If you read various definitions of dystonia online, you will
find that most medical references refer to it as a condition or disorder, while
some patients call it a disease. Have
you ever given any thought to the difference? Is there something significant
about the choice of words?
Well, for the medical community I would think so. They don’t
just call something a disease just because it sounds good. What are some of the
conditions that are considered diseases? Well, you have chronic diseases, such
as cancer, lupus and obesity. There are deadly diseases such as ebola, Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s. There are even curable diseases like malaria, and tuberculosis.
Dystonia fits into none of these categories. That is because
dystonia is not a disease. It is a disorder, an abnormality of a body function
that is either genetic, the result of trauma or other ‘dis – ease’. It is the
indicator, not the cause, of a problem or change that has occurred. The body is not necessarily harmed by
dystonia. It is changed. It is when those changes affect other body functions,
do we notice any discomfort.
So why do so many of us consider dystonia to be a
disease? Well, this can probably be
explained in its definition.
Disease can be defined by two things. The first part - the
inability of the body to perform at its normal state (also known as health) is
best known. The second part is that the condition affects a vital part of the body. In other words, a broken finger is not a
disease.
But even this oversimplified definition doesn’t seem to cut
it. The question of what defines a disease is a known conundrum. Check out
this research published in the National Institute of Health database about the
unclear definition of disease.
This is because disease is highly dependent on what is
considered normal. Not surprisingly,
this definition can change. Earlier in our history, homosexuality was considered
a disease while osteoporosis was simply called old age.
Could that be why we might consider dystonia a disease? Is
it because it so different from what is considered normal? Hey, I’m not saying
dystonia is by any means normal. What I am saying, is that the lack of social
acceptance of those with it might make it a disease simply because society is
so unforgiving.
It is already established that dystonia causes the body to
not function at its normal state. Does it affect a vital function? By
definition it does not. Dystonia affects the muscles we control with our mind
(not the ones that keep us functioning, such as organs) Will it eventually get
worst and kill you? No. Unlike Parkinson’s, dystonia isn’t on its own
degenerative. That’s like saying ‘my leg got more broken over time’.. no, your
leg ‘got more broken’ because a. you didn’t let it heal or b. you injured it
again.
But this condition, harmless as it may be, could be called a
disease by some, because it limits their ability to live a normal life. It is a
social disease- a disease that separates its sufferers from those around them.
So how do you cure the disease of dystonia? You bring
awareness. You educate yourself on the symptoms, you find out what is causing
it. You don’t ignore it and the people who have it.
