May 31 2009
Headaches from Hairy Caterpillars?
Well, if you live on the east coast of Britain you may need to worry. The brown tail moth caterpillar, previously only found along the southeast coastal region of Britain,...
Archive for May, 2009
May 28 2009
Introducing: 1% Thursdays
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As you know, I’m always trying to be practical. If there’s a news story, a new study, an interesting statistic, we’re always trying to understand how it will impact our lives in the future, or what we can take from it to improve our lives right now.
Still, it’s easy to gain a lot of knowledge and not see immediate results.
And sometimes there can be so many tips out there, or they’re so complicated, that you don’t know where to start!
So there’s going to be a new feature here at Headache and Migraine News - called 1% Thursdays. Here’s what it’s all about:
Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better. Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge. Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own - and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!
It goes without saying that these will all be focused on those prone to headache or migraine, but some might be tips that could be helpful for anyone, or tips that aren’t specifically "headache-related".
So watch this space next week, and each week thereafter - for a 1% tip. One at a time - they add up!
Random other posts:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 27 2009
Recession Hits Home for Physicians
Health care has always been considered a "recession proof" profession, but that may not be the case this time around. A recent survey released by the American Academy of Family...
May 27 2009
The Gluten Syndrome and Migraine
There’s a battle raging, and gluten and migraine are a part of it. The question at the heart of the battle: Is gluten harming people - people that don’t have celiac disease (coeliac disease)?
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Some just aren’t convinced by the evidence. But a growing number are convinced, and some of those people are migraineurs.
Many of us as migraine patients have been asked if we’ve tried giving up gluten - found in wheat, rye and barley. Some of us have tried it. And the surprising thing is - for some people, it worked.
But why? These weren’t people with wheat allergies, or with celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, and the most common treatment is the gluten-free diet.
But a growing number are arguing that there is a wider problem - gluten syndrome - or gluten insensitivity or intolerance - that the common tests aren’t recognizing. Some of the common questions and arguments can be found at GlutenSensitivity.net if you’re interested in going into more detail.
One of the advocates of this point of view is Dr Rodney Ford, a paediatrician who has focused his career on food allergies and intolerance.
Last month Dr. Ford wrote this helpful summary:
… The crucial point, however, is that gluten-sensitivity can also be associated with neurological symptoms in patients who do not have any mucosal gut damage (that is, without celiac disease). Gluten can cause neurological harm through a combination of cross reacting antibodies, immune complex disease and direct toxicity. These nervous system affects include: dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, cerebella ataxia, hypotonia, developmental delay, learning disorders, depression, migraine, and headache …
In other words, you might have a problem with gluten which is not technically celiac disease.
Have you tried a gluten free diet? For how long? Did it help with your headache or migraine symptoms?
These other posts might relate:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 26 2009
Highlights from the last 3 Months (May 2009 edition)
Here are some of the posts that have been the most popular with visitors to this site over the last 3 months. The most popular posts are listed first. Lots of variety as usual, and I appreciate your comments which add so much to the conversation!
- New Migraine Topamax study: Adolescents
- The Latest on Tezampanel, a new Migraine Drug
- First Migraine then Bloodshot Eye - What’s up?
- Podcast: Focus on Sleep Apnea
- Trigger Points: Identification, Myths, and Preparing to Fight them
- Omega 3 and Migraine
- Stopping Headaches after Seizure
- The Unexpected Stress-Killer
- Namenda Migraine Treatment
- ADX10059 - another Migraine Drug in the Pipeline
Random other posts:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 25 2009
Allodynia: A feature of Cluster as well as Migraine?
A symptom known as allodynia may be an important feature of cluster headaches, research from the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, USA is telling us.
Over the last few years, allodynia has actually been a hot topic in migraine circles. How prevalent is it, and can it be used to show how successful a treatment will be?
 No joke - with allodynia, even brushing your hair can be a very painful task! |
Like about 2/3 of migraineurs, I suffer from this extreme sensitivity and pain when the skin is touch during certain phases of attacks. It probably comes from the hypersensitivity in the brain during a typical attack.
Researchers wanted to get an initial idea how many cluster headache sufferers deal with allodynia. They measured 41 patients for dynamic mechanical allodynia (also called brush allodynia - pain or sensitivity when the skin is "brushed"), and discovered that about 49% of the patients had the symptom.
There was no great difference between age, gender, or even chronic or episodic cluster headache, or how long patients had had cluster.
This may be a real indication that allodynia is a major feature of cluster, and like migraine it may give us clues about what is happening during a cluster attack, and how it can be better treated. It also helps us understand what cluster patients deal with beyond the incredible pain.
(A similar study with similar results was done with migraineurs in 2007 - see Identifying Cutaneous Allodynia in Chronic Migraine Using a Practical Clinical Method).
More on the May 2009 study at Dynamic mechanical (brush) allodynia in cluster headache: a prevalence study in a tertiary headache clinic.
These other posts might relate:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 21 2009
Finally - The Migraine Barometer Returns!
It’s not just returning - it’s better than ever!
You can read all about it right here, and you can read about a typical use of the barometer here.
I really liked the old version of this barometer, and used it for years. But the new one is even better.
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First, it has the classic and most important feature - you can see barometric pressure changes over time at a glance. This allows you to see sudden rises and drops in pressure, which can indicate a coming migraine attack in many people.
But we do know that other weather changes can impact migraine - things like temperature and humidity. Unlike the old version, the new barometer shows at a glance the current temperature and humidity. It’s much more flexible, and you can set personalized alarms and buzzers and timers and memory - anyway, check out all the details here.
I set an introductory price that I hope to keep over the summer if I can before raising it to the normal price in the fall.
However, for pre-orders on or before June 1st, I’ve taken another 5% off of that and even discounted the shipping. I know many of you have waited a long time for these, so I want to give you the opportunity to get your barometer as quickly as possible.
Thanks to those who have already ordered! Enjoy your new barometer. I hope it takes you one step closer to total health.
These other posts might relate:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 20 2009
Vinpocetine for Migraine?
Vinpocetine is a chemical compound taken from a substance that occurs naturally in the leaves of the lesser periwinkle plant (vinca minor). It’s sold in some countries as a supplement, in others only by prescription. Believed to increase blood flow in the brain and make oxygen use more efficient, it has been used to help with brain function after a stroke, or in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
 Vinca Minor plant courtesy of shelleys1 |
Recently it has also been suggested for migraine patients. Why?
Increased blood flow and vasodilation may not sound like something a migrainuer would want. Often right before the pain of a migraine attack, blood flow already increases, although it quickly drops during the headache itself.
But we’re not talking about taking vinpocetine in the middle of an attack, but as a preventative. And it actually does have some things going for it.
For one, better oxygen use in the brain could be a benefit. It also seems to allow for better glucose use. So we’re talking about making the brain more efficient overall.
But another reason why this could help, is that it may have neurological effects that will inhibit the migraine chain-reaction.
The idea is that vinpocetine may keep the systems in your brain from getting over-excited, something that researchers believe is a huge part of what sets off a migraine.
Dr. Larry McCleary, author of The Brain Trust Program and former acting Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Denver Children’s Hospital, includes the supplement in his "anti-migraine cocktail". Talking about supplements that decrease the brain’s over-activity, he includes magnesium, taurine, Huperzine A and vinpocetine.
But there’s more. Vinpocetine is also an antioxident (possibly on the level of vitamin E). Not only that, claims Dr. McCleary, it can enhance other antioxidents you’re taking, including the normal ones in fruits and vegetables, as well as the antioxident properties of COQ10, a common migraine supplement.
So this might be a supplement that benefits you when taken in combination with other things. But there are some cautions.
Vinpocetine may cause side effects in some people, headache included. It could also cause a temporary drop in blood pressure. So, as always, it’s wise to check with your doctor before trying something new.
On top of the benefits already mentioned, vinpocetine may help with dizziness (a migraine symptom). It could also help with your overall brain function, which most people tend to think is a good idea.
At this point, there isn’t much research on vinpocetine for migraine. The suggestion that it may help (particularly in a combination with other supplements) comes mainly from the understanding we have of what it does in the body. But so far it looks like something to watch as research continues.
Random other posts:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 19 2009
The Migraine Barometer - Coming Back!
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That’s right - after a long time away, the migraine barometer will be available again! And it will be better than ever!
Many of you remember that we had available for quite some time a digital barometer which, in my opinion, was the best out there for those who had weather related migraine attacks. That barometer was discontinued, and I was hoping that I would be able to make something else available that was just as good.
It just wasn’t possible - until now! So watch for an announcement. What I’m hoping to do it make it available for pre-order at a discount, because I know there are many of you who have been waiting for it. Then we will try to ship the first brand new migraine barometers in June!
I’ll tell you a little more about them soon - the new models are quite something! Prepare to be impressed. 
These other posts might relate:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog
May 15 2009
Migraine without Headache: More common than we think?
In the past, migraine without headache has been considered pretty rare. But it may be more common than we think. Part of the reason is that many people experience migraine attacks with and without headache at different times. I know - I’ve had migraine without headache, and migraine with headache both.
Regardless, the statistics we usually see put the number at about 3% of migraineurs, or about 0.5% to 1% of the general population. (More on migraine statistics)
The International Headache Society lists migraine without headache as typical aura without headache, under the subset of Migraine with aura. Previously this was typically called "silent migraine", but been confused with a host of other names like occular migraine, visual migraine, eye migraine, and so on.
But the typical aura without headache covers more than just visual aura. Visual auras might include seeing flashing lights, or zigzags, or partial blindness, for example. But there could be other symptoms instead, such as numbness, or feeling pins and needles. These can be particularly tricky to diagnose.
Diagnosing migraine without headache
Often migraine without headache occurs later in life. Part of the reason is that some people who get migraine attacks with aura and headache lose the headache over time, or start getting headaches that aren’t so "migraine-like".
Sometimes these symptoms look a lot like other issues, such as transient ischaemic attack (a "mini-stroke"). It’s important to rule out other causes (especially if you’re over 40) before you get a diagnosis of "migraine".
Doctors will want to know what type of aura you’re experiencing, and they’ll be especially interested in how long the aura lasts. If it’s lasting less than 5 minutes, or more than an hour, that could be an extra indication of another problem.
If you suspect that you may have migraine without headache, pay special attention to the aura symptoms so you can give your doctor accurate information.
These other posts might relate:
From the Headache and Migraine News Blog