Pope Francis' surgery to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall has raised questions about what happens to papal power when Francis is unconscious or unable to lead the church

Doing yoga may help reduce frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy and lower their anxiety, a new study found. The practice may also improve patients’ overall quality of life by reducing the stigma they feel from having the disease, according to the research, published last week in the medical journal Neurology. “People with epilepsy often face stigma that can cause them to feel different than others due to their own health condition and that can have a significant impact on their quality of life,” study author Manjari Tripathi from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi said. “This stigma can affect a person’s life in many ways including treatment, emergency department visits and poor mental health,” Dr Tripathi explained. In the study, researchers assessed people with epilepsy with an average age of 30 in India. They measured stigma among participants based on their answers to questions such as: “Do you feel other people discriminate against you?” “Do you feel you cannot contribute anything in society?” and “Do you feel different from other people?” About 160 people who met the criteria for experiencing stigma were then identified. These patients had an average of one seizure per week and on average took at least two anti-seizure medications, researchers said. One set of patients were then randomly assigned to receive yoga therapy, which included exercises in loosening muscles, breathing, meditation and positive affirmations. Another set of patients received a sham therapy that mimicked the same exercises, but these participants were not given instructions on two key components of yoga – slow and synchronized breathing, and attention to the body movements and sensations. Both the groups received seven supervised group sessions of 45 to 60 minutes over three months. They were also asked to practice sessions at home at least five times a week for 30 minutes and track their seizures and yoga sessions in a journal. Participants were then followed for an additional three months after their first three months of therapy. People who did yoga were more than four times as likely to have their seizure frequency more than halved after six months than the people who did sham yoga, the study found. Compared to those who did the sham practice, participants who did yoga were more likely to reduce their perceived stigma of the disease, researchers say. People who did yoga were also over seven times more likely to no longer have seizures than those who did the sham practice, according to the study. Researchers also reported a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among those who did yoga versus people who did not. “The intervention group showed significant improvement in symptoms of anxiety, cognitive impairment, mindfulness and quality of life relative to the control group at the end of follow-up period,” researchers wrote. “Yoga may not only help reduce stigma, but also improve quality of life and mindfulness. Plus, yoga can be easily prerecorded and shared with patients online using minimal resources and costs,” Dr Tripathi said. Citing the main limitation of the study, researchers said the participants self-reported their seizure frequency and they may not have remembered all the information accurately. However, they say the findings “elevate the need to consider alternative therapies and activities for people with epilepsy facing stigma”. Read More Jonnie Irwin says he ‘never thought’ he’d be alive to see his 50th birthday Billy Connolly shares health update on Parkinson’s disease: ‘Every day gets stranger’ What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how can it be treated? Jonnie Irwin says he ‘never thought’ he’d be alive to see his 50th birthday Billy Connolly shares health update on Parkinson’s disease: ‘Every day gets stranger’ What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how can it be treated?

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A three-year-old was struck by a stray bullet while jumping on a couch in New York on Monday night. Lovely Toney was at home in an apartment complex in the hamlet of Ridge, Long Island, when police arrived looking for murder suspect Gary Jones. Detectives were in the building to interview Jones’s friend, who is a resident in the same complex, and soon found that the suspect was there at that moment too. They subsequently instructed everyone to leave the apartment, before Jones came out of another room and began shooting. Of the multiple shots fired, three rounds went through the wall into the apartment next door and a bullet struck Lovely, causing her to bleed heavily. Describing the harrowing scene to CBS, Lovely’s father James Toney said: “No three-year-old, any child, should experience anything inside their home. She was fresh out of the tub, dripping wet from getting out of the bath.” “She just jumped on the couch, and she must have had her hand up, because the shot went through the hand, through the stomach,” he added, explaining: “I turned around and my daughter was standing there with blood running.” Lovely was rushed to hospital and underwent life-saving surgery. At a press conference Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison released bodycam footage of the incident and praised the “heroism” of apartment residents and the “quick action” of police officers and detectives at the scene, without whom the incident could have resulted in “horrific tragedy.” Mr Harrison explained that the “timely manoeuvre of getting that three-year-old child into a vehicle, rushing to a hospital” were what saved Lovely’s life. Referring to the family’s trauma, he said: “I have a grandson who is three years old. I can’t imagine going through that same situation.” “But I will say thank God for the men and women of this department,” Mr Harrison finished. Jones was found dead in the neighbouring apartment later, as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The murder suspect was wanted by police for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Central Islip in June. Read More Woman arrested and charged with threatening to kill judge presiding over Trump’s Jan 6 case Cook’s Corner shooting – live: Four killed, including gunman, and 6 injured at California biker bar Philadelphia officer to be fired over shooting death of Black man as new video contradicts police account Will Donald Trump go to prison?

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