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Posts by James Cottrill:

9 July 2024

A New Understanding of the Migraine Chain Reaction

A study published this month in the journal Science is making headlines – and with reason. It may be a significant leap forward in understanding just how the migraine “chain-reaction” happens.

Stop sign — *Can we stop the “migraine pain messengers”?*

The study comes out of the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen, from researchers who have been studying fluids in the brain for many years. This particular study was with mice, which are commonly used to study the mechanics of migraine.

There are many things that we know about migraine, and many things that we don’t know. We’ve often talked, for example, about the “cortical spreading depression” (CSD), a kind of storm that sweeps across the brain, sometimes causing symptoms such as visual aura (when it passes by the “visual” part of the brain). The CSD is common in migraine.

We also know about some of the biology of headache, in nerves and their communication of pain.

But we know surprisingly little about how and why the brain communicates pain symptoms that are so disabling in a migraine attack. And that’s where the study may have found a key.

What researchers discovered had to do with the proteins in the body’s cerebrospinal fluid. Basically, neurons in the brain release certain proteins into this fluid, which transports them to the trigeminal ganglion, a bundle of nerves that affect the head and face.

Think of these proteins as messengers. Certain proteins will communicate “pain” to your nerves.

You may have already heard of one type of these proteins already – the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP has become all the rage in migraine treatment because of a host of new medications that have come out targeting CGRP levels.

But this study helps us understand just how the brain changes CGRP levels, and it also shows that there are other protein levels that are involved in migraine – perhaps in various types of migraine.

That means, of course, that researchers are looking to develop new medications that may target protein flow. Different types of medications may even be able to stop different types of migraine.

This initial study on mice is a long way from a new treatment, of course. But if the results continue to be confirmed by future studies, the information may go a long way toward helping us stop the flow of “pain messengers” to those nerves in your head.

For more information:

Trigeminal ganglion neurons are directly activated by influx of CSF solutes in a migraine model (study abstract)
Brain fluid dynamics key to migraine mysteries, new therapies (ScienceDaily)
Pathway for Migraine with Aura Discovered (NeuroscienceNews.com)

22 June 2024

Fish Oil and Soybean Oil

James Uncategorized 0

In May, an interesting study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, looking at the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids – specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), as a preventative for migraine.

Omega-3 trials for migraine have had mixed results, but generally it’s recommended to fight migraine and promote general health. This particular trial certainly improved the profile of fish oils and other omega-3 oils for migraine. The results?

Fewer “migraine days” per month
Fewer days taking “painkillers”
Attacks which were less severe and disabling
Improved general quality of life
Less depression and anxiety

Before you rush out for more fish oil, there are a few things you need to know about this study.

First, this was specifically a high dose of EPA. 2 grams of fish oil were taken daily, which included 1.8g of EPA. The trial period was 12 weeks.

Now here’s an interesting side note. The control group took 2 grams of soybean oil a day as a placebo.

Soybean oil, a highly refined omega-6 oil, has been the source of quite a bit of controversy. Although many are now downplaying possible bad affects on the heart, some neurological concerns are now emerging. Is it possible that soybean oil could contribute to obesity, depression, and diabetes, at least in the high quantities people often consume? Some researchers think so (see America’s most widely consumed oil causes genetic changes in the brain).

So one might wonder if some of the benefits of the omega-3 oil in this study were more of a comparison with bad effects from the soybean oil!

The body needs both omega-3 oils and omega-6 oils. Some of the concerns come from the question of how much omega-6 we should be consuming. But in the study just mentioned, even soybean oil low in linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) still seemed to cause changes to the brain.

I’ll let you do your own research on all that. However, from the information we have so far, many migraine specialists would still recommend fish oil – again, both for migraine and for overall health.

Carlson Labs has an excellent omega-3 supplement with a good mix of EPA and DPA. For the brave, try their cod liver oil. Better yet, how about a couple helpings of fish per week?

For a benefit vs cost winner, Dr. Mauskop at the New York Headache Center recommends Vascepa, but you do need a doctor’s prescription to get it.

From what I’ve seen in the research so far, I’m happy with more fish oil and less soybean oil.

3 June 2024

A Personal Note

James Website news 0

Hello, and thanks for visiting Headache and Migraine News! I hope that this information will help you and your loved ones find better health in the days ahead.

Due to some personal and work issues that have come up, I will probably be posting a lot less over the summer. For those who once in a while send me a personal note, everything is fine – just very busy! Thanks for your interest. 🙂

I will bring you more news, tips and information when I can. Meanwhile, remember that there are well over 2000 articles here to check out! You can even go to a random post if you like. And just because I may not be able to answer right away, that’s no reason not to ask your questions and keep the discussion going in the comments, and on Facebook and X.

Have a great summer! And keep reading below for new posts…

23 May 2024

Cluster Headache and Constant Sleep Issues

James Discoveries & Stats 0

As terrible as the pain of cluster headache is, there’s more to the story. Research is showing again that there are symptoms of cluster even when there are no headaches.

It’s not rocket science that the brutal pain of cluster affects every part of life – including sleep. But when cluster is “in remission” – that is, patients aren’t currently dealing with a series of headaches – there still appear to be symptoms affecting sleep.

That’s what a study published last year in The Journal of Headache and Pain is telling us.

The study took 50 patients with cluster and 42 without, and measured sleep. That’s a fairly large study for cluster, which is much rarer than migraine.

A key part of the study involved something called “sleep latency”, which simply refers to the amount of time that it takes to get to sleep. Not surprisingly, cluster patients took longer to fall asleep. But surprisingly for some, that was the case even when they weren’t in a cluster cycle (currently having headaches).

Before they went to sleep, cluster headache patients experienced more stress. And when they woke up, they felt less rested.

Also, although they slept about the same number of hours as the control group, they tended to be in bed longer.

Yes, of course, these symptoms were worse in the middle of a cluster cycle. But they didn’t go away in the rest of life.

Why is this the case? Well, it could be a part of the biological reality of cluster. It could also be related to the comorbid diseases that tend to go along with cluster – in other words, cluster patients often have other conditions that tend to go along with cluster headache, that could affect sleep.

There is also the reality that even when you’re not experiencing headache, you may be waiting for the next one to come. Many cluster headache patients do experience headaches in the night – will it be tonight? That being said, researchers noted that even those who didn’t get nighttime attacks still had sleep issues.

Could these sleep issues make cluster headaches worse? Or vice versa? Either way, it’s important for cluster patients and their doctors to recognize that cluster does affect all of life. It’s wise to treat both the cluster headaches themselves and other conditions and symptoms, such as sleep issues.

Researchers hope to continue their study to see if certain treatments can help address sleep issues. It’s hoped that these treatments may lessen cluster symptoms as well.

Rebreathing Devices – The Study Continues

James News, Treatments 0

“Rebreathing” refers to inhaling what you just breathed out – and it’s generally something you want to avoid. A look at the research out there focuses on ways to make sure that it’s not happening, because increasing the levels of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and decreasing levels of oxygen can cause all kinds of problems.

However, we’ve talked about rebreathing in an entirely different context. There is interest in a migraine treatment that carefully controls a certain amount of rebreathing.

The “Rehaler” is an incarnation of this concept. The device uses no drugs – it simply carefully balances CO2 and oxygen. The idea is to use it as an abortive treatment – as you notice a migraine attack coming on.

The Rehaler website explains it like this:

Rehaler works through accurately balanced partial rebreathing, meaning that part of the expired air is captured and subsequently rebreathed together with a controlled amount of atmospheric air. The net effect is an increase of the inspired CO2 percentage to a stable, adjustable level between 1.5 and 3.0%, while retaining normal arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), no matter how long the device is used.
Rehaler Official Site

CO2 has been shown to lessen migraine symptoms in some people, and there are various reasons why this may be (for more, check out this page about the science of Rehaler). This is not something you can try by just using a paper bag over your face, because the oxygen and CO2 level has to be carefully monitored. But when it is, the device seems to be safe to use when a migraine attack is coming on.

And the advantage would be that it could be used over and over – so far it doesn’t seem to have the same limits of many medications. And, you could use it along with migraine meds if needed.

Naturally, Rehaler would come with an app for your phone, which will monitor and track your treatment, as well as providing instructions.

It’s fascinating to see this research continue. It may lead to a very simple migraine treatment, but it also may give us further insight into how migraine actually works. For more, be sure to visit the official Rehaler site!