Highlights

It’s time to take a look at the stories and articles from the past year!

So here’s what we’re going to do. First, for those who want to be up-to-date, the 11 most popular posts written in 2021. Below that, you’ll see 10 more posts from past years which were also popular in 2021. So – let’s go!

The 11 Most Popular Posts of 2021

• Magnesium via Food or Supplement – and fewer Migraine Attacks – Magnesium is still a migraine-fighting star, as this study confirms.
• Is Nitrogen Dioxide in Your Home Giving You a Headache? – Well, of course, with many spending more time at home, it was a year to check for hidden migraine triggers in the house.
• Does Magnesium Help You Live Longer? – See? Magnesium was certainly the mineral star of 2021.
• Is This Why Aimovig Won’t Work For You? – With the popularity of the new CGRP-related medications, questions like these are being studied.
• “The End of Migraines” – Is the New eBook Worth a Read? – One of the brand-new resources that came out in the past year, from someone with a lot of clinical experience treating migraine.
• Migraine with Aura and Blood Clots – The investigation continues: Why does migraine increase risk of cardiovascular conditions?
• Headache: Is Your Eye Twitching? – Yeah, I’ve wondered about that eye-twitching thing, haven’t you?
• Big News for Nurtec ODT (Rimegepant) – One of the big medication stories of 2021.
• A Natural Alternative to Sumatriptan? (Your Questions) – Some thoughts on a tricky question from a reader.
• Are Some Migraine Patients “Emotionally Blind”? – One of the more unusual scientific questions of the year.
• Is Acetaminophen/Paracetamol Really “Ineffective”? – Surprising news about a common “painkiller”.

And now, if you’re still looking for more facts and tips, let’s dig into the Headache and Migraine News archives! These are older posts that are still getting read – the most popular posts from past years:

The 10 Most Popular Posts from Past Years

• COVID-19 Headache – I guess I should have seen that one coming. Yes, probably the most popular post of the year.
• Aura Eye Symptoms – Have You Seen THIS?! – A classic post with close to a bazillion comments.
• Visual Snow and its “Friends” – If you’ve never heard of “visual snow”, maybe you should be thankful. But it’s time to learn about this condition.
• Nerve Pain in Head: A Different Kind of Headache – If you are experiencing a “different kind” of headache, maybe you’ll find something helpful here.
• Aneurysm and Headache: 9 Ways to Know if I’m in Danger – Common questions: Should I be concerned? Should I see a doctor?
• Migraine vs Brain Aneurysm – Which is it? – This time we’ll do it with a quick-reference chart.
• Getting a Headache right after Drinking Alcohol? – No, we’re not talking about the morning-after headache. Why might you be experiencing more immediate pain?
• Is Stevia giving me a Migraine Attack? – From what I’ve seen, the answer may indeed be “yes”.
• Do Polarized Lenses make you dizzy, or give you headaches? – Leave a comment and let us know.
• Baking Soda for Headaches? – Yes, we’re always looking for inexpensive, easy treatments around here.

There you are – 21 posts that were popular in 2021!

Thanks so much for reading, commenting, sharing, and asking your questions. Also, thank you for supporting the Migraine Research Foundation, which we support here. Your support of MRF and of course Headache and Migraine News in 2021 has helped to raise awareness around the world and promote new research. And from what I hear from readers, you’ve also helped many people find relief!

So, in 2022, let’s continue to fight back!

One more quick summary of recent highlights, and then we’ll do the year-end version! Here are the four most popular posts from the past 3 months, with a bonus popular post from earlier.

• Headache: Is Your Eye Twitching? – Have you ever wondered if a “twitching eye” is related to your headache symptoms? Well, researchers have wondered the same thing.
• A Natural Alternative to Sumatriptan? (Your Questions) – It may surprise many people that there are excellent, often well-studied alternatives to medications. Many people still assume that a “natural alternative” is going to be inferior. But that may not be the case at all.
• PEA Supplements for Migraine? – Supplements don’t tend to have the rigorous and expensive testing behind them that drugs have, but there is a growing interest in PEA, or palmitoylethanolamide, for migraine pain.
• Men and Migraine: Relationships, Work, and Depression – Every once in a while you still come across material that basically considers migraine to be a “women’s disease”. But a recent survey from The Migraine Trust reminds us once again that migraine has a huge impact on the lives of many men.
• BONUS – DHE Migraine Treatment: Why some people still use it – To get some background on DHE migraine treatment, we need to go back to the days before DHE, or dihydroergotamine, was used.  It was actually in 1925 that the first migraine patient got an injection of ergotamine tartrate.  It worked – stopping the migraine that just wasn’t going away.

Once again it’s time for the highlights – that is, most read – articles from the past 3 months. Also, a bonus from earlier posts. An interesting mix this month!

• Is This Why Aimovig Won’t Work For You? – A recent study asks questions about why some patients don’t get as much benefit from Aimovig.
• Headache: Is Your Eye Twitching? – I’ve always wondered about that eye twitching thing, haven’t you? Here’s some info.
• An Amazing Future Migraine Surgery? – Amazing new advances may change the way some migraine surgeries are done in the future.
• Patients Explain: Why is Migraine “Bad”? – Not that you needed to know, but this does fit more into the “I’m not alone” category.
• Bonus (earlier post) – My Hair Hurts! Migraine and Allodynia – Very sensitive skin, a feeling that your “hair hurts”, pain from a sleeve brushing against your arm? More common than you may realize (and I speak from experience).

This is an easy way to catch up on recent articles. Below are the four most popular posts from the past three months, and also one of the most popular from earlier on.

• AEON Biopharma: Better than “Botox”? – By now, Botox has become a common treatment for migraine. But AEON Biopharma wants to create a similar but better treatment…
• Is This Why Aimovig Won’t Work For You? – Aimovig (erenumab) has been a great help for many migraine patients, but not all. Do we know of any reasons why it doesn’t work with some people? …
• This Is Your Migraine Brain. On A Roller Coaster. – Yes, this is indeed a serious article about a clinical trial that was published in the journal Neurology this summer. What happens when migraine patients go on a (virtual) roller coaster? …
• An Amazing Future Migraine Surgery? – Although this surgery isn’t likely to cure thousands more or completely change the landscape of migraine treatment, it is actually pretty amazing…
• Bonus… Baking Soda for Headaches? – Some people do report that baking soda alleviates their headache or migraine symptoms.  Why might that be? …

As is my new tradition, I’m going to share the four most popular articles here at Headache and Migraine News from the past three months, and then share a bonus from the past (another popular post from earlier on). An interesting collection of information and resources this month – the most popular post first:

• “The End of Migraines” – Is the New eBook Worth a Read? – Lots of practical information in this up-to-date migraine fighter book.
• Migraine with Aura and Blood Clots – An important topic and its relationship to migraine, from a study earlier this year.
• AEON Biopharma: Better than “Botox”? – Can we improve on Botox treatments? There are many possibilities that are being researched…
• For “Heal Your Headache” Fans! – If you like the popular book Heal Your Headache, this will interest you!
• Bonus: Nerve Pain in Head: A Different Kind of Headache – Just as the title says, you need to understand the difference in order to get a proper diagnosis.