The word epilepsy brings to mind visions of people frothing at the mouth and rolling on the ground. However, epilepsy affects each patient in a different way. This can make it hard to recognize at times. In the more serious cases of epilepsy, an epileptic attack can make a patient injure himself or develop other life threatening conditions. In rare cases, epilepsy can even cause death. Thus it becomes imperative to understand how to deal with epilepsy.

Treatment options for epilepsy can be categorized as medication, surgical procedures and dietary changes.

Medication
Medication for epilepsy is prescribed on the basis of the symptoms presented and the type of epilepsy the patient is suffering from. In most cases, seizures can be controlled with a single type of medication, but in others, the doctor may need to prescribe a combination of medicines to control epilepsy. These forms of medication do have side effects and hence any reactions to the medication must be immediately brought to the doctor's notice. The dosage for epilepsy medication may need to be varied with time. An epileptic patient should never discontinue medication on their own.

Surgery
Depending on the type of seizures and the area of the brain affected, a doctor may advise surgery in cases of severe epilepsy. Surgery can help reduce the number of seizures experienced or completely stop them. Surgery to treat epilepsy is of many types. Some of the common procedures are:

1. Surgery to remove tumor of any such conditions that may be triggering the epileptic attacks
2. Surgery to remove a small section of the brain from where a seizure originates. This may also be referred to as a lobectomy.
3. Multiple subpial transaction or a surgery that involves making a series of cuts in the brain to prevent the seizures from spreading to other parts of the brain.
4. Surgery to sever the neural connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
5. Surgery to remove half the brain's cortex or outer layer

Dietary changes
A diet rich in fats and low in carbohydrates can help reduce seizures. This is known as a ketogenic diet and aims at making the body break down fats instead of carbohydrates. It can cause a buildup of uric acid in the body and thus should be practiced only under the guidance of a dietician. In cases where epileptic attacks are triggered by malnutrition and birth defects, taking vitamin supplements can help lower the frequency of seizures.

How to Deal with Severe Epilepsy

Children may run around having fun and growing in the process. Some children may be more active than the others and some may be more attentive at school. All children go through some sort of trouble while growing up. This is because of the drastic changes that the bodies of little children constantly go through. One such problem commonly faced by the children is bedwetting. This problem may be a common one, but it should be brought under control as soon as possible so that the children do not have to face social embarrassment as they grow older.

Apart from providing a healthy and happy living to the children, it may be essential to find a way of treatment that may not leave the child affected by the harmful ingredients of the regular allopathic medication. One of the safest and the most effective ways to be able to treat bedwetting is homeopathy. Homeopathy is a branch of medicine and treatment that works on the body of the user with the most natural ways. The medicines in homeopathy are made using basic ingredients from plants and other organic materials.

Homeopathy for children:
The use of homeopathy for problems that affect the children in particular is essential because of the fact that they have growing systems and the growth may get adversely affect with the strong and highly potent allopathic drugs. It is also important to understand the nuances of controlling the bedwetting issue in children and also know what the causes of the problem may be:

    When the children are highly fatigued, they may wet the bed due to the deep sleep that they may be experiencing after a tiring time.
    In times of winter when the cold is uncontrollable or much more than usual, it may be natural for some children to not be able to control their bladder.
    In a lot of cases, the children may also wet the bed when they have had a scary or traumatic experience.

Just as the causes of the problem are varied, it must be realized that the medications are also supposed to be administered according to the issue.

Homepathic medication for betwetting
Homeopathy is a stream of medicine that treats the body in the most delicate manner, which is why it is a safe alternative for children. However, it must also be ensured that proper medical intervention is attained to start a course of homeopathic medication as well, so that bedwetting may be treated within a desired amount of time and the child may feel free from the embarrassment of wetting the bed.

Bedwetting - Can Homeopathy Help in Curing  it?

When you hold your new born in your arms for the first time, you will count him or her as the greatest blessing of your life. This is also the time when you are burdened with the responsibilities of another human. The sleep patterns in new-borns are erratic and you will never see them follow any pattern as such. They sleep off just about any time of the day and you will not see any pattern until about your angel is about 6 to 7 weeks old. After that age, they get quite adaptable and you will be able to get him or her adapted to certain patterns. This will make things very easy for you and your partner.

So why won t your baby sleep?

1. Your baby is too excited to fall asleep

Babies are a powerhouse of energy. Activities like tossing him in the air or giving him an exciting bath full of fun and frolic will probably do the opposite of winding him down. It will make him more excited and he will not want to go to bed thinking he would miss out on the other fun activities that are in store for him.

Solution: Replace the fun tickles with other activities like comforting massages or story time and lullabies. Dim the lights, cosy up the room. Make it a routine and you will find your baby easing into a deep slumber in no time.

2. Your baby is too sensitive to the external or internal environment

Every baby is not a sound sleeper. Some babies may jolt awake with just a simple nod, others may dose off amidst noise and screams as well. If your baby is of the first kind, then you may face a bunch of troubles to keep your baby calm and cosy. You may bother your baby s sleep if your phone starts to ring around her or by the constant honking of cars outside.

Solution: Keep her surroundings as warm and comfortable as possible. Keep her in a room that is away from the bustling noise of the cars, if possible or sound proof her room. Start by dimming the lights and getting her comfortable clothes that will keep her free when she is sleeping. Keep her sheets and pillows clean and ensure they do not remain wet.

3. Your baby snacks in the middle of the night

As it was mentioned before, babies have erratic schedules. They can get hungry or cranky just about any time of the day. Mid-night snacking is probably numero uno reason as to why your baby will not fall asleep at night. If you feed your baby to sleep every time, he or she might associate it with nursing.

Solution: It is okay to train your baby to comfort itself in the middle of the night. Whenever it may think it is hungry, he or she will cry and expect you to nurse him to sleep. Put him in the nursery when he is relatively sleepy to allow him to fall asleep all by himself. You may stand by till he does, but do not swaddle him.

Why Your Baby is Missing Sound Sleep?

It is no longer so surprising to read about alarming air pollution levels in our cities. On more than one occasion, these levels have risen above the danger levels. For some people, this may simply create an annoying fog that makes it difficult to see. For others, it can cause serious health issues. Air pollution is one of the most common reasons for the growing instances of asthma and allergies. Children are most susceptible to such diseases caused by air pollution.

Asthma and Allergies
Asthma can affect children even before their fifth birthday and the condition is characterized by breathlessness caused by a constriction of the airways. While the root cause of asthma is unknown, it is usually seen that asthmatic patients are more sensitive to others to particles in the air such as pollutants, dander, dust, smoke etc. Thus, the airways construct as a reaction to these allergens. Changes in the weather, a sudden cold draft or the flu can also aggravate asthma.

Can you Protect Your Children from Asthma?
Wheezing, panting, finding it difficult to breathe and a persistent cough are some of the signs of asthma. If you notice these symptoms, you must consult a doctor immediately. At home, here are a few things you could do.

Avoid exposing your children to smoke: Do not smoke around your children or allow others to smoke around them. If you cannot give up the habit, wear a smoking jacket when you smoke and take this off before you play with your children. When you ll go out, drive with the windows up so that your child does not inhale exhaust smoke. Set your air conditioner to circulate air within the car itself.
Dust often: Try and keep your home as dust free as possible. Use a wet cloth to clean so that the dust does not fly in the air. Wash all your bed linen once a week. Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed regularly or dusted outside. It may also be a good idea to invest in dust mite impermeable covers for your child s mattress and pillows.
Keep your Pets clean: If you share your home with pets, bathe them once a week and brush them daily. Do not let them climb on to the furniture or your beds. Also, avoid having their toys lie on your beds.
Wear a face mask: Try and time your child s outdoor activities when the pollution levels are low. Buy yourself and your child a face mask that will filter the air they breathe in. These should be worn whenever they play outdoors.
These simple steps could help your child be healthier and can prevent asthma and other such allergic reactions.

Increasing Asthma & Allergy In Children - What Should You Do?

Upon reaching adolescence, children's bodies undergo several changes and so do their minds. It is then that their minds are most, as well as least impressionable. And the daunting question regarding the upbringing of an adolescent is how to treat their constantly changing behavior?

Here are some of the tantrums adolescents more commonly throw, and what should ideally be your approach to it:

Your child seems to hate you: It is very common for a phase of emotional exclusionism to prevail between 16-17 years of age approximately. And the worst thing you could do is heighten that emotion by returning the hatred. Make sure you're firm against any extremely unacceptable behavior, but at the same time, show them that you're there for them no matter what.
Electronic devices become the center of their attention: Whenever you want to have an earnest conversation with your children, their attention seems to be drawn solely to their phones and computers. They feel the need to be connected to their friends and all times. Ways to monitor that are by setting limit to the maximum hours spent on devices or making them pay their own bills, which will make them more responsible rather than splurging unnecessarily. Also, if your child is not entirely secluded from the family, it is probably best not to interfere all the time.
Ignoring the curfew: Your kids often stay out later than the set limit. But it is quite possible that your curfew is unreasonable when compared to other parents' curfew. Find out what the average time limit is; it may prevent your child from bearing a grudge against you. In case they still fail to respect your curfew, make sure you spill out to them what the consequences can be, like being grounded for a week. However, in certain cases, your child may be spending time doing nothing constructive, but away from home. There may be something else going on, find out what that is.
Being friends with the wrong people: Sometimes it might happen that you think some children do not have a good influence on your child, but you cannot say that directly because adolescents tend to get very defensive about their choice of friends. Unless the adolescent is doing something harmful with the friend, like using drugs, let him exercise his choice. Otherwise, don't hesitate from seeking professional help to counsel your child.
Being over-dramatic: Every emotion is heightened in your child and you cannot tell them that what they are whining or being overjoyed about are trivial, because that's their prime focus then. Let them realize on their own how irrational they sound or else you may risk spoiling your relation with them.

Behavioral Problems in Adolescents

Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. A genetic condition, it causes physical and cognitive impairments and can lead to disabilities and increase the risk of a number of health problems.

Causes
Each cell in our body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes where one chromosome in the pair comes from the mother and the other comes from the father. But in the individuals with Down syndrome, the chromosome 21 has an extra copy. This means that there are three copies instead of the usual two. The reasons behind this genetic abnormality remains unknown as of yet, but there are a few risk factors that might increase the chances of the condition.

Women who are older than 35 years of age have a higher risk of their children being born with Down syndrome.
If a woman has a child with Down syndrome, then chances are that the next child might be born with the condition as well.
Though uncommon, Down syndrome has been seen to have been passed from parent to child.
Symptoms
Children born with Down syndrome exhibit certain characteristic symptoms which include flattened facial features, a short neck and eyes that slant upwards. Ears that are atypically shaped and muscles that lack tone are also symptoms of Down syndrome. Physical growth and development of the child are also hindered by the condition. A child with Down syndrome might also display social and mental disabilities that include a short span for attention, a lack of judgment and issues with impulse control.

Complications
Down syndrome can lead to a number of medical complications that include but are not limited to visual impairment, leukemia, chronic constipation, dementia, hypothyroidism and Alzheimer s disease in the later stages of life.

Homeopathic Treatments
Homeopathic treatment methods of Down syndrome focus on the development and improvement of the behavioral and cognitive abilities of a child with Down syndrome. The treatment that is usually prescribed includes homeopathic medicines and bio-neural supplements that help remedy the disorder. These also reduce the effects that the condition might exert on the physical growth and intellectual development of the child.

A child with Down syndrome might find it difficult to communicate and recognize objects and people. Homeopathic treatment can help remedy these shortcomings. Homeopathic treatment for Down syndrome should be initiated at the earliest possible in order to help the child with behavioral and physical development.

Down Syndrome - Signs & Symptoms You Must Not Ignore!

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