Health

Therapist-Approved Ways To Cope With Anxiety

Anxiety is a word that’s often tossed around lightly and used as if it’s just another synonym for stress — something mildly bothersome, but relatable, since hey, don’t we all feel that way from time to time? True anxiety, however, goes way beyond that. Anxiety disorder is a serious, debilitating mental health issue, one that the Anxiety and Depression Association of America says affects some 40 million people in the U.S. every year. That’s 18.1 percent of the population, or nearly 1 out of 5 of us. (These statistics are only tracking adults aged 18 and up and don’t take into account child and teen anxiety.)

While anxiety may stem from any number of causes — genetics, brain chemistry, traumatic life events — it is still considered to be very responsive to treatment, although only 36.9 percent of those suffering from anxiety disorder ever seek professional help. Dr. Meghan Marcum, chief psychologist at mental health treatment center A Mission for Michael, offers some hope even for those who don’t want to (or cannot) access therapy. She says that “just a few changes to your daily routine could make a significant difference.”

Stay in the moment

According to Marcum, “when we are anxious there is essentially too much worry going on in our minds, usually about the future.” She suggests that the first step towards managing anxiety lies in paying close attention to where our thoughts are going. She says that it is just a waste of time and energy to occupy your mind with brooding or fretting over anything you can’t control, and there’s a lot you can’t control — the weather, the state of the nation, your team’s chances of winning the Super Bowl, the list goes on and on. Marcum advises instead: “Refocus your thoughts on the present moment and attend to what you DO have control over throughout the day.”

Take deep breaths

Marcum says that anxiety affects not only our minds but also our bodies. Some of the ways in which it can manifest itself, she says, are as muscle tension, an upset stomach, a feeling of being “on edge,” a rapid heart rate, or shortness of breath. In order to ramp down the anxiety instead of having the physical symptoms spiral you into feelings of panic, she says to be aware of what’s going on in your body.

One quick trick she swears by for calming down is diaphragmatic breathing. All you need to do, says Marcum, is to “take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and slowly release it through your mouth.” Repeat, focusing on each breath, until you start to feel less tense. Marcus says that this type of breathing “helps decrease heart rate and blood pressure,’ and adds that it “can quickly help alleviate symptoms of anxiety.”

Take time to relax

In order to prevent anxious feelings from building up, Marcum says it’s important to take a proactive approach and build in time for relaxing activities throughout the week. She particularly advises trying to wean yourself off technology and media, at least for short intervals, since the world is already enough of a stressful place and being “plugged in” at all times doesn’t really help.

Instead, Marcum suggests activities such as meditation, exercise, gardening, massage, or a hot bath. She says you should “set aside some time each day to relax and unwind… chose an activity that works for you and make sure you plan on 20 minutes a day.”

Don’t give up on finding help

Don’t discount the idea of seeking professional help if self-management techniques aren’t sufficient to alleviate your anxiety. As Marcum says, ‘If anxiety symptoms are causing disruption to your work or relationships it’s probably a good idea to seek professional help,” and goes on to add that “you may be surprised at how quickly you can make progress in managing anxiety with a mental health professional.” As to how you go about finding professional help, Marcum advises calling your insurance carrier (or you could also try navigating their website) or maybe getting a referral from your primary care physician.

If you do not have adequate health insurance and funds are tight, that doesn’t mean there’s no help available. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has a tool that will help you locate a therapist in your area and says that many mental health professionals will offer a sliding-scale fee based on your income if you don’t have the insurance to cover the treatment you need. They also suggest seeking low-cost treatment from federally funded health centers or even from colleges and universities where graduate students may offer counseling services at a discounted rate in order to gain experience in the field. Should you be in need of anti-anxiety medication, check into the patient assistance programs offered by many major pharmaceutical companies. If you qualify, you may be able to receive your meds for cheap or even free.

The List

Health

Eli Lilly unveils multi-dose Zepbound pen

Eli Lilly on Monday launched a new form of its blockbuster obesity drug, Zepbound, that offers a month’s worth of doses in a single pen.

Cash-paying patients can get the multi-dose device, called KwikPen, on the company’s direct-to-consumer website, LillyDirect. Prices start at $299 per month for the lowest dose level.

The pen could serve as a more convenient option for some patients, as it reduces the number of devices they have to use in a month to take the drug. Patients can use one pen to take four weekly doses of Zepbound.

Currently, patients on the treatment use a different single-dose auto-injector device each week. Lilly also offers single-dose vials of Zepbound, which require users to draw the medication into a syringe and inject themselves.

The announcement comes as Lilly works to sustain the early success of Zepbound, which has exploded in demand since it first entered the market in late 2023. LillyDirect has been key to Zepbound’s growth, and rolling out a new form of the drug on the platform could attract even more patients.

The torrid growth of Zepbound has helped Eli Lilly seize a majority share of the weight loss drug market from rival Novo Nordisk. In the company’s fourth quarter, Zepbound brought in $4.2 billion in U.S. revenue, a 122% spike from the previous year.

In a release, Lilly said the Food and Drug Administration approved a label expansion for Zepbound to include the multi-dose device.

The KwikPen is already used for other drugs, such as Lilly’s popular diabetes medication, Mounjaro.

“As part of our commitment to supporting people living with obesity in their weight management journey, we are introducing a new option with the Zepbound KwikPen, a device trusted by patients globally and in the United States for other Lilly medicines,” said Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and Global Customer Capabilities, in the release.

CNBC

Health

Weight-loss jab could be made for $3 a month, study finds

Weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy could be made for just $3 a month, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions in poorer countries as patents expire.

More than a billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles.

The World Health Organization designated semaglutide – sold to treat obesity under the brand name Wegovy, and diabetes under the brand name Ozempic – as an essential medicine in September last year.

But global health leaders warned at the time that high prices were limiting access.

New research, published as a pre-print, suggests that semaglutide could be mass produced for $3 (about £2.35) for a monthly dose in its injectable form.

Newer formulations, taken as a pill rather than an injection, could be made for about $16 a month.

One of the authors, Dr Andrew Hill of Liverpool University’s pharmacology department, said: “These low prices open the door to worldwide access to an essential medicine.”

The researchers also found that core patents on semaglutide were due to expire in 10 countries this year, including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico and Canada from 21 March, opening the way to generic competition.

They identified another 150 countries where patents had not been filed, including most of Africa. Those 160 countries are home to 69% of people with type 2 diabetes and 84% of those living with obesity.

Another author, Prof François Venter from Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, said: “Drugs to treat HIV, TB, malaria and hepatitis are available in low- and middle-income countries for prices close to the cost of production, saving millions of lives while allowing generic companies to make sufficient profit to ensure sustainable supply. We can repeat this medical success story for semaglutide.”

The researchers warned that cheaper treatments would not address the structural drivers of obesity, “including food insecurity, poverty, urbanisation and commercial food environments”, and said that coordinated policies and procurement planning would be needed to realise the benefits.

Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana, chief scientific officer at South Africa’s Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, and a specialist in obesity, who was not involved in the study, said: “This could be very significant for South Africa and many African countries and low and middle-income countries [LMICs] at large where cost has been one of the main barriers to access.”

She said analysis suggested about 27% of adults worldwide met the criteria for drugs such as semaglutide “and importantly, most of those live in LMICs where access to these medicines is extremely limited”.

Chandiwana said the key question now was how health systems integrated the drugs responsibly into broader obesity and diabetes care.

Obesity is linked to a host of other health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. There are 3.7 million deaths attributed to excess weight each year.

The number of people living with diabetes rose from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022, with the steepest rises in low- and middle-income countries.

Semaglutide was first approved by US regulators in 2017, and costs about $200 a month in the US and £120 a month in the UK. Patents in Britain continental Europe and the US do not expire for another five years.

The research is based on shipment records of key ingredients from 2024 and 2025, and uses the same methodology that has been used in the past to accurately predict the prices of generic medicines for HIV, hepatitis C and some cancer drugs.

Its findings follow research by Médecins Sans Frontières in 2024, which found that diabetes drugs including semaglutide could be made and sold much more cheaply.

The Guardian

Health

Doctors at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah Restore Vision of 65-Year-Old Man After Sudden Blindness Scare

Sharjah, UAE – What began as a frightening medical emergency for a 65-year-old engineer ended with a remarkable recovery, thanks to the rapid diagnosis and coordinated care of specialists at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah, who were able to restore his sight after he suddenly lost vision in one eye.

The patient arrived at the hospital in distress after experiencing an abrupt loss of vision in his right eye. Concerned that the condition could be related to a stroke or a neurological disorder, the medical team immediately initiated urgent investigations.

He was first evaluated by Dr. Sherif Mohamed Hussien, Neurologist, who ordered an emergency CT scan to determine the underlying cause of the sudden vision loss. While the patient feared a neurological emergency, the scan revealed an unexpected and potentially dangerous condition, a severe sinus infection.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the patient was promptly referred to Dr. Ricardo Persaud (FRCS), Consultant ENT Surgeon, for further evaluation. During the clinical assessment, doctors observed that although the patient’s eye reflexes remained normal, there was a subtle bulging of the right eye, which raised further concern.

A detailed nasal examination uncovered the root of the problem: large nasal polyps, non-cancerous growths inside the nasal passages, along with a fungal sinus infection that was predominantly affecting the right side. Further analysis revealed that the infected sinuses were located extremely close to the eye and the optic nerve, the critical nerve responsible for transmitting visual signals to the brain.

The inflammation and pressure caused by the infection had begun to compress the optic nerve, leading to the sudden loss of vision.

Emergency Surgery to Protect the Optic Nerve

Given the high risk of permanent vision loss, the medical team decided to proceed with urgent surgical intervention.

The patient underwent Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS), a minimally invasive procedure that allows surgeons to access and treat sinus disease through the nasal passages using a small endoscopic camera. During the procedure, surgeons carefully removed the infected tissue and cleared the obstructed sinus cavities.

While operating, doctors discovered that part of the thin bone separating the sinuses from the eye had already been partially eroded due to the infection, a sign of how advanced the condition had become. Fortunately, the infection had not yet spread directly into the eye, allowing the surgical team to relieve the pressure before irreversible damage occurred.

A Rapid and Remarkable Recovery

The patient began noticing improvement in his vision shortly after the surgery.

At his one-week follow-up appointment, nearly 80 percent of his vision had returned. Over the following weeks, his recovery continued steadily. By the four-week mark, his eyesight had been fully restored, and his sense of smell, which had also been affected by the sinus disease, had returned as well.

A Warning About Hidden Sinus Complications

Although sinus infections and nasal polyps are often considered routine conditions, this case highlights that in rare circumstances they can lead to serious and unexpected complications, including vision loss if left untreated.

Specialists at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah emphasise that persistent sinus symptoms such as nasal blockage, facial pressure, headaches or changes in vision should never be ignored. Early diagnosis through proper medical evaluation and imaging can prevent complications and protect vital functions like eyesight.

The multidisciplinary team expressed satisfaction with the successful outcome, noting that the case demonstrates the importance of rapid diagnosis, collaboration between specialties, and timely surgical intervention.

The patient, who described the experience as deeply frightening, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses and medical staff at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah for their swift action and compassionate care.

“I was terrified when I suddenly lost my sight,” he said. “But the doctors acted quickly and explained everything clearly. Thanks to them, I can see again and I’m incredibly grateful.”