Archive for the ‘Diseases’ Category

How many of us know a family member, friend or neighbor who has been touched by this disabling disease? Parkinson’s disease is a progressive degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system. It is a devastating disease that not only affects our body movements but also our mind with sufferer’s often exhibiting depression and or dementia. Scientific American has posted an article called “Sparkling Recovery with Brain Pacemakers” that shows promise and hope for those individuals suffering from this dreaded disease.
  
In this study a medical technology known as “deep-brain stimulation” has been used. The video at Kringelbach shows an individual with advanced Parkinson’s disease revealing and eliminating symptoms with a quick click of a switch.  To understand the meaning of all this lets do a review on Parkinson’s disease.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

In Parkinson’s disease a specific area of the brain, where a chemical messenger called dopamine is produced, dies or becomes impaired. The underlying cause is unknown. Symptoms appear when there is a lack of dopamine in the brain.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that carries messages from one nerve cell to another. In a healthy brain, it exists in balance with another neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. In Parkinson’s disease, the substancia nigra, the area of the brain containing cells that manufacture dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin, are dying or are damaged and the brain loses the ability to manufacture these chemicals.

Symptoms:

The symptoms can vary from person to person. Symptoms usually begin on one side of the body and remain worse on that side of the body. The symptoms start gradually, with a mild tremor of a hand.  Also, a back and forth rubbing of the thumb and forefinger, known as pill-rolling, is common. Over time this disorder causes a slowing of voluntary movement and muscle stiffness such as impaired speech or a fixed facial expression while the body becomes rigid and the limbs stiffen.  People with Parkinson’s disease often experience instability when standing or impaired balance and coordination.  Depression and /or dementia often accompany the physical symptoms.

What is Deep Brain stimulation?

Deep-brain stimulation is basically a pacemaker for the brain that consists of a simple two part device. The surgeon places two thin wires deep within the brain and then inserts a small battery just underneath the skin near the collarbone. Pulses of electricity travel from the battery to electrodes located at the tip of the wires. In those afflicted with Parkinson’s the effects are instantaneous.  Notably, the quieting of the tremors and the ability to walk again.  This technique is still being perfected, but shows much promise. It is not a cure and does involve a deeply invasive surgery, with all the brain surgery risks, to reap the benefits.

Let’s hope that in the near future this medical technology becomes available for all Parkinson’s sufferers and that they can make a choice to undergo this surgery to live a good quality life afterwards.
If you are interested in reading the Scientific American article go to Sciam.com

Parents never know when the right time is to call a doctor for their infant.  They don’t want to call too early because they are afraid that they might seem overprotective or paranoid. However, if they call too late, they might seem uncaring and neglectful. As a result, parents feel a heightened sense of apprehension when their infant gets sick, especially for the first time.

The first thing all new parents need to realize is that babies get sick, just like children of any age. A sick baby does not mean you are a bad parent. In fact, getting a small cold once in a while helps your baby’s developing immune system become stronger. How ever any cold or other sickness can turn into a difficult situation if not maintained under control.

When your baby sickens, try to maintain a normal feeding schedule. There is no problem with breast feeding your sick baby. In fact, breast feeding frequently might help your baby get better faster. If you baby is older and is no longer nursing, consider increasing her fluid intake, encouraging your baby to drink water and pure fruit juices.

It is much easier to spot an emergency situation with your child.  In such cases, you should contact your doctor and/or 911 immediately.  Emergency situations are best handled by professionals, so do not try to fix the situation yourself.  There is a possibility that you could make it worse.  Along with poisoning and uncontrollable bleeding, you should also call for emergency help if you child has seizures.  Remember, it is always better to be too cautious rather than not cautious enough.

A fever is often the first sign you receive when your baby is sick. If the fever is above 102 in a baby, you should call the doctor. A higher fever does not mean your baby is necessarily dangerously sick, but your baby’s doctor should know, so that he can advise you on treatment. Another indication that your baby needs to be seen is a sudden, drastic change in appetite. A good rule of thumb is if your baby skips two meals in a row, they need to go to the pediatrician. 

Assessing your baby’s mood is another way to determine if they are sick enough to go to the doctor. Of course, a sick baby is not going to be her normal joyful self, but if your baby becomes completely inconsolable, call the doctor. When a baby crys for more than three hours that is a good sign that there is something more serious that is wrong. 

Diarrhea that lasts for six or more diapers in a row is a sign of illness, and can lead to dehydration. The same goes for vomiting. it is crucial to realize the difference between your baby spitting up and vomiting. Most babies will spit up, and sometimes they spit up quite a lot of substance, but vomit will be forceful and projectile. As with diarrhea, excessive vomiting can lead to dehydration.

Pediatricians get paid a lot of money.  As a parent, a lot of this money has come from you.  Do not be afraid to call them if you feel that something is not right with your child.  As long as you are polite, they will understand your concern and they can simply tell you what your course of action should be based on your child’s symptoms.  It is never a good idea to “wait” just because you feel anxious or embarrassed. Your child’s life and well-being are much more important that the way you appear to others.

For a great deal more informational value go here: Obese Children And Physical Education similarly Diets That Work For Obese Children and

skin tags

Why do you need to be aware of cancer moles? Cancer is a dreaded disease that most of the time kills because it is discovered too late. In other words, if cancer can be detected in its early stages, such as with changes in the moles, then it can be cured. This observation would indicate how important it is to know how to self-check yourself to ensure that you are not suffering from this dreadful disease. There are many types of cancer, each having their own signs and symptoms. Skin cancer is one of the most widespread types, since over-exposure to UV rays is a common happening these days.

Thankfully, there are ways to find out if you suspect you have skin cancer, which would, in turn, propel you to seek medical help in the earliest stages of the disease. For easy recall, the method of identifying cancer moles or melanoma is known as the ABCD method. Each of these letters stands for one major symptom of the disease, and a reason for you to push the panic button. Do not ignore the ABCD signs of the moles, unless you want to be part of the annual worldwide casualty list of this horrible disease.

The first letter A stands for ‘asymmetry.’ Normally, a mole is round and symmetrical in shape. It is often when the mole begins to grow that it looks a little skewed or asymmetric. In case this happens, ensure that you visit a doctor and mention the first time you observed the change in the skin moles. The second letter B stands for ‘border.’ If the border of your moles looks jagged or irregular, instead of definite and strong, then this could be a sign of cancer. The letter C indicates another important aspect, ‘color.’ Often, these moles change in color suddenly, leaving you quite surprised. Lastly, the letter D stands for ‘diameter.’ Most cancerous moles will grow in size; hence, an increasingly larger diameter could alert you to see a doctor.

There are two categories of people who are likely to fall prey to this type of cancer: those with fair (white) skin; those who work for long hours in the sun; those with a family history of cancer (heredity). If you fall into any one of these brackets, then keep a close watch on the cancer moles so you will have the best odds, when and if you discover you suffer from melanoma.