What is Parkinsons?
Parkinson’s disease:
Par·kin·son's disease (pärˈkĭn-sənz)
noun
Parkinson’s is a life-altering, but not a life-threatening condition.
Parkinson’s (disease) is a neurological condition associated with the destruction of dophine producing brain cells affecting the brain’s ability to control physical movement, such as walking, talking and writing.
There is currently no known cause or cure, but research is taking place around the world to develop ways to better diagnose the condition, improve symptom management options and ultimately, find a cure. With support, information and appropriate symptom management strategies, people with Parkinson’s can enjoy long and productive lives after diagnosis.
Parkinson’s affects different people in different ways and symptoms can vary. One of the most commonly known symptoms is shaking or trembling in part of the body, such as hand or leg (experienced by approx 70%). Other symptoms include slowing of movement and/or stiffness of muscles making daily action difficult, poor balance, difficulty speaking and sleep
disturbance. Medication can help ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s, however symptoms will progress over time.
An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are currently living with PD.
The incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50, with men being one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson's than women.
What is Cancer?
The dictionary term for Cancer is:
1. Pathology .
a. A malignant and invasive growth or tumor, esp. one originating in epithelium, tending to recur after excision and to metastasize to other sites.
b. Any disease characterized by such growths.
2. Any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively.
How about a slightly more descriptive term using language we don’t need a medical degree to decipher:
Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
Cancer is not just one disease, but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.
According to GLOBOCAN, a project developed by the World Health Organization, in 2008 an estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million deaths occurred worldwide. It is projected that these figures will not decline but increase to almost 21.4 million new cases diagnosed annually in 2030 and that there will be over 13.2 million deaths.
