Neurological Conditions

Migraines can disrupt your life severely, but the best way to keep them in check is to identify and eliminate the triggers, suggests Abha, 40, who has been having chronic migraines for the last 20 years and maintains a trigger diary to reduce attacks. Please tell us a bit about your condition. I suffer from Chronic Migraines! I was diagnosed almost 20 years ago. I was about 20 years old at the time. Is there a history of migraines in your family? My aunt suffered from migraines too, but her…

Ignatius Misquitta, 56, who has been battling epilepsy attacks for over four decades, looks at how epilepsy shaped his life and humorously recounts how his seizures landed him in a soup many times. And why he wears a bracelet. My first seizure at 12 months was so severe that the doctor declared me dead. Yet, my father gave me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and pumped my heart, over and over. I have since survived to tell this tale. At first seizures were limited to just 2-3 a year (blank spells…

And questions on seizures, ketogenic diet, depression answered by Dr Joy Desai, a Consultant Neurologist in Mumbai and on the Committee of the Bombay Chapter of The Indian Epilepsy Association. #AskTheDoctor series 1.  How effective is surgery for epilepsy cure? Surgery is effective in well selected patients. Patients are evaluated for surgery on 3 conditions: Is their epilepsy arising from one spot in the brain? Has testing confirmed this site and will it be possible to intervene and…

Swarnalatha, who lives with the chronic disease Multiple Sclerosis, needs hospitalization for 6-8 weeks twice every year. She wonders if the pain is worth it and through metaphors and the books she reads finds an answer. Read her reflections from the hospital bed. I am sure you have heard that when life throws lemons at you, make lemonade. Since there were too many lemons that we couldn’t consume, I started making delicious pickles. These lemons made several scratches on my glass house (…

When a series of catastrophic medical incidents left Payal Kapoor blind, deaf and a veritable vegetable (as she felt then)  at 21, she was devastated. Yet, she pulled herself together, mastered reading and writing in Braille and felt alive once again. Read her compelling story. Dramatic it sounds, I know, but today as I held the first edition of Insight, a magazine in Braille edited and compiled by me, released on the birth anniversary of Helen Keller, a strange feeling of pride and…

Migraines are often confused with headaches. Its important to know the difference since it affects the prevention, treatment and management of it. Would you like to learn to manage your migraine? Here are some of our top tips. If you want to know more, check out some of our most bookmarked articles on migraine All about Migraine  Can Washing Hair Cause Migraines? Can Children Get Migraines? And other FAQs Triggers of Migraine and how to manage pro-actively  

Here are the top 10 articles read in 2017 covering a wide range of topics from diabetes, hypertension, chemotherapy diet, risks of bedridden patients, gastritis, rheumatoid arthritis and platelets. Did you miss any of them?  1. What to Eat during Chemotherapy treatment for Cancer Patients with cancer experience a loss of appetite and a change in taste during treatment, especially chemotherapy. Here are some tasty and healthy tips provided by CPAA that can help you cope with…

A 30 year old woman, a passionate mountain climber and adventure sports enthusiast, does not let epilepsy obstruct her daring streak. Narrating her experience, she says it is crucial to control seizures and convulsions to be able to scale the mountains of your dreams. In 2000, when I was in the 7th grade, I got my first epilepsy attack. I was going out for a function, when suddenly I began feeling weak and dizzy and lost consciousness. My body began quivering and I had convulsions for nearly 30…

Mobility and accessibility aids can help people maintain independence in the activities that are most important to them. We spoke to a few people with different disabilities about the aids that empower them  Preethi Srinivasan, Founder Soulfree, quadriplegic due to a Spinal Cord Injury (pic above) Perhaps the two important things I use that give me full freedom are my speech activated software (Dragon Naturally Speaking) that allows me to use the computer with complete independence.…

Vikas Mehta, who lost his hearing ability in the midst of his high-profile advertising career, describes how after having conquered this difficult phase in his life, he emerged as a more confident person and a better human being. Unfortunately, confidence becomes our biggest liability. When I was afflicted with Meniere’s disease, which made me hearing disabled, my immediate reaction was - will I be able to perform my duties as a husband, as a father, as a son and, in the Asian context, as a…