Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible,
progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and,
eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In
most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. Alzheimer’s
disease is the most common cause ofdementia among older people.
Dementia is the loss of
cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral
abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and
activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just
beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the
person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living.
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Plaques and tangles in the
brain are two of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is the
loss of connections between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression
of Alzheimer’s and help manage symptoms in some people, currently there is no
cure for this devastating disease.
Although we still don’t know
how the Alzheimer’s disease process begins, it seems likely that damage to the
brain starts a decade or more before problems become evident. During the
preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people are free of symptoms, but
toxic changes are taking place in the brain. Abnormal deposits of proteins form
amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, and once-healthy neurons
begin to work less efficiently. Over time, neurons lose the ability to function
and communicate with each other, and eventually they die.
Before long, the damage spreads to a
nearby structure in the brain called the hippocampus, which is essential in
forming memories. As more neurons die, affected brain regions begin to shrink.
By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has
shrunk significantly.
The above information was from the
National Institute on Aging (NIA).
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help bring awareness and understanding to this disease.
Read more about
Alzheimer’s Disease on the NIA website at:
Autism is a group of developmental brain disorders,
collectively called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The term
"spectrum" refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels
of impairment, or disability, that children with ASD can have. Some children
are mildly impaired by their symptoms, but others are severely disabled.
ASD is broken out into one of five disorders, sometimes
called pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), as ASD:
Autistic disorder (classic autism)
Asperger's disorder (Asperger
syndrome)
Pervasive developmental disorder not
otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
Rett's disorder (Rett syndrome)
Childhood disintegrative disorder
(CDD).
Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) vary from one
child to the next, but in general, they fall into three areas:
Social impairment
Communication difficulties
Repetitive and stereotyped
behaviors.
Autism Awareness Ribbon Angel ~ 1 in 88 diagnosed with ASD
Children with ASD do not follow typical patterns when
developing social and communication skills. Parents are usually the first to
notice unusual behaviors in their child. Often, certain behaviors become more
noticeable when comparing children of the same age.
Most children with ASD have trouble engaging in everyday
social interactions, some children with ASD may:
Make little eye contact
Tend to look and listen less to
people in their environment or fail to respond to other people
Do not readily seek to share their
enjoyment of toys or activities by pointing or showing things to others
Respond unusually when others show
anger, distress, or affection.
Recent research suggests that children with ASD do not
respond to emotional cues in human social interactions because they may not pay
attention to the social cues that others typically notice
Scientists don't know the exact causes of autism spectrum
disorder (ASD), but research suggests that both genes and environment play
important roles. In identical twins who
share the exact same genetic code, if one has ASD, the other twin also has ASD
in nearly 9 out of 10 cases. If one sibling has ASD, the other siblings have 35
times the normal risk of also developing the disorder. Researchers are starting
to identify particular genes that may increase the risk for ASD.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Awareness Ribbon Angel Art
Most people who develop ASD have no reported family history
of autism, suggesting that random, rare, and possibly many gene mutations are
likely to affect a person's risk. Having
increased genetic risk does not mean a child will definitely develop ASD.
In medicine, "environment" refers to anything
outside of the body that can affect health. This includes the air we breathe,
the water we drink and bathe in, the food we eat, the medicines we take, and
many other things that our bodies may come in contact with. Environment also
includes our surroundings in the womb, when our mother's health directly
affects our growth and earliest development.
Researchers are studying many environmental factors such as family
medical conditions, parental age and other demographic factors, exposure to
toxins, and complications during birth or pregnancy.
Children in the United States receive several vaccines
during their first 2 years of life, around the same age that ASD symptoms often
appear or become noticeable. A minority of parents suspect that vaccines are
somehow related to their child's disorder. Some may be concerned about these
vaccines due to the unproven theory that ASD may be caused by thimerosal.
Thimerosal is a mercury-based chemical once added to some, but not all,
vaccines to help extend their shelf life. However, except for some flu
vaccines, no vaccine routinely given to preschool aged children in the United
States has contained thimerosal since 2001. Despite this change, the rate of
children diagnosed with ASD has continued to rise. Many studies have been conducted to try to
determine if vaccines are a possible cause of autism. As of 2010, none of the
studies has linked autism and vaccines.
The above information was obtained from the US National
Institute of Mental Health. Read more about ASD on the
NIMH website:
9/11 Attacks We Remember ~ United We Stand Awareness Ribbon Angel
We
remember loved ones hurt, heroes, and lives lost in the 9/11/01 attacks.
Never Forget ~ Remember 09/11/01 USA R.I.P. Ribbon Awareness Angel
Never Forget, United We Stand,
Remember 911, R.I.P., USA, Manhattan, WTC, NYC, AA 11, UAL 175, Pentagon, AA 77,
Washington, Shanksville, UAL 93, Memorial, Firefighters, Police, Heroes September
11, 911
Colorectal cancer is one of the
leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Early diagnosis,
though, can often lead to a complete cure.
Almost all colon cancers start in glands in the lining of the colon and
rectum. When doctors talk about colorectal cancer, this is usually what they
are talking about. There is no single
cause of colon cancer. Nearly all colon cancers begin as noncancerous (benign)
polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.
Colon cancer can almost always
be caught by colonoscopy in its earliest and most curable stages. Almost all men
and women age 50 and older should have acolon
cancer screening. Patients at higher risk may need earlier screening. Colon cancer screening can often find polyps
before they become cancerous. Removing these polyps may prevent colon cancer.
The death rate for colon cancer
has dropped in the last 15 years. This may be due to increased awareness and
screening by colonoscopy. How well you
do depends on many things, especially the stage of the cancer. When treated at
an early stage, many patients survive at least 5 years after diagnosis. This is
called the 5-year survival rate.
What you eat may play a role in
your risk of colon cancer. Changing
your diet and lifestyle is important. Colon cancer may be linked to a
high-fat, low-fiber diet and to a high intake of red meat. Medical research suggests that low-fat and
high-fiber diets may reduce your risk of colon cancer. Some studies, though, have found that
the risk does not drop if you switch to a high-fiber diet, so this link is not
yet clear. Smoking cigarettes and
drinking alcohol are other risk factors for colorectal cancer.
Some studies have reported that
NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib) may help reduce the risk of
colorectal cancer. But these medicines can increase your risk of
bleeding and heart problems. Your health care provider can tell you more about
the risks and benefits of the medicines and other ways that help prevent
colorectal cancer.
Certain inherited
diseases also increase the risk of developing colon cancer. Two of the
most common are:
Familial
adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
Hereditary
nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome
The above information was provided by Medline Plus which a
service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Bipolar disorder, also known
as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in
mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder can be severe. They are different from the normal
ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder
symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance,
and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this
illness can lead full and productive lives.
Bipolar
disorder often appears in the late teens or early adult years. At least half of
all cases start before age 25.Some
people have their first symptoms during childhood, while others may develop
symptoms late in life.
Bipolar
disorder is not easy to spot when it starts. Some people suffer for years
before they are properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease,
bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed
throughout your life.
People with bipolar
disorder experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct
periods called "mood episodes."Each
mood episode represents a drastic change from a person's usual mood and behavior.
Bipolar Awareness Green Ribbon Angel
An overly joyful or overexcited state is called
a manic episode, and an extremely sad or hopeless state is called a depressive
episode. Sometimes, a mood episode includes symptoms of both mania and
depression. This is called a mixed state. Extreme changes in energy, activity,
sleep, and behavior go along with these changes in mood.
If you know someone who
has bipolar disorder, it affects you too. The first and most important thing
you can do is help him or her get the right diagnosis and treatment. You may
need to make the appointment and go with him or her to see the doctor.
Encourage your loved one to stay in treatment.
To help a friend or
relative, you can:
·Offer emotional support,
understanding, patience, and encouragement
·Learn about bipolar
disorder so you can understand what your friend or relative is experiencing
·Talk to your friend or
relative and listen carefully
·Listen to feelings your
friend or relative expresses and be understanding about situations that may
trigger bipolar symptoms
·Invite your friend or
relative out for positive distractions, such as walks, outings, and other
activities
·Remind your friend or relative
that, with time and treatment, he or she can get better.
Green Awareness Ribbon Angel Art
Never ignore comments
from your friend or relative about harming himself or herself. Always report
such comments to his or her therapist or doctor.
The above information is from the National Institute for
Mental Health (NIMH).
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Disorder.
Alopecia areata is a common
autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and
elsewhere on the body. It usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth
patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia
totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis). Alopecia
areata affects approximately two percent of the population overall, including
more than 5 million people in the United States alone. This common skin
disease is highly unpredictable and cyclical. Hair can grow back in or fall out
again at any time, and the disease course is different for each person. Current research suggests that something
triggers the immune system to suppress the hair follicle. It isn't known what
this trigger is, and whether it comes from outside the body like a virus, or
from inside. Recent research indicates that some persons have genetic markers
that increase both their susceptibility to develop alopecia areata, as well as
the degree of disease severity.
In alopecia areata, the
affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked in groups by a person's own
immune system (white blood cells), resulting in the arrest of the hair growth
stage. These affected follicles become very small, drastically slow down
production, and grow no hair visible above the surface for months or years. The scalp is the most
commonly affected area, but the beard or any hair-bearing site can be affected
alone or together with the scalp. Some people develop only a few bare patches
that regrow hair within a year. No matter how widespread the hair loss, the
hair follicles remain alive and are ready to resume normal hair production
whenever they receive the appropriate signal.
At present, there is no
cure for alopecia areata, although the hair may return by itself. There are
various treatments, which are most effective in milder cases, but none are
universally effective.
Alopecia areata is not
medically disabling; persons with alopecia areata are usually in excellent
health. But emotionally, this disease can be challenging, especially for those
with extensive hair loss. There are thousands of successful, well-adjusted,
contented people living with this disease. The emotional pain of alopecia
areata can be overcome with one's own inner resources, sound medical facts, and
the support of others.
Sometimes professional counseling from a psychiatrist,
psychologist, or social worker is needed to develop one's self-confidence and
positive self-image.
The above information came from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF).One of the purposes of the NAAF is to reach out
to individuals and families with alopecia areata and help them live full,
productive lives.
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help bring Awareness to the cause for Alopecia Areata. Read more about Alopecia
Areata on NAAF website: http://www.naaf.org
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In 2010, suicide was the tenth leading cause of
death for Americans. That year, someone in the U.S. died by suicide every 13.7 minutes. At
least 90 percent of all people who died by suicide were suffering from a mental
illness at the time, most often depression. Among people who are depressed,
intense emotional states such as desperation, hopelessness, anxiety, or rage
increase the risk of suicide. People who are impulsive, or who use alcohol and
drugs, are also at higher risk.
In all age groups in the U.S., about 75 to 80
percent of people who die by suicide are male. However, females account for
about 75 percent of all non-fatal suicide attempts. This reflects the more
frequent use by males of firearms and other highly lethal suicide methods.
Females more frequently make suicide attempts using medications and other
poisons, increasing the opportunity to save their lives. As the use of firearms
as a suicide method has increased among females in recent years, we are seeing
a gradual increase in the percentage of suicide decedents who are female.
Sometimes, even close
friends or family members don’t know that their loved one is depressed. People
who are depressed don’t always act the way we expect they would. They may not
seem sad, tearful, or withdrawn. Men who are depressed may seem angry or
irritable rather than sad. Not all people who end their lives are depressed.
Some experience anxiety, are abusing drugs or alcohol, or have an eating
disorder. For teens, becoming physically aggressive or destructive, or
persistently breaking rules, is a risk factor for suicide.
Some suicides appear to
be impulsive or spur-of-the-moment, or may follow a very upsetting event. But
while we all go through painful experiences, suicide is not a normal response,
and only a small percentage of people react by taking their lives. Suicide
almost always results from the pain and desperation of a mental illness. When
researchers carefully examine suicide deaths through a "psychological
autopsy," they often find that the person had been suffering from an
unrecognized, untreated mental disorder, like depression or bipolar disorder.
Studies show that people do not start thinking about
suicide just because someone asks them about it. If you suspect a friend or
loved one is suicidal, tell them that you are worried and want to help them.
Don’t be afraid to ask whether they are considering suicide, and if they have a
specific plan in mind. Having a plan may indicate that they are farther along
and need help right away. Sometimes people who are thinking about suicide won’t
tell you so because they don’t want you to stop them. Your direct,
non-judgmental questions can encourage them to share their thoughts and
feelings. Regardless of their response, if you suspect that the person may be
suicidal,get help
immediately.
The above information is from the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSF).
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Suicide and its prevention.
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