World’s Rarest Diseases: Weird Diseases With No Cure
Increasing awareness about rare diseases can help bring research and eventually a cure for these diseases. Sadly, many individuals suffer from the following rare diseases and have no hope for a cure. Some of them may seem calm and superhero-like, but they have a lot of risks associated with the disease itself.
Hyperthymesia/Photographic Memory
This might be portrayed in the media as an extraordinary ability of the protagonist where they can remember every minute of their life in vivid detail. There are very few people with Hyperthymesia, and it’s difficult to decide how people acquire this ability.
One study by PubMed Central believes the cause to be hyperactivity in certain parts of the brain, including the amygdala.
Hyperthymesia is different from having an eidetic memory as an eidetic memory can visualize something but with changed details in long term memory. Someone with hyperthymesia can remember events of their life with a high degree of detailed accuracy.
Analgesia / Inability to Feel Pain/
Analgesia is the inability to feel pain because of a defect in the transmission of sensations by the nervous system.
Pain is the body’s way of saying something is wrong- like a broken bone or a pulled muscle. Without pain stopping the action, a child with analgesia can easily pull out an eye or bite off their tongue.
However, with careful management, a person with analgesia can lead a happy and healthy life.
Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia/ Vampire Disease
People who experience this condition have pointed teeth, ashen skin and are extremely thin. They have dark circles around their eyes and are missing hair, which likens them to the vampires of legend.
In addition to this, they also have to track their temperature and stay away from hot weather constantly. That is because people experiencing this disorder don’t have sweat glands, which regulate body temperature.
Well now, we know how the legends about vampires emerged..
Polymelia / Extra Limbs
When someone is born with polymelia, they have extra limbs, or fingers. This can be at any extremity of the body. It’s a coin’s toss as to whether these limbs are functional or non-functional.
Polymelia is classified according to where the limb emerges if it is the head (Cephalomelia), the thorax (Thoracomelia), the pelvis (Pyromelia) or the backbone (Notomelia).
It is often the result of improper cell division or growth. Sometimes, it can be caused by medication, environmental factors, and radiation exposure. Surgery can help remove the extra limb but still carries some risk.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva/ Tissue to Bone Disease
Those who suffer from this disease experience their tissues and muscles slowly turning to bone. The frightening thing about this disease is that they gradually lose mobility because of ossification (bone formation).
Even worse, if they perform surgery on the tissue, the ossification process is accelerated. They experience chronic pain, fever and swelling from this disease.
While there is no cure, there are effective therapies that can help manage the symptoms. Many turn to the power of yoga for holistic health and healing
Hypertrichosis/Werewolf Disease
We are regularly bombarded with images of clean-shaven people in the media. In a world that prizes the glossy and hairless look, we can only imagine the distress of people with hypertrichosis. They grow excessive amounts of thick hair all over their bodies and even their face!
Many choose to groom regularly, opting to shave, wax and even undergo laser surgery to keep their hair growth at bay.
We are confident the above list must have inspired you to commit to a healthier lifestyle. You can boost your health with these natural healers in your kitchen.
