Familie Kontoret

Archive for November, 2011

Headaches are a real pain, literally. If they’re bad enough they can literally incapacitate you for the entire day. Proof of how bad they are can be seen in your local drug store where there are rows and rows of pain relievers to get rid of headaches. The choices are beyond comprehension. But the problem with all these choices is that for the uninformed consumer, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to decide on what pain reliever to buy. While we can’t possibly cover every pain reliever on the market, we’ll cover some of the more common ones including the potential side effects, which is really what most people need to be aware of.

Back in the good old days before there were so many choices, you had aspirin and that was it. Yes, there were many brands such as Bayer, Bufferin, Anacin, etc., but for the most part they were pretty much the same, with the main differences being in the amount of pain reliever in each pill and any special additives. One of the most common additives to aspirin is buffering, which is where we get Bufferin from. This buffering is a coating placed over the aspirin to make it so that it is easier on your stomach. And therein lies the main problem with taking aspirin for headaches.

As medical science has progressed, we have discovered that there are certain things that common drugs, even over the counter drugs, can do to you. One of the most common side effects of taking aspirin is stomach problems, which can be as mild as an upset stomach or as serious as ulcers, or worse. It is because of these recently detected problems in taking aspirin for headaches that these other pain relievers have been invented. These alternatives are not hard on the stomach, but do have other side effects.

One of these alternatives is Tylenol, which is the brand name for acetaminophen. While this drug is a lot easier on your stomach than aspirin, it has been recently discovered that over time, this drug can cause liver damage. It should be pointed out that studies show that a person would have to take about eight Tylenol a day for about 30 years to do serious liver damage. Still, the possibility is there, so you have to be careful when taking Tylenol or another brand name containing acetaminophen for your headache.

On thing most people don’t realize is that in addition to this pain reliever in Tylenol and drugs like it, another reason these drugs are effective in relieving headaches is because they contain caffeine. What the caffeine does is constrict the dilated blood vessels. This helps in relieving the pain in combination with the acetaminophen. Sometimes just having a couple cups of hot coffee can do just as good a job as the Tylenol. Just so you know, it is the acetaminophen that causes the liver damage, not the caffeine.

There are other drugs that can be taken for a headache but they are all either in the aspirin family or in the non-aspirin family which includes acetaminophen and ibuprofen. All of these drugs do have side effects, so please consult with your doctor before taking any of them.

If you’re looking for Invisalign braces in Essex, you might be wondering how the whole process of bringing your teeth more into line actually works. The process can be complex and a little bit expensive, but if you need your teeth straightened and don’t want to deal with the oral hygiene problems or the obvious visibility of traditional braces, it could definitely present an alternative option for you. Here’s how the process of obtaining and using Invisalign braces works.

First, an orthodontist will have to evaluate what your teeth are like and what problems need to be fixed. Don’t get your heart totally set on having Invisalign braces, though, because they aren’t appropriate for all types of teeth or all orthodontia problems. When you meet with your tooth-alignment specialist, you’ll be able to figure out whether or not you can even use this system for your teeth.

If you decide to go ahead with treatment by Invisalign braces in Essex, your orthodontist will contact the Invisalign company with pictures of where your teeth are and where they need to be. Then, the people at Invisalign will create a plan to straighten your teeth. Basically, this plan will show several different aligners that will be used in a particular order to move your teeth from point A to point B. Once you and your specialist confirm that these plans will get you where you need to go, the company will cast all of the aligners you need at once.

When you start treatment, you’ll just start going through the series of aligners. You’ll have to wear them for about twenty-two hours a day, which means that you’ll only take them out when you eat or brush your teeth. It’s really important that you stay on track and keep wearing your aligners whenever you are told to do so. At first, you might have to learn how to talk correctly with the aligners in, but normally people don’t have too much of a problem getting used to them.

Each time you make a visit to your tooth specialist, he or she will let you know if you need to move to the next aligner or not. Essentially, you’ll just move through the alignment system over time, and your teeth will gradually be straightened. One word of caution, though: Invisalign braces in Essex are meant to be used in order for specific amounts of time. If you forget to wear your aligner for a while, you might have to backtrack, or, worse yet, get a whole new set of aligners made!

While no one wants to hear of other people being stricken with cancer, celebrities with breast cancer often use their illness to help make people more aware of the risks of breast cancer as well as give others with the disease hope that they can overcome it as well.

Edie Falco

Edie Falco, star of both HBO shows “The Sopranos” and “OZ” was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was a young 40 years old, in 2003. She didn’t tell people at first, but instead secretly went into treatment. She didn’t reveal her cancer until after she was declared cancer free, but after that talked about openly. She was only secretive because she didn’t want to be asked constantly how she was feeling and if she was all right.

Jaclyn Smith

Jaclyn Smith whom everyone knows as Kelly Garret, one of “Charlie’s Angels” from the same-named TV show of the 1970s, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 56 years old in 2002. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women who are 55 years or older. Jaclyn was treated with a lumpectomy and radiation, because the disease was caught early during a routine self-exam. She works with groups like Susan G. Komen for the Cure and talks publicly about early detection and breast cancer risks.

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate is one of the youngest and most vocal celebrities with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2008 when she was only 36 years old. The former star of “Married with Children” was filming her new successful hit show “Samantha Who?” when she was diagnosed. She tested positive for a gene mutation that greatly increases the risk of breast cancer. And because her mother had also been diagnosed with breast cancer more than once, making heredity just one more risk factor for the young woman, she opted to not just have the breast with the cancer removed, but to have both removed. This double mastectomy was a preventative measure to stave off any future cancer. Applegate speaks out for the available of MRI testing for women of all income levels, because it was this test that detected her cancer early and has probably saved her life by reducing her risk of the cancer spreading or recurring.

Melissa Etheridge

Rocker Melissa Etheridge is one of the most recognizable celebrities with breast cancer. She was diagnosed at age 43 in 2004. She had a lumpectomy, which removes only the lump, and then an aggressive course of chemotherapy to help prevent spread and recurrence. She caught the cancer while giving herself a self-exam in the shower, and gave a performance in 2005 at the Grammy awards while bald, after having lost her hair to the chemotherapy. Many people in her family died of cancer, so she is now an outspoken advocate of prevention and research.

Sheryl Crow

Rocker Sheryl Crow is also one of the most well known celebrities with cancer. She was diagnosed at 44 in 2006, and is outspoken about early detection. Surgery and radiation were her treatments, with no chemo because the cancer was caught in the very early stages.