A condition where the mouth is inflamed and sore is called Stomatitis. It can prevent a person from eating, talking and even sleeping. Stomatitis can occur anywhere in the mouth, it is seen affecting parts like the cheek, gums, tongue, lips and the palate.

What are the types of stomatitis?

According to the nature of the sore, stomatitis can be in varied types. Even though they all cause the same result of pain and discomfort their physiology and healing time etc. may differ.

The types are:

Cold Sores: These are commonly called as fever blisters. They are filled with fluids and occur around the lips. These kind of sores rarely form on the gums or the roof of the mouth. Cold sores later crust over with a scab and give some sort of tingling sensation. They give a tender feeling and burning sensation before the sore actually appears.

Canker Sores: These are also known as aphthous ulcer. It is single pale or yellow coloured ulcer with a red outer ring. They may be single or a cluster of such ulcers. They occur in the mouth, usually on the cheeks, tongue or inside the lips.

What causes mouth irritation?

There are many reasons for mouth irritation:

• When we bite our cheek, tongue or lip
• It can occur in those wearing braces or any dental apparatus
• A sharp broken tooth
• By chewing tobacco
• When you burn your mouth with hot food or drinks
• Gingivitis a common gum disease or other mouth infection
• Having autoimmune diseases
• Certain medications like chemotherapy, antibiotics and epilepsy medications
• Radiation during cancer treatment

A sensation of burning, tingling, electric shock and pins and needles, the sudden nerve pain can be experienced in many forms. At the same time you may not know the exact reason for such a pain. Thankfully you are not alone but millions of people have such unexplained nerve pain. Many people use traditional medicines to tackle the malady and there are many other ways to lessen the pain.

Sudden nerve pain occurs due to nerve damage and once a nerve is damaged it behave abnormally. It may become totally dysfunctional and send no information which causes numbness or it may become over active and send excessive and inappropriate pain message.

Common causes for nerve pain

Any sort of damage to the nerve in any part of the body can cause the nerve pain. There are more than 50 medical conditions, medications, toxins etc. that can cause nerve damage. The common causes though include diabetes, HIV, celiac disease, trauma, amyloidosis, heavy alcohol use, chemotherapy, autoimmune conditions like lupus and vasculitis, Vitamin B12 deficiency, cancers like lymphoma & myeloma, Lyme disease etc.

In intensive studies, it was observed that those who got unexplained nerve pain were also prediabetic. So it is believed that elevated blood sugars or prediabetes may be the main cause for the pain.

Certain other cases it was found that metabolic syndrome including high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity and prediabetes together causes the unexplained nerve pain.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of unexplained nerve pain may include:

Peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes which usually causes numbness in the hands and feet. The numbness first goes unnoticed when it causes no pain. Later the pain manifests in the feet and legs but also can occur in the hands and arms. The pain is explained by patients in various forms including burning, tingling, crawling, pins and needles or mild electric shocks.

At times simple touching can cause nerve pain and pain may be constant even when there’s no stimulation. Often the unexplained nerve pain gets worse during nights and disturbs the sleep; this actually aggravates the condition because a person needs adequate sleep to cope with pain.

Some home remedies for pain

More often self care and home remedies can give a huge relief and help cope with unexplained nerve pain.

Start Moving

Regular exercise helps the blood vessels in the feet to expand and nourish damaged nerves which can become healthy again. Start a daily walk routine which can gradually pick up in speed and distance.

Take care of your feet

Examine your feet daily, wear comfortable footwear and consult a podiatrist.

Get enough sleep

There is no better remedy than getting a good night’s sleep. Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon, keep a regular bedtime and make the bedroom exclusive for sleep.

Meditation

Train with a good profession in imagery, meditation and biofeedback to explore the possibilities of mind-body connection. This will help a lot to cope with pain.

We are all aware of arthritis and the pain and discomfort it causes but Ankylosing Spondylitis is a type of arthritis that affects the spine. The symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis include a stiffness and severe pain from the neck to the lower back. The spine loses its flexibility and the vertebrae fuse together to result in a rigid spine. A condition like this affects the posture and the patient may stoop over. The only way is to have an early detection and treatment to control the pain and stiffness, so that deformity is reduced to the minimum.

WHO IS AT RISK?

Ankylosing Spondylitis is mostly seen in adults and it can occur at any age. In men the disease can strike between teenage and 20s. It is not so commonly seen in women but some people in the tribal belts and rural areas are seen to be affected by the disease.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

There are some common symptoms that can be seen at the early stages of the disease:

I Pain and Stiffness: You will experience a lot of pain and stiffness in the low back, buttocks and hips constantly and this will continue for months. Spondylitis starts at the joints, where the lowest part of the spine joins the ileum bone of the pelvis in the lower back region.

I Bony fusion: Ankylosing Spondylitis causes an overgrowth of the bones which leads to the abnormal joining of bones called the ‘bony fusion’. Fusion affects the bones of the neck, back and hips and affects the person’s ability to perform routine activities. The fusion of the ribs to the spine or breastbone may limit a person’s ability to expand the chest or take a deep breath.

I Pain in the ligaments and tendons: Spondylitis also may affect the ligaments and tendons that attach to bones. Inflammation of the tendon causes pain and stiffness in the area beneath the heel, like the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a systemic disease that may not be limited to the joints. People with this condition will also have loss of appetite, fever and fatigue. Some people will show signs of eye infection and redness while in some cases it may cause lung and heart problems.

WHAT CAUSES ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS?

The exact cause of Ankylosing Spondylitis is unknown even though the genetic or family link is more prominent. Though people carrying the spondylitis gene are more likely to develop the disease there is a percentage of people affected who have no signs of the condition.

HOW IS ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS TREATED?

There is no certain cure for Ankylosing Spondylitis, yet treatments focus on reducing pain and discomfort. The goal is to improve the function and reduce the stiffness so as to be able to maintain a good posture, prevent any deformity and get back the ability to do normal activities. If properly treated and on time those suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis can lead a normal life. Physical and occupational therapy, exercises and medications are the right combination for treating Ankylosing Spondylitis.

You must have felt the shaking recently or it has just grown worse and you started noticing it. Shaky hands is nerve disorder that experts call by the name ‘tremors’ and usually starts gradually and gets worse when you are stressed or angry. It can also be the result of illness in the recent past. Whatever the cause ‘tremor’ can affect the hands as well as the feet. They are common than we think and their effects are varied.

What are the causes for shaky hands?

Shaky hands is a condition which can have a single cause or multiple causes and here are a few more common reasons.

Essential Tremor

This is supposed to be the most common cause of all; the doctor calls it Essential Tremor. It begins with the hands and sometimes moves on to the arms, head, voice or other body parts. The main features of ET is that it gets worse when the hands are moving whereas other shaky hands condition that happens when a patient is still.

This condition can be the result of a genetic mutation, where a patient inherits the traits from any one of the parent. Toxins in the environment can also cause ‘tremors’. Age is another risk factor. It is more likely to affect people who are past 40 and the risk gets higher as a person ages.

ET is not life-threatening but stress, fatigue and too much of caffeine can make the condition worsen. Later at one stage the daily tasks like eating, drinking, writing etc may become extremely challenging.

Medications are partially useful to treat Shaky hands. A treatment called deep brain stimulation is found to be successful where the doctor implants a device in the brain to help control the tremors.

Parkinson’s Disease

Tremors can be an early stage symptom of Parkinson’s disease. Not every Parkinson’s patient gets shaky hands but most people in early states will have movement in the hand, foot or even a finger. Parkinson’s affects one side of the body and the tremors start once the patient is resting, so it is also called the resting tremor. Even moving a finger can stop the tremor and as it progresses it affects the healthy side of the body too.

Multiple Sclerosis

This disease targets the immune system, the brain, nerves and the spinal cord. As it targets these parts of the body it naturally causes tremors. Most of the tremors will be of the hand or the feet.

Overuse of Alcohol

Tremors occur when there is over use of alcohol and it can last anywhere between few days and over a year. Mostly occurs when alcohol is absolutely withdrawn.

B12 Deficiency

B12 is essential for proper functioning of the nervous system. It can also cause tremor. The vitamin is easily obtained from meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. If you are not getting enough of B12 from your food sources, then your doctor can give you a shot.

Low Blood Sugar

A low blood sugar or hypoglycaemic condition can trigger the body’s natural stress response and this makes the extremities shaky.

Continuous Stress

Life is full of stress from job worries, to relationship problems, health issues and financial worries and all these contributes to make you shaky. Intense anger, extreme hunger or sleep deprivation can also make you shaky. This is called physiologic tremor.

Overactive thyroid

When there is an overdrive of thyroid activity then the whole body speeds up. In such situation there will be trouble sleeping and heart starts beating faster and the hands start shaking simultaneously.

Nerve Damage

Any sort of injury, disease, or a problem with the central nervous system can cause tremors. This is also called the peripheral neuropathy which affects hands and feet.

Treatments vary widely for different types of tremors and doctors can guide in this.

Very often we feel that there is a grain of sand in our eyes, or the eyes may burn or itch without reason, then you may be having dry eyes. A person may be sensitive to light, have blurry vision or in some cases even the eyes will water. Such people will not be able to wear contact lens.

Eyes usually need moisture and this helps the eyes work like they are meant to and keeps them feeling comfortable. The body automatically produces moisture for the eyes, but when it is unable to do so or cannot produce enough or of good quality then your eyes is prone to hurt and feel dry.

What does tears do?

Tears actually soothe the surface of the eyes and safeguard them from foreign bodies and infections. Every time you blink, the tear drops wash over the eyes and then drain into the inner corners of the eyelids and to the back of the nose. If these tears are not enough and of good quality then eyes get dry.

Dry eye syndrome

When the body does not produce enough of quality tears then you have dry eyes and this condition is called the dry eye syndrome or Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). There could be many reasons for dry eyes and it can last for days and it can also go away on its own too.

What are the possible causes?

There are several possible causes which can include the following:

Age: The glands that make tears slowly stop working as well as they did, as you age. With age your eyelids also sag and that breaks the seal against the eyeball to keep the moisture int.

Illness: Certain autoimmune diseases, where the immune system attacks any part of the body can affect your body’s ability to make tears and cause dry eyes. Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are such conditions which can hinder tear production.

Eye Surgery:  Dry eyes can occur as a result of an eye surgery like LASIK or PRK, which is done to correct the vision. The nerves that make tears are sometimes damaged during these surgeries. Some eye drops and medicines help during post-operative period and it gets better as the eyes recover.

Oil less tears: If the tears don’t have enough of oil in them then they easily get evaporated or get absorbed in the air. The eyes will not get time to moisten and hence cause dry eye.

Medicines: Certain medicine for dry eyes such as antihistamines, beta-blockers and some anti depressants can affect the tears and dry out the eyes.

How dry eyes get worse?

Low Humidity: There are many reasons including low humidity as in an air-conditioned room or airplane then the eye gets dried. This condition can happen if there is lot of wind in your eyes too.

Too much Screen Time: When you look at a computer or phone screen for long hours then you don’t blink much and thus moisture does not get distributed in your eyes and they remain dry.

Contact Lens: When you wear a contact lens, then it is placed exactly in the tear film. If the eye is dry then the contact lens worn for long hours will cause irritation and an uncomfortable feel.

How can you avoid dry eyes?

You can take certain steps to avoid dry eyes. You can use artificial tears which is available in as drops or ointment. You can also enrich your diet with more of omega 3 fatty acid rich diet and take all precaution like staying away from air-conditoned rooms, wind, smoke and chemicals that irritate the eyes.