HEALTH AND WELLNESS

                               I was overcome by feelings of hopelessness. I felt as if the ground beneath my feet had given way. I began to experience feelings of grief, as if my little girl were already dead.”-Jason, when he discovered that his daughter had cancer. Learning that your child has cancer can be an overwhelming, even terrifying, experience. How often does it occur? According to the International Union Against Cancer, although “childhood cancers represent a small percentage of all cancers, each year more than 160,000 children [worldwide] are diagnosed and cancer is the second most common cause of death, after accidents, among children in developed countries.” For example, “there are an estimated 9,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year” in Brazil, states the National Institute of Cancer. Childhood cancer str...

                                                              What’s wrong with me? I just gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby. I should be happy and proud, but I feel so down and anxious, even angry. Am I a bad mother? Why am I so depressed? As a new mother, you may have experienced feelings like the above. If so, you are not alone. It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of new mothers have such feelings at times. But what is postpartum depression [PPD], and what causes it? How can PPD be coped with? What support can family members and others give?                     ...

                            INTRODUCTION                                                          Studies indicate that 15 to 20 percent of all diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriage, says The World Book Encyclopedia. But the risk of marriage is highest during the first two weeks following conception [fertilization], a time at which most women do not know they are pregnant.   Another reference states that over 80 percent of miscarriages occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, of which at least half are thought to be caused by defects in the chromosomes of the fetus. The...

                                   I have a learning disability –dyslexia. This condition, which affects my father, my mother, and my three younger brothers, has made it difficult for me to read my native Danish, and school proved to be a real struggle. Nevertheless, I have received much help and encouragement, especially from my family. WHAT IS DYSLEXIA? The word “dyslexia” comes from Greek and means “poor speech.” A life-long condition, dyslexia is a language-related disability that especially involves reading. People who have dyslexia tend to have difficulty making the connection between letters and the sounds those letters represent. Specific symptoms, however, may differ from person to person. WHAT CAUSES DYSLEXIA? The exact causes remain unclear, although heredity is a factor. While studi...