HEADACHES AS SYMPTOMS OF OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS: MENINGITIS

Jul 6th, 2011 Posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | Comments Off
Headaches regularly accompany meningitis. Meningitis means an inflammation of the meninges, the tissue covering the brain. This inflammation usually results from infection, but other causes exist as well. This section will discuss meningitis caused by infection.
When meningitis is caused by a simple virus, the condition is not usually serious. Viral meningitis is often part of a generalized viral infection, like a cold, although most colds do not cause significant involvement of the brain or its covering. Exactly why some viral infections cause meningitis is not known.
Viral meningitis usually brings with it a severe headache and an uncomfortable sensitivity to light called photophobia. Most patients also experience a very stiff neck. The stiff neck occurs because the meninges that surround the spinal cord in the neck region are inflamed.
A headache brought on by viral meningitis usually lasts only a few days, but it can be very painful and relief may require very strong analgesics. The viral infection responsible for the meningitis does not usually require antibiotics and in most cases will improve in a week or so.
Viral infections cannot usually be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are used when bacteria, like streptococcus (a “strep” infection ) or staphylococcus (a “staph” infection) are the cause of the illness. For the most part, the body’s own defenses are able to fight off viral infections.
Meningitis produced by a bacterial infection also causes headache and stiff neck, but unlike its viral counterpart, bacterial meningitis is a serious and life-threatening condition that requires prompt antibiotic therapy. Bacterial meningitis, often referred to as “spinal meningitis,” is associated with many serious neurological problems. At the time the stiff neck and headache first appear, however, the victim may not seem particularly ill, but hours later coma may occur.
Stiff neck and headache do not always indicate the presence of meningitis. A strained neck, cervical arthritis, or the overall achiness and stiffness accompanying colds that do not invade the nervous system may also produce headache and stiffness of the neck. Sometimes, tumors in the neck or the back of the brain can cause similar symptoms. A prompt medical evaluation of all cases of stiff neck is obviously very important.
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TIPS TO PREVENT BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA FOR OFFICE WORKERS

Apr 29th, 2009 Posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | no comment »

Spending 40 or more hours a week sitting down and using equipment that demands repetitive actions can lead to stresses and strains, from continual backache to one of the relatively recently identified repetitive strain injuries.

A good sitting position is vital. Your feet should be flat on the floor (or on a footstool) and your back reasonably straight. If the seat is adjustable, tilting it forward a little may prove more comfortable and can encourage better posture. If the seat isn’t adjustable and the lower back is not supported, roll up a towel or use a small cushion for support. Pull the chair close to the desk to avoid leaning forward and putting strain on your back.

Any equipment you use frequently throughout the day such as files, the telephone and computer, should be easy to reach without overstretching. Constant use of the telephone – particularly if it’s cradled between the ear and shoulder – can result in tension to the neck and shoulder area.

Try to do a number of different work activities during your day, varying your posture every so often to stretch your back and relax your muscles.

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THE CRAMPS (SPASMODIC DYSMENORRHOEA): VOMITING, CONSTIPATION, FAINTING-HOW TO AVOID BEING SICK

Apr 28th, 2009 Posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | no comment »

It’s bad enough to have to endure extreme cramping pain every month without being sick as well. It’s a horrid experience and one most sufferers dread, so the vicious circle of

pain-fear-tension-pain is even more extreme for them. If your stomach muscles are tense, your stomach can’t function properly and you’ll feel sick, so the more often you can practise relaxation and the more relaxed you can be the better. If you find that you are breathing more rapidly than usual because you’re worried or frightened, try breathing in second gear for a while. If it works, breathing like this can help you in two ways. For a start, if you are changing your breathing pattern you have to concentrate hard on what you’re doing. This takes your mind off your worries. Secondly, deep breathing like this will calm you down and reduce the feeling of panic you are experiencing. Many women find that as they grow calmer, they don’t feel so sick.

The third thing to do is to treat your stomach with great respect at period time. Try not to overload it. It’s a great temptation to eat really well in the days before your period begins if you know you’re soon going to be feeling too sick to eat. But, as you may have discovered through unpleasant experiences, a full stomach is more likely to make you sick when your period begins than a half empty one. If your period is predictable, eat a light diet for several days before it begins. Avoid heavy meals and alcohol. Cut down on the starchy stuff, like cakes, buns, puddings, biscuits and sweets. Eat fresh fruit and salads, and small portions of the protein foods like meat, fish, eggs and cheese. If you can, try to relax completely immediately after you’ve eaten. Don’t get up and rush straight into the next job as soon as your meal is over, but give your body a calm, relaxed time in which it may begin to start digesting what you have eaten.

Most women who suffer from sickness at this time say once their period has begun it’s best not to eat or drink anything, because the least thing triggers the sickness. But some women find that it helps to sip iced water or raspberry tea, lemon juice or mineral water, or that traditional cure for morning sickness, a cup of hot weak tea and a dry biscuit, nibbled slowly. However, you may find that when you’re completely relaxed and breathing gently, the pain becomes so slight that you don’t feel sick any more. You may even feel that you could eat a normal meal. But you will probably agree that little, light and often is the best idea, at least to begin with.

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