Month: November 2014

OCD-Just a Habit or a Neurological Disorder?

Vikram Hospital

Everyone double checks things sometimes. For example, you might double check to make sure the stove or iron is turned off before leaving the house. But people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feel the need to check things repeatedly, or have certain thoughts or perform routines and rituals over and over. The thoughts and rituals associated with OCD cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
The frequent upsetting thoughts are called obsessions. To try to control them, a person will feel an overwhelming urge to repeat certain rituals or behaviors called compulsions. People with OCD can’t control these obsessions and compulsions. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them.
Traditionally it has been thought that there are four main categories of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):

1. Checking - the need to check is the compulsion, the obsessive fear might be to prevent damage, fire, leaks or harm. The checking is often carried out multiple times, sometimes hundreds of times, and for hours on end, resulting in the person being late for work, dates and other appointments. Common checking includes gas/electric stove knobs, water taps, door locks, lights, wallet and so on.
2. Contamination – The need to clean and wash is the compulsion, the obsessive fear is that something is contaminated and/or may cause illness, and ultimately death, to a loved one or oneself. For example fear of using public toilets, touching doors, shaking hands, visiting hospitals, eating in restaurants, being in a crowd and so on. Feelings of mental contamination can be evoked by times when a person perhaps felt badly treated, physically or mentally. The person will engage in repetitive and compulsive attempts to wash the dirt away by showering and washing which is where the similarities with traditional contamination OCD return.
3. Hoarding - Another obsession long considered to be part of ‘OCD’ is the inability to discard useless or worn out possessions, commonly referred to as ‘hoarding’.
4. Ruminations / Intrusive Thoughts - In the context of OCD a rumination is actually a train of prolonged thinking about a question or theme that is undirected and unproductive. Many ruminations dwell on religious, philosophical, or metaphysical topics, such as the origins of the universe, life after death, the nature of morality, and so on. Intrusive thoughts, in the spectrum of OCD, are where a person generally suffers with obsessional thoughts that are repetitive, disturbing and often horrific and repugnant in nature. For example, thoughts of causing violent or sexual harm to loved ones.

OCD sometimes runs in families, but no one knows for sure why some people have it while others don’t. Researchers are also looking for ways in which stress and environmental factors may play a role. For many people, OCD starts during childhood or the teen years. Most people are diagnosed by about age 19. OCD is generally treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. So if you experience such symptoms too, don’t hesitate to consult a doctor. Control your obsessions before they take total control over you!

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Weight Loss Surgery | Diabetes

Vikram Hospital

In an alarming research that type2 diabetes patients underwent, 80-90% of them were found to be obese or tending towards severe weight gain.  Despite being an appalling fact, it can be a treated as a revelation that demystifies the health conditions type2 diabetes brings along.

Unlike type1 diabetes, in case of type2 diabetes, the body makes insulin. But with type2 diabetes, either the pancreases do not make enough glucose or the body does not use it well enough. Known as insulin resistance, this is one of the adversities of weight gain. Centers with Weight Loss Surgery In India from a long time now are studying how the obesity-type2 diabetes chain maybe broken.

Obesity places too much pressure on your body in different ways, including your body’s ability to maintain the ideal blood glucose level. Overweight can cause severe insulin resistance. This means, if you are a diabetic, you will need to take even more insulin to get sugar into your cells.  If you are not diabetic, the prolonged effects of the insulin resistance can eventually cause you to develop the disease.

Moreover, weight gain is common in people who take insulin dosages to treat diabetes. The more insulin we use to maintain the glucose levels of our body, the more glucose is absorbed by our cells, as opposed to insulin being eliminated. The absorbed glucose is stored as fat, which causes the weight gain.  This is thus viscous cycle that you can break out of only through weight loss. weight loss surgery in india can fail to treat your condition, if you do not try to lose weight naturally.

Losing weight really does help gain health! Take care!

Sound Mind in a Sound Body

Vikram Hospital

Medical science has succeeded in increasing the average life span of humans. Complex surgeries involving transplants is no more just a theory, it is being widely used to save lives across the globe. But at the same time there is a downside too. As we are living longer, we’re more likely to suffer from age-related memory loss and dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. Studies say that healthy lifestyle and good medical care may help keep the mind, like the body, active and vital well into old age and you don’t need to search for neurosurgery in Bangalore or at any other place. So here are some mind sharpening therapy to keep your mind sharp.

1. Stay Physically Active

By keeping your heart, lungs, and blood vessels healthy, exercise helps ensure that all parts of the body, including brain cells, receive the oxygen and nutrients they need.

2. Challenge Your Mind

The old saying “use it or lose it” applies to our brain and muscles alike. In many ways, it’s like a muscle. Challenging the brain to learn new things — by reading, taking up a language, doing crossword puzzles, or playing a musical instrument, for example -can help keep the brain and informational processing in top form and may even reshape brain circuitry.

3. Eat a Diet Abundant in Fruits and Vegetables

Researchers are only beginning to understand the many healthful components in plant-based foods that help protect against chronic diseases. For a healthy brain, antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, and A may be especially important. Dozens of studies have shown that foods high in antioxidants, such as blueberries and walnuts, slow age-related decline of brain function.

4. Control Blood Pressure

Over time, chronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, damages blood vessels, particularly small capillaries including the tiny vessels that deliver nutrients and oxygen to the brain. Studies suggest that chronic hypertension is associated with increased risk of age-related cognitive decline.

5. Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels

An epidemic of type 2 diabetes is under way in the U.S. and much of the developed world, driven largely by rising rates of obesity. Researchers have found a strong association between diabetes and declines in mental flexibility, memory, and the speed of brain processing.

6. Take Depression Seriously

Along with its short-term consequences, chronic depression may permanently alter the brain, increasing the danger of cognitive problems like Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Stay connected with friends and family as being socially isolated is a risk factor for depression.

Mind sharpening therapy

In How Many Ways Are You Intelligent?

Vikram Hospital

According to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences- Each individual possesses a unique blend of all the intelligences. Just like every individual has different DNA structure or fingerprint or behavior from the others, his/her level of intelligence varies to.  Gardener chose nine abilities that define different kinds of intelligence an individual can possess to varied degrees and share different ways to become intelligent.If you are searching for neurosurgery in Bangalore than you can visit the site

neurosurgery in bangalore

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1.      Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)

This intelligence designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef.

2.       Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)

Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone.  This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalist, and sensitive listeners.

3.       Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smart)

Logical-mathematical intelligence is the ability to calculate, quantify, consider propositions and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations. Logical intelligence is usually well developed in mathematicians, scientists, and detectives.

4.       Existential Intelligence

Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why do we die, and how did we get here.

5.       Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart”)

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with others.  It involves effective verbal and nonverbal communication, the ability to note distinctions among others, sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain multiple perspectives. Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians, all exhibit interpersonal intelligence.

6.       Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”)

Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the capacity to manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills.  This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and the perfection of skills through mind–body union.  Athletes, dancers, surgeons, and craftspeople exhibit well-developed bodily kinesthetic intelligence.

7.       Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)

Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings. Linguistic intelligence is the most widely shared human competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public speakers.

8.       Intra-personal Intelligence (Self Smart”)

Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself and one’s thoughts and feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and directioning one’s life. It is evident in psychologist, spiritual leaders, and philosophers.

9.       Spatial Intelligence (“Picture Smart”)

Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions.  Core capacities include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and an active imagination.  Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence.

Alzheimer’s Disease- Can’t remember to forget it?

Vikram Hospital

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior which slowly gets worse with time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Excellent Neurosurgery in Bangalore is provided by super-specialty Vikram Hospital that provide memory loss treatment in bangalore. Here are some basic facts about Alzheimer’s disease to keep you in the loop of health awareness.

Neurosurgery in Bangalore

  • Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.
  • Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer’s which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
  • Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.
  • Alzheimer’s has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer’s treatments cannot stop Alzheimer’s from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing. Vikram Hospital is one of the best multi-specialty hospitals in Bangalore providing advanced neurological care.

Because Alzheimer’s disease is progressive, the affected person increasingly relies on others for assistance. In times like these, they need the love and support of their family the most!