The Balancing Act's Ongoing "Behind the Mystery: Rare and Genetic Diseases"

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - Feb. 23, 2017 - PRLog -- The Balancing Act's Ongoing "Behind the Mystery: Rare and Genetic Diseases" Series Features Rare Disease Day Episode on February 28th

Pompano Beach, FL--- One in every ten Americans suffers from a rare disease.  It's a startling statistic, but one that can help even the healthiest among us understand just how random genetics can be.

This is also why patients within the rare disease community have chosen the rarest day of the year to spread awareness. On the final day in February -- whether it's leap year or not – those affected by rare diseases seek to inform and inspire. On February 28^th, 2017, Behind the Mystery: Rare & Genetic recognizes World Rare Disease Day by dedicating the episode to raising awareness about rare and genetic diseases, along with their impact on patients and their families.

Behind the Mystery: Rare & Genetic, entering its fifth season of programming, highlights the rare, or "orphan", disease community on our morning show, The Balancing Act, airing nationally on Lifetime Television.

Orphan diseases are defined as conditions that affect less than 200,000 people nationwide, such as ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and Tourette syndrome.

In the special episode, the program will detail rare diseases Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETS) and X-Linked Hypophosphatemia and  welcome back Ilana Jacqueline, Managing Editor of The RARE Daily at Global Genes, author of the upcoming book Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness and star behind the informational blog www.letsfeelbetter.com.

Jacqueline, daughter of Behind the Mystery: Rare & Genetic producer Carri Levy, is the inspiration behind the series through her personal experience as a rare disease patient.

"When Ilana first got sick, all I wanted to do was research, join communities and find other patients," says Levy. "What I ended up discovering was there are over 7,000 different types of rare diseases, and that 30 million people are currently living with a rare disease in the U.S. There was a lot to learn."

Levy found help from her co-producer, Molly Mager, whose personal connection to the rare disease world comes from having a brother with Acinar Cell Cystadenoma. They began to speak with pharmaceutical companies, disease foundations and patients about the best way to educate their audience.

"We want to break down these segments into 'what is this disease?', 'who gets it?', and 'what can be done about it?", says Mager. "We're speaking with the top players in the pharmaceutical industry and their lead scientists. One thing that rare disease patients need is hope —and we're investigating what's in the pipeline today that's going to give us the answers tomorrow."

To learn more about World Rare Disease Day, please visit http://www.rarediseaseday.org/. To learn more about the upcoming segment and past Behind the Mystery segments, please visit www.thebalancingact.com/rare and www.accesshealth.tv.

About The Balancing Act®

The Balancing Act continues to enrich every aspect of women's lives as it enters its eighth season. The award-winning show's mission is simple: help today's modern woman balance it all by offering empowering solutions in an entertaining, educational and trustworthy way. The Balancing Act, America's premier morning show, can be seen Monday through Friday at 7:30 am (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television. For additional information or to view a segment, please visit: www.thebalancingact.com.