Neurological Conditions

Chair Yoga, a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting on a chair or standing using a chair for support, is particularly good for those unable to participate in a traditional yoga class due to the effects of aging or disabilities or for office goers to relax or release tension at the workplace. Mekhala, a Singapore based yoga teacher, guides us through. Whenever I tell someone that I teach Chair Yoga, besides the regular Mat Yoga, the common reaction is: "Is there such a thing as chair…

Pavithra Sakthivel, who had severe headaches and a seizure, was diagnosed with Grade 3 malignant brain tumor. But she recovered quickly in six months. Find out about the treatment and surgical options that worked for her.    I am a 36 year old teacher and an Education Specialist. I was leading a happy, healthy life with my husband and cute 6 year old son till January 2017. Trouble began when I started getting headaches. Initially, they were appeared routine, but grew in frequency and…

Jyotsna Kumar, was living with Sensiro Neural Deafness. But the birth of her child with congenital heart defect and cerebral palsy changed her priorities in life. Jyotsna, tell us about your condition.  I was diagnosed with Sensiro Neural Deafness in 1997, I was 30 years old then. What were the early symptoms? During my childhood I never took annual audiograms and remained unaware of what impact anything could have had on my nerves considering the fact that my mother and most of my…

Sudha Meiyappan, founder of Parivarthan, shares Mr. Sagarmal Dugar's conscious approach to Parkinson's and to his life.  Parivarthan is a community support group in Chennai that provides a safe platform to those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disorder.  There are few people who are so inspiring that each interaction with them leaves one with a feeling of lightness and hope.  Mr. Sagarmal Dugar (holding the mike in the picture above) approached us in early 2016 wanting to be…

And she still counts her blessings! Bhairavi (not her real name) fainted and lost her vision, speech all at once. Read more to find out how she came to understood the cause and how she resumed painting.  The beginning It all started in summer of 2004, when my husband had just lost his mother and we went to Calcutta for her last rites. The evening of the shraadh or memorial gathering, I was looking for a mouth freshener since I hadn’t eaten all day. My relative offered me some supari (…

Nausea and vomiting during a migraine attack can be extremely distressing. Dr. Shital Raval suggests several safe and effective options that can provide much needed relief from both migraine and nausea When muscles in your scalp, neck, and face tighten and contract, it causes spasms and pain called Headache. Besides physical strain, headaches can be triggered by lack of sleep, dehydration, sinus congestion, vision problems, stress, anxiety and fatigue. What is Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS)…

Dr Kapil Agarwal, Senior Consultant & HOD Department of Neurology at W Pratiksha Hospital in Gurgaon, discusses some salient issues about Parkinson’s Disease and how one can tackle it best. Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Following symptoms may indicate that patient may be suffering from Parkinson's disease: Tremors of hands, head, body, etc. Slowing of movements in routine activities like walking, eating, dressing, bathing, etc. Reduction of facial expressions- decreased blinking of eyes…

Shaila Bhagwat, 67 has Parkinson's which affects her right-side. She makes every effort to remain independent and self-reliant with an assorted and strict regimen of exercises, yoga, meditation, laughter and music therapy, gait training, handwriting practice, knowledge building, among other resolutions. Four years ago, I had a tendon tear in the right shoulder and had a suture anchor inserted. It took me 2 months to recover from my surgery with the help of physiotherapy. But unfortunately, as…

Mr Hari Prasad, who underwent the Deep Brain Stimulation operation about 3 years back to stall growing symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, is a happy and relaxed person today, sharing his views on PD and DBS. Hari, how many years has it been since you had the DBS operation? Exactly three years. (Operation done end of March 2015) Read how Hari stopped popping pills for Parkinson's Disease every 2 hours  Has it been smooth for you since you had the operation? More or less. There has been no…

Back pain can be extremely tormenting and life-changing. Thyagi Thyagarajan, 71, recounts how he has fainted at airports, stopped his favourite sport tennis, and endured excruciating lower back pain for 10 years before he agreed to a surgery. He shares some lessons that help him maintain a pain-free back. It was 2006. I was returning from Vancouver to Singapore via Seoul. When I had to disembark in Seoul I found I couldn’t get out of my seat due to severe back spasm. I requested to stay on…