Not sure about yours, but my calendar is saying that summer is (gasp!) almost over! And while the underlying excitement of autumn’s sites and smells, routine schedules and child-free moments helps soften the blow, it’s always hard to say goodbye to such a carefree time of year like summer, is it not?

Well today you don’t have to. Because it’s Theme Day once again here at the b5 media Health & Wellness channel, and this month’s theme is all about eeking out that last bit of Summer Fun. Check out what our bloggers have to say:

We at Healthbolt believe that you should be able to laugh a little about your health, and thus, would like to introduce you to the Laryngospasms. Enjoy.

While it’s often difficult for Alzheimer’s caregivers to plan for summer fun, Mary Emma Allen has some ideas at Alzheimer’s Notes.

At Mental Health Notes, Alicia tells us how to find free mood boosters to manage depression and shake things up in the bedroom with Sunshine Can Help Your Brain Grow Big And Strong.

Kristina at Autism Vox goes on vacation by the ocean for fun in the sun and surf, and some reflections on summers past and how her son has grown.

“So what did your family do this summer?” If you’re still thinking of a cool answer to that question, think no more! Grace from Kids Health Notes gives us FIVE fun ideas to make the end of summer memorable.

For those of you who like to use or who want to try homeopathic remedies for those itches, aches and pains that come along with summer time fun, Marijke at Help My Hurt shares a press release that outlines what types of products may be able to help you.

Summertime is barbecue time, but Ruth at Eating Fabulous recommends you marinate your meat before grilling to reduce the formation of carcinogen compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCA) during grilling.

Karen Lynch at The Pink Ribbon Review wrote a post explaining Why Summer Fun is Just What the Doctor Ordered.

Kelly at Grounded Fitness shows us how to beat the summer heat and intensify your workouts with these special little water bottles.

And finally…

Just for fun, Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 asks the ladies, “Do your breasts have a nickname?”

Got Pain?

Then start fantasizing about all your favorite foods ’cause a new study has found that this seems to be a possible way of coping with chronic and acute pain.

The study had

“…60 healthy subjects to submerge their hand in icy water to determine their pain threshold and tolerance. During the second round, participants were instructed to imagine a favorite meal in detail, a neutral scene, such as people walking, or they were not instructed to fantasize about anything.”

The results, according to Dr. Hamid Hekmat, professor of psychology and lead author of the study, was that

‘…food fantasies such as imagining eating your favorite ice cream, chocolate cake or meal had a strong pain-attenuating effect. It enhanced mood, reduced anxiety, and helped coping with ice water pain.”

So what foods did the participants fantasize about…

Well, it’s probably no surprise that chocolate topped the list as the most common food fantasy, with 32% of the participants focusing in it’s mouthwatering qualities.

The next most common…

31% of the participants went for roast dinners, followed by pasta (14 percent), pizza (8 percent) and fruit (4 percent.)

So next time you’ve got a migrane or sore toe, why not try visualizing about that delicious roast dinner, chocolate bar, or banana split.

You never know, it might just do the trick…

(news source)

Migraine suffers might soon have a new means of getting relief.

A new study has been examining the effectiveness of magnetic impulses on the brain to short circuit pain signals. These magnetic impulses are being sent to the brain by a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, a small hair dryer size machine that is held to the back the migraine sufferer’s head.

In this study,  researchers worked with 201 people who suffer from “migraine with aura” migraines. Half of them were given a genuine magnetic stimulation device and the other half a ‘pseudo’ magnetic stimulation device that was unable to provide a magnet current. Both groups were told to place the device to the back of their heads as soon as the aura feeling began. The test results showed that 39% of those using the genuine magnetic device remained pain-free two hours after using the device, whereas only 22% of those with the ‘pseudo’ device remained pain-free. The results, researchers say, are promising.

As migraine sufferers know, there is no definitive treatment for migraines. Currently there are three main treatment options…

Migraine avoidance by discovering and avoiding individual headache triggers which often range from chocolate to bright lights, lack of sleep and too much exercise.

Acute migraine treatment when a migraine occurs. Standard treatment in this stage is usually an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and/or analgesia.

Chronic treatment, often known as preventative treatment, where a person is on regular prescribed medications to prevent migraines from occuring.

None of these treatments - alone or combined - are completely reliable. 

So news that another treatment option might be available in the future will be welcomed with open arms. 

Migraine sufferers, after all,  need all the help they can get.

(source)

Image details: Man working in yard served by picapp.com

‘Tis the season for firing up the lawnmower, breaking out the hedge trimmers and playing in the dirt. But any fool knows that a day in the yard can equal a day on the couch…in pain.

When the aches and pains of bending, walking, twisting, etc start working their unsavory magic on you, try these tips to ward off a back mishap.

* Grab the heating pad and hunker down. Johns Hopkins University reported that when patients with backaches wore heat wraps for 3 consecutive days, their pain levels decreased by 60%. What’s more, they remained low for weeks afterward.

* Lean on me…backwards. If you feel like you’ve scored yourself a stiff back, do not sit up straight to try to work out the kinks. Instead, say Scottish researchers, lean back at about 135 degrees with your legs uncrossed.

* Feel the pressure. Seeing a professional trained in acupressure and allowing them to do their thing can alleviate discomfort by a whopping 89%, says the British Medical Journal. While a tad more pricey than Tylenol, acupressure is a great choice for those interested in more natural healing.

So there you have it. Tips that’ll get you excited about working in the yard again. Well, maybe not excited, but at least a little less petrified of gardening’s repercussions than before!

Of course, if you’d like more information on treating various types of pain, be sure to visit the fabulous Marijke over at Help My Hurt. She’s a whiz when it comes to all things pain, for sure.

Phantom pain felt by amputees in their missing limbs is nothing new. This bizarre phenomenon has been around since at least the Civil War era. But as the U.S. marks its fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, we are finally seeing the emergence of a new and very unlikely source of phantom pain therapy: mirrors.

That’s right, mirrors. Dr. Jack Tsao, a Navy neurologist with the Uniform Services University remembered reading a paper in grad school which concluded that using a mirror to cast a reflection of the amputee’s remaining limb - which the amputee flexes and moves - tricks the brain into thinking the missing limb is still present. This is an incredibly important treatment discovery since phantom pain is rarely cured or effectively controlled with medication. What’s more, a staggering 95 percent of amputees experience some form of phantom limb pain.

While no one really knows the exact cause behind phantom limb pain, current thinking is that the neurons which control leg movement are still in place, but in the absence of a limb, become “confused”, and fire randomly. The brain receives mismatched signals between those visual neurons (which know the leg is not there) and the neurons in charge of the body’s ability to sense a limb’s positioning (which thinks the limb is still there), and somehow the brain is not able to sort these conflicting messages out. The result is a sensation that the limb is frozen or in pain.

So far, Dr. Tsao has treated over 550 amputees, with 100 to 125 patients there any given day.

It’s so great to hear stories like this and to know that sometimes science and health can actually be simple.

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Next time you find yourself with a needle barreling toward any one of your body parts, revert back to your toddler days and begin counting out loud to anyone who will listen. And why is that? Because Japanese researchers were good enough to find that counting may effectively numb you to injection pain. (I know, I know. This is a little after-the-fact, isn’t it Mr. Clemens?)

In fact, patients who counted out loud while receiving a poke reported no discomfort, as opposed to non-counters who experienced both stinging (during) and soreness (after) the pick.

So why such an odd prescription for heading off pain? The theory here is that counting may influence the brain’s ouch-detector, thereby pretty much blocking out the pain.

Think you might still need an extra dose of boo-boo busting? Try counting and closing your eyes at the same time. Studies have shown that your pain receptors kick into high gear when you actually witness yourself getting poked. Look away and distract yourself with a little mental Sudoku and you’re bound to walk away from your visit with nothing other than a band-aid and a lollypop as a reminder.

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Guys, if you think PMS is the worst thing about your lady’s “monthly visitor”, we have news for you, don’t we girls? Yep, underneath the exterior of our once-a-month bitchy wrath lies a whole other issue that you may not even know about…cramps.

As if it’s not bad enough we have to endure a week of Aunt Flow, we also have to be in pain besides. Now how is that fair? Um, it’s not. But hallelujah, now there are some fresh-from-nature fixes to ease us through. If you’re a guy, do yourself a favor and don’t click out. Keep reading and surprise your woman with one or two of these saviors - you’ll be her hero forever (and make life a whole lot easier for yourself!)

1. Turn on the heat. Dig out your old heating pad in lieu of ibuprofen or acetaminophen - pads have been shown to be as or more effective at soothing menstrual cramping than those medications. Why? Heat dilates the blood vessels and relaxes uterine contractions. Don’t have a pad at home? Soak in a hot bath. Headed out to work? Pick up a pack of heat patches available at drugstores.
2. Set a tea time. Chamomile tea, that is. Chamomile has been shown to raise levels of the amino acids that relax uterine muscles. Try starting two weeks before your period is due and aim to down five cups a day.
3. Play masseuse…on yourself. A Korean study found that women who massage their midsection with a blend of lavendar essential oil (2 drops), clary sage oil (1 drop) and rose oil (1 drop) along with 1 teaspoon of almond oil one week before Aunt Flow arrives can cut their cramp discomfort by half.
4. Go fishing. Ease cramping by up to 40% by popping fish oil beginning the day before your period is due and continuing until the cramps stop. Of course, you should be taking fish oil anyway, so this is a no-brainer, right?
5. Start barking up the (pine) tree. Here’s a good one: recent studies have shown that 73% of ladies who took 30mg daily of pycnogenol (a pine-bark extract) reported a big drop in the frequency and severity of their menstrual cramps. Pycnogenol is said to ease the inflammation that causes uterine muscle spasms. Of course, any time you take a new supplement, you should first check with your doctor.

Hope these help make next month’s cramp-fest seem like a boring party. Here, my friends, is to a pain-free period!

If you’re susceptible to headaches, you know all too well how miserable they can be. Therefore, you do your best to avoid your likely triggers (which can include everything from caffeine, stress, eye strain, PMS and more). But, alas, there are still times when you’re blind-sided with an ‘ache even though you’ve done everything right. That ain’t even right…so, what gives?

The problem is, headache triggers can be hiding where you least expect them - even in the bedroom! Don’t believe it? Read on.

Unlikely Trigger #1 - Strong smells. Whether it’s a coworker’s perfume or a heavy duty air freshener, some people are highly sensitive to smells (hello, me!) Strong odors have a way of activating the nose’s nerve cells, which in turn rev up the nerve system responsible for head pain. Your best bet? Avoid perfumes, heavily-fragranced candles, soaps or lotions, and have some Tylenol or Motrin handy just in case.

Unlikely Trigger #2 - Weather. Just like arthritics tend to be affected by the weather, some headache sufferers are highly affected by changes in barometric pressure, rising temperatures, humidity, lightning and cloudy skies.

Meteorological shifts are to blame for a chemical trigger and electrical changes in the brain that fire up nerves. The best thing to do is to try and stop the headache before it starts. Pay attention to the weather forecast and pretreat with ibuprofen a day or two before the weather is predicted to change.

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No doubt there are plenty of us experiencing the pains of a New Year’s hangover right about now (see remedies below). But sometimes our aches are of the chronic variety and are far less manageable than any headache brought on by our own debauchery. So, when pain starts to control us rather than us controlling our pain, where should we turn? To our health care provider, of course, but also to Help My Hurt, a sister blog here on the kick-ass b5 media Science & Health Channel.

Help My Hurt has recently been taken over by Registered Nurse Marijke Durning, who is quickly making it her own. One look at that blog makes it crystal clear that this gal’s mission is to help readers find ways to deal with their pain. In fact, Marijke’s recently added an all-new glossary filled with a slew of pain-related terms and their definitions. She’s even encouraging readers to suggest other terms to add to the list. It’s fantastic and we know you’ll find it crazy-useful and enlightening.

Drop by Help My Hurt and let Marijke know your pals at Healthbolt sent you. After all, you do want to start 2008 off happy, not hurting, right? Right.