The major functions of the head, face, and neck are controlled by twelve nerves (called cranial nerves), including the Trigeminal Nerve, which has three (tri) branches, and includes the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and sensation.
Definition:
An inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth cranial nerve to emerge from the brain, is known as trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and it can result in episodes of excruciating, electric shock-like pain in the lower jaw, upper jaw, nose, lips, forehead, eyes, and scalp.
The most excruciatingly painful disease known to mankind is trigeminal neuralgia, which in some patients may also trigger suicidal thoughts or depression due to its severe pain.
TYPES OF :
1) Typical trigeminal neuralgia:On either side of the face, typical trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by recurrent episodes of electric shock-like pain that may be brought on by various activities, including talking, chewing, and brushing teeth.
2) Atypical trigeminal neuralgia:Patients with atypical trigeminal neuralgia report having a persistent, dull, aching, or burning pain in one area of the face that gradually worsens over time.
CAUSES OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA :
Trigeminal neuralgia may occur due to abnormal compression of the nerve by a blood vessel in the brain, trauma to the nerve caused by an injury or during dental treatment, multiple sclerosis, and tumors around the nerve are some other causes. The exact cause of trigeminal neuralgia is not yet fully understood, but it has been observed that in many cases the loss of covering (myelin sheath) over the nerve gives rise to the severe pain.
SYMPTOMS FOR TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA :
- Trigeminal neuralgia causes pain that is either localized to the right or left side of the face and is sudden, sharp, stabbing, electric shock-like pain that lasts for seconds or possibly for a few minutes. Bilateral facial affection is uncommon.
- The pain may begin in any parts supplied by the trigeminal nerve, and the location of pain varies with each patient. The pain typically begins along the angle of the jawline and then radiates to the upper jaw, lower jaw, cheeks, head, lips, side of the tongue, or to the chin.
- Speaking, touching, talking back, brushing your teeth, gargling, eating, and being in the cold air all make the pain worse.
In some patients, the pain is constant dull aching, burning affecting either the right or left side of the face. The patient may experience brief bursts of sharp, intense pain every few hours or seconds, followed by complete relief of the pain and the absence of any symptoms.
DIAGNOSIS OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA :
No specific tests or investigations are required to make a clinical diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia; however, every patient with trigeminal neuralgia is generally advised to have an MRI to rule out a hidden tumor.
Conventional treatment:
Anti-convulsive drugs like carbamazepine, phenytoin, and gabapentin, as well as baclofen, are used as part of the standard of care because they are most effective in treating patients while also being habit-forming and need to be taken for months to years at a time, which comes with a number of side effects.
- Micro-vascular decompression (MVD):To relieve abnormal nerve compression, a surgical procedure is used.
- Radio Frequency Thermo-coagulation (RFTC):It is a thermal pain treatment that blocks pain signals for a long time after electrical current has passed by using radio-frequency needles to produce local heat.
- Glycerol injection:Many patients benefit from the glycerol injection, which is administered at a specific location to block pain signals and provide relief for about six months.
- Gamma knife radio-surgery:About 70% to 80% of patients experience significant pain relief after the procedure, which involves beams of radiation being directed at the nerve to prevent it from transmitting pain signals.
HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA
No single system of medicine is sufficient to manage this extremely painful disease, and trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic and challenging condition to treat. In order to manage the case better, one always needs a supplemental treatment in addition to conventional medications.
The frequency, duration, and severity of trigeminal neuralgia attacks can be reduced with the use of homeopathic medicines, which are completely safe, do not interact with conventional medications, and are a successful alternative form of treatment.
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICNE FOR TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA
Spigelia:Spigelia has several distinct symptoms, including the following: Sharp, stabbing pains that make the patient shudder; pains that come and go suddenly; and violent, tearing, burning, jerking pains in people who are extremely sensitive to touch. Spigelia has a markedly negative impact on the nervous system, particularly the Trigeminal nerve, and a positive impact on the heart, eyes, and head.
Syphillinum :Syphillinum is often used in the homeopathic treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and is a powerful remedy to combat hereditary syphilitic tendencies in patients. Syphillinum is a deep acting, polycrest remedy affecting multiple systems of the body, including the mind, sensorium, skin, gastrointestinal tract, genito-urinary system, nerves, bones, etc. Syphillinum is characterized by severe, violent, sharp pains.
Staphysagria :One of the treatments for trigeminal neuralgia that is most frequently used is this one.
Cinchona officinalis (China ):China is frequently used to treat neuralgic pains because it has a high rate of periodicity, which means that symptoms always worsen at night and are worsened by touch, air drafts, and jerky movements.
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