Posts Tagged ‘migraine’
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
While Veterans’ Day reminds us to honor the brave soldiers who fought so hard for our country, lets not forget that many of them are still fighting in a different way today. A new study from the University of California, San Diego, suggests that veterans who suffered physical injuries or developed post-traumatic stress disorder after combat in Iraq or Afghanistan may suffer recurrent headaches.
According to the study, which surveyed 308 veterans, those who had suffered combat injuries were at greater risk of developing migraine headaches. At the same time, those who screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had elevated rates of both migraine and tension-type headaches. Overall, vets with only physical injuries had more than twice the risk of recurrent headaches as those without such injuries. The risk was four times higher among veterans with PTSD than those without it.
Moreover, researchers found that physical injuries made veterans more prone to migraine only, while PTSD was linked to both migraines and tension-type headaches. The study authors write that PTSD may be linked to headaches because psychological stress can trigger headaches through the body’s natural physiological responses to stress.
No matter what the cause of headaches in veterans, however, the researchers say that this link between wartime injury and recurrent headaches suggests that veterans could benefit from comprehensive assessments of their physical, mental and emotional health in order to find the best treatment options for them.
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Tags: Afghanistan, Headaches, Injuries, Irag, migraine, Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Psychological stress trigger headaches, tension-type, Veterans
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Although author Jennette Fulda had the will power to lose half her body weight, she did not have the magic power to get rid of the headache that she has had for over a year and a half.
Tired of the pain and countless treatments, Fulda, whose online alias is “PastaQueen,” decided she needed to take action. On August 15, the PastaQueen put on her running shoes and finished A Midsummer Night’s Run, a 5K race in Lexington, KY with a time of 47:53.
“There weren’t many water stations so my time suffered, but I was happy to complete the race,” Fulda said, “I hope to improve on [my time] next month at my next 5K.”
Fulda ran not only because her doctors told her that regular exercise can improve headaches but because she wanted to raise awareness about headaches to help other sufferers. With her ultimate fundraising goal of $3,000, Fulda encouraged her friends and fans to sponsor her in the race by donating to the National Headache Foundation’s Migraine Million Campaign. The Migraine Million Campaign goal is to raise $1 million dollars for headache education and research. The National Headache Foundation hopes to rally one million of the nearly 30 million migraine sufferers in America to donate $1 or more to this initiative.
“I wanted to hold myself accountable so that I would finish the race and I knew if people had given me money I would have to finish. I wanted to raise money for the cause for people like me who have been suffering with headaches, and I thought the National Headache Foundation was a great place to donate,” Fulda said.
Fulda gained national media recognition with her 2008 book Half-Assed: a Weight Loss Memoir, which was inspired by her online blog that chronicled her weight-loss from 372 to 180 pounds. In November of 2004 Fulda, then 24, began to track her weight loss. In February 2008, though she had lost more than half her body weight, Fulda developed a debilitating headache that has yet to disappear.
“It was kind of ironic. I was in the best shape of my life and I got this tension-type headache that just wouldn’t go away,” Fulda said.
Because of the pain from the constant headache, Fulda gained back 30 pounds in the fall of 2008. Though she has started to exercise again in attempt to relieve her head pain and get back into top shape, Fulda has decided to share her experiences with the world for a second time. The Indiana based author is currently working on her next book, tentatively titled Chocolate and Vicodin: And Other Failed Cures for the Headache that Wouldn’t Go Away.
Though the race is over, Fulda hopes to continue to raise awareness about headaches. Donations can still be made to the National Headache Foundation at the author’s fundraising site (http://firstgiving.com/pastaqueen) or on the National Headache Foundation’s Web site (http://www.headaches.org/store/donations.html?cat=253) Fulda’s blog can be seen at http://www.pastaqueen.com.
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Tags: Donate, Exercise, Half-Assed: a Weight Loss Memoir, Headaches, Jennette Fulda, migraine, Pain, PastaQueen, Sufferers, tension-type, Treatments
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
Laws against driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol are understandable. But what about driving under the influence of a migraine?
Megan Oltman, author of Free My Brain from Migraine Pain, presents a unique story of a woman in the U.S. who nearly has her license suspended because of her migraines. According to Oltman, the story goes like this: “Her son, who lived at home, had his driving privileges suspended and was applying for a restricted license so he could drive himself to work. Since the mother was at home, the MVC [Motor Vehicle Commission] initially said that the mother could drive him to work. The mother informed them that she could not always drive him because, if she had a migraine, she could not drive. The MVC used this as a reason to review her driving privileges, with a suggestion that they might suspend her license.”
As evidenced by this story, the way the law usually deals with the issue of driving with any medical condition, migraine included, is to monitor, restrict and sometimes suspend driver’s licenses. This brings up both moral and legal issues regarding the idea of fairness versus responsibility for migraine sufferers.
On one hand, migraineurs should be allowed to decide for themselves when they can or cannot drive. They know better than anyone the pain and discomfort associated with migraine, and how debilitating it can be. Most would not want to drive in such a condition anyway. Moreover, it seems as though the woman in the story is being punished for self-reporting her own migraines to avoid driving during one.
On the other hand, it is the responsibility of MVCs to protect all drivers from any potential harm on the road, and this means keeping people who might be potential risks off the road. It is the reason for road tests and vision tests, and why individuals with diseases such as epilepsy are sometimes forbidden from driving. Migraines can be crippling and often have very quick, unexpected onset. Reviewing the licenses of migraineurs may be the MVCs’ way of risk reduction.
Either way, drivers suffering from migraines should always have a back-up plan for getting around during an unexpected migraine. Oltman suggests keeping a phone list of friends and family who can transport you where you need to go if needed, as well as the number for a cab company.
For more information and analysis on the subject of driving with migraine, visit www.MyMigraineConnection.com, and for more on migraines and their symptoms, check out the NHF website at www.headaches.org.
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Tags: Diseases, Driving, Epilepsy, Headaches, Megan Oltman, migraine, Symptoms
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Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
While a headache after a night of drinking may be fairly common for the general public, new studies indicate that hangovers may be more prevalent in migraine sufferers. Researchers at the Jefferson Headache Center developed a model to study the effects of alcohol on rats who suffer recurrent migraines, compared to rats that do not get headaches. The results, which were presented at Neuroscience 2009, the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Chicago, are quite fascinating.
Migraine headaches are associated with hypersensitivity to light, sound and light touch on the head and face. The researchers measured rats’ sensitivity to touch around the eye in four different test groups: two groups received repeated dural simulation to induce headache, followed by an oral ingestion of saline or alcohol (the equivalent of one to two shots of liquor). Two control groups did not receive any inflammatory stimulation, but received the same oral ingestion of saline or alcohol.
The rats that received the stimulation followed with alcohol had increased pain sensitivity after 4-6 hours, while the control groups had no change in pain sensitivity. The researchers made sure that dehydration and alcohol impurities were ruled out as causes of increased sensitivity by hydrating the rats and ensuring the alcohol was free of impurities.
According to study leader Dr. Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D., assistant professor of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, “the alcohol itself or a metabolite must be causing the hangover-like headache.” Dr. Oshinsky ultimately concluded that “these data confirm the clinical observation that people with migraine are more susceptible to alcohol-induced headaches.”
For more information on the causes, symptoms and treatments for hangover headaches, visit www.headaches.org.
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Tags: Alcohol, Causes, Hangover, Headaches, migraine, Pain, Symptoms, Treatments
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
When you think of a migraine, many symptoms may come to mind: incapacitating pain, sound sensitivity, light sensitivity, nausea – just to name a few. However, one potential symptom of migraine is often overlooked: dizziness (also known as vertigo). According to Dr. Timothy Hain, professor of Neurology, Otolaryngology, and Physical Therapy/Human Movement at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, only 372 research articles concerning migraine with vertigo have been published since 1952 (this number was attained from the National Library of Medicine’s search engine, PubMed, in 2008). “This indicates that while migraine associated vertigo has not been ignored, it has not elicited nearly as much attention from the research community as other disorders,” writes Hain in his report entitled “Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV).”
MAV is quite a common symptom for migraine sufferers. Studies suggest that nearly 30 million people in the United States suffer from migraine and about 27-42% of them experience an element of vertigo during migraine attacks. Moreover, approximately 36% of these patients experienced vertigo even during headache-free periods. MAV can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days, making daily tasks near impossible.
Unfortunately the underlying cause of MAV is still unknown. Oftentimes, vertigo comes from an underlying motion-sickness symptom that is common among migraine sufferers. Hain’s research indicates that 50% of patients with migraine have motion sickness, compared to about 5-20% for control groups. Some researchers also believe that the vertigo may have to do with a gene-related pain control (one that is activated during migraines), as well as with the neurotransmitter serotonin. Current diagnosis of MAV is done by examining clinical histories, if available, or testing for vertigo immediately before, during and/or after a migraine attack.
Because causes of MAV are unknown, treatment is limited to trying to reduce the prevalence of the actual migraine and its associated symptoms. We recommend avoiding certain food triggers such as cheese, chocolate, alcohol and products containing MSG. For some patients, treatment with verapamil, or a long-acting beta-blocker such as propranolol or a tricyclic medication such as amitriptyline has shown promise. Verapamil and amitriptyline are especially helpful because of their anticholinergic properties, which may help control vertigo independently of whether they help with migraines, Hain’s report states.
Please visit www.headaches.org for more information on the common symptoms of migraine.
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Tags: Dizziness, Food Triggers, Light Sensitivity, migraine, Motion-sickness, nausea, Sound Sensitivity, Vertigo
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