Migraine Mastery

Migraines

2008-04-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

For 2 years, Jim suffered the excruciating pain of cluster headaches. Night after night he paced the floor, the pain driving him to constant motion. He was only 48 years old when the clusters forced him to quit his job as a systems analyst. One year later, his headaches are controlled. The credit for Jim's recovery belongs to the medical staff of a headache clinic. Physicians there applied the latest research findings on headache, and prescribed for Jim a combination of new drugs.

Joan was a victim of frequent migraine. Her headaches lasted 2 days. Nauseous and weak, she stayed in the dark until each attack was over. Today, although migraine still interferes with her life, she has fewer attacks and less severe headaches than before. A specialist prescribed an antimigraine program for Joan that included improved drug therapy, a new diet and relaxation training.

An avid reader, Peggy couldn't put down the new mystery thriller. After 4 hours of reading slumped in bed, she knew she had overdone it. Her tensed head and neck muscles felt as if they were being squeezed between two giant hands. But for Peggy, the muscle-contraction headache and neck pain were soon relieved by a hot shower and aspirin.

Understanding why headaches occur and improving headache treatment are among the research goals of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). As the leading supporter of brain research in the Federal Government, the NINDS also supports and conducts studies to improve the diagnosis of headaches and to find ways to prevent them.

For more information, visit ninds.nih.gov

The Universal Disorder

2008-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

You know it at once. It may be the fiery sensation of a burn moments after your finger touches the stove. Or it's a dull ache above your brow after a day of stress and tension. Or you may recognize it as a sharp pierce in your back after you lift something heavy.

It is pain. In its most benign form, it warns us that something isn't quite right, that we should take medicine or see a doctor. At its worst, however, pain robs us of our productivity, our well-being, and, for many of us suffering from extended illness, our very lives. Pain is a complex perception that differs enormously among individual patients, even those who appear to have identical injuries or illnesses.

In 1931, the French medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Today, pain has become the universal disorder, a serious and costly public health issue, and a challenge for family, friends, and health care providers who must give support to the individual suffering from the physical as well as the emotional consequences of pain.

For more information, visit ninds.nih.gov

Patients educate patients to control migraine

2008-04-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tame Tension Headaches

2008-04-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tension headaches are often triggered by stress or anxiety, causing pain and muscle tension in the head and neck.

Here are suggestions to help keep tension headaches at bay, courtesy of the U.S. National
Library of Medicine:

Help control stress and anxiety with exercise, meditation, yoga or other stress-relieving methods.

Get plenty of sleep each night.

If you have muscle soreness in the upper back, neck or head, gently massage the muscles in these areas.

Know what causes headaches for you, and try to prevent the condition. For example, if cold temperatures tend to cause your headaches, try to keep warm.

Try sleeping with a different pillow, or sleeping in a different position.

Maintain good posture. Exercise the neck and shoulders often, especially when typing, reading or working at a computer.

For more information, visit Mymigraineconnection.com

Headache common in people with GI trouble

2008-04-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Famous Migraineurs - Terrell Davis

2008-03-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Migraine disease affects nearly 36 million people in the United States. It does not discriminate by age, race, or social status. You may be a third-grade teacher, firefighter, stay-at-home mom, construction worker, someone's favorite grandma or grandpa, secretary, or an NFL star but still have one thing in common: Migraine disease.Terrell Davis is one such famous Migraineur. Born in San Diego, California, on October 28, 1972, Davis began his love of football when he played for a local Pop Warner league at seven years old. Unfortunately that's when his Migraine attacks started too. He continued to play football through high school, excelling at many different positions. Davis received a scholarship from University California at Long Beach for a year, then transferred to University of Georgia, when the football program was eliminated at Long Beach.

The Denver Broncos picked him in the sixth round and he went on to be one of the best playoff running backs in NFL history.Davis hasn't let Migraines stop him. During the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII, playing for the Denver Broncos, he was hit hard and left the field with a towel draped over his head. The Migraine that was developing made the sunlight exceedingly hard to tolerate, and Davis missed the second quarter. He used an ergotamine Migraine abortive, and was back in the game for the second half. In fact, he scored three touchdowns -- including the winning one -- and the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl! Davis was named Most Valuable Player.When famous Migraineurs share this part of their lives they legitimatized Migraine disease. As if to say "If Terrell Davis was sidelined by a Migraine, then they really must be bad!" Being in the public eye allows NFL players, actors or politicians to bring much needed attention to Migraine disease and its lack of effective treatments, research funding, understanding, and compassion.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Sinus Buster Hot Pepper Nasal Spray Recognized As Effective Migraine Headache Treatment

2008-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Over 23 Million Americans suffer from chronic Migraine headaches. A classic migraine is characterized by extreme throbbing pain accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision and vomiting.

Some migraine headaches can last for days or even weeks at a time. Although there are pharmaceutically prepared medicines designed to combat migraines, an all natural nasal spray made with Cayenne peppers, Feverfew extract and Peppermint oil is fast becoming recognized as an important migraine treatment.

Sold under the brand name Sinus Buster, this new hot pepper migraine nasal spray has been garnering lots of media attention from medical reporters around the country. Sinus Buster was recently featured by CBS3 in Philadelphia on their popular Health Alert segment hosted by medical reporter, Stephanie Stahl.

In the report, Ms. Stahl interviewed Dr. William Young, a researcher at the Thomas Jefferson University Headache Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Young said he regularly recommends Sinus Buster to migraine patients and he agrees that Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers can be highly effective against headaches. Dr. Young also points out that Peppermint Oil, a main ingredient in Sinus Buster's headache formula has been shown to diminish pain through intranasal application.

According to Wayne Perry, a long time headache sufferer and the inventor of Sinus Buster, his unique product is destined to become a household name.

For more information, visit sinusbuster.com

Alexza's AZ-104 (Staccato(R) Loxapine) Phase 2a Trial Meets Primary Endpoint of 2-Hour Pain Relief in Patients with Migraine Headache

2008-03-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today positive top-line results from its 168 patient Phase 2a clinical trial of AZ-104 (Staccato(R) loxapine) in patients with migraine headache. Migraine is a debilitating, yet common neurological disorder characterized by attacks of severe
headache and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Two doses of AZ-104, 2.5 and 5 mg, met the primary endpoint of 2-hour pain-relief compared to placebo. Alexza believes the novel, non-invasive nature and rapid pharmacokinetic (PK) properties resulting from inhaled loxapine
administration via the Staccato system have the potential to make AZ-104 a viable product to treat acute migraines. AZ-104 is a lower dose version of AZ-004, which is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. AZ-004 and AZ-104 are being developed through Symphony Allegro, a development
collaboration formed between Alexza and Symphony Capital in 2006.

About Acute Migraine Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, approximately 13 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with migraine headaches. Acute migraine headaches occur often, usually one to four times a month. Of the estimated 29.5 million migraine sufferers (including diagnosed and undiagnosed sufferers), there are at least two groups of potential patients
for whom we believe AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine) and AZ-104 could be effective and safe in comparison to triptans. Many migraine sufferers who do take triptans have an insufficient therapeutic response to these medications. In addition, according to the warning labels on triptans, patients with hypertension or high cholesterol, or who smoke cigarettes, are contraindicated for and should not take these medications due to potential cardiovascular health risks.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Educating patients to control migraine

2008-03-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

When migraine patients trained other migraine patients how to prevent migraine headaches, attacks declined and both trainers and trainees gained a greater sense of control over their attacks, researchers report.

Patient-trainers provide credible and recognizable disease-specific knowledge, Dr. Jan Passchier told Reuters Health. "Trainees appreciated the trainers' emotional and motivational assistance."

Moreover, trainers themselves benefited "in terms of large headache improvements and improved quality of life," noted Passchier, of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Passchier and colleagues evaluated the effects of migraine sufferers providing other migraine sufferers with home-based behavior training. Both trainers and trainees were under medical care for relatively frequent migraine (1 to 6 times per month), with or without aura, but had no underlying associated disease, the investigators explain in the journal Cephalalgia.

Passchier's team recruited trainers from a pool of patients who took behavioral training classes themselves. The 14 trainers were educated in how to train others to detect and modify their individual migraine triggers and use relaxation and breathing exercises, as well as other behavioral techniques to prevent attacks.

Patients reporting greater numbers of migraines appeared to benefit more from training than did those with less frequent attacks, the researchers report.

Moreover, patients receiving behavioral training reported significantly increased self-confidence in their own ability to prevent migraine attacks, and a greater ability to manage and control attacks.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Headache common in people with GI trouble

2008-03-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

The prevalence of headache is higher in people with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation, than in people who don't have these bothersome symptoms, new research indicates.

Both headaches and GI symptoms are common in the general population and eat up substantial healthcare dollars, note the researchers.

To investigate, Dr. Anne Hege Aamodt and associates from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, reviewed questionnaires completed by 43,732 participants in the Nord-Trondelag Health Study, including information on GI symptoms as well as headache.

After adjusting for gender, age, depression, anxiety and other factors that might influence the results, the research team noted a significantly higher prevalence of headache among participants with reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, compared to those without such complaints.

"The association between headache and gastrointestinal complaints increased markedly with increasing headache frequency," Aamodt told Reuters Health.

These results have implications for the treatment of headache patients. "It is important to consider the total burden of discomfort in these patients and to avoid headache medication with adverse gastrointestinal effects in those with much gastrointestinal discomfort," Aamodt said.

The strong ties between frequent headache and frequent GI complaints raises questions about common mechanisms that make headache sufferers predisposed to GI complaints, Aamodt also noted.

For more information, mymigraineconnection.com

What's Behind My Migraine?

2008-03-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

Migraines are severe headaches that can also cause nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraines are more common in women than men. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists these common triggers of migraines in women:

Not getting enough to eat.
Not getting enough sleep.
Exposure to bright lights or loud noise.
Fluctuating hormone levels, such as during your period.
Changes in the weather.
Emotional factors, such as stress or anxiety.
Chocolate, alcohol, nicotine or foods with additives such as MSG.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Epilepsy Drug Doesn't Prevent Migraines

2008-02-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

The epilepsy drug oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) does not seem to prevent migraines, as once thought, a new study finds.

Migraines affect more than 28 million Americans, and certain epilepsy drugs have been shown to be effective in preventing these severe headaches. For this reason, many assumed that oxcarbazepine would also work against migraines.

The report appears in the Feb. 12 issue of Neurology.

The three epilepsy drugs that have been shown to prevent migraines, topiramate, divalproex and gabapentin, do so through several mechanisms. One mechanism is the regulation of the neurotransmitter called GABA. However, oxcarbazepine appears not to affect GABA activity. It is possible that epilepsy drugs need to regulate GABA to prevent migraine, Silberstein noted.

Another expert agreed that this drug is not likely to prevent migraine.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Drug doesn't help prevent migraine after all: study

2008-02-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

Contrary to some reports, the anti-epilepsy drug oxcarbazepine does not appear to prevent migraine headaches, new research suggests.

Anti-epilepsy drugs have been used for the prevention of migraine, Dr. Stephen Silberstein of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, and associates note in the journal Neurology -- and reports have suggested that oxcarbazepine would be effective as well.

In a study lasting almost five months, the investigators randomly assigned 170 men and women with a history of migraine to a daily dose of oxcarbazepine or inactive placebo. Both groups included people who had three to nine migraine attacks within a month.

Results showed no difference between the oxcarbazepine and placebo groups in the change in the number of migraine attacks from the beginning to the end of the study.

Similarly, the severity of migraine attacks and the amount of acute rescue medication required was not affected by treatment allocation.

For more information, visit Mymigraineconnection.com

Migraine Sufferers Have Different Brains

2008-02-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Researchers have identified specific differences in the brains of migraine sufferers linked to the processing of sensory information, including pain.

In earlier research, Harvard Medical School investigators used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show structural differences between the brains of people with and without migraines.

Specifically, the imaging showed thickening in a specific area of the brain related to the communication of sensory processing called the somatosensory cortex (SSC).

Migraines and the Brain

In the newly reported imaging study, researchers compared the brains of 24 people with migraines and 12 people without them. They found that the SSC was an average of 21% thicker in migraine sufferers. The thickness changes were especially pronounced in the part of the SSC related to sensation of the head and face.

Other studies have also shown differences in cortex thickness in patients with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

But it is also possible that the structural changes precede migraines and actually cause them to occur.

Imaging studies on young children who are at high risk for having migraines later in life because their mother or father had them may also help answer the question of which comes first.

For more information, visit medicinenet.com

Neck jab reduces migraine symptoms

2008-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Injection of a local anesthetic into active trigger points in the lower part of the neck -- the cervical spine -- ameliorates migraine symptoms, Italian investigators report.

The local treatment of trigger points can reduce the use of migraine drugs, and thus help prevent headaches caused by medication overuse.

Drug overuse headaches are a "huge problem" and are becoming more frequent in migraine patients and are "extremely difficult to treat," the study investigator added.

Researchers report in The Journal of Pain that trigger point injection was associated with significant decreases in the number and maximal intensity of migraine attacks, whereas migraine number and maximal intensity did not change significantly in the untreated patients.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Why Women Have More Migraines: The Role of Hormones

2008-01-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Your head is throbbing severely, probably only on one side. Any light or sound only makes it worse, and you may be feeling nauseated. The excruciating pain is almost unbearable. The slightest movement only intensifies the pain. Maybe you are having visual symptoms such as flashing lights or an aura, as well. You are having a migraine headache. Although you feel like it's the end of the world, and no one can understand what you are going through. You are not alone.

Twenty-eight million Americans suffer from migraine headaches.

There is no cure for migraines. However, there is hope for effective relief and a significant reduction in the severity and number of migraine headaches you suffer. The first step is getting an accurate diagnosis from your physician. Unfortunately, only about half of migraine sufferers are diagnosed, and even less receive proper treatment according to the American Migraine Study II.

Who gets migraines? Boys experience more migraines than girls prior to puberty, however, after age 11 girls begin to experience the majority of migraine headaches.

The increase in the incidence of migraine in girls over boys continues to rise until adulthood when women experience migraine headaches 3 to 1 over men.

Why do so many more women than men suffer from migraine headaches? While it is improbable that sex hormones can completely explain the difference, there is significant evidence that there may be a connection between migraines and fluctuations in estrogen levels in women. The problem appears to be the response of the central nervous system to normal hormonal fluctuations. Women who suffer from migraines should understand that hormonal fluctuations are normal.

Will oral contraceptives (OCs) help women with migraines? Or will migraines become worse? Most women who have had previous migraines will not see a significant change in their headache pattern after beginning oral contraceptives; however, they may see an increase in the severity of migraines during the pill-free week. Women who use oral contraceptives may be surprised to learn that OCs may actually be a trigger for migraine. Some women may find their migraines are alleviated after starting oral contraceptives, while others find their migraine attacks are getting worse premenstrually.

Are there any risks for women who use OCs and suffer from migraine headaches? This a subject of much discussion because of the increased risk of stroke in women who use oral contraceptives. The risk of stoke in migraine patients appears to be higher in women who use OCs, have high blood pressure, and/or smoke. This is particularly true with the older high-dose oral contraceptives. The best advice for women who have migraines and want to use oral contraceptives is to use the lowest effective dose of estrogen because the risk appears to be estrogen-related, rather than progestin-related.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Launch of Migraine Research Foundation Launches with Announcement of First Annual Research Grants

2007-12-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

More than 30 million Americans suffer from migraine, yet research into the causes of migraine is both severely underfunded and neglected. Recently, the Migraine Research Foundation officially launched its efforts to address the lack of research in this field by announcing the first annual research grants awarded by the Foundation. The Foundation is awarding nearly $200,000 in grants for 2007 and plans to more than double the grant amounts to at least $500,000 in 2008.

Founded by Stephen Semlitz and Cathy Glaser, whose family has struggled with the devastating effects of migraine for many years, the Migraine Research Foundation is dedicated to funding research that will end the debilitating pain of migraine that afflicts millions of men, women and children.

Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine. American employers lose more than $13 billion each year as a result of 113 million lost work days due to headache or migraine. The lack of research into migraine is astonishing considering the widespread impact and consequences that this devastating condition has on American families and businesses. Over 10% of all Americans, including children, suffer from migraine, and nearly one in four households includes someone with migraine.

Guiding the efforts of the Migraine Research Foundation is a medical advisory board that includes leading neurologists and scientists from across the country and is chaired by Dr. Joel Saper, Clinical Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at Michigan State University and Director of the Michigan Headache & Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

For more information, visit migraineresearchfoundation.org

Genetic testing may help in severe type of migraine

2007-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

People who suffer from sporadic hemiplegic migraine (SHM) -- a rare, often severe subtype of migraine in which attacks are associated with a weakness affecting one side of the body -- may want to consider genetic testing, researchers suggest.

Their suggestion is based on a study in which they found "familial genes" for this type of migraine in people who did not have family members experiencing the problem.

Researchers noted that most people with SHM are "initially diagnosed with epilepsy, stroke or other disorders and are treated accordingly with non-effective medications that are associated with a high risk of side effects rather than with effective agents to treat migraine."

Genetic testing in people with this type of sporadic migraine may help to enable counseling and prevent unnecessary treatment with potentially harmful drugs, the researchers suggest.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Depression Common In Headache Sufferers

2007-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

I was interested in a recent article that I found on the Web which stated that major depression occurs very frequently among patients with chronic headaches.

A research team from the University of Tsukuba, Japan studied 177 consecutive adult primary-care patients whose main illness was headache, and who were seen over a 1-year period. Forty-five of the patients (25%) were found to have a major depressive episode. And the investigators saw that depression was more likely in patients who had severe headache, longer headache duration, and multiple symptoms.

For more information on this study, visit healthcentral.com

Common Migraine Triggers

2007-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

By knowing what triggers your migraines -- and avoiding them -- you can reduce the frequency and severity of your attacks and improve your overall quality of life. Keep a detailed diary of your daily routine including eating, sleeping and exercise habits.

Some of the most common migraine triggers are:

Changes in weather or air pressure
Light
Hormone fluctuations and menstrual cycles
Certain foods
Smells, odors or fumes
Motion travel
Loud or sudden noises
Dieting and eating habits
Changes in sleeping habits
Overuse of headache pain medications
Emotional stress
Intense physical exertion

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Help for Headaches

2007-12-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

Here’s heady news: People who suffer from migraines and other kinds of headaches may find relief at the dentist -- yes, I did say the dentist!

The problem for many people is that due to childhood development or sometimes an injury; they grind their teeth or clench their jaws. Over time, this can wear down the teeth, which throws the jaw out of proper alignment. The muscles and teeth start fighting each other resulting in headache, jaw and face pain.

Signs you may have the condition include:

n A clicking sound when you move your jaw
n Frequent headaches, particularly on awakening
n Fatigue
n Sore face muscles
n The feeling the jaw is “locked” first thing in the morning
n Ringing in the ears
n Ears feeling “stuffed up”
n Teeth breaking easily
n Neck pain

You can learn more about neuromuscular dentistry by visiting leadingdentist.com

Early abuse may lead to migraine, depression

2007-12-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

Stressful early life events such as child abuse may make women more susceptible to migraine and depression as adults, survey findings suggest.

According to a recent study, women with migraine who had depression were twice as likely as those with migraine alone to report being sexually abused as a child. If the abuse continued beyond age 12, the women with migraine were five times more likely to report depression.

The findings are published in the medical journal Neurology.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Restless legs may be associated with migraine

2007-11-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

An intolerable internal feeling of itching or creeping sensations in the legs that forces the affected person to move his or her legs to get relief, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) occurs more often in people who suffer migraines than in those free of these debilitating headaches.

According to a recent study at the University of Munster, being older and having migraine headaches for a long time seem to raise the risk of RLS. Future studies may uncover a common genetic background for both RLS and migraine.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Migraine linked with sleep problems and fatigue

2007-11-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

Recent findings confirm that excessive daytime sleepiness is more frequent in people who get migraines than in those who don't. However the findings tend to discount the theory that the underlying cause involves the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that produces hormones that control thirst, hunger, body temperature and sleep. Rather, the investigators suggest that problems may arise "from the complex burden" of the migraine.

"Excessive daytime sleepiness, defined as difficulty in maintaining a desired level of wakefulness, can be a disabling symptom," Dr. Piero Barbanti, of IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, and colleagues write in the journal Cephalalgia.

In a previous study, Peres et al. found that in patients with episodic or chronic migraine, a high percentage reported experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness.

"To investigate further, Barbanti's group compared sleep quality and rates of anxiety and depression in 100 patients with episodic migraine and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects used as a comparison group.

The researchers found that excessive daytime sleepiness was three-times more frequent in patients with migraine than in controls. However, the frequency was lower than previously reported (36.3 percent in episodic and 55.1 percent in chronic migraine patients).

However, a correlation was observed between excessive daytime sleepiness and migraine disability, sleep problems, and anxiety.

The excessive daytime sleepiness finding, and most important, the lack of correlation between scores on a sleepiness scale and the presence or absence of sleepiness during the migraine attack weaken the hypothesis that the hypothalamus mediates excessive daytime sleepiness in migraine patients, Barbanti's group concludes.

Our data therefore suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness is probably a consequence of the migraine itself, and includes migraine-related disability, anxiety and sleep problems.

SOURCE: Cephalalgia, October 2007.

Injury to the neck vertebrae can cause headaches

2007-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

In rare cases, injury to the vertebral disc in the lower neck will not only lead to neck pain and pain radiating into the arm, but also to headaches, the results of a new study indicate.

Prolapse of a vertebral disc in the lower part of the neck (cervical spine), a condition sometimes referred to as a "slipped disc," is known to cause a variety of symptoms.

The cervical disc protrudes and compresses a portion of the spinal cord, causing pain that may limit neck movement. The pain radiates through the shoulder into the arm, and numbness or paralysis of the fingers may also occur.

Now, investigators add headache to the list of possible symptoms.

Their report indicates that the headache, along with the other types of pain, "improves or resolves after successful surgery," Dr. Hans C. Diener of University Duisburg-Essen, Germany, told Reuters Health.

Therefore, patients with a headache that coincides with neck pain and pain radiating into one arm should undergo MRI of the cervical spine, Diener said.

In the journal Cephalagia this month, Diener and colleagues report that 12 of 50 (24 percent) patients with disc prolapse in one of the lower cervical discs complained of new-onset neck pain and headache, compared with 2 of 50 (4 percent) another group of patients with a disc injury in the lower back.

Seven of the 12 (58 percent) patients with headache fulfilled 3 out of 4 International Headache Society criteria for cervicogenic headache (or headache emanating from the upper spine). The headaches in the two patients with the lower back injuries did not meet these criteria.

As mentioned, the physicians also found that removal of the prolapsed disc by surgery led to a significant reduction or disappearance of pain and headache in 80 percent of patients. The pain was relieved 1 week after surgery and was still gone after 3 months, they note.

Diener's team points out that cervicogenic headache caused by irritation or pressure to the upper cervical disc has been "well described." The current findings now suggest that pain in the lower cervical roots can converge with other nerves to cause pain extending through the arm and into the head, the researchers conclude.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Pepper Nasal Spray Could Stop Recurring Migraines From Sidelining Miami Dolphins Linebacker

2007-11-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas was forced to sit out Sunday's losing game against the Buffalo Bills due to his ongoing battle with chronic migraine headaches. On Friday, Miami's head coach Cam Cameron announced that Thomas has not yet received medical clearance to play and could be sidelined for the rest of the season. With the Dolphins are fighting to pick up their first win of this season, fans would like to see Thomas back on the field as soon as possible.

"It is frustrating, very frustrating. I can't get any treatment. All I can do is wait for the headaches to go away, and waiting isn't something I'm good at," said Thomas in an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

SiCap Industries, a company known for innovative natural health products may have the answer Thomas and his fans have been searching for. It's called "Sinus Buster," the world's first hot pepper nasal spray registered with the FDA for over the counter sale. Aside from relieving a variety of chronic sinus problems, this natural formula is also famous for being a powerful headache buster. The active ingredient in Sinus Buster is Capsaicin, the natural chemical responsible for the heat of hot peppers that instantly depletes certain brain chemicals that cause headache pain.

"Not only does capsaicin work within a couple minutes, but it can be used as often as necessary to keep headaches from coming back. We have thousands of customers including doctors who praise Sinus Buster for relieving their migraines without side effects and rebounds," says Wayne Perry, president of SiCap Industries, LLC. A recent article in the New York Times sites several studies that back up the capsaicin headache remedy, and according to Wayne Perry, Sinus Buster is Thomas's best bet for getting his headaches under control.

"I suffered from chronic cluster headaches my whole life until I discovered the medicinal power of hot peppers. I haven't had a full-blown headache attack in more than ten years thanks to Sinus Buster. If Zach wants to try it, we'll be glad to send him some, or he can just go to the Dolphin Mall in Miami and get it at Vitamin World."

For more information, visit sinusbuster.com

Cleveland Clinic Press Releases Consumer Health Book About Treating Headache Pain

2007-11-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

It's not "just a headache," and you don't have to take it lying down! Cleveland Clinic Press, publishing arm of Cleveland Clinic, has released "Headaches: A Cleveland Clinic Handbook" by Dr. Robert S. Kunkel, one of America's best-known headache experts.

This consumer health book describes the different types of headaches that plague more than 45 million Americans and cost U.S. businesses more than $50 billion annually in absenteeism, lost productivity, and medical expenses. Managing migraine, cluster, and tension-type headaches involves more than swallowing a few aspirin, says Dr. Kunkel, founder of Cleveland Clinic's Headache Clinic and former president of the National Headache Foundation. Today, using drugs, biofeedback, meditation, and cutting-edge technology, headache specialists like Dr. Kunkel design treatment plans based on your diet, sleep patterns, and daily stressors. One in four U.S. households has a migraine sufferer - yet more than half of those living with migraines have never been diagnosed. And cluster headaches, which can be 100 times more intense than migraines, affect about one million people. Dr. Kunkel's headache book explains:

• Dangerous headaches and how to treat them

• Why headache is a true biological disease

• Promising new drugs for headache sufferers

• The risks of new headache medications

• The truths and myths about headache remedies

• How to manage the sexual ("Not tonight, dear") headache

• Bizarre headache remedies, such as a hot iron to the forehead

For more information, visit clevelandclinicpress.org

New York Times Hot Pepper Headache Remedy Is Nothing New

2007-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

A recent article in the science section of the New York Times featured the headache relieving powers of Capsaicin, the natural chemical that dictates the heat of hot peppers. The article noted several clinical trials rightfully backing up the claim that hot peppers can stop headaches, but according to a small company in upstate New York, the concept is nothing new.

SiCap Industries, LLC launched the world's first commercial capsaicin headache nasal spray in 2003 under the brand name Sinus Buster. Today the brand features a variety of hot pepper nasal sprays designed to relieve headaches, sinus problems and much more.

Since its launch, Sinus Buster has become a top seller in drug stores, supermarkets and health food shops throughout North America. It all started in 1995 when Wayne Perry, a former self defense instructor landed a guest spot on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Perry was infamous for his live self defense pepper spray demonstrations. After teaching Oprah to use defensive pepper spray on her show, he was deluged with requests to be blasted in the face at venues across America.

Wayne had suffered from chronic cluster headaches most of his life, but never had an attack during a live pepper spray demonstration. Then in 1996 after being sprayed more than 50 times for live audiences, Perry made the discovery of a lifetime.

Only seconds before being sprayed with real police pepper spray for a live television news segment, Perry was hit with a terrible cluster headache attack. Knowing the show had to go on, he allowed the news reporter to spray him.

Within seconds his headache was completely gone, and the world's first capsaicin nasal spray was born.

"My head was killing me, but once the pepper went up my nose I felt great. My headache was gone within seconds. I knew I had to find a way to pack the power of hot peppers in a commercial nasal spray, so I experimented with natural hot pepper extracts for a couple years until I found a formula that stopped my headaches every time," says Perry.

Wayne went on to start SiCap Industries which stands for, "The science of capsaicin".

By 2004, Sinus Buster had been featured in numerous media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Howard Stern Show and Chile Pepper Magazine. Perry's concept was even mentioned in Dr. Perricone's 2004 best seller, "The Perricone Promise," after Wayne contributed information on the medicinal properties of Capsaicin for the book.

Sinus Buster was most recently featured on The Big Idea, a popular CNBC show hosted by marketing guru Donny Deutsch.

For more information, visit sinusbuster.com

Prognosis good for sex-related headaches

2007-11-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

The exact frequency of headache associated with sexual activity in the general population is unknown, but findings from a small study suggest three quarters of such headaches are episodic and most cases do not require medical treatment. Even the for chronic form of these headaches, about 80 percent will go into remission within 3 years.

At first onset, patients should have a medical examination to rule out more serious conditions, Dr. Achim Frese, University of Munster, Germany, and colleagues suggest in the medical journal Cephalalgia.

The investigators analyzed data from 60 patients treated for headache associated with sexual activity at a headache out-patient clinic between 1996 and 2004, and tracked the patients' outcomes after 1 year or longer.

The patients were an average of 37 years old when they first experienced either slowly intensifying or sudden severe headache, prior to or during orgasm. The researchers report a combined overall recurrence rate of 43 percent over an average follow up of 6 years.

Of the 45 patients reporting single attacks prior to their initial examination, 37 reported no further attacks at follow-up. Another 7 patients reported at least one further attack, and one patient developed chronic headache associated with sexual activity.

The remaining 15 patients had chronic headache associated with sexual activity; 9 with infrequent attacks (less than 20 percent of their sexual activity); 3 reported attacks during 20-to 50-percent of sexual activity; and another 3 reporting attacks during nearly all sexual activity.

Most attacks of headache associated with sexual activity do not require medical treatment, the investigators note, but about 15 percent of patients report severe pain lasting from 4 to 24 hours.

"From our experience, beta-blockers (propranolol or metroprolol) for prophylaxis and indomethacin for preemptive therapy can be recommended," Frese and colleagues write.

While other headache disorders, including tension and exertional headaches and migraines, were evident in 39 of the 60 patients, data from this study could not confirm an association between other headache disorders and headache associated with sexual activity.

SOURCE: Cephalalgia, November 2007

Migraine Pill Topamax Eases Alcoholism Withdrawal Symptoms and Cravings

2007-10-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

In a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reported a 15 percent increase in alcohol abstinence for individuals prescribed a drug commonly known as Topamax compared to those taking a placebo. Yet FDA approval might take years.

When the study began, 371 participants, each heavy drinkers, consumed 11 alcoholic beverages per day on average. Volunteers were encouraged to stop drinking, though never required. Half of the participants were prescribed gradually increasing doses of Topamax while the other half received a placebo. At the study's conclusion, 15 percent of those receiving Topamax, as opposed to just three percent of those receiving a placebo, had quit drinking altogether for seven weeks or more.

"Topamax, along with several other medications, including Naltrexone, Campral, Baclofen and Acomplia, have provided much-needed relief for problem drinkers and early-stage alcoholics," states Roberta Jewell, author of the book My Way Out and owner of the highest trafficked alternative recovery website on the Internet, MyWayOut.org (stats courtesy Alexa.com).

"The My Way Out program incorporated Topamax two years ago as part of a popular, multi-faceted treatment plan," says Jewell. "It combines vitamins, minerals, amino acid and herb therapy formulated specifically to address detoxification, craving and dependence along with home-based hypnotherapy sessions, light exercise and Topamax or other anti-craving drug administration."

The latest research further reinforces the findings in the report "Oral topiramate for treatment of alcohol dependence: a randomized controlled trial" conducted by Bankole A. Johnson et al and published in The Lancet on May 17, 2003. Dr. Johnson's study found that up to 300 mg of Topamax per day was more effective than a placebo as an adjunct to standardized medication compliance management in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Johnson has expressed support for the My Way Out program when administered in conjunction with professional medical guidance and supervision.

For more information, visit mywayout.org

Get relief from migraines

2007-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld

About 10% of Americans -- some 30 million of us -- get migraines. These disabling headaches can develop at any age, and they strike three times as many women as men.

Doctors believe their migraines are due to a change in certain chemicals in the brain that regulate blood vessels and inflammation.

Beta-blocker drugs – effective in treating high blood pressure, angina and heart rhythm irregularities – are often prescribed to prevent these headaches.

But the most important advance for reducing pain is the triptan family of drugs, which inhibit the action of serotonin, the neurochemical involved in pain control. These medications come in tablets that you swallow or are dissolved under the tongue, injections and nasal sprays – but they probably should not be used by anyone with angina or other cardiac problems.

Studies now suggest that combining a triptan drug with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent can be even more effective than either one alone. A new medication with this formulation is under review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Source: Parade magazine, Oct. 7, 2007

Injury to the neck vertebrae can cause headaches

2007-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

By Megan Rauscher

In rare cases, injury to the vertebral disc in the lower neck will not only lead to neck pain and pain radiating into the arm, but also to headaches, the results of a new study indicate.

Prolapse of a vertebral disc in the lower part of the neck (cervical spine), a condition sometimes referred to as a "slipped disc," is known to cause a variety of symptoms.

The cervical disc protrudes and compresses a portion of the spinal cord, causing pain that may limit neck movement. The pain radiates through the shoulder into the arm, and numbness or paralysis of the fingers may also occur. Now, investigators add headache to the list of possible symptoms.

Their report indicates that the headache, along with the other types of pain, "improves or resolves after successful surgery," Dr. Hans C. Diener of University Duisburg-Essen, Germany, told Reuters Health.

Therefore, patients with a headache that coincides with neck pain and pain radiating into one arm should undergo MRI of the cervical spine, Diener said.

In the journal Cephalagia this month, Diener and colleagues report that 12 of 50 (24 percent) patients with disc prolapse in one of the lower cervical discs complained of new-onset neck pain and headache, compared with 2 of 50 (4 percent) another group of patients with a disc injury in the lower back.S

Seven of the 12 (58 percent) patients with headache fulfilled 3 out of 4 International Headache Society criteria for cervicogenic headache (or headache emanating from the upper spine). The headaches in the two patients with the lower back injuries did not meet these criteria.

As mentioned, the physicians also found that removal of the prolapsed disc by surgery led to a significant reduction or disappearance of pain and headache in 80 percent of patients. The pain was relieved 1 week after surgery and was still gone after 3 months, they note.

Diener's team points out that cervicogenic headache caused by irritation or pressure to the upper cervical disc has been "well described." The current findings now suggest that pain in the lower cervical roots can converge with other nerves to cause pain extending through the arm and into the head, the researchers conclude.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Enhanced Internet Resources for People with Pain

2007-10-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

The HealthCentral Network, Inc. and the American Pain Foundation (APF) today announced a collaboration leveraging APF's strength as a pain management information, advocacy and support resource with HealthCentral.com's multimedia capabilities and extensive online community of patients and experts. The partnership was officially kicked off recently with the posting of a blog on the topic of pain written by APF's Executive Director Will Rowe, available at HealthCentral's ChronicPain site. The site will also feature videos of first-person experiences with pain.

"Our inaugural blog is timed for the September Pain Awareness Month observance and furthers the APF's mission to raise public awareness about pain as a critical health issue," said Will Rowe, Executive Director of APF. "HealthCentral's online pain community is keenly interested in the research and policy agenda of APF and my blog will encourage everyone affected by pain to contribute to the fight for fair access to better paincare."

"APF's Pain Information Library complements the extensive patient-contributed content on HealthCentral's sites, providing great synergies for our respective sites," said Chris Schroeder, CEO and President of The HealthCentral Network. Pain management is central to many of HealthCentral.com's featured health conditions including migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, and breast cancer. Each of HealthCentral's Websites combines a base of comprehensive medical information and interactive tools with patient experts and health professionals to help people of all ages manage their conditions and learn from other patients who have first-hand experience.

As a part of this collaboration, the APF will provide a co-branded version of HealthCentral's personal web service that offers people an easy way to create an online community of support for caregiving when a loved one is disabled. HealthCentral is also serving as host for APF's Pain & Creativity Exhibit, a forum for people affected by pain to share their artistic expressions, and for select artists to be honored through print and online publications, that was announced earlier this month.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Cincinnati Cosmetic Dentist Purchases Neuromuscular Dentistry Equipment

2007-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

A cosmetic dentist who treats patients in the Greater Cincinnati area recently purchased a Myotronics K7 Evaluation System to broaden her practice to include neuromuscular dentistry.

The K7 Evaluation system provides Dr. Mindy Munowitz, who serves patients in Cincennati , three technologies for measuring, displaying and storing objective data on physiologic and anatomical status and function: jaw tracking, electromyography and joint sonography. This objective data enhances the diagnostic and treatment considerations with information not previously available, Munowitz said. Munowitz has had remarkable success in using neuromuscular dentistry techniques to treat patients suffering from migraines and temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, she said.

"This new equipment will enhance what we're already doing in the way of treating patients neuromuscularly," she said.

Neuromuscular dentistry looks to the hard and soft tissues, muscles and nerves when creating a treatment regimen, while traditional dentistry evaluates primarily the teeth, bones and gums.

Many people don't think to make a dentist appointment when they suffer from headaches, neck pain and facial pain, but often these symptoms are associated with the jaw, Munowitz said.

Munowitz treats those symptoms using Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation, or ULF-TENS. Simply put, this stimulation emits pulses to gently massage the jaw muscles and relax them. ULF-TENS relieves the pain by stimulating the body's production of endorphins, the body's natural anesthetic.

The positive feedback Munowitz hears from some patients is that their doctors no longer have to prescribe migraine medications to them.

Neuromuscular dentistry can treat more than just migraines and TMJ symptoms. Other physical problems and symptoms it can be used for include:

• muscle tension headaches
• Sinus headaches
• Face or jaw pain
• Muscle twitching
• Neck, shoulder or back pain
• Forward head posturing
• Teeth clenching or grinding
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joints
• Soreness or pain in or around the jaw joints
• Limited jaw movement
• Ringing in the ears
• Congestion or stuffiness of the ears

Effective Pain Management Requires an Interdisciplinary Approach

2007-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pain is the number onepublic health problem in the U.S., affecting an estimated 76.5 million Americans according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The number of people living with pain is greater than those with diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. (American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society). Most pain is untreated or undertreated, particularly among African Americans, Hispanics, women, and the elderly.

Consider these facts:

-- The annual cost of chronic pain in the U.S., including healthcare, lost income, and lost productivity, is estimated to be $100 billion. (National Institutes of Health)

-- Low back pain is the most common type of pain followed by severe headache or migraine pain, neck pain, and facial ache or pain. (National Institute of Health Statistics)

-- African Americans and Hispanics are affected by racial profiling for diversion and undertreatment by some physicians. (National Center for Health Statistics)

-- Women seek help for pain more frequently than men, but are less likely to receive treatment. (National Center for Health Statistics)

-- A Johns Hopkins study of adults with nonmalignant pain (42% back pain) who were consecutively referred to a tertiary care pain center shows nineteen-percent reported current passive suicidal ideation, 13% had active thoughts of committing suicide, 5% had a current suicide plan, and 5% reported a previous suicide attempts.

For more information, visit aapainmanage.org

TorreyPines Therapeutics Completes Patient Enrollment in Phase IIb Clinical Trial of Tezampanel for the Treatment of Acute Migraine Headache

2007-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

TorreyPinesTherapeutics, Inc. recently announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase IIb clinical trial of tezampanel for the treatment of acute migraine headache. Tezampanel is an AMPA/kainate (AK) receptor antagonist that offers a non-opioid, non-vascular and non-serotonergic approach to the management of pain and represents a potentially new and promising alternative to current migraine treatments.

The clinical trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial that reached its targeted enrollment of 300 patients suffering a single migraine attack, with or without aura. Patients are randomized to one of four arms and receive a 40 mg, 70 mg, or 100 mg single, subcutaneous dose of tezampanel or placebo. The purpose of the trial is to identify a dose, or a range of doses, that could be used in a Phase III development program for tezampanel in acute migraine. The primary efficacy end point for the trial is headache pain relief at two hours post-dose. Secondary efficacy end points include pain free status at two hours, sustained pain relief and sustained pain free at 24 hours, and headache recurrence and relapse. Additional measures include assessments of functional disability and patient satisfaction, relief of migraine-associated symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light) and phonophobia(sensitivity to sound), as well as various assessments that characterizes peed of treatment onset. Safety, tolerability and plasma pharmacokinetic data will also be evaluated.

In previous clinical trials, tezampanel has been administered to more than 200 healthy adult volunteers or patients. In five Phase IIa, placebo-controlled trials using intravenous administration, tezampanel demonstrated proof of concept in multiple pain models. In one placebo and active-controlled clinical trial in patients with acute migraine, the compound achieved statistical significance in all primary and secondary end points traditionally required for regulatory approval. These end points included pain relief at two hours, pain-free at two hours and relief of nausea, photophobia and phonophobia.

For more information, visit torreypinestherapeutics.com.

STG Media Corp. Launches Sinol Nasal Sprays, The First Over-The-Counter Nasal Sprays For Headache, Allergy And Sinus Relief

2007-09-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

STG Media Corp. has launched SINOL for Allergy and Sinus and SINOL for Headache into mass-market. Expected to be a top seller, SINOL will hit the shelves of 15,000 mass-market retailers in May. “The Sinol Brand has been fun and challenging,” said Thomas Lark CEO of STG Media Corp. “We went through an evolution of repackaging, focus groups, and re-positioning. Ultimately we formed two different SKU’s, one for sinus headache relief and one for allergy treatment. Diversifying the product’s retail positioning in both analgesic and allergy really made the difference, especially when coupled with the targeted national TV, magazine and radio campaign designed to drive consumers to retail, while simultaneously accruing direct response revenue.” Sinol® Headache Nasal Spray is the first FDA approved all natural nasal spray developed for sinus headaches, cluster headaches and migraine headaches. Sinol prevents allergy triggers and relieves sinus pressure quickly and effectively. Is the future bright for Sinol? Vincent Schuman, President of Challenge Products and exclusive distributor of Sinol said, “The future is unlimited. Sinol is the only nasal headache spray in the analgesic category. With the active ingredient Capsaicin approved by the FDA for over-the-counter migraine headache relief, I’d say we have a very bright future.”

Consumers can expect to see SINOL in mass-market drug and super centers everywhere by the end of 2007. It is simply the most effective over-the-counter allergy treatment available and is unmatched as a migraine, cluster, and tension headache solution.

For more information, visit stgadv.com

New Pain Therapeutics Summit 2007 Announced

2007-09-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Arrowhead Conferences, a wing of Arrowhead Publishers, has announced their upcoming Pain Therapeutics Summit 2007, to take place in Jersey City, New Jersey on October 25th and 26th, 2007.

About one and a half billion people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain worldwide and approximately 50 million Americans suffer with pain. The value of the pharmaceutical market for pain relief reflects this seeming worldwide epidemic of pain, with the overall value estimated at over $25 billion. There is thus great unmet need in the pharmacological treatment of pain around the world.

Arrowhead Conferences' Pain Therapeutics Summit 2007 brings together leaders from the pharmaceutical community to discuss new avenues of research in the field of pain therapeutics and the latest advances in the field.

At this conference, hear from experts in the field regarding new targets for pain relief in the areas of neuropathic pain, nociceptive pain, migraine pain, cancer pain, chronic pain and inflammatory conditions. Moreover, special consideration will be given to the roles that drug delivery and devices will play in the future management of pain.

Key themes of this conference will include: New drug discovery and targets in the area of pain management, Focus on clinical trials and regulatory issues facing developers of new pain medications, Specialty Pharma drug development activities in pain management, Licensing and investment issues revolving around the pain therapeutics market, Developments in the race to market abuse-resistant opioids, and Drug delivery technologies and their application to the field of pain management.

Therapeutic areas covered at this conference will include: neuropathic pain, migraine relief, chronic pain, nociceptive pain (eg. osteoarthritis, cancer pain).

Drug classes covered in this conference will include cannabinoids, triptans, anticonvulsants, opioids and analgesics.

For more information, visit arrowheadpublishers.com

Headache Suffering In Detroit Worsens During Cold Weather: Patients Often Find Solution With Physical Therapy

2007-09-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine. This translates to more than $1 billion spent on medications to treat the pain and $13 billion lost work time annually. In Detroit, headache suffering can increase during cold weather. Damp, cold weather can intensify sinus pain, triggering a headache. According to the New England Center for Headache, as many as half of all migraines are triggered by weather.

"Headaches are a secondary symptom to a primary issue, whether it is the cold weather, dehydration or poor posture," says Seema Sridahran, physical therapist with Heartland Rehabilitation Outpatient Services. "Medicine only masks the pain, while physical therapy finds the primary cause and works to alleviate or cure headache and migraine suffering."

Sridahran says a few easy-to-follow steps can alleviate or even cure headaches and migraines:

Step 1: Keep a daily log of your water intake. Sridahrah estimates low hydration levels contribute to a majority of headaches.

Step 2: Check your posture. Pull your belly button toward your spine, pull your shoulder blades together and down, tuck your chin in slightly and let your palms face forward.

Step 3: Engage your core muscles. Pulling the belly button toward the spine and keeping the abdominal muscles engaged helps with postural alignment.

Step 4: Relax. Take several deep breaths, tuck your chin in slightly, and drop your head slowly to one side and hold the stretch for 30 to 45 seconds. Repeat three times for each side, then slowly bend your head to one side then forward and hold for 30 to 45 seconds. These simple stretches release tension at the neck, often a cause of headaches.

For more information, visit heartlandrehab.com

Book links Fibromyalgia to Migraines

2007-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

J. Wes Tanner, MD announces his new eBook, “Doctor, Why Do I Feel This Way?”

J. Wes Tanner, MD is a family practice and headache specialist who has been treating people for over thirty years. He has extensive experience in treating migraines and fibromyalgia with excellent success. He has had many patients cured of their fibromyalgia.

Dr. Tanner is publishing his book, “Doctor, Why Do I Feel This Way?”, which exposes the secrets and myths of fibromyalgia. He has coined the name migraine syndrome to explain many different symptoms the migraine patient experiences. These patients are sensitive to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. If migraine patients are over-stimulated long enough they develop fibromyalgia.

“Wow! I think your book is superb and will help many people suffering with this perplexing complex of diseases. Congratulations Wes.”

This endorsing comment was made by Roger Cady, MD who is best known in the medical community for his pivotal contributions in the field of headache and migraine management. He was the co-recipient of the prestigious Wolff Award in 2000 from the American Headache Society for his research entitled “The Spectrum of Headache”. Dr. Cady currently serves on 12 Advisory Boards and is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Headache Foundation.

Fibromyalgia is known as the great impostor. It often masquerades as a single complaint of depression, neck or low back aches, or possibly even chest pain. Headaches, panic attacks, insomnia, memory problems, tennis elbow, ear pain, or other problems may be associated with fibromyalgia. Patients often do not realize that a single complaint may be just the tip of the iceberg. If the doctor listens closely and asks questions about the whole body (not just the main complaint), then the rest of the iceberg may be revealed.

Dr. Tanner is developing unique ways to enable the patient to have more meaningful office visits. Patients will be able to answer questions from Dr. Tanner through the Internet. Then they will be able to download printed sheets which would facilitate their next doctor visit. In general your doctor only has about 7 or 8 minutes of undivided attention for each patient visit. Declining insurance reimbursement will only continue to exacerbate this problem. Therefore you need to be prepared to take maximum advantage of the time available with your doctor.

For more information, visit migrainesyndrome.net

Cincinnati Cosmetic Dentist Purchases Neuromuscular Dentistry Equipment

2007-09-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

A cosmetic dentist who treats patients in the Greater Cincinnati area recently purchased a Myotronics K7 Evaluation System to broaden her practice to include neuromuscular dentistry.

The K7 Evaluation system provides Dr. Mindy Munowitz, who serves patients in Cincinnati, three technologies for measuring, displaying and storing objective data on physiologic and anatomical status and function: jaw tracking, electromyography and joint sonography. This objective data enhances the diagnostic and treatment considerations with information not previously available, Munowitz said. Munowitz has had remarkable success in using neuromuscular dentistry techniques to treat patients suffering from migraines and temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, she said.

"This new equipment will enhance what we're already doing in the way of treating patients neuromuscularly," she said.

Neuromuscular dentistry looks to the hard and soft tissues, muscles and nerves when creating a treatment regimen, while traditional dentistry evaluates primarily the teeth, bones and gums.

Many people don't think to make a dentist appointment when they suffer from headaches, neck pain and facial pain, but often these symptoms are associated with the jaw, Munowitz said.

Munowitz treats those symptoms using Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation, or ULF-TENS. Simply put, this stimulation emits pulses to gently massage the jaw muscles and relax them. ULF-TENS relieves the pain by stimulating the body's production of endorphins, the body's natural anesthetic.

The positive feedback Munowitz hears from some patients is that their doctors no longer have to prescribe migraine medications to them.

Neuromuscular dentistry can treat more than just migraines and TMJ symptoms. Other physical problems and symptoms it can be used for include:

• muscle tension headaches
• Sinus headaches
• Face or jaw pain
• Muscle twitching
• Neck, shoulder or back pain
• Forward head posturing
• Teeth clenching or grinding
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joints
• Soreness or pain in or around the jaw joints
• Limited jaw movement
• Ringing in the ears
• Congestion or stuffiness of the ears

For more information, visit smilesohio.com

Acnezine and Exposed Voted top Two Acne Products

2007-09-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Looking for a suitable acne product can be a tremendous hassle, one that steals valuable time not to mention money from going through one product after another with no results to show for it.

MyAcneTreatmentReview.com (MATR) has researched acne treatment products for acne sufferers and come up with just two, Acnezine, an oral acne product, and, Exposed acne solution, a topical acne product, that fit the bill in acne treatment.

MATR came up with this short list after consulting with some of the most knowledgeable natural products experts in the USA and Europe. They've double-checked the results by digging past thousands of posts on internet forums dedicated to acne treatment and talked with doctors and with patients.

On some occasions acne sufferers go through the mainstream acne treatment suggestions and commercial acne products only to learn that nothing seems to work. However, MATR has found that the multi-step system of Exposed and the care provided from the inside out by Acnezine acne treatment really work to improve acne appearance, making these two products different compared to other competition. Some users state that their acne has improved up to 95% from before in testimonials. These results are exactly what prompted MATR to recommend just these two products on their informational website. Exposed acne treatment is as mentioned before a multi-step system including a facial cleanser, clearing tonic, day and night serum.

Active ingredients in Exposed, such as; Benzoyl Peroxide, Glycolic acid, Salicylic acid, and Azelaic Acid have been shown to control bacteria, renew and normalize skin and unclog pores.

MATR's Acnezine review finds that it is an oral pill filled with beneficial vitamins and minerals including Vitamin E, C and natural plant extracts like Aloe Vera each of which are combined to maximize the benefits for skin. Sales figures of both Acnezine and Exposed have matched the glowing recommendations from users. MATR has found a "great product" and a hot seller.

Acne Sufferers can visit MyAcneTreatmentReview.com to read reviews of both products that explain exactly why so many users report great results with Acnezine and Exposed.

For more information, visit myacnetreatmentreview.com

PAINWeek 2007 hosts 700 attendees

2007-08-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Nearly a dozen national medical associations devoted to the practice of pain management are set together for PAINWeek 2007, the first conference of its kind, beginning Thursday, September 6, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The four-day conference provides a unique environment for the participating organizations to share their expertise with frontline healthcare practitioners.

The four-day conference offers the following course concentrations: Practicum in Pain Management, Pain Educators Forum, Fundamentals in Pain Management, and Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT), along with Behavioral and Electroanalgesia Tracks. Fundamentals in Pain Management have been developed specifically to help clinicians from California and Oregon meet their state mandates for pain management and end-of-life continuing medical education. The variety of session offerings allows practitioners to customize a curriculum relevant to their practice needs.

Programs will be presented in the areas of osteoarthritis fibromyalgia, breakthrough pain, NSAID-induced gastrointestinal toxicity, menstrual-associated migraines, and cultural differences. on neuroscience and pain, is the designated managementcompany for PAINWeek.

For more information, visit aventinehealth.

New device = new hope?

2006-06-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

A new device uses a magnetic pulse to disrupt and stave off headaches
THE debilitating pain caused by migraines, the splitting headaches suffered by millions of people, can be eliminated using a handheld device that “zaps” the condition as it kicks in, a study suggests.

Patients treated with the experimental device, which is held against the back of the head and emits a quick magnetic pulse, have reported significant improvements.

The pulse has been found to trigger an electric current in neurons in the brain, preventing the initial “electrical storm” from developing into a full-blown migraine.

A team of American scientists, based at Ohio State University Medical Centre, will present findings from their research today at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Los Angeles. In one study carried out by the group, more than two thirds of patients treated with the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation device reported having either no pain or only mild pain two hours after treatment. Less than half of the placebo group reported similar pain levels.
More than 80 per cent did not experience pain when subjected to noise, and 64 per cent did not have an adverse reaction to bright light. The majority of the group with the device said that they could continue to work with only mild irritation after two hours. Only half of the control group said the same.

The device, which is made by a Californian company called Neuralieve, is designed to interrupt the aura phase of the migraine, the initial period of electrical activity in the brain, before it leads to headaches.

MY REACTION:

Bring it on. I want one.

New drug : sumatriptin & naproxen

2005-08-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Genetic Engineering News - The Leading Publication in Biotechnology:
"POZEN Inc. announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the marketing approval of Trexima(TM), the proposed brand name for the combination of sumatriptan succinate, formulated with RT Technology (TM), and naproxen sodium, in a single tablet for the acute treatment of migraine."

MY REACTION:

I have used sumatriptin successfully in the past. I look forward to trying this new combo.

Migraine prevention with butterbur

2005-08-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Alternative Medicine Review: Migraine prevention in children and adolescents: results of an open study with a special butterbur root extract:

"OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of a special butterbur root extract for migraine prevention in children and adolescents with severe migraines.

BACKGROUND: Two randomized and placebo-controlled trials with a total of 289 migraine patients have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of a special butterbur root extract in the reduction of migraine attacks in adults.

DESIGN/METHODS: Patients were treated with 50 to 150 mg of the butterbur root extract depending on age for a period of 4 months. Treatment progression was recorded in migraine journals.

RESULTS: 77% of all patients reported a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks of at least 50%. Attack frequency was reduced by 63%. 91% of patients felt substantially or at least slightly improved after 4 months of treatment. About 90% of each, doctors and patients, reported well-being or even improved well-being. No serious adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSIONS: The results and low rate of adverse events in this study are similar to the results of two multicenter placebo-controlled butterbur studies in adults. Butterbur root extract shows a potential as an effective and well-tolerated migraine prophylaxis.

My Take:

Great. Now, doc, give us the formula for the secret sauce. Butterbur -- is that in the dairy section? While encouraging, the problem with most herbal remedies is that the potency varies tremendously, so it is nearly impossible to know how much of the "active ingredient" you are, or should be, getting.

What a crock of crap!

2005-08-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

ABC News: Aspirin can relieve acute migraine:
"Individuals who suffer from acute migraine headaches are likely to find relief with aspirin, according to results of a new study.

'Aspirin is a rational' over-the-counter (OTC) choice for people who have migraine, the authors of the research write in the journal Headache.

More than 50 percent of migraine sufferers rely on OTC medications for the treatment of their migraine pain and, along with other OTC products, aspirin is considered by the US Headache Consortium to be an option for first-line migraine treatment. Yet few published studies have evaluated aspirin use for migraine headache.

Therefore, Dr. Richard B. Lipton, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and colleagues assessed the efficacy of a single 1000-milligram dose of aspirin versus inactive placebo for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura.

Study subjects logged their responses to the randomly assigned study medication in a diary starting at baseline and at 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 24 hours after treatment. They used a 4-point ordinal scale to rate their pain.

Of the 485 subjects enrolled in the study, 401 treated a confirmed migraine — 201 with aspirin and 200 with placebo.

The 2-hour response rate was 52 percent in the aspirin group versus 34 percent in the placebo group, a significant difference in favor of aspirin.

"At 2 hours, 20 percent of subjects treated with aspirin were pain free versus only 6 percent of subjects treated with placebo," Lipton's team reports, adding that aspirin provided better pain relief than placebo at all time points except 30 minutes after dosing.

Greater reductions in nausea and sensitivity to light and sound were observed in subjects treated with aspirin compared to those treated with placebo and significantly fewer aspirin-treated than placebo-treated patients needed rescue medication at 24 hours (34 percent versus 52 percent).

These results demonstrate that aspirin is safe and effective for treatment of acute migraine pain in appropriate patients, the authors conclude.

My Take:

If I relied on aspirin for my migraines, I would be in the Emergency Room every friggin time. This so-called study is an insult to the intelligence and experience of any true migraneur.

Is aspirin better than nothing? Perhaps so, but that is hardly the issue is it? With other choices available, why take the least effective drug possible?

Drug company execs = criminals?

2005-08-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Psychiatric News: Antidepressants-Read All About it!:

My Take:

I apologize in advance for the length of this post that only intermitently relates to migraines. But if you take ANY prescription medicine, you need to know the risks that are being concealed from you. Good, if scary, reading:

"Approving and marketing lethal drugs, while concealing the results of studies that reveal deadly side affects, should be a jailable offense.
by Evelyn Pringle

This conduct is not due to mistakes, it is representative of by now an all too familiar pattern of criminal behavior by top officials within the nation's top regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry.

This year Eli Lilly, was made to pay nearly $700 million to settle charges that it did not warn consumers that the drug, Zyprexa, could cause diabetes, which resulted in grave injuries and death to 100s of people, but nobody was charged with a crime.

Ellen Liversidge will be at the DC rally. She lost her son due to Lilly's crimes and she's none to happy about the fact that as part of the settlement, the plaintiff's attorneys agreed not let the public know about the extent of Lilly's wrongdoing.
In February, 2004, people may have become a bit angry when they read in the San Francisco Chronicle that top FDA officials had ordered one of its own researchers, who reviewed more than 20 trials, involving 4000 children, not to disclose his findings that confirmed that SSRIs increased the risk of suicide in kids.

Another protest supporter, Vera Hassner Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, explains how a Harvard review of children's charts, found that within 3 months of treatment on an SSRI antidepressants, 22% of the children suffered drug-induced adverse psychiatric effects, and overall, 74% suffered adverse events during the course of treatment.
'The FDA has known for years,' she said, 'but failed to reveal that antidepressants consistently fail to demonstrate a benefit in children. At least 12 of 15 trials failed.'

The FDA has also known that SSRIs increase the risk of suicide and hostility in children. As far back as 1996, an FDA review showed a '7-fold greater incidence of suicidality in children treated with Zoloft than adults,' Vera reports. She has accused the FDA of 'foot dragging, equivocating, and tinkering with definitions while children are dying.'

Dr Donald Marks, MD, Ph D is a prescribing physician, a father, and a former associate director and director for clinical research for two multinational pharmaceutical companies. He says, 'SSRI manufacturing and sales is serious business with tens of millions of patients in the U.S. and a market in the tens of billions of dollars.'

He contends, 'that any attempt to decrease sales by increasing warnings will be met with severe organized resistance.'

According to Dr Marks, 'SSRI manufacturers, such as Glaxo and Pfizer, have conducted clinical trials in depressed children, many of which show no efficacy against placebo.'

'The seriousness and severe adverse event effects of SSRI drugs make their use hardly justified in the majority of cases,' he added.

'My own prescribing experience with SSRI drugs,' Dr Marks said, 'has revealed significant agitation and aggression, akathisia, activation of mania and hypomania, increased depression, serious dependency and withdrawal difficulties, suicidal ideation, and toxic interactions with other drugs.'

The symptoms of SSRI toxicity can also be mistaken for the progression of the underlying mental state, 'leading to use of more of the same and other offending SSRI drugs rather than to withdrawal of the causative SSRI agent,' he warns.

While discussing the dangers of SSRIs, Rosie Carr Meysenburg, produced 3 handouts. The first was a personal letter from Dr Peter S Jensen, who at the time, was the head of Child & Adolescent Disorders Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, which said that research indicates that antidepressants for adolescents are not very effective.

The second document was a personal letter from Dr Larry S Goldman, Director the American Medical Association, in which he wrote that physicians have known for many years the dangers of giving any antidepressants to patients with certain disorders and there is a substantial risk of precipitating mania or psychosis.

The third was an article from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry researched at Yale University which stated that 11% of all psychiatric hospital admissions were from antidepressant-induced mania and psychosis. It also noted another area of research showing that Prozac and other SSRIs can simulate the effects of LSD.

"In other words," Rosie said, "this is saying for some people, taking an SSRI is the same as taking LSD."

According to Rosie, "About two million people enter a psychiatric hospital every year, 11% then is over 200,000 people a year who have an antidepressant-induced psychosis and who are hospitalized," she reported.

"Not all are hospitalized," Rosie warns, "Some of them have either committed suicide, a homicide, or a murder/suicide."

The truth is, nothing phases the greedy band of thugs involved in pushing these lethal drugs for profit. Only when they see CEOs and government officials being marched off to prison, right along side of other murderers, will they knock it off.

Why are other protesters angry at the FDA and Big Pharma?

Allen Routhier is the main organizer of the event, let's look at his reason. In June 2002, Allen's wife, Diane, was suffering from abdominal pains, nausea, indigestion, migraines, and backaches, and consulted her physician. Even though she had no history of depression, the doctor attributed her problems to stress and depression.

The question remains why, when according to all accounts, Diane was known to be a fun-loving, lively, upbeat person.

Without advising her of any side effects, her doctor sent her off with sample blister packs of Bupropion, a drug manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, also known as Wellbutrin. The packs contained no labels, no warnings, and no indication of any adverse effects or reactions that she may be experience while taking the drug.

Almost immediately after taking one pill, Diane became violently ill, with diarrhea, nausea, shakes, and a fever. She also felt irritable, agitated, anxious, dizzy and nervous.

On Friday, June 20, 2003, Diane felt terrible and called in sick to work, which was highly unusual. On June 23 and 24, she was again bedridden and suffered from insomnia, nausea, headaches, toothaches, dizziness, and among other things, diarrhea.

At approximately noon on June 25, her sister, Lynn, called and Diane cried and said she did not feel well. At some point that afternoon, Diane took a gun, went to a corner of the basement, laid in a fetal position, put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

During the autopsy, the medical examiner discovered Diane had gallstones, a condition not diagnosed by her doctor, but which fit perfectly with the symptoms she complained of.
Allen was left to explain a mother's death to their 2 young sons.

Jo Ann Kelly has been interested in raising awareness of the dangers of SSRIs ever since her son, David, died of a self inflicted gun shot wound after he was put on Lexapro for an anxiety diagnosis.

Several days before his death Jo Ann noticed increased agitation and a dryness of skin. She feared he was not metabolizing the drug and scheduled a doctor's appointment which ended up being two days too late.

Another mother, Lisa Van Syckel, described how her daughter, Michelle, was given Paxil for a diagnosis of depression and anorexia nervosa when she actually had Lyme Disease.
While on the drug, her mother watched as Michelle self-mutilated, became psychotic, violent, and attempted suicide twice.

When she quit taking the drug she suffered severe withdrawal and was constantly ill with flu-like symptoms, vomited blood, and had rectal bleeding. On top of all that, her friends at school called her "Psycho."

Lisa maintains she was not able to make an informed consent decision on behalf of Michelle because the drug maker withheld information on Paxil's adverse effects.

Another father, Tom Woodward, described how his oldest child, Julie, hung herself while on Zoloft, when she had no history of self-harm and there was no depression or suicide in their family history.

The doctors said Zoloft was safe. "The possibility of violence, self-harm, or suicidal acts was never raised. The two and a half pages we received with the Zoloft never mentioned self-harm or suicide," Tom said.

Julie had been excited about college and had scored high on her SATs a few weeks before her death. However, "instead of picking out colleges with our daughter, my wife and I had to pick out a cemetery plot for her," Tom said, "instead of looking forward to visiting Julie at school, we now visit her grave."

He is very angry. "It is clear that the FDA is a political entity and its leadership has protected the economic interests of the drug industry," he said, "Under the Bush administration, the FDA has placed the interests of the drug industry over protecting the American public."

He points out the fact that 86% of the millions of dollars in campaign contributions by drug companies went to the Bush administration and Republican candidates. He wants to know, "what did Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and GlaxoSmithKline Beecham buy?"

According to Tom, top officials in leadership positions have strong ties to the industry. For instance, "FDA's chief counsel Daniel Troy has spent his career defending the drug industry," he said, "If a study does not favor a drug, the public never hears about it."

Mark Miller and his wife Cheryl lost their 13-year-old son, Matt, after a psychiatrist gave him Zoloft. They were told that Matt had a chemical imbalance that could be helped by a new, wonderful drug called Zoloft. "It was safe, effective, only two minor side effects were cautioned with us - insomnia, indigestion," they said.

While on the drug, Matt became agitated, could not sleep, eat or sit still. The night before they were to leave on a family vacation, Matt hung himself from a bedroom closet hook, barely higher than he was tall.

"To commit this unthinkable act," Tom said, "something he had never attempted before, never threatened to, never talked about, he was able to pull his legs up off the floor and hold himself that way until he lost consciousness."

Mark and Cheryle have since learned that Matt's doctor has been "a well-paid spokesman for Pfizer," maker of Zoloft.

Young Corey Baadsgaard was diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder, and was prescribed Paxil by his family doctor. After a couple months, he started taking larger doses because it was not working. A few months later, the doctor prescribed a medication called Effexor, and abruptly discontinued Paxil. Corey was supposed to gradually increase the dose of Effexor to 300 milligrams over 3 weeks.

The day he took the 300 milligram dose, Corey didn't feel well so he stayed home from school and went back to sleep. That evening he woke up in a juvenile detention center. Unaware of what he had done, Corey said, "I asked one of the members of the juvenile detention center, and I found out that I had taken my high-powered rifle that I use for hunting to my third period class, took 23 of my classmates hostage and teacher hostage."

Corey spent 14 months in jail, "not really knowing why I had been there, not really remembering anything that I had done," he said.

"These drugs are hell," his father Jay said, "look at what they have done to my son."
Joyce Storey's son, Brian, was 17 years old when the family doctor diagnosed him with depression and gave him 14 Zoloft pills. He never warned about side effects and "even said if a person is drinking or doing drugs, that Zoloft works well with them," Joyce said.
Five days later, Brian killed a woman. After his arrest, authorities found no illegal drugs in his system, only Zoloft.

The psychiatrist that examined Brian after the event was Dr James Merkangis, a faculty member at Yale University. At the trial, he said Brian had a manic reaction to Zoloft and testified that Brian told him it was like being in a dream. "The news media called my son the All-American boy, and he was," Joyce says. He is now serving life without parole.

Six months after Brian's arrest, another boy at his school, Jeff Franklin, took an ax to both of his parents and three of his brothers and sisters while on Prozac. Both of his parents died and Jeff is now serving two life sentences.

"This is not a coincidence," Joyce warns, "there is a common denominator, teenager, severely depressed, on an SSRI antidepressant."

"There are 13 million people on these drugs, 6 to 8 million are children," she said. "The question is why are we handing these drugs out like candy, and the answer is $17 billion a year business." Joyce noted, "It is always about money."

Jame Tierney was 14 years old when he was prescribed Effexor for migraine headaches. After about a year, the drug lost its effectiveness and his doctor doubled the dose. "For the next 9 months," Jame recalled, "my life as I had known it was gone. I thought daily about suicide and hurting myself. I felt void of normal emotions. I was so belligerent, agitated, and filled with hate - hate for my family, my friends, and most of all myself. Rage consumed me. I felt trapped," he said.

Jame did things totally out of character. "I had little control and little inhibition," he said, "It was as if I was watching a movie and some villain was destroying all the relationships around me."
He spent most his time alone or else fighting with his parents. "They would ask what was wrong and what had happened to me," Jame said, and "I could not answer them because I did not know or understand myself. I was terrified."

He thanks God that his parents continued to search for answers. It was the Effexor. It was not prescribed for depression and he had no history of depression prior to taking the drug.
To counter the potential withdrawal effects, Jame was given Prozac, and the same personality and behavior problems were evident. The drug affected him the same way.

"I had never had these feelings before I took Effexor," Jame said, "I have never had these feelings since I stopped taking the Effexor and Prozac." The way Jame sees it, "Effexor took three years from me and I will never get them back."

Donna Taylor's son, Mark, was shot between 7 to 13 times, at Columbine high school and nearly died. Columbine shooter, Eric Harris, was on an SSRI at the time of the rampage, just like the majority of other kids who have been involved in senseless killings in recent years.

Mark Taylor points out that prior to the drastic increase in use of psychiatric on kids, "this has never happened in the history of America."

Shannon Baker does not complain about her daughter's side effects, adverse reactions, or withdrawal symptoms, because her daughter is no longer alive. Sharon wants to be "the voice of all the other children who's voices have been silenced by these drugs," she said. She wants a ban on the use of SSRIs with children. "There needs to be no more senseless and needless deaths because of these drugs," she said.

Dawn Rider, president of ASPIRE, gave this warning, "We have been educated to believe that mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. The fact is that this is only theory, and this theory is pushed on us as if it were the absolute truth."

Many people who believe this theory have become guinea pigs, "I know this from personal experience," Dawn said, "I trusted our family doctor when he explained that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. We trusted him when he determined that Paxil was right for my husband, and Prozac for my son."

Dawn's 14-year-old son is now dead, and when they "discovered the problems with these drugs, we decided it would be better for my husband to suffer through depression than end up dead like our son," she said, "and we found out that he could not get off of Paxil."

Her husband went through a year of hell before he was able to withdraw from the drug, and in the process, Dawn said, "it destroyed our marriage of over 20 years.

Sara Bostock's daughter, Cecily, had only been taking Paxil for two weeks when she died, during which time her condition had greatly worsened. By the day of her death, Cecily was pale, unable to sleep, almost unable to converse, and was in a frightened, agitated state, jumping at the slightest noise. "That night she got up and without turning on any lights, went into our kitchen only feet from where I was half asleep," Sara said, "She stabbed herself twice in the chest with a large chef's knife. The only noise was a slight yelp and a thump when she fell on the floor."
This was a young woman who had everything to live for. She had just completed applications for grad school and had received a large pay increase the month before. She had a boyfriend who loved her, scores of wonderful friends and had never been suicidal.

Her autopsy revealed a high blood level of Paxil, which reflects poor metabolization, a feature common in many SSRI suicide cases. "I believe this induced an intensely dissociative state, perhaps even sleepwalking," Sara said.

"From accounts of people under the influence of these drugs," she explained, "I believe SSRIs can alter consciousness in some mysterious and frightening way that is not normally seen even in mental illness. I am certain this is what happened to my daughter."

"Untold thousands have died because of the drug companies and the FDA's failure to heed the evidence over the past years," Sara has discovered.

Cynthia Brockman's described the Zoloft-induced reactions that her son, Chris, had experienced which ultimately resulted in a woman's death and a life sentence in prison for her son. She urges a ban on all SSRI use in children.

Chris described "uncontrollable fits of anger, pitches and voices setting him off, not wanting to be touched, feeling horrible all over his body, not being in reality." His reactions stopped, once he was off all SSRIs for about a year, but restarted when he was put on Zoloft again.

"Prison doctors ignored warnings, forced him to take harmful drugs, drugging him into hallucinating, irrational, suicidal state," Cynthia said.

She finally met with the Texas House Committee on Corrections who ordered prison doctors to correct the crisis caused by the drugs which had triggered severe suicidal and homicidal symptoms for about 2 years while doctors kept starting and stopping her son's medications.

"Medical experts said Chris would not have been suicidal or homicidal had he not been reacting to SSRI drugs," Cynthia said.

Todd and Eileen Shivak's son Michael was 11 when he was given Paxil for depression. They thank God he is alive after he tried to slash his wrists in a classroom at school. "We thought we were doing the right thing," his parents explain, "the doctors convinced us that taking these drugs was the only thing that we could do for Michael."

"How could all the doctors not recognize what was happening?" Todd asks, "Michael saw three different social workers, two different psychiatrists, and went through at least four
different emergency room psychological evaluations in two different hospitals."

"It is impossible to describe the pain and utter helplessness we all felt watching Michael suffer, watch him cry, take up weapons against us, and beg us to let him die," Todd said.
"Our daughter, Catherine, was 5 years old at the time," he noted, "She witnessed firsthand some of the most terrifying sights that I have ever had to deal with."

"Our family is finally getting back to the loving family we once were, but the fear of what happened still haunts us," he added.

Pepper Draper, a Director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, reports that her child was put on Ritalin, and says, "we bought into the whole serotonin theory, so we were naturally raising that serotonin, which unfortunately started causing him to become severely depressed and suicidal."

Fortunately, "we were able to finally understand the truth about serotonin, that raising serotonin and stopping the metabolism of it has caused suicide and aggression, and that is well documented," she said.

Pepper believes that "if we will teach them the right ways to take care of their bodies and cut out the things that are addictive, like these medications are, that we can help our youth learn to deal with what is going on in their lives."

Leah Harris tells how much he suffered while taking Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft from age 12 to 18. "I went from being a shy and mildly depressed, but never suicidal kid, to being overcome with thoughts of hurting and killing myself while on the SSRI drugs, thoughts which I acted on," he said.

Since quitting SSRIs over a decade ago, he has never again self-mutilated or had suicidal
thoughts. "The suicidality simply vanished," he said, and "this is clear proof that the drugs must have played a role, and I am one of the lucky ones, I have survived to tell the tale."
Leah believes that "Medical professionals and the public must be informed of the very serious risks that are associated with SSRIs." He noted that warnings may negatively affect sales and not please the industry, but said, "the FDA was created as an independent regulatory agency to serve the interests of the American public, not Big Pharma."

Grieving mother, Lorraine Slater says, "informed parental consent is only possible as long as full disclosure is made by the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and the medical community."
Her 14-year-old daughter is dead. "Dominique's life was taken from her as a result of drug-induced psychosis and suicidal ideations, not to mention the probability of experiencing akathisia, extreme agitation," her mother said.

She is having a very difficult time with acceptance. "How can you imagine I feel as Dominique's mother knowing now that I was slowly poisoning my daughter every day as I was dispensing her antidepressant medication including Celexa and which she made her first suicide attempt after being on it for almost one month, and effects of the last medication she was on when she did commit suicide?" she asked.

She explains, "Dominique's mind and behavior were slowly being altered to the point that she became very agitated, irrational, ultimately suicidal, because none of the so-called medical professionals acknowledged the drug's role in her irrational and suicidal behavior or properly withdrew her from their suicidal effects."

"How can teenagers be allowed to be given antidepressants that were never approved for
adolescent consumption, only for adults?" Larraine wants to know, "How come the medical profession doesn't fully disclose the possible harmful and fatal effects of medication as well as watch carefully for diverse effects on its adolescent population?"

Terri Williams' son, Jacob, was an exceptional athlete who participated in football on both the varsity and junior varsity football teams in school. In September 2000 Jacob lost interest in school activities except for his interest in football, but there was a conflict with his grades and his attendance.

As a result of the issue, his parents attended a school conference in October 2000 at which the school administrator suggested that Jacob may be depressed and that they should seek medical help.

Terri contacted Jacob's pediatrician and made an appointment for that afternoon. The doctor prescribed Prozac, and subsequently increased the dosage three weeks later. Shortly after starting Prozac, "Jacob began to complain of having strange dreams, which he had said were bad," Terri said, "Shortly after the dosage was increased, I began to notice an aggressive behavior, which had not been there before. Jacob also became destructive and destroyed some of his favorite things," she noted.

His friends later told Terri that they had noticed the same behavioral change, that he had become short tempered and showed a verbal aggression that had not been present before.
When questioned by Terri, Jacob stated "I don't know what is making me do this." Terri wrote it off as adolescent behavior and did not pursue the matter further.

On December 5th 2000, she discovered Jacob's body hanging from the rafter in their attic where he had hung himself with his own belt. He had left a letter on the ladder leading up to our attic thanking his parents for giving him 14 years of a happy life.

"Had I know that this was a potential side effect, suicide," Terri said, "I would have never allowed my son to take the drug Prozac."

And the fact is, the FDA could have warned Terri about the drug, because by 1998, Prozac alone had already accumulated over 40,000 adverse reaction reports, including more than 2,100 deaths, under the FDA's adverse reaction reporting system, more than any other drug in history.

Glenn McIntosh introduces his 12-year-old daughter, Caitlin, with a photo because it is all he has left. Caitlin committed suicide, 8 weeks after being prescribed Paxil and Zoloft.
She was a straight "A" student, a talented musician, artist, and poet, who loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian.

With the onset of puberty, this bright, sensitive girl who had once loved going to school, started having trouble coping, as many kids do. She was also having problems sleeping due to a mild seizure disorder, her father said, "We wanted to help, of course, so we took her to our family physician, who prescribed her Paxil."

Caitlin didn't do well on Paxil, so the doctor took her off it. A week later they saw a psychiatrist and he put her on Zoloft. "She then started having strong suicidal ideations, along with severe agitation known as akathisia and hallucinations, and she was put in the adolescent ward of a mental hospital to "balance her meds," Glenn said.

There things got worse as she was put on other psychotropic drugs to treat the symptoms that Glenn now knows were caused by the SSRIs.

"Let me be very clear about something," he said, "the dramatic and severe symptoms that led to my daughter's suicide manifested only after she started taking antidepressant drugs."
The downward spiral continued until Caitlin hung herself with her shoelaces in the school bathroom. "We were told that antidepressants like Paxil and Zoloft were wonder drugs, that they were safe and effective for children. We were lied to," Glenn said.

"The pharmaceutical companies have known for years that these drugs could cause suicide in some patients. Why didn't we?" he wants to know.

Delnora Duprey is a grandmother who described how it had been over two years since she had seen her grandson Chris play ball, ride a bike, talk on the phone, or run in to say, "Hey, grandma, what's for dinner?"

Chris is a tall, thin boy, quiet and well liked and respectful to everyone, "who loved his family dearly, and had hopes and dreams for a future," Delnora said.

The family's nightmare began when Chris was diagnosed with depression, and "placed on medication that was never tested on children and never meant for their use," she said. He was first put on Paxil, but was switched to Zoloft a short time later.

The doctor increased the dosage to 200 milligrams and within 48 hours, Chris had shot and killed his other grandparents while they slept and burned their house down.

Today Christopher is sitting in prison facing incarceration for life, "a child that does not even know what has happened to him," his grandma said.

According to Delnora, he was a sweet boy who never hurt himself or anyone else before.
Many readers might want to advise these people to go to government officials with these horror stories, the people who can punish drug companies for hiding adverse reactions and not warning people about the dangers associated with drugs.

The problem is they already have. The tragic stories above were relayed to officials during the February 2, 2004, FDA hearing.

Its now 18 months later, and needless to say, nobody has been punished.

Evelyn Pringle
epringle05@yahoo.com
(Evelyn Pringle is a columnist for Independent Media TV and an investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in government)"

New drug makes you twitch

2005-08-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com: "Pozen Inc. will argue to U.S. advisers that its experimental migraine treatment MT 100 poses little risk of an unusual side effect that causes involuntary facial and tongue movements.

Regulators rejected the drug in May 2004, citing concerns about its effectiveness and the chances of a potentially permanent movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD).

MT 100 combines the pain-relieving ingredient naproxen with another medicine, metoclopramide, that is sold for treating migraines and acid reflux. Metoclopramide has been associated with TD, which causes involuntary, repetitive movements of the mouth and tongue such as grimacing or lip-smacking."

My Take:

You gotta love these drug companies. Now they've found a way to take your money and make you look like a fool in the process!

Migraine Triggers

2005-08-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Caffiene Migraine Headache:
"RECOGNIZE YOUR SPECIAL “TRIGGER” SITUATIONS AND LEARN THE WARNING SIGNS THAT WILL HELP YOU HEAD OFF AN ATTACK

Take time to review the situations you were in before your migraine attacks. You may be able to notice a pattern that will define “trigger” situations. Does your migraine start after shopping? After heavy housecleaning? Before a menstrual period? Holidays? During financial difficulties?

If you discover a pattern of any sort, discuss it with your doctor. He may suggest ways to put a “safety” on the trigger situations. Or may suggest that you take your medication before a known and unavoidable trigger situation takes place."

My Take:

Triggers are definitely part of the puzzle. But only part.

Rather than an all or nothing situation, a trigger, in my opinion, should be viewed as part of a point system. For example, consider that it takes 100 "points" of triggers in a day to create a migraine. For me, driving in heavy traffic=20 points, hard day at work=40 points, 40 more points from ANY source will throw me into a migraine.

Most "trigger theorists" look only at the last event and say THAT caused the migraine. But when the same event happens on a good day, the event does not cause a migraine. That is why it is so difficult to say when something is a trigger for you.

Don't Rebound Into Another Headache

2005-08-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

How To Get Rid Of A Headaches:
"Rebound headache is a common problem. It happens when you start trying to fight off headaches, and they start fighting back. What's often happening is that the very drugs that used to solve the problem are actually making things worse. If you start taking the drugs on a regular basis, your body actually gets used to the medication and starts to crave it when it's not there. Then the headaches get worse, so you take more drugs. The cycle goes on.

If you're suffering from a mild headache almost every day, you may have rebound headache. If you're taking pain relievers every 2-3 days, that's a sign that you're caught in the cycle. You may find that 3-4 hours after taking the drugs the headache gets even worse, or you may start waking up with headache.

The Mayo Clinic reports that the pills most likely to cause rebound headache are drugs with a combination of ingredients, such as drugs that include combinations of caffeine, aspirin and acetaminophen, and migraine drugs like ergotamines and triptans (eg Imitrex). If you're taking a lot of painkillers, see your doctor and try to treat the problem. There may be newer and better treatments available.

Also, be sure you have at least two days that are drug-free between every day when you're taking painkillers. Some doctors suggest that you take no more than 10 doses a month. If you're taking much more than that, see a good doctor and look for other solutions.

Though it may be hard to believe, you may actually be better off with no drugs at all. Many doctors suggest going cold turkey. You may need medical help to be able to get out of the cycle. The sooner you can get that help the better.

You can try cutting down over a couple of months. Be sure to keep track of exactly what you're taking. First, go a day without drugs, then two days between every day with drugs. You'll likely notice an increase in headaches at first, but keep at it! Things will get much better.

My Take:

Rebound headaches are a fact of life for most frequent migraneurs. I've had 28 days of migraine in a 30 day month, so I know about frequency -- and desperation.

For me, the rebound saga started with a doctor's prescription for fiorinol (fioricet). Within months I went from weekly misery to daily agony. Thanks, doc!

My formula to avoid rebounds is to alternate classes of drugs: tripins 1 event, ergotermine the next. If necessary, even bear the pain for a day to get the necessary drug separation.

Rebounds can be more vicious than the migraine they replace!

Spray your headache away

2005-08-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

IOL: Spray your headache away:
"One hour after treatment with the Zomig spray, 28 percent of the patients said they had no pain and 51 percent were able to resume normal activities. This compared with 10 percent of those who got the placebo who reported no pain after an hour.

Two hours later, 39 percent who used zolmitriptan reported their headaches were gone, compared with 19 percent of those who used the placebo spray."

My Take:

This study could not possibly have been well controlled. 19% of subjects got over a MIGRAINE with a placebo?? Give me a break. No way.

On a different tack, every spray product I have tried (including the aforementioned Zomig) makes my migraine immediately much WORSE.

Magnesium affects migraines?

2005-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

MAGNESIUM:
"Magnesium is a mineral that has been used widely for treating abdominal cramps and constipation. It is obtained naturally from the diet, and is required for many metabolic activities in the body. Absorption of magnesium is reduced by high intake of calcium, alcohol, surgery, diuretics, liver or kidney disease, and oral contraceptive use.

While small doses of magnesium-containing laxatives are safe, larger doses may not be. This is especially true for long-term use.

Fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraine, premenstrual syndrome, and dysmenorrhea are conditions associated with magnesium deficiency. Women with premenstrual syndrome who were found to have low magnesium were more likely to have excess sensitivity to pain with generalized aches and pains."

My Take:

One more thing to investigate and perhaps supplement.

Now here is a total waste of money

2005-08-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

The Way to My Heart: Staying cool in the sun:
"Get some Mentholatum Migraine Ice patches. These soft gel patches - designed to soothe headaches - come into their own during heatwaves as they instantly reduce skin temperature when applied. They can be found in chemists. "

My Take:

Did you read the title? These little gems total crap. For migraine. Maybe they are useful as a suppository -- for anyone who recommends them for migraines.

Dr. Saleeby's Blog: Headaches

2005-07-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Dr. Saleeby's Blog: Headaches:
"Females are almost three times more likely to suffer from migraine headaches than are men.

There are a wide variety of things that may trigger a migraine. Hunger, fatigue, bright light, alcohol, caffeine, excitement or stress, birth control pills, perfumes and certain foods are all examples of triggers. A woman's fluctuation in hormones due to her menstrual cycle can also be a factor."

My Take:

With birth control pills, menstrual cycles, and perfumes as known migraine triggers, no wonder women are at greater risk. The first 2 are fixed for most women, so concentrate on the perfume -- determine if you are sensitive to it, and if so, eliminate it.

Lavender For A Migraine

2005-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Lavender-Central.info Weblog � 3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache:

"Lavender oil is renowned for its medicinal properties and this is doubly so for migraine headaches. Lavender oil is cheap and completely safe to use. Only use pure Lavender oil for treating migraines - lavender scented fragrances or scented oils are useless.

If you feel a migraine attack coming then grab your lavender oil. Place a single drop of pure, undiluted lavender oil on each temple or behind each ear. Also place 2 or 3 drops of undiluted lavender oil on the pillow you’re going to rest on.

Combined with a quiet, dark room and deep breathing the lavender oil provides that final “punch” in the natural treatments. The scent of the oil will relax you and simply inhaling lavender infused air helps to ease the pain of a migraine almost immediately."

My Take:

I will definitely try this out. I've tried cheap lavender scents before with no effect. Now I know to try again with the real deal.

Latest research in mystery of migraines

2005-07-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

Researchers make headway in mystery of migraines | Science Blog:
"The research, published in the new issue of the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals how gene mutations known to cause a form of inherited migraine--the kind that cause debilitating headaches and light flashes known as auras--target a cellular process involved in brain cell communication.

'A number of mutations have been shown to result in familial migraines,' says Dr. Rhoda Blostein--a medical scientist at the Research Institute of the MUHC, professor in the Department of Medicine and Biochemistry at McGill University, and author of the new study. 'Discovering genetic mutations that cause disease is important, but in order to develop treatments we must understand what these mutations do.' By engineering several genetic mutations known to cause inherited migraines (type 2), and incorporating them into human cells, Dr. Blostein and her team showed several genotypes damage the operation of a tiny cellular mechanism commonly known as the Sodium Pump (Sodium/Potassium ATPase enzyme).

'By expelling sodium from the cell, and drawing potassium from outside, the sodium pump maintains a gradient of potassium, which is critical for the propagation of electrical signals along nerve cells. Like an air conditioner in the heat of summer, the sodium pump is a massive energy hog, consuming around 30% of the energy produced by the cell in order to perform this vital cellular process.

Of particular interest in this study is that some mutations cause migraines by reducing sodium pump efficiency--akin to reducing the power supply. 'This is the first time that a genetic mutation of the sodium pump has been shown to cause disease by changing the properties of this biochemical process, rather than completely turning it off,' notes Dr. Blostein. This new understanding of how genetic mutations cause migraines takes us one step closer to the development of improved treatments, providing hope to millions of migraine sufferers."

My Take:

This is the frontiers, folks. No relief yet, but hope, nonetheless. Don't expect your doctor to know anything about this yet. Sodium pump -- don't forget you heard it hear first.

Chiropractic a migraine cure? I don't think so!

2005-07-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

http://darinswaninc.com/scripts/wordpress/?p=10
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care helps many who suffer from chronic pain and disease. Providing them with often permanent relief from conditions such as Migraine Headaches, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, and neck pain to name a few. This very specific type of care utilizes the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatment available.

To understand how upper cervical chiropractic care works; one must first understand how the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) functions. The human brain communicates through a large network of nerves (similar to an electrical circuit) connecting different organs and systems of the body (like telephone wires connecting phones). This constant communication is essential for the proper function and health of every cell, organ, and system in the body.

The spinal cord transmits information back and forth between the brain and the body and is protected by the spinal column. When injuries occur to spinal segments (traumas such as auto accidents, falls, sports accidents, the birth process, etc.), the spinal vertebrae may misalign and irritate surrounding nerves, resulting in a “short circuit” of the involved nerves.

The top two bones in the neck have been isolated as the most significant in the spinal column because these vertebrae are located at the critical junction between the brain (control center) and the spinal cord. Because the nervous system controls and coordinates all functions in our bodies, including our immune system, any misalignments causing irritation to the nerves at this critical level in the upper cervical spine can result in dysfunction of the bodily organs supplied by the damaged nerves, thus creating numerous health problems. Because all nerve signals must pass through the upper cervical region in order to reach lower parts of the body, any and all functions of the body can be affected by the spine at this level. Recent research shows a link between trauma to the head, neck or upper back and the onset of many serious health problems. Following the trauma, symptoms can be triggered immediately or can take months or years to develop. The purpose of upper cervical chiropractic care is to reverse the trauma induced upper neck injury; thereby reducing neurological irritation; because without irritation, our nervous systems can properly control our bodies’ functions and maintain us in good health. While many sufferers recall specific traumas such as head injuries, auto accidents, or falls, some do not. An upper cervical examination is necessary in each individual’s case to assess whether an upper cervical injury is present and whether benefit from upper cervical care can be achieved.

MY REACTION:

The above sounds very logical. However, my experience is that chiropractic care does little to nothing for MY migraines. I have logged in well over a thousand visits, so it is not from lack of trying or wishing. I still continue to see chiropractors from time to time -- I just no longer expect the impossible from them -- to effect a migraine cure for me.

Omega 3 & Migraines

2005-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

The World's Healthiest Foods: Feeling Great:
"Omega 3 fatty acids may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:

* Alzheimer's disease
* Asthma
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
* Bipolar disorder
* Cancer
* Cardiovascular disease
* Depression
* Diabetes
* Eczema
* High blood pressure
* Huntington's disease
* Lupus
* Migraine headaches
* Multiple sclerosis
* Obesity
* Osteoarthritis
* Osteoporosis
* Psoriasis
* Rheumatoid arthritis

In supplemental form, omega 3 fatty acids are available as softgels (like a vitamin E capsule) or as bottled liquids. Flaxseed oil, a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid, and cod liver oil, a rich source of EPA and DHA, are among the most popular omega 3 supplements.

When purchasing an omega 3 fatty acid supplement, remember that these oils are highly sensitive to damage from heat, light and oxygen. Choose a certified organic product that has been refrigerated and is packaged in a dark brown or green glass jar and be sure to store the product in your refrigerator or freezer.

It is also advisable to choose a supplement that contains vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, which is added to the oil to prevent the fatty acids from becoming oxidized (or rancid)."

My Take:

1 more pill to take. OK, I'll give it a try. How about you?

Migraine preventive meds

2005-07-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Beta-adrenergic Blocking Agents: "Beta-adrenergic Blocking Agents
Jul 25, 05 | 12:46 pm

Description

This group of medicines is known as beta-adrenergic blocking agents, beta-blocking agents, or, more commonly, beta-blockers. Beta-blockers are used in the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). Some beta-blockers are also used to relieve angina (chest pain) and in heart attack patients to help prevent additional heart attacks. Beta-blockers are also used to correct irregular heartbeat, prevent migraine headaches, and treat tremors. They may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Beta-blockers work by affecting the response to some nerve impulses in certain parts of the body. As a result, they decrease the heart's need for blood and oxygen by reducing its workload. They also help the heart to beat more regularly.

Beta-adrenergic blocking agents are available only with your doctor's prescription"

My Take:

Preventives are half your migraine arsenal (abortives the other half). Experiment to see which preventives work best for you.

Recognize the early signs of migraine -- Then act fast!

2005-07-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Heading Off Migraine Pain - HealingWell.com:
"More than 26 million Americans suffer from the neurologic disorder of migraine, according to the American Medical Association. No medical test exists for migraine, so the diagnosis is based on having some or all of the following symptoms:

* a moderate to severe throbbing pain for four to 72 hours that is frequently on one side of the head (the word migraine comes from the Greek hemicranios, meaning half a head)
* nausea, with or without vomiting
* sensitivity to light and sound

About 15 to 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience visual and other disturbances about 15 minutes before the head pain. These symptoms, collectively known as 'aura,' may include flashing lights, zig-zag lines, bright spots, loss of part of one's field of vision, or numbness or tingling in the hand, tongue, or side of the face. Migraines preceded by an aura are called classic migraines; all others are referred to as common migraines.

Get early treatment to prevent a full-blown migraine."

My Take:

Amen. The migraine is a fierce beast. Once established, expect 3 days of suffering. So don't let it get established. The earlier you take counter-measures, the more effective they will be.

There is one caveat: in the very early stages, the migraine may be subtle. You can mistake a tension headache for a migraine. Over-medicating can lead to the equally bad condition known as "rebound headache."

So pay close attention to the early stages. Record your precise signals.

My best early warning signal is to shake my head vigorously -- often it will feel like it is ready to explode when I had no other indication of an approaching migraine. If I pass the "head shake test," I know I am safe -- for awhile.

Do foods cause migraines?

2005-07-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

ACHE Articles:
"Fasting is a headache trigger and should be avoided. Regular meals should be eaten throughout the day, including breakfast. It may also be helpful to follow a headache restrictive diet for a brief time. Limit your foods for 4 weeks. If there is no change in your headaches, then, as for most headache sufferers, foods are not a trigger for you.

If you are one of those rare people in whom headaches do improve on a restricted diet, you can add foods back into your diet one at a time to see which foods may trigger your headache. Eating a certain food should trigger a headache within 12 hours. Then you can limit those few foods to which you are sensitive. You should never restrict all possible trigger foods for a long time. This is not likely to be helpful, and too much concern about avoiding foods may be another stress, as well as decrease your enjoyment of mealtime."

My Take:

Rather than arbitrarily giving up whole groups of foods because some doctor "thinks" they might be bad, it certainly makes sense to verify for yourself. Each of us is different, so our migraine triggers should be unique too. I think I feel a "chocolate challenge test" coming on.

Guided Imagery For Migraine Help

2005-07-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

PainNP: Changes in the Meaning of Pain with the Use of Guided Imagery:
"Although the use of guided imagery should not be used in place of analgesic medication, it is useful as an adjunct to more traditional methods of pain treatment."

My Take:

This interesting study found that the technique of guided imagery helps patients control their pain -- all kinds of pain. I have used it and can report some mild benefit, but only when used early. Another tool in our migraine toolkit.

Auras & Migraines

2005-07-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

Migraine Resources:
"Classical migraine or migraine with aura is preceded by a group of symptoms called aura, most commonly experienced as a visual disturbance. Common migraine or migraine without aura, in contrast, lacks any indicator of the impending headache. Some experience aura without migraine, a condition called amigrainous migraine."

MyTake:

Some "old-school" doctors (as in they are so old they don't even remember what they learned in school) will tell you that for your headache to be a migraine, it must be accompanied by an aura. That is a good time for you to stand up and leave.

Is Botox Your Friend?

2005-07-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

i-Newswire.com - Press Release And News Distribution - Using Botox for Migraine and Headache Treatment, Phase II Studies: "(I-Newswire) -

Studies of patients with chronic daily headache [CDH], a disabling headache disorder characterized by headaches and/or migraines that occur on 16 or more days each month.

--Between-group differences ( BOTOX vs. placebo ) on the number of headache-free days at day 180 did not reach statistical significance. However, significant differences compared to placebo were demonstrated on other measures, including a decrease in the frequency of headache episodes, a decrease of at least 50% in headache days, and a decrease in acute medication use.

-- Differences in favor of BOTOX were even more evident in a subgroup analysis of patients who were not taking other prophylactic medication to treat their headache, and were more robust still in a further subanalysis of these patients who were overusing acute pain medications. These latter results are especially meaningful since the overuse of pain medication for headache is associated with maintenance of chronic headache and considerable disability.

-- Treatment with BOTOX� was well-tolerated.

Based on these Phase II findings, Allergan can move forward with a large Phase III clinical trial program, currently scheduled to begin in late 2005, to investigate the safety and efficacy of BOTOX as a prophylactic therapy in migraine patients with CDH. Patients with CDH are at the more severe end of the headache/migraine spectrum, and currently available therapies typically provide inadequate relief to these patients due to intolerable side effects or other limitations. BOTOX is not currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of any headache disorder."

My Take:

While I am a bit queasy about the idea of being injected with a poisonous substance designed to kill certain nerves ... when I have a migraine, I'll try anything.

So bring it on. Options are good.

Eat more chocolate!

2005-07-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dark chocolate can not only soothe your soul but can lower blood pressure too, researchers reported Monday.

The study, published by the American Heart Association, joins a growing body of research that show compounds found in chocolate called flavonoids can help the blood vessels work more smoothly, perhaps reducing the risk of heart disease.

'Previous studies suggest flavonoid-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and chocolate, might offer cardiovascular benefits, but this is one of the first clinical trials to look specifically at dark chocolate's effect on lowering blood pressure among people with hypertension,' said Jeffrey Blumberg of Tufts University in Boston, who led the study.

"The findings do not suggest that people with high blood pressure should eat lots of dark chocolate in lieu of other important blood pressure-reduction methods, such as medication and exercise," Blumberg said. "Rather, we are identifying specific flavonoids that can have a benefit on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity."

My Take:

Whoopie! Chocolate here I come. Now if I could only avoid that nasty migraine that usually follows a chocolate binge ... But notice they specified DARK chocolate. I must test this out -- I owe it to science.

Lavender - Make your migraine smell & feel better

2005-07-18T21:48:00.001-07:00

June 2005:

"When it comes to research, one of the best herbs for headaches seems to be lavender. Lavender has been used for 200 years to treat various conditions. Today it's one of the most common for headache, when it comes to aromatherapy. It's used to relax, and to treat insomnia, which is important for most headache sufferers. Lavender is also used in various forms to treat some skin conditions such as eczema, though one study recently suggested that the therapeutic effect of massage was helpful with the oil or without.

In some countries, such as France and Germany, lavender is eaten or sipped in tea. As a tea in Germany it has been approved for use for restlessness and stomach irritation, according to a 2002 article at the University of Maryland Medical Center."

My Take:

Sounds interesting. Somebody do some research here, please. I guess I am due to go check it out at my local health-foods store.

Come on lavender, baby. Work for me!

Tension Headache -- Bad but better than a migraine

2005-07-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

Drugs and Stress Management Together Best Manage Chronic Tension Headache: Clinical Trial Proves Benefit of Combined Therapies: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): "Tension headache is caused by prolonged tightening of muscles in the head and neck. This most common form of headache is classified two ways: episodic, with fewer than 15 attacks per month typically triggered by some form of environmental or internal stress, and chronic, occurring on 15 or more days a month, with varied pain throughout the day. Symptoms include a dull ache on both sides of the head, tightness or sensations of pressure around the scalp or neck, and depression. Many sufferers also find it difficult to sleep."

My Take:

The study cited above found that relaxation and biofeedback IN ADDITION TO drugs works. It took a study to figure that out? Go figure!

But they were just examining tension headaches. I'll take a tension headache over a migraine any day. Won't you?

Here is an interesting thought. Perhaps a tension headache is a contributor to migraine, ie. you get a tension headache and it is the final stressor that puts you over the edge into a migraine. I believe that is the case for many of us.

Study Questions Value of Acupuncture for Migraine

2005-07-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Study Questions Value of Acupuncture for Migraine

"TUESDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Migraine headache sufferers who use acupuncture get no more pain relief than those who undergo a sham treatment.

But they do get relief.

That is the result of a randomized, multi-center trial, one of the largest and most rigorous studies yet to examine acupuncture's effectiveness for migraine, the study's German authors report.

Both treatments reduced the number of days that patients experienced moderate to severe pain, with more than half of each treatment group reporting at least a 50 percent reduction in migraine attacks.

But having observed inconsistent results among patients who have used acupuncture, Dr. Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, offered a less optimistic view.

'I no longer use it in my practice and do know that some patients use it as a last resort after all other forms of treatment have failed,' he said. 'I would never consider acupuncture as first-line treatment.'"

My Take:

I have tried acupuncture and it worked immediately! And the moment the needles were removed the migraine was back full force. I believe the needles block the transmission of pain signals to the brain, but they do nothing to actually change the underlying brain chemistry.

But the study did indicate that many users experienced some relief. Once you have eliminated other treatments, I say acupuncture is worth trying. Sometimes temporary relief is all we need -- while the meds kick in.

OTC pills for Migraines? Get real!

2005-07-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Excedrin - Treating Migraines:
"A Gallup survey conducted for the American Association for the Study of Headache (AASH) found that 78% of migraine patients said OTC medications helped and virtually all migraine sufferers said they have used at least one OTC product. In another study, more than 90% of migraine patients said they use non-prescription medications for their headaches; the majority (60%) said they use OTC treatments exclusively. However, there is not clear information available about which treatments work and in what dosages"

My Take:

Give me a break! If over-the-counter (OTC) meds work for you, you ain't got no stinkin' migraine.

Migraine progress

2005-07-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Headache: Hope Through Research: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS):
"During the Stone Age, pieces of a headache sufferer's skull were cut away with flint instruments to relieve pain. Another unpleasant remedy used in the British Isles around the ninth Century involved drinking 'the juice of elderseed, cow's brain, and goat's dung dissolved in vinegar.'

My Take:

See I told you (in the headline) that things are getting better. Altho that goat's dung and vinegar cocktail does sound quite tasty. Yum. :-)

Technorati Profile

Cookbook For Preventing Migraines

2005-07-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com: Books: The Headache Prevention Cookbook: Eating Right to Prevent Migraines and Other Headaches: "Editorial Reviews -Amazon.com
Food can't cure headaches, but avoiding certain foods may prevent them, according to author David R. Marks, medical director of the New England Center for Headache. Some foods commonly trigger headaches in some people. If you're a headache sufferer, eliminating those foods from your diet is a sensible second step towards managing headaches. (The first step is to see your doctor to determine if there is some underlying condition that is causing the headaches.)

The key is to go on an elimination diet that avoids trigger foods such as most cheeses, chocolate, nuts, certain meats, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, MSG, caffeine, beans, out-of-the-oven yeast products (e.g., pizza, yeast breads, doughnuts), alcohol (especially red wine), ice cream, olive oil, and many, many more. If you were left to your own devices to figure out what's left after eliminating all these foods, you'd probably give up within a day. But Laura Marks has done the work for you, putting together 100 recipes that contain none of the forbidden foods. The Headache Prevention Cookbook's recipes aren't bland or boring.

The authors suggest that you follow this diet for at least 2 months, and see if your headaches go away. Then gradually reintroduce the foods you avoided, one per week, so you can track which foods are your personal headache triggers. Once you've figured that out, avoiding those foods permanently can be your ticket to a headache-free future. "

My Take:

I have NOT read this book, but I definitely agree with the basic tenet. I can personally guarantee a migraine by eating certain foods, sometimes in minute quantities. I do not know if this is the best book on the subject, but I do know you should try out its advice.

Aromatherapy : A Migraine Treatment

2005-07-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Janor Journal: Aromatherapy Brochure: "Here is a partial list of ailments that can benefit from Aromatherapy:

The nervous system such as: Anxiety, Depression, Epilepsy, Headache, Insomnia, Jetlag, Migraine, Mood Swings, Neuralgia, Panic Attacks, Stress

While aromatherapy is quite safe, it is important to keep in mind that it is a complementary therapy and not a substitute for conventional medical care.

What Is An Aromatherapy Treatment?

An aromatherapy treatment is the application of Essential Oils blended in advance or by your therapist especially for you, after reviewing your medical history and needs.

The blend is lightly massaged onto the body and is a relaxing and never painful experience. The treatment stimulates the circulatory and lymphatic systems improving the supply of nutrients and aiding elimination of toxins and waste products from them, as well as relaxing the mind and nervous system."

My Take:

I have never tried this, so cannot comment from experience. Since I have tried almost everything else, this sounds like a worthwhile experiment. As soon as I find a source for treatment, I will give it a try.

How about magnets?

2005-07-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Life's delemmas:
"Primarily permanent magnets have been used to relieve pain, such as with arthritis, but magnets also show promise in promoting and
shortening the time it takes to heal fractures, soft tissue sports
injuries, and joint (knee, tennis, wrist) injuries. Magnetic therapy
has also been used to treat migraine headaches and diseases involving
poor circulation."

My Take:

Tried them -- didn't work for me. Your mileage may vary.

Is aspartame causing your migraines? And WORSE!

2005-07-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Cough Syrup Honey Formulas, A Blog on Sugars and Honey: "'If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet,
Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms,
spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo,
dizziness,headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression,
anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss...you
probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'

'Is it reversible?' Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert
for Aspartame on all food labels! "

My Take:

I absolutely agree. Aspartame shall never again pass my lips.

This is a much neglected topic in the media, due to the huge budgets of the offenders. You MUST inform yourself on this topic.

Nasal surgery for migraines?

2005-07-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

Nasal surgery may ease migraines for some - Yahoo! News: "Nasal surgery may ease migraines for some

By David Douglas Thu Jul 7,11:28 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It seems that for some migraine sufferers, their headaches are caused -- or at least worsened -- when opposite surfaces within sinuses or nasal cavities touch. Now researchers have shown that surgical correction of these contact points can bring substantial relief for some such patients.
ADVERTISEMENT

'We are very excited and think this procedure will change the course of treatment for migraine sufferers and other headache patients,' lead researcher Dr. Fereidoon Behin told Reuters Health,

Intranasal contact points are believed to lead to the phenomenon of referred pain, in the trigeminal nerve. In fact, as Behin and colleagues note in the medical journal Cephalalgia, 'mucosal contact headache is a newly added secondary headache disorder in the International Classification of Headache Disorders.'"

My Take:
Wow. Nasal surgery you say. I wouldn't touch this with a 10 foot pole. Except DURING a migraine, in which case someone, anyone, cut off my whole freakin' head! PLEASE!

Vitamin B2 And Migraines

2005-07-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

Patent Resource: Vitamin B2 And Migraines: "Recently during some free time I spotted this good site ...
Information on Vitamin B2 And Migraines, Migraine Headaches and Migraine Causes from Info Now About Migraines. Visit Info Now About Migraines for Vitamin B2 And Migraines, Migraine Headaches and Migraine Causes articles.

For more information on Vitamin B2 And Migraines , visit http://www.infonowabout.com/migraines/vitaminb2andmigraines/
"

My Take:

Definitely worth a look. Lots of B2 info there.

I haven't noticed B2 doing anything special to help my migraines, but B2 is part of my daily vitamin intake, so maybe it does play a small part in the reduction in pain over the years.

Hypnosis and Health: The Fight Against Pain

2005-07-08T01:35:00.000-07:00

Hypnosis and Health: The Fight Against Pain: "'The Fight Against Pain' will report on the causes of pain, the impact it has on our lives, work, family and even our mental outlook, as well as new and promising treatments on the horizon. ABC News and USA TODAY will also look at how to better educate and assist those struggling with pain and explore the types of resources available to them.

The series will explore many issues, including:� Effective ways to control pain � The search for the next miracle drug � What is a pain specialist - and why your regular doctor may not be trained to handle pain � Alternatives to surgery and pills - relaxation exercises, deep breathing, distraction techniques and other behavioral treatments � How to treat chronic pain in children � Innovative new treatments for pain

As hypnotherapists, we have a lot to offer patients with chronic pain. Pain is interpreted in the brain which is where our playing field is. "

My Take:

Hypnotherapy is worth a shot. There are dozens of major treatment modalities available for all types of pain, including migraine. You never know what will work for you until you try.

For the record, it did not work for me, but that doesn't mean it won't for YOU, does it?