So what evolutionary benefits would have been associated with our biochemistries, compensating for the disabling effects? Through most of history–admittedly a much shorter period than prehistory–for substantial parts of the year much of the protein that our ancestors ate was not fresh.
David,
I think at the end of the day, the human body is most definitely not a perfectly designed machine. While there are a great many things about it to be amazed by – all of the incredible biochemistry going on – it’s also arguably an engineering nightmare. Evolution has just worked around the problems in most cases, such as the blind spot we have in our vision for example or weak lower back. Life expectancy has for centuries been only 30–40 years until recently. Most of us were dead before things like migraine really took hold. With increasing life expectancy our bodies become less and less reliable.
Scott
I think a migraineur was an early evolutionary development designed to warn fellow tribespeople of impending weather, air pressure changes. 
— Begin quote from “dizzytink”
I think a migraineur was an early evolutionary development designed to warn fellow tribespeople of impending weather, air pressure changes.
— End quote
LOL. I like it. S
:lol: Now THAT’S putting positive spin on it!!
Nice one Dizzytink :lol:
maryalice— “putting a positive spin on it.” That was probably Phase 2 of the grand evolutionary design! :lol:
:lol:
I dont know but it appears there are a couple of preventatives we havent all tried yet. Strapping a clay crocodile holding grain in its mouth to the head or rubbing a piece of fried fish on the head sounds good to me, less side effects than the preventatives we use today!
Christine
My sense is that there are a number of characteristics that seem deleterious but are genetically linked to traits that are useful. Consider the physically hapless but intellectually outstanding geek archetype.
I seem to recall seeing such analyses for sickle cell or Tay-Sachs.
As for rubbing the fried fish against the head, Christine, it’s plausible at least two-three ways. First, if real nauseous, I can imagine not being able to force myself to eat the stuff. Second, if exceedingly vertiginous, I can imagine not getting it into the mouth. Third, on a good day, I can see being real attracted by the stuff but exceedingly leery of the risk that there’s MSG in the breading, but at the same time unwilling to do without. Vide the “Booze, Booze” story.
Apparrently the egyptions tied the clay crocodile to the head with a piece of linen and on the linen was written all the names of the Gods that could cure it! They reckoned it probably helped because it compressed the scalp. I can sort of relate to this, bet you are wondering how?? When I had my hair streaked one time I had a really bad migraine, they put that tight fitting rubber streaking cap on my head and it was squeezing my head, by the time she had finished the migraine had gone.
Know where we can get a clay crocodile??
Christine
you planning to start a new fashion craze Christine? :lol:
If I thought strapping a clay crocodile to my head would cure this, I would wear it at home! Maybe not outside. I have tried all sorts in the past, wearing a woolley hat to bed (somebody had said that they woke with no headache doing this), and having one type of alternative treatment that involved laying there for half an hour with an egg on my naval, hmmm, dont quite know what that was for but the charming lady was convinced it had worked as she took my £30 :roll:
Christine
— Begin quote from “cmoc”
If I thought strapping a clay crocodile to my head would cure this, I would wear it at home!
— End quote
Each of those treatments actually sounds like a crock. The good news in that is that there probably would be no dose-response relationship, which implies that you could strap on a [size=50]very small [/size]clay croc, say one that would fit under a bandaid, when going out and get similar benefit.
— Begin quote from “cmoc”
alternative treatment that involved laying there for half an hour with an egg on my naval, hmmm, dont quite know what that was for
— End quote
The slightly misplaced egg on the navel is obviously for fertility. Of course, if it worked, you might get half-human, half-chicken progeny, but as we learned to great expense and angst, every pregnancy, however high-tech the approach, is a crapshoot.
Enough crap shooting. I should be working.