by James on 12 November 2009
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This week, draw a picture illustrating your headache, cluster headache and/or migraine symptoms. If possible, share it with someone.
Using art in the diagnosis, research and treatment of various diseases has a long and glorious history. There are good reasons why art is so powerful – and good reasons why you should be using it to your advantage.
We’ve talked before about having children "draw their headache" – how and why. One of the whys is because children can often express things through art that they can’t express through words.
But the truth is, we all express things through art forms of various kinds that we for whatever reason have trouble expressing in words. Art such as drawing, photography, photo manipulation, painting, but also poetry, music – even body language and story telling.
But this week I recommend using the visual arts. Illustrate, in some way, your experience – draw your symptoms, or your frustrations, or whatever comes to mind.
In the end, you may find you have something valuable to share with your doctor. Or, maybe you’ve just clarified something in your own mind that will make it easier to express in words the next opportunity.
If not your doctor, share it with a family member or friend. Or, share it with us!
What is 1% Thursday?
Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better. Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge. Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!
Popularity: 1% [?]
by James on 10 November 2009
Progress is being made to make needle-free injections widely available. The DosePro needle free system is one of these. Zogenix plans to launch SUMAVEL DosePro in January (2010), a needle free sumatriptan injection.
Certain studies have suggested that taking your abortive medication earlier during your migraine attack is critical. But the fact remains, if you’re going to take the medicine, the sooner it gets into your system the better.
An injection allows you to get the relief that the medicine offers within minutes. And the DosePro system is very easy and quick.
You may notice, however, that whatever the inference may be, this system is not being marketed as "pain-free". Yes, it still hurts. Though it may have advantages over a needle injection, being painless isn’t one of those advantages.
Some patients aren’t aware that there are now very easy needle injections out there as well. Even needle injections have come a long way since the days of one big needle, careful handling, and all the other horrors you may imagine.
Patients can use a simple pen like device to give themselves a quick injection, and they may find faster, more effective relief over the oral medicine.
More on the upcoming release of SUMAVEL DosePro
Thoughts from Dr. Alexander Mauskop on injections
Popularity: 1% [?]
by James on 9 November 2009
One of the most popular essential oils for migraine (or should I say anti-migriane) is lavender. I’ve always put it in my top 5 aromatherapy essential oils, and you may remember the surprising research on lavender we talked about in 2005.
So I was delighted to hear about the giveaway – now in its final days – over at Somebody Heal Me. As you’ll see, the beautiful gift set includes a lavender candle, oatmeal lavender soap (I think I feel more relaxed just by typing that), and …. get this … a lavender seeds packet!
Now, I encourage you to head on over and enter the draw. But actually, I’m mentioning this for a couple other reasons. First, this is a great package that – admit it – you may just want to treat yourself with.
Second… it’s packaged up beautifully and would make a great gift to a friend who has migraine or chronic headaches. Or, someone who just likes that kind of thing.
Or… let’s get sneaky, and give it as a gift to someone else in our household… they use it, and we reap the aromatherapeutic benefits.
Good thinking, right? Hey, that’s why they pay me 60 minutes per hour to write here… 
Oh, I forgot to tell you the bonus. LATHER will donate $5 from the sale of each gift set to benefit the National Headache Foundation for headache awareness, education and outreach. Sounds like everybody wins to me…
LATHER Planting Seeds Gift Set
Popularity: 1% [?]
by James on 7 November 2009
By popular demand, and the miracle of modern technology, you can now get Headache and Migraine News by email!
First, a clarification. There’s an email sign-up form on the right sidebar here. That is for HeadWay, which is a free monthly ezine (which will have its 73rd issue in November!). HeadWay subscribers get these special articles first, and also have special input into this site.
However, now you can also get these posts by email. To do that, click on one of the orange subscribe buttons to the right.
You should see a box which says Subscribe Now! with various subscription options. Click the email option, enter your email address and the special word. Then you’ll need to respond to the special email (so that you can’t subscribe someone else).
That’s it! The system is all automated, and will only be used to send you the latest posts from Headache and Migraine News.
(Note – if you can’t see the email subscription link, you may need to click a link to see all subscribe options first)
As always, of course, you can subscribe with a news reader such as Google Reader.
Hopefully that will be a help to some of you!
Popularity: 2% [?]
by James on 6 November 2009
I recently received a nice email from Dr. Edmund Messina. You may remember him – he is the neurologist who was involved in the production of the documentary Life and Migraine, which I reviewed in September.
Dr Messina has a passion about helping patients become their own advocates. He agreed with my assessment that the documentary was harsh – and that, he says, is exactly what he hears from his patients. They are struggling with lives which are incredibly harsh.
Dr. Messina also told me a secret – he’s involved in a full length feature film. As he described it, it’s about a woman who finally becomes her own advocate for controlling headaches and fixing a very dysfunctional life. He’s hoping it will be released in the spring.
So stay tuned for that. It’s great to see others recognizing the harsh reality of headaches and migraine – and the need to take action to fight back.
Popularity: 2% [?]
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