The aortic valve is situated at the opening of the left ventricle, one of the chambers of the heart. The valve opens when the ventricle pumps out blood and closes when the ventricle stops beating. This is to prevent the blood from rushing back into the ventricle. Aortic stenosis is a condition where the valve does not open completely. This can be caused by:

* Natural degeneration that causes accumulation of calcium deposits causing the opening to narrow.
* Rheumatic fever that leads to a similar situation since it can form rough scar tissues on the valve.
* Congenital deformity in which some children are born with a narrow valve.

Stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of an organ or passageway. A similar condition can occur in the spinal cord, which leads to spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is primarily associated with old age and requires sciatic nerve treatment including surgery. This generally requires pain management using various sciatica alternative remedies.

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Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is the pain caused by a compression of the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the twelve nerves in the cranium. The trigeminal nerve is primarily responsible for sensation in the face and one of its three branches is responsible for the movement of the jaw as well.

One of the major causes of trigeminal neuralgia is the erosion of the nerve sheath which is actually a loss of the myelin covering of the nerve. Some other causes may include compression by an adjacent blood vessel, physical damage by dental or other surgeries, genetic predisposition or rarely, a tumor or multiple sclerosis. Abnormalities usually occur at the inner nerve fibers that carry the sensation.

The trigeminal nerve is similar to other sensory nerves like the sciatic nerve in the spinal region and the pain caused by compression can be as excruciating as sciatica. Most of the conventional treatments approach TN in a similar fashion as sciatic nerve treatment.

Continue reading " Is There a Homeopathic Medicine for Trigeminal Neuralgia? "

Pregnancy is one of the major causes behind pain in the lower back in women, which is similar to sciatica. Sciatica is primarily caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve due to any one or more reasons behind the compression.

Typically, sciatica is the compression of the sciatic nerve roots in the lower spine. A condition known as pseudo sciatica causes similar debilitating pain when the peripheral sections of the sciatic nerve are compressed.

As it is, pregnancy on its own has nothing to do with sciatica. Pregnancy leads to true-sciatica only in rare cases. It is the changes that occur in a women ’s body in late preganancy that may lead to sciatica-like pain. Either of these changes can cause sciatica type pain.

* The uterus presses the sciatic nerve.
* Abdominal and lower muscles become tense and put pressure on the nerve.
* Vertebral compression due to the extra weight of the fetus.
* Postural changes that accompany pregnancy.

Continue reading " Pregnancy And Sciatica – Take Care While Treating "

The maxim€€¢ prevention is better than cure€€¢ was probably coined for conditions like sciatica. There is no one cause of sciatica, nor is there one single cure for it. Though not impossible, sciatica is also difficult to prevent.

Although true sciatica is associated with disc deformations that compress the sciatic nerve, sciatica-like pain can also caused by postural faults, some of which we are not even aware. You may feel that a straight back chair feels best for your back and therefore may be ignorantly satisfied with the support that it provides you. But that is not really the truth. The best chair for preventing sciatica is one that:

* Supports your hips.
* Does not press on the back of your thighs or knees.
* Supports the natural curve of your lower spine.

The seat should be such that your weight is distributed evenly so that your muscles are relaxed and do not irritate the nerves.

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Yoga is one of the six traditional philosophical schools that originate from India. Yogic postures form a part of this philosophical system for purification of the mind, body and spirit.

Terming yoga as only an exercise regime is a misnomer. It focuses equally on the body and the mind – a stress-free state of mind and a physically fit body is intended so as to achieve the ultimate goal of a blissful union with the Unknown.

Yoga has five major branches and what we know as yoga is actually just one branch of yoga that focuses on the physical and the vital energy aspect via postures and breathing exercises. Yogic postures are well defined and different postures work upon different body parts and organs. Some of them are specifically meant for sciatic pain.

Sciatica is a symptom that arises due to a compression of the sciatic nerve. The compression can be caused by various conditions like ageing, degeneration or an injury. Sciatica, the longest nerve in the human body can suffer compression at its five roots that exit from the lower back or along its route down to the legs via the buttocks.

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The general perception is that sciatica is caused by conditions that lead to a compression of the sciatic nerve. This can happen by certain alterations in spinal discs due to an injury or degeneration or the natural ageing process leading to a narrowing of the spinal cord.

The perception is correct by all means. However, there are conditions that can lead to sciatica even if they are not related to the spinal discs. Most of these conditions are caused by wrong postures and lack of exercise.

Self treatment is a dangerous thing in any ailment and should not be attempted. The only aspect of the condition that you should try managing on your own is the pain that sciatica causes. Sciatica is a symptom and not a disease and self treatment of sciatica is possible in instances where it is not caused due to compression of the spinal discs.

Continue reading " Self-treatment for Sciatica Should Only Be Done in Specific Cases "

Abdominal pain can be very difficult to diagnose and often results in misguided treatment. Physicians tend to concentrate on the more common diseases and prescribe medicines for treatment. In the process, they sometimes forget rare diseases since they do not come across these very often.

Intercostal neuralgia is one such rare disorder that is often missed out during diagnosis. The muscles between the ribs that contract during inhalation are called intercostals muscles. And an acute spasmodic pain that arises along the course of the nerves in that area is called intercostals neuralgia.

Intercostal neuralgia occurs due to compressions in the nerves in the thorax-abdomen region or the ribcage area. These compressions can occur due various reasons like

* An enlarged abdomen, especially in aged patients
* An abdominal muscle tissue rupture
* A scar or suture around the nerve
* Excessive use of abdominal muscles
* Musculoskeletal conditions like a short leg or an abnormal curve in the vertebral column

Continue reading " Explore Treatment Options for Intercostal Neuralgia "

Physical therapy and exercise is an integral part of the management and treatment of sciatica pain. The exercise is best done in a controlled developmental mode that includes a combination of stretching exercises, strengthening movements and massage therapy.

Sciatica pain is a symptom of a compressed sciatic nerve that can be chronic, acute or episodic. What ever the nature of the pain, getting relief from the pain is always the first priority as sciatica pain can practically immobilize patients. Due to the side effects of conventional pain killers more people are turning towards sciatica alternative remedies. The traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda, has a detailed list of herbs that can be used in oil massages to provide relief from sciatica pain. These massages have attained popularity as €˜Kerala Massages ‘.

The Ayurvedic massages involve a process in which lukewarm herbal oils are rubbed in all over the body in a rhythmic manner. The massage is done continuously for a prolonged period of time to ensure that the herbs penetrate the skin properly. These massages also need to be carried out by trained therapists. The rhythm of the massage is traditional and also intended to soothe and calm tense nerves.

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Homoeopathy is one peculiar therapy that does not have anything in common with other therapies in terms of the basic fundamentals that it uses. The only similarity that one can hope to find is in the way a vaccine works to prevent disease. Just as a vaccine is an immunogen consisting of a suspension of weakened or dead pathogenic cells injected in order to stimulate the production of antibodies to fight a disease, homoeopathic remedies in their dilute form cure the same disease that they cause in their undiluted form.

Homoeopathy has numerous remedies for treating sciatica pain. Numerous, because homoeopathy treats symptoms based on individuality of the patient: there are different remedies for people depending upon their attitudes, mental state, behaviors, sleeping patterns, lifestyles and of course, the symptoms of the disease. If two patients show similar symptoms and one of them is aggressive by nature and the other has a docile temperament, a homoeopath will prescribe different remedies for each of them.

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There are a number of different conditions that can cause sciatica pain, which by itself is a general term indicating pain caused by compression or irritation of one or more nerves that exit from lower spine and extend up to the feet.

Some episodes of sciatic pain subside on their own within a couple of weeks but quick recourse to sciatic nerve treatment is highly recommended to obtain fast relief and to avoid future complications.

Spine specialists who specialize in sciatic nerve treatment often recommend exercises as part of the regular treatment to alleviate pain. It is essential to get a proper diagnosis done, because, however rare it may be, sciatica pain can be caused by serious conditions like tumor or infection which require immediate medical attention.

Specific exercises for pain relief and to reduce frequent reoccurrences have given very good results in the past. As part of sciatica alternative remedies, these exercises are much better than bed rest. Resting and the resultant inactivity weaken back muscles, which lead to back injury and strain as the back muscles and spinal structures are increasingly less able to support the back.

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