Sometimes we take our health for granted.  We may have problems here and there like high cholesterol or arthritis but there are people all over the world dealing with much bigger issues then we are.  For instance, Spina Bifida and Multiple Sclerosis are two of the most common spinal problems among people today.  Spina Bifida, shockingly, is the number one permanently disabling birth defect in the United States and Multiple Sclerosis has been diagnosed to over 350,000 people in the United States today.

Let’s start with Spina Bifida – there are over 70,000 people in the United States, alone, living with this disease.  It is a neural tube defect and occurs when the brain and spinal cord don’t form the way they should during the early stages of pregnancy.  No one knows the exact cause as to why people have Spina Bifida but researchers have confirmed a connection between women’s folate levels before pregnancy and Spina Bifida occurring.

You think that it could never happen to you but in reality, sixty million women are at risk of giving birth to a child with Spinda Bifida and every year 4,000 pregnancies are affected by this horrible disease.  Studies have proven that if all women, who were thinking about having a baby soon, were to take in .4 milligrams of folic acid before they became pregnant, Spinda Bifida could possibly be reduced by up to 75%.  It’s worth trying considering the increased rate of the disease.

Spinda Bifida affects the orthopedic, urological and central nervous system.  There are many other conditions that go along with having Spina Bifida such as paralysis, bladder and bowel control difficulties, depression, learning disabilities and further neurological complications.  Many people need catheters for such conditions like Spina Bifida and Mutiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis normally affects more than one area of the brain and spinal cord.  It targets the myelin which is the tissue that covers and protects the nerve fibers in the brain.  When this happens, you lose feeling in some areas.  There has been proof that common viruses can play a part in the cause of MS, such as a stubborn viral infection.  Normally, there is an infection that takes place early on in life that triggers the disease later on.  Because there is a high case of MS in the Northern temperate zones, it is said that there could be something in the environment that is initiating it, such as toxins or vitamin-deficiencies. 

Multiple Sclerosis is not genetic, is more prevalent in women than men and appears in whites more often than Hispanics, African Americans and Asians.  These diseases are both horrible to experience.  Those that have the unfortunate luck to go through this, try to maintain as normal a life as they can.  Catheter kits can help in this process and make this unfortunate experience a little more tolerable.