This quick little interview by the Guardian has a title which is basically clickbait. However, it’s a nice little overview of some common information about migraine, and a look into what researchers are looking forward to.
It’s less than 17 minutes long. Give yourself a quick refresher on the basics. It is good to see migraine getting some attention in the UK.
In many parts of the world, the situation is the same – healthcare seems to be taking steps backward, instead of forward.
That’s not to say that research isn’t continuing. That’s not to say that advances aren’t being made. But frankly, the whole system is not progressing as it should be. Shortages are popping up all over the place. And wait times for just about everything are increasing.
And everything is important – but so are migraine patients, and so is migraine treatment. And that’s my thing, so I’m allowed to give a shout about how things ought to be getting better.
A recent article with some comments from Robert Music, chief executive of the Migraine Trust, caught my eye because it was dealing with some of these issues. Music mentions, in the UK context, that
Specifically, the report said that wait times for specialist care has increased from 15 weeks in 2021 to 29 weeks in 2023 – almost double!
This won’t be the first time that I’ve pointed out that someone with new and ongoing migraine or headache symptoms needs to get to a specialist as soon as possible. Let’s do the simple math – 29 weeks is over six and a half months – more than half a year!
That has the potential not only to increase suffering, but to make the problem worse and longer-lasting.
So add your voice to the many who are calling for better treatment, education, and research. Whatever else may be going on in the world, getting migraine patients back on their feet and free of migraine symptoms is still a priority – especially for those people and their families.
To read the article, just click here: Migraine treatment times ‘almost double’ in England amid calls for condition to be taken seriously
Yes, I’m still around!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted – in fact, even HeadWay has been quiet, and thanks to some technical issues on Facebook, even my daily posts have temporarily disappeared. X is still rolling along!
There’s nothing specific to report personally, except that life catches up with all of us once in a while. This is one of those “once in a whiles” for our family! It’s been a busy few months, with both the expected and unexpected, health-related issues and non-health-related issues. But it’s all made it very difficult to keep posting. I was able to keep up with daily social media posts – except, what’s up Facebook?
Anyway, if anyone is wondering and concerned – yes, I’m fine! Everything is all right, there are just some things that have been keeping me away from the keyboard.
However, all going well I will try to post when I can in the weeks ahead. Keep sending in your questions. Keep checking out past posts (here’s a random one to get you started!). Make sure to check out some recent tweets on X here. And stay tuned for more news and tips in the future!
I hope I can keep helping you fight back against migraine.
A useful review was published last year in the medical journal Current Pain and Headache Reports, regarding migraine in patients over the age of 60. It was brought to my attention by an article in Everyday Health last month.
It might be useful to get a quick overview of some of the report’s findings.
Many people with migraine are told that their symptoms will likely diminish or go away as they get older. And that is often the case, especially from a strictly statistical standpoint.
But you are not a statistic, you’re an individual. And the fact is that many people continue to have regular attacks into their 80s, or even start having attacks in their older years. The report found that 10% of older adults had migraine, now spread out more evenly between men and women.
If you started having attacks before the age of 18, you’re more likely to continue having attacks in later years.
Attacks may not be different, but they can change throughout life. For example, many older adults find that:
Your headache specialist will want to make sure that you’re not suffering from other problems that become more serious with age. For example, since migraine attacks can mimic stroke, the most urgent thing with any new symptoms is to quickly rule out stroke.
Cardiovascular issues in general are important to check as well.
The report gives some helpful information about the timing of the headache. For example, if you have headaches that get worse at night, brain imaging might help with diagnosis. Headaches worse in the morning may indicate sleep problems, such as obstructive sleep apnoea.
It’s also all the more important for your doctor to know your medical history, and to watch for any current infections or other problems that may be related. It’s also very important that they pay attention to medications and supplements you may be taking, which could affect or even cause headaches.
Aside from ruling out other conditions, migraine treatment in older adults can be tricky because of concerns about medication interactions, and other contraindications (e.g. medical reasons why a medication may make another condition or risk factor worse).
CGRP related medications, although they don’t have the long-term history of other medications, are looking like a positive treatment for older adults. The study specifically mentioned lasmiditan, ubrogepant, and rimegepant. Candesartan, also used for high blood pressure, may help.
However, many older medications used for migraine may be used. Some, with newer evidence, are not as much of a concern as they used to be. So there are many other options that your doctor may suggest. The report simply gives the good advice that it’s especially helpful if you’re 60+ to start at a low dose and go up gradually. It requires patients, but it’s worth it.
Although the report briefly talks about lifestyle (diet and exercise), it doesn’t spend time talking about many non-drug treatments. These should be discussed with your doctor, but it widens the options significantly with good evidence-based treatments.
If you or someone you love is 60+ with migraine, it’s worth taking a look at this article, and the report – which is more technical, but has a lot of information.
There are a whole host of lifestyle and exercise recommendations for fighting migraine. A fascinating study published this month in The Journal of Headache and Pain looked at how much solid evidence there is for various types of “therapeutic exercise”, and included studies of everything from high-intensity interval training to relaxation techniques.
Each type of exercise was given a grade from B to D. What will especially catch your eye are the specifics about aerobic exercise, so let’s take a closer look.
As I studied, I was surprised to discover that I was a little weak on the actual definition of “aerobic”. Citing The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), this article from the National Library of Medicine defines “aerobic exercise as any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously and is rhythmic in nature”. “Aerobic” refers to the use of oxygen, so think of anything that requires extra oxygen. But that’s not necessarily sprinting – it could be much less intensive, such as walking.
Other examples would include jogging, swimming, and stair climbing.
As you can tell, there is actually a wide range of aerobic activity. So what has the best evidence as a migraine-fighter? Several studies recommended aerobic exercise in general, and some specifically “moderate-intensity continuous aerobic exercise”. Low intensity did not seem to do as well as moderate intensity, but it still earned a “C” score on the evidence scale.
So basically, any aerobic exercise is a step in the right direction, with moderate-intensity having the most studied benefits. Moderate aerobics three times a week is the specific recommendation.
The benefits found in the studies included:
That may seem vague, but remember that these were studies specifically designed to measure improvement, so this is more than just “I seem to feel a little better”. This is a significant improvement.
For those with migraine, it seems to be wise to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of your exercise, being sure to stay hydrated. The Cleveland Clinic has a great article introducing aerobic exercise here.
Also, the American College of Sports Medicine has a chart explaining “intensity” more specifically. Don’t get nervous – if you can add any kind of movement to your life, it should help your quality of life. These exercises don’t need to be intense – but you will need to push yourself a little. Here’s the chart: Tips for Monitoring Aerobic Exercise Intensity.