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18 October 2006

Alka-Seltzer Gold for migraine?

I’ve heard from more than one place that a quick fix to the stomach can often lead to a quick migraine fix. Dr. Robert Milne has found in his practice that some patients can find relief from a migraine triggered by certain foods. The trick? Simply dissolve two tablets of Alka-Seltzer Gold in a glass of water, and drink.

Alka-Seltzer Gold contains the antacids sodium citrate and potassium citrate, specially treated sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and citric acid. Notice that, unlike the original Alka-Seltzer, it doesn’t contain any aspirin. So it seems that the effect on the stomach is somehow stopping the symptoms before they get too far.

Alka-Seltzer works to neutralize stomach acid via chemical reaction. There are other antacids that are not based on sodium bicarbonate, such as Tums (calcium based), Amphojel (aluminum based) and Rolaids (a combination of ingredients).

Do you have a similar story? Leave a comment!

12 October 2006

The problem with press releases

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It’s a simple point that bears repeating – be cautious about getting information about migraine from press releases. Thanks to Teri Robert for pointing this blog entry out from Abi’s Migrainous Wanderings. In Be skeptical of Migraine info in press releases!, Abi gives an example of a press release that leaves the impression that medical techniques can cure migraine.

I say it leaves the impression because that’s not actually what it says. But the problem is not only that it leaves the impression, but the way that press release may be treated in the media. A press release that says,”New hope for migraine sufferers” soon becomes “new hope for a cure” which becomes “medical breakthrough cures migraine”. When you get back to the original story, you find it was just an over-optimistic small study. I’ve heard it in our local news, and you’ve probably heard it in yours (or worse, heard a friend ask you why you haven’t tried the new “cure”!).

Sometimes press releases are excellent. Other times, they’re simply put out by a company trying to sell a product – maybe a good product, maybe an old product, maybe a bad product. So take what you read with a grain of salt. Thanks, Abi, for the reminder!

6 October 2006

Large study links IBS with migraine

James Discoveries & Stats 11

A large study by J. Alexander Cole and his team shows a definite link between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and migraine. The study included almost 125,000 people, some with IBS and some without. The question was simply, how many of those people also have migraine, depression, or fibromyalgia?

We’ve known for a long time that fibromyalgia, depression and IBS seem to be linked to migraine. But a study this large had the potential to prove the connection more than ever before – and it did. IBS sufferers were 60% more likely to have migraine than the control group, 40% more likely to suffer from depression, and 80% more likely to suffer from fibromyalgia. There’s no doubt that there’s a connection – but what is it?

Dr Reza Shaker of the Medical College of Wisconsin says rightly,”Clinical observations of patients with pain syndromes indicate that we are dealing with a syndrome bigger than a single organ.” He notes the increased neurological sensitivity in many patients, which may be the clue that leads to the common cause. Dr Harrison Pope from Harvard Medical School suggests that there may be a genetic root cause. Neither of these suggestions should surprise migraineurs.

If you want all the technical details, read the abstract of this study here: Migraine, fibromyalgia, and depression among people with IBS: a prevalence study

5 October 2006

Athletes, sleep and your advice

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Dr Jeffrey Kutcher and his team are looking into the brains of athletes. Kutcher is concerned that athletes are more prone to nerve and brain problems. It’s not just a matter of getting your head banged around – although that is a concern. We’ve written before about concerns that many athletes return to the game too soon after head trauma, which could lead to post-traumatic migraine (PTM) among other things.

But the heat of competition and the physical exertion can make other problems worse, such as sleep disorders and migraine (which often go together, come to think of it). Not only could sleep problems emerge, a lack of sleep could bring on migraine attacks.

At the University of Michigan, Kutcher and his colleagues have launched the NeuroSport program, designed to help athletes dealing with these types of neurological conditions and others.

When it comes to major sleep disorders, a doctor can offer some very helpful treatment options. If you’re just having trouble sleeping when headache or migraine strikes, check out the advice of our visitors on the topic – Getting to sleep with migraine (and be sure to leave your advice on a new topic). In the blogosphere, Wind Lost writes about recent struggles with caffeine, sleep and chronic headache.

25 September 2006

New ways to encourage your friends

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How do you encourage someone who is sick? That’s challenging enough, but what about someone with a chronic illness? What about someone that is sick over and over, or even every day? Running out of ideas? This might be the book for you.

Lisa Copen lives with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, diseases that are debilitating and yet invisible. She began an organization known as Rest Ministries, a Christian support to those with chronic illness. So she knows what it’s like to need encouragement, and also to encourage others.

Lisa Copen has written a book that might be a help if you’re looking for new ways to help someone with chronic illness. It’s called, Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend. It’s just what it sounds like – 505 quick, point form easy to read ideas that you can use. Now of course they all aren’t for everyone – some may sound trite to you, others will be just what you’ve been looking for. But isn’t that always the case? The book assumes you know your friends, and that you’ll know which ones will be appropriate. After all, your friend will appreciate the extra effort and thoughtfulness.

This book is written from a Christian perspective, but most of these ideas will work well for anyone. At under US$5, it’s reasonably priced. It seems that helping someone else often makes us feel better. And who knows? If this book is on your shelf, maybe someone will think to try some of the ideas on you too.