Caring for the woman with migraine headaches.

About 16% of American women experience migraine headaches. These debilitating headaches cause lost time from family, social activities, and work. Although migraines are thought to be a result of shifting menstrual and perimenopausal hormones, a physiologic connection has not been well established. This article approaches premenstrual and perimenopausal migraine headaches from a chronic disease perspective, focusing on self-care and the use of prescription and nonprescription therapies. Implications for practice and future research also are discussed.

Caring for the woman with migraine headaches.

Approximately 16% of American women experience migraine headaches. These debilitating headaches cause lost time from family, social activities, and work. Although migraines are thought to be a result of shifting menstrual and perimenopausal hormones, a physiologic connection has not been well established. Despite the lack of certainty regarding migraine cause, several theories have been postulated and a significant amount of literature has been published addressing the management of premenstrual migraines. Fewer articles have been published regarding the management of perimenopausal migraines, which are treated somewhat differently. This article approaches both premenstrual and perimenopausal migraine headaches from a chronic disease perspective, focusing on self-care and the use of prescription and nonprescription therapies. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

The meanings of home in the stories of older women.

The concept of home emerged as a theme in the stories of inner strength told by older women. In this study, 12 women over the age of 65 (7 European American and 5 African American) were asked to tell a personal story that exemplified the meaning of being strong. The concept of home, which was an aspect of finding strength, comprised powerful stories about making a home, leaving home, losing one's home, staying home, and coming home. In this article, the meanings of home are presented in detail, as they emerged in this research. Conclusions concern the universal human need for creating a home and implications for nurses.

Physical urticaria: a common misdiagnosis.

The incidence of urticaria, a symptom that accompanies many allergic disorders, is frequently reported to be low. However, an accurate estimate is difficult to determine as the condition is often unreported or misdiagnosed. Because the associated discomfort of urticaria is disproportionate to the seriousness of the condition, the lay public and health professionals alike tend to dismiss or overlook the need for a diagnostic workup and treatment options. Urticaria, however, can have a tremendous impact on the everyday life of the sufferer, and the significance of this condition warrants attention. In this paper, a brief overview of urticaria and its physiology is provided, followed by a discussion of the different types of physical urticarias. Assessment and diagnosis, cautions, guidelines, and techniques for the primary care provider are discussed.

A Heideggerian hermeneutical analysis of older women's stories of being strong.

As people in our society live longer, affirming the quality of their lived experience becomes more important. The purpose of this study was to ascertain and analyze the meanings of "being strong" as revealed from within the stories of older women. A Heideggerian hermeneutical approach, from a critical feminist perspective, was the methodology used. The sample consisted of 12 women, 7 White and 5 Black, over the age of 65. A team of researchers analyzed the transcripts. Findings consisted of three constitutive patterns: "Surviving," "Finding Strength," and "Gathering the Memories ... Seeing the Patterns."

Importance of dietary sodium in the hypercalciuria syndrome.

Daily urinary calcium excretion in renal stone-forming subjects is shown to vary directly with moderate changes in dietary sodium intake. The changes produced are sufficient to alter the basic diagnostic classification from 'hypercalciuric' to 'normocalciuric' because dietary sodium is reduced from 200 to 80 mM/day. Similar changes were observed in fasting morning 'spot' urine samples, resulting in alteration of diagnostic subclassification between so-called 'absorptive' and 'renal' categories, in the absence of demonstrable change in parathyroid function. Diagnostic and therapeutic studies in stone-forming subjects require control of both dietary calcium and dietary sodium if misinterpretations are to be avoided. Habitual high sodium intake may be an etiological factor in the generation of excessive excretion of calcium, sodium, and phosphate--the hypercalciuria syndrome.