Remedicated

The human body is an amazing thing, isn’t it? It has the ability to heal itself, create new life, and digest entire turkey dinners. But this incredible machine doesn’t always perform perfectly. Sometimes there’s a genetic anomaly that causes a problem, or sometimes a virus or bacteria can invade and make the whole thing go all wacky. The marvelous human machine can harbor almost an infinite number of maladies. While the diseases below are certainly nothing to take lightly, they are interesting conditions that you may not have ever heard of.

Capgras Delusion: This condition leads it sufferers to believe that a close friend, relative, or spouse has been replaced by a lookalike. It usually occurs in patients who suffer from schizophrenia, but has also been observed in patients who are suffering from dementia and brain damage. In some cases, the patient decreases or breaks off contact with the person they believe has been replaced.

Prosopagnosia: A similar condition to Capgras Delusion, prosopagnosia affects a person’s ability to recognize faces. In this condition, however, sufferers can not recognize any faces at all. They are still able to recognize other types of objects, but faces - even their own - do not register in their minds. This condition is often the result of brain injury, but new evidence suggests that some people are born with the inability to recognize faces.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: This condition causes the sufferer to have a distorted perception of his or her own size relative to the size of the world around them. Usually caused by migraine headaches or drug use, the effects are transient and only last a short time. AIWS can also be a symptom of brain tumors or delirium tremens, in which case the patient requires immediate medical attention.

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine Disorder: The curious name of this condition arises from the origins of its discovery. It was first observed in French-Canadian lumberjacks in Maine in 1878, though it has since been observed in many other areas of the world. People with this malady have an extremely exaggerated response to events that startle them. Instead of the small jump or gasp that would accompany most people’s startle reflex, Jumping Frenchmen respond with a large jump, flailing limbs, and extended twitching. Even more bizarre is the sufferer’s reflex to obey orders given to them in a sharp, authoritative manner.

Cotard’s Syndrome: A Cotard’s patient believes that he or she is dead, or that part of their body - often internal organs - is missing. The condition can be caused by brain injury, neurological illness, or mental illness. Some evidence suggests that Cotard’s Syndrome may be related to Capgras Syndrome, but instead of lacking recognition of a loved one the sufferer lacks recognition of their own face. This leads to the assumption that one must be dead.

Genital Retraction Syndrome: People experiencing Genital Retraction Syndrome (or GRS) firmly believe that their external genitals (for males) or breasts (for females) are shrinking or disappearing. Far more serious than the oft-feared “shrinkage” caused by cold water or cold weather, GRS can be caused by a mental illness or by a cultural belief. Many cultures have an ingrained fear of the occult and believe that witches or angry gods can cause genitals to disappear as punishment.

Exploding Head Syndrome: Although it sounds violent and gory, Exploding Head Syndrome doesn’t involve any actual explosions. The sufferer experiences a very loud sound - such as the sound that accompanies an explosion - that only occurs in their own head. While the sounds can occur at any time of the day or night, they are mostly experienced within two hours of the sufferer falling asleep. There is no immediate physical danger associated with this disorder, but it is known to cause loss of sleep and extreme anxiety in sufferers.

Ondine’s Curse: Most of us have heard of sleep apnea, which involves brief episodes of the sufferer not breathing during sleep. Ondine’s Curse is a more serious form of this disorder which involves a malfunction of the person’s automatic breathing while asleep.  People with this disorder stop breathing when they sleep, making the condition fatal. In a small minority of cases, automatic breathing may be impaired while awake as well. People with this disorder often don’t survive infancy. Those who do almost always require life-long ventilator-assisted breathing.

Morgellons Disease: This disease is still widely debated in the medical community. Until very recently, it was thought to be a delusion. Some doctors believe that the symptoms are real, but related to an already-known condition. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) launched the first investigation into the cause of the bizarre symptoms. The most common symptoms are unexplained lesions and sores on the skin, the sensation of crawling or stinging under the skin, and joint pain. The symptom that all sufferers share which doctors are reluctant to believe is the appearance of fibers or filaments protruding from lesions or visible beneath the skin.

Polyglandular Addison’s Disease: When subjected to a frightening or stressful situation, the human body produces adrenaline, which is the hormone associated with our “fight or flight” reflex. In a very small percentage of people, the body does not produce adrenaline and instead goes into shock when startled.  In some instances, the shock can shut down internal organs and cause death.  People with this condition have to be extremely careful to avoid surprises or stressful situations.

Trimethylaminuria: This rare metabolic disorder occurs in individuals who are born with an inability to produce sufficient amounts of the enzyme Flavin. The lack of this enzyme means that sufferers are not able to break down a substance found in many common foods which causes a strong fishy odor. People with this condition exude a very fishy smell that may affect their relationships, careers, and social lives. There is no cure, but people who have this condition can reduce its effects by avoiding foods like legumes, eggs, certain meats, and other foods that contain nitrogen, sulfur, and choline.

Alien Hand Syndrome: Most often presented in patients who have had brain surgery or a stroke, Alien Hand Syndrome seems to cause one of the sufferer’s hands to behave of its own accord. The hand’s owner can still feel normal sensations in the hand but believes that he or she has no control over what the hand does. Different types of alien hand movements are associated with injuries or surgery in different areas of the brain.