First paralyzed human treated with stem cells has now regained his upper body movement

A young man lost control of his car on a slippery road, it slammed into a tree and a lamp post. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a hospital bed. Doctors told his parents that he may never be able to function from neck down again.

The young man was offered the potentially life changing procedure, involving stem cells, which have the capability to repair the injured nervous tissue through replacement of damaged nerve cells. The experimental procedure did not guarantee any restoration to his paralysis, but he felt the risk was worth taking.

The process began in April 2014, when the doctor injected 100 million ACT-OPC1 cells directly into his  cervical spinal cord. The Dr. explained that typically spinal chord injury patients undergo surgery that stabilizes the spine but does very little to restore motor and sensory function. With this study, we're testing procedure that may improve neurological function, which could mean the difference between being permanently paralyzed and being able to use one's arms and hands. Restoring that level of function could significantly improve the daily lives of patients with severe spinal injuries.

After a mere 3 weeks of the therapy, the patient started showing signs of improvement and within 2 months he could answer the phone, write his name and operate a wheelchair. He had regained significant improvement in his motor functions, which are the transmissions of messages from the brain to the muscle groups to create movements.

He recovered 2 spinal chord levels which made a huge difference in his movement abilities. It was the difference between minimal movement or none at all and being able to function on his own. He regained the incredibly important aspect of independence.

After seeing the results of stem cell therapy, he was bowled over, saying " All I've wanted from the beginning was a fighting chance---- But, if there's an opportunity for me to walk again, then he was willing to do anything possible to do that."

Although, doctors are not able to make any promises that his condition will further improve, they can keep experimenting with stem cell research to try and improve the likelihood of it working fully on paralysis.

So far, they've made huge steps and will hopefully continue to do so in their quest to solve paralysis, by teaming with other researchers to study stem cell driven mew medicine. The doctors are determined to keep researching stem cells and much more.

Stem cell research is ongoing and can be used in many ways other than paralysis, for Parkinson's, diabetes and to cancer.

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First Aid Facts You Need to Know

Quite often we meet with some injuries or someone known to us suffer from injuries. While some injuries do merit an immediate ambulance ride, there are countless others that can be helped with a few simple precautions taken before the professionals arrive. Even if you went through some first aid training in your younger years, chances are that you're probably in need of a refresher. Rediscover these 10 basic first aid skills:

 

1. Relax a muscle cramp

If you've ever experienced a muscle cramp, you know just how painful they can be. The best way to resolve the issue is to gently massage and stretch the affected muscle group, rest and drink water, or ideally, an electrolyte-filled sports drink to calm your muscles. 

2. Be extra cautious about spinal injuries

With any first aid injury that involves a head or neck injury, be extra wary of moving the victim. Especially if you did not witness the injury, or you are not sure if a spinal injury has occurred, assume that it did and encourage the person to stay as still as possible until medical professionals arrive, stabilizing the head and neck if necessary. 

 

3. Treat a sprain

If you've fallen or injured yourself during a sports activity, you may end up with a swollen sprained ankle or wrist. If this occurred for you, follow the RICE method: Rest (sitting down and not exerting yourself), Ice (apply an ice pack to your injury for 15 to 20 minutes at a time), Compression (using an elastic bandage to reduce swelling, but not wrapping it too tightly) and Elevation (keeping it lifted above your heart, particularly at night). This should be enough to help you recover. If not, seek medical treatment. 
4. Heal a bruise
If a blow or some kind of impact causes blood vessels to burst near the skin's surface, it can look unsightly and hurt badly. More often than not, leaving it alone to heal is sufficient, but if you're looking to speed up the healing process, follow the same strategy as above, using the RICE method. If the bruising persists, consult a doctor. 

5. Splint a broken bone

If a more serious injury occurs, like breaking an arm or leg, stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling using ice, and call for medical assistance as soon as possible. You should also find a way to immobilize the injured appendage using a makeshift splint. To do this, simply roll up newspaper, or use a ruler or solid branch, and attach it to the arm or leg using tape or rope. The goal is to hold the appendage in place to avoid any further pain or damage. 
6. Deal with a larger object stuck in the eye
If you've been struck by an object with rough edges, or one that contains chemicals, makes it hard to close your eye, or which remains stuck after taking those basic first aid steps, then be sure to seek medical treatment. Bandage the eye with a clean gauze and restrict movement. If the object is in another person's eye, cover their uninjured eye as well to prevent the affected eye from moving before you head to the doctor. If there's a large object in the eye, cover it with a paper cup to keep it from moving and get to the hospital. 

7. Treat shock

Shock creates a sudden drop in blood flow through the body which can result from blood loss, trauma, poisoning, severe burns, or a wide range of other injuries or ailments, and is generally accompanied with symptoms such as rapid breathing or a racing pulse. If someone is suffering from shock, elevate their legs and feet slightly, loosening tight clothing and checking for any bleeding or other more serious injuries. 
8. Deal with a severe cut
A little cut that requires a band-aid is no big deal. But when you get a more serious wound, you need to go through a couple of steps. Firstly, rinse the wound and apply pressure using a sterile gauze or clean cloth. If the blood soaks through, then apply another bandage on top of the first one. Raise the injured part of the body to slow the bleeding and continue to apply pressure until the bleeding stops. 

9. Relieve heat exhaustion

If you have been hiking for several hours in the sun and suddenly start feeling faint or ill, you could be suffering from heat exhaustion. The best solution would be to rest in a cool place, ideally, an air-conditioned building, with your legs elevated higher than your heart. Be sure to drink cool fluids, loosen any tight clothing and take a cold shower. If that doesn't work, seek medical attention. 
10. Handle heatstroke
If someone's body overheats, they may get hit by heatstroke, which may cause all kinds of nasty side effects, including nausea and vomiting, fast breathing and an altered mental state. Those suffering from heat exhaustion should be moved to a cool place and immersed in cool water, a cold or even icy bath should be helpful, or pack them in a cooling blanket until medical professionals can be reached. 

11. Refresh your first aid kit

You hopefully have a first aid kit around the house with a handful of bandages and ointments. If you have one be sure that you've got all the items recommended by the American Red Cross, including tweezers, an instant cold compress, and non-latex gloves. 
12. Deal with dehydration
Dehydration tends to be very common, but it is often misunderstood. Dehydration is caused by not replacing both the water and salt that make up a sizable amount of our bodies. It can cause a wide range of symptoms, from headaches to muscle cramps, to dark-colored urine. Rehydrating is an immediate way to help counter the effects of dehydration, but also consider having a sports drink to help replenish electrolytes. Letting dehydration persist for too long can cause you to break out in a fever, or develop a rapid heartbeat or low blood pressure, in which case you should seek medical attention. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       
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Headache - 5 Types Which Are Most Common!

Headaches are a big headache. While it is okay to have a one-off pain in the head, a constant nagging headache is not good. It is, however, one of the most common medical problems and can affect a person’s social life, school/office work, and overall quality of life. The pain in the head is caused by a problem in the nerve supply, blood supply, muscles, or other tissues in the brain/head region.
There are various reasons for a headache and the most common ones are listed below along with some measures that you make take to cure a headache.

1)Tension headaches

Tension headaches, the most common type, feel like a constant ache or pressure around the head, especially at the temples or back of the head and neck. Not as severe as migraines, they don't usually cause nausea or vomiting, and they rarely halt daily activities.

Over-the-counter treatments, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen (Tylenol), are usually sufficient to treat them. Experts believe these may be caused by the contraction of neck and scalp muscles (including in response to stress), and possibly changes in brain chemicals. 

 

2) Sinus headaches: Sinusitis of any of the 4 sinuses in the head region is accompanied by a headache. The exact location of the headache can depend on the sinus affected, but there is also fever, heaviness in the head, breathlessness and congestion. During an attack, the patient is usually given antibiotics to get rid of the infection along with decongestants to clear up the airway.

 

3)Rebound headaches

Overuse of painkillers for headaches can, ironically, lead to rebound headaches.

Culprits include over-the-counter medications like aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), as well as prescription drugs.

One theory is that too much medication can cause the brain to shift into an excited state, triggering more headaches. Another is that rebound headaches are a symptom of withdrawal as the level of medicine drops in the bloodstream. 

 

4) Migraines: Usually running in families, migraines are characteristic in being one-sided, throbbing pain that is associated with sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and vomiting. These can last from 4 to 72 hours and can be preceded by an aura. People with migraines, after some trial and error, identify the best medication that works for them and use it when the aura sets in. They should also avoid light and sound if they are sensitive. 

 

5) Cluster headaches: These headaches occur in cycles or clusters and hence the name. Often one-sided, the patient will also have congestion, watery eyes , and runny nose on the same side as the pain. Regular pain medications are again the most commonly used mode of management.

 

There are multiple other forms of headaches caused by spinal disorders, caffeine intake, menstrual cycles, chronic cough, hangovers, tumours of the head/face/neck, encephalitis, meningitis, post traumatic episodes, temporal arteritis, etc.

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While most headaches are self-limiting, if there are associated symptoms like increased frequency, blurring of vision, seizures, stiff neck, fainting, coordination issues, then further investigation is immediately warranted. These could be indicative of a more serious condition like a stroke or internal hemorrhage and need immediate attention.

SOME DO'S AND DON'TS FOR THE SPINE

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.
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We never think twice about the way we cause injuries to our spine. Spine is one of the most important part of our body, due to which we're not only able to stand erect, but also as it carries nerves to various parts of our body due to which we've sensations. Any injury to spine can be very harmful to us for the rest of our lives. So, listed below are some of the ways by which we can take care of our spine better

1.  Carrying shopping bags: It is always best to distribute our shopping loads in two bags, so the weight can be equally distributed. So, best to carry each bag in a hand, so there is equal balance of load. This makes sure, there is no additional burden on the spine.
   
2.  Cleaning the floor: While cleaning the floor, it is best to use a mop or bend our knees and squat to clean the floor, bending down from the trunk to do any cleaning is putting too much pressure on the spine.
3. Tying up shoe laces: Never bend down to tie shoe laces, it is better to sit comfortable to tie the shoe laces, as repeating bending down only damages the spine. Or, lift your leg to a comfortable position, so it is easier to tie the laces, as you don't have to bend down much.
4. Washing vessels: No one likes to wash vessels, but one can't escape it either. Especially for all those tall people, if your sink is low, best keep a stool at knee level, on which you can rest your knee alternately, so there is less pressure on your spine.
5. The washbasin: In most countries, the wash basin is quite low, so tall people have to bend a lot to wash their teeth. So, try resting a hand on the sink or the wall, so that the pressure on the spine reduces.
6.  Office/school bags: It is real dread to be a school kid these days, as the load a little child carries in the name of school bag is really atrocious. Added to that, the poor child has to carry their lunch boxes, water bottle too. To reduce the load on the spine , make sure that the child carries the bag in both the shoulders. This rule also applies to office-goers, as they carry a heavy laptop, their lunch and snacks boxes along with water bottle, so kindly don't carry your bag over one shoulder, make sure to wear both the straps over both shoulders to lessen the burden on the spine.
   
7.  Sitting at a stretch:  Sad that most people spend long hours sitting down at work or at home, which again is an added stress on the spine.So, best to take short breaks in between each hour to go to drink some water, or just to stretch oneself, to be kind to the spine.
8.  Bad mattress and pillow: When we retire for the day, our aim is to get good rest for the body. But often, when the mattress or pillow is not comfortable, we end up feeling tired with back ache or neck sprain. Always make sure that both your mattress and pillow are comfortable, neither too soft nor too hard to give you good rest at night. In case you've any problem, kindly consult your physician.