Pain in the Head » PSA http://www.artin.org/blog The continuing saga of my migraines... Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:17:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Fluorescent Bulbs Could Cause Migraines http://www.artin.org/blog/2008/01/02/fluorescent-bulbs-could-cause-migraines/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2008/01/02/fluorescent-bulbs-could-cause-migraines/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:37:09 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2008/01/02/fluorescent-bulbs-could-cause-migraines/ I just said this week I don’t post news articles.  Well, I was wrong.  Here is a quick article on the potential triggering of migraines with fluorescent light bulbs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=505571&in_page_id=1965&ito=1490

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2008/01/02/fluorescent-bulbs-could-cause-migraines/feed/ 0 Illegal Interview Questions http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/10/22/illegal-interview-questions/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/10/22/illegal-interview-questions/#comments Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:42:01 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/10/22/illegal-interview-questions/ InterviewI’ve been on the lookout for a list of questions that really can’t be asked in a job interview.  A lot of sites skirt around the issue because legal advice online can be a no-no without loads of disclaimers, etc.  In particular the question on your medical status is an obvious illegal question, but some employers try asking it any way.

I found a great blog entry that discusses those top 10 illegal questions in an interview.  My advice if an employer asks any of these questions?  Don’t work for them.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/10/22/illegal-interview-questions/feed/ 0 Back in 2001… http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/09/11/back-in-2001/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/09/11/back-in-2001/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:05:00 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/09/11/back-in-2001/ I am not one for online memorials, but I felt it important to at least say something today.  I watched a show last night on what happened six years ago and it still chills me to think about what people went through.  I can’t even begin to know how it was for people who were trapped and knew they weren’t getting out.  We’re still dealing with what happened in a medical sense too.  Many of those exposed to the toxins floating around in the air that day and after are set on their way to life-altering disease.  I think my migraines are bad some times but these people go through hell every day on the outside and in their minds.   A little bit of humility never hurt anyone, especially today.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/09/11/back-in-2001/feed/ 0 Speaking of Headaches… http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/08/17/speaking-of-headaches/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/08/17/speaking-of-headaches/#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:01:19 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/08/17/speaking-of-headaches/ We’re going on a cruise in January and subsequently now require a passport for travel. Tazz had an expired one and was able to renew it while I had to request a new one. It’s been two months and I already got mine; Tazz’s is still in process. After reading an article on CNN about passport processing times increasing, I wanted to mention that stapling a $20 bill to the application does work.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/08/17/speaking-of-headaches/feed/ -1 Bluetooth Headsets; not an appendange people… http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/07/18/bluetooth-headsets-not-an-appendange-people/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/07/18/bluetooth-headsets-not-an-appendange-people/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:29:06 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/07/18/bluetooth-headsets-not-an-appendange-people/ Bluetooth Headset

There is a guy that walks around where I work with his bluetooth headset on all day long. He goes into the bathroom with it, the elevator, and into meetings. Since when do you have to be poised to get a call 24×7? Take the headset off and put it into your pocket. When you get a call that lasts longer than a minute, put it on. Simple as that. The blue light on it gives me a headache too!! Seriously.

Then I found this post today on the 37 Signals blog. Holy crap you need to read the comments.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/07/18/bluetooth-headsets-not-an-appendange-people/feed/ 6 I hate SPAM! http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/12/i-hate-spam/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/12/i-hate-spam/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:41:53 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/12/i-hate-spam/ I just enabled a new anti-spam device on my site called Hashcash.  If you have problems posting comments to the blog, let me know via the contact form.  After getting over 20 comment spams today that slipped through the filter, I decided to take action.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/12/i-hate-spam/feed/ 0 Don’t Flush Those Meds http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/03/dont-flush-those-meds/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/03/dont-flush-those-meds/#comments Sun, 03 Jun 2007 14:00:51 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/03/dont-flush-those-meds/ Contrary to popular belief, you should not be flushing those unused medications down the toilet.

Medication DisposalI’ve read in local newspapers and on the news that our prior education on how to dispose of medications was flawed. Trace amounts of various chemicals from over the counter and prescription medications is being found in treated water from sewage treatment plants. The common misconception is that once it goes down the drain, all is good. That is far from the truth. Treatment plants have a list of heavy metals, biologicals, and chemicals that they must treat in order for the water to be safe to reintroduce to the ecosystem. However, this list doesn’t contain such complex chemicals as Prozac and Lipitor.

Fish and local animals are the most affected by this issue. The United States Geological Survey has a special section on their site dedicated to “emerging contaminants” in our environment.

I figured I’d pass this on to everyone since I’ve been in the dark about the issues involved with disposal of meds. I already keep batteries, cell phones, and computers from friends and family and make a pilgrimage to the local hazardous waste dump to dispose of the items for them.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2007/06/03/dont-flush-those-meds/feed/ 0 Rapid Release does not equal Rapid Relief http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/13/rapid-release-does-not-equal-rapid-relief/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/13/rapid-release-does-not-equal-rapid-relief/#comments Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:06:06 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/13/rapid-release-does-not-equal-rapid-relief/ Tylenol Rapid Release

So I’ve been fooled by Tylenol Rapid Release. The makers of Tylenol claim to have a breakthrough with the newest iteration of Tylenol by making it so much quicker to release the medication instead the gelcaps. What they fail to explain is, this does not mean your system will absorb the medication ANY FASTER. I think I was under the impression this was true. I did my own test.

I broke a regular Tylenol gelcap in half. By the way, the “gel” portion of gelcap just indicates the outside has a gelatin coating. The inside is solid. I took the two halves of the pill and timed how long until my headache went away. The very next time I had the same type of headache, I took a rapid release. My results were the same; within 6-8 minutes, the headache started to subside. This is totally not scientific since I didn’t control any variables.

Just don’t pay any more for rapid release. All they have are holes on the side of the pills. :)

Check out Third Way Blog for more information too.

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/13/rapid-release-does-not-equal-rapid-relief/feed/ 8 Pull tabs http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/04/pull-tabs/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/04/pull-tabs/#comments Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:54:26 +0000 Artin http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/04/pull-tabs/ Pull Tab

For all of you collecting soda can pull tabs, I suggest reading this:

http://www.snopes.com/business/redeem/pulltabs.asp

I’ve made it my civic duty to notify everyone :) .

]]> http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/04/04/pull-tabs/feed/ 4 Excedrin; the scoop http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/02/02/excedrin-the-scoop/ http://www.artin.org/blog/2006/02/02/excedrin-the-scoop/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2006 18:08:47 +0000 Artin http://artin.org/blog/2006/02/02/excedrin-the-scoop/ I’ve been using Excedrin (a generic equivalent) to hit a migraine before it gets too bad. I don’t get auras (if I’ve had one, I don’t recognize it) so I usually take it after the pain starts. It seems to help but I sometimes get rebound headaches after.

For those of you who choose to use Excedrin, here is a little fact you may not have been aware of. Excedrin Migraine is the SAME as Excedrin Extra Strength. Have you been wasting your money on the Migraine flavour of this over the counter drug? Well, now you know. Each of the two contains:

Excedrin Migraine
Active ingredients (in each caplet)
Purposes
Acetaminophen 250 mg Pain reliever
Aspirin 250 mg Pain reliever
Caffeine 65 mg Pain reliever aid

I think they brand each differently to attract a different set of users who normally would think normal Excedrin does nothing. I’ve talked with my neurologist at length about this and his opinion is that the caffeine is honestly the most effective component.

Caffeine has a paradox effect, at least on me. If I ingest it, I can get rid of a migraine. If I take too much and stop, I get a headache that won’t go away. This is very common since what you’re really doing is altering the blood pressure when your blood vessels constrict. I know plenty of migraineurs that insist having a cigarette stops the pain. Smoking also causes migraines too for a number of people.

I guess the phrase of the day is “You’re screwed if you do, screwed if you don’t”. Find your own triggers and solutions. Don’t believe that because one person says it doesn’t work, that it’s not going to work for you. Keep a food and drug diary. Some day you’ll maybe find a clue how to help you out.

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