Paralysis

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Indian epidemiology then other

Causes

Common causes are i.e.

• Trauma
• Tumor
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy (condition caused by brain injury immediately after birth)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative diseases.[1]

Classification

• Partial – Only some muscle groups do not work.
• Complete – the whole body is immobile.
• Temporary – The condition is either medically induced or affected by neurotoxins by biting of venomous snakes or the sting of jellyfish.
• Permanent – Paralysis as an irreversible condition is usually caused especially by the damage of the nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord.
• Flaccid – In this condition, the muscles become flaccid also shrink.
• Spastic – In this condition, the muscles show erratic movements like jerking. These conditions are not totally inter-related; but, they can be used for understanding the severity of the condition.

Depending on the affected regions in the body, the condition can be categorized as follows i.e.:

• Monoplegia – Affecting only one limb;
• Hemiplegia – Affecting only one side of the body;
• Diplegia – Affecting the same area of both sides of the body like only both arms or both legs;
• Paraplegia – Affecting both legs,
• Quadriplegia – Sometimes also called tetraplegia, it affects both arms and legs, and, in some cases, the whole torso is affected, while the inner organs are unaffected.

Secondary Condition

• Paralysis may lead to other medical conditions; if there is no proper assistance provided, and then a bed-ridden patient may develop bedsores which can even lead to severe infection in the body.
• Besides, due to complete loss of tactile sensation (sensation of the touch), the patient may not realize any skin or muscle-related problem like infection, itching, burning, etc. until it is too late.
• Some patients who are completely immobile for years also show signs like fragility and fracturing of the bones.
• Therefore, the secondary conditions are more life-threatening to the affected persons than paralysis itself. [2]

Risk factors are things that make you more likely to develop a disease in the first place.

Pathogenesis refers to the development of a disease. It’s the story of how a disease gets started and progresses.

This is the entire journey of a disease, encompassing the cause but going beyond it.

Pathophysiology, on the other hand, focuses on the functional changes that occur in the body due to the disease. It explains how the disease disrupts normal physiological processes and how this disruption leads to the signs and symptoms we see.

Imagine a car accident. Pathogenesis would be like understanding how the accident happened – what caused it, the sequence of events (e.g., one car ran a red light, then hit another car). Pathophysiology would be like understanding the damage caused by the accident – the bent fenders, deployed airbags, and any injuries to the passengers.

In simpler terms, pathogenesis is about the "why" of a disease, while pathophysiology is about the "how" of the disease’s effects.

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Sign & Symptoms

• The main symptom is the inability to move part of body, or not being able to move at all.
• It can start suddenly or gradually.
• Sometimes it comes and goes.
• It can affect any part of the body, including:
• Face
• Hands
• One arm or leg (monoplegia)
• One side of the body (hemiplegia)
• Both legs (paraplegia)
• Both arms and legs (tetraplegia or quadriplegia)

The affected part of your body may also be:

• Stiff (spastic paralysis), with occasional muscle spasms
• Floppy (flaccid paralysis)
• Numb, painful or tingly. [3]

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Complications are what happen after you have a disease. They are the negative consequences of the disease process.

Investigation

• X-ray
• CT Scan
• Myelography
• MRI
• Spinal tap
• Electromyography (EMG) [2]

Treatment

Physical Therapy

• Physical therapy focuses on improving mobility through targeted exercise.
• If paralysis is mild and patient is not able to move the affected regions on his own, he should continue to actively practice movement.
• If his paralysis is complete and he does not have any control over his movements, then have a therapist or trained caregiver move his body. This is called passive movement.
• Although he is not actively performing the movement, the movement itself will continue to stimulate the central nervous system.
• Consistent and repetitive stimulation of the brain and spinal cord help reinforce demand for those functions and promotes neuroplasticity.
• The more you practice, the greater your chances of recovery.

Occupational Therapy

• Occupational therapy helps you develop the skills necessary to perform self-care tasks, return to school or work, and minimize the risk of secondary complications.
• It involves practicing activities of daily living such as grooming or eating to provide practical, real-world training.
• An occupational therapist can also recommend effective ways to compensate for limited movement and develop your functional independence.
• For example, they may teach you how to use adaptive tools to help you perform everyday activities you may otherwise not be able to on your own.

Speech Therapy

• Speech therapy helps individuals with facial paralysis strengthen their oral motor muscles.
• Paralysis of these muscles can significantly impair an individual’s ability to speak, breathe, chew, and swallow.
• By practicing speech therapy exercises and activities, individuals can improve their feeding and communication skills.
• Individuals with more severe facial paralysis may be taught how to utilize augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices such as voice generators to communicate with others.

Mobility Aids

• Due to paralysis, individuals may struggle to walk, stand, and sit upright.
• To compensate for limited mobility, therapists may recommend mobility aids such as wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes.
• They’ll help you move around, stay balanced, and minimize the risk of falling.

Orthotic Devices

• If left unmanaged, spastic muscles can progressively tighten and further restrict your range of motion.
• Orthotic devices such as braces and splints help provide structural support and resist against abnormal muscle tone.
• By holding your affected limbs in place, they passively stretch muscles with high tone (spasticity) and help reduce your risk of injury.

Medications

• Often, secondary complications of paralysis such as pain, high muscle tone, and depression can interfere with one’s motivation to pursue rehabilitation.
• Medications may be prescribed to help treat secondary complications.
• If you believe secondary effects of paralysis are impacting your mental health, speak to your doctor about medications that may help.
• Individuals who experience high muscle tone may have very limited range of motion due to severely contracted muscles.
• To allow you to participate more actively in physical therapy, nerve blockers like Botox injections or muscle relaxants like baclofen may be recommended to temporarily relieve high muscle tone.

Psychotherapy

• Individuals who develop mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety and those who are struggling to adapt to life with paralysis may benefit from psychotherapy.
• This treatment involves identifying what is causing your negative thoughts and behaviors and practicing more effective ways to cope.
• Because each individual experiences paralysis differently, paralysis treatment will vary from person to person.
• What works for one person may not be as effective for another.
• Therefore, taking a personalized approach to paralysis treatment is ideal.[3]

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Homeopathic Treatment of Paralysis

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis.

which includes

• The medical history of the patient,
• Physical and mental constitution,
• Family history,
• Presenting symptoms,
• Underlying pathology,
• Possible causative factors etc.

A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions.

What Homoeopathic doctors do?

A homeopathy doctor tries to treat more than just the presenting symptoms. The focus is usually on what caused the disease condition? Why ‘this patient’ is sick ‘this way’?.

The disease diagnosis is important but in homeopathy, the cause of disease not just probed to the level of bacteria and viruses. Other factors like mental, emotional and physical stress that could predispose a person to illness also looked for. No a days, even modern medicine also considers a large number of diseases as psychosomatic. The correct homeopathy remedy tries to correct this disease predisposition.

The focus is not on curing the disease but to cure the person who is sick, to restore the health. If a disease pathology not very advanced, homeopathy remedies do give a hope for cure but even in incurable cases, the quality of life can greatly improved with homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathic Medicines for Paralysis

The homeopathic remedies (medicines) given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the homeopathy treatment of this condition. The symptoms listed against each homeopathic remedy may not be directly related to this disease because in homeopathy general symptoms and constitutional indications also taken into account for selecting a remedy, potency and repetition of dose by Homeopathic doctor.

So, here we describe homeopathic medicine only for reference and education purpose. Do not take medicines without consulting registered homeopathic doctor (BHMS or M.D. Homeopath).

Medicines:

Rhus Tox:

• Generally, Paralysis of the lower extremities and proved it to exceedingly useful.
• It specifically corresponds to all forms of paralysis which are of a rheumatic origin or brought on by exposure to dampness or by getting wet.
• Paralysis is caused by nervous fever also  typhus accompanied by a dragging gait and much stiffness in the limbs from damp cold.
• Lastly, Paralysis of muscles of the eyes and face.[4]

Gelsemium:

• Complete motor paralysis which rather functional than organic in origin.
• Paralysis from emotions Paralysis of either ocular or laryngeal muscles, the speech is thick from paretic condition of the tongue.
• Weakness in the lower body, heaviness, completes relaxation also lack of muscular coordination.
• It is one of the best remedies specifically for post-diphtheric and infantile paralysis.

Causticum:

• Especially adapted to paralysis of single parts of the body and facial paralysis from exposure to dry cold weather including.
• paralysis of the right side of the face, tongue, pharynx etc.
• Useful for vocal paralysis associated with weakness of vocal cords, and paralysis of muscles of deglutition of the tongue, eyelids, face, bladder and extremities.[4]

Lathyrus Sativus:

• It is adapted to spastic paralysis, infantile paralysis and paralysis which affects the lower extremities associated with heaviness,
• Much weakness and slow process recovery of nerve power.
• Rheumatic paralysis is also there.
• Tendency for excessive rigidity of the legs; also the patient is unable to extend or cross legs while sitting.
• The patient can easily sir or bend forwards, but straightens up with much difficulty.[4]

Dulcamara

• Worse from cold damp weather, or by sudden changes from hot to cold weather;
• Paralysis of tongue with impaired speech; paresis and Hyperaemia of spinal cord from lying on damp cold weather;
• Palsy of bladder from the same cause; urine offensive loaded with mucus.[4]

Conium:

• Paralysis caused due to suppressed sexual desire in widows, widowers and bachelors; gradually progressing, ascending paralysis, ending in death by failure of respiration;
• Painless paralytic conditions; paralytic weakness of hips and legs resulting in difficult gait,
• Trembling and loss of strength while walking;
• Weakness of muscles of face, upper lids etc.
• Paralytic conditions are attended with numbness;
• Vertigo when turning the eyes, when lying down or when looking at moving object.[4]

Opium:

• One side of the body paralyzed due to cerebral apoplexy;
• Great spoor, painless and patient complaints of nothing and wants nothing.
• Lying in deep sleep with stertorous breathing, jaw dropped, and face red, eyes half closed, skin covered with hot sweat; pupils usually contracted but may be dilated.
• Insensibility and partial or complete paralysis from fright or bad effects of fear still remaining.
• Mental and physical sluggishness.
• Paralysis of the bowels and rectum causing constipation with black, hard, round balls or involuntary stools due to paralysis of sphincter ani.
• Paralysis of bladder causing retention of urine with full bladder.[4]

Arnica:

• Paralysis due to concussion, cerebrovascular accident especially cerebral thrombosis.
• in case of hemiplegia due to cerebral thrombosis in case of hypertension arnica is the first medicine to be used.
• It helps by controlling haemorrhages and aids absorption.
• other symptoms are sore bruised feeling; everything on which patient lies seems hard. Involuntary faeces and urine due to paralysis of sphincters after injury.
• Mainly left sided paralysis, pulse full and strong, singing and muttering.[4]

Plumbum met:

• Paralysis of single muscles; it generally begins in the extensors.
• Wrist drop is prominent.
• Patient is unable to lift anything with the hand.[4]

Diet & Regimen

• Avoid acidic food also cold food items
• Furthermore, Physical exercise help to increase the range of motion in joints, enhance blood circulation and promote better transmission of impulses between muscles and the brain or spinal cord.
• Lastly, Yoga and meditation.[3]

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References use for Article 

1. K. Sembuligam Textbook of Medical Physiology
2. www.vedantu.com/biology/paralysis
3. www.nhs.uk/conditions/paralysis
4. Homoeopathic Therapeutics by Lilienthal

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Paralysis?

Paralysis is defined as the complete loss of strength and functions of muscle group or a limb.

Homeopathic Medicines used by Homeopathic Doctors in treatment of Paralysis?

• Rhus Tox
• Gelsemium
• Causticum
• Lathyrus Sativus
• Dulcamara
• Conium
• Opium
• Arnica

What is the main cause of Paralysis?

• Trauma
• Tumor
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative diseases

What are the types of Paralysis?

• Partial 
• Complete 
• Temporary 
• Permanent 
• Flaccid 
• Spastic
• Monoplegia 
• Hemiplegia 
• Diplegia 
• Paraplegia 
• Quadriplegia

Give the symptoms of Paralysis?

• Inability to move part of body, or not being able to move at all.
• It can start either suddenly or gradually.
• Sometimes it comes and goes.
• It can affect any part of the body, including:
• Face
• Hands
• Either One arm or leg
• One side of the body
• Both legs
• Both arms and legs