James

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Posts by James Cottrill:

17 March 2005

No-pain clusters?

You knew that you can have migraine and yet no pain. But did you know that you can have cluster "headaches" without pain too? That was the news from Neurology, in a report from Neurologist Dr Rolf Salvensen in August 2000. The report follows a man who experienced other symptoms of clusters – a stuffed up nose, drooping eyelid, and pupil contraction on one side, and yet no pain.

This is important to know, because first it will help us better diagnose clusters. Second, it will help us better understand them. Many have theorized that the other symptoms are simply a reaction to the pain. Now it seems that this isn’t true – the other symptoms have a life of their own! This is old news now to the neurology world, but clusters themselves are still a mystery being investigated.

16 March 2005

More funding for Canadian migraine research

James News 1

Here in Canada, the government is increasing funding to migraine research. Among many other things, of course. This isn’t a political blog, so don’t worry, I’m not going to get into health care and which government does a better job and all that. But this is a headache and migraine blog, and naturally I do think that study of migraine is important! It tends to be overlooked because it’s not perceived to be "dangerous" (of course, it is dangerous in a number of ways).

So when governments and hospitals and individuals and employers are thinking about migraine, they need to remember the financial costs. The mental trauma. The related problems. The possibility of long term problems connected with migraine. And a little compassion for the pain people go through should be thrown in.

No, migraine is not the greatest threat to mankind. But it traditionally hasn’t been given the attention it deserves. It’s time for that to change.

15 March 2005

Avoiding the trial-and-error method

James News 0

I used to joke that I was in the drug-of-the-month-club, as doctors tried various migraine treatments on me a few years ago. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to avoid the trial-and-error method, which actually takes years (since many drugs and supplements must be tried for several months before they help)? Well, a new wave of testing is trying to take out some of the guesswork. Many of the problems that individuals have with drugs are genetic in nature. For example, for those with a specific genetic variation, codeine will provide no pain relief at all. If patients can be tested ahead of time, they might be able to drastically shorten the time to effective treatment.

The SEYX company is one group that has developed a testing procedure known as Signature Genetics. Part of the idea is that certain drugs are eliminated after a patient is tested by analyzing a cheek swab. Common genetic variants are identified by genetic testing.

The testing is still very expensive, but here’s hoping that the idea will be further thought through and developed, and that the price will go down and availability will go up. In the years ahead, testing like this could save a lot of wasted time trying risky treatments that aren’t right for you.

15 March 2005

Narcotics tip

James Medications, Tips 4

eyes in sleep Here’s a quick tip for those of you using some form of narcotic for pain relief. This would include codeine, an "opiate agonist" which is a component of Tylenol #1. Narcotics can relax the muscles, and perhaps help you sleep, which could be good for someone with a headache. But there’s a slight problem for some people – narcotics can make you itchy! There’s nothing worse than trying to get to sleep when you have an itch here and an itch there.

One way to improve the situation is to simply take your pills just before you go to sleep. Now I do say this with precautions – first, remember that with migraine it’s usually best to catch the headache in the early stages. For some people, if you wait until bedtime it may be too late to do much good. Also, remember that overall narcotics are generally a poor long term solution. If you find you’re taking them more than a couple of times a month, keep looking for a better solution.

For more on getting to sleep in general, check out the October 2004 issue of HeadWay, the free newsletter from Relieve-Migraine-Headache.com.

14 March 2005

Computer breaks

James Tips 0

How long have you been sitting there at the computer? Is it time to get up and take a break? Sitting for a long time in a rigid position can be asking for trouble. It can cause problems especially in your upper back and neck, and the twisting and turning of tense muscles can cause problems throughout the body, but especially in your head.

Dianne Stafford and Dr Jennifer Shoquist offer this advice for a quick self-massage in the excellent Migraines for Dummies:

Feel the base of your neck and your upper back for tight muscles. After you find them, press down with your fingers and give those knots a gentle but firm massage. Think of what you’re doing as a way of softening the knots in your neck and back. Then use your fingers to massage your neck. Be sure to address your skull, temples, and ears. Be very gentle. Stop massaging occasionally to move your head up and down, and side to side.

Of course, it would be great if you could get up and walk around during your massage. A break every once in a while will do a world of difference. KidsHealth.org has an article about children and computer use, which suggests that kids take a break every 30 minutes. That’s good advice for any of us. Better yet, take a quick stretch break every 10 minutes too. If you have trouble remembering, get a little alarm clock or timer for your computer, such as ClocX, a neat desktop clock, or SoundBreak from Leon Matthews in New Zealand, which is specifically designed to remind you to take breaks.