A 31-year-old fitness influencer’s life took a dramatic turn after a tick bite left her partially paralysed and bedridden. Maria Palen, from California, who was known for her vibrant energy and dedication to wellness, is now in intensive rehabilitation after contracting a rare parasitic illness that baffled doctors for months.

A Mysterious Health Decline

Maria’s health problems began in September 2023, when she suddenly found herself bedridden. She shared her struggle with followers on Instagram, documenting vague but severe symptoms like persistent fatigue and unrelenting body aches. Over the next few months, her condition worsened—by March 2024, she had lost 20 pounds and was experiencing symptoms so debilitating, she felt as though her body had “completely given up.”

Initially, medical professionals suspected an autoimmune disorder. However, multiple tests and scans later, the real cause was revealed: Babesiosis, a rare tick-borne parasitic disease that infects red blood cells.

A Rare Parasite with Serious Consequences

Babesiosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is caused by microscopic parasites of the Babesia genus. It is typically transmitted through the bite of infected Ixodes ticks—the same ticks that spread Lyme disease.

The illness can trigger a range of symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, and anemia. In severe cases, it can affect organ function and even the central nervous system.

In Maria’s case, the infection led to spinal cord inflammation and a flood of white blood cells into her cerebrospinal fluid—an indicator of neurological damage. Although she was treated with antibiotics, including medications for suspected Lyme disease, the damage had already been done.

Life Turned Upside Down

As her mobility declined, Maria was forced to leave her California home and move in with family in Texas. She lost her home, her independence, and the career she had worked so hard to build. Despite the uncertainty of her prognosis—doctors have told her she might recover fully, partially, or not at all—Maria remains determined.

Now undergoing intensive rehabilitation, she has begun to regain some movement in her legs and is relearning basic motor functions like side-stepping. Her community has rallied around her, raising more than $12,000 through GoFundMe to help with rising medical costs.

“I have to be optimistic,” Maria shared. “If not, I would mentally spiral.”

The Hidden Danger of Ticks

Ticks may be tiny, but their bite can have devastating effects. Commonly found in wooded areas, tall grasses, and even backyards, ticks latch onto the skin and can feed for hours undetected. They are known to spread several serious diseases including:

• Lyme disease – causes fatigue, joint pain, and neurological issues
• Babesiosis – the illness Maria contracted
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Ehrlichiosis
• Tick paralysis – caused by a toxin in the tick’s saliva

Understanding Babesiosis Transmission

Babesiosis is typically spread through the bite of an infected tick, but can also be transmitted via blood transfusions. The CDC notes that the disease primarily affects red blood cells, causing them to rupture. In humans—who are considered dead-end hosts—the infection can become serious, especially for those with compromised immune systems.

The lifecycle of the Babesia parasite involves rodents, such as the white-footed mouse, and ticks as its hosts. During a blood meal, the parasite enters the bloodstream and begins multiplying, which leads to the clinical symptoms seen in infected humans.

Dementia is not often a big issue for younger generations; it becomes a problem as we start to age. It is a cognitive degenerative condition that affects our memory, behavior as well as the way we think. However, many times the signs and symptoms of the same can show up earlier than usual as well. While dementia may not be a big concern for younger people, early onset dementia could still be an issue. The Alzheimer’s Society explains that young people who are at risk of early on-set dementia have a wide array of symptoms. Another way to identify it is this simple 30 second test.

Simple 30-Second Test for Early Dementia

A quick and easy test, sometimes called the "clock test," is getting attention. It might help spot early signs of dementia. You just need a pen, paper, and a timer, and it takes less than a minute. Dr. Eric Berg DC showed how to do it in a video: you just have to draw a clock showing 10 minutes past 11 o'clock within 30 seconds.

How to Check Your Drawing

After you draw the clock, you can check it yourself using six simple questions:

• Were any numbers mixed up?
• Did you write all 12 numbers?
• Were they spaced out evenly?
• Were the clock hands pointing the right way?
• Were the hour and minute hands the correct length?
• Did you have enough time to finish?

Dr. Berg says this simple test is "one of the most sensitive ways to spot early thinking problems." Some brain doctors even think it's "more accurate than memory tests."

What is Early-Onset Dementia?

Early-onset dementia means someone gets dementia symptoms before they turn 65. Even though dementia is usually seen in older people, it can, though rarely, affect younger people too.

Dr. Berg also talked about other things that might lead to dementia as we get older. He said that eating too much sugar could make the brain shrink, especially the part important for memory. Also, being stressed a lot might increase the chance of having thinking problems like dementia.

The Alzheimer's Society says that at the beginning, the symptoms of early-onset dementia are often mild and not easy to notice. It's also important that younger people with dementia might not lose their memory first, unlike older people. Instead, they might mostly have trouble with:

• Speaking or understanding language
• Seeing things
• Behavioral changes
• Movement, balance, and coordination

Early-onset dementia is also more likely to be passed down in families. For more information, you can visit the Alzheimer's Society website.

How Dementia Differs in Younger People

Diverse Causes

For younger people, a wider range of different diseases can lead to dementia, making the causes more varied than in older individuals.

Rarer Forms

Younger individuals are much more likely to develop rarer types of dementia, such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is less common in older patients.

Varied Early Symptoms

Unlike older people, younger individuals with dementia often don't experience memory loss as their first symptom, but rather problems with language, vision, or behavior.

Movement Issues

Additionally, younger people with dementia might first notice difficulties with movement, balance, and coordination, which can be an early indicator of the condition.

Higher Inherited Risk

About one in ten younger people diagnosed with dementia have a form that is inherited, meaning it's passed down through their genes.

Fewer Other Health Problems

Many younger individuals who receive a dementia diagnosis typically don't have other serious or chronic long-term health conditions at that time.

Unique Life Concerns

A younger diagnosis brings specific worries about its impact on family, relationships, finances, and daily life, affecting their ongoing responsibilities and future plans.

Family Risk Worries

They may also be concerned that their children or siblings could have a higher risk of developing dementia due to the inherited nature of their condition.

Venting when angry may feel cathartic, but a meta-analysis suggests it might do more harm than good. According to a 2024 study published in Clinical Psychology Review, researchers at Ohio State University analyzed data from 154 studies involving over 10,000 participants and found that venting rarely helps and may, in fact, intensify anger.

“I think it’s really important to bust the myth that if you’re angry you should blow off steam – get it off your chest,” said senior author Brad Bushman, a communication scientist, in a statement. “Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there’s not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory.”

To dig deeper, we spoke to Dr Sumalatha Vasudeva, psychologist at Gleneagles BGS Hospital, Kengeri in

Bengaluru, India. She explains, "There’s a strong belief that venting—shouting, hitting objects, or going to a rage room—helps release anger. This idea, often referred to as catharsis, is deeply rooted in early psychological theory and pop culture."

However, she further adds, "While it feels intuitive, aggressive venting can sometimes amplify anger by increasing physiological arousal and reinforcing aggressive neural patterns. You're addressing the response, not the root cause, which makes the behavior more likely to repeat."

Why Venting Doesn’t Work

The popular “pressure cooker” analogy, which compares venting to releasing steam to prevent emotional explosion, may be outdated. According to the study, activities that increase physical arousal—such as yelling, punching pillows, or even exercising—can heighten physiological responses, which may worsen anger rather than reduce it.

"Not all expressions lead to healing. Aggressive venting provides temporary relief but not true emotional release. Real healing involves working with the root cause of the anger—not just letting off steam," explains Dr Vasudeva. She also notes that true healing often comes from somatic awareness, breathwork, mindfulness, or energetic practices like Reiki. These help us soothe, witness, and integrate anger instead of acting it out.

“To reduce anger, it is better to engage in activities that decrease arousal levels,” Bushman explained. “Despite what popular wisdom may suggest, even going for a run is not an effective strategy because it increases arousal levels and ends up being counterproductive.”

The Dangers of Rumination

While expressing emotions is important, the line between healthy reflection and toxic rumination is thin. The study found that what often passes as "venting" becomes repetitive mental replaying of upsetting events, which only deepens the emotional distress. However, it is true that we do feel better after we went, why is that? To this, Dr Vasudeva has an answer, "People often feel better after venting because they believe their emotional needs have been met. But this sense of control is temporary—a surface-level discharge, not a deep emotional resolution."

The idea for the review was also sparked by the growing popularity of rage rooms—commercial spaces where people pay to smash objects as a form of release.

First author Sophie Kjærvik, a communication scientist at Virginia Commonwealth University, said, “I wanted to debunk the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of coping with it. We wanted to show that reducing arousal, and actually the physiological aspect of it, is really important.”

What Works Instead: Calm the Body, Calm the Mind

The research draws from the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory, which explains emotions as a mix of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to address the thinking side of anger, this study emphasized the importance of physical calm as well.

The most effective anger-reducing strategies included:

• Slow-flow yoga
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Mindfulness meditation
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Taking a timeout

“It was really interesting to see that progressive muscle relaxation and just relaxation in general might be as effective as approaches such as mindfulness and meditation,” said Kjærvik.

Even yoga, which can be moderately arousing, proved useful due to its focus on breath control and bodily awareness. Fun-based physical activity like ball sports, which involve play rather than intense exertion, also helped by lowering physiological arousal.

Dr Vasudeva also seconds this and says, "Mindfulness and breathwork activate the parasympathetic nervous system—the 'rest and digest' state—which promotes emotional balance, clarity, and the ability to respond constructively."

Reinforcing Aggression

So why do people feel better after venting? According to Bushman, it’s likely due to a false sense of emotional relief. “Any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression,” he said. The short-term high may trick people into believing venting works, even as their anger worsens beneath the surface.

The researchers emphasized that effective anger management doesn't require therapy sessions or expensive tools. “You don’t need to necessarily book an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with anger,” Kjærvik said. “You can download an app for free on your phone, or you can find a YouTube video if you need guidance.”

Heart health or cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality in the world. In 2019, 17.9 million people died due to cardiovascular diseases with 85% of these deaths attributed to heart attacks and strokes. There are many types of cardiovascular diseases, many of which are chronic diseases. While the numbers of death due to heart attacks may seem high, new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows these numbers have actually decreased. However, while these numbers went down, chronic diseases have seen a rise.

How Have Heart Disease Deaths Changed Over Time?

To understand how heart disease deaths have changed, researchers looked at national data from 1970 to 2022, focusing on adults aged 25 and older. Heart disease covers many different heart problems. Even though heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. (responsible for 24% of all deaths in 2022), the total number of deaths from heart disease actually went down by 66%.

Deaths from ischemic heart disease (the most common type, caused by blocked arteries) dropped significantly, from 91% to 53% of all heart disease deaths. Deaths from heart attacks (often the first sign of ischemic heart disease) fell by a huge 89%, making up less than a third of all heart disease deaths in 2022. But the study also found a big increase in other heart conditions, which now account for nearly half of all heart disease deaths. The three conditions that rose the most were:

Hypertensive heart disease

Deaths from this condition, caused by long-term high blood pressure, went up by 106%. It now makes up 13% of all heart-related deaths.

Heart failure

Deaths from this condition, where the heart can't pump enough blood over time, rose by 146%. It now accounts for 12% of all heart-related deaths.

Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)

Deaths from arrhythmias, where the heart beats too fast, too slow, or unevenly, soared by 450%. They now make up 4% of all heart-related deaths.

One of the study's authors mentioned that while these trends are "quite clear," some changes in how deaths were categorized might have caused small inaccuracies. Also, the study didn't fully consider how other health problems or things like race might have affected the results. For example, some heart problems might have been underestimated if they stemmed from ischemic heart disease.

Despite these minor points, experts agree the study provides "valuable insights" and is a "well-designed, large-scale study" using over 50 years of data.

Why the Shift to Chronic Heart Conditions?

Experts believe the drop in some heart disease deaths is due to better ways to diagnose problems and improved care. This includes new medicines and procedures that help restore blood flow to the heart.

However, many people who survive a heart attack go on to develop other heart conditions like heart failure or arrhythmias. When you combine this with a growing older population and rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, it creates "the perfect storm for chronic cardiac disease." This new "wave of chronic heart disease deaths" mainly affects older adults and those with several health issues.

How to Protect Your Heart?

To keep your heart healthy, focus on a few key areas: know your numbers by tracking your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight, as early detection of issues is vital. Stay active with at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly; even walking can significantly improve heart function. Eat a nutritious diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, following heart-healthy guidelines. Avoid smoking or seek help to quit, as it's a primary cause of heart disease. Finally, manage stress and get enough sleep, as these often-overlooked factors are crucial for reducing your heart risk.