New drugs help prevent migraines
Q: You recently had a question from a pharmacist whose sister developed ulcers taking Excedrin Migraine for her headaches. She should consider using the new Food and Drug Administration-approved injectable called Aimovig. This is a medicine to prevent migraines.
I just had my fifth dose yesterday, and my migraines have improved greatly. The only real side effect is constipation, which can be managed with MiraLAX.
A: Erenumab (Aimovig) is an important new advance for migraine prevention. The FDA approved it earlier this year. Two similar drugs were approved even more recently: fremanezumab (Ajovy) and galcanezumab (Emgality). These all are injections that patients administer themselves to prevent recurrent migraine headaches.
Q: I’ve tried different things to stay awake while driving and found that sunflower seeds worked better than anything else. If I know I have a long trip or will be driving late at night, I make sure I have sunflower seeds in my car.
A: To our surprise, we found that Israeli scientists have published research comparing energy drinks and sunflower seeds for combating driver fatigue (Accident Analysis and Prevention, September 2009). Both approaches worked equally well, although manipulating the sunflower seeds to shell them could get in the way of quick driving maneuvers in the simulator.
Q: I just spent a week taking care of my two grandchildren, 2 and 6 years old. The littlest one had a horrible night cough. After two sleepless nights listening to his coughing spasms, I rubbed his feet with Vicks VapoRub and put his little socks on. He didn’t cough that night. We repeated this the following night, and he had only one little threeminute episode. He slept through all the coughing. Then the 6-year-old started coughing at night, so I did the same for him. No coughing.
A: We first heard about this home remedy from a nurse. Since then, we have tried it ourselves and found it helpful. Many other readers also report success with this oldfashioned drugstore product. We suspect that the menthol, eucalyptol, camphor and thymol are stimulating sensory nerves on the soles of the feet. These connect to the spinal cord and may help calm the cough center at the base of the brain.
Q: You have written about using table mus- tard for muscle cramps, but you should discuss its applicability for alleviating acid reflux. I was taking Zantac for occasional reflux when a friend mentioned swallowing a tablespoon of common yellow mustard as a palliative. When I tried it, I was astonished at how soon the reflux subsided in response, far quicker than Zantac takes effect.
A: We are not aware of any scientific studies explaining this remedy, but scores of readers have testified that it works for them. We don’t know whether the active ingredient is the vinegar in mustard or the turmeric that provides its bright-yellow color. Curcumin is the source of turmeric’s color. The compound has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the digestive tract (Current Gastroenterology Reports, April 2016). Research conducted on laboratory rats showed that curcumin could ease esophageal ulcers under specific conditions (Journal of Natural Medicines, July 2006). We don’t know whether that might be the reason it seems to help heartburn symptoms.
OK, Lisa, we signed you “Annie,” which is short for “Anonymous.” And we certainly won’t mention Fred’s name.
“One-finger driving” works fine. Until it doesn’t. With one finger, on most cars, you can hold the steering wheel in its current position, and keep the car going straight. The problem comes when you suddenly need to do something other than go straight. For instance, when a 40-ton semi carrying pig iron suddenly changes lanes into yours, not realizing you’re there. Can you swerve out of the way and avoid an accident with one finger? No
If you hit a huge pothole and your wheels pull toward the other lane of traffic, are you going to be able to bring those wheels back with one finger? No.
So you’re right to be scared, Annie. While what he’s doing will be fine 99 percent of the time, your husband is endangering you, and other people on the road, by not being ready for the unexpected. And that’s the real key to driving safely.
So try to convince him to shape up, Annie. Ask him if he’d be comfortable riding in a bus with a driver who had one finger on the wheel. Or flying in a plane with a pilot who lands his 737 with one finger on the controls. Or eating in a restaurant where an employee didn’t wash both hands, but just washed one finger.
While on a trip through the Smoky Mountains in my 2016 Chevrolet Equinox with 39,000 miles on it, we stopped at the Newfound Gap overlook. When preparing to depart, my car would not start. Luckily, I was in a spot where I had cellphone service, and luckily, I had OnStar — and especially luckily, they were able to determine my location through my smartphone. My car was towed to the nearest Chevy dealership, where they determined that my battery was dead. No warning whatsoever; the car is less than two years old and is kept parked in a garage when not in use.
The dealership where the car was towed to, as