CWH B0216575

 A

Key features from the vignette:

• Transient R-sided weakness + slurred speech for ~2.5–3 h

• Right-sided headache behind eye afterwards

• History of migraines on Pizotifen

• Normal neuro exam now

• MRI brain normal

• Presented later with lightheadedness and tachycardia

Top 3 Differential Diagnoses

1. Hemiplegic migraine

   • Migraine with transient unilateral weakness and speech disturbance.

   • Fits migraine history and headache after neurological symptoms.

2. Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

   • Transient focal neurological deficit lasting <24 h.

   • Must always be excluded even if imaging normal.

3. Carotid artery dissection

   • Can cause unilateral headache (often behind eye) + transient neurological deficit.

   • Important cause of stroke in younger patients.

Top 3 Tests

1. CT angiography of head and neck

   • To assess carotid/vertebral arteries for dissection or stenosis.

2. Electrocardiogram + cardiac monitoring

   • Look for arrhythmias (e.g., atrial fibrillation) causing embolic TIA.

3. Carotid Doppler ultrasound

   • Evaluate carotid stenosis or dissection.

✅ Most likely overall: hemiplegic migraine given migraine history + normal MRI, but TIA must be ruled out first.

If you'd like, I can also show how examiners expect you to structure answers for neurology OSCE/SAQ questions like this (there’s a common scoring pattern).

MA

 The article “Facing Evil With Maya Angelou” by Azra Raza (posted Mar 13, 2026) reflects on the wisdom of the poet and civil-rights activist Maya Angelou and how her life and words help us understand how to confront evil without losing our humanity.

Key ideas behind “Facing Evil”

Angelou believed that evil is a real part of human history—seen in events like slavery, racism, genocide, and cruelty—but that human beings also possess the power to transform suffering into wisdom and courage. 

1. Evil is created by human actions

Angelou pointed out that throughout history people have built “towers of evil” driven by greed, fear, and hatred. 

Examples she referenced include:

• slavery
• religious persecution such as the Inquisition
• atrocities like the Holocaust

Her message: evil is not abstract—it is something humans do to one another.

2. Confronting evil requires courage

Angelou often emphasized that courage is the most important virtue because it allows all other virtues to exist.

She believed we must have the courage to:

• face injustice
• speak truth
• create a better self every day

She described courage as the power “to confront evil and turn it into something useful for human growth.” 

3. Good can emerge from suffering

Angelou’s own life showed this idea. After a traumatic childhood experience, she stopped speaking for years, but during that time she read widely and memorized poetry and literature. That period eventually helped shape her voice as a writer and thinker. 

This connects closely with the idea you mentioned earlier:

➡️ “Every burden is a blessing.”

Both ideas suggest that pain can be transformed into wisdom, creativity, and compassion.

4. Hope in human potential

Even while acknowledging humanity’s capacity for evil, Angelou insisted on believing in our ability to grow.

Her message: we must consciously choose kindness, justice, and courage.

✅ In simple terms:

Facing evil does not mean denying it or becoming cynical.

It means recognizing it clearly and responding with courage, compassion, and moral responsibility.

If you want, I can also explain:

• the main argument of Azra Raza’s article in simpler terms, or
• the most powerful quotes from Maya Angelou about evil and courage.

DMHC. Watt Kelly.

IMPA

 I am Pure Awareness 

Mandukya x Meister

 Many comparative philosophers and mystics notice a parallel between the realization of inner awareness in Vedanta and certain teachings of Jesus Christ.

1. Inner Reality

In Advaita Vedanta, realization of Turiya means discovering the pure awareness that is always present behind all experiences.

A similar inward emphasis appears when Jesus Christ says in the Gospel of Luke 17:21:

“The kingdom of God is within you.”

Both point toward an inner realization rather than something external.

2. Beyond Ordinary Mind

In Vedanta:

• Waking
• Dream
• Deep sleep

are all changing states, but Turiya is the underlying awareness beyond them.

Christian mystics also describe a state beyond ordinary thought, where the soul becomes quiet before God. Writers such as Meister Eckhart spoke about the “ground of the soul” where God is directly known.

3. Silence and Stillness

Vedantic meditation often leads to silent awareness associated with Turiya.

Similarly, the Bible encourages inner stillness. For example, Book of Psalms 46:10 says:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

4. Key Difference

There is also an important philosophical difference:

• Advaita Vedanta: ultimately teaches identity of the Self and absolute reality (Atman = Brahman).
• Christian theology: usually maintains a distinction between the soul and God, even in deep union.

In simple terms

Both traditions point toward:

• humility
• inner transformation
• a direct realization beyond ego and mental noise

But they interpret the ultimate nature of that realization differently.

If you’d like, I can also show something fascinating:

The three states (waking, dream, deep sleep) described in the Mandukya Upanishad are now sometimes compared with modern neuroscience studies of consciousness and sleep. The parallels are surprisingly deep.

Turiya

 The Mandukya Upanishad gives one of the most elegant explanations of consciousness using the sacred syllable Om (A-U-M).

It says that Om represents the entire reality and the four states of consciousness.

The Mapping of Om and Consciousness

Sound	State	Meaning
A	Jagrat	Waking consciousness, awareness of the external world
U	Svapna	Dream consciousness, the inner mental world
M	Sushupti	Deep sleep, where the mind rests and there are no dreams
Silence after OM	Turiya	Pure awareness beyond all states

Why the Silence Matters

After chanting Om, there is a moment of silence.

The Mandukya Upanishad says this silence symbolizes Turiya:

• beyond sound
• beyond thought
• beyond mind
• pure consciousness itself.

Philosophical Insight

In Advaita Vedanta, teachers such as Adi Shankaracharya explain that:

• The three sounds represent changing experiences.
• The silence represents the unchanging awareness behind them.

Just like a screen remains while images appear and disappear, Turiya remains while waking, dream, and deep sleep come and go.

A simple meditation idea 🧘

Some traditions suggest:

1. Slowly chant Om.
2. Notice A → U → M fading.
3. Rest your attention in the silence after the sound.

That silent awareness is pointed to as Turiya.

If you’re interested, there’s also a very striking similarity between Turiya and the “kingdom of God within” teaching of Jesus Christ that many comparative philosophers discuss. I can show that parallel too—it’s quite fascinating.