ACUPUNCTURE FOR HEADACHES: A new study has found acupuncture to be an effective treatment for tension headache.
A sample of 270 patients with tension headache were treated with either traditional acupuncture, minimal acupuncture, or received no treatment. Those receiving traditional acupuncture saw their headache rates drop by almost half, while minimal acupuncture reported 6.6 fewer days of headaches. The control group reported only 1.5 fewer days of headaches. Acupuncture may offer improvement for tension headache sufferers, the authors conclude.
E-MAIL MEDICINE: A US pilot study looked at the use of e-mail between GPs and their patients as a form of health communication. It found that both patients and doctors who used e-mail reported greater satisfaction compared to control groups. Doctors who offered e-mail communication to their patients said that neither the volume of messages - non-e-mail and -mail - nor the time spent replying to them, increased.
NASAL SURGERY FOR MIGRAINES: A report on 21 patients who underwent nasal surgery to prevent the opposite surfaces of their nasal cavities or sinuses pressing against each other found that their migraine headaches improved as a result. The procedure was successful in those whose migraines had failed to respond to drug treatment. It resulted in a halving of the number of days with migraine and a reduction in their severity.
DANGER OF HOT CARS: The temperature in an unattended car when measured over a hour on sunny days was found to rise by 1.7°C per five-minute interval. This increase was regardless of the temperature rise outside the car. The average total rise in temperature was 22.2°C and leaving the window slightly open did not slow the rise in temperature. So if you're tempted to leave the children in the car on a sunny day... don't.
(compiled by Marion Kerr)