Charlotte Smith, two, choked while eating lunch at her nursery.

An Illinois teenager is constantly reminded of one of the worst days of her life after a traumatic head injury causes her memory to “reset” every two hours.

Every morning for the past three months, Riley Horner wakes up believing it’s June 11 — the day she suffered a hit to the head. She has no recollection of what happened before that day or after.

“I have a calendar on my door, and I look and it’s September, and I’m like, ‘Woah,'” Riley told local news outlet WQAD 8.

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Riley was accidentally kicked in the head by a student “crowd-surfing” during a dance at the FFA State Convention, according to the outlet.

After the incident, Riley’s mother Sarah Horner explained that when they went to get her checked out, the doctor sent her home with crutches and diagnosed her with a concussion.

RELATED: N.C. Teen Wakes Up Every Day with No Memory of the Day Before After Getting Hit on Head in 2017

However, Sarah believes it’s more than that, as Riley has experienced “dozens” of seizures and has taken “countless” more trips to the hospital.

“They tell us there’s nothing medically wrong,” Sarah told WQAD 8. “They can’t see anything. You can’t see a concussion though on an MRI or a CT scan. There’s no brain bleed, there’s no tumor.”

RELATED: 8 Weird Things Linked to Memory Loss Later in Life

Riley’s new reality has been especially hard on her and her family as almost every new experience since her injury has been wiped from her memory.

“My brother passed away last week, and she probably has no idea,” Sarah told WQAD 8. “We tell her every day, but she has no idea about it.”

Riley even carries detailed notes with her at school so that when her two-hour timer goes off, she can “brush up” on what she has forgotten — like where her locker is.

“I know it’s hard for them as much as it’s hard for me,” Riley told the outlet. “People just don’t understand. It’s like a movie.”

RELATED: The Truth About Women and Concussions

“Like I will have no recollection of [this interview] come suppertime,” Riley told WQAD 8.

As the days go by, Riley grows more and more scared as doctors say “she might just be like this forever,” her mother told the news outlet.

“I’m not making memories,” Riley told WQAD 8. “And I’m just like really scared.”

At this time, Riley and Sarah are desperate for help and answers.

“We need somebody that knows a little bit more because she deserves better. I mean she wanted to be in the medical field and now she can’t even hold a job if she wanted to,” Sarah explained to the outlet.

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Fertility experts find that the left testicle is warmer, but only when a man has his clothes on.

Some of the most frequently asked questions about ADHD involve medication – how much should be administered and what do I do if it’s not working for my child?

The simplest course of action may appear to be to increase the dose if the medication isn’t having the desired effect. New research, however, indicates that it isn’t always the best solution.

An interesting result

Methylphenidate (MPH), a common stimulant which healthcare professionals often prescribe as the first line of treatment for ADHD. While it’s generally very effective, around 30% of children usually don’t respond well to the initial standard dose.

In that case, many parents return to doctors, who then increase the standard dose to improve efficacy. But research undertaken by Karen Vertessen, a medical doctor and PhD student at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and colleagues, suggests that a dose increase may not have the desired effect.

According to a news report, they identified 18 studies with a total of 606 subjects with ADHD, who were grouped into low, medium and high doses of MPH. The results of these studies showed that the medium dose of MPH had the strongest beneficial effect on inhibitory control, while the higher dose did not make the drug work better.

“Scientifically, this is an interesting result. Generally, high doses of MPH do not help the child or adolescent keep their inhibitions under better control – although generally an increased dose does have a greater effect on the core behavioural symptoms of ADHD,” said Vertessen.

What this means

In essence, this research shows that we need to be medically cautious about increasing the dose immediately when a child doesn’t initially respond to MPH. Children are more vulnerable than adults, and there are many more variables and factors that need to be considered.

When doctors prescribe MPH, it’s important to keep a close eye on the child and evaluate every dose. If a higher dose is recommended, it’s vital to make sure that there is actual improvement and not an increase of side-effects.

Dr Kerstin von Plesse, from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, who was not involved in this research, said the following:

“This is an elegant and highly relevant study, which sheds light on an interesting phenomenon which has not received sufficient attention up to now. However, the study does not address the question why some children receive this higher dosage. This is probably due to the lower dose having a lesser effect.

“This means that the findings agree with the clinical reality telling us that children, who do not respond sufficiently to the regular dosages of MPH, require a second more comprehensive diagnostic examination before increasing the medication. In addition, not all children respond to MPH, and so other treatment options should also be explored.

“The conclusion of the study, that we should add neurocognitive tests to the evaluation, may be a highly useful option to further identify academic capacity and behaviour, but should not be a substitute for the clinical evaluation of impulsivity (inhibitory control) during any change of medication.”

What to keep in mind when your child receives medication for ADHD

Even though some people are often hesitant to follow the MPH route, new research has shown that medication is beneficial in most cases.

In addition to helping kids calm down and concentrate at school, the research published in The Journal of Adolescent Health also found that the drugs help children avoid many long-term negative consequences associated with ADHD – including depression, substance abuse and even driving problems.

It’s important to reiterate that, while medication plays a successful part in treating ADHD, it should always be administered in conjunction with other treatment methods such as behavioural therapy, according to a previous Health24 article.

If medication is suggested for your child, this is what you can do to eliminate side-effects and make the journey as smooth as possible:

• Don’t be hesitant to ask plenty of questions about possible side effects and doubts you may have.
• Keep an eye on your child during the first couple of weeks and note any side effects such as stomach aches or sleeping difficulties.
• Keep a behaviour diary to see how your child is responding to the medication.
• Ensure that your child takes the medication exactly as directed by your doctor.
• Be aware of your child’s diet as it plays a large role in managing ADHD. “Remember that sugar does not add to hyperactivity as much as the additives and colourants in foods and drinks. This does not mean your child can have loads of sugar as it would be unhealthy for anyone’s system,” Delia Strondl said in an earlier Health24 article.
• Stick to a routine as much as you can – use timetables to help remind your children of tasks and homework. This will help eliminate the stress that possible forgetfulness can cause.

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Compiled by Marelize Wilke

Lengoasa (24), originally from Brakpan in the east of Johannesburg, experienced a turning point in managing depression in January 2018 because she decided to get help. She was diagnosed four years ago. 

More women affected

“I think depression was looming in the air, but the only time I realised it was when my psychiatrist diagnosed me with major depression and having bipolar disorder. Four years later, I realised I was not coping and decided to seek help.” 

Lengoasa describes herself as someone who is outspoken, true to herself, and passionate about people. Being the youngest of three siblings, she says she grew up quickly because of the big age gap between them and her. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more women than men are affected by depression. “Depression is a common mental disorder,” reads the WHO website. “Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.”

Signs of depression

In 2014 Lengoasa left home to study at the University of Cape Town (UCT) which was a big shift for her. “I was aware that I was depressed. It was my first year in Cape Town, the first time being on my own and something didn’t feel right. I wasn’t okay.”  She was seeing a psychologist and was used to talking about her feelings.

“When my doctor asked me if I was coping, I realised that my coping mechanism was not that of a normal person [and it was bad]. That’s when she told me I needed further help and referred me to a psychiatric hospital in Cape Town but, I told myself that I’m not mad and I didn’t go.” 

After a major breakdown, Lengoasa decided to research her condition. “The major problem with the black community is that we don’t understand mental health in general. The first thing I said to the doctor when she told me to seek help was that I’m not crazy. My approach to what I was going through was negative until I started reading about it and realised that depression is actually something that happens and there are different ways to manage it.”

Misconceptions and the need for education 

Lengoasa says there is a big misconception in the black community and many people are told to “pray things away when it comes to mental health”. 

“This is why we get people who commit suicide because there were symptoms that were ignored and not given the treatment it needs.” 

She says if people aren’t told to pray, then they’re told they’re bewitched. 

“There is still a big gap when it comes to our society being educated on these issues. We need education on mental health to understand that it is derogatory to say a person is crazy because [depression is]… a chemical imbalance in the brain.” 

She also believes that people should scrutinise the way depression is portrayed in movies and television. “We always see the very extremes [cases] and we don’t see the everyday depressed person.”

Receiving support 

Lengoasa says she was hospitalised for 21 days at the Akeso Psychiatric Hospital in Parktown. And her family has given her a lot of support. “They were very supportive because I remember telling my mom that I think I have a bigger problem and I need help. My parents wanted to understand what I was going through. What was frustrating for them is that I was going through all these things without telling them. It was just dark and I needed to [get] out and that was going to the hospital to get the help I needed.” 

Since then, Lengoasa has developed a passion for mental health awareness and encourages all those going through it to seek help and not to be quiet about it. 

“I now know the symptoms and I know when I have reached my [threshold] of being okay. I have dealt with it and I am now allowing myself to feel what I feel. The biggest mistake I have made throughout my life was saying I am okay when I was not. What I am grateful for is that now, I have a support structure and I have entrusted people with my life which is something I have never done before.”

– Health-e News  

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Pamela Mkhize

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get children to make better choices with regard to their eating habits.

Although there is a lot of expert advice available as well as a list of do’s and don’ts, it can be quite tricky to put them into practice. Studies have now shown that the key to getting children to eat more veggies is simply to offer them a variety to choose from. 

Different strategies

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Education and Behavior, looked at 32 families with children between the ages of four and six and who had reported low consumption of vegetables.

The parents were required to complete a survey online and attend an information meeting before they participated in the study. Then children were split into three groups, namely: children introduced to a single vegetable, children who received multiple vegetables, and a group of children whose eating habits remained unchanged.

In order to collect study for the data, different methods were used:

• Two dinner meals served at the research facility where children could eat as much of the broccoli, green beans and cauliflower as they wished.
• Changes to vegetables consumed at home, childcare or school recorded by means of a food diary
• Parents reporting on usual vegetable consumption

The strategies used to offer vegetables to children were led by parents and home based. Families that introduced one vegetable served broccoli, and families who introduced a variety of vegetables served broccoli, zucchini and peas.

The parents who participated were given a voucher to purchase the vegetables and were then given instructions on how to prepare them, portion sizes and tips on how to offer the vegetables to children. The children were served a small amount of a vegetable three times a week for five weeks. For trying a vegetable, children were given a sticker as a reward. 

Low actual consumption

It was found that there were no differences between groups at the start of the study for any of the methods measured. The dinner meal, where the children ate without their parents, did not increase consumption of vegetables which could have been the result of an unfamiliar setting. Vegetable acceptance increased for both the single and multiple vegetable groups during the intervention.

Families who offered multiple vegetables recorded that there was an increase in consumption from .6 servings to 1.2 servings, while there were no changes in consumption in families who served a single vegetable or did not change their eating habits. Over the five week period, there was an increase in families who offered a variety of vegetables.

Astrid A.M. Poelman, PhD and lead author of the study said, “In Australia, dietary guidelines for vegetable consumption by young children have increased, although actual consumption is low. This study introduces effective strategy for parents wanting to address the deficiency.” She continued to say, “While the amount of vegetables eaten increased during the study, the amount did not meet dietary guidelines. Nonetheless, the study showed the strategy of offering a variety of vegetables was more successful in increasing consumption than offering a single vegetable.”

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Deeanne Daniels

The problem affects a quarter of women in the UK and many end up having surgery to treat it.

The mother of a baby who developed sepsis says people “don’t have hours to spare”.

The video site’s algorithm promotes medical misinformation in a number of languages, the BBC finds.

Campaigners say there is a desperate need for the NHS to invest in services to catch up with demand.