Blog
Archive
Search Blog
Category Archives: Neurology
Straight, No Chaser: Sleep Apnea
We’ve discussed many components of sleep and sleep disorders. A very common condition that many of you are walking around with undiagnosed is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a comm
Straight, No Chaser: Narcolepsy – The Sleep Attack
This is part of a Straight, No Chaser series on sleep disorders. When you hear about narcolepsy, it’s usually in the context of some joke, but it’s a horrifying condition. Lo
Straight, No Chaser: Late Night Shift Work and Shift Work Sleep Disorder
I used to love to work third shift. Generally, I’d be the only “boss” around, so I really got to enjoy my staff in a way that wasn’t possible during the day shifts. The onl
Straight, No Chaser: Understanding Normal Sleep and How Much Sleep You Need
It’s National Sleep Awareness Week, and Straight, No Chaser wants you to wake up, pay attention and learn why sleep is such an important part of your life! Do you ever think
Straight, No Chaser: Quick Tips – Learn the ABCDEs of Hiccups
Three question sets on hiccups of all things Why do I get hiccups? You get hiccups because everyone gets them. You get them because basically you’ve agitated your main breathin
Straight, No Chaser: When Back Pain Could Be Life Threatening
Back pain hurts, but there are various causes of that pain that will kill or cripple you. Here’s some information on some diseases that present with back pain representing life
Straight, No Chaser: Sciatica
My pain has a name, and it’s sciatica. There’s always a sense of relief in patients when a name is given to a medical sign or symptom. This Straight, No Chaser places sciati
Straight, No Chaser: Low Back Pain
For many, low back pain begins with a slip and subsequently becomes a slippery slope that never seems to end. This Straight, No Chaser will help you understand why you’re
Head/Eyes/Ears/Nose/Throat, Hematology & Oncology/Blood Disorders/Cancer, Neurology, Respiratory/Lungs
Straight, No Chaser: The Medical Issues You Encounter While Flying
This week’s Straight, No Chaser posts have focused on the dangers presents by blood clots. Flying long distances presents a specific risk for development of blood clots. Howe
Straight, No Chaser: Seizure First Aid Do’s and Don’ts
I enjoy empowering you to act. There are many examples of emergency situations in which your actions can be beneficial, including the presence of active seizures. We previously dis
Straight, No Chaser: Seizures
There is so much mystery among the lay population about how the brain works, even under normal circumstances. It is very scary to patients and families when things occur that remov
Straight, No Chaser Vlog: Stroke – How to Save a Life
The Straight, No Chaser vlog (video blog) series presents “health care basics” to keep you safe, healthy and out of the emergency room. Today’s topic is stroke (cerebr
Straight, No Chaser: When Your Headache is Life-Threatening
All headaches are not created equal. Earlier we discussed migraines, but there’s a lot more to headaches than those. In fact, when you come to an emergency room with a history o
Straight, No Chaser: Migraine Headaches Questions and Answers
There are 30 million migraine sufferers in the U.S. alone. Women are three times as likely to have them, but both sexes have to address the issues raised by them. Here are som
Straight, No Chaser: Fibromyalgia
Previously, Straight, No Chaser has discussed the frustration of uncertainty some patients have with having symptoms and not being given a diagnosis (much less a cure). Imagine i
Straight, No Chaser: Chronic Pain
The notion of a pain awareness month is an odd thing; probably even more so to those suffering from chronic pain. Typically the idea with these periods of recognizing diseases and
Straight, No Chaser: Life Begins (To End) at 40 (Unless It Doesn’t) – The Cerebrovascular System (Your Brain)
Last but not least, in the first part of this series, let’s talk about your brain. But first a summary comment. Life after 40 poses both opportunity and obstacles. 35 to 40 is ei
Straight, No Chaser: When Fainting is Deadly
1. So can faints be deadly? Potentially. There are three separate sets of considerations. The brain can’t survive very long without adequate oxygen. Whatever caused that fai
Straight, No Chaser: You’re Way Too Comfortable With Fainting
Don’t faints seem mysterious? It’s as if your computer crashed and had to reboot. Although we never seemingly figure out why computers are so crazy, fainting (syncope) is r
Straight, No Chaser: Emergency Room Adventures – The Risk of Rabies
Depending on the circumstances of your life, sometimes risks are theoretical, and other times risks become occurrences… You can’t make this stuff up. It’s another bu
