“Approximately 4.1 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2016–2018 data.  Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of colorectal cancer was 37.8 per 100,000 men and women per year. The death rate was 13.4 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2014–2018 cases and 2015–2019 deaths.  In 2018, there were an estimated 1,365,135 people living with colorectal cancer in the United States.”.

National Cancer Institute (https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts)

“Colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death among men and women combined in the United States. 25 to 30 percent of colorectal cancer patients have a family history of the disease.”

Fight Colorectal Cancer (https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/)

“The following risk factors we can control that put us at increase risk for developing colon cancer are:

‘The entire colon is about 5 feet (150 cm) long, and is divided into five major segments. The rectum is the last anatomic segment before the anus which is not part of the colon.”

National Cancer Institute (SEER Training Modules)

“There is no cure for MS but there are over a dozen disease modifying therapies (DMTs) licensed to treat relapsing and some forms of progressive MS. Taking one can mean you get fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse.

Lots of people with MS find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.”

MS Society (https://www.mssociety.org.uk)

“Multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know that something triggers the immune system to attack the brain and spinal cord. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Everyone’s experience with MS is different and these losses may be temporary or long lasting.”

National Multiple Sclerosis Society   (https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS)

“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted.”

“The spinal cord is a long, tube-like band of tissue. It connects your brain to your lower back. Your spinal cord carries nerve signals from your brain to your body and vice versa. These nerve signals help you feel sensations and move your body. Any damage to your spinal cord can affect your movement or function.  In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves.”

MAYO CLINIC

The nervous system has two main parts:

• The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord.
• The peripheral nervous system is made up of nerves that branch off from the spinal cord and extend to all parts of the body.

The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system’s activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.¹

The basic unit of the nervous system is a nerve cell, or neuron. The human brain contains about 100 billion neurons. A neuron has a cell body, which includes the cell nucleus, and special extensions called axons (pronounced AK-sonz) and dendrites (pronounced DEN-drahytz). Bundles of axons, called nerves, are found throughout the body. Axons and dendrites allow neurons to communicate, even across long distances.

The Nervous System is a makeup of sub systems including:

The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system’s activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.

The nervous system is a complex, sophisticated system that regulates and coordinates body activities. It is made up of two major divisions or has 2 main parts, including the following:

1-CNS (Central Nervous System) and 2-PNS (Peripheral Nervous System)

• 1-Central nervous system. This consists of the brain and spinal cord.  The central nervous system (defined as the brain and spinal cord) is usually considered to have seven basic parts: the spinal cord, the medulla, the pons, the cerebellum, the midbrain, the diencephalon, and the cerebral hemispheres

SUBDIVISION OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM; CRANIAL NERVES:

3-The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a large division of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that can control gastrointestinal behaviour independently of central nervous system (CNS) input. Mammalian neurons are located in either the CNS (brain and spinal cord) or PNS (cells with soma outside the brain and spinal cord).

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a web of sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons embedded in the wall of the gastrointesinal system, stretching from the lower third of the esophagus right through to the rectum.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is known as the “second brain” or the brain in the gut because it can operate independently of the brain and spinal cord, the central nervous system (CNS). It has also been called the “first brain” based on evidence suggesting that the ENS evolved before the CNS.

So in review the makeup of the Autonomic Nervous System = Parasympathetic, Sympathetic & Enteric Nervous Systems.  Further subdividing down to the somatic and visceral nervous systems.

Somatic sensory input comes from the receptors of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. These organs transmit information we associate with the five senses; making up the somatic nervous system in the peripheral nervous system.

Visceral sensory input comes from (surprise!) the viscera, or internal organs; making up the visceral nervous system in the peripheral nervous system.

“.Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).”

MAYO CLINIC

How does MS-Multiple Sclerosis affect these areas, and what are some of the issues MS causes is what we cover next week due to March is MS month!