I was recovering from the flu and the only remaining symptom was a stuffy and runny nose. I thought that I was already on my way to recovery when I became aware of a combination of a dull pain and numbness in my right arm. When I coughed, I could feel a shooting pain in my arm. Over the next two days, the pain got worse and I could not find a comfortable position to sleep without feeling the pain in my arm.
I am not one to run to the doctor for every little pain. With experience, I have learned that doctors will drug you so that you don’t feel the pain, but the real diagnosis could take a long time after many visits and tests. For something that is not life-threatening, my first instinct is to search the Internet to find out what the problem could be.
My search found that the problem might be a herniated disk, a blood clot, lung cancer or other equally serious conditions. Since my pain had just started recently, and I did not have any pain in my neck or neck movement, it was unlikely to be a problem related to the spine. My arm was still strong but the muscle of my forearm felt a dull pain. I decided to be though and wait at least one more day before going to the doctor.
I spent another night trying to find a comfortable position for sleeping. At this time, I noticed that I had a muscular pain just below my right scapula. I pressed my fingers on the spot and felt some tenderness. Aha! I suddenly remembered what I had done the day before the pain started. I had helped my wife weigh her luggage on a bathroom scale. Since the scale was not big enough to hold the luggage, I weighed myself holding the luggage and then subtracted my weight. I remembered straining while trying to balance my weight as I held the luggage. I did not have a blood clot or cancer after all. It was a simple strain.
I decided not to go to the doctor. Many years before, while walking my dog, I had suddenly felt a back pain that had sent me to the emergency room. The doctor gave me a pain killer that made me giddy and then asked me if I knew what was wrong with me. I said, “No,” and he replied, “I don’t know either. Back pains are very common and they generally go away after a week or two.” On that occasion, I spent a week in bed and the back pain was most severe when I had to use the bathroom.
The back has many muscle fibers that extend from the spine to the hips, ribs and scapula. During your lifetime, some of these muscle fibers will tear and give you great pain, although not necessarily right away. Seek medical attention, but be aware that even modern doctors cannot heal your back; they can only numb the pain. My advice is: Don’t lift heavy luggage!
Exercise regularly and in moderation
Every year, the US congress has a difficult time deciding how to pay for the expenses that have been approved in previous sessions of congress. The confrontations leading to the “Fiscal Cliff” are similar to the problems that a husband and a wife have in trying to meet the needs of the family while staying within the household budget.
The End of the World is coming on December 21, 2012 according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar. Enough people are concerned about this doomsday prediction that they are taking special precautions. In Michigan, Matt Wandrie, superintendent for Lapeer Community Schools, closed 30 Michigan schools two days early for the Christmas holidays. There were numerous rumors circulating about potential threats of violence against students following the recent shootings that killed 20 children in Connecticut. According to Wandrie, the ancient predictions of apocalypse were a secondary concern, but the rumblings about violent threats against schoolchildren were more serious.
The following link invokes the Flash Player settings manager for your computer with the web interface below. Needless to say, you have to go through this procedure for each computer on which you have installed the Flash player.
Dr. Strobel answers questions after his presentation
Dr. Russell J. Hemley is the director of the Geophysical Laboratory. His research program has expanded to include high-pressure experimental and theoretical studies in condensed matter physics, Earth and planetary science, and materials science.
The consumption of fish has played an important role in the evolution of humans. The human brain consists approximately of 60% fat. Fatty acids called ALA, DHA and EPA are concentrated in cell walls and the myelin sheaths of the neurons. These long-chain fatty acids have an unsaturated double bond in the third carbon from the end, and thus are known chemically as omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are essential for good health and must be included in the diet because the body cannot create them from other fats. Some vegetable sources, such as walnuts and flax seed, contain ALA, but fish oil is the best source of DHA and EPA. The body can convert ALA to DHA and EPA, but not very efficiently.
