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Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and IBM have recently published findings in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation that could lay the groundwork for applying quantum computing methods to protein structure prediction.

For decades, researchers have leveraged computational approaches to predict protein structures. A protein folds itself into a structure that determines how it functions and binds to other molecules in the body. These structures determine many aspects of human health and disease.

By accurately predicting the structure of a protein, researchers can better understand how diseases spread and thus how to develop effective therapies. Cleveland Clinic postdoctoral fellow Bryan Raubenolt, Ph.D. and IBM researcher Hakan Doga, Ph.D. spearheaded a team to discover how quantum computing can improve current methods.

In recent years, machine learning techniques have made significant progress in protein structure prediction. These methods are reliant on training data (a database of experimentally determined protein structures) to make predictions. This means that they are constrained by how many proteins they have been taught to recognize. This can lead to lower levels of accuracy when the programs/algorithms encounter a protein that is mutated or very different from those on which they were trained, which is common with genetic disorders.

The alternative method is to simulate the physics of protein folding. Simulations allow researchers to look at a given protein's various possible shapes and find the most stable one. The most stable shape is critical for drug design.

The challenge is that these simulations are nearly impossible on a classical computer, beyond a certain protein size. In a way, increasing the size of the target protein is comparable to increasing the dimensions of a Rubik's cube. For a small protein with 100 amino acids, a classical computer would need the time equal to the age of the universe to exhaustively search all the possible outcomes, says Dr. Raubenolt.

To help overcome these limitations, the research team applied a mix of quantum and classical computing methods. This framework could allow quantum algorithms to address the areas that are challenging for state-of-the-art classical computing, including protein size, intrinsic disorder, mutations and the physics involved in protein folding. The framework was validated by accurately predicting the folding of a small fragment of a Zika virus protein on a quantum computer, compared to state-of-the-art classical methods.

The quantum-classical hybrid framework's initial results outperformed both a classical physics-based method and AlphaFold2. Although the latter is designed to work best with larger proteins, it nonetheless demonstrates this framework's ability to create accurate models without directly relying on substantial training data.

The researchers used a quantum algorithm to first model the lowest energy conformation for the fragment's backbone, which is typically the most computationally demanding step of the calculation. Classical approaches were then used to convert the results obtained from the quantum computer, reconstruct the protein with its sidechains, and perform final refinement of the structure with classical molecular mechanics force fields.

The project shows one of the ways that problems can be deconstructed into parts, with quantum computing methods addressing some parts and classical computing others, for increased accuracy.

"One of the most unique things about this project is the number of disciplines involved," says Dr. Raubenolt. "Our team's expertise ranges from computational biology and chemistry, structural biology, software and automation engineering, to experimental atomic and nuclear physics, mathematics, and of course, quantum computing and algorithm design. It took the knowledge from each of these areas to create a computational framework that can mimic one of the most important processes for human life."

The team's combination of classical and quantum computing methods is an essential step for advancing our understanding of protein structures, and how they impact our ability to treat and prevent disease. The team plans to continue developing and optimizing quantum algorithms that can predict the structure of larger and more sophisticated proteins.

"This work is an important step forward in exploring where quantum computing capabilities could show strengths in protein structure prediction," says Dr. Doga. "Our goal is to design quantum algorithms that can find how to predict protein structures as realistically as possible."

More information: Hakan Doga et al, A Perspective on Protein Structure Prediction Using Quantum Computers, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00067

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Researchers apply quantum computing methods to protein structure prediction - Phys.org

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In a new paper in Science Advances, researchers at JPMorgan Chase, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Quantinuum have demonstrated clear evidence of a quantum algorithmic speedup for the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA).

This algorithm has been studied extensively and has been implemented on many quantum computers. It has potential applications in fields such as logistics, telecommunications, financial modeling and materials science.

"This work is a significant step towards reaching quantum advantage, laying the foundation for future impact in production," said Marco Pistoia, head of Global Technology Applied Research at JPMorgan Chase.

The team examined whether a quantum algorithm with low implementation costs could provide a quantum speedup over the best-known classical methods. QAOA was applied to the Low Autocorrelation Binary Sequences problem, which has significance in understanding the behavior of physical systems, signal processing and cryptography. The study showed that if the algorithm was asked to tackle increasingly larger problems, the time it would take to solve them would grow at a slower rate than that of a classical solver.

To explore the quantum algorithm's performance in an ideal noiseless setting, JPMorgan Chase and Argonne jointly developed a simulator to evaluate the algorithm's performance at scale.

"The large-scale quantum circuit simulations efficiently utilized the DOE petascale supercomputer Polaris located at the ALCF. These results show how high performance computing can complement and advance the field of quantum information science," said Yuri Alexeev, a computational scientist at Argonne. Jeffrey Larson, a computational mathematician in Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science Division, also contributed to this research.

To take the first step toward practical realization of the speedup in the algorithm, the researchers demonstrated a small-scale implementation on Quantinuum's System Model H1 and H2 trapped-ion quantum computers. Using algorithm-specific error detection, the team reduced the impact of errors on algorithmic performance by up to 65%.

"Our long-standing partnership with JPMorgan Chase led to this meaningful and noteworthy three-way research experiment that also brought in Argonne. The results could not have been achieved without the unprecedented and world-leading quality of our H-Series Quantum Computer, which provides a flexible device for executing error-correcting and error-detecting experiments on top of gate fidelities that are years ahead of other quantum computers," said Ilyas Khan, founder and chief product officer of Quantinuum.

More information: Ruslan Shaydulin et al, Evidence of scaling advantage for the quantum approximate optimization algorithm on a classically intractable problem, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm6761

Journal information: Science Advances

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Research team shows theoretical quantum speedup with the quantum approximate optimization algorithm - Phys.org

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and IBM recently published findings in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation that could lay the groundwork for applying quantum computing methods to protein structure prediction. This publication is the first peer-reviewed quantum computing paper from the Cleveland Clinic-IBM Discovery Accelerator partnership.

For decades, researchers have leveraged computational approaches to predict protein structures. A protein folds itself into a structure that determines how it functions and binds to other molecules in the body. These structures determine many aspects of human health and disease.

By accurately predicting the structure of a protein, researchers can better understand how diseases spread and thus how to develop effective therapies. Cleveland Clinic postdoctoral fellow Bryan Raubenolt, Ph.D., and IBM researcher Hakan Doga, Ph.D., spearheaded a team to discover how quantum computing can improve current methods.

In recent years, machine learning techniques have made significant progress in protein structure prediction. These methods are reliant on training data (a database of experimentally determined protein structures) to make predictions. This means that they are constrained by how many proteins they have been taught to recognize. This can lead to lower levels of accuracy when the programs/algorithms encounter a protein that is mutated or very different from those on which they were trained, which is common with genetic disorders.

The alternative method is to simulate the physics of protein folding. Simulations allow researchers to look at a given proteins various possible shapes and find the most stable one. The most stable shape is critical for drug design.

The challenge is that these simulations are nearly impossible on a classical computer, beyond a certain protein size. In a way, increasing the size of the target protein is comparable to increasing the dimensions of a Rubik's cube. For a small protein with 100 amino acids, a classical computer would need the time equal to the age of the universe to exhaustively search all the possible outcomes, says Dr. Raubenolt.

To help overcome these limitations, the research team applied a mix of quantum and classical computing methods. This framework could allow quantum algorithms to address the areas that are challenging for state-of-the-art classical computing, including protein size, intrinsic disorder, mutations and the physics involved in proteins folding. The framework was validated by accurately predicting the folding of a small fragment of a Zika virus protein on a quantum computer, compared to state-of-the-art classical methods.

The quantum-classical hybrid framework's initial results outperformed both a classical physics-based method and AlphaFold2. Although the latter is designed to work best with larger proteins, it nonetheless demonstrates this framework's ability to create accurate models without directly relying on substantial training data.

The researchers used a quantum algorithm to first model the lowest energy conformation for the fragments backbone, which is typically the most computationally demanding step of the calculation. Classical approaches were then used to convert the results obtained from the quantum computer, reconstruct the protein with its sidechains, and perform final refinement of the structure with classical molecular mechanics force fields. The project shows one of the ways that problems can be deconstructed into parts, with quantum computing methods addressing some parts and classical computing others, for increased accuracy.

Multidisciplinary collaboration was essential to achieve this framework.

One of the most unique things about this project is the number of disciplines involved, says Dr. Raubenolt. Our teams expertise ranges from computational biology and chemistry, structural biology, software and automation engineering, to experimental atomic and nuclear physics, mathematics, and of course quantum computing and algorithm design. It took the knowledge from each of these areas to create a computational framework that can mimic one of the most important processes for human life.

The teams combination of classical and quantum computing methods is an essential step for advancing our understanding of protein structures, and how they impact our ability to treat and prevent disease. The team plans to continue developing and optimizing quantum algorithms that can predict the structure of larger and more sophisticated proteins.

This work is an important step forward in exploring where quantum computing capabilities could show strengths in protein structure prediction, says Dr. Doga. Our goal is to design quantum algorithms that can find how to predict protein structures as realistically as possible.

The rest is here:

Clinic, IBM apply quantum computing to protein research - Cleveland Clinic Newsroom

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Researchers from Lancaster University and Radboud University Nijmegen have managed to generate propagating spin waves at the nanoscale and discovered a novel pathway to modulate and amplify them.

Their discovery, published in Nature, could pave the way for the development of dissipation free quantum information technologies. As the spin waves do not involve electric currents, these chips will be free from associated losses of energy.

The rapidly growing popularity of artificial intelligence comes with an increasing desire for fast and energy efficient computing devices and calls for novel ways to store and process information. The electric currents in conventional devices suffer from losses of energy and subsequent heating of the environment.

One alternative for the "lossy" electric currents is to store and process information in waves, using the spins of the electrons instead of their charges. These spins can be seen as the elementary units of magnets.

Lead author Dr. Rostislav Mikhaylovskiy from Lancaster University said, "Our discovery will be essential for future spin-wave based computing. Spin waves are an appealing information carrier as they don't involve electric currents and therefore do not suffer from resistive losses."

It has already been known for many years that spins can be kicked out of their equilibrium orientation. After this perturbation, the spins start to precess (i.e. rotate) around their equilibrium position. In magnets, neighboring spins are extremely strongly coupled, forming a net magnetization. Due to this coupling, the spin precession can propagate in the magnetic material, giving rise to a spin wave.

"Observing nonlinear conversion of coherent propagating magnons at nanoscale, which is a prerequisite for any practical magnon-based data processing, has been sought for by many groups worldwide for more than a decade. Therefore, our experiment is a landmark for spin wave studies, which holds the potential to open an entire new research direction on ultrafast coherent magnonics with an eye on the development of dissipation free quantum information technologies."

The researchers have used the fact that the highest possible frequencies of the spin rotations can be found in materials, in which adjacent spins are canted with respect to each other.

To excite such fast spin dynamics, they used a very short pulse of light, the duration of which is shorter than the period of the spin wave, i.e. less than a trillionth of a second. The trick for generating the ultrafast spin wave at the nanoscale is in the photon energy of the light pulse.

The material of study exhibits extremely strong absorption at ultraviolet (UV) photon energies, which localizes the excitation in a very thin region of only a few tens of nanometers from the interface, which allows spin waves with terahertz (a trillion of Hertz) frequencies and sub-micrometer wavelengths to emerge.

The dynamics of such spin waves is intrinsically nonlinear, meaning that the waves with different frequencies and wavelengths can be converted into each other.

The researchers have now for the first time realized this possibility in practice. They achieved this by exciting the system not with only one, but with two intense laser pulses, separated by a short time delay.

First author Ruben Leenders, former Ph.D. student at Lancaster University, said, "In a typical single pulse excitation experiment, we would simply expect the two spin waves to interfere with each other as any waves do. However, by varying the time delay between the two pulses, we found that this superposition of the two waves does not hold."

The team explained the observations by considering the coupling of the already excited spin wave with the second light pulse. The result of this coupling is that when the spins are already rotating, the second light pulse gives an additional kick to the spins.

The strength and the direction of this kick depends on the state of the deflection of the spins at the time that this second light pulse arrives. This mechanism allows for control over the properties of the spin waves such as their amplitude and phase, simply by choosing the appropriate time delay between the excitations.

More information: Ruben Leenders et al, Canted spin order as a platform for ultrafast conversion of magnons, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07448-3. http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07448-3

Journal information: Nature

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New study is step towards energy-efficient quantum computing in magnets - Phys.org

CLEVELAND The Cleveland Clinic and IBM have published findings focused on using quantum computing to better understand how diseases spread and thus how to develop effective therapies.

Specifically, this work was published in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation. It sought to learn how quantum computing could be used to predict protein structures, according to a Cleveland Clinic release.

For decades, researchers have leveraged computational approaches to predict protein structures, the release reads. A protein folds itself into a structure that determines how it functions and binds to other molecules in the body. These structures determine many aspects of human health and disease.

This work came from the Cleveland Clinic-IBM Discovery Accelerator partnership, their first peer-reviewed paper on quantum computing. It was a team led by Cleveland Clinic postdoctoral fellow Dr. Bryan Raubenolt and IBM researcher Dr. Hakan Doga.

One of the most unique things about this project is the number of disciplines involved, Raubenolt said in the release. Our teams expertise ranges from computational biology and chemistry, structural biology, software and automation engineering, to experimental atomic and nuclear physics, mathematics, and of course quantum computing and algorithm design. It took the knowledge from each of these areas to create a computational framework that can mimic one of the most important processes for human life.

The release notes that machine learning has resulted in major strides when it comes to predicting protein structures, explaining that the way this works comes down to the training data.

The limitation with this is that the models only know what theyre taught, leading to lower levels of accuracy when the programs/algorithms encounter a protein that is mutated or very different from those on which they were trained, which is common with genetic disorders.

An alternative option is to rely on simulations to emulate the physics of protein folding. Using these simulations, the goal is to find the most stable shape, which the release describes as crucial for designing drugs.

Once you reach a certain size of protein, this becomes quite difficult on a standard computer, however. Raubenolt explained in the release that even a small protein with just 100 amino acids would take a classical computer the time equal to the age of the universe to exhaustively search all the possible outcomes

Thats why the researchers utilized both quantum and classic computing methods in their work. The release states that this hybrid approach outperformed previous methods and resulted in increased accuracy.

According to the release, the researchers will continue working on and improving these algorithms.

This work is an important step forward in exploring where quantum computing capabilities could show strengths in protein structure prediction, Doga said in the release. Our goal is to design quantum algorithms that can find how to predict protein structures as realistically as possible.

Continued here:

A combination of tech and medicine - Spectrum News 1

When Ruth White founded The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success, she didnt think it would see its 35th anniversary. This sentiment is not from lack of faith in her nonprofit organization, which helps African American students achieve academic success and connect with their cultural roots, but from the hope that one day its programs []

When Ruth White founded The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success, she didnt think it would see its 35th anniversary.

This sentiment is not from lack of faith in her nonprofit organization, which helps African American students achieve academic success and connect with their cultural roots, but from the hope that one day its programs wouldnt be necessary.

I knew that the program was necessary from what I was doing at Washington [High School], she said about the beginnings of The Academy in the late 1980s. But I certainly didn't think it was going to last this long, because I thought that society would pull itself together Now I'm convinced that a program like this needs to happen until it's not needed anymore. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to see the end of it.

Ms. White, who holds a P.h.D. in American studies from the University of Iowa, was teaching English and literature at Washington High School when she founded The Academy. She was also serving as the Cedar Rapids Community School Districts (CRCSD) academic advisor to minority students, a new position at the time.

It turned out to be extremely informative to me," she said. One of the things I learned was that our students of color, by and large, had no sense of their heritage history legacies.

Ms. White noticed that many of these students would fall into the abyss after high school graduation, academically. She founded The Academy in hopes of cultivating community connection and inspiring pride in their heritage.

The Academy began with a summer program for high school-aged students, which continues to this day. This program, which partners with CRCSD and takes place at Mount Mercy University, offers African American students additional opportunities to learn more about unique and specific subjects such as Black history, gardening, nutrition, and yoga, as well as more traditional subjects like math, science and literature. The Academy has also helped students prepare for college with postsecondary seminars.

To Ms. White, it is important for The Academys students to be taught by teachers who look like them. She said representation makes a difference in the programs', and students, success.

A student of color in [the Cedar Rapids School District] can go from kindergarten through high school and never see a teacher of color, she said. The fact of the matter is, kids do better when they can relate to the person that's teaching them. Does that mean that everybody who teaches them should look like them? Absolutely not But it does mean that there is an intangible advantage that a student benefits from if they have that opportunity.

Students taking part in the high school summer program also have the opportunity to experience travel to culturally significant places. The Academys students have visited Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Memphis, New Orleans and more.

According to Ms. White, every aspect of these trips becomes an opportunity to learn about and connect with cultural heritage. Students have visited museums, seen plays, and gone on college visits. They often meet Black entrepreneurs and experience culturally-significant food at meal times.

There's nothing like actually seeing and experiencing something, Ms. White said. I want to take them to places where they can actually see African American culture in a positive reflection.

The Academy has greatly expanded to include programs for elementary and middle school-aged students, which continue throughout the school year. None of The Academys programs are remedial, which means students must apply to participate and are accepted based on academic achievement and recommendations.

Selective, but not exclusive Ms. White called it.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit with a board of directors and a staff of eight, The Academy is no longer a one-woman show. Ms. White is now looking at establishing a succession plan.

It doesnt keep me up at night yet, but I spend a lot of time thinking about it, Ms. White said. We have to have somebody who has a love for the work and for the kids and some sense of the importance of education and cultural awareness. Someone who can keep body and soul together.

For now, Ms. White is still that somebody and like The Academy itself she is still needed right where she is.

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Black excellence: The Academy celebrates 35 years of uplifting African American students - Corridor Business

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A second case of bird flu has been detected in another dairy worker, this time in Michigan, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.

The first case was reported in a dairy worker in Texas in early April.

Officials said the Michigan individual, who only experienced mild symptoms, contracted the H5N1 virus after being exposed to infected livestock, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release.

"While a nasal swab from the person tested negative for influenza in Michigan, an eye swab from the patient was shipped to CDC and tested positive for influenza A[H5] virus, indicating an eye infection," the agency said. As in the Texas case, the patient only reported eye symptoms.

"While its not known exactly how eye infections result from avian influenza exposures, it may be from contamination of the eye[s] potentially with a splash of contaminated fluid, or touching the eye[s] with something contaminated with A[H5N1] virus, such as a hand," the CDC added.

"Given the high levels of A[H5N1] virus in raw milk from infected cows, and the extent of the spread of this virus in dairy cows, similar additional human cases could be identified," the agency added.

Still, this latest case doesn't suggest that bird flu is widespread in people, officials said, adding that the risk to the general public remains low.

This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigans chief medical executive, told the New York Times.

The case suggests that as more herds are infected, farmworkers continue to bevulnerable to bird flu infection, however. This case was not unexpected, CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah told the Times.

In the meantime, the agency recommends that all health workers collect both nasal and eye swabs from people exposed to the virus. This is why making sure samples are taken in full compliance with CDC guidelines is really important, Shah noted.

Veterinarians have reported that some farmworkers have developed flulike symptoms, but few farmers and farmworkers have agreed to be tested for the cause. As of Wednesday, the CDC had tested only about 40 people, agency officials told the Times.

We found this case because we were looking for this case, and we were looking for it because we were prepared, Shah stressed.

The virus has beendetected in 52 dairy herdsin nine states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the outbreak is thought to be much more widespread. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found traces of the virusin 20 percentof dairy products sampled from grocery shelvesin 17 states.

During the outbreak, the virus hasacquired dozensof new mutations, including some that may make it more more able to spread between species.

To prepare for the possibility of more cases, federal agencies have begun to fill and finish approximately 4.8 million doses of a vaccine that is well matched to the circulating strain of H5N1, officials told the Times.

More information

The CDC has more on bird flu in humans.

SOURCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, May 22, 2024; New York Times

A second human case of bird flu connected to an outbreak in dairy cows has been confirmed in Michigan.

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CDC Reports Second Dairy Worker Infected With Bird Flu - themoorecountynews.com

Weve all heard the proverb, It takes a village to raise a child. But what does that mean for modern parents, who are so often siloed from the people that once provided essential support? In ELLEs It Takes a Village series, were exploring the intersection of parenthood and community, including the costly services that have sprung up in the villages wake and the many resources still available for birthing people. As Cleo Wade wrote in an original poem for this series: Big love (the kind that changes the world) is group work, always.

In the middle of my first pregnancy, I went for an anatomy scan that nearly everyone gets at the 20-week mark. Mothers tend to be nervous and excited for this momentwhile you get to see your baby, the scan also checks whether everything is working well. At mine, my doctor told me matter-of-factly, Your baby is measuring small. She put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was terrified, but I knew there was somebody I could invite onto my team who could help me through.

As I sat home 24/7, waiting for my baby to grow like an incubator, I used the time to research and interview doulas. Once I hired our doula Karla, she quickly made all the difference. Every time I was anxious about something being wrong with my baby or fearful something would go wrong with the birth, she not only reassured me but equipped me with knowledge to empower myself and my growing family. Because of her, I found I was one of the only people at my new-mom support groups who was satisfied with her birth experience.

After the birth, I remember my husband cradling our daughter and asking, What if Karla had not been there? I shuddered at the thought. Not only did it change the course of my lifeI made a career change and became a doula myselfbut I also promised myself I would never give birth without a doula again. Three children later, I havent. Turns out support isnt a luxury for birthing people; its a necessity.

And while doulas can provide one kind of support, there are other low-cost and no-cost options available to assist in anyone in their birthing experience. Finances are a common stressor for many people preparing to have a baby; it can often feel like youre bleeding money. But in the doula world, we try our best to connect people with services and resources that make a massive difference and require a relatively low financial investment. The guide below contains some of my favorite resources for people having babies, so you can get the care you need and deserve.

Owned by postpartum doula Kimberly Bepler,

Be Her Village is a modern-day (and arguably more helpful) alternative to your typical baby registry. You can register for funds to pay for your doula, childbirth education, pelvic floor physical therapy, lactation support, mental health support, and more. Parents-to-be add the services they want to their registry, and friends and family send money directly to the new parents using Be Her Villages unique cash registry. You dont need another bottle washer or crib sheet; you need help, and Be Her Village assists your community in optimizing support for you.

Chocolate Milk Caf is an organization dedicated to providing care to families of African descent. Founded by nurse and breastfeeding educator Hakima Tafunzi Payne, it hosts lactation support groups across 11 states and Canada, providing direct counseling and advocacy for Black families.

Bookmark this website for 24/7 news on all things birthing, from fertility to motherhood. Expectful is a health and news hub that shares articles, provides nutritional advice, and even has a meditation app. There are great first-person articles from women in the Expectful community that discuss everything from sharing the joy of a positive pregnancy test to birthing plans gone wrong.

Pediatrician, Stanford professor, and breastfeeding expert Dr. Jane Morton founded First Droplets to draw attention to the first hours and days after a baby is born. She describes this as a critical period for making milk for your baby. Visit the website for videos and Q&As about milk production before and after the babys arrival and how to make it all work.

JustBirth Space specialists provide free virtual perinatal support to individuals worldwide throughout pregnancy, labor and birth, postpartum, and beyond. Specialists are available for support and respond to your messages between 8 A.M. and 10 P.M. ET. They aim to center the experiences of BIPOC individuals, affirm LGBTQIA2+ communities, and support all birthing people on their journeys. Look at these specialists as your expert guides to all things related to maternal health.

Founded by Kelly Bonyata, an international board certified lactation consultant, Kellymom is a treasure trove of free information about breastfeeding and all of the things that go along with itincluding pumping, soothing babies, going back to work, pain, and more. Its the perfect place to do your middle-of-the-night Googling.

La Leche League is one of the longest-running breastfeeding support organizations in the world. Trained volunteer leaders in over 80 countries are available for free lactation support via phone and text, with many available to meet in homes or hospitals. Leaders also run support groups to promote mother-to-mother connection and education. Support group topics are designed to teach participants why and how to breastfeed, how to troubleshoot problems that come up, and how to start solids and wean from breastfeeding. Use the Leader/Group Locator map on the website to find the nearest options for support near you.

U.K.-based app MasterClass in Childbirth brings childbirth education to your fingertips. Its designed to guide and support you in every stage of your maternal health: pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyondall for free!

MotherToBaby provides evidence-based information about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Browse the easy-to-read resources, which are available in English and Spanish.

Pampers offers more than just diapers. Through its site, it provides a free, nine-part birth and postpartum class. This series takes you from prenatal check-ups to newborn care and everything in between via short, thorough videos.

You dont need to hire a personal trainer to have a healthy and fit pregnancy. Created by prenatal and postnatal fitness instructor and yoga and pilates teacher Jessica Pumple, the Pregnancy and Postpartum TV YouTube channel has free workouts, childbirth education videos, and steps for support with recovery.

Prenatal Yoga Center serves the perinatal community by offering yoga, childbirth education, and parenting preparation classes. You can watch free prenatal videos at your convenience. Whats more, the center also has a podcast and an educational blog.

Ritual Movement is designed to support birthing people in recovering their pelvic floor after birth. The site provides free videos for pelvic floor health and strength by occupational therapist Cait Van Damm, founder of Ritual Pelvic Health.

Is your labor going on for an extra-long time? For people experiencing this frustration (hey, maybe even you, right now!), this 90-minute circuit is designed to help naturally induce labor or move along a labor that seems to no longer be progressing. This group of positions does not hurt a baby that is already lined up correctly. The circuit is free, and the site provides pictures and steps to help instruct you on how to do the exercises correctly.

WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To be eligible for WIC, families must have an income at or below a threshold set by their state; you can then see a breastfeeding counselor for direct coaching, take a class, visit a WIC office, or browse online resources to learn more about how to breastfeed successfully.

Birthsmarter offers award-winning online childbirth educational tools. You can choose between live and on-demand classes, ranging from $45 to $295, but to make its resources truly inclusive and accessible to all families, Birthsmarter offers pay-what-you-can and pay-it-forward pricing throughout the site. If you have access to disposable income or generational wealth, consider contributing to the community fund to help Birthsmarter serve families with limited resources.

Evidence Based Birth provides information about childbirth for families, communities, and professionals, designed to help you make informed choices. You can access free resources via the sites blog, podcast, and informative e-mail list. Evidence Based Birth also offers childbirth classes around the U.S., including Puerto Rico. There are options for virtual classes that will pair you with classmates who live near you. Its recommended that you look for a date that starts between 26 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, but if you are already closer to your birth, fear not: you can also check out the Advanced Classes options. Prices start at $300, but they also accept Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) payments.

As a former teacher, doula, and lactation consultant, I founded Go Milk Yourself to take the stress out of feeding babies. Check out the website for insurance-covered or low-cost lactation support offered via telehealth; take my signature course on Hand Expression (getting milk out with your hands instead of a pump); and follow @go_milkyourself on Instagram for resources designed to help you feed your baby on your terms. Options range from free to $150.

For a monthly fee of $9, One Huddle will invite you to a Slack group to ask unlimited questions, get expert answers in 24 hours, and search through Q&As from other parents. When you ask questions in the community, you not only get answers from vetted, certified support experts ready to answer all your new-parent questions, but you also get shared experiences from parents who are in the same boat.

Share the Drop is a free app founded by yoga teacher and doula Kelly Cox that connects mothers with excess breast milk to mothers in need of milk for their babies. Its free for donors and $9.99/month for recipients (with the fee waived for SNAP and WIC recipients).

Spinning Babies helps expectant mothers optimize the babys position in the womb. Learn techniques for comfort in pregnancy and smoother progress in childbirth. Renowned midwife Gail Tully offers practical work for your body to give birth naturally. The Parent Class digital download costs $26.95 and earned five stars from over 50 reviews.

The Educated Birth provides digital and physical resources, including online courses, for an empowered birthing experience. This is great for first-time parents, birthing people having another child, low-intervention births, cesarean births, or vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. Prices range from $19 to $249; the mindful pregnancy workbook costs $34.

VBAC Facts provides evidence-based information about vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (a.k.a. VBACs). The site offers free resources and paid programs, beginning at $299 for the Essential Package, a six-hour program broken into 30 bite-size lessons. A sliding scale is available for BIPOC women and birthing people, and once you pay for the course, you have lifetime access.

Founded by Elaine Welteroth, BirthFund had its inaugural launch, providing $10,000 to 10 single women to help support their birthing journeys. Founding family funders, who each gave $10,000, include Kelly Rowland, Savannah James, Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss, and more. While funds have been given out for 2024, visit the website for more information.

Grant founder Emma Johnson was raised by a single mother and raised two children on her own after her husband left. Defying the odds, she built a full, financially secure life for herselfand dedicated her career to helping other single moms do the same. She runs the website Wealthy Single Mommy, which offers free resources for single moms, as well as dating, money, and co-parenting advice. Through her Kickass Single Mom Stimulus Grant, Johnson gives $500 a month to a single mother, no strings attached.

Pregnant or recently postpartum families living in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. can apply to receive doula services through Love Delivereds grant program, powered by Mama Glow Foundation and the hair care company Carols Daughter.

See more here:
Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum: Your Guide to Accessing Free and Low-Cost Care - ELLE

So we are already coming up on the next season.

You told yourself that after the holidays it would be different. This time you were going to watch what you ate and you were going to do some form of physical fitness every day.

Somewhere along the way you got distracted, uninspired, and lazy. So here we are.

You know you want to eat healthy foods and exercise. You know you want to look good and feel good. But how come you cant seem to get it going? What is holding you back?

You need to believe that you can do it. You have to move past your fear of failure and doubt and propel yourself forward by taking the first steps toward a healthier you.

This means understanding that you can effect real change in your life. If you do the opposite by approaching your fitness goals half-heartedly or without real commitment to succeed, then you have already failed.

By choosing the positive course in your approach, you have a much better chance of getting there.

When I was growing up, I watched Nike become a powerful athletic footwear and apparel corporation with a three-word winning slogan that landed and resonated. Most of us are familiar with the phrase Just do it.

These three words empowered millions and encouraged them to identify with Nike and the notion of taking action. It is very easy to contemplate, plan, and wonder about taking that class, joining that gym, or seeing a nutritionist.

Without taking action, your good thoughts lead you nowhere and perpetuate the ongoing struggle of wanting to make healthy changes but not following through.

Many people live in the fitness procrastination zone. This does not have to be you. All that is different between now and success is doing it. So now that you believe that you can do it, the next step is going out and just doing it.

Okay, you decided to make some change, and you went out and you did it. For example, you signed up for a power yoga class and tried a class. Despite feeling good about it and enjoying it, you wonder if you will be able to continue with it.

You have tried many things in the past, and although you were able to keep up with it for a certain amount of time, for various reasons you stopped. Everyone has a really busy, demanding life; things come up and your fitness plan gets thrown to the side. The top excuses range from being too tired and having no time, to being unable to afford it.

But you are too tired because you are out of shape. Most likely you arent eating well and are sleeping properly. Pushing yourself to exercise even when you are tired will force you to eat more hopefully, the right things. It will also help you to sleep better because your body wont give you a choice.

As for not having enough time, somehow you have plenty of time for everything else you deem important. Your body is the key to doing all those other things properly and to satisfaction. Prioritize your body, and you will find the time

In an average waking day of 16 hours, find 15 minutes twice a day for some form of physical exercise. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and end your day 15 minutes earlier as well.

Time is what you make of it. Just think about how much time you are able to find to be online.

Now for my favorite excuse: I cant afford it. My answer is simply How can you not afford it! There are so many different ways to fit fitness into your life. They range from activities that are free, such as walking outside, to those that cost a minimal amount of money, like buying simple home equipment. You can always join a class and supplement that class with your own routine. You dont have to spend a lot of money to achieve your fitness goals.

Be honest: You are spending money on all kinds of other things already. They cant all be more important than your health. If it is necessary to spend money to improve your fitness, then try to see it as an investment worth sacrificing other things for.

BY BEING honest with yourself and your time, you can begin to prioritize your body and your health. It starts by doing it once in order to do it twice.

What are you waiting for? Now is the time to get back on track!

The writer is a Jerusalem-based fitness therapist/trainer who works with people of all ages.

Originally posted here:
Getting back on track: How to achieve your fitness goals - The Jerusalem Post

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A new study compares whether duration of exercise versus counting steps is better for weight loss in women age 62 and older.

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It used to be that getting at least 10,000 steps a day was the acceptable goal for exercise, but this four-year study of nearly 15,000 healthy women over the age of 62 suggests the time you spend exercising might be just as effective.

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Researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston asked each participant to wear a fitness tracker and they were given health questionnaires to complete yearly.

Ultimately, the study found those who did between 8,000 to 8,500 steps daily reduced their risk of heart disease by 40% compared to those who did around 3,000 daily steps and the same risk reduction was found in those who exercised for 75 minutes per day.

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The conclusion was there is no magic number for exercise, says Dr. Rikuta Hamaya, the lead study author.

For some, especially for younger individuals, exercise may involve activities like tennis, soccer, walking, or jogging, all of which can be easily tracked with steps, she said.

However, for others, it may consist of bike rides or swimming, where monitoring the duration of exercise is simpler. Thats why its important for physical activity guidelines to offer multiple ways to reach goals. Movement looks different for everyone and nearly all forms of movement are beneficial to our health.

On average, participants engaged in 62 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week and totaled 5,183 steps per day.

The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, was completed between 2011-2015.

The findings suggest patients can choose between a step or timed goal to lower their risk of death or cardiovascular disease, the researchers wrote.

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Counting steps or timing exercise? Both have benefits for health, study finds - Toronto Sun