Sometimes infections can cause auto-antibodies to be produced and this may be a causes of Lupus. When the immune system goes wrong, antibodies can be formed that bind to parts of the body (an auto-antibody). The antibodies circulate in the blood, but sometimes cell walls let these antibodies in. These can then attack the DNA in the cell’s nucleus. That’s why some organs are attacked during a flare while others aren’t.

To further complicate things, lupus flares and infections mimic each other. Both conditions show signs of fever, chills, pain, lack of energy and motivation. The only way to know for sure is to get a blood test that will measure your white blood count. Some physicians find a C-reactive protein (CRP) blood test to be helpful in differentiating active lupus from infection, but this is controversial.

The treatment of infections in lupus patients is basically the same as for other patients. Even those taking high doses of immunosuppressive medications for their lupus may respond well to antibiotics. The use of sulfa and penicillin drugs in the treatment of infections should be avoided whenever possible, because they can increase photosensitivity and they may aggravate the condition. Bacterial infections have a tendency to adapt genetically and resist antibiotics over time. You should urge your doctor to use caution when using antibiotics for fear of the drugs becoming less effective. Some bacteria build a tolerance to antibiotics, making it difficult to treat diseases such as meningitis and lyme disease. To prevent possible infections, patients at high risk of infection often benefit from taking antibiotics before dental treatment or surgical procedures. This is especially important if you have had joint replacements, as there is an increased risk of infection. In general, individuals with lupus should avoid exposure to people with colds or other infections.

There seems to be some controversy regarding immunization shots and lupus patients. It seems the medical society is at odds as to whether or not getting immunizations, including flu shots, is detrimental to lupus patients. Lupus patients make fewer antibodies that circulate for shorter periods of time and have more adverse reactions after receiving a flu shot but there seems to be some agreement that flu shots are safe. However it is not recommended for patients who are on steroids, i.e., prednisone or cytotoxic, i.e., (cytoxan, imuran) therapy to receive live vaccines because these drugs hamper the immune system thus running the risk of infection or a flare. It is important that lupus patients consult their rheumatologist before receiving any type of allergy shots (immunotherapy). In 1989, the World Health Organization recommended that patients with autoimmune diseases not take allergy shots (immunotherapy) because they will flare.

According to a report from the Lupus Foundation of America, infections that occur in people with lupus fall into two categories. The first category includes infections caused by organisms which can induce infection in anybody. This category includes organisms such as streptococcus (which causes strep throat) and staphylococcus (which causes staph infections). The second category consists of “opportunistic” infections. Opportunistic infections are caused by organisms capable of inducing disease only when one’s immune system is weakened. Most of the opportunistic infections are fungal, parasitic or protozoan.

The most common infections that lupus patients contract involve the respiratory tract, skin and urinary tract and usually these are not serious and only a few lupus patients will need aggressive hospital treatment for infections. However, infections in lupus patients tend to last longer and require a longer course of treatment with antibiotics than infections in people who do not have lupus. It is also important to know that hydrocortisone medications increase the likelihood of fungal infections because it eliminates both good and bad bacteria making yeast and thrush infections hard to control. In someone with an impaired immune system, however, such infections, called dermatophytoses, can persist for long periods Fungi can also invade internal organs of the body, especially the lungs, where the infections resemble pneumonia or pulmonary tuberculosis. Lupus patients are at an unusually high risk for contracting salmonella, herpes zoster and candida (yeast) infections. Oral infection and yeast infection are common among lupus patients and should be avoided at all cost. Bacterial infections are also common with urinary tract and respiratory tract infections being quite common especially if you have allergies.

The fight to be healthy is dependent on the support of physicians and knowing yourself. Anytime something is amiss it is important to step back and evaluate what is going on and seek medical attention.

Glossary

Antibodies-proteins produced by white blood cells (B lymphocytes). Their normal function is to stick to bacteria and make them easy for the white blood cells to capture and destroy.

Autoimmune-means that the immune system treats the body as if was a foreign component and builds anibodies against it in other words, the body is fighting itself.

Fungus Infections-diseases caused by the growth of fungi in or on the body. In most healthy people fungal infections are mild, involving only the skin, hair, nails, or other superficial sites, and they clear up spontaneously. See Thrush.

Immune system-a group of cells, molecules and organs that act together to defend the body against foreign invaders that may cause disease. The health of the body is dependent on the immune system’s ability to recognize and repel invaders.

Infection-injurious contamination of the body or part of the body by pathogenic agents, such as fungi (see Fungus Infections), bacteria, protozoa, rickettsiae, or viruses, or by the toxins that these agents may produce.
Herpes zoster, or shingles-is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. The rash of blisters, usually confined to one side of the body, erupts when dormant virus particles reproduce in the nerves supplying the skin. Because the virus damages nerves in particular, pain, sometimes severe, may persist for many months after the rash heals. Herpes zoster may occur at any age, but older and immunosuppressed patients are most frequently and seriously affected.

Hydrocortisone-also known as cortisol, common names for 17-hydroxy-corticosterone, the principal hormone secreted by the outer layer, or cortex, of the adrenal gland. Hydrocortisone affects the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein, and fat; the maturation of white blood cells; the retention of salt and water in the body; the activity of the nervous system; and the regulation of blood pressure. Secretion of hydrocortisone from the adrenal cortex is stimulated by the pituitary hormone ACTH.

Protozoan-collective name for animal-like, single-celled organisms, some of which may form colonies. In the classification followed in this encyclopedia the protozoa are placed in the kingdom Protista with other single-celled organisms that have membrane-enclosed nuclei. Protozoa have little or no differentiation into tissue systems. Several phyla are commonly recognized. They include flagellated Zoomastigina, many species of which live as parasites in plants and animals; the amoeboid Sarcodina, which includes the both important components of the plankton; ciliated Foraminifera and Radiolaria Ciliophora, many with specialized structures suggesting the mouth and anus of higher organisms; Cnidosporidia, parasites of invertebrates, fish, and a few reptiles and amphibians; and Sporozoa, many species of which are parasites of animals (including humans). More than 20,000 species are known, including such familiar forms as paramecium and amoeba.

Thrush-A fungal infection characterized by creamy-white, curdlike patches on the tongue and other mucosal surfaces of the mouth. The disease is caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a species of yeast that normally inhabits the mucous membranes as a benign saprophyte. Those most susceptible to thrush include adults whose immune systems have been weakened by antibiotics, steroids, or, most commonly, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Infants can become infected during birth if the mother has a vaginal yeast infection. When the curdlike discharge is removed from patches of thrush, raw and bleeding areas are visible and can be especially painful. If left untreated, these superficial lesions may allow the yeast to spread to other areas of the body. In cases of severe immunosuppression or prolonged antibiotic therapy, the organism can invade the major organs, causing serious complications. Diagnosis requires microscopic identification of the pseudomycelial (branching-arms) forms. Generally, thrush is treated with a topical (surface) agent such as miconazole or clotrimazole.

Weight training improves your body composition. With more than half of American adults overweight (54%), we are in desperate need of methods to improve body composition. Weight training will increase the amount of lean mass a person has. This, combined with fat loss from cardiovascular training and good nutrition will improve your body composition (lowering your % fat).

Consistency is the most important component in building strength. Training two or three times a week every week is far better than training with heavier weights whenever you get around to it.

To improve your muscles, you have to push them beyond their normal range of comfort. Challenging your muscles beyond their normal state is what makes them respond by growing and improving. This is termed as “overloading” your muscles.

It is available at a much lower price when compared to other ED medications. You have the option to buy Vardenafil over the Internet. Because of today’s rampant demand for impotency drugs such as Vardenafil, many pharmacies are offering this medication online. Besides supplying you with inexpensive medicines, online stores give you detailed product descriptions to help you properly use them. Be aware that it may cause side effects like nausea, headache, back pain, blurred vision, etc. just like other medications, but it is also very successful in treating ED. Upon the appearance of any side effect, stop consuming the drug and see your physician ASAP.

****** “Soup Nazi is a reference to a popular Seinfeld show about a foreign soup magnet that made the most incredible soup, but was a tyrant. This “Soup Nazi” would tolerate no questions from his faithful soup addicts and he would kick any complaining customer out- never to be served again. ********

Today dawned foggy here in the Midwest. A light mist is falling and there is a chill in the air. It is a soup day. Growing up with my Italian Grandmother, there was always a kettle of something bubbling on her old gas stove. You never knew what was in it, and sometimes the contents of the kettle could be downright scary! Being from the old country, she was known for concocting strange herbal remedies, snacks, and even natural pesticides on that stove. Most of the time the old, worn kettle contained minestre, an Italian soup that is almost impossible to describe, for it was a mixture of Italian pasta sauce, whatever vegetable that was available, a small pasta like baby-sized shells, and any available leftover meat. The closest and most accurate comparison would be to a vegetable minestrone. Her stove was a stage of sorts. Of course, it may be chicken vegetable minestrone, beef vegetable, chicken pastina, dandelion egg drop, wedding soup, or a cast of many other characters on any giving day. We never knew which steaming treasure would have a starring role, but we were always sure we would leave that kitchen with the lingering memory of new, flavorful meal that would place a warm feeling deep down, not only in our stomachs, but in our souls. This warmth was one that our dear Nana (Grandma in our southern Italian dialect- Calabreze) kindled in our souls.

My grandmother was a woman that stood just underneath five feet of height. An assiduous sprite, this woman had an endless energy, as well as a mighty spirit. The matriarch to nine brothers and sisters (She was the oldest of ten and nurtured them from infancy, for she had a sickly mother.), eight children, twenty-three grandchildren, and dozens of great-grandchildren too numerous to count.

On these misty autumn days, warm, happy memories surface. Images of soup simmering in a huge kettle on the stove in our old house on Silver Street come to me. Nestled among the maples, this house sat high atop the largest hill in the small community of Waynesburg, Ohio. A community sprinkled with many Italian families such as ours- a town that is a welcome breath of fresh air. Our family home lives on in my heart- a place of so much love and history. You see my grandparents moved into that house with their overflowing brood of eight in the 20’s, shortly after their marriage. A home that has withstood the ravages of the depression; a home that survived both world wars, sending young men off to battle that were its residents; this is a place that is home to the comforting ghosts of yesterday. My home for seven years too. My parents lived with my grandma for a time, taking care of her, until we bought a new place. When we moved, she came with us, but that home is the place that our entire family still envisions when the word “home” is uttered. This is a timeless and comforting place that still touches the heart and soothes the soul. This home continues to stand today, and it is still resided in by family members- a gentile home on a high hilltop that is continues to be loved by the many people that were nurtured within its walls. Many things conjure up the vision of that house. The scent of sauce cooking, a wintry day, a child’s giggle, or the blustery winds of fall. These things take us back to that home on the hill and into Grandma’s kitchen where we smell the manestre simmering, bringing us home again.
Recipe Included Below:

Designer Soup for a Nation: Beef Vegetable Minestre

Why the name? Well, this makes enough soup for a nation, and you can design it for your needs. This is an interactive article almost. You see, as I write this, I too am making this soup. This is something that you do on a day that you will be home all day. A great soup for writers, really. Making this soup will give you that needed break that you need. I would love to hear back from you about how you liked it. Email Kat here: ohiobar@sssnet.com.
A small beef roast with the bone still in it. (This type of roast is difficult to find in many areas, so you can buy a small beef roast and a soup bone separately.)
A very large soup kettle filled with water
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 cup of sliced celery
1 large can of whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
7 medium potatoes (peeled and diced largely)
1 can of corn
1 can of green beans
1 can of peas
2 medium onions diced rather large
1/2 head of cabbage cut into one-two inch chunks
1/2 pound of any very small pasta (Optional)
1/3 cup of barley (Optional)
1/4 cup of dried Northern or other beans after soaking (Optional)

Note: Only use ONE of the options or NONEof the options, but never more than one at a time.

After filling the large soup kettle with water, allow it to boil for about forty minutes. Skim the fat from the top. Keep it at medium -high heat. After removing all of the fat, add the whole tomatoes (squeeze and then cut into eighths or quarters), carrots, celery, and onions. (If you want to add Northern beans, this is the time to do that.)

Allow the soup to simmer for another thirty minutes at medium-high. Then add the potatoes and all the canned vegetables. Here is where you lower the heat to medium. After two hours or so, add the cabbage, lowering the heart to medium-low. Check the soup ocassionally. Be sure to lower the soup to simmer approximately one hour after the cabbage is added. This is where I stop. My favorite soup does not have the additional pasta, barley, or dried beans. Adding these is nice for a change, though. Continue simmering this all day long uncovered so it will thicken. Serve with homemade Italian bread. (Pick it up at the bakery! I would..) Store the uneaten portion in a large bowl for up to a week. You can also freeze this delicious soup too.

Adding Optional Ingredients

At the same time as you add the cabbage, you can also add either the pasta or the barley.

There are countless variations to this recipe. Here are a few examples:

Beef Vegetable Minus Peas or Cabbage (you can omit peas or cabbage if this is not to your family’s liking. My husband doesn’t like peas, so I do not add them.)

Beef Vegetable Minus Dried Northern beans (My girls and I detest dried beans. Yuck!!!)

Beef Vegetable with Barley (This is a filling soup.)

Beef Vegetable Pasta (This is like a beefy vegetable minestrone.)

Vegetarian Vegetable (For vegetarian fare, omit the beef and make a vegetable broth with the onions, carrots, Northern beans, tomatoes, and celery instead of using the bones and roast.)

This is really a mix and match kind of soup. You can design it to your families desires and needs. I hope you enjoy it. Bon Appetit!

“Preventive care is the most effective way to avoid sprains and strains. Before engaging in any strenuous sports activity, get in shape.”

A walk in the woods could turn into disaster with a severe sprained ankle if there is no way to get to a medical facility. Hikers in isolated country may find themselves in a life-threatening situation secondary to over-exposure to weather if they lose mobility.

Here are some things you should know before setting out to enjoy mother nature.

Sprains occur when an individual stretches and/or tears a ligament, the tissue that connects two bones. The knee ligament, for example, attaches the upper and lower leg, and comes into play during any activity that requires walking.

The most prevalent part of the body to sprain is the arm or leg. For instance, a baseball player sliding into first base can sprain an arm while a jogger running on an uneven country road can sprain a leg. Any physical activity has the potential to rupture ligaments or move joints out of alignment.

Dr. Jonathan Mimeone, M., who works at James Madison University’s Health Center, says “during the winter he sees ten to one more snowboarding accidents than skiing mishaps. He contributes this “to the fact that snowboarders are younger and more aggressive and believe they can tear up the slopes and jump over moguls with impunity.” Dr. Mimeone is a general practitioner at the Harrisonburg, Virginia facility.

The problem with snowboards is that unlike skis the bindings that secure the foot to the board do not release when the rider falls. This has the tendency to cause more injuries to knee and ankle ligaments.

Sprains are further broken down into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. In the case of a mild sprain, there will only be slight swelling at the place of injury. However, in the other two instances, swelling can be severe enough to impede normal joint movement and internal bleeding will often occur.

In contrast, strains result from a tearing and/or stretching of a muscle or tendon and are a result of lifting a heavy object or from over-using a particular muscle. For example, trying to move a couch may cause back strain, while playing basketball five days a week, for an extended period of time, may result in a strained thigh. Thankfully, strains are not as severe as sprains, but they do have a tendency to recur if not treated properly.

“If a person tears a tendon, they should be referred to an orthopedic surgeon or taken to the hospital’s emergency room. He or she could have very possibly fractured a bone as well as sprained a muscle,” says Malone.

The most effective remedy to treat sprains and strains is to follow the RICE method recommended by professional athletic trainers and emergency medical technicians.

First, Rest the muscle. Second, apply Ice several times a day for the first 48 hours after injury. Third, Compression, which requires placing athletic tape or an ace bandage on the injury. Fourth, Elevate the injured part above heart level for the first two days to reduce swelling. In addition, taking aspirin or ibuprofen will relieve muscle pain.

Sprains and strains may heal naturally if given adequate rest. However there are a number of reasons why you should go to a doctor for a sprain.

Some of the most common reasons for getting medical attention are:

1. If the joint or muscle swells up like a balloon
2. If a homemade cast has been put on the injured area
3. If you cannot move the joint
4. Or if the limb begins to darken and/or numbness sets in.

“A torn tendon will almost always require surgery,” says Malone. “After the operation the tendon must be immobilized three to four weeks followed by six weeks of physical therapy.”

Physical therapy is sometimes a painful, but a vital element of treatment. To illustrate, when a person severely injures a limb, the muscle begins to atrophy and scar tissue will develop. Progressively higher weight bearing exercises, over a period of six weeks, will allow the tendon to heal and regain strength.

Preventive care is the most effective way to avoid sprains and strains. Before engaging in any strenuous sports activity, get in shape. If the most daring sport you compete in is surfing the internet, do not think you can go out and ski all day without running a high risk of injury. Furthermore, once you reach the slopes or get to the gym, do some range of motion stretching in order to warm up, but avoid over-stretching because this may predispose you to injury.

After playing a sport or exercising, warm down slowly with similar range-of-motion stretching to avoid stiff joints and muscles, one cause of muscle tears if activity is suddenly resumed after your body has cooled down.

Wrong. The majority of college-aged women interning in the D.C. area are looking to further their education and careers. We are smart enough to receive a coveted internship position, move to a new location, and function in perhaps the world’s most complex city. Just like our male counterparts, we put in long hours of work that often go unpaid. If we’re smart enough to handle this, believe me, we’re smart enough to not jump on the latest married man regardless of the power or the promises.

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Chandra Levy’s choice to become involved with a Congressman has made all female interns in the D.C. area the hot media fodder of late. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post have run stories on what it’s like to be a female interning in the political mecca. The Fox News Channel has aired an exclusive undercover story regarding female interns, as hidden cameras tracked what hidden pressures the city presented.

“The flesh” is now synonymous for incoming female interns thanks to a Sunday New York Times magazine article written by Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan, recalling the days when he was a D.C. intern, describes how female interns he knew were “bowled over by a power differential that is hard to resist.” A Washington Post column describes one intern as having “fashion model features and long legs.” It’s as if the news media assumes young women interning in the D.C. area are fresh meat ready for consumption with no moral compass to guide them in decisions regarding their sexual relationships.

Is it suddenly a news flash that men find young women attractive? Ever since I hit puberty I realized that men looked at me a little differently. I also learned to avoid what could be a potentially dangerous situation-regardless of what environment I was in. When I acquired the title of intern, I did not suddenly become a victim. Taking precautions is a fact of life no matter where you are or what your gender is.

Perhaps the saddest part of the story is how the Levy case will affect future hopeful female interns. After all the media victimization of female interns, parents will be less likely to send their daughters off to the nation’s capitol for internships that often play a pivotal role in shaping professional careers. Male interns, however, will probably continue to flock to Washington with not so much a bat of the eye by their parents or peers.

I returned from my internship in May when the Condit/Levy story broke. Instead of entertaining the once familiar silly comments regarding cigars and dresses, I now receive wide-eyed gasps accompanied by the occasional, “thank God you’re okay!” Sometime soon, I’d like to be viewed as less of a survivor and more as a champion. Hopefully the female-intern-victim stereotype will soon dissipate and the work I did will be looked at seriously enough to overshadow the pedantic title I once wore, which at present seems to always take center stage.

Muscle pain and tiredness are symptoms of the disorder fibromyalgia. Many prescriptions are used to treat this issue along with making some changes in the way the person lives. What is the drug of choice for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia?

The hurt that fibromyalgia brings can be crippling, making those with the disease lose work time and miss fun everyday events. The surprisingly common disorder may impact up to one out of every fifty people, with females being the most frequently affected. Treating this ailment consists of conservative efforts like exercising and decreasing stress, but many people who are afflicted with it have to take a minimum of one prescription medication to help with the issues. Antidepressants are one of the most common types of medications used to treat fibromyalgia.

Do antidepressants work well for individuals who have fibromyalgia? Research has revealed that they can improve the tiredness and basic aches felt by people who have fibromyalgia even though they don’t have depression symptoms. Fibromyalgia patients taking antidepressants were four times more likely to report relief from the chronic symptoms of the disorder, a study indicated.

People with fibromyalgia can benefit from antidepressants, as proven in an article from the Journal of the American Medical Association. A team of German scientists examined data from 18 high standard clinical experiments and discovered antidepressants had good advantages for treating fibromyalgia. An older group of antidepressants, tricyclics, which have been in use since the 1950s, seems most effective in treating fibromyalgia. Less effective are the newer SSRI’s which are more commonly used today, as additionally did the other groups of antidepressants.

This study proved the effectiveness of tricyclic antidepressants over other prescription medications for relief from the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  Treatment with tricyclic antidepressants decreases moodiness and may provide sufficient relief to improve rest at night. Although there are positive attributes to them, tricyclic medicine have lots of side effects and really only should be taken after changes in your life have been put in place.

An aerobic exercise regimen of greater than thirty minutes practiced five to seven days per week can dramatically alleviate symptoms of fibromyalgia patients and ensure a restful night of sleep. A low sugar diet that is also low in foods that are processed can also help. Stay away from caffeine because it causes insomnia. In some people, medication and massage therapy reduces pain and fatigue, and improves mood. Drug therapy could be eliminated with these conservative treatments, as will the potential side effects.

A tricyclic antidepressant may be of some benefit for people with fibromyalgia if changing their way of living doesn’t do anything to help decrease the symptoms, however the best way is still a natural method.

Banned for over thirty years from elite college campuses across the country, the military’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is ready for a comeback.

An Ivy League example: ROTC has been banned on Columbia’s campus since the late sixties, when the school’s trustees, following Harvard’s lead, shut out recruiters and ROTC offices from institutional property. Sparked by growing unrest over the Vietnam War, the ban was meant to signal disapproval of U.S. policy in Southeast Asia. In retrospect, the ban was little more than a cynical maneuver meant to placate angry activists, whose anti-government fury sparked a wave of protests on college campuses across America throughout the 1960s. In many of these cases, anti-American furor was specifically directed at ROTC programs.

But anti-war activists misjudged ROTC. During the sixties, the Corps was a haven for draft dodgers and others who sought to avoid grunt work on the front lines by studying and training at home. Even such luminaries as Bill Clinton abused the ROTC protocols to escape the draft. What’s more, the ban on ROTC unintentionally hurt more than it helped. By stigmatizing ROTC and making it difficult for cadets to train on campus, elite universities like Harvard and Columbia discouraged prospective students from applying for ROTC scholarships. Many students would have been otherwise unable to attend an Ivy-League university without the help of such scholarships. The Trustees of Columbia and other elite schools were effectively closing avenues of financial aid that would have enabled the neediest students to purse a college education. While the universities continued to feed off government grants and subsidies, they sacrificed an important scholarship program in order to appease campus radicals.

The arguments for returning ROTC to campus far outweigh those against. Simply put, ROTC remains the best scholarship program in the country, with the potential to fully fund tuition costs at a major American university for up to four years.

While some Ivy League schools are moving towards a more generous financial aid policy that stresses grants rather than loans, Columbia continues to live up to its reputation for miserly financial aid. With the price of college soaring, subsidized tuition is no longer enough. Lifting the ban and promoting ROTC will attract highly qualified and patriotic students to Columbia’s campus.

ROTC also provides critical career training to its cadets, stressing technology, leadership, and motivation in the work place. Anyone who has military experience knows that the skills they learned in the service can be applied to most other job situations. ROTC is unquestionably a resume builder, as prospective employers know that former cadets are proficient, motivated, and committed individuals.

Moreover, ROTC presence on campus would allow students to learn about the men and women who put their lives at risk for the United States. Since the cultural revolutions of the sixties and seventies, college students have been subjected to one-sided lectures on the racism, sexism, class-ism, age-ism, able-ism, and every other “ism” endemic to Western society. Now those same students are called upon to defend the very civilization they have spent their lives denigrating. With an active ROTC presence on campus, students could get to know our soldiers better, which could result in easing campus tensions between pro and anti-war activists. At the very least, a campus committed to openly providing opportunities for ROTC cadets would also be promoting American culture and its core values of honor, loyalty, honesty, and virtue.

Prior to September 11, military matters were unfashionable, and the ROTC ban received little attention in media circles. Yet a slew of statistical evidence demonstrates that the September 11 attacks have drastically changed young people’s attitudes towards the military. According to a Washington Post poll, four out of five college students support the War on Terror, with two out of three backing the use of ground troops in future theatres of operation.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, changing attitudes towards the military’s role in society gave birth to a pro-ROTC movement that seeks to re-instate the program at schools like Harvard University. Shortly after the attacks, a group composed of Harvard alumni and students organized a petition and letter campaign spearheaded by former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger. Articles supporting ROTC have appeared in numerous on-campus and off campus publications, from the Harvard Crimson to the Wall Street Journal.

This outpouring of support has changed the climate of opinion amongst Harvard’s administrators. Harvard President and former Clinton Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers has suggested he might be open to changing Harvard’s policy towards ROTC. According to Summers, universities should “be careful about adopting any policy on campus of non-support for those involved in defending the country.” He then later expressed his “support” for Harvard’s cadets. In an important speech at the Kennedy School of Government, Summers promoted a search for a “reconciliation of values” between diversity and patriotism.

With the Harvard movement gaining steam and spreading to other campuses like Dartmouth, Yale, and Columbia, a day when ROTC cadets can once again train proudly on green Ivy lawns is now possible. But until then, administrators and students alike will have to face the sad fact that a ban on ROTC is simply rotten.

Migraine headache pain, a debilitating condition, afflicts 19% to 20% of the population. As such, it can have a negative effect on American society. It impairs job functions, everyday lifestyle activities, and influences family and social connections, so people who experience migraines are on a constant search to get rid of symptoms and avoid migraines from happening in the first place.

Even though prescription medications, such as serotonin agonists, vasoconstrictors, anti-depressants, calcium channel blockers and actual prescription drugs are used a lot, it appears that the medical profession is very confused about how to come up with a remedy for migraine pain which so many people are afflicted with. Because of this, people who suffer from migraines are trying alternative medicine remedies to help relieve and prevent migraine headache pain.

Acupuncture:  Even though it is not too commonly accepted as a basic remedy for migraine pain, many people who are afflicted with migraines discover that acupuncture does help the nerves and offers relief from migraine pain, possibly helping migraine attacks happen less often.

Supplements and Vitamins:  Several studies have show a relationship between digestive health and the experience of migraine pain. Recent studies suggest that poor digestive health may contribute to an increased incidence of pain associated with migraine. Because of this, some people who experience migraines have started to boost their levels of magnesium and riboflavin with supplements and also use the herb. Migrelief, by Akeso Health Services, provides a triple therapy method and can be obtained without a prescription and used each day to prevent migraine pains. Also, taking the Feverfew herb, as a deterrent, is known to inhibit the production of platelets in the bloodstream, and decrease serotonin release and swelling. These by themselves might be a therapeutic way to prevent migraines.

It has been known for awhile that cool ice packs can relieve migraine pain and headache symptoms. As fascinating as it is, an old remedy of using an ice bag tied up in a towel has become more current and original. Two items, MigraCap and BeKool, can be bought in the stores and have a cool and relaxing ability like a common ice pack remedy. BeKool is a simple gel-pad that goes on your forehead or nape of the neck, but MigraCap is more intense. MigraCap is a soft cap that is used during a migraine attack by placing it over the head, and it is available in a variety of colors. With a dark insulated lining, the MigraCap shields light, and also includes gel packs placed in specific locations inside the cap, to make certain there is the best cooling and comfortable relief in the areas where the migraine pain is.

Alternative medicine options should not be ignored, regardless of what the choice for migraine therapy treatment may be. Doctors can provide a myriad of prescription medications to help treat the symptoms, but using over the counter products may enhance the effectiveness of the prescription medications. In some cases, it may be possible to stop taking the prescription drugs completely. Pain might be alleviated and the activities of daily living improved for the person that suffers migraines, no matter what path is picked.

1. Always Useful.

First aid kit are always useful items to have handy in your home. This is no different than the Tylenol that everyone keeps in their medicine cabinet for those occasions when pain relief is needed. Of course, this is not to say that you will have to use the first aid kit daily, but it does mean that you have one in your home when the need arises. So while you always hope you will never need it, it’s always wise to have one handy, just in case.

2. You Will Need One If You Have Children.

As any parent is well aware, you will definitely need a first aid kit. No matter how hard you try to keep your kids safe, they always end up getting some sort of injury. Depending upon the severity, you will want to clean and/or bandage it. So if you have children in your home or grandchildren that visit occasionally, you should have a first aid kit available.

It’s always nice to have a first aid kit, but if you would rather not buy a pre-packaged first aid kit, you can make your own by purchasing first aid kit items separately and putting them together in one place.