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Cluster Headaches: Symptoms and Treatment

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Cluster headaches are also called “suicide headaches” since it involves a terrible degree of pain. The pain is immeasurable, and is worse than migraines. With the term “cluster”, it refers to the occurrence that happens periodically. The pain lasts at least 15 minutes and could last up to 180 minutes.

The exact cause of this disease is still yet to get discovered. A lot of experts relate cluster headaches to migraine headaches, believing that both start in the trigeminal nerve. Some associate it with the hypothalamus. Both explanations still do not have a study to back their beliefs, understanding, or opinions about cluster headaches, however both can be accepted in explaining the trait of this type of headache, which is its recurrent nature.

The symptoms of cluster headaches include the following:-

Extreme Pain

Deep, indescribable pain around the eye and/or temple is experience. The patients were noticed to have redness in one eye and tearing, and droopy eyelid. The women who experience this disease complain about the pain being worse than giving birth to a child.

The pain usually occurs behind the eye or around the temple, and sometimes spread out to the upper area of neck, and, at times, even to the shoulders.

The pain lasts from 15 minutes to three hours, and may occur two to 20 times per week. (The recurrence and severity of pain have brought some patients in the past to commit suicide.)

Could be Accompanied by Preliminary Signs, or Not

Some of the cardinal signs include droopy eyelid, redness of one eye, tearing, stuffy or runny nose, blushing or facial redness, sweating, and swelling. Most patients suffer a few of these autonomic symptoms, very few suffer all of what has been identified as symptoms, very little number of people do not complain about any of these, and much lesser number of people report another symptom he or she have noticed after a few occurrence.

Restlessness, Light and Noise Aversion

Patients become easily irritated by bright lights, and cannot tolerate noises, since these twp seem to intensify the pain. Stiff-neck, tenderness, jaw and/or tooth pain as aftermath of an occurrence. Cluster headaches can be treated with medications and/or therapies.

Abortive treatments, as the name implies, are directed at stopping or at least reducing the severity of the pain:-

* Inhalation of high-flow, concentrated oxygen
* Injections
* Nasal Spray
* Other orally taken drugs that act as pain relievers

Preventive treatments are for reducing the attack frequency and intensity of the disease:-

* Blood pressure drugs
* Antidepressants
* Anticonvulsants
* Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs

There is also a third option left, which is surgery. Nerve blocks, radio-surgery, and have been used as the last resort to help patients. No study or report that says any of these procedures carry a high risk. However, with the number of people getting treatment with the help of alternative therapies, surgeries are still considered as the last option.

April Kerr owns website http://dhe45.com/ which has details of treating migraines.

In Need of A Good Detox-Body Wrap Detox

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A wrap, huh? Oh, yes a wrap! This is one method of detoxing your body. A body detox wrap is none other then… wrapping your body to rid chemicals and toxins. Okay, with that said and without further delay, let’s have a closer look.

Oh, for about $50 or so you can buy a body wrap detox kit. For the most part a body wrap detox removes the toxins from the fat that is found in your body and more so around your heart. This is known to be the most harmful to your body and is the most toxic. Not to mention, it can be linked to heart disease as well.

Did you know that the smell that you smell when you sweat is more than just dirt and ’sweat’? Actually, sweat isn’t always smelly. It could be linked to toxins that are found in your body. Well this body wrap detox kit can eliminate that smell, thus removing the toxins from your body, through your skin.

There are other reasons why people use these body wrap detox kits and some of the reasons include:

*foot odor
*muscle pain
*skin cancer
*then you want to look for some skin conditions as well. They may include rashes, psoriasis, eczema, fungus, or even dry and cracking skin.
*rejuvenation
*better skin tone
*anti aging

There are many reasons why you want to do a body wrap detox. Ask yourself what your goal is in doing this. Could it be to lessen your muscle aches and pains? How about to lose all of that unwanted weight? Maybe you want to remove the cellulite and replenish your skin. With knowing the reason why you are doing the detox, it will enable you to know what type of ingredients that you will need for the body wrap detox.

You want to make sure that you have a pre wrap formula before you wrap to help open the pores and to get the most out of your body wrap detox experience. It is important to keep your body warm or this will not be of any effect at all.

What is contained in these body detox wraps is the capability to eliminate toxins through the skin with healing mud and seaweed clay. Make sure that you keep your body warm while wrapped. Make sure that you stay wrapped for at least 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Once you have kept this on for the correct amount of time, you will want to make sure that you use the correct post body wrap detox treatment. These are meant to close your pores in your skin and hydrate dry skin. Toxins will come through and you can also lose weight in this process as well.

You may want to check with your doctor or skin specialist before you start this detox. If you have skin ailments, such as psoriasis, fibromyalgia, or eczema it is especially wise to check into it first.

John Khu is a health enthusiast and author of a new eBook titled “Body Detox Tips”. He is devoted to educate others on the benefit of body detoxification. He is also the owner of the website called http://www.bodydetoxtips.com which provides complete and up-to-date information.

Understanding Your Doctor

Instead of assuming your doctor is giving you the brush off,try reading between the lines

1. He says: “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”

You hear:”You’re wasting my time with trivia.”

What’s behind it? Doctors see illness at its earliest stages when a firm diagnosis is not always possible.

Aspirin is unlikely to cause harm and will ease minor symptoms until the problem is more obvious.

2. He says:”This won’t hurt a bit.”

You hear:”This is going to hurt like hell.”

What’s behind it? Doctor are aware of patient’s fears and their reputation depends as much on their reputation depends as much on their ability to soothe as to diagnose.Muscles tensed in expectation of pain resist probing fingers and needles,causing pain and discomfort anyway.

3. He says:”It’s a virus.”

You hear,”I’ve no idea what’s wrong with you.”

What’s behind it? Viruses pack out waiting rooms can cause a wide variety of symptoms. As the vast majority are harmless and self-imitating,saying this is a way of buying time.Either the problem will solve itself,or evolve into something recognizable.

4. He says:” I’m sending you to specialist.”

You hear.”I’ve had enough of you.”

What’s behind it? Doctors know a bit about everything.Specialist, on the other hand know everything about a bit.Combine these two types of expertise  and you have a safe,efficient system.Sometimes,the need for a specialist opinion is obvious, or your doctor may be worried about missing a serious cause of a symptom such as tiredness.

5. He says:” Is there anything else ?”

You hear:”Is that all you’ve come about?”

What’s behind it?  A good technique for finding out what the patient really came about. This often applies to men,who are notorious for spending 90% of the time discussing cold,only to admit to impotence just as they’re leaving.

Keith Hopcroft in The TIMES

How to Prevent Heart Disease

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Women Seem to underplay their symptoms and tend to self-medicated before seeking help

Only 35 percents of women with heart disease have the typical symptom of angina

Tips on how to prevent it

• Don’t Smoke – this is the single most important things you can do for your heart.
• Have your blood pressure checked periodically
• Watch your cholesterol levels
• If you have diabetes,it should be treated and controlled
• Eat a healthy ,low-fat diet and pay attention to your weight
• keep your Body Mass Index Number-An indicator of total body fat,based on a ratio between weight and heigh at less than 25
• Maintain a waist measurement of 35 inches or less.
• Report chest,arm,throat,shoulder,blade or jaw discomfort that comes on with with exercise and goes away with rest
• If you are 40s,50s or 60s and experience shortness of breath,report it to your doctor
• If a close relative ~ a sibling or a parent-had early heart disease(in or before the the 50s,60s for,respectively,a man or a woman),your chance of heart problems is doubled, so you must work hard to reduce other risk factors
• Exercise-take a brisk,30 minutes walk every day

Fyber Sense Pill Vanish Bad Body Odor

A pill to make you want to get hot and sweaty

You may soon be able to throw away your deodorants and expensive perfume bottles. A team of Brazilian researchers has come up with a pill that replaces unpleasant body odor with a much more appealing aroma.

The scientists from the Federal University of Ceara got the idea from certain foods,such as garlic,asparagus and curry which “perfumes” the skin,urine and sweat with their distinctive signatures.

The team recently released the Fyber Sense pill that,once swallowed,releases through sweat a lavender-like scent obtained from the Corianddrum sativum (better known as cilantro or coriander)

But there’s still a few years of research and development to be done before other heath authorities approve Fyber Sense for sale worldwide.

The Foul Body Odor That Almost Killed Me: Based on a True Story by Carry WilsonRead more about this book…

Healing with Honey

Dressing wounds with honey may help them heal more quickly

Honey works well on chronic wounds,says Dr Richard White,senior research fellow in tissue viability at Aberdeen Infirmary.”Bees create natural chemical to prevent honey from being spoiled by moulds and bacteria.”he says.

”These chemicals can kill bacteria and reduce inflammation,particularly in wounds that don’t heal easily.”But it won’t work with any old honey.”It has to be of a medical grade,and you’ll need to ask your doctor if honey is an appropriate dressing before trying it.”

5 Tips to De-Stress for a Healthy Mind and Body

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Your office work load and house problem can cause stress if not handled with care. These a 5 tips to help you unwind and rejuvenate.

Have a good Moan.Step into a quiet rom (best if you are out of earshot of colleagues,police or the family dog) and inhales. As you breathe out,let out a long,low sigh. Moan! Do it three times. You will feel so much “lighter” for it.

Thank-you Notes.Take a piece pf paper and scribble down five things that come to mind when you ask yourself:”What am I grateful for in my life?” It might be your new set of wheels,or your faithful mutt,or the fact that you didn’t get parking ticket last night.This exercise hits the “positive switch” instantly.

Clear the clutter. Tidy your desk,organise your files (including computer back ups),clear out a cupboard, weed the garden. A sense of satisfaction is a form of stress relief.

iPod It. Crawl under your desk if you have to.Put in your earphones and play your all time favourite song-just pick an uplifting,energizing tune or a serene,inspiring piece.Stuck for ideas? Recently, 50 contemporary song writers invited to vote for their top three favorite songs. Winners included “God only knows by The Beach Boys,Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles and “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday.

Breathe in Nature.Several essentials oils have powerful calming effects.Keep a bottle of lavender,sandalwood or chamomile oil handy and sniff as needed.Or dab a few drops of the oils on a hanky and carry it with you

7 Tips on How To Use Contact Lenses

“Recent research revealed 75% of contact lens wearer across Asia do not follow proper lens care”

An alarming proportion of wearers do not practice simple contact lens care.”It takes less than a minute a day to rub and rinse yet many patients don’t think it is important,”said Dr Chung Kah Meng,President of the Association of Malaysian Optometrists.Proper cleaning techniques lead to a dramatic reduction of microbes growing on the lenses,vastly lowering the risk of infection. Here are some key tips :

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Laughter is the best medicine

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Humor is a contagiouscondition that’s good for you to catch

Laughter reduces stress,improves memory and helps keep our hearts healthy.The ability to laugh is hard-wired into our systems,and new research shows that it’s not only good for us,it’s contagious.There’s a reason sitcoms are funnier when we’re in a group: when we see someone laugh,our brain seem to activate”mirror neurons” that send us into the same fit of laughter.

A little fun can lead to a more positive approach in everyday sitiations,says psychologist Kelly McGonigal.She teaches guided laughter,a group technique in the physical work of laughter to reap the benefits: joy and social interaction.”All the efforts we put into reducing stress we ought to put into laughing,” McGonigal says. A good giggle helps you.

Scorch kilojoules.Laughing for 10 to 1 minutes increase your heart rate by 10-20%, which means you can burn an extra 40-165kj a day. Over a year ,that can add up to around two kilograms in weight loss.

Ease pain.In a US study,experts discovered that children tolerated pain better than usual when watching a funny TV programme.

Stay healthy.HUmor increases the production and efectiveness of natural killer cells that stomp out germs.These cells are elevated for a least 12 hours after just an hour of watching,say,Will Ferrell run around in his underwear.

Sexercise More Vigourously

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Do you find it’s hard to exercise in your bedroom, riding  exercise bike for example or even sit up ? No worries, you still can turn the room into a fitness haven-but forget the bike and head straight to bed;Having vigorous sex can burn off about 130 calories per half hour.You can burn off two kilograms a year with 135 lovemaking sessions-that works out to 2.6 times a week.

And there are other health benefits to habitual sex: British researchers who examined 914 middle-age men over 20 years found that frequent sex might help the heart. Moreover,results from a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that frequent ejaculation my be related to a lower risk of prostate cancer.

So for the sake of your waist and waist and heart-not to mention a few other part -consider horizontal workout. After all, it’s a lot more fun than heading to the gym. Stuart Foxman