Migraine TreaTMenT CenTers of aMeriCa CourTesy MagazineMarCh 2013

also in this issue: • GeneticCluetoMigraineTreatment• ResearchShowsIBDSufferersPronetoChronicHeadaches• VitaminDisKeytoHealthandHeadaches• DateNightStrategytoDitchHeadaches• MigraineMedicinePatchOffersAlternative• Migraines,FlyingandPublicSafety• Neurostimulationfor‘Trekkie’Wannabees

Drug Free Migraine research with electric stiMulation

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DRuGFReeMIGRAINeReSeARCHWITHeleCTRICSTIMulATION

What if you could benefit from powerful painkillers, without enduring unpleasant side effects or increasing your risk for drug dependency?

unfortunately,chronicmigraineursoftendependonpowerfulnarcoticsoropioidstocopewithdebilitatingpainandothersymptoms.

universityofMichiganscientistsrecentlydiscoveredthatapplyinganelectricalcurrenttocertainareasofthebrain,inasubjectwithchronictrigeminalneuropathicpain(facepain),stimulatesthereleaseofpainkillingchemicalswithinthebrain.Thesepowerfulsubstancesaresimilartoopiates,whicharesometimesprescribedforseverepain.Thestudyexpandsthepossibilitiesfordevelopingdrugfreemigrainetreatments.

ThisresearchalsoshedssomelightonearlierscientificfindingsfromtheuniversityofMichigan,CityuniversityofNewYorkandHarvarduniversity.Inthatstudy,individualswithchronicmigrainesreceivedelectricalimpulsestotheirskullsthroughattachedsensors.Althoughthesubjects’painlevelandintensitydecreased,theresearcherswerenotexactlycertainhowthisoccurred.

Advancements in the field of electrical nerve stimulation (or neurostimulation) are especially exciting for Migraine Treatment Centers of America, since we are able to see the benefits the Omega™ migraine procedure is providing for chronic migraine patients every day.

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GeNeTICClueTOMIGRAINeTReATMeNT

Scientistshaveconfirmedthatyourancestorsmaybethesourceofyourfamily’stendencytowardbothmigrainesandepilepsy.Thismaybegintoexplainwhycertainanti-seizuremedication,suchasTopiramate,isusefulforbothtreatingepilepsyandpreventingmigraines.

Interestingly,neurostimulationhasbeenaneffectivetreatmentforchronicmigraines,andisalsobeingusedtotreatpeoplewithepilepsy,whocannottolerateorbenefitfrommedication.

ResearchersfromColumbiauniversityMedicalCenterinNewYorkreviewedmedicaldatafrom730patientswithepilepsy.Theyfoundthattherewasanincreasedlikelihoodofmigrainewithauraandothervisualdisturbancesamongthosesubjectswithatleast3closefamilymemberswhoalsohadseizuredisorders.

A Victoria’s Secret model recently said she ‘hit the genetic lottery.’ If you suffer from chronic migraines, you may have a winning lottery ticket of a different sort.

Comparedtothosewithfeweraffectedrelatives,theriskforthismigraineconditionwasdoubled.Theresearcherswereabletoconcludethatthereisageneticconnectionbetweenthetwoconditions,andthatthiscouldprovehelpfulwhendevelopingtreatmentstrategies.

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ReSeARCHSHOWSIBDSuFFeReRSPRONeTOCHRONICHeADACHeS

Practitionersofeasternandalternativemedicinewouldnotbesurprisedtolearnthatrecentresearchprovesthatpeoplewithunderlyingdigestivesystemailmentslikeirritablebowelandceliacdiseasearepronetoheadachesandmigraines.

InthestudyfromtheDepartmentofNeurologyatColumbiauniversityMedicalCenterinNewYork,502people

In eastern medicine there is a fundamental understanding that the body’s functional systems are interconnected, and if there is a problem in one area, it will be related to problems in other areas.

weresurveyed.Amongthesubjects,188hadceliacdisease,111hadIBD,25hadglutensensitivityand178werehealthy.

Amongthosewithstomachconditions,30percentofthosewithceliacdiseaseand23percentofthosewithIBDhadchronicheadaches.Oftheindividualswithglutensensitivity,56percenthadseriousheadaches.

TheresearchersalsofoundthatthesubjectswithIBDwere2.66timesmorelikelytosufferwithmigrainesandthosewithceliacdiseasewere3.79timesmorelikelytoexperiencemigraines.

Ifyousufferwithtummyproblemsandchronicheadachesormigraines,yourtreatmentmayrequirecorrectlydiagnosingandtreatingtheunderlyingdigestivedisease.

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VITAMINDISKeYTOHeAlTHANDHeADACHeS

ArecentstudyfromNorway,publishedinHeadache,reportedthatVitaminDdeficiencywasfoundinheadachesufferers.likewise,theAmericanHeadacheSocietyreportsthatin2008,medicalresearchersfoundlowVitaminDlevelsin41.8%ofagroupofmigraineurs.A2009study,publishedonPubMed,foundthatindividualswithchronictensionheadachesandlowvitaminDlevelsrespondedfavorablytovitaminDandcalciumsupplements.

IfyourdoctorrecommendsboostingyourlowVitaminDlevels,consideritaworthwhileenhancementtoyourmigraineorheadachetreatmentprogram.Great“D”sourcesincludevitaminsupplements,regularsunexposure,fattyfish,milk,andfortifiedfoods.

excessiveVitaminD,notsurprisingly,posesotheravoidableissues.AccordingtotheAmericanHeadacheSocietywebsite,VitaminDmayalsohavesomeanalgesicandanti-inflammatorypropertiesthathelpwithmigrainepain.

Did you know that Vitamin D deficiency is not only detrimental to your general health, but also is associated with chronic tension headaches and migraine?

One thing is for sure: Vitamin D is very important for your headache condition as well as overall good health.

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Are you triggering a migraine or tension headache just thinking about planning that perfect date? Withcommonsenseandcreativityyoucanenjoyaromantic,fun-filledandpainfreedate!

• stay on schedule –Whenlivingwithachronicheadachecondition,gettingadequatequalitysleepatthesametimeeverynightiscritical.Sostartthateveningdatealittleearlierintheday…howaboutlateafternoon?

• Cranial Sacral Therapy – Itispossibletostoketheembersofloveintheafternoon!Reserveacouple’smassage,toeasetransitioningfromtheworkdaystressesintoyourspecialevening.CranialSacralTherapyisamassagevarietythatworksthebonesandmusclesintheheadandspinetoreleasetensionandpain.

• Migraine Friendly Dinner – Passontriggerfoodslikeagedcheese,redwineandchocolatydessert.Optfor(anti-inflammatory)Omega-3fattyacid-richsalmonpreparedwithgingerand(magnesiumrich)spinach.Acalciumandriboflavin-richyogurt-basedbeverageordessertwillcompleteyourheadachefightingdinner.

Remember:loveandromanceshouldbeoneoflife’sfeel-goodexperiences!Minimizingstressanddiscomfortisabigpartofmakingthemostofyourrelationshiptime.

DATeNIGHTSTRATeGYTODITCHHeADACHeS

MIGRAINeMeDICINePATCHOFFeRSAlTeRNATIVe

Thetreatmentpotentiallybenefitsindividualswhomayexperiencemigraineswithnauseasymptoms,andwhofindoralmedicationimpracticalorineffective.

AccordingtoWebMD,8outof10migraineursexperiencenauseasymptoms.

Howitworks:thebattery-operatedpatchisattachedtothepatient’sthighorupperarmwhenamigrainebegins.Overaperiodof4hours,itreleases6.5milligramsofmedicationthatpassesdirectlythroughtheskinintothebloodstreamwithouthavingtoenterthestomach.

It was recently announced, in Medscape Medical News, that the FDA approved the use of an adult migraine skin patch containing the medication sumatriptan.

Inastudywith800subjectswhoreceivedthepatch,themanufacturer’sresearchindicatedthataftertwohours,18percentnolongerhadaheadache,53percentexperiencedreducedpainand84percentwererelievedofnauseasymptoms.AccordingtotheMedscapearticle,thedevice’ssideeffectsincludedtingling,painanditchingattheadhesionsite,inadditiontopotentialsideeffectsnormallyassociatedwiththeuseoftriptans.

Individualswhocan’ttoleratemedicationduetonauseaorpre-existinghealthconditionsmaypreferadifferentsolution:amigraineproceduresuchasimplantedneurostimulation.

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PassengersrecentlyexperiencedsuchasurrealdisasteronlufthansaFlightlH403,whentheco-pilotsufferedamigraineattack,accordingtoareportinBritain’sDaily Mail.TheflightfromNewarktoFrankfurtwasdivertedtoDublinandmadeanemergencylandingwiththehelpofapassengerwhowasanoff-dutypilothimself.

Wewonderifrelyingonpassengerstobeback-uppilotsisaprudent‘migrainetreatment.’

Pilots,trainconductorsandfirstrespondersallsharethedauntingresponsibilityforthepublic’ssafety.Individualsintheseprofessions,whosufferwithchronicdebilitatingmigraines,mustbeespeciallypreparedwithpreventativeandabortivetreatmentsfortheirsymptoms.

Whileavoidingtriggersmaybetrickyduetotheunpredictablenatureofthesejobs,havingeffectivemigrainemedicationonhandiscritical.Ofcourseifamedicalconditionpresentsanobstacletopublicsafetyandjobperformance,theseprofessionalsmightconsiderservinginalternativerolesthatdon’tputboththepublicandthemselvesinharm’sway.

If you are a flying phobic, you have probably at least thought about some potential, albeit unlikely, emergencies: What if something happens to the pilot? Who can fly us to safety?

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MIGRAINeS,FlYINGANDPuBlICSAFeTY

NeuROSTIMulATIONFOR‘TReKKIe’WANNABeeS

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When migraines hit, don’t you sometimes wish you had a transporter platform, like the one from Star Trek that would let you teleport to another dimension… one where your migraine symptoms vaporize?

Sadly,wecan’tjusttransportamigraineawayoruseahand-heldtricordertotreatthepain.However,accordingtotheBritishnewssiteMail Online,aStarTrek-reminiscentneurostimulationmigrainetreatmentdevicedoesinfactexist.

ThefuturisticdeviceissoldineuropebutnotyetapprovedforuseintheunitedStates.Itlookslikeanarrowsilverheadbandthatrestsacrosstheforeheadandovertheears.

Thetranscutaneoussupraorbitalapparatussendselectricalimpulsesintothetrigeminalnerve,whichisinvolvedwithtransmittingpainsignalsduringamigraine.

ScientistsfromtheliegeuniversityinBelgiumfoundthedevicehelpedlessenthenumberandseverityofmigrainesamongsubjects.Theyalsonotedthatthepreventativetreatmenthadnoapparentsideeffects,likethosethatcanaccompanymigrainemedications.ThestudywaspublishedonlinerecentlyinthejournalNeurology.

If all you want is an intergalactic experience…. Go on, wear your Star Trek costume and pop in a Blue-ray Disc from Star Trek: The Original Series.

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The magazine exclusively for patients and friends of Migraine Treatment Centers of America

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