Leading a life with peripheral neuropathy is quite similar to riding a roller coaster. Managing the pain can be frustrating at one time and overwhelming on the other as patients can experience alternating symptoms with debilitating pain. So you should learn about the various treatment options as they can help you go a long way in managing the pain.

The peripheral nerves are considered the longest in the body which extend from the hands to feet. When these nerves are damaged, you may feel some sort of pain, tingling in the hands and feet and even numbness, and these symptoms can even get worse and you may experience stabbing pain with increasing weakness. 

There are many things that you should know about peripheral neuropathy as they would help you to manage the condition much more effectively.

Diabetes is the leading cause of neuropathy: More than 70% of diabetics develop symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. So you should keep your blood sugar within optimum levels as a means of reversing diabetic neuropathy.
A melange of causes behind neuropathy: Though diabetes is the number 1 cause of peripheral neuropathy, other causes include deficiency of vitamin B12, alcoholism, traumatic injury, chemotherapy and exposure to toxic substances. Physicians may find it difficult to pin-point the cause and when this happens. This is often termed as  idiopathic neuropathy .
Medications causing neuropathy: If you are suffering from diabetes and being treated with the drug named metformin, you may develop peripheral neuropathy.
Preventing neuropathy is the most recommended way: While it is the fact that some nerves may potentially get damaged from certain surgeries or injury, peripheral neuropathy can be potentially prevented or sometimes stopped from spreading. As diabetes is a major cause of diabetes, being watchful about your diet and exercising regularly can help you go a long way to prevent diabetes as well as neuropathy.
Pain is not simply confined to a tingling sensation: Though pain and a tingling sensation is the commonest and easiest way of recognising the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, each of your sensory, motor and autonomic nerves can show different set of symptoms that you should be watchful of.
A diet may make the symptoms even worse: You can either help or hurt your nerves with your choice of foods. For improving symptoms, you should avoid food with excessive sugar, refined grains and artificial sweeteners as they may strain your nerves and irritate them further.
Whether you are recently diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy or living with it for many years, understanding a few conditions would help you make informed decisions about your well-being.

Peripheral Neuropathy - 6 Things You Should Know!

Though childhood brain tumor is a rare disease, still, many children of any age all over the world suffer from this condition. Unlike the brain tumors in adults, brain tumors in children is a bit different. Brain tumors are probably the most common form of solid tumors affecting children. However, having knowledge of the symptoms, probable treatment of the disease can help the parents in coping with the situation in a better way and taking the right decision at the right time.

What is a brain tumor?
A group of abnormal cell growth in the brain is referred to as a brain tumor. The types of brain tumor depend upon the structure of the tumor cells, their rate of growth, composition and several other characteristics. However, two most common types of brain tumor affecting children are primary and secondary. In primary brain tumor, the tumor cells develop in the brain, while in secondary, cancerous cells invade the brain from other parts of the body.

Symptoms that determine the presence of tumor may vary in every child. The variation is due to certain aspects including size of the tumor, the location of the tumor, how the tumor is affecting the brain, etc. Some of the most common symptoms of childhood brain tumor are severe headaches, occasional seizures, feeling of sickness and vomiting, eye problems such as blurred visions, feelings of drowsiness without any reason, etc. Some children suffering from brain tumour may also experience difficulty in maintaining balance when walking or behavioral changes in children.

Treatment
While for some, surgical removal of the tumor may be the only treatment solution, for some sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy turn out to be really helpful. To control or reduce the effects of the brain tumor symptoms, taking regular medications may also be necessary for the affected children. Doctor may devise the best treatment plan despending on the condition of a child. As the treatment completely depends on the severity of the problem.

Prognosis
Depending on the grade, location, and type of tumor as well as the treatment, the overall health of children can be determined. While a significant number of children often successfully recover from the brain tumor, for some, the treatment needs to be continued for many years. As the nervous system of a child is in its developing stage, sometimes, children may develop some kind of learning or behavioral or physical disability as a result of the brain tumor treatment. If a child has any of these symptoms mentioned above, his or her parents should consult a medical professional right away. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better are the chances for the child to recover from a brain tumor.


Brain Tumor In Children - Understanding It In Detail!

Today is World Cancer Day.

Though there are no proven ways to prevent cancer, you can do a lot of things reduce your risk of getting the disease. Here are 10 good important ways to do so:

1. Eat a healthy balanced diet
2. Maintain a healthy weight
3. Drink less alcohol
4. Quit smoking
5. Say No to any form of Tobaco including Pan and Gutka
6. Do regular exercise. At least, Walking.
7. Protect your skin from sun damage
8. Cervical smear tests for women every 3-5 years
9. Breast examination for signs of lumps, dimples or puckering
10. Last but not the least, in case of any lump or doubtful mass, consult an Oncologist without delay.

10 Concrete Ways To Minimize Cancer Risk

The most powerful and amazing organ in our body is the brain. It differs from many other organs of our body not only by its shape, but also by its special type of cell called neurons. When these cells gets affected or dead it can never be reverted or regenerated which is the most exclusive nature found only in brain cells. The cells in other parts of our body has the capacity to regenerate (can be replaced or new one can be grown or produced), but brain cells are exception. Hence any damage to the brain, injury or trauma is really a crucial thing to be considered with utmost care.

Brain surgeries really need skill, proper training, confidence and intelligence to perform this highly complicated and risky surgery.

Purpose:
Brain surgeries are performed to:

Remove the brain tissues that are grown abnormally
Aneurysm is clipped to prevent flow of blood cliff off an aneurysm
Biopsy purpose or to remove the tumour
Make a nerve free
Drain the abnormal blood or clot collection or to drain any excessive fluid collection caused by infection.
To implant artificial electronic device as a treatment for conditions like Parkinson's disease
Types:

Biopsy: A part of brain tissue is removed for the brain or whole tumour is removed.
Craniotomy: The skull bone is opened to remove tumour, an aneurysm and drain fluid or blood from infection.
Minimally invasive endonasal endoscopic surgery: Endoscopic devices are inserted through the nose to remove the lesions or tumour.
Minimally invasive neuroendoscopy: Similar to endonasal surgery but small incision is made.
Risks:

Anaesthesia risks like breathing difficulty, allergic reaction to medications, excessive bleeding or clots and infection.
Risk related to the brain surgeries are seizures, coma, swelling of brain, infection to brain or meanings, surgical wound infection that intrudes to the brain structures, abnormal clot formation and bleeding.
General risks include muscle weakness, disturbances in memory, speech, vision, coordination, balance and other functions that are controlled by the brain.

Brain Surgery - Know The Purpose Behind It!

How to become less prone to cancer

There are various known reasons why cancer takes root in a healthy body. The deadly disease takes away millions of lives worldwide and remedies in food to tackle it are constantly a subject of research. However taking this one food item off your daily diet can help becoming less prone to cancer.

Senior cancer experts stress that sugar feeds cancer. According to his belief, backed by years of research and medical expertise, it is possible to starve cancer out of a person’s body. When sugar breaks down in the body in a non-oxidative manner, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is generated which causes cancer cells and tumor to grow.

Research states that cancer is a dysfunction of the mitochondria caused by fermentation of sugar in the cells instead of orthodox respiration of normal cells. This can be tackled by limiting the supply, just by cutting down the intake of sugar every day. A small amount of sugar in a healthy and requisite proportion is acceptable but excessive sugar must be avoided in order to choke cancer out from the body.

Specifically, the intake of sugar in processed foods must be cut down. Everything that is sweet isn't sugar! Avoiding processed foods will simply eliminate the bad salts and bad sugars from your diet. Eating at fast food joints too must be cut down completely as the food they serve is frozen and needs a lot of preservatives. You can always switch to fruits if you have a sweet tooth. Diet-wise, consume more green leafy vegetables, developing a plant and natural nutrient based diet is an ideal method to tackle cancer.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

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Are You Aware That You Are Feeding Cancer Daily?

Let s start with some mind-boggling statistics: in India, over 2.5 million patients are diagnosed with cancer. Moreover, it is estimated that around 700,000 new patients are found to have cancer, each year, and around 550,000 annual deaths are related to cancer.

While these perturbing numbers might unnerve you, there is, however, a case for cautious optimism. While there are certain causes of cancer like genetics and environment which are beyond your realms of control; there are certain causes which can be controlled by you. Research shows that nearly 70% of cancer causes are in your hands   including your own diet.

Your daily nutritional intake is vital for two reasons:

There are definite cancer-preventing nutrients and food items;
Conversely, there are certain types of nutrients and food items which cause cancer.
While research typically points to links between food items and cancer than well-established cause-effect relationships, it is found that certain dietary items have a greater influence. Here are some general guidelines to guide you better:

Avoid processed and red meat: Processed and red meat are generally considered as any meat which has been artificially modified for taste or purposes of preservation. It must be noted that during this process of preservation there are certain chemicals mixed with it which makes it carcinogenic in nature. Though the WHO (World health organization) hasn t recommended any specific amount for consumption, it has categorized processed and red meats as a Group 1   carcinogen.
Consume more fruits and vegetables: Plant foods including fruits and vegetables contain essential micronutrients like flavonoids and carotenoids which researchers  state are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the destruction of cells as they diminish free radicals. It is recommended to regularly consume fruits and vegetables like berries, broccoli, leafy greens, apples, papaya, among others.
Reduce your alcohol and smoking habit: Along with processed and red meats, alcohol is designated as a Group 1   carcinogen by the WHO. Cancer research has repeatedly linked consumption of alcohol to higher chances of cancer, irrespective of the alcohol type. A number of cancers including pharynx, liver, and breast are directly connected to alcohol.
Furthermore, it is suggested that an individual must limit to no more than a drink on any given day.

In conclusion, it must be stated that our diets play an indispensable role in the prevention of cancer. The consumption of healthy food items will only bolster our physical well-being along with the reduction of cancer occurrence.

How Your Diet Can Potentially Prevent Cancer?

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