Dr. Joshi

A pain in the neck or back can restrict movements and hamper your lifestyle. These are both common pains that may or may not be a symptom of a more serious illness. Neck pain can be caused by a number of factors including stress, whiplash, inflammatory infections, mechanical disorders and metabolic disorders. The main causes for a backache are vertebral column diseases, spinal cord infections, abnormal posture, heavy lifting etc.

Homeopathy is one of the most holistic forms of treatment that can be used to treat pain in the neck or back. Homeopathic treatment has no side effects and is based on individual mental and physical symptoms showcased. Homeopathy do not address the pain itself but treats the underlying cause thus ensuring that it does not recur.

Some common homeopathic remedies for neck pain and backaches are:

1. Calcarea Flour: This is used to treat pains that arise from the hardening of cervical glands. Such pain tends to deteriorate in cold weather and worsens when the patient is lying down. Heat can be soothing to such backaches and neck pains.
2.  Bryonia: This is used typically to treat backaches that are worsened by any movement and for a stiff back. This sort of back ache is often relieved by resting or lying on a hard surface.
3. Arnica: Arnica is an excellent remedy for pains that follow an injury. When it comes to backaches and neck pains it can be used to treat soreness and straining of ligaments. It is also beneficial against the feeling of being bruised.
4. Fluoric acid: This can be used to treat rigidity and a feeling of stiffness around the nape of the neck. Such pain is often associated with numbness of the neck and forearm.
5. Hypericum: This is a useful homeopathic remedy for compressed injuries and nerve pain. It can be used to treat back aches caused by disc compression, canal stenosis, myelopathy and radiculopathy. Hypericum can also be used to treat jerking muscles.
6. Kali carb: If your back feels weak and you experience sharp pains, Kali carb may be help alleviate your pain. Such pain is usually associated with a burning sensation and causes excessive sweating. Kali carb is also suited to treating backaches during pregnancy. You can also take the package for Reducing Joint/Muscle Pains.

Along with medication, try maintaining a good posture to help reduce neck pains and backaches. Avoid lifting heavy weights and travelling long distances. Applying hot and cold packs over the area can also help reduce the intensity of the pain. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a specilized homeopathy and ask a free question.

Just like there are exercises to lose weight, there are simple exercises, which you can do to stop your snoring completely. Snoring is a common condition and it generally takes place more in men than women. It mostly affects individuals who are overweight and the condition gets worsened with age. Though it is not a serious condition, it has to be dealt as it affects the sleep of your sleeping partner. The main cause of snoring is an improper flow of air through the mouth or nose. 

The airflow to the nose is obstructed by factors like:

1. Obesity
2. Pregnancy
3. Genetic factors
4. Sinus Infection
5. Congestion

How to Prevent Snoring:
It is very essential that prior attention is given to this condition before it turns out to be a serious problem. The self help  tips that can be used by individuals to stop snoring include proper exercising, losing weight, quitting smoking and not drinking alcohol as well as setting up an ideal sleeping pattern. There are devices available in the pharmaceutical stores like the mouth guard device which are specially designed to help stop snoring. There are medications also available that help to stop snoring and have good quality  sleep.

Amazing and Simple Exercises to Stop Snoring:
You can cure your snoring problem easily by practicing vocal exercises without the need of even going through a painful and expensive surgery.

1. Singing: Singing is an excellent exercise that is very good for your vocal passage and that can cure the snoring problem. It is best that you start singing in a warm shower and the moist steam of the warm water would soothe your throat. The benefit of singing is that it tightens the muscles and it is an excellent and natural way that would cure your sleeping problem. You can practice singing at least 20 minutes in a day, and you would surely experience the difference.
2. Yawning: The second simple exercise that can be done to stop snoring is yawning, which involves opening and closing of your mouth. The exercise done in a yawning motion would strengthen both the inner and outer neck muscles. It is very necessary that the mouth is opened widely, and this activity can be done anytime of the day.
3. Chewing: The third exercise that is helpful to get relief from sleep disorders is chewing. You can fix your throat by chewing the tip of a pencil.  You don't have to bite the pencil, and you just need to fix your throat muscles to make certain that your airway is clear. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

A stroke may be called a brain attack. It may happen to any person at any time. A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off. The brain cells become oxygen deprived due to the stroke and eventually die. Dead brain cells result in brain dysfunction due to which patients lose control over muscle and memory.

Strokes can be mild to life threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Stroke requires advanced care and should be treated by extensively qualified and experienced medical experts. 

Neurosurgery satisfies all the required clauses for treatment of stroke and accounts for being one of the best ways for management of stroke. Renowned hospitals have a dedicated neurosurgical wing and a team of neurological specialists who know how to deal with stroke the best.

Vascular Neurology
This form of neurology focuses on patients who have undergone a stroke or have experienced symptoms of stroke. A multidisciplinary approach is taken for the prevention of recurrent cerebrovascular conditions.

Types of stroke

1. Ischemic stroke: This kind of stroke occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel, which supplies blood to the brain. This form of stroke is the more common. The underlying cause of this stroke is known as atherosclerosis, which is a condition where fatty deposits occur in the walls of the blood vessels and cause blockage in them.
2. Hemorrhagic stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel gets weak and ruptures into the brain. This is caused by two types of weak blood vessels known as aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation.
3. Transient ischemic attack: This type of stroke is also known as a mini stroke. These attacks occur because of blood clots. The blockage caused is temporary or transient in nature.

Treatment of Ischemic stroke

1. Tissue Plasminogen Activator: This is one of the best ways to treat ischemic strokes. This medicine is given to the patient intravenously. It dissolves the blood clot and improves blood flow to the area of the brain which is affected. The medicine should be given within three to four hours after stroke symptoms appear.
2. Endovascular procedure: This is a process by which the blood clot is removed using a catheter, which gets inserted into the area of the blocked blood vessel. It helps in restoring blood flow to that area. 

Treatment of Hemorrhagic stroke

1. Endovascular procedure: Several endovascular techniques and methods are used so that the weakening of blood vessels is reduced and less bleeding is caused.
2. Surgical treatment: Different modes of neurosurgery may be undertaken to stop bleeding and for relieving pressure within the skull.