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Doctor defies terminal cancer diagnosis with breakthrough therapy

Dr Tina Willits was told she had just 24 months to live after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but against all odds she is now in remission. The mother-of-five's disease was "everywhere" with three golf-ball sized tumors in her breast and cancerous masses in her ribs, spine, lymph nodes and legs. "When my cancer was detected, it was pretty past a stage four diagnosis and I was too far gone for a mastectomy," she told the Daily Mail. She was placed on end-of-care chemotherapy and was told to "enjoy the time you have left". That was nearly three years ago. Now, the 53-year-old US mum is in remission thanks to a breakthrough cancer therapy that uses cold gases and the body's own cells to freeze and fight tumors. "I was devastated, but I was also like no, I was not ok with that diagnosis. I felt I had to do something," she recalled. "I was just really determined that I did not want to live my life with this cancer, even if they could stop it progressing, I didn't want that, I just wanted it gone." Dr Willits' cancer was HER2 positive, which account for about 20 percent of all diagnoses, and she had no family history of the disease. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy before she sought alternative treatment at the Williams Cancer Institute. The institute sent her a list of supplements to begin taking and advised her to avoid sugar, which some researchers believe can help reduce inflammation and slow down the growth of cancer cells. She then underwent a treatment regimen that is not yet fully approved in the US, with cryoablation as the first step. Cryoablation is the process where doctors insert a small metal probe through the skin and into the tumor, extremely cold gasses are then released directly into the mass to kill its cells. In the second phase of her treatment, she received immunotherapy, where eight drugs were administered directly into her tumor, which doctors say can prompt the immune system to recognise cancer cells as a threat and trigger an immune response. Dr Willits told the Dailymail that she was shocked when she got the results from her six-week scan after the treatment. "There were none, no tumors. They were just completely gone," she said. "All the metastasis (cancerous growths outside the breast) had completely healed, and the cancer in my lymph nodes was no longer there." After the treatment she had another four rounds of chemotherapy, and still undergoes PET scans every six months. So far the cancer has not been detected in her body since the treatment, and will need to wait for five years of clear results before she can be declared cancer free. Dr Williams, the founder of the institute, developed the treatment regimen over several years, and believes it could offer a better way to treat cancer. He is currently running a trial of the treatment in hard-to-treat prostate cancer patients, although he did not reveal how long the study had been going on for or how many rounds of treatment the patients had received. Since going into remission Dr Willits has travelled to Honduras and Colorado, tried mountain biking and is training for a 5k marathon for breast cancer awareness. "I wouldn't appreciate life like this if I had not gone through the cancer," she said. "No one on their deathbed says I wish I had worked more or got that job, you all say I wish I had spent more time with my parents and kids or gone to that place I had always wanted to." Images: DailyMail

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I feel sick. How do I know if I have the flu, COVID, RSV or something else?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natasha-yates-1213624">Natasha Yates</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> You wake with a sore throat and realise you are sick. Is this going to be a two-day or a two-week illness? Should you go to a doctor or just go to bed? Most respiratory illnesses have very similar symptoms at the start: sore throat, congested or runny nose, headache, fatigue and fever. This may progress to a dry cough. Best case scenario is that you have “<a href="https://lungfoundation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Factsheet-Common-Cold-Mar2016.pdf">a cold</a>” (which can be any one of hundreds of viruses, most commonly rhinovirus), which is short-lived and self-limiting. But some respiratory illnesses can be much more serious. Here is a brief guide to some important bugs to know about that are circulating this winter, and how to work out which one you have. <h2>Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)</h2> For most people an RSV infection will feel like “a cold” – annoying, but only lasting a few days. However, for babies, older adults and people with immune issues, it can lead to <a href="https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/bronchiolitis/">bronchiolitis</a> or pneumonia, and even become life-threatening. RSV isn’t seasonal, which means you are just as likely to get it in summer as in winter. However, it is highly contagious so we noticed it <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32986804">disappearing almost completely</a> during COVID lockdowns. There is now a <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-are-approved-australia-ifu-406813.PDF">rapid-antigen test (RAT) for RSV</a> which also checks for influenza and COVID, and is the best way of finding out if RSV is what is causing symptoms. Recently, a preventative immune therapy has become available for high risk babies (<a href="https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-monoclonal-antibody-factsheet">nirsevimab</a>) and there are also <a href="https://ncirs.org.au/ncirs-fact-sheets-faqs-and-other-resources/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-frequently-asked">vaccines for higher risk adults</a>. Nirsevimab is also available to all babies for free in <a href="https://www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/Respiratory-syncytial-virus-RSV-immunisation">Western Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/immunisation/paediatric-rsv-prevention-program">Queensland</a>. But there are no specific treatments. Adults who get it simply have to ride it out (using whatever you need to <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351611">manage symptoms</a>). Babies and higher risk patients need to present to an emergency department if they test positive for RSV and are also looking or feeling very unwell (this might mean rapid shallow breathing, fevers not coming down with paracetamol or ibuprofen, a baby not feeding, mottled-looking skin, or going blue around the mouth). If a patient has developed a bronchiolitis or pneumonia, they may need to be hospitalised. <h2>Influenza</h2> Once you have had the “true flu” (influenza), you will find it frustrating when people call their sniffly cold-like symptoms a “flu”. Influenza infections generally start with a sore throat and headache which quickly turns into high fevers, generalised aches and excessive fatigue. You feel like you have been hit by a truck and may struggle to get out of bed. This can last a week or more, even in people who are generally fit and healthy. Influenza is a major public health issue internationally, with 3–5 million cases of severe illness and <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(seasonal)">290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths annually</a>. People who are at <a href="https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/influenza-flu">greater risk of complications</a> from influenza include pregnant women, children under five, adults aged 65 and over, First Nations peoples, and people with chronic or immunosuppressive medical conditions. For this reason, annual vaccination is <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/vaccines/influenza-flu-vaccine">recommended and funded</a> for vulnerable people. Vaccination is also readily available for <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/immunisation-contacts">all Australians who want it</a>, through pharmacies as well as medical clinics, usually at a cost of less than A$30. In <a href="https://www.vaccinate.initiatives.qld.gov.au/what-to-vaccinate-against/influenza#:%7E:text=The%20flu%20vaccine%20is%20free,.qld.gov.au">some states</a>, it’s free for all residents. Influenza is seasonal, with definite peaks in the winter months. This is why vaccines are offered from early autumn. If you think you may have influenza, there are now home-testing RATs: all current influenza RATs are in combination with COVID RATs, as the symptoms overlap. Treatment for most people is to manage symptoms and try to avoid spreading it around. Doctors can also <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-think-i-have-the-flu-should-i-ask-my-gp-for-antivirals-210457">prescribe antivirals</a> to vulnerable patients; these work best if started within 48 hours of symptoms. <h2>COVID</h2> It has been less than five years since COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, started to spread around the world in pandemic proportions. Although COVID is no longer a <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/ahppc-statement-end-of-covid-19-emergency-response">public health emergency</a>, it still causes <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/deaths-due-covid-19-influenza-and-rsv-australia-2022-may-2024">more deaths than influenza and RSV combined</a>. Unlike RSV and influenza, only those <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/protect-yourself-and-others/high-risk-groups">aged over 70</a> are in a high-risk age group for COVID. Other <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html">factors besides age</a> may put you at higher risk of becoming very unwell when infected by this virus. This includes having other respiratory diseases (such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD), diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, obesity or heart disease. Unlike most respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 tends to set off inflammation beyond the respiratory system. This can involve a range of other organs including the heart, kidneys and blood vessels. Although most people are back to their usual work or study after a week or two, a significant proportion go on to experience extended symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog and mood changes. When these last <a href="https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/statewide-programs/critical-intelligence-unit/post-acute-sequelae">more than 12 weeks</a>, without any other explanation for symptoms, it’s called <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19/post-covid-symptoms-long-covid">long COVID</a>. COVID vaccines can prevent serious illness and have been <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38282394/">monitored</a> for several years now for their safety and effectiveness. Current vaccination recommendations are <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/atagi-statement-on-the-administration-of-covid-19-vaccines-in-2024?language=en">based on age and immune status</a>. It’s worth discussing them with your doctor if you are unsure whether you would benefit or not. <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/oral-treatments">Antivirals</a> can treat COVID in higher-risk people who contract it, whether vaccinated or not. Specific advice about what to do if you test positive on a RAT will vary according to your current state guidelines and workplace, however the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/testing-positive">general principles</a> are always: avoid spreading the virus to others, and give yourself time to rest and recover. <hr /> <iframe id="ConNR" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ConNR/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>What if it’s not one of those?</h2> So you’ve done your combined RSV/flu/COVID RAT and the result is negative. But you still have symptoms. What else could it be? More than 200 different viruses can cause cold and flu symptoms, including rhinovirus (mentioned above), adenovirus and sometimes even <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2130424/">undefined pathogens</a>. If an illness progresses to a cough which will not go away, and/or you start coughing up sputum, this could be a bacterial infection, such as pertussis (whooping cough), streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae or moraxella catarrhalis. So it’s worth <a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/getattachment/0a637812-c8f0-45a2-af9c-fa215b64f8e4/attachment.aspx">getting assessed by a GP</a> who may do a chest Xray and/or <a href="https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Manuals/RCPA-Manual/Pathology-Tests/M/MCS-sputum">test your sputum</a>, particularly if they suspect pneumonia. You also may also start out with what is clearly a viral infection but then get a secondary bacterial infection later. So if you are getting more unwell over time, it’s worth getting tested, in case antibiotics will help. However, taking antibiotics for a purely viral illness will not only be useless, it can contribute to harmful <a href="https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/antibiotic-resistance-the-facts">antibiotic resistance</a> and give you unwanted side effects.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/234266/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natasha-yates-1213624">Natasha Yates</a>, General Practitioner, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-feel-sick-how-do-i-know-if-i-have-the-flu-covid-rsv-or-something-else-234266">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Pioneering TV presenter reveals terminal diagnosis live on air

Popular New Zealand TV presenter Joanna Paul-Robie has revealed she is dying of cancer. The pioneering presenter, known for her work on TV3, shared the heartbreaking news during an interview with Radio New Zealand on Friday morning. Paul-Robie, who has been a beloved figure in the broadcasting world, made the announcement while accepting the Icon Award for her contributions to the creative industries. “I was so touched because this award means so much to me, coming from Tauranga Moana,” she said. “But more importantly, because I am, unfortunately, dying – I have terminal cancer – and really to have this award before one posthumously gets it is an even better break. I can’t tell you the lightness, the brightness, the feeling of aroha inside me last night.” Reflecting on her career, Paul-Robie recounted her experiences as one of the few Māori individuals on New Zealand's television screens. “The newsroom was really … it was being run by mostly a pair of middle-class, middle-aged white men who had the audacity and the balls to say ‘If it bleeds, it leads’ but these guys you know they had never been in a Māori world,” she remarked. Starting her career at Radio New Zealand, Paul-Robie later became a newsreader for TV3 and played a significant role in establishing Māori Television in 2004, serving as a program and production manager. During a 2011 interview with NZOnScreen, she spoke about the challenges and triumphs of setting up the network. “There’s been a handful of people in the world who have built a television station and taken it to air,” she said. “There are only a handful of people in the world who can do that and even though it nearly broke me in half on the day that we launched, I thought ‘hell we did that’. I think it is difficult for someone like me with an A-type personality to think now you have done your big thing maybe you should take it easy now.” Paul-Robie's courage and dedication have left an indelible mark on New Zealand's broadcasting landscape. Her announcement has been met with an outpouring of support and love from colleagues, fans and the wider community, who admire her strength and resilience in the face of such a personal battle. Images: NZOnScreen

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Do you have a mental illness? Why some people answer ‘yes’, even if they haven’t been diagnosed

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jesse-tse-1429151">Jesse Tse</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-haslam-10182">Nick Haslam</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders have become more prevalent, especially among <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/overview/prevalence-and-impact-of-mental-illness#changeovertime">young people</a>. Demand for treatment is surging and prescriptions of some <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35176912/">psychiatric medications</a> have climbed. These upswinging prevalence trends are paralleled by rising public attention to mental illness. Mental health messages saturate traditional and social media. Organisations and governments are developing awareness, prevention and treatment initiatives with growing urgency. The mounting cultural focus on mental health has obvious benefits. It increases awareness, reduces stigma and promotes help-seeking. However, it may also have costs. Critics worry <a href="https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2023/april-2023/the-big-issue/">social media</a> sites are incubating mental illness and that ordinary unhappiness is being pathologised by the overuse of diagnostic concepts and “<a href="https://www.bustle.com/wellness/is-therapy-speak-making-us-selfish">therapy speak</a>”. British psychologist <a href="https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/team/lucy-foulkes">Lucy Foulkes</a> argues the trends for rising attention and prevalence are linked. Her “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732118X2300003X">prevalence inflation hypothesis</a>” proposes that increasing awareness of mental illness may lead some people to diagnose themselves inaccurately when they are experiencing relatively mild or transient problems. Foulkes’ hypothesis implies that some people develop overly broad concepts of mental illness. Our research supports this view. In a new study, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560324000318?via%3Dihub">we show</a> that concepts of mental illness have broadened in recent years – a phenomenon we call “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1047840X.2016.1082418">concept creep</a>” – and that <a href="https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-05152-6">people differ</a> in the breadth of their concepts of mental illness. <h2>Why do people self-diagnose mental illnesses?</h2> In our new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100326">study</a>, we examined whether people with broad concepts of mental illness are, in fact, more likely to self-diagnose. We defined self-diagnosis as a person’s belief they have an illness, whether or not they have received the diagnosis from a professional. We assessed people as having a “broad concept of mental illness” if they judged a wide variety of experiences and behaviours to be disorders, including relatively mild conditions. We asked a nationally representative sample of 474 American adults if they believed they had a mental disorder and if they had received a diagnosis from a health professional. We also asked about other possible contributing factors and demographics. Mental illness was common in our sample: 42% reported they had a current self-diagnosed condition, a majority of whom had received it from a health professional. Unsurprisingly, the strongest predictor of reporting a diagnosis was experiencing relatively severe distress. The second most important factor after distress was having a broad concept of mental illness. When their levels of distress were the same, people with broad concepts were substantially more likely to report a current diagnosis. The graph below illustrates this effect. It divides the sample by levels of distress and shows the proportion of people at each level who report a current diagnosis. People with broad concepts of mental illness (the highest quarter of the sample) are represented by the dark blue line. People with narrow concepts of mental illness (the lowest quarter of the sample) are represented by the light blue line. People with broad concepts were much more likely to report having a mental illness, especially when their distress was relatively high. People with greater mental health literacy and less stigmatising attitudes were also more likely to report a diagnosis. Two interesting further findings emerged from our study. People who self-diagnosed but had not received a professional diagnosis tended to have broader illness concepts than those who had. In addition, younger and politically progressive people were more likely to report a diagnosis, consistent with some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560321000438">previous research</a>, and held broader concepts of mental illness. Their tendency to hold these more expansive concepts partially explained their higher rates of diagnosis. <h2>Why does it matter?</h2> Our findings support the idea that expansive concepts of mental illness promote self-diagnosis and may thereby increase the apparent prevalence of mental ill health. People who have a lower threshold for defining distress as a disorder are more likely to identify themselves as having a mental illness. Our findings do not directly show that people with broad concepts over-diagnose or those with narrow concepts under-diagnose. Nor do they prove that having broad concepts causes self-diagnosis or results in actual increases in mental illness. Nevertheless, the findings raise important concerns. First, they suggest that rising mental health awareness may <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25934573-900-why-being-more-open-about-mental-health-could-be-making-us-feel-worse/">come at a cost</a>. In addition to boosting mental health literacy it may increase the likelihood of people incorrectly identifying their problems as pathologies. Inappropriate self-diagnosis can have adverse effects. Diagnostic labels may become identity-defining and self-limiting, as people come to believe their problems are enduring, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032724002489?via%3Dihub">hard-to-control</a> aspects of who they are. Second, unwarranted self-diagnosis may lead people experiencing relatively mild levels of distress to seek help that is unnecessary, inappropriate and ineffective. Recent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37844607/">Australian research</a> found people with relatively mild distress who received psychotherapy worsened more often than they improved. Third, these effects may be particularly problematic for young people. They are most liable to hold broad concepts of mental illness, in part due to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X22000682?via%3Dihub">social media</a> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10810730.2023.2235563">consumption</a>, and they experience mental ill health at relatively high and rising rates. Whether expansive concepts of illness play a role in the youth mental health crisis remains to be seen. Ongoing cultural shifts are fostering increasingly expansive definitions of mental illness. These shifts are likely to have mixed blessings. By normalising mental illness they may help to remove its stigma. However, by pathologising some forms of everyday distress, they may have an unintended downside. As we wrestle with the mental health crisis, it is crucial we find ways to increase awareness of mental ill health without inadvertently inflating it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/231687/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jesse-tse-1429151">Jesse Tse</a>, PhD Candidate at Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-haslam-10182">Nick Haslam</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-have-a-mental-illness-why-some-people-answer-yes-even-if-they-havent-been-diagnosed-231687">original article</a>.

Mind

3 common travel illnesses (and how to avoid them)

Nobody wants to fall sick when they’re on holidays but it happens and is actually quite common. Not every travel illness is foreseeable, but the most prevalent ones usually can be managed if you’re prepared and know what to look out for. Here are three of the most common illnesses travellers experience and what you can do to avoid them. Traveller’s diarrhoea It may be an unpleasant topic of conversation, but as diarrhoeais the most common travel sickness, it’s important to be prepared. It is estimated diarrhoeais experienced by almost half of travellers at some point on their holiday, but mainly by those visiting developing countries. It’s contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food and water and in severe cases can last for days. How to avoid it: Stick to bottled or purified water, freshly cooked meals and fruits and vegetables you can peel yourself. Talk to your doctor for antibiotics you can take in case you are struck with traveller’s diarrhoea. Motion sickness Whether it’s by boat, plane, or car, many travellers experience motion sickness. This occurs when your eyes see motion but your body doesn’t register it, leading to a conflict of the senses. It often results in nausea, vomiting, headaches, and sweating. How to avoid it: If flying, try to sit near the wings of plane. If cruising, get an outside cabin in the middle of ship, and if in a car, sit up front. Don’t play with your devices, as looking at a small screens often exacerbates the problem; instead try to look far to the horizon. Have a light meal before travelling and avoid spicy, greasy or rich foods. You can talk to your doctor about over-the-counter medication that can help motion sickness as well. Bug bites There are all sorts of infectious diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever you can pick up from bug bites, especially in developing nations. While you should always talk to your doctor about the types of vaccines you need to take for your travel destination, it is always advisable to protect against insect bites. How to avoid it: Apply insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants where possible and try to avoid outside activity around dust and dawn when mosquitos are active. If sleeping outdoors, it is advisable to use curtain nettings. Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Terminal lucidity: why do loved ones with dementia sometimes ‘come back’ before death?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yen-ying-lim-355185">Yen Ying Lim</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/diny-thomson-1519736">Diny Thomson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the qualities that make someone “them”. Dementia eventually takes away the person’s ability to communicate, eat and drink on their own, understand where they are, and recognise family members. Since as early as the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21764150/">19th century</a>, stories from loved ones, caregivers and health-care workers have described some people with dementia suddenly becoming lucid. They have described the person engaging in meaningful conversation, sharing memories that were assumed to have been lost, making jokes, and even requesting meals. It is estimated <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20010032/">43% of people</a> who experience this brief lucidity die within 24 hours, and 84% within a week. Why does this happen? <h2>Terminal lucidity or paradoxical lucidity?</h2> In 2009, researchers Michael Nahm and Bruce Greyson coined the term “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21764150/">terminal lucidity</a>”, since these lucid episodes often occurred shortly before death. But not all lucid episodes indicate death is imminent. <a href="https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.13667">One study</a> found many people with advanced dementia will show brief glimmers of their old selves more than six months before death. Lucidity has also been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167494311001865?via%3Dihub">reported</a> in other conditions that affect the brain or thinking skills, such as meningitis, schizophrenia, and in people with brain tumours or who have sustained a brain injury. Moments of lucidity that do not necessarily indicate death are sometimes called <a href="https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12579">paradoxical lucidity</a>. It is considered paradoxical as it defies the expected course of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. But it’s important to note these episodes of lucidity are temporary and sadly do not represent a reversal of neurodegenerative disease. <h2>Why does terminal lucidity happen?</h2> Scientists have struggled to explain why terminal lucidity happens. Some episodes of lucidity have been reported to occur in the presence of loved ones. Others have reported that <a href="https://psywb.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13612-014-0024-5">music can sometimes improve lucidity</a>. But many episodes of lucidity do not have a distinct trigger. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300957223002162">A research team from New York University</a> speculated that changes in brain activity before death may cause terminal lucidity. But this doesn’t fully explain why people suddenly recover abilities that were assumed to be lost. Paradoxical and terminal lucidity are also very difficult to study. Not everyone with advanced dementia will experience episodes of lucidity before death. Lucid episodes are also unpredictable and typically occur without a particular trigger. And as terminal lucidity can be a joyous time for those who witness the episode, it would be unethical for scientists to use that time to conduct their research. At the time of death, it’s also difficult for scientists to interview caregivers about any lucid moments that may have occurred. Explanations for terminal lucidity extend beyond science. These moments of mental clarity may be a way for the dying person to say final goodbyes, gain closure before death, and reconnect with family and friends. Some believe episodes of terminal lucidity are representative of the person connecting with an afterlife. <h2>Why is it important to know about terminal lucidity?</h2> People can have a variety of reactions to seeing terminal lucidity in a person with advanced dementia. While some will experience it as being peaceful and bittersweet, others may find it deeply confusing and upsetting. There may also be an urge to modify care plans and request lifesaving measures for the dying person. Being aware of terminal lucidity can help loved ones understand it is part of the dying process, acknowledge the person with dementia will not recover, and allow them to make the most of the time they have with the lucid person. For those who witness it, terminal lucidity can be a final, precious opportunity to reconnect with the person that existed before dementia took hold and the “long goodbye” began.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202342/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yen-ying-lim-355185">Yen Ying Lim</a>, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/diny-thomson-1519736">Diny Thomson</a>, PhD (Clinical Neuropsychology) Candidate and Provisional Psychologist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/terminal-lucidity-why-do-loved-ones-with-dementia-sometimes-come-back-before-death-202342">original article</a>.

Mind

Legendary soccer icon told he has “at best a year to live”

In a heart-wrenching revelation, former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, at 75 years of age, has disclosed that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Speaking to a Swedish radio station, Eriksson candidly shared the news, stating that he has "at best a year" to live. Despite the grim prognosis, the decorated football icon is determined to fight and maintain a positive outlook on life. During the radio interview, Eriksson acknowledged the severity of his illness, recognising that the speculation surrounding it was indeed cancer, while emphasising the need to focus on the positive aspects of life. “Everyone guesses it’s cancer and it is," he said. "But I have to fight as long as I can ... It is better not to think about it. But you can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don’t wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it.” The former manager revealed that his health concerns came to the forefront last February when he stepped down as sporting director at Karlstad Fotboll. Eriksson, who collapsed during a 5km run, consulted doctors, only to discover that he had suffered a stroke and had cancer. Reflecting on the uncertainty of the timeline, he shared, "They don't know how long I had cancer, maybe a month or a year." Eriksson's illustrious career in football spans both club and international management. Leading England's Golden Generation from 2001 to 2006, he guided the team to the quarter-finals in two World Cups and a European Championship. His tenure included coaching legendary players such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Michael Owen. In a poignant revelation, Eriksson admitted to his biggest regret during his time with England, expressing remorse for not bringing in a mental coach ahead of the 2006 World Cup. England faced a heartbreaking exit to Portugal in a penalty shootout, marking a pivotal moment that haunts him to this day. Eriksson's managerial journey took him across the globe, starting in his native Sweden and then making a name for himself in Italy with Sampdoria and Lazio. After managing Manchester City and returning to international football with Mexico and Ivory Coast, he had a brief stint with Leicester before venturing into the emerging Chinese Super League. His career concluded in 2019 with the Philippines national team. Eriksson's revelation about his terminal cancer diagnosis marks a poignant chapter in the life of a football icon. As he faces this formidable challenge, his resilience and positive mindset serve as an inspiration. Images: Getty

Caring

F1 caller faces termination over "abhorrent" Schumacher comment

A Formula One pundit recently found himself issuing an apology for an unfortunate slip of the tongue during a live TV broadcast, where he inadvertently made an insensitive remark about the legendary Michael Schumacher. The incident unfolded in the aftermath of the Japanese Grand Prix during a post-race discussion on Spanish television, as reported by The Sun. Antonio Lobato, the pundit in question, raised Schumacher's name during the discussion. Regrettably, his comment quickly made its way online, inciting outrage among fans due to its insensitivity toward the Formula One icon's ongoing health struggles. In the clip in question, one of Lobato's fellow broadcaster quipped to him in Spanish, "Let Adrian Newey (Red Bull's chief technical officer) be shaking because Antonio Lobato is coming." Lobato, perhaps in an attempt at humour in the moment, shot back, "Let Michael be shaking! Well... not Michael, he cannot shake." Following this exchange, the pundits shared a laugh with their colleagues, Noemi de Miguel, Pedro de la Rosa, and Toni Cuquerella. The incident provoked a strong backlash from viewers, with many demanding that Lobato apologise to Michael Schumacher's family. Some even called for his removal from DAZN, the broadcasting platform. One individual on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, "An apology would be the minimum, a sign of decency. You don't disrespect ANYONE that way, especially when thousands of people are watching you. Journalism in Spain has a very bright present and future with people like this." Another comment read, "Using someone's medical condition as the punchline of a joke is unacceptable and abhorrent. Michael is beloved and respected in this sport, and [Lobato] doesn't deserve the platform he is given." Subsequently, Lobato released an apology video on X, which has since garnered over five million views. In the five-minute video, he attempted to explain the "accident" while justifying his actions. Lobato stated in Spanish, "I made a mistake without any bad intentions. It was simply a mistake of pure clumsiness, of pure inability to express myself correctly, maybe because of too many hours up, jet lag in Madrid, or whatever – which is not an excuse for those of you who didn't see it." He went on to clarify that he never intended to make a joke or mock Michael Schumacher and that anyone who knew him would understand this. Lobato acknowledged his error, saying, "I think that everyone who knows me and knows what I'm like knows perfectly well that I would never make a joke about something like that. Never, but I was clumsy." He admitted that he had realised his mistake instantly after making the comment. He also emphasised his deep regret, stating, "So the only thing I have to do, I think it's fundamental, is to apologise to all those who felt offended by that phrase yesterday. I really, really mean it. It was not my intention to say it to laugh, nor to make any kind of joke with Michael, whom I knew, whom I admire, and whom I think is a reference and who I think was quite unlucky." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Creo que es necesario dar explicaciones y reconocer que me he equivocado. Por favor, escuchad mi vídeo. Es un poco largo, pero creo que necesario. <a href="https://t.co/89QlCMws2v">pic.twitter.com/89QlCMws2v</a> — Antonio Lobato (@alobatof1) <a href="https://twitter.com/alobatof1/status/1706287035445653736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2023</a></blockquote> Images: Twitter (X) / Netflix

Legal

Bruce Springsteen cancels shows after being "taken ill"

Bruce Springsteen's upcoming performances have been unexpectedly put on hold due to his falling ill, leading to the postponement of his scheduled shows. A sudden announcement, posted on the singer's official X account, has informed fans that the show dates will be rescheduled. "Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with The E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 16 and 18 have been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the dates so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled shows." This announcement emerged mere hours before the debut show, just as eager fans were anticipating a memorable experience with Springsteen and his band. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with The E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 16 and 18 have been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the dates so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled… — Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) <a href="https://twitter.com/springsteen/status/1691872953414115424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2023</a></blockquote> This occurrence isn't the first instance where the music icon had to modify a show at the 11th hour due to health issues. Earlier this year, Springsteen communicated the postponement of his March 9 event at the Nationwide Arena in Ohio, attributing it to "illness." No explicit details about his health condition were disclosed in that instance either, but fans were encouraged to retain their original tickets for the rescheduled shows. Following the Ohio cancellation, two more postponements were subsequently declared. The performance originally slated for March 12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut has been rescheduled to September, while the March 14 show at the MVP Arena in Albany, upstate New York, was similarly postponed. Both changes were tied to unspecified health concerns. During this period, Steven Van Zandt, a member of the E Street Band, assuaged fans' concerns. He reassured them via Twitter, stating: "No need to be anxious or afraid. Nothing serious. Just a temporary situation. We will all be back in full force very soon." The band embarked on their tour in February, commencing in Tampa and traversing the United States before crossing the Atlantic to Europe in April. Returning to the United States in August, Springsteen and his crew intended to entertain audiences for several more months before culminating the extensive tour on December 10 in San Francisco. With a career spanning over 50 years, the seasoned singer-songwriter shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Caring

Sandra Bullock mourns the passing of her longtime partner after private illness

Hollywood star Sandra Bullock's beloved partner, Bryan Randall, has passed away at the age of 57, with the heart-wrenching news confirmed by his grieving family in a statement shared on Monday. “It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS,” the statement read. “Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honour his request. We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours. At this time we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan.” The statement was signed with a poignant, "His Loving Family". Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a merciless neurological affliction that ravages motor neurons that command delicate voluntary muscle movement. Regrettably, there is currently no remedy for the condition. Bullock, aged 59, crossed paths with model-turned-photographer Randall when he was summoned to capture her son Louis’ birthday celebration in the early days of 2015. Their connection was immediate and profound. The mother-of-two, and an actress who has fiercely guarded her privacy over the years, chose to unveil fragments of her relationship's intimacy during a candid appearance on Red Table Talk in 2021. “I found the love of my life. We share two beautiful children — three children, [Randall’s] older daughter. It’s the best thing ever,” Bullock said at the time. “I don’t wanna say do it like I do it, but I don’t need a paper to be a devoted partner and devoted mother … I don’t need to be told to be ever present in the hardest of times. I don’t need to be told to weather a storm with a good man.” She added that Randall was also a superb “example” to her two children: “He’s the example that I would want my children to have... I have a partner who’s very Christian and there are two different ways of looking at things. I don’t always agree with him, and he doesn’t always agree with me. But he is an example even when I don’t agree with him... I’m stubborn but sometimes I need to sit back and listen and go, ‘You’re saying it differently but we mean exactly the same thing.’ “It’s hard to co-parent because I just want to do it myself.” "He was so happy, but he was scared. I'm a bulldozer. My life was already on the track, and here's this beautiful human being who doesn't want anything to do with my life but the right human being to be there." Images: Getty

Caring

Olympian dies at just 37 years of age

It’s a sad day in the world of winter sports and the Alpine Ski World Cup. Italian skier and silver medalist, Elena Fanchini has died at 37 from a tumour. "At the end of a serious illness, Elena Fanchini passed away in her home in Solato (near Brescia)," the Italian Winter Sports Federation said in a short statement. Fanchini died on the same day that fellow Italian skier Marta Bassio won the super-G world championships in Meribel, France; and just two days after Federica Brignone, a former teammate, won gold in combined. Another fellow skier, Sofia Goggia, the favourite for Saturday’s downhill, dedicated her win in Cortina d’Ampezzo last month to Fanchini. American champion skier, Mikaela Shiffrin took to Twitter to share her grief over Fanchini’s death. "This was a day filled with emotions. There is so much I'd like to share... but what weighs the heaviest is the loss of @ElenaFanchini,” she said in her tweet. Fanchini won a silver medal in the 2005 world championships and two World Cup races in her career - both in downhill. Fanchini last skied competitively in December 2017. She was cleared to return to training almost a year late but her condition had worsened. She had to miss the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics because of her condition. Fanchini's younger sisters Nadia and Sabrina were also World Cup racers. image credit: getty

Caring

Terminally-ill rugby player carried across marathon finish line by his best mate

There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd when best friends Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield crossed the finish line of the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. The two Leeds Rhinos players have been raising money and awareness for people with Motor Neurone Disease since Burrow’s 2019 diagnosis, with the two raising an impressive total in the millions. And now, the pair have raised spirits and warmed hearts with Sinfield’s act at the end of their Leeds race, when he picked Burrow up from his chair and carried him over the finishing line. Before that, Sinfield had been pushing Burrow’s chair for 26.2 miles (42.2 km). The moment was met with cheering and applause as the wo concluded their marathon just after the 4 hour 22 minute mark, both from those who were there to witness it in person and from those who saw footage later when it circulated online. One Twitter user even went on to dub Burrow an “absolute gem of a human”, while another was certain that they were a “pair of absolute heroes”. “What a mate! Unbelievable in a world full of cr*p at the moment there are some genuinely lovely moments. These lads have been into battle together on the pitch for club and country,” one wrote. “It’s choked me up, I’m not going to lie.” “A bunch of legends,” someone else declared. “I’ve properly welled up watching this, this is what friendship is, to the ends of the earth and back.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Beautiful. Kevin Sinfield carried Rob Burrow over the finish line at the end of the first Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon 🥹 <a href="https://t.co/JFdd9XGgV4">pic.twitter.com/JFdd9XGgV4</a> — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1657736670458916865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2023</a></blockquote> Prior to the event, Sinfield had spoken about the race to The Sun, and its 12,500 reported participants, as well as the thousands lining the streets to watch, and what it meant to be undertaking the marathon together. “Even if it was just Rob and I, we’d have a great time,” he said, “there’s no better way to do it than with your mate. The fact people want to share in it and do their own little bit is incredible. “This will be with mates, for mates and alongside mates, absolutely. Look across the world at big cities where marathons are run, there’s nothing like this. “We’ve not done any training. We ran a 10km together last July and that’s part of the challenge, doing something neither of us have done before. The unknown adds to the fun of it. “He’s in a custom-made chair but it could be a bumpy ride. I’ll try and find him the safest, comfiest route but if there are hills, there are hills. If it rains, it rains.” And as Burrow himself said to The Guardian, when asked about the seven marathons in seven days that Sinfield had run on behalf of Burrow, his family, and their fight against MND, “we all need a friend like Kevin.” Images: Getty

Caring

Why young people are self-diagnosing illnesses

A lot of people turn to Google when they get symptoms of being sick, and jump to the conclusion that it may be a serious issue, however, for the younger crowd - Dr Google is now Dr TikTok. The social media app is filled with content about all sorts of topics, known for its 15-second clips it has been applauded for starting important conversations about mental health, especially among young people. It allows people to share experiences and support each other. However, as beneficial as that may be, it’s causing a lot of children to self-diagnose themselves with several mental and neurological disorders. These conditions include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette’s syndrome, and more. It’s troublesome as a doctor must diagnose a patient with an illness, and kids are taking it into their own hands based on videos that resonate with them. Psychologist Doreen Dodgen-Magee, said, “There are many accounts, hosted by educated, trained, and licensed professionals where reliable information can be found,” says Dr. Dodgen-Magee. But not all posts contain accurate, science-backed information — and many people scrolling through TikTok don’t know this”. It’s an issue that continues to grow as young people are getting medical advice from fellow TikTokers rather than seeing a doctor. If you have any symptoms of poor physical or mental health then you must be professionally diagnosed and set up with a treatment plan. Don’t rely on a social media app targeted towards children to diagnose you with health issues. Image credit: Shutterstock

Mind

KISS concert halted as Gene Simmons falls ill on stage

KISS singer Gene Simmons gave fans - and bandmates - a fright when dehydration got the better of him live on stage, and the group were forced to bring their entire concert to a halt. In a video from the event, KISS’ Paul Stanley can be seen addressing the crowd, telling them that “we’re gonna have to stop to take care of him. Because we love him, right?” He goes on to call for a cheer for Simmons, with the 73-year-old catching his breath on a chair on stage - the same chair that he remained in for the rest of the show, after a five minute break to assure he was well enough to continue. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Gene Simmons, baixista e vocalista do Kiss, passa mal e show é brevemente interrompido na Arena da Amazônia. <a href="https://t.co/nphJEj1PQo">pic.twitter.com/nphJEj1PQo</a> — A Crítica (@ACritica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACritica/status/1646372105523478529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2023</a></blockquote> And while fans were concerned for the singer, he later took to social media to assure them that he was “fine” and looking forward to the band’s next stadium performance. “I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, [I] experienced weakness because of dehydration,” he explained. “We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious.” “Brazil is hotter than hell!!” one fan responded, “so glad you're okay and I can't wait to see you in São Paulo! Take care, god of thunder!!” “Even the God of Thunder needs hydration,” another agreed. “Good to hear you're doing well.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes. I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious. Tomorrow, Bogota Stadium. See you there! — Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/1646530305791266818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2023</a></blockquote> And as news broke around the world of what had gone down in Brazil, Simmons returned with another round of assurances, writing that it was “not a big deal” while again thanking everyone for their well wishes. “Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song,” he said. “We got back on stage in 5 minutes & finished the show.” It was enough for his fans, who were quick to share their delight that their star was okay, as well as voicing their excitement for upcoming shows - with a good portion of requests for the singer to take care of himself, and avoid a repeat performance. “Happy to hear you're doing better,” one wrote. “Even more happy it wasn’t anything serious.Ya'll take care.” “Frankly, I don’t know [how] you do it every night. You’re amazing!” another declared. Meanwhile, some could see the humour in it all now that their fears had been put to rest, with one joking “and who says playing music couldn't be dangerous”. Images: Twitter

Caring

6 things a food poisoning expert would never eat

If you want to know how to avoid food poisoning, you better listen to food poisoning expert and lawyer Bill Marler. He’s a products liability and personal injury attorney specialising in food-borne illnesses as well as the managing partner of Marler Clark, dubbed “The Food Safety Law Firm”. With twenty years in the industry, he’s won more than $600 million in compensation claims for his clients since 1998. In an article posted in the <a href="http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/six-foods-bill-marler-never-eats/#.VrJ3Kvl96uV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food Poisoning Journal</a>, Bill has revealed the six foods he refused to eat. Unpasteurised (“raw”) milk and packaged juices Unpasteurised milk, sometimes called “raw” milk, can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites. Between 1998 and 2011, there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk and raw milk products in the US—and keep in mind that comparatively few people in the country ever consume these products, so 148 outbreaks is nothing to ignore. As for unpasteurised packaged juices, one of Marler’s earliest cases was the 1996 E. coli outbreak from unpasteurised Odwalla apple juice. As a result, he won’t go near raw milk or juice. “There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurisation,” he says. Raw sprouts Uncooked and lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to more than 30 bacterial outbreaks (mostly of salmonella and E. coli) in the US since mid-1990s. As recently as 2014, salmonella from bean sprouts sent 19 people to the hospital. All types of sprouts - including alfalfa, mung bean, clover and radish sprouts - can spread infection, which is caused by bacterial contamination of their seeds. “There have been too many outbreaks to not pay attention to the risk of sprout contamination,” Marler says. “Those are products that I just don’t eat at all.” He did add that he does eat them if they’re cooked. Meat that isn’t well-done Marler orders his burgers well-done. “The reason ground products are more problematic and need to be cooked more thoroughly is that any bacteria that’s on the surface of the meat can be ground inside of it,” Marler says. “If it’s not cooked thoroughly to 160°F throughout, it can cause poisoning by E. coli and salmonella and other bacterial illnesses.” As for steaks, needle tenderising - a common restaurant practice in which the steak is pierced with needles or sliced with knives to break down the muscle fibres and make it more tender - can also transfer bugs from the surface to the interior of the meat. If a restaurant does this (Marler asks), he orders his steak well-done. If the restaurant doesn’t, he’ll opt for medium-well. Prewashed or precut fruits and vegetables “I avoid these like the plague,” Marler says. Why? The more a food is handled and processed, the more likely it is to become tainted. “We’ve gotten so used to the convenience of mass-produced food - bagged salad and boxed salads and precut this and precut that,” Marler says. “Convenience is great but sometimes I think it isn’t worth the risk.” He buys unwashed, uncut produce in small amounts and eats it within three to four days to reduce the risk for listeria, a deadly bug that grows at refrigerator temps. Raw or undercooked eggs You may remember the salmonella epidemic of the 1980s and early ’90s that was linked mainly to eggs. If you swore off raw eggs back then, you might as well stick with it. The most recent salmonella outbreak from eggs, in 2010, caused roughly 2,000 reported cases of illness. “I think the risk of egg contamination is much lower today than it was 20 years ago for salmonella, but I still eat my eggs well-cooked,” Marler says. Raw oysters and other raw shellfish Marler says that raw shellfish - especially oysters - have been causing more foodborne illness lately. He links this to warming waters, which produce more microbial growth. “Oysters are filter feeders, so they pick up everything that’s in the water,” he explains. “If there’s bacteria in the water it’ll get into their system, and if you eat it you could have trouble. I’ve seen a lot more of that over the last five years than I saw in the last 20 years. It’s simply not worth the risk.” Images: Shutterstock

Food & Wine

Raquel Welch dies at age 82

Raquel Welch has passed away at the age of 82. The Hollywood actress died peacefully in the early hours of Thursday morning after a "brief illness", which Raquel's family confirmed in a statement to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/02/15/raquel-welch-actress-model-dead-dies-82/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a>. "The legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness," the statement read. "Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs." "Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch." Welch first rose to fame in 1996 for her roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C, which cemented her the ultimate pin-up girl. In the decade following, she took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for her role in the 1974's The Three Musketeers. Aside from her acting, Raquel became known for her modelling work as people were in awe of her natural beauty. She was named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History in a 1995 issue of Empire magazine and was also ranked number three in Playboy's 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner once said: "Raquel Welch, one of the last of the classic sex symbols, came from the era when you could be considered the sexiest woman in the world without taking your clothes off, she declined to do complete nudity, and I yielded gracefully, the pictures prove her point." Tributes have begun to flood social media, with actress Reese Witherspoon leading the charge. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> So sad to hear about Raquel Welch's passing. I loved working with her on Legally Blonde. She was elegant , professional and glamorous beyond belief. Simply stunning. May all her angels carry her home. 🕊️ Sending love to her family and her many fans ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/FBtXhpvS25">pic.twitter.com/FBtXhpvS25</a> — Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeseW/status/1625975096731992080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Raquel Welch was one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever worked with. Performing a duet with her on The Muppet Show helped moi become the W-O-M-A-N I am today! We’ll never forget vous, Raquel! <a href="https://t.co/fo0saG7EiD">pic.twitter.com/fo0saG7EiD</a> — Miss Piggy (@MissPiggy) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissPiggy/status/1625974490894139422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> OH NOOOO Please say it isn't so. <a href="https://t.co/fF7cBa9olr">https://t.co/fF7cBa9olr</a> — Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) <a href="https://twitter.com/NancySinatra/status/1625946381998526466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> How sad to hear actress Raquel Welch has died. Such a beautiful woman who gained international fame in one of my fave movies Fantastic Voyage.. Such an iconic beauty .Rest in peace ❤️🙏🏻 — Lizzie Cundy (@lizziecundy) <a href="https://twitter.com/lizziecundy/status/1625942806807162880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote> "I loved working with her on Legally Blonde. She was elegant, professional and glamorous beyond belief. Simply stunning," she wrote. Nancy Sinatra, the legendary Frank Sinatra's daughter, was also overwhelmed with grief. "OH NOOOO Please say it isn't so," she tweeted, while TV presenter Lizzie Cundy also paid her respects. "How sad to hear actress Raquel Welch has died. Such a beautiful woman who gained international fame in one of my fave movies Fantastic Voyage.. Such an iconic beauty. Rest in peace," she tweeted. Image credits: Getty Images

News

"Dear leg, I'll miss you so much": Boy's tragic farewell

A young boy has left a heartbreaking message on his leg after learning that it had to be amputated due to a rare cancer. Chandler Tran, 8, from Australia, and his family first discovered the illness when they found a “pea-sized” bump on his leg and noticed he was walking with a limp when he returned from holiday care around Easter time. Seeking an X-ray at the local hospital, he was then taken to a children’s hospital in Sydney and was given the devastating diagnosis of osteosarcoma, which is a rare bone cancer. The following months comprised of chemotherapy treatment. Doctors then wanted to amputate his leg to alleviate the pain, but the amputation will not cure him. Chandler’s dad Cong Tan, 42, recalled the moment. He said: “Can you take a photo of my leg on my tablet?” “He drew a little love heart over his leg and wrote a little message.” “He wrote: ‘Dear leg, I’ll miss you so much when you’re gone, love Chandler.’ “He was sad about the prospect of losing his leg, but he was like, ‘If that’s what I need to do to not have pain, then that’s okay.’ “For us seeing him coping so well, that really helped us.” Days after recovering from that operation, his family were told the tumours in Chandler’s lungs had grown and the doctors couldn’t do anything more to save his life. “They said any treatment would just be palliative, to try and slow the cancer down,” his mother Trang said. The family has set up a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jwxjw-support-the-trans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page to help cover eventual funeral costs but also to fund any LEGO that Chandler wants. “The sickness is coming on and we are at the point where we can’t treat it and so it is about keeping him happy,” Mr Tran said. “We appreciate everyone who has donated and is helping us give Chandler whatever his heart desires to make the last bit as enjoyable as possible.” Image: NZ Herald

Body

Man who lived in airport for 18 years dies

The man who inspired Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, as well as a French film and an opera, has died in the airport where he lived for 18 years. Mehran Karimi Nasseri suffered a heart attack in Terminal 2F of the Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday and died after police and a medical team were unable to save him, according to an official with the Paris airport. Mr Nasseri, believed to have been born in 1945 in Soleiman, the then-British controlled area of Iran, lived in Terminal 1 between 1988 and 2006, at first while he was in a legal limbo because he was without residency papers and later by choice. The airport official said the 76-year-old had been living in the airport again in recent weeks. His first stint at the airport, when he spent years sleeping on a red plastic bench, making friends with airport workers, showering in staff facilities and spending time writing in his diary, studying economics and watching passing travellers inspired The Terminal starring Tom Hanks, as well as French film Lost in Transit and the opera Flight. Mr Nasseri published his autobiography, The Terminal Man, the same year The Terminal was made. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/mehran-nasseri1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Mehran Karimi Nessari lived in the Charles de Gaulle airport for 18 years, with his belongings surrounding a red plastic bench he slept on. Image: Getty Images After leaving Iran to study in England in 1974, he was reportedly imprisoned on his return for protesting against the shah while abroad and was exiled soon after. He applied for political asylum in several European countries and was given refugee credentials by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Belgium in 1981, but was later denied entry into England after the briefcase containing his documents was stolen at a Paris train station. Although he was arrested by French police after being sent back to Charles de Gaulle from England, he couldn’t be deported because he had no official documents and stayed. After lengthy legal campaigning, more bureaucratic bungling and increasingly strict European immigration laws kept him in a legal no-man’s land for years, Mr Nasseri was offered French and Belgian residency, but he refused to sign the papers as they listed him as Iranian and didn’t show his preferred name, Sir Alfred Mehran. He stayed at the airport for several more years before being admitted to hospital in 2006 and he later lived in a French shelter. Those at the airport who befriended him said Mr Nasseri’s years of living there had taken a toll on his mental health, while the airport doctor described him as “fossilised here” in 1990. One friend, a ticket agent, compared him to a prisoner incapable of “living on the outside”. “Eventually, I will leave the airport,” Mr Nasseri told the Associated Press in 1999, looking frail with thin hair, hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. “But I am still waiting for a passport or transit visa.” Image: Getty Images

Caring

French Dispatch: four artists whose work was shaped by mental illness

Wes Anderson’s film The French Dispatch is about the final issue of a magazine that specialises in long-form articles about the goings-on in the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blasé. The film is an anthology of shorts representing three of the articles. A piece by the magazine’s art critic (Tilda Swinton) explores the life and late success of the abstract artist Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro). Talented from a young age, Rosenthaler pursued art with a dogged determination that drove him to slowly lose his mind. In a fit of rage he commits a triple homicide that lands him in jail, where, after a long time away from art, he creates his best work aided by his prison guard and muse Simone (Léa Seydoux). Artists, like Rosenthaler, burdened with too great a <a href="https://youtu.be/WRjKDxdmdU0">lust for life</a>, or a <a href="https://youtu.be/4MUZ_UHJZGo">tragic taste for alcohol</a>, or even intense and murderous desires, are familiar figures in film and fiction. In some films <a href="https://youtu.be/XdAR-lK43YU">art itself is demonic</a>. Like everything else, mental illness is understood within the context of its time. In their study of melancholy and genius <a href="https://www.nyrb.com/products/born-under-saturn?variant=1094929357">Born Under Saturn</a>, the art historians Margot and Rudolf Wittkower show how Renaissance artists embraced mental alienation. This was shown by a <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336228">withdrawn, slothful gloom</a>. Such heavy sadness was considered both the symptom and the price of divine inspiration. It was a means to distinguish their inspiration from the mere “know-how” of craft. A brush with madness was good PR. So well established did this association become, that if you look up “artist” in the index of writer Robert Burton’s 1620 compendium <a href="https://www.nyrb.com/products/the-anatomy-of-melancholy?_pos=1&_sid=ffbb60c34&_ss=r&variant=1094931585">The Anatomy of Melancholy</a>, you will find one entry. It reads: “ARTISTS: madmen”. Today, the association of creativity and mental illness often implies regression from an adult and orderly state of mind to one that is primal, impulsive, or infantile. The artist in Anderson’s film is such an example: he is noisy, impetuous, and extravagantly mad. And it is while he is at his “maddest” that he paints his best work. Here I explore the work of four painters whose work has been shaped by various mental illnesses, highlighting how the idea of the “mad artist” need not be tied up with a loss of control but rather a bid to gain it. It is not always loud. It can be quiet, highly detailed or restrained – as the work of these artists shows. Richard Dadd One parallel to Rosenthaler is the Victorian painter <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/richard-dadd-130/richard-dadd-artist-and-asylum">Richard Dadd</a>. The career of this brilliant young artist was destroyed by a mental breakdown that today would probably be diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia. Dadd killed his father, imagining him to be the devil incarnate. He was incarcerated in the criminal lunatic department of Bethlem Hospital. It was as a patient that he painted many of his obsessively detailed masterpieces, such as <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dadd-the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-t00598">The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke</a>, (1855-64). The painting contains hidden details that not everyone can see. For instance, in the middle of the painting, I see a figure with a pallid face, wearing a purple cloak, and standing at right angles to the rest of the painting. It is the work of this period that Dadd is remembered for. Edvard Munch A less painful example can be found in the Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch. Munch’s famous work The Scream (1893) depicts a vision the artist had of “blood and tongues of fire” rising over a fjord. In the foreground, a cadaverous figure clasps his cheeks in agonised shock. A handwritten message on the top left-hand corner of this painting was recently shown to be in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56127530">artist’s hand</a>. It reads: “Can only have been painted by a madman.” Munch saw it as a sign of health that he could express sickness and anxiety in art, and he embraced the idea that madness was a gift that granted him insights denied to others. Mary Barnes A striking example of “creative regression” can be found in the artist and poet <a href="https://spacestudios.org.uk/events/mary-barnes/">Mary Barnes</a>. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and refusing to take basic care of herself, Barnes was the first resident of Kingsley Hall, an experimental therapeutic community founded by the psychiatrist RD Laing. She started making images when she was there, initially using her excrement. As one of her <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/260398.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Af2d35a75183622c49dcd9c2746bcd14d">psychotherapists described, "</a>Mary smeared s**t with the skill of a Zen calligrapher. She liberated more energies in one of her many natural, spontaneous and unself-conscious strokes than most artists express in a lifetime of work. I marvelled at the elegance and eloquence of her imagery, while others saw only her smells." Barnes went on to have a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jul/13/guardianobituaries.books">successful career</a> as an artist. The phrase “natural, spontaneous and unself-conscious” is a window into the belief that expressive creativity lies in primal regression. As the last example shows, this is certainly not necessarily the case. Agnes Martin The American painter Agnes Martin went through <a href="https://youtu.be/902YXjchQsk">two decades of experimentation</a> to achieve the lucid abstraction that she is known for. In her notes for a talk at the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, <a href="http://thecheapestuniversity.org/en/ressource/on-the-perfection-underlying-life/">she wrote, "</a>The work is so far from perfection because we ourselves are so far from perfection. The oftener we glimpse perfection or the more conscious we are in our awareness of it the farther away it seems to be." Martin suffered from auditory hallucinations and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Her calm and methodical paintings, such as <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/martin-faraway-love-ar00178">Faraway Love</a> (1999), depict abstract states of existence: innocence, happiness, and the sublime. They are as much meditations as visual experiences. “Sometimes”, she continued, “through hard work the dragon is weakened.” The example of Martin’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/may/22/agnes-martin-the-artist-mystic-who-disappeared-into-the-desert">thoughtful and devoted life</a> is in stark contrast to the noisy stereotype of the impulsive and primal genius. While the paintings of the fictional Rosenthaler and the real Martin are both highly abstract, they sit in stark contrast to each other. Martin’s has a reserved, ordered quality while Rosenthaler’s is bold and unrestrained, splashing across whatever he is using as his canvas. Away from the romantic notions of the great artist expounded in film, as these artists show, most art is about gaining rather than losing control. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/french-dispatch-four-artists-whose-work-was-shaped-by-mental-illness-170302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

"Am I the only one?" Magda reveals the alarming state of her health

Magda Szubanski has shared the details of her various health conditions, revealing she has battled several illnesses throughout her life. The actress and comedian, 61, listed her various health woes in an interview with <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/tvweek" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">TV Week</a> magazine, and said she wondered if there were others with similar problems. "There are times in my life I've been absolutely blighted by illness," she said. "Osteoarthritis, migraines, anxiety - I also suffer from sleep apnoea - and that leads me to ask, 'Am I the only one who feels like this? Are other people feeling the same way? Do they have the same challenges?'" she added. The frank admission comes just days after Magda called for <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/magda-szubanski-calls-for-fat-people-to-be-protected-from-online-hate-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vilification rules</a> to be put in place for "fat people" online, only to be blasted by her following. The comedian shared the controversial tweet in which she wondered why "fat" people are not "protected" from hate speech online. She wrote, "It's interesting to me that you are banned from attacking just about every identity on Twitter except being fat. Why are we not protected from vilification?" Szubanski was then blasted by several heartless online users, as she received comments such as, "Have another Snickers bar. Sounds like your blood sugar is low," and "Lose some weight then." Image credits: Getty Images

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"Dear leg, I'll miss you so much": Boy's tragic farewell

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"Am I the only one?" Magda reveals the alarming state of her health