Missing Child in a Store? Where to Look First!
If your child goes missing in a store, the first place you should look is probably not where you’d think.
Where was the first place Adam Walsh’s parents searched when the 6-year-old child went missing at a mall Sears store on July 27, 1981?
They spent two hours searching inside the store for their missing boy, and then they called the police, say reports such as from nbcnew.com.
Reve Walsh wasn’t looking away from Adam for long by the time she returned to the toy section to retrieve him and saw that he was missing.
This scenario is actually common:
Parent “looks away for just a few minutes,” and then the child goes missing. If it turns out the child was abducted (lured away by a predator), it’s very fair to speculate that a mother dramatically increases her chances of catching the predator in the act — if she dashes towards the store’s nearest exit, which is likely where the predator is heading — victim in tow.
Or maybe the parent will spot the predator and her child outside walking towards his car, which again, puts her in a position to thwart the abduction.
Parents who worry about their child going missing in a store or mall should know the location of the nearest exit at any given time.
I asked Robert Siciliano, a personal safety and security expert, where is the first place a parent should look in a store if that’s where a child goes missing.
“As a parent, I’d go directly to the front of the store, near the entrance, so I can watch the door,” explains Siciliano, CEO of Safr.Me.com.
“Customer service is usually near the front as well. Bring it to the attention of customer service and they will bring it to security. Usually a code goes out on a PA alerting employees to be on the lookout.”
In the Walsh case, the PA system summoned him by name. Preceding that, however, while his mother was frantically calling out for him in the toy section and asking nearby shoppers if they’d seen him, those crucial minutes were apparently being used by the predator to whisk Adam outside to his vehicle.
What person, who abducts a child, lingers inside the store with the victim?
They usually have it all planned out. The moment they have gained the child’s trust, they lead him or her towards the nearest door to the parking lot.
Once the child is out there, while the frantic parents are searching inside the store, it’s a done deal.
Siciliano says that, if his own child went missing in a store, after alerting the security there, he’d give his mobile number to the store manager and look outside.
When children go missing in stores and then later turn up murdered or never found, one has to wonder if the abduction process could have been intercepted in at least half these cases, had the parent immediately bolted out the nearest exit.
It’s inconceivable that a perpetrator, once he has the child’s hand, would continue hanging out inside the store or mall, knowing full well that a search is in progress.
“And there’s nothing wrong with causing a little scene to get other parents to be on the lookout too,” says Siciliano. “I’ve done it myself.”
This can be done while the parent rushes towards the exit — hollering out that someone possibly kidnapped their child.
Usually, when a child goes “missing” inside a store, they’re located safe and sound inside the building, having innocently wandered off.
But no parent spends the rest of their lives regretting that years ago, they had created a scene “for nothing” inside a store, bolted outside and searched the parking lot for a stranger with their child.
Robert Siciliano is a private investigator fiercely committed to informing, educating and empowering people to protect themselves and their loved-ones from violence and crime — both in their physical and virtual interactions.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Sources:
nbcnews.com/id/28257294/#.UmoSrnCor20
trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/child_abduction/9.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28257294/#.UmoSrnCor20http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28257294/#.UmoSrnCor20
Crohn’s Disease: Early vs. Long-Term Symptoms
“Crohn’s is the inflammation of the intestine, from mouth to anus, usually in the small or large bowel – or both,” says gastroenterologist Sander R. Binderow, MD.
“Some patients have anal Crohn’s or Crohn’s of the stomach; however, that is very rare,” adds Dr. Binderow, who’s with Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery.
This disorder is an inflammatory bowel disease that is actually associated with an increased risk for colon cancer.
Microscopic colitis is also an inflammatory bowel disease, but is not associated with an increased risk of any kind of cancer. Microscopic colitis is often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome.
“Crohn’s presents as a diarrheal-type illness, where the large intestine lining is inflamed, and with Crohn’s, there is not as much blood,” says Dr. Binderow.
“Patients tend to be ill, where they lose a significant amount of weight, do not eat and have a loss of appetite.”
If you think these symptoms sound like those of colon cancer, you are correct.
Long-term Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
“Long-term symptoms can include a stricture, which causes abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, narrowing of the colon and fistulas,” says Dr. Binderow.
If you’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, you should be vigilant about colon cancer screening.
You can begin this with Cologuard, a non-invasive way to screen for colon cancer.
It’s a test that you take at home. Using the latest in DNA technology, Cologuard identifies precancerous cells.
If your test result comes out positive for this, your next step should be a colonoscopy.
Dr. Binderow performs minimally invasive, robotic and laparoscopic surgery for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and other colorectal conditions. Adept at routine procedures, he also sees patients with complex, atypical maladies.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Zetar Infinity
Constant Need to Burp: Most Likely Cause
A GI doctor explains what the most likely cause is if you constantly need to burp.
The important thing to note here is if frequent burping is your only symptom, rather than it’s also accompanied by (not necessarily at the exact time that you burp) concerning symptoms such as abdominal pain, blood in the stools, unexplained weight loss and undue fatigue.
So let’s say that lately, you just seem to be burping a lot, but otherwise feel as healthy as ever.
“Most people talk while they eat, which leads to burps and farting,” explains gastroenterologist Sander R. Binderow, MD, FACS, FASCRS, with Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery.
“There is a possibility of a small bowel obstruction if a person is burping, but in that case the patient would be more concerned about the pain they are experiencing and would go to the doctor for that obvious symptom rather than burping alone.
“It is possible a patient could be burping more often if they suffer from reflux; however, most times if the symptom of burping is the only one that the patient is experiencing, they are likely talking more while they eat.”
Have you been going out to dinner more frequently, and hence, talking more while you eat? Try not to gulp air as you take in food or drink beverages.
What if you don’t talk when you eat, yet you’re still frequently burping?
Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
It’s entirely possible that you’re still swallowing excessive air as you eat and drink — especially if you’re a fast eater.
But what about the question, Can excessive burping actually be a symptom of cancer?
Yes, it can. In this article, Dr. Maxwell Chait explains what kinds of cancer can cause this seemingly innocuous symptom.
What about colon cancer? If you’ve been experiencing a lot of burping lately, chances are extremely unlikely that this is being caused by cancer of the colon.
However, other GI symptoms can be caused by this disease, such as abdominal pain, constipation, blood in the stools (which may appear dark, not necessarily red), unexplained fatigue and unintentional weight loss.
By the time symptoms of colon cancer begin presenting, the disease has spread beyond local confines. That’s why it’s so important to be screened for it.
Cologuard
You can start with Cologuard, a non-invasive home test that utilizes state-of-the-art DNA technology to identify abnormal cells.
If you have abnormal cells, the next step is a colonoscopy.
Dr. Binderow performs minimally invasive, robotic and laparoscopic surgery for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and other colorectal conditions. Adept at routine procedures, he also sees patients with complex, atypical maladies.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/elbud
Bits of Foam in Diarrhea Explained by Doctor
What are the “bits of foam” that someone might see in their diarrhea?
And can this ever be a sign of a disease? These are questions I asked of gastroenterologist Sander R. Binderow, MD, FACS, FASCRS, with Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery.
“Foam in diarrhea can occur in the small intestine, when air combines with the bowel movement that is in rapid transit, which is the nature of diarrhea,” explains Dr. Binderow.
“The diarrhea combines with air, creating small foam. This is not a sign of any type of disease when it is observed alone with no other symptoms.”
So next time you see foam or white fuzzy mucus in your diarrhea, remind yourself that it is the product of air combining with your bowel movement.
However, there are other features that you should be concerned about that are not related to bits of foam.
For example, do you see what appears to be blood in your stools? Or does your diarrhea alternate with going days without any bowel movement?
This is especially concerning if it’s a new phenomenon for you.
These are concerning signs, and though colon cancer can be one of the causes, there are numerous other non-malignant causes for such symptoms.
If you have not yet had a colonoscopy but are concerned — yet are fearful of having a colonoscopy — you may want to consider a preliminary step: Cologuard, a non-invasive screening test that you can give to yourself at home.
Using the latest DNA technology, Cologuard can identify abnormal cells in your stools.
If the test results show this, you would then need to undergo a colonoscopy, which usually takes around 25 to 45 minutes and can be done under sedation.
Dr. Binderow performs minimally invasive, robotic and laparoscopic surgery for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and other colorectal conditions. Adept at routine procedures, he also sees patients with complex, atypical maladies.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/sasha2109
Diarrhea vs. Loose Stools Comparison
The line between diarrhea and “loose” stools is very fuzzy; at what point are loose stools actually diarrhea?
Is there a way to test the substance to classify it as one or the other?
“To answer, one must specify that the diarrhea is a medical term and diagnosis, and ‘loose’ stools are a patient observation,” says Sander R. Binderow, MD, FACS, FASCRS, with Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery.
“A patient could have diarrhea; however, it is also possible that they just have loose stools.
“Diarrhea includes bowel movements more than three times per day with copious amounts, and it can be mixed with mucus.
“If a patient has acute diarrhea, it is often the body’s response to something a person has eaten and needs to get rid of.
“A doctor does not normally recommend treating, and rather, it is best to let the body process the issue.
“If it continues for weeks at a time, it is then necessary to bring to the attention of a physician.”
Colon Cancer Worry
Diarrhea or “loose” stools, in and of themselves, are not common features of colon cancer.
The issue with colon cancer is if diarrhea (or what the patient may perceive as loose stools) alternates with constipation (going days without a bowel movement).
Nevertheless, if loose stools or diarrhea have you worried about colon cancer, it is recommended that you have a non-invasive screening exam for this disease.
Cologuard is non-invasive and can be done in the convenience of your home.
Cologuard uses the latest advances in DNA technology for identifying any abnormal cells in the sample.
If the test results are positive for abnormal cells, you would then be recommended to follow up with a colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy
Dr. Binderow performs minimally invasive, robotic and laparoscopic surgery for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and other colorectal conditions. Adept at routine procedures, he also sees patients with complex, atypical maladies.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
What Is Pronator Syndrome: Causes, Solutions, Prevention
Pronator syndrome can cause painful symptoms in the hands and forearms that mimic carpal tunnel syndrome.
Pronator syndrome is when the pronator teres muscle of the forearm presses upon the median nerve, the same nerve that’s involved in carpal tunnel syndrome.
Pronator teres syndrome is a nerve entrapment condition. The median nerve gets compressed by the pronator teres muscle; the median nerve is located beneath the superficial head of this forearm muscle.
“Activities involving repetitive wrist and forearm movements are thought to increase the risk of developing pronator syndrome,” says Jonathan Oheb, MD, North Valley Orthopedic Institute, Chief of Orthopedic Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
“Pronator syndrome occurs secondary to increased pressure on the median nerve in the forearm.
“These repetitive motions can lead to muscle hypertrophy and/or swelling, increasing the pressure over the nerve as it travels through the forearm.
“This is often in conjunction with a patient’s underlying anatomy which may predispose them to developing this in the first place.”
As a former personal trainer, I’m very familiar with the pronator muscle (reverse arm curls target it).
This muscle is responsible for the wrist joint action of pronation, i.e., turning the forearm over so that the palm faces downward or behind you, depending on where your hands are in space; or, if the hands are elevated, turning the palms facing away from you (as in a pull-up).
Though the compression site is in the upper forearm, the symptoms will not only be felt in this area, but also will affect the hand and fingers.
The median nerve controls movement and sensation in most of the hand.
When you want to move your thumb, for instance, a signal from the motor control region of your brain travels down your neck to the median nerve, which extends from the neck region (spinal cord) and runs the entire length of the arm, with its final distribution to most of the hand, including the thumb.
The electrical nerve impulse signal, that originated from your brain, will zip down the median nerve all the way to the thumb, where the nerve distributes to thumb muscles.
The electrochemical impulse will cause the thumb muscle to contract: You just moved your thumb. These nerve signals travel about 50 meters per second.
If the median nerve is compressed somewhere along the way, some of the nerve signal from your brain will never get past the compression point, and hence, why movement in the fingers can be limited or “stiff.”
Numbness is also a symptom for the same reason in reverse:
Sensory neurons normally send signals up the median nerve to the sensory interpretation center of the brain.
If there is a blockage of these signals at the compression site, all the signals won’t make it to the brain, and hence, numbness, rather than a full sensation of feeling.
In addition to compromised motion and numbness, pronator syndrome also causes pain, including in the hand.
The median nerve distributes to the thumb, index and middle fingers, and the half of the fourth finger that faces the middle finger.
Face your right palm towards you. Imagine a line running down lengthwise the fourth finger, dividing it in half. Continue “drawing” that line all the way to the wrist.
Now, imagine shading the portion of your hand and fingers to the right of this imaginary line. This is the area impacted by pronator syndrome.
In other words, the other longitudinal half of the fourth finger, plus the entire pinky and outer portion of the palm, are not affected.
Nevertheless, these symptoms can also be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, despite what you might have read or will read. Wrist motions should not aggravate pronator teres syndrome symptoms.
Misdiagnosis
A chiropractor misdiagnosed my mother with pronator teres syndrome based on questioning her and feeling her arm for pain triggers.
Then an ER physician misdiagnosed her; he suspected nerve compression at the neck and ordered an MRI. The MRI showed cervical disc degeneration and he said, “It’s what I suspected: nerve compression of the neck.”
The most definitive test to rule in or out nerve entrapment conditions is the EMG test.
An EMG test ruled out cervical compression and pronator syndrome in my mother, and solidly confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome.
Interestingly, the neurologist who performed the EMG test, prior to the test, was very convinced she had pronator syndrome.
But an EMG test does not lie. It revealed a nerve signal conduction blockage at the wrists of both hands: carpal tunnel syndrome.
Treatment
Treatment for pronator syndrome may consist of simply massage.
A chiropractor might be convinced that chiropractic manipulation can correct the problem over a number of visits.
If conservative treatments aren’t successful, then surgery is a final resort.
Prevention
Dr. Oheb explains, “Ways to reduce the risk of developing pronator syndrome mostly involve proper warm-up and stretching before strenuous activity.
“Also, maintaining good strength and flexibility through regular exercise can be preventative.”
In addition to hand, elbow and shoulder care, Dr. Oheb provides comprehensive surgical and nonsurgical treatment for all orthopedic conditions of the hip, knee and ankle, including broken bones and injuries. jonathanohebmd.com
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Photographee.eu
Strength Tests if You Fear ALS for Legs & Upper Body
Ever wonder what strength tests for ALS that a healthy person could pass?
Here are strength tests for the lower and upper body: legs, arms, shoulders and hands.
As a fitness expert and former personal trainer, I’ve devised some strength tests that should put your mind at ease about ALS if you’ve been freaking that you might have this disease due to muscle twitching, muscle cramps or perceived weakness.
If you can perform all of these strength tests, then you’ll have much less fear that you have ALS.
If you’ve been spending hours every day doing strength tests for ALS, you can finally stop the obsession, because these strength tests I’m about to describe are official ALS strength tests given by physicians for neurological exams.
You can perform these ALS strength tests with or without a partner.
Before engaging in these strength tests, there’s a few things you should know.
“I think that self-assessment of strength is a tool that can be used to reassure in some cases,” begins Mitzi J. Williams, MD, clinical neurologist with Morehouse School of Medicine and clinical advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
“But it is a bit problematic for a few reasons,” continues Dr. Williams.
“It may be difficult to assess bilateral strength simultaneously for subtle differences (without someone else to assist.
“Strength can be mildly asymmetric if there was a previous injury or pain limiting movement (arthritis).
“With that being said, shoulder flexion and hip movement are definitely doable.
“Biceps resistance can be done manually or using a light weight. Wrist flexion may be a bit harder to assess at home.”
ALS Strength Test 1
Shoulder flexion 1. Raise both arms, keeping them straight, at the same time in front of yourself, palms down.
Partner applies resistance atop your forearms. Both arms should resist with equal strength. Exercise equivalent: shoulder frontal raises with dumbbells.
Shoulder flexion. Shutterstock/ruigsantos
ALS Strength Test 2
Shoulder flexion 2. Raise both arms at same time, palms up, arms straight, as if holding large pizza box. Close eyes and count to 10. Palms should remain up.
This sounds easy, but when ALS affects upper body, at least one arm will “drift” such that palm starts turning downward; forearm starts turning inward; and arm then drops.
Exercise equivalent: shoulder frontal dumbbell raises, holding dumbbells with palms facing ceiling.
ALS Strength Test 3
Biceps resistance. Position arm to 90 degree bend, upper arm vertical or almost vertical. Partner presses down on wrist, his hand atop your arm.
You resist by “curling” or bringing hand up towards shoulder.
Ability to do this should be equal in both arms. Exercise equivalent: Biceps curls with dumbbells or a barbell.
Biceps curl. Shutterstock/AXL
ALS Strength Test 4
Triceps resistance. Position arm as though raising a knife to stab someone; hand is about eye level.
Partner presses against your wrist from below it and you resist, pressing forearm downward. Strength should be equal in both arms.
(Keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for one arm to be a LITTLE stronger than the other.) Exercise equivalent: Triceps push-downs.
Triceps push-down
ALS Strength Test 5
Wrist flexion. Hold arm out straight, palm facing ceiling. Partner places his hand below yours and presses upward to bend your wrist. You resist.
Exercise equivalent: Dumbbell or barbell wrist flexion or “curls.”
Source: BruceBlaus/CreativeCommona
ALS Strength Test 6
Grip. Partner stands before you. With your arms bent to about 90 degrees, grab partner’s fingers.
But grab only his index and middle fingers; completely grab them.
His arms are bent 90 degrees while you do this. He then tries to removed his fingers from your grip.
He should not be able to do this if you have healthy strength.
However, my own opinion, is that if the partner is strong, he just may be able to remove his fingers. I, personally, don’t believe that it’s a rule that the partner can’t remove his fingers. Exercise equivalent: hand grips.
Hand grip device
ALS Strength Test 7
Hip flexion. Lie on floor, legs straight. Partner presses on one knee while you resist by raising leg.
Partner repeats with other knee. Strength should be equal; you should be able to resist.
Exercise equivalent: ball leg lift, though this requires strength in the core. “Out of shape” people will struggle with this.
Hip flexion. Shutterstock/Motortion Films
ALS Strength Test 8
Hip extension. Lie on floor, legs straight. Partner presses upward against from beneath your thigh (hamstring). Exercise equivalent: Hip extension or “butt” machine; cable.
Hip extension. Shutterstock/vladee
ALS Strength Test 9
Hip adduction. Lie on floor, legs straight. Partner places hands on both inner thighs and tries to spread them out; you resist. Exercise equivalent: hip adduction machine.
Hip adductor or “inner thigh” machine. Shutterstock/The Vine Studios
ALS Strength Test 10
Knee extension. Lie and slightly bend one leg so that partner can support it beneath thigh (hamstring) while placing other hand atop calf.
Extend knee or kick out leg while he resists by pressing down on calf. Exercise equivalent: “leg extension” machine.
Leg/knee extension. Credit: George Stepanek
ALS Strength Test 11
Knee flexion. Same thing except partner places resisting hand beneath calf and tries to keep you from pressing downward. Exercise equivalent: seated leg curl machine.
Leg curl. Credit: George Stepanek
If you do well on these strength tests, you will worry less about ALS.
“It’s fine to do testing at home, but if there is concern, a person should make sure to be seen by a healthcare professional for formal assessment,” says Dr. Williams.
Dr. Williams is author of “MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis,” available on Amazon. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: vecteezy.com
Source: edinfo.med.nyu.edu/courseware/neurosurgery/motor.html
Twitching Muscles: Most Common Cause of Muscle Twitching
Twitching muscles (fasciculations) are very common.
Every man and woman experiences muscle twitching.
Twitching muscles are most often in the legs, but twitching can occur in the facial, neck, chest and even back muscles.
Almost any muscle can have a fasciculation.
But this usually goes unnoticed unless it’s excessive, and/or the muscle twitching causes an entire finger or toe to “jump.”
Also, a fasciculation can often be clearly seen when it happens, especially if it occurs in the quadriceps, chest or face.
Muscle twitching means things are more normal than abnormal.
Shutterstock/Designua
Anxiety
“I would have to say in my small world, anxiety does often come up as a potential cause in many,” says Reena Patel, MD, a board certified family medicine physician who treats patients at Garnet Health Urgent Care in NY.
“The flipside is this can be a medication or medical condition effect as well.
“But focusing on anxiety, we can explore why this may be happening.
“Anxiety in general is a heightened energy associated state. In fact, when we treat it we use ‘calming’ techniques or medicine.
“When we have anxiety, our body releases messengers or neurotransmitters without known cause — which in turn cause these muscle movements when we are anxious.
“Research also connects anxiety with breathing faster, which we know alters your pH and can result in muscle twitching as well.
“A good history will sometimes point to some identifiable etiology.”
Benign Fasciculation Syndrome
Anxiety and stress are often the chief culprit in relentless twitching, and when accompanied by cramping and/or stiffness and some exercise intolerance, the condition is called benign fasciculation syndrome.
Benign means the situation will not develop into anything serious.
But these other symptoms often come on after the person starts excessively worrying that the muscle twitching is a sign of a deadly disease.
Anxiety makes muscles twitch. It’s that simple.
One theory is that in ancient times, early man had to always be ready for action, living in a harsh environment with no modern-day conveniences to protect him.
His muscles and his entire nervous system had to always be prepared for a fight with danger, or for an escape from danger.
We are genetically hardwired to physiologically react to a crisis situation.
Our muscles are on standby to jump into action. But contemporary stress is different from ancient stress.
Today, we don’t need to be ready for the charging bison or hissing snake.
But just the same, our bodies are under siege by other forms of anxiety:
Workplace stress, paying bills, marital problems, dealing with the in-laws, traffic jams, driving through snowstorms, tense business meetings, conflicts with the neighbor, etc. It’s no wonder that our muscles are always jumping.
When we are under chronic or acute stress, our muscles twitch because they think that at any moment, action will be required of them.
Shutterstock/tommaso79
So they are, in a sense, gearing up for the fight or flight, kind of like a track sprinter dragging his foot backward on the track as he prepares for the race.
Anxiety tells the muscles, “Get ready. On your mark, get set…”
But the “go” never happens, because modern-day stress is not of a life-threatening nature (such as a charging bison, falling rock or hissing snake).
So the muscles remain in idle, like a car at a stop light. The engine is on, but the car goes nowhere.
The engine, in this case, is the muscles twitching. They are not relaxed. They are anticipating.
So when you notice a lot of muscle twitching while under stress or waves of anxiety, you should realize that this means that everything is very likely working just fine.
In addition to treating many chronic conditions, Dr. Patel treats urgent conditions that affect every part of the body. Instagram: That_dr_next_door
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/WAYHOME studio
Twitching Muscles, ALS and Beating Fear
If you’re terrified of ALS because of twitching muscles, here is a complete guide to get you through your most terrifying moments.
As you already know, ALS is an incurable, fatal disease, and if you’ve googled twitching muscles or muscle twitching, you’ve seen the ALS links pop up.
This is because twitching muscles is a symptom of ALS.
And since googling, you’ve been terrified of ALS because of your twitching muscles and the websites that list muscle twitching as a symptom of ALS.
Being terrified of ALS, even though only 5,000 Americans a year get diagnosed (cdc.gov), is far more common than you think.
Many men and women are scared out of their wits over the possibility of having ALS, even though their only “symptom” is muscle twitching — which, by the way, is a perfectly normal bodily occurrence.
Everybody has twitching muscles, especially after exercise or during moments of anxiety, including anxiety that you might have ALS.
“It is possible for fasciculations to occur in a variety of areas of the body,” says Mitzi J. Williams, MD, clinical neurologist with Morehouse School of Medicine and clinical advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
“The accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles during exercise can lead to twitching in some cases,” says Dr. Williams.
Being terrified of ALS — as well as multiple sclerosis — is a prevalent phenomenon in this cyber age.
Shutterstock/ibreakstock
Terrified of ALS
Upon realizing that muscle twitching is a symptom of ALS, some people will then study up on this horrible disease and learn that muscle weakness and muscle cramping are also symptoms.
It’s at that point, or shortly after, that these individuals then begin perceiving muscle weakness and maybe even cramps.
This is why, when a person realizes this sequence of symptoms, they begin manufacturing the existence of muscle weakness.
This leads to an obsession with repeatedly testing out the perceived area of weakness with various strength tests like picking up bricks.
Picking up bricks as a strength test for reassurance. Shutterstock/MAHATHIR MOHD YASIN
This can occupy a significant part of their day. This fixation develops into making constant visual comparisons of one side of their body to the other, to check for muscle atrophy (wasting).
How does one stop this two-ton snowball from hurtling down the hill?
Know this fact: The body is not symmetrical. “There are a variety of reasons both internal and external,” says Dr. Williams.
“It’s partially related to the way our organs develop, but also can be due to our handedness (which side of the body we use more) or injuries that may affect use of a more dominant or stronger side.”
Terrified You Might Have ALS?
Next, hang a nice calendar and every morning, place a red star (or make a big red circle) on that day.
Before you know it, two weeks’ worth of stars or circles will have passed — and you’re still able to run, lift, jump, go up and down stairs, unscrew jar lids, etc.
Keep putting those red marks down every morning. Soon, you’ll have 30 days behind you, and the more time behind you, the smaller your fear of twitching muscles will become.
The sight of 30 red stars will be very encouraging. Soon, you’ll have 45 red stars to look at: even more encouraging.
When you have 60 red stars facing you, you’ll feel wonderful.
Just keep marking that calendar every day. It won’t be long before 90 red stars are gleaming at you.
That’s three solid months behind yourself — and you’re still able to run, lift, use your hands, etc. The fear of dying will be the size of a peanut.
In ALS, by the time a person can see the atrophy, there has already been significant muscle weakness.
True weakness includes difficulty doing simple things like walking up stairs or stocking shelves with cans.
And remember … the body is not symmetrical.
The right lower leg is smaller than the left. This isn’t atrophy; it’s normal human anatomy: uneven. Source: Freepik.com
If you start looking for asymmetry, you’ll find it all over the place — even on your dog or cat!
If you keep obsessing about something negative and stressful, new thought patterns will evolve, and this isn’t good for the mind.
Anxiety attacks may eventually occur from thinking about ALS.
You can’t mold your mind this way. Chronic anxiety leaves its mark on the brain and it becomes easier to allow intrusive fears of dying to grip you.
But, this molding process can be reversed with behavioral modification (maybe one strength test per day instead of dozens?) and the calendar tracking.
Strive to go 15 minutes without thinking about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and ignore twitching, muscle size comparisons, etc.
Next Step
Go 30 minutes. Keep increasing. Forbid thinking about ALS for allotted time periods.
This will gradually “remold” the wiring or thought patterns in the brain.
Your mind can be retrained to think the way it did before your fear of ALS developed.
Dr. Williams is author of “MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis,” available on Amazon. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/BsWe
Sources: mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/basics/definition/con-20024397; cdc.gov/als/whatisals.aspx; neurologique.org/
Twitching Muscles: Exercise that Can Cause Muscle Twitching
Do you have twitching muscles? Does muscle twitching scare you into thinking you might have ALS or multiple sclerosis?
After all, muscle twitching can be a symptom of ALS, but save the panic attack because in ALS, muscle twitching is also accompanied by muscle weakness.
And by muscle weakness, I do not mean struggling to hoist a heavy garbage bag; or muscle weakness in that the left arm is sagging a bit while you are struggling with that grueling chest exercise or arm exercises. As a former personal trainer, I’ve seen this all the time.
Muscle twitching is a common result of strenuous exercise and weightlifting routines that leave muscles fatigued afterwards.
Shutterstock/Syda Productions
“Above all, fatigue is the reason for the muscle twitching,” explains Dr. Kevin Plancher, MD, a leading sports orthopaedist and sports medicine expert from the New York metropolitan area.
He says that “erratic firing of the muscles” can result from them being overworked.
In addition, says Dr. Plancher, lactic acid buildup can “alter the way muscles contract as well, possibly causing twitching.”
To think that twitching muscles might mean a neurological disease is like thinking that a little gas means you have stomach cancer. Exercise is a leading cause of muscle twitching.
The fancy name for muscle twitching, in the absence of clinical weakness, is benign fasciculations. Fasciculation means muscle twitching.
Intense aerobic exercise has a tendency to cause muscle twitching or benign fasciculations — once the aerobic exercise is over and you have taken up a restful position, such as in front of the computer.
Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia
You may find a lot of muscle twitching going on in your legs, calves and arches of your feet.
I’ve found that my twitchiest moments (legs) occur after trail running and power hiking.
Heavy leg pressing has been known to make my calf muscles twitch — between sets.
Heavy weightlifting exercises, as opposed to lighter weightlifting exercises, are more likely to make muscles twitch.
Shutterstock/Lyashenko Egor
Bench presses, pull-ups and intense triceps routines may trigger twitching muscles as well.
Muscle twitching following strenuous exercise is perfectly normal.
In fact, rather than let the twitching muscles induce fear that you have a deadly disease, remind yourself that muscle twitching means you conducted a rigorous workout — and that’s the way workouts should be: rigorous.
So what really makes muscles twitch, once you are in a resting state following the exercise?
Lactic acid buildup comes to mind. “Movement is a very good way to minimize the twitching,” says Dr. Plancher.
This is because movement, as opposed to rest, “helps the body move the excess lactic acid out of the muscles. It allows the electrolyte levels in the muscles to normalize if they are unbalanced due to fatigue of the nervous system,” continues Dr. Plancher.
Motion, then, “sloshes around” the lactic acid. While inert at your computer following an exercise session, you experience the twitching, but the moment you get up and walk across the room, the twitching stops.
Or, it will usually stop just from moving your legs about while you remain seated.
Another cause is that the motor neurons are still “excited” or innervated from the exercise, and they need some time to calm down.
Random electro-chemical impulses are firing away, causing the muscles to twitch. If anything, this means your muscles are in fine working order.
Dr. Plancher is founder of Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and lectures globally on issues related to orthopedic procedures and sports injury management.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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