by Jane Villardo
One microgram of botulinum toxin is lethal to humans. It is one of the most acutely toxic poisons known to mankind and can kill by paralysing musculoskeletal and respiratory systems. Botulinum toxin acts by blocking the release of the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which relays nerve impulses from the brain to various parts of the body. This prevents nerve impulses from reaching the muscles, causing paralysis.
The anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum is the primary producer of botulinum toxin. Ingesting the spores of Clostridium botulinum causes intestinal botulism or infant botulism, which is one of the kinds of the paralytic disease botulism. Wound botulism is caused when a wound is infected by Clostridium botulinum, while eating food that contains botulinum toxin causes food-borne botulism. Botulism is also known as botulinus intoxication.
Babies less than 12 months of age are susceptible to infant botulism because their digestive juices are less acidic than those of adults and older children. Thus, they have less capacity to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that have been ingested. The spores germinate in the infant's intestines and produce botulinum toxin. Constipation, followed by generalized weakness, loss of head control and difficulty feeding are the symptoms of infant botulism.
4 to 14 days after a wound is infected by Clostridium botulinum, the symptoms of wound botulism, such as difficulty in swallowing, weakness of the muscles, drooping of the eyelids, difficulty in breathing, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, incontinence, diarrhoea, and dryness of the mouth begin to appear. The symptoms of food-borne botulism are the same but appear sooner, about 12 to 38 hours after eating food containing botulinum toxin.
Depending on the situation, one of the two primary types of botulinum antitoxin, trivalent botulinum antitoxin and heptavalent botulinum antitoxin, can be used to treat botulism. Coupled with artificial ventilation to combat the effects of respiratory paralysis caused by the botulinum toxin, the administration of antitoxin until the toxin is completely excreted or metabolised is effective if treatments are initiated on time.
Heat rapidly destroys botulinum toxin. Thorough cooking eradicates any toxin that is present in food. However, the Clostridium botulinum spores from which the toxin come from are very heat tolerant and will survive even prolonged boiling at 100 degrees Celsius. Proper food handling is required to forestall contamination. Low pH levels, high salt concentration, and proper refrigeration prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Botulinum toxin type A, one of the serologically distinct types of botulinum toxin, is used in the treatment of facial lines and wrinkles, certain neurological disorders, and hyperhidrosis, despite its toxicity. For the treatment of neurological conditions, Botox, Dysport, Myobloc, Neurobloc and Xeomin are the brand names under which it is marketed. It is also commercially available under the trade names Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel for cosmetic treatment purposes.
There is an indication that botulinum toxin can help promote weight loss by speeding up gastric emptying time. There is also an indication that it is effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic headaches, as well as chronic musculoskeletal pain, by blocking nerve impulses to the muscles of the affected area.
About the Author:
Jane Villardo is one of the advisers who provide accurate and useful information at www.botoxinjection-facts.com, a site that answers common questions about anti aging methods, techniques, and medications like
Botox. You can go to this resource site to find out more about
botulinum toxin effects.
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October 05 2009 | Anti-Aging | No Comments »
by Jane Villardo
Botox is used to treat axillary hyperhidrosis that externally applied agents can not adequately manage. It is also used for the treatment of select neurological disorders, such as blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, and strabismus. It's most popular application is as a cosmetic injection for the reduction of wrinkles. It provides many benefits. However, it is expensive. Are the benefits that can be derived from treatments worth Botox cost?
The cost of something without value is not justifiable, while that of something with value is. Also, something that is without value to an individual could be valuable for another. A person's perception determines the value of anything, regardless of the intrinsic qualities of the thing under question. As a general rule, something that is useful to an individual is considered valuable while something that is useless is without value.
How an individual perceives the benefits offered by Botox treatments affects its value to that particular individual. To some, the benefits could represent enormous worth. To another group, these could be worthless. And to still other groups, these could have some worth, moderate worth, etc. The value represented by the benefits from Botox treatments directly affects how Botox cost is perceived.
To determine if Botox cost is reasonable, expectations need to be set at a proper level. This can be established by knowing the functions and effects of Botox in the treatment of conditions and disorders for which it has been approved, namely neurological disorders, wrinkles and facial lines, and axillary hyperhidrosis.
The procedure in which Botox is administered for the reduction of wrinkles and facial lines is non-surgical and takes only about ten minutes. In the procedure, small quantities of Botox are injected into selected muscles beneath wrinkled skin. The resulting immobility of these muscles makes the lines and creases less prominent, thus not making any radical changes to one's appearance. No recovery time is required and the effects become noticeable within a few days. Since the effects of a Botox treatment last only up to four months, treatments must be repeated to maintain the effects.
Botox blocks nerve impulses that stimulate sweat glands, thus stopping excessive sweating in axillary hyperhidrosis. For this condition, it is injected just beneath the skin on multiple spots of the affected underarm. There should be a significant reduction in underarm sweating within four weeks after the first treatment. This effect can last for at least 6 or 7 months. To maintain the effect, treatments will have to be repeated.
In the treatment of neurological disorders, Botox is also injected. The amount of Botox to be injected and the site of injection depend on the disorder and the muscles that are affected. After the injections are given, there may be slight pain, tenderness, and bruising at the injection site. Within a couple of days to two weeks, relief from the symptoms of the disorder will be experienced. The effects can last up to three months.
Though the initial outlay may be a bit high, the length of time during which Botox remains effective is a mitigating factor. To many people, the effects of Botox treatments can certainly improve lives in varying degrees. They are definitely worth the Botox cost involved.
About the Author:
Jane Villardo has been giving advice on factors that affect
Botox cost for a long time and maintains a website about
Botox treatments where you can get answers to the rest of your questions.
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October 05 2009 | Anti-Aging | 1 Comment »