Dr. Anupama N Krishnamurthy

What happens to your brain when you get black out drunk?

Have you ever awoken after a night of drinking and were clueless about what happened or what you did? Or have you ever been drinking and found yourself in a strange location but had no clue as to how you got there? If any of these episodes of amnesia sounds familiar, then you have experienced an alcohol-induced blackout.

Blackouts occur when alcohol prevents the imprinting of memories from short-term memory to long-term memory. 

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are two different types of blackouts (memory loss) induced by alcohol. 

• The first is a partial blackout and it usually occurs after you consume a small amount of alcohol eg forgetting what topic you are talking about in the middle of a conversation. With a partial blackout, you may forget information that you know, like your address or phone number, or the names of people whom you know well. When someone offers a missing piece of information, your mind is able to recall what happened during a partial blackout.
• The second type is called a complete alcohol blackout. You may physically be able to function and perform mental tasks but you aren’t your normal self. The ability to make decisions and judge actions is impaired during a blackout. Since you have little or no control over your emotions and impulses during this interval of time, your behavior can be wildly unpredictable. Blackouts can last for a few minutes or up to a week after drinking. During this episode, you are unable to retain any memory. When others try to fill in the blanks, you are completely unable to recall any information.

Blackouts are usually caused by heavy drinking on an empty stomach. Binge drinking (more than 5-6 drinks in a span of few hours) makes your blood alcohol levels rise too rapidly, thus producing a blackout.

Other things you should know about blackouts:

Women are much more susceptible because of differences in how men and women metabolize alcohol. Females also may be more susceptible than males to milder forms of alcohol-induced memory impairments, even when men and women consume comparable amounts of alcohol. 

Hence binge alcohol consumption warrants early medical intervention before it leads to permanent memory impairment.

Appendicitis is a chronic or acute medical condition where the appendix gets inflamed and causes severe pain.  If left untreated, the condition can prove to be fatal. The appendix is a small tube shaped sac at the end of the large intestine. In humans, it is typically not known to have any functional value although some studies suggest that it helps digestion by creating a conducive environment for friendly bacteria. Surgical removal of the appendix is suggested as the most common treatment for the ailment.

One of the key causes of appendicitis is believed to be the partial or complete obstruction at the mouth of the appendix. The common causes of obstruction include accumulation of fecal matter, worms, enlarged lymphoid follicles, trauma or tumors. It is also possible that an infection in the stomach could have extended into the appendix.

Appendix is commonly detected because of its progressive worsening pain in the stomach which narrows down to the lower right side of the abdomen is called Mc Burney point. Half of the patients though do not have this typical symptom and instead come in with a complaint of gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection or even a kidney stone. Further blood tests, urine tests and MRIs or ultrasounds are used to pinpoint the area causing the pain.

In most cases of advance appendix, a surgical intervention is necessary. The type of surgery will vary on a case to case basis.

Homeopathy can be tried in early stages and is especially useful to treat chronic and recurrent cases. It works with the principle of 'like cures like', which means that the elements that cause the problem are a key to its solution too. It employs a holistic healing methodology getting rid of the signs and symptoms and restoring complete health. While other treatments focus on curing the 'problem', homeopathy also deals with the basic reason of the problem and the individual's susceptibility to it. Here are some of the remedies:

1. Arsenicum album: This is used when the appendicitis has resulted in sepsis and the patient also suffers from diarrhea.
2. Belladonna: This is an early stage remedy for cases where appendicitis is accompanied by headache, fever
3. Bryonia alba: This is an effective remedy when the pain aggravates with movement. 
4. Colocynthis: This is a recommended remedy when the patient experiences spasmodic or entwining pain, which worsens with indigestion. Applying warm pressure over the area helps in such cases
5. Rhus Tox: This remedy is also called the 'homeopathic knife' to treat appendicitis. It is used when the pain is constant and the patient is never free from pain.

To customize the selection of the remedies according to your specific symptoms, it is best to consult with a practitioner.