Epilepsy is a disorder of the nervous system which is characterised by the tendency of a person to have seizures. Seizures occur due to abnormal and excessive nerve cell activity in brain. The result is abnormal behaviour and sensations, including loss of consciousness. There are a variety of seizures with different symptoms depending on the part of brain involved. Progressive myoclonus epilepsy is an epilepsy syndrome, which is caused by genetic disorders. It features a combination of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures along with progressive neurological decline. It is often characterised by unsteadiness, muscle rigidity, and mental deterioration. Such a type of epilepsy is quite rare. Seizures are difficult to control and patients often lose thinking abilities as well.

Also in such a condition patient may have more than a dozen different diseases. The symptoms get worsened over time. Such a disorder can be present in any of the sexes. It can appear in infants as well as adults.
Progressive myoclonus epilepsy is not a single disorder but is a combination of syndromes with various names. Some of them are severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy which is also called Dravet syndrome, then is Unverricht-Lundborg disease also called Baltic myoclonus, Lafora disease and finally Mitochondrial encephalopathies.

Causes and triggering factors of epilepsy seizures
The main causes of Progressive myoclonus epilepsy include Lafora body disease, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, Unverricht - Lundborg disease, sialidoses, storage diseases, and some inborn metabolism issues. These seizures can be triggered by light, noise, sleep loss, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking.

Top natural homeopathic remedies for epilepsy

Cicuta is considered by far the best homeopathic remedy for epilepsy where violent distortions occur in the body. The distortions are most frightful. The person is totally unconscious. The face may be blue and the jaw appears locked.
Artemisia Vulgaris is considered for treating epilepsy with Petit Mal seizure. The main symptom is frequent brief episodes of seizures in a short time period.
Stramonium is used for epileptic convulsions which arise after exposure to bright light or shining objects. The patient in this case is conscious but experiences jerk in the muscles of upper body.
Cuprum Met is used for seizure attack in knees.
Bufo Rana is of great help when the patient experiences attacks during sleep.
Hyoscyamus is used in case of epileptic fit.
Homeopathic medicines for epileptic fits during fever (Febrile seizures)
Belladona and Nux Vomica are the natural Homeopathic medicines that are very beneficial in cases of febrile seizures.
Natural homeopathic medicines as per type of seizure in Epilepsy
The natural Homeopathic medicines for treating Petit Mal Seizures are Artemisia, Belladona, Zincum, and Hyoscyamus. Agaricus and Cuprum are prescribed for Clonic Seizures. Cicuta and Plumbum are helpful in case of Tonic Seizures.

Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy - How Homeopathy Can Help You?

The chronic disorder that causes recurrent and unprovoked seizures is referred to as Epilepsy. A seizure is an impulsive and unexpected rush of activity in the brain. The reasons for the cause of epilepsy include head trauma, high fever, low blood sugar, and alcohol withdrawal. It is a neurological disorder and more than 3 million people in the United States have been affected by epilepsy. The chronic disorder is common not only in adults but even in young children and it has been observed that it occurs more in males. The disorder can merely be controlled by the use of various strategies as there is no cure for it till date.

Causes of epilepsy
Any illness that disturbs the usual form of neuron activity can lead to seizures. There are many possible causes of epilepsy. The 2 main types of seizures include partial/focal seizure and generalized seizure. The partial seizure would affect only one part of the brain. It is difficult to identify mild seizures. Further, stronger seizures are known to cause uncontrollable muscle twitches and spasms. At the time of a strong seizure, a patient can lose his consciousness. On the other hand, generalized seizures affect both parts (cerebral hemispheres) of the brain so their onset is not easily identifiable. Types of generalized seizures include tonic-clonic, absence or atonic etc. The other important fact is that epilepsy progresses because of imbalance of neurotransmitters which are nerve-signaling chemicals and also due to an abnormality in the brain wiring.

Drugs used to treat epileptic seizures
Anticonvulsant drugs are mainly used to treat epileptic seizures. The type of treatment provided to patients mainly depends on factors like severity and frequency of the seizures. The other factors that are also taken into consideration for the type of treatment provided include medical history, overall health and the age of a person. A patient can feel better with a seizure medication, an implant that works on the nerves, a special diet, and surgery.
To control epileptic seizures medications are the best option and to treat the brain disorder the right medication needs to be used. There are nearly 20 drugs available that are used for treating different types of epileptic seizures. The doctors provide medication only after proper review of the patient s medical history and their lifestyle. Some of the medications that are made include the use of antiepileptic drugs and anti-seizure drugs. The faulty signaling of the brain is suppressed with these medications.

Important precautions you must take

It is very important that the medication is taken as directed by the doctor. The main reason behind the use of these drugs is that they reduce the number of seizures and there are no side-effects. 
Care should be taken that the drugs provided to the children to treat epilepsy are FDA approved and are safe for use by children. 
The epilepsy drugs that can be taken for partial seizures include carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproic acid, valproate, and brivaracetam.
Natural treatments can also be made use of for epilepsy as at times medications do not work well on some patients. Acupuncture, use of natural herbs and vitamins can also be used for treating the brain disorder.

Epilepsy - Things You Must Take Care Of!

We're all guilty of making fun of snorers, but sometimes this snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing is not continuous and may start and stop many times while asleep. This affects the quality of your sleep and in turn can affect many aspects of your health including your cardiovascular health. Here's how:

High blood pressure
When a sleep apnea patient's breathing stops, the oxygen levels in the blood also suddenly fall. This can increase your blood pressure. High blood pressure means that the heart muscles need to work harder to pump blood through the body.

Cardiomyopathy
As a result of high blood pressure, the heart walls may become thicker and the heart muscles become stiffer. This is known as cardiomyopathy. As this condition worsens, the heart becomes weaker and is unable to maintain a regular rhythm. This can eventually lead to heart failure.

Arrhythmia
An irregular heartbeat is also known as arrhythmia. This may also be related to the changes in the heart's structure that follow the drop in blood oxygen levels. In many cases, arrhythmia has no visible symptoms and can often go undiagnosed. This can result in the formation of blood clots in the atria which can lead to a stroke.

Sleep apnea is easy to diagnose. If the doctor feels that you show symptoms of sleep apnea, you may be asked to stay on the hospital overnight and undergo a sleep evaluation. This tests a variety of body functions including brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, breathing patterns and blood oxygen levels.

Treatment for sleep apnea depends on the causes for this condition. If you are overweight, regular exercise and a change in diet can help you lose the excess weight and cure sleep apnea. Similarly, if your sleep apnea is triggered by an allergy, treating the allergy can help cure the sleep apnea. Other forms of treatment for sleep apnea may include:

Continuous positive airway pressure (cpap)
This is a machine which pumps air into the body through a nasal mask. By keeping the pressure in the machine higher than normal air pressure the upper airway passages are kept open and hence the quality of your sleep is improved. An auto cpap machine can modulate the air pressure such that it is higher when you inhale and lower when you exhale.;

Oral devices
Your doctor may suggest oral devices that allow you to keep your mouth open while you sleep. This is easier to use than cpap machine but less effective. Surgery is the last resort when it comes to treatment for sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea and Its Link to Heart Failure

Over 60 million people around the world suffer from epilepsy. This can be described as a brain disorder that causes seizures. However, it is important to note that seizures are not synonymous with epilepsy. A patient may be diagnosed with epilepsy only if there have two or more seizures that are unrelated to other medical conditions. Here are five facts you should know about epilepsy.

An epileptic person can have many different types of seizures.
Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain cells. There are many different types of seizures. Seizures can make a person make abnormal movements, make him or her stare into space, make him or her unable to speak or make them shake vigorously and fall to the ground. Some seizures are easy to identify while others may go unnoticed.

Epilepsy can be caused by many factors
There are a number of factors that can cause epilepsy. The most common amongst them are - deprivation of oxygen at the time of birth, brain infections, head injuries, stroke, neurological diseases, tumors and genetic disorders. Infections can also cause epilepsy. In some cases, the actual cause may be difficult to identify.

A healthy diet, protecting the head from trauma (by wearing a helmet) and exercising can help prevent epilepsy. Expectant mothers should also follow a healthy prenatal plan.

The effect of epilepsy is much more in women as compared to men
Both men and women are susceptible to epilepsy. However, epilepsy can be harder to manage in women. This is because of their hormone structure. Pregnancy can also make epilepsy hard to manage and the seizures could also affect the baby. Thus, it is essential for pregnant mothers with epilepsy to take extra precautions and follow their doctor s advice strictly.

Epilepsy can be treated
Though epilepsy cannot be cured, there are many ways of treating epilepsy. The best form of treatment depends on the patient s medical history and neurological exams. Medication to stop seizures is the most common form of treatment. A special diet may also be prescribed along with this. In some cases, surgery may also be advised. Nerve stimulation may also be used to treat this condition.

Epilepsy is not contagious
Anyone can suffer from epilepsy but it cannot be transferred from one person to another. Thus, if you see someone having a stroke, you must immediately try to help them without worrying about your own health.

Epilepsy - 5 Common Facts About It!

Snoring is something that not only spoils the sleep of your partner but leaves you embarrassed while travelling or any family gatherings. It is more popular among males but these days, women are also facing this issue. The problem only worsens with age and weight. On the other hand, the person suffering from Sleep Apnoea not only affects his and his partner's sleep but puts his life at risk.

Difference Between Sleep Apnoea And Snoring:

There is a huge difference between just Snorers and those suffering from Sleep Apnoea. Sleep Apnoea almost always results in frequent and loud snoring, while disturbing the breathing pattern. This leads the person suffering from Sleep Apnoea to feel tired even after long sleeping hours.

While Sleep Apnoea will almost always lead to loud snoring, snoring alone does not mean that one is suffering from Sleep Apnoea.



Causes And Symptoms

Snoring

  When a person sleeps, the throat muscles relax and the tongue bends backwards. This narrows down the throat to some extent.
  As the person keeps inhaling and exhaling, the throat muscles vibrate. These vibrations lead to snoring. The narrower the throat becomes, the more are the vibrations and the sound.
  The throat muscles tend to relax more with age. This is why snoring usually increases with age.
  If a person has obstructions in the form of Tonsils, Nasal polyps or Deviated nasal septum, the narrowing gets worse and leads to extensive snoring.
  If there is an inflammation in the throat or nose due to some infection or allergy, the throat may become narrower and result in loud snoring.
  In some people, sleeping positions like sleeping on the back or otherwise may abate snoring.
  Alcohol consumption during evening time may abate throat muscle relaxation and give rise to snoring.

Sleep Apnoea

  It is better described as episodes of pauses in breathing for more than 10 seconds at a time.
  The immediate cause of Sleep Apnoea is extensive narrowing or complete collapse of the upper airway.
  As breathing is paused temporarily, it causes a shortfall of Oxygen in blood. As it happens, the heart works harder to make up for it, even when the person is sleeping. This increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
  It causes disturbance in the natural sleep cycle.

Treatment

Snoring

  Avoidance of risk factors like various allergies
  Correction of sleeping position with training

Sleep Apnoea

  The most common treatment is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This is a mask like device worn on the nose before sleep. It keeps the upper airway open with a small positive pressure delivered.
  There is also the option of Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. This is a surgical intervention to remove excess of soft palate tissue and open up the airway. The remaining tissue becomes stiff and thus minimize vibration.
  If there is a Tonsil or Deviated Nasal Septum or Nasal Polyp, it needs to be resected out in order to minimize obstruction to the airway.

Snoring and Sleep Apnoea are very common issues and can be treated by experienced doctors very easily.

Ways to diagnose snoring and sleep apnoea:

The doctors ask about the allergies you are suffering from, as well as your eating patterns, medicines and drinking and smoking habits. The doctor also examines your throat and nasal passages to ascertain if there are any kind of nasal, dental, mouth jaw, or throat deformities that are triggering your snoring. If your doctor will feel that you may be suffering from sleep apnoea, then your partner may be asked to keep a diary noting your sleeping and snoring patterns.

Polysomnography and CPAP Titration are some other ways through which the doctors diagnose sleep apnoea.

Polysomnography: Polysomnography, also called a sleep study, is a type of test that is conducted to diagnose sleep disorders. In this test, the doctors record the brain waves, the oxygen level in the blood, heart rate and breathing, as well as eye and leg movements of the patient.

CPAP Titration: A CPAP titration study is a type of in-lab sleep study that is carried out to calibrate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. It is a common treatment that is used to manage sleep-related breathing disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and hypoventilation and hypoxemia.

In case you find out that you are suffering from snoring or sleep apnoea, you should immediately visit a pulmonologist to get the proper treatment. 

Snoring And Sleep Apnoea - How To Get Rid Of Them?

Trigeminal neuralgia is specified by the condition of a chronic pain that influences the trigeminal nerve. This nerve transfers sensation from one s face to his/her brain. If a person is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, then a gentle stimulation of face (sourced from brushing teeth or applying makeup) might generate a fright of agonizing pain. The affected person might experience short and mild attacks initially. However, the trigeminal neuralgia might progress and generate more-frequently and longer attack of severely critical pain. Women get affected by this situation more than men get and it is more prominently occur in individuals older than 50 years.

Trigeminal neuralgia does not mandatorily mean that you need to experience a lifelong pain. Various types of treatment alternatives are available and so doctors can usually handle the particular condition effectively by taking help of injections, medications or surgery. Various types of triggers might cause the pain regarding trigeminal neuralgia, such as eating, drinking, shaving, brushing teeth, touching face, smiling, washing face etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia might comprise of one or more patterns and some of these are described below:

Sequences of serious, jolting or shooting pain that might generate as an electric shock
Spontaneous pain attacks or attacks stimulated by different activities like face touching, speaking, chewing, or brushing teeth. Pain attacks last from a few moments to some minutes.
It is not a comprehensive list because Trigeminal neuralgia hosts various other symptoms as well. If a person feels facial pain, specifically recurring or prolonged pain or if the person does not get relief through the utilization over-the-counter pain relievers, then that person must consult a doctor.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic and painful condition that involves the trigeminal nerve. There are two separate trigeminal nerves on both sides of the face, which carry the sensations like pain from the face to the body. Each nerve has three branches- forehand, midface and chin and trigeminal neuralgia can cause intense pain in any of these areas.

Causes-

This occurs when the trigeminal nerve functioning is disrupted. When the blood vessel/artery and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain come in contact, it puts pressure on the nerves and causes pain.
It also occurs as a result of ageing or multiple sclerosis
A disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting the nerves can trigger pain
Sometimes pain occurs from tumors, which compresses the trigeminal nerves
Surgical strokes, facial trauma or strokes can also be the root cause of excruciating pain
Triggers-

Shaving
Touching your face
Eating and drinking
Putting on makeup
Brushing
Washing your face
Symptoms-
The pain can be mild and for a shorter duration or it can happen frequently for longer durations. Some experience the pain in cycles where it can come and go for days or even for weeks. Gradually the intensity of the pain lessens.

Cure by Radio-frequency Ablation
The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is often a challenging process in clinical practice. When medicines do not prove as effective, surgery is the desired option.

Procedure-

After applying local anaesthesia, the Pain Specialist carefully inserts a needle through the corner of your mouth to reach the trigeminal nerve
The doctors then wake up the patient after stimulating the nerves and ask them to feel the stimulation at the same place where they undergo pain. This confirms their targeted location
Once you fall asleep again, the Pain Specialist uses radiofrequency heat to injure the nerve enough to create numbness and removes the pain
How Effective is Radio-frequency Ablation?
The pain is cured almost in 98% of the patients. 50% of patients report recurrence of pain after about two years. Hence the procedure can be repeated in the same patient if necessary.

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Radio-Frequency Ablation - What Causes It?

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