STORM2K

BOSTON, Mass. (Reuters) - The spell cast by the latest Harry Potter book may have an unintended side effect.

A Washington doctor warned that he has seen three children complain of headaches caused by the physical stress of relentlessly plowing through the epic 870-page adventure.

Call them Hogwarts headaches, named after the wizard school that Harry attends.

Dr. Howard Bennett of George Washington University Medical Center wrote in a letter to this week's New England Journal of Medicine that the three children, ages 8 to 10, experienced a dull headache for two or three days.

Each had spent many hours reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

After ruling out other potential causes, Bennett told his patients to give their eyes a rest. But the spell cast by the book was clearly too powerful.

"The obvious cure for this malady -- that is, taking a break from reading -- was rejected by two of the patients," Bennett said, adding that the children took acetaminophen instead.

In each case, the headache went away only after the patient turned the final page.

"Order of the Phoenix," the fifth book in the series, has nearly three times as many pages as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the first book, and J.K. Rowling still plans two more tomes.

"If this escalation continues as Rowling concludes the saga, there may be an epidemic of Hogwarts headaches in the years to come," Bennett predicted.

this is funny. my daughter read the book in 2 days .no headache. this is the child i have to ground from reading, because that all she does instead of other work. maybe the kids need glasses. another thing most dont like to read and if u find something they like to read keep in going with other book like that. thanks for the laugh

stormy wrote:this is funny. my daughter read the book in 2 days .no headache. this is the child i have to ground from reading, because that all she does instead of other work. maybe the kids need glasses. another thing most dont like to read and if u find something they like to read keep in going with other book like that. thanks for the laugh

No probs. Me, I only read a chapter a day.

Sheesh....I swear that the world is coming to an end. I'm sure they will have sprained thumbs from turning the pages.

stormy wrote: maybe the kids need glasses.

That might just be what the hogwarts have ordered.

LOL!

Hehehe, I haven't actually had the chance to pick up the books, not that I don't adore reading, I just don't get the chance too often, and when I do, I always find something else to read!! LOL But I did like the movies!

StormCrazyIowan wrote:Hehehe, I haven't actually had the chance to pick up the books, not that I don't adore reading, I just don't get the chance too often, and when I do, I always find something else to read!! LOL But I did like the movies!

I also liked the movies! Can't wait for #3 to show up at theatres.

This artical makes it sound like reading too mcuh is bad for your health. Idiots. The kids probably do need glasses or to work thier way up to reading at that level. I was reading YA (Young adult) books by the time I was 10- usually at the clip of one a day. I currently average a 250-300 page book in about 4 hours....

It's a wonder any kids these days are interested in books at all- and more amazing that parents aren't good enough to reward reading and ~gently~ steer thier kids into only reading a few hours a night when they're getting headaches. My mom would have rolled her eyes and told me to play with my sister for an hour and go back to reading when my head stopped hurting... not dragged me off the the doctor.

Bah.

On a related side note- Potter mania has taken over all of my friends. I'm the only hold out. I want the entire series to be out before I start reading them.. but I love the movies

What I like about J.K. Rawlings' books is that children across the world are READING...never mind the time spent.

BTW, my first book taken from the Catholic school library in 1st grade was The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer; I understood every word of it. This was in 1958...afterwards, the Mother Superior saw that I had "carte blanche" to choose any book I wanted.

i agree opera, reading is the best and more kids should do it. if u can read, then other subject come easy. i just wish i had more time to read. i am a homeschool mom and that takes alot of time. but my kids love to read. alright streetsoldier do u still read alot?

On average, two books a week or more (depending on length, content, and whether I wish to memorize them).

I was never fond of reading, although I am intelligent.

I rather read reference books, usually about meteorology.

Whatever.........

I'd rather have my kids get a headache from reading than from too much television or video games. What a crock of $#!t

A few friends of mine finished the Harry Potter book in 2 days, isn't that a headache?

I say, take two Excedrin and call me in the morning. And be thankful you don't have that darned Harry Potter scar!