Anxiety is seen as an obstacle to success. It is a thought that always lingers in your mind before you start to do something. If you are doing something new or trying to do something that you have already done it in your life and have bad memories with. This thought creeps in. This thought that sometimes sends chills down your spine, makes you shiver, or that makes you feel like you cannot breathe, as if someone has put a huge rock on your heart is what defines anxiety. However, emerging research suggests that it can in fact, serve as a valuable tool for focus, motivation and problem solving. Studies on performance and stress, including the widely known Yerkes-Dodson curve, indicate that moderate levels of anxiety can enhance productivity, while both excessive and insufficient anxiety can hinder it.

The Yerkes-Dodson curve demonstrates that when anxiety is too high, it can become paralyzing, preventing individuals from taking action. On the other hand, very low anxiety can lead to complacency, reducing motivation and attention to detail. The ideal state falls somewhere in the middle, where anxiety signals importance, sharpens focus, and encourages preparation.

This perspective challenges the common belief that anxiety should always be suppressed. Instead, researchers argue that learning to harness anxiety can be beneficial. Studies have shown that people experiencing moderate anxiety often generate more creative solutions to problems compared to those who remain entirely calm.

How Can You Use Anxiety To Your Benefit?

Anxiety can serve as a sort of increased awareness, motivating people to take action in critical situations. Medical decision-making research show that concerned people are more likely to follow up on health issues, stick to treatment plans, and aggressively seek medical help. For example, studies on heart transplant patients show that people with moderate levels of anxiety are more likely to seek adequate care, which leads to improved survival rates.

The same strategy is used to address everyday difficulties. Anxiety tells the brain that something is important and requires effort. Anxiety can encourage you to be prepared and attentive, whether you're preparing for a presentation, making a critical life decision, or dealing with an uncertain situation.

Is There A Thin Line Between Anxiety That Helps And That Harms?

Despite its potential benefits, anxiety can become debilitating when it causes what researchers term “functional impairment.” This occurs when excessive worry prevents individuals from fulfilling their daily responsibilities, whether in work, relationships, or personal well-being.

One method for distinguishing between helpful and harmful anxiety is cognitive reframing—shifting the perspective on stressors. Studies suggest that those who reframe anxiety as a performance-enhancing tool rather than a hindrance experience less distress and greater effectiveness in high-pressure situations. By viewing anxiety as a source of energy rather than a threat, individuals can improve their ability to navigate challenges.

Research on stress resilience indicates that experiencing a moderate amount of adversity in life can lead to stronger coping skills. Longitudinal studies on both humans and animals suggest that those who have faced and overcome moderate difficulties—such as personal loss or professional setbacks—tend to develop greater mental fortitude.

One study found that individuals who had endured a small number of adverse events exhibited better overall mental health than those who had either faced extreme hardship or had led relatively stress-free lives. This pattern aligns with the concept of "stress inoculation," where manageable levels of stress act as a form of psychological training, making individuals more resilient to future challenges.

So, What Can You Do?

Rather than attempting to eliminate anxiety, researchers suggest acknowledging it as a natural response that can be channeled productively. Psychological studies indicate that when people view their physiological responses—such as increased heart rate and adrenaline surges—as performance enhancers, their actual outcomes improve.

For instance, in high-stakes situations like public speaking or athletic competitions, individuals who interpret nervousness as a sign of readiness rather than fear tend to perform better. Physiologically, the body's response to excitement and fear is similar; the key difference lies in perception.

Research suggests that those who embrace a mindset of "anxiety as fuel" experience improved cognitive and physical performance. This approach aligns with studies showing that moderate stress prompts the release of hormones that enhance alertness and problem-solving ability, whereas overwhelming stress triggers a flood of cortisol, which can impair decision-making.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting about 1 in 10 women worldwide. Diagnosis and treatment remain challenging, particularly for women with severe pain and other complications.

Now, US researchers have developed a targeted nanotherapy that showed promising results against endometriosis in early testing.

Scientists at Washington State University found that the treatment reduced endometriosis lesions, symptoms and pain sensitivity after a single dose in mice.

The findings were published in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Researchers hope to eventually test the treatment in humans.

How Does The Drug Work?

Also read: Endometriosis Can Take Years To Diagnose But This AI Tool Can Identify Its Signs In 18 Milliseconds

The drug, niclosamide, was previously used to treat intestinal tapeworm infections in humans and is still used in animals.

Earlier research found that niclosamide could reduce endometriosis lesions and inflammation. However, it is not suitable for long-term use, limiting its potential as a treatment for a chronic condition.

To overcome this, researchers developed a nanotherapy that delivers niclosamide directly to cells associated with endometriosis.

“We found the disease-specific immune cell, and then we had a drug, but we couldn’t target the cell with the drug alone,” said Kanako Hayashi, professor at WSU’s School of Molecular Biosciences.

“So we used this nanocarrier that delivers the drug specifically to the disease site,” Hayashi said.

Single Dose Reduced Lesions In Mice

The team used a nanosized molecule called a dendrimer to bind with niclosamide and deliver it in a more soluble form.

In mice, a single injection reduced the size and number of lesions and lowered pain sensitivity.

“Although we still need to clear multiple phases, this study is telling us the efficacy is strong, and this nanocarrier is stable, so far, for two weeks—and we think we can go longer,” Hayashi said.

If the treatment remains stable for longer periods, researchers believe it could potentially be given less frequently. Hayashi said a monthly injection could be possible in the future, but this would depend on further testing.

READ: Endometriosis Taught Me To Always Listen To My Body, Says Model Padma Lakshmi

Can It Be Used In Humans?

Not yet. The treatment has only been tested in mice and must undergo further safety and efficacy testing before human trials.

Researchers also do not yet know whether it would ultimately be given as an injection or IV infusion.

What Is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis affects an estimated 190 million women worldwide. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.

It can cause severe pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during sex and infertility. Symptoms are sometimes dismissed as a “bad period,” contributing to delays in diagnosis.

There is currently no cure, although treatments can help manage symptoms.

How Is Endometriosis Treated?

Treatment depends on symptoms, disease severity and fertility goals.

Hormonal medicines can help control pain and disease activity but may cause side effects and can affect fertility while being used.

Painkillers, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, may help manage discomfort.

Laparoscopic surgery can remove lesions and endometriotic cysts and may help restore pelvic anatomy. It can also improve fertility in some women, although the disease can recur.

Lifestyle measures such as regular exercise, stress management and dietary changes may also support symptom management.

Lung development of the fetus depends on the physical and genetic health of the parents.

At birth, breathing begins with air from the environment, containing oxygen and other gases, and is influenced by known and unknown forces of nature. The air then passes through well-developed nostrils, which regulate the air temperature and prevent foreign bodies from entering the body and help protect against diseases.

Breath travels through the nasal passages, sinuses, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), trachea (breathing tubes), bronchi, small airways, air sacs, interstitial membrane, into thin-walled blood vessels that transport oxygen and collect gases and other substances to be expelled from the body.

The diaphragm, the muscle that separates the lungs from the abdomen, is the most powerful breathing apparatus.

The lungs in the early stages of life undergo dramatic changes from newborn→ infancy→ childhood→ puberty→ teenage→ adults→ middle age→ seniors. Factors influencing lung health risks keep changing with age, depending on genetics, environment & external factors.

• Genetics or abnormalities – disorders at birth, transmitted from parents. Stress, environment, nutritional deficits, and accidents play an important role in lung and airway development. Also, anatomical abnormalities of the airways since birth, whether corrected or correctable or left alone.

• Allergy—genetic or acquired is lifelong unless well managed

• Chronic health conditions – Asthma can occur during childhood, pregnancy, post-pregnancy, or later in life and is generally manageable. Diabetes can develop during childhood, in young adulthood, or later in life, but it can be managed effectively. Hypertension, including pulmonary hypertension, can occur at any age and may be caused by blood clots, underlying diseases, primary conditions, or genetic factors.

• Environmental factors and unhealthy habits – smoking, pollution, gases, drugs, near-drowning. Recreational drugs, or side effects of medications used for diseases of the body, can have a telling effect on the lungs and airways.

• Nutrition – inadequate nutrition of mother and child can cause damage till old age

• Occupational lung disease – at any stage – workplace, smoking, birds, pets, pollution, construction activity, dusty atmospheres and travel, which may cause difficulty in breathing till later in life, leading to chronic obstructive lung disease that may cause morbidity.

• Infections – Can occur during childhood or throughout life, affecting both healthy individuals and those with reduced immune function, which may be due to co-existing diseases, medications that suppress the immune system to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, congenital immune deficiencies, or acquired immune deficiencies resulting from medications, external factors, or underlying diseases.

• Prophylactic medication, vaccines, and early treatment of airway diseases help in later life.

• Autoimmune diseases–arthritis, thyroid, etc.- where the body's defense mechanism has become rogue and fights itself, can develop from childhood till late in life.

• Accidents – happen at any age, damaging the breathing apparatus and requiring emergency treatment

• Cancer in any part of the body, including radiation, may affect the lungs at any age

• Body’s failure of in-built Immunity (innate) or acquired immunity mechanism; sunlight is nature’s gift to mankind; it improves lung resistance at all ages

• Snoring as an indicator for suspected obstructive sleep apnea

For Better Lung Health

• Exercise – yoga, sports, walking, physical and breathing exercises help to improve the performance of the respiratory tract throughout life

• Education – helps in understanding the causes, prevention, and timely treatment. It helps in averting damage to the airways in the future.

• Availability of health care facilities in urban & rural areas – can make a difference in the development, prevention, and treatment of respiratory disorders.

• Breastfeeding of the baby is important as it helps in the development and growth of the lungs, immunity, and fighting against damaging forces in nature, in the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, and a horde of known and unknown mechanisms which harm airways. Cough and sneeze reflexes begin to develop, which are powerful forces used to throw out unwanted particles and organisms from the airways.

The lungs and airways perform non-respiratory functions of protecting the body against harmful insults, both from within and external threats, and it also protects against insults received from other organs of the body. The lungs have a powerful defense mechanism protecting the body and also have hormonal, physical, and immunological defense mechanisms.

A small lump in the neck is easy to overlook, especially when there is no pain. In many cases, it has a simple explanation, such as an infection or a swollen lymph node. Thyroid nodules are also common, and most of them are not cancerous.

The thyroid is a small gland at the front of the neck. When cancer develops in the thyroid, a lump or swelling may sometimes be the first noticeable change. It may remain painless, which is one reason people tend to wait before getting it checked.

What changes are worth noticing?

The way a lump changes over time can provide an important clue. A swelling that suddenly becomes larger, feels harder, remains in place for several weeks deserves attention.

Other changes can include persistent hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, a feeling of pressure in the neck or, less commonly, difficulty breathing. Swollen lymph nodes on the side of the neck can also occur. These symptoms are not specific to thyroid cancer and may be related to other causes, but they should not be dismissed if they persist.

Also read: Thyroid Medicine Recall Gets US FDA’s Highest Risk Rating: What To Know

How is the lump checked?

A doctor will first examine the neck and assess the size and location of the swelling. An ultrasound is often used to look more closely at the thyroid and any nodules present.

If a nodule has features that call for further investigation, a fine-needle aspiration may be advised. A small sample of cells is taken with a thin needle and examined to determine whether further treatment or monitoring is required.

When is it time to see a doctor?

A painless lump does not automatically mean cancer, and discovering a thyroid nodule is not a reason to panic. At the same time, a swelling that stays for over three weeks, grows or is accompanied by changes in swallowing or voice should be evaluated.

Early assessment can help identify whether the lump is related to the thyroid, an infection or another condition, and whether any follow-up is needed.

By Dr Akshat Malik, Senior Consultant, Head & Neck Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi