Every person suffering from migraine will agree that -  although medications can control the head-piercing pain that each attack brings with it, preventing the onset of the pain altogether is the best way to deal with it. Follow these three simple strategies and based on the reaction of your body to these, mould your lifestyle to effectively prevent the occurrence of migraine to a good extent.

1. Get adequate amount of exercise
A large majority of people who suffer from migraine steer clear of any highly intensive or strenuous exercise as it is known to be the prime trigger for a severe attack. Having said that, avoiding physical activity altogether can worsen your migraines and thus you should focus on indulging in some light exercises. Activities such as jogging, walking and yoga can reduce the duration of your migraines and also bring down its severity and frequency. Moreover, regular exercise brings down stress levels which are also a major factor for triggering migraine attacks.

2.  Take note of your meal schedule and type of food that precipitates headache
For most patients migraine is triggerred by irregular meal schedule and some foods acts as triggers for migraine like cheese, chocolate, chinese foods. It is very imprtant to maintain a regular meal schedule, avoid skipping meals and take note of the items that precipitate your headache. Items that can precipitate headache is different for every individual and maitaining a headache diary can help you to identify these triggers. Also, note down the occurrence of your migraines, their duration and severity. Having adequate data makes it extremely simple to recognize a recurring pattern and leads you to the main cause behind your migraine attacks.

3. Maintain a stable sleep schedule
Sleep plays a great role in triggering migraine attacks and irregular sleep patterns, not getting adequate sleep, or sleeping more than required – all these habits can lead to a severe attack. Thus, try and create a sleep schedule for yourself keeping your daily routines in mind and follow it without fail.

Top 3 Strategies To Keep Migraine At Bay

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!

Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, thus it is basically a neurological disorder. In this the nerve cell activity of the brain is disrupted and causes seizures along with episodes of unusual behavior along with the loss of consciousness. The symptoms of the seizure can vary and some people with epilepsy just stare blankly for few seconds when a seizure takes place, while some twitch their arms and legs repeatedly.

Symptoms of Epilepsy:
As epilepsy is caused by the abnormal activities in the brain cells, seizures affect the processes with which the brain coordinates. Some signs and symptoms are:

Staring blankly
Confusion which is temporary
Uncontrolled jerking movements of the legs and arms
Loss of awareness and consciousness
Psychic symptoms
Mostly the symptoms vary depending on the type of the seizure. The seizures are further classified into focal and generalized depending on which part of the brain shows abnormal activity.
Focal seizures
When seizures are due to the abnormal activity of the cells in just one area then it is known as focal seizures. These seizures are of two types:

Simple partial seizures or the focal seizures without loss of consciousness. These seizures basically alter the emotions and the things like change in smell, look, sound and taste. These also result in the involuntary jerking of the body like the legs and arms, with spontaneous sensory symptoms like the tingling and flashing of the lights.
Complex partial seizures or the focal dyscognitive seizures. These seizures have a loss of awareness and consciousness. One might just stare blankly into space in this seizure and performs repetitive activities like swallowing, chewing, walking in circles and chewing.
Generalized seizures
There are six types of generalized seizures. These are:

Absence seizures, also known as petit mal seizures, are commonly seen in children and are characterized by subtle body movements like lip smacking and eye blinking and staring blankly into space. These also cause loss of consciousness.
Tonic seizures lead to stiffening of the muscles. These affect the muscles of the legs and arms and also cause to fall to the ground.
Atonic seizures are also called as drop seizures. These cause loss of control in the muscles, thereby leading to collapse or fall.
Clonic seizures are the rhythmic and jerking muscle movements. These affect the arms, face and neck.
Myoclonic seizures appear as twitches in the arms and legs.
Tonic-clonic seizures also known as grand mal seizures are very dramatic and lead to body stiffening, abrupt loss of consciousness, shaking and loss of bladder control and tongue biting.

Epilepsy - How Seizures Affect It?

Dementia is a general classification of brain disease that causes a long haul and the frequent steady abatement in the capacity to think and recall. This causes negative  influence a man's every day functioning. Other normal manifestations include issues with dialect and a lessening in motivation. An individual's sense of awareness is not influenced. It affects the person s thinking, language, sense of judgement and behavior. Major cases of dementia are degenerative in nature and cannot be treated.


Homeopathy is an effective and trusted form of medicine used in the treatment of dementia. A holistic approach is used in homeopathy, which ensures the removal of all signs and symptoms of any disorder. Homeopathic medicines do not only treat dementia, but also address the underlying causes.


Here is a list of important homeopathic medicines and the cases of dementia when they are used.


Nux Vom: This homeopathic medicine is used in cases of dementia where the patient is extremely sensitive to the words and actions of others and is always seeking attention. There is suicidal tendency in the patient and he also is inclined towards killing friends. Although suicidal, the patient does not have the courage to perform the act. Extreme irritation is noticed. The patient becomes vindictive and quarrelsome in nature.
Mercurius: This homeopathic medicine is given to patients with dementia who have lost all sense of decency. They become filthy and develop a groveling mentality. Memory weakens to a great extent and the patient has problems with vision, unpleasant breath odour and a heavily coated tongue.
Ignatia: This homeopathic medicine is given to people who have extreme sensitivity of the mind, which further leads to depression and grief. This may occur due to failure in love relationships.
Calcaria Carb: Calcaria Carb is an effective homeopathic medicine used in cases of dementia where the brain and other organs do not develop properly. The patient becomes forgetful and very slow in learning something.
Lycopodium: This medicine is used when the dementia affected people experience great depression, become despondent and constantly worry about themselves and their activities. They become fearful, irritable and angry. Constipation is also observed in such cases.
Staphisagria: Staphisagria is used to treatment dementia characterized by sleeplessness. The patient becomes cowardly and is full of shamefulness, disgust, humiliation and shyness. He would rather be alone than have company.
Chamomilla: This is another homeopathic medicine for treating dementia with acute sensitiveness. Irritation and peevishness are common, and the patient tends to get angry very easily.


Among the various forms of medicines and treatments for dementia, homeopathy is the most natural and effective remedy. There are homeopathic medicines developed for all types of dementia cases, which work proficiently. However, it is still advisable that without consulting your doctor, you must never take a medicine. 

Homeopathy A Safe Treatment for Dementia

There are various neurodegenerative disorders and Huntington Disease is one of them. It is characterized by loss of thinking ability, chorea or uncontrolled writhing and jerking movements, and psychiatric difficulties. 

Nerve cells in the brain are impaired in this disease. This leads to loss of coordination and involuntary movements. As the disease progresses, patients slowly fail to control their throat and mouth muscles and simple tasks like eating, swallowing, and speaking becomes challenging.

Huntington's Disease may also affect the reasoning and thinking abilities of an individual and makes communication and conversations more challenging. The problem of swallowing food can lead to choking as food can go down the wrong way or a lung infection in more severe cases. 

Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist helps the patients with speaking and swallowing problems with the help of various therapies.

Visiting a Speech-Language Pathologist in the initial stage of Huntington's Disease is advised. This helps in planning in advance about the ways to handle changes as the disease progresses. The therapist can help the patients when they begin showing an inability to speak or understand and swallowing problems. The symptoms showing swallowing difficulties may include choking, coughing and altered eating habits of the patient and loss of weight.

Symptoms

Dysarthria, in which the ability to remember words, understanding and forming a sentence is not lost but clear speech becomes difficult.

Stammering.

Slow or imprecise speech.

Aphasia, inability to understand what is being said and inability to remember grammar and vocabulary, and the pattern of losing a word in between the sentences.

Weak voice or low volume because of respiration issues.

Scanned Speech or unusual lengthy pauses between words.

Problem with pitch control and resonance.

Treatment

The progression of Huntington s disease varies from patient to patient and the therapy also varies as per the needs and challenges of the patients. The therapy usually starts with the discussion of problems and symptoms faced by the patients. 

For swallowing difficulties, patients may be recommended to maintain a journal of swallowing problems and fixing a time for meal intake every day. He/she may be recommended to eat soft food items, and eat slowly and chew the food properly.

As for speech therapy, one may be recommended breathing exercises. The therapist may demonstrate the patients how to overemphasize certain mouth movements to make the words easier to understand. The family of the patient is advised to reduce distraction while communicating with the patient. 

Assistive devices can also help with communication such as computers, smartphones or tablets. Other low-tech objects from everyday life, such as calendars, picture boards with a depiction of daily life activities, and object images and notebooks can also be helpful.

Take Away
Huntington Disease is a brain disorder where it becomes difficult for a person to control mouth muscles. In this, speaking, swallowing, and eating becomes a task for them. There are speech therapies that can help the patients to gather control over their words and communication problems.

 Huntington's Disease - How Effective Is Speech Therapy In It?

The primary aim of the treatment in patients suffering from seizure is leasing a seizure-free life without giving way to any adverse effects. This goal can be accomplished in over 60 percent people with the help of anticonvulsants. Some patients also experience adverse effects since they suffer from a seizure which is refractory to medical therapy. Here are some of the common treatment options for seizures:

Monotherapy: Sometimes, monotherapy is given as it reduces the chance of all sorts of adverse effects and even avoids drug interactions. Moreover, this type of treatment approach is much less expensive than polytherapy since many older generation of the anticonvulsant agent comprises of hepatic enzyme which is responsible for reducing the serum level of the concomitant drug which leads to an increase in the dosage level of such medicines.
Social And vocational rehabilitation: People suffering from problems in psychosocial adjustments after the diagnosis may also need social and vocational rehabilitation. Many physicians do not pay enough attention to the consequences that an epilepsy diagnosis may leave on the patient. For instance, people with epilepsy may have a fear of experiencing next attack of seizure and they may be unable to work at heights or drive.
Consulting an expert: It is important to refer patients with intractable spells to epileptologist or neurologist for subsequent workup. A neurosurgical consultation may also be needed when the patient has to be treated surgically.
Importance Of anticonvulsant therapy
Patients who have had already suffered from recurrent attacks of unprovoked seizure may need treatment with an anticonvulsant. This treatment is not recommended until the person has risk factors for suffering from the problem yet again. The primary means of treating seizure is anticonvulsant therapy where the most suitable drug is chosen based on accurate diagnosis of the syndrome as a response to specific anticonvulsants may vary from one patient to another. The difference in response may reflect the various pathophysiologic mechanisms in different types of seizures.

Types of anticonvulsant therapy
Some of the anticonvulsant therapy medication may have multiple action mechanism while some have an only single mechanism of action. Some of the most common variants of the therapy include:

Neuronal potassium channel referred to as KCNQ opener
Blockers of unique binding sites such as perampanel, gabapentin, and levetiracetam
H-current modulators such as lamotrigine and gabapentin
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors such as zonisamide and topiramate
Alpha-amino 3-hydroxy 5-methyl 4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor blockers like topiramate and perampanel.
N and L-calcium channel blockers like zonisamide, valproate, topiramate, and lamotrigine
Even though there are so many types of drugs available, all of them cannot be used for the treatment of seizures. Doctors would evaluate the condition thoroughly before prescribing a medication that can be helpful in reducing the severity of the condition.

Seizures - 3 Ways It Can Be Treated!

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