New research indicates there is a relationship between mitochondrial disease and autism. Although at this point, researchers are not sure if mitochondrial disease plays a role in the development of autism, or if the muscle weakness in a child with autism points to a genetic defect that causes mitochondrial disease. Mitochondrial disease results in muscles not getting the energy they need. This is because the mitochondria convert energy... more

Would you be surprised to learn that one out of every 278 children have Cerebral Palsy (CP)? CP is the most common cause of childhood motor disabilities. CP rates are higher among boys, black Americans, and low to middle-income families. The study looked at eight-year-old children in 2002 in three different states in the U.S. A problem in the brain causes CP. This problem affects children’s ability to control their muscles. The part of the body affected depends on where the problems are in the brain. While genetic conditions may cause cerebral palsy it can also... more

Prolotherapy is also known as proliferative Injection therapy, proliferation therapy, regenerative injection therapy, and nonsurgical ligament reconstruction. The treatment causes the proliferation, or growth and formation of new cells in the ligament tissue, in areas where it has become weak. It does this by causing localized inflammation, which increases the blood supply, and stimulates the tissue to repair itself. An irritant solution that may be corn or dextrose based is injected into multiple pain areas where... more

Reuters Health reported October 8, 2007 that 69 children in Nigeria are suffering from a Polio outbreak. Apparently, the World Health Organization (WHO) had provided Polio vaccines to some, but not all, of the children in a northern region of Nigeria. The people who received the oral polio vaccine excreted a mutated form of the virus that was able to infect the children who were not immunized. The virus thrives in areas with poor sanitation and spreads through facial and oral contact. WHO spokesperson... more

Our Super Dad has restless leg syndrome, but did you know that it is common in children and teenagers too. Our one-year-old adopted daughter constantly moves her legs in a running motion. When our daughter is sitting in the shopping cart, her car seat, and her highchair her legs are moving non-stop. Could our adopted daughter have restless leg syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) usually occurs in bed at the end of the day or while seated.... more

Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy is an inherited rare muscle disorder characterized by reduced subcutaneous fat pad thickness and increased muscle size with normal or increased muscular strength. Clinical symptoms depend on the amount of myostatin protein present. Some people are prevented from producing myostatin due to a mutation in the GDF8 gene.

Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy also known as muscle enlargement was first discovered in the late 1990s in beef cattle and mice. A German boy was diagnosed... more