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4 Letter Words
1. krayker16 July 2010, 13:45 GMT +02:00
You can only change ONE letter, AND/OR rearrange the letters currently available. The first word is:
WINS
12146. xymonau16 May 2016, 11:21 GMT +02:00
I'm so glad you've had such a long period without migraines, Michael!
Re the salt - yes, it raises blood pressure in everyone, and while we need a little bit every day, our diets are flooded with it and we don't even realise. When I stop salt completely - including no processed foods, it does have a strong effect on lowering it.
They found a tribe of people untouched by western society somewhere in South America. They had zero added salt - although, of course, you get sodium from many plants and other things you eat - including meat. None had any blood pressure issues. So they did a test and chose a group. They gave half the group the level of salt every day that is common in the western world. Within a week, as I recall, the salt eaters were all experiencing borderline high blood pressure. It went away as quickly when the salt stopped. I'm not sure anyone has salt sensitivity, but I think that's the effect it can have, particularly if you are prone to high BP anyway. All my family is/was. Although a lot of mine is from other medication and emotional stuff. If I get upset, mine goes off the radar.
And when I remove all meat, it seems to drop as well. It has dropped at least 40 points in general - it was 245 over about 95 - and more than that a lot of the time, but I have started an additional tablet that I seem to be tolerating - apart from the headaches it gives me - and it is helping a lot as well. My concern with it is that it can raise your potassium levels dangerously, and I eat a lot of potassium-rich foods. Anyway, for the moment, this is what I'm doing and it's definitely helping. But I did have an upset that pushed it up. Hopefully that's over now.
Baby birds are so cute. A lot of ours nest in the cooler months - now - and we have flocks of birds coming to eat seed and whatever else we put out for them. There are wattles and some other blossoms, but natural food gets a bit scarce at this time, so we get a lot of visitors. The spangled drongos are back. They migrate and return when the weather cools down and stay for a few months. Here's a video of one. They have red eyes - can't see that in the video - and my son used to call them the devil birds. The song of this one is only part of their repertoire, and they make the most hilarious sounds as well as some bell-like calls, and they mimic other birds, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLOiq3Pwt6o And here is one mimicking noisy miners and another one that's common, but I'm not sure whose call it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iob6fZ5J9M
One of the cutest things about the ones that visit us is that they catch minced meat when we toss it in the air. There are four regulars, and they sometimes almost collide fighting over the meat. But one is now in the habit of hovering at face level when it sees us - fairly close - to beg for food. It is so cute and funny. They are about half the size of a dove, though they have a longer length to their tail tips. And to have them frantically flapping and hovering in your face is hilarious. I think I might be able to teach them to eat from my hand, but I'm not sure if I have the patience.
The competition in our yard is fierce, and the most aggressive birds all gather here. The huge white ibis makes me laugh. All the other birds have watched me feeding the drongos, so they all try the catching meat in the air trick - the butcherbirds manage it, but the rest are pretty clumsy. And even the ibis tries to flap up and catch it. What a disaster. It terrifies the others and is never successful - even though they are wonderfully elegant in flight.
I hope you get to see your new babies over the next weeks - and that Mimi doesn't! LOL We know she'd prefer them
dead
and being digested. :o)
12147. Ayla8717 May 2016, 8:10 GMT +02:00
studies have shown that only half of the high BP patients are salt sensitive sol that a reduction of their daily salt intake will have an effect on their BP. You seem to belong to that half. My nephrologist has found out that I don't. For me the reduction of salt won't help to lower the BP. So you are lucky to have this setscrew to help you.
100 grams of meat only contain 57 miligrams of salt, so the reason why eating no meat has a good effect on your BP must be a different one (except when you add salt while preparing meat dishes). These things are not easy to find out.
My BP was about 165 to 105 when it was not cured by any medics after I first discovered the raised BP. Now with my daily pill it is lowered to about 145 to 95. This is still a bit high, but I can live with it. Stronger pills might lower it even more. Since they don't have any noteable side effects except for some cold fingers at some times I am quite content with taking those pills.
Yesterday we saw a documentation on TV which told us that the prices for medicaments in Germany are among the highest in the world. In most other countries we would pay about 40 % less for the same medicaments. The reason for that is that the producers of the medicaments have a great lobby here. Of course the development of new medicaments is a great economic factor, many medicaments used world-wide were invented in Germany, this has a long history. Not always a good one, as medicament testing was also done on inhabitants of concentration camps, and many of them (hundreds) died because of that.
Too high values of potassium can be quite dangerous. But life can be dangerous as well, it is not always easy to avoid everything which might harm you. We only can do our best.
These drongos have no very friendly name. In German their name translates as dullard or fool, but as your video shows they are really clever with their mimicry.
We could probably lure some birds to eat from our hands, but that wouldn't be wise. They would come into Mimi's reach then as well, so we better keep some distance. We still have no clue if the bird babies are hatched already. The nest is well hidden between the leaves of the hedge behind our syringa bush. You know I'm quite
deaf
but Christa hasn't heard any more chirping either. We'll see what happens.
We have noticed the same competition for food as you have in your yard. I can understand that birds get envious when they have the impression that they don't get enough. But it's not too bad by now.
Yesterday two different mice came to catch some peanuts from where Christa feeds the birds. That was high quality cat TV for Mimi. She followed their every move, but she knew they were well outside of her reach.
12148. xymonau25 May 2016, 20:03 GMT +02:00
Not intentionally avoiding you, Michael. I'm getting used to new medications and they are taking their toll right now. I
read
your post, and will get to respond soon. I hope you are fine.
12149. Ayla8726 May 2016, 6:27 GMT +02:00
dear
Dez, I hope the new medics will be helpfull and friendly to you soon.
My head behaves very well currently, and I hope it will stay this way. This is the best time of the year for me, even though I couldn't tell you why some wheather conditions might help to prevent attacks. The barometric pressure doesn't vary here over the seasons.
From monday on I have two weeks off. That will be my time to refrain from posting. I think will tell Mimi some four lettered words instead ;)
12150. xymonau28 May 2016, 18:32 GMT +02:00
I really hope you have a great break, Michael! It's so nice not to have to watch the clock all the time, isn't it?
The name, "drongo" is just the name of the bird, but in colloquial Australian and New Zealand English, it has come to mean an idiot. It started after an Australian racehorse named drongo was a terrible runner, they say. The birds themselves, while really entertaining and funny, are highly intelligent. The locals - and they will emigrate after winter - are all now hovering in front of my face to get my attention and beg for meat. They are only a couple of feet away, and I think if I held out they might take food from my hand, but so far, they won't, and insist on me throwing it. They are such incredible flyers. They are flycatchers, so they have to be. Some of the other birds catch the meat on the wing, but none can twist and turn so well.
Yes, so many large German pharmaceutical companies exist, and with a bad history. However, there have been so many that helped people. America also has very high drug prices. I've said before that we used to have free medication and doctor visits when I was young - up to the mid 70s in Queensland, as I recall. We still have a cap on prices for everything on the PBS - a public drug list. I think the top amount is about $40 or less, but most things I'm on are under $20 these days. That's still about $100 per month, apart from the needed over the counter meds. That is a lot on a fixed income. I can't complain, though. Everything else is currently free. The present government wants to raise the cost of all medical things, and are trying to destroy and privatise our free medical system. It is actually frightening, particularly at my time of life. They can find money for war and give tax cuts to the wealthy. I pray they are out on their collective ears in the election on July 2. That's the day after my birthday, and it would be a wonderful birthday gift! If they get back in, I will despair.
So will you do anything special on your break? Go to some restaurants? Does Christa like having you at home? I know Mimi will.
I will go. It's late, as usual. I am still not good on these meds, but hopefully I will get over the bad effects soon. They are making me so depressed. You take care, and have fun! I
dare
you!
12151. Ayla8717 June 2016, 8:33 GMT +02:00
Time for me to answer your last post, finally. The days off were very recreative - no migraine at all which is rare when I have days off. We sleep a little bit longer when I don't have to go to work, but not too much. Migraine wants to have a steady rhythmn in the way your days are organized, otherwise their is the danger of more attacks.
We are in the same situation than you, we could reach out our hands with peanuts and the sparrows might get used easily to pick them from our hands. But this would lure them to come nearer to where Mimi's reach is on the terrace, so we better don't take that risk.
We have daily visits of the pair of Striped field mice living unter our terrace. They are so cute:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striped_field_mouse
Mimi managed to catch one of them again and presented it to us. I praised the quality of her hunting skills a lot and during that time Christa catched the mouse with the little plastic box in which she also catches spiders and all kinds of insects in our rooms and safely carried it back outside on our terrace.
I think it is always good when a mouse remains unharmed. It can tell all fellow mice about this dangerous cat living here and give them advice to stay well out of her reach.
Your current health system sounds fair to me. I hope the plans to make things worse won't come through. Was was the outcome of the election on July 2? I hope you got your belated birthday gift. This reminds me that I also missed your birthday because of my days off. I hope you had a wonderful day. To me birthdays don't mean very much because getting older is something that I do regularly every day.
We spent my break walking through nice green parks and forests in Berlin (as my latest photos show) and also visited some nice restaurants. The red curry dish (vietnamese) was very tasty. The miso soup was nice to take a photo, but it didn't taste very well.
Christa did come along with having me around the whole day, but she probably begins to wonder how things will feel when I really won't have to work anymore one day (in about 11 years). Perhaps I have a chance to help her more with housekeeping activities then. It will also help to keep me busy.
Did you get used to your meds already? It takes some weeks for side effects to gradually decrease (and somer of them may stay permanently, of course). Take
care
12152. xymonau29 June 2016, 17:05 GMT +02:00
Sorry it has taken so long to respond. Too much going on. And for a few days I've had a cold - the first in a very long time. My head is aching and my throat sore - although not much - and someone turned on a tap in my head. I hope it will be gone soon.
I think you were getting ahead of yourself with your question re the election. Maybe you were thinking "June" but writing "July". The election is on Saturday, (my birthday is Friday) but we can vote for the two weeks before. My son will probably vote tomorrow or Friday. I do a postal vote. I think the same tired party will be re-elected, sadly. There is a war on the disadvantaged in this country. And the current government is eroding our health care. They don't believe in free health care, and every time they are in, they wreck it. Tax cuts to the wealthy, and a hard line against those on government benefits. Seriously, they make my flesh crawl. Oh, well, we have to accept what we get, I suppose. But I will wake up sick at heart if this lot gets back in. They are going to continue to wreck everything. They want us to be a mini USA.
Our voting system is first past the post if one person gets something like 50% of the primary vote, but if not, we have preferences. We can choose the next party our vote is to go to if there is no clear winner. It actually does make it fair if people don't get confused by too many candidates.
I LOVE those little mice! Aren't they pretty? I hope they continue to avoid Mimi. Cats can't help themselves, can they?
I'm so glad you had no migraine on your break. Have you had any since your return to work? It sounds like you had a really relaxing time. Re the miso soup - I don't like miso (I've only tried it once or twice), and other people have written on various Facebook pages that they didn't like miso soup when they tried it. Red and green curries are nice - but only mild for me, thanks.
I had to stop one of the meds. It was making me nauseated every day for hours. I couldn't bear it. And it was getting worse, not better. When I stopped, so did the nausea. I'm still on the other pills that depress me. The doctor gave me a sample pack of others, but I haven't tried them yet. I read that they are stronger, and the current ones already make me feel like fainting - and I'm on a low dose, plus my blood pressure is still too high - not too bad, though. I wish I could get it all working and stable.
I'm supposed to go to an appointment on Friday, but I feel so sick tonight that I'll cancel tomorrow if I'm no better.
The weather has finally turned cold - for us. The nights are around 4C and the last couple of days were 18 to 22C maximum - lovely bright, cool days. It's snowing in the southern states and even south-east Queensland had some. I think we'll get warmer in about a week or so. The days will get to 24 and 25C - although they won't stay at that temperature for long.
I'm sure you'll find plenty to do when you retire. Photography is a great hobby, and there are so many beautiful places for you to take your camera.
I'm off. I'll still be awake, but I should
race
to bed. Won't be long before I nod off tonight.
12153. Ayla871 July 2016, 10:47 GMT +02:00
Happy Birthday, Dez (the good news is: I will not start singing at this occasion).
I hope your health is better already so that you are in a more festive mood.
Wheter you vote personally or by postal vote doesn't matter. The important thing is to take every chance to vote and demonstrate that your opinion counts and is worth to be heard. This doesn't necessarily always lead to a vote result of your desire, but then you have at least done your best.
Your voting system sounds interesting and fair. It is still astonishing for me that world wide we see a variety of different voting and election systems. There doesn't seem to be very much consense as to which sdystem works best.
It is also important that the voters have enough information to give a reasonable vote which they won't have to regtet soon after. It sounds as if many of those Brexit voters are now astonished an rub their eyes while they realise what the outcome of their vote will be. Political decisions are too important to misuse them for simple object lessons.
Yes, those mice are absolutely cute and so far clever enough to avoid Mimi.
Indeed I had two days of heavy migraine this week shortly after I was back to work. The change in the stress household was obviously too great. Well, that is now already a thing of the past. I will be lucky if it is quite a while before the next attack comes.
As your wheather turned cold it is now our turn to have more and more of the hot and humid days. We've had up to 38°C already at some days and this also meant that it was up to 28 °C warm at nights. Not very easy to sleep then. Our cuttend apartment is obviously quite warm. Good for Mimi, she loves that, but not too good for us.
Oh yes, I'm sure I will not be bored when I retire. Looking forward to a nice new time of my life then.
I hope you have good news on your health when I get to
read
from you again.
12154. xymonau19 July 2016, 15:27 GMT +02:00
I haven't posted here for almost three weeks!
Well, here in the middle of winter, we are having 25C days and 12 to 15C nights. Wonderful weather. Some rain to fill the tank, thankfully, but it has been a very mild winter, with a few weeks of cold only. My electricity bill was half of what it is usually. The temp may drop again in a week or so. I just love it right now, though.
Well, my party didn't make it to government, but they certainly won a lot more votes. Politics is getting scary. Too much going on, and the people have little say in anything. And too much religious involvement in state affairs in many countries. Something is fomenting and I think there will be a lot of trouble soon. I'm glad I don't live in a city any more. The extremely racist Pauline Hanson has been voted in again here. She is dangerous not only because of her redneck beliefs, but because she is unintelligent as well. I'm ashamed to say one of my sisters supports her.
Re voting systems - all kinds work well enough if people have good will. Even governments can be of any variety, as long as the leaders or dictators are benign and care for their people. Sadly, there isn't much care for the poorest anywhere. So many countries are becoming very Fascist- but denying the fact. The world is going to be a much harder place for my grandchildren, sadly.
Your hot nights would be uncomfortable, Michael. Even here it is rarely that hot at night, and 38C is extremely hot. You would feel it more because of your general low temperatures. I don't envy you. Has some of the heat passed yet? Do you have air conditioning? (It sounds like you don't.)
Have you encountered many of the Pokémon hunters in your neck of the woods? I don't go out much, but they are here locally as well. It's a big thing, and I wonder how long it will take before it ceases to be the trend?
I hope you have been migraine-free. I
dare
to hope you have a very long period of time without them.
12155. Ayla8720 July 2016, 13:59 GMT +02:00
Do you think it is your all-time record that you haven't posted here for almost three weeks? I'm not sure if a prize is available for download in case you have won. Maybe you have to hunt it first as if it were one of these pokemons. I've only seen screenshots of them. Some look quite cute. But I'm not too sure if they really like to be hunted and cought. They look far better than any tamagotchi and you have to reload the battery of your smartphone quite often when you go on hunting. Not really my kind of way to spend the day. I haven't encountered many hunters yet. The local police has asked for a penalty of 25 Euros already when a biker was riding around pokemon hunting. So this game is not always free.
It is great to hear that you can be happy with your wheather and that it was also friendly to your electricity bill. These days it is getting warmer over here, and still I managed to catch a cold. Maybe I was not attentive enough because I was distracted by a migraine attack for three days last week. So my time without attacks seems to be over already, but I'd be happy enough if they continue to be as rare and weak as possible. The statistics of my online migraine calendar tell me that the first half of this year was quite a lot better than the same time last year. With such irregular events like migraine attacks statistics may help to remind you that things are not too bad after all.
No, we don't have air conditioning. I think if we hat I would catch a cold even more often. That wouldn't be too helpful either. The place where we live now is certainly the warmest we have ever had. The temperatures here on the ground floor are sometimes as high as when we lived on the 3rd floor right under the roof. So the quality of this building must be the worst of all - despite the rent being the highest we have ever paid. I think we have to live with this place for some time, it is so nicely near to my office (only a 12 minutes drive by bus). We inspected this flat for at least one or two times before we rented it, but it is nearly impossible to notice all the advantages and disadvantages during these short inspections.
It is always dissapointing when votings don't turn out the way you want. I think it is also a problem that it is not always easy to predict what the outcome and consequences of a certain vote will be. Many voters seem to vote only to to teach so. a lesson and then - like with that brexit subject - are astonished what they have done. I think the world has become a complex place with lots of mutual dependencys between the countries. Germany is one of the most influential members of the European Union, I think we have also profited largely from this union. Traveling without borders and paying things in many other countries with the same money makes life a lot easier. But of course this also means that a lot of decisions are mad no longer by local politicians.
I have my own theory why politicians don't care enough for the poorest. There are too many of them, and if you care for them better that would cost more money than the government could easily afford. Tax income is never high enough, especially for the needs of the masses, so politicians find it easier to care for the few (the rich, which get even richer then). This theory includes that the poorness will rise and that the success of our pure capitalism is coming to an end. Interest rate are currently as low as they have ever been during all my life now, which means that it gets harder and harder to bring some many to the bank as a reserve for the time when you get old. The banks are thinking about negative interest rates already, which means that you must fear to get punished when you try to save money on a bank.
I'm still not afraid of the
date
when I will retire, but we will have to watch for our money to be sufficient. Rents are rising quite fast in Berlin currently because more and more people want to live in this green and attractive city.
12156. gesinek14 September 2016, 14:30 GMT +02:00
Micheal, I have a question. You are an axpert in migraine therapy and treatment. I have a little boy (9 years old) in one of my judo groups who suffers a lot of migraine. His mother is nearly and the end with all possibilities she knows to help her son. She asked me, if I could give her an advice. So I thought of you and want to know, if you perhaps know a specialist or a special hospital who treats children with migraine?
Thanks Gesine
Ihaven't posted for long time. I have a lot of work in hospital. We will have a new certification in a new system. I am responsible for the education of our apprentices and have to work out a concept for the practical training. That takes a lot of time.
team
12157. Ayla8715 September 2016, 6:27 GMT +02:00
Gesine, the Schmerzklinik Kiel has a lot of experience on the subject of Kids with Migraine. They offer more information for kids and parents here:
http://www.kopfschmerz-schule.de/
The pain doctors can be found on this map:
http://www.schmerzklinik.de/service-fuer-patienten/vor-und-nachsorge/
I suggest that the mother should also tell the story of her kid and ask for advice on
http://www.headbook.me/
that is the facebook for the head. A very active and helpful community with a lot of other mothers with kids suffering from really heavy migraine around.
I hope this will be helpful.
I know how much time the implementation of a new system costs. I wrote a long concept, too. Christa thinks this cost so much energy and stressed me so much that it may well be responsible for the breakout of my migraine. So taske care, rome wasn't build on one day, too. And we still have a lot of experience over here with buildings which take immeasurable time and money. Think of our famous never-ending airport project here.
term
12158. xymonau15 September 2016, 7:54 GMT +02:00
Hi, Gesine. I know this may not be helpful at all, but dairy foods caused migraines in one of my relatives when he was a child, so I wonder if she has tried removing those form his diet. He can get plenty of calcium from leafy green vegetables. Just a thought. I really hope he finds some help.
I'm glad you're busy and I hope your work is fulfilling. Sounds great.
I must apologise for not being around much. I post on Facebook, but my energy levels are low these days. Still struggling to find a blood pressure medication that doesn't do terrible things to me. I'm an admin on a Facebook page and that uses up a lot of what I have to spare. LOL
Michael, I hope you aren't being hit with too many bouts of migraine. You were doing a little better, I think, before?
mart
12160. Ayla8715 September 2016, 13:12 GMT +02:00
Dez, my migraine is still a little better and I'm happy for that.
The
warm
wheather with about 30°C ist more strenuous and is a bit unusual for early autumn.
I know, blood pressure pills can be a pain and you have to be patient and try a lot before you find the ones which work best for you. But it is also important to get the blood pressure balanced. This problem won't go away on its own.
My blood pressure is still a bit too high, I will also have to look for a higher dose of my pills. So we keep the doctorss busy and see that they don't get poorer.
12161. gesinek17 September 2016, 17:06 GMT +02:00
Thanks for your answers. I hadn't on my mind, that the hospital in Kiel treats also kids. And Dez, I think the little boy knows all diets to make the situation better and he keeps them strictly. Also be have icecream or something he shouldn't eat after the training.
My pills also doesn't work right. I have to loose weight and do more running or swimming or something like that
12162. Ayla8718 September 2016, 7:25 GMT +02:00
I always wonder how pills know what they have to do. Take a pain pill for example. How does it know where I feel pain and where it hast to help me?
I can tell you, it is not easy at all to find the motivation for regular sport activities. I have been searchig for years without success. The only thing I do regularly is to go swimming (15 Minutes swimming in nicely warm thermal water) and to the sauna at the same occasion - every two weeks.
warn
12163. xymonau19 September 2016, 15:44 GMT +02:00
Scientists don't actually know why many drugs work, just that they do. They can say the area in general, but have no idea of the process. I have read up on many drugs and it's the same thing. They are often working all over your body - hence the side effects - but one thing they do is what they are prescribed for. It's scary, really.
Walking is as good as it gets for regular exercise. But swimming is good for those with joint problems, or who want to pace the level of exertion. Right now I am getting zero exercise, and it's bad. My neighbour wants to walk with me and I'm going to have to as soon as my tendons feel a bit better. The new drugs are easing some of the pain, but not all. And I feel like a zombie. AND that's on half the minimum dose.
worn
12164. Ayla8720 September 2016, 8:09 GMT +02:00
Yes, it is quite scary how the drugs do their work and also how much the scientists still do not know about the processes. But in general im thankful for the help the medics give us.
Walking is a good way to be good to yourself. I often use my lunch break to walk around in the area surrounding my office. I don't like exertion because of sports, I don't find that funny or rewarding. When I'm retired (still a quite long while in the future) I intend to ride by bike more often. That doesn't burn too many calories, but it is a nice support when you are shopping and it increases your range when you make some excursions.
I have to
work
at least for another 10 years.
12165. xymonau20 September 2016, 14:53 GMT +02:00
It's good to have a plan for the future. Mine was taken away suddenly and I have no idea what to do now. Still, we keep on going, don't we?
know
12166. Ayla8721 September 2016, 6:04 GMT +02:00
Yes, plans are good to keep us more optimistic. I also feel that it is motivating to have aims. But we should nonetheless remember always to make the best out of every day, just because we don't know what the future really brings and in what state of health we are then.
When you don't keep going on you have given up. That's ugly.
Here is a word about something I like very much -
snow
12167. xymonau21 September 2016, 8:18 GMT +02:00
I don't think I'm ever going to see snow. Never mind, the photos are good! LOL
swan
12168. Ayla8721 September 2016, 11:35 GMT +02:00
I won't get to see so many colourful birds freely flying around. Ours here are not so colourful, you can see all our regional bird species on my website:
https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http://www.berlin.de/ba-charlottenburg-wilmersdorf/verwaltung/aemter/umwelt-und-naturschutzamt/naturschutz/pflanzen-artenschutz/artikel.112937.php&edit-text=
Maybe the birds prefer feathery which support protective mimicry.
Perhaps we can find a way to
swap
experiences.
12169. gesinek21 September 2016, 13:39 GMT +02:00
I think exercise is the best you can to to keep your body and your mind in a good shape. And that also have side effects: Regulation of blood pressure, feeling better, loosing weight, better moves, better looking.....
But gather up for that, although all the good effects, is hard.
wasp
