Meetup, the platform that connects people at events for shared interests, can improve mental health according to new insight from therapists, those that use Meetup, and studies. Unlike most social platforms, Meetup has been recognized to beneficially impact mental health. Embracing this news, the company has announced today, on the first day of Mental Health Awareness month, that it has launched a mental health initiative including original content with expert advice and a resource page found at https://www.meetup.com/lp/mental-health-community.

Meetup has heard from members and mental health professionals on how the platform has improved well being. A study found that 80% of people who go to Meetup events feel more connected to others, 72% report an increase in friendships, and those using Meetup to organize events say it has made their lives better (74%) and increased impact on their self-confidence (78%). (Source: ImpactED, University of PA).

"I've long recommended Meetup to clients," said Matt Shaffer, LCSW. "It's not only the immediate upside of gaining that positive social result, but more importantly, attending Meetup events helps people think and feel differently about the challenge of forming connections. Rather than it seeming like an insurmountable obstacle, they find that all is not lost and there are pathways through this challenge. My clients have been able to break their inertia and form social connections."

Community has the power to change lives. In an 80-year study, researchers at Harvard found that community has a profound impact on mental and physical health (source). Having close personal relationships delays aging and prolongs happiness.

Meetup's newly launched mental health initiative includes experts, therapists, and psychologists providing actionable advice on everything from finding happiness, to creating adult friendships, and how to live a meaningful life. Additionally, Meetup's podcast, blog and Meetup Live programming will honor mental health throughout May featuring daily, weekly, monthly mental health practices, lessons from Harvard's happiness study, and more. As a longtime leader in building connections and community, Meetup has captured the attention and interest from Rosie Acosta, author of You Are Radically Loved and a mindfulness teacher, and Jay Glazer, author of Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety into Motivation and You Can Too and National Football League (NFL) Insider for FOX NFL Sunday. Each will be guests on Meetup Live May 2nd and May 23rd at 3:00 P.M. respectively.

"We know that attending or organizing Meetup events regularly makes people feel good and that's why we do what we do," said David Siegel, CEO of Meetup and host of the Keep Connected podcast. "We are pleased to know that healthcare professionals are recommending Meetup as a solution to supplement therapeutic treatment, and that reaffirms our commitment to ending the loneliness epidemic while also connecting a lot of cool and fascinating people along the way."

One Meetup organizer who has seen tremendous improvement is David Good. He explained, "As someone with Aspergers and treatment-resistant depression that has had career setbacks because of illness and injury, Meetup helped me figure out the world of people and gave me new purpose and meaning in life. Serving others by running groups in cities worldwide has been the greatest treatment I've found for my depression."

Mr. Good organized his first Meetup group called, West Michigan Geeks in the summer of 2014, and it has grown in popularity to have 4,712 members. With that success, he launched a Meetup Pro network called International Friend Connection with the mission of connecting people for friendship and understanding. This Meetup network hosts multiple in-person and online Meetup events each week, and has 41 Meetup groups across the U.S. and 20 countries with 28,231 members, collectively.

Meetup is the social media platform for finding and building communities of people who meet about common interests. Established in 2002, the company remains true to its mission of helping people grow and achieve their personal or professional goals through authentic, human connections. Meetup has more than 60 million registered members across 330,000 groups active in 193 countries and 10,000 cities around the world.

World Health Day is celebrated each year on April 7th and helps draw attention to health topics that affect people all over the world. Founded by the World Health Organization (WHO), this important holiday also serves as a reminder to take care of one's health. Actress and health advocate Maggie Q has dedicated her life to helping people obtain a state of vibrant health through her brand ActivatedYou™. This revolutionary dietary supplement brand encourages people to use this holiday as a time to take care of their overall health - through mind, body, and spirit. Maggie Q and ActivatedYou recommend doing so by increasing physical activity, incorporating breathwork such as meditation into your routine, and increasing your intake of supplements.

ActivatedYou sells several scientifically backed dietary supplements that blend age-old Eastern traditions with revolutionary modern findings in health and nutrition, to help your body thrive to its full potential. A few of ActivatedYou's top-selling products that you can use to support your overall health are as follows:

- ActivatedYou Morning Complete - Available in Citrus Medley or Apple Cinnamon, this is a powerful daily wellness drink featuring a blend of probiotics, prebiotics, and green superfoods that are designed to support regular digestive function, daily energy levels, and overall wellness.†*

- ActivatedYou Advanced Restorative Probiotic - This is a powerful 30-strain probiotic supplement that is formulated to help optimize your digestive system for a balanced mood, smoother digestion, reduced gas and bloating, and a supported immune function.†*

- ActivatedYou Vital Amino Essentials - A delicious tropical citrus guava-flavored drink, Vital Amino Essentials features all nine essential amino acids, plus powerful phytonutrients, prebiotic fiber, plus two "bonus" amino acids for a healthier, more energized body.†*

On top of their commitment to supporting the health of their customers, ActivatedYou is also committed to helping the planet's health. Because of this, they've created one-of-a-kind formulas with plant-based compounds that minimize the usage of the planet's resources. Each of their product's formulas are also quality tested. These formulas combine tried-and-true favorites with cutting-edge compounds to help users support and nourish their bodies and reach their health goals.

About Maggie Q

As a health advocate, animal rights activist, the founder of fitness apparel brand Qeep Up, and actress of the upcoming action-thriller Fear the Night — best known for her roles in Nikita, Designated Survivor, and Mission: Impossible III — Maggie Q uses her name to advocate for those in need. Maggie's personal health struggles led her to do extensive research in the world of nutrition and that's what inspired her to create her own line of wellness supplements, ActivatedYou. Follow @maggieq on Instagram.

About ActivatedYou™

ActivatedYou was founded by health advocate, animal rights activist, and actor Maggie Q, with Dr. Frank Lipman, a renowned gut-health expert and a pioneer of integrative medicine. The team at ActivatedYou believes that in order to help someone, you need to treat them as a whole person – mind, body, and spirit. ActivatedYou's unique formulas blend the latest in cutting-edge health and nutrition with age-old Eastern traditions and healthy ingredients for unique, effective formulas designed to help revolutionize health and improve lives. ActivatedYou's best-selling products also include Nighttime Complete, AdrenaLife, and Active Enzyme. To learn more about Maggie Q's ActivatedYou line, visit www.activatedyou.com and follow @activatedyou on Instagram, @ActivatedYou on Twitter, and ActivatedYou on Youtube.

Business professionals in Dubai are increasingly turning to LASIK eye surgery to improve their vision and enhance their productivity in the workplace.

CEOs and high-level executives often get LASIK eye surgery to improve their vision and eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses. The reasons are similar to those for other business professionals, including improved productivity, confidence, and overall quality of life.

Who wants to worry about glasses creating glare during a televised conference, interfering with their workout, or suffering with contact lenses during a long business flight?

Here are a few examples of influential executives who do not wear glasses in public, either for public image or personal reasons.

- Elon Musk - CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Inc.

- Mark Zuckerberg - CEO of Meta

- Jeff Bezos - Founder and former CEO of Amazon

LASIK, or Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, is a safe and non-invasive surgical procedure that corrects vision problems, such as near-sightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Professionals traveling and working in the United Arab Emirates have a solution for their vision goals.

Dr. Abdullah Naqi, Ophthalmologist and Executive Director of North American Lasik & Eye Centre (NorthAmericanLasik.com), located in Dubai, commented, "For professionals looking to improve their vision and enhance their careers, LASIK can be a life-changing option." He later added, "With LASIK eye surgery, individuals can achieve a clearer, more comfortable vision, which can lead to increased productivity and confidence in both their professional and personal lives."

According to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, over 700,000 LASIK procedures are performed each year in the United States. This number indicates LASIK remains a popular and safe laser vision correction option for those seeking to improve their vision and life.

Many business professionals are also attracted to LASIK because of its safety and reliability. The procedure is minimally invasive and typically only takes about 15 minutes per eye, with most patients experiencing little to no discomfort during or after the procedure. Patients can return to work and resume their normal activities within a few days, with most experiencing significant improvements in their vision within hours of the procedure.

The North American Lasik & Eye Surgery Center team of surgeons have over 20 years of experience and performed over 16,000 eye surgeries. Their commitment to all their patients is that they receive treatment in terms of quality, trustworthiness, and credibility.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a growing epidemic and rising global public health concern, with 850 million people affected worldwide. As a progressive disease, very often linked to diabetes, CKD can lead to kidney failure, also known as End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD), which requires dialysis.

Baxter, a global leader in dialysis care, has launched "Begin Again", an education campaign to raise awareness of the vital importance of timely treatment, empowering those who have been diagnosed with ESKD with the knowledge they need to move forward with treatment while still living life to the fullest.

In Asia Pacific, the Begin Again campaign will run in nine languages across 10 markets, aiming to reach over 28 million people. People will be directed to My Kidney Journey, a website designed to provide comprehensive and objective information on CKD and dialysis in a way that is easy to understand.

Kidney failure is a major public health burden in Asia, which counts six of the seven countries/regions with the highest incidence globally, namely Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia.

Urgent action must be taken to address this growing health crisis and ensure those affected by the disease are empowered with the right resources to make informed decisions about treatment options.

Dialysis is the most common form of treatment for CKD patients, and involves the removal of waste and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to fulfill that function well. There are two types of dialysis: Hemodialysis (HD) and Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). HD involves using a machine to filter blood outside of the body, and is usually done in a hospital or care centre. Meanwhile, PD collects waste from the body by introducing a sterile fluid into the peritoneal cavity through a catheter, and can be done at home and performed by patients or their caregivers.

The Begin Again campaign arms patients with the knowledge and confidence to have meaningful conversations about the treatment options, and highlights the potential positive impact of Shared Decision Making, a collaborative approach where patients and their families work with healthcare professionals to choose the dialysis option that works best for their clinical condition, social circumstances and lifestyle.

Dr Alvin Ng, Senior Consultant Nephrologist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, said, "Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is rising at an alarming rate across Asia Pacific. As a doctor treating patients with CKD, I have seen firsthand the consequences of poorly-timed dialysis initiation, which can lead to poor health outcomes in patients. Timely intervention is vital, and healthcare professionals can work closely with patients and caregivers to help them make informed decisions, and empower them to play an active role in their own health and treatment plan."

Satya Anand, a 21-year-old patient who suffers from ESKD, said, "The initial shock of my diagnosis was overwhelming to my family, but with the help of our doctors, we've been able to assess treatment options and take quick action over the years. Being able to carry out PD safely and simply at home, without the need to commute to a clinic, has given me the confidence and flexibility to study and travel. I refuse to let my condition define me, and my doctors and my family constantly remind me that it is possible for me to have a fulfilling life while on dialysis."

Steven Flynn, President of Baxter Asia Pacific, said, "Baxter is proud to continue our long-standing support for World Kidney Day as part of our commitment to our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. We recognise the importance of empowering patients with the knowledge they need to meaningfully participate in Shared Decision Making, and working in partnership with healthcare providers to make informed decisions about their health and treatment options. As hospital systems across Asia Pacific shift to more home and community-based care solutions, home-based dialysis care such as PD will create more opportunities for patients to live a full life while reducing the resourcing burden on hospitals. With a 90-year history in innovative healthcare solutions, we aim to give more patients access to the best possible care to help them achieve better and fuller lives."

Every day, millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers rely on Baxter's leading portfolio of diagnostic, critical care, kidney care, nutrition, hospital and surgical products used across patient homes, hospitals, physician offices and other sites of care. For 90 years, we've been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers who make it happen. With products, digital health solutions and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter's employees worldwide are now building upon the company's rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations.