As spring takes over and summer creeps slowly toward us, we can’t help but let the urge to indulge in our love for the outdoors take over. While this is easy for most, for some Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) makes it nearly impossible. Modern research has found that contrary to popular belief, gardening can actually be […]
Living with an oftentimes debilitating and unpredictable disease like multiple sclerosis (MS) without a doubt presents some of the most challenging health and lifestyle scenarios. In this post, we would like to break down living with MS into two categories: Treatment and management, as they are not one and the same, but should be approached […]
When it comes to hepatitis C, there are a lot of myths surrounding how it can be contracted and passed. Some think that only those who indulge in “risky behavior” need to be concerned with contracting the disease, or that they would have obvious symptoms should they be infected. Neither of these assumptions is correct. […]
In a recent post, we provided an overview of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and central nervous system. Another factor to consider when it comes to MS is the challenges involved in parenting while managing the disease, which can be particularly stressful when paired with all other responsibilities involved in […]
Most metabolic storage disorders stem from a key digestive enzyme missing from a patient’s immune system. Hurler syndrome, medically known as mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I)p, is caused by just that. Patients with Hurler’s syndrome, an inherited metabolic storage disorder, lack an enzyme that is responsible for the breakdown of complex sugars in the body. While […]
One of the most interesting functions of the human body is the way it acts as a self-cleaning oven. One example of this concept is the process by which lysosomes act as the “recycling center” of our body’s cells, using their enzymes to break down and filter waste products and unwanted compounds. What Are Lysosomal […]
Inflammatory disease comes in a wide range of varieties, from arthritis to pulmonary conditions. While all are relatively serious and require some form of medical attention, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) should be taken very seriously. What is CIDP? Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a progressive neurological condition that causes weakness and impaired function […]
The human body has a number of mechanisms used to combat disease. One in particular is the manufacturing of neutrophils. These white blood cells are produced and mature in the bone marrow over the course of about two weeks. Once released, these cells circulate throughout the body for six hours in search of foreign substances […]
In a recent blog we covered polymysotisis, one of the most common disorders in the category of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. This group of disorders is characterized by the effects they have on the body’s skeletal muscles, and associated symptoms and manifestations such as various types of cutaneous rashes. The two main idiopathic inflammatory myopathies […]
All right, before we go any further, let’s start with the seemingly impossible task of pronouncing this condition: “hypo-gamma-globulin-emia.” Now that we have that part out of the way, we can talk a little bit more about this disorder. Hypogammaglobulinemia, also known as Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID), is a disorder that falls into the category […]
