Sleep Alzheimers Disease and Yoga

by Nina

Sun Behind Clouds by Melina Meza

One of the worst fears I think we all share about getting older is of developing dementia. Just recently I had a long phone conversation with a woman who is trying to deal with a mother in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and it was just so sad. I had some advice for her, but no solutions, of course. Then I heard a news piece on NPR “Brains Sweep Themselves Clean of Toxins During Sleep”  that gave me  glimmer of hope.

For a very long time, scientists have been trying to figure out the purpose of sleep. Now, a recent study “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain”  by University of Rochester researchers that was published in Science Magazine proposed a fascinating new theory about sleep. The researchers discovered that while you are asleep, your brain clears out harmful toxins! During sleep there is a dramatic increase in flow of cerebrospinal fluid in your brain, and this washes away the toxic waste proteins that built up in your brain when you were awake. Professor of Neurosurgery and an author of the study, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, said in the NPR interview, "It's like a dishwasher."

The researchers said that this cleansing process may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's because the waste proteins being washed away are toxic to brain cells. This potentially explains why it is hard to think clearly after you've had a sleepless night and why prolonged lack of sleep can actually kill people and other animals. According to the researchers, this cleansing of waste products during sleep maybe be the very reason we need to sleep! 

“Thus, the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.” Lulu Xie, et al.

Alzheimer's Disease researchers say this research could help explain a number of recent findings on the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer's. Dr. Randall Bateman, Professor of Neurology  at Washington University, said the following about beta amyloid (the main component of certain deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's Disease):

"Beta amyloid concentrations continue to increase while a person is awake. And then after people go to sleep that concentration of beta amyloid decreases. This report provides a beautiful mechanism by which this may be happening.”

The researchers discovered the cleaning process when they studied the brains of mice as they slept. Dr. Nedergaard said that during sleep the system that circulates cerebrospinal fluid through the brain and nervous system was "pumping fluid into the brain and removing fluid from the brain in a very rapid pace.” In addition, when the mice went to sleep, their brain cells shrank, which made it easier for the fluid to circulate. Then, when the mice woke up, their brain cells enlarged again and the circulation of fluid slowed dramatically.

The researchers speculated that the reason your brain doesn’t clean itself while you are awake is because this type of cleaning uses a lot of energy. So it's probably not possible for your brain to clean itself while at the same time it is keeping you aware of your surrounding and allowing you to move, talk, and so on. 

Now we already know that getting enough sleep is vital for our physical and mental health, but if the purpose of sleep is to wash our brains clean of toxins, getting enough sleep may also be a key to keeping your brain healthy and preventing Alzheimer’s Disease as you age.

But what does all this have to do with yoga? Well, if you’re having trouble sleeping, yoga can help with that. Because insomnia is so often related to stress, yoga’s stress management techniques can help you quiet your nervous system so you fall asleep more quickly and sleep more soundly. For  information on how yoga can help you sleep better, see Yoga for Insomnia, Part 1, Day to Night: Yoga for Better Sleep, and Five Tips for Better Sleep. The Supported Inverted poses I wrote about recently (see All About Supported Inversions) are poses that I've found particularly helpful.

We’re so careful here at YFHA not to make any false promises and of course as this research is new, we can’t promise that getting enough sleep will definitely make a difference for you. But encouraging you to get a good night’s sleep can’t be harmful in any way, and if this gives you more motivation to practice stress management techniques, which are helpful for preventing a whole host of health problems, we’re doing you a favor. And if you'd like to add an additional practices to encourage brain health, start meditating on a regular basis (see Meditation and Brain Strength) and keep practicing your yoga asanas (see Yoga for Brain Health?). 

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You and I must take responsibility to stop this Ebola ZIMBABWES RICHEST MAN SPEAKS ON THE EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE

From a heart with great concerns, not just for his nation or continent, but for the world he desires to see, a better place, Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe's richest man voices out on the issue of the Ebola Virus Disease, which has become a great threat to the continent of Africa, and even the world.

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which has broken through the coast and boundaries of five countries in Africa since its recent March outbreak, has become a household name, 'ebola', a 'terrifier' of the unprotected and threat to the yet-not-affected.

In his recent post on Facebook, Dr. Strive, as he's mostly called, compares the ignorant attitude of people towards the Ebola virus outbreak to that of the HIV/AIDs outbreak in Africa. He said, "I remember the ignorance, then the fear, the superstitions. I remember the lies, and the denials. Then, I heard about people who had died, then I knew people who had died, and soon it was my friends and my family. At the time, they said it was far, far away, in strange and remote countries of Africa. How can it come here, they asked? ...And so it spread.... We should not allow this to happen again!"

According to a BBC report, up to 23 October, 4,922 people had been reported as having died from the disease in five countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the United States. A further death has been reported in Mali.

Dr. Strive further writes to beseech all Africans, and the world at large to join him in the fight against ebola. He said,"We can stop the spread of this disease, but it requires each one of us. Yes, this is not a problem that is going to be solved by the United Nations, or the United States, or the Europeans. It can only be stopped by each one of us, acting as a global citizen. I say global citizen, because Ebola does not know borders, or race or age, or skin colour. It will kill anyone who gets infected; rich or poor, old or young. You and I must take responsibility to stop, this Ebola".

So far, the total number of reported cases is in excess of 10,000 and the World Health Organization (WHO) admits the figures are underestimates and warns there could be as many as 20,000 cases by November if efforts to tackle the outbreak are not stepped up. CDC experts have also predicted an upsurge to the rate of 1 Million Ebola Cases by January 2015.

The question to all is, what are you doing, in your 'capacity' to help contribute to bringing down the mighty wall of Ebola???!!!.

What is a Hand Foot Mouth Disease HFMD



A new epidermic disease involving the young children has arrived again at our doorstep in Malaysia.

This trend was detected for the last 02 consecutive years and apparently, it has started to come back again at this moment, incurring a fast increase of young children.





The following extract (see below) was taken from a local media (Sarawak Update) advising all clinics and hospitals to be on the alert ..................

[Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common illness of infants and children, caused by a virus. It most often occurs in children under 10 years old. It is characterized by fever, sores/ulcers in the mouth, and a rash with blisters. The blisters may appear in the mouth, palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The rashes may also appear on buttocks and on the legs and arms. The ulcers in the mouth usually appear on the tongue, the sides of the cheeks, gums or near the throat.

The most common causes of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease are coxsackie virus A16, enterovirus 71 (EV71) and other enteroviruses. The enterovirus group includes polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses and other enteroviruses.

HFMD begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise ("feeling sick"), and frequently a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. They are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days with flat or raised red spots, some with blisters on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. A person with HFMD may have only the rash or the mouth ulcers. 

Hand, foot and mouth disease is usually diagnosed based on a complete history and physical examination of your child. It is generally suspected on the appearance of blister-like rash on hands, feet and mouth in children with a mild febrile illness.

Usually, the doctor can distinguish between HFMD and other causes of mouth sores based on the age of the patient, the pattern of symptoms reported by the patient or parent, and the appearance of the rash and sores on examination. A throat and/or blister swab collected preferably within 2 days of onset of HFMD may be sent to a laboratory to determine which enterovirus caused the illness.

Presently, there is no specific effective antivirul drugs and vaccine available for the treatment of HFMD. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers. Dehydration is a concern because the mouth sores may make it difficult and painful for children to eat and drink. Should their affected children be having fever, the parents are advised to dress their children in light, thin clothing, to do tepid sponging with water (room temperature) as often as necessary, and to expose them under the fan. Taking enough liquids is very important apart from body temperature monitoring.

HFMD occurs mainly in children under 10 years old, but may also occur in adults too. Everyone is at risk of infection, but not everyone who is infected becomes ill. Infants, children, and adolescents are more likely to be susceptible to infection and illness from these viruses, because they are less likely than adults to have antibodies and be immune from previous exposures to them. Infection results in immunity to the specific virus, but a second episode may occur following infection with a different virus belonging to the enterovirus group.

Parents must make sure their children practice a good health care. Wash hand before having food, have shower after play outside and bring your children seek for doctor when they are ill. Be alert at all time in any circumstances and most important make sure our residential are clean].

Must Know Facts about The Chikungunya Disease

The Chikungunya disease, since its discovery has affected millions of lives. It is moving gradually from continent to continent and it keeps affecting more people as the day goes by. Much of this is owed to the fact that very little is known about this mosquito-marketing disease.

* The Chikungunya disease was first discovered in an outbreak that occurred in Tanzania, in the year 1952.

* Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by the chikungunya virus. Chikungunya virus is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae.

* Chikungunya disease is mosquito-borne. Its major vectors are two species of mosquito; the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These mosquitoes can carry the virus from an infected person after biting and transfer to a susceptible person during biting, and these mosquitoes operate mostly in day time.

* Symptoms of the Chikungunya disease include fever and severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea,
fatigue and rash (in some cases).

* Apart from Africa, outbreaks have also been recorded in continents like Asia and Europe. In recent decades, outbreaks have been recorded in India and north-eastern Italy. The most recent outbreak has now occurred in the U.S and the Caribbean, so indefinitely, Chikungunya can spread anywhere.

* It's not transmitted from human to human, though, in rare cases, it can be spread from mother to newborn. According to the CDC, theoretically it can be spread via blood transfusion, though this has never happened.

* The Chikungunya disease often doesn't lead to death, but due to the severe pain it causes at joints, it can lead to disability and the cause of death in older people.

* There is no known cure for the chikungunya disease. Treatments are only aimed at relieving its symptoms.

* The Chikungunya disease is a self-limiting disease, and infected people recover from it. Recovery from the disease varies by age. Younger people recover within 4 to 13 days; middle-aged people recover in 1 to 3 months. Recovery is longer for the elderly. The severity of the disease as well as its duration is less in younger people and pregnant women.

To know more about the Chikungunya disease, it's preventives measures, medications, etc, Read here...

What is Kennedys Disease

[Extracted from NINDS website]

What is Kennedy's Disease ?

Kennedy's disease is an inherited motor neuron disease that affects males. It is one of a group of disorders called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Onset of the disease is usually between the ages of 20 and 40, although it has been diagnosed in men from their teens to their 70s. Early symptoms include tremor of the outstretched hands, muscle cramps with exertion, and fasciculations (fleeting muscle twitches visible under the skin). Eventually, individuals develop limb weakness which usually begins in the pelvic or shoulder regions. Weakness of the facial and tongue muscles may occur later in the course of the disease and often leads to dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), dysarthria (slurring of speech), and recurrent aspiration pneumonia. Some individuals develop gynecomastia (excessive enlargement of male breasts) and low sperm count or infertility. Still others develop non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Kennedy's disease is an x-linked recessive disease, which means the patient's mother carries the defective gene on one of her X chromosomes. Daughters of patients with Kennedy's disease are also carriers and have a 1 in 2 chance of having a son affected with the disease. Parents with concerns about their children may wish to talk to a genetic counselor.


Is there any treatment ?

Currently, there is no known cure for Kennedy's disease. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Physical therapy and rehabilitation to slow muscle weakness and atrophy may prove helpful.


What is the prognosis ?

Kennedy's disease is slowly progressive. Individuals tend to remain ambulatory until late in the disease, although some may be wheelchair-bound during later stages. The life span of individuals with Kennedy's disease is usually normal.


What research is being done ?

The NINDS supports a broad spectrum of research on motor neuron diseases, such as Kennedy's disease. Much of this research is aimed at increasing scientific understanding of these diseases and, ultimately, finding ways to prevent, treat, and cure them.