Q: I am a 35 years old housewife suffering from a calcified brain lesion on the right side of my brain. Due to this, I have extreme pain on the left side of my body from head to toe. My doctor has prescribed some drugs and told me that this lesion will take a long time to resolve. Is there any remedy in Ayurveda or alternative medicine? I am just married and want to conceive, but am concerned about it as the drugs I am taking may affect the baby. Will this lesion pass onto my baby?

A:Calcified lesions in the brain at this age are generally healed infectious lesions (damaged areas), the most common infections found in India being tuberculosis and neurocysticercosis. The other possibilities are rare, including tuberous sclerosis, some tumours, and deposition of calcium in some parts of the brain due to metabolic problems in the body. If the calcification is due to an infectious agent, it will not be passed on to the next generation. If due to other causes, it may penetrate the next generation. The medicines used for the kind of pain that you have are mostly antiepileptics and they carry a certain risk to the foetus. Hence, unless very necessary, these should be avoided. However, individuals with calcifications in the brain tend to have seizures or "fits", in which case, antiepileptics may be required to be continued even during pregnancy. Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine are considered safest among the available antiepileptic medicines, though these also have a certain risk to the fetal health. My suggestion would be that you get a Contrast- MRI of the brain done, and see a qualified neurologist in your city (or forward the reports to us), so further decisions can be made.