Metzler

"Not tonight, I have a headache." How often do we hear this? Do we always believe it? Actually it may be true. Headaches are as common as getting pimples and acne during adolescence. There are different varieties of headaches. They get triggered unknowingly by several common reasons.

Headaches Triggered By Food: Certain food or combination of foods causes headaches. Dairy products like cheese are very common. Apart from that chocolates, citrus fruits, tomatoes, figs and milk together and many more. Too much intake of sugar results in a rapid increase in the blood sugar level and triggers a high level of insulin; eventually this causes the blood sugar to fall even lower than before and a headache sets in.

If you are able to pinpoint the ache after particular intake of food, then changing your diet can resolve this at an early stage.

Sometimes extreme cold temperatures and food like ice cream or a cold drink can cause numbness and trigger the pain. Others are affected by junk food and Chinese food which have a high content of monosodium glumate (MSG).

Another classic reason for headache is caffeine abuse. People who consume plenty of tea, coffee, colas and chocolate are prone to this. It is an addiction and the moment they stop drinking the required amount for the day, they suffer headaches as a sign of withdrawal symptom. Smoking also triggers aches in many people accompanied with the burning sensation of the eyes. The best solution would be to give up smoking or limit it as much as possible.

Medications Hit Back: There are many victims of headaches who start taking pills even before the onset of one. A slight stressful situation and they pop couple of them. But actually if you reduce the intake of such medications, the headaches will become less frequent.

Most medications taken are anti-inflammatory drugs. They seem to give the relief but they actually damage the lining of the stomach, liver and in some cases even kidneys. Regular intake of these tablets may give rise to analgesic abuse headache.

The best way to handle this is have green tea or hot milk with honey which create a soothing effect on the nerves. Some people get relaxed with cold water or ice packs placed on their head. Try as much as possible to reduce the pain with external methods rather than giving up and grabbing the bottle of pills.

Toxin Headaches: Severe constipation can also trigger headache. The toxins accumulated for a long period of time do not get a release and that leads to various side effects. A diet with a lot of fibre helps to solve this. Fruits like banana, apples and papaya work wonders. Along with that one needs to drink minimum eight glasses of water daily.

Hunger Headaches: This is extremely common when people skip breakfast or lunches and even those who crash diet. The level of sugar in the body gets lowered because of lack of nutrition; it leads to the ache. The person also suffers from irritability and mood swings. Eating a balanced meal and at regular intervals can easily cure this pain attack.

Activity Headaches: The things we love doing the most sometimes gives rise to headaches like watching television for a long time or working on the computer. The glare of the screen fatigues the eyes, causes strain and gives rise to the headache. Similarly listening to loud music, or even using headphones causes similar throbbing pain.

Sun exposure for a long time triggers the ache. In such situations, try to sit in the shade, drink plenty of fluids and relax. Wear sunglasses or some kind of headgear like hat or scarf so that you can enjoy playing your favorite sport like golf, tennis or even enjoy shopping in the sun.

Hangover Headaches: Weekend partying or pub hopping can result in too much drinking. The excess intake of alcohol causes dehydration. It also affects the sleep and causes lowering of the blood sugar level. An additive called congeners present in certain brands of alcohol is known to cause this pain. If you can limit your drinking and keep the body hydrated with a lot of water then this headache can be managed.

Tension Headaches: This is very common and it starts off with a mild throbbing and then intensifies as the day progresses and becomes unbearable by evening. Sometimes this extends to the neck causes stiffness and soreness. The only way to manage this is relax, learn some breathing exercises or take a walk. Seek advice from colleagues and friends to resolve the problem and feel at ease again.

Migraine The Killer Headache: This is the most painful headache of all. Its classic symptoms are severe pain on one side of the head. It lingers for three to four days constantly. The sufferer feels nauseous or has a gastric problem and is affected by noise and light. These get triggered with various foods like cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits etc. There are medications available which should be consulted with the doctor before consumption.

Studies have shown that women get three times more headache than men and usually more of migraine. It is recommended that sufferers should eat well-balanced meals at proper intervals, exercise regularly and get sufficient hours of sleep. If you are unable to bear the pain and find the frequency of headache increased then it is best to seek a doctors advice.

Life has many ups and downs and such pains do interrupt us from our normal routine but precautions can be taken to maintain a successful and accomplished existence.

Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007

Be Updated In The Latest Research On Migraine And Its Potential Victims

Nayna Chakrabarty, a talented writer has many popular articles published on http://www.nayna.in

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Speaking in public can be a powerful way to build a business. It can help raise the profile of your business, generate new leads and create greater profits. But speaking in public can be nervewracking and seriously stressful for first timers. Writing a speech can be a major challenge, especially for technical writers.

We can all learn from watching professional speakers.

I have achieved a long held ambition to hear Bill Clinton - in Perth on Saturday February 23, 2002. It was a fantastic event! My motivation? Anyone who earns $300,000 for a 50 minute keynote presentation must be good. As a professional speaker, I wanted to see Clinton in action. I didn't want to only hear what he said, but how he said it.

Here's my analysis of what I learnt from hearing Bill Clinton in person and noting how he was presented. You should be able to adapt at least some of these points to fit your own circumstances.

1.The marketing strategy
In previous years a big advertising blitz brought audiences to see speakers such as former Soviet leader Gorbachov and others. Their marketing approach was very commercially focused with a massive advertising budget. The Clinton event had a more humanitarian angle with funds being raised for a good cause, namely sick kids through The Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Foundation. This was a better match with Clinton's core values of building community and having an empathy with the concerns of ordinary people. The marketing campaign relied heavily on positive media coverage to create awareness of the event.

2.A memorable entry
Clinton's entry to the ballroom was brilliantly stage-managed. Everyone was asked to stand and then he walked into the room to his US Presidential election theme song 'Happy Days are here again'. The emotion in the room was electric and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

3.Personal presentation
His dress and presentation was absolutely immaculate. (Maybe the $500 haircuts help.) Many women at my table commented that Clinton was far better looking in the flesh than on TV.

4.The Power of Presence
There was a buzz about being in the same room as President Clinton. His body language, smile and confident hand shake exuded charisma. His considerable charm reminded me of that high school science experiment when you tip iron filings onto a white sheet of paper covering a strong magnet. People were attracted to Clinton like metal filings to a powerful magnetic field.

5.Warm-up
Alan Jones was MC and the warm-up included a short film taking a light hearted look at Clinton's last days in office. Scenes included Clinton washing the Presidential car, clipping the hedges and playing switchboard operator in the Oval Room. A great scene from a press conference showed Clinton waking a single sleeping journalist.

6.Introduction
A well constructed introduction helped build empathy and highlighted that Clinton's life had not all been plain sailing. The fact that his father died when he was young, his mother was a nursing assistant and he was born in Hope, a town of 10,000 people, helped put his success and achievements in context.

7.Building on the sense of destiny
A strong personal brand is built on stories. The story of Clinton meeting President Kennedy when on a youth leadership camp was used to great effect. Not only was it mentioned in the introduction but that famous photo of Clinton shaking JFK's hand was also used in the marketing materials. Other brand building shots included an intimate moment with Hilary, a shot of him playing the saxophone, a jogging photo, one with Chelsea and one featuring Clinton lined up with 3 past Presidents. They all helped to define Clinton the man.

8.Customising the message
Clinton's speech in Perth was customised to include stories relevant to a Perth market, including his memories of Perth switching on its lights at night for a US space mission re-entry and comments on a former US President's career as a mining engineer in Kalgoorlie.

9.Using humour
Clinton had some great lines about how he could have helped previous Presidents in dealing with the media in tricky situations.

10.Memorable one liners using opposites
This can be very effective. When talking about possible solutions to the war against terrorism, Clinton said "most of the big things in life are simple".

11.Repetition
Clinton used this proven speechwriting technique to great effect.

12.Using metaphors
Clinton used the metaphor of the gap between the invention of the club and the shield to describe the present situation in the war against terrorism. He said "this gap needs to closed". Metaphors can give intangible concepts more impact with an audience.

13.Develop empathy with the audience
Clinton told the story of how he was in Australia at Port Douglas on September 11th and how his daughter Chelsea was in downtown New York. He connected with every parent in the room when he talked about his feelings when he couldn't contact his daughter for three hours on that day.

14.A call to action
The aim of the event was to raise money for a Children's hospital. Clinton's final words were "I want you to help". Simple, direct and powerful.

I hope you have enjoyed this analysis. I certainly learnt a lot by seeing one of the world's great communicators in action. Whatever your personal views on Clinton are ... his personal warmth, ability to connect with an audience and presentation skills are outstanding.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.