TRISTAR CMT group makes HEADLINES !

[Guest guest]

http://www.syvnews.com/articles/2009/07/29/lifestyle/life02.txt

The next meeting of TRISTAR, the Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Obispo

counties support group for neuromuscular Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease, will

be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Alisal River Grill Main Clubhouse

in Solvang.

Luncheon begins at 1 p.m. and includes an informal chat with Dr. Glenn Pfeffer,

esteemed foot and ankle orthopedist from Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

All South Coast and North County people with CMT are welcome, as are people from

the greater Los Angeles area.

Reservations are required, and they can be made by contacting Gretchen Glick at

@... or by calling 693-9511.

Charcot Marie Tooth disease has nothing to do with teeth. Instead, it causes

slow degeneration of the nerves in the extremities, causing muscles to atrophy

after the loss of stimulation by the affected nerves. CMT's diverse symptoms

reveal themselves in many different ways because of each individual's unique

genetic code.

CMT is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder and is found worldwide

in all races and ethnic groups. Discovered in 1886 by three physicians,

Charcot, Pierre Marie and Henry Tooth, CMT affects an

estimated 6 million people worldwide.

People with CMT slowly lose normal use of their feet, legs, hands and arms. Many

patients also have some loss of sensory nerve function.

CMT does not affect brain function or intellectual ability. It is a type of

hereditary neuropathy and can be passed down from one generation to the next. It

is also known as peroneal muscular atrophy (PMA) and hereditary motor sensory

neuropathy (HMSN).

CMT causes foot-drop walking gait, foot bone abnormalities, high arches and

hammertoes, problems with balance, problems with hand function, occasional lower

leg and forearm muscle cramping, loss of some normal reflexes, scoliosis

(curvature of the spine) and, sometimes, breathing difficulties.

It has no known cure, although sometimes it is treated surgically, and physical

therapy, occupational therapy and moderate physical activity are beneficial.

For more information on the luncheon event or the disease, or to make

reservations, call Glick at 693-9511 or e-mail @....