CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) Group of disorder of movement and posture because of defects and disease of brain, the damage may occur in Uterus during gestation, during birth process, or during he first few years of life. Cerebral Palsy is most common motor disorder in infants and children and is the commonest cause of physical disabilities in childhood.

The word cerebral means having to do with the brain The word palsy means a weakness or problem in the way a person moves or how he positions his body. A Child with CP might have trouble controlling the muscles in his body. Normally, the brain tells the rest of the body exactly what to do and when to do it. But because CP affects the brain, depending on what part of the brain is affected, a child might not be able to walk, talk, eat, or play the same way most children do.

Classification of Cerebral Palsy:

There are five types of cerebral palsy: spastic, athetoid, ataxic, Hypotonic and mixed (combination of any), and further catagorised according to topographic distribution: Quadriplegia, Diplegia and Hemiplegia

Signs and Symptoms: 

The most common type of CP is spastic. A kid with spasticity can't relax his muscles or his muscles may be stiff. Athetoid CP affects a kid's ability to control his muscles. This means that the arms or legs that are affected by athetoid CP may flutter and move suddenly. A kid with ataxic CP has problems with balance and coordination. Some kids with CP use wheelchairs and others walk with the help of crutches or braces. In some cases, a kid's speech may be affected or he might not be able to speak at all. To learn more about CP, what causes it, and what living with CP is like, keep reading.

Cerebral palsy is very difficult and challenging to all sciences of healing. Allopathic system has no effective medicine to help except physiotherapy, surgical corrections, Botox or Botulinum Toxins and many psychological aids. But it has helped very little. In cerebral palsy, the motor area of cerebral cortex is damaged along with other areas of brain.

The commonest causes are birth injuries, obstetrical complications, high-grade fevers, and prolonged jaundice at birth, head injury, Chronic Infections to mother and genetically aberrations. So, the doctor's job is to repair the damaged area maximum possible. The exact extent of damage caused is difficult to assess, but CAT scan, MRI, PET, Psychological tests, I.Q. tests, clinical sensory motor developmental milestones and other tests can give rough idea about the damage.

The brain development normally completes within 5 years of age. CP child has damaged brain, so it develops very slowly. It is mostly; motor area damaged, so motor mile stone comes alter. Depending upon the severity of damage, the development will occur. Apart from the brain damage, the poor management and spasticity adds to orthopedic disabilities. These children have low resistant power, so gets frequent infections of URI (cold, cough and fever), diarrhea, malaria etc.

Now, How homeopathy can help these children?

Homeopathy helps these children in many ways. Firstly, it improves I.Q., which no other system can do. It improves neuromuscular abilities, so motor milestones start appearing faster. It improves in swallowing, neck handling, sitting, standing and walking. It improves in understanding of the child and calculating capacity, schooling capacity. 

Secondly, it completely stops recurrent infections. So deterioration of the child stops and regains immunity to fight diseases.

Thirdly it improves cognitive ability of children also helps to improve associate psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, conduct disorders and hyperkinesis.

It helps in improving flaccidity, spasticity of limb muscles, squint deglutition. (Hence, food taking) Fortunately, severely damaged children are statistically less. So, mostly children with mild and moderate damage are the best helped by homeopathy.

Cerebral Palsy - Types, Symptoms & Homeopathic Treatment Of It!

Seasonal changes are usually a time when we need to take extra precautions to ensure that we do not end up catching any bacteria that may lead to infections or influenza as well as allergic reactions. Common cold and flu is a common occurrence during such times. Seasonal changes are usually known to cause flu and cold, which can also come with chills, sneezing, cough and fever. 

Here are a few homeopathic medicines and remedies that can be used during this season.

Aconite: This medicine is especially helpful when there is fever after sudden exposure to dipping temperatures. Once the cold starts to affect the patient, this medicine must be taken so that congestion is prevented. It can also be used when initial symptoms like tingling and burning sensations in the nose start.
Arsenicum: This medicine can be used during harsh winters and can be prescribed for stopping the discharge from the nostrils. It can also help in treating congestion and severe cold. If sneezing fits do not reduce, one can have this medicine. It also relieves burning sensation in the throatand nose, as well as fever.
Allium Cepa: When the discharge from the nose is cold and heavy as well as thin, it can be cured with the help of Allium Cepa. Persistent discharge is one of the symptoms for which this medicine is usually prescribed. Also, this medicine helps patients who experience cough and discharge once they step out of a warm room.
Euphrasia: When the top part of the respiratory mucous membrane is affected, this medicine can be used. It is also helpful when there is soreness in the nostrils and lips. Also, yellow and acrid discharge from the nostrils can be cured with this medicine. Dryness and pain is also one of the symptoms for which this medicine may be prescribed.
Gelsemium: When the cold first starts and begins to manifest as headaches, this medicine can be used so that it breaks up the cold effectively. Also, dullness and weakness due to oncoming fever can be checked with this medicine. Further, a sore throat can be treated with this medicine. Excessively warm weather that leads to a cold can be treated with Gelsamium too.
Nux Vomica: If you have caught a cold from damp and cold weather conditions, the doctor can prescribe Nux Vomica. This effectively treats cold symptoms likedry nose, minimal discharge and a tickling sensation in the nose.
Mercurius: This medicine can be prescribed to treat frontal sinuses that may be suffering due to the flu. Violent sneezing and excessive sweating can be cured with this medicine.

Seasonal Flu - 7 Best Homeopathic Remedies for It!

As people grow older, they age physically as well as mentally. Just as they become more susceptible to conditions such as arthritis, their risk of mental illnesses also increases. It is also important to note that physical ailments influence mental ailments. Thus, arthritis may not only be a problem in itself but may cause mental disorders as well. 

Some of the most common psychological problems that affect the elderly are:

Depression: Depression can affect people of all ages but the elderly have a higher risk of suffering from it. The symptoms and effects of this condition vary from person to person. These include feeling sad constantly, tiredness and lack of energy, lack of self-worth, unexplained weight loss or weight gain, insomnia and reduced appetite. This may be caused as a side effect of certain medications or treatment, as a result of frustrations caused by other physical ailments or just an effect of age.
Memory Problems: As people get older, their memory weakens. Many lose their long-term memory skills. They may also lose their short-term memory. This is not the same as being forgetful. Characteristic symptoms of amnesia include confusion, memory loss, inability to recognize people, etc. Amnesia may be caused by a number of factors including trauma to the head, brain damage or psychological factors such as PTSD.
Dementia: Dementia is characterized by the person s mental inability to function normally. This could be in the form of random mood swings, apathy, confusion, changes in short-term memory or failed sense of direction. Dementia is typically caused by the death of brain cells due to tumors, infections, lack of oxygen, lack of nutrition etc. Parkinson s disease, Huntington s disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia are all forms of dementia.
Alzheimer s Disease: This is a kind of dementia as well. In such cases, the patient loses memory of where they are and believe themselves to be in another place and time zone. The patient may not be able to rationalize things happening around him and may be unable to recognize their own family members. This is a neurodegenerative disease that involves shrinkage of the brain cells. It may be genetic. Alzheimer s can be treated and managed but it cannot be cured.
Insomnia: Insomnia can be classified as a physical and mental ailment. It is characterized by the inability to sleep well at night. Some of the noticeable symptoms include tossing and turning for hours in bed before going to sleep, waking up frequently at night, waking up earlier than planned and falling asleep during the day. Insomnia in the elderly is typically caused by stress and anxiety. It may also be the result of certain types of medication.

5 Common Psychological Problems That Affect People In Old Age!

There are a variety of reasons why a person can fall sick. A good number of these illnesses cannot be prevented though a person may take general precautions. Having said that, in the case of influenza, it can be prevented to a large extent and it does not seem all that smart to avoid taking easy precautions when one has an option, right?

Every year, thousands of people die from influenza, which is so unfortunate because an annual shot can reduce that number by almost 60 percent. So what exactly makes a flu shot or vaccine work? As a result of the vaccine, after about two weeks or so, antibodies begin to develop in the body. These antibodies help fight off infection, specifically the kind that is targeted by the vaccine. It is important to get vaccinated for this flu on an annual basis.

Choosing the right flu shot
Considering the great number of options there are when it comes to flu vaccines, which are the ones to be injected? It is a good idea to get the opinion of a doctor to see which one to choose. This is because the choice is dependent on a variety of factors, which a medical professional would be able to assess appropriately. Note that it is important not to use the nasal spray version of the vaccine as the medical authorities have recently found that it is not as effective a method as it once was.

When should you get it?
Flu season does vary across the world, but in the US, it starts in about October and goes on till May. During this time, the flu viruses are a lot more active. When one gets a flu shot, it is this period that one needs to look out for. So, it is better to get vaccinated in late September or the start of October, so that there is minimal unprotected exposure to the viruses.

Who is it for?
It is to be kept in mind that every individual who is older than six months should be vaccinated. While it is said that getting a vaccine shot year after year reduces its effectiveness, it is still important to do so. This is because each year, the shot is altered to reflect the biggest virus threats in that year. There might be few side effects of the flu vaccine such as redness in the injected area, soreness or swelling. However, as long as one gets a flu shot in time, it is almost a given that there will be almost no time spent  down with the flu .

Flu Shot - Why Is It So Important?

Paralysis means the loss of normal muscle function in a part of the body. It can occur to any part of the body such as just the legs, just the arms, or complete lower or upper body paralysis. The signals from the brain to that part of the body will stop, as a result of which, the person will not be able to move that part of the body. There will be a complete loss of sensation in that body part, the person will not be able to feel any pain or anything else.

Types of Paralysis:
Based on which part of the body is affected by paralysis, you can classify paralysis into four types:

When just one limb is paralyzed, it is called MONOPLEGIA.
When one side of the body is paralyzed, such as a leg and an arm, then it is called HEMIPLEGIA.
When the lower part of the body is paralyzed, then it is called PARAPLEGIA.
When both your legs and arms are paralyzed, it is called QUADRIPLEGIA.
How is Paralysis caused?
Our sensation and movement are controlled by the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. So, when there is any disruption in the communication between the brain and the muscles, muscle movement and control will be affected. In the long term, this will cause weakness in the muscles and finally, end with paralysis.

How does physiotherapy help with paralysis?
Basically, there is one important thing that you need to know about paralysis and that is there is no treatment available for paralysis. But physiotherapy offers a ray of hope. It may not help in treating this problem totally, but the person with paralysis will be able to get independent and more mobile.

The first thing you need to do is, you should start the physiotherapy treatment as soon as a person is affected with paralysis. You should not waste a lot of time. Early treatment can offer better results.
The main objective of physiotherapy for any patient is to make them as mobile as possible.
When you are undergoing physiotherapy treatment for paralysis, it will stop the progress of the paralysis.
If the paralysis is due to an external injury to your brain, then you will be highly benefited by physiotherapy. The physiotherapist will start working on the external swelling and also on the muscles that are not affected by the trauma. This will result in making a paralyzed person more mobile.
Physiotherapy is always considered as one of the best treatments for many health conditions. Many experts recommend physiotherapy for paralysis.

How Does Physiotherapy Help In Paralysis?

Influenza is more commonly known as the flu. It is an infection that affects the respiratory system and is caused by the influenza virus. This injection is recommended for kids who are under the age of 6 months. It ensures that the baby is safeguarded from the virus during an influenza outbreak. Since the nature of virus changes year on year, the immunity doesn t last for more than 1 year. This vaccination is ideally taken during the month of October and November. The effect of the vaccination typically lasts for 6-8 months.

Ideally, kids who have never had a flu vaccination should take 2 vaccinations within 4 weeks. Kids who have received a shot of flu should undertake this vaccination once in a year. This arrangement is ideal up to 9 years of age. Flu shot is extremely important for a kid due to the following reasons:

It saves a kid from chronic lung and heart disorders such as asthma and cystic fibrosis
Kids suffering from immune deficiency, cancer, and HIV should take this vaccination to avoid further complication of the existing disease
Kids suffering from diabetes, kidney diseases, and metabolic disorders should go for this vaccination without a second thought
Kids suffering from a neurological disorder, haemoglobin deficiency, and anaemia should take this vaccination to refrain from the risk of aggravation of the present disease
Pregnant women should ideally take it for the safeguarding the fetus
Flu shot should not be taken be taken if:
1. A baby is under the age of 6 months.
2. The baby has thimerosal allergy.

Is flu shot safe?
The flu shot is considered to be very safe. It does not result in flu. Few side effects include:
a. Soreness of the place where the needle is injected. This doesn t last for more than a couple of day.
b. Body ache and mild fever for the first couple of days after the vaccination is done.
c. There is little to no pain in the place where the injection is injected by the doctor.

What is nasal flu vaccine?
This is an influenza dose that is not injected into the body but given in the form of nasal spray. Healthy kids above the age of 2 years are fit to get this injection. For those kids who have a history of chronic illness should check with their doctor to go ahead with nasal spray. Each dose is given in each nostril. Like the influenza vaccine, nasal flu vaccine should be undertaken once for those who have already taken this dose once. Kids who have not undergone this vaccination are eligible for 2 dosages each 4 weeks apart from each other.

Influenza Vaccine - Why is it Important for Kids?

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