An irregular, fatty diet could cause people to experience migraines, Chi Mei Medical Center neurology department director Yang Chun-ming (楊浚銘) said.
Yang cited an example a 15-year-old girl surnamed Lin (林), who had been having migraines for a long time, which her family thought was caused by academic pressure.
The migraine attacks felt like there was a power drill vibrating inside her head, Yang cited the girl as saying, adding that she would also get nauseous, and would become sensitive to light and noise.
Photo courtesy of the Chi Mei Medical Center
Lin would feel so uncomfortable that she would need to go to the school infirmary to lie down or go home early, he said.
Yang said he gave Lin medicines for acute pain relief and prevention, and administered out-of-pocket calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibody injections after shared decisionmaking.
The treatment helped reduce the frequency of Lin’s migraines from at least twice per week to twice per month, Yang said.
Lin was also tasked to keep a “migraine journal” to track her lifestyle, and the medical team found that chocolate, cheese and skipping meals aggravated her condition, he said.
When Lin adjusted her dietary habits, her symptoms further improved, Yang said, adding that a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and proper sleep significantly enhanced her quality of life.
The treatments eventually allowed her to lead a more normal life, he said.
The frequency and intensity of migraine attacks could increase during autumn or winter due to plummeting temperatures or changing air pressure, Yang said.
High-calorie or highly stimulating foods, such as liquor, cheese or chocolate — which people would have to keep warm during cold days — are also common migraine triggers, he said.
People should consider migraines as a signal from the body and keep a record of their diet to find out what foods induce an attack, Yang said, adding that it is important for those who experience migraines to have a balanced diet and sufficient sleep to keep their condition under control.
Many parents or teachers mistakenly think migraines are simply due to stress or fatigue, but migraines in teenagers are not typical, he said.
They usually get shorter, bilateral headaches, abdominal pain or fatigue, he added.
In some severe cases, the migraines could impact teenagers’ school and social lives, Yang said.
If a child regularly experiences migraines that are not mild and are disrupting their life — with symptoms such as sensitivity to light or noise — they should see a doctor specializing in pediatric neurology or general neurology, he said.
Early diagnosis and treatment by professional doctors could help effectively control migraines and prevent the condition from affecting the child’s development or academic performance, Yang said.
Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media. The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground. Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling. When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows. The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
A classified Pentagon-produced, multiyear assessment — the Overmatch brief — highlighted unreported Chinese capabilities to destroy US military assets and identified US supply chain choke points, painting a disturbing picture of waning US military might, a New York Times editorial published on Monday said. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments in November last year that “we lose every time” in Pentagon-conducted war games pitting the US against China further highlighted the uncertainty about the US’ capability to intervene in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. “It shows the Pentagon’s overreliance on expensive, vulnerable weapons as adversaries field cheap, technologically
RSS