It's always great to have television mention clusters and have them realized for the great pain they cause, which helps others understand the difficultly coping that can be experienced. She mentions they are excruciating, helping those who do not have support in their lives.
But it also shows from the transcript we have homework to do for our own cause.
Quote:COLLINS: Cluster headaches. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now joining us to talk more about what triggers them and obviously the latest treatments, because this is the good news. So what brings a cluster headache on in the first place?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, they don't actually know what the cause is but when they look at what some triggers are, they look at people with cluster headaches and what they might have been doing just before they got them. They have come up with a list of things that seem to trigger these headaches.
For example, smoking. That's an easy one to stop doing. You shouldn't be smoking anyhow.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: Alcohol consumption, high altitudes and an irregular sleep schedule. All of those things seem to trigger cluster headaches. But I do also want to add that you can get them without having done any of these things.
COLLINS: All right, very good. Elizabeth Cohen, I know you'll continue to watch that one, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
The interest seemed to be on triggers first, which took a good portion of the talk. She mentioned some saying they all trigger, but it was also good to hear her also add clusters do happen without these triggers. Then oxygen being the latest for treating clusters. Anytime oxygen is mentioned it is a good thing for sufferers.
While this all being somewhat behind the learning curve for many of us here when oxygen is mentioned as the "latest" treatment, it is helpful to those suffering unaware with maybe future supporters hearing of this.
I know the interviewer ends commenting that she will continue to watch this affliction, and that is hopeful.
This is from a previous CNN show:
Quote:HOUSE CALL WITH DR. SANJAY GUPTA
Aired December 6, 2008 - 08:30 ET
GUPTA: And it is time for my favorite segment of the show, "Ask the Doctor." We have lots of questions today.
Our first one comes all the way from Egypt. Juadad wants to know this. "What exactly is a cluster headache? Well Juadad, cluster headaches come on fast. They usually don't let up for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. The pain is typically on one side of the head or in the eye area. A throbbing sensation that could cause your eye to tear or even droop.
Now, doctors aren't entirely sure why they occur, but here's one theory. Why don't you take a look at this picture? You have a nerve highlighted in yellow here. That is the trigeminal nerve, the fifth nerve. And the theory is that sometimes that nerve gets inflamed. You can see where its location is. It can cause pain on that one side of the head. It's also right behind the eye. It can cause pain there as well.
Now, alcohol use, changes in sleep cycle, even altitude or mountain climbing can cause these sorts of problems. Plane trips as well can trigger a cluster headache.
Ms. Cohen basically reiterates an unknown cause and mentions the same triggers as mentioned on this previous show, which gives an idea of copied homework. She adds though that clusters may happen without these also, and oxygen the latest treatment, an improvement.
In itself, just bringing this back to TV is helpful, but it can seem slow progress and conservative effort while still being yet an improvement and exposure. I was just left with less than high expectations of her continuing to watch this, as the interviewer concluded. There was over a year inbetween these two shows and she gathered that the particular triggers mentioned are not necessarily applicable and oxygen the latest treatment.
If one were to read Deej's board, that would seem a light dabble on the subject. Getting it on TV is the big highlight, though I'd believe much more of our homework surpasses the basic presentation prepared of their senior medical correspondent.
It's just that, since the unknown cause and triggers had been previously mentioned, and that seemed to take about half her talk, looking at the steps she took beyond that, there just seemed to be something more we'd wish to say. But also wondering, what else could be encompassed in a couple sentences' time if we were to suggest? What more could be simply and quickly expressed?