A brain tumor can occur at any age and it generally occurs in people in the age group of 40-60 years. The common types of brain tumor are termed as meningioma and gliomas. These supratentorial brain tumors generally occur above the covering of the cerebellum tissue. In children, brain tumors occur at the age of 1-12 years and the most common tumors are ependymomas, astrocytoma and meduloblastomas. Brain tumor is the common cause of death even in children.

Tips to Detecting a Brain Tumor

The general symptoms that are indications of a brain tumor include severe headaches, memory changes, nausea, drowsiness, sleep problems, fatigue and sudden involuntary movements of muscles of an individual. The symptoms can be either specific or generic and the general symptoms are mainly caused by the pressure of the tumor on the brain. The specific symptoms on the other hand are caused when specific parts of the brain does not function properly. Many people even experience loss of control of body functions.

The other problems that are experienced by individuals include changes in the ability to perform daily activities and loss of balance. They find difficulty in hearing, speech and at times are very aggressive. If these symptoms exist, then your doctor would recommend a physical examination and ask about your health history and that of your family.

Tests to Detect Brain Tumor
The tests that are advised by doctors to detect a brain tumor include MRI, neurologic exam, CT scan, biopsy, angiogram and spinal tap.

In the neurologic exam the vision, alertness, hearing, coordination, muscle strength and reflexes are checked by the doctor. The doctor also checks for any swelling in the eyes which can be caused by the pressing of the nerve which connects the brain and the eye.

The CT scan done for detecting brain tumor provides detailed pictures of your head and it is done through an X-ray machine which is connected to a computer. The contrast material is injected into the blood vessel of your hand and abnormal areas can be seen easily.

Biopsy
In this method tissues from the brain are removed and tested for tumor cells. The cells are observed by a pathologist under a microscope mainly to check for abnormal cells. The biopsy method is used to show tissue changes that can further lead to cancer. Brain tumor can be easily diagnosed with this method.

MRI:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI as it is commonly referred to is of great use as it helps to diagnose brain tumors. In this procedure, a dye is injected through a vein in the arm using which the variances in the tissues of the brain can be identified.

Consult your doctor today for more information on the same.

Tips For Detecting A Brain Tumor!

If you have noticed your child to be restless and anxious all the time, it might look cute as the child is highly energetic, but it could be a cause for concern at the same time. It is not normal and the child could be having ADHD that is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. As the name suggests, it is a disorder with deficiency of attention and in which the child is always hyperactive.

ADHD is a disorder in which the symptoms usually show up before the age of seven. It is characterized by a group of behavioral symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. The impact of these symptoms is felt extensively where his overall self-esteem is affected, be it at home, preschool or school, academics or extracurricular activities and in interpersonal relationships.

The most common symptoms, which are almost diagnostic of ADHD are:

Inability to hold attention: The child's attention span is very short and it is very difficult to keep them engaged on one particular thing.
Increased restlessness: The child would be extremely restless and gets distracted easily.
Fidgeting: The child would be seen constantly fidgeting with his fingers.
The following are the less common ones:

Learning disability is rare, but can happen. However, the good news is that it does not affect the child's intelligence.
Sleep disorders
Difficulty in following directions
Poor executive functioning skills
Disorganization, which can lead to poor motor coordination and impaired movements
ADHD kids tend to forget things very easily and need help with coordinating movements
The child suffering from ADHD could easily tire and/or feel lethargic with very low energy levels. This can lead to the child procrastinating things and not wanting to do things on priority basis
These children also have difficulties with fine motor and cognitive skills and so there is delay in their overall participation in games.
While these are the pressing symptoms of ADHD, occupational therapy can play a significant role in managing the child in the following ways. As a first step, the caregiver should have a detailed discussion with the school staff and any other people with whom the child interacts significantly.

This will help identify areas that need support from an Occupational Therapy, which are the following:

Support with gross and/or fine motor skills
Support with improving handwriting
Support with engaging in playing sports and games
Support in engaging in social activities
Improving sensory processing difficulties
Improving visual perception
Support in adapting to the environment
Teaching strategies to participate in various social and academic activities
So, while an ADHD child is definitely a cause for concern, proper support from family can help manage the condition.

ADHD - Know The Symptoms

Absolutely indispensable to your existence is the proper functioning of your brain. Not only does your brain ensure a normal functioning of your body, but also it controls all your vital organs. Yet, brain disorders are among the most common diseases the modern populace has to confront. Tumorous growth in the brain affects the health of the brain in the most significant of manners. Be it benign or malignant, anomalous growth of the brain tissues leads to brain tumor. Some of the most evident causes of brain tumor are genetic dysfunctions, exposure to harmful radiations and immune-suppressants. You may detect the incidence of brain tumors through some of the more obvious symptoms like acute headaches, seizures, projectile vomiting as well as some fairly subtle conditions like a feeling of numbness, coordination problems, etc. The immediate recourse to brain surgeries and expensive treatments often do not yield the desired results. As a consequence, many seek an alternative therapy which can potentially soothe the trauma and fight the disease.

Replete with the benefits of ancient medicinal knowledge, Ayurveda offers remedies, which heal the diseases without causing any side-effects. The natural, herbal therapies improve your immunity from within; enhance your bodily strength and your will to live. It also aborts abnormal cell growth and helps in normal regeneration. Some of the most reliable Ayurvedic remedies have been enumerated below.

1. Aswagandha: Aswagandha herb has fascinating healing properties. They play a major role in restoring strength and immunity in your body. It is endowed with anti-inflammatory properties and is beneficial anti-oxidant. It supplements the essential nutrients, which improve the functions of the brain and minimize the adverse effects caused by harmful radiation.
2. Curcumin: Curcumin has been known to disintegrate malignant cells from your body. It not only is a great anti-oxidant, but also improves immunity. It has gained popularity as a cure for brain tumors as well.
3. Guggul: Guggul is known to revitalize the damaged cells and impart good health. It enhances oxidation potentials of the body and speeds up recovery from brain tumors.

Treatment of Brain Tumor With Ayurvedic Remedies 

Cerebral ischaemia or brain ischemia is a medical condition that restricts the flow of blood to the brain, resulting in an unmet metabolic demand. This leads to limited oxygen supply in the brain, which could result in the death of brain tissues, cerebral infarction or an ischemic stroke. Thus, a cardiorespiratory arrest, a stroke, and irreversible brain damage are few possible consequences of cerebral ischaemia.

People with compressed blood vessels, low blood pressure, congenital heart defects or sickle cell anaemia have a high risk of developing cerebral ischaemia since compressed blood vessels or very low pressure can lead to restricted blood flow. Also, sickle-shaped cells have a greater tendency to clot, causing obstructed blood flow.

Patients with cerebral ischaemia experience a host of symptoms, such as weakness in the body, problems with coordination and movement, vision and speech impairment and unconsciousness.

Cerebral congestion, on the other hand, refers to the excessive quantity of blood in the brain vessels, causing pressure on the cerebral substance. Cerebral congestion is of two types. It is termed as active when there is too much arterial blood flow and passive when there is undue quantity of venous blood in the veins of the brain. Both conditions cause symptoms, such as a severe headache, insomnia, irritability and unconsciousness. The patient gets little sleep and is disturbed often followed by dreams. When awake, the patient s mental activity in the brain is very high.

Homeopathy is now a well-established school of medicine backed with years of research and practice. Gone are the days when homeopathy was considered no more than an extension of herbal home remedies.

Homeopathic laboratories around the world produce a large number of medicines covering almost all ailments. The benefits of homeopathic treatment are now well established due to its holistic approach and minimal side effects. Homeopathy is undoubtedly a ray of hope for patients with cerebral ischaemia and cerebral congestion, as it delivers a comprehensive treatment plan designed to target the signs and symptoms of the disease and address its non-occurrence.

The medications deal with mild to severe symptoms, including inflammation of the brain, headache, vomiting, insomnia, stroke/convulsions and seizures. The stramonium drug, for example, deals with seizures. Belladonna is an effective remedy for sharp shooting headaches, a common symptom of cerebral congestion. Ferrum is believed to be a valuable remedy for brain ischaemia. Few drugs deal with the symptoms of both ischaemia and congestion nux is a suitable drug for the treatment of ischaemia as well as for passive cerebral congestion. Similarly, phosphorus can be used to treat brain ischaemia and congestion. Zincum metallicum is a highly recommended drug for chronic cases of ischaemia.

The treatment is comprehensive and long term and shows substantive results. Regular follow-ups and consultation with a homeopath specialist is the key to an effective treatment.

Homeopathy Treatment Of Cerebral Ischaemia & Cerebral Congestion

June is known as the Brain Tumour Month worldwide. It s worthwhile to raise public awareness and educate people about brain tumour, a disease which, though is rare is but can be really deadly. More than 500 new cases are diagnosed with brain tumour every day worldwide. The number of patients with secondary tumours are even higher than 500. However, it is common across all ages.  A primary brain tumour is a tumour that begins in the brain. It can be either malignant, which means it contains cancer cells or benign i.e. does not contain cancer cells. A secondary or metastatic brain tumour is usually cancerous. It starts elsewhere in the body and sends cancerous cells which grow in the brain.

Here are a few facts that each one of us should know about this dangerous disease

Brain tumours can occur at any age.
We don t know what causes brain tumors. Family history and high dose radiation like X-rays increases your risk.
Doctors group brain tumors by grade which means the way the brain cells look under a microscope. A higher grade number means the cells appear more abnormal and the more aggressively the tumour usually behaves.
Brain tumors are graded as grade I, grade II, or grade III, or grade IV.
Symptoms
The symptoms of brain tumour depend on the size, type, and location of the brain tumour. Some common symptoms which should not be ignored are-

Headaches
Seizures
Problems with vision
Vomiting
Mental and personality changes
Balance problems and trouble walking
Problems in speaking
Diagnosis
Brain tumours are diagnosed by the doctor based on the medical history and physical examination along with a slew of specialized tests of the brain and nervous system.

Treatment

Surgery
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Anti-seizure medicines
Steroids
Ventricular peritoneal shunt
Combination of treatments
How can you safeguard yourself?
The primary tool to prevent brain tumours is by controlling your lifestyle. This means eating healthy, exercising, avoiding known carcinogens in your environment, and reducing stress.

Sleep: Sleep is a friend for brain health. An adequate amount of rest with eyes shut keeps your brain health.
Frankincense oil: Along with yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises to reduce stress, inhaling frankincense oil can help alleviate inflammation in the brain.
Anti cancer diet: Consuming a diet rich in cancer-fighting nutrients like antioxidants is critical in preventing brain tumors.
Ketogenic diet: A ketogenic diet is a high protein diet. It reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain which is associated with brain tumours. It also shuts down the nutrient supply to tumors.
Calorie restriction: Dietary restriction, especially fasting has anti-carcinogenic properties just as the ketogenic diet.
Limit exposure to mobile phones: Cell phones use increases risk for brain tumours. So restriction prevents these tumours.

World Brain Tumor Day - 6 Tips To Help You Prevent Yourself Against It!

A Brain Tumour can be defined as an abnormal growth of the tissues in the brain, which can disrupt the proper brain functions. Generally, the cells in the human body die and are replaced by new cells, while in the case of a tumour, the old cells do not die and form an accumulation and continues to grow to form a mass as more and more cells are added to it.

Symptoms of Brain Tumour:

Headache: Having headache on regular basis, without any history of having such frequent headaches in past, which becomes worse because of other pressure related activities, such as sneezing, coughing, exercising might be a possible symptom of brain tumour and issues related to such sudden and frequent headaches should be taken up with the doctor without any further delay.
Seizures: Seizures (fits) are amongst the most common symptoms of brain tumour, which might be limited to a particular body part or the whole body. Seizures might even continue after the treatment of brain tumour because of the left scar tissues in the brain.
Numbness in arms/legs: Numbness in any body part, especially arms and legs should also be get evaluated timely, so that, if the possible reason behind them is a brain tumour, then the same could be treated well on time.
Balancing problems: Poor coordination and balancing problems also arise as the most prominent symptom for the brain tumour and hence such small changes must be evaluated and the person suffering should be taken to a doctor immediately to get treated without any delay.
Memory problems: Lack of concentration, poor memory and short term memory loss are few of the possible symptoms that indicate the presence of tumour.
Nausea or vomiting: Nausea or vomiting might be the symptoms of many other possible health issues, but a headache supported by nausea and/or vomiting is one of the many symptoms of a brain tumour and hence should not be ignored.
Facial paralysis: The inability to keep the facial activities under control also indicates the presence of a possible brain tumour and the same should also be diagnosed as soon as one experiences it.
Change in vision: A person suffering from brain tumour might also experience changes in the vision, dizziness, blurry vision, among other sight related issues.
Change in speech: The inability to speak properly and changes in the speech of a person may also indicate a possible presence of a tumour.
Hearing problems: Sudden occurrence of hearing problems and other hearing related disorders might have the brain tumour as a possible reason.
Diagnosing a brain tumour may include one or more of many tests, including CT scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Angiogram and biopsy. One should never ignore the symptoms of the brain tumour and should get himself/herself checked since the brain tumours might result into permanent damages to the brain; hence such issues should never be ignored.

Do You Think You are Suffering from Brain Tumor? 10 Signs You Must Take Seriously

Don't wait any longer, manage your Encephalopathy online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Encephalopathy - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES