James

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Posts by James Cottrill:

3 October 2005

Very important – CO2 Migraine Treatment

You need to be very clear about the new C02 treatment for migraine. Some of the reports have not been clear, so here’s what you need to know:

There’s a treatment being developed that uses Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to treat migraine.
This treatment is only in the experimental stages, it’s not on the market yet.
The results of a recent study are still being reviewed.
This treatment does not involve inhaling Carbon Dioxide

That’s right, don’t run off and start inhaling CO2 when you have a migraine. That’s not how the treatment works. Inhaling CO2 is dangerous!

This proposed treatment involves the use of a special device. The special concentration of CO2 basically goes in one nostril and not the other. It is believed that it may stop the pain chain-reaction in the trigeminal nerve system, although it’s not fully understood what is happening.

The good news is that 30% of migraineurs were pain free within two hours of the initial treatment (as opposed to 9% that received a placebo). In fact, nearly 20% were pain free after only 30 minutes. The treatment seems to work best with a mild to moderate attack if taken early in the attack.

The next phase of this study is planned for early 2006.

1 October 2005

Nobody knew how serious it was…

James News 0

Considering what a major disability migraine is, and cluster is, and headaches are, it’s amazing that they’re so little understood. And so little talked about.

Oh, sure, we talk about them a lot here! But in general they’re not given the priority it would seem they need, considering the people that suffer, and the productivity that’s lost.

The World Health Organization, World Headache Alliance, International Headache Society and European Headache Federation want to change all that. These organizations are working on a project called Lifting The Burden – The Global Campaign to Reduce the Burden of Headache Worldwide. Their hope is that global awareness can be raised, and solutions can be found. By November 2005, the WHO hopes to collect information on headache from around the world in order to better understand the impact of these disorders and diseases, and to work on changes from there.

The WHO already has migraine on the top 20 list of disabilities, because it is so widespread and debilitating. Then there’s cluster, rare but one of the most painful disabilities there is.

Valerie South, CEO of the WHA says,"We all have a role to play in this important initiative. By working closely with WHO and the International Headache Society we hope to be able to develop a global awareness campaign which will help relieve the burden of headache for sufferers worldwide."

30 September 2005

How does migraine really impact your life?

James Discoveries & Stats 6

Some good reports have come out in the last few weeks with migraine statistics. One of these reports came from the European Federation of Neurological Studies last week. EFNS reported on the "Migraine Experience" survey, which looked at how people’s lives are really impacted by migraine.

This study was pan-European. Here are some of the findings, as reported by Ian Mason:

69% say migraine makes them feel left out of everyday life

75% say migraine hurts their school/work performance

81% say their social life comes to a halt with an attack

54% say migraine hurts their ability to care for family/children

Of course, if you’re with the majority, you’re wondering why these numbers are so low. What do you think? Some people get few attacks and are able to keep the symptoms minimal with medication. I’m sure the results would change if you broke up the list by types of migraine, frequency, etc. Leave a comment and let us know how your life is impacted by migraine.

28 September 2005

Pilates and migraine

James Treatments 2

It caught my attention because of the claims that it could benefit migraineurs. So what exactly is Pilates?

Pilates is a type of exercise that was developed early in the last century by German born Joseph Hubertus Pilates. The exercises in Pilates are designed to strengthen and balance the body, and increase flexibility. Joseph studied the natural movement of people and animals in an attempt to understand at a deeper level how the body works.

According to the MayoClinic HealthQuest, studies do suggest that Pilates increases flexibility, muscle fitness and endurance, especially if you’re in an intermediate or higher level. However, the nice thing about Pilates is that you can start it at any fitness level.

So why would a migraineur care? Well, strength and balance can help diminish migraine triggers. Pilates International suggests that Pilates can help with the health of your nervous system, so important in avoiding attacks. The other nice thing about Pilates is that the motions are all fluid, low impact. Also, it helps strengthen the neck muscles, which often can trigger headaches.

It’s important to find a qualified instructor. There has been some concern about the certification process, so check out how much training your instructor has had. Also keep in mind that Pilates will not help with cardiovascular fitness, and doesn’t seem to have a huge weight loss benefit. If this is what you’re looking for, you’ll need to add another variety of exercise to your repertoire.

For more, visit Body Control Pilates (with info for the UK, Canada, South Africa, Poland and Portugal) or the Pilates Foundation (UK), the Pilates Method Alliance (USA) or Pilates Body (Mississauga, Canada).

27 September 2005

In search of better cold therapy

James Treatments 0

Cold therapy has proven itself as an effective migraine treatment. But there are many different types of cold therapy, and some work for some people, and some don’t.

When you’re dealing with a headache or migraine, you want something that’s going to cool you just the right amount, and something that’s going to cool certain parts of your head and neck. Traditional cold packs run into a number of problems. The temperature is hard to control, they tend to fall off, and they don’t last very long. One partial solution has been the popular Migra-Cap, which comfortably covers more of the head.

In an attempt to solve more problems associated with cold therapy, the Neuro-Cool system was developed. Now wait, before you read on, you need to realize, this is not an ice pack. This is a complete cooling and light massaging system, designed for people with chronic pain like migraine. It’s not the cheap solution. But as migraineurs know, if it’s really going to work, at times the price tag is worth it.

The advantages? The temperature can be controlled, and can last up to 20 hours (no more 20 minutes of relief). It provides a liquid thermal massage, and covers your head and neck in a soft coolness.

If you already know from experience that cold therapy works for you, but you’ve had limited success getting something that will work well for you, this may be something to try. If you have trouble sleeping, rather than giving you more to worry about this unit will likely help put you to sleep naturally.