Will You Have Another Autistic Child?

January 30th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Although great strides have been made with medical science when it comes to autism, what exactly causes autism still remains a great mystery. Everyone has their own ideas but no one theory has been proven to be the one true theory yet.

It is thought that perhaps there is a gene that makes a person more likely to develop autism. It may be that many people have the gene but only those who encounter an unknown environmental factor develop the disease. It is fairly well accepted in the medical community that there is a genetic link to autism. Not all children who have a genetic link in their family are going to be autistic, though.

Parents who are currently taking care of one autistic child may worry about getting pregnant again. They may not be sure if they will have another baby with autism or if they have a chance of having a “normal” baby. Just because they have an autistic child does not mean that their next child is going to be autistic too.

The risk of having a second child with autism is about 7 times greater than the risk of another person in society having a child with autism. That’s about 1 in 20 compared to 1 in 150. The risk is higher, yes, but that doesn’t mean it will happen to you.

It is possible that parents with bi-polar disorder or poor social, emotional and communication skills are more likely to have an autistic child. It doesn’t have to be just the parents though; it could be other close relatives.

Autism is more common in children who have other disorders including Tourettes, Fragile X syndrome and epilepsy. Also, children whose father was over 40 when they were conceived are more likely to be autistic. This increases their risks to six times that of other children whose fathers were much younger when the children were conceived.

There is no way to tell based on family history or medical history if parents will have an autistic child. There are children who you would think would be born autistic based on their genetic make-up who aren’t and those who have no genetic traits but are still born with autism. Not all children who fit the pattern for risk factors will be born autistic.

Scientists are learning more and more about autism every day. Soon, there will better treatments and therapies that will be a lot more effective and maybe we will even be able to prevent autism.

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What You Need to Know About Mammograms

January 26th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Mammograms aren’t all that much fun so a lot of women put them off and don’t get them on a regular basis. Women, especially those who are over the age of 40, need to educate themselves about the where, why and how often mammograms are needed.

Mammograms are done to look for lumps or other irregularities in the breasts that may go unnoticed otherwise. Mammograms are similar to X-rays. Often, the lumps are tested and turn out not to be dangerous at all. Mammograms are also fairly reliable in detecting cancerous growths. For women, mammograms are essentially their first line of defense when it comes to early detection of breast cancer.

Doctors do not all agree on the age at which you should start getting mammograms. Some doctors think that you should get them at a young age but mammograms are expensive and often women end up getting needless tests due to false positive results. The younger you are, the more likely mammograms are to find something that turns out to be nothing. The testing that happens then can be stressful and expensive.

Most doctors will tell you to start having a mammogram when you hit 40 to establish a base for doctors to compare to future mammograms. This allows doctors to notice small changes in your breasts. After your first mammogram, which should be before you turn 50 at the latest, you should have a yearly mammogram done or at least have one every other year.

There are some women who should get a mammogram at an earlier age. For instance, if you have a family history of breast cancer and your mother, grandmother or other close relatives have had breast cancer, you should get a mammogram earlier. Also, if your doctor detects any lumps in your breasts during a routine physical exam, she might suggest you have a mammogram earlier.

Digital mammograms are a new technology that takes the same pictures as regular mammograms but processes the images faster since the pictures are digital and not on film. While this is a great improvement, it doesn’t mean that you are not getting as good of a mammogram with a regular machine. One benefit of digital mammograms is that the pictures during surgery can be used to make more precise and accurate incisions during surgery.

Mammograms are only part of maintaining good breast health. All women should get regular breast exams from their doctor and do their own breast self-exam each month as well. If you’ve never done a self-exam before and don’t know how, ask your doctor and she will show you how to do it.

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Understanding Arthritis

January 6th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

We all either have experienced or know a loved one who has experienced problems with arthritis. The main symptom of arthritis is joint pain which can range from moderate to severe. What is confusing is why arthritis affects some people and not others.

Scientists really don’t understand what makes some people susceptible to arthritis while others don’t have problems with it at all. It is not something you can catch from another person like the common cold. A joint disorder, arthritis comes on slowly and can get worse with time. There are many different kinds of arthritis, all with slightly different causes.

Arthritis is associated with many different risk factors, and the more arthritis risk factors you have, the higher the chances of you developing arthritis. These may not be the sole cause of your problem but they contribute.

As you get older, your risk of developing arthritis gets higher. This is largely because your joints are aging and wearing, which may increase your symptoms. The natural aging of your joints and the damage that occurs may cause arthritis to progress faster than it would otherwise. Arthritis is common among older adults for this reason.

If you are overweight, you are at additional risk for developing arthritis. The extra weight that you carry puts stress on your joints, particularly the weight-bearing joints, and causes damage over time. Losing weight by dieting and exercise will lower your risk for developing arthritis.

If you have a sports injury or something similar, you may be at additional risk for arthritis. Your likelihood of developing arthritis also increases if you’ve previously injured a joint. Take care of any injuries that occur and make sure they heal properly.

There may be a genetic factor with arthritis so you may be at extra risk if you have a family history of the disease. People who have arthritis in their family, especially a close family member, may develop arthritis. If your parents have arthritis, for instance, you’re at risk of developing the disease, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have arthritis. You can lower your risk of developing arthritis later on by taking care of your body right now.

People who participate in athletics and sports are more likely to develop arthritis. This is partially because they are more likely to have joint injuries and other damage to their bodies. The science really only shows a slight connection, though, so it is not safe to assume that all athletes will develop arthritis. If you exercise safely and don’t put too much stress on your body, you should be fine.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is what almost all of us associate with the word arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a more severe form with many of the same symptoms but caused by different factors. With Rheumatoid arthritis, the damage to the joints is caused by your immune system attacking your body from the inside.

If you have arthritis, there is no magic cure. You can find out as much as you can about your condition and possible treatments, though.

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