Distal spinal muscular atrophy type 1 is an ailment that has no permanent cure. It is an inherited condition that begins in infancy and is characterized by muscle weakness that ultimately results in respiratory failure.
Distal spinal muscular atrophy type 1 is often diagnosed between the ages of six weeks and six months; the child diagnosed with this condition, unfortunately, doesn’t survive for more than two years owing to the respiratory issues it faces. This condition arises when the child inherits two copies of a broken gene from each parent, and this broken gene acts as a hindrance in allowing the body to create proteins, without which the cells controlling the muscles die. Children diagnosed with distal spinal muscular atrophy are often at risk of developing further complications, and the very fact that the condition doesn’t have positive prognosis is indicative of its severity.
As mentioned earlier, distal spinal muscular atrophy type 1 cannot be cured. However, certain steps can be taken to ensure that the child diagnosed won’t face a lot of predicament.
- Choose the best for your child
You have to come to terms with the fact that your child would not be leading a normal life like other children, and would require constant medical attention. In case of emergencies or even otherwise, you need multidisciplinary care for your child, and for this purpose, you need to put together a team of professionals who specialize in neuromuscular conditions, dietetics, physiotherapy, palliative care, respiratory medicine, and a pediatrician. This ensures that your child receives the best possible treatment. - Breathing aids
Children diagnosed with distal spinal muscular atrophy type 1 face difficulties in breathing, and this is quite fatal. So, it is imperative that you seek appropriate respiratory management to provide comfort and reduce the impact of the complications arising out of muscle weakness. For this purpose, you can opt for chest physiotherapy suction that is instrumental in removing secretions in the baby’s body or opt for medications to reduce the distress caused by breathlessness. Also, parents can choose non-invasive ventilation with a mechanical ventilation to manage acute infection or night-time hypoventilation, which is known to cause extreme discomfort to the child.
Choosing the right respiratory management technique requires the parents to be patient and to explore every option available. - Seek a nutritionist’s advice
Distal spinal muscular atrophy type 1 interrupts with the child ability to chew and swallow, and this leads to malnutrition since the child cannot eat properly. Babies who cannot swallow their food are at a higher risk of inhaling their feed into the chest, thereby resulting in chest infections. So, the baby can be fed through a nasogastric tube, a nasojejunal tube, or a gastrostomy tube. The decision to choose the method of feeding rests solely upon the parents and the child’s comfort quotient.
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Risk factors of alpha lipoic acid supplements
Read moreAlpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant made naturally in the body. It is supposed to work best for never damage. In fact, this anti-oxidant has been used widely all over Europe for more than 50 years. Diabetes is one of the other conditions that can be treated with alpha lipoic acid, especially type 2 diabetes. Alpha lipoic acid is highly consumed through supplements. It can also be consumed through various fruits and vegetables. Along with the number of benefits that it has, alpha lipoic acid also has a few risk factors. Let us look at some of the risk factors below:
- Side effects: Side effects aren’t very easy to find around alpha lipoic acid supplement. There are very few cases that have been recorded for side effects. The common side effects include nausea, dizziness, or a rash. Irritation of the skin is another side effect that can be caused by topical alpha lipoic acid.
- Risks: If you are facing any condition related to diabetes, you should consult a doctor before intaking alpha lipoic acid. This is needed as alpha lipoic acid is known to lower the blood sugar to a large extent. Your doctor will suggest checking your glucose levels regularly when you are on the supplements. A thiamine deficiency, found in alcoholics and people suffering from anorexia, or thyroid problems can also be risk factors for alpha lipoic acid supplements. Apart from these, if you have any medical issue, you must consult your doctor before taking up alpha lipoic acid supplements.
- Interactions: If you are already taking supplements and medications provided by the doctor, you must consult them before you start taking alpha lipoic acid supplements, interaction with other supplements can be fatal to your health. Chemotherapy drugs can also lose their effect if you take alpha lipoic acid supplements along with them. Like mentioned before, it can also cause trouble to your health if you take them along with diabetes medication. IT could also be troublesome if you take them with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, tranquilizers, vasodilators used for heart disease or high blood pressure). Drugs for osteoarthritis are another pattern of medication that can cause trouble if paired with alpha lipoic acid supplements.
- Safety: There is no clear evidence of the safety of alpha lipoic acid supplements. Thereby making it a dangerous supplement for women and children. It is not recommended for women who are pregnant and lactating mothers.
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Benefits of ingredients used in a slow cooker recipe
Read moreSlow cooking tends to bring out the flavor in most meat cuts and even vegetables. Often the subtle benefits of slow cooking go unnoticed and people only see it as a cheap and easy alternative to traditional methods, like baking and frying. Slow cooker recipes do not require a lot of supervision, wherein all the ingredients simmer over low heat to be ready in four or five hours. This also reduces the risk of burning or overcooking the ingredients. But there are more benefits of slow cooking, which can be divided across the various ingredient that go in the recipe. Be it your pot roast or chicken stew, the traditional recipes can be easily modified for slow cooking.
Health benefits of slow cooking pot roast: One of the main advantages of cooking over a low flame is that the ingredients used in the recipe, retain their nutritional value which might be otherwise lost in traditional roast, oven or grill recipe. Slow cooked beef or meat not only retains the flavor, but also manages to absorb all the nutrients from the other ingredients and vegetables that complement the recipe in the broth. Vital minerals, vitamins, nutrients, amino acids which are all beneficial for maintain the overall body heath are preserved this way. Tough cuts of meat used in the recipe are also low in fats, which help cut down the overall fat and calorie content. These tough meats can be prepared only in a slow cooker to yield the best possible results.
Health benefits of slow cooking chicken: Slow cooking chicken over time prevents cancer causing toxins to develop which are a high chance in other traditional methods. Grilling and other methods produces glycation from burnt meats, which is the toxic reaction. Slow cooking does not allow the toxins to develop since the meat is cooked over a low flame and chances of overcooking or burning the meat, is the least of your concerns. Slow cooked recipes are beneficial for overall heart health as the main amino acid taurine, which is responsible for cardio vascular health is preserved this way.
The other advantages include minimum use of processed ingredients and foods which can be beneficial for the overall health. Processed foods contained considerable amounts of sodium, fat, calories which will only add to the overall carbohydrate and calorie count in the recipe. Using all natural ingredients or organic ingredients, which can be easily substituted in a slow cooked recipe for readily available ingredients and canned foods ensures a healthy recipe.