Friday Fun - Mountain Laurel
Ready for a challenge? Took me 12 minutes!
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Ready for a challenge? Took me 12 minutes!
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Do you know what a migraine is? Do you think you know?
Many people believe that a migraine is just a really bad headache. Which is wrong. In fact, the typical tension headache is caused by blood vessel constriction. With a migraine, the same blood vessels are dilated.
Many doctors define a migraine as having sharp, throbbing pain on one side of the head, with nauseau, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. They also think of them as more severe than a tension headache.
I cannot tell you how many times I have read and heard that definition from doctors! Even some of the “experts” on migraine cannot agree. I’ve seen more than one “expert” defintion that is similar the above. And perhaps that is why I had migraines for over 30 years before even knowing they were migraines.
Here’s an definition I found online:
A familial, recurrent syndrome characterized usually by unilateral head pain, accompanied by various focal disturbances of the nervous system, particularly in regard to visual phenomenon, such as scintillating scotomas. Classified as classic migraine, common migraine, cluster headache, hemiplegic migraine, ophthalmoplegic migraine, and ophthalmic migraine.
That was helpful, wasn’t it?
The reality is that you have to look at the totality of symptoms and their history in order to diagnose migraine. Migraines are not always one-sided. They are not always throbbing. They do not always cause nausea or vomiting. They are not always accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound. And further, there can be degrees of pain with a migraine.
Statistics say that some 28 million people in the United States suffer from migraine. And that’s just those that have been properly diagnosed. We’re called migraneurs - at least we have a nice-sounding name!
What else should you know about migraines? They are a neurological disease. A prolonged migraine can lead to stroke and even death. They often result in decreased productivity, inability to think clearly,
Treatment for migraines is quite different than for a tension headache. Often, OTC treatments won’t help a migraine. Furthermore, for some perverse reason, those that suffer with migraines (we’re called migraneurs - at least we have a nice name!) can also suffer from rebound headaches from many of the same medications that help a migraine.
So, what do you do if you think you may have a migraine?
ACHE - American Headache Society Committee for Headache Education
American Headache Society
MAGNUM: The National Migraine Association
South Texas may be semi-arid and nearly desert, but the climate does produce some pretty foliage. This is a good example.
I made it tough with the cut I chose. Took me 10.5 minutes to work it. You’re free to change the cut, too.
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I know this is Tip-sy Tuesday, but no, I don’t know how to tell someone their perfume smells bad. Someone went to Google, searched on that phrase, and found my blog.
And I could really sympathisize with that person. Many of us have needed to know exactly that. How do you tell someone that their perfume literally makes you sick.
There just isn’t an easy way. For many years, I thought that my problem was an allergy. And many people don’t really understand the difference there. Why not call it an allergy? Well, to get technical, an allergy is an immunological response to something - an allergen.
Unfortunately, some people interpret “I am allergic to your perfume” as “I don’t like your perfume”. Well that’s not what is meant. For example, I’m allergic to coconut. I happen to like coconut, a lot. I occasionally even have a craving for a Mounds bar. But I don’t give in to that craving because of my allergy. Another example, I’m allergic to cats. And I love cats! In fact, my cat is currently sleeping on my desk while I type this. That is an allergy that I have learned to deal with.
But perfumes and fragrances are another matter. In fact, rather than being an allergy, my reaction is a neurological reaction. Which explains why sometimes, with a migraine, I just can’t even think straight. And that can be very scary.
The reactions people have when I tell them that their perfume bothers me are strong. I once had a lady sit down next to me on a bus - she had the aisle seat. Immediately, I knew there would be a problem with her perfume. Her response? “I like this seat, I’m not moving.” And so, I got up and moved, although I was sorely tempted to remain and tell her that often my reaction included projectile vomiting!
I’ve also had people - even family - inform me that they have lost too many rights already, and that they have a right to wear their perfume. Sadly, between perfumes and air fresheners, this type of attitude has denied me my right to be out in public.
So, perhaps my tip today is more for the wearers of perfume. If someone tells you that your perfume bothers them, try to look at the world from their point of view. Do you have any idea how hard it is for us to tell someone that? We don’t make it up. We certainly don’t do it to attack you. It’ just a matter of our trying to survive in this world.
The next time someone lets you know that they react to your perfume, just say “I’m sorry, I’ll try not to wear it in your presence.” And then do it!
This plant is called Hen and Chick. We have some in our backyard. My husband’s grandmother had it in her backyard in High Point, North Carolina then took it with her to Florida. He got some of it in Florida and has had it growing for over 20 years! It just grows, doesn’t mind drought, doesn’t mind freezes. I swear it takes over if you let it!
Many thanks Myh for identifying the plant from May 25. She identified it as Sempervivum tectorum and an internet search tells us that both plants are called Hen and Chick. You can read her full comment by following the link.
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All my life I have been a mostly natural person. Growing up, my mom cooked from scratch rather than buying packaged mixes - such as for cakes and cookies. We did have store-bought bread and cookies. But if Mom baked a cake, she started with eggs and flour and baked a cake. One of my sisters was vegetarian for a while. During that time I spent a lot of time at her place. She was always baking bread or cooking something yummy. All from scratch. She also knew more about nutrition than most people. I learned a lot about cooking from her.
In the last six years, all that knowledge has come in handy. Due to health issues, I’m on a strict low-sodium diet - no more than 2,000 mg/day. Plus, I now have migraines triggered by a lot of things that never were a problem - msg, most nuts, nitrates, nitrites, all of the artificial sweeteners, and more. It has forced me to read labels very carefully and also to make more things from scratch.
I highly recommend reading labels. It can be frustrating, but it also is revealing. Things to watch out for:
The most disturbing thing that I have found while reading labels is the addition of carrageenan to foods. I first found that it is in many ice creams. What is carrageenan? (You’ll also see carageenan, but carrageenan is the correct spelling.) According to the dictionary:
a substance extracted from red and purple seaweeds, consisting of a mixture of polysaccharides. It is used as a thickening or emulsifying agent in food products.
It disturbed me because I once worked in medical research. The group I worked with was studying tumors. They would inject animals with a known carcinogen. But the concoction they used also contained carrageenan. Why carrageenan? Because it acted as a tumor promoter. It didn’t really cause the tumor, but it helped with its development. I don’t think I want to eat much of that!
I have read, too, that the seaweed from which carrageenan is extracted can be beneficial. I believe it is a matter of quantity. I looked up carrageenan online and found that it is in many food products: desserts, ice cream, milk shakes, sauces, beer, processed meats, skim milk, soy milks, diet sodas, yogurt, and many more.
Want more information? Read the following links, or do an internet search on carrageenan.
Wikipedia on Carrageenan
Stomach aches caused by Carrageenan
Carrageenan and Colon Cancer
Here’s a few suggestions to help the people in your life that are fragrance-challenged. And believe that they are there, whether you know it or not. You’d be surprised how many people are silent about this health issue.
