Balance disorders are a combination of physiological factors that can make you feel unsteady or dizzy. While sitting, standing or lying down, you may feel as if you are floating, moving, or spinning and you may feel dizzy and dazed for the time being. This disorder can intervene in your daily activities of life, and can even lead to falls and accidents, which may cause you to end up with fractures and other types of injuries.

What causes balance disorder?

A combination and coordination of many body systems such as muscles, bones, vision, the balancing organ within the ear, heart and nerves help maintain normal balance. Dysfunction of these systems can lead you to encounter balance problems. Balance disorders can be caused by many types of conditions.

Some of the causes of the disorder are:

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): This occurs due to dislodged or displaced calcium crystals in the inner ear, which help you maintain balance. It is the most commonly found cause of vertigo. A spinning sensation while turning in bed is a common sign.

Migraines: Migraines are a general cause of dizziness. Sensitivity to motion can also be caused by migraines. It can also lead to motion sickness, which is dizziness experienced when traveling in boats, cars or airplanes.
Head injury: A severe concussion can also cause vertigo.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome: Commonly known as zoster otitis, this condition affects the nerves close to the ears. It can be attributed to hearing loss, vertigo and pain in the ear.
Vestibular problems and nerve damage: Damaged nerves in the legs can cause difficulty in movement and locomotion. Abnormalities and dysfunctions in the inner ear can lead to a sensation of dizziness and a heavy head.
How do you know if you have balance disorder?

Some of the characteristic symptoms of this condition include:

- Blurred vision
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Blood pressure
- Fatigue
- Depression and anxiety
- Psychological disorientation
- Fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate



What Causes Balance Disorder? Is Migraine a Cause?

Homeopathy is considered to be an untested medicine for many. This is why so many patients who have a sore throat immediately turn to tablets, hot water or even syrups to relieve the pain. Different causes of a sore throat will have different remedies.

Here are the some of the homeopathic remedies for different causes of a sore throat.

    Belladonna: This is the best medicine when there is any difficulty swallowing. It is also very readily available.
    HeparSulph: Heparsulph is generally used when there is a sensation in your throat, which feels like there is some sort of splinter.
    Phosporus: Phosphorus is a more widely used homeopathic remedy. It is used to treat what is called as 'clergyman's' sore throat. This is when there is a tickling sensation in the larynx.
    Lachesis: This is also a very uncommon and rarely required medicine. However, sometimes our throat feels sore only when we take liquids. In this case, lachesis is the ideal remedy.
    Bryonia: Bryonia is a much more common homeopathy. It is used when there is a cough accompanying the sore throat.
    Merc sol: Tonsilltis is generally considered to be a condition too serious to cure with homeopathy. However, Merc sol does do this effectively. Belladonna is also pretty good at it. They also help with a sore throat.
    Arsenicum album: This medication is most commonly used when a sore throat is accompanied by a cold.
    Aconite: Aconite is considered even better than arsenicum album in treating a sore throat which is also accompanied by a cold.
    Capsicum: This is a great homeopathic rememdy for a pain in the throat which goes all the way to the ears.
    Argentium Metallicum: Argentium Metallicum is used when the soreness of your throat worsens with the use of the voice. Professional singers and public speakers are especially in need of this medicine as they frequently use their voice.
    Chamomilla: This remedy is especially great for helping cure sore throat in children. 
    Baryta Carbonicum: This is a remedy used for a very similar reason to what chamomilla is used for.


Homeopathic Remedies for a Sore Throat

BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a major cause of vertigo. This is a condition that gives a sensation of head spin all of a sudden. It also results in dizziness in brief episodes. The severity level can vary from intense to mild. BPPV is triggered with certain changes of the head position. Although BPPV is bothersome, it isn t serious unless there is a chance of a person falling abruptly because of the head spin. There are ample treatment options available to address this problem.

Symptoms of BPPV
BPPV includes some of the following symptoms:
a. Loss of balance
b. Dizziness
c. Feeling of the surrounding spinning
d. Vomiting and nausea
e. Rhythmic movement of the eye

When to seek medical attention?
If dizziness is accompanied with one of the below-mentioned symptoms, it is time to urgently seek medical attention and get vertigo addressed for good:

Hear loss
Tingling or numbness
Fever accompanies with severe headache
Arm or leg weakness
Problems with vision
Difficulty in walking
Becoming unconscious
Causes of BPPV:
If there is on known cause associated with BPPV, the condition is termed as idiopathic BPPV. In most of the cases, though, BPPV is associated with a severe to minor blow to the head. Other causes include an injury to the inner ear, prolonged sitting position in a fixed posture, even migraine pain is at times associated with BPPV.

What are the risk factors?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is likely to occur in the age group of 50 and above, this being said it can happen at any age in case of any injuries. Statistically, it is found that the likelihood of BPPV is more in women than men. Head injury of any sort is by far the most likely reason of BPPV.

What are the tests and diagnosis involved?
A doctor is likely to perform a physical examination followed by a series of tests. Some typical signs that a doctor looks for include the following:
Ability to control eye movement- especially side to side movement

Symptoms of dizziness
In case it is difficult to spot the symptoms, a doctor might suggest video- nystagmography or electronystagmography. It helps to track irregular eye movement. An MRI can also be prescribed to study the cross-sectional images of the body and the head.

Treatments associated with BPPV:
BPPV mostly go away within months or weeks on its own. If however, it still persists, a doctor can suggest Canalith Repositioning- series of small movements that helps to counter BPPV. For extreme cases, a doctor might advise a surgery for blocking the portion of the inner ear that might be causing the problem. It guarantees close to a 100 percent fix to BPPV.

Vertigo / Dizziness - When To Seek Medical Attention?

Throat cancer is a broad term used to cover cancer across a number of organs in the oronasal passage   right from the nasopharynx, oropharynx, glottis, epiglottis to supraglottis. Minus the medical terms, it means anywhere from the back of the nose and throat to the where the neck ends. The mucous cells along this path can undergo changes and begin multiplying rapidly, leading to cancer. The following are some additional risk factors:

Cigarette smoking
Tobacco abuse
History of human papilloma virus (HPV)
Alcohol abuse
Poor dental hygiene
Family history
Cigarette smoking is the most important of all, and a person can significantly reduce the risk by cutting down smoking. The throat has different types of linings and gland tissue, and depending on the cell type affected, the type of cancer could vary.

Symptoms: Throat cancer diagnosis can get delayed as the symptoms are very similar to a throat infection.

Sore throat: A sore throat that lasts for weeks together is often a cause for concern and requires ruling out underlying serious problem. Having associated risk factors is a good way to see if ruling out cancer is needed.
Cough: A cough that does not go away is a cause for concern. This is often associated with other symptoms mentioned here.
Voice change: Usually hoarseness of the voice, which is painless and not accompanied by a throat infection, is an indication of throat cancer.
Difficulty swallowing or breathing: Depending on where the cancer is located, there could be problems in either free breathing or swallowing. The developing mass gets in the way of free air and/or food movement.
Lumpy feeling in the throat: If the developing mass is along the length of the throat, then there could be a lumpy feeling, as if something is caught in the throat and not going down.
Bleeding: There could be bleeding either through the nose or the mouth, depending on the place of the cancer. Again, this is one of the late symptoms and not seen in the beginning.
Unexplained weight loss: As with any cancer, throat cancer also leads to unexplained weight loss.
Depending on the area affected, the symptoms can point to the location. For instance, voice changes are often associated with laryngeal cancer. A combination of risk factor assessment and symptoms will help in pinning down the diagnosis. Reach out to the doctor as soon as you notice something is wrong, as early diagnosis is very good for timely intervention and improving prognosis.

Throat cancer - Symptoms to watch for!

Swallowing food comes naturally to human beings. But when there is a problem, it is usually called Dysphagia. Esophagus, a muscular tube-like organ located at the back of our throat, usually helps in swallowing food and transferring them to our stomach. When esophagus does not function properly, dysphagia happens. Patients suffering from brain or nerve disorder, seniors and babies might have this problem. 

People with dysphagia might witness the following issues:

Difficulty in swallowing solids and liquids.
Gaging, choking or coughing usually occurs when trying to swallow.
Experience pain when trying to swallow and also heartburn.
Swallowed food might come back up either through mouth or nose.
A chronic problem might result in weight loss.
Causes:
There are 2 main reasons, why the Esophagus might become dysfunctional.

Due to some medical condition the muscles and nerves that help the esophagus work have stopped working.
The esophagus is blocked by something.
There can be a number of reasons for both the condition. Here are the reasons why the muscles and nerves might not work.
Certain diseases can create problems with your nervous system, which in turn can affect the esophagus. These diseases are polio, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson s disease.

A brain stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury can also affect swallowing.
Polymyositis or Dermatomyositis are immune system problems that can cause swelling or weakness.
The muscles of esophagus suddenly squeeze, which is called esophagus spasm.
Scleroderma causes the esophagus to become thin and weak.
The esophagus might be blocked because of these reasons:

Esophagus might have malignant or non-malignant tumours.
Esophagitis is a medical condition when the esophagus is infected, got some allergy or even if a pill got stuck on it.
People suffering from reflux diseases often experience the acid that backs up into the esophagus. This can cause an ulcer on it resulting in scars. Scars make Esophagus narrower, making it difficult to swallow.
There are small sacs called Diverticula on the esophagus or the throat, often making it difficult to swallow.
Lymph nodes, tumours, bone spurs can also obstruct esophagus and create difficulty in swallowing.

Difficulty in Swallowing - Are You at Risk of Dysphagia?

The common reason why most of us get throat infections is because they are viral in nature. This means that if one person gets a throat infection then he transmits it to others by touching, coughing and sneezing etc.
Viral throat infections can be managed easily. There are several home remedies that can alleviate your viral infection. However, it is suggested to consult an ENT specialist if the home remedy is not providing any relief to you.

Gargling: It is one of the most popular methods of treating viral throat infection. All you need to do is mix one tablespoon of salt in 200 ml of water and warm the solution. When the water becomes lukewarm, take a small portion of it and rinse your throat with the solution. Take care that the solution remains within your throat and does not reach your stomach. Rinse your throat for 5 minutes and repeat the procedure after a rest of 2 minutes. Ensure that the water remains lukewarm for effectiveness.
Inhalation: Another common method of ridding yourself of viral throat infections is to inhale steam. Boil some water mixed with eucalyptus oil. When the water starts developing bubbles, take your face near it, cover it and the pot containing water with a dry towel and inhale the steam. This procedure is inconvenient for many people because inhalation results in sweating, but the result is perceptible. You must inhale steam for at least five minutes. Once you are done with inhalation, avoid taking cool fluids like cold water etc., else the effect would be reversed and your infection might get more severe.
Take lots of fluids: Strange as it may sound, viral throat infection can also be treated by taking lots of hot fluids. The warm temperature helps in neutralising the viruses, while the fluids prevent the dehydration of the body. Take hot tea, coffee etc. when you have an infected throat.
Drink hot milk and turmeric: Many mothers administer this solution to their kids to treat throat infections caused by viruses. This concoction is best taken before sleeping in the night. Turmeric has been found to carry several anti-microbial properties.
Avoid smoking: If you are a smoker, you must avoid smoking to alleviate your viral throat infection.
Use decongestants and nasal sprays: These substances make breathing easier by contracting the swollen mucous membranes. Nasal sprays also help relieve runny noses and post-nasal drips, which are so irritating and inconvenient to many. However, avoid administering this remedy to small children. Since these sprays contain synthetic drugs, it is advisable to stick to prescribed dosages for different age groups. Please also consult your ENT doctor before administering the nasal sprays to yourself or anybody else.

Viral Throat Infection - 6 Ways They Can Be Managed!

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