Celebrity Illness - Quote - 2min with Hippocrates - Your Health - Lifestyle Tip - Web Watch - Win It - Just for Fun

Famous Migraines

Anyone who suffers from migraines will tell you they can be very debilitating.
The nausea, intense pain on one side of the head, and sensitivity to light can make it difficult to do anything except rest in a darkened room.

Don’t let this get you down! Many famous people have or still do suffer migraines including Julius Caesar, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Lewis Carroll, Sigmund Freud, Vincent Van Gogh, and, among contemporaries, Princess Margaret and Stephen King.

Could migraines have helped some people become famous? The painting styles of some abstract artists may have been inspired by the visual disturbances called aura that often accompany migraines.

Picasso's famous paintings of fractured faces, with noses and eyes crazily shifted from their usual places are similar to the distortions seen by some people with migraines. Picasso was never recorded as having headaches but some experts believe he suffered from a type of migraine that mainly presents with visual disturbances.

For most people there is nothing good about a migraine. Migraines need not be ignored or endured in silence. Treatments for migraine are improving all the time and the National Headache Foundation believes no-one should suffer migraines as ‘normal’.

Here are some links if you would like more information about migraine.

Migraine Awareness Group
Merck Sharp & Dohme
National Headache Foundation

 Quote

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'
John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

A good quote to keep in mind for your New Year resolutions don't you think? There's no time like now to start new beginnings.

 2min with Hippocrates

Warts and All

Warts are a swelling in the outer layer of the skin caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). They spread from person to person so they most often appear on the hands, fingers and soles of the feet. Genital warts occur on the genital and anal areas. The medical term for a wart is a “verruca”. Common warts have a bumpy appearance like a cauliflower if you look at them closely.

Normally warts are not a danger to your health but it is a good idea to show them to a doctor. Plantar warts on the soles of the feet can be very painful so they may get you to the doctor whether you like it or not. You should definitely show genital warts to a doctor as they have been linked to cervical cancer.

People tend to build immunity to warts as they age, so they are more common in children but they can occur at any age. In two out of three cases warts will disappear by themselves. Some physicians recommend leaving warts alone, particularly in children so their immune system can strengthen and learn to cope with the virus.

Other doctors believe it’s a good idea to treat at least a few warts to stimulate the body to fight the virus. In other words, removing one or two warts sometimes causes the other warts on the same person to disappear without treatment.

If the warts are not too large you can try using patches or wart paint from the drug store. Whatever you choose to do about warts, all experts agree that you should not try to cut them out yourself as you have a good chance of re-infecting yourself with the wart virus.

 Your Health

Atkins Diet not for Catherine Zeta Jones

Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta Jones planned to sue over stories in the press that she has used the Atkins diet. Representatives have claimed she has been wrongly linked, in some reports, to the diet.

Zeta Jones said that being associated with the diet gave the impression that she was more concerned with her appearance than her health. She also pointed out that the diet is still considered dangerous by some nutritionists.

Although YDzine can’t vouch for the diet's safety or effectiveness we thought we would give you a brief overview of what it involves. The Atkins diet is probably the most famous of all the low carbohydrate diets and consists of four phases.

The first phase is the Induction Phase, which lasts for 14 days and restricts carbohydrate intake. Bread, cereals, pasta starchy vegetables and sugary foods are restricted. Nutrient-rich foods, especially meat, are encouraged. Vita-nutrient supplements are also recommended.

The second phase of the Atkins diet is Ongoing Weight Loss or (OWL), to be followed until the ‘target weight’ is almost achieved. Weight loss is slower, and some foods are allowed back into the diet.

The third phase of the Atkins diet is called the Pre-Maintenance stage, weight loss is very slow and a few more foods are re-introduced into one's diet.

The fourth and final stage of the Atkins diet is called the Maintenance Diet, designed to maintain the target weight. Dieters following this low carbohydrate diet are encouraged to stick with the fourth phase diet for life, to remain healthy and avoid gaining weight.

 Lifestyle Tip

Email us your lifestyle tips. Please include your name and state if you wish to be acknowledged.

 Web Watch

My50 – Check out these great ideas for your New Year's resolutions. The website called "My 50 things to do in my lifetime" has a good list of things you shouldn't miss out on.

Lego.com – The makers of those little colored blocks for kids have a great website. Check out the Star Wars movies featuring Lego characters.

 Win It!

Announcing our Christmas stocking winners!

Congratulations: Susie, Tanya, Jane, Linda and Lauri

Here's Tanya's poem about YourDiagnosis -

Why wait for the doctor to tell you what's wrong,
you can do it much quicker with yourdiagnosis.com.
No waiting in rooms full of germs and disease,
do it from you own home with comfort and ease!

Win Aussie Music Packs!
Check out the latest bands to come out of Australia including artists from the record labels Modular and Universal Music Australia. You can be the first to discover the next Silverchair or Delta Goodrem!

How? Tell us your favourite (clean) joke. You could win the prize and we will publish it in the next newsletter. Make sure its not too long.

Send it to editor@yourdiagnosis.com

Don't forget the YDzine members offer!

5th timers get one FREE. Every YDzine reader who registers during our first year will automatically receive a complimentary YD session on completion of their fifth session. This means 5 sessions gets one FREE. (offer valid to October 2004)

Congratulations to those who have already received a free session.

 Just for Fun

Joke

Q: What kind of person steals soap?
A: A dirty crook

Fun fact

Q: What's the largest organ in the human body?
A: The skin! It has a a surface area of about twenty five square feet. You can fairly accurately measure how much your skin weighs by dividing your body weight by sixteen. For example, if you were a hundred and twenty pounds your skin would weigh 7 and a half pounds.

 Hot Dates

February 2: Groundhog Day

"If the sun shines on Groundhog Day; Half the fuel and half the hay" More Information

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