by James on 10 November 2007, 7:50 am
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Edit: The availability didn’t last long. The company is building a new model, and so has ceased production of the new model. When the new model is available, I may make it available here if it’s appropriate and I can ensure a steady supply. Here’s the original post:
You may be glad to hear that the “migraine barometer” has returned. It was unavailable for several weeks due to problems with supply, but they’re available and ready to ship.
The migraine barometer is actually a digital barometer that was developed for use on boats. Out on the water you need quick, accurate information about weather changes. Cheap barometers with a little sun and clouds icon won’t cut it in this case!
Many people suspect that weather and barometric pressure changes may be triggering their migraine attacks (other types of headaches as well). They use the barometer to see if and how pressure is impacting their symptoms. Some have been able to use it as an early warning system (it even has an alarm to warn of sudden changes), so that they can take their medication early on and avoid a full-blown attack.
Not only does the barometer show the exact pressure (calibrated to your local altitude), it shows a history chart, so you can see if the pressure has been up and down, or if it has dropped suddenly.
I get particularly nasty symptoms with some weather changes. I’m glad to see the digital barometer back, in hopes that it may help a few more people out there.
An unusually stable weather pattern - good news for me!
Popularity: 12% [?]
by James on 18 October 2007, 12:13 pm
Novartis is the company, and
Excedrin Tension Headache is the brand. More and more often, companies are trying to market to specific kinds of headaches and pain. Novartis has also recently come out with
Excedrin Back & Body, for example. Older products such as
Quick Tabs Peppermint, marketed more as a general headache treatment, have been discontinued (this is no doubt in part because the Excedrin brand changed hands in 2005; it was formerly owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb).
In light of these changes, and in light of the tremendous popularity of Excedrin products, it’s worth taking a closer look every once in a while. Although Excedrin Tension Headache and similar products (acetaminophen (paracetamol) and caffeine) are generally considered safe for temporary use with the proper dosage, you do need to be cautious about taking other things at the same time, or if you have certain medical conditions. The topic of caffeine and painkiller has again been brought up (thanks to Somebody Heal Me and The Daily Headache) for example.
Find out more about Excedrin Tension Headache here.
Popularity: 12% [?]
by James on 1 October 2007, 9:17 am
Are you interested to know more about medical video games that are already in use? Want to find out have video games distract from pain, or help you lose weight, or even games that improve your doctor’s performance?
Guest author Lisa Copen writes about some of the recent research into these kinds of computer and video games, and even some of the games you might have already seen…
Read it now - Medical Video Games?
Excerpt: Video games have always been given a modest nod of tolerance by parents who struggle to see the benefits of learning how to crash a car into a tree at 120 miles per hour. But new evidence is proving that video games have a new respect in the medical field. And if you suffer from chronic pain, you soon may be… [read more]
Popularity: 12% [?]
by James on 27 August 2007, 9:33 am
What time of year are your headaches the worst? Do you have more migraine attacks in a certain season? That’s been the question on our poll, and it’s time for the results:
Yeah - interesting, huh? Spring, and rainy season are the very clear winners. What does that tell you?
It tells me - weather.
There are lots of reasons why other seasons should have won. Fall and winter? I’m thinking the stress of returning to school and work, the stress of the holidays, cold weather, darkness (in the north). Summer? Has it’s own stresses. And a lot of people get attacks from a change of schedule, which summer is notorious for.
But no, it’s spring - often a time of rain. And, of course, rainy season! There may be other reasons why these seasons peak the list, but I’m betting barometric pressure changes have a lot to do with it.
Of course, let’s not ignore the fact that for a lot of people there’s no difference at all. Pressure changes don’t seem to make a difference for everyone. And of course there are weather patterns all year round that can cause headaches or migraine attacks!
Please check out our new poll question on the left of the main news page - this fits in with our new Community Question.
And, leave a comment - do different seasons make a difference to you? Why do you think that is?
Popularity: 3% [?]
by James on 20 August 2007, 10:27 am
There’s a new page on the website - not one I wrote, but one that you wrote! It’s the latest "Community article", and it’s a great one.
The question that visitors were answering was: What one thing do you wish family and friends understood about your headache or migraine?
The answers were brilliant. I think that this is one of those pages you’re going to want to share with family and friends - the people that care about you, but who often "don’t get it". The page is broken up into five sections - five things that you wish they knew - with quotes from people from 6 countries.
Click here to read What I wish you knew…
This was such a success that I’m going to look for more ways that you can participate here. Thanks so much for your great answers! They’re a help to all of us - the tens of thousands who visit this site each month. Meanwhile, read our previous article (on sleep and migraine) - or there is another question you can answer…
Popularity: 4% [?]
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