Tennis great Monica Seles, in an interview with Associated News, recently shared that she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) three years ago. This is the first time she's spoken publicly about the disease, which is a rare condition that causes muscles to become weak.

Seles, who won nine major tennis titles, first noticed something was wrong while hitting tennis balls. She said she started seeing two balls instead of one and felt a sudden weakness in her arms and legs. She also mentioned that simple things like blowing out her hair became very difficult.

Seles said it was hard for her to accept the diagnosis at first. She decided to speak out to help others, hoping her story will bring more attention to myasthenia gravis. Before she got her diagnosis, she had never heard of the condition.

What Is Myasthenia Gravis?

Medscape explains that myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease. This means it's a long-term illness that affects the way your nerves and muscles work together. It causes weakness in the muscles that you can control, such as those in your arms, legs, and face. While it can affect people of any age, it is most common in:

• Young women under 40
• Older men over 60

Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis

The most common symptoms of MG are:

• Visual problems which includes drooping eyelids and seeing double.
• Your muscles might feel weak and tired very quickly, and this can change from day to day or even hour to hour.
• Your facial muscles can become weak, which may make a smile look more like a snarl.
• Difficulty speaking or swallowing, you might also have trouble pronouncing words or swallowing food.
• Weakness in the neck or limbs like your arms, legs, or neck may feel weak

The symptoms of MG can sometimes look like other conditions, so it's always important to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. People with MG may experience periods when their symptoms get worse (flare-ups) and periods when they get better (remission), but the condition is rarely cured completely.

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How is Myasthenia Gravis Diagnosed?

To figure out if you have MG, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. One key way they test for it is by giving you a specific medicine. If your muscle weakness quickly gets a lot better after taking the medicine, it's a strong sign that you have MG.

Doctors might also use other tests. They can do blood tests to look for certain antibodies that are common in people with MG. They might also use nerve and muscle tests to see how your nerves are sending signals to your muscles and to measure your muscle's electrical activity.

Treatment and Management of Myasthenia Gravis

While there's no cure for MG, the symptoms can be controlled. The main goal of treatment is to make your muscles stronger and prevent problems with breathing and swallowing. Most people with MG can live normal or close-to-normal lives with the right care.

Treatment often includes medicine, such as drugs that control the immune system or help your muscles work better. Sometimes, a doctor may suggest surgery to remove the thymus gland, which can help reduce symptoms for many people. Other treatments, like plasmapheresis, can be used to remove the bad antibodies from your blood.

Can You Prevent Myasthenia Gravis?

To help prevent a myasthenia crisis, you should always take your medicines exactly as prescribed. It can also help to take your medicine 30 to 45 minutes before meals to prevent food from getting into your lungs.

Try to avoid getting sick by staying away from people with colds or the flu, and make sure you get proper nutrition, rest, and manage your stress. It is also very important to always tell your doctors about your MG diagnosis and the medicines you are taking before they prescribe you anything new. Some medicines can interfere with your condition or your treatment.

The most serious complication of MG is a myasthenia crisis. This is when you have extreme muscle weakness, especially in the muscles you need to breathe. This is a medical emergency and may require help from a breathing machine.

Seles, who is 51, said she has learned to live with a "new normal." She sees this challenge as just another "reset" in her life, similar to when she moved to the U.S. as a young teenager or when she was recovering from a stabbing. Her message is one of strength and a reminder to always adjust, just like a tennis player on the court.

Japan's flu season has arrived earlier than usual, as a result, this has marked the country's second-earliest start in two decades. As per the reports by Japan Times and South China Morning Post, the health authorities too confirmed that influenza cases have surpassed the one-per-hospital threshold across roughly 3,000 medical institution. This, as official signalled, level is what marked the flu season.

As per Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, an average of 1.04 flu patients were reported per hospital in the week beginning September 22, landing up to Sunday. On October 3, the Health Ministry declared an epidemic after 4,030 people were treated at designated medical institutions. The number show an increase from 957 cases, from the week before that.

Where Are The Cases Rising?

The highest infection rates so far have been seen in Okinawa, averaging nearly nine patients per institution, followed by Tokyo, Kagoshima, and Fukuoka. In contrast, regions such as Tottori and Akita have recorded very few cases. The health ministry has urged residents to take routine preventive steps, washing hands frequently, wearing masks in crowded places, and getting vaccinated.

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Is There An Evolving Virus?

Health experts, as reported by South China Morning Post have said that the early wave may suggest that influenza viruses are now evolving. It also mean that they are spreading more easily.

“The flu season has started really early this year, but in the changing global environment, this might become a more common scenario,” said Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, in an interview with the media outlet This Week in Asia.

Around 135 schools and childcare centres were temporarily closed in the week Japan treated over 4,000 patients.

What Can Work? Is There A Need To Worry?

Researchers suggest several reasons for this early and rapid spread. One major factor is increased global travel and tourism in the post-pandemic era, which allows viruses to move more freely between populations.

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“We are seeing a greater circulation of people, both in Japan and globally, with people taking the virus to new places,” Tsukamoto explained. This constant movement can expose viruses to new environments, and in turn, encourage them to adapt faster.

There is also emerging evidence that indicates that some influenza strains are developing resistance to conventional treatments, a trend that scientists say warrants close observation but not panic. For now, vaccination remains the most effective preventive measure. Tsukamoto noted that while influenza is rarely dangerous for healthy adults, it can pose risks for young children, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses, who should consider getting vaccinated early.

However, experts have pointed out to not worry and follow "common sense precautions". These include good hand hygiene, proper ventilation, mask-wearing in crowded places, and timely vaccination. “For people who are healthy, the flu should not be too dangerous, although it could be unpleasant,” said Tsukamoto.

Lizzo, American singer and rapper, has always been open about her body and now, her body transformation. In fact, she has openly credited part of her transformation to GLP-1 medication, when she was asked whether she had ever used Ozempic.

"I tried everything," she said in an interview with Trisha Paytas' "Just Trish" podcast.

What Was Lizzo's Weight-loss Journey Like?

Lizzo, 37, has been open about her body transformation, and has in fact shared her weight loss journey publicly to her fans via social media over the last couple of years. In January, she revealed that she had dropped 16% of body fat and lowered her body mass index or BMI by 10.5 since January 2023.

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Apart from weight loss drugs, she had also credited her transformation to changing her eating habits and exercising for weight loss.

On Paytas' podcast, Lizzo said, "It's just the science for me- calories in versus calories out. Ozempic works because you eat less food. That's it. It makes you feel full. If you can just do that on your own - mind over matter - it is the same thing."

Two years ago, Lizzo had begun her "intentional" journey to transform her body and in January she celebrated hitting her goal weight.

"I did it," she wrote on her Instagram. "Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal. I haven’t seen this number since 2014! Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to. Time for new goals!"

Lizzo also told Paytas that while she never felt that doors were closed for her when she was bigger, as she walked down the red carpet at the Met Gala. She felt like her life has improved over the last couple years where she spent on losing weight and achieving her weight goals.

Also Read: Lizzo Shares How GLP-1 Drugs And Changing Her Eating Habits Helped Her Achieve Her Weight Goals

“I feel like I worked really, really hard. It was intentional, what I did with my body. So when I get compliments, I’m like, ‘Thanks, b*tch!’ I really receive it because I need to receive that. I don’t take it any weird way,” she said. “I worked so hard for it. The people who compliment me see me working hard for it — they see me in my calorie [deficit], they see me exercising every day, walking.”

"I do think believe I look good. Everything in my life kind of elevated. It was not just releasing the weight. It was just where I was at in my life, my team. I do feel like I am the baddest. No matter what size, at this point in my life, I am on another level," she said.

What Else Worked Along With Her Weight Loss Journey?

Lizzo also talked about how changing eating habits really helped her. She also talked about some of her new eating habits during a TikTok live. She revealed that she starts with her day with something "super savory" and lets go the "sugary stuff".

She said, if it is something sweet, it has to be with some "sort of like carb. I will have like almond butter and toast."

She also once shared that she used to consume "two to three" large Starbucks drinks a day, which would mean that she drank around 12,000 calories daily. She said that she gave up drinking that after she realized how much calories she was consuming. She also said that giving up coffee also helped her to regulate her nervous system.

Finally, she also praised her skincare routine and Invisalign treatment to make her look her best.

World Thrombosis Day is a global healthcare awareness day, celebrated on October 13 of each year to increase awareness about thrombosis, including what causes it, the risk factors, indications, symptoms and new treatments.

World Thrombosis Day 2025 Theme

The theme for World Thrombosis Day 2025 is "From Head to Toe, Take Control: Prevent Thrombosis, Protect Your Health".

This theme emphasizes the full-body approach to preventing blood clots and highlights the links between thrombosis and chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The campaign aims to empower individuals to take proactive steps for prevention.

World Thrombosis Day Origin

World Thrombosis Day was founded by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) in 2014, to raise global awareness on this condition and its prevention. This day was also founded to aim to educate the public and the healthcare professionals about blood clots, reduce premature deaths and disability, and promote actions against thrombosis.

Importance of World Thrombosis Day 2025

Before we understand the importance of this day, we must understand what does thrombosis really mean.

What Is thrombosis?

Thromboembolism is a vascular disorder that occurs when a blood vessel becomes blocked by an embolus—a fragment that breaks away from a blood clot. The initial clot formation within a vessel is known as thrombosis. This can happen in veins or arteries, such as in deep vein thrombosis (venous) or coronary artery thrombosis (arterial).

Once a clot forms, it can slow or completely block blood flow and may even travel to vital organs, causing severe complications. Thrombosis is the preventable root cause behind three of the leading cardiovascular killers—venous thromboembolism (VTE), heart attacks, and thromboembolic strokes.

Blood clots can develop in people of any age, gender, or ethnicity, though certain health conditions and risk factors can increase their likelihood. Patients treated with anticoagulants for VTE face about 7.2 major bleeding events and 1.31 fatal bleeding events per 100 person-years, with a 13.4% fatality rate in major bleeding cases.

The annual incidence of venous thromboembolism—which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)—varies with age: around 1 in 100,000 among children, 1 in 10,000 in reproductive-age adults, 1 in 1,000 in middle age, and 1 in 100 among the elderly. Reported rates show pulmonary embolism affects 29–48 per 100,000 person-years, while deep vein thrombosis occurs in 45–117 per 100,000 person-years.

With one in four people worldwide dying from thrombosis or blood clots, World Thrombosis Day aims to raise awareness about this often-overlooked but urgent global health concern.

What Are Some of The Tips To Prevent Blood Clots or Thrombus?

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Staying active by doing exercise & yoga
• Staying hydrated
• Quitting smoking
• Wearing compression stockings
• Taking breaks during travelling
• Limiting sodium intake