Parkinson’s instability

One of the most important signs of Parkinson’s is postural instability, a tendency to be unstable when standing upright. A person with postural instability has lost some of the reflexes needed for maintaining an upright posture, and may topple backwards if jostled even slightly. Some develop a dangerous tendency to sway backwards when rising from a chair, standing or turning. This problem is called retropulsion and may result in a backwards fall. People with balance problems may have particular difficulty when pivoting or making turns or quick movements.

Doctors test postural stability by using the “pull test.” During this test, the neurologist gives a moderately forceful backwards tug on the standing individual and observes how well the person recovers. The normal response is a quick backwards step to prevent a fall; but many people with Parkinson’s are unable to recover, and would tumble backwards if the neurologist were not right there to catch him or her. Steven Cavellier shared this information on his website.

Source: http://www.stevencavellier.com/parkinsons-instability

Tennis Elbow Diagnosis

• In taking your medical history, the doctor may ask you questions about your activity level, occupation, recent recreational activities, medications, and other medical problems.
• During the physical exam, your doctor will feel your elbow and possibly other joints. Your nerves, muscles, bones, and skin are also examined.
• X-ray images may be required if the symptoms suggest another problem in the elbow joint.
• Nerve studies may be needed to look for entrapment of the radial nerve in the elbow joint (radial tunnel syndrome) if your symptoms continue despite aggressive treatment.
• It is unlikely your doctor will need to perform blood tests, a CT scan, or an MRI to make the diagnosis, but these may be used to rule out other conditions in certain cases.
  
  
  
  
  Steven Cavellier shared this information on his website.

Source: http://www.stevencavellier.com/tennis-elbow-diagnosis

Parkinson’s Progression

The progression of Parkinson’s disease varies among different individuals.  Parkinson’s is chronic and slowly progressive, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over a period of years.  Parkinson’s is not considered a fatal disease. And the way that it progresses is different for everyone:

• Movement symptoms vary from person to person, and so does the rate at which they progress.
• Some are more bothersome than others depending on what a person normally does during the day.
• Some people with Parkinson’s live with mild symptoms for many years, whereas others develop movement difficulties more quickly.
• Nonmotor symptoms also are very individualized, and they affect most people with Parkinson’s at all stages of disease.  Some people with Parkinson’s find that symptoms such as depression or fatigue interfere more with daily life than do problems with movement. Steven Cavellier has shared this information on his website.
  
  
  Source: http://www.stevencavellier.com/parkinsons-progression

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Symptoms: People with dementia with Lewy bodies often have memory loss and thinking problems common in Alzheimer’s, but are more likely than people with Alzheimer’s to have initial or early symptoms such as sleep disturbances, well-formed visual hallucinations, and slowness, gait imbalance or other parkinsonian movement features.

Brain changes: Lewy bodies are abnormal aggregations (or clumps) of the protein alpha-synuclein. When they develop in a part of the brain called the cortex, dementia can result. Alpha-synuclein also aggregates in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, but the aggregates may appear in a pattern that is different from dementia with Lewy bodies.

The brain changes of dementia with Lewy bodies alone can cause dementia, or they can be present at the same time as the brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease and/or vascular dementia, with each abnormality contributing to the development of dementia. When this happens, the individual is said to have “mixed dementia.” Steven Cavellier has shared this information on his website.

Source: http://www.stevencavellier.com/dementia-with-lewy-bodies

Health Tips For Weight Loss and Well Being

Some foods Steve Cavellier buy often:

- potatoes / sweet potatoes (the ones grown in the US are my favorite) 
- pumpkin
- rice 
- quinoa 
- oats 
- sliced bread (kept in freezer)
- pasta (regular and/or rice / corn pasta)
- cereal 
- beans (black / kidney)
- chickpeas 
- hummus
- corn / rice cakes 
- almond / rice milk 
- sauces (tomato basil / arrabbiata / curry)
- frozen berries (for smoothies, oatmeal…)
- brazil and walnuts on occasion 
- dark chocolate on occasion 

Fresh veg:

- bell peppers
- cucumber
- tomatoes
- mushrooms
- broccoli 
- lettuce 
- spinach (nice for smoothies)
- zucchini 
- celery
- corn 
- avocado

Fresh fruit:

- apples
- oranges 
- lemon
- watermelon (when in season)
- pineapple 
- bananas / dates (only on occasion as too many break my skin out) 
- berries 
- grapes 
- cranberries

Golden Silk Orb Weaver

Steve Cavellier has shared a video of Golden Silk Orb Weaver here.

Source: http://stevencavellier.blogspot.com/2017/01/golden-silk-orb-weaver.html

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the daytime. These sudden sleep attacks may occur during any type of activity at any time of the day.

In a typical sleep cycle, we initially enter the early stages of sleep followed by deeper sleep stages and ultimately (after about 90 minutes) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. For people suffering from narcolepsy, REM sleep occurs almost immediately in the sleep cycle, as well as periodically during the waking hours. It is in REM sleep that we can experience dreams and muscle paralysis — which explains some of the symptoms of narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy usually begins between the ages of 15 and 25, but it can become apparent at any age. In many cases, narcolepsy is un-diagnosed and, therefore, untreated. Steve Cavellier has 20 years experience in health education field. 

Source: http://www.stevecavellier.com/narcolepsy