Spinal Muscualr Atrophy

Many people have never heard about the condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA. SMA is not actually one kind of disorder. It is many different disorders that all have common genetic causes. When one has SMA, he or she is weak because of the loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord and in the brain stem.

The Symptoms of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

It is important to know whether or not you may be suffering from SMA and finding out at the soonest possible time is essential. If you have had any of the following symptoms in the past or are experiencing them now, you should have yourself checked by a doctor at the soonest possible time: muscle weakness, limpness or the tendency to hop, difficulty sucking or swallowing, legs are weaker than arms, respiratory tract infections; these are only some of the major symptoms that are telltale signs of SMA.

Diagnosing Spinal Muscular Atrophy

To be really sure that you have SMA, only a doctor can tell you that and a proper diagnosis will likely highlight the aforementioned symptoms plus other minor signs that only the doctor will know about. A gene test will be given to you as well. This is known as an SMN (Survival Motor Neuron) gene test and it helps doctors to determine if there is at least one copy of the SMN1 gene by looking for its sequences which are unique. For situations where the SMN gene test doesn’t work, there is an EMG (electromyography) test that can be taken.

Treating Spinal Muscular Atrophy

SMA can be treated and there are tests where gene replacement is being considered. This option is not something that is widely used yet and still needs many years of study before it can be considered as viable treatment for SMA. Since SMA is directly related to severe weakness, it is that which should be addressed. Children with SMA typically live longer than infants that have it and they will need extensive medical support to live comfortably. Current patients with SMA can be treated in various ways. Since most problems are respiratory and nutritional, those are the things that doctors concentrate on the most. There are no drugs in the market that can cure SMA directly but there are significant studies that have been developed to effectively treatment SMA. Until a solution is found, patients will have to settle for different therapies and temporary medications that can help them live a comfortable and normal a life as possible. Some of the drugs that are proving to be quite effective but are still under close scrutiny are Butyrates, Valproic Acid and Riluzole.

SMA is a condition that is very serious especially in the case of infants and children. It is most rampant in children but there are also some adults who have it or have lived with it since childhood. This shows that there are also different degrees of severity of the disease and how fatal it is depends on how strong it is to begin with. Nevertheless, doctors are constantly searching for a cure.

Parkinson's Disease Genetic Marker

Understanding Parkinson’s Disease

Of the many degenerative nerve diseases known to the medical community, none has probably been made more public than Parkinson’s Disease. This is because there have been many celebrities who have come forward to the public telling them that they have Parkinson’s Disease. This includes famous personalities like Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali. They suffer from the degenerative disease and have made it their mission to make sure that the disease is known to others who might stand a chance at preventing it from happening.

What is Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a degenerative nerve disease that basically affects the central nervous system. By doing so, it directly affects the sufferer’s motor skills and speech. The disease belongs in a group known as movement disorders because this is exactly how it affects people with PD. It makes muscles rigid, causes tremors throughout the body, slows down physical movement and in some cases can cause physical movement to stop entirely.Parkinson’s Disease  is actually part of a larger group of syndromes known as Parkinsonism. This group of syndromes is characterized by bodily tremors, hypokinesia (or the diminished movement of body muscles), and postural instability. Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic and a progressive disease which means that if it is not treated on a regular basis, it can get worse.

What Happens in Parkinson’s Disease?

When there is decreased stimulation of the nerves and the motor skills are affected, this means that it is caused by a lack of action from dopamine which is a substance that is created in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Dopamine is needed because it acts as a hormone and a neurotransmitter. What it does is it activates dopamine receptors in the brain and in Parkinson’s Disease, this activation does not happen too often. This is why people who have Parkinson’s Disease sometimes have to have dopamine injected into their system so that the receptors can be activated. Dopamine plays an important role in the functions of the brain including behavior, cognition, motor activity, sleep, mood, attention, and learning. People with Parkinson’s Disease suffer from the lack of these functions.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

The most apparent of symptoms comes in the form of motor skills or in the lack of. A person who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease will have tremors. A tremor happens when a limb is rested and relaxed and moves involuntarily at times. This is the most visible and well-known symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. There is also the symptom known as rigidity or stiffness. Basically the muscle tone is increased with this symptom because of the passive tremors of the limbs. Then there are the gait and posture disturbances; this includes shuffling wherein a person takes short steps with the feet not leaving the ground. A shuffling noise is created and thus the name. Shuffling causes patients to trip over the smallest of obstacles. Postural reflexes, on the other hand, start to fail and this leads to a patient losing his or her balance and falling.

Like most other degenerative nerve diseases, Parkinson’s Disease also does not have a cure. But one can slow down the degeneration of cells by leading a healthy lifestyle and one filled with exercise as well.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease

Forgetting what you did last summer is probably something that you can deal with and you will most probably remember at least some of the things that took place. But forgetting everything and even having a strange perspective of reality is something different. This is one of the things that happen to a person who has Alzheimer’s Disease. The disease is a neurodegenerative disorder and is a very common disease that is found in people over the age of 65.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease

Millions of people worldwide suffer from a form of dementia. The majority of that dementia is actually caused by Alzheimer’s Disease. Medically, the disease can be characterized by a progressive cognitive deterioration. When this happens, one can also expect the steady decline of daily activities and psychiatric, neuropsychiatric, and behavioral changes. When talking about Alzheimer’s with a doctor, you will probably hear the term plaque. This is not the same kind of plaque that can form on teeth. This plaque is the kind that blocks nerve endings and therefore signals cannot pass to and from the brain. This plaque takes years to form and it will not be detected medically until one is much older. But it is not the only thing that causes the Alzheimer’s Disease; there is one other thing known as neurofibrillary tangles and these are pathological protein aggregates found in the neurons of a brain. Together, these two factors are the major cause behind Alzheimer’s Disease.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

There are different symptoms to look out for depending on the stage of the Alzheimer’s Disease. In the early stages of the degenerative disease, patients will first become less energetic and will be less spontaneous. These changes in behavior are actually unnoticed by patients and those close to them. The term used for this stage in the disease is Minor Cognitive Impairment. The next stage of the disease, or the middle stage, has patients being able to perform certain tasks but not complicated ones. The patient in this stage will probably need assistance with something as simple as paying a bill (which is actually more complicated to someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease). The most severe stage, or the late stage, has patients not being able to perform simple tasks without the help of others. People in the late stage also need to be supervised constantly. These patients tend to lose their understanding and concept of many things. This includes expelling the bladder and even bowel movements. Eventually, they cannot walk anymore and they will not be able to talk properly. Losing the ability to swallow food and fluid is also very common and this is what may ultimately lead to their death.

Can Alzheimer’s Disease be Cured?

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease and the only way to really avoid it is to prevent it from happening. Leading a healthy life with activities that stimulate the brain and a diet that will keep one physically fit will help one to avoid the disease. But even in prevention, these activities and diets will only really slow down the process of the disease’s development. But slowing it down will improve your lifestyle because the worst that can happen is that you only reach either the first or second stage.

HIV (in green) Budding on a Lymphocyte

HIV (Human Immunodefiency Virus) causes AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is actually the result of a severely weakened immune system caused by HIV. When the immune system becomes ineffective, all sorts of diseases and infections enter the body. This is why it is extremely difficult to treat AIDS, and almost all who have been infected by the disease rarely survive AIDS. This article will discuss AIDS and how it affects the immune system.

What HIV does when it enters the body is it infects the cells of the immune system, takes over them, and produces more of its kind. The cells of the immune system are often used as vessels for reproduction or are stopped from functioning. As a result, more and more of the immune system’s cells are invaded and more of the virus is produced. The body eventually loses all of its vital defense mechanisms and becomes susceptible to all kinds of diseases and infections. This is when a person with HIV gets AIDS. When one starts to get infected by various diseases and infections within a short period of time, the body becomes “overworked” in trying to defend itself and no longer has time to recover.

There are four stages of HIV infection. The primary HIV infection (first stage) involves large amounts of HIV present in the peripheral blood. In this stage the immune system reacts to the virus by secreting HIV antibodies and cytotoxic lymphocytes. At this stage, an HIV antibody test may not turn out positive. Symptoms at this point are often characterized as flu-like symptoms.

The clinically asymptomatic stage (second stage) involves the levels of HIV in the peripheral blood dramatically decreasing. However, the infected body stays highly infectious and tests will indicate a positive result.

On the third stage, the body will have had symptomatic HIV infection. This means the virus has already damaged the immune system to an extent that it is no longer able to function properly. Lymph nodes and tissues have collapsed, the body is no longer able to replace T helper cells, and the virus continues to mutate and grow stronger.

On the fourth stage, the HIV infection progresses into AIDS. This is when your immune system collapses and other infectious diseases are able to enter the body easily. Symptoms are no longer mild but rather much worse at this stage.

The symptoms of HIV are generally undetected because infected individuals can still look well and healthy, even though their immune systems have already been damaged. Typically, a person who has been infected just a few weeks before can experience a brief flu-like illness as a symptom. After a few days or weeks, this symptom can disappear.

HIV can be transmitted through sexual intercourse with an infected person, infected blood, and birth (an infected pregnant woman can pass the virus to her unborn child). The best way to find out if you have HIV/AIDS or not is to be tested. For medical advice, consult a healthcare professional.

Immune System

The immune system helps us in several ways. It protects our body, helps it heal, and destroys anything harmful that enters the body. In short, the immune system helps us stay alive. This article will discuss the typical diseases that affect the immune system and how they work.

Diseases and the Immune System

Oftentimes you will be told that your catching a flu or cold will weaken your immune system. This is because it is true. The immune system has amazing mechanisms that can effectively wipe out several diseases from the body. However, pathogens can also have a way to manipulate these mechanisms. They are able to escape host immune responses. Bacteria can get rid of physical barriers by producing enzymes, which digest the barrier. The proteins secreted cause the host’s defenses to collapse.

Infectious diseases can weaken the immune system. Let’s first talk about the common and less-serious infectious diseases. All viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi can affect the immune system. You may have a weakened immune system from simply catching a cold. Poor hygiene and an unsanitary environment can also increase your susceptibility to diseases. Diseases can be transmitted sexually, through inhaling airborne droplets, through contact with infected blood, through insect bites, through direct skin contact, by eating contaminated food, and through contact with contaminated water.

Some diseases actually cause the immune system to function abnormally. You may develop allergies or hypersensitivity, which are both immune system disorders. Diseases that affect the immune system include autoimmune diseases like anemia and rheumatoid arthritis, immune complex diseases, and immunodeficiency diseases like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, commonly known as AIDS.

AIDS and the Immune System

What HIV does is invade the cells of the immune system and turns the cells into workhouses that produce HIV. The cells of the immune system are reprogrammed, and more and more cells are taken over. Because these cells are being invaded, the body can no longer defend itself from all other infections. When other diseases enter the body, you start becoming gravely ill. HIV also has the ability to mutate, and this is one of the reasons why treating this disease has been so difficult to treat.

Psychological Factors and the Immune System

Studies have shown that stress does play a role in weakened immune systems. Furthermore, psychological disorders can affect the immune system. There has been evidence that patients who were schizophrenic took longer to heal after surgery. It has also been concluded that depression weakens the immune system in various ways. Since it is closely related to stress, it can negatively affect the body’s defenses. It has also been found that depression causes people to take less care of themselves, thus opening doors to infectious diseases and a weakened immune system. The ability to think clearly, cope well, and heal properly is eventually affected.

We need a strong immune system to keep healthy and live a great-quality life. When caring for our immune system, we need to familiarize ourselves with diseases that affect it.

Degenerative Nerve Diseases

A degenerative nerve disease is one that affects the nerves in such a way that it damages them to the point that affects the way people think. Depending on the disease, it can even affect a person’s motor skills. Essentially, degenerative nerve diseases affect the brain. Degenerative brain disorder occurs from mid to late adulthood. The results from suffering from this disease usually are in progressive (and irreversible) declines in memory and a steady regression of other abilities, mostly cognitive.

In What Way Does Degenerative Nerve Diseases Affect The Brain?

Degenerative nerve diseases speak for themselves; they degenerate the nerves. This happens as it destroys the nerve cells and the neural connections of the nerves in the cortex of the brain. This leads to a significant loss of brain mass. Thus, it leads to various conditions and diseases that are only now being discovered slowly by the medical community.

What Known Brain Conditions Are There?

There are many different degenerative nerve diseases known to the medical community. The most common one, of course, is Alzheimer’s Disease. This disease actually blocks nerve endings or what are known as senile plaques. This is the most common degenerative nerve disease that is related to dementia and it actually accounts for most dementia cases.

Another disease is called Friedreich’s Ataxia and this one is actually inherited and so it is passed on from one generation to another along one family’s line. It is a disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system and it results in different symptoms. The symptoms may include gait disturbance, speech problems, and even heart disease.

Another degenerative nerve disease called Canavan Disease is also one of the most common of cerebral degenerative conditions of infancy. It is the most common occurring degenerative disease in children that is linked to genes and what happens is that the white/gray spongy material that makes up the brain matter degenerates in to spongy tissue with tiny specks that are filled with fluid. This is a dangerous disease and death of an infant could occur before he or she turns 4 years old.

Leigh’s Disease is another degenerative nerve disease that affects the central nervous system. Also hereditary, it occurs when different mutations occur in the DNA of mitochondria. This also affects children and can happen between the ages of 3 months and 2 years old. You will know if a child has this disease if he or she has trouble sucking, and has a hard time with motor skills such as turning his or her head. The loss of appetite, continuous crying, vomiting, and sometimes seizures are all other symptoms of this disease.

Can You Catch A Degenerative Nerve Disease?

You may notice that most diseases of this class are all hereditary. But if you do not know the medical history of your family, you will not know what to do to prevent the disease from happening, especially in the case of Alzheimer’s Disease that happens later in life. These diseases cannot be passed on from one person in your bloodline to the next and there are still various studies on how one may be able to avoid its development.

Symptoms of Influenza

Influenza is not as dangerous as it might have been in the past. It is a virus that can take on many forms; strains of the flu vary each year. This means that medical experts must work round the clock in making the proper vaccines to battle the flu. This is the reason why influenza has not been completely eliminated and there are people who still catch it. In fact, it’s very common to catch the flu. But when you catch it, it can be a nuisance and it can also be fatal. Know what the symptoms of the flu are so that you can prevent the flu from spreading and set yourself on the path to recovery quickly. Symptoms of Influenza - Headaches

True cases of influenza always start out with headaches. These headaches become worse and can be quite severe once the virus starts to affect a person’s body. But just because you have a headache doesn’t mean that you have the flu. At this point you cannot really tell if you are going to have the flu or not. This, however, is one of the initial or early symptoms of influenza.

Symptoms of Influenza- Chills and Cough

The next symptom that you should be on the lookout for is whether or not you are experiencing chills and a cough. This means that if your body is unusually cold, you may want to consider that as a flu symptom. Along with these chills that can be quite sporadic in nature, you may develop coughs. These two symptoms together are a high indication that you are most probably headed towards developing the flu. But the flu can still be prevented and you can control these symptoms by taking the right medicines to battle them. This is the reason why you should observe the symptoms you have at all times because prevention is the best cure against any disease.

Symptoms of Influenza - Fever

Almost simultaneous to experiencing the chills and cough, you will most likely fall into fevers and these fevers will start light and get worse as the flu develops and attacks your immune system. Fevers must be taken care of as much as possible and don’t allow them to get too high. Influenza can lead to very high fevers and this is very dangerous for the brain and for the body in general.

Symptoms of Influenza - Body Aches And Pains

The next thing you will notice is that your body will start to ache. Your joints will be very painful and your muscles will seem a lot weaker than usual. This is a common flu symptom and painkillers can be taken to battle this symptom especially if one cannot bear the pain of aching muscles and joints. However, painkillers are not advisable to be taken in huge amounts. These should only be taken when necessary and when pain is unbearable.

Symptoms of Influenza - Loss of Appetite

One of the most important symptoms to take care of is the loss of appetite. The flu will cause you to not want to eat or drink because of how weak your body has become. This should be a symptom you address as much as possible. Try to eat to keep up your energy and drink to keep your body hydrated.

How to Treat Influenza

Influenza is a potentially deadly disease. Iin the past, it was responsible for the deaths of millions of people but is now a disease that can be controlled, vaccinated against, and cured. However, even if a person is vaccinated, he or she can still catch the flu if it’s in the form of a stronger and a significantly different strain than you were vaccinated against. The strains of flu evolve and are different with each year and it is wise to keep in touch with a doctor regarding the new vaccines available to the public. However, if you already have the flu, then here are ways that you can treat it.

How to Treat Influenza - Keeping It Isolated

First and foremost, keep in mind that you must keep yourself away from other people as much as possible. If you have the flu, it is not advisable to talk to people personally or be around anyone in general. This will only encourage the disease to spread since it is airborne and something that can be spread through droplets of saliva or sweat. Spreading the flu can cause it to mutate into other diseases like pneumonia. Needless to say, you don’t want to be responsible for someone who develops that disease because of the flu that was passed on by you.

How to Treat Influenza - Resting

Although your mind may not feel like it, your body will need all the rest that it can get and it is advisable to sleep as much as possible when you have the flu. When you have the flu, some symptoms include pain and weakness of your body and muscles. This means that your body will be quite tired for the duration that you have the disease. Do not force yourself to work or do any strenuous activities because this will only make the flu worse. Your immune system is weakened at this point and you do not want your body to be open to any other diseases that can enter while you are in a vulnerable state. Rest as much as possible and only use your energy for things that you have to do like eating and minimal movement.

How to Treat Influenza - Fluid Intake

You are advised to take in a lot of liquids when you have the flu. This, however, does not mean that you can drink anything. You should be drinking fluids that can hydrate your body and this means drinking a lot of water. When you have the flu, your body will be very warm because of the fever that you will experience. This will result in a lot of sweating and your body will therefore lose a lot of water. You should continuously replace the fluids in your body with clean water. You are helping to flush out the toxins by drinking a lot of clean water. This is known as water therapy and is very effective in battling the flu.

Lastly, you will need to follow orders from your doctor. Any medicine that is prescribed to you should be taken and at all the right times before or after meals.

Influenza Vaccinations

Influenza is a viral infection and is something that can affect anybody. In fact, it affects all mammals and birds and can be passed on from person to person just by coughing, sneezing making it airborne. The disease itself was once known to have been responsible for millions of deaths long ago but with today’s medical technology improving each day, influenza can be treated. In fact, it can often be prevented before it happens just by taking a vaccination.

Influenza Vaccinations - What Is A Vaccination?

Basically, a vaccination is something that is created and injected into a person to make him or her immune to a particular disease. Influenza vaccinations are quite common and there are many strains of flu that we can be vaccinated against. Medically speaking, a vaccination will prevent an infection by a pathogen such as the flu or other disease like smallpox. What is interesting is that the vaccinations are actually weakened forms of the pathogens themselves or can be in the form of purified proteins. For example, to cure smallpox, you can use a weakened form of smallpox so that your body can adapt to battling it much more efficiently and so you are immune to it in the future.

Influenza Vaccinations - The Flu Vaccine

Vaccinations against flu are available in most hospitals and clinics. There are actually two types of influenza vaccinations that you can take. You can either opt for the injection which is the most common type of vaccination, or you can take a nasal spray which is painless and just as effective. It may be worth noting that there are differences in these two types of vaccines. The “flu shot” (or the injection) contains a dead virus and is given to a person through the arm. This is given to people who are older than 6 months. It doesn’t matter whether you are healthy or not, you should take the shot because everybody is vulnerable to the flu. The nasal spray is different because the vaccine is made up of weakened flu viruses that don’t cause the flu. These kinds of vaccines are recommended for anybody aged between 2 and 50 but cannot be given to pregnant women.

Influenza Vaccinations - When Should I Get Vaccinated?

The flu season begins at around October and be rampant all the way until May. This means that it is best to get a flu shot anywhere from October to early November. Keep in mind that flu strains do change and evolve rather quickly and you will have to stay updated with your family doctor on the strains that are out each year. This means that if there is a new strain of the flu, you have to take a different vaccination in order to battle it. Of course, the shots should be given only if advised by a licensed physician.

Influenza is not a disease that chooses its victims. It can infect anybody and this is why it is important that everybody be vaccinated against the disease. Encourage your family and friends to get their shots as early as possible to prevent the spread of the flu in your neighborhood.

Boosting Your Immune System

Have you noticed yourself feeling tired all the time or even getting sick occasionally? This might be a sign that your immune system is weak. There are many ways to boost your immune system, and they aren’t difficult to do.

Boosting Your Immune System - Eat Your Way To Better Immunity

Eating generally benefits us, as it gives us energy and nutrition to maintain health. Many foods benefit our immune system, however, some don’t do anything good for us. There are two main things you can do with food to boost your immune system: first, eat more foods that contain antioxidants and secondly, eat highly nutritious foods.

Antioxidants are known to fight against free radicals in the body. Free radicals are toxic byproducts that damage DNA and negatively affect the immune system. Studies have shown that diets rich in antioxidants may have helped prevent cancer as well as other diseases in individuals.

Nutrients, on the other hand, are equally important. Nutrients nourish the body by helping it grow and repair damage. They act as fuel for the body. When you don’t eat enough nutrients, it’s like running out of fuel and you ending up not functioning properly. As a result, your immune system ends up not functioning properly as well. With enough nutrients, you are able to think clearer, cope better, and resist disease and infection effectively.

To get more antioxidants and nutrients in your body, eat more foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit your intake of saturated fat, animal protein, and dairy products. Avoid eating fast food and beverages that have no nutritional value. Unfortunately, this includes our favorite hamburgers, french fries and sodas.

Boosting Your Immune System - Run For A Healthy Cause

Studies have shown the exercise indeed helps our immune system. Regular exercise is the key to boosting the immune system in the long run. However, it is how you do it that affects the immune system in a positive way. Try not to over-exercise, as doing so can actually weaken your immune system temporarily. Gradually increase your levels of exercise and allot time to rest in between sessions so your body can recover. Never exercise vigorously if you are sick, as your immune system is already using a lot of energy to fight against disease.

Boosting Your Immune System - Beating Stress And Boosting Immunity

Studies have shown that a weak immune system has a lot to do with stress, too. When you have chronic stress, cortisol levels rise, making your immune system weak and posing a higher risk of contracting diseases such as flu, diabetes and heart disease. To manage stress, eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—the better you feel physically, the less stressed you are. Do stress-releasing activities like hiking outdoors, stretching, or breathing exercises. Finally, laugh more and enjoy life. It has been found that laughter and overall happiness can actually increase immunity.

Having a weak immune system can have serious disadvantages. You may start to miss school or work, or end up staying in bed instead of doing the things you like. Try the suggestions in this article to boost your immune system.