A migraine is considered to be one of the worst headaches of all. It causes excruciating pain along with a range of other symptoms. Notably, a migraine pain is very different in nature compared to general headache. A migraine pain is mostly felt on any one side of the brain. Since a migraine is difficult to diagnose, here is a list of 5 signs that will help you to understand, if your headache qualifies as a migraine:

Vision splotches: It is very common among migraine patients to experience blind spots and a sudden flash of light. While this might appear to be a little unusual, it is pretty normal for migraine patients. The visual cortex of the brain is responsible for incidences like these. They often pace up and slow down to cause such unnatural feelings. For cases like this, the nerve gets activated by the optical lobe and crashes immediately resulting in such sensations. These visible auras are felt by both the eyes.
A spinning sensation: A migraine patient often gets a swirling sensation. This requires them to immediately lie down. This is accompanied with nausea and throwing up. Certain migraine-induced changes caused in the brain causes hearing imbalance which is very similar to vertigo. These auras often serve as the onset of a migraine and can last for over one hour before the actual migraine cycle starts. If a person is suffering from these symptoms, it is a clear indication that he is suffering from a migraine.
Light sensitivity: Migraine patients often becomes oversensitive to sound and light. This is perhaps the reason why most migraine sufferers like to spend more time in dark and solicitude. Studies have shown that sudden exposure to light activates the optic nerve fiber which in turn activates the pain receptors in the brain. A study conducted by the Nature Neuroscience journal conducted in the year 2010 showed that even blind person (with a migraine) suffers from a sudden glow of light.
Touch sensitivity: Sensory auras often cause sharp pain from tiniest of touches. This is a condition known as the allodynia. This is a condition by which the spine and the brain get super excited by the inflamed blood vessels. This condition should be reported to a doctor since the most common medicine of a migraine does not work well if a patient is suffering from allodynia.
Funny Face: Aura of the tongue, face and lips are known as cheiro-oral. There is a type of aura that makes even speaking and eating difficult. At time sufferers feel that they are suffering from serious diseases such as brain tumor. If this condition prevails, it makes sense to contact your doctor at the earliest and start medication.

5 Signs You Are Suffering From Migraine

For diabetics, healthy eating is essential. This can be the most important tool available in managing diabetes and blood sugar fluctuations. This is because what a person eats has a direct effect on their blood sugar levels. When food is digested, it is broken down into a form of sugar known as glucose. This powers the body and acts as an energy source. For this, the body needs insulin. In the case of diabetics, insulin does not function the way it should or is not present in the required amounts. This causes the glucose to remain in the blood and in turn spikes blood sugar levels. The good news is that diabetes can be controlled. This is where the person s diet plays an important role.

Not all food causes an increase in blood sugar levels. The effect of a food item on a diabetic depends on how it affects the body s ability to process glucose. Processed foods, fatty foods, food with added sugar etc. can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. However, fruits and vegetables do not have the same effect. Foods that have a high glycemic index do not keep a person satiated for long but cause blood sugar fluctuations. On the other hand, foods with a low glycemic index do not cause blood sugar fluctuations and keep hunger satiated for longer. Hence, the former should be avoided as far as possible. Replace processed grains with whole grains, red meat with lean meat or fish and add plenty of beans and legumes to your diet. Trans fats should also be avoided.

Eating right can also help with weight management. Being overweight puts additional pressure on the insulin available which leads to frequent blood sugar fluctuations. Eating right accompanied by regular exercise is crucial to weight management. Keeping your weight under control can even help prevent diabetes especially in cases, where a person has a high genetic risk of developing diabetes. This can also help reduce the risk of further complications.

When it comes to diabetes, eating at the right time is as important as eating the right food. Diabetics should not leave long gaps between their meals. This is because having a gap of more than 3 hours can destabilize blood sugar levels and be dangerous for the patient. Hence, a diabetic should eat smaller, more frequent meals. It is also a good idea for a diabetic to monitor sugar levels before going to sleep and after waking up.

Importance Of Diet Management In Diabetes!

The chronic disorder that causes recurrent and unprovoked seizures is referred to as Epilepsy. A seizure is an impulsive and unexpected rush of activity in the brain. The reasons for the cause of epilepsy include head trauma, high fever, low blood sugar, and alcohol withdrawal. It is a neurological disorder and more than 3 million people in the United States have been affected by epilepsy. The chronic disorder is common not only in adults but even in young children and it has been observed that it occurs more in males. The disorder can merely be controlled by the use of various strategies as there is no cure for it till date.

Causes of epilepsy
Any illness that disturbs the usual form of neuron activity can lead to seizures. There are many possible causes of epilepsy. The 2 main types of seizures include partial/focal seizure and generalized seizure. The partial seizure would affect only one part of the brain. It is difficult to identify mild seizures. Further, stronger seizures are known to cause uncontrollable muscle twitches and spasms. At the time of a strong seizure, a patient can lose his consciousness. On the other hand, generalized seizures affect both parts (cerebral hemispheres) of the brain so their onset is not easily identifiable. Types of generalized seizures include tonic-clonic, absence or atonic etc. The other important fact is that epilepsy progresses because of imbalance of neurotransmitters which are nerve-signaling chemicals and also due to an abnormality in the brain wiring.

Drugs used to treat epileptic seizures
Anticonvulsant drugs are mainly used to treat epileptic seizures. The type of treatment provided to patients mainly depends on factors like severity and frequency of the seizures. The other factors that are also taken into consideration for the type of treatment provided include medical history, overall health and the age of a person. A patient can feel better with a seizure medication, an implant that works on the nerves, a special diet, and surgery.
To control epileptic seizures medications are the best option and to treat the brain disorder the right medication needs to be used. There are nearly 20 drugs available that are used for treating different types of epileptic seizures. The doctors provide medication only after proper review of the patient s medical history and their lifestyle. Some of the medications that are made include the use of antiepileptic drugs and anti-seizure drugs. The faulty signaling of the brain is suppressed with these medications.

Important precautions you must take

It is very important that the medication is taken as directed by the doctor. The main reason behind the use of these drugs is that they reduce the number of seizures and there are no side-effects. 
Care should be taken that the drugs provided to the children to treat epilepsy are FDA approved and are safe for use by children. 
The epilepsy drugs that can be taken for partial seizures include carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproic acid, valproate, and brivaracetam.
Natural treatments can also be made use of for epilepsy as at times medications do not work well on some patients. Acupuncture, use of natural herbs and vitamins can also be used for treating the brain disorder.

Epilepsy - Things You Must Take Care Of!

A migraine is something, which can really make a person s day go from bad to worse. However, while popping an aspirin may be the age old solution for solving such a literally mind numbing issue, it really does not mean that this is the best solution. Theoretically, the best solution to a migraine should come naturally to the person, who is unfortunately the victim of a migraine.

It is more than a headache
When a person has a migraine, he or she is likely to know that this is the case due to a pulsating sensation behind the eye. In addition to this, there are quite a few other symptoms which include pain on one side of the head, nausea and a sensitiveness to light in its various forms.

Natural treatments for migraine
There are a range of possible natural solutions a person can make use of to get rid of migraine hits. 

One of these solutions is quite simple, even if it sounds a little odd! Take a few cabbage leaves, crush them and using a soft cloth, apply the paste on the forehead of the person who is having a migraine attack.
While a person who is down with migraine may feel that life has given him or her lemons, he or she should really not despair. This is because these lemons can be made use of, as well, in order to make the ill effects of the migraine go away. To do this, take five lemons, peel them, grind them well and then add a little bit of water to make a paste. Apply this paste to the patient s forehead.
Apart from using remedies to cure migraine, there are a few other things which are needed to be done in order to get up and running as soon as possible. One of these things is to get enough rest. Taking into account the fact that a migraine has the potential to severely hinder the prospect of a person functioning normally, for a person to push himself or herself against the intense migraine discomfort so as to fulfil his or her responsibilities will not only result in substandard work, but will also make the situation worse.
Hot and cold compress can also go some way in improving a person s migraine problem. 
All beverages apart from water and tea should be avoided. Water hydrates and is essential while tea is diuretic.
If you follow these natural remedies, you will successfully be able to treat your migraine issue.

Migraine - 5 Home Remedies at Your Rescue

Alzheimer's disease is a neurological problem that is characterised by a cognitive decline and memory loss. It is a type of neurodegenerative dementia. The symptoms of alzheimer's disease include not being able to absorb and retain new information, lack of reasoning and judging, not being able to take on complex tasks, impaired visuospatial abilities, problems in reading, writing and speech, among many others. If a person has at least two of these symptoms in a debilitating manner, then the diagnosis can be made in favour of alzheimer's disease. The main causes of alzheimer's are shrinkage of the brain size and death of the brain cells. The immune system is also said to trigger this neurodegenerative disease. Let us find out what medical science has found so far.

1. Connections: many a times, in alzheimer's disease, the memory and behaviour of the person changes because the brain is unable to make proper neural connections which can lead to memory loss of how a person behaved and the elements that formed the basis of the patient's cognition. Apparently, the immune system behaves in the same way within the brain and blocks the connection. This happens because there is constant communication between the brain and immune system along neurological lines, which is where the disease first emanates.

2. Inflammation: the brain is prone to inflammation or swelling that is not the normal kind. This inflammation happens as a result of the activation of the infection fighting neurotransmitters and the chemical changes that happen in the brain when an infection strikes. The inflammation usually happens in the plaques or clumps which the brain tries to protect. These clumps are made up of a protein called amyloid. The immune system is responsible for creating this inflammation in the brain of the patient.

3. Pattern recognition receptors: many of these receptors work in different manners and cooperate with each other to create a response in the brain. These prrs can be found in the brain plaques, and they develop the signs of danger which further fuels the inflammation in the brain as a matter of protection.

4. Activation of cells linked with the immune system: when the prrs begin to respond, it basically activates the immune system and the cells of the same. This is the basic reaction that causes the changes in brain which then leads to the attachment of the protein to the tissue that is diseased, in which case alzheimer's disease starts. The inflammation that we had spoken about earlier basically happens in the nervous tissue.

It is important to recognise and act on the initial signs of alzheimer's disease before it progresses beyond one's control.

Can the Immune System Trigger Alzheimer's Disease

Parkinson s disease is a disorder involving the nervous system. It can start with a mere tremor of one hand and advances to slow movement and stiffness. The face might show little no symptoms in the beginning but the speech might become slurred. With every passing day, the condition worsens. This condition has no permanent cure but the symptoms can be improved with proper medication.

What are the symptoms?
Some unmistakable symptoms include the following:

A sudden shaking of the limb. A sudden tremor of the hand is a very common symptom of this disease.
Stiffness of the muscles that can limit the range of motion and sharp pain.
The posture of the body might get compromised. Often balancing problems are witnessed among many patients.
There could be problems with speech leading to soft, slurry or quick speech. The speech in some cases can become monotonous devoid of inflexions.
Parkinson s disease can lead to slow movement and makes performing of simple tasks difficult.
Patients often find writing very difficult
What are the possible causes of Parkinson s disease?

Specific genetic mutation can lead to Parkinson s disease in folks who have a family history of Parkinson s disease. Certain variations of the gene increase the risk of this disease
Exposure to certain environmental factors or certain toxins can trigger Parkinson s disease in an individual.
Certain cells in the brain known as Lewy bodies can trigger Parkinson s disease.
A certain kind of protein cells within the brain known as alpha-synuclein can trigger the Parkinson s disease in an individual
What are the risk factors?

Heredity: Having an immediate family member or close relative suffering from Parkinson s disease can increase the risk of getting this disease in an individual
Age: Although not a prime risk factor, but an individual over the age of over 60 have an increased risk of getting this disease
Toxins: Exposure to pesticide or certain herbicide increase the risk of Parkinson s
Sex: Men are more likely to get Parkinson s disease than women
What is the medication for Parkinson s disease?

Carbidopa-levodopa: This is a natural chemical that gets passed to the brain and is converted to dopamine by the body. The benefits of this medication might reduce with increased symptoms.
Carbidopa-levodopa infusion: A popular drug in this category is known as the Duopa. It is administered directly into the small intestine in the form of gel through a feeding tube.
MAO-B inhibitors: Drugs from this group include rasagiline and selegiline. This is powerful medicine. Many patient experiences hallucination during the initial days of consuming these drugs.
Anticholinergics: This medication is mainly used to counter tremors of the limbs in the early stage of Parkinson s disease.

Parkinson's Disease - Know The Risks Involved!

Don't wait any longer, manage your Neuro Rehablitation online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Neuro Rehablitation - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES