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Serious Concerns about Butterbur

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Safety concerns are changing opinions about using Butterbur as a migraine treatment.

Butterbur recently rose to become one of the best preventative treatments for migraine.  

But the recommendation was always given with a caution.  Be careful – very careful – about what butterbur product you buy.  Butterbur contains toxic compounds known as alkaloids, which may damage your liver or even cause cancer.

Now the toxic elements can be removed – and they were.  The product was manufactured in Germany and it underwent very strict testing to ensure that the dangerous compounds had been totally removed.

However, according to a recent report from the New York Headache Center, the manufacturer changed the process of manufacture and did not repeat all the safety procedures.  So they believe that the risk is now too high.  From the center’s blog:

We no longer recommend butterbur to our patients. … Germany is no longer allowing butterbur to be sold there because the manufacturer changed its purification process and did not repeat all of the required safety studies.  Butterbur made in Germany and in the US is still sold in the US, but our FDA does not regulate herbal products and does not require the extensive safety tests that are required in Germany.  This is why we no longer recommend butterbur for our patients.

For the time being, you’re probably better off to try other treatments until this mess gets sorted out.  Other excellent and well-researched supplements include things like magnesium, feverfew, coenzyme Q10.

Early Warning System for Migraine: Your Dog?

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Could your dog warn you when you’re about to get a migraine attack?  Could that early warning mean taking medication in time, and averting a worse attack?

I know it sounds crazy to many of you, but your dog just may be smarter than you think.  We have dogs that warn the blind of danger, dogs that can sniff out drugs – and dogs that can detect early warning signs in diabetics.  Maybe a migraine-detecting dog isn’t such a long shot.

Dog with Baby

In January, an online survey was posted at Migraine.com to see if anyone had recognized changes in their dog’s behaviour before a migraine attack.  Over 1000 people answered the survey, and a full 54% said yes – during the initial phases of a migraine attack, their dog did act differently.

How did the dog act?  More attentive was the most common answer.  The dog was clingy.  Even pawing and whining and frantic licking were described.

In fact, 1 in 3 people actually use their dog’s behaviour to take their migraine medication in time.

So this doesn’t seem to be as far out as you might think – it’s actually something that a significant number of people have recognized, and are already doing.

These results will be presented at the 16th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies in September.

Taking migraine medication at the right time can make a huge difference for a lot of people.  Maybe the canine connection is just what some dog-loving migraineurs need to fight those attacks.

via:  The Daily Headache

New in the USA: American Headache and Migraine Association

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Many migraineurs in the USA have expressed the desire to have a patient operated organization focusing on headache and migraine.  Well – good news!  The dream is becoming a reality!

American Headache & Migraine Association

The American Headache and Migraine Association (AHMA) has been created with the help of the American Headache Society (AHS) as a result of a vote on June 21st.  The new organization will have a 10 member board, with 5 patients and 5 AHS members.  Long time migraineur advocate and health writer Teri Robert will chair the board, and Dr. Paul Winner, chair of the ACHE (the American Headache Society Committee on Headache Education), will co-chair.  It will be a part of ACHE.

This organization is all about patients connecting.  More information will be coming soon, but in the meantime we know that a website is going to be up soon, and that you’ll be able to join at a very modest fee ($15 per year), and that the first conference is already planned!

That’s right – write it in red on your calendar (or perhaps a more migraineur-friendly color) – November the 17th 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona!  This is actually at the end of the AHS Scottsdale Symposium, which means some of the country’s top specialists will be available to interact with – you!

Stay tuned for more information!  Meanwhile, learn more about the not-so-secret origins of AHMA in this article from Teri Robert.

Visual Snow Study – Volunteers Needed

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Visual Snow (VS) has (thankfully) been the topic of more and more conversation lately.  Earlier this year, a presentation at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting on visual snow was entitled Visual Snow: a New Disease Entity Distinct from Migraine Aura.

Visual Snow makes reading hard!

Sure, it’s different from migraine aura – but what is it?

We’ve talked about visual snow before, and the comments following the posts have taken the discussion further.  Read Persistent Migraine Aura and Visual Snow? and Visual Snow and Persistent Migraine Aura – tests and treatments.

Now researchers are trying to delve further into the mysteries of VS – exactly what is happening in the body that makes VS happen?

Leading the research is neurologist and headache specialist Dr. Peter J. Goadsby, director of the UCSF Headache Center.  He is working along with Dr. Christoph Schankin, also at the UCSF.

I believe at the moment they are looking for people willing to do a phone interview.  If you’re dealing with VS, please take the time to email the research team, and push forward our knowledge of this little understood (and little treated!) condition.

Email the VS research team at VS-Research@Neurology.ucsf.edu

Migralex Available in Canada

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Migralex, an over-the-counter treatment for migraine attacks, tension-type headaches and more, is finally available in Canada.  Or, I should say, it can now be shipped to Canada.

According to a Migralex representative, the New York pharmacy Zitomer will now ship Migralex to Canada.  As I write this, for some reason their online shipping form will not allow you to enter Canada as a country; however, you can give them a call at 1(888)219-2888 or contact them via the email on their website to confirm that they can ship your order.

Customers in the USA can purchase Migralex here.

In the brief video below, Dr. Alexander Mauskop of the New York Headache Clinic explains one of the ingredients in Migralex.

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Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of each article, and to point you to further sources of information. However, this site is for informational purposes only and should never replace a visit to your doctor.