Typically, during a 24-hour day, people have periods of sleep and periods of wakefulness but for people living with narcolepsy, periods of sleep are not consolidated – meaning they experience excessive sleepiness during the day and often have trouble sleeping at night – which results in them missing out on continuous, restorative sleep that often makes one feel refreshed.

A disrupted sleep cycle can mean a disrupted life. During the day, excessive daytime sleepiness can mean missing out on work, school, and time with family and friends. Because this condition is misunderstood, or mistaken for other conditions, those with narcolepsy often also experience delays in receiving a proper diagnosis and treatment.

For those who have been diagnosed, fortunately there are treatments available to help manage symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy – two hallmark and disruptive symptoms of narcolepsy. People can also take an active role in managing their sleep-wake cycle by tracking their sleep patterns to help give them and their doctor a better picture of their days and nights to help spot trends and make changes accordingly.

Dr. Asim Roy, M.D. will help bring awareness to the impact of narcolepsy and offer insights on treatment options. He is joined by Katie who has narcolepsy and will share her experience with the condition and how it’s affected her life.

Interview is courtesy: Avadel Pharmaceutical

#narcolepsy #sleep

The post Wake Up to The Disrupter Affecting Thousands of Americans: NARCOLEPSY, The Condition That Affects Sleep Cycles, World Narcolepsy Day is September 22 appeared first on Good News!.

Just as you may not run as fast or jump as high as you did as a teenager,your brain’s cognitive power—that is, your ability to learn, remember, and solve problems—slows down with age. You may find it harder to summon once familiar facts or divide your attention among two or more activities or sources of information. These changes affect your ability to focus, so you may find yourself getting more easily distracted than you were when you were younger.Hearing loss that often accompanies aging makes it more difficult to distinguish speech in a noisy environment. Because hearing then requires more concentration than usual, even mild loss of the ability to focus can affect speech comprehension.

Most people start to notice changes as they enter their 50s and 60s. Although these changes can cause consternation, most age-related memory and thinking problems don’t stem from an underlying brain disease such as Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, what appears to be a memory problem may simply reflect a slower processing speed and poor encoding and retrieval of new memories as a result of diminished attention. However, even though your brain may be slower to learn and recall new information, your ability to make sense of what you know and to form reasonable arguments and judgments remains intact.

Many of these limitations are reversible and related to poor sleep, but structural changes that take place in your brain as you age can explain some of these developments, too. Brain regions involved with memory processing, such as the hippocampus and especially the frontal lobes, undergo anatomical and neurochemical changes over time.

The result is that as you age, it takes longer to absorb, process, and remember new information. The natural loss of receptors and neurons that occurs with aging may also make it harder to concentrate. Therefore, you not only learn information more slowly, but you also may have more trouble recalling it because you didn’t fully learn it in the first place. With slower processing, facts held in working memory may dissipate before you have had a chance to solve a problem.

In addition, the ability to perform tasks that involve executive function declines with age. Many people learn to compensate for these changes by relying on habit most of the time and devoting extra effort to focus on new information they are trying to learn.

Even the aches and pains of getting older can affect focus. Pain itself is distracting, and some of the medications used to treat it also can affect concentration.

For more information on conquering distractions and finding focus, check out Improving Concentration and Focus, an online guide from Harvard Medical School.

The post How aging affects focus appeared first on Good News!.

Bulletin of the Department of Health of Canada: Please tell your family, family and friends

The upper respiratory infection that affects China today is quite serious. The virus that causes it is very potent and resistant to existing antibiotics.

(The virus is not a bacterial infection, therefore, it cannot be treated with antibiotics).

The prevention method now is to keep the throat moist, not let the throat dry. Therefore, do not contain thirst because once the throat membrane dries, the virus will invade your body in 10 minutes. Drink 50-80cc of warm water, 30-50cc for children, depending on age. Every time you feel your throat is dry, don’t wait, have water in your hand. Don’t drink much at once since it doesn’t help; instead, keep your throat moist. Until the end of March, do not go to crowded places, wear the mask as necessary, especially by train or public transport.

Avoid fried or spicy foods and load vitamin C.

The symptoms / description are:

1. Repeated high fever.
2. Prolonged cough after fever.
3. Children are more prone.
4. Adults generally feel uncomfortable, with a headache and mainly with respiratory diseases.

This disease is highly contagious. Let’s keep praying and wait for more news about the infection.

Please share

#coronavirus #health #family #friends #drink #water #china #infection #affects #serious #virus #potent #resistant #antibiotics #bacterial #respiratory #treated #throat #body #age #feel #dry #moist #mask #public #transport #fried #spicy #vitamin #fever #cough #headache #praying

The post Updated as of February 27, 2020. Coronavirus, Bulletin of the Department of Health of Canada: Please tell your family and friends appeared first on Good News!.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Parkinson’s, which is characterized by a loss of certain nerve cells in the brain that regulate functions like motor control, affects about one million people in the U.S. and millions more globally. It is the second most common progressive neurological disorder and research shows prevalence in the U.S. is increasing.

Parkinson’s symptoms can be challenging to diagnose. And even once diagnosed and put on baseline Parkinson’s treatment, many people with Parkinson’s experience a return of their symptoms between doses, bringing a new meaning to “feeling off.”

For these people, these fluctuations between periods when symptoms are controlled – known as ON periods – and periods when symptoms return – known as OFF periods or OFF episodes, can be very disruptive. During OFF periods, people with Parkinson’s are left with restricted or uncontrolled movement, reducing their mobility. A 2014 survey of more than 3,000 people with Parkinson’s conducted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation found that nearly two-thirds of participants reported having more than two hours of OFF time per day.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, so it’s the perfect time to learn more about the condition, including the importance of speaking up and having effective conversations with your doctor.

Today, treatment options exist for people with Parkinson’s who experience OFF periods, including Bob Harmon, who was diagnosed 13 years ago. On March 27, 2019, Bob will share his personal story, including his participation in a clinical trial for one of these treatments, which was recently approved by the FDA. He will be joined by his neurologist, Dr. Robert Hauser, Director at Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Tampa, who can discuss the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and OFF periods, as well as ways to help manage them.

Bob and Dr. Hauser can also explain why it’s important to speak up about how you are feeling and get involved with efforts that may help others and yourself if you are living with a health condition.

When you book a window, we’ll provide you with guest bio & suggested questions.

Interview is courtesy: Acorda Therapeutics

The post SPEAKING UP WHEN SOMETHING FEELS “OFF” ABOUT YOUR HEALTH appeared first on Good News!.

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Thanks Jason Senders, Good News Sports Producer for suggesting this important and “life affirming”  Good News Story.

Thanks to ESPN for broadcasting the draft and the NBA for doing such a honorable gesture.

Special thanks to Isaiah for inspiring so many with your positive conviction for making the most out of  our lives.

Early years

Austin was born October 25, 1993 in Fresno, California to Ben and Lisa Green. His family later moved to Arlington, Texas where he grew up and attended Grace Preparatory Academy.

High school career

Austin attended Grace Preparatory Academy. As a senior, he averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks a game. This lead him to his second straight Fort Worth Star-Telegram Super Team Player of the Year. Austin participated in the 2012 McDonald’s All-American Game, 2012 Adidas Nations and the 2012 Jordan Brand Classic. In the McDonalds All-American Game, he recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists to lead the West to victory. In the Jordan Brand Classic, he recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to again lead the West to victory. He was named to the ESPNHS All-American Elite second team and was the nations no. 3 recruit according to ESPN.

College career

In his freshman season at Baylor, Austin was named to the 2013 All-Big 12 third team and the Big 12 All-Rookie team. On April 4, 2013, he recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals in the NIT championship game in which Baylor defeated Iowa 74–54. In 35 games (all starts), he averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game.

In April 2013, he declared for the 2013 NBA draft, but later returned to Baylor due to a shoulder injury.

In his sophomore season, he was named to the 2014 Big 12 All-Defensive team. In 38 games, he averaged 11.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 3.1 blocks in 28.0 minutes per game.

On April 22, 2014, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

On June 21, 2014, Austin learned that he had been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. In an emotional interview with ESPN‘s Holly Rowe, Austin said that he could no longer play basketball at a competitive level since there was too much risk of his heart rupturing. In response, NBA commissioner Adam Silver invited Austin to attend the draft as his guest. Shortly after Austin’s diagnosis was made public, his agent revealed that Austin had taken out an insurance policy against career-ending disability through a special NCAA program. The amount of the policy was not disclosed, but the agent stated that it was at least $1 million. The policy would not have paid out if his career had ended due to the aforementioned shoulder injury or his eyesight, but is expected to pay out due to his Marfan diagnosis.

Personal

Austin is blind in his right eye from an injury he sustained in middle school. He had kept the injury a secret, known only to his teammates and close friends until January 17, 2014.

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