Tremors, as many of us know, refers to uncontrollable trembling of the muscles in your hands, feet and, in severe cases, your entire body. While everyone’s muscles shake from time to time, the more intense and visible tremors often indicate that you suffer from a more serious condition or disease. After a little research, we put together this brief guide about tremors: what causes tremors, how to diagnose the condition, and useful remedies and treatments.
What Causes Tremors?
There is no single set of risk factors or causes for humans developing severe muscular tremors. The reasons behind each case often lie within the disease or condition causing the abnormal shaking. Also, some tremors are hereditary, and result from conditions passed down in your family. Others occur with no apparent cause or explanation. So, the cause for each individual case of tremors all depends on the category into which your tremors fall. Your doctor can explain more about tremors to you, and how the condition with which he or she diagnoses factors into them.
Bad habits can cause tremors, too. For instance, smokers (or chewing tobacco users) may develop tremors due to high nicotine intake (nicotine is a stimulant, after all). For some, it may be as simple as taking advantage of non-nicotine vape juice and using e-cigarettes to wean off smoking. High caffeine intake may also exacerbate tremors. If habit change doesn’t help, though, you may need to address an underlying disease or condition.
How are Tremors Diagnosed? What Are the Symptoms?
Symptoms of tremors often vary from patient to patient as much as the causes, because they also depend on the source. They also vary based on their classification, either resting or action, and on the subcategories within their respective classes. Although some types of tremors have similar symptoms and patterns, it’s almost impossible to list every single symptom in one resource. Some of the more common symptoms include:
- Unstable speech
- Twitching eyes/eyelids (like the stress-induced eye twitch some people develop over time)
- Rattling teeth
- Sporadic head bobbing or swaying
- Trembling feet and hands
- Difficulty writing legibly or holding pens or pencils
- Trouble keeping food on a fork or spoon at mealtimes
Doctors like knowing that you’ve taken steps to document and learn about your symptoms before you schedule your appointment. However, as with so many other illnesses and conditions, tremors should only be diagnosed by a professional. There are too many types of tremors to self-diagnose, or to seek diagnosis from nurses or ER physicians. It’s also important to seek treatment as soon as possible if you think you suffer from the condition. Although it’s not dangerous in most cases, tremors often get worse with time. Your doctor can ask you a series of questions and conduct an exam designed to help him or her figure out if you do suffer from tremors, or if there’s another problem to address. He or she can also get you on an effective treatment plan; the sooner they catch the issue, the better treatment works. So, feel free to do your research on tremors, but leave the definitive diagnosis to your physician!
Treatments and Remedies for Tremors
The treatments your doctor suggests depend a great deal on the cause and type of your tremors. Although some patient’s cases appear similar to one another, remedies and treatments aren’t often interchangeable. Sometimes, age is a factor in remedies for this condition, which means that any meds they take may be bad for you, or vice versa. That’s why it’s important to get your doctor’s opinion and advice, even if you have an immediate relative who also suffers from tremors.
Common treatments for some types of tremors include certain “prescription” tools or utensils, to help when you try to eat or write, some type of physical therapy, braces or bandage wraps, and both OTC medications and herbal supplements. For people who prefer treatment plans that don’t involve prescription drugs, natural remedies are often a great replacement method. Tremor Miracle is one such supplement; it is a natural remedy for essential tremors. However, if you aren’t object to pills, some seizure medications ease tremor symptoms.
The important thing to remember with tremors is to not stress yourself by worrying about the condition. As we mentioned, it’s not a dangerous issue and, in some cases, may be temporary. If it’s permanent, however, with the proper care and treatment, it may lessen within a matter of weeks.
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