How Does Botulinum Toxin (Botox) Causes Paralysis

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Sierra Stubbs
Prof. Roesch, Prof. Frenzel
Neuroscience and Behavior Biology 120
September 21, 2015
How Botulism Toxin (Botox) Causes Paralysis
Botulinum toxin is the toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. (CDC) This toxin is the most poisonous substance known to man. (Reddy) One gram of botulinum, if distributed evenly, could kill one million people if inhaled. (Reddy) Botulism, the disease caused by botulinum toxin, is very rare; there are only roughly 145 new cases in the United States each year. (CDC) However, even though the toxin is so poisonous, it’s also used in a common everyday item: Botox. (National)
Botox is used for plastic surgery treatments to fix things such as wrinkly facial skin and changing overall facial appearance; it’s also used as a medical treatment for problems such as underarm sweating, severe muscle contractions, and many more. (National) Botulinum toxin works by …show more content…

It is also rather recent, only about a year and a half old. It’s not for profit, and is simply there to inform the public about botulism. The CDC is run by doctors and other lab specialists who have been doing extensive research in botulism as well as many other diseases, so they are well informed on the topic.
National Institute of Health. "Botox: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. . This site is run by the United States government, so it is credible. The site is not for profit; it is just for the purpose of informing the public. The article was the National Institute of Health. The NIH runs very many health based things country wide, and they are well informed and qualified to write on the subject.
Reddy, Pavani, and Thomas P. Bleck. "Botulinum Toxin as a Biological Weapon." Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (2010): 3993-994. Cdc.gov. CDC. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.

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