Moving out of Hurts and Brokenness by bro Chita Joseph C.

Introduction 

 Greetings to you all our dear esteemed audience all over the globe. I welcome you to the Channel of Peace this morning, afternoon, evening, or night depending on the geographical location you are in. It is amazing having you on this platform. Today, we shall be reflecting on the topic "Moving out of Hurts and Brokenness." This topic is essential to everyone because it deals with the ontological and teleological nature of the human person. It concerns our health as it deals with an expression of our mental or psychological state in life. It addresses our lived experiences, their effects on us, and how we can manage them. Let us quickly look at the concepts of hurt and brokenness.

The concept of hurt and brokenness

 It is paramount to explicate the concepts that build up our topic for a better understanding. Often, we hear some people saying am hurt or broken! He or she hurt me! These alterations and other related ones evoke in the mind the following questions: what is hurt or brokenness? What does it feel to be hurt or broken? I mean the qualia one feels when being hurt or broken? Have you been hurt or have you hurt others? What shall one do when hurt or broken?  And many other related questions.

 

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the concept of "hurt" connotes inflicting physical pain, causing emotional pain to others, or suffering pain and grief. It is about causing damage or distress to oneself or another. While that "brokenness" means a breakdown of something, to violently separate into parts or made weak. It can also mean being crushed, sorrowful, bankrupt, or depressed. In our discourse today, both concepts are state of affairs or being where one experiences pain or depression. One is hurt when he or she suffers pain, anguish, or grief which often leads to depression or mental breakdown. In a nutshell, to be broken is to be depressed, or to be emotionally or psychologically shattered or ineffectual. Having briefly explained the two concepts, we shall consider how to manage and move away from our hurt and brokenness. 

Moving out of Hurt and Brokenness

It is one thing to be hurt or broken, and another to discover it, manage it, and move out of it. Arguably, every grown-up individual in one way or another has been hurt or hurt others at some point in life. Whether intentionally or not, directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly. However, our concern here is how to move out of such psychological entrapment or quagmire. There are myriads of ways to move out of hurt and brokenness but in this context, we shall consider the following:

Self-knowledge: I wish to ask, how much of yourself do you know? Who are you? And who do people say you are? Most of the challenges you experience today are as a result of ignorance of who you are. How many of your temperaments, problems, and gifts are you aware of? Are you hurt, if yes by whom? You need to know that you are hurt or broken, and their cause(s) to enable you to proffer solutions.

Sharing/Counselling: having been aware of your hurts and the causes, there is a need to talk about them with the trustworthy person(s) within your reach. Go for counseling for a better view of how to handle them. Be open or depose to talk about your hurt and brokenness rather than bottling them within yourself. Many have made a terrible mistakes or lost their lives because they failed to talk about their hurtness and brokenness. Or maybe they did not talk to the appropriate person(s).

Forgiveness: another thing is learning to forgive yourself and others. Forgiveness heals, it enlightens our burdens. We must know that there is a difference between forgiveness and tolerance. Please, know when to forgive and when to tolerate the other to avoid getting angry or into depression.

Reconciliation/Healing: make an effort if possible to reconcile yourself and the other. Take time to hang out, refresh yourself, or go for a retreat. Have some quiet time within yourself reflecting on your life and how better you could live. And know that there are thousands of opportunities out there to correct whatever went wrong.

Resolutions/Amendments: there is a need to make amendments. You are encouraged to make a resolution and endeavor to execute them. Try to look at the situations to know where you could have come in or help out and make plans to correct such in the future.

Boundary: you have to set boundaries, anything can not always go for the seek of your mental peace. Let there be limits to which people can come into your life or world and stick to it. This will help you guide against some mishaps in life as well as enable you to come out of any misfortune you are in at present.

Self-esteem: you need to believe in yourself, you can do it. Do not allow people to be playing on your psyche that you can not. A positive self-esteem with prudence and responsibility will prevent people from taking advantage of you. Know your self-worth and value. Stop seeking unhealthy approval or recognition, be yourself, and stop living a pretentious life. Be responsible in your dealings, and learn to say yes or no when necessary. 

Living in the present: let go, do not dwell in the past. Do not be caught in the past, rather pick out what is necessary and helpful in your past experiences to build up the presence. Please, avoid relying on or repeating the mistakes of the past. Do not allow the trauma of the past to distort your present life.

Healthy relationship: you are encouraged to build healthy relationships and avoid unhealthy ones. Try to avoid being an object of sexual gratification. Many people today are hurt, disappointed, or heartbroken because of the unhealthy relationships they keep. Please, know who you are keeping as a friend or partner. 

Creativity and Innovation: be creative and innovative with your time, talents, and resources. As a student, civil servant, entrepreneur, single or married person you need to implore the tools of creativity and innovation in all your endeavors even in your present situation. This will enable you to meet up with your goals, dreams, or aspirations. 

Why should you come out of your hurt and brokenness? 

First, for the sake of your mental health, you need to restore your mental peace. Secondly, For physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual growth. And thirdly, for maturity and balance in one's relationship with others, and a better approach to reality.

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) By: Emmanuel Chibuike (Mr Feated)

INTRODUCTION 

 Fatigue occurs most often as part of a symptom complex, but even when it is the sole or main presenting symptom, fatigue is one of the most common symptoms.

Fatigue is difficulty initiating and sustaining activity due to a lack of energy and accompanied by a desire to rest. Fatigue is normal after physical exertion, prolonged stress, and sleep deprivation.

Patients may refer to certain other symptoms as fatigue; differentiating between them and fatigue is usually, but not always, possible with detailed questioning.

Weakness, a symptom of nervous system or muscle disorders, is insufficient force of muscular contraction at maximum effort. Disorders such as myasthenia gravis and Eaton-Lambert syndrome can cause weakness that worsens with activity, simulating fatigue.

Dyspnea on exertion, an early symptom of cardiac and pulmonary disorders, can decrease exercise tolerance, simulating fatigue. Respiratory symptoms usually can be elicited upon careful questioning or develop subsequently.

Somnolence, a symptom of disorders causing sleep deprivation (eg, allergic rhinitis, esophageal reflux, painful musculoskeletal disorders, sleep apnea, severe chronic disorders), is an unusually strong desire to sleep. Yawning and lapsing into sleep during daytime hours are common. Patients can usually tell the difference between somnolence and fatigue. However, deprivation of deep non rapid eye movement sleep can cause muscle aches and fatigue, and many patients with fatigue have disturbed sleep, so differentiating between fatigue and somnolence may be difficult.

Fatigue can be classified in various temporal categories, such as the following:

Recent fatigue: < 1 month duration

Prolonged fatigue: 1 to 6 months duration

Chronic fatigue: > 6 months duration.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is one cause of chronic fatigue. There are now 2 other terms for chronic fatigue syndrome—myalgic encephalomyelitis and systemic exertion intolerance—although there is no clear delineation between these at this time. Patients with COVID-19 may have symptoms that last for weeks or even months, which is known as “long COVID” or “long-haul COVID” and resembles postviral fatigue (and can be called post-viral fatigue syndrome) and chronic fatigue syndrome.

 Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome [ME/CFS]) is a syndrome of life-altering fatigue lasting > 6 months that is unexplained and is accompanied by a number of associated symptoms. Management includes validating the patient’s disability, treating specific symptoms, and in some patients cognitive-behavioral therapy and a graded exercise program.

Although as many as 25% of people in the United States report being chronically fatigued, only about 0.5% of people meet criteria for having CFS. Although the term CFS was first used in 1988, the disorder has been well described since at least the mid 1700s but has had different names (eg, febricula, neurasthenia, chronic brucellosis, effort syndrome). CFS is most described among young and middle-aged women but has been noted in all ages, including children, and in both sexes.

CFS is not malingering (intentional feigning of symptoms). CFS does share many features with fibromyalgia, such as sleep disorders, mental cloudiness, fatigue, pain, and exacerbation of symptoms with activity.

Etiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Etiology of CFS is unknown. No infectious, hormonal, immunologic, or psychiatric cause has been established. Among the many proposed infectious causes, Epstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease, candidiasis, and cytomegalovirus have been proven not to cause CFS. Similarly, there are no allergic markers and no immunosuppression.

Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection have become “long-haulers” with persistent symptoms. Some of these symptoms result from organ damage from the infection and/or treatment, and others may be from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, in some patients COVID-19 seems to trigger typical CFS, but further study is needed to confirm this association and determine causality.

Various minor immunologic abnormalities have been reported. These abnormalities include low levels of IgG, abnormal IgG, decreased lymphocytic proliferation, low interferon-gamma levels in response to mitogens, poor cytotoxicity of natural killer cells, circulating autoantibodies and immune complexes, and many other immunologic findings. However, none provide adequate sensitivity and specificity for defining CFS. They do, however, underscore the physiologic legitimacy of CFS.

Relatives of patients with CFS have an increased risk of developing the syndrome, suggesting a genetic component or common environmental exposure. Recent studies have identified some genetic markers that might predispose to CFS. Some researchers believe the etiology will eventually be shown to be multifactorial, including a genetic predisposition, and exposure to microbes, toxins, and other physical and/or emotional trauma.

Symptoms and Signs of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Before onset of CFS, most patients are highly functioning and successful.

Onset is usually abrupt, often following a psychologically or medically stressful event. Many patients report an initial viral-like illness with swollen lymph nodes, extreme fatigue, fever, and upper respiratory symptoms. The initial syndrome resolves but seems to trigger protracted severe fatigue, which interferes with daily activities and typically worsens with exertion but is alleviated poorly or not at all by rest. Patients often also have disturbances of sleep and cognition, such as memory problems, “foggy thinking,” hypersomnolence, and a feeling of having had unrefreshing sleep. Important general characteristics are diffuse pains and sleep problems.

The physical examination Is normal, with no objective signs of muscle weakness, arthritis, neuropathy, or organomegaly. However, some patients have low-grade fever, nonexudative pharyngitis, and/or palpable or tender (but not enlarged) lymph nodes.

Because patients typically appear healthy, friends, family, and even health care practitioners sometimes express skepticism about their condition, which can worsen the frustration and/or depression patients often feel about their poorly understood disorder.

Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Clinical criteria

Laboratory evaluation to exclude non-CFS disorders

The diagnosis of CFS is made by the characteristic history combined with a normal physical examination and normal laboratory test results. Any abnormal physical findings or laboratory tests must be evaluated and alternative diagnoses that cause those findings and/or the patient’s symptoms excluded before the diagnosis of CFS can be made. The case definition is often useful but should be considered an epidemiologic and research tool and in some circumstances should not be strictly applied to individual patients.

Testing is directed at any non-CFS causes suspected based on objective clinical findings. If no cause is evident or suspected, a reasonable laboratory assessment includes complete blood count and measurement of electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. If indicated by clinical findings, further testing in selected patients may include chest x-ray, sleep studies, and testing for adrenal insufficiency. Serologic testing for infections, antinuclear antibodies, and neuroimaging are not indicated without objective evidence of disease on examination (ie, not just subjective complaints) or on basic testing; in such situations, pretest probability is low and so the risk of false-positive results is high. This can result in incorrect diagnoses, additional unnecessary testing, and inappropriate treatments.

Prognosis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Most patients with CFS improve over time though often not back to their pre-illness state. That time is typically years and improvement is often only partial. Some evidence indicates that earlier diagnosis and intervention improve the prognosis.

Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Acknowledgment of patient’s symptoms

Sometimes cognitive-behavioral therapy

Sometimes graded exercise, limited to avoid a setback

Drugs for depression, sleep, or pain if indicated

To provide effective care to patients with CFS, physicians must acknowledge and accept the validity of patients’ symptoms. Whatever the underlying cause, these patients are not malingerers but are suffering and strongly desire a return to their previous state of health. For successful management patients need to accept and accommodate their disability, focusing on what they can still do instead of lamenting what they cannot do.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy and a graded exercise program have been helpful in some studies but not in others (1, 2). They should be considered for patients who are willing to try them and have access to the appropriate services. Depression is common and expected in any patient with a disability. This should be treated with antidepressants and/or psychiatric referral. Sleep disturbances should be aggressively managed with relaxation techniques and improved sleep hygiene (see table Approach to Patient, Sleep Hygiene ).

If these measures are ineffective, hypnotic drugs and/or referral to a sleep specialist may be necessary. Patients with pain (usually due to a component of fibromyalgia) can be treated using a number of drugs such as pregabalin, duloxetine, amitriptyline, or gabapentin. Physical therapy is also often helpful. Treatment for orthostatic hypotension may also be helpful.

Unproven or disproven treatments, such as antivirals, immunosuppressants, elimination diets, and amalgam extractions, should be avoided

Thank you for reading!!!

BLOOD POISONING - SEPSIS By Excellent Nurse Lizabeth

 INTRODUCTION

We're here today to talk about sepsis, often known as blood poisoning, a condition that can be fatal and frequently lingers in the background but presents a serious risk when it manifests. Every year, sepsis, a medical emergency, claims millions of lives throughout the world. In this session, we'll explore the secrets of sepsis, looking at its causes, symptoms, management techniques, and preventive tactics.

I. Defining Sepsis:

Sepsis is a severe, systemic response to infection where the body's immune system goes haywire. Instead of targeting the infection, the immune system triggers widespread inflammation, affecting vital organs.

II. The Causes of Sepsis:

Infections: The most common cause of sepsis is an infection, which can be bacterial, viral, or fungal. Pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and skin infections are common culprits.

Invasive Medical Procedures: Sepsis can also occur as a complication of invasive medical procedures, such as surgery or catheter insertion.

Weakened Immune System: Individuals with weakened immune systems, including the elderly, newborns, or those with chronic illnesses, are at higher risk.

III. Signs and Symptoms:

Early detection is key to saving lives. Signs and symptoms of sepsis include:

Fever or Hypothermia: An unusually high fever or abnormally low body temperature.

Tachycardia: A significantly elevated heart rate.

Tachypnea: Rapid and shallow breathing.

Altered Mental State: Confusion, disorientation, or extreme drowsiness.

Hypotension: A dangerous drop in blood pressure leading to dizziness and weakness.

Respiratory Distress: Difficulty breathing or labored breathing.

Organ Dysfunction: Symptoms related to specific organ failures, such as kidney or liver dysfunction.

IV. The Critical Importance of Early Intervention:

Sepsis progresses rapidly. Early recognition and prompt treatment are paramount.

A simple blood test can identify elevated white blood cell counts and signs of infection, aiding in sepsis diagnosis.

Immediate hospitalization is typically required for sepsis treatment.

V. Treating Sepsis:

Antibiotics: Broad-spectrum antibiotics are administered to target the underlying infection.

Supportive Care: Patients often require intensive care, including oxygen therapy and intravenous fluids to maintain blood pressure and organ function.

Source Control: Surgical intervention may be necessary to remove the source of infection, such as an abscess or infected surgical site.

Vasopressors: These medications constrict blood vessels, raising blood pressure in cases of severe septic shock.

Nutrition and Pain Management: Providing proper nutrition and pain relief are essential for a patient's recovery.

VI. Prevention:

The most effective way to battle sepsis is to prevent infections.

Emphasize proper hand hygiene, get vaccinated, and use antibiotics responsibly.

In healthcare settings, rigorous infection control practices are essential.

VII. Conclusion:

In conclusion, sepsis is a formidable adversary that can strike anyone at any time. Understanding its causes, recognizing its signs and symptoms, and seeking immediate medical attention are the keys to survival. Prevention through infection control measures and good hygiene practices is equally crucial. By spreading awareness and knowledge about sepsis, we can unite in the fight against this silent, deadly threat and save countless lives.