Experiences of depression: "It leaves you on the cliff edge of sanity"

Naomi, Cambridge
Depression comes from the mind and invades the mind. It’s like an unstoppable force. Were it not so evil, it would be impressive. It zaps the joy of sleep and relaxation. It causes aches and pains and exhaustion. And then it weighs this tired body and brain down with apathy and robs me of enthusiasm. And just when you get used to the apathy and accept that you will amount to nothing more than a TV-watching, Netflix-browsing, Candy Crush-playing robot, it hits you with panic.

The panic makes you crave company and someone to stabilise you and tell you that it’s fine. But only then do you realise the full extent of the invasion. It has conquered you and you didn’t even notice. There is no one. You’ve asked for help one time too many, you cried and broke down and scared them or bored them (or both) once too often. And they were kind so they let you do it again and again, but eventually they had to look after themselves and their own sanity and they backed away while you weren’t looking. And you’re left holding on by a thread to those that are left, but you can’t risk breaking that thread so you pull your lips into a smile and you weaken yourself further by pulling yourself into the shape of a sane person.

The second wave hits with self-loathing. It hits you with all your foibles and all your huge gaping faults. It opens your eyes and makes you understand in graphic detail why everyone hates you, why you’ve been alone for days, why you’ll always be alone, why friendship and companionship is something for other people. Not for you. The second wave leads to the third: regret. Regret after regret after regret. All the things you said and did wrong. All the misjudgments and missteps, all the failures.

And then the final blow: happiness is gone. Not just missing, but gone. There is only sadness and regret and panic. I can’t remember the last time I was happy and I can’t remember what happiness feels like. I know there were times, lots of times, when I was happy. I try to recall them, but I can never get a clear picture. Was it a night out? A country walk? A hand held? A roller coaster cresting a summit? I try to summon up these moments and the people I spent them with. It’s like looking at a stranger’s photos. No emotion comes to the surface. Depression is sadness for times gone and chances never taken. It is missed opportunities and a missed future. It’s missed friends. It invades and leaves you right on the edge of the cliff of sanity. And then the ridge gives way.

Sophie Adams, Cardiff, 42

Work from Sophie Adams’s Spring Back, Fall Forward. Photograph: Sophie Adams

I’ve experienced mental health difficulties – primarily depression – since my late teens. The piece I’ve submitted is part of Spring Back, Fall Forward, a multimedia art book. It represents one year in my life, a year lost to illness and isolation, when I rarely ventured beyond my bed; a bed whose bounds transcribed the bounds of my life, for a while at least.

A painting by Michelle Baharier.

Michelle Baharier, 52
I have complex depression and post-traumatic stress disorder with somatic symptoms. I make these images to try to stay well.

Anonymous
I’ve experienced what I would now loosely term as “depression” since I was about 14. That’s the first time I remember having an extended period of feeling overwhelmed by my own mind, by a profound sadness I couldn’t explain to anyone. After a while, it just went away, as suddenly and inexplicably as I’d felt awful. And so it’s gone ever since.

That’s not to say I breeze through these bad spells. I’m only just out of one of the worst spells I’ve had in a long time; 12 days with little to no sleep, the same, very specific suicidal thoughts (specific because I’ve planned meticulously over the years what I feel is the optimal way to do it – the least harmful and hurtful to others) playing on a loop. It’s like being attacked by yourself. No one has access to your private repository of past disappointments and humiliations, and no one can twist them and filter them through skewed levels of self hatred like you can to yourself. My mind is so thick with the fog of “everything, but mostly me, is awful” that I can do stupendous acts of doublethink on myself. I called a friend one night totally deranged with all of this. It’s just horrible. All of it is horrible.

This innate self hatred, this will for death, is compounded by the guilt I feel burdening others with this. Everyone has their own stuff. I’m not unique. This thought, along with the fact that no one wants people they love and admire to think that they’re “crazy”, doesn’t really incline me to be open about it in the moment. Luckily for me I’ve got well informed, loving friends. I’m very fortunate to have them and my own way of dealing with this, it means that (so far) I’ve emerged from these spells relatively unscathed.

In terms of treatment – well, nothing has worked better for me than a process of learning to rationalise it, and exercise. Exercise is key. I’ve been on anti-depressants and found them unbelievably unhelpful – when it took the bad thoughts away it also robbed me of the capacity for joy, or any pleasant feelings. I’ve become very pragmatic about the whole thing; there is no secret trauma eating away at me, my life is good, it’s social, I have good friends, I like my job. I see it purely as a chemical deficiency, or an inability to regulate levels of serotonin.

In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

Experiences of depression: "It leaves you on the cliff edge of sanity"

It"s official: access to green spaces leaves you in the pink

People living close to trees and green spaces are less likely to be obese, inactive, or dependent on anti-depressants, according to a new report.

Middle-aged Scottish men with homes in deprived but verdant areas were found to have a death rate 16% lower than their more urban counterparts. Pregnant women also received a health boost from a greener environment, recording lower blood pressures and giving birth to larger babies, research in Bradford found.

Overall, nature is an under-recognised healer, the paper says, offering multiple health benefits from allergy reductions to increases in self-esteem and mental wellbeing.

A study team of 11 researchers at the Institute of European environmental policy (IEEP) spent a year reviewing more than 200 academic studies for the report, which is the most wide-ranging probe yet into the dynamics of health, nature and wellbeing.

The project first appeared as an unpublicised 280-page European commission literature review last autumn, before being augmented for Friends of the Earth Europe with analysis of the links between nature-related health outcomes and deprivation.

“The evidence is strong and growing that people and communities can only thrive when they have access to nature,” said Robbie Blake, a nature campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, which commissioned the analysis.

“We all need nature in our lives, it gives us freedom and helps us live healthily; yet deprived communities are routinely cut off from nature in their surroundings and it is suffocating for their well-being.”

The report makes use of several studies that depict access to nature as being inextricably linked to wealth inequality, because deprived communities typically have fewer natural environments within easy reach.

Despite this, the study cites research that 26% of England’s black and minority ethnic populations visit natural environments up to three times a year, compared with 15% of the rest of the population.

Patrick ten Brink, the IEEP’s director, praised cities such as Oslo and Victoria-Gasteiz for taking steps to make nature accessible to all.

“We should be inspired by this and work together so that all Europeans have nature within 300 metres of their homes in the next 10 years,” he said.

Previous US research has found that that hospital patients with tree views from their windows were discharged a day earlier than those whose rooms faced walls.

An extra 10 trees on a Toronto city block provided health benefits to residents equivalent to a $ 10,000 increase in annual income, or being seven years younger, another study in 2015 found.

It"s official: access to green spaces leaves you in the pink

UK midwife shortage leaves women feeling like cattle, report finds

A chronic shortage of midwives across the UK means women in labour are left feeling unsafe and frightened or as if they are being treated “like cattle” or “on a conveyor belt”, a new report has found.

In a study of 2,500 women who have given birth since 2014, half were found to have experienced at least one “red flag” event such as not getting timely access to pain relief due to insufficient staffing levels.

The research conducted by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) found that since a similar report four years ago there has been “scant progress” in women’s experiences of giving birth under the NHS.

A red flag problem is defined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) as a “warning sign that something may be wrong with midwifery staffing”.

Problems include delays of up to an hour or more in washing or suturing, medication doses being missed, delays of 30 minutes or more in getting pain relief, or when one midwife is not able to provide continuous one-to-one care and support to a woman during established labour.

The report found 17% of women did not get such one-to-one care from midwives, while more than a third who required or received pain relief experienced a delay of 30 minutes or more. Some even reported suffering post-traumatic stress as a result of the way they were treated while giving birth.

Health experts said the findings should serve as a warning to the government that staffing levels are at crisis point. Elizabeth Duff, a senior policy adviser at the NCT, said: “Our research has exposed a crisis in maternity care. No woman should have to suffer a red flag event when bringing a baby into the world. Severe staffing shortages must be acted on so that every family receives an acceptable level of care.”

The study found that 89% of women saw between one and six midwives during their pregnancy with most seeing between one and four. While 88% of women had never met any of the midwives who looked after them during their birth, just over half of those said it did not make a difference to them, mainly due to the professionalism of the midwives caring for them. But 12% said this made them feel alone and vulnerable and 6% said it made them feel unsafe.

Some women wrote about feeling like cattle or a machine, while others reported that a negative birth experience had had a lasting impact on them. One said: “I received a very ‘robotic’ care. It wasn’t very personal and I felt like just another person on the conveyor belt.”

Another said: “I wasn’t treated as a human. I was just a product on a conveyor belt. I was not respected and my birth has left me suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.”

One pointed to staffing issues, saying: “My chosen hospital ward and adjoining birth centre were extremely busy, or so I kept being told on the phone, which resulted in me having an unplanned home birth.”

Another new mother expressed her disappointment at being unable to have the labour she wanted because of “staffing issues”. She said: “There was no room for me on the delivery ward. I ended up giving birth in the antenatal ward, which meant I couldn’t get either a water birth or an epidural.”

Once women had given birth, almost one in five (18%) said they had not seen a midwife as often as they needed, with 36% saying this had caused them great concern. More than a third of women said the diagnosis of a health problem had been delayed due to lack of postnatal care.

Marylyn Haines Evans, the chair of public affairs at the NFWI, said: “The findings from this report show that chronic midwife shortages, an estimated 3,500 in England alone, continue to undermine the delivery of high-quality care for women and their families.”

Louise Silverton, the director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said the report should be a “red flag event for this government”. She said: “The fact that half of women have experienced a red flag event is hugely worrying. It is a sign of services under too much pressure, with too few resources and not enough staff.”

UK midwife shortage leaves women feeling like cattle, report finds

Use Soursop Leaves to Kill Cancer Cells

Use Soursop Leaves to Kill Cancer Cells

Broken leaves in salad bags raise salmonella risk – study

Broken leaves in bags of prepared salad can hugely increase the risk of salmonella, a study suggests.

Scientists found that juices released from damaged leaves in bagged mixed salad and spinach increased the risk of the bacteria 2,400-fold. It also increased the bacteria’s virulence, enhancing its ability to cause infection.

Dr Primrose Freestone, who led the study by University of Leicester microbiologists, said: “Salad leaves are cut during harvesting and we found that even microlitres of the juices (less than 1/200th of a teaspoon) which leach from the cut ends of the leaves enabled salmonella to grow in water, even when it was refrigerated.

“These juices also helped the salmonella to attach itself to the salad leaves so strongly that vigorous washing could not remove the bacteria, and even enabled the pathogen to attach to the salad bag container.”

The researchers found that once a bag was opened, the bacteria naturally present on the leaves grew much faster even when kept cold in the fridge. As a consequence, they advised consumers to eat bagged salads as soon as possible after opening.

Significantly, they found that salmonella could grow at a refrigeration temperature of 4C (39.2F), below the previously observed minimum growth temperature of 5.2C, although independent experts suggested confirmation of this would be required through further studies.

The experts urged salad growers to maintain high food safety standards given the potential for a few salmonella cells in a bag at the time of purchase to increase to many thousands by the use-by date.

The study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology on Friday, did not test bought salads for the bacteria but examined how they grew on salad leaves when they were damaged and their adherence to the surface of their plastic packaging.

The researchers stressed that salads were an important part of a healthy diet but said they were the second most common source of foodborne illness, responsible for a number of salmonella and E coli outbreaks in the US and Europe.

Earlier this year 151 people were infected and two died after an outbreak of E coli in Britain believed to have stemmed from mixed salad leaves.

Contamination can occur from animal or insect contacts, soil, contaminated irrigation and wash waters or non-hygienic equipment and human handling. Salad leaves pose a particular infection risk because they are usually not processed, washing aside, and are consumed raw.

Other experts who were not involved in the study said it highlighted the need for careful storage – akin to other temperature-sensitive food products – and preparation.

Dr Kimon Andreas Karatzas, assistant professor in food microbiology at the University of Reading, said: “Consumers seem to be more preoccupied with nutritional facts, but they should not forget that foodborne pathogens can be deadly.

“Avoiding fresh produce is not a solution, but if possible it would be preferable to buy uncut fresh produce over chopped, and to always wash it before you eat – even the ones that are already washed. Furthermore, keeping these foods in the refrigerator is important.”

Martin Adams, emeritus professor of food microbiology at the University of Surrey, offered some reassurance to consumers. “Prepared salads are generally washed in chlorinated water, a process that reduces levels of bacterial contamination substantially but does not guarantee their complete elimination,” he said.

“It is for this reason that reputable supermarkets and food manufacturers take great pains to assure the quality of their sources of supply and that all reasonable steps are taken to minimise the chances of contamination at source and during production. This study addresses the situation when salmonella is already present in the product and would therefore already be a risk to the health of the consumer.”

Broken leaves in salad bags raise salmonella risk – study

Homemade Cream With Parsley leaves + Lemon For Healthier Skin

Do you think it’s not fair that you spend huge for the expensive products to treat the skin problems while they can not provide the desired effects? But this is the truth! Almost all people suffer from some skin problems such as acne, wrinkles, allergies, spots and blemishes. Instead of spending too much money on the cosmetic products, it’s better to try some natural homemade cures.

In this article, we will give you a simple recipe made by 2 simple ingredients that will make your skin looks much healthier and clearer. You need parsley and lemon, keep reading to find how to make the cream with parsley leaves and lemon to clean your face.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of parsley leaves (chopped)


• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice


• 200 ml water

How to make:

Boil the water and add the parsley leaves, simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes.

Let it cool down and then add the lemon juice.

Mix it well and put into a glass bottle, keep it in fridge for future use.

How to use:

Use the cream twice per day, in the morning and evening. Keep using it for a month, and you will notice the improvement on your face, it helps whiten and clean your skin, and will also make your skin more healthier from inside.

PARSLEY LEAVES

There are several essential nutrients in fresh parsley leaves:

Vitamin A, vitamin C and chlorophyll help the skin healing from breakouts and scars;

Beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body to speed up the healing process of wrinkles;

Folate, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese are also essential for maintaining healthy skin;

The high amount of antioxidants help protect your skin against free radical damages and reduce the appearance of wrinkles;

With antibacterial and antifungal properties, parsley leaves help cure pimples, acne and keep your skin smooth;

Parsley also gives your skin a healthy grow by balancing your sebum production.

LEMON

Lemons provide a positive effect on body cleansing, and also help clarify the complexion.

They boost your metabolism, cleanse your liver and also give your skin a vitamin C boost.

Lemons are also rich in citric acid, which help brighten and lighten your skin.

Lemons have antimicrobial and astringent properties, so they are great for treating acne and removing blackheads.

Sources:

seekingfit.com
healthylifetricks.com
gaia.com

Homemade Cream With Parsley leaves + Lemon For Healthier Skin

How Mango Leaves Can Treat Diabetes?

Diabetes is a common condition that affects many people all around the world. Almost 30 million people living in the United States are suffering from diabetes, with over 8 million of them not aware of their condition. It happens when your pancreas stop producing insulin or when your body is not able to properly use the insulin which is present in the body. Due to deficiency of insulin, the glucose levels in the blood rises, leading to symptoms such as increased urination, extreme thirst, and unexplained weight loss.

Why Mango Leaves Work?

Thankfully, there is a natural solution to diabetes that many people aren’t aware of, and it turns out to be the leaf of a popular fruit that you might already have in your home.

Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood. The tannins present in mango leaves are usually responsible for this effect. Extracts of mango leaves help to improve insulin production and dissemination of glucose, lowering the blood sugar level. Its compound called 3beta-taraxerol and ethyl acetate extract, which significantly increased the glycogen synthesis and stimulate the insulin release and increase the glucose utilization.

How to Use Mango Leaves for Diabetes Treatment?

The traditional home remedy involves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Simply soak 15-20 mango leaves in a cup of water overnight. Filter the water in the morning; drink the freshly extracted juice in an empty stomach every morning. It will help to lower your blood sugar levels.

Other Home Remedies For Diabetes

Spinach and Celery Juice for Diabetes

Ingredients:
3 Handfuls of spinach
1 green apple
1 cucumber (optional)
2 celery stalks with leaves
1 carrot

Directions:
Wash and peel the carrot and green apple and remove the apple seeds. Juice the carrot and green apple together with spinach and celery.

Brussels Sprouts and String Bean Juice

Ingredients:
11-12 Brussels sprouts
2 cup string beans
1 cucumber (optional)
1 peeled lemon

Directions:
Juice the Brussels sprouts, then, the string beans, then the lemon.
When completely blended, stir.

The Brussels sprouts and the beans supply you with key minerals and energy through the creation of vitamin B6 and are a great source of insulin.

Sources:

1) http://healthissuesarticles.com/mango-leaves-super-anti-diabetes-plant-to-treat-diabetes/

2) http://theheartysoul.com/mango-leaves-diabetes/

3) http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/2014-02-superfood-smoothie.html

4) https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/article/7-diabetes-friendly-smoothie-recipes

How Mango Leaves Can Treat Diabetes?

13 Medicinal Benefits of Guava and Guava Leaves

The guava fruit is a tropical fruit and native to the Caribbean. Its skin is thin, light yellow and blushed with pink. It  has a pleasant flavor reminiscent of fresh strawberries and pears.

Gauva Nutrition Value

This popular fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients. It is rich in vitamin A & C, also contains vitamins B2, E, K, fiber, calcium, copper, foliate, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Guava high in vitamin C, the amount is four times more than an orange, and 10 times more vitamin A than a lemon.

Health Benefits of Eating Gauva Fruit Daily

Improve Eyesight

Guava and its leaves are extremely good sources of vitamin-A, which is boost our vision health. Eating gauva slow down the appearance age related cataracts, macular degeneration disease and improve our eyesight.

Treats Constipation

Guava is richest sources of dietary fiber in comparison to other fruits and which makes it extremely beneficial for your digestive health. Guava seeds, if ingested whole, serve as excellent laxatives too, helping the formation of healthy bowel movements.

Beneficial in Pregnancy

Guavas is good in folic acid, or vitamin B-9, which is beneficial in pregnancy, since it can help in developing the baby’s nervous system and protect the newborn from neurological disorders.

Controls Diabetes

Chinese has used guava for the treatment of diabetes, because guava juice has hypoglycemic effect and useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Its rich fiber content and low glycemic index benefit diabetic people.

High Blood Pressure

Guava, being high in fiber and hypoglycemic in nature, helps reduce blood pressure. It reduce cholesterol in the blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining the fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure.

Good For Brain

Brain is vital organs of our body, and keeping it healthy should be necessary. Guavas contain vitamin B3, B6, also known as niacin and pyridoxine, which helps in improving blood circulation to the brain and boost brain activity.

Prevent Hair Loss

Gauva leaves can prevent loss. Just boiled its leaves with water and massaged onto the scalp to put a stop to hair loss. Make sure the water is cool before applying it to the scalp.

Acidity

Guavas alkaline in nature and used in the treatment of acidity and hyperacidity. Drinking guavas juices are helpful in releasing of toxins from the body, especially from the stomach and from colon and its maintain alkalinity inside our body.

Lowers Risk of Cancer

Guava contain compounds like lycopene, quercetin, vitamin C which is beneficial in treatment of cancer. These compounds work as potent antioxidants that help neutralize free-radical damage in the body, which can cause cancer.

Relaxes Nerves & Muscles

Gauva is also good source of magnesium, it is the important mineral which usually has to be extracted from food as the body are not able to make them. Magnesium help the body to keep nerves relax and calm.

Cough and Cold

The iron and vitamin C content in guava helps prevent colds and protect from viral infections. It also reduces mucus, cure cough and keep respiratory tract infection free.

Immunity Booster

Guava is great source of vitamin C provides a huge boost in antioxidants, which are the major lines of defense against the proliferation of free radicals in the body.

Sources:

1) https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-guava.html

2) http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-guava-for-skin-hair-and-health/

3) http://www.top10homeremedies.com/kitchen-ingredients/top-10-health-benefits-of-guava-and-guava-leaves.html

Read Also:

13 Medicinal Benefits of Guava and Guava Leaves

FDA approval of "female Viagra" leaves bitter taste for critics

It is the modest pink pill that its manufacturers hope will do for girls what Viagra did for men. The choice to give the drug a advertising licence in the US has been cheered on by campaigners for women’s rights, but the question remains no matter whether Addyi is the breakthrough medicine claimed.

Men have the blue diamond-shaped Viagra pill and 25 other individuals as well (even though 17 of individuals are kinds of testosterone), although there has so far been no counterpart for women until finally now. But sex and relationship therapists say Addyi is only moderately powerful, need to not be taken with alcohol, and has potentially severe side-effects which includes fainting and abnormally minimal blood pressure.

Related: FDA approves ‘female Viagra’ pill Flibanserin right after two rejections

Some of the women who testified before the US drug licensing committee, the Foods and Drug Administration, seemed to think the pill would bring back the passion and romance of times past, but there are fears they are currently being sold an unfulfillable dream.

“I am concerned about the expectations that ladies have,” said Cynthia Graham, professor in sexual and reproductive overall health at the University of Southampton. “Among women who spoke at the FDA there had been expectations that you can have sexual desire that is at a large level and absolutely nothing is going to influence it – that it will be correct back the place it was when you met your companion.”

The trials display that Addyi gave females who took it day-to-day a single added sexually satisfying expertise per month.

Graham and other critics believe the FDA was pressured and half-shamed into approving Addyi (generic identify flibanserin) by a campaign headed by a vocal group called Even the Score, which pitched the absence of medication to help females with reduced libido as a gender inequality issue.

It describes itself as a campaign for women’s sexual wellness equity which was “created to serve as a voice for American females who believe that it is time to level the enjoying field when it comes to the treatment method of women’s sexual dysfunction”. On the front page of its internet site now runs a banner saying “Thank you, FDA”. Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which owns Addyi, is one particular of the funders, as is Trimel, one more organization in the very same discipline.

Sprout strategies to enlarge the organization. Its shareholders ought to be in for a windfall if the drug generates even a fraction of the good results and profits Viagra did for Pfizer right after winning a licence.

Sprout’s chief executive, nevertheless, hailed the FDA selection as a victory for females. “It has been a outstanding journey to get to this breakthrough minute. Today we celebrate what this approval implies for all women who have prolonged awaited a medical remedy alternative for this daily life impacting condition,” stated Cindy Whitehead. “We applaud the FDA for putting the patient voice at the center of the conversation and for focusing on scientific proof.”

The determination was not clearcut. The drug, an antidepressant which works on the brain, in contrast to Viagra, was rejected twice by the FDA on the basis of a small benefit and considerable side-results. The last vote was an 18 to six, with none of the panel willing to endorse it without having caveats. Addyi will have a black box warning, that means there are significant side-effects. It is not accepted for girls past the menopause or anyone with an impaired liver. It can lead to lower blood pressure and reduction of consciousness. These dangers are increased if ladies drink.

“Because of a possibly critical interaction with alcohol, remedy with Addyi will only be offered by means of licensed wellness care pros and licensed pharmacies,” stated Dr Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Analysis. “Patients and prescribers must completely realize the risks connected with the use of Addyi ahead of taking into consideration treatment.”

The FDA needs Sprout to do even more research of the impact of alcohol. The one it carried out concerned 25 folks, of whom 23 were males. Graham believes there is small possibility physicians will hold off prescribing it for women who drink or who are publish-menopause. Even in the hours right after the announcement of the licence “we could see indications that the drug is not going to be prescribed only to ladies who are pre-menopausal and really do not drink”, she stated.

Dr Irwin Goldstein, who heads the San Diego sexual medication centre and has been a advisor to Sprout, informed the New York Occasions he would not refuse to give it to casual drinkers.

There are also queries about the accurate scale of unmet need to have. The typically utilised statistic that far more than two-fifths of all women – 43% – knowledge loss of sexual desire dates from a survey in 1999 which failed to ask females no matter whether they have been actually bothered by that. The larger and more current National Attitudes and Sexual Lifestyles study in the Uk found that about ten% of girls had minimal libido and had been experiencing distress as a outcome.

Dr Petra Boynton, agony aunt and psychologist who has researched sexual working, says losing interest in sex is a actual worry for females, “But what are they truly worried about? They consider they are not standard because they do not want intercourse that a lot. They wonder ‘will my partner leave me?’ and ‘am I undesirable or inadequate?’”

There are some who wonder if they are missing out on pleasure, she mentioned, but that is not truly the principal anxiousness. “They are speaking about not currently being good adequate or not measuring up. Men and women have a perception that everyone else is possessing great intercourse all the time with exotic positions.” There is, Boynton explained, “anxiety brought about by misinformation about sex”, that is perpetuated by the media and particularly men’s and women’s magazines. “The cultural wallpaper is telling you that to keep somebody and be desirable and not left alone, which is a enormous fear, you must be possessing and providing regular intercourse.”

Addyi could support a modest number of females, but Boynton pointed out that, like the other medicines for sexual issues, it had only been examined against placebos. It would have been fascinating, she mentioned, to trial it towards candles and bathnights and sex toys – and, for that matter, romantic relationship treatment.

The drug will be on sale in the US from October. Sprout has not stated no matter whether it will apply for a licence to sell it in Europe, but if it did, the verdict may possibly not automatically be the same. “I would be stunned if it is licensed right here,” mentioned Boynton. “But regardless of whether it is licensed or not, it will nonetheless perpetuate the illusion that if you do not have desire, there is something wrong with you.”

FDA approval of "female Viagra" leaves bitter taste for critics

"Miscarriage leaves partners feeling invisible and with no support"

“Many keep their real feelings hidden from their wife or girlfriend for dread of saying the incorrect issue or triggering far more distress. Buddies and household typically request how the lady who has miscarried is coping, but never consider to inquire her companion.”

Numerous partners also felt sidelined by hospitals, with 22 per cent saying they felt excluded by overall health care staff and 38 per cent not provided additional data.

A more 63 per cent mentioned they have been not told of any assistance groups for folks who had experienced miscarriage and 13 per cent were distressed by hospitals continuing to send antenatal care letters after the miscarriage.

‘I have to be strong’

In the course of the review, male partners typically mentioned they felt they had to be strong for their partners.

A single respondent replied: “It was an expertise that we went via together and I think that she is the only other person who understands what I come to feel.

“However, there is definitely a pressure – both perceived or genuine – that as a male it is crucial to be sturdy and supportive for the other individual, which can be challenging.”

What would aid?

The partners surveyed explained the main issues which would have aided them. These incorporated obtaining pals or loved ones check out they’re Ok, hearing other people’s stories and experiences, and having healthcare professionals communicate immediately to them, as effectively as the lady, going by way of the miscarriage.

Dr Petra Boynton of UCL Healthcare School and Telegraph Wonder Women’s agony aunt mentioned: “We discovered, contrary to the limited present research, that partners do want to talk about miscarriage. Although some described possessing to fill a function of being ‘strong’ for the lady who miscarried, most really want to talk about their experiences but struggle to locate a way to do this.

“The miscarriage typically impacted their friendships, operate and physical and mental wellbeing. Despite the fact that they wanted to have somebody to talk to, or care for them, they mentioned they did not come to feel capable to request for assist from close friends, family members or their employers. And people individuals didn’t look conscious that partners may well be upset or in require of support.”

A display of assistance

These findings are why the Miscarriage Association is launching a public awareness campaign today. ‘Partners Too’ highlights the problem and directs these impacted in the direction of relevant sources.

Atik stated: “All also usually the voices of partners go unheard and their needs go unmet. We want this campaign to highlight their stories, exhibiting partners that they are not alone in their feelings and telling them where they can uncover help.

“We want them to be regarded, rather than sidelined, for the duration of and after pregnancy reduction.”

Professor Lesley Regan, vice president for strategic development at the Royal School of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists welcomes the campaign – including that females and their partners should have comply with-up appointments soon after a miscarriage.

Professor Regan mentioned: “These survey final results reveal the accurate effect the loss of a little one has on the partners of ladies. It is genuinely critical that we do not overlook the partners distress and grief reaction.

“Following the miscarriage women and their partners must be provided a adhere to-up appointment with a member of the healthcare crew. Several couples uncover talking aids and they need to be directed to other sources of assistance and counselling.

“Both mother and father want to be supported totally by way of the physical and emotional process.

“Creating sense of what has took place can consider time. It is a deeply personal expertise that influences everyone in a different way.”

"Miscarriage leaves partners feeling invisible and with no support"

Motörhead fan"s vigorous headbanging leaves him with blood clot on the brain

Motörhead lead singer Lemmy performs with his band. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Hefty metal actually can do your head in, in accordance to medical professionals who treated a Motörhead fan with a blood clot on the brain caused by headbanging.

The 50-yr-old German man created the condition following getting carried away at one of the rock band’s concerts.

German doctors say they handled the fan whose headbanging habit in the end led to a brain injury, but that the danger to metal supporters in standard is so little they do not need to give up the shaking.

This is the fourth documented case of subdural haematoma linked to headbanging – a single of which proved fatal.

Professionals handled the fan at Hannover Medical School two weeks after he started suffering a continuous, worsening headache that affected the complete head.

The patient, who was not recognized, had no history of head injuries or substance abuse issues but explained he had been headbanging regularly for years – most recently at a Motörhead concert he attended with his son.

Soon after a scan, physicians identified their patient had a brain bleed and needed a hole drilled into his brain to drain the blood. The patient’s headaches soon disappeared.

In a followup scan, the medical professionals saw he had a benign cyst which may possibly have produced the metal aficionado much more vulnerable to a brain damage.

“We are not towards headbanging,” stated Dr Ariyan Pirayesh Islamian, a single of the medical doctors who treated the guy.

“The danger of injury is very, extremely low. But I think if [the patient] had gone to a classical concert, this would not have took place.”

Islamian said the violent shaking of the head in headbanging can be sufficient to lead to injury as the brain bumps against the skull and mentioned other heavy metal followers had suffered comparable injuries in the previous.

The newest situation was described in a report published on the web on Friday in the Lancet.

A evaluation of the health care literature revealed three earlier instances where headbanging led to blood clots. One particular, an acute haematoma, resulted in sudden death.

Other conditions attributed to headbanging have incorporated a torn carotid artery, a whiplash injury, a fractured neck and air in the chest cavity.

The medical professionals defined headbanging as “a modern dance form consisting of abrupt flexion-extension movements of the head to the rhythm of rock music, most frequently observed in the hefty metal genre”.

Islamian described Motörhead as “a single of the most tough-core rock’n"roll acts on Earth.”

Medical doctors mentioned headbangers need to not be discouraged from enjoying their favourite bands.

“There are most likely other greater chance occasions going on at rock concerts than headbanging,” explained Colin Shieff, a neurosurgeon and trustee of the British brain injury advocacy group Headway.

“Most individuals who go to music festivals and jump up and down although shaking their heads never end up in the hands of a neurosurgeon.”

Islamian agreed that heavy metal followers ought to not automatically skip the headbanging.

“Rock’n"roll will never ever die,” he stated. “Heavy metal fans must rock on.”

Motörhead fan"s vigorous headbanging leaves him with blood clot on the brain

Stephen Sutton"s story has new twist as he leaves hospital

Teenage cancer patient Stephen Sutton with his advisor Prof Gary Middleton, his mom Jane and David Cameron at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth hospital. Photograph: Jane Tovey/Birmingham NHS Founda/PA

A teenager with incurable cancer who has raised much more than £3m for charity has been discharged from hospital.

Stephen Sutton, 19, was becoming treated for multiple tumours at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth hospital and was visited on Friday by David Cameron who praised the teenager’s incredible zest for life.

Cameron tweeted a link to Sutton’s JustGiving webpage, exactly where he is raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, urging individuals to donate, saying: “An honour to meet @StephensStory nowadays – his courage is an inspiration to all of us.”

On Facebook, Stephen wrote: “I then also have some much more fantastic news … I have been discharged from hospital. Soon after becoming at a point in which it seemed like I would in no way make it out it feels so awesome to be ready to put that. The recovery I’ve undergone not too long ago is really impressive .

“It has been tough, there is an emotional trauma attached to virtually dying (a few occasions) that will take a whilst to get employed to, but eventually I now come to feel even much more lucky to just be here and the experience serves as a potent reminder to go out there and dwell lifestyle as freely and as positively as attainable.

“The easy things we consider for granted are all blessings, and residing actually is a privilege we need to all consider and get pleasure from and make the most of!”

Sutton, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, had earlier posed for photographs alongside the prime minister, his mother Jane and the advisor treating him.

Cameron gave Sutton a letter saying he was humbled by his bravery and optimistic frame of mind. The teenager has raised a lot more than £3.1m in donations from 131,000 folks since his story became extensively public.

Sutton explained he has had talked about the probability of attempting a new trial drug treatment method, which would be his fifth regime of chemotherapy, but for the time being Stephen stated he and his family members aimed to “just get a bit of normality back into our lives”.

Stephen Sutton"s story has new twist as he leaves hospital

Child who survived Kenya church terror assault leaves hospital

First, a jihadist bullet lodged in his skull. Then his father had no cash to get him to the hospital for surgical procedure. The circumstance was more difficult when it dawned on the loved ones that there was no neurosurgeon in the complete of Mombasa County, their home county.

The father was in deep agony and anguish, and the 18-month previous infant was writhing in ache as phrases of consolation poured in from all above Kenya.

The kid had been shot in the head in the course of an attack by armed militants on a church in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, which left up to 6 individuals dead, like his mother.

Following one particular day of discomfort at Mombasa Hospital, Satrine Osinya acquired help from the Africa Health care and Investigation Foundation (AMREF), which airlifted him to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for treatment. A group of 5 neurosurgeons pondered how to dislodge the bullet from his head. The government and effectively-wishers paid the health-related bill.

Meanwhile strategies for his mother’s burial in Funyula, Busia County, had been underway. His mom, Veronica Atieno, was killed by the identical bullet that pierced into the baby’s head. Up to six other worshippers had been murdered by the gunmen on Sunday 23 March at the Joy Jesus Repentance Church in Likoni, Mombasa County.

In spite of the wretchedness of the tragedy for household and pals, there was a silver lining. On Thursday ten April, infant Osinya emerged from hospital, accompanied by his father, Benson Osinya, brother Moses Gift Osinya, the group of physicians and management at the Kenyatta Nationwide Hospital, smiling and laughing with everyone in sight.

Satrin Osinya receives remedy at the Kenyatta National hospital in Nairobi Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Photographs

He had won a battle over terrorists and united grief-stricken Kenyans, who carry on to drop pals and family at the hands of Somali Al-Shabaab terrorists, who had been blame for the church attack.

“I thanks God and the folks of Kenya who have come to console at a time I essential help the most. I thank AMREF and the government for supporting,” stated Benson Osinya.

As the infant laughed with journalists and employees at the hospital, his 13 yr-old brother, Moses Present Osinya, who courageously cuddled his brother as he cried in ache at the time, and who had watched helplessly as his mom died, thanked God.

Terror routines have rocked Kenya over the past 12 months.

Kenyan legislators have referred to as for the closure of the expansive Daadab Refugee Camp in Garissa, arguing it gives a safe haven to terrorists, who disguise themselves as refugees. Daadab hosts about 500,000 refugees from Somalia.

A significant crackdown on Al-shabaab members in Kenya has been vehemently condemned by Somali leaders, who have likened it to ethnic profiling. The leaders have threatened to withdraw assistance for the government.

About 3000 men and women are getting held at Safaricom-Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on suspicion of getting part of the terror network. Dozens discovered without having legitimate passports and Nationwide Identity Cards have been deported back to Somalia regardless of protest.

A version of this post appeared on IQ4 Information, a spouse of the Guardian Africa network

Child who survived Kenya church terror assault leaves hospital

Senate Republicans" Wellness-Reform Proposal Leaves Considerable Space for Improvement

The wellness-reform proposal put forward by 3 Republican Senators (Hatch, Burr, and Coburn) has attracted a great deal of interest as the so-referred to as Republican substitute to Obamacare.

Although the reform contains a grab bag of previous Republican reforms, like health-related malpractice and Medicaid, its most radical element is a important alter to the private, employer-primarily based system. The proposal involves a considerable tax hike of $ one.five trillion above ten many years that will harm most working Americans, in return for a tax credit which very couple of will enjoy.

The great information is that if the proposal evolves to give much more – or even all – Americans the very same freedom, it could be an excellent substitute for Obamacare. Some who cheer the proposal gloss in excess of the tax hike by noting that the proposal’s initial section repeals Obamacare, which includes about a single trillion dollars of tax increases above 10 years. By that normal, any Republican bill that repeals Obamare and replaces it with $ 999 billion of tax increases in excess of a decade is a winner.

That can not stand. Beating Obamcare is far too reduced a bar. Any substitute must do better than what existed before Obamacare. At present, employer-based well being rewards are excluded from households’ taxable cash flow. This is why we get our overall health advantages from our employers. The Senators’ propose to exclude only 65 percent of the worth of health positive aspects from taxable cash flow.

Even the plan’s critics have underestimated how considerably this will value American families. In the New York Occasions, Dr. Zeke Emanuel wrote that the Senators’ program would tax 35 percent of the employers’ contribution. On common, employers shell out 72 % of premium directly ($ 11,786 of $ 16,351 for a household of 4). So, Dr. Emanuel figures that $ 4,125 would be added to taxable income. But the Senators’ proposal describes taxing 35 % of the whole benefit, not just employers’ share. So, $ 5,773 would actually be added to the taxable earnings of a family members of four.

How much would this raise? The Center for Overall health and Economy, a new believe tank led by a former Director of the Congressional Price range Workplace, estimates the complete take at $ 189 billion in 2017, the first full year under the new law, and just under $ one.five trillion by way of 2024. The Center does not specify how considerably of this is cash flow tax and how considerably FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes. Existing Congressional Budget Workplace and Joint Tax Committee publications estimate that the exclusion of employer-based benefits from taxable earnings minimizes cash flow-tax revenue by about $ 132 billion and FICA revenue by about $ 128 billion.

Simply because richer overall health rewards are loved by increased-cash flow households, we can anticipate that the Senators’ reform would enhance cash flow-tax revenue more than FICA revenue. Let’s assume that two thirds of the $ 189 billion in 2017 would be cash flow-tax income. This $ 126 billion would be offered for the tax credits to households to get person overall health insurance.

However, the Senators’ proposal delivers a tax credit to quite couple of folks. First, it is only offered to people who earn significantly less than 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Degree. Second, it is only offered to individuals who function for companies with one hundred or fewer personnel. These two situations really limit the number of beneficiaries. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 39 million people worked for firms with fewer than one particular hundred employees in 2011, with an regular revenue of about $ 38,000. The Senators’ tax credit score phases out at an income of about $ 35,000. So, perhaps someplace close to thirty million folks may possibly be eligible. More (like Obamacare), it ncreases the fragmentation of coverage for doing work Americans.

Nonetheless, there is a resolution. Taxing 35 percent of employer-primarily based advantages earns the exact same political blowback as taxing 100 % of employer-primarily based advantages. Which includes the complete value of employer-based mostly benefits as taxable earnings would increase sufficient cash to give every single American a tax credit score to acquire health insurance, whether individually or from her employer. Md most of us would see larger following-tax incomes as a result.

The Senators’ proposal goes in the appropriate path, but not practically far ample. Although its technique to reforming private wellness insurance for doing work people will struggle to be accepted by Americans, it elevates the debate by re-introducing the likelihood of a well being-insurance tax credit score as an alternative to Obamacare.

Senate Republicans" Wellness-Reform Proposal Leaves Considerable Space for Improvement

Signed up and nonetheless uninsured: how Obamacare leaves consumers behind

Eve Campbell was established to beat the final-minute December rush, not for Christmas buying or airline tickets, but for Obamacare. With the 23 December deadline to sign up for health insurance coverage successful on New Year’s Day looming she completed her enrollment – or thought she did. 

“I did notice on the final computer screen it mentioned, ‘We will be sending you far more components,’” Campbell told the Guardian. “So I have been waiting for the materials.”

Although she waited, Campbell logged back onto the exchange hunting for – and not discovering – a way to do one final, extremely crucial factor: shell out for the coverage for which she’d signed up. Last but not least, far more than two weeks later, Campbell heard from her insurer, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“I acquired a letter on New Year’s Eve, and it explained: ‘Thanks for deciding on our plan but we nevertheless haven’t received your first premium payment,’” Campbell said. The letter included instructions to the insurer’s site in which payments could be created, and Campbell submitted hers that identical day.

Campbell is not the only person to efficiently total an application for well being insurance coverage via either the federal or a state exchange only to grow to be baffled by the Reasonably priced Care Act’s two-phase system. Shoppers store for coverage through a marketplace set up by the federal government or the state in which they reside, and then, when they think they are accomplished, they have to leap across the web to the internet sites of their personal insurers in order to spend their first month’s premium, without having which they are not truly covered.

In fact, confusion about this concern was so frequent that, days following Campbell submitted her application, insurers nationwide agreed to postpone the payment deadline from 31 December to 10 January. Had the deadline not been extended, these who had not however paid as of 1 January would have had to start off the enrollment method all in excess of once again. 

Now, time is once once more expanding quick for consumers like Campbell. By Friday, most insurers will finalize the last of the enrollments for coverage starting one January of this yr. And then they will discard the applications of any individual who has not presently paid them straight for coverage, leaving some individuals who considered they’d completed almost everything proper without having health insurance coverage. 

The payments method, a lot of which was left to the final minute, could also show a problem for the Obama administration, as it could undermine what had been a comparatively effective attempt to compensate for the troubled handful of weeks that the exchanges – and these who attempted to entry them – skilled last fall.

In the course of Healthcare.gov’s initial week as a totally functioning web site, soon after the 1 December relaunch, more than three.7 million men and women logged on to the site to get their opportunity to select a healthcare program. As of 29 December, about 850,000 Americans had utilized for coverage through state exchanges and 1.one. million via the federal one particular.

Come mid-January, if there are sufficient missed payments and discarded applications, these numbers may look very diverse. 

Healthcare.gov reminds buyers to enroll by 23 December for coverage starting as quickly as January 1. Photograph: Jon Elswick/AP

As a outcome of all the technical troubles with the techniques thus far, thousands of folks have signed up for healthcare coverage numerous times. Numerous others who believe they are covered will find out soon that, because they didn’t pay that first premium on time, they are not. The full extent of the dilemma will most likely not be identified for some time, specially due to the fact some insurers, mindful of the delays, have extended their deadlines yet again, moving them to later on this month. California’s exchange, Covered California, has completed the very same for all of the plans provided via its technique. 

In an try to lessen the quantity of incomplete applications, insurance firms close to the nation, joined by the administration and the states that set up their very own exchanges, have invested the previous couple of weeks doubling up on efforts to remind men and women to spend their initial month’s premiums. 

Their first piece of advice: check your physical mailbox.

“If an individual who believes they’ve been enrolled doesn’t receive a letter from us right after a week or so, that’s a flag for them,” said Cynthia Michener, an Aetna spokeswoman.

Inside of a week of submitting their application on the exchange, Aetna buyers now get letters informing them of “the value of producing their first month’s premium payment”, such as “an invoice for that original premium payment and details about their various payment possibilities”, Michener told the Guardian.

Blue Shield of California also sent out letters requesting payment from everybody who enrolled.

“We are working closely with Covered California and taking numerous actions to remind members that their initial month’s premium needs to be paid by January six to ensure a January 1 powerful date and steer clear of gap in coverage,” Mia Campitelli, a spokeswoman for Blue Shield of California, explained. The firm noticed a “surge in payments” commencing in the 2nd week of December, she added.

Robert Laszewski, president of Well being Policy and Strategy Associates, says the insurers he has spoken to have obtained 50% of the required payments, up from 15% in December. In accordance to him, the enhance in payments obtained can be attributed to the approaching due date as nicely as to the reality that bulk of people who enrolled by means of the exchanges did so in mid- to late December, and would have obtained any letters or invoices from their insurers some time right after that. 

“Fifty % is not an alarming quantity right now. There is no explanation to hit the panic button just but,” explained Laszewski, noting the most latest delay in payment deadlines. 

Signed up and nonetheless uninsured: how Obamacare leaves consumers behind