DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old guy and something something odd happens to me when eating. Sometimes, when I consume fish, and almost always with shrimp, my neck will throb for five or ten minutes on the right side of my head.

My one best friend is a goof and he told me that my neck is throbbing because I'm just a "farm animal" anyway. But my other best friend said that he thinks this is happening because shrimp has charged particles in it that can sometimes interact with certain blood types and that may be what's happening to my neck. I know my one friend is just teasing me, but could the other one who was mentioning the charged particles actually be right? — My Neck Throbs Sometimes, via email

MY NECK THROBS SOMETIMES: In my opinion, both of your friends are doing their best to tease you, but if your neck is throbbing on a semi-regular basis, absolutely see your school nurse immediately and let your parents know what is going on as well.

All kidding aside, you should have this checked out promptly, even though I highly doubt it has anything to do with what your friends are saying.

MY FRIENDS THINK MY SPEED OF LIFE IS TOO FAST

DR. WALLACE: One of my friends came up to me yesterday and she told me that I'm always in too big a hurry. She's one of my three best girlfriends, and it's true that out of the four of us girls, I am the one who's always walking the fastest, talking the fastest and am planning to do new things or social activities at all times of the day.

I think it's just my style, because I tend to do everything quickly. The only thing I don't do quickly is fall asleep at night. It always seems to take me a long time to be able to doze off. Do you think it's a problem for me to walk fast, talk fast and think fast every day? — I Tend to Move Quickly, via email

I TEND TO MOVE QUICKLY: There could indeed be a correlation between the way you go through your days and your inability to fall asleep easily at night. It may make sense for you to take a day or two each week to intentionally and proactively slow yourself down a bit. Intentionally slow yourself down in terms of your walking speed, your talking speed, and the velocity of the activities you are used to participating in. Simply let that day's flow come to you rather than the other way around.

It may be tricky at first and feel very unorthodox for you, but try to stick with it. Make some notes as to how you feel and after a few weeks of trying this, see if there's any difference in your ability to fall asleep better and easier on the days that you are a little less in "fast-forward" mode.

In the long run, you will likely always be someone who does things quicker than most other people, but that doesn't mean that you have to go at 100% velocity seven days a week. Try to pick your spots and find ways to relax and slow yourself down, as the balance will likely do you good, even if five days out of seven you maintain your busy and quick nature.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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