Multimedia Multimedia Multimedia Damage, degeneration or loss of nerve cells in the part of your brain that controls muscle coordination (cerebellum), results in ataxia. Your cerebellum comprises two pingpong-ball-sized portions of folded tissue situated at the base of your brain near your brainstem. The right side of your cerebellum controls coordination on the right side of your body; the left side of your cerebellum controls coordination on the left. Diseases that damage the spinal cord and peripheral nerves that connect your cerebellum to your muscles also may cause ataxia. Ataxia causes include: For some adults who develop sporadic ataxia, no specific cause can be found. This is known as sporadic degenerative ataxia, which can take a number of forms, including multiple system atrophy, a progressive, degenerative disorder. Some types of ataxia and some conditions that cause ataxia are hereditary. If you have one of these conditions, you were born with a defect in a certain gene that makes abnormal proteins. The abnormal proteins hamper the function of nerve cells, primarily in your cerebellum and spinal cord, and cause them to degenerate. As the disease progresses, coordination problems worsen. You can inherit a genetic ataxia from either a dominant gene from … Continue reading →

image courtesy Sheila Kambin image courtesy Sheila Kambin From the first time Dr. Sheila Kambin laid eyes on her newborn son Aidan, she knew something wasnt right. Aidan had a sacral pita dimple on his lower backand low set ears. He was full term but weighed just 5 pounds and was sent to a neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) where he was evaluated for low platelet count, low blood sugar, problems with temperature regulation and feeding. He was never able to latch, but I never knew why, she said. At just 4 months old, Aidan had surgery to repair an inguinal hernia, a bulge in the abdominal muscles. He also had ligament laxity (loose ligaments), hammer toes, distinct facial features, long tapered fingers, and the uvula in the back of his throat was split into two. Kambin later learned Aidan had a submucous cleft palate, or a cleft palate covered by a membrane, the reason for his feeding troubles. Perhaps one of the most concerning symptoms to Kambin was that Aidan wasnt reaching his developmental milestones. We started to notice he was delayed by about 6 months on every single one of them, she said. His preschool teacher was also concerned. … Continue reading →

Hofit Golan broke her tibia and foot in a nightclub accident in 2011 She had a year of sticking to conventional treatment with limited success So took controversial holistic therapy at the Villa Medica clinic in Germany One of the few centres in the world to offer Fresh Cell Therapy It is a controversial technique that uses injection of embryonic stem cells from animals By Katie Nicholl For The Mail On Sunday Published: 16:16 EST, 25 October 2014 | Updated: 16:16 EST, 25 October 2014 17 shares 28 View comments For any woman who adores wearing heels, Hofit Golan, the Israeli-born socialite who has graced countless red carpets from Cannes to New York, offers a cautionary tale. Bizarre as it may sound, the 33-year-olds partying came to an abrupt halt after an accident in a nightclub involving her stilettos. And Hofits recovery is just as remarkable. After a year of sticking to conventional treatment with only limited success, it took a controversial holistic therapy to see her back on track and in heels again. Hofit Golan broke her tibia in three places and suffered a broken foot when a man landed on her in a nightclub See the original post … Continue reading →