“Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that causes problems with breathing and digestion. CF affects about 35,000 people in the United States. People with CF have mucus that is too thick and sticky, which

• blocks airways and leads to lung damage;
• traps germs and makes infections more likely; and
• prevents proteins needed for digestion from reaching the intestines, which decreases the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food.
• Sometimes it blocks the pancreas”

Center of Disease Prevention and Control CDC

“Harvest is typically a six to seven week season. Harvest is typically in full swing around the middle of May and through June.  Michigan moved up in the ranks as the 2^nd largest producer of asparagus in the nation, producing just less than 21 million pounds.  It’s nutritious, flavorful and one of Michigan’s first signs of spring. Michigan asparagus is the state’s first green vegetable harvested each year. A typical Michigan asparagus harvest begins in mid-April, but in wake of a long, cold winter and cooler spring, it can be pushed back.”

Pure Michigan (https://www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/celebrate-national-asparagus-month-pure-michigan)

“First discovered in an Aboriginal Australian woman in 1961, the RH null (Rhesus null) is one of the rarest and most precious blood types in the world. Like a needle in a haystack, less than 50 people in the world are known to have it!

People who have the ‘golden blood’ type lack these Rh antigens. Their DNA lacks the genes responsible for building those RBC protein complexes. These people don’t just lack one, two or three of these 61 Rh antigens, they actually lack all of them. Yes, you read that right: all of them. As you might have guessed, people with Rh_null blood type have abnormal RBCs. They have deformed shapes, leaky membranes and shorter lifespans, which sometimes result in mild anaemia for the individual. Still, the absence of all Rh antigens makes Rh_null the ‘golden blood’, which is highly admired for its rarity and medical purposes.

To find out why this blood type was coined as the ‘golden blood’, we need to open the world of blood types and its systems.”

The University of Melbourne

“Hepatitis D and E typically have abrupt onset of fever, nausea, and abdominal pain followed by jaundice. Hepatitis D may progress to chronic hepatitis.  Hepatitis D  is known as “delta hepatitis,” is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis D virus (HDV). Hepatitis D is uncommon in the United States. Hepatitis D only occurs among people who are infected with the Hepatitis B virus (BHV) because HDV is an incomplete virus that requires the helper function of HBV to replicate. HDV. Hepatitis E is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis E virus (HEV). Hepatitis E is a self-limited disease that does not result in chronic infection. While rare in the United States, Hepatitis E is common in many parts of the world. It is transmitted from ingestion of fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts, and is usually associated with contaminated water supply in countries with poor sanitation. There is currently no FDA-approved vaccine for Hepatitis E. ”

Washington State Dept of Health

“Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus.  The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and most infection occur through exposure to blood from unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, unscreened blood transfusions, injection drug use and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood.  Globally, an estimated 58 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, with about 1.5 million new infections occurring per year.”.

World Health Organization WHO

“Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are two types of hepatitis. (The others are types C, D, and E.) You get them from a viral infection.  Each of those viruses is different. But the diseases they cause are similar. Hepatitis brings liver inflammation, and it can be serious or even life-threatening.  There are safe and effective vaccines that can prevent hepatitis A and B (but not for types C, D, or E). There is also a combination vaccine that guards against hep A and B.”.

WebM.D.

“Treatment goals are to manage the condition causing your neuropathy and to relieve symptoms. If your lab tests indicate no underlying condition, further testing usually includes imaging, nerve function tests and more. Depending on what basic tests reveal, your healthcare provider may want to do more in-depth scanning and other tests to get a better look at your nerve damage.”

MAYO CLINIC

“Nerve signaling in neuropathy is disrupted in three ways:

• loss of signals normally sent (like a broken wire)
• inappropriate signaling when there shouldn’t be any (like static on a telephone line)
• errors that distort the messages being sent (like a wavy television picture)

Symptoms can range from mild to disabling and are rarely life-threatening. The symptoms depend on the type of nerve fibers affected and the type and severity of damage.  Neuropathy is often misdiagnosed due to its complex array of symptoms.  There are multiple types of Neuropathy.”.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov)

“ALS is a relentlessly progressive disorder. The rate of progression between individuals is variable and the history generally reflects gradual and progressive worsening over time until death occurs.  The initial symptoms of ALS can vary considerably from person to person, as can the rate at which ALS progresses. Not all individuals with ALS develop the same symptoms or the same sequences or patterns of progression. However, all people with ALS will experience progressive muscle weakness and paralysis; so there are different stages with ALS. About 60% of the people reported to have ALS in the United States are men, and 93% of patients are Caucasian.  It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time.  Most people develop ALS between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, rare cases of the disease do occur in persons in their 20s and 30s.”

HHS

“Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease, is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement.  ALS that is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. Doctors usually don’t know why ALS occurs. Some cases are inherited.  ALS often begins with muscle twitching, weakness in a limb, or slurred speech.  There is no cure for the disease but there is temporary treatments for ALS depending on the symptoms present.”

MAYO CLINIC