Resources

28 April 2014

Tinted Contact Lenses for Migraines?

James Information, Resources, Treatments 2

As tinted lenses for various types of migraine grow in popularity, there is increasing interest in contact lenses which can do the same thing as glasses.

Actually, using tinted contact lenses for migraine is not a new idea. In 2005, a study in the USA showed relief from migraine pain in most patients that tried red tinted contacts.

It shouldn’t be surprising that tinted contact lenses work where specialized tinted lenses in glasses work. Many migraine patients are finding relief from photophopia, and even pain, with quality sunglasses or precision tinted lenses.

When it comes to contact lenses for migraine, there are some special considerations:

Just buying regular tinted lenses won’t do. Many have a clear, untinted pupil, which of course won’t give any benefit. But you do need a tint that is more geared toward migraine relief.
Lens tinting for migraine relief is really still in its infancy. That means that there will probably be a bit of trial and error before you find the tint that works for you.
There are some concerns about the safety of tinted lenses. Be sure to go to a qualified professional. Check out the laws in your country about who can and cannot provide this service.
Common tints for migraine are shades of red and brown. Other colours, such as blue, may be tried.
The Irlen Method has helped some headache patients. Irlen does provide contact lenses as well as glasses, after a specific testing process. See what this patient had to say.

Check here for more on tinted contact lenses for migraine in the USA. Included in the article are phone numbers that your doctor can call.

In London, England, The Institute of Optometry has done a lot of work with precision tinted lenses.

2 April 2014

Are You “Misaligned”? There’s an App for that…

James Resources, Treatments 0

One of the more under-utilized areas of migraine treatment includes physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic therapy. There are countless different approaches, some excellent, and some with little medical evidence.

But a lot of this approach simply has to do with keeping your body properly aligned. That’s certainly the focus of Noel Frayne, RMT.

Frayne was treating patients at the Victoria Headache Clinic in Victoria, Canada. The clinic closed in 2009 when he retired, but he started looking to technology to continue his work.

That led to the app with the ambitious name “No Pain“, currently available for iOS and Android.

The former clinic’s website explains the approach in this way:

Treat only the misaligned pelvic girdle and everything else has the potential to correct itself. Treat everything but the misaligned pelvic girdle and the problems will, inevitably, return.

Until the pelvis is treated, the body’s innate postural balancing influences will continue compensating for the asymmetry and perpetuating the adaptive muscle tension and Migraine pain patterns.

The Victoria Headache Clinic treatment approach is quite simple:

Confirm the presence of the pattern.

Realign the pelvic girdle. Treat the pattern of adaptive changes.

Teach the patient how to correct and maintain the pelvic alignment.

No Pain - clear instructions and pictures

When you open the app, you’ll see a series of tests that will help you self-diagnose alignment problems. Very clear pictures will make it easy to understand what to do.

The benefit of having this app on your iPhone, iPad or Android is that you’ll also have a quick reference to quick, easy exercises and positions which will help you correct the problem.

While an app may not give you the interaction of a massage therapist or physical therapist, the outlay of cash is a lot less and it is always with you. This is another drug-free approach that may help alleviate headache and migraine symptoms, and at least get you thinking about movement and body position, which really are important if you want to lower head and body pain for life.

Get No Pain for iPod/iPad/iPhone or for Android.

15 March 2014

Pain as you get older – normal?

James Resources 0

There’s a perception that, as you get older, you’ll have to deal with more and more pain. Although there are, of course, special health issues in old age, this perception may be holding a lot of people back.

In fact, as with any age, resignation to “just live with it” can be downright dangerous.

Take a look at some of the challenges and benefits of treating pain as we get older in this article by Jane E. Brody – The Perils of Toughing It Out, at the New York Times.

via Robbins’ Nest Blog

13 September 2013

Migraine Art: A Few Inspiring Examples

James Resources 0

I was recently updating some of the resources on our migraine aura art page, so I thought I would take the time to link to a few great examples of migraine art. Why inspiring? Because I’d like you to share your own!

Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Haruspex (William Harper)
Migraine (Peg Lattinville)
Tolerance (Olea Nova)
Denatured Tension (Lisa LaMotte)
Migraine (Ea Ejersbo)
Scintillating scotoma (Delia Malchert)
Check out a whole gallery of migraine art here – and add your own art!

1998 Migraine Masterpieces Honorable Mention

Mommy’s Bad Awful Day
(Barbara Williams)

My Life on A Shelf
(Christa Barnell)

Untitled
(Gregory Mueller)

Migraines are Us
(Tudor Barker)

Watching “Helvetica” with my Migraine Buddy
(rochelle hartman)

For more fantastic examples, check out these Two Books that Should be on Every Migraineur’s Coffee Table.

10 September 2013

Topamax and Hair Loss?

James Resources 20

There’s a lot of discussion going on about hair loss as a side effect of Topamax (topiramate). Because of the time it takes hair to grow back, this can be an issue that goes on even after you’ve stopped taking it.

Although this doesn’t seem to be one of the most common side effects of Topamax, it’s obviously one to be concerned about.

But I’m not going to write about it – because the fine folks over at MigreLief already did some research. 🙂 So I suggest you check out the article I’m linking to below. But I would like to hear from you here – have you experienced this side effect? Did you find any solutions?

Hair loss from Topamax? Recommendations for battling Topirimate side-effects