Dr. Pallavi Gaikwad

Your child needs complete care whether it is emotional, psychological or physical. A thorough evaluation of your child’s body and mind is vital at nascent stages. Especially if you observed any complaints by your little one that may require medical help, such as:

1. Frequent headaches
Much like adults, children too can experience headaches that last from 30 minutes to 3 hours. A range of primary or secondary headaches like, migraine, meningitis, sinusitis or tension may affect children due to neurological issues.

2. Blurry vision
If you observe either a vision developmental delay or near-sightedness and farsightedness in your child, it might be related to neurological issues.

3. Slurred Speech
If your child is 7-8 months and is not responding to sounds or cannot babble non-sense words, it calls for a neurological check-up.

4. Motor and Co-ordination Delay
Sometimes babies are unable to perform motor skill activities like crawling, walking or using fingers to grip or hold, such delay requires attention of the parent.

5. Fatigue
Check if your kid has become lazy and decreased his physical activities due to fatigue and tiredness suddenly of late.

6. Abnormal Movements
Common involuntary movements or tics like eye blinking, twitching of nose, grimacing or making sounds is in some cases overlooked. Tourette syndrome is an example of such a tic, which has been evaluated as a neurological issue.

7. Tremors or Seizures
Children are prone to febrile seizures (fits) or tremors along with fever that occur between 6 months and 5 years. These are signs of neurological issues that require an immediate check-up.

8. Numbness in Limbs
Neurological complications in your child’s infancy may also cause joint pain and numbness of arms and legs.

9. Behavioural disorders
A change in behaviour or attitude in your child is noticed if he/she is suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, school problems, sleep issues, intellectual disability or other neural conditions.

10. Weakness
This symptom is tricky in children, as it may be confused with general tiredness by your human eye. It may be unheard of but many children face trouble in performing easy tasks. A neurological exam may identify the source for treatments.

An underlying problem to the nervous system can cause harm or impairment in the normal growth and development of your kid. Early diagnosis helps in correct care, recovery and prevention of long-term problems. You can opt for a routine neurological examination if you find such symptoms in your child. These exams check the functioning of your child’s brain, spinal cord, nerves that come from the brain and spinal cord and offers accurate diagnosis. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Pediatrician.

A fibroid tumour is made up of muscle cells that have escaped and come together to create a knot or a mass in the uterus. These tumours can occur due to a family history, and are usually known to occur for women patients nearing menopause. One of the most common symptoms is unusually heavy menstrual cycles. Let us walk you through the rest of the details.

Types: Fibroid tumours can be of three types, mainly depending on the location. While submucosal fibroids can be found just under the lining of the uterus, intramural fibroids can be found between the muscles that lie on the walls of the uterus. Finally, the third type - subserol fibroids - go beyond the uterine wall to enter the pelvic cavity. 

Symptoms: Usually, there are no symptoms of these kinds of fibroids. There may be heavy bleeding during the monthly menstrual cycle, as well as swelling and pain in the abdomen. Also, prolonged bleeding is common when these kinds of tumours are present in the body. 

Cause: Fibroid tumours are mostly caused due to an overgrowth of the cells beyond the muscular walls that line the uterus. In such cases, the growth is further fuelled by hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are usually at their highest level in the body, during the child bearing years of a woman. During menopause, these tumours are known to shrink before they eventually vanish. It is very rare to find malignancy in such tumours. 

Risk: Are you at risk? Well, that depends on your age, family medical history, weight and in some cases, even the ethnicity. These tumours are mostly found in women who are between the age of 30 to 40 years and continues through menopause. Obesity is also a major reason that gives rise to this condition. Further, women of colour are known to develop this more easily while a family history can also increase your chances of the same.

Tests and Diagnosis: A pelvic exam and an ultrasound as well as a history of your menstrual cycle will help the doctor in determining whether or not you are suffering from this condition.

Treatment: Non steroid anti inflammatory drugs can help in bringing down the swelling and pain, especially in cases where there is heavy menstrual bleeding. Birth control pills and patches with hormones can also help in such cases. Further, progesterone shots and iron supplements may be prescribed. Very severe cases may require surgery for removal with a myomectomy.

Remember to visit your doctor in case you see any nagging symptoms of fibroid tumours. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ayurveda.