April 22, 2020adminBlog

3 ways to protect and boost your mental health in coronavirus

(#Best Neurosurgeon in Bhopal)

As the coronavirus pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world, it is inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, care providers and people with underlying health situations.

In public mental health terms, the main psychological impact to date is elevated rates of stress or anxiety.

• Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to prevent the virus’ transmission affect our mental health can help us adapt;
• From focusing on everyday boosts to mental health to empowering our communities, these expert recommendations can help.
• Improving our mental health hygiene now could help us create a “new normal” for mental well-being in the future.

Our traditional media and social media feeds are filled with urgent and often conflicting imperatives to change our routines and be constantly vigilant.

The online onslaught of rapidly updating media stories reporting worst-case scenarios can fuel fear and panic. Uncritical overconsumption of such messages can erode one of our most precious and essential human resources for weathering the COVID-19 storm: our mental health.

Even before the virus outbreak, depression and anxiety have been noted as defining features of our times. Isolation and uncertainty are not going to help us deal with the new realities of our newly virtual lives – virtual work, virtual schools and virtual family care – under the incredible stress of unfamiliar circumstances.

Firstly, there are five facts about stress, the brain and mental health that can help. There is virtually no disease, illness or injury that is not aided by good mental health. Why?

1. Our brains and our immune system are deeply linked to each other. The immune system is the prime mediator of environmental agents such as microbes, chemicals and the infamous COVID-19.
2. Stress is normal and can be healthy (and spur healthy behaviours: think of a zebra trying to escape a rapidly approaching lion), but too much sustained stress is not. High and unregulated levels of stress have a number of negative consequences on the brain, immunity and the vascular system, leading to blood sugar imbalances, high blood pressure and impaired immunity and inflammatory responses – the very precise opposite of what we need to fight the potential impact from COVID-19 exposure.
3. Physical exercise is an essential component of improving both physical and mental health and regular exercise has been linked to changes in brain connectivity, and increases in brain growth factors (e.g. brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and reductions in oxidative stress which damages cells and tissue.

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April 8, 2020adminBlog

What Does Coronavirus Do to the Brain?

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Neurologists around the world say that a small subset of patients with COVID-19 are developing serious impairments of the brain.

Although fever, cough and difficulty breathing are the typical hallmarks of infection with the new coronavirus, some patient’s exhibit altered mental status, or encephalopathy, a catchall term for brain disease or dysfunction that can have many underlying reasons, as well as other serious conditions. These neurological syndromes join other unusual symptoms, such as diminished sense of smell and taste as well as heart ailments.

Why do younger people with a healthy immune system sometimes succumb to novel coronavirus? Insights from studies of novel coronavirus point to the possibility that the virus may shut down breathing by infecting the brain.

The vast majority of people infected with novel coronavirus, or SARS‐CoV‐2, experience only mild to moderate symptoms or no symptoms at all. Reported mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19—the illness caused by the virus—include fever, dry cough, loss of smell and taste, sore throat, leg pain, headache, stomach ache, diarrhea, and fatigue. In more severe cases, patients present with pneumonia and severe difficulties breathing (dyspnea). A small fraction of people become so gravely affected that they require a ventilator to help them breathe.

While the elderly and people with an underlying medical condition are at a higher risk of developing serious symptoms and dying from novel coronavirus, younger people without any known pre-existing situation have also succumbed to severe forms of the viral disease. This raises the question: What—besides a compromised immune system—can cause infected individuals to develop severe symptoms?

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March 21, 2020adminBlog

Looking after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak

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Beyond Blue recognizes and understands the feelings of anxiety, distress, and concern many people may be experiencing in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and offer the following wellbeing advice.

Try to maintain perspective

While it is reasonable for people to be concerned about the outbreak of coronavirus, try to remember that medical, scientific and public health experts around the world are working hard to contain the virus, treat those affected and develop a vaccine as rapidly as possible.

Find a healthy balance in relation to media coverage

Being exposed to large volumes of negative information can heighten feelings of anxiety. While it’s important to stay informed, you may find it useful to limit your media intake if it is upsetting you or your family.

Try not to make assumptions

To contribute to a sense of community wellbeing, try to remember that the coronavirus can affect anyone regardless of their nationality or ethnicity and remember that those with the disease have not done anything wrong.

Managing your mental health while in self-isolation or quarantine

There are a number of ways to support your mental health during periods of self-isolation or quarantine.

• Remind yourself that this is a temporary period of isolation to slow the spread of the virus.
• Remember that your effort is helping others in the community avoid contracting the virus.
• Stay connected with friends, family and colleagues via email, social media, video conferencing or telephone.
• Connect with others via the Beyond Blue forums thread: Coping during the coronavirus outbreak.
• Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing.
• Keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy foods.
• Try to maintain physical activity.
• Establish routines as best possible and try to view this period as a new experience that can bring health benefits.
• For those working from home, try to maintain a healthy balance by allocating specific work hours, taking regular breaks and, if possible, establishing a dedicated work space.
• Avoid news and social media if you find it distressing.

Conversations with children and young people

Families and caregivers of children and young people should discuss news of the virus with those in their care in an open and honest way. Try to relate the facts without causing alarm, and in a way that is appropriate for their age and temperament. It is essential to listen to any questions they may have, to let them know that they are safe and that it’s normal to feel concerned. If the media or the news is getting too much for them, encourage them to limit their exposure.

Health care workers may feel extra stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a normal response in these unprecedented circumstances. Such feelings are not a sign of weakness and it’s essential to acknowledge this. There are practical ways to manage your mental health during this time, including:

• getting enough rest during work hours and between shifts
• eating healthy foods and engaging in physical activity
• keeping in contact with colleagues, family and friends by phone or online
• being aware of where you can access mental health support at work
• If you’re a manager, trying to create mentally healthy work structures.

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February 27, 2020adminBlog

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February 15, 2020adminBlog

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body

(#Best Neurosurgeon in Bhopal)

If you’ve ever spent a night tossing and turning, you already know how you’ll feel the next day — tired, cranky, and out of sorts. But missing out on the recommended 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye nightly does more than make you feel groggy and grumpy.

It drains your mental capability and puts your physical health at real risk. Science has linked poor slumber with all kinds of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.

Causes of sleep deprivation

In a nutshell, sleep deprivation is caused by a consistent lack of sleep or reduced quality of sleep. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis can eventually lead to health consequences that affect your entire body. This may also be caused by an underlying sleep disorder.

Your body needs sleep, just as it needs air and food to function at its best. During sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Your brain forges new connections and helps memory retention.

Stimulants, like caffeine, aren’t enough to override your body’s profound need for sleep. In fact, these can make sleep deprivation worse by making it harder to fall asleep at night. This, in turn, may lead to a cycle of nighttime insomnia followed by daytime caffeine consumption to make up for the lost hours of shut-eye.

Behind the scenes, chronic sleep deprivation can interfere with your body’s internal systems and reason more than just the initial signs and symptoms listed above.

Central nervous system

Your central nervous system is the information highway of your body. Sleep is necessary to keep it functioning properly, but chronic insomnia can disrupt how your body usually sends information.

During sleep, pathways form between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain that help you remember new information you’ve learned. Sleep deprivation leaves your brain exhausted, so it can’t perform its duties as well.

Immune system

While you sleep, your immune system produces protective, infection-fighting substances like cytokines. It uses these substances to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses.

Cytokines also help you sleep, giving your immune system more energy to defend your body against illness.

Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building up its forces. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body may not be capable to fend off invaders, and it may also take you longer to recover from illness.

Treatment for sleep deprivation

The most basic form of sleep deprivation treatment is getting more sleep.

This is often easier said than done, especially if you’ve been deprived of precious shut-eye for several weeks or longer. After this point, you may need help from your doctor or a sleep specialist who, if needed, can diagnose and treat a possible sleep disorder.

Sleep disorders can make it difficult to get quality sleep at night. They can also raise your risk for the above effects of sleep deprivation on the body.

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January 21, 2020adminBlog

Dr. Apoorv Pandey M.Ch neuro & spine surgeon of new Pandey hospital is now also available in Babai city

(#Best Neurosurgeon in Bhopal)

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December 20, 2019adminBlog

What are the causes of a brain bleed?

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A brain hemorrhage refers to bleeding in the brain. This medical situation is also known as a brain bleed or an intracranial hemorrhage. It is a medical emergency that needs immediate treatment.

Brain bleeding, which is alternatively known as brain hemorrhage, denotes a kind of stroke that results from the bursting of arteries in the brain. The burst of the arteries leads to localized bleeding in the tissues around the brain and the bleeding could reason damage to brain cells.

Symptoms Related to Brain Bleeds

Symptoms and signs of brain bleeding vary depending on the extent of the tissue affected, the extent of the bleeding, and the location of the bleeding. Symptoms and signs may include:

• A severe headache
• difficulties swallowing and speaking, or even understanding spoken words
• loss of motor skills, and challenges in reading or writing, which may be accompanied by tremors
• vision change and nausea that may be accompanied by vomiting
• loss of consciousness, balance, and coordination
• lethargy and reduced alertness
• development of an abnormal sense of taste
• numbness and weakness in the legs or arm
• seizures that suddenly appear without previous history

Causes of Brain Bleeds

Brain bleeding primarily results from the irritation of brain tissues, which leads to swelling or cerebral palsy. The swelling increases pressure on arteries causing them to burst and create hematomas that prevent blood flow to the affected brain parts, thus damaging or killing the brain cells. The reason may contain, but or not limited to:

• chronic high blood pressure over a long period of time
• trauma, such as a blow to the head
• aneurysms that weaken the walls of blood vessels may also make the arteries swell and burst into the brain
• malformations in brain arteries and blood vessels
• amyloid angiopathy which is an abnormality of the walls of blood arteries often connected to high blood pressure and aging

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December 9, 2019adminBlog

Beware of these 6 silent signs of brain tumor

(#Best Neurosurgeon in Bhopal)

If numbers are to be believed, it is said that brain tumour affects only 1 percent of the world’s population. But the sad part is, its symptoms are often disguised as everyday ailments like headaches or migraines. Hence, it is essential to know the hidden and silent signs of a brain tumour in order to treat them timely. Read on to know such symptoms that we often ignore.

The brain is the body organ composed of nerve cells and supportive tissues like glial cells and meanings – there are three major parts – they control your activity like breathing, an activity like moving muscles to walk and your senses like sight and our memory, emotions, thinking and personality.

Vision Loss

Individuals experiencing this sign may not be aware of it at all let alone connect it to a brain tumor. They may not even understand a difference in their visual excellence until they continually meet up with accidents because of poor eyesight. This sign is known as bitemporal hemianopsia.

Hearing Problems

Brain tumors can also disturb a person’s hearing ability. Some of the irregular disturbances experienced by an individual contain hearing loss and a ringing sensation in the ears.

Cognitive Decline

A brain tumor may also affect the brain’s processing speed.  If it takes longer than common for a person to total basic tasks, consulting a doctor is recommended. Disruption in concentration power and memory loss can be significant signs of a brain tumor.

Headaches

Not all types of headaches are a sign of a brain tumor. Persistent headaches that do not respond to any treatments, such as over the counter medication are the best indicator of a brain tumor. Also, headaches which are usually severe in the morning than in the afternoon and are accompanied by vomiting or nausea, double vision, numbness or weakness alone also show a brain tumor.

Weakness

If an individual has a brain tumor, their right or left leg or arm may not respond the way they are used to or at all. One may also experience clumsiness in walking along with weakened muscles and frequent loss of balance.

Speech Problems

An apparent lag in speech is seen in individuals with brain tumors. For instance difficulty in naming objects, stuttering, or difficulty in grasping what others are saying is some of the key signs of a brain tumor.

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