Wellness Report

Imagine searing pain shooting through your face. You don't know why and nor does your doctor. It's called "The Suicide Disease." In fact: for those who live with Trigeminal Neuralgia for more than 3 years about half commit suicide. There is hope and here's proof.

I can't believe it. Not a single attack," says Brent Weichers.

6 months after his second surgery Brent Weichers is pain free, but memories of what life used to be like are razor sharp. Three years ago it started like a bang.

"That first day it hit me, I literally thought I was having a stroke," he says. "You have the attack and the seizure and the blinding pain and you're holding on to what ever piece of furniture you can to keep from hitting the floor."

Searing pain from his ear to his lower jaw is triggered by the slightest of things.

"Talking, chewing, touching, brushing my teeth, cold air blowing across my face," he says, "It got to the point where it was impossible to do my job."

But about three years ago by sheer luck he found the truth. His dentist so happened to do his college thesis on a some-what rare disease called Trigeminal Neuralgia. It's something easily missed on an MRI and often misdiagnosed by doctors.

"There's a gentleman near here in our support group that had the entire lower plate of his teeth removed and later found out it was TN," he says.

Brent's family doctor didn't know what to do, but a Neurosurgeon at Virginia Mason Medical Clinic did.

"People often say the sheets in bed can trigger it," says Dr. Farrokh Farrokhi who estimates anywhere from a few hundred, to a few thousand people in our state have TN.

"It's not genetic, it has nothing to do with what you do, what you eat, smoke, live near power lines or anything like that it's just bad luck."

For some reason, in some people, the blood vessels at the base of their skull loop around nearby nerves. Those pulsating blood vessels then rub and push against the nerves sending shock waves to the brain.

"It starts right in front of the ear and shoots down the jaw maybe to the middle of your jaw."

Dr. Farrokhi says it starts in front of the ear and shoots down the jaw maybe to the middle of your jaw. He says it's usually only on one section, and one side of the face, pain comes in shock-like bursts and most importantly it's triggered by touch, temperature, or taste.

"The surgery involves basically pushing those blood vessels out of the way," he says, "and putting a little piece of teflon between the blood vessel and the nerve so the nerve is no longer irritated."

Medication works for some people, but for Brent Weichers it was surgery and six months later he is finally living his life and sharing it too.

"There is definitely help. There is help."

Trigeminal Neuralgia Links & Information:

Brent Weichers MySpace Page & Support Group

Trigeminal Neuralgia National Support Group

EVENT INFORMATION
***Saturday June 7th at 2:00pm***
The Trigeminal Neuralgia Association Seattle Support Group
University of Washington Medical Center
1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle
Rm BB389 3rd floor (hospital main floor)
Guest Speaker: Angie Hughes, Acupuncturist

Our special guest speaker is Angie Hughes, L.AC. Angie studied acupuncture and traditional Chinese Medicine and graduated from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1989. In the fall of 2002 she joined the Bastyr University clinic and didactic Faculty and at present continues to supervise the students of Bastyr's acupuncture program as they rotate through her clinics in Seattle.

If anyone needs directions to the Medical Center, please contact us. We look forward to seeing you all there with questions for Angie Hughes and a desire for more knowledge about trigeminal neuralgia. There will be an open forum with the group after Angie Hughes.

There is no charge for our meetings and everyone including patients, family, friends, care providers, and anyone interested in facial neuralgias is welcome! We discuss news from the national organization, share our resources and the newest information available to us, lend a supporting ear, and share our hope: together we will end the pain. Our meetings are informal, confidential, fun, and free. We park in the Triangle Garage or behind the hospital. For more information contact:

Support Group Leaders:
Mary Holden 206-898-4559 MaryHolden@aol.com
Cathie Whitesides 206-525-6869 cathiewhitesides@comcast.net
Jackie Sakamoto 360-830-9144 ajsak@msn.com
Kent Kalnasy 206-789-3889 kkalnasy@eskimo.com
Carol Freedman 425-823-8711 cfreedman@wwdb.org
Betsy Haslett 425-775-6881 bjhas1@netzero.net
Brent Weichers 425-785-8396 weichersb@gmail.com

With the warm weather hopefully coming up we’ve got some helpful news on healthy choices, and a way to curb your appetite. We start with the latest study on eggs.

We've all heard the warnings: "watch out for cholesterol" in eggs. A new research in the archives of pediatrics shows eggs contain a lot of "good cholesterol" too. They are also packed with protein and more than a dozen vitamins and minerals. Experts say for most of us: 1 to 2 eggs a day are fine.

In another study this week OJ gets an extra boost. Not only is it good for your body it's good for your skin. In a study of 4,000 volunteers, those who took the most vitamin c had fewer wrinkles! The lead author believes it's the anti-oxidants that help build collagen.

Equal and Splenda watch out. There's new competition on the market. It's called "sweet leaf" and it comes from the South American Stevia plant.

"From this leaf we can extract the sweet glycosides which gives us a white powder 300 times sweeter than sugar,” says Jim May, CEO of Wisdom natural brands. ‘

It's generally considered safe, but it is not FDA approved yet. It’s categorized as a supplement and doctors say pregnant or nursing women should avoid it for now.

Pregnant women should consider taking more salt though. A study by health magazine showed iodine intake in the last 20 years has dropped by 50 percent.

Low levels can slow metabolism, and iodine deficiencies in pregnant women can harm the mental and physical development of a fetus. If you're pregnant talk to your doctor about prenatal vitamins with iodine.

Most of us know green tea is good for us... and now research shows it could help with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea blocks airwaves during the night and among other problems can lead to high blood pressure and brain damage. In lab animals, green tea reduced the level of cell damage.

And last: stronger research on the benefits of peppermint. In the latest study: participants consumed 3,000 fewer calories a week, after being exposed to peppermint. The aroma appears to trigger a sense of fullness after eating, and it improved concentration. Experts suggest chewing sugarless mint gum, or dabbing-on peppermint oil to curb cravings.

Web Extra
There is promising new research in fighting alcohol addiction. 400 diagnosed alcoholics participated in a new study by the University of Virginia using the drug Topamax.

It showed the drug decreased heavy drinking. Doctors also found it helped volunteers lose weight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure. All problems researchers say often comes hand in hand with drinking. The study appears in Monday's "archives of internal medicine" one of the journals for the American Medical Association.

In another study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the French based research institute Inserm found smoking not only ruins your lungs, it saps you of your memory. This was a big study--10, 000 people participated. Those who smoked scored the worst on memory tests, but once they quit during the study their memory improved and on top of that they started to exercise and eat better.
Last: some promising news for those battling brain tumors. UCLA has been studying a personalized cancer vaccine for 7 years now. It works by combining a portion of the tumor with a patient's own white blood cells.

"This is an exciting new study that is trying to trigger the patients own immune system to recognize the tumor as a foreign object and to attack it and kill it," says Dr. Michael Gruber, Overlook Hospital Neuro-oncology Director

In 19 patients: the 2-year survival rate went from 27 to 50 percent. It's not a guarantee but it does appear to add precious time to a patient’s life.

All right. Summer's about here and you really want to get in shape, but life is busy and it's just not working out. We talked to a man with a great plan who will convince you, you can do it!

“So many people set themselves up to fail,” says Tim Koffler, Fitness Director at the Seattle Athletic Club in Downtown Seattle. He has spent years, watching people exercise, and along with life-changing successes he's seen bad habits, bad programs and the typical excuses.

“I really want everybody to have the opportunity to feel successful. It changes people’s lives, but when it comes to working out they often have the wrong idea as to what will work for them. In the end they fall back on ‘my life is too busy and I just didn’t have time,’” he says.

Today, he's sharing his program for success, and it's surprisingly simple.

“It really comes down to getting a plan together,” says Koffler.

Koffler says start by finding a reputable personal trainer-even if it's only for one session, or work with a friend you think you can trust for good advice.

“If you start that way, hopefully you don't get hurt, you don't waste your time, and you don't get discouraged too easily.”

Then, make a 4-week calendar *just for your workouts* and put it some place visible-like on your refrigerator. At the bottom, put exercises you plan to do each week. Pick what you think are the best days and times to get it done--based on your schedule.

“So if you have it in front of you what you have to do and you have to record it in a 7 day period, the chance that your going to complete your goals are significantly increased,” he adds.

An important point: Koffler says schedule *one day less* than you think you can actually fit in.

“It's only intimidating if they set their goals to high for what their time allows.”

Also, make a promise to yourself, no matter how you feel, to workout for *at least* 10 minutes.

“If you want to stop after 10 minutes go ahead and stop,” he allows, “but most people don't!”

But Koffler says if you *really* want to see results: mix it up.

“Your body is very amazing at adapting to what you do, so the more you do something, the better your body gets at it, the more efficient it gets at it so the less benefit you start to receive.”

Koffler has created what he calls “Home & Travel Workout Cards.”

They are all simple, common exercises using no equipment and they can all be easily done at home or on the road.

“They'll shuffle them up, they'll pull out 8 cards and that will be their workout for the day,” he says.

He's also created a program called "100 Days of Fitness" where for 100 days participants try a new sport so they can find the workout that they think is fun!

“Most people go to a gym because they think they need to lift weights, and they don't like to lift weights, but they may like playing squash.

They are all ideas for a new start and a permanent change-for the better.

“ Fitness is a lifestyle. It's a healthy choice that you want to do forever-not just until you go on the cruise. When people really get this is a long term process and this is not about getting on a scale and seeing their weight go down, it's about having your clothes fit comfortably, and having the energy to do the things you want, then people get more committed to making the lifestyle change.”

Go to Tim Koffler's "Exercise To Go" Site Here!

Web Extra: “The At-Home Quick Fix”

We bring you key exercises from Seattle Athletic Club Fitness Director Tim Koffler. They are simple and quick and you can do them all at home with no added equipment. You can add these to a regular work routine or do them separately. Koffler recommends completing 2-4 sets of each exercise three times a week.

"The Mini-Workout"

1. Jumping Jacks (60 seconds)
2. Squats (20 reps)
3. Reverse Lunges (12 reps each leg)
4. Pushups (15 reps)
5. Crunches (25 reps)

Jumping Jacks
Standing with your legs together and arms at your sides jump and land with your feet spread apart and arms overhead. Jump again and return to the starting position.

Squats
Standing with your feet spread twelve inches apart, squat down as if you are sitting in a chair, keeping your heels on the ground. Return to standing.

Reverse Lunges
Standing with your feet together, take a large step backwards bringing your back knee almost to the ground. You should have a 90-degree bend in both knees and have your back upright. Push off your back foot to return to the starting position.

Push Ups
Lying on your stomach, place your palms on the ground next to your chest. Leaving your knees in contact with the ground, push your entire body off the ground in one motion without bending the back. Return to the starting position keeping the body just slightly off the ground before repeating.

Crunches
Lying on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees, place your hands on your thighs. Keeping your arms straight, curl your body, bringing your hands to your knees, then return to the starting position.

Perform all exercises in the order listed, moving from one to the next without rest. After completing all exercises take a 1-minute rest before repeating the circuit.

"Arm Strong"

1. Seated Dip (12 reps)
2. Close Grip Push Up (15 reps)
3. Weighted Tricep Extension (12 reps)

Seated Dip
Sit on the edge of a solid chair or bed. Place your hands on both sides of your body, holding on to the edge. Your knuckles should be facing forward. Place the backs of your ankles on a bench in front of you so that your butt is suspended in the air. Beginners, plant your feet firmly on the floor with your knees slightly bent. As you progress, move your feet further out until your legs are straight. Push yourself off the seat and lower your buttocks until your elbows form a 90 degree angle. Then, push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat for 12 repetitions.

Close Grip Push Up
Start on your hands and knees with your hands 6-8 inches apart. With your arms straight walk your knees back until your body is straight, as if you were lying on the floor. This position is the start of the movement. Slowly lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor, keeping your elbows close to your body. Return to the starting position. Repeat 15 repetitions. If this movement is easy, place your feet on the ground and straighten your legs so you are balancing on your hands and toes.

Weighted Tricep Extension
Sit or stand and hold a weight with both hands, elbows bent behind the head at 90 degrees. The weight can be a dumbbell, weighted plate, or any other ten to twenty pound object you have available. Keeping the elbows in, pressing the weight overhead until the arms are straight. Return the weight to the starting position. Repeat for 12 repetitions.

You've been exercising for years and you are sure you know what your doing. Tim Koffler, Fitness Director for the Seattle Athletic Club, has been teaching people how to workout "right."
Along the way, he's seen a lot of people doing things wrong…

“In reality they may be able to do it, but they're not doing it correctly,” says Koffler.

He says you may also be hurting yourself. So, his first bit of advice is simple: use a trainer or ask a friend for help.

“Not only will you keep yourself from getting hurt, you don't waste your time, and you don't get discouraged too easily.”

Here are some of the most common-and potentially dangerous--workout mistakes to pay attention to.

LIFTING WEIGHTS:

“They do a lot of swinging with their arms. That it increases the chance they will hurt themselves. Keep your body still, focus on slow, controlled movements and keep your back straight, and only move the muscles that you are actually working out” he says, “which will actually make your body workout harder.”

BENCH PRESSES:

“When you drop your arms, make sure they don’t drop farther than level with your shoulders otherwise you are putting too much stress across the shoulders and the chest,” says Koffler. “So pick the arms up a little bit, and stop where you're upper arm is more parallel to the floor.”

SQUATS:

“One thing we see a lot of problems with is people rounding the lower back and loading it up with a lot of weight when it was never meant to do that,” he stresses. “Your back should be fairly straight up and down, flat and supported.”

PUSHUPS:

So a proper push up would be to bring the chin and the chest to the ground, keeping the back straight and not letting the rest of the body touch unless you want to make it easier by dropping knees down, but again keep your back straight and bend your arms.”

CRUNCHES/SIT-UPS:

“Often times people yank, pull on their necks. Not only are they potentially hurting themselves, they just aren’t getting that good of a workout. They’re working out their arms more than their abs. The right way would be to stare at the ceiling, lift up toward the ceiling, keeping the back relatively straight and do the same motion without using the hands or putting your hands on your thighs and moving them toward the top of the knees.”

LEG LIFTS:

“Most importantly you want to keep the pressure off your back. You’re back should be flat on the ground when you lower your legs. If you can't keep that position,” says Koffler, “tuck your fingers under the lower back kind of hold it there, and try and put pressure on the hand.”
Koffler has also created fitness cards, and suggests putting a workout calendar together. He says ultimately: try to do exercises that work your whole body or mimic movements you would do in your everyday life.

“When people really get that this is a long term process and this is not about getting on a scale and seeing their weight go down, it's about having your clothes fit comfortably, and having the energy to do the things you want, then people get more committed to making the lifestyle change.”

Web Extra: “The At-Home Quick Fix”

"At The Core"

1. Pelvic Tilt (12 reps)
2. Floor Cobra (12 reps)
3. Plank (10 reps)

Pelvic Tilt
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent at ninety degrees. In this relaxed position, the small of your back will not be touching the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles so that your lower back presses flat against the floor. Hold for five seconds then relax. Gradually build to 12 repetitions.

Floor Cobra
Lie on your stomach with legs together and arms in front of you with the palms down. Tighten your glutes and core then lift your chest off the floor. Lift your arms up and back toward the hips, rotating thumbs toward the ceiling. Hold for 2 seconds then return to the starting position. Your chin should stay tucked into the chest. Don’t arch excessively when lifting the chest; no lower back pain should be felt. Complete 12 repetitions.

Plank
Lie on your stomach with legs together and forearms supporting your upper body weight on the floor. Draw your abs toward your spine, tighten your glutes and lift your body onto your forearms and toes. Your body should be parallel to the floor and your chin tucked into your chest. Keep your spine in neutral position during each 15 second hold. Repeat 10 repetitions. If you experience any pain, reduce the hold time. Beginners may balance on their forearms and knees until sufficient strength is developed to progress to the toes.

"No Ifs Ands or Butts"

1. Step-Ups (10-15 reps)
2. Lunges (8-12 reps)
3. Quadraped Hip Extension (10-15 reps)

Step-Ups
Stand with good posture behind a tall step or box (at least 15 inches high) while holding a dumbbell or other weight in each hand. Place your right foot on the step and transfer your weight to that leg as you step up, pushing through your heel. Push with the right leg only; using the left for balance, especially as you initiate the step-up. Slowly step down and repeat 10 to 15 reps. Change legs.

Lunges
Stand tall with good posture while hold a dumbbell or weight in each hand. Step forward with the right foot, keeping the head up and spine neutral. Drop your left knee toward the floor by bending both knees, making sure to keep the front heel down and the knee directly over the center of the foot. Both knees should end up at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the movement. Push down and forward through your right heel to return to the starting position. Complete eight to 12 reps. Change legs.

Quadraped Hip Extension
On hands and knees, keep the abs tight as you lift one leg up, knee bent at a 90-degree angle throughout the movement. Keep lifting the leg until the bottom of the foot faces the ceiling and the hip, thigh and knee are all in alignment and parallel to the floor. The back and neck should not arch, remaining parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 to 15 times. For more intensity add ankle weights or a light dumbbell behind the knee.

It's one of the most common genetic conditions in the world. Still: 97% of those who have what's called Celiac Disease--are misdiagnosed. It affects children and adults, men and women and it's a disease that has everything to do with what you eat and can take a serious toll on your health-and your lifestyle.

Desperation is what Brandy Trafman felt ever since she was 13, but as a beauty pageant contestant winning over the judges became harder and harder as she feared she was losing her life.

"There's something wrong with me, and I'm slowly dying and nobody's figuring it out," says Trafman.

Then during her first year of college Brandy got the scare of her life.

"My stomach was in such excruciating pain that I woke up in the middle of the night screaming... and my friends in the dorms had to rush me to the hospital."

Misdiagnosed for most of her childhood, Brandy learned she suffers from Celiac Disease which is an autoimmune disorder where the body reacts abnormally to gluten-a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gastroenterologist Michael Goldberg of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare confirmed Brandy's condition after conducting a number of tests.

"Basically, nobody could find out what was wrong with her, but when I talked to her it seemed like she did have something going on. It's just that it wasn't found with all the tests that she had," says Evanston.

The problem with Celiac Disease is it effects about 1 in 133 people yet more than two million Americans don't even know they have it. Symptoms include diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, anemia, mouth sores, joint pain, tooth enamel defects, and an itchy rash.

"But more of the patients today that we see just have non-specific symptoms,” says Goldberg, “they may have iron deficiency anemia, they may have problems with their liver, hepatitis that nobody can find an answer for."

Once doctors do find the answer, patients must put themselves on a very strict diet. Items to avoid include bread, most soups, beer, even salad dressing.

"It was a completely change of lifestyle for me,” says Trafman, “Luckily, I've always liked fruits and veggies. So, for a while one of the important things was being able to maintain my weight."

Even luckier for Brandy was the opening of this nearby eatery in Evanston, Illinois. The name, "Rose's Wheat Free Bakery."

"We are the first bakery in the Chicago area that's completely gluten-free," says Owner Rosemarie O'Carroll who cooked up the idea cooking for her family. Her mother, sister, three children, and herself are all gluten-intolerant.

"I knew there was a market out there and I knew there was a need. I have people coming in everyday saying thank you."

Brandy is one of them. Because of the bakery, she not only can live a normal life, she can live a normal college life.

“It's not just breads and pastas and things but they actually have the junk food that a college student like me would enjoy eating."

As for her future plans she intends to turn her original "mis"-diagnosis into a "Miss" Illinois title. Her pageant platform: making others aware of celiac disease.

CLICK ON LINKS FOR INFORMATION ON CELIAC DISEASE:

The Mayo Clinic: Celiac Disease

Seattle Celiacs Group

Northwest Gluten Group: Gluten-Free Diet

Northwest Gluten Group: Gluten-Free Companies

VIEWER RECOMMENDATIONS:

Bastyr Center for Natural Health

Gluten Free Joe's In Tumwater

WEB EXTRA: The "Bad Buzz," "Trampoline Terrors," and the therapy that's "Music To Your Brain"

A warning about one of the newest energy drinks to hit the market. Spike energy drink has a whopping 300 milligrams of caffeine--that's nearly 4 times as much as Red Bull and 10 times as much as a soda. One young woman had a severe allergic reaction that sent her to the hospital.
A reminder that none of these energy drinks is regulated by the FDA. Doctors say teens and kids should probably avoid them all together.

And: parents think about this before you consider buying a trampoline. Sales are up and emergency room doctors nationwide are now seeing 88,000 trampoline injuries every year-that's double the number from a decade ago. The most common injuries: broken bones, but doctors are also seeing serious head and neck injuries.

Last: some interesting research into treating migraines--along with other stress-related problems. Doctors are finding what's called "brain music therapy" has been highly successful in treating most patients with severe migraines. It's primarily listening to soothing music before you go to bed. It cost her $550 for her sessions but she says it was worth it.