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Have you been waiting for Steven's book, Of Course You Can! to be available in a printed version? Wait no longer! The Second Edition is now available in print . The book is longer, containing additional content to help you build your business. And while you're there, you can explore some of Steven's digital art works. |
NarcolepsyGreetings Herbalife Distributors, I hope you enjoyed our last newsletter on Ulcerative Coltis. Do you know you can make a 20% commission by referring other Herbalife Distributors to Herbacall? To sign up as an affiliate, go here. Herbacall.com is the only website created specifically for Herbalife distributors. It's a great source of information, resources, testimonials, recipes, and advice to help you grow your business. It also comes with a fully functional Forum to share stories with the rest of the Herbalife community.Do you have an idea for the next newsletter? Would you like to share a story, recipe, or testimonial with your fellow distributors? Register at www.herbacall.com for more information.Have a great day! Steven List, Founder
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. Rarely, people who have this disorder fall asleep suddenly, even if they're in the middle of talking, eating, or another activity. Most people who have narcolepsy also have trouble sleeping at night. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, regardless of the circumstances. Narcolepsy can cause serious disruptions in your daily routine. Some people mistakenly attribute symptoms of narcolepsy to depression, seizure disorders, fainting, simple lack of sleep, or other conditions that may cause abnormal sleep patterns. Narcolepsy is a chronic condition that doesn't go away completely. Although there's no cure for narcolepsy, medications and lifestyle changes can help you manage the symptoms. And talking to others — family, friends, employer, teachers — can help you cope better with narcolepsy. Sources:
The cause of narcolepsy is not known. Some experts think narcolepsy may be due to a deficiency in the production of a chemical called hypocretin by the brain. In addition, researchers have discovered abnormalities in various parts of the brain involved in regulating REM sleep. These abnormalities apparently contribute to symptom development. According to experts, it is likely narcolepsy involves multiple factors that interact to cause neurological dysfunction and REM sleep disturbances. Most people who have narcolepsy have low levels of hypocretin. This is a chemical in the brain that helps control levels of wakefulness. What causes these low hypocretin levels isn't well understood. Researchers think that certain factors may work together to cause a lack of hypocretin. These factors may include: · Heredity - Some people may inherit a gene that affects hypocretin. Up to 10 percent of people who have narcolepsy report having a relative with the same symptoms.· Infections· Brain injuries due to conditions such as brain tumors or strokes.· Contact with toxins, such as pesticides.· Autoimmune disorders - These are conditions in which the body's immune system attacks the body's healthy cells. An example of an autoimmune disorder is rheumatoid arthritis.Heredity alone doesn't cause narcolepsy. You also must have at
least one other factor, such as one of those listed above, to
develop narcolepsy. Sources: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute:
The main narcolepsy symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness (with or without sudden sleep episodes) and abnormal REM sleep, Several unusual symptoms of narcolepsy are related to abnormal REM sleep, including hallucinations, sleep paralysis and cataplexy (loss of muscle control). Cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle control) is the sole unique symptom of narcolepsy. Each person with narcolepsy may experience very different
symptoms and sometimes the only symptom they can report on is
extreme daytime tiredness, which may make it hard to diagnose
narcolepsy. Other narcolepsy symptoms include: · Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS): In general, EDS interferes with normal activities on a daily basis, whether or not a person with narcolepsy has sufficient sleep at night. People with EDS report mental cloudiness, a lack of energy and concentration, memory lapses, a depressed mood, and/or extreme exhaustion.· Cataplexy: This symptom consists of a sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to feelings of weakness and a loss of voluntary muscle control. It can cause symptoms ranging from slurred speech to total body collapse depending on the muscles involved and is often triggered by intense emotion, for example surprise, laughter, or anger.· Hallucinations: Usually, these delusional experiences are vivid and frequently they are frightening. The content is primarily visual, but any of the other senses can be involved. These are called hypnagogic hallucinations when accompanying sleep onset and hypnopompic hallucinations when occurring during awakening.· Sleep paralysis: This symptom involves the temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up. These episodes are generally brief lasting a few seconds to several minutes. After episodes end, people rapidly recover their full capacity to move and speak.Sources:
There is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications and lifestyle modifications can help you manage the symptoms. Medications include: · Stimulants - Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system are the primary treatment to help people with narcolepsy stay awake during the day. Modafinil (Provigil), a newer stimulant, isn't as addictive and doesn't produce the highs and lows often associated with older stimulants. Some people need treatment with methylphenidate (Ritalin) or various amphetamines. Although these medications are effective, they may cause side effects, such as nervousness and heart palpitations, and can be addictive.· Antidepressants - Doctors often prescribe antidepressant medications, which suppress REM sleep, to help alleviate the symptoms of cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis. These medications include tricyclic antidepressants such as protriptyline (Vivactil) and imipramine (Tofranil) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem) and sertraline (Zoloft).· Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) - This medication controls cataplexy in people with narcolepsy. Sodium oxybate helps to improve nighttime sleep, which is often poor in narcolepsy. In high doses it may also help control daytime sleepiness, even though you take it only at night. However, because the use of this drug has been associated with serious side effects, such as trouble breathing during sleep, sleepwalking and bed-wetting, it's strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.If you have other health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, ask your doctor how medications for existing conditions may interact with those taken for narcolepsy. Certain over-the-counter drugs, such as allergy and cold medications, can cause drowsiness as a side effect. If you have narcolepsy, your doctor will likely recommend that you avoid taking these medications. Medications to treat narcolepsy can help reduce your signs and symptoms, but they can't alleviate them entirely. Lifestyle changes also are an integral part of treating narcolepsy. Sources:
· Peggy Turnbough tells Herbacall, "I have had narcolepsy since I was in high school, over 20 years ago. I was diagnosed with it 8 months ago. They started to put me on all sorts of medication. I had terrible side effects to all of them. Finally, they ended up putting me on Ritalin. It seemed to help my daytime sleepiness, however it totally changed my personality. I became very edgy, angry and tense all the time. I couldn't take it any longer, so I stopped taking it. I decided that being tired all time was better than how the Ritalin affected me. I started the Herbalife Ultimate Green Program in May. WOW!!!! What a difference! It's like I don't even have Narcolepsy. I now feel like I've wanted to feel my whole life. No more naps! These products are truly amazing. Thank you. Thank you.”· Want more information and more Herbalife testimonials?
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