In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: See your healthcare provider as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment. Your healthcare provider can conduct one or more tests to determine if your symptoms are caused by neuropathy or another medical condition. If neuropathy is the cause, there are treatments available. Your healthcare provider can help you manage and minimize your symptoms. Your healthcare provider will need a complete medical profile, including your family history of neurological diseases. They will also need to understand your lifestyle habits and potential exposure to toxins. They may also ask if you have a history of alcohol abuse. This will help them identify the possible cause of your symptoms. If it is neuropathy, your healthcare provider can use your background information to narrow the possible causes and decide which tests to run. While it sounds scary, a neurological examination is simple, non-invasive, and easily performed in your healthcare provider's office. Your healthcare provider will check to make sure that your muscles are well developed and properly feeling sensations. Then they will check your reflexes, either by tapping your knee to see if your leg reacts or by pricking you with a small needle (which won't hurt but may be uncomfortable). Finally, they will check your posture and coordination to make sure that you walk with balance. A blood test will likely be the first test your healthcare provider orders if they suspect neuropathy. You may have a vitamin deficiency, diabetes, or abnormal immune function that could damage your nerves. These conditions could be identified through a blood test, allowing your healthcare provider to make a better diagnosis. Imaging tests, such as a CT scan or MRI, allow your healthcare provider to get a clearer picture of what's happening inside your body. While you will need to be still, these tests will not be painful. The healthcare provider will be able to see if you have a herniated disk, tumor, or other abnormality that is affecting your nervous system, resulting in the neuropathy. Nerve function tests can be done in either the healthcare provider's office or a hospital, but are usually a quick outpatient procedure. There are different types of function tests, depending on which type of neuropathy your healthcare provider suspects. Often, they will be done in the same session to make it easier for you. While these tests aren't painful, you may experience discomfort at times as your healthcare provider may use a fine needle to determine if you have nerve damage. Before your tests, bathe or shower, avoiding lotions and moisturizers. Additionally, don't smoke or ingest caffeine for 2 to 3 hours before the tests. An electromyography test checks to see how fast your nerves respond to brain signals. A slow response could mean you have damaged nerves. Your healthcare provider may order an autonomic test, which just means that they will check how well you're breathing, how your blood pressure reacts to body position changes, if you're sweating properly, and if you're having digestive or bathroom issues. Additionally, they may do an ultrasound. Sensory tests can show how well you feel touch and vibrations, as well as cold and heat. Your healthcare provider will place a patch on your body that will send vibrations and temperature changes into your body to measure the nerve response. It's a simple, non-invasive test that isn't painful. At most, you may feel uncomfortable at times. While a nerve biopsy sounds scary, it's a very simple procedure and is rarely used to determine if you have neuropathy. Your healthcare provider will do it in an outpatient setting and under local anesthesia. The healthcare provider will remove a tiny piece of nerve to examine, most often from your ankle. They will close the small incision with dissolvable stitches and a small amount of plaster. You can usually go home the same day. The biopsy will allow the healthcare provider to make a better diagnosis, especially about how serious your condition is. They will also be able to prescribe a better course of treatment to help manage and minimize your symptoms.
Summary: Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to get a diagnosis. Prepare a medical and lifestyle history to help identify possible causes. Undergo a neurological examination to check for nerve issues. Have a blood test to look for conditions that cause neuropathy. Get an imaging test if the blood test does not reveal a cause. Undergo tests to see how well your nerves receive and react to signals. Undergo a nerve biopsy to determine the type and severity of the condition.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Explain that intonation usually falls at the end of a complete thought. The speaker lowers their pitch to indicate that they've finished making a declarative statement. Hum intonation for example sentences with a kazoo to make it easier for students to recognize changes in pitch. A declarative sentence claims or asserts something. An imperative sentence gives a command, and intonation usually falls at the ends of these sentences, too. The other types of sentences are interrogative, which ask a question, and exclamatory, which declare something with excitement or emotion. Intonation usually rises at the ends of these sentences. Demonstrate how intonation waves, or falls and rises just slightly, to anticipate the statements that follow a clause or come next in a list. Provide examples such as independent clauses set off by commas, lists separated by serial commas, and phone numbers. For example, recite, "He bought apples, oranges, and bananas." Exaggerate how you inflect "apples" and "oranges" to anticipate the next word in the list, but lower your pitch on "bananas" to indicate you've completed your thought. A more complex example would be, "When you go to the store, which is on your way home from work, please buy apples, oranges, and bananas." Intonation subtly waves at "store" and "work" to anticipate the sentence's next clauses, and rises and falls when the fruits are listed. Note that some statements are straightforward, such as "How was your day?" or "Will you hold this for me?" However, a speaker might end a seemingly declarative statement with a rising tone to ask for clarification or make an exclamation. For example, "I should go to the store" looks like a declarative sentence. However, a speaker might raise their pitch at "store," as if to say, "Do you want me to go to the store?" Additionally, rising intonation can indicate shock, surprise, or confusion. Exclamations such as "I am so proud of you!" or "Get out of the way!" typically begin at a higher pitch than a speaker's normal speech. Intonation often rises suddenly at the end of the exclamation. Mention that speakers might end a question with a lower pitch to express dissatisfaction or sarcasm. Since these examples can be subtle, exaggerate your falling tone or use the kazoo to clearly mark the lower pitch. An example could be, "Why did you do that," as if to say, "I'm frustrated that you did that." For "What did they do now," intonation might be lower and syllable length longer for "now," which implies exasperation. Demonstrate how important intonation is by performing 2 versions of a sample dialogue with a student. Have them ask you questions, and respond with varied, enthusiastic intonation. Perform the dialogue again, and respond to their questions with flat, uninterested, or sarcastic intonation. Suppose the first question is, "Are you going to the game?" Explain how saying "I am" with a rising intonation expresses excitement, while replying with a falling intonation can indicate disappointment or disinterest. Use your facial expressions and body language to clarify how different pitches communicate emotions.
Summary:
Demonstrate falling intonation at the end of a declarative sentence. Explain how intonation waves after a mid-sentence clause. Show students how intonation rises at the end of a question. Provide examples of subtle intonation cues that express meaning. Recite the same dialogue with enthusiastic and flat pitches.