A Crest Hill resident says she's not going to let a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease get in her way of enjoying life.

Evonne Cook, 76, said it's like something a young man at her church shared with her about life's difficulties: It's not about weathering the storm, it's about dancing in the rain.

Cook said she noticed her first symptom almost four years ago when her right hand suddenly, as if with a mind of its own, did a flip-flop. That was interesting, she said. Then she was driving to Chicago with a couple of friends when her whole right leg did a kind of flop as she was driving. That's when it went from interesting to scary.

But even scarier was a misdiagnosis she received from a specialist about her involuntary muscle movements. He told her she had multisystem atrophy (MSA), which is a group of rare degenerative diseases that cause its sufferers to go downhill pretty quickly.

Geologix Announces the Launch of new Mineral Essentials Website

New mineralessentials.com website offers skin care lotions and pain relief products using formula from 34 natural minerals.

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Scientists Identify Novel Way To Prevent Cardiac Fibrosis

In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body's pro- and anti-fibrotic response. The research will be published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of April 21.

Inflammation is the body's response to injury in tissues, prompting healing that leads to scars, whether on the skin, or in organs such as the heart, liver or lungs. Such scarring has beneficial properties, but there's also the risk of excessive scarring, or tissue fibrosis, that can lead to organ damage and loss of function.

Washington DC

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Map) - ROCKVILLE, Md., April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that it has completed enrollment and initial dosing in BLISS-52, one of two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of LymphoStat-B(R) (belimumab) in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LymphoStat-B is being developed by HGS and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) under a co-development and commercialization agreement entered into in August 2006.

"We continue to be excited by LymphoStat-B's potential. Assuming it is successful in Phase 3, we believe that LymphoStat-B could represent a breakthrough in the treatment of SLE," said H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, HGS.

Acanthosis Nigricans: Skin that points to internal disease

Skin conditions often bring people to the doctor quicker than other problems. Whether it be because of cosmetic concerns or the fact that some skin problems are very symptomatic (i.e. cause itching) most nondermatologist primary care physicians see patients for these conditions every day.

While the tendency with skin problems is to think "skin disease," doctors know that some are signs of an internal problem. Such is the case with Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) a darkened raised looking area of skin. To see pictures visit tinyurl.com/59usae.

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Save Your World(TM) All-Natural, Yerba Maté-Infused Personal Care Products Available at The Vitamin Shoppe

Save Your World(TM) (http://www.saveyourworld.com) announced today that Vitamin Shoppe, a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of nutritional products, has launched yerba maté-infused Save Your Hair(TM) Rainforest, Oasis Fruit, and Regal Blossom Shampoo and Conditioner nationwide in all its locations outside of New York City.

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Skin Care Products Retailer Adds Professional Mineral Makeup and Brushes

CleoaptrasChoice.com, a leader in online retail of beauty and skin care products with Dead Sea minerals, announces the addition of mineral makeup and makeup brushes designed by a professional makeup artist. Mineral makeup is quickly becoming one of the most popular makeup choices for women and Cleopatra's Choice will provide easy color selection and a makeup brush for every need. .

Men and bulimia: Why suffer in silence?

Many people have said how surprised they are that John Prescott suffered from bulimia for 20 years, but it's no surprise to me. As a psychotherapist, I have treated several men battling eating disorders and I have suffered from anorexia myself. I'm only sorry Prescott didn't say it when he was deputy prime Minister, though I realise he was probably never going to do that. One positive thing to come out of this is that it might help people to start conversations about their own relationships with food. It's not an easy thing to do.

My problems started when I was 10 years old. My parents had moved us to South Africa, which was an overwhelming change for me. We arrived at the height of apartheid and I found the appalling iniquities and day-to-day violence hard to deal with.

Covered girls | A peek beneath the uniformly modest look of Texas sect women

For a society accustomed to the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, the images of the women from the polygamist compound in Texas are almost shocking in their understatement: ankle-length dresses, makeup-less faces, hauntingly uniform hair.

The dresses are meant to show modesty and conformity: They go down to the ankles and wrists, and are often worn over garments or pants, making sure every possibly provocative inch of skin is covered.