Dealing With Headaches

Fish around the world did not heave a sigh of relief when they learned that Brazillian Emerson de Oliveira Abreu has sworn off fishing. The fish never really have much to fear from Abreu, because he managed to spear himself in the head.

“I Wonder What Would Happen If I Shot My Own Head?”

Abreu was not a fisherman content to just sit in a boat and hold a pole in one hand and a beer in the other. Oh, no. He actually got into the water and chased his prey with a deep sea fishing spear gun that fires six inch spears.

Abreu claims that during his fateful watery outing, the spear richoched off of a rock and propelled into his head just above his left eye. The spear dug in so deeply that almost all of the six inches of spear lodged itself into his head.

Since there are no witnesses (or else they are still too busy laughing to contradict Abreu), all we can assume is that Abreu is telling the truth. (Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a sad outcome to a drinking game gone awry.)

MSNBC reports that initial reports that a friend shot Abreu are false. (Of course. What kind of a freind would shot you in the head with a speargun? A real friend would use a bullet to make sure you’re dead.)

Frantic Surgery

Non-American press can be very snide about medical facilities outside of the country, but in an incredible feat of five hour sugery, doctors removed the spear and Abreu is mostly fine. The spear did not hit any major brain areas.

Well … he’s as fine as you can be after a spear went into your head.

Natasha Richardson, award-winning actress wife of famed Schindler’s List star Liam Neeson, died at the age of 45 from a head injury received in a skiing accident where she did not wear a helmet.

Although the official cause of death hasn’t been released, speculation is that her initial concussion caused a lot more damage than initially suspected. This highlights the importance of getting your head checked out after it gets clonked, even if you feel fine. The pain and problems start an hour or even a day after the initial clonk on the head.

Clonks On The Head That Need Checking Out

Granted, going to the emergency room (A & E for those in the UK) is no party. It’s a long, boring, nerve-wracking time that can last for a day sitting under bright lights and uncomfortable chairs, surrounded by sick people. But, it can save your life.

Suspiscious clonks on the head that need checking out include:

• Anything that happened on the workplace. At least your employer will pay for the ememrgency room care.
• Banging your head into a metal or wood shelf
• Any time you become unconscious
• Getting kicked in the head by a horse (trust me on this one. I didn’t get my head checked after a mare reared up and clonked me with her forehoof and it’s a wonder I’m still alive.)
• Sports concussions, helmet or no helmet
• Falling on concrete
• Falling out of a tree — even if you wore a helmet
• Anytime it takes you longer than three minutes to decide if you should go to the emergency room. If you’re unsure — go.

And Rememeber

It is safe to take a nap when you have a concussion. Just do it in the emergency room.

On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States rules in favor of the case of migraineur and musician Diana Levine, who had to have her arm amputated because the anti-nausea drug Phenegen was administered incorrectly during a migraine attack that required a visit to a local health clinic. She won a $6 million lawsuit against Wyeth from the State of Vermont, but Wyeth appealed.

Wyeth claimed that since their drug’s label had been approved by the FDA, then federal laws trumps Vermont state law, so there, nyaah-nyaah!

The Ruling

And now the Supreme Court has told Wyeth to shut up and pay up. (No, they didn’t use those exact words — I’m exaggerating just a tad bit here in my excitement. This is a blog, remember.) Anyway, Wyeth now has to fork over $6.7 million, (which is probably less than the cost of one television drug ad campaign).

Woot

The Supreme Court voted 6 -3 in favor of Ms. Levine, who received the original injection way back in April 2000. Justice Paul Stevens stated:

“Wyeth has not persuaded us that failure-to-warn claims like Levine’s obstruct the federal regulation of drug labeling. Congress has repeatedly declined to pre-empt state law, and the FDA’s recently adopted position that state tort suits interfere with its statutory mandate is entitled to no weight.”

Prior to a 2002 President W ruling (I’m still trying to find out which one), anyone could sue a drugmaker on a “failure to warn” basis in state court and have a pretty good chance of winning. That was another legal leg Ms. Levine’s lawyers had to stand on.

Off to celebrate.

This is one reason why I don’t date anymore — it’s too damn dangerous. But if I was tempeted, I’ll think I’ll get a hairweave before diving back into the dating game. Why? Read on:

Love Hurts — Literally

Briana Bonds, a 20 year old Kansas City woman was approached by a freind of her ex, asking if she would give his ex another chance. (Ah, the Cyrano de Bergerac approach!) She rebuffed him, telling him that she didn’t love her ex anymore anymore. He responded to this insult of his friend by pulling out a gun and firing four or five times at her head. (Ah, the Carmen approach.)

Briana Bonds drove to the police with a pounding headache. The headache was not due to stress — it was due to a bullet. But where was the bullet? Police found it in her hairpiece, which stopped the bullet from entering her skull, so just escaping with a headache isn’t such a bad deal.

Police arrested both the ex and the gun-wielding friend. That’s probably when Bond’s headache stopped.

Screw Kevlar! Does the Army know about this?

Guess What American Women Want For Christmas

Bonds claims she had the hair weave for years and also claims that God protected her than night. (Athough it would have been a tad more convienient if God made sure she never met the ex in the first place.)

But could a hairweave ever become bullet proof? Arguments are flying about on the Internet as to whether the hairweave was touched by an angel or the assailiant was a particularly bad shot.

Many migraineurs are prescribed beta-blockers taken daily in order to prevent migraines. This is an off-label use, but many migraineurs have benefited. Now, a Dutch study has come out suggesting that beta-blockers may have another potential off-label use — blocking bad memories in the brain.

Study Specs

The study was on 60 people with a laboratory-induced phobia. 30 of them were given propranolol (stuff I was on for a month, but my body hated it) and the other a placebo. They tested how startled a person was by flashing a picture up of the thing they had been conditioned to hate.

Conditioned to hate? These 60 were given “mild electric shocks” whenever pictures of spiders were flashed before them, in the hopes of creating bad memories with spiders (or pictures of spiders). I thought getting mild electric shocks would condition you to hate medical researchers and not spiders, but that’s why I don’t volunteer for these things.

Anyway, the propranolol group were far less started by pictures of spiders than the placebo group. The theory is that the beta blocker has somehow blocked the way the brain processes attaching emotionas to memories, particularly bad ones. The participants claimed that they still could remember being shocked when shown pictures of spiders, it just didn’t seem all that frightening to them.

Also, the researchers say that more work needs to be done before anyone with a severe phobia or post traumatic stress could be helped by this.

More Harm Than Good?

Although I’m not a doctor, I think I can safely claim that it’s never a good idea to take medications you really don’t need to take. There’s also concerns over whether taking a pill to block out bad memories may also block out good memories. There is also a concern that this may predispose someone to Alzheimer’s.

If you are concerned about long term side effects with beta blockers for your migraine prevention, then talk to your doctor. Don’t just stop them, because then you will get a migraine, and that will definately leave a bad memory.

People with migraines or chronic headaches tend to have other chronic pain and need to take painkillers. One of the most powerful painkillers on the market, Darvocet (active ingredient propoxyphene), which is already banned in some countries like the United Kingdom, is now on the road to be banned in the United States. Darvocet also is known by the brand name Darvon. The worry is that Darvocet can make someone with non-sucidial tendecies suddenly up and commit suicide or accidental death. Another worry is that Darvocet just doesn’t work, or only works as a placebo.

Come Again?

Since Darvocet’s introduction in 1957, the Federal Drug Administration has reports of 1400 accidental deaths or suicides that they feel was caused by Darvocet. The FDA set up a panel to investigate whether Darvocet should be banned (or phased out, as was done in the UK from 2005 - 2007).

The panel was set up after a watchdog group called Public Citizen petitioned the DA to re-evaluate their position on Darvocet and Darvon way back in February of 2006. That was their upteempth Darvocet petition, with the first being sent to the FDA in the 1970’s. They claim there has been over 2100 Darvocet-related deaths since 1981.

In the last days of January, 2009, the FDA panel recommended the ban.

Is This Good News or Bad News?

The jury is still out on whether this is good news or bad news. It kind of depends on your point of view. I remember that my Mom spent years trying to find a suitable arthritis painkiller after Vioxx got banned. Arthritis patients do not seem pleased.

Growing our own marijuana is looking REAL good now…

“In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to trade-offs or negotiations, and health care for our children is one of those obligations.” — President Barack Obama

It should be a no-brainer, but this is America, after all, where doing the right thing is rarely seen, especially when it comes to affordable health care. If you’re sick and you can’t afford to pay for health care, you’re told “Tough shit.” This includes every sector of society, including children. Although hopefully, one day, America will have affordable health care for everyone, on Wednesday, millions more American children (under 18) can at least have affordable health care.

Health care for children is especially important, as ths is the time when they are growing and building their natural immunities. Also, their parents are usually financially strapped because they have kids.

Besides, as President Obama points out, the job of all adults is to take care of children. Even those of us (like me) who do not have kids, still has an obligation to look out for the next generation.Also, their parents are usually financially strapped because they have kids. Ten years ago, under President Clinton, the Children’s Health Insurance Program was started.

On Wednesday, President Obama signed a bill to extend the CHIP program to include millions more American children, including (depending on the state) the children of illegal immigrants (who often do more postive work to keep the country going than some US citizens I could mention).

Today, kids — tomorrow, adults, too.

Much thanks to “Theroys”, whoever you are, for putting up this clip.

Migraines cost a lot of money and time, not only for the migraineur, but for their employers, their families and for society at large, so more attention needs to be paid to treating this disease. This was the conclusion of a new study published in Value in Health. It has the exhausting title of The Burden of Migraine in the United States: Current and Emerging Perspectives on Disease Management and Economic Analysis. It also states that families with at least one migrainuer in it have to spend 2.3 times more money on health care than “normal” families.

Study Specs

The study was a paper chase, in a way. They went through archives on medical costs from PubMed MEDLINE database as well as any articles relevant to their topic. Interesting note that the oldest article they found on the outrageous cost of triptans like Imitrex was from 1992.

Practical Upshot

There wasn’t any final figure about how much migaines cost the US in its history, although the estimated direct cost of migraines for one year is $1 billion (and the authors say that’s a low estimate). By direct cost, that meant the cost of any hospitalization, drugs needed or appointments with a doctor.

It certainly does have a lot of impressive graphs, charts and percentage statistics, which is always good in trying to get politicians’ attention. Hopefully, it will also impress people who don’t have migraines into finally believeing that we migraineurs are not faking our attacks.

The obvious pain migraine attacks bring doesn’t seem to bring much in the way of sympathy or serious work on finding a cure — but perhaps showing what the impact on their wallets migraines cause will.

We’ve had recalls of just about everything else in the last couple of years, so I guess it was inevitable — recall of dozens of prescription drugs, including oxycodone, the generic version of opiod painkiller OxyContin (otherwise known as hillbilly heroin). All of the drugs were made in by KV Pharmaceuticals, which is a small fish in the giant belly of Ethex Corporation.

Say WHAT?

This is a voluntary recall from the comapny itself. The reason is simply stated as ” may have been manufactured under conditions that did not sufficiently comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)”. However one of the defects was that some medicines with a higher dosage was placed into packaging with smaller dosage on the label.

Whoops.

How Can I Find Out Who Made My Drugs?

If you go to your prescription bottle, there should be a place on the label telling you what company manufactured your generic medication. If you can’t find the name of the company on the label, call your pharmacy. They should have a record in their computers about where your shipment came from.

Should I Just Stop Taking Them?

Don’t just stop taking your meds because of nasty withdrawal symptoms or from other more dire complications. Call your doctor first in case you find your meds are from KV and match the lot numbers listed below.

Since people with chronic headaches or migraines often have many other drug problems, I’m just going to copy the whole list on here. You can go see the list for yourself at the FDA’s website.

Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 10mg (58177-538-26 & 538-11)
Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 2.5mg (58177-536-26)
Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 5mg (58177-537-26, 537-07 & 537-11)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 10mg (58177-342-04 & 342-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 20mg (58177-343-04 & 343-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 40mg, (58177-344-04 & 344-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 5mg (58177-341-04)
Benzonatate Capsules, 100mg (58177-091-04 & 091-08)
Benzonatate Capsules, 200mg (58177-092-04 & 092-08)
Bromfenex ER Capsules (58177-019-04)
Bromfenex PD ER Capsules (58177-020-04)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 10mg (58177-265-04 & 265-08)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 15mg (58177-309-04 & 309-08)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 5mg (58177-264-04 & 264-08)

Codeine Phosphate/Guaifenesin Tablets, 10mg (58177-223-04)
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets, 10mg (58177-312-04)
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets, 5mg (58177-311-04)
Dextroamphetamine Tablets, 10mg (58177-312-04)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 120mg (58177-061-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 120mg (58177-061-19 & 061-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 180mg (58177-062-09 & 062-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 180mg (58177-062-19 & 062-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 240mg (58177-063-09 & 063-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 240mg (58177-063-19 & 063-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 300mg (58177-064-19 & 064-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 360mg (58177-065-09 & 065-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 360mg (58177-065-19 & 065-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 420mg (58177-066-09 & 066-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 420mg (58177-066-19 & 066-26)
Disopyramide Phosphate ER Capsules, 150mg (58177-002-04)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 1mg (58177-266-04 & 266-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 2mg (58177-267-04 & 267-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 4mg (58177-268-04 & 268-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 8mg (58177-269-04 & 269-08)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, .25mg (58177-432-40)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, .5mg (58177-433-40 & 433-09)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, 1mg (58177-434-40 & 434-09)
EthexDerm BPW-10, 10% (58177-929-65)
EthexDerm BPW-5, 5% (58177-928-65)
Ethezyme 650 (58177-868-02)
Ethezyme 830 Papain-Urea (58177-816-02)
Ethezyme Papain-Urea (58177-804-02)
ETH-Oxydose Concentrated Solution (58177-914-04 & 914-56)
Guaifenex DM ER Tablets (58177-213-04)
Guaifenex GP ER Tablets (58177-373-04)
Guaifenex PSE 120 ER Tablets (58177-208-04)
Guaifenex PSE 60 ER Tablets (58177-214-04)
Guaifenex PSE 80 Tablets (58177-413-04)
Guaifenex PSE 85 Tablets (58177-478-04)
Hista-Vent DA Tablets (58177-227-04)
Hista-Vent PSE tablets (58177-426-04)
Histinex HC Liquid (58177-877-07 & 877-12)
Histinex PV Liquid (58177-883-07)
Hydrocodone Bitartrate & Acetaminophen Liquid (58177-909-07)
Hydrocodone Bitartrate/Guaifenesin Liquid (58177-881-07)
Hydrocortisone and Iodoquinol Cream, 1% (58177-803-02)
Hydroquinone 4% Cream w/SS, 1oz. (58177-802-02)
Hydroquinone 4% Cream, 1oz. (58177-801-02)
Hydro-Tussin CBX Liquid (58177-924-07)
Hydro-Tussin DHC Syrup (58177-926-07)
Hydro-Tussin DM Liquid (58177-906-07)
Hydro-Tussin EXP Liquid (58177-927-07)
HydroTussin HC Syrup (58177-915-07)
Hydro-Tussin Liquid (58177-890-07)
Hydro-Tussin XP Liquid (58177-916-07)
Hyoscyamine Orally Disintegrating Tablets, .125mg (58177-423-04)
Hyoscyamine Sublingual Tablets, .125mg (58177-255-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate ER Tablets, .375mg (58177-237-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate ER Capsules, .375mg (58177-017-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate Oral Tablets, .125mg (58177-274-04)
Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 120mg (58177-201-04)

Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 30mg (58177-222-04, 222-08 & 222-11)
Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 60mg (58177-238-04, 238-08 & 238-11)
Meperidine/Promethazidne Capsules (58177-027-04)
Morphine InveAmp, 20mg x 1mL (58177-886-56)
Morphine InveAmp, 5mg/.25mL (58177-888-80)
Morphine Sulfate Concentrated Oral Solution 20mg/1ml (58177-886-01, 886-03 &886-05)
Morphine Sulfate Concentrated Oral Solution, 20mg/1ml (58177-886-57)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 100mg (58177-340-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 15mg (58177-310-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 200mg (58177-380-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 30mg (58177-320-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 60mg (58177-330-04)
Morphine Sulfate IR Tablets, 15mg (58177-313-04)
Morphine Sulfate IR Tablets, 30mg (58177-314-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .3mg (58177-323-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .4mg (58177-324-18 & 324-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .6mg (58177-325-04)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 15 grams (58177-839-45)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 30 grams (58177-839-46)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 60 grams (58177-839-61)
Ondansetron Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 4mg (58177-363-22)
Ondansetron Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 8mg (58177-364-22 & 364-56)
Oxycodone HCl Capsules, 5mg (58177-041-04 & 041-11)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 10mg (58177-461-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 15mg, (58177-445-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 20mg (58177-462-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 30mg (58177-446-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 5mg (58177-625-04 & 625-11)
Pangestyme CN 20 (58177-030-04)
Pangestyme CN10 (58177-029-04)
Pangestyme EC 100 (58177-031-04)
Pangestyme EC 250 (58177-031-06)
Pangestyme MT16 (58177-028-04)
Pangestyme UL12 (58177-048-04)
Pangestyme UL18 (58177-049-04)
Pangestyme UL20 (58177-050-04)
PhenaVent Capsules (58177-078-19)
PhenaVent D Tablets (58177-444-04)
PhenaVent LA Capsules (58177-095-19)
PhenaVent PED Capsules (58177-079-04)
Plaretase 800 (58177-416-04 & 416-08)
Potassium Chloride ER Capsules, 10mEq (58177-001-04, 001-08, 001-09, & 001-11)
Potassium Chloride ER Capsules, 8mEq (58177-677-04 & 677-08)
Potassium Chloride ER Tablets, 20mEq (58177-202-04, 202-08, 202-09 & 202-11)
Prednisolone Sodium Oral Solution (58177-932-05)
Prednisolone Syrup 15mg/5mL (58177-910-05 & 910-07)
Prednisolone Syrup 5mg/5mL (58177-912-03)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 150mg (58177-331-04 & 331-11)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 225mg (58177-332-04)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 300mg (58177-333-04)
Pseudovent 400 Capsules (58177-096-04)
Pseudovent Capsules (58177-045-04)
Pseudovent PED Capsules (58177-046-04)
Tri-Vent DM Syrup (58177-925-07)
Tri-Vent DPC Liquid (58177-923-07)
Tri-Vent HC Liquid (58177-920-07)

Products Recalled to RETAIL PHARMACY Level:

Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 2mg (58177-620-04 & 620-11)
Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 4mg (58177-621-04 & 621-11)
Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 8mg (58177-449-04)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 50mg (58177-369-04, 369-09 & 369-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 100mg (58177-368-04, 368-09 & 368-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 25mg (58177-293-04, 293-09 & 293-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 200mg (58177-358-04, 358-09 & 358-11)

Any wholesale or retail customer inquiries related to this action should be addressed to ETHEX Customer Service at 1-800-748-1472, faxed to ETHEX Customer Service at 314-646-3788, or e-mailed to customer-service@ethex.com. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm CST.

Pfizer, already the Mr. Big of Big Pharma, think it isn’t big enough and want’s to swallow — er, merge — with another Big Pharma company, Wyeth to the tune of $68 billion dollars. Even if merger plans ultimately fall through, Pfizer’s stock is rising.

Bad News For Consumers

Mergers are not necessarily a good idea in the pharmeceutical biz. I know folks who worked in Smith-Kline Beecham and are still reeling from their merger in 2000 with Glaxo-Wellcome to become the mutant power now known as GlaxoSmithKlien. A merger did not drive down the proce of any of it’s products and many peope lost their jobs. However, the CEO at the time, JP Garnier, who was already filthy rich at the time, could probably pay of the US deficit now.

The only thing that happens in these mergers is that the upper management gets richer and the company itself becomes more powerful politically, getting huge breaks in taxes and environmental standards. Hopefully, the US government will not allow the merger (although recent news makes that look really doubtful). If they merge, they’ll be like…well, like Disney World, which is it’s own autonoumous entity within Florida.

What’s Pfizer, Again?

Pfizer has offices in many countries, but is originally an American company, starting in 1849 in Brooklyn by two immigrant cousins, one of which was named Charles Pfizer. Their first big medicaine was to kill parasitical worms. We need some of that today in Big Pharma to kill off these greedy CEOs.

Pfizer’s top drugs are Viagra, Lipitor and Zoloft. They also make the migraine drug Relpax.

Nope — you can’t get away from Obama — not even here! BWHA-HA-HA!

No, seriously, since it’s inaugeration week and President Obama seems serious about changing some things like closing down Gitmo and pulling out of Iraq, there may be a possibility of a federal government change on the stance of medical marijuana, which is a very effective painkiller. Although medical marijuana is usually prescribed for glaucoma, cancer and inoperable tumors, there are many migraneurs who use it to kill the pain and nausea of a migraine attack.

There are a few clips on YouTube that deal with Obama talking about marijuana in general, but I think this is the best one. Why? Well, he does mention that decriminalizing medical marijuana would not be very high on the priority list as soon as he got into the White House. That brief moment of honesty is rare in any politician. Also, he does state that he doesn’t think the Justice Department should wste it’s resources on busting someone for medical marijuana possession or to bust doctors who prescribe it. Every little bit of a change helps here.

Do I take medical marijuana? No. But I have taken it for a toothache when I was homeless and seeing a dentist was out of the question. For many people, going to a dentist or doctor is out of the question. But they still have pain. Medical marijuana is a cheap way to not only manage pain, but to make sure you eat and sleep regularly. And it helps you keep a sense of humor.

Granted, there are people who can’t tolerate pot at all. They get paranoid or suicidal after a toke. But then again, this happens to people taking any medication.

What is this — knife in the head month? We just had news of a woman suing a Florida emergency care center because they left part of a knife in her head . Now, the blogosphere is abuzz with another knife in the head story. Except this time, the Polish man with the knife in his head didn’t realize he had a knife in his head for several days.

Huh?

61 year old retired schoolteacher Leonard Woronowicz was tinkering in his kitchen, standing on a stool and fell. There were some things scattered about the kitchen, including knives. After he got up, he found some blood below his right ear, cleaned it up and got on with his life. After getting severe headaches for several days, he thought he may have had a concussion, so he finally went to a doctor. The doctor suspected that Leonard had a crack in his skull and ordered X-rays to be taken.

I’ll let Leonard take it from here:

“I thought they might give me an aspirin, instead they pulled a five inch knife blade out of my head.”

“Congratulations, Leonard — It’s A Knife Blade”

That’s right — no one was more suprised to discover the knife in his head than Leonard. I guess you can’t really blame him — he had a knife blade (sans handle) in his head. Not only that, but the knife blade had managed to go into his head without severing anything major — and apparently not hitting many nerves, either.

As soon as the doctors saw the X-rays, they trundled Leonard off to Bialystok regional centre hospital in order to get Leonard to surgery. The surgery was uneventful, took only a few minutes and Leonard is expected to make a full recovery.

Ever have one of those headaches when it feels as if there’s a knife in your head? Well, you guess that’s it feels like. But some people actually have knifes stuck in their heads, so they have a basis of camparison. Such a person is Edith McQueen, who was stabbed in the head twice during a viscious assault in August 2005. Fortunately, she was rushed to a medical center. Unfortunately, a piece of the knife was accidentally left in her noggin, around her jawbone.

Can You Say “Lawsuit”? Sure, You Can

Edith McQueen intends to sue the Shands-Jackson Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. She claims that she never was given an x-ray as a part of treatment. She claims that she was given some wound-cleaning and some stitches and released the next day.

Then, the headaches started. I can imagine that conversation. “Can you describe the pain?” “Incredibly accurately, doctor.” Her personal doctor was on the ball and ordered her to get an MRI. That showed there was part of a knife blde in her head. Since McQueens claims that she hasn’t been stabbed in that area since August 2005, it’s a pretty good bet that knife piece came from that attack. Well, at least it wasn’t a pencil.

So, What Can We Learn From This?

The good news is that the human head is incredibly resiliant. Just in case you have a nagging fear of getting stabbed in the head or having a pencil jammed in it, the odds of you surviving for years afterwards are pretty good.

The bad news is that, if what McQueen’s claims is true, then emergency care can be pretty damn shoddy. But, if you do get stabbed in the head, be sure you insist on getting an X-ray — and lots of good drugs.

They’re usually called “green lightbulbs”, even though compact flourescent usually don’t give off a green light. They are far more energy efficient than incandescent lightbulbs and are said to last a lot longer. In order to help with the environment, the UK has gone with green lightbulbs all the way, with stores voluntarily choosing to no longer stock the traditonal bulbs. A ban on incandescent bulbs will go into effect in 2012.

Just one problem — green light bulbs are known to trigger migraines and seizures. In the UK, one on ten people have migraines. People in the UK are used to being cranky, but problems with migraineurs and epilieptics are feared to escalate because of the public fondness for flourescent bulbs.

What’s The Problem?

The problem is that the green bulbs flicker ever so slightly. Even a slight light flicker can produce the same effect as strobe lighting, triggering migraines or epilieptic seizures. Many people on both sides of the Pond are all for using more energy effiencent light bulbs, but don’t feel that we have them yet to warrant such a massive change-over.

Makers of flourescent light bulbs deny that their bulbs flicker (or, at least, that’s I found. If a maker of a flourescent lightbulb wants to admit that they do, feel free to correct me.) It could be that the industry is going through growing pains and the flickering will go away on their own. Another problem, according to The Daily Mail is that “the light emitted by fluorescent bulbs is made up of a disproportionate amount of red and blue, which can cause the problems.”

In The Meantime

But in the meantime, health charities in Great Britain are petitioning the government to allow migraineurs and epilieptics to use incandescent bulbs.

Considering how rapidly the pace of technology changes, by the time 2012 rolls around, flourescent light bulbs may be useless and we all go back to using candles or perhaps use LED lighting.

It does look as if the great lighbulb change is sweeping the planet, whether the bulbs are ready or not. Saving energy and the environment is always a good thing (where would be be without an Earth to complain off of?) If you can train your eyes to red by candlelight, then there is a possibility they may get used to flourescent light.

Just a theory, though, I say as I glance back at my incandescent lamp.

Although sticking needles in your body doesn’t seem like the best remedy for chronic headache, it’s better for you than aspirin. That’s the findings of a new study done by Duke University. Comparing accupuncture to regular aspirin, acupuncture gave the most releif to those suffering from chronic headaches.

Study Details

About 4,000 human guinea pigs volunteered for this one, and God/dess bless you all. You’ve probably saved the lives of 4,000 real guinea pigs. Anyway, the study was blind in that paitents were wither given aspirin, acupuncture or “sham acupuncture”, where acupuncture needles were insterted in other areas of the body not used to help treat chronic headaches. In the study, chronic headaches also included migraineurs and chronic tension-type headaches.

Acupuncture’ s benefits to your body are not apparent on the first visit. According to the study, you need five or six visits to get long-term relief. Many acupuncturists or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners also prescribe Chinese herbs along with acupunture treatments, but I could not find if any herbs were added in the study.

65% of the acupuncture group found releif in the severity and duration of their attacks while only 45% of the aspirin group did. Comparing sham acupuncture to real acupunture, sham acupuncture didn’t do too shabby at 45% while real acupuncture gave 53% relief. (That’s due to the placebo affect.)

Doesn’t It Hurt?

Acupuncture needles are incredibly thin — even thinner than innoculation needles. Usually, you don’t feel anything, but sometimes you do. Then, the needles feel like a mosquito bite or, at the worst, a bee sting. However, dogs, cats and horses tend to fall asleep during their acupuncture sessions and you will probably feel sleepy, too. Animals tend to go for acupuncture treatments for back problems, arthritis or chronic allergies that aren’t responding to conventional therapy.

Acupuncture is one of the few alternative therapies that some health insurance companies will cover (all or in part). You have to check with your health insurance to see about payment. You may need a referral from your primary doctor.

Don’t Toss Your Meds

In case you do get acupunture for chronic headaches or migraines, don’t expect to go completely off of the painkillers. It is nice to be able to lower your dose when you can, since long term use of painkillers can bring on health problems like ulcers.

And, as always, please don’t use this blog post in the place of your doctor’s advice.

Hope this helps.