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Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease is inherited in nature and it causes the brain cells to degenerate. It adversely affects one’s ability to function and leads to a number of disorders. The impairment may be psychological, physical, or cognitive. Unfortunately, it is fatal and no treatment has been developed yet to cure this disease.

According to Huntington’s Disease Society of America, there are about thirty thousand symptomatic patients of Huntington’s disease and more than 200,000 are at the risk of inheriting it. It has also been described as having Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson disease – all at the same time. The symptoms of Huntington’s disease usually surface in the 30s or 40s, but the onset of the disease can be much later or earlier in life. This means that one can be diagnosed with Huntington’s even in their 20s and before, or 50s and later, all depending upon the patient’s genetic makeup. In case of the onset of the disease in the teenage years, the symptoms can be different and the disease can progress much faster.

Symptoms

The symptoms progress over a period of ten to fifteen years, and eventually, the patient loses the battle with heart failure, pneumonia, or some other fatal complexity. Huntington’s is caused due to the genetic makeup of an individual, that is why that despite everyone having Huntington’s gene, only some have its expansion gene which causes the gene to develop. The chance of a Huntington’s patient’s child to inherit and develop the disease is positively present by 50%.

Symptoms include:

  • Changes in personality
  • Changes in mood
  • Feeling depressed
  • Weak memory
  • Difficult to maintain balance while walking and jerking of limbs
  • Difficulty in speaking, swallowing
  • Loss of weight
  • Disturbed sleep pattern
  • Geocentrism
  • Anxiety
  • Compulsive behavior

Testing

For an adult, having tested for Huntington’s is a personal choice. Many people feel reluctant to get tested as they see no point in knowing what kind of future lies ahead of them if they do have an active Huntington’s gene. Others do want to know so that they can make plans for future accordingly; plans concerned with family in particular.

People under 18 years are recommended not to be tested as they cannot entirely comprehend the consequences and conditions of this disease. Though, in case of Juvenile Huntington’s Disease, tests can be conducted after extensive neurological examination has been done. Prenatal tests can also be done to see if the expected child has the Huntington’s gene and the one that can activate its development.

The diagnosis can be done clinically, through predictive genetic testing, Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, prenatal testing, and differential diagnosis.

Though there is no clue to Huntington’s disease as of yet, but it can be managed with medicines and physical therapy. Educating people about the disease and its development can also help them prevent through family planning, care management and genetic testing. The advancements in genetic research and genetic engineering can hold answers to the questions regarding this disease that still remain a myth.

Donations can be made to the Huntington Disease Society of America.

Donate to Change the World

Illustration of hands up in the air
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

With open hearts and open hands, we gave what we could, and a little became a lot”, said Wendy Smith in her book Give a little: “How your small donations can transform our world”.

People donate money to different causes for a variety of reasons. These include personal satisfaction, tax deductions, and social reasons that can bring change in our society for the better.

Philanthropy on a Personal Level

Although Howard Fensterman donates to a variety of causes, he has chosen two major organizations on which he mainly focuses. One is the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. A non-profit organization devoted to finding the cures for Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis and to improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by this disease.

Advancing the quality of life of all communities is of primary importance to Howard and as such, he is a contributor to his local Chabad, which is an organization that assists folks by uplifting their social environments in locations all over the world.

How You Can Help

Group of Hardworking Volunteers Preparing Donated Free Food Rations

Depending on the reason for donating to charity, people may choose different ways to help. Volunteering to work for a charitable organization is a great way to be directly involved in helping others.

If you want to contribute funds, you will find many organizations to choose from. Many people make choices by keeping in mind how their money will be utilized and the impact it will have in the area they are concerned about, as well as potential tax deductions.

Many individuals do feel compelled to donate to organizations for a cause that is likely to bring social change,* but they end up giving money to establishments, like hospitals and universities, whenever they can make donations. According to research, only 20% of big donors follow their desire to donate to organizations that are working to bring social change.

This may be because of two major reasons, as identified by the same research.

    1. People do not know about such organizations and second, they do not find it rewarding to donate to small organizations.
    2. There could be a lack of trust. Established and traditional recipients of donations enjoy a certain level of people’s trust because of a history of using donations for the intended purposes. Also, making big donations to established organizations and big names is a way to earn respect and admiration in society.

But, there are folks, especially philanthropists, who do not follow the traditional route. In order to satisfy their strong desires to help bring in social change, they make non-traditional choices and look for organizations that are working on innovative projects to change society’s practices, and norms or to address real problems of society.      

Some philanthropists believe that organizations that may be small but are at the forefront of research are the most worthy recipients of their donations. 

Additionally, you may want to consider going beyond donating to medical research and consider contributing directly to hospitals and other organizations. St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital which was founded by Danny Thomas, is a cancer center for children and is a great place to donate, as well as the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

Hungry children in Africia
Hunger is an area that we must all consider lending a helping hand. No one should ever go hungry anywhere in the world. Whether that be physically volunteering or sending money. Save the Children is just one of many charities we highly recommend considering.

You may also want to consider helping our veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers provides state of the art housing for injured soldiers and first responders. It was founded by Frank Siller, who lost his brother, a firefighter in the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC. Wounded Warrior Project is another charity that assists our veterans.

How We Help

This website is devoted to bringing awareness to many illnesses, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as discussing mental health issues and domestic lone-wolf shooting attacks.

In addition to learning what these diseases are, we offer suggestions, based on the studies from researchers in the fields, on how you can use preventative measures to stay healthy, and what to do if you feel you may be at risk.

We provide charitable organizations you can contact but we obviously can’t list all the charities here. We do have a plethora of information available with links to sources that you can follow up on. Forbes provides the top 100 charitable organizations and you can use their guide as well.

When you see the impact your money is bringing to society, it gives you the satisfaction that you have played your part in making this world a better place.  

*Social change in this article refers to anything that benefits society, including medical advances as well as social ones.

Please note: This website does not ask for any financial contributions directly or provide any forms to donate to a cause. Please refer to the sources provided and/or you can find them on the Web via Google or other resources.

Coronary Artery Disease

Described as the deadliest disease out there by some, Coronary Artery Disease is the most common heart disease in United States. Men and women both are victims to this disease. It is the leading cause of death in USA. If the blood vessels that are responsible for supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart are damaged or diseased, it eventually leads to development of Coronary Artery Disease.

Often, plaque (deposits made up of cholesterol) builds up in these blood vessels and blocks coronary arteries. This decreases the flow of blood to the heart and in turn one experiences chest pain, shortness in breath and many other symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease. In worst case, a complete blockage of blood flow can occur which can cause a heart attack and permanent heart damage.

Causes of CAD

As discussed above, plaque that eventually builds up due to accumulation of cholesterol deposits, leads to Coronary Artery Disease. This process can take years, and one may not even notice unless symptoms like chest pain, etc, start to surface. This process of plaque being built up on the insides of arteries is termed as atherosclerosis. The most common causes of having a coronary heart condition include smoking, continuously having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and resistance diabetes or insulin, and a laid-back daily routine. The dietary habits are also great contributors to this disease.

The risk of having coronary heart disease increases with time. If someone has a family history of this disease, the likelihood of inheriting it increases substantially. People who have a habit of smoking or have high blood pressure, higher levels of blood cholesterol, or have been diagnosed with obesity or diabetes, are prone to Coronary Artery Disease. Similarly, sedentary lifestyle and stressful life conditions are also strong triggers.

Symptoms

Over time, symptoms of Coronary Artery disease start to show up.

  • The most common is angina, or chest pain. Though it is felt for a few minutes when doing a stressful task, one feels discomfort or pressure in the middle or left side of the chest.
  • Shortness of breath is another symptom which occurs during an exertive task. It may also be accompanied with fatigue.
  • Many people also have a heart attack, which is severe pain in the chest extending till the left arm, and till neck and jaw line in case of women.

Treatment

Coronary Artery disease is diagnosed through a physical exam, considering medical and family history, evaluating the risk factors, and performing diagnostic tests like electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization, etc.

Treatment is usually done through medication and considering the factors which have caused the disease to occur in the first place. Measures are taken to remove those risk factors. In much complicated cases, surgeries and other procedures are also done. Other options include Angiogenesis and Enhanced External Counterpulsation.

The risk of developing complexities in this disease is very high, hence the high death toll. Therefore, doctors usually suggest keeping a healthy and active lifestyle to patients who show the earliest symptoms.

Parkinson’s Disease: Medical Facts

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder which has affected 60,000 Americans and approximately 10,000 million people globally. The famous boxing legend Muhammad Ali who passed away recently was a victim of this illness. The disease affects the nervous system and makes physical body movement very difficult.

If you are a victim of this disease or know someone who has been diagnosed with it, here are some facts that you need to know: 

  • Not Only for Old People

According to Rachel Dolhun (VP of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research), the Parkinson’s disease is not just for the old people. It may be mostly diagnosed in people aged 60 or above but it can also affect the younger generation. She gives the example of the famous Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox who was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 29. When the disease is diagnosed at a younger age, it means that it is a young-onset Parkinson’s disease.

  • A lot More than Outward Symptoms and Tremors

Usually, Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed on the basis of outward symptoms. But according to Dolhun, the condition has much more to it that the doctors are unable to see. There are other symptoms like constipation, sleeping habits, mood problems, slurred speeches and depression issues that can point towards a possible case of Parkinson’s.  

  • Diagnosing Parkinson is Difficult

When it comes to diagnosing the Parkinson’s disease, there is no specific test for it making it difficult to diagnose. Usually, doctors look for cardinal features of movement disorder. They have their own way of diagnosing the disease in the following four ways.

  • Analyzing the tremor and shaking of body parts such as the arm, chin, entire hand, thumb, feet, and lips.
  • Inspecting the rigidity on rotating the wrist or elbow of the patients.
  • Checking the movement of the arm i.e. Akinesia
  • Looking through the postural instability while holding onto something to maintain balance.

On the basis of these four elements, doctors diagnose the disease. Also, they ask the patient if they feel shaky, stiff or slow while doing daily tasks to evaluate their condition. At times, this becomes difficult as these symptoms are common with some other diseases but competent doctors try best to diagnose the issue.

Common Symptoms

If you or anyone you know is suffering from any of the following symptoms, then it is time you visit a doctor before things go out of hands.

  • Slowed movement
  • Tremors
  • Loss of automatic movements
  • Rigid muscles
  • Impaired posture and balance
  • Writing changes
  • Speech changes

Is There a Cure for Parkinson Disease?

According to researches, there is no standard cure, but there is treatment available.  The common treatments include surgical therapy and medication. The most important cure for this disease is to incorporate permanent lifestyle changes in the patient’s life.

 

 

Caring For a Person with Dementia

Dementia PatientCaring for people suffering from dementia, a broad term for a variety of mental health conditions that include loss of memory, impaired reasoning, personality changes and cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia can be challenging and difficult both for caregivers and patient’s families. The inability of people suffering from any form of dementia to remember things, to communicate effectively with others and to take care of themselves, as well as their mood swings can be disconcerting. However, if such people are not taken care of, they may get injured, harm themselves or become depressed due to the feelings of loneliness.  To help caregivers and families assist senior citizens who suffer from dementia, we have listed down some ways to help them cope.

Ensure effective communication

People suffering from dementia often find it hard to effectively communicate with other people due an array of reasons. This may be due to the inability to find suitable words, speak fluently, to recognize and remember a person, to understand what the other person is saying, and the inability to read and write. They may also repeat sentences or stories several times. Following are some tips to overcome these communication barriers:

  • Get the person’s attention by limiting as many distractions as possible
  • Always introduce yourself first and address the person by his/her name
  • Communicate slowly in simple language using short sentences
  • Be patient if they do not understand you and slowly repeat your message or question
  • Give them time to process and understand your words
  • Do not get agitated and/or raise your voice
  • Listen carefully to them and try to understand what they are saying
  • Try not to argue with them or force them for anything. Instead, try to convince them by using compassionate behavior.   

Take care of their diet

While dementia affects a person’s memory, people who are losing their memory cannot take care of their diet and nutrition needs. Therefore, the family, friends and/or caregivers of such people need to make sure they are taking regular healthy meals, since the lack of nutrition can lead to several other health problems. To ensure this, provide them with multiple small meals throughout the day, opt for finger food if they have difficulty in handling the food, eat with them so that they do not feel alone and can also see and copy you.   

Monitoring their Medicine

Dementia patients many times will forget to take their meds. It is imperative that you make sure that your caretaker or other guardian is aware and prepared to assist the patient in taking their prescription medicine at the appropriate time.

Dealing with aggressiveness and troubling behaviors

The behavioral and personality changes that come with dementia are most difficult to handle. Patients can have sudden outbursts and get really aggressive at times, which makes it really difficult for the family and caregivers to handle them.   To deal with such issues, the foremost step should be to find out their causes and triggers and try to avoid such situations as much as possible. Consult the patient’s doctor in case of fierce behavior or reactions. Also, make sure nothing is within the patient’s access where they can use to harm themselves or others in case of a sudden anger attack.

Following the above-mentioned suggestions may help you be able to take care of dementia patients easier, but it is also highly suggested that you stay in touch with a doctor or other medical professional to confirm what you are doing with this particular person is the correct action to take.

New Zika Warnings For Florida

Florida governor Rick Scott announced this past Friday, July 29th, that four cases of Zika cases in Florida came from local mosquitos. Three men and one woman have been infected with Zika virus all within a one-mile radius in Miami. This makes Florida the first state in the nation to have local transmission of the Zika virus, confirming health officials’ worst fears. The investigations in Miami identified significant numbers of mosquitoes that can spread Zika. Scott also said that everyone in the areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present, as well as pregnant women, should take steps to avoid mosquito bites.

Zika has been been rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean and Latin America in the past few months affecting travel and tourism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women and women that are planning on becoming pregnant to avoid traveling to Zika affected areas including Puerto Rico. The CDC director Tom Frieden said on Friday that no warning has been currently issued for Miami. Frieden also stated that he is confident that Zika could follow the pattern of past mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile, dengue fever, and chikungunya. Public Health England, however, has advised pregnant women to avoid non-essential trips to the state of Florida. Researchers are currently working on a vaccine for Zika and are also learning more about its long-term effects.

If you are currently in Miami there are steps you can take if you wish to avoid Zika and lower your risk of contracting the virus. If you are pregnant and living in Miami you can see your OBGYN for advice. At home and outside, be sure to wear insect repellent that contains DEET and wear long sleeved shirts and pants to minimize exposed skin. Make sure there are no cups, buckers, gutters, or containers of any kind that have gathered standing water, since Aedes aegypti mosquitos that most comm

Alcoholism

What is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism refers to chronic use of alcohol with dependence and results in disturbance in daily functioning. Consumption of alcohol is not something new, but many people get addicted to it due to various reasons and it develops into a disorder, often known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Signs and Symptoms

Alcoholism can be identified through a number of signs and symptoms visible in the person’s behavior apart from medical tests. These signs include drinking alone or trying to keep it a secret, having no control over the amount of alcohol consumed, drinking in large amounts to feel the effect of alcohol, developing alcohol tolerance, having withdrawal effects in case of not drinking. The person would also face trouble in keeping up with relationships and fulfilling professional commitments.

Alcoholism is characterized by reclusiveness and severing ties with the social world. Some people have this uncontrollable urge and this causes them to stash alcohol in all kinds of places for quick access. They have physical symptoms like shivering and sweating, when the drink wears off, which is only subsided by another round of intake. Many alcoholics feel guilty and ashamed of this problem, but find themselves helpless against it.

Causes

Alcoholism can be caused because of a number of social and medical reasons. Stress and anxiety can be triggers for consumption of large amounts of alcohol, which eventually may result in addiction. Apart from this, peer pressure and social insistence is also found to be a reason of alcoholism. Many people have such genetic wiring that they cannot control the amount of alcohol they consume. It has also been found that people with a family history of alcoholism, parents being alcoholics, are more likely to be alcoholics themselves.

Health Risks

Alcoholism holds dangers to one’s health in many ways. It can directly affect the liver, increase the GAMMA level which in turn can cause liver failure. Alcohol has adverse effects on the person’s brain functioning and memory as well. Many people lose their ability to perform even the basic functions of everyday life. The effects of this disorder can pass through lineage, from parents to their children. Especially if a mother is an alcoholic, the child may be severely harmed and develop Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Treatment

Medical treatment and rehabilitation centers are available throughout the country; however, this addictive nature of this disorder cannot be treated through one approach alone. If only medical care is provided and the patient has no idea how to have self control or lacks will, then the treatment will be ineffective. Similarly if only psychological assistance is given, the urges will cause the patient to return to the habit if they are not controlled though medicines as well.

This disorder causes many social, professional and emotional problems for the addicted individual. Though, it has been proven, through thousands of case studies that effective and timely treatment can help to return back to normal life.

 

Heart Disease, Cancer Top Two Leading Causes of Death

Animated man with bacteria showing moving towards himThe CDC has presented a report on the 10 leading causes of death in 2016, which accounted for 74% of all deaths that occurred in the US that year, with heart disease and cancer topping the list.

The National Vital Statistics Report was compiled using information from all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2014. According to the findings, the 10 leading causes of death, in rank order, were: diseases of the heart; malignant neoplasms (cancer); chronic lower respiratory diseases; accidents; cerebrovascular diseases (stroke); Alzheimer’s disease; diabetes; influenza and pneumonia; nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (kidney disease); and suicide.

“Cause-of-death ranking is a popular method of presenting mortality statistics and is a useful tool for illustrating the relative burden of cause-specific mortality, but it must be used cautiously with a clear understanding of the limitations underlying the method,” the researchers wrote in the report.

Of the 10 leading causes, 8 saw significant increases in the number of deaths, led by Alzheimer’s disease, which increased by 10.4% from 2013 to 2014. The other causes that saw large increases in the number of deaths from year to year were: unintentional injuries (4.2% increase); suicide (3.9%); cerebrovascular diseases (3.2%); nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (2.2%); malignant neoplasms (1.2%); diabetes (1.2%); and diseases of the heart (0.5%). Meanwhile, the number of deaths caused by chronic lower respiratory disease and influenza and pneumonia decreased by 1.4% and 3.1%, respectively.

Diagram of the Human HeartHeart disease and cancer were the top two causes of death and accounted for 45.9% of all deaths in 2014. They were the two leading causes of death for both men and women. However, men and women diverged in the ranking of other causes of death. Unintentional injuries were the third-leading cause of death for males, while chronic lower respiratory disease ranked third for women.

In addition, while suicide ranked seventh and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis ranked tenth for men, neither was among the 10 leading causes of death for women. In addition, kidney disease ranked ninth and septicemia ranked tenth for women, but neither were among the top 10 for men.

Stem Cells Therapy the Future of Diabetes Treatment?

Stem cell therapy may be able to help treat Type 2 diabetes. Irv Weissman is currently leading a laboratory called the Weissman Laboratories at Stanford School of Medicine’s Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program. Weissman spent study years researching the use of stem cells, where one third of women who received cancer free stem cells were still alive, without any disease versus 7% of women who were alive, but never received cancer free cells.

Weissman is now at Stanford University to start conducting human trials using stem cells and will start a pure stem cell transplant center. Juvenile diabetes as well as other juvenile illnesses such as “bubble boy” disease will be one of the disease that will be trialled. The process will involved taking purified blood stem cells will be from a related donor of an unaffected disease to be given to a patient with a disease. Before the clinical trials began, all animal models used during stem cells studies showed success as well as much promise for regenerative medicine.

A study published in the journal Stem Cell Reports showed that transplanting pancreatic stem cells from human cells into mice with Type 2 diabetes symptoms showed improvement. Another study was done using animals with type 1 diabetes. Blood was taken from stem cells from a donor without diabetes. Insulin producing cells in a healthy pancreas were transplanted into a diabetic animal model and showed improvement. Currently, this same technique will be used in human trials at Stanford. Different techniques will be used as well as the use of embryonic stem cells taken from a diabetes affected donor to be reprogrammed and transplanted back into the same donor. This technique will not only create a huge leap in the treatment of diabetes and other immunocompromised diseases but also become a platform in the way we treat these diseases. Many labs around the US and the world are currently also working to get every tissue specific stem cell and start trials using other diseases. If successful, stem cell therapy can soon even replace harmful chemotherapy.

Zika Vaccine On Its Way

Zika VaccineOn March 2nd in 2015, Brazil first notified the World Health Organization (WHO) with reports of an illness characterized by skin rash in its northeastern states. From February to April, about 7,000 cases of illness with skin rash were reported in these states. Since the cases were mild with no reported deaths, Zika was not a suspect of causing these illnesses. The cause was in fact Zika. It wasn’t until February of this year that WHO declared that Zika infection was associated with microcephaly and other neurological disorders. Since March of this year, researchers have been scrambling to develop a Zika vaccine to avoid the delayed response of a vaccine that occurred with the Ebola epidemic. Vaccine trials for Ebola began too late, as soon as the the rate of infection started to drop.

Agencies Involved in Vaccine

Since March, 18 agencies and companies around the world raced to develop Zika vaccines, including inactive vaccines that could be safely given to pregnant women. Alexander Precioso, the director of the clinical trials and pharmacovigilance division at Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil said a “long term vaccine made from a weakened Zika virus might be the most effective because it mimics the natural course of infection more closely than other types.” The US National Institutes of Health are developing this type of DNA-based vaccine that would induce an immune response targeting both Zika and dengue.

Advancing the Virus Research

With no vaccine still in sight, the race is on. Just this past Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decided to expedite the process of developing a Zika vaccine and provided $1.1 billion in funding to combat the Zika virus. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) that oversees development for vaccine research will provide $21 million over the next 30 months to the Center for innovation in Advanced Development Manufacturing (CIADM) that that will present a variety of studies to move rapidly through the early stages of vaccine development. After these studies are done, CIADM will submit a request to the Food & Drug Association to start clinical trials.

BARDA and HHS will give the task of manufacturing the vaccine to Emergent Biosolutions, a drug developer located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Emergent expects to have a vaccine candidate ready by the end of this year for clinical trials. From there, Emergent will move production of the vaccine from its Gaithersburg facility to its bigger Baltimore manufacturing plant and start producing the vaccine for patients. Emergent is also known for manufacturing the anthrax vaccine and other cancer related drugs.