at a piece of broccoli, but moms can often help children overcome their pickiness.

&ldquo;If you feel passive&mdash;&lsquo;Oh, he won&rsquo;t try that, so why bother?&rsquo;&mdash;then you&rsquo;ve lost the battle before it begins,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;But if you tell yourself you have the ability to affect your child&rsquo;s choices, and you consistently offer him something healthy to eat, he will likely try it eventually.&rdquo;

Keep in mind however, that other strategies may be needed to help children with food aversions, mealtime rituals or tantrums associated with certain health issues, such as autism spectrum disorders, expand their diets.

When moms move their muscles, so do their kids 
Children may be inspired to get up off the couch if their mom loves to walk, bike, dance or toss around a ball or frisbee in the yard. In fact, a study published in Pediatrics in 2014 found that the activity level of four-year-olds was directly related to the activity level of their moms.

Even if you&rsquo;re not a born athlete, you can be a positive role model by including your child in household chores and making them a fun bonding experience, says Ingram. &ldquo;I tell parents to engage children around the house, sweeping the porch or folding laundry together, so they get used to being mobile and active.&rdquo;

Mom&rsquo;s cuddles may actually make the brain grow 
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, who looked at brain images of children ages 7 to 13-years old, discovered that the hippocampus&mdash;a part of the brain involved in memory as well as the regulation of emotion and stress&mdash;was, on average, about 10 percent larger in children who had nurturing mothers than in those who did not have that benefit. Based on previous studies, the researchers speculated that this benefit may be associated with lower levels of stress hormones. (No worries, dads and grandparents. The effect is expected to be the same for any primary caregiver).

The study has several limitations, including the fact that additional MRIs were not performed to rule out a genetic effect, but Ingram emphasized that &ldquo;nurturing,&rdquo; or being responsive to the needs of your children, can help them feel safe and secure in the world. &ldquo;It is especially important at that tender age when they are 100 percent dependent on you,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;They are able to build their confidence and go off to school and learn without anxiety.&rdquo;

Their love sets children up for a more resilient adulthood 
Moms&rsquo; nurturing may not just make their children&rsquo;s brains bigger, but it may also help them grow into adults who have lower levels of stress and anxiety, which could help them cope with the ups and downs they may face over time.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology &amp; Community Health that looked back at the mental health records of more than 400 adults found that those who had more emotionally supportive mothers at 8-months old grew up to be more emotionally stable adults, with lower rates of anxiety and stress.

They help their kids do better in school 
A 2018 study published in Pediatrics found that when parents read aloud to their babies and spent time playing with them as toddlers, the children had lower rates of hyperactivity and aggression once they started school.

Defiant behavior can waste valuable time in the classroom and disrupt the learning of all students, according to a report from the American Federation of Teachers. The group notes however, that when a child is less disruptive in class, the benefits often reverberate out to the entire class, and teachers can spend more time teaching.

An intriguing study published in 2019 in Frontiers in Psychology also found that children whose mothers believed they had control of their lives during pregnancy performed better in math and science once they started grade school than kids whose mothers believed that their destiny, or what happens to them is largely due to luck, fate or the power of others. The researchers pointed out that about half of this difference in school performance was due to parenting behaviors and lifestyles.

They inspire daughters and sons through their work 
A mother&rsquo;s positive impact is seen in many areas&mdash;including the work she does away from home.

A 2015 Harvard Business School study found that daughters of working mothers earned higher incomes and were more likely to hold supervisory positions than those whose mothers did not work outside the home. The researchers also found that men raised by working mothers tend to accept more responsibilities at home. The study showed these men are more likely to take on household chores and spend more time caring for family members.

This is not just an American phenomenon&mdash;it held true across 24 countries.

Motherhood isn&rsquo;t a competition 
For many women, the transition into the role of mother isn&rsquo;t easy. Not all mothers are able to breastfeed successfully, form an instant bond with their newborn, manage the developmental or health challenges their children may face, or effectively juggle the demands of their job either inside or outside the home. As a society, the pressure we place on women to be &ldquo;perfect&rdquo; mothers may compel them to parent more intensively and be more reluctant to delegate parenting duties, according to a 2018 study published in Frontiers in Psychology.

After surveying 169 working mothers with at least one child, the researchers found the pressure to be a perfect mother and avoid mistakes can increase women&rsquo;s stress and trigger feelings of guilt, which could eventually lead to burnout. They also speculated that mothers could ease their burden if they&rsquo;re willing and able to share parenting responsibilities and seek assistance from family and friends or hired help, such as housekeepers and babysitters.

Mothers have great potential to help shape the long-term health and wellbeing of the next generation. The researchers concluded however, that women should be reminded that it&rsquo;s okay to not always live up to the intense standards of motherhood and to accept help from others when they need it.

7 Ways Mothers Make the World a Healthier Place

It&rsquo;s the mysterious spark that inspires pop songs and moves armies. You might even have experienced it yourself&mdash;that instant physical chemistry that can be difficult to describe, let alone study. Yet scientists have spent decades researching the mental and physical processes that influence attraction.&nbsp;

We spoke with Leah Baldwin, LCSW, CSAC, a counselor and social worker at Parham Doctors&#39; Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, to learn why you may be irresistibly drawn to some people instead of others.&nbsp;

The psychology of love and attraction&nbsp; 
Whether you&rsquo;re in the &ldquo;butterflies&rdquo; phase of a romance or 20 years in, human attraction may be based in part on whether you unconsciously identify someone as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/relationships-family/slideshow/ways-strong-relationship-boost-health">stable, healthy partner</a>&nbsp;for the long haul. In fact, humans may be prone to seeing traits that could help ensure survival as sexy, according to some psychologists.&nbsp;

On a purely physical level, there&rsquo;s some evidence that heterosexual men may be more drawn to female partners that look healthy or fertile. For example, hair tends to become thin and dull in times of sickness, so thick, shiny hair may boost physical&nbsp;attraction. &nbsp;

Heterosexual men also tend to favor smaller waist-to-hip ratios in women. Why? Possibly because chronic illnesses like diabetes change fat distribution, making waist-to-hip ratio an&nbsp;indicator of health. This ratio fluctuates slightly with menstruation as well, and women may be more fertile when it&rsquo;s lower, according to some research.&nbsp;

Physical signs of health impress women too, but studies suggest they tend to think about more factors than men when gauging physical attraction. For example, women may find thick hair appealing, but they also might take signs of stability into consideration. That could include indications of security, like a safe home, or social intelligence, like a group of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/article/surprising-ways-friends-affect-your-health">close friends</a>.&nbsp;

&ldquo;But a lot of this is environmental,&rdquo; Baldwin adds. &ldquo;It&#39;s difficult to say that you&rsquo;re biologically primed, versus conditioned, to find someone appealing.&rdquo; Everyone&rsquo;s desires are unique, and the way you interpret someone&rsquo;s features may be influenced by a host of factors. Your culture, age, sexual orientation, sex and relationship preferences, previous dating experiences and much more may affect who you find appealing.&nbsp;

Are certain partner traits attractive to most people?&nbsp; 
Studies indicate there are a few simple things anyone can do to up their allure:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Stand up straight: A 2016 experiment involving 144 speed dates revealed that open body language&mdash;chest up, shoulders back&mdash;significantly increased a person&rsquo;s chance of getting a second date.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Get a full night&rsquo;s rest: In a small study from 2010, people were photographed after a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/sleep-health/slideshow/ways-fall-asleep-faster">good night&rsquo;s rest</a> and then again after being awake for 31 hours. When strangers observed the photos, people were rated as less healthy and less attractive without sleep.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Have a calm presence: Getting easily stressed out is generally seen as&nbsp;physically&nbsp;unattractive across genders. It&rsquo;s also linked to a greater chance of relationships breaking up over time.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

What about pheromones?&nbsp; 
No doubt you&rsquo;ve heard of pheromones, the odorless molecules your body releases to send signals, such as attraction, to others. Even though pheromones are scentless, people detect them unconsciously through smell; for example, in one study, women preferred the scent of sweaty T-shirts from men who&rsquo;d produce genetically healthy offspring. That makes pheromones an easy marketing tool for beauty companies.&nbsp;

If it makes you feel beautiful, an &ldquo;aphrodisiac&rdquo; perfume is worth the investment, but the science behind these modern love potions isn&rsquo;t completely sound. While researchers have identified specific mating chemicals in the animal kingdom, they&rsquo;ve had a hard time pinpointing exactly which molecules signal desire among humans. They need to learn more before these chemicals can actually be bottled and sold.&nbsp;

Mental attraction&nbsp;is important, too&nbsp; 
&quot;Pheromones might contribute to that instant chemistry,&rdquo; says Baldwin. &ldquo;But psychology&mdash;how people behave and why&mdash;also contributes and really will determine whether a relationship lasts.&rdquo;&nbsp;

For example, regardless of gender, people tend to find intelligence highly desirable, according to numerous studies. Helpfulness and conscientiousness&mdash;rather than laziness&mdash;are also considered turn-ons for most people.  &nbsp;

Once you get beyond that early phase of intense&nbsp;physical&nbsp;attraction, you begin&mdash;either consciously or unconsciously&mdash;to rely on your ideals and shared values, and that will carry your connection during later phases, Baldwin explains.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I think it&#39;s important to put all these factors&mdash;physical and emotional&mdash;in the mixing bowl,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;You can take advantage of what science says [in regards to&nbsp;attraction]. But temper it with what you know; your own experiences and an understanding of what&rsquo;s important to you long term.&rdquo;

Science of Attraction: Why Some People Seem Irresistible

Emotional support animals (ESAs) seem to make the news weekly, whether it&rsquo;s a peacock trying to board a plane or a duck wandering the aisles inflight. That&#39;s because more people than ever are traveling with their animals&mdash;typically smaller dogs&mdash;to help manage&nbsp;mental and psychiatric disabilities, like anxiety, depression or panic attacks. While these animals can provide assistance and comfort to people with mental health issues, not every claim of emotional support is valid.

Service animals vs. ESAs 
The distinction between service animals and ESAs is important. Protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals can only be <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/pets-your-health/article/service-dogs-to-rescue">dogs</a>, or in some rare instances, miniature horses. These animals must be trained for a purpose, like assisting people with visual impairments, hearing difficulties, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/epilepsy-and-seizures/slideshow/what-neurologist-wants-know-epilepsy">seizure conditions</a> or psychiatric disorders such as PTSD. Because they are specifically trained, these dogs are not considered pets and are therefore allowed in public spaces that often prohibit animals.

In contrast, an ESA can be any type of animal, including a family pet. They provide support for those suffering from emotional and psychiatric disabilities. Often these animals can be part of a treatment program, but they are not trained for a specific purpose. Travelers can request permission to take their ESA aboard a flight to help with anxiety, among other conditions. Their access to public spaces is typically much more restricted.

&ldquo;The ability to keep or bring an emotional support animal is limited to housing or airlines,&rdquo; explains Rebecca F. Wisch, Associate Editor/Clinical Staff Attorney for the Animal Legal &amp; Historical Center at Michigan State University. &ldquo;Emotional support animals are not allowed in other public places under any federal or state law.&rdquo;

The registration racket 
Currently there are no federally recognized certification programs for either guide dogs or ESAs. This has spawned a flood of online companies claiming to provide ESA documentation for a fee, typically under $200. Some of these sites ask a handful of questions about mental health, but do not require proof of mental or emotional disability from a certified professional. Because of this, you can register any type of animal, including peacocks and ducks.

Documents sold by these sites are not considered valid by the government, and their lax standards put people with legitimate ESA needs at a disadvantage, especially if they have to travel.

&ldquo;The people that really need service animals are being victimized by these frauds. This current backlash is going to make it more difficult for them.&quot; says Hal Herzog, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Western Carolina University and author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It&rsquo;s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals.

ESAs and airplanes 
Adding to the confusion and controversy surrounding ESAs: every airline has different rules about what&#39;s allowed on board. All airlines require a doctor&rsquo;s note showing:

<ul>
	<li>You have a mental or emotional disability</li>
	<li>Your doctor is licensed and you are currently undergoing treatment with them</li>
	<li>You need the animal for emotional support</li>
</ul>

However, only Delta currently has a list of animals prohibited on their aircrafts. Most decisions are left to the airlines&#39; discretion, which often leads to disgruntled passengers and outrageous news stories.

Lending to the skepticism that surrounds the use of ESAs, there&#39;s little evidence they&#39;re actually necessary in the air. While they may help airline travelers with psychiatric conditions, scientific research has yet to be done inflight to back up those claims.

&ldquo;In terms of studies on whether people actually do better on airplanes if they have their emotional support animal, shockingly there are no studies on that,&rdquo; says Herzog. &ldquo;In my view, there is not very good evidence that shows that pets have long-term impacts on their owners&#39; health and psychological wellbeing. However, there is very good evidence that interacting with animals, especially dogs, can have very good short-term impacts, particularly on stress.&rdquo;

How to travel with an ESA 
If you do need to travel with an ESA, the most important thing is to get valid documentation from your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mental-health-therapies/slideshow/how-to-find-right-therapist">mental health provider</a> that you are currently undergoing treatment and your animal is essential to your therapy. Most airlines now require up-to-date veterinary records, too. Submit all documentation at least 48 hours before your flight. Animals also must fit on your lap or at your feet.

Keep in mind how traveling may impact your ESA, as well. &ldquo;An ESA by definition is an untrained animal. An untrained animal may be very stressed on a plane,&rdquo; notes Wisch. &ldquo;If the animal then poses a threat or disrupts the plane due to stress of being confined around so many people, the passenger might not be able to travel with the ESA.&rdquo;

If you are unsure whether your animal can qualify as an ESA, speak to your doctor and call your airline well in advance of your flight. By taking all the necessary steps, traveling with your animal can be a calm and stress-free experience, with no media attention required.

What's the Deal With Emotional Support Animals?

Debris in the Pacific is harmful to native species, the environment and human health.

What You Need to Know About Ocean Trash in Hawaii

I&rsquo;m an ER doctor. I trained in an area of high violence and crime.

Day-to-day, the EMT radio transmissions can become background noise&mdash;68-year-old with stroke-like symptoms, 72-year-old male with chest pain. I&rsquo;d hear it, mentally prepare and keep doing what I was doing.

But some transmissions stop you in your tracks: a 3-year-old drowning victim, a 5-year-old with gunshot wounds. Multiple casualties.

I don&rsquo;t know what the ER doctors responding to the Parkland, Florida shooting thought when they heard that over two dozen teenagers with life-threatening gunshot wounds were coming. But I know it stopped them in their tracks. For a millisecond, they felt the urge to throw up. Or that they couldn&rsquo;t breathe. Then, they donned their trauma gowns and stood alongside their trauma colleagues to prepare for the first victim.

You see, in the ER, we use many tools. We use medicine and scalpels. We use blood. Some days, a lot of blood. We cut open chests to examine damaged hearts, then sew them or insert a rubber tube into them. We&rsquo;ll do anything to stabilize a patient long enough to get them to the operating room.

Of course, we use thoughts and we use prayers. But we don&rsquo;t use only thoughts and prayers.

When I&rsquo;m standing there, all of my cells trained on saving that life, I think, what if I could go back in time, like some Hollywood film, and prevent it? Go backwards on high-speed, out of the bloody trauma bay, backwards in the ambulance, back to the school and back to long before that day?&nbsp;I discussed&nbsp;this with leading injury prevention researcher Dr. Megan Ranney, a fellow emergency physician and Associate Professor at Brown University.

If I could, here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;d do&mdash;and what could help us all going forward.

Start with responsible gun ownership 
Most gun owners want to be responsible, right? You don&rsquo;t want your gun to be the one that kills your own child, or others. But, you may not realize that you&rsquo;re missing some key steps. You know to lock away firearms and lock the ammunition separately from those firearms. If you have children or teenagers, particularly if they are troubled, do NOT give them access. Do it for your own child, if no one else, as the rate of successful suicide is higher in teens who have access to firearms.

Enforce what policy exists 
If someone has been involved in a domestic violence incident, eighteen states give police the authorization to remove their firearms. Yet this is rarely enforced.&nbsp;Other laws require that if particular individuals commit firearm-related crimes, they should have increased incarceration. Yet these are rarely enforced. In fact, 62 percent of violent gun crime arrests &ldquo;involved individuals not legally permitted to have a gun at the time,&rdquo; according to one study.

Allow for permits, background checks and restricted access to those who do not pass checks 
When Missouri repealed its permit-to-purchase law, they saw a 25 percent increase in firearm homicides. If someone has a DUI, we try to help them reduce their alcohol intake, but we also suspend their driver&rsquo;s license. If someone has a seizure, we treat their seizure, and we also take away their driver&rsquo;s license. If someone is at-risk for gun violence, we should get them help, too&mdash;and we should also restrict their access to firearms or remove their personal firearms. While there are some laws that say firearms should be removed after an instance of gun violence, they only exist in a handful of states, and are often poorly enforced.&nbsp; 

Release the ban on the CDC to perform gun violence research 
In 1996, Congress, stipulated that no CDC funds &ldquo;may be used to advocate or promote gun control,&rdquo; and cut the CDC budget by the exact amount of money earmarked for firearm injury research. The US has the highest&nbsp;rate of firearm homicide among high-income countries, 20 times higher than the average. Yet, we have willfully forbidden research on this for almost 22 years. Twenty-two years! Do you know how much potential knowledge was lost during that time? Let&rsquo;s not wait 22 more years to find out.

Stop selling military-style assault weapons 
I understand that the majority of people who own these are &ldquo;law abiding citizens.&rdquo; &nbsp;But the truth is, when it comes to fully automatic guns, bump stocks, large capacity magazines and the like, there&rsquo;s no function but mass killing. Hunters do not use these. Only killers do. Would this alone stop violence? No, of course not&mdash;sick people will find other ways to incite violence. All of the required TSA screening at US airports doesn&rsquo;t guarantee a 100 percent reduction in terrorism attempts&mdash;but it drastically reduces them. So we do it, smartly.&nbsp;

Don&rsquo;t rely on &ldquo;giving out more guns&rdquo; 
There&rsquo;s no evidence that having more guns at schools would prevent gun violence. In fact, from evidence in hospitals, 20 percent of in-hospital shootings occurred with guns taken from security guards, according to Dr. Ranney.

&ldquo;See something, say something&rdquo; is important, but authorities must respond 
We must encourage our children and citizens to remain vigilant&mdash;as much as I hate the idea of having to tell my young children to look out for this. But if they do report something, the responsibility lies with authorities to step up and monitor concerning individuals. It&rsquo;s up to the authorities to protect the places that these people threaten. People did &ldquo;say something&rdquo; about the Parkland shooter. What happened?

We&rsquo;ve gotten really good at injury prevention in the US. In fact, many of my emergency medicine colleagues lead the charge. We&rsquo;ve reduced the death rate per mile driven in car crashes by 50 percent since the 1960s, according to Dr. Ranney. We&rsquo;ve lowered the rate of death from fires and burns.

Why do we treat firearm violence differently? It is an injury prevention issue. Can you imagine: What if we had cut the deaths from gun violence by 50 percent over the past 60 years? How many broken hearts would have been prevented?

As Taylor Swift puts it: Band-Aids don&rsquo;t fix bullet holes. Nor do soundbites.

I try.

But my ER colleagues and I are damn tired of cleaning up. This time, let&rsquo;s use our thoughts and our prayers to come up with real solutions. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Photo:&nbsp;Candlelight vigil held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to remember the victims and survivors of the June 2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre.

Life and Family