A medical condition that makes some people falsely believe that they are real vampires
Of all the disorders and diseases even loosely linked to vampirism, the
most bizarre must be porphyria. It is a rare hereditary blood disease; its
symptoms so closely match the myths associated with our modern
conception of vampirism it's eerie. A victim of porphyria cannot produce
heme, a major and vital component of red blood. Today, this disease is
treatable with regular injections of heme into the body. However, as
little as fifty years ago, this treatment was unavailable and the disease
unknown. In the past, a porphyria sufferer would show symptoms that
include:
Extreme sensitivity to sunlight
Sores and scars that break open and will not heal properly
Excessive hair growth
Tightening of skin around lips and gums (which would make the incisors
more prominent)
This disease would likely cause the victim to only go out at night, in
order to avoid the painful rays of the sun. In addition, while garlic
stimulates the production of heme in a healthy person, it would only cause
the symptoms of porphyria to become more painfully severe. Porphyria was
eventually discarded by scientists as a reasonable explanation of the
vampire myth that has pervaded our history. Although vampire accounts of
the past bear little resemblance to the dashing figure we romanticize
today, these qualities may have contributed to our look at the vampire in
film and fiction: pale skin, extended incisors, even the fear of the sun!
The main symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a devastating tiredness or exhaustion that has lasted at least 6 months and does not improve much with rest. This fatigue also is so severe that it interferes with your work, your play, and your social activities. The fatigue and other symptoms described below may begin suddenly or they may develop gradually over weeks or months. Read more...
Catalepsy
Catalepsy is a disorder of the nervous system that causes a form of suspended animation. It causes a loss of voluntary motion, a rigidity to the muscles, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain and heat. A person suffering from catalepsy can see and hear cannot move. Their breathing, pulse, and other regulatory functions are slowed to the extent that to an untrained eye, it would seem as though they were deceased.
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