Neurological Disorders: The New Epidemic

It seems that lately everyone knows someone who has a Neurological disorder. There is Alzheimer's disease, Autism, Bell's palsy, Cerebral Palsy, and Epilepsy. To name a few more; Huntington's Disease, Motor Neuron Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Tourette Syndrome etc. It seems as though everywhere you turn there is a special on television or a news article referring to such Neurological complexities. What has happened to cause such a rise in the incidence of health problems? Are we bringing the sicknesses on ourselves with our microwaves, cell phones and diesel trucks or has the medical profession gone completely wrong? It seems like only yesterday that the only fear one would have is that they may get the flu during flu season. Lately there seems to be a bigger focus on diseases and disorders that are hard, if not impossible to treat.

The microwave was introduced to us once before, only we wanted no part of it then. The reason people were leery about the microwave was because it was called a radar oven, as in radiation. Some time later, we were again introduced to the radar oven. The difference between then and now is that now it was called a microwave. They waited for a new generation of people to reintroduce this product with a new name. The new generation went for it unknowing of the previous fears of their elders. This is why the high incidence of Cancer in people seems so bizarre to me. It makes you start to question product safety and where all of this sickness is coming from. It could be the products and new technologies that make the World so much more convenient causing such health concerns but it could also be partly due to the overuse of prescription drugs.

There also seems to be a prescription for everything. Unfortunately many of the prescriptions also cause side effects. Some of the side effects are so minute that we never even realize we are having them. The effect is a chain reaction of people who are continuously in need of health care. "I am writing you a prescription for Alavert to take care of your allergies." The problem with this is that many people fill the prescriptions without a word. We trust our healthcare providers and we think that they would be aware if the medications are not safe. We trust them not to give us anything that would be harmful. The problem with this scenario is that many times the Doctor's are not aware of certain side effects. So you're taking this medication successfully and 2 years later you discover you have liver failure. You assume that it can not be the medication because you never felt any side effects. What some people don't realize is that you will not always feel the side effects of a drug that is harming you. This is the reason pharmaceutical companies are held responsible during so many lawsuits. The medical profession is curing your ailment yet keeping you sick so you will return for more treatment. It is all about the almighty dollar. In no way am I encouraging you to skip your Doctor's appointments or stop taking your medication. Some medication is necessary to certain people. The question is, how far is too far? The guidelines of our laws seem to be stretching more and more each day. Money is becoming so powerful that millions of people are put at risk each day in order for people to make more of it.

It remains a mystery why there is an epidemic of sicknesses but I guess everyone has their own theories and suspicions. I just hope that we find out what is causing all of the Neurological complications in so many people before it is too late.

Statistics:

In the elderly the incidence of Parkinson disease was 9.5 per 1,000 people.
Some 4.5 per 100,000 Americans have a new spinal cord injury each year.
Slightly four out of every 100,000 Americans have Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS).
101 of every 100,000 Americans have a traumatic brain injury yearly.
183 out of every 100,000 people suffer a stroke each year.
Almost more than 7 per 1,000 people have epilepsy.
Close to 6 out of every 1,000 children have autism.
Nearly more than 2 out of every 1,000 children have cerebral palsy.
There wasn't enough data to give an estimate for Tourette syndrome.