Recently, a doctor-friend sent me an article to read about Sarcoidosis—I read it but it was quite complicated. When I discovered April 30th was National Sarcoidosis Day, though, it seemed like I should take another look at understanding a bit more about what Sarcoidosis is. And it’s still a bit complicated! What is Sarcoidosis? Sarcoidosis … Continue reading “National Sarcoidosis Day: What is it?”
Hemophilia is a rare disorder that primarily affects males, which causes blood not to clot properly—it is very rare for true hemophilia to affect females. [1] Like many rare disorders, hemophilia is caused by genetics. Women are more likely to be carriers of the genes that cause hemophilia, but it was not until fairly recently … Continue reading “What is hemophilia and how is it treated?”
The liver is an organ you probably don’t think much about, but it is one of the largest organs in the body and has a variety of important jobs to do! Your liver is responsible for converting nutrients into substances that are usable by your body—and if your body doesn’t need them yet, it stores … Continue reading “How healthy is your liver?”
The first week of December is Crohns and Colitis Awareness Week. Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are two types of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. IBD is very different from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, even though they sound similar. What is IBD? Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic diseases affecting the digestive system—they are incurable … Continue reading “Understanding IBD: Crohn’s and Colitis Week”
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, also known as GERD or acid reflux, is a common condition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a nuisance to live with. In North America, estimates of prevalence of GERD are between 18 and 28%—prevalence estimates are lowest in East Asia, ranging from 3 to 8%. [1] Simply put, having GERD is … Continue reading “GERD: A long name for a common issue”
Epilepsy affects 470,000 children in the United States. [1] Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome accounts for 1-4% of epilepsy (seizure disorder) occurring in children, and is described as “a devastating pediatric epilepsy syndrome”. [2, 3] Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) is a particularly severe type of epilepsy, in which multiple types of seizures frequently, and may also experience cognitive or … Continue reading “Understanding Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome”
Most people are aware of migraines—moderate to severe, sometimes disabling, headaches that can cause significant interruption to a person’s life. However, there are some symptoms of migraines that can be more “mysterious” seeming, and that you may not even connect to the headache itself. Sometimes, migraines are preceded by an aura, which can last 20-60 minutes … Continue reading “Mysterious symptoms of migraines”
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a condition that you may not have heard of, but it is the number one genetic cause of death in infancy. [1] SMA can onset at any age, and is staged by the age and functional ability of a person at onset of the disease. [1] While only 1 in … Continue reading “Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness: What is it?”
When you think of the damage sun can cause, people often first think about their skin. However, ultraviolet rays from sunlight also cause damage to the eyes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology encourages Americans to get sun smart when it comes to your eyes [1], in addition to protecting your skin. Effects of sun on … Continue reading “Eye on Safety: UV/Sun Protection”
Environmental illness is not well understood, but certainly exists–though used to be far more contested than it is now. There are several types of documented environmental illnesses, although more research is needed into many of these types of illness thought to be triggered by environmental factors or chemicals. Which chemicals are thought to cause environmental … Continue reading “What are environmental illnesses?”
