Today's post from sciencedaily.com (see link below) is the third part of a series from the same source providing readers with explanations and information about many of the medical terms they hear when researching neuropathy, or sitting in the doctor's surgery and talking about it. Today it explains the word 'Myelin' and gives related definitions of other words associated with the workings of myelin. When the myelin sheath is damaged that can be one of the main causes of neuropathy and your pain. Worth following the links if you have the time. Other posts about myelin can be found to the right of this blog.
Science Daily via Wikipedia
Myelin is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons.
It is an outgrowth of glial cells: Schwann cells supply the myelin for peripheral neurons while oligodendrocytes supply it to those of the central nervous system.
The main consequence of a myelin layer (or sheath) is an increase in the speed at which impulses propagate along the myelinated fiber.
For more information about the topic Myelin, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Axon — An axon, or nerve fiber, is a long slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body ... read more
Neuron — Neurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that function to process and ... read more
Action potential — An action potential is a wave of electrical discharge that travels along the membrane of a cell. Action potentials are an essential feature of animal ... read more
Sympathetic nervous system — The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The ... read more
Nervous system — The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and ... read more
Gate control theory of pain — The gate control theory of pain, put forward by Ron Melzack and Patrick Wall in 1962, is the idea that physical pain is not a direct result of ... read more
Sensory neuron — Sensory neurons are nerve cells within the nervous system responsible for converting external stimuli from the organism's environment into internal ... read more
Multiple sclerosis — Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis) is a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system ... read more
Stem cell treatments — Medical researchers believe that stem cell treatments have the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering. A number of ... read more
Brain — In animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the control center of the central nervous system. In most animals, the brain is located in the head, ... read more
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/m/myelin.htm
Today's post from sciencedaily.com (see link below) is the second part of a series from the same source providing readers with explanations and information about many of the medical terms they hear when researching neuropathy, or sitting in the doctor's surgery and talking about it. Today it explains the term 'chronic pain' and gives related definitions of other words associated with this level of pain. People are often confused by the term chronic pain and aren't sure of the difference between that and ordinary or severe pain, especially in relation to neuropathy. Worth following the links if you have the time.
Science Daily via Wikipedia
Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer.
It is now defined as pain that persists longer than the normal course of time associated with a particular type of injury.
Chronic pain is essentially caused by the bombardment of the central nervous system (CNS) with nociceptive impulses, which causes changes in the neural response.
The pain subsequently provokes changes in the behavior of the patient, and the development of fear-avoidance strategies.
As a result, the patient may also become physically atrophied and deconditioned.
However, it is important to remember that chronic pain is multifactorial, with the underlying biological changes affecting physical and psychosocial factors.
For more information about the topic Chronic pain, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Fatigue (physical) — Fatigue is a state, following a period of mental or physical activity, characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of ... read more
Laryngitis — Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds (vocal ... read more
Multi-infarct dementia — Multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia, is a form of dementia resulting from brain damage caused by stroke or transient ischemic ... read more
Cluster headache — Cluster headaches are rare, extremely painful and debilitating headaches that occur in groups or clusters. Cluster headache sufferers typically ... read more
Pain — Pain's an unpleasant sensation which may be associated with actual or potential tissue damage and which may have physical and emotional components. ... read more
Tension headache — Tension headaches, which were recently renamed tension type headaches by the International Headache Society, are the most common type of headaches. ... read more
Drug addiction — Drug addiction, or substance dependence is the compulsive use of psychoactive drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to ... read more
Back pain — Back pain (also known as "dorsopathy") is pain felt in the human back that may come from the spine, muscles, nerves, or other structures in the back. ... read more
Analgesic — An analgesic (colloquially known as painkillers) is any member of the diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain and to achieve analgesia. This ... read more
Blister — A blister or bulla is a defense mechanism of the human body. It consists of a pool of lymph and other bodily fluids beneath the upper layers of the ... read more
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/c/chronic_pain.htm
Today's post from sciencedaily.com (see link below) is the fifth part of a series from the same source providing readers with explanations and information about many of the medical terms they hear when researching neuropathy, or sitting in the doctor's surgery and talking about it. Today it explains how the 'spinal cord' works and gives related definitions of other words associated with its importance in the body. Worth following the links if you have the time. 
Science Daily via Wikipedia
The spinal cord is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column (it passes through the spinal canal).
It consists of nerve cells.
The cord conveys the 31 spinal nerve pairs of the peripheral nervous system, as well as central nervous system pathways that innervate skeletal muscles.
For more information about the topic Spinal cord, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Peripheral nervous system — The peripheral nervous system or PNS, is part of the nervous system, and consists of the nerves and neurons that reside or extend outside the central ... read more
Central nervous system — The central nervous system (CNS) represents the largest part of the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. Together with the ... read more
Motor neuron — In vertebrates, motor neurons (also called motoneurons) are efferent neurons that originate in the spinal cord and synapse with muscle fibers to ... read more
Sensory neuron — Sensory neurons are nerve cells within the nervous system responsible for converting external stimuli from the organism's environment into internal ... read more
Sympathetic nervous system — The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The ... read more
Phantom limb — Phantom limb is a phantom sensation in amputated or missing limbs. A phantom sensation is a feeling that a missing limb is still attached to the body ... read more
Nociceptor — A nociceptor is a sensory receptor that sends signals that cause the perception of pain in response to potentially damaging stimulus. Nociceptors are ... read more
Spina bifida — Spina bifida describes birth defects caused by an incomplete closure of one or more vertebral arches of the spine, resulting in malformations of the ... read more
Nervous system — The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and ... read more
Parasympathetic nervous system — The parasympathetic nervous system is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes called the rest and digest system, the ... read more
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/spinal_cord.htm
