What You Can Do to Fight Migraines

Many people get headaches and migraines confused. Migraines make you wish you had a headache, or perhaps a rabid dog gnawing on your ankle instead of the throbbing, pulsating pain that comes with the migraine territory. 75% of adult patients who experience migraines are women, but they also affect approximately the same percentage of prepubescent boys.

When you have a migraine, it’s easy to think there’s nothing you can do to treat it. They don’t simply go away after taking a painkiller like a headache does, but there are a few things you should know about migraines that can save you from experiencing them as often.

First, let’s discuss why migraines happen. When you know why a migraine is coming on and what type of environment or activities you’re doing that trigger migraines, the easier it will be to stay away from those things, or at least limit your exposure.

Migraine attacks may be triggered by:

• Allergic reactions
• Bright lights, loud noises and certain odors or perfumes
• Physical or emotional stress
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Smoking or exposure to smoke
• Skipping meals
• Alcohol
• Menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills, hormone fluctuations during the menopause transition
• Tension headaches
• Foods containing tyramine, MSG or nitrates
• Long exposure to light from computer screen, video screens and television

There are certain foods you can incorporate into your diet or increase the amount of times they show up on your plate that will help fight migraines.

Millet

Millet is one of many whole grains that are part of a healthy, migraine-free life, and it contains magnesium, which kicks migraines to the curb.

Coffee

When it comes to coffee, it’s a love/hate relationship. Caffeine can give you migraine relief and is a major ingredient in many headache medications, but when you drink it excessively, it can actually cause migraines. Moderation is key!

Flaxseed

An Anti-inflammatory diet is beneficial to preventing migraines, so flaxseeds, with their omega-3s and fiber to boot, are your new food friend.

Fish

Also packed with omega-3s, fish should be your go-to protein choice, and is much better for headache prevention than processed meats.

Spinach

Vitamin b2 is known to help in the battle against the migraine, so make like Popeye and load up on your spinach.

Study Suggests Working Out Won’t Decrease Risk of Death if You Sit a Lot

Whenever talk about your health starts, someone is always quick to point out that if you hit the gym a few times a week, your health could greatly improve over all. This belief has been reinforced throughout the years and because of it, more and more people are getting out there and hitting the gym whenever they can. But a new study suggests that if you work out at the gym every day, but also spend a good amount of your day sitting down, going to the gym is in fact doing very little to decrease your risk of death.

The study was conducted by Alpa Patel, a researcher at the American Cancer Society (ACS) and his colleagues. They analyzed 123,216 participants (53,440 men and 69,776 women), all whom has no history of cancer, heart attack, stroke or emphysema. The participants were followed for 13 years, from 1993 to 2006.

The study found that women who reported more than six hours of sitting a day (outside of work) were 37% more likely to die during the 13 year time period the were studied than women who sat fewer than three hours a day. The men who were studied were 18% more likely to die if they sat more than six hours a day (also outside of work) than those who sat fewer than three hours a day. These results remained virtually unchanged after the participants adjusted their physical activity level.

Patel said of his research that several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates, saying “prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.”

This study does not seem to bode well for me and people like me, who work very long hours in front of a computer (while also sitting down) and work out a few times a week.

Bloggers Unite for People First: Empowering People with Disabilities

One in five people in the United States is affected by a disability of some sort. That is an astounding number of people who every day, attempt to put their best foot forward and who are working every day to gain greater independence and create new possibilities for themselves.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has worked to eliminate the barriers and discrimination that those who live with a disability can face, including in the workplace. While the ADA has made great strides in it being unlawful for an employer of any kind of refuse to hire someone with a disability, about three quarters of people with a disability are unemployed and it isn’t by their own admission. Also, internet access for people with disabilities is only about half of what it is for those who are not living with a disability.

There is still a lot of work to be done in this country to ensure that those who live their lives with a disability are granted the same opportunities as those who are not and can still live happy and full lives.

Bloggers Unite is raising awareness and supporting people with disabilities and the people and groups who empower them by raising awareness. Bloggers Unite is asking that all bloggers, young and old, novice bloggers and veterans, band together on July 24th to empower people with disabilities.

It takes very little time to write a blog post and participate in Bloggers Unite’s People First: Empowering People with Disabilities blogging event. By all bloggers coming together on one day, you can really raise awareness and make a difference.

Join the event and publish your post on Saturday, July 24th letting people know that despite major gains, more needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy the same access to resources and opportunities as those who do not live with a disability. There are currently 295 bloggers registered at Bloggers Unite for this event, so it is sure to be an amazingly resourceful and empowering day.

The Frisky is Looking for a New Insult for Spencer Pratt

It isn’t lost on Spencer Pratt that he is universally known as a douche, but he took to his Twitter to let everyone who thinks they have been insulting him know that he takes the insult as a compliment.

Even when Spencer Pratt thinks he is getting one over on the people who absolutely despise him, he comes off as an ignorant guy who just doesn’t know any better. According to him, a douche cleans a magical place with loving care.

First of all, if anyone ever referred to my vagina as a magical place, I don’t think I would be able to help myself from vomiting pink cupcakes and glitter all over their lap. Second of all, and most importantly, douches have successfully brainwashed a great deal of people into thinking that vaginas are dirty and need to be cleaned, even though the vagina is self-cleaning and needs nothing more than a little very light antibacterial soap if you choose and some hot water to make you feel fresh and clean. A lot of people are also unaware of the fact that douches do more harm than good and upset the natural pH balance in a woman’s vagina.

Playing along with Spencer Pratt’s love of being a douche, The Frisky is looking for a new insult for Spencer Pratt, stat! Have a good one? Head on over and give it your best shot.