My head hurts May 2, 2008

 

I have a headache, so why you ma ask am I sitting in front of my laptop? Well because I didn’t get chance to watch this week’s Zero Punctuation review yet and i’ll be damned if anything gets in between me and that bitter, crazy english man.

I’ve suffered from migraine for a ling time, since I was about 12 or so. Ranging from headache with blurred vision to full on hemiplegic migraine (not cool). For anyone who has never experienced one or it you’re one of those people who refers to every headache as a migraine (I hate you people) the most pleasant way I can describe them would be if someone was standing on your head, pushing on your left eyeball and punching you in the stomach at the same time. So if like me you have had to endure this I researched a few different remedies to try and shake them off or possibly prevent them. Should be useful with the exams coming up.

Apples 

One forum suggests that eating apples can help to relieve migraine and insists that when over the counter medicine doesn’t help Granny Smith will.

Vinegar

At least three people on the site suggested that vinegar has helped them to recover from their migraine: ”An old fashioned remedy for any headache was to soak a piece from a brown paper bag with cider vinegar and apply it to the forehead. Something about breathing the fumes helps in some cases, anyway”.

Avoid Carbs

Stodgy carbohydrates sugar and caffeine are all triggers for migraine

B Vitamins

B Vitamins are good for warding off migraines. In particular, vitamins B2, B3 and B6. Migraines have also been liked to a deficiency in magnesium. Black beans, soy milk, oysters, whole grain breads, nuts, halibut and spinach are all rich in magnesium. Regular headaches can also be a sign of iron deficiency and anaemia. 

 

How to get through a particularly bad migraine

1. Get warm. If there’s one thing i learned it’s that feeling cold only makes it more frustrating and unpleasent. Throw on comfortable clothes or lie in bed.

2. Stay away from light. there’s nothing worse than having to put up with head pain and eye pain. It only makes you feel sicker.

3. Take deep breaths, make sure you get plenty of fresh air. Take a nap but leave the window open. 

4. Try not to think about it too much. I know it sounds crazy but I know from experience that lying around feeling sorry for yoursef makes it worse.

How Will History Tell Our Stories? April 15, 2008

When reading accounts of Christopher Columbus’ exploits it’s quite clear that the history books paint him as some kind of martyr. First hand accounts of his expeditions including diaries from people who travelled with him tell of the real Christopher Columbus being a vicious and brutal man who not only removed people from their land, he tortured and killed them in order to get his way. Despite being told about little else but his skills as a navigator, those who knew Columbus feared and detested him.

This made me wonder about some of our leaders and influential figures. Barely two days after announcing his retirement people were quick to talk about all the good that Bertie Ahern did in office and I would put money on it that this will happen after George Bush leaves office…well maybe not Bush but you get the idea.

Our generation has already bought into so many religious and racial stereotypes. Is it possible that the events that set these in motion such as September 11th will only be exaggerated with time? The purple, monkey, dishwasher effect if you will.

Head Shops February 3, 2008

 

Drugs aren’t exactly hard to find these days. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone and so on. This is why drug use is so common in Ireland. But did you know that there is a wide range of legal drugs available to buy over the counter in Dublin? And I don’t mean your Saturday night bottle of Calpol. The Head Shop in temple bar sells a whole range of herbal stimulants, hallucinogens and psychotropic drugs such as milder equivalents of acid in the form of Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds or herbal ecstasy. They even have a MySpace page to advertise the “legal high” they provide. The drugs are relatively cheap as well. For about €10 you could forget your entire weekend and potentially cause yourself long term damage, a steal.

Herbal drugs are a growing trend in Dublin and not only are they just as potent as chemical drugs they are perfectly legal too. The drugs are natural alternatives to stronger illegal drugs. They contain no additives or chemicals which are common in other drugs mainly because producers add ingredients to weight them down (rat poison, broken glass etc, everything the growing body needs).

In theory they are a safe alternative to chemical drugs, but in reality they are just as dangerous as illegal drugs. Many of the natural ingredients are harmful including enormous quantities of caffeine which even the staff in the Head Store warned has cause heart palpitations among users.

The danger with these drugs is the same as with chemical drugs; the person tripping may cause the same damage to themselves that they would on a chemically produced trip like how people who take acid have been known to harm and mutilate themselves under its influence.

Website erowid.org lists all available drugs including legal “smart drugs” that are supposed to increase brain capacity and learning ability, just think Carol Vorderman on speed. The website includes a list of people’s experiences both good and bad and provides adequate warnings. The general idea is that if you’re going to do something stupid like take drugs, you should at least try and be smart about it.