Getting beyond the grief
Grief is universal and inevitable. We all experience it in our lives, usually with the loss of a loved one. In time, most of us accept, adapt and move on.
But for some people, grief never seems to release its grip. Years after a loss, any reminder – a picture, a memory – will elicit new waves of fresh pain and yearning.
Neuroscientists at UCLA believe they may have discovered why. They suggest that long-term or “complicated” grief activates neurons in the reward centers of the brain, possibly giving these memories addictionlike properties.
“The idea is that when our loved ones are alive, we get a rewarding cue from seeing them or things that remind us of them,” said Mary-Frances O'Connor, an assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author of a study published in the online journal NeuroImage. “After the loved one dies, those who adapt to the loss stop getting this neural reward. But those who don't adapt continue to crave it, because each time they do see a cue, they still get that neural reward.
“Of course, all of this is outside of conscious thought, so there isn't an intention about it.”
Complicated grief is a source of significant distress and impairment, according to health researchers. It affects 10 percent to 20 percent of bereaved persons. An unrelated study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says a new method for treating complicated grief, which focuses upon discussing certain aspects of the deceased, has been found to be more effective than standard therapies for depression.
Body of knowledge
Some research suggests that when you talk to yourself, you actually teach yourself things.
Get me that. Stat!
One percent of all babies born in the United State are now conceived through in vitro fertilization, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control. About half of these babies are twins, triplets or higher multiple births.
Never say diet
The world's speed-eating record for jellied cranberry sauce is 13.23 pounds in 8 minutes, held by Juliet Lee.
Number cruncher
A single blackened fish Banzai burrito from Wahoo's contains 590 calories, 99 from fat. That's 17 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.
It also contains 107 milligrams of cholesterol (36 percent); 2,020 mg of sodium (84 percent); 89 grams of total carbohydrates (30 percent); 10g of dietary fiber (40 percent) and 42g of protein.
Medtronica
Health diaries
healthdiaries.com
A collection of blogs covering everything from acne to heart disease. Bloggers talk about their experiences and lessons. Some are instructional (see girl who got premature deep skin peel); others are heart-wrenching (see all entries on depression).
Hypochondriac's Guide
For years, some worker's in the funeral industry suffered from a mysterious ailment known as “embalmer's curse.” Victims were always men, but the symptoms varied, ranging from headaches, depression and impotence to loss of body hair and breast growth.
In 1988, however, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston figured out embalmer's curse. It was caused by overexposure to the female hormone estrogen. Male embalmers were affected because some of the chemicals they used in their work triggered estrogen production in their bodies.
The remedy: Rubber gloves.
Phobia of the week
Anthophobia – fear of flowers
Best medicine
Patient: Well, doc, what does the X-ray of my head show?
Doctor: Nothing.
Observation
Cancer is a word, not a sentence.
– English journalist and broadcaster John Diamond (1953-2001). Diamond was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997. He wrote and produced documentaries about his illness and treatment until he died.
Medical history
An Italian psychiatrist named Ugo Cerletti was a pioneer in the use of electrical shock therapy. His first patient (in 1937) was a man who spoke incoherently in nonsense syllables. After the first wave of electricity was applied, the patient reportedly burst into song. After the second, the patient clearly yelled: “Stop! Are you trying to kill me?”
Cerletti complied, declaring the man cured.
Last words
The earth is suffocating. Swear to make them cut me open, so that I won't be buried alive.
– Polish composer Frederic Chopin (1810-1849). Complying, Chopin's family had his heart removed and interred in a pillar of the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw. The rest of Chopin is buried at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
