Celebrities Are Just Like Us : 10 Famous People With Diseases | Healthy Living slideshows | Well Being center

Michael J. Fox : Parkinson's disease

This superstar actor of Canadian- American origin, well known for his role as Marty Macfly in Back to the Future has also founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is intended for research on Parkinson disease. Michael Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991, and had to retire from his acting career in 2000 when the symptoms started to worsen. Parkinson disease is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive stiffening of the body, abnormal and uncontrollable body movements and progressive impairment of physical motion. Parkinson disease finds its origin in genetics, and is caused by an abnormal repetition of a specific gene sequence. The faulty gene is transmitted throughout families in an autosomal dominant pattern. Other conditions (such as specific medications use) could also mimic the symptoms of Parkinson disease.

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Photo courtesy of Alan Light by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/alan-light/210968611/
www.livescience.com/36251-celebrity-health-illness-diseases.html
http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/galleries/gallery/-/14004967/sick-stars-celebrities-with-diseases/3/
http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/celebrities-with-diseases-2#3

Halle Berry : Diabetes

She is beautiful, she is talented, and she is...very sweet! The “catwoman” was diagnosed with diabetes in 1989, when she was shooting for an episode of her then series Living Dolls. She lapsed into a coma, and that was one of the main incidents that facilitated her diagnosis. She was 23 years old. Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which there is impaired regulation of sugar in the body. It can be caused by two main mechanisms: the first one is the destruction of insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas, and the second one; decreased sensitivity of insulin receptors in the body. Insulin is the hormone responsible for decreasing blood sugar levels. When our sugar levels are high, the body is not able to use all that sugar, as it cannot penetrate in the cells on its own. And through intricate mechanism you can develop a diabetic coma.

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Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/9363004324/

Missy Elliot : Graves' disease

In 2008, the female rapper was diagnosed wirh Graves disease and has been battling with the condition since. Luckily, with enough family and friends support, she has been able to come out and share her struggle with the world. Graves disease is an autoimmune condition in which body’s cells attack the thyroid gland and destroy it, thus tampering with its production of thyroid hormones. It is said that in people suffering from Graves disease (and other auto-immune conditions), the body is extremely sensitive to its own cells, sometimes misidentifying them as strangers. Such diseases are more common in women, possibly because of the estrogen connection. With Graves disease, the person affected presents with symptoms such as propulsion of the eyes, enlarged thyroid (the neck looks overtly enlarged), weight loss despite eating a lot, constant fatigue and decrease sleep. All these symptoms are due to an hyperactive thyroid.

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Photo courtesy of neomusicstore by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/neomusicstore/5044005365/
www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2007566/Missy-Elliott-Graves-disease-I-use-pen.html

David Beckham : OCD

This handsome and successful footballer might have total control over his games on the field, but not necessarily in all areas of his daily living. Peole with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are generally considered as “control freaks” simply because for them, everything has to be in a specific order or follow a specific pattern. Otherwise, the patient develops anxiety and stress until the situation is rearranged to what they consider as perfect. In David Bekham’s case for instance, he revealed having to have his can drinks in a specific order in the fridge, and if there was one too many, it had to go somewhere, in another cupboard. There are also other compulsions, like having to watch one's hands at least 10 times before every meals, having to lock the kitchen door several times, etc. The disorder can be very debilitating, as the patient automatically becomes stressed if things are not done “their way”.

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Photo courtesy of Nathan Forget by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/nathanf/2378365337/
mental.healthguru.com/slideshow/obsessive-compulsive-celebrities
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/beckham-reveals-his-battle-with-obsessive-disorder-472573.html

Alec Baldwin : Lyme disease

Lyme disease doesn’t discriminate too! Alec Baldwin, one of the star actors in the comedy 30 ROCK has been affected too. Lyme disease is a condition that affects multiple systems in the body at different times. It is caused by a bacterium of the order of spirochetes (so described because of the their spiral form). The bacterium is called Borrelia Burgdoferi and is transmitted via the bite of a specific tick from the Ixodes type (Ixodes means “hard”). Lyme disease is more common in people living in the Northern Hemisphere. A characteristic feature of this disease is the presence of a “bulls-eye” rash at the site of the tick bite (the rash litterally looks like a bull’s eye). If left untreated, this disease could cause serious heart and brain damage.

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Photo courtesy of David Shankbone by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/3951126717/
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Baldwin#T.C3.A9l.C3.A9vision

Michael C. Hall : Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The lead actor in the series Dexter seems to be able to fight and conquer all, even his Hodgkin Lymphoma. Currently 42, the actor was diagnosed at age 39. He declared that he didn’t receive that news with an open heart (who would, anyways), more importantly because his father had died of cancer at age 38. And so, the actor decided to undergo intensive chemotherapy (since 2013), which is the recommended treatment for this type of cancer (also depending on the stage). Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the white blood cells characterized by the fact that the disease spreads in an orderly fashion, from one group of lymph nodes to another. Dale Carnegie, American writer and author of How to Win Friends and Influence People also suffered from the same disease.

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Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/9348196534/

Pamela Anderson : Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by a virus of the RNA family, the Hepatitis C virus. It can be transmitted via sexual contact with a contaminated person, through exchange of contaminated needles and also from the mother to the baby during delivery. Hepatitis is a disease very common in drug abusers. When one is infected, the virus replicates in the liver where it causes local damage. Initially, the first symptoms are non-specific (fever, weight loss, decreased appetite, etc.) but as the disease progresses, the patient starts experiencing more symptoms related to liver dysfunction: jaundice (yellowing of the skin, mouth and eyes), swelling of the entire body, increased bleeding, etc. Hepatitis C can be treated. However, it is possible for the disease to get reactivated at a later time in life.

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Photo courtesy of Matogo97 by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APamela_Anderson_On_Ice_2013_4.jpg

Toni Braxton : Lupus

Lupus is one of the most disheartening auto-immune diseases (and unfortunately one of the most common). The “Spanish Guitar” singer was diagnosed 5 years ago, and even though back then that lifechanging diagnosis had a huge effect on her, she is happily battling the disease nowadays. Compared to women of other races, women of color are at a higher risk of developing lupus. This disease is characterized by the presence of a specific rash on the cheeks that looks like butterlfy wings (called the “butterfly rash”). This develops as a result of deposition of immune complexes on the skin. Lupus also affects the blood vessels (causing a vasculitis), the kidneys (causing kidney problems), the heart and the lungs. Luckily, the disease can be managed by suppressing immune response with the use of corticosteroids.

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Photo courtesy of Keith HInkle by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/9556827@N02/4128870338
www.examiner.com/article/toni-braxton-tackles-her-first-tour-since-she-learned-she-had-lupus

Gwyneth Paltrow : Postpartum depression

According to some research studies, 5 to 25% of women who just went through the experience of pregnancy and childbirth suffer from post-partum depression. The term literally means depression “after childbirth (“partum” refers to childbirth). This type of depression can be triggered by the realization that one’s life is going to change with the coming of the new child, and sometimes the stress that comes with such a lifechanging event induces depression. With depression, the affected person loses pleasure in activities that were once pleasurable, withdraws from friends, has troubles sleeping as well as disturbances in weight (either weight gain or weigh loss). Depression can be treated with medications and appropriate psychotherapy.

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Photo courtesy of Jorge Figueroa by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/jiff01/8678909401/

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar : Leukemia

In 2008, the Boston Celtics player was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, a type of leukemia that is caused by a specific translocation: a segment of a chromosome (9) breaks and moves to another chromosome (22). The resulting chromosome is called Philadelphia chromosome. This cancer is only diagnosed in midddle age people and older. For any human being, being diagnosed with cancer is a bad news, as it causes ones’ life to change forever and opens the door for a premature death. But in the case of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, his positivism and willingness to get better are surely making his treatment less difficult. The patient is on daily tablets of chemotherapeutic agents to help in treating the cancer.