Autism spectrum disorders are a group of severe neurological and developmental disorders which begin in early childhood and can last throughout a person s life. It affects the ability to interact with others and also hinders communication and well as learning ability. A proper health center can diagnose the presence of autism spectrum disorder early on. Many tests are available for evaluation and diagnosis as it is a range of disorders which can have a variety of symptoms. The environment and genetics also play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder but the exact cause of autism spectrum disorder is not yet known.

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder:

Your child may not be able to respond when called by his or her name by 12 months age.
Will avoid eye contact and also have the desire to stay alone.
Have trouble understanding or relating to other people or talk about their own feelings.
Delayed speech and language skills which would affect the ability to speak.
Show unusual reaction to sound, smell, taste or feelings.
Answering questions with unrelated answers that have no meaning or link.
Prefer to play alone and would avoid physical contact.

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation   The behavior of your child and development is first studied by the doctor in detail. The tests include genetic testing, neurological testing, hearing and vision testing among others. Doctors may also suggest other specialized tests in certain cases.
Developmental Screening   The development of your child s basic learning skills with respect to the age is checked. The doctor checks for some delays in the progress and will also monitor movement, behavior and speaking progress of the child. Some additional checks are also done for low birth weight, premature birth among other things.
Treatment:

Applied behavioral analysis   This is a notable treatment and widely accepted by doctors all over the world. ABA is known to encourage positive behaviors and improves a variety of skills in a child.
Occupational Therapy   Teaches the skills to live independently like eating, dressing and social skills. This can help people afflicted by autism spectrum disorders to lead a normal life within the society and thus relate to as well as interact with other people.
Speech therapy   It improves and focuses primarily on communication skills and also uses picture boards and gestures to improve the abilities and induce learning skills.

Autism Spectrum Disorder - How To Diagnose It?

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?

Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain's nerve cells and triggers the release of abnormal electrical signals. This can cause temporary malfunctioning of the other brain cells and result in sudden loss of consciousness. Epilepsy can affect both children and adults.

Epilepsy can be treated in a number of ways. One of the most preferred forms of treatment is homeopathy. Homeopathy addresses both the physical symptoms of the disease and the underlying factors triggering it. Another big advantage of homeopathic treatment is that it has negligible side effects.

A few homeopathic remedies that can be used to treat epilepsy are:

Cicuta
Cicuta is very effective when used to treat cases of epilepsy where convulsions are marked by violent, body distortions. This can include the horrific backward bending of the spine. These convulsions also make the person's face turn blue and trigger a locked jaw. This can also be used to effectively treat epilepsy cases triggered by head injuries and worms.

Artemisia vulgaris
This is used to often treat cases of petit mal epilepsy which are characterized by staring into space, leaning forwards or backwards and stopping a sentence abruptly. It also addresses fear that triggers epileptic attacks.

Stramonium
Convulsions triggered by exposure to bright lights or shiny objects can be treated with this homeopathic remedy. In such cases, the patient may not lose consciousness but experiences jerks in the muscles of the upper body.

Cuprum met
This homeopathic remedy is used to treat seizures that are preceded by experiencing an aura in the knees. Other symptoms that characterize this sort of an epileptic attack are spasms that begin in the fingers and toes and gradually spread to the rest of the body and jerking of muscles. This can also be used to treat convulsions that accompany menstruation and follow the delivery of a baby.

Bufo rana
Not all epileptic attacks occur you are awake. Attacks that occur in your sleep can be treated with bufo rana. Such epileptic attacks are accompanied by experiencing an aura in the genital regions. This is especially helpful for women who experience seizures during menstruation.

Hyoscyamus
Some epileptic fits are followed by a deep sleep. This type of epileptic attacks can be treated with hyoscyamus. Other symptoms addresses by this homeopathic medicine are fidgeting with bed clothes, fidgeting with fingers and muscular twitching.

These homeopathic remedies can be taken on their own or in combination with other medicines.

Top Homeopathic Remedies for Epilepsy Treatment

Acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that occurs in the primary nerve between the brain and the ear. The tumor progresses very slowly and can influence your balance and hearing. In certain cases, if the tumor becomes very large, then it may also impair vital functions of the body.
Symptoms-
The symptoms of acoustic neuroma tend to develop when the tumor starts to press on the nerve and its adjoining branches. The symptoms of this disorder are  
You may experience hearing loss on one side which might worsen gradually.
You may have problems in balancing yourself.
A continuous ringing sound in the ears.
Persistent dizziness.
If the tumor is large and presses on the nearby nerves, then you may experience numbness of the facial muscles.
In some cases, it may impair the vital functions of the body.
This disorder is caused by a malfunctioning gene. There is no documented reason as to why the gene malfunctions.
The treatment options for this disorder are  
Constant Monitoring: These tumors tend to grow very slowly but might spurt in some cases. In order to prevent damage to your body, they need to be monitored on a regular basis. Imaging tests are recommended on a periodic basis to determine the growth of the tumor.
Radiosurgery: Stereotactic radiosurgery is done to treat acoustic neuroma that is small in size. In this surgery, radiation is directed at the tumor without creating any incision. It is done to limit the growth of the tumor and preserve your hearing.
Surgery: The tumor can be removed by using surgical procedures. It involves administering general anesthesia, followed by removing the tumor through an incision on the skull or the inner ear. Surgery is used to remove the tumor and preserve your hearing abilities. 

Acoustic Neuroma - Everything You Need to Know

When particular nerve cells in the brain don't function properly, it leads to epilepsy, which is a common brain disorder. There are several variants of epilepsy, and the one that you are suffering from would play a major role in the type of seizure you are likely to have. Here are the two most common type of seizures:

Common types of Seizures

Generalized seizures: This type of seizures take place when nerve cells on both sides of the brain start misfiring. They may lead to black out, fall or muscle spasms.
Focal seizures: It starts in a particular area of the brain, and the names of the seizure are based on the affected area of the brain. They may lead to both emotional and physical effects which may affect the way a person feels or sees or hear things that have no real presence. In particular cases, the symptoms of focal seizures are regarded of some other kinds of mental or nervous disorder.
Seizures are not considered an either-or thing since some people tend to have a particular type of seizure which gradually alters its course. It is not always easy to classify certain types of seizures which are called unknown-onset seizures and may lead to both physical and sensory symptoms. Both focal and generalized seizures can be categorized into various groups. The most common are listed below:

Subcategories of focal and generalized seizures

Simple focal seizures: It may change how the senses read the surroundings of a person. It can make a familiar taste or smell appear strange. Some people feel dizzy or visualize flashes of light or make the affected individual feel nauseated or sweaty.
Complex focal seizures: It normally happens when a part of the brain which controls emotion and memory gets affected. The affected person may feel awake even when he has lost consciousness. It can take several minutes for a person to come out of the problem.
Secondary generalized seizures: It starts when a part of the brain spreads to the nerve cells. They may lead to a few physical symptoms including muscle slackness and convulsions.
On the other hand, there are six variants of generalized seizures:

Clinic seizure: The muscles tend to have spasms which make a face, neck, and arms jerk rhythmically. It can last for minutes together.
Tonic-clonic seizure: These are the most notable type of seizures and leads to stiffening of the body, jerking and shaking along with the loss of consciousness. It can last between 1 to 3 minutes, and in case they go for a longer span, it is important to seek immediate medical attention. It may lead to breathing issues and may cause the person to bite his tongue or cheek.
Tonic seizures: When the muscled in the legs or arms or trunk tense up for more than 20 seconds, it is called a tonic seizure. If the affected person is in standing position, he or she may end up falling.
Other types of generalized seizure include atonic seizure, absence seizure and myoclonic seizure which are commonly seen in people who have epilepsy.

Seizures - Know The Common Types!

Cerebral palsy is the term for a group of neurological disorders that affects one s muscle movement and motor skills.

In most cases, the condition is caused due to a brain impairment that develops while the baby is still in the womb. Cerebral palsy may also occur shortly after or during birth.

Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy:

The signs and symptoms of the condition vary from one individual to another, ranging from mild to severe. The commonly observed ones in children are-

  Difficulty walking
  Difficulty holding on to objects
  Delay in developing motor skills- sitting up straight, rolling over, crawling
  Variation in the muscle tone- too stiff or too floppy
  Delay in development of speech
  Spasticity
  Lack of coordination of the muscles
  Difficulty swallowing and excessive drooling
  Functioning of only one side of the body
  Neurological ailments such as intellectual disabilities, seizures, and others

Types of Cerebral Palsy:

Cerebral palsy can occur in the following forms-

  Spastic cerebral palsy - Causes exaggerated reflexes and muscle stiffness. This is the most common type of cerebral palsy, affecting nearly 80% of the population.
  Dyskinetic cerebral palsy - Causes abnormal, involuntary movement of the legs, arms, and hands. It may also affect the movement of the tongue and face, thereby making it difficult to talk or swallow.
  Hypotonic cerebral palsy - Causes overly relaxed muscles and reduces muscle tone. The legs and arms are easily moveable and appear saggy.
  Ataxic cerebral palsy - This is the least common type. People living with this form of the condition have problems with coordination and balance.

Diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy can be diagnosed with the help of the following-

  CT scan
  MRI
  Ultrasound
  Electroencephalogram

Treatment of the condition depends on its severity. Long-term treatment includes physiotherapy, medications and surgery.

  Physiotherapy and occupational therapy helps restore muscle strength and improves muscle tone. You can try stretching exercises to improve flexibility.
  Usually, the doctor prescribes medications in the form of muscle relaxants and sedatives. Muscle relaxants reduce muscle tension, helps relieve discomfort and muscle pain.
  You may need to undergo an orthopaedic surgery in case medications and therapy does not yield positive results. The surgery will aim to release tight muscles and repair bone abnormalities caused due to spasticity.

The specialist as a last resort may recommend SDR or Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy to reduce spasticity and chronic pain. This involves operating the nerves at the base of your spinal column.

There is no permanent cure for cerebral palsy. However, the condition is manageable with the help of drugs, therapy and surgery. The kind of treatment required depends on your overall condition. While some may be able to live with the condition without much assistance, others may require immediate medical intervention. Therefore, it is best to consult an orthopaedic and get help if the symptoms deteriorate over time.

Cerebral Palsy - Symptoms, Types & Treatment Of It!

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