For those of you who are just looking for a few links to the nervous system, you may want to skip the next few paragraphs. For those of you who have a few moments to spare during your studies, read on...The study of the nervous system would hardly be complete without some acknowledgement of diseases that arise from disorders of the nervous system and the brain. Diseases such as Parkinson's or Multiple Sclerosis, to name a few. My family and I are avid supporters of the MS Society and walk/run and raise money whenever we can. My sister-in-law and brother- in-law both struggle with MS. Their daily life is effected at every moment, as are so many others.
I had the pleasure of watching Michael J. Fox on an interview with Oprah this week. I had some time to spare between work and class, and thought I would sit down for a moment and see what he had to say. I admire his spirit and especially his ability to transform the debilitating disease of Parkinson's into a personal triumph.
It is interesting to hear Michael speak so eloquently and, at the same time, watch his body squirm and twitch while he is being interviewed. After awhile, the movement becomes a minor distraction. What he has to say is way too important to miss. I can't tell you how many times during the interview I had tears in my eyes. I have to add that some of it was because he was so damn funny about the most inane things. But then again, brushing your teeth when you have so little motor control could be quite amusing. But then I believe that would depend on the level of acceptance you have of yourself with a crippling disease such as Parkinson's.
This man has remained positive, in his own terms, "an incurable optimist", and continues to remain high profile in order to increase public awareness about Parkinson's. I highly recommend watching the interview, as it solidifies the sense that life is short. Things happen and how we respond to that makes all the difference in the quality of our life.
http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow-20090319-michael-j-fox
To observe another human being suffer is the ultimate sadness to me. To watch them learn from that suffering, the ultimate joy.
With that being said...below are a few links I found on the nervous system and it's function:
http://www.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookNERV.html
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio105/nervous.htm
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