The migraine lick test

It’s widely believed that the sooner you know a migraine is coming, the better you can head it off.  Some people’s attacks start with an aura of some kind – seeing zig zags or simply feeling “not right”.  Others can tell a migraine is coming when they see the barometer rise or drop.  But Professor Philip Lamey, Professor of Oral Medicine at the School of Dentistry in Belfast, believes he can predict whether or not you’re going to get a migraine today with 100% accuracy.  100%.  Or at least 94%, which is what the trials say so far.

The test is simple.  When you get up in the morning, you lick a special slide, or place a saliva sample on the testing device.  If the slide turns blue, or the device lights up, a migraine is coming, and you can ambush it before it has a chance to strike.

How does the lick test work?  It tests for a protein called cystatin.  Migraine sufferers seem to have high levels of it.  You often have higher levels when you clench your teeth at night – clenching could itself trigger a migraine.  Lamey has also developed a mouthpiece to help with the clenching aspect.  Cystatin has been used to measure other things, such as kidney function.

Professor Lamey is talking to drug companies about providing the test in a kit, and there are two possible forms being tested.

If you think the information sounds a little vague at this point, you’re not alone.  For example, I would assume he’s not saying all migraines come from clenching your teeth.  Why then is this chemical produced in such high levels in all migraineurs?  If such a kit would really be effective, hopefully more information will be released soon.

Though I think Lamey is a little optimistic to think it could keep anyone from ever having a migraine again, it would give us another edge – a very important edge, and a good chance to stop an attack before it starts.  For more, check out this article on the migraine lick test from MyDNA.com.