Migraine Headaches Are The Result Of A Disturbance In The Neurochemist

Migraine headaches are the result of a disturbance in the neurochemistry of the central nervous system. They are relatively common, affecting three times as many women as men. Migraine sufferers typically report a definite pattern to their headaches, and they can report what stimuli bring them on. Most migraine sufferers experience their first attack before the age of 20. There is no single cause of migraines, but the tendency to get migraines does tend to run in families. When a migraine occurs, it means that something has altered several of the neurotransmitter-sensitive receptors located on the outside surface of the nerve cells (neurons) so that the nervous system is no longer able to constantly maintain the natural balance that the nervous system is intended to maintain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that nerve cells (neurons) use to communicate messages to each other. Receptors are special areas that receive these chemical messages. The key neurotransmitter in migraine is called serotonin (often referred to in the scientific literature as 5-HT or 5-hydroxytryptophan). If something interferes with the normal functioning (production, release, receptor docking, and/or re-uptake) of serotonin, that disrupts the normal functioning of the nervous system and can lead to various symptoms associated with migraine. The severe pain associated with migraine occurs when the mechanism that normally inhibits and/or mediates pain is disabled. There is no actual tissue damage occuring during a migraine attack. Instead, the pain results from a deranged neurochemistry. Migraine pain is like a loud fire alarm bell ringing when there is no fire. Scientists suspect that a caffeine withdrawal could be the possible cause of common migraines. Why? Well, caffeine is a powerful psychoactive drug that is addictive. Caffeine withdrawals produce all the same symptoms as migraine. Chronic caffeine use causes a number of changes to the central nervous system. Caffeine use increases the number of some types of serotonin receptors and some types of adenosine receptors as well. Adenosine is another neurotransmitter; adenosine strongly inhibits serotonin release. Chronic caffeine use increases the number of adenosine receptors.(The body is trying to compensate for the constant presence of caffeine, which occupies and blockades adenosine receptors and thus interferes with adenosine reception.) When caffeine is withdrawn, however, the chronic caffeine user is left with too many adenosine receptors. Having too many adenosine receptors is equivalent to having too much adenosine. As a result, serotonin release is inhibited and this leads to migraine symptoms. As you know there are many drugs used against migraine. Many of these drugs contain caffeine, for good reason: caffeine relieves migraine by reversing caffeine withdrawal. Migraine drugs that contain caffeine include Fiorinal (40mg caffeine), Fioricet (40mg caffeine), Excedrin (65mg caffeine), Anacin (32mg caffeine), Cafergot, Norgesic Forte (60mg caffeine), and others. Sumatriptan (Imitrex) is effective in relieving migraine attacks presumably because the sumatriptan molocule mimics (is very similar to) the serotonin molocule, and thus is called a serotonin agonist (helper). Sumatriptan, in other words, makes up for the shortfall of serotonin by occupying certain types of serotonin receptors. Sumatriptan is called a selective serotonin agonist because it has a greater affinity for (sticks more to) certain types of serotonin receptors than others. Other drugs, such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft, are intended for the treatment of depression but they also seem to reduce frequency and/or severity of headaches including migraine (although they are not as effective as sumatriptan against oncoming migraine attacks). These drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which means they interfere in the reuptake of serotonin back into the interior of the nerve cells (neurons). To understand what reuptake means you need to understand that neurotransmitters, once released, must be quickly grabbed and transported back into the interior of nerve cells for reuse. That must happen to "clears the boards" for the next message. If something (like Paxil) interferes with re-uptake of serotonin, that makes more serotonin available to dock with serotonin receptors. That explains why these anti-depressant drugs help reduce migraine to a certain extent. If caffeine withdrawal causes migraines then there is a way to end your migraines without surgery. You would have to either quit caffeine entirely or else maintain consistent daily caffeine intake. To do either you would need to be aware of all caffeine sources in food, drink, and

10 Most Exciting Outdoor Blogs

10 Most Exciting Outdoor Blogs Are you in love with wide open spaces? Are you always in for a bit of adventure? If you answered yes to either of these questions, these ten excellent outdoor blogs may be for you. The Big Outside This website/blog, curated by a long-time outdoor enthusiast Michael Lanza, is a wealth of information, not just about wilderness adventures, but about wilderness adventures with children. Michael is a family man and has a unique perspective on adventuring with humans whose age hasn’t cracked the single digits yet. This website has plenty of the standard outdoor fare gear reviews, trips and adventures, advice – but it’s the family adventures section that really sets it apart. thebigoutside.com US Outdoor Blog The USOutdoor.com blog is a unique collection of tips articles by the staff of the U.S. Outdoor Store in Portland, Oregon. But rather than being just a place where everything is lumped together, the USOutdoor.com blog is broken into categories to make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Interested in camping? Click on the â€Å"We Camp† link. Does climbing get your engine going? Check out the â€Å"We Climb† section. Need advice on clothing? â€Å"We Wear† is where you want to be. Hiking? Riding (as in snowboarding)? Skiing? Surfing? Yep, there’s a link for that. blog.usoutdoor.com Outdoor Alliance Though the suffix on this website (.org) might give you some idea as to its purpose, its mission statement says it all: â€Å"†¦to protect, enhance, and promote the human-powered outdoor recreation experience by uniting the voice of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve America’s public lands.† OutdoorAllicance.org brings together the likes of American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, and the Mountaineers with the goal of protecting public lands. The blog also provides the outlook for various outdoor adventures. outdooralliance.org Love the Outdoors A back-to-basics website (format, not living off the land) with a wealth of information for all your outdoor adventure needs. Though its not full of pictures and vivid Internet bells and whistles, it offers plenty of advice on everything from beginning mountain biking to avoiding wildlife habitat when finding a campsite and freshwater fishing. lovetheoutdoors.com The Planet D ThePlanetD.com is another unique perspective on the outdoor/adventure lifestyle. Long-married couple Dave and Deb left their jobs in the Toronto Film Industry to start a life of adventure and travel. Experience round-the-world adventures through their eyes. theplanetd.com Mr And Mrs Adventure Newly-married couple Drew and Brittany left behind their California lives to travel far and wide, experience adventure, and live in a van (not down by the river). MrAndMrsAdventure.com is another unique perspective amidst the mass of outdoor websites. What are the challenges of being married and constantly on the road? This site is filled with great advice on living the nomadic life and finding adventure wherever you are. mrandmrsadventure.com The Campsite Blog A foray into the spiritual as well as the outdoors. TheCampsiteBlog.com is all about creative ideas that spur adventure, travel experiences, and subjects of conversation and debate. To quote the blog itself: â€Å"The Campsite is all about sharing and learning from one another just as we would sitting around that cozy campfire.† But TheCampsiteBlog.com is about more than just finding yourself outdoors (and yes, there is a double meaning in â€Å"finding yourself†), its â€Å"In The Backpack† section provides a wide range of articles that will help you in your journey into yourself and into the wilderness. thecampsiteblog.com Dirtbag Darling A great resource for the outdoor adventure lifestyle from former surf-magazine editor Johnie Gall. The site is organized by activity (water, land, snow) and places (east coast, west coast, mid-west, south international) and includes how-to guides, gear reviews, a journal, and a section entitled, â€Å"Defenders of Fun†. An interesting site with advice and musings from a girl who’s not afraid to live in a van. dirtbagdarling.com Adventure Filled An adventure-filled blog from adventure enthusiast Laurie Tewksbury. AdventureFilled.com has the usual gear reviews and how-tos for the outdoor adventurer but it also has some unique perspectives about life and love (of the outdoors). Check out â€Å"52 in 52† about Laurie’s goal of achieving 52 hikes in 52 weeks or â€Å"How to Keep Adventuring When Life Gets in the Way†. adventurefilled.com Just a Colorado Gal A blog about life and living outdoors (not literally but as much as possible). Blog writer Heather chronicles her adventures around the world, touches on the standard topics of gear and various forms of outdoor activities, and throws in some perspectives on health, fitness, and the state of being away from civilization. justacoloradogal.com So whether you’re new to the lifestyle or a long time adventure-seeker, you’d be hard pressed to go wrong with any of these excellent outdoor blogs.

Standardizing Data Center Energy Efficiency Metrics in Preparation for Term Paper

Standardizing Data Center Energy Efficiency Metrics in Preparation for Global Competition - Term Paper Example Information technology is believed to provide the benefit of operational brilliance, fresh services, products, business models, customer as well as supplier familiarity, enhanced decision making, competitive advantage and most importantly sustained survival in the industry. Information technology is also being applied in the field of community services or rather in the area of humanities as well as social sciences. Thus, this paper will intend to focus on a particular technology along with its application in terms of business problems in the field of community services or development. The business problem selected for the study will be related to the management of information services or communication for the elderly in various areas that includes health, finance and entertainment along with sports. The technology or strategy that has been chosen for the reason of overcoming this problem is reshaping of the data center. Therefore, the paper will intend to substantiate and to validate the application of the technology of reshaping the data center for the purpose of enhancing a social-related cause (Girju, â€Å"Toward a New Generation of Tools and Technologies for Social Sciences: The Intertwined Roles of the Humanities, Social Sciences and Engineering†). ... For instance, the current discoveries made in the fields of neuroscience, imaging, genomics and computing along with various other fields have formulated the need for fresh tools with regard to the purpose of conducting scientific study in SBE. It has been observed in this regard that various sectors such as sports, finance, health and entertainment are extensively making the use of information technology. The businesses carrying out operations for the reason of providing the mentioned kind of services are constantly identifying the need of applying relevant technologies that are believed to enhance their business operations. The recent state of affairs in relation to information technologies with regard to SBE researches are measured to call for the requirement of a fresh generation of technologies, infrastructure and tools. It turns out to be imperative to mention in this regard that this stated fresh iteration has been measured to recognize the need for the involvement of humanist ic consciousness in association with the prevailing computational systems. Therefore, the need of new and sophisticated technologies in the field of humanities as well as social sciences can be well identified from the provided explanation (Girju, â€Å"Toward a New Generation of Tools and Technologies for Social Sciences: The Intertwined Roles of the Humanities, Social Sciences and Engineering†). Business Idea The sector of information technology is learnt to be growing presently across the globe extensively but it also has been observed in this respect that the existing companies providing services of offering custom made technologies for business houses often fail to cater to the overall requirements of the organizations or the clients owing to the lack of comprehension of the