ACOUSTIC NEUROMA

An acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, is a non-cancerous inner ear tumor.

Acoustic neuroma, also called a vestibular schwannoma, is a non-cancerous tumor that occurs around your balance and hearing nerves that connect your inner ear with your brain. The term schwannoma means the tumor developed from Schwann cells. These cells surround nerves in the peripheral nervous system (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord) and normally insulate and support the function of nerves. Schwannomas can occur in nerves across the body, but in the head, these most commonly occur from the vestibular nerve, or balance nerve.

CLINICAL FEATURES:

• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
• Loss of balance.
• Sensation that you or your environment is moving (vertigo).
• hearing loss in one ear (unilateral).
• As the tumor grows, you may have other symptoms, including:
• Blurry or double vision.
• Facial numbness, weakness, spasms, pain, or paralysis.
• Taste changes.
• Headaches.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Swallowing difficulty

DIAGNOSIS:

• Audiogram
• Electronystagmography - Tests balance and records eye movement to check how your eye and ear nerves are functioning.
• Auditory brainstem - measures how hearing nerves response to sound and check brainstem function.
• MRI and CT scans to locate the tumor and measure its size.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT:

CALCAREA CARB - Calcarea carb is one of the best remedies for Brain tumor with headache and vertigo on turning the head. The person feels confusion as if the head were too full. He also experiences stitching pain in the skull. Complaints worse from cold and wet weather. There is icy coldness in and on the head, especially right side. Much perspiration on the head, which wets the pillow. Children with big head and large hard abdomen. Calcarea carb is suitable for fat, flabby persons, susceptible to cold. They have a special craving for eggs and indigestible things like dirt, chalk, coal, pencil etc.

CALCREA FLOURICA - Calcrea carb is another effective remedy for Brain tumor when the tumor is hard and stony. It should be tried when Calcarea carb fails. There is a cracking noise in head, disturbing sleep. Other symptoms are- great depression, sparks before the eyes, brain fag and vomiting.

CALCAREA PHOSPHORICA - Calcarea phos is best for Brain tumor with severe headache. There is a sensation as if brain was pressed against the skull. A feeling of ice in occiput. Head hot with pain at the root of hair.

CONIUM MACULATUM - Conium maculatum is another excellent remedy for Brain tumor with nausea and vomiting. The person feels a sensation as if a foreign body was under the skull. A scorched feeling on top of head.Sensation of a lump in right half of brain. One side of head is numb and cold.  There is vertigo on turning the eyes, when lying down or turning over in bed. Gait difficult, which is staggering. There is sudden loss of strength while walking.

CUPRUM METALLICUM - Cuprum met is best for brain tumor with seizures and headache. There is a sensation as if water were poured over the head with headache. An empty feeling in head with headache. Headache after epilepsy. There is purple red swelling of head with convulsions. Bruised pain in brain and eyes on turning them.

HELLEBORUS NIGER - Helleborus is excellent for Brain tumor with confusion. Headache ends in vomiting. The person rolls the head constantly with moaning. He bores his head into pillow for relief. The person feels that electric shock passes through the brain.

KALI IODIDE - Kali iodide is best for Brain tumor with a syphilitic history. There is bilateral violent headache, as if screwed through the sides of the head, worse warmth and pressure. Hard painful lumps on cranium with headache. Pain is tense over eyes and root of nose. Brain feels enlarged. Pain in scalp as if ulcerated. Hair changes colour and falls off.

LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM - Lycopodium is prescribed for Brain tumor where cerebral edema occurs. Pain in temples as if screwed together. There is pleural effusion also occurs. The person likes warm food and drinks. Lycopodium person have a special craving for sweets. They also suffer from urinary complaints.

RUTA GRAVEOLENS - Ruta is best for Brain tumor with severe headache as if a nail is driven into it. The periosteum becomes sore.

THUJA OCCIDENTALIS - Pain as if pierced by a nail. Neuralgia from tea (Selen). Left-sided headache.

TUBERCULINUM - Deep brain headaches and intense neuralgias. Everything seems strange. Intense pain, as of an iron band around head. Meningitis. When critical discharges appear, sweat, polyuria, diarrhea, exanthema, repeating the dose only when crises come on. Nocturnal hallucinations, awakes frightened. Plica polonica (Vinca). Crops of small boils, intensely painful, successively appear in the nose; green, fetid pus.