Childhood Vaccinations

The "trend" some parents are following to not vaccinate their children in the United States is a scary thought. Some may be doing this for religious reasons or may be recent immigrants, while others think it is healthier and believe vaccines can cause harm. There has been a spreading belief that vaccines can cause autism in children. There have even been suspicions that the CDC has hidden data that proved a link between autism and certain components of vaccines (Source).  Supporters of not vaccinating believe that as childhood vaccination schedules increased, rates of autism also increased. This was disproved when the suspected component that caused autism was removed from vaccines and rates did not decrease.

There is no evidence that links vaccines to autism. 

On a side note, people think of autism as such an awful thing that they would risk their children’s lives in other ways to "prevent autism".  I can’t help but mention Temple Grandin is autistic and amazing (I’m a huge fan). But still, vaccinations don't cause this. 

Recently researchers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered direct evidence that autism results from disrupted cortical layers during pregnancy (Source). This is a video of the overview of their findings. 

There are many diseases that are easily prevented by vaccines. Measles was previously eliminated from the United States and now outbreaks have been occurring. Not only are you putting your child at risk but you are also putting others at risk of preventable diseases. Polio is another well known disease that 100 years ago was still very prevalent in the U.S. as a former president, FDR, was crippled from. It has been irradiated in the U.S. but could return if children are not vaccinated. 

It would be a huge step backwards in terms of health for individuals to continue to jump on the anti-vaccination bandwagon.

KR

Brucellosis

This week I wasn’t sure what to write about so it is a little random. With that aside, yesterday I was watching the news and a story about a ranch owner in Nevada came up. The Bundy Ranch has been grazing its cattle on federal land for over years. Bundy claims that the land had been used in his family for gazing for decades. The government recently round up hundreds of his cattle and “impounded” them. Protesters and supports for the Bundy Ranch gathered and many were held back with tazers by police officers. Bundy is using to his defense stating, why is it now that the Bureau of Land Management is stepping in and taking away his cattle when he has been grazing there for 20 years. 

Source

This news story reminded me of a disease I learned about last spring. Brucellosis is a disease caused by a type of bacteria. It can be transmitted by eating undercooked meat or drinking unpasteurized dairy products. (Drinking unpasteurized milk is typically more of an issue in developing countries but some choose unpasteurized methods because they think it is more natural. Well bacteria are natural and can be very harmful when ingested.) Cows are one type of carrier for this disease and their milk can be contaminated as well. 

This bacteria can also be inhaled or transmitted through wounds and mucous membranes. People who work in slaughterhouses, with animals, and meat-packaging factories are at highest risk. I have weirdly remembered this disease because my teacher had noted it could be also be found in barn dust. We have owned horses and cattle so it instantly stuck. Realistically it is more often than not found in countries that do not have effective domestic animal health programs. It is not a huge health topic that is talked about but if untreated it can lead to serious health problems. 

KR  

Allergy Season

Every year around this time, many start suffering from the dreaded allergy symptoms. With the warmer weather comes those yellow clumps of doom, also known as pollen. Studies tend to find that different regions of the United States have different sensitivities to certain allergens. One study found that in the western parts of the US the sensitivities are higher for grass and ragweed while the east have higher sensitivities to molds (Source). Whether an individual lives in a rural or urban area also makes a difference for types of allergies. I found this website that shows different maps for different types of pollen allergies. This is currently the level of sensitivity to tree pollen in the US. 

Source

Around 40 million Americans suffer form allergies. An allergy is the body’s oversensitivity to something that is harmless. Sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion, and a runny nose are some of the ways the body tries to get the allergen out. Seasonal allergies are hard to avoid for most because no one wants to stay inside all day. 

There are many factors that go into the pollen allergies within a city including: wind, rainfall, humidity, temperature, pollution, and the type of trees (Source). One example is a town in the mountain area where pollen does not tend to be as bad. There is usually a high population of evergreen trees that have heavy pollen. The heavy pollen falls to the ground faster and does not get inhaled as easily. Cities near the ocean tend to have low pollen counts because of the wind.  In places near lakes on the other hand, the humidity levels may be high which can result in more pollen (Source). 

There has even been a list made of the top 10 worst cities for seasonal allergies (Source). This is determined by the pollen count in the area, the number of prescriptions prescribed, and other factors. 

10. Baton Rouge, Louisianan 

9. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

8. Memphis, Tennessee

7. Dayton, Ohio

6. Wichita, Kansas 

5. Louisville, Kentucky 

4. McAllen, Texas

3. Chattanooga, Tennessee

2. Knoxville, Tennessee

1. Jackson, Mississippi 

KR

Caffeine

Coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate are some of the ways that people intake caffeine every day. Personally I enjoy coffee and tea in large amounts. I started drinking coffee in high school and have not been able to/ don’t want to stop drinking it. I’m definitely addicted and would not think of tackling a Monday morning without it.  

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug and has a high rate of dependence. Regular caffeine drinkers know that it is needed to feel normal for the day. There is no evidence that moderately consuming caffeine can be seriously harmful. For some it can cause jitters or headaches, while others it may prevent jitters or headaches.  

There are some studies that show that caffeine can cause reproductive effects such as miscarriage. It also may increase the risk of heart issues if consumed in high amounts. Caffeine consumption may lead to other issues due to the way it is consumed. Soft drinks and energy drinks tend to have large amounts of sugar and other not so great ingredients in them. When consumed on a regular basis, it can be a factor in weight gain and other health problems. 

One article talks about the increase intake of caffeine for kids. Today kids are consuming more soda, coffee, and energy drinks than ever before. It is estimated that around 73% of children are consuming caffeine every day (Source). If kids are addicted to caffeine at a young age, they are most likely only going to increase their intake of it as they get older. 

KR

It's not brain surgery...

Over Christmas break, I was helping my grandfather transfer pictures from his camera to his new computer and make new folders for them. Then he wanted to know how to email those pictures to the family. He is 80 something years old and one of the smartest people I know. He remembers everything he reads, can speak many languages, yet computer technology is like another universe for him. He would ask me the same questions over and over. After we were done he told me he was having problems with short term memory. Then I thought... uh oh!

Well it turns out he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The big mystery is what causes the disease. As it is ranked in the top 10 leading causes of death which makes the search for the cause a major concern. There is a number of factors that are suggested to play a role in it form genetics to lifestyle choices. 

The disease involves the part of the brain dealing with memory, language, and thought. It is a form of dementia where the disease starts out mild and symptoms worsen with time. Although it is hard to tell what causes the disease, scientists have an overall understanding of what is going on to cause the memory loss. With the disease, the normal communication between nerve cells in the brain is impaired. Nerve cells started to die which results in the brain shrinking overtime. The brain of those with Alzheimer’s disease also has an abnormal number of plaques, or clusters of protein fragments that group together, blocking nerve cell communication. Tangles, which are collapsed and twisted proteins inside a cell, are also found to lead to death of nerve cells. (Source)

Photo Source

It seems as if everyone knows someone who has been affected by Alzheimer's disease these days. While it may seem like rates of this disease are increasing in the population, it may also be due to better diagnosis of the disease. The disease most often begins in individuals over the age of 60 and the rate of risk increases with age. (Source)  

KR

Chromosome 15

Over spring break I ventured to Charleston, SC for the first time with a friend. Just as I had been told a million times, it was absolutely gorgeous. One morning we went to a restaurant that was known for its day long brunch along with its endless mimosas. I’m not sure how we got on the subject but somehow we started talking to our waitress about where she was from. She was a recent grandmother of two children and one was just diagnosed with Angelman syndrome. None of us were familiar with the term so of course I had to look it up when I got back. 

Angelman syndrome is a genetic disorder that was named after Dr. Harry Angelman who was the first to describe several children as having similar characteristics in 1965. The children were all described as having jerky movements, were speechless, suffered from seizures, and had excessive laughter. He originally named the children as “puppet children” after seeing a piece of art titled “A Boy with a Puppet” that reminded him of the children. The Angelman name was attributed to the symptoms in the 80s after it was compared to Prader-Willi syndrome. A problem in the maternally derived chromosome 15 results in Angelman syndrome while a problem in the paternally derived chromosome 15 results in the similar Prader-Willi syndrome. 

Source

Genetic epidemiology has grown since the human genome project. It is now a little easier to determine the number of individuals who have genetic disorders that may have been improperly diagnosed in the past. In North America, most known Angelman syndrome cases are of those of Caucasian descent but the exact incidence rate is not known. There is an estimated prevalence of children and young adults with Angelman syndrome between 1/10,000 and 1/20,000. The unknown may be due to the fact that children are not diagnosed until development issues appear or misdiagnosed with autism or other syndromes. (Source) 

KR 

"Dallas Buyers Club"

On Sunday, Matthew McConaughey walked away with an Oscar for “Best Actor in a Motion Picture” for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. 

For anyone who has not seen this movie, it is based on a “true story” of Ron Woodroof’s  diagnosis of AIDS in 1986 and the events following. In the film he is a "homophobic" Texan who contracts HIV/AIDS from unprotected sex with a female drug user. His friends shun him, because at the time HIV/AIDS was largely associated with the gay community. His doctors give him 30 days to live, but he lives for 6 years after finding a drug in Mexico. He starts smuggling in non-FDA-approved drugs from Mexico and other countries to treat others. The Dallas buyers club was a club you could pay money to join to get these drugs. 

Whether you like or dislike Matthew McConaughey or the film in general, it does a good job of showing the Hollywood version of stigma that was attributed to HIV/AIDS in the 80s. Even though the movie may misrepresent the LGBT community during the time, the film still portrays issues that HIV/AIDS patients may have suffered. 

HIV is most commonly transmitted through sex or sharing of needles in drug use. It can also be transmitted from mother to child or any contact with infected blood or certain fluids. So why was there such a stigma with HIV/AIDS in the United States to begin with? Many of the first cases in the US were found in men who contracted it from having sex with other men. This started the belief that this was the only way it could be spread. In the early 80s it was even termed GRID or gay related immune deficiency.

I am a loyal fan of Grey’s Anatomy despite the fact that not all the medical references are correct. But there was an episode that touched on the topic of HIV/AIDS in the 80s. 

In the United States today, the records are set straight for how HIV/AIDS is obtained but too many believe it could never happen to them. Some individuals can have and spread the virus for years without knowing they have it due to its incubation period or ability to notice signs of a decreased immune system. Due to advances in medical technology there are antiviral drugs that one can take to prolong the HIV period and prevent AIDS. There are even some cases of individuals being "cured" or HIV free for several years without medication. These cases were only in adults and one infant who had early detection and treatment. (Source)


KR