Strokes

There are several terms to describe strokes including brain attack and cerebrovascular accident. The cause of a stroke is not enough blood getting to part of you brain just the same as in a heart attack.

Your brain needs a constant flow of blood to function properly and when this is interrupted permanent damage can occur quite quickly unless the flow is restarted. You can have either an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

Like the heart your brain cannot repair dead areas so the immediate aim of stroke treatment is to reduce the damage. After a stroke your brain needs to make new pathways round the dead area and stroke rehabilitation is the best method.

Types of Stroke

Ischemic is medical speak for not enough blood. In an ischaemic stroke a clot blocks either the brains’ blood vessel or it is too narrow and not enough blood can flow. Blood cannot reach parts of the brain and the cells soon start to die.

Most strokes are ischemic in nature and the risk factors include blood vessel disease, smoking, hypertension and heart arrhythmias particularly atrial fibrillation.

Hemorrhagic is medical jargon for, if you like too much blood. Usually, hemorrhagic strokes are caused by a burst blood vessel leaking blood and damaging the immediate area. Roughly 25% of strokes are hemorrhagic and affect all ages from baby to pensioner.

Once again high blood pressure is a risk factor, along with aneurysms that burst and blood clotting disorders.

Treatment of stroke

The initial treatment of stroke aims to minmise brain damage and if possible restore blood flow. That’s why it’s essential to get to hospital quickly so diagnosis and treatment can start as soon as possible.

In the early stages after a stroke, which means the first few weeks, your initial problems may start to improve quite quickly. This is down to malfunctioning brain cells at the edge of the dead area recovering. This is great but can be a false dawn as for most people several months of rehab are looming.

For better recovery you need months of rehabilitation involving physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and writing and reading practice if necessary.

In the past it was considered impossible for the brain to bypass damaged areas. This is incorrect and it is now recognised that with the correct stimulation the brain can bypass damaged areas and make new pathways for information to flow.

A steady flow of information to your brain and you responding to it is the way to get the best possible results for stroke rehabilitation. The whole thrust of rehabilitation is to boost your recovery and help the brain make new pathways. Much work is necessary but the results are usually worth it.

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Pain Management And Possible Solutions That Are Available

What options are there when pain strikes. This varies on how severe the pain is, and where in the body the pain occurs . If the pain is simply a minor headache, toothache or a minor pain we all suffer from, then an over the counter analgesic will usually suffice. For toothache pain medication that contains Ibuprofen is probably the best choice, toothache is often accompanied by inflammation in the troubled area, Ibuprofen is an anti inflammatory medication and will therefore help to decrease the inflammation. If the pain persists you should get medical attention, as the pain could be the symptom of a more serious medical problem. Pain is how your body tells you that something is amiss, do not ignore the message if pain is persistant.

There are two types of pain, chronic and acute pain. Acute pain is normally a short term pain that recedes with no further treatment, has no serious underlying medical problems associated with it and normally needs nothing more than over the counter analgesics. Chronic pain though is more serious, it generally persists and is likely to be associated with an underlying condition or injury. It can often start from something as simple as a sprain or infection that persists and becomes more serious, or it can be caused by a developing disease or cancer. Chronic pain can persist for months, or even years. As well as a need to treat the underlying cause, pain killers that are stronger than normal pain killers is usually required. Among the most prescribed medications include tramadol, ultram and ultracet, with tramadol being the most common prescribed. These pain killers are not scheduled as controlled substances, it is therefore possible to order tramadol online. In many cases pain medication is prescribed with other treatments to treat the cause of the problem.

Probably the commonest type of pain we experience is headaches. A headache may disappear without requiring any treatment, simple over the counter pain relief medication will usually be enough to ease the pain. Migraine is a more severe form of a headache and can be caused by various underlying conditions. A migraine can be accompanied by several other conditions, such as mood changes, sensitivity to light, one sided headache and nausea or vomiting. A migraine may only last for a few hours, but can last for several days. Anyone experiencing a migraine should get medical attention as soon as possible.

For pain associated with joints and muscles, physiotherapy is frequently used, and can in many cases result in the complete cure of the problem. Electrical stimulation is a technique used, often as a last resort. Electrical stimulation interrupts pain signals inside the spinal cord. Acupuncture may also be used to help reduce pain, fine needles are entered at key points on the skin, the needles disrupt the flow of spasms through the body. Fine needles may be placed in areas far removed from the origin of the pain.

The main thing to observe, is that if pain becomes serious, especially if it persists, seek medical advice without delay, it could be due to a more serious problem.

Disclaimer: This post is based on information freely available in the popular media and medical journals that deal with pain relief. Nothing in this post is intended to be or should be construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her own physician or other medical specialist.

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Sciatic Discomfort – Quick Tips To Help Keep Your Sanity

DISCLAIMER – The information in this article is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Always consult a medical professional before taking action.

If you have ever suffered from Sciatica or Sciatic Nerve problems you will know how uncomfortable and painful this condition can be. Sitting to eat dinner, driving the car, even sleeping can be greatly affected by sciatic pain and unlike many other joint or muscle problems it is simply not possible to isolate and immobilize the affected area until your body has had a chance to heal itself but if you follow these couple of tips you will have the best chance at keeping your sanity!

Accurate Diagnosis of your condition – The first thing is to get an accurate diagnosis of why you are in pain. Often times sciatica is caused by muscle tension or imbalances which can directly affect the discs and vertebrae in your back which results in a irritated sciatic nerve. Other ‘structural’ problems with your spine can also cause this irritation and that is why an accurate diagnosis is essential for finding the best treatment.

Heat and Cold Packs – many people report gaining relief through the use of heat and cold packs particularly where the problem lies with increased muscle tension. Alternating between both hot and cold packs on the affected area has also been reported as a good pain reliever. The hot pack promotes blood flow and can release tensed up muscles and the cold pack helps in reducing the amount of inflammation so you are getting the best of both worlds when alternating between the two.

Physiotherapy – this is something that I have not had any success with in dealing with my sciatica, however combined with the right exercises and assuming that your condition is suitable to be treated this way there is no reason not to give it a go. Many doctors see physiotherapy as the first step to easing the problem and once again the blood flow in and around the muscles and loosening of joints may be beneficial to you.

Anti Inflammatory/Pain Relieving Medication – No doubt one of the most important steps to easing your sciatic pain is to reduce any inflammation of the offending area and of course to limit your pain so you can get on with life. Unfortunately this is where the use of NSAID’s or non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs is the road most doctors take. Sure, they may ease your pain and reduce inflammation but if you had any idea of the unwanted effects these drugs can have on you I’m sure you would think twice.

Many back pain and sciatica sufferers are forced to use these drugs long term, previously myself included, as most back complaints are not easily or quickly resolved. This long term us of NSAID’s can have lasting effects on your health. Problems with kidneys, the liver, the intestines and the stomach lining itself are not uncommon and of course add to this the noticeable side effects like cramping, headaches and drowsiness just to mention a few.

So how do we protect ourselves against these problems while still getting the pain relief and reduced inflammation that we need? The answer is natural medicines that do the same job without jeopardizing our future health. There are many great all natural products on the market these days and for peace of mind there really is no other choice.

Give your body a break! For more information on the best all natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatories please head on over to Back Pain Products and check out the all natural Heal N Soothe. Your body will thank you for it!