A woman from Texas, US, was promoting her home jewellery business live on TikTok when she suddenly began feeling disoriented and fainted. According to 43-year-old Kristie Kaluza, she felt as if she fainted but tried to remain awake and upright. Later, it was found that she was suffering from a stroke.

Here's What Exactly Happened

Kristie Kaluza, 43, from El Campo, Texas, was recording a video to showcase her jewellery when she suddenly felt something was off. "I didn't fall. I wasn't on the floor, but I realised I had dropped the jewelry, and my brain was really confused," Kaluza said. "I looked up at the camera because I knew my husband was (watching), and I tried to say, 'I need help,' and it wouldn't come out. I couldn't turn my body. I felt super heavy. I couldn't really lift my arms."

Her husband, who was watching her live on camera, immediately sensed something was wrong and called emergency services. At the hospital, however, Kristie’s symptoms were initially dismissed. "The people at the hospital ... said, 'You're so young," she recalls. "I come to find out when we finally get to the neurologist … it was a stroke."

Unexpected Sensation

Kristie said she had just sat down to film a new video for her jewellery collection when the strange sensation hit her, and she realised she couldn’t speak. “There’s a miscommunication, a misfire there somewhere, and I couldn’t get out that, ‘Hey, I don’t feel good,’” she says.

As her husband rushed to get help, Kristie began experiencing tremors in her head and hands. “That was one of the scariest things, not being able to say my words and not having control of my head or my hands,” she says.

She did manage to reach the hospital, and an MRI confirmed the diagnosis. Later, doctors administered a blood-thinning medication, which breaks up a blood clot. She was released and underwent an outpatient MRI.

Chest pains are more common than we think. Many people experience these out of nowhere, no fore warning or previous occurrences etc. Usually having chest pains is associated with heart attacks, which can be fatal. However, did you know, these chest pains could also be due to anxiety?

Panic disorder is a common mental health condition, affecting between 1 and 4 out of every 100 people. If someone experiences repeated anxiety attacks along with ongoing worry or changes in their behavior, they might also have symptoms like chest pain.

In fact, according to the chest pain occurs in 20% to 70% of panic attacks. Interestingly, about 18% to 25% of patients who visit emergency rooms with chest pain actually have panic disorder. This often leads to unnecessary heart tests, and unfortunately, the real cause of their pain goes undiagnosed in many cases.

Why Does Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?

There are several reasons why panic attacks can lead to chest pain, which can be categorized as either heart-related (cardiac) or non-heart-related (non-cardiac). Heart-related chest pain means there's a reduced blood supply to the heart, often due to spasms or a lack of oxygen (ischemia). However, non-heart-related chest pain can come from your muscles, bones, the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach (esophagus), or other organs not connected to your heart.

Non-Cardiac Reasons

Non-cardiac chest pain from anxiety can stem from your muscles and bones, or from your esophagus. Rapid breathing during anxiety, known as hyperventilation, can cause the muscles between your ribs to tense up and spasm, leading to pain. Additionally, anxiety can disrupt how your esophagus moves, causing painful esophageal spasms.

Cardiac Reasons

Anxiety can directly affect your heart, causing pain through various mechanisms. This can include the "fight or flight" response combined with rapid breathing, which may make the blood vessels supplying your heart muscle (coronary arteries) tighten, reducing blood flow. If you already have heart disease, anxiety can also worsen chest pain by making your heart work harder and increasing its oxygen demand. Sometimes, anxiety can even cause the tiny blood vessels in your heart to constrict.

How to Tell the Difference: Anxiety Chest Pain vs. Heart Attack

It can be very challenging to tell the difference between chest pain caused by anxiety and chest pain from a heart attack. However, some symptoms might help you distinguish between the two:

Heart attack chest pain is usually triggered by physical effort, whereas anxiety chest pain can happen even when you're resting.

Heart attack chest pain typically reaches its worst within a few minutes or stays constant; pain due to anxiety might be triggered or made worse by pressing on the painful area.

Anxiety chest pain is often described as sharp and stabbing, felt in a small, specific area. Heart attack pain is usually felt as pressure, fullness, an ache, or a squeezing sensation.

What Can Be Done To Reduce Chest Pains Caused By Anxiety?

If you experience chest pain, it's vital to seek professional medical help immediately. A doctor will accurately diagnose the cause through your medical history and physical exams, ensuring you get the right treatment. Some other ways it can be helped is,

Therapy

Talking therapies, especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), have shown great success in treating anxiety-related chest pain. These approaches help you manage thoughts and behaviors contributing to your anxiety.

Deep Breathing

Once diagnosed, deep breathing can calm your body and mind, helping normalize your heart rate. Inhale for 10 seconds, hold for one, then exhale for 10 to ease the pain.

Calming Techniques

Mind-calming techniques, like focusing on pleasant things, can gradually relieve anxiety symptoms. Remember that anxiety-related chest pain isn't life-threatening; staying optimistic and relaxed can also help.

Keeping Yourself Healthy

Maintaining general health is key. Regular exercise, stress management, adequate sleep, and a balanced diet can prevent future panic attacks. Cutting out caffeine, smoking, and alcohol is also important, as they can worsen anxiety.

For Jade-Marie Clark, what began as minor annoyances, an eye twitch here, a nagging headache there turned out to be a sign of something far more serious than stress or pregnancy hormones. The 32-year-old mother of two from Scotland would eventually be diagnosed with a rare, noncancerous tumor that paralyzed part of her face, robbing her of her ability to smile and forever changing her understanding of her health.

Clark first began experiencing symptoms in March 2020, during her first pregnancy. She had persistent ear pain, which doctors initially attributed to a common ear infection. After she gave birth, the symptoms faded. When they resurfaced three years later, this time during her second pregnancy, they took a slightly different form—headaches, twitching in one eye, and occasional facial discomfort.

At the time, she was studying to become a nursery teacher, balancing pregnancy, coursework, and family life. Like many women juggling multiple responsibilities, Clark wrote off her symptoms as the result of stress and hormonal changes. It wasn’t until she lost sensation in the corner of her lips that she became concerned enough to see a doctor.

“I brushed everything off,” Clark recalls. “When you're busy, especially pregnant and in college, you chalk a lot of things up to stress.”

Her general practitioner quickly referred her to a hospital, where an MRI scan revealed the unthinkable: acoustic neuroma, also known as vestibular schwannoma. While technically noncancerous, this rare tumor can have devastating effects if left untreated. It grows on the vestibulocochlear nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain and is responsible for hearing and balance.

Clark said she “burst into tears” when doctors said the word tumor. “You always think this kind of thing happens to someone else. I thought I was going to die,” she said.

Although acoustic neuromas typically grow slowly, they can exert pressure on nearby structures—especially as they increase in size—leading to hearing loss, ringing in the ear, balance issues, facial numbness, and in severe cases, brainstem compression. In rare situations, they become life-threatening.

Clark’s diagnosis came three months into her pregnancy, and her doctors advised against undergoing surgery until after she gave birth. That left her in limbo—worried about the tumor’s growth while also trying to stay calm for the sake of her unborn baby.

“This sounds terrible, but I remember thinking, I hope the tumor grows just enough so I can get the surgery sooner and get back to my life,” she confessed.

In April 2024, shortly after giving birth to her second son, Clark underwent surgery to remove the tumor. The operation was successful in removing the growth—but not without cost.

During surgery, nerves controlling facial muscles were damaged. Clark was left with facial palsy, a condition that paralyzed the right side of her face. She could no longer smile or fully close her right eye.

“I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t want anyone to see me. I was depressed, anxious, and grieving the way I used to look,” she said.

Facial palsy is more than cosmetic. It affects daily functions blinking, speaking, eating, even emotional expression. The psychological toll can be as severe as the physical. Clark now awaits nerve transfer surgery, a procedure that could potentially restore up to 80% of facial sensation.

What Is Acoustic Neuroma?

Acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, is a benign tumor originating from the Schwann cells surrounding the vestibular nerve. Although it doesn't spread like cancer, its slow growth can lead to significant health issues. Common symptoms include:

• Progressive hearing loss (typically in one ear)
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Unsteadiness or dizziness
• Facial numbness or weakness
• Headaches and pressure behind the ear

If untreated, large tumors can press against the brainstem or cerebellum, leading to severe neurological complications.

Diagnosis is usually confirmed through MRI scans, and treatment options range from monitoring small tumors, to surgical removal, or radiation therapy like Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

How Stress Masks Deadly Diseases?

Clark’s story also highlights how chronic stress can muddy the waters of diagnosis. Eye twitching and headaches are common signs of stress, but they can also be red flags for underlying neurological issues.

Stress activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, increasing cortisol and adrenaline levels. When prolonged, this state can lead to immune suppression, digestive problems, cardiovascular issues, and neurological symptoms. Many people especially women, are prone to dismiss early symptoms as burnout or anxiety, often delaying essential care.

We’re conditioned to normalize stress, especially in high-demand life stages like pregnancy or career transitions. But as Clark’s experience shows, not every twitch or headache is harmless. Listening to your body, and seeking care when something feels “off,” can make all the difference. Clark’s experience offers several takeaways:

Listen to Your Body – Recurrent or escalating symptoms need attention, no matter how minor they seem.

Don’t Dismiss Neurological Signs – Numbness, twitching, and hearing changes should always be evaluated.

Mental Health Matters – Conditions like facial palsy affect self-image and emotional well-being just as much as physical function.

Stress Isn’t Always the Culprit – Sometimes it's a signal, not a cause.

As Clark awaits reconstructive surgery, she hopes to regain her smile—but more importantly, she wants others to learn from her journey.

“This could have been caught sooner,” she said. “I just want people to trust themselves more, and push for answers when something doesn’t feel right.”

South Asia has emerged as the global epicentre of anemia among adolescent girls and women, with more than 259 million currently affected, according to a joint warning issued by the United Nations agencies and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The condition, often overlooked, is not only a health concern—it’s a signal of deeper systemic failures across health, nutrition, and education sectors.

The Hidden Toll of Anemia

Anemia impairs the body's ability to carry oxygen, leading to chronic fatigue, weakened immunity, and in severe cases, complications during pregnancy and childbirth. It also limits educational attainment and economic participation, reinforcing gender inequality and poverty.

The impact extends beyond individuals. An estimated 40% of the world’s low birth weight cases are linked to maternal anemia, contributing to poor childhood growth, delayed cognitive development, and lifelong disadvantages.

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In economic terms, anemia costs South Asia a staggering $32.5 billion every year, draining resources and limiting regional development.

Anemia in Girls: A Preventable but Persisting Health Crisis

Despite its scale, anemia is both preventable and treatable. Public health experts emphasize that the tools already exist: regular iron and folic acid supplementation, diets rich in iron and essential vitamins, clean water and sanitation, deworming, and access to quality maternal health care.

However, to make meaningful progress, countries must take an integrated, multi-sectoral approach—linking health, nutrition, education, and social protection systems.

Countries And Their Strategies To Combat Anemia

Several countries in the region are already demonstrating how focused interventions can bring results.

Sri Lanka, where nearly one in five women of reproductive age is anemic, is expanding its national nutrition programmes, targeting high-burden districts with stronger maternal services.

India has begun integrating iron supplementation into school and antenatal care in high-prevalence states, aiming to reach adolescent girls and expectant mothers directly.

Pakistan is piloting community-based nutrition and reproductive health services, improving early detection and follow-up care in rural areas.

Bangladesh is leveraging school systems to deliver fortified meals and health education to adolescents, with ministries of health, education, and agriculture working in tandem.

Smaller nations like the Maldives and Bhutan are also stepping up, focusing on early prevention, public awareness, and food fortification. Both have invested in data-driven anemia monitoring and inter-ministerial collaboration.

Nepal, meanwhile, has shown what sustained, community-driven action can achieve. Since 2016, the country has reduced anemia among women of reproductive age by 7%, with particularly notable improvements in low-income regions. Much of this progress is credited to the efforts of female community health volunteers, who counsel families, connect them to services, and distribute nutrition support packages such as the Sutkeri Poshan Koseli—a food and cash support scheme for new mothers.

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Understanding the Root Causes of This Preventable Condition

The new report emphasizes that ending anemia is not just a medical goal—it’s a developmental imperative. While governments must lead the charge with strong policies and investments, meaningful change also requires engagement from communities, schools, health workers, and families.

Integrated health systems, targeted data, and cross-sector action can help South Asia’s girls and women break the cycle of malnutrition and unlock their full potential. Ultimately, addressing anemia is about more than preventing disease—it's about building resilient communities, stronger economies, and a healthier future for all.