Public Spark

MEDICATIONS:

Tension Headache over the counter medications

• Aspirin (Ecotrin®, Bayer®, Anacin®)

• Acetominophen (Tylenol®)

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), naproxen sodium (Aleve®), or ketoprofen.

Migraine

• Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), Triptans for severe migraine attacks. Sumatriptan (Imitrex® injection) was the first drug that was developed. Recent medications include rizatripan (Maxalt®), naratriptan (Amerge®, zolmitriptan (Zomig®), almotriptan (Axert®), frovatriptan (Frova®) and eletriptan (Relpax®).

• Ergots (Ergomar®)

• Anti-nausea medications including metoclopramide or prochlorperazine

• Butalbital combinations

Headaches can literally interrupt your day and make you feel miserable. I’ve experienced several different types of headaches, including sinus headaches, stress related headaches, and caffeine withdrawal headaches.

What are headaches? (Wikipedia, Medicine Net, Neurology Channel)

A headache (cephalagia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head. It can be chronic, recurrent, or occasional and the pain can be mild or severe enough to interrupt daily activities. Headaches often result from traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. The membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called the dura mater, is innervated with nociceptors (a sensory receptor that sends signals that cause perception of pain). Stimulation of these dural nociceptors is thought to be involved in producing headaches. In the United States, over 45 million people—including more than the 33 million sufferers of asthma, diabetes, and heart disease—experience chronic, recurring headaches. Of these, 28 million suffer migraine every year.

I enjoy listening to commencement speeches, as they are given by successful individuals who bring insight and wisdom. Bill Gates addressed Harvard graduates in last year’s commencement speech. This year, J.K. Rowling delivered the following inspirational speech at Harvard University on June 5, 2008.

For full speech published in the Harvard Magazine click here

J.K Rowling talks about two main themes:

I love drinking coffee. My parents are avid coffee drinkers, so I grew up with the aroma of coffee. It was not until high school when I took a sip of an ice blended mocha from Coffee Bean. SO good!

Recently I came across Mike Pederson’s blog and wanted to read more about whether coffee is good for you. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but here is a summary of the benefits of coffee:

People experiencing obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms and their family may spend years not knowing what is wrong. Even with a diagnosis, there is tension within relationships and it can be frustrating, often taking a toll on family and friends. Family dynamics are impacted and social networks can become small. Here are some ways that family and friends can do to help a loved one diagnosed with OCD.

• Learn about the disorder

  Researching the disorder is important so that you can find out about misconceptions like how people suffering from OCD lack willpower, are lazy or suffers from trauma. Learning can help foster an understanding of what the person is going through. Encourage your loved one who suffers from OCD to read literature or watch presentations.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, if left untreated can lead to serious consequences and harm. There are a couple of ways that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is treated.

• Psychotherapy

  A type of therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be the most effective. It is active, problem-focused, and goal-directed. CBT involves retraining your thought patterns and routines so that compulsive behaviors are no longer necessary. One approach in particular is called the exposure and response prevention (E/RP). It involves gradually exposing you to a feared object or obsession (exposure) such as dirt, and teaching you healthy ways to deal with it (response prevention). The cognitive portion of CBT is often added to E/RP to help challenge the irrational beliefs associated with OCD.

Many have suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder including famous, legendary minds. These are some of those people who have had OCD yet accomplished great things.

• Howard Hughes (Wikipedia Howard Hughes,IMDB Aviator,Disabled World)

  Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world with his net worth totaling 43.4 billion dollars. By the late 1950s Hughes had developed debilitating symptoms of social avoidance behavior and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which included compulsive hand washing. The Aviator (2004), directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes focuses primarily on Hughes’ achievements in aviation, in the movie industry, and on the increasing handicaps imposed on him by his obsessive-compulsive behavior.

I was washing my hands thinking about the act of washing my hand. I like to put the soap on my hand first and then wash it under the water. I have rituals like this, but they don’t consume my life. I wanted to research more about this topic of how a simple ritual is different from obsessive compulsive disorder.

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? (National Institute of Mental Health, Mayo Clinic)

Last Memorial Day weekend, we visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. When we arrived at the park, we were first led into an indoor theater to watch a video on the history of Pearl Harbor. Then the doors opened to the outdoor dock, where we rode a boat to the Memorial. We noticed the locations of where the other ships were once docked. Then we saw the 184 foot long white memorial structure, spanning what was once the mid-portion of the sunken battleship. I immediately recognized the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere. I was immersed into self-reflection, thinking of my ancestors and of all the lives that were lost in the Pearl Harbor attack. When you reach the shrine room, you see that the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall. The place overflows with serenity.

Hepatitis is a serious illness as evidenced from a variety of symptoms. The statistics also show the prevalence of hepatitis world wide.

Here are some ways to prevent Hepatitis B (World Health Organization, WebMD, Hepatitis Foundation International, Journal of the American Medical Association)

Vaccination:

The Hepatitis B vaccine is endorsed by medical, scientific and public health communities for its outstanding record of safety and effectiveness. It provides protection against Hepatitis B for at least 15 years. Since 1982, over one billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been used. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that newborns and individuals up to 18 years of age and adult participating at risk of infection should be vaccinated. The vaccine is given as a series of three intramuscular doses over a 6-12 month period.