Patient Resources
Straightforward answers to the questions that come up most often before a neurology visit. These pages are educational and do not replace an evaluation.
Memory loss should be evaluated when it is getting worse over time, when family members notice it, or when it interferes with everyday tasks such as medications, finances, appointments, or driving. Earlier evaluation makes it easier to identify treatable causes.
Read answer →A dementia evaluation combines a detailed history, a neurological examination, cognitive testing, laboratory studies, and brain imaging when appropriate. The goal is to determine whether cognition has measurably changed, identify the most likely cause, and find anything that can be treated.
Read answer →Yes. A neurologist diagnoses Alzheimer's disease by combining the history, a neurological examination, cognitive testing, laboratory studies, and brain imaging, with biomarker testing added when it is clinically appropriate.
Read answer →See a neurologist when back pain is accompanied by pain traveling into a leg, numbness, tingling, or weakness, or when pain persists despite treatment. Those features suggest that a nerve or nerve root may be involved.
Read answer →Yes. When median nerve compression at the wrist is more advanced, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause weakness — most often affecting thumb strength and grip — along with numbness and loss of muscle bulk at the base of the thumb.
Read answer →EMG and nerve conduction studies measure how well nerves conduct signals and how muscles respond. Together they help determine whether a nerve is compressed or injured, where the problem is located, how severe it is, and whether it appears recent or long-standing.
Read answer →Migraine should be evaluated by a neurologist when headaches are frequent, when they are not adequately controlled, when the pattern changes, when acute medications are needed often, or when new neurological symptoms accompany the headaches.
Read answer →After a first seizure, evaluation typically includes a detailed history from you and any witnesses, a neurological examination, laboratory studies, an EEG, and brain imaging. The goal is to determine whether it was a seizure, what may have provoked it, and what the risk of recurrence is.
Read answer →Yes. Workplace injuries can affect nerves and nerve roots, producing numbness, tingling, burning pain, or weakness. Persistent symptoms after an injury deserve a neurological evaluation to characterize what is involved.
Read answer →
Brain Health & Healthy Aging
Amarish Dave, DO explains why depression involves more than low serotonin and how brain systems related to motivation, sleep, attention, and memory may be affected.
Watch Video
Memory & Dementia
Amarish Dave, DO explains why dementia cannot be prevented with certainty and how addressing modifiable risks may support long-term brain health.
Watch Video
Memory & Dementia
Amarish Dave, DO explains how Leqembi and Kisunla target amyloid, who may qualify, and why biomarker confirmation, MRI monitoring, and individualized risk review matter.
Watch VideoNutrition, exercise and sleep are part of neurological treatment, not separate wellness topics. These guides explain what the evidence supports.
The modifiable factors most consistently linked to cognitive aging, and what they can and cannot promise.
Read guide →Practical, non-restrictive eating guidance that fits into neurological treatment plans.
Read guide →What kind of activity, how much, and how it is adapted for specific neurological conditions.
Read guide →Sleep problems affect memory, headache and seizure control — and many are treatable.
Read guide →If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or seek emergency medical attention.
Choose the scheduling line for the state where you will be located for your appointment.
Available at three office locations:
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Woodstock, Illinois
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Telehealth neurology appointments are available to patients located anywhere in Illinois or Wisconsin. You do not need to live near an office, but you must be physically located in Illinois or Wisconsin at the time of the appointment.
Learn about telehealth neurology →Illinois appointments: 815-337-7100. Wisconsin appointments: 262-245-0535.
Our office will confirm whether an in-person or telehealth visit is appropriate and provide the details.
Insurance participation and referral requirements vary by plan. Our office will confirm what your plan requires before your visit.
If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or seek emergency medical attention.