Tourettes Syndrome
02/15/2010
Tourettes Syndrome
By Mike Mansell
Tourettes Syndrome was discovered by Dr. George Gilles de la
Tourette who first reported the condition in medical literature
in 1885.
Tourettes Syndrome is known to run in families, although there
are cases of Sporadic Tourettes Syndrome where there is no known
family link to the condition.
The condition tends to affect around three times more men than
women. It is caused by problems in the development of the
Central Nervous System (the brain and spinal cord) and often
becomes apparent around the age of 7 years old although it is
common for the symptoms to manifest themselves in early teenage
years as well.
There are two main symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome. These are
Physical Tics
This is where the patient of Tourettes suffers from either or a
combination of the following symptoms – facial twitches,
blinking, hand and foot movements.
Vocal Tics
The Tourettes Syndrome patient suffers from making involuntary
noises or sometimes words.
These symptoms caused by Tourettes tend to appear around the
age of 7 although they sometimes appear in older children. The
symptoms tend to be quite mild although that doesn’t stop them
from being quite embarrassing and often the patient can suffer
from bullying from other children.
In most cases, the symptoms from Tourettes Syndrome become a
lot less as time goes by. However, in a few cases, the symptoms
get worse as the patient becomes older. Sometimes, the physical
or vocal tics can interfere with the patients life to a great
deal.
It has been noted that stressful situations can make the
symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome a lot worse. Also, it is
important to know that the symptom where the sufferer
involuntarily keeps saying obscene words, is despite popular
belief quite rare.
We haven’t managed to discover exactly what causes Tourettes
Syndrome although there is a significant amount of research
going on in order to establish what causes this condition.
It is widely accepted that Tourettes runs in families, but we
don’t know exactly which genes cause the problem.
The condition itself, it is believed is caused by problems in
the development of the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal
cord). This involves the neurotransmitters. It is possible that
Tourettes is caused by the Central Nervous System developing in
an uneven way.
Because nobody knows exactly what causes Tourettes Syndrome, it
is very difficult to establish a generic method of treating this
condition.
Luckily, most sufferers of Tourettes Syndrome have symptoms
which are very mild so don’t require treatment of any sort.
However, for those who suffer from much worse symptoms, there is
some medication which will relieve the symptoms. However, there
isn’t a specific treatment which will treat everybody. For some
people one type of medication may work perfectly, but for
another patient, it may not be effective. As with most
medication, some of the side effects of these drugs may render
the benefits not worth it. Some of the side effects can include
weight gain.
For some patients, they find Psychotherapy useful. This
technique may not necessarily cure the patient of Tourettes
Syndrome, however, it is possible that this therapy may
substitute one tic for another which is more socially
acceptable.
Also, various relaxation techniques will reduce the patients
level of stress thus reducing the severity of the tics they may
experience.
Tourettes Syndrome can be a huge problem for the sufferer
although most cases do tend to be quite mild. We don’t know what
causes Tourettes Syndrome, although we do have some good
theories. Despite the fact that there is no known cure, there
are still some good treatments which in most cases can relieve
the symptoms or at least make them more manageable.
About the Author: For more information on Tourettes Syndrome
and to read more information on this condition from other
authors, please visit my site at
http://www.tourettes-syndrome.info
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=90923&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
By Mike Mansell
Tourettes Syndrome was discovered by Dr. George Gilles de la
Tourette who first reported the condition in medical literature
in 1885.
Tourettes Syndrome is known to run in families, although there
are cases of Sporadic Tourettes Syndrome where there is no known
family link to the condition.
The condition tends to affect around three times more men than
women. It is caused by problems in the development of the
Central Nervous System (the brain and spinal cord) and often
becomes apparent around the age of 7 years old although it is
common for the symptoms to manifest themselves in early teenage
years as well.
There are two main symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome. These are
Physical Tics
This is where the patient of Tourettes suffers from either or a
combination of the following symptoms – facial twitches,
blinking, hand and foot movements.
Vocal Tics
The Tourettes Syndrome patient suffers from making involuntary
noises or sometimes words.
These symptoms caused by Tourettes tend to appear around the
age of 7 although they sometimes appear in older children. The
symptoms tend to be quite mild although that doesn’t stop them
from being quite embarrassing and often the patient can suffer
from bullying from other children.
In most cases, the symptoms from Tourettes Syndrome become a
lot less as time goes by. However, in a few cases, the symptoms
get worse as the patient becomes older. Sometimes, the physical
or vocal tics can interfere with the patients life to a great
deal.
It has been noted that stressful situations can make the
symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome a lot worse. Also, it is
important to know that the symptom where the sufferer
involuntarily keeps saying obscene words, is despite popular
belief quite rare.
We haven’t managed to discover exactly what causes Tourettes
Syndrome although there is a significant amount of research
going on in order to establish what causes this condition.
It is widely accepted that Tourettes runs in families, but we
don’t know exactly which genes cause the problem.
The condition itself, it is believed is caused by problems in
the development of the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal
cord). This involves the neurotransmitters. It is possible that
Tourettes is caused by the Central Nervous System developing in
an uneven way.
Because nobody knows exactly what causes Tourettes Syndrome, it
is very difficult to establish a generic method of treating this
condition.
Luckily, most sufferers of Tourettes Syndrome have symptoms
which are very mild so don’t require treatment of any sort.
However, for those who suffer from much worse symptoms, there is
some medication which will relieve the symptoms. However, there
isn’t a specific treatment which will treat everybody. For some
people one type of medication may work perfectly, but for
another patient, it may not be effective. As with most
medication, some of the side effects of these drugs may render
the benefits not worth it. Some of the side effects can include
weight gain.
For some patients, they find Psychotherapy useful. This
technique may not necessarily cure the patient of Tourettes
Syndrome, however, it is possible that this therapy may
substitute one tic for another which is more socially
acceptable.
Also, various relaxation techniques will reduce the patients
level of stress thus reducing the severity of the tics they may
experience.
Tourettes Syndrome can be a huge problem for the sufferer
although most cases do tend to be quite mild. We don’t know what
causes Tourettes Syndrome, although we do have some good
theories. Despite the fact that there is no known cure, there
are still some good treatments which in most cases can relieve
the symptoms or at least make them more manageable.
About the Author: For more information on Tourettes Syndrome
and to read more information on this condition from other
authors, please visit my site at
http://www.tourettes-syndrome.info
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=90923&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
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