Muscle twitches - eye and heart

Muscle twitches

by SMITTY - 2008-01-06 04:01:02

Hi Jean,

Thought you might find the following from the DiagnoseMe.Com web site interesting. I know I did. I am bugged by muscle twitching from time to time but since it always goes away in a few minutes to a few hours, I have never bothered to try and find out what was going on.

I might add that while I would doubt that your twitching is caused by your pacemaker, I also know for certain that anything is possible with a pacemaker so I'll never say never.

Good luck

Smitty

Many people have an occasional muscle twitch somewhere on their body. They can range from mildly annoying to a persistent aggravation and pain that can nearly drive one mad. Many times the twitching goes away on its own in a short time, but in other cases it can continue on for months or years.

Please note that it is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms: if you treat yourself for the wrong illness or a specific symptom of a complex disease, you may delay legitimate treatment of a serious underlying problem. In other words, the greatest danger in self-treatment may be self-diagnosis. If you do not know what you really have, you can not treat it!

Knowing how difficult it is to weed out misinformation and piece together countless facts in order to see the "big picture", we now provide simple online access to The Analyst™. Used by doctors and patients alike, The Analyst™ is a computerized diagnostic tool that sits on a vast accumulation of knowledge and research. By combining thousands of connections between signs, symptoms, risk factors, conditions and treatments, The Analyst™ will help to build an accurate picture of your current health status, the risks you are running and courses of action (including appropriate lab testing) that should be considered. Full information is available here.


Causes & Development
In some cases the twitching may be due to simple muscle fatigue, eye strain, stress, drug reactions, and even caffeine. In other cases, it could indicate a disease or situation requiring serious attention.

Twitching generally occurs as a result of an overwrought nervous system unloading impulses. It is most common during rest from stress and strain. Facial twitching in adults, accompanied by rather severe facial pain, is the result of a facial neuralgia.

Signs & Symptoms
Twitching occurs when a muscle contracts and releases suddenly and involuntarily. Slight twitches are obvious to the person experiencing them, but they are not usually noticeable to others. It is very common for muscles to twitch involuntarily from fatigue after strenuous exercise. Many people experience twitching and jerking of several muscle groups when falling asleep. Twitching eyelid muscles are common.

Parkinson's disease can involve twitching and grimacing, though many other symptoms predominate. Similarly, in Huntington's chorea, the focus is not only on the display of characteristic involuntary muscle movements, but on the psychological states of apathy, irritability and mania that are experienced with this illness.

Diagnosis & Tests
An excess of toxic heavy metals in the body such as mercury, aluminum, lead, cadmium and copper can lead to neurological irritation, and twitching. A hair mineral analysis can determine individual toxic heavy-metal levels.

Treatment & Prevention
Some people have found relief in treating their twitching with mineral supplements (such as potassium or calcium), hot packs, massage, or drinking a few glasses of tonic water for the quinine. Others have resorted to Botox injections which can be painful, expensive and offer only temporary relief, not to mention the possible bruising and drooping limp muscles from the Botulinum toxin. In some severe cases, surgery has been the chosen recourse sought.

Neuromuscular function and muscle control require the minerals magnesium, calcium and potassium. A deficiency could be causing tics, trembling or cramping. The B-vitamins reduce stress-triggered trembling by calming the nervous system. Vitamin B12 is often poorly absorbed through the intestinal tract and should be taken in a sublingual form. Calcium is also important for muscle growth and contraction and for the prevention of muscle cramps.

Herbs are excellent for treating nervous system problems of all kinds. Chamomile, hops, lady's slipper, passion flower, skullcap, wood betony, St. John's wort or valerian in tea or tincture form provide a sedative effect on the nervous system. For tea, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 tsp. of herbs or take 20 drops of herbal tincture in liquid daily.

Prognosis
When twitching is associated with other signs of a nervous system disorder, it can be more serious. In this case, a neurologist can best secure the diagnosis.