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• Manage stress
  Stress can be a huge factor in causing headaches. Ways to manage stress include regular exercise, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation.

  Previous blogs:

  • reduce stress at work

  • increase energy naturally

  • steps to be stress free

• Preventative Medications for tension headaches

  • Tricyclic antidepressants, including amitriptyline and nortriptyline (Pamelor)

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) include antidepressants such as partoxetine (Paxil), venlafaxine (Effexor) and fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)

  • NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and ketoprofen (Orudis)

  • Other medications include anticonfulsants such as divalproex (Depakote) and muscle relaxants such as tizanidine (Zanaflex)

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Once signs and symptoms of bad ergonomics have been identified, changes need to be made. These are some of the things that have worked for me:

Computer Monitor:

• Place squarely in front of you (middle at the g/h keys)

• Should be straight up and down not tilted. This cuts glare and neck strain.

• Top of screen should be at eye level.

Chair:

• Seat pan should be square to the floor.

• Back support: make sure your chair supports your lower back.

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Whether it be a natural disaster or an accident, unfortunately it is fair game for anyone to be hurt at anytime. The good news is we can be prepared. From my days as an emergency medical technician and through research, here is a sample of a first aid kit:

Things you should have in one place (I recommend a cheap duffel bag or a storage type container):

1. sterile gloves (ex. latex or nitrile)

2. sterile dressings to help stop bleeding (ex. gauzes)

3. cleansing agent (ex. antibiotic towlettes, Bactine, saline solution)

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While interning at Kaiser Permanente’s Pediatrics floor, I encountered many patients that came in for near-drownings in pools, falling out of the windows, and choking on small pieces or poisonous substances. Many of these could have been prevented from up-to-date child proofing of the house. In talking to the parents, most had child-proofed their home, but there were loopholes that they had missed.

Here are a list of resources that I found related to child proofing the house:

http://www.parentwonder.com/content/view/291/1/
http://www.babycenter.com/baby/babysafety/index
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/grand/12steps/12steps.html

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