Cancer has taught me a lot of things

It was a never-ending wait for Yuvraj Singh during his treatment in the United States. He longed to be home and wondered whether he will ever be back. The cricketer on Wednesday admitted the “scar” has not gone but nevertheless is appreciative of the transformation the struggle has brought in his life.

Yuvraj recalled how his days used to revolve around cricket but felt he will be playing with a lighter head when he makes his return.

“Earlier, I would spend my days thinking about my batting or bowling. You wake up and begin to think how to prove everyone wrong. There was a lot of popularity. But after this, I realised that family and friends are important, to be happy is important, money is important too, but what is most important is to be happy and healthy,” Yuvraj said.

“I have got a normal life back, where I am eating, sleeping and spending time with close ones. I know when I return to playing cricket, I will play with less stress and enjoy it more.”

Yuvraj, who has spoken extensively about his inspiration from Lance Armstrong, said he would like to do something for cancer patients in the future. “Cancer is out of my system but the scar remains. In future I will definitely do something for the people. It has taught me a lot of things. During my chemotherapy sessions, there were some elderly patients. They inspired me. I would think, if they can be cured, why can't I. In future I would like to work and make people aware of cancer treatment.”

Dr Nitesh Rohatgi of Max Cancer Centre, who has been part of Yuvraj's medical team, said the cricketer handled his chemotherapy quite well.

“He has managed to handle it remarkably well because of his positive attitude. He would be starting with a few exercises shortly.”

“He did suffer from a few side-effects of the chemotherapy but they are reversible like the hair loss. He is not on medication. Yuvraj's case will give a lot of people hope that can cancer can be treated if detected at the right time."

Signs of a Codependent Relationship

Learn the hallmarks of a codependent relationship and what to do about it.

You can learn a lot about codependent relationships in the library, even if you aren’t in the self-help section.

In the fiction area, Romeo and Juliet features a couple who felt their relationship was more important than their own lives. Over in the history section, the wives of Henry the Eighth found that marriage to the self-absorbed king could lead to misery (or worse) if they didn’t produce the son he craved, says Tina Tessina, PhD, a marriage and family therapist in Long Beach, Calif.

Most codependent relationships don’t end in tragedy, of course. But they do keep people from living the full, rewarding lives they could be enjoying.

“Codependency, by definition, means making the relationship more important to you than you are to yourself,” she tells. “It’s kind of a weird phrase, and it doesn’t sound like it means a one-sided relationship. But that’s what it is. It means you’re trying to make the relationship work with someone else who’s not,” Tessina says.

The good news is that if you’re a codependent partner, you can start finding a solution to the problem under your own power, too.

A Closer Look at Codependency

The concept of codependency was first applied to couples in which a partner has an alcohol or drug problem, says Scott Wetzler, PhD, author of IsIt You or Is It Me? How We Turn Our Feelings Inside Out and Blame Each Other.

But other issues in a couple’s lives can foster codependence, too. One partner may have trouble controlling other impulses, or simply not show much interest in the partnership.

The other partner - who is the codependent one - then works all-out to try to “fix” the problem.

“For example, if someone is with an alcoholic, that being the most typical case, taking care of that person or kowtowing to them solves something in their own personality. They have a hard time leaving it,” says Daniel Bochner, PhD, a psychologist in Savannah, Ga. and author of The Emotional Toolbox.“They get locked into trying to save their partner or the relationship over and over.”

Codependency can also arise when a partner is self-absorbed or uninterested, Tessina says. This may happen “in a relationship where only one of you is ever asking to get together or making moves toward the other one.”

Still, the codependent partner often finds some type of reward in this setup.

“Probably the most significant theme is a sense of control. The other person plays the out-of-control person, and so they get to be the person who is in control and thus is respected,” says Bochner.

“They can be the better person, the smarter person, the person who’s recognized as having it all together. They’re defining themselves as strong enough to deal with it, when actually they need to realize that maybe they should be taking care of themselves instead of proving their strength,” he says.

Simply being in a relationship - even one that’s not ideal - may also be comforting, Wetzler says. “A lot of times, people have low self-esteem and say, ‘I’m no good, no one would want me, and therefore I have to put up with this.’ These negative thoughts are very common, and they have a big impact on why people stay in relationships that may not be good for them.”

People who are codependent often grew up in a household with the same issues. For example, a girl with an alcoholic father could grow up to be attracted to people who drink too much, Tessina says.

“Their whole definition of love is codependent before they even start. Most people who didn’t grow up in a codependent atmosphere aren’t going to put up with it for too long. The ones who start with the impression that love is sacrificing for my partner and putting up with whatever my partner wants to dish out, they’re the ones who get deeply stuck in it,” she says.

Is Your Relationship Codependent?

Three simple questions can help you identify a codependent relationship, the experts says.

Question 1: Is this relationship more important to me than I am?

Love does have a selfless element, in which you want to make your partner happy. “I’m willing to give a lot for that person because I love them, but I shouldn’t be destroying myself to give it. If I have to do that, something’s wrong,” Tessina says.

Question 2: What price am I paying for being with this person?

Someone with an anxiety disorder may only realize it when she sees its cost. For example, the price of her anxiety may be that she can’t fly somewhere fun for vacation, Wetzler says.

Similarly, it can be helpful to jot down a list of things you’re giving up to be in this relationship. “If you seem to always be putting yourself last, that’s not generally healthy for a person,” Bochner says.   

Question 3: Am I the only one putting energy into this relationship?

If your tennis partner is too distracted or not interested in hitting the ball back to you, the game isn’t going to be much fun. The same is true for a couple when only one person is putting forth any effort, Tessina says.

Back from the Brink

If you find that codependency seems to be a factor in your relationship, can it be saved? Maybe.

Marriage counseling can help you learn more about the problems you need to work on together. Often, though, one partner - for example, someone with a drinking problem - needs individual counseling, Wetzler says. You may also benefit from going to a support group for people affected by someone else’s drinking problem, such as Al-Anon, Bochner says.

The moment that can nudge a relationship toward healthy change is the moment you decide you’ve had enough.

“Often the thing that gets an alcoholic to go to AA, or narcissists to get it that something’s wrong, is losing somebody. It’s ironic that the person who wants to stay there forever and give and give has to say ‘OK, I’m through. I’m done. I’m leaving,’ before the partner will turn around and say ‘Oh, wait a minute, I really do care about you,’ ” Tessina says.

Bochner has seen clients go through the same realization. “The willingness to leave is often what sets things straight. They have to get to a point where they have to save themselves by saying ‘I love you, but I have to take care of me.’ Then, sometimes, the relationship actually changes.”

Preventing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, is a mental health disorder that is distinguished by dramatic changes in a person's mood, from the elated highs of mania to the lows of depression. Bipolar disorder affects all ages, genders, and ethnicities, and usually has its onset in late adolescence or young adulthood. We know that genetics can play a role in the vulnerability to bipolar disorder, as researchers have traced the incidence of bipolar disorder among generations of families.

While bipolar disorder cannot be prevented, it's important to be aware of early warning signs of an impending episode of bipolar depression or bipolar mania. Early recognition of bipolar warning signs and seeing your doctor regularly can allow you to monitor your mood and medications and keep illness from escalating.

In fact, although treating bipolar disorder moods is critical, there is a convincing case supported by scientific studies that the prevention of further mood episodes should be the greatest goal.

What are bipolar disorder symptoms?

Symptoms of bipolar disorder can fall between two extreme mood states:

1.     Bipolar depression, which includes feelings of being sad, hopeless, helpless, and worthless

2.     Bipolar mania, which includes feelings of elation and exuberance.

In addition, people with bipolar disorder can develop mixed episodes, which are the simultaneous occurrence of a full depressive episode plus a full manic episode.

What are symptoms of bipolar depression?

Symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder may consist of the following:

·         Depressed mood and low self-esteem

·         Excessive crying spells

·         Low energy levels and an apathetic view of life

·         Sadness, loneliness, helplessness, feelings of guilt

·         Slow speech, fatigue, and poor coordination and concentration

·         Insomnia or oversleeping

·         Thoughts of suicide or dying

·         Changes in appetite (overeating/not eating)

·         Unexplainable aching

·         Lack of interest or pleasure in usual activities

What are symptoms of bipolar mania?

·         Euphoria or irritability

·         Excessive talking; racing thoughts

·         Inflated self-esteem

·         Unusual energy; less need for sleep

·         Impulsiveness, a reckless pursuit of gratification -- shopping sprees, impetuous travel, more and sometimes promiscuous sex, high-risk business investments, fast driving

·         Hallucinations and or delusions (psychotic features such as these may be involved in about one out of every two of cases of bipolar mania)

How is bipolar disorder treated?

Bipolar disorder is treated with medications to stabilize mood. If the mood stabilizers do not fully manage the symptoms, other medications may be added to help calm the mania or ease the depression.

Along with mood stabilizers, psychotherapy is recommended to help the patient develop appropriate and workable coping strategies to deal with everyday stressors and to increase medication compliance.

Can behavioral counseling help those with bipolar disorder?

Different types of talk therapy options are available to help those with bipolar disorder prevent or cope with a mood episode:

·         Individual Counseling: This is a one-on-one session with a professional therapist with experience in bipolar disorders in which the patient's problem areas are addressed. The session may include help accepting the diagnosis, education about bipolar moods, ways to identify warning signs, and intervention strategies to manage stress.

·         Family Counseling: Bipolar disorder extends beyond the patient and can affect the entire family. Families are frequently involved in outpatient therapy as they receive education about bipolar disorder and work with the therapist and patient to learn how to recognize early warnings of an impending manic or depressive episode.

·         Group Counseling:Group sessions allow for the sharing of feelings and the development of effective coping strategies. The give-and-take at group sessions can be the most productive way to change the way you think about bipolar disorder and improve coping skills as you face life's challenges.

·         Further Reading:

·An Overview of Bipolar I Disorder

·Understanding Bipolar Disorder

·10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Bipolar Mania

·Tips for Managing Bipolar Disorder at Work

·Medications for Bipolar Disorder

·Bipolar Disorder: Who’s at Risk?

·Bipolar Disorder Health Check - Take the WebMD Bipolar Disorder Assessment

·See All Bipolar I Disorder Topics

Can bipolar disorder be cured?

·         There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but through behavior therapy and the right combination of mood stabilizers and other bipolar medicines, most people with bipolar disorder can live normal, productive lives. That said, bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental illness that has a great risk of recurrent episodes. Being compliant to taking prescribed medications and keeping doctor appointments is crucial to self-managing bipolar disorder and preventing serious episodes.

·         In addition, there are support groups available for patients and their family members to help them talk openly and learn how to support someone with bipolar disorder. Ongoing encouragement and support are needed after a person starts treatment. In fact, there are findings showing that the availability of social support systems increases the chances of employment in patients with bipolar disorder compared with those patients without support.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: 5 Self-Care Strategies

If you're one of the 18 million adult Americans who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it's crucial to see a doctor for treatment. Sleep apnea can interrupt your sleep, especially deep-stage slumber, and increase your risk for other health conditions.

Beyond seeing a doctor for sleep apnea treatment, there are things you can do at home to improve your sleep apnea symptoms. Some strategies have the added benefit of improving your health, reducing the risk of related medical conditions.

Here are the five self-care strategies most often recommended by experts for coping with sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea Tip 1: Lose Weight if You Need to

Obesity is considered the most important risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. Research has shown that weight loss – even a modest amount -- can improve sleep apnea. Not all people with sleep apnea are overweight or obese, but many are.

In a Finnish study published in 2010, 71 people with sleep apnea were given lifestyle counseling or participated in a lifestyle modification program that included a 12-week low-calorie diet. On average, those in the weight loss group shed 16 pounds. After two years, their sleep apnea was much less severe than the sleep apnea in the lifestyle counseling group. 

A U.S. study published in 2009 looked at the effect of weight loss on obstructive sleep apnea among obese people with type 2 diabetes. The people in the study were assigned to either a weight loss group or a diabetes management group over a one-year period. On average, those in the weight loss group lost nearly 24 pounds, while those in the second group lost just 1.3 pounds.

The effects of losing weight were even more dramatic in this study. Three times as many people in the weight loss group wound up with no symptoms of sleep apnea at all. And among the people in that group who still had sleep apnea, it was much less severe after losing weight.

Sleep Apnea Tip 2: Limit Alcohol and Stop Smoking

You already know that smoking and drinking too much alcohol are hazardous to your health. Did you know they can also make your sleep apnea symptoms worse? Cigarette smoking makes the swelling in your upper airway worse. That can aggravate symptoms such as snoring and pauses in breathing. 

Alcohol decreases the muscle tone in the back of the throat, which can interfere with breathing -- the last thing you need when you already have breathing problems.

Sleep Apnea Tip 3: Eat Healthy

Like everyone else, people with sleep apnea should eat a healthy diet. But people with sleep apnea may be more likely to eat unhealthy foods, some research suggests. 

Sleep deprivation may lead to increased cravings for carbohydrates. Sleep deprivation and fatigue have also been linked with changes in the appetite regulators leptin and ghrelin, which control feelings of hunger and fullness. When you don’t sleep, you may want to eat more and feel less satisfied when you do. 

You don’t need to be overweight to have an unhealthy diet. In a 2008 study of 320 adults, those with more severe sleep apnea ate more protein, fat, and saturated fatty acids than those with the less severe sleep apnea, regardless of how much they weighed. 

Sleep Apnea Tip 4: Tend to Your Allergies

Not surprisingly, being stuffed up from nasal allergies can complicate sleep apnea and make sleep more difficult.

To understand why, picture your airway as a long, muscular tube running from your nose to your windpipe. If your allergies are not under control, the tissues of the upper throat swell and narrow the airway. And that can make breathing more difficult.

If you have sleep apnea and nasal allergies, be sure your allergies are under control. A saline nasal spray before bed may also help.

Sleep Apnea Tip 5: Develop a Good Sleep Routine

Getting enough sleep is important to staying healthy with obstructive sleep apnea. The catch, of course, is that sleep apnea makes it difficult to get good sleep. A variety of devices designed to improve breathing for people with sleep apnea – including a CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure machine -- can help.

About half of the people with apnea have most of their breathing abnormalities while sleeping on their backs, sleep experts have found. So most doctors encourage people with sleep apnea to try to sleep in other positions.

If you have mild sleep apnea or heavy snoring, lying on your side may help. But how can you get into the habit? Some doctors suggest simply putting two tennis balls into a tube sock and pinning it to your nightshirt in back.

Genes identified for common childhood obesity

An international team of genetics researchers have identified at least two new gene variants that increase the risk of common childhood obesity, according to a study published online this week in Nature Genetics.

As one of the major health issues affecting modern societies, obesity has increasingly received public attention, especially given a rising prevalence of the condition among children. Research indicates that obese adolescents tend to have higher risk of mortality as adults. Although environmental factors such as food choices and sedentary habits contribute to the increasing rates of obesity in childhood, twin studies and other family-based evidence have suggested a genetic component to the disease as well.

Previous studies have identified gene variants contributing to obesity in adults and in children with extreme obesity, but relatively little is known about genes implicated in regular childhood obesity.

In the new study, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recruited and genotyped the world’s largest collection of DNA from children with common obesity. In order to have sufficient statistical power to detect novel genetic signals, they formed a large international consortium to combine results from similar datasets from around the world. The U.S. National Institutes of Health partly funded this research, which analyzed previous studies supported by many other European, Australian and North American organizations.

The current meta-analysis included 14 previous studies encompassing 5,530 cases of childhood obesity and 8,300 control subjects, all of European ancestry. The study team identified two novel loci, one near the OLFM4 gene on chromosome 13, the other within the HOXB5 gene on chromosome 17. They also found a degree of evidence for two other gene variants. None of the genes were previously implicated in obesity.

“This work opens up new avenues to explore the genetics of common childhood obesity,” said lead investigator Struan Grant, associate director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Much work remains to be done, but these findings may ultimately be useful in helping to design future preventive interventions and treatments for children, based on their individual genomes.”