migraine

A new marker in blood for migraine?

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An interesting article titled “Interictal, circulating sphingolipids in women with episodic migraine: A case-control study” written by B. L. Peterlin and et al. discusses that a new marker in blood may have been found for episodic migraine (Neurology, 2015). Episodic migraine is when a patient has less than 15 headaches per month. The researchers performed a study with 52 women with episodic migraine and 36 women who did not have any headaches. They all had to undergo a neurologic exam, gave blood samples, and had their body mass index measured. The women in the study with migraine had an average of 5.6 headache days per month. The blood samples were tested for a group of lipids that are known to help regulate inflammation in the brain and participate in energy homeostasis. The study found the total levels of lipids called ceramides were decreased in women … Read more

Finding Relief From Headaches with Meditation

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According to research published in the journal Headache, meditation may help migraine headache sufferers. Researchers have known that stress can be a trigger for headaches but there hasn’t been a whole lot of research done to evaluate meditation and it’s benefits. The researchers set out to develop a study to assess the feasibility, safety,and effects of a yoga and meditation intervention known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in adults who suffer from migraines. In the study 19 adults were randomly assigned to 2 groups with 10 of the adults receiving MBSR and 9 receiving standard medical care. The participants attended 8 weekly classes in order to learn MBSR techniques and were told to practice 45 minutes on their own 5 days per week. The participants in the study were evaluated before and after the trial period using measures such as mindfulness, … Read more

Reducing Migraines with Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

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An interesting article titled “Non-Endoscopic Deactivation of Nerve Triggers in Migraine Headache Patients,” appears in the 2014 issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery written by Lisa Gfrerer and et. al. The article describes a method to screen and select patients for a surgical migraine treatment technique used by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The surgery decompresses nerves that trigger migraines. The surgery used is stated to be an alternative to an endoscopic approach used which works down from the scalp under the skin as the other approach is not always suitable. The surgery discussed involves incisions through the upper eyelid and the study demonstrated that this approach was equally as effective for the deactivation of nerves involved in migraine headaches. In the study migraine headaches were completely eliminated in roughly 51% of the patients while around 20% of the patients … Read more

Migraine attacks can increase after a stress let down

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A new study published in Neurology discusses how migraine sufferers who experience reduced stress from one day to the next are at an increased risk on a migraine attack. Migraine is a chronic condition that affects millions of Americans. Numerous triggers are believed to contribute to a migraine attack. In the study the researchers at the Montefiore Headache Center and Einstein College of Medicine conducted a three month electronic daily diary study which recorded over 2,000 diary records and 110 migraine attacks in 17 participants.  The study compared levels of stress and reduction in stress as possible headache predictors. The study found an association between reduction in perceived stress and the occurrence of migraine headaches. The results were found to be strongest during the first six hours where decline in stress associated with a five fold increased risk of migraine … Read more

Migraine Sufferers that are Old could have Silent Brain Injury

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An interesting study appears in the May 2014 issue of Stroke titled “Migraine, White Matter Hyperintensities, and Subclinical Brain Infarction in a Diverse Community: The Northern Manhattan Study,” written by Teshamae Monteith and et. al exploring migraine headaches. The article finds that older migraine sufferers are more likely to have silent brain injury. The study found that people who have a history of migraine headache had a double the chance likelihood of having ischemic silent brain infarction compared to those who did not suffer from migraine headache. A silent brain infarction is a type of brain injury that is mostly likely caused when a blood clot interrupts blow flow to brain tissue. These type of injuries occur without any symptoms and is believed to play a role in future strokes. The risk of this occurring is considered small; however, those … Read more