A 60-year-old man in Spain went to the doctor complaining of a headache that he couldn’t shake. It had started two weeks prior and was only getting worse. He also said he had noticed subtle changes in his behavior.
In a neurological exam, doctors found he had a mild delay in his movements, but no other deficits. His blood work was generally normal except for elevated IgE, a signal of immune responses linked to allergies, autoimmune disease, and parasitic infections. The doctors did a computed tomography (CT) scan of his head and saw much more obvious evidence of a problem: There were multiple lesions distributed throughout his brain accompanied by swelling.
In a case report in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the doctors reported working through the possible conditions that could explain all the findings. They noted that the man was not immunocompromised and had never traveled internationally. Their top suspicion was metastatic cancer.
For his headache, the doctors put him on an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid, and he finally got some relief. They then began an extensive series of tests to look for the cancer they thought had spread to his brain. This included a whole-body, contrast-enhanced CT scan, a colonoscopy, and a hybrid positron emission tomography/CT scan often used to map cancer. But the tests didn’t reveal any malignancies.
The doctors did another brain scan, this time with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to get a better look at the lesions. With the more detailed imaging, they saw clearly that the lesions weren’t tumors; they were encapsulated tapeworm larvae. On the MRI, the doctors could see the worms’ heads, called scolexes.
The finding surprised the doctors since tapeworms aren’t endemic to Spain and he said he hadn’t traveled. However, the man may have been exposed during his work. Until 10-years prior, when he retired, he had worked in construction, often working alongside people who had migrated from regions where pork tapeworms (Taenia solium) are endemic. The parasitic worms can spread through the fecal-oral route. His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.
Sneaky worms
Taenia solium can infect people in two ways: by eating cysts in undercooked meat or ingesting eggs through fecal contamination. The parasite infects pigs, and when they ingest eggs from feces, the worms hatch in the pigs’ guts, bore through the intestines, get into the bloodstream, and migrate into a variety of tissues and muscles. There, they form into encapsulated larvae called cysticerci. If a person eats undercooked meat containing cysticerci, the larvae will develop into adult tapeworms in the person’s intestinal tract and live there, possibly for years. Meanwhile, those infected people will be shedding eggs in their feces.
If those eggs get spread around from poor hygiene and sanitation—into water, food, etc.—and make it into a person’s mouth, they do what they do in pigs. The eggs hatch, burrow into the bloodstream, and then go wandering around, embedding in various tissues, muscles, and organs, including the brain.
When cysticerci enter a person’s central nervous system, it’s a disease called neurocysticercosis (NCC), which is the diagnosis the doctors in Spain gave the man. Testing after his MRI revealed his immune system had made antibodies against Taenia solium, confirming the infection.
NCC can be serious, causing seizures, significant neurological deficits, cognitive decline, stroke, and other problems. But it can also be asymptomatic. The severity depends on where in the brain the worms settle. Luckily for the man, the effects were relatively mild. Doctors prescribed him two anti-parasitic drugs, and he recovered.
“Our case emphasizes that the absence of travel history should not preclude NCC from the differential diagnosis of multiple ring-enhancing brain lesions, even in regions where metastatic cancer is statistically much more likely,” they concluded. If they had caught onto the worms sooner, it would have prevented “unnecessary invasive oncologic procedures and lead to prompt, targeted antiparasitic therapy.”

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A little-known condition often referred to online as “sad nipple syndrome” has gained attention after several women began sharing stories about experiencing sudden waves of sadness, anxiety, dread, or even homesickness when their nipples are touched.
The feeling often appears without warning and disappears just as quickly, leaving many confused about what is happening.
Highlights
Medical experts are shedding light on a viral term describing sudden waves of sadness triggered when the nipples are touched.
Doctors suggested the condition may be biologically linked to Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER).
Several women reported experiencing the phenomenon, even those who have never breastfed.
While the condition has not yet been officially recognized as a medical diagnosis, experts have suggested a biological explanation.
“I thought I was the only person this happened to,” one woman shared.
RELATED:
Doctors revealed the emotional trigger may be linked to a little-known hormonal reflex
Image credits: Dragana Gordic/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
Although the term “sad nipple syndrome” has become popular online, several experts believe the phenomenon may be related to a condition known as Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex, or D-MER.
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The condition is most commonly associated with breastfeeding and occurs when a person experiences a sudden emotional drop just before milk is released.
“Some breastfeeding patients experience a sudden wave of sadness or despair right before their milk releases,” explained Dr. Melissa Walsh, an OB-GYN and chief medical director at maternal health company SimpliFed.
Image credits: Pixel-Shot/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
According to Walsh, the reaction may be linked to a rapid hormonal shift. When the body releases oxytocin to trigger milk flow, dopamine levels can temporarily fall.
That brief drop may cause feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, dread, or emotional discomfort.
Dr. Ari Hoschander, head plastic surgeon at Breast Reduction Surgeons of Long Island, noted that the nipple area contains an unusually high concentration of nerve endings.
“What they’re describing sounds like that dopamine drop hitting particularly hard,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Walsh emphasized that the experience is not the same as depression or anxiety disorders.
“This is a physiological reflex, not a psychological response,” she explained. “It’s the brain responding to hormones released from a physical event, not a thought or memory.”
She added that understanding this distinction is important because many people mistakenly believe something is seriously wrong with them.
“A person who doesn’t know this is a hormonal reflex may interpret it as a sign that something is deeply wrong with her,” Walsh said.
Experts are still trying to understand why some non-breastfeeding women experience it too
Image credits: Africa Studio/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
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One of the biggest questions surrounding the condition is why many women who have never breastfed report experiencing the same feelings.
Researchers do not yet have a clear answer.
However, studies have shown that nipple stimulation can increase oxytocin levels even in women who are not lactating.
“This raises a biologically plausible — though as yet unstudied — question about whether the same dopamine mechanism may be at play in women who have never breastfed,” Walsh said.
Image credits: bunditinay/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
Other experts believe additional factors could contribute to the reactions.
Dr. Loren Rourke, a breast cancer surgeon and author, shared that hormonal sensitivity, stress, neurological differences, and personal experiences may all play a role.
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“The root of this nipple trigger is more likely related to stress levels, past experiences, individual neurological sensitivity, and hormonal influences,” she explained.
For now, doctors agree that more research is needed before scientists can fully understand why the phenomenon affects some people and not others.
As the term spread online, many women shared that the experts’ explanations matched exactly what they had experienced
@dumbcrapidiot#sadnipplesyndrome♬ i love u keep going – Aubrey
Image credits: GTeam/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
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One woman who experienced D-MER while breastfeeding said learning about the condition helped her understand what she had been feeling.
“It’s called D-MER. When I had my first child, I experienced it only when I was pumping, so now with my second child, I’m exclusively nursing. Definitely a subject that needs more awareness and education and much less shame,” she wrote.
Image credits: StockPhotoPro/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
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Another recalled feeling overwhelmed by sadness every time she pumped milk.
“I had this with my first baby. The first 3 min or so of pumping would make me feel so horribly depressed, and then it would just go away. It was the weirdest thing, I thought I was the only one experiencing it.”
Meanwhile, others shared that anxiety, rather than sadness, was their primary symptom.
“I experienced extreme anxiety when breastfeeding my son in my first trimester, and with my second. It was awful!” one woman shared.
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“I thought not a single other soul experienced this”
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Pass the patch.
The US is in the middle of an estrogen patch shortage, with menopausal women struggling to get ahold of hormone therapy to stave off their symptoms — and experts don’t think the problem’s likely to resolve any time soon.
But a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a surprising cohort of men could benefit from the treatment, too.
Researchers sought to test the efficacy of transdermal estradiol, a k a estrogen patches, in treating patients with prostate cancer, the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the walnut-shaped gland below the bladder.
Experts estimate that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about 3% of men will die from it.
It is the most common cancer in US men, excluding skin cancer, and the second-leading cause of male cancer deaths, after lung cancer.
In the new study, prostate cancer patients were given one of two treatments: tE2 estrogen patches or luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone antagonists, a type of drug that decreases the amount of testosterone produced by the testicles.
As a treatment, estrogen patch users were just slightly better off. Their three-year metastasis-free survival — meaning the patient survived and the cancer did not spread — was 87.1%, compared with 85.9% for those taking luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone antagonists.
Thee five-year overall metastasis-free survival was 81.1% among those taking transdermal estrogen compared with 79.2% among those taking LHRH agonists.
But the bigger news was about side effects.
While 89% of LHRH agonist patients had hot flashes, only 44% of estrogen patch wearers did.
On the flip side, only 42% of those treated with LHRH agonists experienced breast enlargement, but 85% on the estrogen patches did.
In addition to being a potential boon for a cancerous undercarriage, estradiol has been found to support brain health by enhancing neuroplasticity, reducing inflammation, and improving communication between brain cells.
The promising results from the estrogen patch are the latest in a series of advances targeting prostate cancer.
A team of Swedish researchers recently found that pioglitazone, a common antidiabetic drug, shows immense promise in keeping prostate cancer at bay, as a study showed that the medication not only slowed the growth of cancer cells but also hampered their ability to grow back.
Meanwhile, a UCLA study found that an AI tool identified prostate cancer with 84% accuracy, compared with 67% for physicians, highlighting the potential of AI to improve diagnostic precision.
While the overall five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is as high as 97%, studies have shown that men who avoid prostate cancer screening appointments are 45% more likely to die from the disease.

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I am ending my life at a clinic in Switzerland today. This piece was written three weeks ago. I’ve been trapped for decades in a body that doesn’t function the way other bodies do and I am ready to finally be free.
I have severe multiple chemical sensitivities, also known as MCS or environmental illness, which means my body reacts to the world around me in deeply painful, incredibly draining ways. Not only do perfumes and colognes cause unbearable respiratory, neurological and skin reactions, but so do most detergents, fabric softeners, shampoos, deodorants, lotions, sunscreens, smoke, household cleaners, and many other substances.
Also Read: My Husband And I Lived Apart For 3 Decades — Then He Made An Announcement That Sent Me Into A Panic
I’ve been dealing with MCS for 40 years. It was mild in the beginning, but it’s continued to escalate to the point where I’m now sensitive to almost everything. I can’t take medicines — not even something as common as ibuprofen or Tylenol — without a reaction, so pain management is very difficult for me.
I also have fibromyalgia, which is another illness that many people know nothing about, and many others don’t even believe it really exists. It does and it’s debilitating. I can barely use my hands, and my muscles are weak. I experience pain at night, and it’s very difficult for me to sleep.
My issue with my muscles has also been going on for almost 40 years. I used to be very active. I loved playing sports like tennis when I was younger. All of a sudden, in my early 20s, I couldn’t hold the racket anymore. I’d try to hit the ball and I couldn’t.
Because of both of these conditions, I have been unable to leave my home or lead anything close to resembling a “normal” life. I can’t even hug people anymore. That hurts so much because I’m a hugger. I love expressing my love and I can’t. I’m not a part of the world anymore.
Also Read: At 44, I’m Starting To Become Invisible To Men. Here’s What I Didn’t Expect To Feel.
It’s difficult to put into words the misery I have suffered but I have tried to make the best of my situation. For many years, I hoped doctors might discover something that would give me some relief, but they never have. There is nothing for someone who can’t take medicine.
Last summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which has metastasized to my lymph nodes. I told my doctors, “I don’t want any treatment.” I knew undergoing anesthesia for surgery could kill me, and if I didn’t die on the operating table, I could end up even sicker and in more pain than I already am. I couldn’t tolerate chemotherapy, which my doctors recommended along with surgery, so there wasn’t a path forward for me.
I knew I wanted to end my life within seconds of learning that I have breast cancer. I said, “Thank God, I can go now,” because I knew that in order to qualify for “death with dignity” — or medical aid in dying — in the United States, you must have a terminal illness. Suddenly I was in a position where I could finally stop struggling and go in a peaceful manner — or at least I thought I could. I thought, someone gave me a golden ticket!
My surgeon said he respected my choice, but my oncologist was not receptive to my plan. She wanted me to see a therapist for depression. I told her, “The depression I have is from suffering all the time — that’s what’s causing my depression.” When I asked her nurse for my records, I was told my oncologist “doesn’t support my decision.”
Also Read: A Woman Began Screaming And Filming Me In A Parking Lot — But That’s Not Even The Worst Part
But it’s not her decision. It’s mine.
I began researching options in the United States and discovered not only is there a lot of legal red tape about who qualifies (I wouldn’t at this point because I would have to wait until my body was eaten up by the cancer and, since I can’t take pain medicines, to get to that point would be literal torture), but you’re also required to take the end-of-life drugs orally, which I know I can’t do. I will throw up anything I take — it just won’t work.
I kept researching and found a nonprofit clinic in Switzerland that administers the drugs intravenously, accepts nonresidents, and you don’t have to have a terminal illness to qualify. Fortunately, I do have one, because that clinched the clinic’s decision to approve me.
I filled out a thorough application that asked questions about my condition, my mindset, even my childhood — and provided them with documentation of my cancer, my ultrasound scans showing it has spread to my lymph nodes, and a letter from my primary physician stating, “I’ve been treating her for years, she’s been going through hell, and I highly support her decision.” I also had a medical history compiled by a physician that went back to my childhood and listed all of the issues I’m dealing with, from the chemical sensitivities to the fibromyalgia to my sensitivities to medicine.
Also Read: I Watched My Wife Die A Horrific Death. I Thought I’d Never Recover — Until 4 Words Changed My Life.
The clinic charges $10,000, which people think is expensive, and it is, but if you were suffering the way I am, how much would you spend to end your misery? I applied in early March and heard back a few weeks later. They said my application had been approved and asked when I wanted to end my life. I told them I needed two months because I had a lot to get done before I leave. I wanted to go immediately, so I can end my pain, but I have loose ends to tie up and I want to say goodbye to the people I love.
My husband and I built a new home a year ago and I want to help him get it set up before I go. I want it to be a welcoming space for his friends and his next girlfriend — if and when he finds one. That’s very important to me. I’m also the one who does all of our paperwork — the bills and all of that — so I’m going through it all with him to make sure everything makes sense to him. I’ve always been good with those kinds of details and he isn’t, so that’s a major concern for me. There’s just so much to do: signing the title of my car over to him; closing bank accounts; all of the stuff you do when you’re a human being living a life. But that’s over for me now.
We’ve been married for 20 years. He has been so incredibly supportive. He has watched me suffer and taken care of me all of these years and it has been so hard on him and I don’t want that for him anymore. I know he’s devastated — he’s broken down a few times — but he’s trying to keep himself together because he knows that is what I want. He would never ask me not to do this.
He knows this is what’s best for me — for both of us. He will grieve because he will miss me but I want him to move forward and truly live. He will finally experience a freedom he hasn’t had for a long time and he can go anywhere he wants. He can finally eat whatever he wants. Right now I can have reactions just from his breath if he’s eaten something that can trigger me. Spending every minute of your day worrying that something you’ve done might hurt the person you love is no way to live.
Also Read: My Father Emotionally Abandoned Our Family — And I Have To Relive It Every Time I Go To The Doctor
My friends have also been supportive. I’ve withheld a lot of my suffering from them because I didn’t want to burden them, but they know how hard it’s been for me and they’re happy that it’ll be over soon.
My mother is having the hardest time out of everyone I know. She understands why I’m doing this, but she doesn’t want me to leave. She doesn’t want to see her daughter go. Who would? Despite how she feels, she supports me because she knows I will be free and at peace.
It’s very hard for people to wrap their heads around death, especially someone choosing death. I know some people are probably thinking, “What if next Tuesday there’s suddenly a cure?” or, like my oncologist, “Just try treatment and see what happens,” but I’ve had too many health issues that are too debilitating and isolating. I just don’t have any quality of life left. There’s not going to be a magic solution for all of it. And … I’m ready. I feel like I’ve done what I came to do in this lifetime.
I believe there is an afterlife. I lost my daughter several years ago and I can’t wait to see her again. Knowing that she is waiting for me on the other side has made this easier, but this is not easy. I’m happy that I’m going to be experiencing life again in the most free-form, painless way, but I’m sad because I’m leaving so much of what I love behind me. I’m also sad about the condition of the world. Part of me wants to be here to help, but what can I do?
My husband is taking me to Switzerland. We’re going to visit Europe for two weeks before my appointment. We’re staying at an organic farm in Tuscany — I’ve been there before and I can breathe there. I’m too weak to travel to the little towns around it and sightsee, but just being surrounded by all of that beauty and peace will be enough. And I’ll get to be there with him. It’ll be our time to connect and say goodbye. That’s really important to me.
I’ve been thinking a lot about life since I decided to end mine and I think to get the most out of it, we need to support each other, be compassionate, and do whatever we can to help others. That’s what it all boils down to for me. No, it’s not rocket science, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Looking back over my 65 years on Earth, I see that’s what really matters. I hope I’ve done that. I hope I’ve made some kind of difference.
That’s partly why I wanted to tell my story. I want people to remember that many people are struggling with something and we have no idea what it’s like to be in someone else’s body or mind or position. Offering less judgment and more grace would go a long way.
I also want people to know that if they are suffering with a condition that will not get better and they have no quality of life, there are options. There is a way out of here. If you can’t get to Vermont or Oregon (which both accept nonresidents) or you don’t qualify for medical aid in dying in the United States, there are other places that will help you.
It’s so sad to me that in our country, psychology, our laws, and religion have taught people it’s a sin to die — especially to kill yourself. I don’t think I should have to travel thousands of miles away to end my life. My life. And my death.
We have mercy for animals that are suffering, and we put them to sleep. Why can’t we give people that? I just can’t conceive of how we would rather watch someone suffer for months — even years — when they can find peace … if that’s their choice. It blows my mind.
Maybe people think doing it this way sounds way too flip — like making an appointment for a haircut or getting a ticket to see a concert next month. You’re probably wondering what it’s like to have the day I chose to end my life approaching. It’s strange — but it’s also strangely comforting.
I will miss some things in this world and the people I love, but I will not miss the pain. Life is meant to be lived and that’s not what I’m doing. I haven’t done that for a very long time. I’m ready to go home.
Mary Elizabeth Holliday is the pseudonym of a writer, wife and mom who lived in the southern United States. She chose to end her life on July 12, 2024, with the help of medical intervention at a nonprofit clinic in Switzerland after decades of pain due to several debilitating conditions and a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer.
This piece was previously published on HuffPost and is being shared again as part of HuffPost Personal’s “Best Of” series.
Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.
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I’m 44 And Only Have Months To Live. Here’s What I Want My Kids To Know About Life.
I Lost My Dad. These Are The 7 Words I Wish I’d Never Been Told At His Funeral.
My Wife Of 45 Years Died. I Thought I Truly Knew Her — Until I Discovered Her Journals.

The Rhode Island Department of Health said Friday that a Providence County man was diagnosed with Powassan virus disease.
The Department of Health said the man, in his 60s, was hospitalized but is now home.
Powassan is a rare disease caused by ticks. The last case reported in Rhode Island was in 2024.
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There have been nine cases of Powassan reported in Rhode Island since it was first detected in 2016.
In 2025, there were 27 cases of Powassan reported in New England: 12 cases in Massachusetts, five cases in Connecticut, six cases in Maine, and four cases in New Hampshire, the Department of Health said in a release.
Experts say people should take precautions against ticks, which can also cause Lyme disease.