Health
Ice bucket challenge revival for mental health sparks controversy among ALS community
The Ice Bucket Challenge is back, but this time for a new cause.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went mega-viral in the summer of 2014 had more than 17 million people on social media, and even celebrities on talk shows, dumping ice water over their heads.
The challenge, supported by the ALS Association, was intended to raise awareness of the disease. It ultimately raised $115 million toward ALS research and patient care.
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Eleven years later, the Ice Bucket Challenge has been revived by USC Mind, the University of South Carolina’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion club.
Guests on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge on Aug. 12, 2014. (Douglas Gorenstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
In support of a foundation called Active Minds, the country’s largest mental health nonprofit for teens and young adults, the USC group launched the #SpeakYourMind Ice Bucket Challenge.
The challenge is taking off on social media and has raised nearly $400,000 on the event’s fundraising site.
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The trend revival has sparked some controversy for taking attention away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
The average life expectancy after ALS diagnosis is typically two to five years, according to the ALS Association.
Brooke Eby, an ALS patient and influencer, posted a video on social media with the caption, “Watching people steal the ALS ice bucket challenge for a different cause when ALS still doesn’t have a cure and is 100% fatal. Fuming.”
The ALS Association and Active Minds announced they’re teaming up in the new Ice Bucket Challenge for the month of May, which is both Mental Health Awareness Month and ALS Awareness Month. (Abigail Breuchert)
Michael Stone, another content creator and ALS patient, spoke out about the impact the challenge had on the ALS community.
“It is more than a trend,” he printed in an infographic. “The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge changed lives.”
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“Raising awareness for ALS is crucial because it leads to funding, and funding leads to research,” Stone wrote. “What started as a viral challenge grew into something far greater: a worldwide effort that’s funding life-changing research and giving hope to those affected by this devastating disease.”
Brian Frederick, the ALS Association’s chief marketing and communications officer, shared the organization’s support for the revived movement.
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“We’re thrilled to see young people taking up the spirit of activism for mental health, but we also want people to know that ALS is still fatal and urgently needs a cure,” Frederick said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Mental health is an important issue in the ALS community, given the devastating physical, emotional and financial toll that ALS takes on entire families.”
Frederick commented that the original ALS Ice Bucket Challenge “dramatically accelerated” the fight against ALS, which led to “new genes discovered, new treatments in the pipeline” and a significant increase in care services.
Since the challenge, the ALS Association has invested more than $150 million in ALS research, followed by nearly $1 billion in additional ALS research funding, according to Frederick.
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“We still have a long way to go to turn ALS from fatal to livable and cure it, but we’re grateful to everyone for taking the Ice Bucket Challenge and raising awareness of ALS and mental health,” he added.
A group of kids dumps buckets of ice water their heads on the fifth anniversary of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on July 15, 2019, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Cathy Cummings, CEO of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations, noted that many people with ALS and their caregivers can face “serious mental health challenges,” such as depression and anxiety.
“Using the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness around mental health supports our community as well,” she told Fox News Digital. “We would like to hold space for multiple people’s experiences, without needing to pick which is more deserving.”
In a press release on Thursday, both the ALS Association and Active Minds announced they’re teaming up in this new Ice Bucket Challenge for the month of May, which is both Mental Health Awareness Month and ALS Awareness Month.
Health
Katie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
Health
One walking habit could signal a healthier brain after 80, scientists say
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Health
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