A neurological disorder is characterized by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, and convulsions associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Role of Physiotherapy in Epilepsy

It helps improve strength, mobility, and increases the range of motion and sphere of movement.
It helps improve sensory awareness, response, balance, and coordination.
It helps to improve quality of movement and physical performance.
The Goals of Physiotherapy

To develop strength enough to support one s head upright
To have balance and motor control to maintain their trunk at midline
To use many different muscle groups
To assist necessary motion in their trunk and extremities
The physiotherapists write short-term goals for each of the items on the problem list that need to be covered to help the patient achieve the long-term goals
To understand what the patient is good at and does well
To focus on what he or she capable of doing rather than on what they can t do
To educate and provide awareness with a view to prevent injury. For example, advice on special swimming equipment to prevent drowning if he/she gets seizures in the pool
Physiotherapy treatment for a healed fracture consists of strengthening muscles that have got weak from being immobilized and stretching muscles that are stiff owing to being in the cast for a long period of time.

Physical exercise improves fitness, energy, and mood and even relieves stress. Improving overall health and wellbeing in this way can help reduce seizures. It can also help people feel more in control of their health. It also helps release  feel good  hormones into the brain, helps keep the muscles active, reduces fat levels in the body, and increases oxygen flow to the brain. It can also increase the bone density. A research showed that regular sessions of aerobic exercise (for example running, walking, swimming, cycling) for 60 minutes, twice a week, for 15 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in the number of seizures they had.

Drink water, diluted fruit juice, or squash while exercising to help replace the fluids and body. Do not exercise straight after a meal.

Team sports or group activities such as walking or gardening groups can also be a good way of increasing self-confidence. Making new friends may help with any feelings of isolation. Most sports, including contact sports like football, hockey, basketball and rugby, have not shown to increase the chance of someone having a seizure, but contact sports come with an increased risk of head injuries, which could affect people with a history of epilepsy. Protective sports headgear helps to reduce this risk. 

Role Of Physiotherapy In Treating Epilepsy!

How Physiotherapy Can Help with Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders are problems with any one or a combination of the central nervous system or any of its peripheral systems such as cranial nerves, neuromuscular junctions, and the autonomic nervous systems among others.

Some extreme examples of neurological disorders are:

- Dementia
- Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Epilepsy
- Disorders brought on by strokes
- Multiple sclerosis and others

What is physiotherapy and how can it help?

Physiotherapy is a form of treatment where practitioners use physical forms of treatment such as massages, exercises, heat treatment and other controlled forms of external stimuli to treat physical disorders.

This method of treatment can be very effective in correcting neurological disorders.

Some of the physiotherapy techniques, which can be implemented to help patients, are as follows:

Electrical Stimulation: This method is commonly used to treat muscular problems, especially incurred after an accident or any other form of injury. In this method, controlled electric stimulation is given to specific nerve areas over the skin to stimulate them.

Heat treatment: This method involves applying heat to parts of the body such as joints or muscles where there is nerve or muscular damage. This treatment is especially effective for muscle related problems.

Ice or cold treatment: Vertically opposite to the principle of heat treatment, ice or cold treatment is used to contract muscles within the body. This is especially effective where inflammation needs to be controlled.

Manual therapy: Possibly the most common form of physiotherapy, this method employs massages, pressure points, stretching and hands on strengthening exercises and helps regularize nerve impulses to areas where they have been affected.



How Physiotherapy Can Help with Neurological Disorders

Dementia refers to the progressive loss of memory in a human being. It does not refer to any particular disease. It is rather a cumulative representation of symptoms which signify that the person is losing his or her memory. Dementia occurs in seven stages. Read on to read more about them:

In the first stage, there is no cognitive decline and the person is mentally sound. There is no memory loss as well.
In the second stage, there is a very mild cognitive decline leading to normal forgetfulness that is often associated with progressing age.
In the third stage, there is a mild cognitive decline. The person has an increased forgetfulness and may find it difficult to concentrate on things.
In the fourth stage, there is moderate cognitive decline and the person starts forgetting even the most recent events. They cannot even travel alone or manage their own finances.
In the fifth stage, there is moderately severe cognitive decline. The person going through this stage often requires help even with their daily activities. People tend to forget even the most common things like phone and email passwords.
In the sixth stage, there is severe cognitive decline. This stage is also called middle dementia and there is prominent memory loss. People cannot even count from 1 to 10. Their speech becomes slurry. They also start having delusions.
In the seventh stage, there is very severe cognitive decline. This stage is also called late dementia. The psychomotor skills are also lost at this stage and the person may not even be able to walk properly.
Some of the early signs of dementia are listed below:

In the initial days of dementia, the person usually tends to get confused when it comes to choosing the right words. This makes them take much longer time to conclude their speech.
There might also be a change in the mood of the person.
Depression is also one of the early signs.

The person will have a tendency to forget even the most recent events that took place in his or her life. This means that they might remember what happened ten years before but they might not remember what they did in the morning.
Early signs also include failure to sense directions. People often tend to forget their addresses and the landmarks and thus become lost when they travel alone.
Confusion is also one of the common signs and this is directly correlated to the loss of memory because when a person cannot remember familiar faces, it leads to a lot of confusion within his own mind.
So, if you suspect that someone in your house is suffering from dementia, then you must look out for these early signs and seek medical help immediately. Early treatment can keep the condition from worsening.

Dementia - Stages and Early Signs!

Cure insomnia with natural remedies


Insomnia is the situation where someone is unable to sleep, despite being tired or having had a tough day. It also applies when a person can fall asleep but is unable to stay asleep for long. Sleep apnea, chronic pain, indigestion, stress, medications, hormones, depression, chronic pain and restless leg syndrome are few of the symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia has become quite common and increasing ever so rapidly with our daily stressful lifestyle. There are some simple ways to combat insomnia:

1. Make Sleep a habit : 
There is a general practice to cut the sleep short whenever we go behind the schedule. Be it sitting for an important examination or preparing for a challenging assignment. It is always the sleep whom we sacrifice. This is a very bad practice. We need to remember that adults needs eight to ten hours of sleep for proper mental functioning. So make sleep a habit , try to follow a simple routine. It will help you establishing  regular sleep-wake cycles which will in long run prevent insomnia.

2. Add amino acids to diet: 
Include in your diet, foods that are high in the amino acid called tryptophan because they help calm the nerve. Chicken, tuna and turkey are such types of foods.

3.Drink hot milk: 
It has been an age-old custom to have a glass of warm milk before going to sleep. So, If you are not allergic to dairy products, you can drink a glass of milk before bedtime. It has sedative effect due to presence of tryptophan.

4. Avoid caffeine after noon and Limit alcohol and nicotine intake:
Avoid Coffee, alcohol and food with high fat content and foods which can cause allergies, at least a few hours before your bedtime. Drinking water or coconut water, after drinking alcohol is advisable. This increases the hydration level in the body and helps you sleep. You should also avoid nicotine  which is also a stimulant thus adversely affects normal sleep.

5. Pick magnesium rich foods: 
Foods which are high in magnesium are known to relax our system. Foods like oats, leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds and sesame can be included in your diet for best results against insomnia.

6. Stay away from your phone at bedtime:
It has been postulated that the blue wavelengths produced by your smartphone and other gadgets (and energy-efficient LED light bulbs) significantly suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, according to University of Basel research. So it is better avoiding surfing the phone at bed. You have enough time with it during the whole day. Is not it? Let her sleep too.

7. Practice yoga:
Practice 15 minutes of simple, yoga-like poses (such as neck rolls, shoulder rolls, and arm and back stretches) to help your muscles unwind before hitting the bed. But you should go slowly. “The goal is to loosen your muscles to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep, not increase your heart rate,” 

8. Try aromatherapy:
Studies have shown that aromatherapy aids in sleep. Lavender oil is most commonly used, It's also an inexpensive, nontoxic way to slip into a peaceful slumber. Find a spray with real lavender and spritz it on your pillow before bedtime and it may help you go asleep better.
 
9. Adopt deep breathing exercises:
Practice deep breathing  and relaxation exercises. They are simple and can be performed lying on bed. This will help you let go stress and worries that are troubling you and will therefore calm your nerves.

10. Re-organise your bedroom:
Bedroom should be quiet and dark to have proper sleep. You can use dark window curtains which will cut the lights from outside. You can try using sleep mask. Try not to watch television for at least half an hour before bed. Make your bed comfortable with extra mattress, pillows that are not too soft or too hard. Doing these simple things will make a lot of difference in your sleep habit.
 
 



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Fight insomnia naturally. #SleepWell 

Brain tumours vary in shape and size and the same is the case with their symptoms. The location of the tumour affects the symptoms greatly. Just like in any other type of a malignant tumour, brain tumour has a rapid growth and proliferation of abnormal cells that may have its origin in affected site or areas adjacent to it. As per studies, every 2 in 1,00,000 people are said to be affected by brain tumour in India. However, it may come as a relief to some as not all brain tumors are cancerous or life threatening. Some are benign tumors and seldom pose any threat to the affected individual.

Types of Brain Tumor
Brain tumors may be primary or secondary.

Primary brain tumor: Here the abnormal mass of cells that originated in the brain do not metastasize to the other organs. Based on their location in the brain, the primary brain tumors may be of the following types.
Gliomas: One of the most common types of primary brain tumors, gliomas can have their origin in the spinal cord or the brain. Some of the common types of gliomas include Astrocytomas (originates in the cerebrum of the brain), Glioblastomas (these tumors form from the Astrocytes which form the supportive tissues of the brain), Ependymoma (these develop from the ependymal cells which are present within the CNS), Oligodendrogliomas (these tumors are found to arise from the oligodendrocytes).
Schwannomas: Also called as Acoustic neuromas, these primary brain tumors form on the nerves that play an important role in regulating the balance and hearing from the inner ear to the brain.
Meningiomas: These type of tumors are usually benign and have their origin in the meninges (membranes surrounding the spinal cord and the brain).
Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs): Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are rare malignant tumors that originate from the fetal (embryonic) cells in the brain.
Pituitary adenomas: As the name suggests, these tumors arise from the pituitary gland located at the base of the brain.
Medulloblastomas: Common among the children, these malignant primary tumors develop in the brain (lower back) and gradually spread via the spinal fluid.
Other types of primary brain tumors include Craniopharyngiomas and the Germ cell tumors.
Secondary brain tumors: Unlike the primary brain tumors, these tumors have their origin in the other body parts and organs (mostly in the lungs, skin, colon, breast, and kidney) and then gradually metastasize to the brain. The secondary brain tumors are found to be more common.
Symptoms or warning signs associated with brain tumors:
Some of the signs and symptoms that may be indicative of a brain tumor include

People with brain tumors often get seizures (due to the irritation caused by the tumors in the brain).
A headache (mild to severe depending on the part of the brain affected by the tumor).
A person experiences numbness or a tingling sensation in the legs and arms.
There may be difficulties in walking or balancing.
A person finds it difficult to concentrate.
There may be some problems with hearing, speech or even vision.
A person may experience weakness restricted to only one part of the body.
The symptoms may not necessarily indicate a brain tumor but it is always wise not to neglect the symptoms either.

Brain Tumor - What Are The Types?

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that affects your brain cells which produce dopamine and thus hampering all kinds of motor functioning and other emotional responses. After the disease is diagnosed, medication and therapy can help to provide relief from the symptoms to a large extent but a permanent cure is not possible.

Causes:

The disorder does not have a definite set of causes. A small percentage of the cases have been related to hereditary factors and others have a range of environmental causes associated with them.

1. Genetic factors:

Specific gene mutations and gene variations have been proved to cause Parkinson's, such as SNCA, PARK2, PARK7, PINK1 and LRRK2. These make or recycle proteins which are linked to the disease.

Research shows that men are at a 1.75 times greater risk of developing the condition than women are. Also, age plays a role with most cases occurring after the age of 60.

2. Environmental factors:

Regular exposure to inorganic insecticides, pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals or other toxins may cause the disorder. In rare cases, Parkinson's disease occurs in the aftermath of a severe head injury or immune disorders.

Symptoms:

The symptoms can be classified into two broad categories-

1. Motor symptoms:

The hand tremors when in resting position
The grip loosens
Walking slows down
Facial muscles freeze partially
Speech is slurred
Balance is disturbed
Swallowing is painful
Urination is abnormally frequent
Dementia-like symptoms are seen
There is involuntary twitching of the fingers and toes
Repetition of the same movement in quick succession is nearly impossible
2. Non-motor symptoms:

Dental problems
Vision impairment
Skin disorders
Panic attacks
Excessive secretion of saliva
Extreme weight loss or gain
Sexual problems
Loss of sense of smell
Lowering of the pitch of the voice
Fatigue

Causes and Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

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