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There is headache, and there is migraine. The word migraine is derived from the Greek hemicrania, which, loosely translated, means half a head. It alludes to the fact that a migraine typically affects only one side of the face, usually around the eye. The pain is often described as throbbing or pulsating and may accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Sometimes a migraine is preceded by an aura, visual distortions such as blurred vision and zigzagging lights. It foretells incapacitating pain that can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. Here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to manage your migraine effectively and to minimize pain.

1. Try Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a form of conditioning in which you learn how to automatically warm your hands and relax the muscles around your neck and head. This helps to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. Biofeedback machines, which monitor various vital signs, are available for home use. However, it is recommended to consult a professional for training in the proper use of these devices.

2. Stick To A Schedule

Get up at the same time every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays. When you sleep in, you are messing with your body’s internal clock. Your body revs up certain metabolic processes later than it should, and that can set the stage for a migraine, just in time to ruin your weekend.

3. Touch Your Temples

If you have throbbing pain in your temples, applying pressure can help relieve it. It is recommended to either wrap a bandanna around your head and tying it tight or massaging the area with your fingertips. Just be extremely careful. Your temples are probably very tender.

4. Lie Low

Migraine pain is very easily aggravated by physical activity, even something as mild as walking or bending over. When migraines strike, most people want to crawl into a dark corner and be left alone. The truth is, that may not be a bad idea.

5. Mind Your Magnesium Level

People are more prone to migraine attacks when they are marginally deficient in magnesium. It is recommended taking 200 milligrams of the mineral every day for two months to see if it has any impact on the number of migraines you experience. Bear in mind that people who have heart or kidney problems should not take supplemental magnesium.

6. Prepare For Travel

A migraine is sometimes associated with a change in altitude. Therefore, if you are planning to fly somewhere or do anything at high elevations, such as skiing, it is recommended taking Diamox a couple of days beforehand. It will reduce the severity of a headache. Diamox is a little different chemically from other diuretics.

7. Stay Calm

Uncontrolled stress and anxiety can also invite a migraine attack. Make sure that you allow some time every day to do whatever relaxes you, even if it is only for ½ hour in the evening. Do not just go to work and go to bed.

About the Author: Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of “Neck Exercises and Workouts.” Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Those men and women who choose to serve their country in the military unfortunately run a higher risk of incurring a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than those civilians who might be exposed to less risk. One reason for this is that military personnel are under a high risk for being involved in car accidents, which are the most common cause of all TBIs. In addition, military personnel are consistently at risk of being injured by powerful munitions, which can also cause a brain injury through concussive force. Though military service does exposed personnel to the risk of a penetrative brain injury, such as caused by a bullet or shrapnel, an even greater risk exists for a TBI caused by a concussive blast wave as a result of an explosive. The high occurrence of explosions due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in combat theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan means American troops in the field are at a high risk of incurring a TBI.

Afghanistan, Iraq Conflicts a Major Risk Factor for Traumatic Brain Injury

We now know those who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq are at a much higher risk of TBI than combat veterans from previous wars. In the Vietnam War, 14 to 18 percent of all veterans had a brain injury. Today, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center says 31 percent of those admitted between January 2003 and May 2005 had some kind of brain injury. A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine attributed these higher numbers in part to advancements in munitions, especially improvised explosive devices, and in part to improvements in body armor, which protects soldiers from what would previously have been a fatal penetrative wound, but not from a nonfatal blast injury.

Misdiagnosed/Undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury in Soldiers

Because the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury often do not appear until weeks after the injury is sustained, it is not uncommon for a TBI to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This is especially true when the symptoms of a TBI are subtle, such as a personality change or emotional problems, which are easy for strangers to miss. There does exist some evidence that such symptoms may occasionally be misdiagnosed as pure psychological, or even a result of a soldier’s malingering, partly due to the lack of resources and traumatic brain injury expertise that combat doctors might be forced to deal with.

And as Commander James Dunne, lead trauma surgeon at the National Naval Medical Center, observed at a 2006 summit of military physicians, the long-term consequences of an undiagnosed TBI can be devastating. Those servicemen and women with an undiagnosed brain injury can lose all-too-important treatment time, which can prolong recovery time and possibly cause serious personal complications and setbacks. Because side effects of a traumatic brain injury include behavioral and emotional problems, especially depression, TBIs can hold discharged soldiers back from reintegrating into civilian society or even from continued success in the armed services.

A 1996 medical study showed that a behavior-related discharge from the military was 1.8 times more likely for a TBI patient than for a soldier without a TBI. Trouble with motor skills, memory and the senses, some of the more common side effects of a TBI, can also severely hamper a veteran’s ability to find a job, care for family members, or perform other vital life tasks. And without a diagnosis, military TBI patients may be liable for tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills, on top of lost wages.

Proper helmets and body armor, particularly the newest Kevlar armor, remain the best way to prevent a traumatic brain injury among those who serve in the military. It is also important to have rapid diagnosis and quickly implemented treatment of a TBI to prevent secondary injuries due to the chemical and physical changes to the brain that can accompany a TBI, swelling for example. It can also minimize the cost, both personal and financial, of the injury to the soldier and his or her loved ones. If you believe that you or one of your loved ones might have an undiagnosed service-related TBI, an experienced brain injury attorney can help you get the help and compensation you deserve.

About the author: Visit www.legalview.com for a legal database, including our free attorney referral service for a construction accident lawsuit, brain injury lawyer, or any legal need.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Brain tumors occur when cells in the brain begin to divide out of control and start to displace or invade nearby tissues. Occasionally, brain tumors can spread throughout the body. One of the special characteristics of brain tumors is that benign (non-cancerous) tumors in the brain can be just as bad as malignant (cancerous) brain tumors. Any of the various normal cell types of the brain can mutate and become a primary tumor, and the particular cell type which makes up the tumor controls how the tumor is likely to behave. It is locked into place by the skull and can’t move out of the way if a tumor is growing near it. Even a benign tumor can cause pressure on the brain, and this pressure can be both symptomatic and life-threatening. Metastases are tumors which have spread from a cancer that started in a different body part; they do not start in the brain, but instead take up residence there after traveling from a separate cancer (like a lung cancer or breast cancer).

The common Causes of Brain Tumours

The causes of primary brain tumours are unknown, making prevention difficult.

Metastatic tumours occur when cancer from another part of the body - such as a lung or breast cancer - spreads to the brain.

This depends on whether the tumour is a primary brain tumour, meaning it originates in the brain, or a metastatic brain tumour, which means it starts elsewhere in the body.

By definition, metastatic tumours are malignant.

Some Symptoms of Brain Tumours

Swallowing difficulty

Tongue problems

Hiccups

Facial paralysis

Obesity

Uncontrollable movement

Impaired sense of smell

Absent menstruation

Hand tremor

Dysfunctional movement

Confusion

Breathing, absent temporarily

Treatment of Brain Tumours

The use of high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy for childhood brain tumors usually comes from a machine and is called external radiation therapy

Steroids may be given to reduce any swelling in the brain. Drugs to control seizures may also be prescribed.

The use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs may be taken orally or injected into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body and can kill cancer cells throughout the body

Surgery is necessary for most primary brain tumors. Some may be completely removed. Tumors that are deep or that infiltrate brain tissue may be debulked (reducing the tumor’s size and mass) rather than removed.

Researchers are also studying new ways to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to brain tumors. For instance, biodegradable wafers containing cancer-fighting drugs are being implanted in some tumors during surgery.

Author: Juliet Cohen writes health articles for health diseases and disorders. She also writes articles on women beauty tips.
Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com