The LASA Digest

How Adlerian Psychology Can Help You Today Influenza’s Devastating Re-emergence Losing Your Mind?

Dementia Related Illnesses Cancer’s Deadly Insurgence, An Eyewitness Account

the

LASA Digest Diseases

table of contents 36-39 / Letter From the Editors

Short Articles 7

95

E CB

28 Mind Games

ASFs (Alternative Story Form)

8-9 How the Flu Invades 14 What is Depression?

15 Drug Problems 20 Stroke 21 How the Flu Invades 34-35 Migraines

2 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

table of contents continued Feature Articles

4-7

Influenza: The Deadly Virus

10-13

Adlerian Psycology

16-19

Stroke 101

22-23 Dealing With Dementia 24-27 Cancer & Remission

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 3

Influenza the Deadly Virus How you can protect yourself

By Oliver Anderson The Flu virus is a dangerous disease, and many people don’t know to protect themselves from it. There are many simple ways to stay safe from the flu and keep those around you safe too.

The flu virus, or Influenza is a serious respiratory disease that is very common and contagious worldwide. It is most active during winter, cold weather and early spring as viruses and bacteria surviving in water droplets freeze and can survive longer.

The flu has been infecting people worldwide every year for as long as humans can remember.

However, it is not just one virus. The flu has 27 variants of itself, and a different type shows up every year. Influenza attacks your blood cells and spreads through the upper and/or lower respiratory systems and is not to be confused with the common cold. The 4 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

common cold is also a respiratory virus, but only affects the upper respiratory system.

It is also not very harmful and only induces fevers that last 2-3 days.

The flu is much more serious, it is a much deadlier virus, infecting all parts of the respiratory system. The flu is very dangerous and can also lead

“Back in the day the flu killed millions of people in Europe and poor parts of Asia.

Flus like H1N1 especially wipes people out. People in America think ‘oh it’s just a little cold’ but it kills a ton people, thousands usually per year in the U.S.” - Jordan Hyatt It is important to be aware of the dangers the virus can carry.

to death, around 12000 to 49000 deaths worldwide, if left untreated.

Many people die from the flu every year, according to Nurse Jordan Wyatt, a nurse at Dell Children’s Hospital, said many people don’t know the danger and death toll the virus can bring, he said.

There are many different types of the flu, 27 to be exact. Each year a the CDC, the center for disease control tries to calculate which of the 27 flus is going to be the biggest threat.

Some of the deadliest flus include H1N1, bird flu and the avian flu.

There are ways to protect yourself from the flu, and they are all quite simple. Since the flu is spread through the air and physical touch, many doctors and nurses recommend procedures like coughing into your shoulder and washing hands regularly.

Experimenting with flu cells in the lab. The pink is a liquid to keep the cells preserved and there are tiny flu paticles in it.

Photo by Marsha Nunley Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 5

There is another way people protect themselves, and it is a topic that a lot of people are split over -- the flu vaccine. Flu vaccines are dead cells of one of the many strands of the flu virus. It is injected into your bloodstream so your body can develop an immunity and learn how to fight it. This is highly recommended by doctors

“A common cold is usually some type of small virus that gives you a short, usually 24-72 hour bug where you feel lousy, might get a slight fever”.

This is much different than the Flu virus because it mutates and becomes more dangerous over time, it doesn’t just go away. It also is much more harmful, giving symptoms like muscle ache, body ache, chills and even death if not treated in time.

It is evident that the Influenza is a very deadly virus because it is is so common and so easily spread through the air. People have to be careful and know how to protect themselves the right way, coughing

Nurse Jordan Wyatt

100

“So should people get flu shots? the answer is yes, especially older people or the very young.”

- Jordan Hyatt

Another topic that people get confused with is whether the flu and the common cold are the same thing.

.8 F

“The best way to protect yourself is wash your hands, which is the best way to protect against most things.

Wash your hands, disinfect surfaces you know have been exposed to or something you use a lot.” Wyatt said.

The Dell Childrens Hospital is where Nurse Jordan Wyatt Works. He has been there for 2-3 months.

Bonnie Clark, who has been an oncology nurse for over 30 years said “Yes they should, because they needed to be protected from the flu at the present time. The flu vaccine is a killed vaccine so it’s really safe”.

6 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

into shoulders, washing hands and disinfecting surfaces. Every season the flu is different, the CDC, center for disease control, tries to determine every year which type of the virus is going to be the most common. Just remember to stay safe and protected during flu season.

“WHY NO VACCINE” -Jordan Wyatt-

How The Flu Invades Are you protected?

If you get the flu, you'll have lots of company. Each year from October to May, millions of people all across the United States come down with the flu. Kids get the flu most often, but people in every age group can catch it. The flu can sometimes be passed on through objects that someone with the virus touched, sneezed, or coughed on. When a healthy person touches these contaminated items and then touches their mouth or nose, the virus can enter their system.

The flu virus spreads through the air when a person who has the virus sneezes, coughs, or speaks.

Flu is the common name for influenza. It's a virus that infects the respiratory system.

8 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 9

Adlerian Psychology Added Applications

By Eshan Manchanda the major need of a person. Where Freud had the needs more based in instincts, and sexual drives and aggression, Adler believed that people’s major need was to feel like the person belonged to a group and also felt significant.

D

epression affects nearly 7 percent of all Americans amounting to a staggering 16 million people, affecting nearly 1 out of 8 teens and 1 of every 32 children. It goes without saying that people need a cohesive strategy to combat an illness of this magnitude.

One of the more effective psychotherapeutic techniques is called Adlerian psychology. Alfred Adler created this technique in the late 1800s. The focus of the technique is on making the client, or person receiving treatment, feel accepted. “It’s based in the feeling of an inferiority complex. It’s a kind of psychology that focuses on making someone feel like an individual whole or get rid of the inferiority complex. It’s useful for treating

10 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

illnesses like depression or cases of couples therapy when someone feels marginalized,” explained Dr. John Abrams, a psychologist at the Austin Mental Health Hospi-

“It really gives people hope and that’s what I really like about it” - Dr. Abrams tal, This is a very effective strategy for curing depressive symptoms because a lot of depressive disorders are hinged on lacking a sense of belonging. Freudian in nature.

Adlerian and Freudian psychology have some distinct differences, Adler found that they differed on a couple of major things. One is

Adlerian is one of the more positive ways to view human psyche.

Freudian psychology is based on the idea that one is a slave to their instinct; his interpretation is based on characteristics like desire, lust, greed, craving, etc.

These approaches to psychology originated in the same place, however, “Adler, after some time, realized how different their beliefs were. For a couple of years, Adler was very involved in Freud’s society and was even the editor of his journal,” Dr. Abrams reiterated.

Adlerian psychology has been making headway in the medical world. For psychologists that are especially concerned with depression, it’s been extremely effective.

The mechanism reinforces one’s strengths. A major aspect of Adlerian psychology is seeing how people can improve their community. “For instance, someone with a lot of anxiety, they will often be focusing inward and on themselves: what are people thinking of them? How am I going to look?

And all of these kinds of things.

But when they start looking outward, which would be part of this social interest, and including other

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 11

people in their thoughts or in their decisions and things like that, then oftentimes it alleviates the anxiety because they’re not focusing so much on themselves,” Dr. Abrams orated.

The focuses on strengths supplement someone’s own perception of themselves as well as promotes social activism. This focus on helping the community not only affirms one’s sense of belonging but also promotes other constructive societal practices. It empowers people by shoring up their statuses. In short, Adlerian psychology is extremely useful in the medical context. “It really gives people hope and that’s what I really like about it,” Dr. Abrams added.

When contextualizing Freud’s psychology, one could compare it to constructs of desire, greed, lust; Adler’s philosophy is defined by respect, equality and cooperation. These ideals are pretty much central to not only his ideology but to him as a person. He believed that at the time, women weren’t being valued or respected.

He coined the term “masculine protest” which means essentially, all societal roles have value, everybody deserves respect because no roles are necessarily superior.

This way of thinking was extremely politically forward considering the time period -- the early 1900s.

“We should look to Alfred Adler as the forerunner of the social sciences or something like that. So it’s kind of sad to me that Adler’s contemporaries recognized where he stood, but through the decades some of that has been forgotten or shuffled around. So even there in social psychology, a lot of Adlerian concepts play out,” Dr. Abrams hypothesized.

The last principle of Adler’s theory was compensation. His philosophy rewards interest and determination in one’s perceptual “weak12 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

nesses.” He believed people had a tendency to overcompensate, people could augment their current stature, or gain an extra margin of development in whatever area they felt they were lacking. This was an indirect product of his society because allowing people to explore and accomplish greatly together facilitates collabora-

treatment has greatly improved.

tion -- an ideal that was also central to his theory.

the Adlerian field, we wouldn’t call ourselves analysts because that has a very different connotation. One thing, I think, that anyone who does go by Adler likes, is that the relationship that you have with your client is very egalitarian. We feel that the client, himself or herself, is really the expert and we work together to look at issues and solve problems and things like that. Where just the connotation of an analyst gives more the idea of the analyst or the therapist being the expert and trying to figure out what’s going on with the patient, where we see it more as of where we’re working together collaboratively,” Dr. Abrams appended.

Adler’s emphasis on social activism, collaborative involvement, validating one by their strengths and incentivizing one to shore up on their weaknesses, build the positive motif his title is characterized by. His theorizations are the key to solving modern era depression.

People suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are usually isolated or feel undervalued. The benefits of implementing an Adlerian system are very clear indeed. “Sometimes when I see some people for counseling I always try to stress the strengths, and sometimes they’re just surprised. They’re like, ‘You got that out of me in just one session,’ or ‘I’ve never noticed that in myself,’” Dr. Abrams recollected from personal experience. These client’s reactions are pretty common; the attitude many people display after receiving

Interconnection and social activism counteract the isolation aspect and often times, the non-confronting or non-psychoanalytical approach to treatment diffuse any feelings of invalidity by supplementing a collaborative or egalitarian climate. “In

Adlerian psychology has a developed history within the Freudian realm.

It’s distinct characteristics reduce the emphasis on instinct and appease the “softer,” “feeling” part of one’s psyche, mitigating the inferiority complex that is unique to depression. It is instrumental in depression

“MAN KNOWS MUCH MORE THAN HE UNDERSTANDS” -Alfred Adler-

What is Depression?

By Eshan Manchanda

Depression is a mood disorder that affects the way you think, feel, and behave. The clinical diagnosis is (MDD) or Major Depressive Disorder. (MDD) affects the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. When the hippocampus is under stress, it releases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol, in large quantities, causes memory problems . The prefrontal cortex shrinks when exposed to cortisol. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for regulating emotions, making decisons, and forming memories.

The more your brain is exposed to cortisol, the more the amygdala is enlarged. This causes sleep disturbances, hyperactive emotions, and changes in behavioral patterns. Cortisol is believed to be the main culprit of (MDD). However, a lack of dopamine and serotonin can cause similar symptoms.

It’s different from being upset because of a minor setback or something trivial. Depression affects nearly 15 million Americans. People with depression are often lethargic, have abnormal eating habits, suicidal, have cognitive disfunction, anxiety, apathy, insomnia, agitation, fatigue, and more. The disorder affects 1 in 33 children and 1 in 8 teens. Because it’s such a widely affecting illness it’s important to have someone to consult if you notice someone displaying overly depressive symptoms. Recently there have been a lot more awareness and outreach options for depressed people. If you’re experiencing depressive symptoms call the suicide hotline or 1-800-273-8255.

Dendrites and axons connect to one another to pass on neurotransmitters

Depression is a serious illness that affects people anywhere from a few days to a few years at a time. It is very different from being upset because of a minor setback. Depression is a serious life-lasting illness that afects nearly 15 million Americans. The disorder affects 1 in 33 children and 1 in 8 teens.

Drug Problem:

The U.S. spends more money on pharmaceuticals than any country in the world. 90% of prescriptions were psychiatric based

By Eshan Manchanda

America’s most prescribed psychiatric drugs. one pill = one million prescriptions

Lexapro: 27.7 million prescriptions

Prozac: 19.5 million prescriptions

Cymbalta: 16.6 million prescriptions

Seroquel: 15.8 million prescriptions

Effexor: 15 million prescriptions Valium: 14 million prescriptions

Xanax: 44 million prescriptions

These drugs primarily treat anxiety, stress, depression. There are more prescriptions than there are citizens in the U.S.

2009

2008

Ativan: 25.9 million prescriptions

Desyrl: 18.9 million prescriptions

Zoloft: 19.5 million prescriptions

$4.5 Billion

were spent on pharmaceuticals in 2009.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 3 5 2 4 x 16 13 6 9

the diagram above shows the rankings of prescribed drugs from 08 to 09

Stroke 101: Everything you need to know to prevent the worst

O

By Divyesh Murali

ne out of every 20 strokes in the U.S. result in a death which is a very shocking fact.

It is one of the most painful and fatal conditions in existence. Surviving stroke isn’t the end of the battle, and many people recovering from stroke succumb after their actual stroke, and even if they don’t, the road to recovery is a long one.

Stroke is one of the most serious medical conditions in existence, being the third leading cause of death in the United States. Hemorrhagic stroke claims about 50 percent of its victims in a matter of days. Stroke comes in two major forms — ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes are caused when a blood ves-

sel gets blocked, usually by a blood clot, causing to stop functioning due to the lack of oxygen being transported toward the brain. Ischemic strokes make up for 80 percent of all strokes. Hemorrhagic strokes make up for 20 percent of all strokes, and are caused by a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients bursting, and spilling blood on the brain. Afterward, the brain becomes deprived of oxygen, and will stop functioning. After calculating, hemorrhagic strokes make up 10 percent of all stroke related deaths, and have the higher mortality rate between the two types of strokes. In order to prevent more deaths from higher mortality rate between the two types of strokes. In order to prevent more

Illustration detailing the area that stroke effects the body directly, and how it only effects half of the body and the brain.

16 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

deaths from stroke, here is a crash course overall of the major symptoms of stroke, how to respond to stroke in a time of crisis, and how to make sure the victim of stroke has the highest chance of survival that they can obtain, as well as how to approach someone who is recovering from stroke.

Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke, and doesn’t have a high mortality rate, relative to hemorrhagic strokes, but even though 60 percent of ischemic stroke victims survive after one year, only 31 percent survive after five years.

The severity of a stroke is based on a point system conducted by doctors who are diagnosing someone, and each point they earn, the likeliness that they will survive more than one year decreases by 17 percent.

To prevent from their brain damage worsening, there are four procedures to follow as quickly as possible to ensure a higher survival rate of the patient. The longer the victim having a stroke is left unattended, the worse their condition gets, and the more points they earn, which signifies their likelihood of surviving.

Dr. Bhuvana Mandalapu, a neurologist at South Austin Neurology said, “I come to the conclusion, from the examination testing they need, like brain scans, blood tests, brainwave testing, narrow testing, and once their done I give my conclusive opinion saying that they have this type of problem, then they have to go on base medications.” First, look at their face, and check for any droopiness at the corners of their eyes, mouth or cheeks. Then proceed to prompt the person to raise both of their arms. If they aren’t able to raise one of their arms to the same height as the other, it is highly likely that they are currently having a stroke. Finally ask them to speak to you, and if their

A zoomed-in blood vessel tissue containing a blood clot.

paratively rare, making up only 20 percent of all strokes. Hemorrhagic strokes claim 50% of all of the victims, showing that 10 percent of all stroke victims pass away from hemorrhagic stroke within a matter of days. Hemorrhagic strokes, also referred to as intracerebral hemorrhage, has a 38% chance survival after one year, and a 24 percent chance after five years.

The most common signs of a hemorrhagic stroke are having a sudden severe headache, usually stated as one of the worst headaches of the victim’s life. Another common sign is partial or total unconsciousness, as well as nausea and vomiting in tandem with other symptoms. If you also see numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs —especially if it is on one side of the body— then call an ambulance as fast as possible, because the mortality rate significantly decreases the quicker the patient is brought to the hospital, as well as if they are brought to the hospital via an ambulance, versus any other mode of transportation. The best thing you can do if you notice signs

speech is slurred, check how long Finally, when attending to an ischthey have been expressing the symp- emic stroke, make sure to try to toms that were just mentioned, and follow to procedures for diagnosing call 9-1-1. ischemic stroke as quickly as possiThe reason their face is drooping, ble, so the brain doesn’t completely their speech is slurring, and their lose function before you can adearms can’t fully extend is because quately diagnose their stroke. stroke is always caused by a blood Hemorrhagic strokes are the more vessel carrying oxygen to be hinder deadly type of stroke, although com while traveling toward the brain. Since the brain can’t function properly after a stroke occurs, the brain has more difficulty in communicating with the muscles, so the muscles receive weaker responses, and the muscles start losing function, as the brain slowly shuts Stroke victim shows key signs showing the facial deterioration experienced during stroke. down.

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 17

of a hemorrhagic strokes is to send the perspective stroke victim to the ER to get properly diagnosed before anything becomes severe. The reason why hemorrhagic stroke causes these specific symptoms is because headaches are caused because your blood vessel bursts in your brain, so it would be expected for you to have a headache. The unconsciousness and the numbness in different limbs are due to signals from the brain being weakened by the blood flow carrying oxygen being disrupted.

The vomiting is caused form the body being so far from homeostasis due to the aforementioned signs, that your body is prompted to vomit, because it assumes that there is a foreign substance that has entered your body through your mouth which is causing harm to the rest of your body. Make sure to be as proactive as possible when detecting a possible hemorrhagic stroke, and even if you are not sure, the chances of survival skyrocket if a hemorrhagic stroke is pre diagnosed, and even if you are wrong, at least you might have pre-

Reasearch Lab for Ischemic Stroke, Middletown, Ohio vented a potential stroke, and you would have followed the correct procedure if you had correctly diagnosed the condition.

Dr. Mandalapu said, “The most important thing for people to know is what their symptoms are, and what is the urgency of the symptoms, for example someone who has never had a really bad headache, and had the worst headache of their life today, they shouldn’t wait to call the next day, and take Tylenol and sit at home. They have to go to the emergency room and get scanned, to ma-

Blood vessel scan image, using a graphic mapping software.

18 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

ke sure it is not bleeding in the brain, or other injuries like ruptures, to make themselves safe.” It is important to be able to recognize symptoms to prevent a serious injury, especially in regards to stroke.

Stroke is one of the most deadly conditions, and leaves a rigorous path to recovery. Katie Trainor Mars, Phd, PT, DPT, a physical therapist based in New York, specializing in neurological conditions said it’s important to connect with patients when treating them after a stroke.

“Giving people their independence back is the most rewarding thing and not having to rely on others for things we do everyday that we take for granted, and give them the life that somewhat resembles their life before their stroke.”

- Katie Trainor Mars

"Painful events leave scars but it turns out they're largely erasable."

-Martha Beck-

Signs of Heatstroke ď Ź

Muscle cramps or weakness.

Strong, rapid pulse

ď Ź

Rapid, shallow breathing

ď Ź

Nausea or vomiting

ď Ź

ď Ź

Confusion, and/ or unconsciousness

ď Ź

Headaches

ď Ź

Flushed red skin

ď Ź

Hot dry skin( If you are not exercising)

If you encounter someone having a heatstroke, move said person into a cool area, preferably with shade, and apply a cool substance, by using a cold towel, ice, or a fan.

How to recognise stroke.

F. A. S. T.

Face drooping

Arm weakness

Speech difficulty

Time to call 9-1-1, or the time or the they had their stroke.

Â

Â

Sources

strokeassociation.org heart.org pixabay.com webmd.com

The best thing you can do if someone is having a stroke is to call an ambulance, because stroke victims who arrive at a hospitalthrough an ambulance have a greater chance of survivng, preserving independance being able to complete basic tasks alone, and fully recover.

Dealing with Dementia Subheading

By Lorelai Myint “Dementia is not a disease. It’s a term to describe symptoms where at least two domains of your cognitive function are affected.”

- Dr. Soe Myint Aung

C

urrently, about 50 million people worldwide are affected by dementia and there are almost 10 million new cases every year.

There are many forms of the ailment, but the most well-known is Alzheimer’s, which was discovered within the last century. Damaged nerve cells in the brain result in dementia. Those cells cannot communicate properly with one another.

Individuals are affected differently based on the part of the brain that is damaged. Dementia is a longterm problem, beginning from at least three to six months, that has a negative impact on daily activities, memories and decision-making skills.

“You may or may not see physical changes in the brain,” Dr. Soe Myint Aung said. He is one of 22 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

and Sleep Associates, a clinic that aims to not only to empower their patients, but to provide them with thorough evaluations and plans of management. “For some people, the brain looks perfectly normal, but it is not working functionally.”

“Dementia is not a disease. It’s a term to describe symptoms where at least two domains of your cognitive function are affected,” Aung said. “A lot of people think dementia is a diagnosis or disease, a specific disease. It is not. It is a

Dr. Soe Myint Aung sits up straight and smiles for a photo at his desk.

(Photo by Lorelai Myint.)

general description of cognitive decline that is sufficient enough to cause a problem with your daily life, what you’re supposed to do,” Aung said.

If not a diagnosis or disease,

dementia is a syndrome. A syndrome is a group of symptoms lacking a definitive diagnosis, contributing to the fact that dementia has no cure.

Dr. Le-Wei Thant said that it is possible for younger people to be diagnosed with dementia or similar ailments. “From what we know for above 60 it’s more common, but uncommon things can happen all the time,” said Thant. “For the pediatric population, the regression of their cognitive ability is not necessarily equivalent to dementia in older people.”

“Dementia is not a cause. When a patient comes in with dementia, you need to find out why,” Aung said.

There are several varying causes behind dementia, majority of which cannot be changed, such as age and family history.

Other diseases can be an underlying cause, including stroke.

“You can check your cholesterol and take cholesterol medication, like a low dose of the baby aspirin.

It is a prevention for stroke,” Khin explains. Like dementia, the main sufferers of stroke are elderly people. However, children ages 0-2 are also at high risk.

Exercise plays a major role in preventing or at least slowing dementia. “It is kind of like an aging process. Some yoga, meditation, and Tai Chi can prevent dementia,” Khin said. In addition to keeping up your physical health, staying socially active also delays the onset of dementia and reduce its symptoms.

Aung said diet does not have much of an impact decreasing someone’s risk for dementia.

“There’s no specific food you can avoid to treat or avoid the risk of dementia.” However, to have a

Austin Neurology and Sleep Associates are on a mission to provide the best care while strengthening medical teamwork. (Photo by Lorelai Myint.)

increase your risk for dementia. “If you have chronic B-12 deficiency, then you can get memory loss, concentration problems, you know, decision making process becomes harder,” Aung said. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can be avoided by eating animal products, like

Patients can eat and exercise, but it is ultimately our job to provide support.

“Sometimes, they forget about breakfast, lunch and dinner, so patients need a lot of support about supervising the medication and

Caring for a loved one with any sickness poses many challenges for friends and family. First, set a positive mood for interaction and get the person’s attention. State your message clearly with simple words and sentences. Always listen with your ears, eyes and heart, stay open

A check-up room opens up to the kitchen where patients can help themselves after a sleep test.

Sleep apnea masks perch on the shelves of nearly every room in the clinic.

The waiting room is empty as I visit on a closed day, but the employees are still hard at work inside.

(Photo by Lorelai Myint.)

(Photo by Lorelai Myint.)

meals, daily activities, prevention of falls, using the kitchen and stove,” Khin said. “If a person lives alone, somebody needs to take care of bills and banking.”

minded, and respond with affection and reassurance. Until then, we can make the end of the journey better for those suffering from dementia.

(Photo by Lorelai Myint.)

milk, meat and eggs.

Consuming these foods would help to prevent dementia as a whole, and it can still provide great aid in slowing further acceleration in the minds of those that have been touched by it. It is crucial for patients to consistently keep their brains active with mentally stimulating activities. Anything along the lines of puzzles, word games, reading, and memory training will improve anybody’s thinking, but we have to remember that it can’t completely restore someone’s brain.

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 23

Cancer & Remission The Pain Between the Margins

By McKenzi Popper

A crowd of nurses and patients claps and cheers for Laura Manire who is ringing a bell and holding a sign saying “Last Time.” This tradition signifies the end of treatment for cancer survivors and is held on the patient’s last day of chemo. (Photo by Ian Manire.)

O

ne in three men and women develop cancer during their life, and besides being a very painful disease to have and treat, many forms of cancer are fatal and can spread throughout the body if left unchecked. Cancer does not only inflict harm on the minds and bodies of all the people’s lives it touches, but it can tear families and loved ones 24 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

apart with a single swoop.

Cancer can be described as the rapid division of cells in a specific part of the body, according to the National Cancer Institute. With this disease, the normal process of a cell’s life is altered and instead of a cell dying and being replaced by a new cell, deficient cells survive while new and harmful cells continue to reproduce and multiply. This process forms a

tumor inside the body which can be life-threatening, especially without treatment.

The two different types of tumors are benign and malignant. A benign tumor is a tumor which in addition to not being cancerous, also does not spread to other parts of the body the way cancer can. A benign tumor may be life-threatening depending on its location in the body, for instance

a benign brain tumor can cut off circulation to the brain and could be potentially fatal. A malignant tumor is cancerous, invasive and spreads throughout the body.

There are many general risk factors of the deadly disease. The National Cancer Institute has laid out a few of the risk factors of cancer as exposure to chemicals, age, gender, family members with cancer, alcohol abuse, solar radiation, tobacco, drugs, poor diet, hormones and more.

Many of risk factors of cancer are specific to the individual case. For example, solar radiation can increase a person’s chance of getting skin cancer, similarly if a person smoked for many years, they have a higher chance of lung cancer.

“I had been having pain and kept going to my doctor. The doctor was not listening, so I’d go to another doctor and tell them my symptoms and they still weren’t listening. Basically, no one would check for cancer because you don’t think of cancer,” Laura Manire, cancer survivor, said.

“On the long road of life, there will be many potholes. Cancer was a pothole in my life, but we repaired it and got on our way.”

-Nick Manire Even with the widespread knowledge of a multitude of symptoms for different forms of cancer, it can still be difficult to recognize these symptoms and diagnose the disease

properly. It is important to diagnose cancer quickly because the longer the cancer is left untreated, the harder it is to treat it and for remission to become a possibility.

According to the American Cancer Society, a few of the many indicators of cancer are moles, a change in bowel habits, unusual weight loss, an unyielding cough, abdominal pain, fever and many other unexplained symptoms. The wide range of symptoms and and their common presence in everyday illnesses is one of the reasons why it is difficult to diagnose cancer.

A patient reaches the point of remission when symptoms and signs of cancer are no longer apparent. Remission is most likely to occur after treatment, and the amount of treatment a patient receives is dependent on the type and stage of cancer they have. There are two different forms of remission: partial and complete remission.

Syptoms: -moles -weakness -abdominal pain -stomach discomfort -a change in bowel habits Partial remission is when the symp-bleeding or discharge toms and signs of cancer fade and -unusual weight loss are partially gone. In contrast, complete remission is the -night sweats complete loss of the Treatment -tiredness signs and symptoms

Manire was diagnosed Types for Cancer: with Non-Hodgkin of cancer. Howlymphoma (NHL) ever, remission -surgery Side Effects: at the age of 41. does not mean -chemotherapy -fatigue Non-Hodgkin that the cancer -targeted therapy -diarrhea lymphoma will not return is a type of nor does it -appetite loss -stem cell transport cancer that mean that the -memory Problems -precision medicine affects the tumor is fully -problems concentration -hormone therapy blood cells removed from and attacks the body. All -hair loss (alopecia) -immunotherapy the immune remission means -sleep Problems Common -radiation system. A is that the signs and Cancers: -vomiting study conductsymptoms have reced-lung cancer -nausea ed by the Amered.

-breast cancer ican Cancer Society -non-hodgkin lymphoma showed that an estimated Once a person has been diagnosed -non-melanoma skin 74,680 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer, they have several differcancer with NHL in 2018 and around 19,910 ent treatment options. One common -prostate cancer Americans will die from this disease. form of treatment is called chemo-colon cancer therapy. During chemo a patient re-

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 25

One major drawback with chemo is that it doesn’t exclusively kill cancerous cells. If a person is weak and doesn’t have enough white blood cells, their immune systems can be left defenseless and they are more susceptible to dying of a simple sickness.

was going to do all it could for her.

The symbol of breast cancer aware-

White, a father of two, was diagnosed with a form of cancer called pure semenova, but his case was extremely rare because it was located in his chest. He underwent intense treatment of chemotherapy, and afterward he experienced many of the common side of chemo: short-term memory loss, slowness, tiredness, etc.

According to National Cancer Institute, other forms of treatment include immunotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, radiation and surgery. Similar to chemo, each of these treatments have their own disadvantages and the option that is best for any one person is dependent on the person’s health background, age and the type of cancer.

Short-term memory problems, hair loss, headaches, weakness and tiredness, weight loss, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, pain and mental confusion are all possible side effects of cancer and its treatment according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“It’s increased my empathy… It’s just made me more positive and have a better outlook,” Manire said.

Nick Manire completes his math homework with the help of his mom, cancer survivor Lara Maire. Nick Manire is now in ninth grade, four years into his mom’s remission.

(Photo by McKenzi Popper.)

At the time, she had a husband and two young children, so the discovery of the tumor was a large blow to the Manire family. The family got through treatment by staying positives and trusting that the treatment 26 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

does affect your ability to think clearly and quickly,” Gary White, cancer survivor, said.

“There was never a time when I said ‘Nope I’m not gonna do this or can’t do this’ because take it one day at a time. If you have a side effect or something you can’t deal with then tomorrow is a new day,” Manire said. ness is stamped across hundreds of billboards, flyers, waterbottles, etc. during breat cancer awareness month in October. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Graphic

by McKenzi Popper.

“You always hear about it, but you never think it’s going to affect you,” Nick Manire said. He said that the fear he had for his mom partially subsided because his parents talked to him and his sister and answered their questions about what their mom was going through and how they were going to treat her cancer.

Nick Manire, Laura Manire’s 14-year-old son, was in fifth grade when his mom was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, he didn’t fully understand what it meant for his mom to have cancer, but it was still a traumatising experience that presented many obstacles to the Manire family.

“They don’t hand you out a fancy little card that says, by the way, all these things are going to happen to you afterward. You talk about ‘chemo brain’ and stuff like that. It really

Staying positive was what pulled Manire through and got her to remission. Without a positive outlook you can’t defeat such a physically and mentally demanding disease.

White said that he believes that he chose to live through making himself get up and go to chemo treatments every day no matter the pain. “I think the fight part of the cancer thing comes from ‘you have done your treatment, now how do you wish to still engage with your life, sit like a vegetable and wait for the next day or get out and do something?’”

Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It affects everyone regardless of their age, gender, race, nationality, religion or sexuality, and this is why cancer transcends the boundaries of discrimination. As much as diseases, such as cancer, bring people together to solve societal challenges, it also tears millions of children away from their parents and spouses away from their husbands and wives. For this reason, researchers are working toward discovering the cure for cancer as science and technology progress into the mid 21st century.

“CANCER IS A POTHOLE” -Nick Manire-

M

Mind Games

The destructive path of cancer

By McKenzi Popper Gary White is a husband, father of two and a cancer survivor. White was in his early forties and was close to the top shape of his life when he was first diagnosed with cancer, and the illness had a lifelong impact on his life and family.

White was diagnosed with pure semenova which is commonly known as a testicular cancer, but White’s case was extraordinarily rare because it was located in his chest. The doctors discovered the grapefruit sized 1413 centimeter tumor through an X-ray, after several days of almost unbearable allergies and trouble breathing.

For White and his family, as it is for every other family member of someone with cancer, the news was devastating. He had twin boys who were two at the time, and White’s biggest fear was them growing up without a father.

White did hard treatments of chemo for six months. For three weeks he had chemo every day, and then on the fourth week he switched to only having chemo once a week. White would return home after his session of chemotherapy and want to go straight to bed because the treatments had such an ample impact on his energy.

White’s biggest struggle during his treatment was being able to continue with his daily life and include his family in it, “You choose to go to treatment; it’s not like a fight that you’re fighting. The fight is if my kids want to go play do I get out of bed and crawl across the floor to go play with them. The when you get home is just to stay engaged with life, but to deal with the treatment with cancer you just choose to go.”

White believes he has come out of cancer and into remission as a better person, for it made him realize the importance of his family and to not waste the time he has. As soon as White regained his strength he began reserving a few hours each night for him to spend playing with his boys, and whether they are playing Legos, Nerf guns, or just hanging out he always cherishes the time he has, because White, of all people, knows not to take it for granted.

My treatments keep getting delayed… Why are my doctors wasting precious time to try and cure me?

Will I ever reach remission?

I don’t know if I’m strong enough to get out of bed today.

Will my body ever return to fealing 100%?

What if I reach remission and my cancer comes back?

28 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

How will my illness affect my family?

Psychological Effects of Cancer

Will my short term memory ever improve?

Sources: • Gary White, Cancer Survivor Interview, 12 September, 2018 • American Cancer Society, Understanding the cancer experience when you’re a caregiver • Lara Manire, Cancer Survivor, 11 September 2018

LASA Digest How To

LASA Digest Diseases

Cuts & Scratches

Everyday cuts can lead to infections or worse if not treated properly

By McKenzi Popper Head Wounds: There are many nerves in the head, so generally head wounds will bleed more than wounds on other parts of the body. Clean (with water and saline) and bandage the wound immediately while awaiting their arrival of medical professionals.

Tourniquets: Use a tourniquet for rapidly bleeding, open wounds on appendages.

Steps to Using a Turniquet: 1. Wrap the turniquet fror around the apendage.

2. Twist the stick, or other object, until it is squeezing the andage tightly.

3. Secure the stick or object in place and access the wound.

Severe Cuts & Pooling Blood: Clean the wound and pack it with clean material, and seek medical attention.

Severe Cuts & Spirting Blood: Clean the wound and pack it with clean material, and seek medical attention.

Impalation: Seek medical attention immediately and leave the object in place inside the body in order to prevent further blood lossage.

Scratches: Clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide or another sterilizing, disinfecting substance and bandage the wound.

The diagram displays several types of wounds and the steps toward using a tourniquet.

Sources: • Nemours Children’s Health System, A-Z: Open Wound, Head.

• Summit Medical Group, Wound care for Scrapes and Scratches • Charli Harlen, Robotic Surgery Coordinator St. David’s South Austin Hosppital, 11 September 2018

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 32

Wound Care

According to statistics it takes an ambulance 20 or more minutes for it to arrive at a location.

Although, it can take an ambulance as much as 40 and as few as eight minutes to arrive at a site in emergency. With

By McKenzi Popper approval from the police It is department, in some the speed limit important to dress a of ambulances is over 77 mph, such wound not only to minimize ad80 to 85 mph. In Texas, the legal ditional bleeding but also to help prevent speed limit of an ambulance with further contamination. If possible, when dressapproval is 75 mph. However, ing a wound, put on a new, clean pair of non-sterwithout consent from ile gloves. First, when there is little or no blood still the police emerging from the wound, sterilize the wound with a department, an clean, warm, wet washcloth. Next, rinse out the wound and ambulance dry it. Check the wound for abnormalities, such as soreness, must swelling, redness and color of drainage. Then dampen gauze adhere to or packing tape with saline and pack it into the wound while the speed paying attention to any crevices inside of the wound that limit. For gauze or packing tape must be packed into. Use a large, this dry dressing pad to cover the gauze or packing tape, and reason, then secure the dressing in place with a roll of dry gauze or tape. Changing out dressing is basically it is the same process, and it’s important to make importsure that this is done in a sterile enviant to have Gauze is ronment with clean some a thin type of cloth materials. experience and material used to stop miknowledge of wound nor bleeding and to dress wounds. care in case of Gauze can be used in injuries ranging emergency. from a simple nose bleed to an wide open wound on the leg. Compared to some other medical cloths, it doesn’t stick to wounds, such as lacerations or burns. In case of emergency, pack the gauze into the wound, even if that means it is being packed an inch or more underneath the skin.

Without being packed deeply and tightly into the wound it won’t be effective. After gauze has been packed into the wound, apply direct pressure for three minutes, and then dress the wound tightly.

How to Save a Life

SignatureCare Emergency Center is a 24 hour ER that treats a multitude of medical emergencies. Although this ER treats hundreds of patients a day, it is important to have the knowledge and skills to treat wounds while waiting for professional medical attention. Photo by McKenzi Popper.

33 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

z

z

z

REMEDIES

You can take the following non-prescription medications: Ibuprofen Aspirin Acetaminophen Naproxen Studies have shown that acupunture helps to treat and prevent migraines.

Don’t be afraid to try this!

Both sleep loss and oversleeping can

trigger migraines.

Allow yourself to sleep 7-8

hours per night. Waking

up at the same time

everyday is a good method to stay in control.

Cool down! Low temperatures can reduce blood flow and inhibit your ability to feel pain. Use an ice or gel pack, or a wash cloth rinsed with cold water.

Fall 2018 / LASA Digest / 34

Migraines!

Learn to identify your symptoms and how to treat them.

By Lorelai Myint

food cravings

SYMPTOMS

increased thirst photo by Jim Cooke

constipation

frequent yawning

mood swings Sometimes this is what it can feel like to have a migraine.

stiffness in neck

frequent urination

Sources: • • • •

Home Remedies for Migraines, Feb. 14, 2018.

Common Side Effects of Pain Killers, WebMD. Annette McDermott, Healthline.

Jim Cooke, Getty Images.

35 / LASA Digest / Fall 2018

Editors of the

LASA Digest

McKenzi Popper

McKenzi Popper is a freshman at LASA High High School. She loves sports, spending time with her family, volunteering, arts and crafts, and traveling. She is a professional perfectionist and prides herself on her creativity and attention to detail.

She has participated and competed in numerous sports, including soccer, boxing, gymnastics, silks, track and cross country. She loves to travel with her family to New York City because of all of the crowds, constant excitement and things to do.

McKenzi spends her free time running for LBJ and her track club, hanging out with her older brother, Alekzandr, and her parents and doing hours of homework. The passing of McKenzi’s grandfather from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 2-years-old sparked her love of science, medicine, charity and helping as many people as she can.

McKenzi dreams of being a surgical oncologist and going to Stanford University after her graduation from LASA.

WHEN WE WERE YOUN G...

Divy Murali

Divyesh Murali is 14 years old, and goes to LASA High School. He doesn’t have a lot of free time, but when he does, he plays piano, and watches patriot act on netflix every sunday. Other than that, he does homework every day and his life is really boring. He goes to the gym and does MMA. He watches youtube sometimes and really hates the novel “In the Time of the Butterflies, because it is the most boring thing ever created.

The Editors

Lorelai Myint has lived in Austin, TX her whole life, but travels for months at a time. She frequently visits Thailand and Myanmar to see her family.

Lorelai specializes in hip hop dance, has always loved birds, and possesses much misplaced talent.

Lorelai was enthusiastic about her magazine topic because she wants to attend medical school. Her plans for the future motivated her to research and write a feature article about dementia, even though she didn’t know much about the ailment in the first place. She often suffers from headaches and was enthralled to write a short article on migraines.

Lorelai Myint

Oliver Anderson

Oliver Anderson is a 15 year old who goes to LASA High School. He was born in Los Angeles, California and move to Austin in 2014. He enjoys playing soccer with his friends. Oliver enjoys video games as well, his favourite are Fortnite, Rust and Clash of Clans. Oliver likes to read comic and his favourite superhero universe is Marvel. His favourite movie is Ratatouille and his favourite food is fried chicken. Ever since Oliver was a young boy, he was always wanted to make a magazine and his dream has finally come true, he hopes that you enjoy this magazine.

Letters From Eshan is currently a freshman here at LASA. He’s fourteen years old and has a younger sister in the 7th grade. He loves to debate and is on the LASA debate team. Aside from debating, Eshan enjoys rowing and being outside with his friends. Eshan also loves to listen to music and is a very big fan of hip-hop. He’s extremely excited about this magazine because he aspires to pursue medicine in the future. Eshan rows at Texas Rowing Center (TRC) in the varsity boys rowing program. When he isn’t doing schoolwork, rowing, or debating, he is watching The Office. Eshan’s favorite character is probably Stanley, but Creed is a close second.

Eshan Manchada

the

LASA Digest How To

Migrains: An everyday Problem, an Easy Solution Bandaging and Protecting Severe and Minor Wounds