Headache and Migraine News

1 November 2018

Struggling with Rosacea? Tell Your Doctor about Your Headaches.

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition, that first shows up (usually on the face) as episodes of “flushing” or redness of the skin. If it gets worse, it can include a burning sensation, long term redness, and spots and bumps appearing on the skin. Sometimes small blood vessels become visible.

This isn’t really a post about rosacea, but if you want to learn more, here are some resources:

Overview from the NHS on Rosacea
All About Rosacea (National Rosacea Society)
Rosacea (MedlinePlus)

The point of this article is to ask you to let your doctor know if you also have migraine – especially if it’s new onset migraine.

Rocacea is poorly understood, and there is growing evidence of a neurological link. Certain medications used for neurological conditions (such as migraine) may be helpful in cases of rosacea (although today these are not common treatments).

That’s why researchers were interested to discover a link between new onset migraine and rosacea in women. The link was even stronger in women over 50.

If you’re interested, you can read an article about the study here: Rosacea Linked to New-onset Migraine

But meanwhile, if you have both conditions, or even if you start getting headaches in general, let your doctor know. Researchers are hoping to find that treating one condition (such as migraine) may actually help clear up the other condition (such as rosacea).

29 October 2018

Safflower Oil to Fight Migraine?

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 0

A case report this month in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience tells the story of a 45 year old woman with chronic migraine. This woman decided to do an experiment with edible oils.

But she didn’t eat the oils – instead, she used them as massage oils, testing to see which of two alleviated migraine symptoms.

The two are often used in massage – olive oil, and the much less common safflower oil.

This woman had tried many common medications (such as sumatriptan, amitriptyline and topiramate), but for various reasons couldn’t tolerate them.

But she found that safflower oil did help (not so much the olive oil). The report suggests that safflower oil, applied to the base of the neck, may be beneficial for fighting migraine (see Topically applied linoleic/linolenic acid for chronic migraine).

Of course this is just one person’s experience. But such a simple test would be easy to try yourself.

The evidence for safflower oil as a topical anti-inflammatory isn’t strong, but there are those who feel it is beneficial. One interesting suggestion is that safflower oil may be absorbed easily enough that it may have a nutritional effect – even if it’s only applied to the skin!

But there is reason for caution here. First of all, not all safflower oils are created equal. This report specifies linoleic/linolenic acids – this is, indeed, the edible form of safflower oil. But there is also refined and unrefined safflower oil. How it is made can make a difference in how safe it is.

And if safflower oil is absorbed nutritionally, there is a further concern about the omega 6 vs. omega 3 ratio. Today, you will often hear that most people are getting lots of omega 6, and not much omega 3, which can cause problems. Dr. Robert Cowan writes:

. . . mounting evidence suggests that shifting away from the omega-6 fatty acids to a diet richer in omega-3 fatty acids may decrease headache frequency. Many headache specialists, myself included, also feel that it is beneficial to maintain approximately the same ratios of good and bad fats, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber from day to day. This means maintaining not just a healthy diet, but a consistently healthy diet. [source]

Dr. Cowan isn’t the only migraine doctor who encourages patients to increase omega 3 (as opposed to omega 6).

Read another doctor’s thoughts about safflower oil here.

Different oils may help different people. Does safflower oil fight migraine? Only you can tell, at this point. And a little trial is not likely to cause much harm.

But before you make safflower oil massage a regular part of your life, you should be investigating how the oil was processed, and whether another oil might be more beneficial.

25 October 2018

5 Headache and Migraine News Highlights from the past 3 Months (October 2018 edition)

James Highlights 0

Hi everyone! We’re keeping it simple this month – straight up, the 5 most popular posts with our visitors from the past 3 months. Thanks so much for visiting! Keep the conversation going!

23 October 2018

An Inhaler – for Migraine?

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 0

We’ve talked about the connection between asthma and migraine before. But today we’re not talking about using an asthma inhaler for migraine – it’s actually something quite different.

Inhale, Exhale A recent study published in the journal Cephalalgia investigated using an inhaler as a migraine abortive. But this kind does not use drugs.

This “rebreathing device” actually increases carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, while keeping oxygen levels fairly stable. This may sound strange, but a moderate raise in CO2 in the bloodstream actually can stop migraine attacks. The question is, could this be a valid form of treatment?

One of the study’s authors explains it this way:

We utilise CO2 and oxygen, which are the body’s natural molecules for mobilising its own defence against migraine attacks. The inhaler expands the blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen by up to seventy per cent and thereby stops the destructive chain reaction. [Migraine can be treated without medicine, pilot study finds]

This initial study did not show spectacular results, but it does show promise as a possible new treatment (with no drugs). One interesting note – the treatment did somewhat decrease pain for 45% of patients the first time it was used. But during the second attack, 78% saw a marked improvement.

Again, this was a small, initial study. But with no noted side effects, it’s a treatment that is worth studying in more detail.

Incidentally, this is not a new idea. A study a few years ago also showed promise – see Snorting Carbon Dioxide May Relieve Migraines

More details on the study: Treatment of acute migraine by a partial rebreathing device: A randomized controlled pilot study

20 October 2018

More on “Midface Migraine” – and Tooth Aches.

James Discoveries & Stats, Information 0

“Midface migraine” is not a type of migraine, but a description of a migraine attack with pain in the face. It’s not unusual for patients to experience pain in various areas at various times.

Pain in the face could be a sign of a related condition, but on the other hand, it could lead to misdiagnosis. Recently we talked about the too common misdiagnosis of sinusitis. Toothache and Migraine

But a case study pointed out that two conditions can affect each other. In this case (actually two cases), it was dental issues (see: Midface migraine with concomitant dental disease: A report of two cases.)

Now, the report does point out that migraine is actually sometimes misdiagnosed as a dental issue, such as a tooth infection. But these cases there was an actual dental issue.

Both patients had midface migraine-type pain and symptoms. The first patient found that the tooth pain and migraine pain were lessened by a root canal, and then went on to find more relief with sumatriptan (a common migraine abortive).

The second patient tried sumatriptan first, and it didn’t help much. However, a root canal provided significant relief.

If you’re experiencing facial pain, or tooth pain, that is accompanied by migraine symptoms, it may be wise to see a dentist. And if you’re a dentist, remember that migraine and tooth decay or infection may actually go together. A careful diagnosis can help alleviate pain and additional symptoms.