Although surgery is considered to be the first step of treatment in any form of tumor, but its feasibility depends upon the type, size and location of the tumor. It is not necessary that every kind of brain tumor might require surgery.

Indications of Brain Tumor Surgery
- Diagnosis of the type of tumor by taking a sample of the tumor for laboratory examination
- Complete resection of tumor
- Removal of the tumor as much as possible to slow down its growth and improve the symptoms
- Remove the tumor in order to help other treatment
- Provide direct access for other forms of treatment like chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc.
- To relieve pressure caused by tumor on surrounding structures

Types of Brain Tumor Surgery
The different types of surgery that are performed in cases of brain tumor include the following:

Craniotomy: Craniotomy is the most commonly performed procedure to remove brain tumor along with a piece of bone. The removed bone is replaced and the tumor is sent for histopathology (biopsy). The surgery is performed using a high end microscope by any of the following techniques:
- Extended bifrontal craniotomy
- "Eyebrow" craniotomy (supraorbital craniotomy)
- "Keyhole" craniotomy (retro-sigmoid craniotomy)
- Orbitozygomatic craniotomy
- Translabyrinthine craniotomy

Shunt: A narrow piece of flexible tube with a pressure regulated valve in between is called a shunt. This is used to relieve the intracranial pressure caused by obstruction of the natural brain fluid, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathway by tumor mass. The procedure involves insertion of a drainage system into the brain to remove or drain excess of blocked fluid into the peritoneal cavity.

Stereotactic surgery: This surgery is done by creating a three dimensional image called stereotaxy using computers. It aims to find out the location and position of the tumor. In fact it can also be done to aid tumor removal, implant radiation pellets or for other treatments.

Embolization: It is a procedure used to reduce the amount of blood supply to a tumor by blocking the blood flow in the selected arteries. It is generally performed before the main surgery.

Endoscopy and endoscope assisted surgery: Endoscope is a tool, which helps to closely visualize the tissue through small openings in difficult to reach areas. This tool can be used in various brain surgeries to precisely reach the target location without damaging the adjacent structures.

Adjuvant modalities to improve outcome: In addition to above mentioned surgeries, following surgeries may also be performed in relation to brain tumor treatment:
- Laser surgery
- Photodynamic laser surgery
- Ultrasonic aspiration
- Fluorescence guided surgery (FGS)
- Electrophysiological monitoring

Brain Tumor Surgery

When particular nerve cells in the brain don't function properly, it leads to epilepsy, which is a common brain disorder. There are several variants of epilepsy, and the one that you are suffering from would play a major role in the type of seizure you are likely to have. Here are the two most common type of seizures:

Common types of Seizures

Generalized seizures: This type of seizures take place when nerve cells on both sides of the brain start misfiring. They may lead to black out, fall or muscle spasms.
Focal seizures: It starts in a particular area of the brain, and the names of the seizure are based on the affected area of the brain. They may lead to both emotional and physical effects which may affect the way a person feels or sees or hear things that have no real presence. In particular cases, the symptoms of focal seizures are regarded of some other kinds of mental or nervous disorder.
Seizures are not considered an either-or thing since some people tend to have a particular type of seizure which gradually alters its course. It is not always easy to classify certain types of seizures which are called unknown-onset seizures and may lead to both physical and sensory symptoms. Both focal and generalized seizures can be categorized into various groups. The most common are listed below:

Subcategories of focal and generalized seizures

Simple focal seizures: It may change how the senses read the surroundings of a person. It can make a familiar taste or smell appear strange. Some people feel dizzy or visualize flashes of light or make the affected individual feel nauseated or sweaty.
Complex focal seizures: It normally happens when a part of the brain which controls emotion and memory gets affected. The affected person may feel awake even when he has lost consciousness. It can take several minutes for a person to come out of the problem.
Secondary generalized seizures: It starts when a part of the brain spreads to the nerve cells. They may lead to a few physical symptoms including muscle slackness and convulsions.
On the other hand, there are six variants of generalized seizures:

Clinic seizure: The muscles tend to have spasms which make a face, neck, and arms jerk rhythmically. It can last for minutes together.
Tonic-clonic seizure: These are the most notable type of seizures and leads to stiffening of the body, jerking and shaking along with the loss of consciousness. It can last between 1 to 3 minutes, and in case they go for a longer span, it is important to seek immediate medical attention. It may lead to breathing issues and may cause the person to bite his tongue or cheek.
Tonic seizures: When the muscled in the legs or arms or trunk tense up for more than 20 seconds, it is called a tonic seizure. If the affected person is in standing position, he or she may end up falling.
Other types of generalized seizure include atonic seizure, absence seizure and myoclonic seizure which are commonly seen in people who have epilepsy.

Seizures - Know The Common Types!

One of the worst neurological disorders to have is dementia. It is a general term used to describe cognitive decline of the brain. It s not specific disease but denotes several brain disorders and mental illnesses. A person suffering from dementia can have severe impairment in judgment, loss of memory and thinking. Dementia is a very difficult disease not only for the patient but also for their families and caregivers. 

Some facts about dementia are as follows:

It s not a mental disorder occurring in old age but it does degenerates with age.
An estimation of 47.5 million people worldwide suffers from dementia and 60% of these people live in low and middle-income countries and according to WHO this figure is likely to increase.
Every 4 seconds a new case of dementia is reported
Dementia is a collective term to describe the many types of in people, such as 

Alzheimer s Disease: It is one of the most common type of dementia accounting for 60-80% of dementia case. People suffering from Alzheimer s have fewer nerve cells and the size of the brain shrinks.
Vascular Dementia: Another most common form of dementia occurring after a stroke.
Lewy Body Dementia: It is neurodegenerative condition that involves a protein called alpha-synuclein which changes the brain. Symptoms may be similar to Parkinson s disease.
Symptoms of dementia can range from mild to moderate to severe that includes:

Memory Loss
Disorientation meaning inability to focus or pay attention
Changes in visual perception
Impairment in reasoning and judgment
Dementia can be caused by damage to brain cells or progressive brain cell death. As a result communication between brain cells become difficult. Other symptoms include:

Stroke
Brain Tumor
Head Injury
Prion Disease
HIV Infection
Reversible Factors

There are no definite tests for dementia. Doctors and neurologists have to medical history, blood tests and CT scans to find out whether a person has dementia or not. However, the most potent evaluation comes from a set of questions that are asked to a patient suspected of having dementia. The ability to answer those questions correctly is one of the best diagnoses for dementia.
There is no specific treatment for dementia as it is not a curable disease and degenerates with time. However, medicines or drugs given for Alzheimer s can be given to people suffering from dementia.
Although results vary depending upon a person s lifestyle s and habits, doctors suggest eating healthy, exercising regularly, and stopping smoking and drinking may prevent some types of dementia.
The best treatment for dementia is to treat the person with care and love so that they don t feel neglected.
Dementia is often associated with old age but that is not always true. It is important to gain knowledge and educate others also.

Dementia - Quick Facts You Must Know About It!

In today s stressful environment, more and more people are being diagnosed with psychological disorders such as insomnia and depression. Neither of the two are things which people feel lucky to possess. However, it is interesting to note that there is a link between the two conditions. Also, the problems are a lot more common than a person is likely to first think; 80% of depressed people suffer from chronic insomnia!

For a long time until recently, many people were of the opinion that most depressed people were insomniac. But that is not really correct. The two issues do overlap to a large extent, but they are different from each other. Again, that does not mean one cannot affect the other.

When a person has depression, one of the main things that he or she can experience is a lack of pleasure from the activities and happenings which occur in his or her daily life. Similarly, when a person does not get enough sleep or even just cannot sleep, he or she is quite likely to display a tendency to worry. Often, worrying sets the stage for depression to develop in the person. In fact, doctors have observed that people who do not sleep enough are more likely to undergo treatment for depression than the others.

Recent findings have concluded that when a person sleeps better, the case of depression also shows an uptick. In addition to this, the habit of sleeping well can also go quite a long way to make sure that a person does not relapse into depression. According to some sleep therapies, people who suffer from lack of sleep are advised to follow a systematic routine of getting to bed and getting out of bed. Activities including reading in bed or watching TV after going to bed must be avoided. While there are various means to help a person sleep better, the choice as to which one would suit a person in the best possible way is only best decided by the person s personal doctor. What is for sure is the fact that a person can effectively sleep to a better life!

So, it can be said that if a person wants to cure his/her depression and enjoy life being peppy, napping away is not such a bad idea after all. Having said that, everything is good only up to a certain limit!

Insomnia and Depression - Is There A Link Between Them?

Neuropathy, popularly called us peripheral neuropathy, is a condition where the nerves that are responsible for carrying information from spinal cord to brain is damaged. It is always good to consult your Ayurvedic doctor to treat neuropathy. The affected patients are treated naturally with Bhumyamalaki Chura 3g on a dosage of two times per day. It is always good to go by

Symptoms
Peripheral neuropathy condition results in numbness and pain in feet and hands. The usual symptoms of the disease include infections, metabolic disorders, exposure to toxins and injuries. Sometimes tingling or pain of toes, legs, feet, arms, hand, fingers etc. may happen.

Causes
In spite of reducing the body s toxicity, it is very important to identify the root cause for the disease. Here the essential cause for the disease includes viruses, inflammation and oxidation.

Treatment

Intake of 600 mg lipoic acid per day would reduce the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. In case of diabetes patients, it is good to monitor the blood glucose level, as the intake of lipoic acid on a regular basis might reduce blood glucose level.
Another effective medicine to control the symptom of Peripheral neuropathy is CoQ10. This is very good at treating heart and brain.
Omega-3 fatty acid is also good at treating this disease. Salmon fish and flax seeds acids are the natural source of fatty acids that helps in reducing the inflammation I the body.
An herb known as St.John s wort is good at treating all types of nerve injuries, especially to the toes and fingers. It helps in reducing the burning and shooting pain. The herb is very powerful in treating mild depression and is anti-viral herb.
The numbness and weakness in the limb can be cured by the regular usage of oat seed. It is an herb that is rich in minerals. It is a safe natural medicine free from any side effect.
Another herb called passion flower is useful in curing from agitation, spasms, muscle twitching and restlessness.
Nettle and Ginko Bilba are other useful herbs that help in treating peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral Neuropathy - How Ayurveda Can Help You Treat it?

Epilepsy is a form of chronic disorder and it is characterized by recurrent seizures. The episodes of epileptic seizures may differ from person to person. These seizures could be a result of a genetic disorder or a result of trauma or stroke. During a seizure, a patient may also experience symptoms of neurological disorders and sometimes lose consciousness.

Medical help for epilepsy
Epilepsy itself cannot be cured using medication, but proper medicines help in eliminating recurrent seizures. These medicines stabilize the electrical activity within the brain preventing seizures.

How effective is the medication for epilepsy?
The success of controlling seizures using medicines depends on the type and severity of epilepsy. Medicines for epilepsy are usually very effective and may fully keep seizures under control. However, controlling seizures caused due to brain problems may be more difficult. Usually, epilepsy medicines can control seizures for a long period of time when they are taken regularly.

When is medical help needed?
The decision about when to start medicines for epilepsy is a tricky one. This is because a first seizure cannot confirm whether a person has an on-going epilepsy problem. A second seizure may occur after many years or may not happen at all. Prediction of seizures is also quite difficult.

The severity of seizures also indicates when to start medicines for treatment. In case a first seizure is quite severe, medication should be started at once. Some people have very mild seizures even though they may be recurring in nature, and medication can be avoided in this situation.

The decision of starting medication will vary from case to case and in most cases, medications may be prudent after the first seizure itself. You should always consult a doctor to know when you need to start taking medicines to treat the condition.

For making the most out of the medicines to control seizures, you should follow certain steps:

You must take medications exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
Before switching to generic versions of your medicines or before taking other prescribed medicines, you must consult your doctor.
You should never stop taking the medicines.
In case you experience enhanced depression, mood swings and suicidal thoughts, you should talk to your doctor immediately.
In case you have the migraine, you should let your doctor know so that he can prescribe you anti-epileptic medicines, which also prevent migraines.
Medicines cannot treat the underlying cause of epilepsy, but these help in controlling seizures and this is the most common symptom of epilepsy. Medication should be started at a proper time and must be continued without stopping.

Epilepsy - When To Seek Medical Help?

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