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Seasonal Allergies: How to Control it

It’s that time of the year where the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, the weather is cool and calm, and the seasonal allergies are in the air. Spring is an exciting time for everyone! You can finally dress warmer and go outside and enjoy the beauty of Spring. The downfall is, you begin to sneeze, your eyes get irritated and your nose is runny every day. Spring is great and all, until you become one of the people affected by the allergies that come with it!

As beautiful as Spring may be, it is difficult for some to transition into a new season. Some suffer terrible allergies which ultimately makes it difficult to enjoy the season at all. Depending where you live, the pollen in the air, the weather conditions and more can really affect your allergies. Your allergies can even turn into a cold. When you know allergy season is strong for you, it’s important to take precaution and prevent or treat your allergies correctly since they can affect your brain health.

Allergies can affect your brain health

Brain health can be affected by nearly anything. While some may take allergies lightly, it can cause “brain fog” which is a hazy and tired feeling that makes it difficult for people to concentrate. Allergies essentially affect your nose and sinuses which makes it difficult to think, function and perform properly. If you take the right steps to control your seasonal allergies, you will likely not have to experience brain fog. Should you experience more symptoms in your brain health this Spring, contact your Las Vegas Neurologist for more information.

Tips to control and treat your allergies

Staying indoors can help you when the amount of pollen in the air is high. Some don’t think pollen can influence you getting allergies, but it sure does. If you live in a place high in plants and blooming flowers everywhere, it might be best to spend a few days at home. Windy days can be common during Spring, it is particularly important to stay indoors if the pollen levels are high and the days is windier than usual. You will find your nose and eyes will get irritated the most, should you be outdoors during an extremely windy day. If you wear contacts, it is also best to keep your eyes protected and prevent irritation especially since your eyes can get dry with contacts in.

Take medicine even if you think that your allergy is minor. If you know that you easily get allergies, take medicine before you experience any symptoms. It is way better to prevent yourself from getting allergies than preventing it from getting worse. At that point, it is harder to treat it and it will be more difficult to get rid of. Take medicine and train your body to fight off the allergies as much as possible.

Dress warm even if you think Spring means warmer weather. Winter is over, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to wear less. If you keep yourself warm during windy and overcast days, you are still making sure your health is being taken care of. Don’t assume that winter is completely over. There are still going to be days where it will be cold, and you should watch out for it!

Visit your Las Vegas Neurologist when your allergies worsen and affect your overall mental and physical health. Some don’t think that it’s worth it to see a doctor with allergies. But there are some medications that can help alleviate the symptoms you are experiencing. Don’t let allergies stop you from enjoying a brand new and fun season to be outside.

If you are cooped up inside in the Spring, are you really enjoying the season if you’re indoors? Allergies can be a nuisance but doesn’t have to be something you spend your entire season battling. Get your allergies under control and spend the rest of the season enjoying it outside!

Stress- How it can affect the Brain

Stress is one of the major health issues many Americans experience. Stress can largely affect a person’s brain in more ways than you would think. In short, stress is not entirely bad, but if it is not managed or controlled, one can have negative and harmful effects on the body and brain. Everyone feels stressed at times, but sometimes there are moments in our lives that take a huge toll and overwhelm us. This causes a lot of tension in our bodies.

Stress takes on many forms:

  • Pressure in demanding work
  • Arguments with a family member or loved one
  • Rocky home environments
  • Lack of time
  • Money issues
  • Stress is good in a way that helps you perform under intense circumstances and motivates you to learn to manage your time and work better altogether. It can improve your skills in the long run. If a high level of stress and feeling overwhelmed is ongoing every minute of each day, your body is not balanced and you could begin to have stronger signs of having chronic stress. Ultimately, it can have harmful effects altogether.

    Anyone struggling with coping and managing stress, or experiencing high levels of chronic stress, visit your Las Vegas neurologist for more information, diagnosis or treatments for what you are feeling.

    What happens to the brain when it’s stressed?


    Stress can cause the release of adrenaline which increases the amount of sugar in your blood. This leads to an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. The brain’s hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary gland telling it to release a stress hormone called cortisol. When your cortisol levels are too high and have been prolonged, it can affect the immune system overall resulting in decreasing the amount of brain cells.

    Overall changes to the body from prolonged stress:

  • Blood pressure rises
  • Can cause stroke
  • Memory impairment
  • Immune activity decrease
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Digestive system slows down
  • Things that can influence your stress levels:

    Your group of friends and family: Shaving a strong support system is important when feelings of stress rise. When you have people that can easily lift your spirits and lighten your mood after feeling overwhelmed, it is easier to wind down and balance your levels. A person that is alone and isolated can easily trigger the brain to feel emotional and physical stress.

    Your motto in life: The way you see your challenges can influence your manner in taking control over it. Being optimistic and positive can help you get through tougher obstacles. If you are vulnerable and sensitive, it is likely stress will control you. Living a life embracing challenges and making light of situations will make it easier for you when stressful situations arise.

    Learn how to deal with your own emotions: Sometimes all it takes to feel less stressed is for you to take a deep breath, recollect and calm yourself back down. You can increase your stress tolerance by being able to identify with your emotions and being able to control that part of yourself. Many people struggle with their emotions and can at times, let their emotions bring more stress.

    Getting enough rest: Sleep is important to keep the brain functioning properly and healthy. Chronic stress can affect your sleep, so it is important to normalize your sleeping patterns.

    Eating healthy: For your brain to stay healthy, it needs nutrients to keep it balanced, nourished and overall in control of your emotions and stresses. If your brain does not get the nutrients it needs, it is likely that your mood and ability to deal with stress mentally can be affected.

    Visit your Las Vegas neurologist to address concerns you may have regarding any negative affects on your brain that could be triggered from your stress.

    Multiple Sclerosis Awareness

    March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month! More than 400,000 Americans of almost all ages are affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Everyday, people with this condition are not letting it affect their lives. By sharing their stories, many can better understand a life with it. Our Las Vegas neurologist is working to push awareness throughout this month.

    What is MS?

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown but our Las Vegas neurologist best practice is to diagnose it as soon as possible and treat it.

    Symptoms:

    • Pain areas: in the back or eyes
    • Pain circumstances: can occur in the back due to head nod or with eye movement
    • Tremor: can occur during precise movements, in the hands, or limbs
    • Muscular: cramping, difficulty walking, inability to rapidly change motions, involuntary movements, muscle paralysis, muscle rigidity, muscle weakness, problems with coordination, stiff muscles, clumsiness, muscle spasms, or overactive reflexes
    • Whole body: fatigue, dizziness, heat intolerance, poor balance, vertigo, or weakness
    • Sensory: pins and needles, abnormality of taste, reduced sensation of touch, or uncomfortable tingling and burning
    • Urinary: excessive urination at night, leaking of urine, persistent urge to urinate, or urinary retention
    • Visual: blurred vision, double vision, or vision loss
    • Sexual: erectile dysfunction or sexual dysfunction
    • Mood: anxiety or mood swings
    • Speech: slurred speech or impaired voice
    • Also common: constipation, depression, difficulty swallowing, difficulty thinking and understanding, flare, headache, heavy legs, numbness of face, rapid involuntary eye movement, sleep deprivation, tongue numbness, or difficulty raising the foot

     

    Diagnosis and Treatment:

    There is no specific test for MS, usually after certain symptoms reveal, our Las Vegas neurologist will likely tests such as:

    • Blood Tests- to help rule out other disease with symptoms similar to MS.
    • Lumbar puncture- small sample of fluid is removed from your spinal cord for laboratory analysis which can show abnormalities in antibodies that are associated with MS.
    • MRI- this can reveal areas of MS on your brain and spinal cord. You may receive an intravenous injection of a contrast material to highlight lesions that indicate your disease is in an active phase.
    • Evoked potential tests- in other words record the electrical signals produced by your nervous system in response to stimuli. This may use visual stimuli or electrical stimuli, in which you watch a moving visual pattern, or short electrical impulses are applied to nerves in your legs or arms. Electrodes measure how quickly the information travels down your nerve pathways.

     

    There is a great number of people in the US who are not as aware of Multiple Sclerosis and many other diseases altogether. Spreading awareness in big or small ways makes a big difference in the community. How are you spreading awareness?

    Tips in Spreading Awareness for MS:

    • Follow your Las Vegas neurologist to find out more information on various conditions!
    • Wear orange to represent the disease and share with others what the color symbolizes!
    • Join a MS support group, our Las Vegas neurologist actively does this.
    • Volunteer in many MS events throughout the month for support, fundraisers, and helping others with this condition.

    Sleep Apnea: A very common sleep disorder

    Sleep Apnea is a very common sleep disorder which affects more than 22 million people in the United States. Unfortunately, 80% of moderate to severe sleep apnea cases go undiagnosed and untreated. Las Vegas neurologist Dr. Christopher Milford knows how important it is for people to learn sleep apnea symptoms. Included are sleep apnea signs you shouldn’t ignore. If you are experiencing these symptoms of sleep apnea, please see a neurologist in Las Vegas!

    Please note that signs of sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children. However, there are risk factors of sleep apnea that may put you at a higher risk. These include:

    • being a male
    • being overweight
    • being over the age of 40
    • having a large neck size (above 17 inches in men, and above 16 inches in women)
    • having large tonsils
    • having a large tongue
    • having a small jaw bone,
    • having a family history of sleep apnea
    • Gastroesophageal Reflux or GERD
    • Nasal Obstruction due to deviated septum, allergies, or sinus problems

    Sleep Apnea is a very serious and life-threatening sleep disorder. Sleep Apnea is when the tissue at the back of the throat between the mouth and lungs can briefly collapse and become so restricted that breathing stops, momentarily or for longer periods.

    There are two primary types of Sleep Apnea:

    • Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – This is the most common diagnosed Sleep Apnea Disorder. This is where the throat muscles relax during sleep to such an extent that the passage of air to and from the lungs becomes blocked. When this happens the autonomic nervous system messages the brain which then wakes up briefly to reopen the airways and then usually tries to return to sleep.
    • Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) – This is a less common condition and it is the opposite from OSA. This is when the brain forgets to tell the airways to remain open during sleep. This type of Sleep Apnea can occur in 1 in 5 cases. In most cases, CSA is triggered by other medical conditions such as strokes, Parkinson’s Disease, or brain infections. It can also be brought on as a side effects from opioids or narcotic medicines.

    Some people can also suffer from Mixed Sleep Apnea (MSA). This is a combination of both Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea in varying levels of severity and complexity.

    Common symptoms of Sleep Apnea include:

    • Irritability
    • Memory Loss
    • Loud or frequent snoring
    • Choking or gasping sounds
    • Unrefreshing sleep
    • Morning headaches
    • Silent pauses in breathing
    • Insomnia
    • Daytime fatigue
    • Decreased sexual desire
    • Difficulty Concentrating

    Sleep Apnea is more common in children than is generally recognized. It is estimated that 1 to 4 percent of children suffer from Sleep Apnea, many of them being between the age of 2 and 8. Bed- wetting, sleep-walking, retarded growth, other hormonal and metabolic problems, even failure to thrive can be related to sleep apnea.

    If left untreated, Sleep Apnea can result in a growing number of health problems including:

    • Stroke
    • Heart failure
    • Irregular Heart Beats
    • Heart Attacks
    • Diabetes
    • High Blood Pressure
    • Headaches
    • Depression
    • Worsening of ADHD

    If you suspect you may have sleep apnea the first thing to do is see your doctor. It is recommended that you bring with you a record of your sleep, fatigue levels throughout the day, and any other symptoms you might be having. Also, be sure to take with you an updated list of medications, including over the counter medications, with you any time you visit a doctor for the first time. Sleep Apnea is considered a Neurological Disorder therefore it is recommended to visit a Neurologist if you feel that you are suffering from symptoms related to Sleep Apnea. The range of sleep disorders neurologists treat is wide and includes insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy.

    American Heart Month – Heart Health Awareness

    February is American Heart Month, a time for our Las Vegas neurologist to remind people to focus on their hearts and raise awareness about cardiovascular disease. It is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. About 2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease every day, which averages to 1 death every 38 seconds. Globally, it remains the leading cause of death at more than 17.9 million deaths every year. With your help, our Las Vegas neurology clinic needs to change that!

    Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease

    A new study from Denmark has found that people who experience migraines may be more likely to develop heart problems. This is not the first study to suggest a link between migraines and the risk of stroke and heart attack. Although migraines are considered primarily a headache disorder, there are several reasons why migraines may be tied to cardiovascular problems. The sudden constriction of blood vessels in the brain that leads to migraines may make a person more vulnerable to stroke. If you suffer from migraines, it could be more serious than a headache. Contact our neurologist in Las Vegas during American Heart Month to see how we can help.

    Sleep disorders are common among stroke survivors. Those associated with stroke include sleep apnea, parasomnia, and restless leg syndrome. Conversely, people with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer strokes to die in their sleep. Sleep disorders should not be ignored. At our neurology clinic in Las Vegas, we can diagnose and treat your sleep disorders to improve your health even after American Heart Month.

    Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

    The good news? Heart disease is one of the most preventable causes of death. Our Las Vegas neurology practice encourages you to take charge of your health! Starting this American Heart Month, commit to a healthy lifestyle, and make these small changes for a lifetime of good heart health.

    • Make an appointment with your Las Vegas doctor to discuss your heart health. Even if you’re not sick, schedule regular check-ups. Set goals for improving your health, ask questions, and trust their advice.
    • Prepare heart-healthy meals from scratch at home at least 3 times each week. Watch your sodium! To make your favorite recipe lower sodium, replace the salt with fresh or dried herbs and spices.
    • If you are a smoker, quitting can reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Take steps to quit smoking. You can learn more at CDC’s Smoking and Tobacco Use website.
    • Get active! Add exercise to your daily routine little by little. Even walking will help to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Start slow and increase your frequency and intensity over time.
    • Take your prescriptions as directed. Do not discount blood pressure and cholesterol medicines. Ask your doctor in Las Vegas for help if you’re having trouble taking your medication.

    Visit the Heart Health Foundation to learn more ways you can help this American Heart Month!