Headaches can ruin any activity, but during exercise they can literally bring you down. Even through it is known that headaches are a major problem for a large number of people (in the US alone about 45 million people suffer from chronic headaches), the relation between headaches and exercise is less talked about.

An article in Fitness Magazine tackles the issue. It turns out that regular cardiovascular activity (the kind you do when you jog, swim, run on a treadmill, etc.) lessens the reaction in our brain which brings about headaches, thanks in part to release of endorphins during exercise, which act as natural painkillers. The blood flow to the brain is also improved during exercise, which, along with less muscle tension and fatigue also helps deal with the headaches.

On the other hand, certain activities, or doing them wrong, can actually bring about the occasional workout ache.

Having a headache during workout? Photo by magandafille

For example – improper breathing – holding your breath while exercising can trigger a headache, according to the article. Also the choice of foods you eat before workout can affect your headaches during the workout: a pre-workout banana or smoothie can prompt headaches in some people.

The article covers more headache triggers, such as sudden sprinting, dehydration, weak muscles and poor posture, as well as ways to correct these problems and have a pain-free workout. You can read it by following the link below.

Is Exercise Giving You a Headache? [Fitness Magazine]

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Ahhh, summer… What hasn’t been written about it? It’s fun, hot, sunny, and brings about all sorts of problems. From sunburn to heat rashes to insect bites.

Here at A Disease A Day we recently told you about sunscreen myths and about the best 4 sunscreens.

Photo by Warm ‘n Fuzzy

Now Reader’s Digest published an article covering 8 remedies you can concoct at home that will fight summer-related problems. For example – swimmer’s ear – the ear inflammation we covered before here on A Disease A Day. Reader’s Digest solution – garlic:

Take advantage of garlic’s potent antibacterial properties and use this herb in eardrops. You can buy garlic oil in health food stores, or make your own. Grate three medium cloves of garlic and place them in a shallow dish. Cover them with olive oil and let the mixture stand overnight. Strain out the garlic and apply 3 drops in the affected ear.

Interested in the other remedies? Follow the link to learn more.

8 Home Remedies for Summer’s Common Problems [Reader’s Digest]

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Last month we told you what the 4 best sunscreens are. But even though you thought you had it all covered (pun intended), a Fitness Magazine article has published an article about skin cancer myths, relating to the white-protection-in-a-bottle and other issues.

Photo by tread

For example:

Myth: I shouldn’t put sunscreen too close to my eyes.

Truth: Despite the small surface area involved, 5 to 10 percent of all skin cancers appear on eyelids. While most of these cancers are of the less deadly varieties (squamous and basal cell carcinomas), they’re still a concern. “They can grow large and be very destructive,” says Jordana Gilman, MD, a dermatologist in New York City. If the thought of rubbing SPF on your lids makes your eyes water, try one of the specially formulated products for sensitive skin, such as Coppertone Sensitive Skin Faces Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 for Faces ($7.99, drugstores). Also look for sunglasses that offer 99 to 100 percent UV protection.

Follow the link up ahead to read the whole article. And while you’re at it, you can also visit our article about skin cancer and how to avoid it.

Boost Your Sun Safety Savvy [Fitness Magazine]

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Two days ago we helped you understand how much caffeine is in your drinks. Today we’re still on the topic of drinks, but this time it’s their sugar content.

You may have heard health enthusiasts raging on about how much sugar is in everyday drinks. Now Men’s Health have put together a feature covering what they claim are the 20 worst drinks in America 2010 (don’t worry if you don’t live in America – many of the drinks are sold elsewhere, too).

What’s special about the article are two things: You can see the amount of sugar next to the drink by comparison to sugary treats. And you will be surprised to learn how much sugar supposedly “healthy” drinks contain.

For example, SoBe Green Tea -

“Leave it to SoBe to take an otherwise healthy bottle of tea and inject it with enough sugar to turn it into dessert. The Pepsi-owned company’s flagship line, composed of 11 flavors with names like “Nirvana” and “Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir,” is marketed to give consumers the impression that it can cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. Don’t be fooled. Just like this bottle of green tea, all of these beverages are made with two primary ingredients: water and sugar.”

You can find out what the other 19 drinks are in the full article.

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It’s been awhile since we last featured one of those crazily useful infographics, and now there’s a new one (well, new to us anyway). Randy Krum has created a poster, aptly named The Caffeine Poster. Alongside facts about the addictive energizing molecule (did you know it was discovered in 1819?), the poster answers the age-old question – how much caffeine did I just consume?

Looking at the poster you can see that even a simple cup of coffee can range in the amount of caffeine it contains. For those of you addicted to sports drinks, you can see how much your poison has contributed to your daily caffeine intake.

Looking up at the top of the graph you also realize that 300 mg of caffeine can lead to caffeine intoxication. Looking at the same place will also show you that drinking a Starbucks Tall Coffee will take you frighteningly close to that point.

The full infographic can be found here.

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It’s summer again (at least in the northern hemisphere). It’s time for some fun in the sun. Yet as anyone who’s read our article about melanoma knows, protection is key to avoiding problems.

Consumer Reports have tested 12 sunscreen products to assess how well each blocked UVA and UVB rays, and how well their claimed sun protection factor (SPF) lasted on volunteers.

Photo by shanidov

The top 4 were:

1. Up & Up Sport Continuous SPF 30
2. Walgreens Sport Continuous SPF 50
3. Banana Boat Sport Performance Continuous SPF 30
4. Aveeno Continuous Protection SPF 50

You can read the full report and see who ranked below the top 4 at the Consumer Reports website (requires subscription) or at WebMD, where the full article appears.

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The folks at stripes39.com are at it again with a new infographic. After 15 things to know about urine, they now teach 15 things to know about steroids.

Steroids such as testosterone are available in our body and help it build muscles, among other things. Drug companies have created substitutes of these hormones to help in some diseases, such as delayed puberty.

Of course, other uses have followed – bodybuilders and athletes have discovered these substances help them gain muscle quicker. Their use hasn’t skipped sports, either, as Major League Baseball has also been plagued.

This infographic gives a clearer picture – what they actually do, as well as some other juicy facts.

Via: Medical Assistant Schools

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Our friends at Onlineschools.org are always hard at work producing excellent infographics (we featured their last one, “Everything you need to know about fast food” here recently).

This time they tackle an everyday, not so attractive, subject: urine. You’d be amazed how much there is to know about the yellow stuff.

[Source: Medical Billing and Coding]

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Who would have thought 20 years ago that everyone and everything will be connected to the Internet, that our daily lives will depend so much on our online communications?

Advancement has its risks, as you can see in the following examples.

1. Car accidents

A car accident. Photo by mxlanderos

On March 2010 more than a 100 car drivers in Austin, Texas had an intimidating surprise: Their car horns went out of control and their car engines turned off without warning (while driving, mind you).

Turns out a computer hacker hacked into a Web-connected system in the cars normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments.

Thankfully no one got hurt. This time.

2. Epilepsy

As some of you may or may not know, people with epilepsy can sometimes have their attacks triggered by outside stimulation, such as a flashing light. In 2008, a computer hacker from California planted a virus in an epilepsy Web forum, causing the screen to blink. Many of the visitors had an attack upon visiting the website.

If that wasn’t enough, a day later users of the forum were directed automatically to another website that flashed even more triggering pictures and caused further attacks.

3. Risky hospitals

A hospital corridor. Photo by BertBeckers

Progress hasn’t skipped hospitals, and many of them are dependant on computers for various functions. On July 2009 a computer hacker took control of the main computer system in a Dallas based hospital. He turned off the air conditioners, the cooling systems in the operating rooms, and damaged a software that was used in the hospital clinics. On computer screens throughout the hospital the word GhostExodus appeared.

But that was nothing compared to an attack that took place a year before that in London, where an Internet based virus caused the failure of the computer network, rendering 4,700 computers in St Bartholomew medical center and in the hospital for lung and chest diseases unusable. Ambulances were sent to wrong hospitals and patient files became inaccessible.

Cases like these raise the concern that hackers won’t stop at just plain ‘ole viruses and actually gain control of specific features in hospital systems. That way they’ll be able to change a patient’s blood type in the hospital’s database, change the drugs they are supposed to take, and even take control of operating robots in the middle of surgery.

What do you think? Is progress a boon or a threat? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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