It has been proven by researchers that there is no definite cure for Parkinson s disease but its side effects and symptoms can be effectively managed. Medications are made available for treating the condition and ease the movement especially symptoms like stiffness and tremor. During the early stages of the disease, it is better to take the pill along with food to avoid nausea, which can be caused due to some medicines. However, in the later stages, the medication can be taken either 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal for effective treatment.

Symptoms of Parkinson s disease
Different therapies are used to treat Parkinson s disease and these include occupational, physical and speech therapy. The disease is known to manifest in many ways and some of the symptoms include sleep problems, fatigue, and constipation. The most common symptom patients suffer from is depression, and it is estimated that about 50% of the patients suffering from this disease experience depression. Commonly the symptoms of depression include worrying, feeling of sadness, and loss of interest. It has been found in some people that Parkinson s disease occurs due to abnormal genes. However, the real cause of the nerve cell break down is not known.

Important tips to consider

The best way to deal with the side effects of Parkinson s disease includes building a health care team, finding the best doctor, and managing your medications.
It is a progressive disease and in the initial stage, it starts with a mild tremor. However, with time it affects your speech and even your cognitive abilities. For that reason, it is important that the treatment plan is recognized and the symptoms that affect day to day life are managed properly.
The disease takes a toll on the emotional and mental health of a person and it is imperative to consult a licensed psychologist for that reason. Antidepressant medications are provided by doctors to treat this condition.
How to deal with Parkinson s disease?

It is very important for people suffering from Parkinson s disease to exercise and include a nutritious diet. The diet recommendation prescribed by the doctor should be followed and one should eat a low protein diet after consulting the doctor. The movements of the intestinal muscles are also affected with Parkinson s disease and these can result in constipation. Hence, it is better to include whole grains, vegetables, and fruits in the diet and eat foods that are rich in fiber.
It is very important that you drink lots of water so that the color of the urine is clear or light yellow. A fiber supplement like Metamucil or Citrucel can be taken every day, but the instructions provided on the label should be followed.

Parkinson's Disease - How To Handle The Side Effects?

Parkinson s disease usually develops at a very slow rate and the early signs of this disease often go unnoticed. As the condition progresses, the symptoms become more prominent. Parkinson s disease affects the nervous system and cannot be completely cured. However, with proper treatment, its rate of progression can be slowed and this condition can be managed. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the more effective treatment will be. Thus, it is important to be able to recognize the signs the symptoms of this disease.

The signs and symptoms of Parkinson s disease vary from person to person. In most cases, symptoms begin on one side of the body and are worse on that side even after it begins to be noticed on the other side. These symptoms can include:

Tremors
Involuntary shaking of a part of the body is usually the first sign of Parkinson s the hands are most affected by this symptom. These tremors can be felt while performing an activity or even when the hand is at rest. In some cases, it can even keep a person from performing normal tasks such as writing. Tremors caused by Parkinson s can also take the form of an uncontrollable back and forth rubbing movement between the thumb and forefinger.

Slow Movements
This is also known as bradykinesia. As the disease progresses, it can slow down movement and reduce the person s ability to move. Simple tasks such as walking can become more difficult and take much longer. The person s steps may become shorter and they may also drag their feet as they walk. Parkinson s patients may also find it difficult to get in and out of chairs.

Rigidity
Parkinson s can make muscles stiff and difficult to move. This can affect the muscles of any part of the body. This rigidity can limit the person s range of movement and make moving the affected muscles very painful.

Loss of certain movements
In addition to muscle rigidity, the person may not be able to make certain movements that we take for granted. For example, he or she may not be able to blink or smile. Swinging the arms while walking may also become more difficult.

Changes to speech
Parkinson s can make a person speak slower and reduce his or her natural volume. The person s speech may also sound slurred. In addition, they may find it difficult to speak with inflections due to which their speech may appear to be monotonic.

Imbalance
Parkinson s may affect a person s posture and balance. In many cases, Parkinson s patients develop a stoop. The loss of balance can make climbing stairs difficult and cause them to fall easily.

Parkinson's Disease - Signs And Symptoms You Should Know About It!

Cerebral ischaemia or brain ischemia is a medical condition that restricts the flow of blood to the brain, resulting in an unmet metabolic demand. This leads to limited oxygen supply in the brain, which could result in the death of brain tissues, cerebral infarction or an ischemic stroke. Thus, a cardiorespiratory arrest, a stroke, and irreversible brain damage are few possible consequences of cerebral ischaemia.

People with compressed blood vessels, low blood pressure, congenital heart defects or sickle cell anaemia have a high risk of developing cerebral ischaemia since compressed blood vessels or very low pressure can lead to restricted blood flow. Also, sickle-shaped cells have a greater tendency to clot, causing obstructed blood flow.

Patients with cerebral ischaemia experience a host of symptoms, such as weakness in the body, problems with coordination and movement, vision and speech impairment and unconsciousness.

Cerebral congestion, on the other hand, refers to the excessive quantity of blood in the brain vessels, causing pressure on the cerebral substance. Cerebral congestion is of two types. It is termed as active when there is too much arterial blood flow and passive when there is undue quantity of venous blood in the veins of the brain. Both conditions cause symptoms, such as a severe headache, insomnia, irritability and unconsciousness. The patient gets little sleep and is disturbed often followed by dreams. When awake, the patient s mental activity in the brain is very high.

Homeopathy is now a well-established school of medicine backed with years of research and practice. Gone are the days when homeopathy was considered no more than an extension of herbal home remedies.

Homeopathic laboratories around the world produce a large number of medicines covering almost all ailments. The benefits of homeopathic treatment are now well established due to its holistic approach and minimal side effects. Homeopathy is undoubtedly a ray of hope for patients with cerebral ischaemia and cerebral congestion, as it delivers a comprehensive treatment plan designed to target the signs and symptoms of the disease and address its non-occurrence.

The medications deal with mild to severe symptoms, including inflammation of the brain, headache, vomiting, insomnia, stroke/convulsions and seizures. The stramonium drug, for example, deals with seizures. Belladonna is an effective remedy for sharp shooting headaches, a common symptom of cerebral congestion. Ferrum is believed to be a valuable remedy for brain ischaemia. Few drugs deal with the symptoms of both ischaemia and congestion nux is a suitable drug for the treatment of ischaemia as well as for passive cerebral congestion. Similarly, phosphorus can be used to treat brain ischaemia and congestion. Zincum metallicum is a highly recommended drug for chronic cases of ischaemia.

The treatment is comprehensive and long term and shows substantive results. Regular follow-ups and consultation with a homeopath specialist is the key to an effective treatment.

Homeopathy Treatment Of Cerebral Ischaemia & Cerebral Congestion

Pain related sleep disruption has affected a large number of people around the globe. Statistics has it that, in India, about 25% of the population suffers from pain-related sleep deprivation. Studies call it  the vicious cycle of pain and sleep  as pain affects your ability to sleep and lack of sleep makes the pain even worse.

Back pain and arthritis are examples of some common pain-related medical disorders. People with these types of chronic pains have reported persistent sleeplessness or have had immense trouble falling asleep.

The following are the primary sleep disorders associated with chronic pain:

Insomnia: It is a medical condition that is characterized by an inability to fall asleep no matter how physically exhausted you are. Insomnia can be acute (lasting for one night to a week) or chronic (that lasts for more than 3 weeks).
Hypersomnia: It is a condition wherein you tend to sleep excessively; in this condition, you will have trouble being awake throughout the day or can fall asleep at any point of time.
Sleep Apnoea: This is a sleep disorder wherein breathing pauses and resumes repeatedly. Risk factors include obesity, age and gender; it is more commonly observed in men. This condition can be chronic with symptoms such as snoring loudly or feeling very tired even after one has had a night s sleep.
Restless leg syndrome: It is a sleep disorder wherein you continuously move your legs while sleeping. However, this condition can also cause you to move your legs even if you aren t sleeping.
Some of the causes of sleep disorders due to chronic pain are:

Pain
Worry and anxiety
Sweating at night
Depression and other mental disorders
Treatment

A pain and sleep disorder should be simultaneous as both the components of it, pain and sleep, are interrelated. Some of the ways people with chronic pain can still have a good night s sleep are:

Limiting caffeine intake
Abstaining from alcohol and smoking, as these disrupt the sleep cycles, thus aggravating the existing pain.
Practicing meditation and other relaxation techniques
Pain killers or sleeping pills can be administered, but only with the doctor s advice.
Hot water fomentation over painful area during night, for better sleep.

Back Pain and Bad Sleep

Asperger's syndrome has recently come under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder. This syndrome usually affects the social skills of the patient, most heavily. The patient may seem normal and even intelligent at first glance. But on closer interaction, several social skill problems will come to the fore including an obsessive focus on certain topics and issues. Repetitive behaviour is also a part of this disease. Let us find out more about asperger's syndrome.

Symptoms: the symptoms usually begin to show up early on in one's childhood. The patient will not be able to make eye contact while speaking with others. Also, a perfectly normal person may seem inordinately shy and reserved during social interactions. This awkwardness may come to the fore in the form of looking for expression cues on other people's faces and even the body language. The patient may not be a very happy and lively soul, with hardly a smile to crack at the funniest of jokes. The lack of emotions or the emotionally numb state is also a major giveaway of the condition. Other symptoms may include a strong aversion towards change in food habits and routine.

Diagnosis: the diagnosis is usually done by mental health specialists like a developmental paediatrician, a psychiatrist, a psychologist or even a paediatric neurologist. These specialists can put the child through a variety of tests that will study the neurological health as well as the speech and emotional behaviour of the child.

Educating the parent: once the diagnosis has been done, the parents of the patient will have to appraised of the condition and its implications. The symptoms and treatment will have to be duly discussed even as the parents are put through training and therapy to learn techniques with which they can help the child in progressing along more normal lines. The therapy will also help the parents deal with the challenge of living with someone suffering from this condition.

Treatment: there are varied forms of treatment that aim at fixing the specific areas and symptoms that the patient is learning to live with. Social skills training, speech and language therapy, cbt or cognitive behavioural therapy and other forms of treatment can help the child overcome many symptoms that come from this condition.

In the course of the treatment, it is important for the child, parent and therapist concerned to realise that there is no single approach that can be applied to all patients suffering from asperger's syndrome. Individual care and therapy will be required for individual cases. At the same time, most of the skills will need to be repeated at home so that the child takes them more seriously.

What Is Asperger's Syndrome?

Trigeminal neuralgia is specified by the condition of a chronic pain that influences the trigeminal nerve. This nerve transfers sensation from one s face to his/her brain. If a person is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, then a gentle stimulation of face (sourced from brushing teeth or applying makeup) might generate a fright of agonizing pain. The affected person might experience short and mild attacks initially. However, the trigeminal neuralgia might progress and generate more-frequently and longer attack of severely critical pain. Women get affected by this situation more than men get and it is more prominently occur in individuals older than 50 years.

Trigeminal neuralgia does not mandatorily mean that you need to experience a lifelong pain. Various types of treatment alternatives are available and so doctors can usually handle the particular condition effectively by taking help of injections, medications or surgery. Various types of triggers might cause the pain regarding trigeminal neuralgia, such as eating, drinking, shaving, brushing teeth, touching face, smiling, washing face etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia might comprise of one or more patterns and some of these are described below:

Sequences of serious, jolting or shooting pain that might generate as an electric shock
Spontaneous pain attacks or attacks stimulated by different activities like face touching, speaking, chewing, or brushing teeth. Pain attacks last from a few moments to some minutes.
It is not a comprehensive list because Trigeminal neuralgia hosts various other symptoms as well. If a person feels facial pain, specifically recurring or prolonged pain or if the person does not get relief through the utilization over-the-counter pain relievers, then that person must consult a doctor.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic and painful condition that involves the trigeminal nerve. There are two separate trigeminal nerves on both sides of the face, which carry the sensations like pain from the face to the body. Each nerve has three branches- forehand, midface and chin and trigeminal neuralgia can cause intense pain in any of these areas.

Causes-

This occurs when the trigeminal nerve functioning is disrupted. When the blood vessel/artery and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain come in contact, it puts pressure on the nerves and causes pain.
It also occurs as a result of ageing or multiple sclerosis
A disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting the nerves can trigger pain
Sometimes pain occurs from tumors, which compresses the trigeminal nerves
Surgical strokes, facial trauma or strokes can also be the root cause of excruciating pain
Triggers-

Shaving
Touching your face
Eating and drinking
Putting on makeup
Brushing
Washing your face
Symptoms-
The pain can be mild and for a shorter duration or it can happen frequently for longer durations. Some experience the pain in cycles where it can come and go for days or even for weeks. Gradually the intensity of the pain lessens.

Cure by Radio-frequency Ablation
The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is often a challenging process in clinical practice. When medicines do not prove as effective, surgery is the desired option.

Procedure-

After applying local anaesthesia, the Pain Specialist carefully inserts a needle through the corner of your mouth to reach the trigeminal nerve
The doctors then wake up the patient after stimulating the nerves and ask them to feel the stimulation at the same place where they undergo pain. This confirms their targeted location
Once you fall asleep again, the Pain Specialist uses radiofrequency heat to injure the nerve enough to create numbness and removes the pain
How Effective is Radio-frequency Ablation?
The pain is cured almost in 98% of the patients. 50% of patients report recurrence of pain after about two years. Hence the procedure can be repeated in the same patient if necessary.

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Radio-Frequency Ablation - What Causes It?

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