Director, Emergency Services, Bikur Cholim Hospital
I have spoken about migraines in the past, but I will answer
a reader's questions on this subject. We used to think
migraines were caused by spasm of blood vessels but we now
know differently. Indeed they are caused by a complex release
of hormones that act on the brain to cause that deep, boring
headache. Migraines can have many triggers, and most people
know what their own are from themselves. Mine are lack of
sleep and being sick.
Migraines are best treated by the drug class called triptans,
and there are new ones of this class coming out every year.
The differences are small in the newer ones, and our sponsor
makes Imitrex, which is the only one that has an injectable
and nasal spray form for fast acting. Taking Tylenol —
or in Israel Acamol — is a safe way to deal with
pain.
Migraines can be brought on by heavy brain work but this is
usually because of the lack of sleep and not the heavy work.
Long exposure to the monitor of computers has been known to
cause seizures, and probably headaches as well.
The correspondent asks about drinking after sports. We have
mentioned that a balanced drink is the best, like juices.
Water is not the best, as it does not replace salts.
I have been asked about sleep apnea. This is a problem in
overweight people where they stop breathing during sleep
which causes the person not to sleep well. They need to be on
breathing machines during sleep — yet another reason to
shed those extra pounds.
Can exercise improve urinary incontinence? Probably, but
there are special exercises that can strengthen the bladder
floor, and that is important for women after birth. Write me
in care of the Yated.
GlaxoSmithKline is the sponsor of this column.
