Yesterday I noticed the button to reach Reader was missing, this morning I looked everywhere including places I knew it would not be. Has this happened to you as well? I know WordPress is a a mess to work with and this is probably another one of their issues that will correct itself at some point. If nothing else I want to make sure it’s not just me or a possible issue with my browser software.
I appreciate all relies. :)
Melinda
There is a global crisis warning about the West Nile Virus and the areas it effects are growing by the day. West Nile is new to many countries and we have to take notice.
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family Flaviviridae, from the genus Flavivirus, which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes, mostly species of Culex. The primary hosts of WNV are birds, so that the virus remains within a “bird–mosquito–bird” transmission cycle.[1] The virus is genetically related to the Japanese encephalitis family of viruses. Humans and horses both exhibit disease symptoms from the virus, and symptoms rarely occur in other animals.
Contrary to popular belief, West Nile virus was not named directly after the Nile River, but rather, after the West Nile district of Uganda where the virus was first isolated in 1937.[2]However, the names are indirectly connected since that district of Uganda is named after the Albert Nile, a tributary of the Nile River in this region. After its original discovery there, it was found in many other parts of the world. Most likely, it spread from the original West Nile district.
West Nile virus (WNV) is usually spread by mosquitoes that become infected when they feed on infected birds, which often carry the disease.[53] Rarely the virus is spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, or from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding,[53] but it otherwise does not spread directly between people.[55] Risks for severe disease include being over 60 years old and having other health problems.[53] Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms and blood tests.[53]
According to the Center for Disease Control, infection with West Nile Virus is seasonal in temperate zones. Climates that are temperate, such as those in the United States and Europe, see peak season from July to October. Peak season changes depending on geographic region and warmer and humid climates can see longer peak seasons.[58] All ages are equally likely to be infected but there is a higher amount of death and neuroinvasive West Nile Virus in people 60–89 years old.[58] People of older age are more likely to have adverse effects.[citation needed]
There are several modes of transmission, but the most common cause of infection in humans is by being bitten by an infected mosquito. Other modes of transmission include blood transfusion, organ transplantation, breast-feeding, transplacental transmission, and laboratory acquisition. These alternative modes of transmission are extremely rare.[59]
Prevention efforts against WNV mainly focus on preventing human contact with and being bitten by infected mosquitoes. This is twofold, first by personal protective actions and second by mosquito-control actions. When a person is in an area that has WNV, it is important to avoid outdoor activity, and if they go outside they should use a mosquito repellent with DEET.[59] A person can also wear clothing that covers more skin, such as long sleeves and pants. Mosquito control can be done at the community level and include surveillance programs and control programs including pesticides and reducing mosquito habitats. This includes draining standing water. Surveillance systems in birds is particularly useful.[60] If dead birds are found in a neighborhood, the event should be reported to local authorities. This may help health departments do surveillance and determine if the birds are infected with West Nile Virus.[61]
This is all important information to know and to know and how to prevent. The outcome of getting the virus is serious even life-threatening.
Melinda
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Nile_virus#Humans
Thank you for inviting me into your life by visiting my blog. I appreciate you and get my itch to travel through you. The only country I’ve traveled to is France. I stayed in Paris for a week and had the time of my life. I’m from Texas and have an accent, you can imagine how the few words I could say in French sounded. I stayed in the welcoming 12th arrondissement, and my replies were met with a smile. I saw the touristy areas which were amazing, spent a half day at the Palace of Versailles, and took a train to the Taittinger winery. I looked forward to a tour even though I didn’t understand French but the cellars were amazing. Taittinger is one of my favorite champagnes and rivals several of the more expensive brands I’ve tasted. Bringing back six bottles was an effort.
I look forward to returning to France to visit the wine country and tour more wineries.
As for the other countries, a visit to your country is on my bucket list. I am ready to travel Internationally again but not ready to get on an airplane, it’s not safe right now. Too many systems going down, understaffing and widows blowing out of aircraft for my comfort level.
I hope this post finds you happy and healthy. :)
Melinda
Thank you for all the great feedback on the Blogger Highlight series, I’ve enjoyed meeting each blogger and sharing their blog with you. This week we highlight Willie Torres Jr. We have only followed each other for a short time but we become fast friends. He is a joy to talk to, a talented writer, and a is a man of God. I feel comfortable talking to him in a way that I don’t with most others.
My name is William Torres, but my family and friends call me Willie. It is a pleasure to be here with you today, and I am excited to share my faith journey with you.
My journey has been amazing and fulfilling as a new Christian. I have seen God work in my life in ways I never could have imagined. I have grown closer to my faith and have seen Him work in my life and the lives of those around me. I am truly blessed to call myself a Christian, and I am excited to continue to grow in my faith.
I began writing stories that I believe were inspired by the Holy Spirit. These stories are my testimonies about the different trials I have gone through, and how the Lord has helped me to overcome them. Through this process, I’ve discovered that I can forgive those I once vowed to never forgive, and in turn, my relationships with them have been restored. They are now a huge blessing and a special part of my life.
I have also started a Social Media Ministry on Facebook, which I invite you to visit here. Being Crazy For Christ is a platform where I share my journey of faith, and I am also on YouTube – Willie Torres Jr. and I am excited to see all that God will do through it.
I find all of Willie’s posts inspiring and enjoyed this recent post. It’s called One Stormy Might.
Be sure to stop by and say hello. Pull up a chair, and read through his archives. You will find his style of writing uplifting and down-to-earth.
Melinda
This post isn’t a rant, it’s more of a message for those who behave this way. I have no tolerance for bad behavior, it’s rude and uncalled for.
Here is a sampling of bad behaviors I can live without.
Cutting in line, or leaving a beer in line doesn’t count. Go to the back of the line.
Harassing the elderly.
Feeling entitled.
Weaving in and out of traffic.
Driving 40 miles over the speed limit.
Thinking you’re better than others.
Throwing trash anywhere.
Thinking the rules aren’t for you.
When you drive in water that is too deep, you get what you deserve. You need to pay to be rescued.
Thinking you aren’t responsible for paying off your college loan.
Parking your car in front of your house when there is room in the driveway.
When the neighbor’s pool company parks their truck in the alley and blocks traffic.
When someone talks over another person, unless it’s an emergency shut up and wait your turn. You’re not that important.
People who don’t flush the toilet.
Someone decides for me, it’s not your place and I have a perfectly good brain.
If someone rides my bumper, I may slam on the brakes. Gun or not, I’ve done it before.
If you talk down to someone, you need a bitch slap.
Crosswalks at a street light are for people, not your vehicle.
If you are in front of someone while entering or leaving a building, you have the extra few seconds to let them go first and hold the door open for them.
Don’t take photos of others without their permission unless they are committing a crime, following you, or vandalizing property.
These are a few that come to mind this morning.
Melinda
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These 13 celebs accept their bipolar and are using their platforms to break the stigma and push for acceptance of brain-based conditions. By Jade Zora Scibilia |
| Whether you love them or “love to hate them,” celebrities can make a real difference, especially when they take a stand for something positive. The following stars with bipolar disorder use their fame (and occasional notoriety) to draw our attention to what really matters, start meaningful conversations among loved ones and policymakers, break the silencing effect of social stigma, and enhance both awareness and acceptance of this brain-based disorder. These celebrities — among others — have had a life-affirming, morale-boosting impact. Whether through a “tell-all” interview or memoir, a powerful pop song, or a moving on-screen performance, these stars continue to rally people with bipolar — and their supporters — to power through and find the hope of a new day. |
| 1. Faye DunawayIn the HBO documentary Faye, the iconic Faye Dunaway, now 83, talks about her lifelong battle with mental health, including her bipolar disorder diagnosis.“Emotion is a strength, not a weakness,” she shared with The Independentat the documentary’s premiere in Cannes in May 2024. Dunaway reflects on how her intense emotions fueled her performances but also contributed to her reputation for being difficult on set — earning her the nickname “the dreaded Dunaway” (and “Dread” for short) from Jack Nicholson during Chinatown. In the documentary, Dunaway candidly discusses how she’s worked with doctors and taken medication to manage her mood swings. She acknowledges it’s been difficult, but “it’s something I’ve had to deal with and overcome and understand. It’s part of who I am.” |
| 2. Alan RitchsonYou may know Alan Ritchson as the star of Prime Video’s Reacher, but did you know he also lives with bipolar disorder? Diagnosed at 36, the now 41-year-old actor has been open about his struggles.“As much as I would like to ignore that I’m a suicide survivor, if I didn’t share what I’ve learned, I feel like my life would be meaningless,” Ritchson told CBC Radio’s “Q” program. “I’ve always been a happy-go-lucky guy, but once you experience the grip [of depression] — the talons it can sink into you — you realize how sinister this thing is and how out of control the biology can really be.” |
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Grief has touched millions of lives at one point or another and many have grieved several times. I know grief well, two of my close friends in high school died, my father died in 1992, my Granny died in 2005 and my Gramp’s in 2010. Everyone grieves differently and there is no time frame regardless of what people say. Who would tell a parent how long to grieve for their child, I would pray that no one is that uneducated. My father commited suicide and I spent seven years grieving yet as much as I loved my Grandparents and as close as we were, I grieved less. Maybe it was because I was a caregiver to both.
The key to grieving is giving yourself the time you need yet not get stuck there. We all have to move forward.
This National Grief Awareness Day on August 30 is dedicated to raising awareness of the myriad ways in which individuals cope with loss. It offers resources to those going through personal losses and reminds us to support people we know who are grieving. National Grief Awareness Day, founded by Angie Cartwright in 2014, hopes to encourage open communication on loss and bereavement and better inform the public on the facts of grief.
Grief is one of the oldest and most enduring aspects of the human experience. If you haven’t yet experienced grief, it’s unfortunately likely to happen. The term ‘grief’ encompasses all of the emotions around a loss, and ‘mourning’ is defined as the external expression of the pain. ‘Bereavement’ is another commonly-used term for grief. Throughout human history, there have been many attempts to describe and heal grief, and they have changed significantly over the years.
Due in part to our vastly improved physical and mental healthcare, grief is understood far differently today than even as little as 100 years ago. While we often have the privilege (for some, even the expectation) of only losing our loved ones when they are at a ripe old age, comfortable, and with family nearby, this has rarely been the case throughout history. The lack of modern transportation often separated loved ones, wars ravaged populations, and poor medical and sanitation knowledge led to too many untimely deaths. Throughout history, the deaths of loved ones have been far more common, and grief was understood differently.
Melinda
References:
I sleep on only one side and over the years I have woken up with redness or a faint bruise right under my eye, it wasn’t concerning at the time. On Thursday I had a doctor’s appointment and my husband went with me. He didn’t say anything at the time but later that evening he asked me to turn my face towards him. He said your face is all bruised on one side, I was shocked and headed for the mirror.
Sure enough, my face was lightly bruised alongside my eye, in the hairline, and all down my cheek close to my nose. He then said my face was bruised earlier that morning and was darker. I was surprised the doctor didn’t say anything.
I sat and thought about my day from the time I woke up and could find no reason for the bruising. I know that bruises don’t fade that quickly so I went to copilot to see what answer it gave. It was what I already knew. Bruising is caused by hitting something and that bruising takes 1-3 days to go away. Still perplexed.
The next morning I woke up with light bruising as well, not as bad as Thursday but still bruised. The only answer I could come up with was my pillow. I had slept on a goosedown pillow for years and several years ago changed to a harder pillow for more neck support. I ordered another goosedown and it’s scheduled to arrive today.
This morning I woke up to redness all around my eye and a small bruise. The bruising started three days ago and makes no sense. I’ll see if the new pillow makes a difference, if not I’m not sure what type of doctor to see.
Have you ever had this happen?
Melinda
Medically Reviewed by Allison Young, MD
Last Updated: 16 Feb 2024
TV characters with Bipolar Disorder can show that treatment leads to stability. But dramatized portrayals of manic extremes may perpetuate stigma and misconceptions.
“Surely there is someone out there who will take me for who I am: the good, the bad, the full story of love.”
That’s award-winning actor Anne Hathaway as Lexi, prognosticating optimistically about her romantic future as a woman with bipolar disorder. Lexi’s adventures take up the third episode of Modern Love, an Amazon Prime Video streaming series that debuted in October 2019.
At the splashy New York City premiere that Amazon hosted to launch the series, Hathaway did a bit of optimistic prognosticating herself — namely, that her Modern Love segment would help make it easier for people to put bipolar on the table.
“I think those conversations are starting to happen,” she told Variety, adding that people weren’t putting off those talks because of shame “but because we don’t know how to start.”
Hathaway brought up another important point about seeing characters with bipolar on TV: Making the condition, and those who live with it, visible in the mainstream.
“This episode is going to mean so much because it offers some form of representation,” she said.
For viewers today, the question isn’t so much whether people with bipolar are represented on TV shows, but rather what form that representation takes. Is it more like reckless Ian Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless? Or more like Kat, the struggling figure skater at the heart of the Netflix original series Spinning Out?
Ian (played by Cameron Monaghan) embraces denial and mostly avoids treatment. Over the show’s 10 seasons, he’s been prone to poor judgment and rash acts — including trying to steal an Army helicopter. He’s gone through stints of sexual promiscuity and fallen into religious fanaticism. (Truth to tell, though, he’s far from the only troubled member of the dysfunctional Gallagher clan.)
Over on Spinning Out, which debuted in January 2020, Kat (Kaya Scodelario) couldn’t be more different. Sure, she’s got her romantic difficulties, her mother-daughter drama, her angst over where to take her skating career. But managing her bipolar slots quietly alongside all the other challenges in her life.Lest we miss out on negative stereotypes, however, Kat’s mother also has bipolar. She’s shown behaving unpredictably and aggressively when she gets lackadaisical with her meds.
For Anita of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, portrayals of bipolar on TV do more to mislead than to educate because there’s no way they can be well-rounded and realistic. For one thing, there’s a lot about living with bipolar that just doesn’t make for good drama — or comedy.
“There’s absolutely nothing glamorous, hilarious, or entertaining about actually having bipolar illness,” says Anita, who received her bipolar 2 diagnosis at age 15. “The audience would not be interested in a character who just lies in bed [onscreen] and cries for 30 minutes straight.”
For another, the time limits on television programming make it impossible to accurately show the long, arduous arc of maintaining wellness.
“People are conditioned to believe that all of life’s problems can be resolved in less than an hour because television and movies have taught us that,” Anita says.“Having people around us who are ‘enter-trained’ to believe that their favorite beloved character got through her panic attack in the last episode with flying colors doesn’t help the rest of us at all,” she says. “Real life doesn’t work that way.”
Within the constraints of the genre — and the selective editing that necessarily goes into shaping a script — the people who produce and write TV shows nowadays try not to let gross inaccuracies filter through. Actors do their research, too, reading up on bipolar and consulting with people who actually walk the walk.
Each of Modern Love’s eight episodes is based on a first-person essay from the weekly New York Times column of the same name. Hathaway’s episode was inspired by a piece titled “Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am,” by Hollywood entertainment lawyer-turned-author Terri Cheney.
Translated to the small screen, we have Hathaway as an attractive, successful Manhattan attorney hoping to move beyond dating into a meaningful relationship. That’s not so easy while trying to hide her bipolar moods.
Instead of dishing up a happily-ever-after romantic finale, the episode ends on a hopeful, truthful note. Hathaway’s character decides to be upfront about all aspects of herself, adding her diagnosis to her online profile on a dating website.
Of course, the hope and the truth originally belonged to Cheney. Before her essay was published on January 13, 2008, Cheney kept her bipolar 1 disorder on the down low. Publishing in the NYT column was her loud-and-proud moment.
“At that time, there wasn’t a vocabulary for the way it really feels to have bipolar disorder,” recalls Cheney, who went on to publish the memoirs Manic and The Dark Side of Innocence. “Writing helped me feel like I control the experience, that I own it and it doesn’t control me anymore.”
For the TV adaptation, Amazon’s production team sought Cheney’s input. She also had discussions with Hathaway, who pored over Manic to get a better feel for her role.
Is the episode perfect? Cheney wouldn’t change a thing about it — and especially adores the musical elements, a trademark of director John Carney — but concedes that “you can’t be all things to all people. A 30-minute episode has to be condensed for dramatic purposes. For example, my own mood switches are not that instantaneous.”
In 2006, half a decade after prime-time TV took the plunge, mob boss Sonny Corinthos was diagnosed with bipolar 1 on ABC’s iconic soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard, whose own bipolar was diagnosed at age 22, has played Sonny since 1993 — netting two Emmys over the years.
Even as his character brought bipolar to the notice of the show’s viewers, Benard spoke candidly about real-life experiences in interviews and other public settings.
In his memoir Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital, Benard writes more in-depth about the challenges of controlling his mood symptoms while filming on a daily basis and about the support he received from colleagues.
Benard has told bp Magazine that he “gave a ton of input” on how a mood episode and managing bipolar might play out. For example, he insisted Sonny be shown taking his meds.
On occasion, Benard objected to elements in certain scripts. As an industry insider, however, he accepts that the nature of a melodrama sometimes works against accuracy.
The Young and the Restless, aka Y&R, gave long-running character Sharon Newman a bipolar diagnosis in 2012. Josh Griffith, co-executive producer and head writer of the CBS soap, put considerable thought into responsibly portraying a character with bipolar.
“I looked at some of the emotional journeys the character had taken over the years, picked up what seemed to be a pattern of up-and-down behavior that might fit with bipolar disorder, and saw a chance to, (a) tell a compelling and dramatic story, and (b) explore an important and topical issue that affects millions of people,” he says. “We wanted to be medically accurate with both behavior and treatment, and as dramatic as possible,” he adds.
As far as greater representation in mainstream programs, Cheney doesn’t think television in general has normalized bipolar because stereotypes still prevail most of the time. Notably, “plotlines when a character goes off their medications and becomes manic. … I felt it inferred blame on people for their condition,” she explains, apologizing if she sounds “cranky” about it all.
Nevertheless, Cheney remembers being “so excited that bipolar disorder was being acknowledged at all” when the NBC hospital drama ER introduced the character of Maggie Wyczenski 20 years ago.
Sally Field won an Emmy for her portrayal of Maggie, who first appeared in the November 16, 2000, episode called The Visit. She dropped in on her daughter, Abby Lockhart, one of the show’s main characters. Maggie returned in another 11 episodes over the following seasons, usually demonstrating some extreme or disruptive behavior feeding into a dramatic conflict.“Now I sort of cringe to see how over-the-top her character was when she was manic — wearing a skimpy red dress and flirting shamelessly with all the young interns,” Cheney says. “It’s not exactly inaccurate, just less nuanced than we are today.”
Maggie seemed to blow open a door for the industry. In 2001, the HBO comedic drama Six Feet Under went even further, including a character with bipolar as a regular part of the ensemble cast. While not one of the central figures, Billy Chenowith (Jeremy Sisto) familiarized viewers with the fact that bipolar is a treatable condition.
Over the show’s five seasons, however, Billy sometimes went off his meds with stereotypically destructive results. As the Los Angeles Times noted, “Billy can be sullen, seductive, filled with rage or decimated by self-loathing, depending on whether he’s taken his medication.”
Throughout the decade, that remained the motif on a variety of programs: a minor, recurring or ensemble character exhibiting manic behavior if not in treatment — but also demonstrating that medication can pave the way to stability.
Then came Homeland.
The Showtime spy thriller, which premiered in October 2011, puts its character with bipolar front and center. That would be CIA officer Carrie Mathison, played by high-profile actor Claire Danes. Carrie is a top-ranking counterterrorism agent, operating in a high-pressure environment. Her bipolar is an integral aspect of her characterization and a seamless element in the plot.
No one would put Carrie on a pedestal for carefully managed wellness, but she introduced viewers to a more complex view of living with bipolar. She’s shown choosing to go off her meds in order to exploit the sharper thinking of hypomania. She demonstrates obsessive behavior during manic episodes. Her depressive episodes get written into the script.
Some critics slammed Homeland for sensationalizing the disorder. Hannah Jane Parkinson, a columnist for the British newspaper The Guardian, was one viewer who argued back. Parkinson, who has bipolar, found Danes’ portrayal “accurate and refreshing.”
The 2014 opinion piece continued: “Most of the time, the show gets it right. … In a world in which mental health stigma is still devastating, it’s fantastic that films and TV programs are upping their game when it comes to representation.”
Danes captured two Emmys for her work on Homeland. As with Hathaway on Modern Love, she turned to Cheney’s memoir Manic as part of her research on how to play the character.
“Claire is a terrific actor, and yes, there were episodes of [Carrie] going off her meds, but she paid more attention than usual to her character’s bipolar disorder,” says Cheney. “She did a very good job at representing depression.”
Showtime initially consulted Julie A. Fast, an author, speaker, and personal coach specializing in mood disorders. Homeland’s showrunners enlisted Fast’s help before filming the pilot and used her book Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder to help develop Danes’ character.
“Claire was wonderful, lovely, down-to-earth and very welcoming, and tried really hard to get bipolar right,” says Fast, a longtime bp Magazine columnist. “She treated me beautifully as an equal and asked very intelligent questions, especially about mania.”
Unfortunately, Fast says, her own illness didn’t sync well with the stressful demands of that job.
“I love the work, but have to find a balance between the TV world and my own stability. This creates a lot of loss — and [that’s] not something the TV shows talk about very often,” she muses.
One thing Homeland did get right, Fast says, was illustrating “the superpowers we feel during a euphoric manic episode.”
She adds, “Going off meds to intentionally get manic is a very realistic portrayal of how we want the meds to help with depression, but often we miss the high energy of being manic.Mania makes us feel invincible. And as always happens, Claire’s character made terrible decisions when she went off her meds.”
Fast praises Homeland for showing the fallout of Carrie’s decisions when they didn’t end well or safely.
Alas, Homeland wrapped in spring 2020. Ditto for Fox’s Empire. That series about scheming music executives in New York City, which first aired in 2015, also concluded in 2020.
The character of Andre Lyon on Empire moved depictions of bipolar a huge step forward. He has a successful management career, nimbly navigating the treacherous waters of the family dynasty. He has a business degree from the prestigious Wharton School. He’s in a stable marriage with his college sweetheart. (He’s also a Black man, bringing a whole new dimension to representation.)
Mental health activist Ruth C. White, PhD, MPH, MSW, singles out Andre as a more realistic example of someone with the disorder than is usually seen. He’s active and effective, follows his treatment plan, and is able to successfully manage stress.
“He sees his doctor to tweak his meds on occasions and… doesn’t fall apart when his baby dies,” White, a clinical associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California, told VH1.
“On screen, it’s really important to continue to reinforce what bipolar disorder is and what it is not,” says Marie Gallo Dyak, president and CEO of the Entertainment Industries Council.
“Stories tell us that people can be accurately diagnosed, can be safely treated, be productive, and sustain a lifestyle they are comfortable with,” she says. “These are really important stories that need to be told.”
The council is a Hollywood watchdog group established in 1983 to promote accurate depictions of behavioral health and social issues in films, TV shows, and other media. It provides science-based resources to scriptwriters and their colleagues.
Dyak has definitely seen big strides forward. She says bipolar “is more mainstream than when we first started talking about it — especially in a clinical way.… Now, when someone says something about bipolar disorder, it’s not uncomfortable.”
Some advancements may be more subtle, she notes. For example, “instead of someone asking, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ [in a scene], a character can ask, ‘What’s happened to you?’”
Fast keeps her finger on the pulse of how bipolar is shown in various media and measures progress in increments. In her opinion, greater representation on the small screen has increased awareness of mental health challenges.
Compared to a decade ago, she sees more open and uplifting dialogue in both post-show chatter on social media and in general. Despite the limited lens on living with the illness, every character we see on TV does a little bit to chip away at silence and stigma.
“Is it positive?” Fast asks rhetorically. “Absolutely.”
In fall 2017, Declan O’Hern, then a communications student at Elon University in North Carolina, authored a research paper that analyzed portrayals of bipolar disorder in television dramas over the preceding decade.
O’Hern noted that at least 16 TV shows since the early 2000s incorporated characters with bipolar either as a protagonist or recurring character. She tracked the accuracy of depictions in ER, Friday Night Lights, Shameless, Homeland, Empire, and the Canadian franchise Degrassi.
Factors included how treatment and recovery were shown, the character’s social and professional functioning, and incidents of dangerous or violent behavior blamed on the illness.
O’Hern cited earlier entertainment tropes that linked “the actions of murderers, molesters [and] egomaniacs” to mental disorders. That was in the dark ages before mental health awareness campaigns and school curricula on mental wellness. However, more recent TV scripts still rely on exaggerated behaviors — as might be expected from writers looking to provide a dramatic hook.
“All shows collectively hit on almost every stereotype at least once and, in general, television depicted violent and criminal behavior far too often,” O’Hern concluded.
Furthermore, the shows frequently failed to put such behaviors in context to make the actions more understandable.
On the plus side, O’Hern added, viewers were given more realistic exposure to the existence of professional incompetence, unwillingness to accept treatment, and the fact that recovery doesn’t happen instantaneously.
The final verdict: “Despite recent progress, contemporary bipolar protagonists still have progress to make before depictions can be classified as wholly realistic.”
Stephanie Stephens, M.A is an 18-year journalist and content producer, specializing in health and healthcare, investigations, celebrities, pets, lifestyle, and business. She writes for magazines and online publications, networks, hospitals and health systems, corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, as well as advertising and marketing agencies. Her work has appeared in Kaiser Health News, Everyday Health, WebMD, in content for the American Academy of Neurology, National MS Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and more. She has written for TODAY.com, Family Circle, Cooking Light, Parade, USA Today and others. She’s currently producing a television series, and completed her master’s in journalism at New York University. Stephanie has lived in 16 cities, is a resident of New Zealand by application, and is committed to improving animal welfare. Follow Stephanie at mindyourbody.tv, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Melinda
Important Read
By Fred Diamond
Many listeners of my Love, Hope, Lyme podcast ask me to go deeper on some treatment topics that I mention in my book “Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know.” One such topic is hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT).
On today’s Love, Hope, Lyme podcast, Dr. Mo Elamir of the Aviv Clinics in Florida clarifies what HBOT is and how it may benefit those with persistent Lyme disease.
Amidst the search for effective treatments, HBOT has emerged as a compelling approach, possibly offering new hope for those battling the persistent effects of chronic Lyme disease.
HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. This method significantly increases the amount of oxygen in the blood, facilitating the body’s natural healing processes.
Dr. Elamir, a leading physician at Aviv Clinics, explains the transformative impact of HBOT on Lyme disease patients: “By increasing the oxygen levels in the body under pressure, HBOT can break through the biofilm that protects Lyme bacteria, which are often anaerobic and thrive in low-oxygen environments. This process can destroy the bacteria and lead to significant improvements in neurological function.”
The specific HBOT protocol used at Aviv Clinics involves fluctuating oxygen levels, a technique designed to trigger the body into a state of healing. This healing process includes the growth of new stem cells and blood vessels, improved mitochondrial function, and the repair of damaged brain tissue.
“Our approach is highly individualized, focusing on each patient’s unique needs and the specific ways Lyme has affected their neurological health,” says Dr. Elamir.
Lyme disease affects an estimated 60 million people worldwide in its chronic stage. The disease can invade various parts of the body, including the brain, where it causes a range of neurological symptoms.
These symptoms can be particularly challenging to diagnose and treat, often leaving patients in a state of cognitive fog, battling memory loss, and struggling with anxiety and depression.
Dr. Elamir provides critical insights into how Lyme disease can affect the brain. “The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, are spirochetes that can invade the brain, leading to symptoms such as brain fog, memory problems, anxiety, depression, and even issues with movement, coordination, and balance,” he explains.
“These symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, depending on how the disease affects their nervous system.”
One of the most challenging aspects of chronic Lyme disease is that its neurological effects are often dismissed or misdiagnosed.
“Standard tests like MRIs and nerve conduction studies may not reveal the subtle dysfunctions caused by Lyme,” Dr. Elamir points out. “As a result, many patients are told that their symptoms are ‘all in their head,’ leading to frustration and a sense of isolation.”
Stress plays a significant role in the reactivation of Lyme symptoms. Dr. Elamir explains that various stressors—whether physical, emotional, or even as minor as a common cold—can trigger the dormant spirochetes in the brain to become active again.
“Stress can cause these bacteria, which might have been lying dormant in the brain, to reemerge, leading to a resurgence of neurological symptoms,” he notes. This makes stress management a critical component of care for Lyme survivors.
The spirochetes’ ability to remain dormant and reemerge under stress is one of the reasons why Lyme disease can be so difficult to treat. Even after successful treatment with antibiotics, the bacteria can remain hidden in the body, waiting for an opportunity to resurface.
At Aviv Clinics, treatment begins with a comprehensive assessment that spans three to five days. This in-depth evaluation includes structural and functional imaging of the brain, neurocognitive testing, and a thorough medical evaluation. One of the key tools used in this assessment is SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scanning.
“SPECT scans allow us to see the metabolic function or dysfunction within the brain,” Dr. Elamir explains. “This is crucial because standard MRIs primarily show the structure of the brain, but SPECT scans give us a clearer picture of how Lyme disease has affected the patient’s neurological health.”
Based on the assessment, the clinic develops a personalized treatment plan that includes HBOT as a cornerstone therapy. But HBOT is just one component of a broader treatment protocol that also includes neurocognitive training, physical therapy, vestibular therapy (for balance issues), and psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy plays a crucial role in the recovery process for many Lyme survivors. As the brain begins to heal, patients may experience a resurfacing of traumatic memories or new psychological challenges. The clinic’s psychotherapists work closely with patients to help them navigate these changes and provide them with the tools they need to cope.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most common forms of psychotherapy used at Aviv Clinics.
“CBT helps patients understand their symptoms, process their emotions, and develop strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and other psychological challenges,” says Dr. Elamir. Group therapy sessions are also offered, allowing patients to connect with others who are going through similar experiences.
Diet is another critical aspect of treatment at Aviv Clinics. Dr. Elamir emphasizes the importance of following a diet that supports neurological health.
“One of the most effective diets for this purpose is the ketogenic diet, which has shown significant benefits for people with neurological conditions,” he says.
Originally developed for children with epilepsy, the ketogenic diet involves consuming high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods that induce a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This can lead to improvements in brain function and a reduction in neurological symptoms.
Intermittent fasting is another dietary approach that can be beneficial for Lyme survivors.
“Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve metabolic processes and reduce inflammation, which can support the healing process in Lyme disease,” notes Dr. Elamir. This involves eating all meals within a specific window of time each day, such as an eight-hour period, and fasting for the remaining 16 hours.
Dr. Elamir also advises patients to reduce their intake of processed sugars, which can exacerbate inflammation and contribute to chronic health issues. “Minimizing sugar intake is essential in managing Lyme disease because it is characterized by chronic inflammation,” he explains.
Co-infections are a common complication of Lyme disease. These are other infections transmitted by the same tick that carries Lyme disease, such as Bartonella and Babesia. These co-infections can cause their own set of symptoms and make the treatment of Lyme disease more complex.
“HBOT can also be effective in treating these co-infections,” says Dr. Elamir. “The increased oxygen levels can help destroy the bacteria responsible for these infections, while the overall treatment protocol supports the repair of any damage caused by the body’s immune response to the infection.”
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Learn more about the Aviv Clinics here.
Fred Diamond is based in Fairfax, Virginia and can be contacted via Facebook. His popular book, “Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know” is available on Amazon. The e-version of the book is always free to Lyme survivors. PM Fred on Facebook for your copy.
Melinda
lookingforthelight.blog 