Magic has external and internal effects on a person. If someone uses
magic too much to affect their own bodies, they can succumb to
headspinning and become headspun.
While mild headspinning is fairly common, usually manifesting as a
light headache or nausea, severe magical overexertion can result in
devastating effects on the body.
Medical Information
Causes
Magic applied to the self, such as to harden one's skin before
working with rough materials or to extend tail length for
greater mobility, can be an excellent short-term solution to
many problems; however, long-term use such as to try and
permanently sharpen teeth or trying to achieve significant
results such as doubling in size can result in magical injury.
Trying to apply too much magical force to the body causes
headspinning.
For some, headspinning is the result of trying to combat body
dysphoria. Long-term efforts to change the body based on perceived
imperfections can end in overexertion.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary by intensity. Mild headspinning can appear exactly
as a headache or mild fever, along with reduced magical
efficacy, but more severe symptoms include:
- internal bleeding
- passing out
- dark or bloody vomit
- change in vision or hearing
- loss of balance
Depending on the intent of the internal magic, some symptoms can
appear as if the magic is working correctly, such as trying to
increase night vision resulting in an overall loss of color
vision that goes unnoticed.
Treatment
Time and rest are the only ways to recover from being headspun.
Prognosis
In the most severe cases, headspinning can result in permanent
changes in one's ability to do magic, potentially even an
inability to affect the body with magic at all..
Prevention
In general, limit magical enhancements to the body in strength
of magic and length of use.
For those who try to use magic to combat their dysphoria, it is
best to seek out a medical professional who can do spells for
you rather than trying to do them yourself.
Cultural Reception
Everyone gets headspun at some point in their life, but usually
mild cases happen when people are young and still understanding
the limits of their own magic.