Lower dossage of levotiroxine to stop hair loss if TSH is 0.90

Latest update! January 24th 2009

Well... my hair is not falling anymore, in fact it look very nice and healthy but because of the lowered dosage, I have gained weight and have fluid retention. Do I have to choose? Hair or weight?

marathon of life: Standard thyroid tests fail to determine proper dose of thyroid replacement

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Latest update! My hair is not falling off anymore! I managed to get to my son's wedding with a head full of hair, not exactly but I didn't lose it all. Lowering my dosage resulted in weight gain. I was absolutely happy anyway!

47, at my son's wedding

It seems like I'm losing less hair after lowering the levotiroxine dosage to 1 tablet I was taking one and a half for many years suddenly my TSH level went down to 0.09. My endocrinologist lowered it to one and a quarter on August 18th and my general doctor to 1 tablet starting this past monday. My TSH has gone up to 14 then it started going down to stay at an average of 2 to 3 with occasional ups and downs because of the Hashimoto's condition where my thyroid became labile but staying more on the hypo side. These past months I have been on the hyper side.

August 8th. After spending all summer in Chihuahua, she offered to help with the house chores! Notice how I was losing my eyebrows due to low THS levels and a high dossage of levotiroxine. My usual head full of hair is not very visible either! The strange thing here is that if your thyroid is underactive you lose hair and you do if its over active as well. The right balance id necessary.

A number of things can cause excessive hair loss.

For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary. Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease.
Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and
estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your
hair loss.

After finding the right treatment, your hair should begin to grow back shortly after. But depending on how much hair you have lost, you may wish to consider other solutions while waiting for your medication to take effect. Permanent hair growth solutions like hair transplants are not usually recommended, since this condition is temporary. What you may consider are more temporary solutions such as changing your hair style or one of the numerous hair growth products available. Whether or not you decide to try a temporary hair growth solutions, you could also try simple low cost remedies such as a scalp massage, and eating a balanced diet. Both of these options are strongly believed to promote hair growth whether or not you suffer from a thyroid problem. Although thyroid problems tend to affect you if you are older, you can be affected at any age. If you believe that a thyroid problem is the cause of your hair loss, it’s always best to consult a medical professional for tests to know for sure.

Understanding hair loss

Whether your hair turns gray and falls out or stays a thick mane of vibrant color is dependent on your body having proper levels of thyroid hormones. New ground breaking research has documented that human hair follicles are direct targets of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 which modulate hair biology parameters from cycling to pigmentation.

There are three common types of hear loss. General shedding occurs throughout the head. You notice more hair in drains, hair brushes, and on the bathroom floor. This is the most common form of hair loss typically found in people with hypothyroidism and also those with hyperthyroidism.

The second type of hair loss involves circular patches of hair loss, or complete hair loss resulting from many such small patches. This is usually the result of a fungal infection or autoimmune alopecia, and is not particularly associated with thyroid problems.

To get your full head of hair back and halt the graying, you must restore your level of thyroid functioning to what it was when your hair was plentiful and colorful. This is not always an easy task.

Thyroid Hair Loss

by Lisa in Hair Care, Hair Loss

Though this is uncommon, but if you are suffering from hair loss, make sure that they are not suffering from thyroid hair loss. Whenever your body requires extra energy, which might be due to stress or other illness, the hair cells get shut down automatically to redirect the energy elsewhere. The common condition where hair loss can occur are poor diet and nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes, surgery, and many medications, but noticeably, thyroid hair loss.

Before starting the treatment plan for your thyroid hair loss, the following key points should be taken into consideration such as evaluation by a dermatologist, to find out if there is are nutritional deficiencies, making sure that it may not be of the side effect of the thyroid drug, adherent to alternative therapies and last but not least rule out the possibility of thyroid rug side effect.
Although there are three types of hair loss such as thyroid hair loss, autoimmune alopecia, and male pattern hair loss. Thyroid hair loss can occur both in hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. When suffering from thyroid hair loss, you’ll often find more hair in the shower, in drains and in hairbrushes with absence of specific hair less patches. Thyroid hair loss is noticeable among some people even after starting the treatment especially in Synthroid medication.

Synthroid is useful in hypothyroidism but it produces thyroid hair loss as its side effect for some people and this is not known by some of the medical professionals also. So make sure that hair falling is not due to Synthroid.

Thyroid hair loss can also occur if your condition is under treated. TSH of around 1-2 is optimal for a large number of people who are suffering from hypothyroidism with no hair falling.SH

Alternative therapy such as evening primrose oil is found to be highly useful in correcting thyroid hair loss. Aromatherapy is also found to be extremely effective. Essential oils of thyme, cedar wood oil, lavender, and rosemary mixed altogether and applied on the hair will help to stimulate hair growth.

HUAMANTLA 2008 TLAX. MEXICO
Originally uploaded by Marlene sleepless

Sleepless nights? Be artistic!


The night nobody sleeps decorating the streets

Cucumber to prevent hair loss

Cucumber Waves

Originally uploaded by dspics

My hair is falling!
My endo wants to wait and see my next thyroid lab tests and gave me an appointment two months from now! My general doctor said I should reduce the dossage if the TSH was extremely low in the past two months. And I have many of the hyper symtoms of Hashimoto's including hair loss.

Although hair loss can occur with the stress of any illness, it is also a particular symptom of many different diseases. Most differ in the pattern of hair loss, and almost never resemble Male Pattern Baldness. It's also important to recognize that hair loss is seldom the first and only presentation of these diseases. Most hair comes back when the disease goes away or is adequately treated. Some of the diseases associated with hair loss are as follows: Addison's disease, Hyperthyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroditis), Hypothyroidism, Iron Deficiency, Scarring, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Secondary Syphilis , Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and Vitiligo (there are others).

Hair loss sufferers may have heard about silica and its known benefits for your hair but may not be sure exactly where to get it or why it is so helpful. Here are some Silica basics to clear some of those questions up.What is Silica?Silica is a natural, non-metallic element that makes up part of our hair, skin and nails’ chemical structure and is thought to be incredibly important in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular and skeletal system as well. The average adult requires approximately 20 grams of silica in their system to promote overall good health. Our body naturally gets rid of 10-40 milligrams a day through hair loss, trimming our nails and urination. It is important that people that are starting to lose their hair replenish this mineral in their body if they want to stop the process.What Does It Do?Because it is a vital part of what makes up our hair, increasing our body’s silica concentration has been shown to slow down hair loss, promote healthy hair regrowth and strengthen hair follicles. It puts back into our body the needed mineral that makes up our hair’s biological make-up.Where Can I Get It?Silica can be found in many healthy food choices. Bean sprouts are high in silica, as are raw oats. Skins of potatoes, green and red peppers and cucumbers also have a high concentration of silica. Silica is also an active ingredient in many shampoos aimed at battling baldness or strengthening hair. Any natural food store will have a shampoo that includes silica. The nutrient can also be taken as a vitamin supplement.

Art and color to promote a healing environment

At the new JPS Patient Care Pavilion in Fort Worth, artwork is more than mere eye candy. A team of medical professionals worked with the building's designers and an art consultant to come up with 530 individual works, which adorn walls in the five-story hospital. The overarching goal in selecting the prints, photos and wall sculptures was to promote patient well-being.

"There is an abundance of research out there showing that art can go a long way to promoting a healing environment," says Adonna Lowe, vice president and chief nursing officer, who was on the seven-person selection committee.

"Landscapes in soothing colors are linked to lowering blood pressure and reducing levels of pain medication. Art has also been linked to increasing patient satisfaction."

Feeling fatigued? Wear a red shirt. Agitated? Stare at a photo of the deep blue sea.

Chromologists (those who study the impact of color), as well as plenty of mainstream medical professionals, maintain that color can influence physical and mental well-being.
Here's a rainbow of ways color may affect you.
Red: stimulates heart rate and brain activity; increases blood pressure; boosts energy.
Orange: increases the appetite and respiration; some research suggests it can bolster thyroid activity.
Yellow: alleviates symptoms such as depression and indigestion; improves memory; increases the appetite and heart rate.
Green: lowers blood pressure, alleviates anxiety and promotes a sense of harmony.
Blue: lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration, induces sleep and counters hyperactivity.
Violet: relieves headaches and stress; reduces the appetite; relaxes the nervous system.

SOURCE: Pantone Color Institute and Color Marketing Group

the symptoms of hypothyroidism and how it is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in women only.

Dorothy

About a year ago, I read an article on hypothyroidism and posted it to this blog (The Alzheimer's Reading Room). The article described the symptoms of hypothyroidism and how it is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in women only. The symptoms of hypothyroidism include: forgetfulness, weight gain, depression, dry skin, and fatigue. All of these were present in my mother. As a result, I asked our personal physician to check my mother's thyroid. Sure enough she was suffering from a sluggish thyroid. He prescribed levothyroxine.

Dustan Mohr looks forward to be back 100% after thyroid surgery

Last month the 32-year-old had a nodule removed from his thyroid that turned out to be cancerous. Thankfully, the disease hadn't spread and he was able to return to action with a new perspective on life and his career.
I caught up with the former Twin on Thursday night at Midway Stadium as the Wingnuts prepared to take on the Saints.
DZ: Could you talk a little bit about the thyroid situation?
MOHR: Ah....I don't really like talking about it. They found a little nodule and they went in and found out it was cancer, so they took it out. Everything's good now so...It was two surgeries...so that's how it went. It's not exactly what you want to hear...(It) was the best-case scenario for (cancer)...that's what they say.
DZ: So you are pretty much DHing for the rest of the year?MOHR: Yeah, I just don't have the energy. Your thyroid controls your energy and your metabolism. I just don't have the kind of energy it takes to play defense...running around the outfield and things like that. DH is just about all I can do and I am pretty spent after the game doing that right now. We've got 9 games left and I'm just trying to stick it out. I look forward to the off-season when I'll be able to get myself back to 100%. I am looking forward to that.

A window to the world

Maria del Rosario Espinosa, Another Gold for Mexico in Taekwondo!

by patgarcia August 23, 2008 at 11:59 am 567 views


slideshow 5 more
Mexico celebrates another gold medal in Taekwondo 67kg. Maria del Rosario Espinoza has become the second woman to win a gold medal in the history of Mexican athletes.
She was born 1987 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico.
La flamante ganadora de la medalla de oro y campeona del mundo en la categoría de +67 kilogramos, María del Rosario Espinoza, vio por primera vez la luz el 29 de noviembre de 1987 en Guasave, Sinaloa.
Source: eluniversal.com.mxThe Olympic authorities decided to eliminate Zhong Chen from China just before the semifinal combat against Maria del Rosario Espinoza after reviewing the videos where British Sarah Stevenson connected a two point kick against Zhong Chen.
Las autoridades olímpicas de taekwondo decidieron, poco antes de que se realizará el combate entre María del Rosario Espinoza y la china Zhong Chen en la ronda de semifinales, que la competidora local quedó eliminada después de revisar los videos donde la británica Sarah Stevenson conectó una patada de dos puntos en su duelo ante la anfitriona.
Source: eluniversal.com.mx
Chaos caused by dispute over judges' decisions dominated the last day of the Olympic taekwondo events at the University of Science and Technology Beijing on Saturday.
The semifinals for women's +67kg class were delayed for half an hour due to a disagreement on the result of the quarterfinal match between Chinese star player Chen Zhong and Sarah Stevenson.
Chen, who was formerly ruled as winner in the quarterfinal, had her victory overruled as the British team appealed against the judgement.
Source: news.xinhuanet.com
Stevenson had originally lost her quarter-final defeat to world number one Zhong Chen of China in what was described as 'blatant robbery'.
But an appeal by the British team was successful in persuading the judges to make the unprecedented move of over-turning the decision.
Source: olympics.sportinglife.com

Ailisha Melhuish's personal challenge.

Ailisha Melhuish

Results day marked the end of a real personal challenge for Ailisha Melhuish who left school as a teenager because she was suffering from up to 20 blackouts a day as a result of having severe epilepsy.
The 27-year-old, who now uses medication to manage her condition and has been given support to cope with dyslexia, has gained the GCSEs she needed so that she can go on to train as a teacher. Having studied a HND in Retail Management at Uwic, topping that up to a degree she needed to gain her maths and English GCSEs to do her postgraduate education in teaching.
Yesterday she picked up a B grade in English language higher, and a C in maths. She also got a C in Human Physiology and Health and passed a Diploma in Digital Applications.
A delighted Ailisha said: “I’ve been taking evening classes and daytime classes at Coleg Glan Hafren in Cardiff. College life has been fantastic as I’ve had a really good year and made some brilliant friends. My dyslexia doesn’t stop me as I’ve recently had another dyslexia test at the college, and will spell things phonetically when writing notes, but then spell check them at home on a word processor. Everyone has been fantastic with my epilepsy. My support workers have been fantastic and the lecturer has been amazing.. I’ve been very motivated to achieve my GCSEs first so I can be a teacher, and to prove people wrong who said I would never get anywhere in life. From September I’ll be on the A Level fast track scheme, taking the AS and A2 of English and Maths in the same year, before moving onto the PGCE. I would like to teach in primary school, but will be happy to settle for teaching in college, as my epilepsy would make it difficult for me to be responsible for young children. I’m very driven to show that people with epilepsy or any form of disability don’t need to be held back by their disability.”

Guillermo Perez from Mexico Goes for the Gold in Tae Kuan Do and Gets it

Guillermo Perez from Mexico Goes for the Gold in Tae Kuan Do and Gets it
by patgarcia August 20, 2008 at 08:14 am 1862 views 4 comments

by patgarcia


Guillermo Perez just beat Dominican participant a few minutes ago. Congratulations for the gold, second medal for Mexico!


Guillermo Perez had beaten the participant of Thailand 3-1 securing at least a silver medal and going for the gold in Beijing 2008.

Guillermo Perez, Mexico Gold

Yulis Gabriel Mercedes, Dominican Republic Silver

Rohullah Nikpai,Afghanistan Bronze

Chu Mu-yen of Taiwan, Bronze


Guillermo Perez won Mexico's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics with victory in the men's -58kg taekwondo.
Perez defeated Yulis Gabriel Mercedes of the Dominican Republic in a decision after the bout ended 1-1.


Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Men's champion Perez, who defeated Great Britain's Michael Harvey to reach the quarter-finals, scored early against Mercedes who left it late to respond, scoring seconds before the bell as he connected with a back kick.

Neither could add any final score in overtime and the judges declared Perez as the winner.

Rohullah Nikpai won Afghanistan's first Olympic medal as he claimed bronze, defeating world champion Juan Antonio Ramos, while the other bronze went to the defending champion Chu Mu-yen of Taiwan.


Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Todo México se desmañanó para ver entre el café del desayuno y la llegada a la oficina la pelea que amarraría una medalla y que finalmente, se solidificó en una presa de oro: la de Guillermo Pérez, el taekwondoín mexicano que compitió en la categoría de 58 kilos en Beijing.

Más que una medalla para los mexicanos representó la perfección de un sueño porque se volvió realidad y las esperanzas de convertir el "ya merito" en el "sí se pudo".


Source: eluniversal.com.mx
Mexico and Afghanistan's medals have made a great impact in their countries. The last gold medal received by a male athlete in Mexico was August 11 1984 by Raul Gonzalez . Afhganistan's first medal in any sport was obtained by Rohullah Nikpai.
Mexico and Afghanistan shine with taekwondo medals

BEIJING: World silver medallist Guillermo Perez won Mexico’s first ever Olympic taekwondo gold medal Wednesday, while Afghanistan lifted its first ever medal in any sport through its most popular martial art.



Source: dailytimes.com.pk

Guillermo Perez of Mexico and China's Wu Jingyu won taekwondo gold medals on Wednesday at the Olympics.

Another big story also broke out of the competition as Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, to take the bronze in the men's under 58-kilogram division.


Source: sportsnetwork.com
Bruce Lee lo inspiró a soñar. A los cuatro años, Guillermo Pérez comenzó a lanzar sus primeras patadas al aire en su natal Taretán (Michoacán), en un primer intento por imitar a su ídolo Bruce Lee, la leyenda china artemarcialista.

Entonces, Memo ni siquiera imaginó que esa afición lo llevaría a unos Juegos Olímpicos. "Recuerdo cuando era niño, que mis papás me llevaban cada domingo al cine a ver películas de artes marciales. Me gustaban en especial las de Bruce Lee, quien me fascinó al verlo lanzar sus golpes y patadas para ayudar a los más desposeídos", hace un ejercicio de memoria.

Source: yucatan.com.mx

Riedel's thyroiditis

I had more around 30 shots in my arm to test alergic reaccions early in the morning and it was my first day of school also.

My latest lung x rays showed a displacement of my trachea, condition which I didn't even know it existed.

Sometimes my medical check ups seem like some kind of sinister joke.

I'm scheduled for a spirometry test due to the broncopharingeal spasms I've experienced every now and then, the alergologist believes it is all related to my thyroid condition, so he ordered more exams to be sure. In the meantime they have added two more pills to take everyday a total of 9 plus the ones to take "just in case"

Good thing I have great happy moments to compensate for all that.

SICKNESS IS AN ENEMY. IT DOES NOT COME FROM GOD! DEFINETELY.

Inflammatory fibrosclerosis of the thyroid gland with infiltration

of dense fibrous tissue into surrounding soft tissues

Pathologically, Riedel's thyroiditis is characterized by replacement of normal thyroid tissue by fibrotic connective tissue, with obliteration of normal thyroid architecture and involvement of adjacent tissues following extension through the thyroid capsule. Diffuse or partial involvement of the gland may occur. There is absence of skin and lymph node involvement.[1,5] Clinically, the thyroid gland is enlarged and hard but nontender and frequently involves a previously existing goiter.[5] Direct extension causes compression of the trachea and the esophagus, resulting in dyspnea and dys-phagia.[1,5] An association exists between Riedel's thyroiditis and multifocal idiopathic fibro-sclerosis, which includes retroperitoneal fibrosis, pseudo-tumor of the orbit, sclerosing cholangitis, and mediastinal fibrosis.[6,7]
The exact etiology is still unknown.[1] Although it was previously thought to represent the later stages of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Riedel's thyroiditis is now recognized as a unique disease process.[5] Early lesions show inflammatory cell infiltration with destruction of normal thyroid architecture. Ensuing fibrosis replaces normal thyroid tissue and is not confined to the thyroid gland.[1,8] Thyroid function is typically preserved until later stages when patients exhibit hypothyroidism, which can also occur from fibrotic infiltration of the parathyroid glands.

Disabilities Act Changes Could Include More Conditions

When I'm in the ER hospital ward with thyroid storm or after epilepsy crisis, I don't get paid for being abscent from work lagally. It is a blessing to work in a place where I get full pay just by justifying the abscense with a doctor's prescription or lab test.

WINTER PARK -- Potential changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act could mean people previously not considered disabled could soon see employment benefits.
The proposed ADA Amendments Act would include people with diabetes, epilepsy, serious heart conditions, mental disabilities and even cancer.

Spokespeople for the employment law firm Littler Mendelson told News 13 it was in the process of preparing its clients for what it believes will be the inevitable passing of the ADA Amendments Act.
The firm believes the bill could become law as early as January 2009.

"A doctor came on TV and talked about in India, that there's very little Alzheimer's...and they believe turmeric is what it's all about," she said.
Researchers, the broadcast said, have discovered turmeric - the spice that gives curry its distinctive yellow tint - contains curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory, and may have other beneficial health effects.
"I called out to my son, and said, 'Go to the grocery store and get some turmeric,"' she recalled.
Within six weeks, Havel said, the inflammation caused by her reactive arthritis had been reduced by half, simply by sprinkling turmeric on her food at mealtime.
Curcumin has also been cited by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as a possible treatment for ailments ranging from arthritis to gallstones, but the agency emphasizes that little research has been done on the spice's healing effects.
In another study, cited by the National Institute on Aging's annual Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, researchers found curcumin reduced the build-up of protein in the brains of mice. That protein build-up is seen as an early indicator of Alzheimer's.
In 1996, she was one of more than 50 people sickened with salmonella poisoning after eating at a Wendy's restaurant on Rte. 9 in Natick.
The outbreak made news for weeks, particularly after a Waltham woman died after being exposed to the bacteria, and though most people eventually improved, Havel's health problems were just beginning.
Within days, she felt a nausea that never seemed to go away. Dizziness and a strange pain - "It felt like my bones were disintegrating," she recalled this week - were other symptoms.
In the months and years that followed, Havel had other symptoms, including memory loss, swelling due to an overactive thyroid, and the development of grapefruit sized lumps throughout her body.
Worst of all, she said, was the arthritis.
Though rare, salmonella can cause reactive arthritis, leaving patients in terrible pain, and virtually unable to get around.
"It got worse and worse and worse," Havel said. "It moved from my lower joints right on up to my hips and shoulders."
Though she tried to deal with the condition by altering her diet and focusing on natural remedies, Havel feared she'd live with arthritis for the rest of her life.
But her discovery of turmeric's healing effects, she said, is changing all that.
Today, she takes three curcumin capsules a day, and says she's continually improving.
"I'm curling up my toes, which I couldn't do for years," she said. "Yeah, this was a miracle, and not just for me. At times, the only place I'm uncomfortable is my hips, but it's better than it was."
Sweeping her front steps? Years ago, Havel said, she wouldn't have dared to try.
"It's something, on good days, I would do, but it varied," she said. "I didn't want to take a chance. (Now,) I can do that. I can vacuum the floor without a thought.
"It's something that really needs to be out there, there is hope for people who are stuck," she added. "I'm sitting here like a normal person, and it's awesome."

Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz 73.26 dive. Photo Conade Mex.

by patgarcia | August 12, 2008 at 09:23 pm | 625 views | 2 comments

Photo: Conade, México beijing.deporte.org.mx/ courtesy of ▪Chocolatito▪

Paola Espinosa from La Paz Baja California Mexico has given the citizens of this city great satisfaction. Everybody knows her parents who have taught and trained several generations of children in our city Gym my son included when he was 6.

Mexico is proud of these beautiful mermaids Paola and Tatiana Ortiz for getting the first olympic medal for Mexico.

1. China -- Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin, 363.54 points

2. Australia -- Briony Cole and Melissa Wu, 335.16

3. Mexico -- Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz, 330.06

4. Germany -- Annett Gamm and Nora Subschinski, 310.29

5. The United States -- Marybeth Dunnichay and Ishimatsu Haley, 309.12

6. Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- Kum Hui Choe and Un Hyang Kim, 308.10

7. Canada -- Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion, 305.91

8. Great Britain -- Tonia Couch and Stacie Powell, 303.48

Source: en.beijing2008.cn

The Chinese teenagers were the highest ranked pair in each of the five dives, building a nearly insurmountable 25.32 point lead after the fourth dive. Their superb 90.78 point final dive widened their winning margin to 28.38 over second place Australia. The reigning world champions were competing in the Olympics for the first time.

Cole and Wu of Australia started the competition in a tie for third but pulled into second place after the third dive. A bad entry on the fourth dive gave Mexico an opening to steal silver, but the Australian pair recovered on their final dive with a 87.72-point score that clinched their second-place finish. Cole and Wu also finished second behind their Chinese opponents at the 2007 World Championships.

Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz have the honor of winning Mexico's first medal of the 2008 Olympics and the 10th diving medal in the nation's Olympic history. Espinosa finished fifth in Athens in the two Synchronized events and 12th in the two Individual events.

Source: en.beijing2008.cn

Australian Olympic rookies Melissa Wu and Briony Cole claimed the Olympic silver medal in the women's synchronised 10m platform today.

The duo delivered a superb performance to amass 335.16 points and finish behind only the dominant home team which continued China's undefeated run at the Water Cube.

Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin were near faultless throughout and won the gold medal with an outstanding 363.54 points while Mexico's Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz took bronze with 330.06 points.

The Australians were just over one point ahead of the Mexicans heading into the final round but nailed a wonderful 87.72 point dive to hold off their rivals.

Source: livenews.com.au

Florence Nightingale could have suffered petit mal epilepsy

In her diary, an entry shortly before her seventeenth birthday reads: "On February 7th, 1837, God spoke to me and called me to his service." She did not know what the service would be, and therefore decided that she must remain single, so as to have no encumbrances and be ready for anything. With this in mind, she rejected a proposal of marriage from a young man whom she dearly loved. She suffered from "trances" or "dreaming" spells, in which she would lose consciousness for several minutes or longer, and be unaware when she recovered that time had passed. (Could this be a form of petit mal epilepsy? No biographer of hers that I have read uses the word.) She found the knowledge that she was subject to such spells terrifying, and feared that they meant that she was unworthy of her calling, particularly since she did not hear the voice of God again for many years. In the spring of 1844 she came to believe that her calling was to nurse the sick. In 1850 her family sent her on a tour of Egypt for her health. Some extracts from her diary follow:
March 7. God called me in the morning and asked me would I do good for Him, for Him alone without the reputation.March 9. During half an hour I had by myself in my cabin, settled the question with God.April 1. Not able to go out but wished God to have it all His own way. I like Him to do exactly as He likes without even telling me the reason.May 12. Today I am thirty--the age Christ began his mission.Now no more childish things. No more love. No more marriage. Now Lord let me think only of Thy Will, what Thou willest me to do. Oh Lord Thy Will, Thy Will.June 10. The Lord spoke to me; he said, Give five minutes every hour to the thought of Me. Coudst thou but love Me as Lizzie loves her husband, how happy wouldst thou be." But Lizzie does not give five minutes every hour to the thought of her husband, she thinks of him every minute, spontaneously.

" words of love "

Without love it doesn't matter what I say.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

How powerful are love containing words!
Love has an uplifting power. During the darkest days of my condition this year. It was the memory of LOVE in my life that kept me going...... even a slight memory of happy times reminded me who I was, what I thought, and what I felt about things. I had to realize It was sickness destroying the essence of me.

I thank God for using special friends in my life,to help me remember the core values of love in my life and for His everlasting love always around me.


We’ve discovered that God is into creating life with His tongue, with His words. Since we are made in His image, He is into our creating life and prosperity with our tongues. That’s a lot of power that God has trusted us with. He has given us the choice which kind of words we speak - words of life and good or words of evil and destruction. But He wants us to speak words of life, encouraging words, words that uplift or “uphold”, and impacting words that accomplish His purpose in our lives and the world around us. He wants us to join Him in His purposes! When God speaks, He creates, upholds and accomplishes! And He encourages us to do the same.

Photo
Words of love by 3oyon-sa7ara

"words of love "

"Love is like magic"
And it always will be.
For love still remains
Life's sweet mystery!!
Love works in ways
That are wondrous and strange
And there's nothing in life
That love cannot change!!
Love can transform
The most commonplace
Into beauty and splendor
And sweetness and grace.
Love is unselfish,
Understanding and kind,
For it sees with its heart
And not with its mind!!
Love is the answer
That everyone seeks...
Love is the language,
That every heart speaks.
Love can't be bought,
It is priceless and free,
Love, like pure magic,
Is life's sweet mystery!!

written by: Helen Steiner Rice.

Laughter threatens Kay Underwood's health by patgarcia at NowPublic

A strange condition Kay Underwood would like to raise the correct perspective awareness to.

It may seem quite peculiar and funny to some individuals but it's a quite debilitating and anguish causing condition to those who have to live with it.

Kay Underwood, 20, of Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire, has cataplexy, which means her muscles weaken when she laughs, causing her to fall over.

The University of Lincoln architecture student has in the past collapsed 40 times in a single day.

She said many people think that she is joking when her condition does make her fall over.

Emotion cause

Ms Underwood was diagnosed as having cataplexy a year ago, but believes she has had it for about four or five years.

She said: "I think a lot of people, if I've told them about it and they've not seen it, would quite like to see me do it (collapse), so they try to make me laugh.

"Quite a few people have thought I'm still strange and 'Is she making it up?'

"And if I collapse a lot of people have thought I'm just putting it on."

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Cataplexy

An abrupt temporary loss of voluntary muscular function and tone, sometimes evoked by an emotional stimulus such as laughter, pleasure, anger or excitement. The attacks can last just a few seconds or many minutes. They may end in the resumption of normal behaviour or be followed by sleep for half an hour.

Epidemiology:

* Cataplexy is often associated with narcolepsy and can affect 60% to 90% of patients with narcolepsy
* Isolated cataplexy is rare
* Are triggered by emotions such as anger, surprise, laughter and exhilaration.

Presentation:

* Attacks vary considerably in severity from a barely susceptible slackening of the facial muscles, dropping of the jaw or the entire head, weakness at the knees or collapse on to the floor
* Speech is slurred and eyesight impaired with blurring or double vision. Hearing and awareness remain unaffected.

Source: patient.co.uk

To read about another strange type of epilepsy: Transient Epileptic Amnesia scroll down the blog to "What if you woke up with no memories?

Transient Epileptic Amnesia

Thyroid Hormone levels Linked to Alzheimer's Disease in Older Women
by patgarcia

To know results of new studies encourage thyroid and Alzheimer's patients. Sometimes, to the patient everything seems so related. Thyroid....... memory........... confusion.........cognition......... it all feels like the same thing of something strangely wrong deep inside.
Yet some doctors stick to their specialty and sustain that one thing is not related to the other........ the neck bone is connected to the shoulder bone...

Older women who have high or low levels of the thyroid hormone thyrotropin have more than twice the risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease vs those with more moderate thyroid hormone levels, according to a new study.
The study, published in the July 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, did not find an association between extreme thyroid hormone levels and Alzheimer's disease in men.
Although still hypothetical and subject to verification by further research, the results of this study suggest that it might be time to question whether target thyroid hormone levels (now typically between 0.5 and 5.0 mIU/L) should be narrowed to a more moderate range, said Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of Hebrew Senior Life, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
Source: medscape.com
Thyroid Condition is a very stressful sickness, either your metabolism is working at full speed or struggling like an engine without proper oil and gas.

Thyroid hormone function is intricately linked to the central nervous system. Adults with hypothyroidism are more prone to depression, whereas those with hyperthyroidism are subject to confusion. Also, recent studies have related thyroid dysfunction to an increased risk for irreversible dementia. "So we know there are some connections (between thyroid function and cognition), but I don't think anyone has figured out yet what the exact connection is," said Dr. Tan.
Source: medscape.com

Many Doctors do not diagnose a thyroid problem if the patient is within the range 0.5 and 5.0 range.

Would maintaining a narrower range of thyroid hormone levels prevent Alzheimer's disease? This question will take some time to answer. Although thyroid dysfunction is linked to dementia, depression, and other cognitive problems, "whether maintaining hormone levels within limits will actually prevent dementia I think might be a big jump," said Dr. Tan. "That will have to be proven in clinical trials."
Source: medscape.com

Thyroid patients know how extremely different it is to be at the low range and the high range level. It is important to emphasize how labile levels affect all the nervous system, and this stressful condition eventually damages the brain.

Although it is known that long-term or chronic stress can affect the brain’s learning and memory region, a new finding discovers short-term stress, lasting as little as a few hours, can also impair brain-cell communication in these critical areas.
Source: psychcentral.com
They found that rather than involving the widely known stress hormone cortisol, which circulates throughout the body, acute stress activated selective molecules called corticotropin releasing hormones, which disrupted the process by which the brain collects and stores memories.
Source: psychcentral.com

What if you woke up one morning with no past?

by patgarcia August 4, 2008

There are different types of epylepsy, some of them are very strange and can go "unnoticed" for years, some patients' attacks are exclusively amnesic, some display familiar features of epilepsy or brief periods of impaired awareness, automatisms or olfactory hallucinations.
Patients with 'Transient Epileptic Amnesia' (TEA) experience short periods of amnesia (memory loss) for recent events, often associated with simultaneous difficulty in laying down new memories, usually lasting for about half an hour. These episodes of amnesia either occur at the time of epileptic activity in the temporal lobes or soon afterwards. Attacks on waking are characteristic. Episodes tend to recur quite frequently, at a rate of around one attack per month, until treatment is started. Other manifestations of epilepsy can occur at the same time, including hallucinations of smell, alterations of awareness (sometimes with an absent stare) and lip-smacking or swallowing movements. When such attacks are due to epilepsy they usually respond promptly to appropriate treatment with anti-epileptic drugs such as Carbamazepine (Tegretol). Sufferers are typically middle-aged or elderly. There is usually no obvious underlying brain abnormality on brain scans. The cause of this form of epilepsy is unknown, and in most cases it does not appear to be a symptom of any progressive form of brain disease.

Source: pms.ac.uk
When Beki Propst went to bed in her Sterling apartment on Halloween night 1997, she had a job, an admirable resume, a black belt in karate, hobbies, friends, family. She had a 47-year-old life.
When she woke up the next day, everything was gone. Her family, her childhood, her name, her work experience, her history: all erased. A vicious electrical storm in her brain — a grand mal seizure — had wiped away her long-term memories. All of them.
She knew how to do things, such as read, write, talk and walk. She knew nothing about people, facts, names and history. She knew how to drive a car, but she knew nothing about the rules of the road.
She explains it this way: "My brain's hard drive was erased, but the system was intact."
Her father and sisters were strangers. Her college degree was worthless. She couldn't even remember where she went to school. Her job experience — assistant director of governmental services for the Colorado Association of Realtors, owner of a small printing company, broadcast journalist with the National Guard — was meaningless.
Her passport was stamped with exotic destinations such as Bolivia and Tahiti, places she did not know. The toys in her closet — cross country and downhill skis, hunting guns, a bike, a karate uniform — were foreign objects. The photo albums on her bookshelf were filled with strangers, including a tall, athletic girl with long, blond hair: herself.
"I don't even know who this man is," she says, tossing her wedding album from a trunk she keeps in the bedroom of her modest Longmont apartment. "I don't know the woman either. Why do I even keep this?"
Doctors call it transient epileptic amnesia. It is not unusual for seizures to leave cognitive function intact while disabling a sufferer's ability to retrieve established memories, a condition known as "retrograde amnesia."

Source: denverpost.com

First Heavy Rain in La Paz Baja California Sur.
Wind, Thunder and Lighting, precisely when my daughter's plane was arriving.

Nathy's arrival.
Originally uploaded by patgarcia

On our way to pick my daughter Nathy from the airport.

The sunset I was looking for.........
Originally uploaded by patgarcia

The sunset I was looking for.........

You seemed to be running away from me. It seemed like I would miss you but I captured you for me..... in an instant of a preciously enhanced breath of life, adding you as paint brush strokes of colorful beauty that flows straight from all the creative love of God, delighting the eyes and and softly speaking of His love to all those who reach for Him.

Thank you God