Global Burden of Disease: Mortality Falls, Youth Deaths and Inequities Rise

Global Burden of Disease: Mortality Falls, Youth Deaths and Inequities Rise

M Hasan    9:00 PM   

Global Mortality Rates and the Challenges of Youth Health

According to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in The Lancet and presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin, global mortality rates are decreasing overall. However, this decline is not observed among youths and young adults. The research highlights a concerning trend that requires immediate attention from health care leaders and policymakers.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) now account for nearly two-thirds of the world's total mortality and morbidity, with ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes being the leading causes. Researchers suggest that nearly half of all death and disability could be prevented by addressing key risk factors such as high levels of blood sugar and high body mass index (BMI).

Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, emphasized the significance of these findings. "The rapid growth in the world's aging population and evolving risk factors have ushered in a new era of global health challenges," he said. "The evidence presented in the Global Burden of Disease study is a wake-up call, urging government and health care leaders to respond swiftly and strategically to the disturbing trends that are reshaping public health needs."

Comprehensive Data Collection and Analysis

Dr. Murray's team at IHME and its GBD Collaborator Network of 16,500 scientists and researchers collected and analyzed data to produce estimates for 375 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors by age and sex globally, regionally, and nationally for 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations from 1990 to 2023. This makes the GBD the most comprehensive research quantifying health loss.

Over 310,000 total data sources were used for the latest iteration, with 30% of them being new to this year's study. The research includes 1,211 location-years of provisional all-age vital registration data, which had not previously been used, and which provide more timely information.

Demographic Analysis: Declines in Mortality and Rising Youth Deaths

Despite population growth and aging, the 2023 global age-standardized mortality rate has declined 67% since 1950, and all countries and territories marked declines. Global life expectancy returned to pre-pandemic levels at 76.3 years for females and 71.5 years for males, which is more than 20 years higher compared to 1950. Despite this progress, stark geographic differences remain, with life expectancy ranging from as high as 83 years in high-income regions to as low as 62 years in sub-Saharan Africa.

Among adolescents and young adults, the largest increase in deaths was registered among those aged 20 to 39 in high-income North America from 2011 to 2023, mainly due to suicide, drug overdose, and high quantities of alcohol. During the same period, deaths in the 5–19-year age group increased in Eastern Europe, high-income North America, and the Caribbean.

Over the entire study period, the number of infant deaths declined more than for any other age group. From 2011 to 2023, East Asia recorded the largest decrease of 68% in the mortality rate for the under-5 age group due to better nutrition, vaccines, and stronger health systems.

Causes of Death: Shift from Infectious to Noncommunicable Diseases

Causes of death are shifting from infectious to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), creating new global health challenges, particularly for low-income countries. After standing as the leading cause of death in 2021, COVID-19 plunged to 20th place in 2023, putting ischemic heart disease and stroke back at the top, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, and neonatal disorders.

Since 1990, mortality rates for ischemic heart disease and stroke have declined, and so have diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, stomach cancer, and measles. Conversely, during the same period, the death rate increased for diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, and HIV/AIDS.

While the global mean age at death increased from 46.4 in 1990 to 62.9 years in 2023, geographic inequities were profound. The highest mean age of death was recorded in the high-income super-region, with females reaching 80.5 years and males at 74.4 years. The lowest mean age of death was in sub-Saharan Africa, with females at 37.1 years and males at 34.8 years.

Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for nearly two-thirds of the world's total death and disability. The top three causes were ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Low-income regions also saw a sharp rise in NCDs, further constraining nations with limited resources.

From 1990 to 2023, the age-standardized rate of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) fell 36%. This measures the total years of healthy life lost by examining the years lost from premature death and years lived with disability. From 2010 to 2023, DALY rates for communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) diseases fell by almost 26%. This was led by rates for diarrheal diseases being cut in half, a 43% decrease in rates for HIV/AIDS, and a 42% drop for tuberculosis.

Neonatal disorders and lower respiratory infections remain the top causes of CMNN diseases but have declined 17% and 25%, respectively.

Almost half of the global mortality and morbidity in 2023 was attributable to 88 modifiable risk factors. The 10 risk factors with the highest proportion of health loss were high systolic blood pressure, particulate matter pollution, smoking, high fasting plasma glucose, low birthweight and short gestation, high BMI, high LDL cholesterol, kidney dysfunction, child growth failure, and lead exposure.

Urgent Need for Policy Changes

The GBD 2023 study highlights the urgent need for policymakers to expand health priorities beyond reducing child mortality to include adolescents and young adults, particularly in areas with higher rates of mortality than previously known.

"Decades of work to close the gap in low-income regions with persistent health inequities are in danger of unraveling due to the recent cuts to international aid," said Emmanuela Gakidou, senior author and professor at IHME. "These countries rely on global health funding for life-saving primary care, medicine, and vaccines. Without it, the gap is sure to widen."

The GBD estimates are also available in various interactive data visualization tools, including GBD Compare and GBD Results.

Two Near-Death Experiences: What I Saw When I Died

Two Near-Death Experiences: What I Saw When I Died

M Hasan    9:31 AM   

As I stared at a Halloween-like picture of my own skull, including gaping eye and nose sockets, I shivered, shocked by the no-nonsense view of what lay beneath my skin. A dental technician convinced me to get a panoramic X-ray that included my whole head. She took the X-ray, then kept the image displayed above me when she left the room. The panoramic aspect of the shot had distorted my mouth into a wide, toothy grin. I felt as if this future iteration of me carried a message: “Hello dearie, this is where you are headed.”

Squirming in the dentist’s chair, I thought about the other times I’d come face to face with my own mortality. I’ve had two near-death experiences (NDEs), although I wouldn’t have known to categorize them that way when each happened. The occurrences had distinctly different features, but years later, when I read books that summarized information on thousands of NDEs, I noticed they described events like those I’d gone through.

My first NDE happened just after I went into early labor with my oldest child. I wound up at the hospital with stroke-level blood pressure, low platelets, liver dysfunction and seizure activity. The midwife was fumbling with a catheter when the obstetrician yelled, “Get her into the O.R. now!” Then, I found myself, or the essence of myself, floating in the corner of the labor room, near the ceiling, looking down on the scene, as I was rushed to the operating room and they tried to resuscitate me and save both me and my son. Weirdly, I felt no emotion.

The doctors took our tiny baby by cesarean section. For various reasons, he landed in the neonatal intensive care unit for about two weeks. They kept me in a medically induced coma for three days while trying to stabilize all that had gone awry. I continued to battle health issues for months. Except for my husband, Bruce, I don’t remember telling anyone about my out-of-body experience. I didn’t know what to make of it nor how to talk about it. Instead, I focused on care of our fragile son and regaining my own health.

My second NDE occurred on a bitterly cold Valentine’s Day, so cold I put on my mother’s wool Chesterfield coat, a thick, cumbersome garment that I’d only worn a couple of times. Bruce and I planned to meet two other couples downtown at a restaurant called The Local. As we approached a busy intersection, my last memory was of feeling thankful when I spotted a brilliant green traffic light ahead. The stop at those two roads had always seemed like an eternity. We were running late, so I felt happy that we could breeze through.

We didn’t breeze through. Later, I learned that a man with no license, driving an SUV with no registration, plowed through the intersection, crossed into our lane, and smashed into us head-on. Based on the damage caused by the impact, his car had to be going more than 40 miles an hour. The collision turned our Volvo into rubble. The airbag hit my husband, breaking his glasses and cutting his forehead. When Bruce, who is a physician, noticed me slumped and unconscious, he attempted to check my vitals. After he couldn’t find signs of breathing or a heartbeat, he panicked and repeatedly yelled my name.

Immediately after the crash, I had no awareness of myself as a unique entity — no cognition of having a distinct identity. Instead, I felt utterly and profoundly peaceful in a way that I’d never sensed. To my core, I felt safe and at home. I seemed to be immersed in glowing yellow. I don’t know how to describe the sensation except that I felt as if I’d been dropped in a vat of pudding, but in a good way. I didn’t feel dead. If anything, I felt blissfully alive.

I experienced a comforting euphoria and sensed my essence shimmering in the middle of a life force. As I write these words, I am reminded of string theory, the idea in theoretical physics that the whole universe is made of tiny, distinct strands, closed loops of energy, each string vibrating at its own frequency. Perhaps, at that moment, I became a closed loop of energy, both part of and distinct from the rest of the universe.

When I heard Bruce’s voice calling my name from a vast distance, I felt annoyed. I wanted to stay put. To be honest, I don’t remember making a clear decision to go back. At that point, I’m not sure I felt that I had enough agency — that I possessed a “self” capable of making that decision.

Over the years I’ve become weepy when I remember my strong resistance to returning. Maybe the source of my tears is rooted in guilt, that my reluctance to return to my earthly body represents a betrayal of my loved ones, preferring the yellow pudding place to a continued life with them. Or maybe the weepiness is simply longing for the peace of that other home I felt.

When I finally did return to my body, inexplicably, I felt no pain. It took me a while to process that we’d been in an accident and that I was staring at the crushed interior of our once sturdy Volvo. I saw crooked headlights from the other vehicle shining into the interior of our car at a disturbing angle. Surreal light illuminated tiny, glimmering particles in front of me. Maybe they were parts of the deployed airbag or maybe a substance emanating from the engine?

Outside the car, smoke or steam filled the air, I don’t know which. I saw the dark shape of a person with long hair running past the front of our car, waving his hands and yelling. Later, I found out this was the driver of the other vehicle. I looked beside me to see Bruce, with blood covering his pale face. He seemed to be speaking, but I couldn’t understand his words.

My next memory is of a man opening the passenger door and talking to me. To this day, I can picture him clearly: in his 40s, curly hair with a receding hairline, button-down dress shirt and no tie. He looked like a guy you’d find working behind a desk in some office. He said, “I’m going to release your seat belt, but I don’t want to move you unless the engine catches fire. I will stay with you until the ambulance arrives.” Then, the man knelt outside the car and held my hand until the emergency technicians showed up and strapped me onto a gurney.

Long after the crash, while we were comparing notes, Bruce told me he had no memory of the man and said he never saw anyone except the EMTs arriving. After hearing this, I wanted to track down emergency personnel at the scene to both verify the existence of the guy and see if anyone took his name so I could thank him, but we were never able to find any witnesses.

I wound up with deep bruising to my ribs. For months, every time I breathed, I felt as if my chest were encased in barbed wire. I went through months of therapy to reduce the large hematoma that lay over my heart. I’ve often wondered if my mother’s sturdy Chesterfield coat saved my life that night.

Once again, except to Bruce, I made no mention of those otherworldly experiences at the accident site. I wanted to protect my immediate family from knowing how close I’d come to death, so I didn’t mention details to them. In the weeks following the crash, I said nothing about my NDE to friends, still unsure of how to name and frame my experience.

I am naturally a skeptical person. My former work as the co-director of a research and resource center in the department of maternal and child health at Dartmouth Medical School required me to think pragmatically. That wasn’t a stretch because it’s how I’m wired. Back in New Testament days, I’m sure I would have been just like Thomas, insisting that I touch the wounds of Jesus before I could believe he came back from the dead.

It took my having two NDEs to make me believe they exist. Would I have been convinced if I hadn’t experienced them? My guess is no. I don’t know if everyone needs to have an NDE to fully understand them. I just know it’s the case for me.

So, what does a “I have to see it to believe it” person do with experiencing two NDEs? They didn’t fit into my idea of how the world works. I kept quiet about them until two years ago when a friend lent me a book about NDEs written by a physician and researcher at the University of Virginia. After I read that book, I checked out several other studies on the topic. I felt both shocked and comforted when I realized that so many of the accounts in scientific literature matched my experiences. Having a name for what I went through and knowing that many people shared similar experiences has made me more willing to tell people about my NDEs.

Even though I am comforted that they exist, I’ve neither met nor sought out a person who has had a near-death experience. Perhaps I fear that someone might try to pressure me into believing whatever explanation they have worked out regarding NDEs. I’ll probably change my mind about this, but right now I’m not ready.

I hesitate to draw any firm conclusions about my NDEs. I know that an experience in the past doesn’t guarantee how a future experience will transpire. However, I am reassured that I felt no emotional distress or physical pain either time. Whether it’s rational or not, I don’t dread my precise moment of death. (Of course, that sentiment might change at any time.) My faith in God is neither based on nor necessarily bolstered by the NDEs. I am grateful that I survived each event and remain curious about what the experiences might mean.

So far, if anyone I’ve told about my NDEs has doubted my words, no one has said so outright. Mostly, people respond, “I’m so glad you are alive” or “how mysterious.” If anyone ever does accuse me of fabricating the events, unless they were ridiculing me, I don’t think I’d care. I’m not selling anything, nor am I trying to prove anything. My memories are clear and precise. When I compare them with journal entries from the time, the exact details of those memories have persisted. I know what happened and am not bothered by anyone else’s incredulity.

As a child, I was told exactly what I should believe regarding what happens after you die. I grew up attending a tiny church mostly made up of my Protestant Italian American family members. My grandfather and uncle gave the sermons, my aunt led the singing, and my father served as a deacon. As best I can remember, they firmly believed and taught me that when you passed, you fell asleep until resurrection day, when you’d wake up to either happy news based on your good behavior or a reckoning because of your bad behavior. They didn’t believe in hell, so the reckoning never included being sent there.

I have deep respect for my family members and their beliefs, but over time, my spiritual journey headed in another direction. I’ve attended a variety of other Protestant denominations, all of which had slightly different takes on the afterlife. To this day, I’m not sure about what happens after death, but am not sweating the details.

These days, I’m less religious but more spiritual. I worry less about following rules and pay more attention to listening for guidance. I feel more connected to other people but not anxious about and responsible for convincing them to adopt one set of beliefs or another. I have no doubt about the existence of God but now have a more expansive, inclusive and flexible view of how God operates. I’ve let God out of the box I’d created. Paradoxically, this makes my life feel both terrifying and exciting.

My NDEs brought the finiteness of life into sharp focus. I rarely procrastinate because I am never completely convinced that I will be given the gift of another tomorrow. Although that outlook may seem gloomy, it’s not. That conviction has caused me to pursue my passions, to learn how to paint portraits, figure out how to play my mandolin up and down the neck, and to save up and buy a 22-year-old pickup truck so I can transport my bike and kayak more easily on adventures. Keenly aware that my life will reach its end at a specific time, I feel a nudge to squeeze the most out of every minute.

Sometimes when I’m slammed by the slings and arrows of my daily life, I feel wistful, yearning for that vat of yellow pudding — a place that seemed more like home than any other on Earth. Yet, I’ve never felt quite so wistful that I wanted to make an immediate departure.

Although happiness often eludes me, when I remember to notice, I experience sparks of joy each day — like when I eat a thick slice of Sicilian pizza straight out of the oven or watch a sunset burn orange to purple over our meadow, or when I have a soul-nourishing talk with a close friend while kayaking on Ivy Creek. Although I’m curious and cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead, for now, I’m content to snuggle into all the bad and all the good in my life here.

Early this morning, out of the blue, a close friend (who did not know I was writing an essay on this topic) texted me an Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote that beautifully summarizes my current feelings: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God…”

Boredom Pushes People Toward Unpleasant New Experiences

Boredom Pushes People Toward Unpleasant New Experiences

M Hasan    7:00 AM   

Understanding the Role of Boredom in Human Behavior

A recent study published in the journal Emotion has revealed that boredom can be a powerful motivator for people to seek out new experiences, even if those experiences are unpleasant. This research, conducted across three experiments, found that individuals who felt bored were more inclined to choose novel experiences, including those that evoked negative emotions like disgust. These findings challenge the traditional view of boredom as merely a nuisance and instead suggest that it may play a functional role by encouraging people to move away from repetitive or emotionally unstimulating situations.

For many years, psychology largely dismissed boredom as a trivial state with little impact on behavior. However, researchers have begun to reconsider its significance in recent years. Boredom is a common experience in daily life and has been linked to various behaviors, such as impulsivity, risk-taking, and disengagement in academic and work settings.

The research, led by Shane Bench of Utah State University Eastern and Heather Lench of Texas A&M University, explores what boredom actually motivates people to do. According to a functional perspective on emotions, feelings like anger, sadness, and joy serve specific purposes. They arise in response to particular situations and guide behavior in ways that help people achieve their goals. The researchers proposed that boredom fits into this framework by acting as a signal that one’s current activity is no longer satisfying or meaningful, prompting a shift toward something new — even if that “something new” isn’t necessarily enjoyable.

“We had two related interests,” explained Bench, an associate professor. “We wanted to consider anti-hedonistic behaviors (why people choose to experience something negative) and we were interested in exploring how and why people disengage from a goal and the role boredom, as a functional emotion, may play. We proposed that boredom signals disengagement from a current goal and motivates the pursuit of a novel experience. By ‘novel’ we do not necessarily mean completely new, just affectively different from the current state (e.g., if in a positive state, negative would be affectively different).”

“In this sense, boredom, while frequently considered a passing or meaningless state, could serve an important functional purpose – helping people move on from something that is no longer emotionally intense, to pursue something that will elicit a more intense emotion.”

Experiments on Boredom and Novelty Seeking

The researchers conducted three separate experiments to test their ideas. Each study used different methods to induce boredom and examine how people responded to it.

In the first experiment, 55 college students were shown a series of neutral images multiple times to induce boredom. Participants then rated how bored they felt. After this, they were given a choice: continue viewing similar neutral images or switch to a set of novel but unpleasant images, such as cockroaches or dirty dishes. More than half of the participants chose to view the negative images. Importantly, the more bored participants reported feeling, the more likely they were to make this choice.

“I was surprised that the negative image sets were chosen!” Bench told My healthy of life. “They were not pleasant, and based on models of hedonism, I thought that people would not choose them over more positive (or less negative) options. We chose this method because we thought it would be a strong test of our proposal of boredom as a signal and motivator to pursue change.”

This finding suggested that boredom did not simply make people passive. Instead, it appeared to motivate them to seek a change — even if that change brought on negative emotions like disgust. Trait boredom (a person’s general tendency to get bored easily) did not predict these choices, which indicates that the effect was tied to the immediate experience of boredom rather than a stable personality characteristic.

In the second study, the researchers sought to better understand what drives people’s choices when they are bored. This time, 150 participants were randomly assigned to either a high-boredom or low-boredom condition. Those in the high-boredom group repeatedly viewed neutral images for about 12 minutes. The low-boredom group either saw the images only briefly or not at all.

Participants then chose between two new sets of images: one that was unpleasant and one that was emotionally neutral. Unlike the first study, both options were new. Participants were also asked how much their decision was motivated by a desire for something novel.

Those in the high-boredom condition were more likely to pick the negative image set, and they also reported a stronger desire for novelty. A statistical analysis showed that this desire for novelty helped explain the link between boredom and choosing the unpleasant experience. In other words, boredom led to a craving for something new, and that craving influenced participants’ decisions.

The third experiment pushed the question even further. Could boredom that came from a positive experience still lead people to choose something negative?

In this study, 145 participants were divided into four groups. Each group repeatedly viewed either positive or negative images that were either highly arousing or only mildly arousing. All participants eventually reported feeling moderately bored, regardless of whether the images were pleasant or unpleasant.

Participants then chose between four new sets of images: one that was more positive, one more negative, one similar to what they had just seen, and one that was neutral. Over 70 percent of participants chose a set that differed from the one they had seen before. Notably, people who were bored by positive images often chose more negative ones, and those bored by negative images tended to switch to more positive ones.

The researchers also asked participants how strongly they felt a desire to experience something either positive or negative. Those bored by positive images were more likely to report a desire for negative experiences, and this desire predicted their choice to view more negative images. This pattern was reversed for those who were bored by negative images.

Taken together, the studies suggest that boredom prompts a search for emotional change. The target of that change does not have to be positive — it only needs to be different. Emotional contrast appears to be the key motivator.

“We found that boredom motivated people to seek affectively (emotionally) different experiences – even if the different experience was hedonically negative,” Bench said. “That is, when made bored by watching a series of repeating neutral images (things like: a leaf, a building, or a light bulb – images that people had rated as neutral), participants were more likely to choose an experience they expected to elicit negative emotion (i.e., they chose to view more images based on sample of images that included cockroaches, a destroyed building, and dirty dishes – things that were consistently rated as affectively negative).”

“This choice was driven by participants reported desire for novelty. In addition, participants made bored by viewing positive images (things like: people skydiving or appetizing desserts) were more likely to choose to view negative images (like: a snarling dog or people walking from a plane crash), and participants made bored by negative images were more likely to choose positive images. In all cases, this is evidence of boredom increasing a desire for something affectively (or emotionally) different from the current experience.”

Limitations and Future Research

While the findings are consistent across studies, the research does have some limitations. Most notably, the main outcome in all three experiments was a single decision made in a laboratory setting. It remains unclear how these choices would play out in real-world settings where people face more complex and meaningful options. For example, it is not clear whether someone who is bored would choose to start an argument, try something risky, or engage in a creative task.

The researchers also did not test whether these choices actually reduced boredom or improved participants’ mood. The findings show that people sought out new experiences when bored, but they do not demonstrate whether this helped them feel better or more fulfilled afterward.

In addition, the participants were mostly college students, which may limit how broadly the findings can be applied. Boredom is a common experience across ages and cultures, but the ways people cope with it may vary. Cultural preferences about emotional experiences, for example, could influence whether someone is more likely to seek out high-energy excitement or quiet introspection.

The authors suggest that future studies should look more closely at the consequences of boredom-driven choices. Do people feel better after seeking out a new emotional experience? Or are some of these choices maladaptive in the long run? Research in this area could also explore how individual differences — such as sensation-seeking or morbid curiosity — shape how people respond to boredom.

Another direction would be to examine boredom in more naturalistic settings, such as classrooms or workplaces. If boredom truly pushes people toward change, then understanding its effects could help educators, employers, and policymakers design environments that channel that motivation in productive ways.

“Often people wonder if approaching boredom as a functional emotion is intended to frame boredom as a ‘good’ thing,” Bench added. “Our theory does not view boredom as good or bad, but as an emotion that serves a specific function (signaling to disengage from a current task and motivating engagement of something different). This would be advantageous in certain circumstances and disadvantageous in others.”

The study, “Boredom as a Seeking State: Boredom Prompts the Pursuit of Novel (Even Negative) Experiences,” was authored by Shane W. Bench and Heather C. Lench.

Medical Professionals and Patients Share Jaw-Dropping "How Are You Not Dead Yet?" Stories

Medical Professionals and Patients Share Jaw-Dropping "How Are You Not Dead Yet?" Stories

M Hasan    6:16 AM   

The Most Unbelievable Medical Survival Stories

Medical professionals often encounter cases that seem almost impossible. From bizarre accidents to extreme health conditions, there are stories that leave even the most seasoned doctors in awe. These accounts, shared by real people and medical staff, highlight just how resilient the human body can be.

Bizarre Injuries and Near-Death Experiences

1. A Road Accident Survivor
   During an emergency medicine rotation, a patient arrived with severe injuries after a road accident. His intestines were exposed, 40% of his face was scraped off, one eye was out of its socket, and his right forearm had torn muscles with visible bone. Despite these life-threatening injuries, the patient survived. After extensive surgery, he made a full recovery and is now living a normal life.

2. A Nail in the Brain
   A man came into the ER after mowing the lawn. He reported something being kicked up by the lawnmower and hitting him in the head. Initially, it seemed minor, but a CT scan revealed a nail embedded in his brain. The neurosurgeon removed it, and the patient left the hospital in good condition. His positive attitude and calm demeanor during the ordeal left everyone in awe.

3. Kidney Failure and a Miracle Recovery
   A friend of mine experienced extreme fatigue and exhaustion for days. He drove himself to the ER at 3 a.m. and was immediately taken in. Blood tests revealed complete kidney failure, and the doctor warned that he should have been dead a month earlier. He received a kidney transplant from his sister and is now doing well.

4. A Fever of 107.7 Degrees
   One individual arrived at the hospital with a high fever, chills, and pain on one side. A nurse took his temperature, which read 107.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This was the highest body temperature recorded without causing brain damage or death. The patient had a severe kidney infection and was treated successfully.

5. Gallbladder Gone Bad
   A woman’s mother had persistent stomach aches and was unable to poop for three days. Upon examination, the doctor found her gallbladder to be completely gangrenous. If she had waited another day, she would have died. The surgery was intense, and the doctor admitted it was the most stressful operation of his career.

1. A Self-Inflicted Sword Wound
   A man crafted his own gladius sword and threw himself onto it, piercing his sternum and heart. Despite the injury, he remained conscious and alive. Each heartbeat caused the sword's handle to vibrate, a surreal experience for those who witnessed it.

2. Bone Cancer and a Surprising Break
   A patient with advanced metastatic bone cancer in his pelvis underwent radiation treatment. During a routine X-ray, a large chunk of his bone broke off and moved toward his leg. He walked away unharmed, leaving the medical team in disbelief.

3. A Car Crash and a Drunk Survivor
   A woman weighing around 400 pounds was ejected from her car during a high-speed collision. Police initially assumed she was dead, only to find out she was drunk. Her body fat protected her from serious injuries, and she emerged mostly unscathed.

1. A Snakebite and Expired Antivenom
   A man was bitten by a fer-de-lance snake, and his blood clotting profile was dangerously abnormal. The only available antivenom had expired, but the patient agreed to the risk. He recovered with minor bruises, a testament to his survival instincts.

2. Nine Stab Wounds at Fifteen
   A teenager survived nine stab wounds from a hate crime. Doctors attributed his survival to his body producing more clotting factors than normal. He should have died, but his resilience kept him alive.

1. A Blood Pressure of 234/186
   A man with a blood pressure of 234/186 was admitted to the hospital. No one believed he could survive such high pressure, yet he lived to tell the story. His case became a topic of discussion among hospital staff.

2. Pneumonia and a Second Hospital Visit
   A patient diagnosed with double pneumonia was sent home after a week. Two days later, they returned with dangerously low oxygen levels. They were rushed to the ER and eventually required intensive care.

3. A 96-Year-Old with a Low Pulse
   A 96-year-old woman fell but showed no signs of injury. However, her pulse was extremely low. When checked manually, it was confirmed as 28. She was awake and talking, but the low pulse raised concerns about her health.

1. Falling 128 Feet from a Tower
   A man fell 128 feet from a communications tower and landed in a marshy puddle. He suffered bruises and concussions but no broken bones. He spent a week in the hospital before regaining mobility.

2. A Blood Sugar of 45
   A diabetic patient had a blood sugar level of 45, far below the normal range. He showed no symptoms of hypoglycemia and self-injected insulin. His condition stabilized, surprising the medical staff.

1. A Body Temperature of 75°F
   A patient with a body temperature of 75°F was found on a river embankment in winter. After multiple checks, his temperature was confirmed. He was warmed up and eventually stabilized.

2. A Suicide Attempt That Left Him Cut in Half
   A man attempted suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. The train cut him in half, but he survived. His survival remains a mystery to this day.

1. A Postpartum Hemorrhage
   A woman experienced massive postpartum bleeding after childbirth. She lost 3 liters of blood and required an emergency hysterectomy. Her survival was uncertain, but she eventually recovered.

2. MRSA in the Spine
   A woman developed MRSA in her spine after a cyst lancing procedure. She was rushed to surgery and now lives in a wheelchair. Doctors said she would not have survived if she had waited another day.

1. A Ski Instructor's Near-Death Experience
   An instructor fell and hit his head, but his helmet cracked. A paramedic noticed the damage and transported him to the hospital, where he was found to have a broken neck. He recovered with some side effects like acid reflux.

2. A Sword Through the Head
   A fencing instructor had a sword go through his mask, mouth, and out the back of his head. He missed any critical structures and was fine, aside from the unusual incident.

1. A Massive Blood Clot
   A man with a blood clotting disorder was hospitalized with what the nurses described as the largest clot they had ever seen in a breathing person. His recovery was challenging, but he eventually made a full recovery.

2. A Split in Half from a Car Accident
   An 18-year-old girl was split from chest to pubis in a car accident. Despite the severity of her injuries, she was stitched back together and eventually walked out of the hospital.

1. A Homeless Man's Lucky Fall
   A homeless man fell from a bridge and landed near his tent. He came into the hospital with spinal precautions but no broken bones. He asked for a turkey sandwich, showing his surprising optimism.

These stories remind us of the incredible strength of the human body and the unpredictable nature of life. Whether through luck, medical intervention, or sheer determination, these individuals defied the odds and lived to tell their tales.

Tiger Woods' Career-Long Struggle with Injuries

Tiger Woods' Career-Long Struggle with Injuries

M Hasan    6:03 AM   

A History of Injuries and Surgeries

Tiger Woods, one of the most iconic figures in golf, has had a career marked by both extraordinary success and significant physical challenges. Over the years, he has undergone multiple surgeries and dealt with various injuries that have impacted his performance on the course. These incidents have raised concerns about his long-term health and future in professional golf.

Major Injuries and Surgeries

Woods' journey through injuries began in 2002 when he underwent surgery to remove fluid from around the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his left knee. Despite the setback, he returned to win the 2003 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. However, this was just the beginning of a long list of medical issues.

In April 2008, Woods had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. Shortly after, it was revealed that he had stress fractures in his left tibia. By June 2008, he underwent reconstructive surgery on the ACL in his left knee, which kept him off the course for nearly nine months.

In May 2010, Woods withdrew from The Players Championship due to a potential bulging disk, later diagnosed as an inflamed facet joint in his neck. He continued to compete, but the injury lingered.

By April 2011, Woods announced he would miss the Wells Fargo Championship due to a minor injury to his left knee and Achilles' tendon. This was followed by another withdrawal in May 2011 due to a sprain of the MCL in his left knee and a strain to his left Achilles' tendon. He missed three months of action, including the U.S. Open and The Open.

In March 2012, Woods withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship due to an injury to his left Achilles' tendon. He made a quick return, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks later.

June 2013 saw Woods withdraw from the AT&T National due to a left elbow strain. In March 2014, he withdrew from the Honda Classic due to lower back spasms. His struggles with back pain continued into August 2014, when he withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational due to lower back pain.

February 2015 brought another back injury, leading to his withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open. In September 2015, Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery to remove a disc fragment pinching his nerve. This led to a period of recovery and further setbacks.

April 2016 saw Woods missing the Masters for the second time in three years. His back condition remained a concern, and he continued to undergo treatment. In September 2016, he announced plans to return to competition, but ultimately withdrew from the Safeway Open.

February 2017 brought more back spasms, leading to withdrawals from several events. In March 2017, he missed the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Masters for the third time in four years. April 2017 marked another back surgery to alleviate ongoing pain, which included removing a damaged disc and re-elevating the collapsed disc space.

May 2017 was a difficult time for Woods, as he was arrested for reckless driving. He later clarified that alcohol was not involved, and he was dealing with an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. July 2017 saw him entering a diversion program following his arrest.

October 2017 marked a turning point as Woods made his first competitive start in nine months at the Hero World Challenge. However, his recovery was not without setbacks.

March 2019 saw Woods withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a neck strain. August 2019 brought another withdrawal due to a strained oblique. In August 2019, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair minor ligament damage in his left knee.

January 2021 brought a fifth microdiscectomy procedure on his back. February 2021 was a tragic moment as Woods was involved in a single-vehicle rollover accident, sustaining significant injuries to his right leg and ankle.

May 2022 saw Woods make the cut at the Masters and PGA Championship, but he withdrew after a third-round 79. April 2023 brought another withdrawal due to reaggravating plantar fasciitis. April 19, 2023, saw Woods undergoing a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis from a previous talus fracture.

February 16, 2024, marked another withdrawal during the Genesis Invitational due to flu-like symptoms. September 13, 2024, brought news of another surgery to repair a nerve impingement in his lower back. March 11, 2025, saw Woods undergo surgery on his left Achilles tendon, which had been ruptured during training.

October 11, 2025, marked his seventh back surgery to replace a disk in his lower back. Despite these challenges, Woods continues to show resilience and determination, navigating the complexities of his health while striving to return to the golf course.