Your mother has often yelled at you for playing video games for long hours but obviously you haven t paid heed to it. Such is the obsession with video games that they don t let you rest unless you have championed all the levels in the virtual interface. Here is the source of all problems. Studies have revealed that video games have a direct relation to neurological disorders. As a result, many health experts across the world consider video game as a kind of health abuse.

People who play action-oriented video games are at higher risks. The more you indulge in these kinds of games, the more they are going to affect the hippocampus section of your brain. It is that part of the brain which is considered to be the centre of your nervous system, memory, and emotion. This has a detrimental effect on your overall brain health.

Let us see some of the signs which may indicate the onset of certain complications arising from an over indulgence in these games.
1. You spend hours on the computer or related gaming devices and devote lesser hours for your family and friends.
2. You get agitated when someone stops you midway through the game
3. You become socially isolated and show signs of occasional mood swings
4. You are unable to keep a track of time once you start playing
5. You repeatedly neglect your studies, resulting in a dip in performance at school

Why does this happen?
All of the above signs indicate that sooner or later you might develop neurological problems. When you spend an excessive number of hours on playing and navigating through the games, the  hippocampus  portion of your brain shows signs of decreased gray matter. As a result, the volume of the hippocampus shrinks, causing severe nerve related disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer s disease, dementia, depression, and overall general stress.

One of the biggest reasons behind this is a lack of self-control. Most of the video games will encourage you to steal cars, run away after a theft and kill your enemies. Moreover, if you succeed, you are rewarded. This naturally unleashes a blatant urge for the gratification of all these awkward desires in your real life too. Hence, once you are encountered with the reality, you tend to show violent behavior.

Video Games and Neurological Problems Associated with Them

Women tend to develop high levels of blood sugar during their pregnancy (especially within the 24th and 28th weeks), irrespective of whether they already had suffered from diabetes prior to their pregnancy. However, gestational diabetes, if not taken proper care of, might escalate the risks of developing diabetes in the near future for both the mother and the child, accompanied by complications in pregnancy or labor. Gestational diabetes is usually characterized by mild symptoms such as excessive urge to urinate, excessive thirst, blurred vision and fatigue.

Causes:
Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, allows for the utilization of the glucose for energy. The food consumed is broken down by the digestive tract of the body, converting carbohydrates into glucose before releasing it into the bloodstream. The glucose is then absorbed by the cells to be used as an energy source. Now, at the time of pregnancy, the placenta (organ nourishing the fetus) connecting the baby to the blood supply also produces various other hormones in high levels, for instance, estrogen and human placental lactogen. Most of these hinder the normal functioning of insulin in the cells, hence raising the blood sugar count. With subsequent growth of the baby, the placenta keeps on producing more amounts of such insulin resistant hormones to an extent that they are capable of meddling with the development of the baby.

Treatment:
1. Monitoring the blood sugar count at least four to five times a day and keeping it under control might help to ease the complication.
2. A healthy diet consisting of whole grains, vegetables and fruits in the right proportion and limiting sugar or other highly refined carbs meets the nutrition and fiber requirement of the body. Guard against additional weight gain during pregnancy as that hampers the entire process.
3. Exercise or regular physical activities help to normalize blood sugar level by boosting glucose absorption in the cells. Furthermore, exercises also enhance the sensitivity of the cells towards insulin. This means that only a little amount of insulin production by your body would be enough for the transportation of sugar.
4. Medication, If exercise and diet fall inadequate, insulin injections are often administered to control blood sugar count.
5. Keeping the baby under close observation with the help of repeated ultrasound and other tests to record its growth and development is an essential part of the treatment plan.

Gestational Diabetes - How It Can Be Treated?

Stomach aches and pains are common in babies, infants and parents are always in search of quick fixer to help their little ones get a relief instantly. Though instant reliefs do not come always, and there are colicky infants and babies with common stomach problems, yet some remedies and treatments always help.

Stomach pain in older kids
The common home remedies in not so serious pains are as follows:
- let the child rest and lie down. This may help to ease the pain in 20-30 minutes.
- give the child some liquid to drink, which is soothing, like light tea, soup, water or diluted fruit juice.
- let the child go to the toilet and encourage him or her to pass stool. This may help ease off the pain sooner.
- avoid any bulk food intake in one meal and divide it into smaller meals through the day until symptoms go away.
- don't give oily and fried food. Give easy to digest food, mostly boiled or light fried.
- avoid giving a medicine without medical advice.

These steps generally help and the pain goes away without going to a doctor immediately. If the pain is severe and is persistent in any one part of the abdomen, then it may require immediate medical attention. Common causes may be appendicitis or gall stone problem or may be a case of acute jaundice, diarrhoea, food poison, etc. Pain on pressing one part of the belly, or high body temperature with pain, and serious vomiting are serious symptoms which you must not ignore and take the kid immediately to a medical centre or doctor.

Stomach pain in infants
Stomach pains in infants are caused due to extra air entering the stomach while feeding. This can be avoided by burping the baby manually. There are a few burping techniques which your paediatrician and baby care giver will show you.

If you are with a colicky baby, then you would try administering the baby's nursing bottle first. There are new age nursing bottle designs, which keep off extra air from entering the stomach. The extra air mainly causes the stomach pain, and therefore, the bottle which prevents mixing of air with milk or water keeps the baby safe from colicky pains. Keep baby colic pain syrups at home ready, and give the baby a dose as and when required. It will eventually give the pain a relief.

Treating Stomach Aches and Pains in Kids

Valvar aortic stenosis, commonly called aortic stenosis, is a disorder which occurs when the aortic valve of the heart becomes narrow. The narrowing of the valve prevents its full opening, and hence, blood flow from the heart to the aorta is restricted. When the aortic valve gets obstructed, the heart has to exert much more effort to pump the blood. The heart muscles get weakened as a result. This condition is more common in children.

Diagnosis of valvar aortic stenosis-
Before diagnosis, we should know about the symptoms of valvar aortic stenosis in children. They include:

 Feeling breathless
 Angina or chest pain with a feeling of pressure or tightness
 Syncope of fainting
 Palpitations and enhanced heartbeats
 A steady decline in regular activities and energy levels
 Fatigue due to little exertion
 Not gaining weight
 Poor eating patterns
 Problems in breathing

The wall of the left ventricle also thickens muscularly, and the thick wall occupies more space in the lower chamber of the heart and hence, the room for adequate blood supply is reduced. This may lead to heart failure.

Echocardiogram-
The initial test that is recommended for patients with symptoms of valvar aortic stenosis is doppler echocardiography. This test enables the doctor to estimate the aortic valve region, peak or mean transvalvular gradients and the maximum aortic velocity. These primary measures are required to assess the severity of the disease. Echocardiography provides important information on the valve function, left ventricular filling pressure and disruptions in other valves.

Other major tests which help in the diagnosis of valvar aortic stenosis include:
 Mri or magnetic resonance imaging, which provides images of internal body structures with great detail.
 Ct scan or computed tomography where three-dimensional images are extracted.
 Chest x ray
 Cardiac catheterization where a dye is used to highlight blockages, if any, in the heart.

Treatment-
Usually, there are no medicines for fixing valvar aortic stenosis as the disease is not reversible. Medicines can be used to treat the problems, which are caused by the condition.

Replacement of the damaged valve by surgery is the best treatment for valvar aortic stenosis. The surgery performed is called valvuloplasty. This is a cardioscopic surgery where a tube with a small balloon is inserted into a vein. The tube is guided into the heart, and the balloon is inflated. The balloon and tube are removed after the valve is opened. The damaged valve is replaced by mechanical valve or the valve of a cow or pig by an open-heart surgery.

Valvar aortic stenosis is a severe heart condition in children, and the only permanent remedy for this disease is a valve replacement surgery.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Valvar Aortic Stenosis in Children

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is used to restore hearing ability in people who suffer from hearing loss due to inner ear damage. Unlike hearing aids which amplify sounds so people with hearing loss are better able to perceive them, cochlear implants directly transmit electronic sound signals to the auditory nerve. They work by compensating for damaged cochlea, the part of inner ear that converts sound waves into neural impulses which are perceived by the brain. 

A child who cannot hear will also never be able to speak. 
Inability to hear and speak puts a person at disadvantage in society. 
Simple tasks like talking on the phone which we take for granted become impossible. 
Conventional methods of learning like attending a classroom lecture become impossible. 
Brain development and intelligence is closely linked to development of speech and language. 
Inability of parents to communicate with child leads to emotional distancing. 
Integrating a hearing disabled person in to society becomes a frustrating experience for all involved. 
Cost of integration per capita in much higher when compared to cost of Cochlear Implant. 
Children with Cochlear Implants are fully integrated in society with normal hearing & speech. 
Children with Cochlear Implants can attend regular schools & colleges 
Early identification of hearing impairment gives children a better chance of developing speech and language skills, and of making the most of social and emotional interaction from an early age. 
Cochlear implants offer a multitude of benefits to people experiencing hearing loss, especially infants and children with severe hearing loss who are just starting to process language and speech. Some of these benefits are: 

Hearing and communication   Cochlear implants improve hearing significantly, especially to a level where normal communication can be restored. It enhances the person s ability to hear speech without relying on visual cues such as lip reading or hand signs. It makes telephonic conversation a lot easier. Cochlear implants also help people regulate their own voice and volume so that it is easier for others to understand them. 
Quality of life - It can help people with hearing loss listen to and enjoy music and also watch television with sounds. It helps people listen to sounds in a noisy environment and differentiate soft sounds from loud ones. 
Safety   Cochlear implants enhance the individual s safety as it allows the person to be able to hear warning sounds like honking cars or ambulance sirens. This will allow people to navigate public spaces in a much safer way. 
Society - For children with hearing loss, cochlear implants can help them adjust a lot better to regular schools instead of requiring special institutions. 
Brain development - It can help infants with cochlear damage develop their speech recognition and speaking skills much faster. 
Cochlear implants 

Only device of its kind that can restore a special sense.
Consists of 2 parts-
One part is surgically implanted in the body 
Second part is worn behind the ear and communicates with internal part using wireless signals 
Persons of any age can get a cochlear implant, from less than one year old children to 90 year old persons have received implants all around the world. 
Cochlear implants can be done for partial hearing loss also, know as Hybrid implant that preserves the residual natural hearing and augments hearing only in certain sound frequencies in which hearing loss is present. 
Are being used for indications other than hearing loss also like Tinnitus. 
Surgery is a day care procedure for most patients. 
Consult a doctor to get a clear assessment of whether you would be an eligible candidate for a cochlear implant and what to expect from the procedure.

Cochlear Implant - The Many Benefits Of It

What is ADHD?

ADHD refers to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is a brain-related condition found among preschoolers, children, teenagers and in many cases extends well into adulthood. These individuals have significant impairment in academics as well as social situations and interpersonal relations. The child has difficulty sustaining attention, phases of hyper activeness and cannot control his/her impulses which make their day to day life at school and home difficult.

ADHD Symptoms

The symptoms of this disorder among children can be categorized under three headings.

1.Hyperactivity which includes

- Fidgets often
- Restlessness
- Inability to stay at one place runs around and tries to climb things
- Trouble playing quietly
- Excessive talking

2. Inattention, which can be divided into symptoms like

- Getting easily distracted
- Tendency to loose things
- Daydreaming
- Facing problems related to organizing things
- Not listening carefully
- Forgetting about daily activities, carelessness

3. Impulsiveness

- Interrupts others as they speak and talks out of turn
- Answers questions without listening to what has been asked
- Not being able to wait for their turn to come

Prevalence :

10-12% of school children before puberty are affected by one or more types of ADHD. ADHD especially hyperactivity is more prevalent in boys than in girls, with the ratio up to 9:1. Inattention and poor concentration are more commonly seen amongst girls. The rate of ADHD in parents and sibling of children with ADHD is 5-10 times higher than in the general population.

ADHD Causes

The probable causes of ADHD among children are,

1. Neurodevelopmental changes - Poorly developed activity of the brain particularly in the areas that control attention and concentration cause ADHD. This causes an imbalance in the neurotransmitters or the chemicals important for brain functioning and development.

2. Genetic Factors - genetic studies show that ADHD is largely hereditary in nature with a heritability of 75% approximately.



What are the Causes and Symptoms of ADHD?

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