Category Archives: Symptoms

How to Stay in Shape During the Off Season

It is hard to keep in shape during the fall and even more so in the winter season. This holds true more so for a person who is differently abled. During the time of bad weather, like rain or snow, it is almost impossible to get around or to get out and do a little running or pushing. There are always alternatives though, you could purchase or make your own weights. If you are less of a strength person and more of a stamina or cardio person, you can always take the time to go for a roll around the neighborhood or nearest public track, if there is one.

If you lack the transportation, are unable to leave the house, or bad weather bothers you such as rain, you can always invest in an indoor rolling trainer. This device assures you a cardio workout from the comfort of your own house or garage. Equipment like this can get exceptionally pricey, unfortunately. Some may think, “Why the high price for pieces of metal welded together?” if this is you, you can always construct your own.

There are stores online that sell the equipment such as these, that are needed for a person whose day to day life involves a disAbility.

If you are a handy person and like to make things there are also videos online on sites such as YouTube that have “Do It Yourself” videos on how to construct a rolling trainer. If you are looking for an alternative to working out this fall or winter season and do not know where to start, here are some simple questions to ask yourself. What is the purpose of wanting to get in shape? What do you need to work on more: strength, speed, stamina or all of the above?

You will need to figure out what exercises you are capable of. Once you have figured out your abilities and where you want to go with your workouts/exercises, the, there is no better time to start your road to health or training for a sport then as soon as possible. Make sure to be happy with your choices and be safe in your workout endeavors.

Mental Illness Awareness Week: October 5-11 2014

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In 1990, the U.S. Congress established the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in recognition of NAMI’s efforts to raise mental illness awareness. Since then, mental health advocates across the country have joined with others in their communities to sponsor activities, large or small, for public education about mental illness.

What is mental illness?

A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.

Rett Syndrome Awareness

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What is Rett Syndrome?
Rett syndrome is a postnatal neurological disorder seen almost always in girls, but can be rarely seen in boys. It is not a degenerative disorder.

Rett syndrome is caused by mutations on the X chromosome on a gene called MECP2. There are more than 200 different mutations found on the MECP2 gene. Most of these mutations are found in eight different “hot spots.”

Rett syndrome strikes all racial and ethnic groups, and occurs worldwide in 1 of every 10,000 to 23,000 female births.

Rett syndrome causes problems in brain function that are responsible for cognitive, sensory, emotional, motor and autonomic function. These can include learning, speech, sensory sensations, mood, movement, breathing, cardiac function, and even chewing, swallowing, and digestion.

Rett syndrome symptoms appear after an early period of apparently normal or near normal development until six to eighteen months of life, when there is a slowing down or stagnation of skills. A period of regression then follows when she loses communication skills and purposeful use of her hands. Soon, stereotyped hand movements such as handwashing, gait disturbances, and slowing of the normal rate of head growth become apparent. Other problems may include seizures and disorganized breathing patterns while she is awake. In the early years, there may be a period of isolation or withdrawal when she is irritable and cries inconsolably. Over time, motor problems may increase, but in general, irritability lessens and eye contact and communication improve.

Rett syndrome can present with a wide range of disability ranging from mild to severe. The course and severity of Rett syndrome is determined by the location, type and severity of her mutation and X-inactivation. Therefore, two girls of the same age with the same mutation can appear quite different.

Testing and Diagnosis
Rett syndrome is most often misdiagnosed as autism, cerebral palsy, or non-specific developmental delay. In the past, making the correct diagnosis called not only for a long list of diagnostic tests and procedures to rule out other disorders, but it also took from months to years waiting to confirm the diagnosis as new symptoms appeared over time. Today, we have a simple blood test to confirm the diagnosis. However, since we know that the MECP2 mutation is also seen in other disorders, the presence of the MECP2 mutation in itself is not enough for the diagnosis of Rett syndrome. Diagnosis requires either the presence of the mutation (a molecular diagnosis) or fulfillment of the diagnostic criteria (a clinical diagnosis, based on signs and symptoms that you can observe) or both. Below is a list of labs to share with your ordering physician that can do the MECP2 sequencing + deletion analysis, and the list of diagnostic criteria.

October to be National Chiropractic Health Month: Get Vertical

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Whatever your condition, there are steps you can take to improve your back health by getting vertical: standing up and exercising more. Moving helps increase circulation to your back, which in turn brings much needed nutrients to the disc spaces and soft tissues.

With this in mind, here are 7 tips to help you “Get Vertical”:

Take a stand at work
A health buzz word circulating for the past several months is “sitting disease.” Sitting too much all day, every day of the year has a serious impact our health. One study showed a significant increase in people’s mood and a decrease in their back pain when they stood for just one extra hour a day.

If you work at the office all day, invest in a stand up desk. You can find simple, inexpensive models easily through an internet search.

If a standing desk is not your style, aim to stand up and stretch at least every 20 minutes.
Make an appointment with a physical therapist
Physical therapy can have a profound effect on your spine health if you find the right therapist.
Find a walking buddy
Set a standing walking “date” with someone in your office or in your neighborhood who has a similar walking pace as you. Hopefully you’ll connect with someone who also has similar interests, so the time you spend walking will fly by.
Or, just place a treadmill in your TV room
Have you ever added up how many hours you actually spend watching your favorite TV series? Consider investing in a treadmill and walking at a moderate pace while you watch your favorite shows. You’ll be so engrossed in the plot lines you won’t even notice you’re moving!
Adopt a dog
Studies show dog owners tend to be happier and healthier than non-dog owners. It doesn’t take a study to show that if you have a dog, you’ll have to walk more. If you walk slowly, consider adopting an older dog who won’t demand a lot of time or energy, but who will just appreciate a home, and a low key walk every day. If you have more energy, go for a younger, more active dog to keep you on your toes.
Or, offer to walk your neighbor’s dog
If adopting a dog is too much responsibility, take notice of the harried mother down the street, or the elderly couple next door with dogs. Offering to walk their dogs even once or twice a week could be as big of a help to them as it is to your spine.
Clean your own home
If you really hate formal exercise, don’t discount how much you move when you clean your home and tend your own yard. Scrubbing the shower, mopping the floor, raking the leaves, pushing a mower all count as exercise. All these tasks accomplish the same things as formal exercises: they challenge your muscles and get your heart pumping.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

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October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Down Syndrome Awareness Month is chance to spread awareness, advocacy and inclusion throughout the community. During the month of October, we celebrate individuals with Down syndrome and make people aware of their abilities and accomplishments

What Is Down Syndrome?
In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes. Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. Typically, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.

This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm – although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all.

How Common is Down Syndrome?
One in every 691 babies in the the United States is born with Down syndrome, making Down syndrome the most common genetic condition. Approximately 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome and about 6,000 babies with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year.

What Causes Down Syndrome?
Regardless of the type of Down syndrome a person may have, all people with Down syndrome have an extra, critical portion of chromosome 21 present in all or some of their cells. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.

The cause of nondisjunction is currently unknown, but research has shown that it increases in frequency as a woman ages. However, due to higher birth rates in younger women, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.

There is no definitive scientific research that indicates that Down syndrome is caused by environmental factors or the parents’ activities before or during pregnancy.

The additional partial or full copy of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome can originate from either the father or the mother. Approximately 5% of the cases have been traced to the father.

When Was Down Syndrome Discovered?
For centuries, people with Down syndrome have been alluded to in art, literature and science. It wasn’t until the late nineteenth century, however, that John Langdon Down, an English physician, published an accurate description of a person with Down syndrome. It was this scholarly work, published in 1866, that earned Down the recognition as the “father” of the syndrome. Although other people had previously recognized the characteristics of the syndrome, it was Down who described the condition as a distinct and separate entity.

In recent history, advances in medicine and science have enabled researchers to investigate the characteristics of people with Down syndrome. In 1959, the French physician Jérôme Lejeune identified Down syndrome as a chromosomal condition. Instead of the usual 46 chromosomes present in each cell, Lejeune observed 47 in the cells of individuals with Down syndrome. It was later determined that an extra partial or whole copy of chromosome 21 results in the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. In the year 2000, an international team of scientists successfully identified and catalogued each of the approximately 329 genes on chromosome 21. This accomplishment opened the door to great advances in Down syndrome research.