STORY: Men, women and children sat on the metro platform wrapped in warm hats and thick coats as temperatures hovered at around -5 degrees Celsius (23°Fahrenheit).
The governor of the Kyiv capital region said its air defenses were working there.
The Russian attacks later on Monday killed two people in the Zaporizhzhia region where several houses were destroyed, the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said in one of the first reports of the damage.
Cannabis might still be banned federally, but most U.S. adults (88%) say it should be legal, according to a Nov. 22 Pew Research Center poll—and in nearly half of states, it is. Like any psychoactive substance, however, cannabis comes with some health risks, especially for children and adolescents.
Over the last two decades, cannabis cases have flooded hotlines U.S. Poison Control Centers—facilities across the country staffed by toxicology experts who provide 24-hour-a-day guidance to both the general public and health professionals. According to a new study published in Clinical Toxicology on Dec. 5, which reviewed records of nearly 339,000 poison control cases, the number of calls involving marijuana rose 245% among 6- to 18-year-olds between 2000 and 2020. Over 80% of exposures were among adolescents 13 to 18.
The study did not describe the health issues caused by or associated with cannabis in these cases, but physicians who work with children say they can be serious, including episodes of psychosis. Other problems associated with cannabis are less dramatic, but also concerning, including memory problems, worsened mood problems, and trouble in school.
Why were more cases involving children and cannabis reported?
Cannabis cases rose by about 25% between 2010 and 2017, but jumped 40% between 2017 and 2020. This period coincided with the legalization of cannabis in many U.S. states, notes Dr. Adrienne Hughes, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University and the lead author of the paper. In that time frame, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, and 10 other states all legalized recreational or medical marijuana use. “Obviously, it’s only legal for adults, and not children, but I think that we can probably agree that it has rendered the drug more accessible to children, and probably contributing to the perception that it’s safe as well,” says Hughes.
Another problem is that over the last few years, young people have increasingly used cannabis in newer forms, including in vapes and as edibles, the authors note. Edibles, in particular, have become more common among calls to Poison Control Centers, even though studies have shown that teens believe they’re less harmful than the traditional method of smoking marijuana, but edibles pose their own set of risks. It can be difficult to manage your dose when consuming edibles, and they may take hours to kick in—which means that kids may unwittingly eat more to try and feel their effects.
What are the risks of cannabis for kids?
Marijuana is safer than many other illicit substances like cocaine or opioids, but that is not to say that it is 100% safe. Research suggests that kids may face greater mental health risks like worsened depression and anxiety, poor attention and memory problems, and cannabis use disorder than adults, as their brains are still developing.
In some cases, cannabis can even land children in the hospital. Dr. Willough Jenkins, a psychiatrist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, the largest children’s hospital in California, says that she’s seen a dramatic increase in the number of older children being hospitalized after consuming cannabis in the last five years. She now sees several adolescent patients a week with cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, a condition involving severe vomiting which is caused by prolonged exposure to cannabis, which puts people at risk of weight loss, dehydration, and malnourishment. Patients are typically treated with IV fluids or, in some extreme cases, feeding tubes.
Jenkins also sees two or three cases a month in which cannabis use appears to have triggered a psychotic episode. “You have a youth coming into the hospital very confused, usually very disoriented, not knowing where they’re at, hallucinating,” she says. “These youth come in not able to feed themselves, not being able to get to the bathroom.”
How should I talk to my child about cannabis?
Building trust with your kids and creating a “sense of safety” is essential, says Emily Jenkins, who researches youth substance use and is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia in Canada (and is not related to Dr. Willough Jenkins). Ideally, you can avoid a specific, serious talk about it, as that could very well make a teenager shut down to anything you’re saying— it’s better to bring up these conversations more frequently and in a more casual way, such as when marijuana is mentioned in a television show.
“We can create a space that’s open, and where young people feel safe to be able to disclose their substance use or cannabis use decision making considerations and practices,” she says. If parents are too harsh when they talk about cannabis, or, on the flip side, if they are too permissive, children may be left with “nowhere to turn when they need advice or guidance,” she says.
How can I help my child to make their cannabis use safer?
Emily Jenkins notes that Canada, where she lives and which has legalized cannabis, offers a list of guidelines designed to make consuming cannabis safer. In particular, she says, parents should recognize that the greatest risks come when kids are younger—under 16, per the Canadian guidelines—and using cannabis too frequently (daily or almost every day). Jenkins adds that choosing cannabis products with a lower THC content (experts often classify a THC level of 15% or more as high potency) as well as avoiding smoking to avoid breathing in carcinogens, can also help.
Dr. Willough Jenkins, the California psychiatrist, says she sometimes works with adolescent patients to adopt healthier ways of smoking, such as reducing the amount they consume or the amount of time they spend using cannabis. Some children are also using marijuana as a way to cope with mental health challenges, such as depression or anxiety, and may need help to address their underlying condition. Experts generally agree that parents should watch for red flags to show their child’s cannabis use is getting out of control, such as missing school or showing up intoxicated; excessive coughing; or acting paranoid. It’s also essential that some teens don’t use cannabis at all—including children with conditions like cystic fibrosis, who are taking other medications and might be at risk of dangerous drug interactions, or who have a family history of psychosis.
Jenkins emphasizes that cannabis use is not “safe.” Even if it doesn’t land most users in the hospital, it comes with very real risks, including addiction. However, when she encounters a patient using cannabis heavily, she does what she can to help them make their use safer. “If I told them you can’t use marijuana, they’d say, ‘see you later,’ which isn’t what I want,” she says. “So even though I would hope they would get to a place where they didn’t need to use marijuana, I work with them where they’re at.”
A new drug appears to slow Alzheimer’s. Here’s what to know
Hannah Critchfield, Tampa Bay Times – December 5, 2022
An experimental drug appears to slow cognitive decline in people with early onset Alzheimer’s.
New data on lecanemab, which is manufactured by Biogen and Esai, was published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed people who took the drug experienced “moderately less decline on measures of cognition and function.”
However, some patients also experienced negative side effects like brain swelling and bleeding — meaning people with early Alzheimer’s disease should be aware of the risks before seeking treatment.
How does it work?
Lecanemab decreases the amount of amyloid plaque in the brain. The protein deposits have long been hypothesized to be linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s.
The theory goes like this: Decrease the plaque and you’ll slow the effects of the memory disease.
The new data on lecanemab provides the strongest support for that theory to date.
“That is huge because it gives the person living with the disease an opportunity to be able to live at a higher level of functioning in their life,” said Keith Gibson, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Florida Alzheimer’s Association. “It gives them a greater chance to be as normal as possible before the disease really runs its full course. We’re very, very excited about that.”
The 18-month study, which was funded by its manufacturers and involved people aged 50 to 90 with early Alzheimer’s, nevertheless concluded by noting that “longer trials are warranted to determine the efficacy and safety of lecanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease.”
Who can take it?
The drug is intended for people with early-onset Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment.
People who have more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s will likely not be eligible for the treatment.
Given the negative side effects experienced by some patients involved in the study, patients should speak with their doctors when considering whether to seek out lecanemab.
Can I get it now?
People interested in the drug might not have to wait long.
The Food and Drug Administration is considering lecanemab for accelerated approval, and will make its decision on Jan. 6.
How much will it cost?
Esai has said lecanemab could cost between $9,249 and $35,605 a year, a broad estimate that has yet to be narrowed down.
It’s unclear if the drug will be covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should it receive accelerated approval.
Currently, based on an agency decision made in April, Medicare and Medicaid has said it generally will not pay for Alzheimer’s treatments aimed at attacking amyloid plaque until they receive full approval by the Food and Drug Administration, except in clinical trial settings.
A spokesperson for Medicare and Medicaid said it is reviewing the publication in the New England Journal of Medicine and “has met with manufacturers to learn about their efforts” since the April criteria decision.
What if I’m already on another drug that attempts to slow Alzheimer’s?
There’s currently only one drug on the market that attempts to slow progression of Alzheimer’s by reducing the level of plaque in the brain.
Known as Aduhelm or aducanamab, the controversial treatment received federal approval last year, despite limited results that the drug helped patients.
It’s currently unclear how doctors will advise the limited number of patients who are already receiving Aduhelm treatments and want to switch over to lecanemab, which appears to have more conclusive data about its efficacy.
People who are currently taking Aduhelm and are interested in lecanemab should speak to their physicians about next steps.
Shorter days affect the mood of millions of Americans – a nutritional neuroscientist offers tips on how to avoid the winter blues
Lina Begdache, Associate Professor of Health and Wellness Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York
December 5, 2022
For those prone to seasonal affective disorder, a shift in the sleep cycle can impact energy levels. Ben Akiba/E+ via Getty Images
The annual pattern of winter depression and melancholy – better known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD – suggests a strong link between your mood and the amount of light you get during the day.
To put it simply: The less light exposure one has, the more one’s mood may decline.
Wintertime blues are common, but about 10 million Americans are affected every year by a longer lasting depression called seasonal affective disorder. Along with low mood, symptoms include anxious feelings, low self-esteem, longer sleep duration, constant craving for carbohydrates and low physical activity levels.
When daylight saving time ends each fall, the one-hour shift backward reduces the amount of light exposure most people receive in a 24-hour cycle. As the days get shorter, people can experience general moodiness or a longer-term depression that is tied to a shorter exposure to daylight.
This happens due to a misalignment between the sleep-wake cycle, eating schedules and other daily tasks. Research shows that this mismatch may be associated with poor mental health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression.
Our sleep-wake cycle is controlled by the circadian rhythm, an internal clock regulated by light and darkness. Like a regular clock, it resets nearly every 24 hours and controls metabolism, growth and hormone release.
When our brain receives signals of limited daylight, it releases the hormone melatonin to support sleep – even though we still have hours left before the typical bedtime. This can then affect how much energy we have, and when and how much we eat. It can also alter the brain’s ability to adapt to changes in environment. This process, called neuronal plasticity, involves the growth and organization of neural networks. This is crucial for brain repair, maintenance and overall function.
It is possible to readjust the circadian rhythm to better align with the new light and dark schedule. This means getting daylight exposure as soon as possible upon waking up, as well as maintaining sleep, exercise and eating routines that are more in sync with your routine prior to the time change. Eventually, people can gradually transition into the new schedule.
The intimate connection between serotonin and melatonin
Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the brain that is a key player in regulating several functions such as mood, appetite and the circadian rhythm. Serotonin also converts to melatonin with lower light intensity. As mentioned above, melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and signals the brain that it’s time to sleep.
Less daylight exposure during winter months leads to the conversion of serotonin into melatonin earlier in the evening, since it gets dark earlier. As a result, this untimely melatonin release causes a disruption in the sleep-wake cycle. For some people this can cause moodiness, daytime sleepiness and loss of appetite regulation, typically leading to unhealthy snacking. People with seasonal affective disorder often crave foods rich in simple sugars, such as sweets, because there is an intimate connection between carbohydrate consumption, appetite regulation and sleep.
Strategies to combat the winter blues
In winter, most people leave work when it’s turning dark. For this reason, light therapy is typically recommended for those who experience seasonal affective disorder, or even shorter periods of seasonal funk.
This can be as simple as getting some light shortly after awakening. Try to get at least one hour of natural light during the early morning hours, preferably about one hour after your usual morning wake-up time when the circadian clock is most sensitive to light. This is true no matter what your wake-up time is, as long as it’s morning. For people living at northern latitudes where there’s very little sun in winter, light therapy boxes – which replicate outdoor light – can be effective.
You can also improve your sleep quality by avoiding stimulants like coffee, tea or heavy meals close to bedtime. Exercising during the day is also good – it increases serotonin production and supports circadian regulation. A balanced diet of complex carbs and healthy proteins supports steady serotonin and melatonin production, and practicing downtime before bed can reduce stress.
Taking these small steps may help the circadian rhythm adjust faster. For the millions with mood disorders, that could mean happier times during what are literally the darkest days.
Lina Begdache does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Russia-Ukraine war: Putin ‘becoming more informed’ about challenges, U.S. intel chief says
Niamh Cavanaugh – Reporter – December 5, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Nov. 29. (Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia’s war in Ukraine has now entered its 10th month, and as the weather drops below freezing, the invasion enters a new phase. According to the head of U.S. intelligence, the war is running at a “reduced tempo.” Meanwhile, a Kremlin official defended Russia’s repeated strikes against Ukraine’s crucial energy facilities, which the civilian population needs to stay warm this winter. Here are the latest developments.
Putin more ‘informed’ about military difficulties, says intelligence chief
The U.S. director of national intelligence said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has become “better informed” about the challenges the military is facing. Speaking at a defense forum, Avril Haines indicated that the Kremlin leader was no longer shielded from negative information about Russia’s standing in the war. Haines also stated that the conflict seemed to be operating at a “reduced tempo” as both sides resupply for a possible spring counteroffensive.
‘Massive missile attack’ launched in Ukraine
Ukrainian officials said Monday that Russia’s military had begun a “massive missile attack” across the country. The deputy head of the president’s office said that two buildings had been hit in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing two people and injuring three others, including a small child, the Ukrainian official said. Air raid sirens sounded in cities such as Kyiv, where locals were forced to take shelter in the underground subway system. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s energy provider, said its facilities had been struck, causing blackouts amid “the eighth massive missile attack by a terrorist country.”
Explosions at Russian military bases
Russian state-linked media outlets reported Monday that two explosions had occurred at air bases in Russia. According to Astra, two aircraft were destroyed and two soldiers were injured and hospitalized after a drone attack. One of the strikes occurred at the Engels-2 air base, which is located hundreds of miles from Russia’s border with Ukraine, the New York Times reported. The other, according to RIA Novosti, happened in an airfield near Ryazan when a fuel truck exploded. Three people died, and at least six others were wounded.
Kremlin defends infrastructure strikes
A local resident whose house has been destroyed sits in a tent for warmth in Borodyanka, near Kyiv, on Sunday. (Dimitar Dilkov/AFP via Getty Images)
Sergey Lavrov, the Kremlin’s foreign minister, defended Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, stating that they were legitimate targets. “This infrastructure supports the combat capability of the Ukrainian armed forces and nationalist battalions,” Lavrov said Thursday during a video call with reporters. Removing the energy facilities, he said, would in turn minimize the number of Russian casualties, as these infrastructures “allow you to keep pumping deadly weapons into Ukraine.”
Macron talks peace negotiations
French President Emmanuel Macron at a news conference with President Biden at the White House on Dec. 1. (Susan Walsh/AP)
During a state visit to the U.S., French President Emmanuel Macron said that the West should consider Russia’s need for security guarantees if peace talks are to take place again. Speaking in an interview with French media on Saturday, Macron stated that Europe should prepare a “dialogue” for both Russian officials and Ukrainian officials to “return to the table.”
“One of the essential points we must address, as President Putin has always said, is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia,” Macron said. He added that preparation must be done so that Europe knows “what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states.”
Russia lost 60 aircraft likely from Ukrainian ‘air defense’
The wreckage of a Russian aircraft in a field near the town of Izium, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 30. (Vladyslav Musiienko/Reuters)
The U.K.’s Ministry of Defense revealed on Monday that Russia has lost over 60 fixed-wing aircraft so far in the invasion. At the start of the war, Russia was operating as many as 300 missions per day but is now “conducting significantly” fewer missions per day. “The decrease in sorties is likely a result of continued high threat from Ukrainian air defenses, limitations on the flying hours available to Russian aircraft, and worsening weather,” the Defense Ministry tweeted. “With Russia’s ground attack tactics largely reliant on visual identification and unguided munitions, the Russian air force will likely continue a low rate of ground attack operations through the poor winter weather.”
Trump Had Hidden $19.8 Million Loan From North Korea-Linked Company As President: Report
Mary Papenfuss – December 5, 2022
Donald Trump failed to disclose a $19.8 million loan from a company with ties to North Korea while he was president, Forbes reported Sunday, citing documents uncovered by the New York attorney general’s office.
Trump owed the money to L/P Daewoo while he was campaigning in 2016 and into his presidency, according to records. He didn’t list the debt in financial disclosure filings, as candidates and presidents are expected to do, Forbes reported.
The loan was paid off just over five months into his presidency. Forbes said the documents don’t specify who satisfied it.
Daewoo is a South Korean conglomerate that partnered with Trump on a development project near the United Nations headquarters in New York City and on several other projects over the years. The company has ties to North Korea, Forbes reported, and was the only South Korean company allowed to operate a business in North Korea in the mid-1990s.
Trump may have skirted disclosure laws and not committed an outright violation because the loan was on the books of his company, the Trump Organization, and not identified as a personal loan, Forbes noted.
The debt would have sparked conflict of interest concerns over an American president’s indebtedness to a foreign operation vulnerable to influence by North Korea’s rogue government. Trump often gushed about his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Such loans are largely reported on an honor system because the U.S. Office of Government Ethics has neither the resources nor the power to delve into a president’s assets.
“If someone does not disclose a loan, OGE has no way to know,” said Walter Shaub, who ran that agency when Trump took office.
Don Fox, who once also headed the office, told Forbes:“The system is kind of predicated upon people actually following a law because they want to follow the law.”
Anavex’s (AVXL) Lead Alzheimer’s Drug Meets Study Goal
Zacks Equity Research – December 5, 2022
Shares of Anavex Life Sciences AVXL were up 35.9% on Dec 2 after management reported positive topline data from a phase IIb/III study which evaluated its lead pipeline candidate ANAVEX 2-73 (blarcamesine) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) indication.
The phase IIb/III study, or the ANANVEX 2-73-AD-004 study, evaluated ANAVEX 2-73 for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD and mild AD (collectively known as early AD)
The ANAVEX 2-73-AD-004 study achieved its primary and key secondary endpoints. Treatment with ANAVEX 2-73 showed robust, statistically significant and clinically meaningful absolute improvement in cognitive functions as measured by ADAS-Cog and ADCS-ADL that were the study’s primary endpoints over a 48-week treatment period in the analysis of the intent-to-treat (ITT) population.
Data from the study showed that study participants who received ANAVEX 2-73 were 84% more likely to have improved cognition than those who were administered placebo. Patients treated with ANAVEX 2-73 were 167% more likely to improve function than those participants who were receiving a placebo. The treatment also showed a statistically significant reduction in cognitive decline at the end of treatment by 45%, when compared with placebo.
The study also met its secondary endpoint of reduction in clinical decline of cognition and function, as measured by CDR-SB score. Data from the study showed a 27% reduction in the ITT population when compared to placebo-administered participants.
The ANAVEX 2-73-AD-004 study randomized AD participants into three equal groups – one group which received a mid-dose of ANAVEX 2-73, a second group, which received a high-dose of the drug and a third group which received placebo.
Anavex continues to conduct a further analysis the above data and intends to submit the same for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Management is also conducting an open-label extension study ATTENTION-AD to follow study participants over a 96-week treatment period.
Shares of Anavex have declined 30.5% this year compared with the industry’s 16.7% fall.
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The results of the ANAVEX 2-73-AD-004 study are also consistent with the phase IIa ANAVEX 2-73 study previously conducted by the company. Data from the phase IIa study had demonstrated a therapeutic effect on cognition and function.
Per management, AD is one of the leading causes of deaths in older adults aged above 65 years and is also the most common cause of dementia in this age group. Treatment with ANAVEX 2-73 demonstrated a reversal of cognitive decline.
Apart from AD, Anavex has also successfully completed clinical studies evaluating ANAVEX 2-73 in other indications. These include a phase II proof-of-concept study on Parkinson’s disease dementia and a phase III study in adult patients with Rett syndrome.
Anaex’s target market is highly competitive as several other pharma companies like Biogen BIIB and Eli Lilly LLY are also developing their candidates targeting the AD indication. The Alzheimer’s candidates of these companies — anti-amyloid beta antibodies — are in late-stage development or review and are expected to be launched in a few months.
Last week, Biogen along with partner Eisai presented detailed data from the phase III confirmatory study CLARITY AD, which evaluated its AD candidate lecanemab (BAN2401) to treat early AD. The data showed that Biogen’s candidate did reduce markers of amyloid in early Alzheimer’s disease and led to moderately less decline in measures of cognition and function than placebo at 18 months. However, treatment with lecanemab was associated with adverse events.
Biogen/Eisai have already filed their biologics license application (BLA) seeking accelerated approval for lecanemab with the FDA, supported by data from a phase II study (Study 201). A final BLA decision is expected by Jan 6, 2023.
Eli Lilly has developed donanemab, an investigational antibody therapy, for AD. Eli Lilly initiated a rolling submission with the FDA last year, seeking approval for donanemab under the accelerated pathway based on data from the phase II TRAILBLAZER-ALZ study. A final decision on the BLA is expected in early 2023. Eli Lilly also expects a data readout from the pivotal phase III TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 by mid-2023. If positive, the data will form the basis of its application for traditional regulatory approval for donanemab.
Last month, Roche RHHBY announced the failure of the GRADUATE I and II studies, evaluating its monoclonal antibody gantenerumab in early AD. The studies failed to meet their primary endpoint of slowing clinical decline. Patients treated with Roche’s gantenerumab showed a slowdown of clinical decline in GRADUATE I and GRADUATE II, which was not statistically significant. Per Roche, the level of beta-amyloid removal was lower than expected.
Anavex Life Sciences Corp. Price
Anavex Life Sciences Corp. Price
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Corporate landlords are gobbling up mobile home parks and rapidly driving up rents — here’s why the space is so attractive to them
Vishesh Raisinghani – December 5, 2022
Corporate landlords are gobbling up mobile home parks and rapidly driving up rents — here’s why the space is so attractive to them
The hunt for yield has pushed private equity firms and professional investors into new segments of the real estate market.
In recent years, sophisticated investors have snapped up multi-family units and single-family homes. Now, corporate landlords are targeting the most cost-effective segment of the real estate market: mobile home parks
The most affordable U.S. housing option
Manufactured homes or mobile homes are considered the most affordable non-subsidized housing option in America. That’s because the owners own only the prefabricated unit and not the land under the home. The land is usually leased from the landlord of a trailer park.
The average monthly rent for a mobile home in 2021 was $593. That’s significantly lower than the average one-bedroom condo rental rate of $1,450. The mobile park rental also often includes utilities and insurance.
Rents typically rise 4% to 6% annually and renters have the flexibility to move their housing unit to another park. These factors make the manufactured home highly attractive to low-income households.
As of 2020, nearly 22 million Americans lived in mobile homes. That’s 6.7% of the total population or about one in 15 people across the country. However, the economic inefficiencies that make these manufactured homes affordable also make them attractive to professional investors.
Investing in mobile home parks
Factors such as below-market rents and disrepair make mobile home parks attractive for investors seeking to add value. The typical mobile home park lot costs $10,000, which means 80 lots would be worth $800,000 on average.
Put simply, the entry price for these parks is much lower than multi-family apartments and condo buildings across the country.
Professional investors can also raise rents significantly to improve the valuation of the property. Attracting tenants with higher incomes or improving the park’s amenities and infrastructure are other value-add strategies that make this asset class appealing.
The fact that moving a typical mobile home costs between $3,000 to $10,000 also means that most tenants are unable to afford the move. This gives landlords immense pricing power.
Meanwhile, the yield is much higher. The capitalization rate (the ratio of net operating income to market price) could be as high as 9%, according to real estate partners Dave Reynolds and Frank Rolfe, who together are the fifth-largest owner of mobile home parks in the U.S.
The largest mobile park landlord is real estate veteran Sam Zell. Zell’s Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) owns 165,000 units across the country and the asset is a key element of his $5.4 billion fortune.
In recent years, larger investors such as Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firms such as The Carlyle Group, Brookfield, Blackstone, and Apollo have also added exposure to this asset class.
Even Warren Buffett is involved. His firm’s subsidiary, Clayton Homes, is the largest manufacturer of mobile homes in the U.S., and also operates two of the biggest mobile home lenders, 21st Mortgage Corp. and Vanderbilt Mortgage.
You can invest too
Retail investors looking for exposure to mobile home parks have plenty of options. Acquiring a park is, perhaps, the most straightforward way to access this asset class. However, publicly-listed stocks and real estate investment trusts offer exposure too.
Sam Zell’s Equity LifeStyle Properties is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ELS. Sun Communities Inc. (SUI) owns 146,000 units across the U.S. and some in Canada, while Legacy Housing Corp. (LEGH) builds, sells, and finances manufactured homes.
Retail and institutional investors could see more upside from this segment as the economic inefficiencies are ironed out.
True, walking is the most practicable exercise. You can pretty much do it anywhere anytime. That is no small thing.
The problem is that ordinary walking won’t push your heartbeat rate into the same zone as running or a fast bicycle ride or even a game of pickleball, one study found.
Why does intensity matter? Vigorous workouts are a more efficient way of getting fit, says cardiologist Matthew Nayor, an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, who tested the fitness of more than 3,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study. He found that a minute of moderate to vigorous exercise had the same benefit as two or three minutes of light exercise.
How do you know if the exercise is vigorous enough? If you can carry on a conversation easily, it is probably moderate exercise, Nayor says. “If the sentences get shorter, and it is harder to carry on a conversation, you’re headed toward vigorous exercise.”
There are simple tricks you can use to transform leisurelywalks into intense exercise. That includes walking up hills, carrying a weighted backpack, or working a few sprints into your daily perambulation. Perhaps the best trick of all is to walk really fast.
I have done all these things since Aug. 14, the day I turned my bicycle too sharply onto a gravel road near my New Jersey home and was slammed down, breaking two bones in my right wrist and partially tearing a tendon. That hurt.
At the time, I was training roughly 12 hours a week in preparation for an October bike ride across Italy with high school friends.
I saw a hand surgeon the next day and he told me I probably wouldn’t need surgery but that I could forget about biking in Italy. He put my wrist in a splint and said I couldn’t drive a car, much less get on a bike for a good while.
That hurt even more. Not only was I forgoing the trip to Italy, but I had spent months getting in the best shape in years. Now I was going to lose it all.
I started walking the next day to avoid that fate. Am I in biking shape? No way. But I have kept relatively fit by going on a hard daily walk. I passed a previously scheduled heart stress test a couple of weeks after my bike crash, and my restingpulse rate—one way to measure how healthy your heart is-—is about the same as when I was riding 12 hours a week.
Like any exercise regime, you should talk to your doctor before doing intense walking. This is particularly true if you’re older.
Here are the tactics I used tostep up my daily walking routine. Anybody with a pair of walking shoes can use these.
Sprint Once in Awhile
Short bursts of intense workout woven into your daily walk will greatly improve its cardiovascular benefits.
“High-intensity interval training is basically doing an activity ‘as hard as you can’ for about 30 seconds, whether it be walking, running, cycling, swimming, then taking one to two minutes of recovery at a more easy pace,” explains Edward Laskowski, a doctor of sports medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Walking in a hilly area is a natural sort of interval training. When you walk up the hill, that is the high intensity part. When you walk down, that is the recovery.
If you live in a flat area, try doing a few short sprints during your walk. Take your time to recover after each sprint. I prefer sprinting on grass, which I do at a local park.
Carry Weights
A weighted rucksack or vest can turn your stroll into a taxing workout. When I don’t feel like walking fast, I put on a 30-pound backpack and walk through a nearby forest with some hills. I’m exhausted by the time I get back to my house.
You can buy rucksacks with secured weight plates so things won’t bounce around. I’m a cheapskate, so I just took a weight set we had sitting around and used duct tape and cardboard to construct a stable weight that I could secure inside a backpack.
Pick Up Your Pace
This is the most tiring workout of all.
If you want to walk faster than 4 or perhaps 4.5 miles an hour, a brisk pace for most walkers, you have to bend your arms and swing them like a racewalker. Here’s a demonstration. The more you swing your arms like this, the faster you’ll step. Trained race walkers can walk at 9 or 10 miles an hour. You read that right. Here’s a video of Tom Bosworth of England walking a mile in 5 minutes and 31 seconds. It’s difficult to run a mile that fast.
The fastest I’ve managed recently isn’t quite 5 miles an hour—less than half the pace of Bosworth!—and a 4 mile walk at that pace left me completely thrashed. It was absolutely as hard as a run or a hard bike ride. My legs were almost quivering by the end because—I can’t believe I’m writing this—walking can bethe best exercise if done right.
How Far Should You Walk to Improve Your Health? You Won’t Like the Answer.
Neal Templin – Dec. 3, 2022
Yes, it really takes that many steps to stay in shape.Dreamstime.com
Walking 10,000 steps a day is one of those mysteriously decided good things we should all do, much like drinking eight glasses of water a day. I read it comes from a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s.
I’d like to report the number of steps needed for full benefit was fewer, but a fair amount of research has since been done on the subject, and it found that walking 10,000 steps a day is great for your health.
Evan Brittain, a cardiologist and associate professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee, co-wrote an October 2022 study published in Nature Medicine journal that measured how much exercise people actually got using Fitbit fitness trackers during a median of four years.
The study looked for associations between step count and disease. “We looked across every human disease that showed up in unbiased analysis,” Brittain says. “We homed in on six strongly: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, esophageal reflux, sleep apnea and depression.”
The study found the biggest protections against most diseases among those who walked close to 10,000 steps a day. For example, the research found that increasing your step count to 10,000 from 6,000 reduces the incidence of diabetes by 56%.
Why is walking—or any form of exercise, really—so good for us?A few reasons, says cardiologist Chad Raymond, director of cardiac rehabilitation at University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute in Ohio. For starters, those same endorphins that make you feel great after exercising also open up your blood vessels and help create new blood vessels.
“Regular exercise reduces blood pressure five to eight points, often what most blood pressure medicines do,” he says.
Exercise also improves the ability of skeletal muscles ability to extract oxygen from the blood, Raymond adds. And it helps improve lung function, which in turn helps the heart.
Stop the presses: Being a couch potato isn’t good for you. So put on those comfortable shoes and go for a walk.
