The Weekly Health Quiz

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/13/well/13healthquiz-04132018.html

I love this Quiz :-)

Sometimes I score high, sometimes I score low but I always give it a go.

All the answers link to various NYT articles as the Quiz is based on their publications.

So if you are a regular reader of NYT, you'll be scoring high in this Quiz provided you've retained what you've read.

I always look forward to this weekly quiz as it tests my knowledge and also brushes up my knowledge wherever I'm lacking.

I've learned many new facts through this quiz as it updates us with the latest research in health and medicine.

So you can also give it a go, and if you like it, every week, you can try it as every new set of questions will lead you to some amazing answers.

Often I'll share these intriguing discoveries with my friends and family so that they also know what's happening in the world of health and medicine.

So here's wishing you all Happy Quizzing :-)

Cheers
Aparna

What is BP ?!

Well, it means Blood Pressure.

It also stands for British Petroleum and reading this American book, I found that BP also means Bipolar which many people know as Manic Depression or Manic Depressive Psychosis (MDP).

I've already read 2 books from this series, the details of which are here on these Links:

Voices of Alzheimer's

Voices of Multiple Sclerosis

All these books have been published by LaChance Publishing which contributes 100% of its net proceeds to The Healing Project, LLC which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the health and welfare of people struggling with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It helps develop resources for enhancing their quality of life and the lives of their families.



This book about Bipolar Disorder is a very helpful guide for not only the patients but also their friends, family and caregivers as it helps them understand the signs, symptoms, causes, diagnosis and prognosis of this intriguing mental illness of extreme mood swings characterised by euphoric manic episodes followed by extreme bouts of depression.
The majority of people with Bipolar Disorder have recurrent episodes but in between episodes, most people don’t experience any symptoms. While some people may have only one or two mood episodes in their lifetime and lead relatively unaffected lives, others may have multiple episodes, often several times a year.

Mood Disorders are of 2 types: Unipolar Disorder also known as Depression and Bipolar Disorder in which the person's mood alternates between the 2 states of being abnormally low (depression) and abnormally high (mania).

Here are some interesting facts about Bipolar Disorder that I have gathered from the websites: Pendulum, DBSA, Treatment Advocacy Center, WebMD and Mental Health Care 

As of today, around 51 million people all over the world suffer from Bipolar Disorder with the top 3 affected countries being China, India and USA.

The median age of onset for Bipolar Disorder is 25 years although the illness can start in early childhood or in late adulthood (40s/50s). In rare cases, children as young as five can develop Bipolar Disorder.

An equal number of men and women develop Bipolar Disorder and it is found in all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes.

More than 2/3rds of people with Bipolar Disorder have at least one close relative with the illness or with unipolar major depression, indicating that the disease is hereditary and can be inherited through genes. Bipolar Disorder is more likely to affect the children of parents who have the disorder. When one parent has Bipolar Disorder, the risk to each child is l5%-30%. When both parents have Bipolar Disorder, the risk increases to 50%-75%.

Bipolar Disorder is one of the leading causes of disability in the world. This neurobiological illness results in 9.2 years reduction in expected life span, and 1 in every 5 patients with Bipolar Disorder dies by suicide due to lack of proper therapy and social support as their pain exceeds the resources for coping with the pain.

Not everyone’s symptoms are the same, and there is no simple physiological test to confirm the disorder. Bipolar Disorder can deceptively appear to be unipolar depression or even schizophrenia (another type of mental illness). Hence, diagnosing Bipolar Disorder is often difficult, even for mental health professionals. On an average, people with Bipolar Disorder consult 3-4 doctors and spend more than 8-10 years seeking the right treatment before they receive an accurate diagnosis.

Anti-psychotic drugs consisting of mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety pills and antidepressants are usually recommended for treating Bipolar Disorder. If medication is discontinued, the relapse rate could be about 80% within 2 years. With continued drug treatment, only about 40% of recovered patients could suffer relapses. Moreover, proactive lifestyle strategies and self-management skills such as regular aerobic exercises, a regular bedtime, a healthy diet, and paying attention to personal warning signs that a shift to depression or mania is coming can all help a person manage his Bipolar Disorder better. For e.g. if after a certain period of normalcy, a bipolar person on medication suddenly starts losing sleep, he may pay attention to his pattern of sleeplessness and contact his doctor for a change in drug or dosage.

Talking therapies designed for Bipolar Disorder or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and/or Family Therapy can help stabilise patients' moods and help them recognise signs that they are becoming unwell so that they can try to prevent new episodes. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is also offered if all other therapies have failed to produce the desired effect and the patient is still experiencing severe psychotic symptoms. If someone’s behaviour is very extreme and destructive, and if he's considered a danger to himself and to others, he may be admitted to the hospital for treatment against his will, under the Mental Health Act.

Some famous figures who've lived with Bipolar Disorder are Beethoven, Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Vivien Leigh, Florence Nightingale, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Jim Carrey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stephen Fry, Mel Gibson, Frank Sinatra and Britney Spears. You can find a more extensive list on Wiki

Coming back to my view about the book, it showcases some very real life stories of people who've grappled with their mind-boggling symptoms for years before being able to reach a correct diagnosis with their doctors, of people trying to make some sense of their debilitating manic episodes and how they've managed to hold on to life despite all odds, making some major life-changing decisions, hoping to see some light at the end of the tunnel and striving to live even if death seemed to be the only option during moments of crisis. Kudos to them and also to their friends, family and caregivers (who with their unwavering love and support) made sure they lived thru it all....and came out of it all....with their heads held high.

I bought this interesting, informative and inspiring collection from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Bipolar-Disorder-Companion-Strength/dp/1934184071

You can also buy it from The Book Depository which gives free worldwide delivery.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Voices-Bipolar-Disorder-Judith-Cohen/9781934184073

And before I take leave of you, as always, here are some nice, new Quotes for you that I've noted from my newspaper NPPQ

One should not use the name of God mechanically and superficially without the feeling of devotion. - Ramana Maharshi

The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago...had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. - Havelock Ellis

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde

When love is suppressed, hate takes its place. - Havelock Ellis

Sometimes the person you'd take a bullet for is the person behind the trigger. - Taylor Swift

Man...cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past: however far or fast he runs, that chain runs with him. - Friedrich Nietzsche

There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. - Aristotle

I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Every man of genius sees the world at a different angle from his fellows, and there is his tragedy. - Havelock Ellis

One can promise actions, but not feelings, for the latter are involuntary. He who promises to love forever or hate forever or be forever faithful to someone is promising something that is not in his power. - Friedrich Nietzsche

It is only the great men who are truly obscene. If they had not dared to be obscene, they could never have dared to be great. - Havelock Ellis

Cheers
Aparna

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The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Today's News - Please Peruse

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1400751156#

Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never want to do it any other way. - Yogi Desai

What is MS ?!

No, it is not manuscript just because PS stands for postscript ;-)

Jokes apart, on a serious note, if you or any of your acquaintances are suffering from weakness or paralysis, have walking, balance and coordination problems, there is numbness in your face, body and other extremities, you also have vision problems, fatigue and pain, and to worsen it all, you are also suffering from bladder or bowel dysfunction, dizziness, vertigo, involuntary muscle spasms and feelings of stiffness (which could be spasticity), sexual dysfunction, cognitive difficulties, depression and other emotional changes - to add to this list of symptoms, you could also be experiencing abnormal sensations like "pins and needles", "electric shocks", speech disorders, swallowing difficulties, headaches, seizures, hearing loss, tremors, breathing problems and itching, then it's time to head straight for some important blood tests, neurological examinations, VEPs and MRIs to see if it is the early onset of MS or some other dreaded disease. MS (Multiple Sclerosis), if detected early, can be managed and its fast progression can be slowed down using some phenomenal therapeutic techniques that are now available to us, thanks to the dedicated research of the scientific community.

Now, what is MS or Multiple Sclerosis? It is a chronic, disabling, autoimmune disease of the CNS - Central Nervous System. In MS, the immune system attacks the CNS and so in this inflammatory disease, the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged and this damage adversely affects vision, balance, strength, sensation, coordination and many other basic bodily functions.

I'm not scare-mongering here and I'm not writing this article to scare you off but I want to drive home the point that if at any point of time you are experiencing a whole host of symptoms similar to the ones enlisted above, instead of sitting upon those and playing the endurance game, it's time you took immediate action for a good prognosis rather than leaving it a tad too late when nothing can be done to ease off the pain and suffering.

I came to know about MS and a lot more....especially about all those brave people who are down with MS but with their strength, grit, resilience and determination they try to keep their spirits up. Every day, they pledge to live it on....fight it on....and take on MS as if they are in a war-zone striving to succeed against all odds. My hats off to them. If you want to read their inspiring life stories, this is the book you need to buy.



I bought it from Amazon

This book has been edited by The Healing Project and all proceeds from the sale of this book would be donated to them. They are a non-profit organization founded in 2005 to support those challenged with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
__________________________________________________________________

And now, let me take leave of you by sharing some nice, new quotes with you :-)

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however. - Richard Bach

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. -  Frank A. Clark

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. - Albert Einstein

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands. - Richard Bach

Don't settle for a life that doesn't bring you cheers but tears. - Philip T. M.

Cheers
Aparna

--
The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Google Posting - Happy Perusing :-)

https://plus.google.com/117466581567846877904/posts

People who are sensible about love are incapable of it. -  Douglas Yates