Pacific Research Partners Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:52:28 +0000 en hourly 1 Why Can’t I Just Get to Sleep? Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:28:47 +0000 admin The medical dictionary defines Insomnia as “difficulty in initiating sleep or maintaining sleep, or even both.” And it has absolutely nothing to do with the number of hours of sleep, since each individual has a different sleep pattern; some can manage with fewer hours than others.

It is difficult to pinpoint any one cause for this symptom; there can be so many. Stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine or nicotine induce wakefulness, not drowsiness. Restless legs or a partner’s snoring are other common causes. Certain medications treat other medical complications, but bring on Insomnia as a side effect—analgesics to relieve pain, over-the-counter cough and cold preparations, anxiety, schizophrenia and depression.

Some individuals just go through a “transient” phase, lasting for less than a week; others go through a “short-term” phase, lasting for one to three weeks; and yet others become victims of “chronic Insomnia” that lasts for longer than three weeks.

The reasons for the transient and short-term phases are almost similar—dwelling in mountainous regions, jet lag, inability to adjust to the room temperature (too cold or too hot), noisy surroundings, stressful thoughts, a change in shift at work, recovering from acute illness or surgery, or withdrawal from substance abuse.

Chronic Insomnia sufferers will have to probe for deeper causes. The reasons may be physiological or psychological. As far as physiological reasons go, it could be a circadian rhythm disorder or an imbalance between sleeping and waking. Painful medical conditions come in the way of restful sleep. Psychological causes are stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Clinical trials are underway to find a cure for this ailment.

Victims of sleeplessness exhibit difficulty in concentrating on tasks, inability to remember things, impaired motor coordination, irritation, and hesitancy to interact with others. And all these signs are visible in the daytime. Drivers are at greater risk, for they cause motor vehicle accidents.

While Insomnia can attack all ages, it is more common in women than in men. These individuals are at a higher risk of getting this symptom—aged people, young students, pregnant women, travelers, shift workers and menopausal women.

Dosing oneself with sleeping pills is not the answer to Insomnia. Of course, the physician may prescribe sedatives or tranquilizers or drugs used to treat severe mental illnesses, based on the underlying causes.

Doctors also advise sleep restriction. The person is made to wake up earlier than usual, to lessen the amount of sleep. This will ensure good rest on the subsequent nights. If it is a case of disturbance in circadian rhythms, they have to be re-balanced. It is good to go to bed in a relaxed frame of mind—meditate, listen to soothing music, practice relaxing techniques, or have a nightcap. Making suitable adjustments to the environment also helps. If all these techniques fail, the last resort is hospitalization. However, it is very important to follow up with the physician for a complete cure.

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An Affliction of the Nerves—Parkinson’s Disease Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:25:00 +0000 admin Parkinson’s disease has been named in honor of the person who first discovered it in 1817, James Parkinson. It is also known as shaking palsy or paralysis agitans.

An exploration of the brain stem (the part of the brain that continues with the spinal cord) will reveal a small region known as Substantia nigra or the black substance. An important chemical is released here—Dopamine. This substance allows effective communication of messages from one nerve cell (neuron) to another, resulting in balanced and well-coordinated muscle movements. Reduce the amount of Dopamine, and what happens? The nerves begin to transmit mixed or incomplete messages from the central nervous system to the limbs. The individual suffers a complete loss of control—slow and uncoordinated movements, stiffness in limbs, rigidity and tremors.

The nerves that relay information from the brain to the limbs are referred to as motor nerves. So motor symptoms are more obvious in a person with Parkinson’s disease—difficulty in getting up from a seated position, walking with a stooped and shuffling gait, reduction in arm swinging when walking, bradykinesia or slowed movements, stiffness of muscles, lack of facial expressions, freezing in place (rigidity), resting tremor (the limbs shake even when the individual is not moving), and postural instability. The writing is extremely small and illegible.

It does not stop with motor symptoms only. With everything going wrong, the patient is bound to be depressed and suffer from sleep disturbances. Physiological symptoms are—urinary frequency, constipation, decreased sense of smell, drooling, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and cramped and painful feet. The person is almost inaudible in speech; so others cannot comprehend easily.

More common in women than men, the onslaught on the nerve cells generally begins after 60 years of age. It rarely attacks anyone below 30 years of age. Genetic transfer is rare. Whether mild or severe in nature, Parkinson’s disease is a long-term affliction and needs to be treated with care. With the hope of knowing more about this illness, many laboratories and researchers are conducting clinical trials.

Specific drugs can provide a significant amount of relief to patients. In case the response to drugs is poor, surgery is recommended. Known as Deep Brain Stimulation, this procedure helps to alleviate the fluctuations in symptoms.

There are non-pharmacological treatments too for Parkinson’s disease. The physiological symptoms are tackled by the concerned doctors. Specific therapists involved in the treatment are a physical therapist, speech or language therapist and an occupational therapist. Mobility aids or Orthotics may be used by the physical therapist to regulate movements and improve posture, as well as stretch and strengthen the weakened muscles. Specific voice training programs that have specifically designed for the patients of Parkinson’s disease are utilized by the speech or language therapist. It is the goal of the occupational therapist to ensure better motor coordination. So the prognosis ought to be quite good, isn’t it? 

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Bipolar Disorder is a Two-dimensional Mental Illness Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:20:19 +0000 admin The term, “Bi” itself indicates that Bipolar Disorder is a combination of two extremes of behavior—extreme joy and extreme sadness. It is hard for the family members to even acknowledge it as an illness, considering that the individual’s labile emotions keep swinging between a manic state (euphoria) and a depressive (gloomy) one. To make it even more complicated, a particular mood episode may exhibit alternate bouts of both. Hence, this disorder is also termed as Manic-Depressive illness.

With the destruction of nerve cells in the brain, its functioning becomes impaired. It is the seat of emotions that is largely affected; hence, bipolar disorder. This peculiar mental illness can destroy performances in educational institutions, cause work to suffer, affect normal relationships badly and result in umpteen suicides.

Now, what exactly is witnessed in an individual suffering from Bipolar disorder?

During a manic mood episode, the person is on an emotional high, so much so that there is an unrealistic perception of one’s own powers and capabilities. The word, “failure” does not exist in this patient’s dictionary. Sleep is limited due to enhanced energy and a deep sense of restlessness. Thoughts keep running into one another, and there is difficulty concentrating. The rapidity with which the person speaks indicates poor judgment and grandiose ideas. Overt behavior may be extremely irritable or extremely provocative.

The depressed mood episode is just the reverse. There is absolutely no motivation to do anything. The individual is unable to sleep, since he/she is depressed over his own sense of worthlessness. Daily tasks seem tedious and difficult. The ultimate state is where the individual is contemplating suicide. These symptoms may not disappear within a day; they may last for one or two weeks too.

Since school has been mentioned so often, it is easy to comprehend that Bipolar disorder attacks those in their late teens or in early adulthood. It is possible to exhibit symptoms even during childhood, or quite late in life. But the majority of cases are below 25 years of age.

The illness can be a lifelong one, but with good treatment, the victims can deal with their erratic moods in a much better way, and even get back to productive lifestyles. There are mood stabilizers that have to be taken regularly. It has to be stated here that the illness can recur, but the patient can be re-treated. Current clinical trials may yet come up with a miracle drug to cure Bipolar disorder completely.

It is important that all those involved in the individual’s treatment—psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse and family members—keep track of the medications and treatment. It helps to have a chart to record daily mood swings, sleep patterns and so on. The psychiatrist then finds it helpful to stick to the same drugs or to change the course of treatment, accordingly. And of course, psychotherapy forms a very essential part of the treatment too.

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Do I Have Dementia Because I Forget Things? Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:17:45 +0000 admin Not really, since advancing age and declining memory do go hand-in-hand. Dementia is definitely related to forgetfulness, but of a more severe kind; it is not concerned with small things like misplacing things, or failing to remember names and addresses. If the ability to absorb new information, carry out daily tasks and solve problems is still intact, then senility or Dementia is still far away.

Dementia starts with a loss of memory. Gradually, there is a loss of cognitive functions such as learning, perception and reasoning. It is a disorder, for it really cannot be termed a disease. Routine activities or the activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing and feeding become difficult to tackle. Household chores cannot be performed to satisfaction. Since the brain is affected, there is no control over emotions. In severe cases, even the personality may undergo unexpected changes.

Abnormal functioning of the brain could be due to prior medical complications such as head injuries, chronic diseases and infections, strokes, overdose and continuous use of strong drugs, and even nutritional deficiencies. Depending on the extent of damage, the disorder can be mild, intermediate or severe. The earliest stage is recognizable because of difficulty in verbal expression, inability to perform the simplest of tasks, misplacement of things, sudden forgetfulness, refusal to socialize, rapid mood swings and disorientation.

In the intermediate stage, there is an increase in the severity of the symptoms mentioned above, along with sleep disturbance and the inability to absorb or retain information. The individual’s behavioral patterns may become difficult to handle—anxiety, depression, agitation, aggression, delusions and hallucinations. Even sexual behavior cannot be termed appropriate. Naturally, the senile patient is prone to accidents because of confusion and disorientation.

As far as the advanced stage of the disorder goes, the individual becomes totally dependent on a caregiver, so much so that walking or moving about alone is also an impossible task. Along with a total loss of memory, both short-term and long-term, there are physiological complications—difficulty in swallowing, malnutrition, dehydration, increased risk of aspiration and choking, injuries due to accidents or falls, loss of control over bladder, seizures, infections and sores, and so on.

The majority of the victims of Dementia in the US alone, are beyond 85 years of age (30% to 50%); just around 1% of those aged between 60 and 64 are affected. To prevent the numbers going up in future, clinical trials and researchers are hunting for permanent cures.

Now, this is not to say that Dementia has no treatment, or that its effects cannot be reversed. Medications can reverse the process, if not completely, at least partially. It is also possible to cure this disorder via cognitive-behavioral therapy, involving the patient and his/her family members. Retraining and reversal of former behavioral patterns will help the individual, as much as the family, in coping better with the illness.

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Recognize Schizoaffective Disorder When You See It Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:16:05 +0000 admin It might become necessary to make an appointment with a psychologist or a psychiatrist if frequent mood changes are observed, vacillating between deep depression and extreme ecstasy. Even the doctor tends to get confused at times, as the individual exhibits a conglomeration of disorders—mania, schizophrenia, or a mixture of both. An accurate diagnosis of Schizoaffective disorder is arrived at, however, via an elaborate physical exam, laboratory tests to rule out physical illnesses, and a detailed past medical and family history. The psychologist also employs specifically-designed interviews and assessment tools.

Schizoaffective disorder is not a very common occurrence, and there is some controversy regarding the exact cause. Observation has revealed that parents with a previous history of the same disorder can pass it on to their children too; heredity/genetics is the contributing factor in this case. Immature individuals, who succumb to stress easily or cannot form relationships easily, are easy victims too. So, environmental factors can bring about Schizoaffective disorder. Sometimes, the imbalanced chemistry in the brain is the culprit. There are certain substances known as neurotransmitters in the brain; their function is to transfer messages from one nerve cell to another. If these chemicals are disturbed, wrong messages or incomplete messages are sent out.

The symptoms of Schizoaffective disorder are extremely varied. The signs of schizophrenia are all there—poor diction and poor communication, absence of facial expressions while speaking, complete immobility or dragging movements, presence of delusions/hallucinations and the refusal to accept reality, lack of motivation and general indulgence in odd blixum behavior. The maniac is just the reverse—rapidity in speech, disarranged or racing thoughts, presence of a superiority complex, exhibition of agitation and restlessness in relation to work, social activity and even sexual activity, easily distracted and general indulgence in behavior that can prove dangerous to self or to others. In an advanced stage, the individual can contemplate suicide due to extreme depression and a general feeling of worthlessness. Sleeping patterns are very disturbed. Thus, all areas of life are affected.

This mental disorder does not affect the aged in general; it affects people between the ages of 16 and 30. Women get it more frequently than men. Children rarely fall prey to it.

Medications are required for stabilizing the mood swings. The choice of drugs can be varied, ranging from anti-depressants to anti-psychotics. Schizoaffective disorder cannot be treated only with medications, however. It is necessary to get the individual and family together for group counseling. Individual psychotherapy is also practiced. It is advisable to give training in special skills so that the patient can concentrate more on work and forget about illness. Hospitalization is advised for the severely affected.

This is a life-long disorder and chances of relapses are there, despite proper treatment. But social functioning is improved, and the person learns to deal with his/her illness. Hopefully, clinical trials and research may yet provide a complete cure in the future.

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Migraines are not just headaches! Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:16:50 +0000 admin Most people have experienced some form of a headache at least a few times in their lives. It is pretty common and there are many reasons for people getting them. We all know what this pain is and in most cases a simple pill can usually help make it go away. It is;  however, unlikely that all individuals can state that they have experienced a true migraine headache.  These are much more intense, sometimes completely debilitating, and are nothing like than normal headaches. In most case it can create other complications for the persons that experience them on a regular basis.

One of the main differences is that this type of headache can last for several hours at a time and sometime are accompanied with an intense throbbing pain to the sides of the forehead.  For some people it may even last for several days.  The person that is suffering from a migraine will most likely have a very difficult time functioning normally in his or her daily life. In some cases it can be very difficult to complete even the simplest of tasks because it may be difficult to keep one’s eyes open when suffering from this sort of pain.




If you suffer from migraines, or know someone that does, it is highly recommended that you seek out a health care professional to help you move towards a finding some relief. 

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Supporting loved ones with schizophrenia Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:51:54 +0000 admin Individuals that have loved ones who are dealing with schizophrenia may benefit from understanding more about what it really is and hope to deal with it better. It also helps them become more involved in the sufferer’s life as there are many misconceptions about this mental illness.




•    Their reality is actually much different than yours.  He or she may be suffering from hallucinations or delusions so you will want to remember that if the person seems to be distant or preoccupied it is because they are engaging with an alternate reality that is not actually real.




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Understanding Diabetic Neuropathy Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:46:40 +0000 admin Individuals that have recently been diagnosed as a diabetic will want to take some time to learn about diabetic neuropathy.  This is a serious condition that can greatly affect someone that is dealing with diabetes.  Having a full understanding of what it is can help a person take steps to minimize the likelihood of dealing with it in the future.





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It is not uncommon for people to become even more depressed when they discover that they have clinical depression.  They feel like they are defective in some way and may even become angry because they do not know why they have to deal with such a terrible feeling all of the time. It can become a vicious cycle that in some extreme cases can lead to suicide, which is why this condition should not be taken lightly.




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