Latest news with #Samuels
Time Magazine
a day ago
- Health
- Time Magazine
How to Tell if You're Allergic to Alcohol
Your body will almost certainly rebel if you drink too much alcohol in a night. But what if it reacts after just a sip or two? If you notice odd symptoms like facial flushing, a runny nose, or even a racing heartbeat after drinking, you might not just be sensitive to alcohol—you could be allergic. While true alcohol allergies are uncommon, they do exist, and alcohol intolerance and reactions to ingredients in your favorite drinks are pervasive. Here's how to spot the clues that you might not get along well with alcohol. Is it an intolerance or an allergy? Both involve different biological reactions, and an alcohol allergy can be dangerous. A true alcohol allergy is an immune-system response to a component of the beverage. It may mean your immune system reacts to alcohol—or ingredients in alcoholic beverages like grains, yeast, or preservatives—as if it's a harmful invader. Symptoms can include a rash; itching; swelling of the lips, tongue, or mouth; trouble breathing; stomach cramps; or even anaphylaxis, which can be potentially fatal. An alcohol intolerance, on the other hand, "is a genetic or metabolic condition,' says Tamar Samuels, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health, a virtual nutrition platform. 'People with an intolerance typically don't have enough of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), which helps metabolize alcohol.' She says symptoms typically include flushing, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and headaches. Read More: How to Relax and Unwind Without Drinking Alcohol Certain groups of people are prone to alcohol intolerance, though it can affect anyone. Up to 45% of East Asians carry the ALDH2 variant linked to alcohol flushing syndrome, which is a condition where your face, neck, or chest turns red soon after drinking alcohol. It's usually caused by a genetic mutation that affects how your body breaks down alcohol. Signs you might be allergic to alcohol They're rare, but alcohol allergies can range from mild to life-threatening, says Samuels. Signs of an allergy emerge after drinking any amount of alcohol and can include skin reactions (like hives, itching, flushing, or eczema-like rashes), swelling of the face or throat (especially of the lips, eyes, or tongue), respiratory symptoms (like nasal congestion, sneezing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing), gastrointestinal symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, or diarrhea), or cardiovascular symptoms (like dizziness, fainting, or, in rare cases, anaphylaxis.) How alcohol affects the body Alcohol affects nearly every part of the body, starting with the brain. It slows down the central nervous system, impairing judgment, coordination, and reaction time. While it may create a temporary feeling of relaxation or euphoria, long-term use can lead to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Alcohol also alters how the brain's reward system functions, which increases the risk of dependence over time. 'It also affects the heart in many ways, both directly and indirectly,' says Dr. Sean Heffron, cardiologist at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Heart. It can impact blood pressure and influence levels of different types of cholesterol—specifically HDL cholesterol in the blood—and can also have an influence on heart rhythm and conduction. All of these impacts tend to be dose-responsive, meaning that depending on the amount of alcohol you drink, you can have variations in how each of these factors manifest. Read More: Why, Exactly, Is Alcohol So Bad for You? Alcohol has been classified as a known carcinogen and is linked to several cancers, including those of the breast, liver, mouth, throat, and colon. Even moderate drinking has been shown to raise the risk of breast cancer. It can also interfere with sleep, disrupt hormone levels, weaken the immune system, and contribute to weight gain and poor mental health. 'Because of these many negative side effects, drinking in moderation or not consuming alcohol all together is your healthiest option,' says Heffron. Common allergic triggers in alcohol Allergies to ethanol, the type of alcohol found in drinks, are exceedingly rare. Most reactions are caused by other compounds found in alcoholic beverages, says Heffron. Naturally occurring in fermented products like red wine and beer, histamines can trigger allergy-like symptoms in sensitive people, especially those with low levels of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO). These preservatives, found in wine and beer, are especially problematic for people with asthma. One study suggests that sulfite sensitivity may affect up to 10% of people with asthma. Beer and some spirits contain wheat, barley, or rye, which may trigger reactions in people with grain or gluten allergies. Read More: The 9 Most Underrated Healthy Foods Natural fruit compounds, artificial colorants, and tannins in wine can cause headaches, GI symptoms, or hives in sensitive people. In people with alcohol intolerance, the body lacks the enzyme ALDH2 needed to break down acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. This causes flushing, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat. What to do if you suspect you have an allergy If you think you might have an allergy to alcohol, stop drinking immediately and take note of your symptoms. 'For mild symptoms (like hives or nasal congestion), an over-the-counter antihistamine may help,' says Samuels. 'For more severe symptoms like trouble breathing, swelling of lips, or throat, seek emergency care immediately, as this could be anaphylaxis.' She also recommends seeing an allergist for comprehensive testing, including patch testing or oral food challenges to identify the specific triggers like sulfites, grains, or histamines. And is taking an antihistamine before you drink to prevent an allergic reaction a smart idea? 'It's not recommended,' says Samuels. 'While antihistamines may blunt some mild symptoms, they don't address the root cause and can be risky when combined with alcohol." That's especially true for sedating antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which 'can amplify alcohol's effects, leading to increased drowsiness, impaired judgment, or even respiratory depression,' she says. 'Instead of masking symptoms, it's better to identify and avoid the trigger.'
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
New York tech leaders are trying to unseat San Francisco for the future of the industry
If Silicon Valley is where tech companies are born, New York is where they go to mature, says a growing ecosystem of NY tech founders and venture capitalists. This community says the Big Apple can unseat the Bay Area in tech dominance. New York, a bona fide destination for tech companies, is further catching up to San Francisco as a tech hub as the importance of having an East Coast presence grows. The city benefits from a diverse culture, has multiple developed industries, and is seen as a gateway to international markets. The state isn't just counting on this happening; it's actively funding the effort. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has spearheaded a $40 million Empire AI program to supercharge artificial intelligence research in the state. California still beats NY for funding. In the first quarter of 2025, the Bay Area boasted 658 VC deals totaling $58.7 billion, compared with 441 deals totaling $7.1 billion in New York City, according to a report by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. Still, as investment volume picks up, a steady stream of VC firms has set up shop in New York. In recent years, Lightspeed Venture Partners joined a list of firms, including Index Ventures, Thrive Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz, by opening or expanding offices in New York. "We were really fortunate to have some New York-based investors, but fundraising as an exercise was always one that felt we had to do mostly on the West Coast," Mike Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, told Business Insider. "When you're trying to build a team in New York, those trips can be super distracting, time-consuming, and exhausting. I know firsthand that founders relate to this experience," he added. "We feel like having a firm in New York City gives us the ability to meet founders where they are and hopefully make the fundraising process a lot easier." Just don't call it 'Silicon Alley' Tech:NYC, an organization that aims to foster a stronger tech industry in the city, recently secured $350,000 of Empire AI funding. "If you want to go live in a group house and go build an app from the second you wake up to the second you go to sleep and not really see anyone except for your cofounders, then New York is probably not the place for you. And that's OK," Julie Samuels, founder and CEO of Tech:NYC, told BI. Samuels said New York matters most once companies begin to address questions of scale and late-stage considerations. The city has several developed industries, such as finance, professional services, and the arts. It also has a diverse populace, which Samuels says creates a network effect where founders can more easily access customers and clients in one market. She said that New York's tech scene, classically called "Silicon Alley," is not a diminutive of Silicon Valley, but very much its own thing. "Once you build that technology and you're ready to figure out who you're going to sell it to, who's going to pay you for it and use it in practice, and how someone who might not be deeply technical will interact with it, what some of the regulatory concerns are — I feel all of those questions will be answered here in New York," Samuels said. In particular, consumer tech companies like Partiful and Kalshi have found a foothold in New York, which boasts a colorful petri dish of consumer segments. Teddy Solomon, the 23-year-old cofounder and CEO of social media company Fizz, relocated his entire 25-plus-person company to New York from Palo Alto earlier this year. He says NY has a "really tight-knit community" of growth-stage and public company tech founders and executives. "People in New York care more about their companies than themselves, and I love that," Solomon told BI. "In the Bay Area, there are a lot of founders who care more about themselves than their companies." What about the Midwest? As well-trodden as the East Coast versus West Coast arguments have become, a VC who focuses on neither coastal market and is based in Ohio takes a different view. "It's not about New England or the West Coast or whatever. I think this is a more exciting time from an American innovation standpoint than we've ever seen before," Chris Olsen, Drive Capital cofounder and partner, told BI. The firm, which says it makes investments from "east of the Rockies and west of the Hudson River," takes an America-first view on the competition for venture dollars and technological dominance. In the future, Olsen doesn't see a win-or-lose scenario between New York and San Francisco tech companies. "We've got this new thing called artificial intelligence that's shaking up the snowglobe, and this time, when all the snow settles, where is it going to land?" Olsen said. "I'm betting there's more that's going to settle in America as a whole. I don't think it will be nearly as much in California as was concentrated in the past."
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Are these 4 Washington Commanders the team's Mt. Rushmore since 2000?
The Washington Commanders haven't been very good in the 21st century. You can blame former owner Daniel Snyder for much of that ineptitude. Fortunately, Snyder sold the team in July 2023 to a group led by Josh Harris. In only his second season as owner, Harris had the Commanders in the NFC championship game after a 12-5 regular season. It was the franchise's best season in 33 years. It helps, of course, to have a franchise quarterback. In the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders found their guy, Jayden Daniels, who was terrific as a rookie, winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Many already consider Daniels one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. However, before last season, Washington had only made the playoffs five times since 2001, with a record of 1-5. The only win came in 2005, so last season's success marked the end of a long period of ineptitude. That's not to say the franchise hasn't had great players over the last 25 years. Bleacher Report recently named the Mount Rushmore for all 32 NFL teams since 2000. Here's Washington's four picks: It's hard to dispute this list. It's way too early to include Daniels, who has only played one season. You could make serious arguments for current wide receiver, Terry McLaurin. Then, you could also make a strong case for Clinton Portis and Santana Moss. Chris Cooley was excellent, too, but probably falls a bit short compared to the rest of this list. Fletcher played the final seven seasons of his 16-year career with Washington. During that time, he earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, was a two-time second-team All-Pro and is a member of the Commanders' Ring of Fame. Fletcher should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kerrigan played 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with Washington. During that time, he recorded 95.5 sacks and set the franchise record—an easy pick. Kerrigan is now in his fourth season on Washington's coaching staff. It's easy to forget that before Trent Williams, there was Chris Samuels. Samuels, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, started for the Redskins at left tackle for 10 seasons before he was forced into retirement after the 2009 season due to spinal stenosis. Samuels made six Pro Bowls in his 10 NFL seasons. He missed only eight games in his first nine seasons before the injury cost him 11 games during his final season. Samuels is in Washington's Ring of Fame. Trent Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He immediately replaced Samuels as the franchise left tackle. During his 10 seasons in Washington, Williams was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. Since being traded to San Francisco in 2020, Williams has made the Pro Bowl four more times and earned first-team All-Pro on three occasions. All four players were selected for the "90 Greatest" list, which honors the top 90 players/coaches/executives in franchise history. Who are your picks? Would you make any changes?
Hamilton Spectator
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
‘It's so, so powerful': 44th annual Kamloopa Powwow in photos
An estimated 20,000 people attended Kamloopa Powwow last weekend. Hosted at the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Arbour, this year the powwow marked its 44th year and included a performance from a Māori group from Aotearoa (New Zealand) that sang and danced the Kapa Haka, a group dance with chanting that's referred to as a ' living art form ' of Māori culture. Stuart Patrick Jr., a Nuu-chah-nulth dancer, travelled to perform during the weekend at the powwow. 'We dance for the people,' he says. 'We danced for those who couldn't be there, and then I danced for everybody that was there, in prayers and out of my heart.' For Patrick, as a dancer being part of the powwow is a big opportunity to share his culture with other Indigenous Peoples. 'I went there to get grounded and dance to the heartbeat of the drum,' he says. Patrick was part of the senior men's category, which represents men as the community's protectors. 'We are the protectors of our family, of our nations. We will go to battle. We are the providers,' he says. 'The style that I dance, all the moves that you see, that's our celebration of our battles and wars that we've come across. 'We're telling a story of how we've overcome those battles and why we are here today.' He learned this dancing style from his West Coast culture near Ucluelet. Yasakw (Shelly) Samuels, of Haida and Kwakwaka'wakw ancestry, attended Kamloopa as a vendor. Along with her fiancée, Robert Robinson of Nisga'a Nation, the couple travelled from Haida Gwaii to attend this year's powwow. Samuels, whose Kwakwaka'wakw name is Yasakw, has a small Indigenous business called Yasakw Designs , which sells her jewelry and other handcrafted items made using traditional materials like copper and cedar. This was the second year she and her family attended the powwow. 'It just gave me nostalgia, seeing everyone in their regalia. It's so, so powerful,' Samuels says. 'We're not that far away from the Kamloops Indian Residential school, a place that was supposed to kill the Indian. 'But now here we are, as Indigenous people, practicing our culture right beside [it], it's kind of like taking our power back.' For Samuels, besides it being a powerful experience, the powwow has been important to share with her family and young children. 'I love taking my kids there, it's amazing,' she explains. 'The best part of my job is that my kids get to experience all the culture, that's the most important thing for me.' On Friday night at Kamloopa Powwow, eight-year-old Sulyálesta Grizzlypaws stepped into the arbour wearing elk tooth regalia. 'Her long braids were wrapped in otter fur, adorned with soft pink conch shells that shimmered under the sunlights,' Sulyálesta's mother Laura Grizzlypaws told The Wren via email. 'She wore an elk tooth buckskin dress and moccasins with her basket hat that speak to the beauty and strength of her St'át'imc and Warm Springs heritage. But her dance carried more than beauty — it carried history, love, and resilience. 'Just beyond the arbour stand the walls of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, a place that holds painful memories for her grandmother and countless others who were forced through its doors, stripped of language and culture in an effort to erase Indigenous identity. 'Despite those shadows, Sulyálesta dances with powerful purpose. Each step she takes is an act of honour and resistance, a living testament that the spirit and traditions meant to be extinguished have not only survived but shine brightly through her. 'Her regalia and flowing hair are not mere adornments; they are shields of cultural pride, connecting her to the teachings, ceremonies, and ancestral ways that residential schools tried to destroy.' Sulyálesta is the daughter of Laura Grizzlypaws, Indigenous educational developer, author and a Bear Dancer of the St'át'imc, and Levi Blackwolf of Warm Springs. She belongs to a strong lineage of Chiefs and the Bear Clan community and travels internationally with her mother as a Grizzly Bear Dancer, 'sharing the rich stories, songs, and dances of their people with audiences across the world, from Europe to the Yukon, Alaska, Mexico, California, Orlando, the Dakotas, and the eastern Canadian provinces.' 'Sulyálesta has carried her culture onto global stages since she was just a baby,' Laura continues. 'And here she enters into the arbour at Kamloopa Powwow, surrounded by the echoes of drums and the voices of her people. 'Sulyálesta dances not just for herself, but for her ancestors, her family, and the generations still to come. In her movements, we see proof that Indigenous culture remains alive, vibrant, and unstoppable.' Kamloops' 4 Generations Creations founder Ashely Michel organized a Wear a Ribbon Skirt & Dance Your Style special to honour the origins of her company. 'I was raised by my Mom & Grandma to always give back when I can. So, it has been a goal of mine to 'give back' through my business,' she wrote on social media in the lead-up to the event. 'I started making Ribbon Skirts for my daughter and I in 2013 to attend cultural events. My creations eventually progressed into regalia & we started travelling across Canada to Pow Wows which was the start of my business,' she added. In this photo, Michel's daughter's pink ribbons take flight as she dances in regalia adorned with blue beads. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. 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ITV News
16-06-2025
- ITV News
Teen driver who killed car meet spectator sent to young offenders' institution
A teenage driver who killed a spectator at an unofficial car meet just 11 weeks after passing his test has been locked up. Lewis Samuels, 17, was travelling at over 70mph in a 30mph when he hit 23-year-old Connor Richards during a gathering of car enthusiasts at Flixborough, near Scunthorpe, on 24 September 2022. Samuels, who also ploughed into several others, admitted causing the death of Mr Richards by dangerous driving and seriously injuring another man and a woman. He was sent to a young offenders' institution for five years and banned from driving for more than nine years at Hull Crown Court. Sentencing Samuels, Judge John Thackray KC said: "This is yet another sad and depressing example of a young man driving dangerously with sad and tragic consequences." Prosecutor Charlotte Baines told the court Mr Richards and his friends had attended a car meet in Scunthorpe before moving to Flixborough Industrial Estate for a second event. He was watching cars being driven competitively when he was hit by Samuels' Ford Fiesta. Footage played in court showed one woman being carried on the bonnet before falling off. Following the collision Mr Richards was taken to hospital and spent five days in a critical condition before dying from his injuries. 'He died doing what he loved' In a victim impact statement, his mother Nadine Haddon described him as a "special and clever young man, who touched the hearts of many people". She added: "The only comfort is that he died doing something he loved. We can only imagine his excitement and joy watching different types of cars drive past and he was probably examining every little detail of them as they drove past as that was the type of intelligent mind he had." Judge Thackray told Samuels: "You were showing off, not satisfied with people just looking at your car, you drove at a vastly excessive speed." Craig Lowe, mitigating, said references described Samuels, of The Blackthorns, Broughton, near Brigg, as a "happy, polite, kind, helpful and honest young man". He added: "He offered a heartfelt apology for his incredibly stupid actions and tragic consequences." After the hearing Sgt Sean Hutchinson, of Humberside Police, said: 'This was a truly shocking incident that has left a family suffering a life sentence of pain that they will never recover from. Not only this, but Samuels has ruined his own life, and the ripple effect on his own family, friends, and loved ones is immeasurable. "They will all be living with the fact he killed someone for the rest of their life."
