Muscular Dystrophy Symptoms
and Causes

Muscular dystrophy (MD) refers to a group of more than 30 inherited diseases that cause muscle weakness and muscle loss. Some forms of MD appear in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later. The different muscular dystrophies vary in who they affect and the symptoms. All forms of MD grow worse as the person's muscles get weaker.

SYMPTOMS:

Weakness of the muscles, scoliosis (curvature of the spine), enlargement of certain muscle groups (calves, trapezius, etc.) to compensate for loss of major muscle groups. The muscles gradually shrivel and weaken. The muscles in the trunk are especially affected. All muscles eventually become involved. Most people with MD eventually lose the ability to walk.

CAUSES:

Muscular dystrophy produces a weakening and wasting of muscles tissue which is not noticed (because of replacement of muscle tissue with fat and fibrous scar tissue) until there is substantial damage.

Animals given a vitamin E-deficient diet develop muscular dystrophy. It is believed that muscular dystrophy could be wiped out if vitamin E were given to all expectant mothers and bottle-fed babies. Mother’s milk has six times twice as much vitamin E as cow’s milk, and has almost twice as much selenium.

There may be a hereditary factor, but diet is still the crucial issue, the authors of Natural Remedies Encyclopedia maintain.