Headache and Migraine News

Attention given to HIV Patients with Migraine in new study

James — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:45:33 +0000

A University of Mississippi study is drawing attention to migraine in HIV patients. The study, first published online in November, points out that chronic migraine is a chronic problem for those with HIV.

200 HIV / AIDS patients were a part of the study. 53.5% reported headache symptoms. 14.56% met the criteria for episodic or chronic tension-type headache. And a whopping 44% were diagnosed with migraine – with 27.5% meeting the criteria for chronic migraine.

27.5% with chronic migraine is very significant. In fact, it means that those with HIV/AIDS are 13 times more likely to have chronic migraine than the general population.

And that’s not all. The more severe the HIV disease, the worse and more frequent the migraine attacks became. However, duration of the disease and number of prescribed antiretroviral medications did not make a significant difference.

This study certainly highlights the need to study the relationship between HIV and migraine, but it also helps to zero in on treatment of symptoms for HIV patients. Often, because of the HIV disease, other issues are suspected when the patient has headache pain. But now we know that tension-type headache and migraine are extremely common. Hopefully this will help patients get the proper treatment sooner.

The researchers also had an interesting side note. More often than usual, patients with HIV/AIDS had migraine attacks with some atypical features- for example, a two-sided migraine, or migraine with a pressing/tightening quality. The researchers still felt comfortable diagnosing these as migraine based on other criteria. But some doctors might miss a connection due to somewhat abnormal symptoms.

via: Research Yields Insights About HIV-Related Headaches

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Attention given to HIV Patients with Migraine in new study

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Express Yourself! Contest

James — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:10:59 +0000

I’ve decided that 2012 is all about creativity. So that’s where we’re going to start with our February contest!

This contest is all about visual art. We have a whole section of photos and drawings describing migraine and migraine aura.

This month you’ll have the opportunity to enter photos and drawings that describe migraine, cluster headache, or chronic headache. Here’s how the winners will be chosen:

I will choose my 10 favourites out of all entries.
Out of those, the winners will be chosen randomly using random.org.
If there are 19 or fewer people entering (1 entry per person please), there will be one winner. If 20-49 people enter, there will be 3 winners. If there are 50 or more entries, and additional US$200 will be donated to the Migraine Research Foundation.

Prizes?

Of course there are prizes! Since this is a visual art/photography type of contest, the winner will receive one of the highest rated point and shoot cameras on the market – the Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera!

But that’s not all. The winner will also receive a free copy of the beautiful hardcover book Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey Through Life With Migraine.

The Migraine Research Foundation has also generously donated a t-shirt, which will also go to the winner.

As stated above, if there are enough entries there will be more winners. The second and third place winners will also receive Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey Through Life With Migraine. The second place winner will receive a US$20 gift certificate for amazon.com.

Read my review of Migraine Expressions here.

When??

This contest opens today! And it closes in 3 weeks, on the 22nd of February. The winners will be chosen and announced by the end of the month.

Other notes

Remember, only 1 entry per person will be considered. If you enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

Yes, this is a global contest. However, there may be locations I simply can’t ship to. If that’s the case, another winner will be chosen. But I’ll do my best to get the prizes to you, wherever you are in the world!

I also have the right to reject entries I don’t feel are appropriate. Since the photos/art will be posted, I do want to keep them family-friendly. On the other hand, I realize that some of the art, because of the topic, may be "disturbing". Just don’t go overboard.

All entries that are accepted will become a part of our art collection at relieve-migraine-headache.com. New and original submissions to the site only please.

One more thing – be sure to follow the instructions carefully. You must enter your name and location on the first page, and your name and email address on the second page. If you don’t, your entry won’t be accepted.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and enter!

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Express Yourself! Contest

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Project Migraine Hope gives Migraineurs a Face and a Voice

James — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:13:17 +0000

There’s no doubt that migraine is a misunderstood disease. That means migraineurs, migraine sufferers, are themselves misunderstood – in their relationships, workplaces, and social activities. But a new website aims to give migraineurs a chance to speak.

Blogger Kelly from Fly with Hope has just launched Project Migraine Hope. Project Migraine Hope gives people who are dealing with migraine a chance to speak out and let the world know how serious migraine really is.

It’s also an opportunity for family and friends of migraineurs to share.

Kelly writes:

So many of us have been in a place with our Migraines where we have felt depressed, devastated and lost: when nothing is helping and you are lying alone in a dark room with excruciating symptoms; after another medication trial failed; when insurance did not cover a treatment; when the doctor said "I don’t know what else to do" and/or "It is all in your head"…

We need to share with each other how we hold onto hope and to talk about what keeps us going amidst the struggle during dark times.

There IS hope for the area of more funding for Migraine research. And there IS hope for each individual Migraineur.

Though the focus of the site is to give migraineurs a face and a voice through video, written submissions will also be accepted.

Let’s hear Kelly explain Project Migraine Hope in her own words:

To get you started with ideas, here’s the first part of Kelly’s own story:

Find out how to participate in Project Migraine Hope here.

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Project Migraine Hope gives Migraineurs a Face and a Voice

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Highlights from the past 3 Months (January 2012 edition)

James — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:00:55 +0000

You’re the kind of person who just wants to read the highlights. Well, here they are – the most popular posts from the past 90 days. The most popular first…

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Highlights from the past 3 Months (January 2012 edition)

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The Migraine Project – Trailer Available!

James — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:52:03 +0000

Yesterday I mentioned the upcoming documentary, The Migraine Project, which recently received a unique grant from the Migraine Research Foundation.

The project website has this to say about the film:

The Migraine Project is a feature documentary film in the making. We are pursuing the history and mystery of Migraine, and its remarkable place in the human condition.

Migraine is a devastating but fascinating neurological condition with a compelling story to tell. Alice in Wonderland, Vincent Van Gogh, LSD and Elvis all figure into its colorful history.

Our film will take a look at the entertaining details, and the big questions too — like the source and management of illness, the economic cost of human disability, and the nature of pain and suffering — while shining a spotlight on the frontiers of neuroscience and the exploration of the brain.

Most importantly, you will hear courageous and wondrous stories directly from migraineurs.

Now you can see the trailer for yourself – just click on the image below.

Note: It looks great so far – but I have to ask… where are the men?

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

The Migraine Project – Trailer Available!

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Want to take a Peek at New Migraine Research?

Want to take a Peek at New Migraine Research?

James — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:36:16 +0000

The Migraine Research Foundation recently announced the recipients of their latest grants. Want to know what aspects of migraine are being researched? Here’s a peek into the cutting-edge research that’s coming up…

Inhibitory transcranial alternating current stimulation is a noninvasive treatment passing specific electrical currents through the skull. How effective is this type of treatment at killing a migraine attack in a chronic migraine patient? Drs. Andrea Antal and Walter Paulus will be looking for the answer.
How can we use genetics to fight migraine? We know that migraine has a genetic link – but to this point that knowledge hasn’t led to major treatments. Dr. F. Michael Cutrer will be studying genetic clues in a family with migraine.
Researchers are always looking at totally new approaches to treating migraine. New medications based on these approaches could help patients that haven’t been helped before – or could be more effective for patients being helped partially. Dr. Michael S. Gold will be investigating the use of calcium activated chloride channels in migraine treatment.
Migraine remains one of the most misunderstood of the world’s major disabilities. Jacki Ochs and Susanna Styron of the Human Arts Association in New York are working on The Migraine Project – A feature length documentary designed to increase awareness and understanding of migraine for a world-wide audience.

For more on the latest migraine research, and to find out how to support it, visit The Migraine Research Foundation.

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Want to take a Peek at New Migraine Research?

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Live Chat on Cluster Headache! 24 January 2012

James — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:21:12 +0000

The National Headache Foundation (US) will be hosting a chat session focused on cluster headache this coming Tuesday. You need to sign up to be involved, because the number of participants will be limited.

Special guest will be Dr. Frederick G. Freitag, Medical Director of Baylor University Medical Center’s Comprehensive Headache Center in Dallas, TX. The Headache Center has specialized in a wide variety of headache disorders. Dr. Freitag has been heavily involved in the American Headache Society and is on the board of directors of the National Headache Foundation.

The NHF site adds:

Over the past nearly 30 years, Dr. Freitag has been involved treating headache patients from across the U.S. He has lectured widely to colleagues and the public on headache diagnosis and treatment; led numerous clinical research initiatives; mentored students, residents and fellows in the art and science of headache medicine; and, published widely in peer-reviewed literature as well as contributed to some of the most important textbooks in headache.

The chat will take place on the Tuesday, the 24th of January 2012 at 9:30pm EST. To be a part of the chat, you need to email in a request – more details at the NHF Chat Room page.

This would be a great opportunity for cluster patients and their family and friends to ask questions about the cutting edge of cluster headache treatment. If you do sign up, please come back here to let us know how it went!

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Live Chat on Cluster Headache! 24 January 2012

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Headache Infographic – What do you think?

James — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:30:50 +0000

I was recently sent this infographic from The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Infographics can be useful summaries. But sometimes when we summarize information, we can miss important things. How do you think this infographic does?

Source: Mount Sinai Medical Center

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Headache Infographic – What do you think?

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The Case of the Missing Studies: Patients missing critical information

James — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:12:10 +0000

Clinical trials are tricky – one can say one thing, one can say another. But what if people with a financial interest could hide the ones you didn’t like, and only use the ones you did like?

A series of studies in the British Medical Journal suggest that clinical trials are missing – trials that may say something quite different than what the public is hearing.

In the United States, the government is trying to tighten up on requirements for clinical trials. One of these regulations is that all eligible clinical trials must be reported (on ClinicalTrials.gov) within one year of the study’s conclusion. This came into effect in 2007.

This database has an impressive list of studies – currently 119,213 trials from 178 countries. So whether or not trials are reported truly has a global impact.

So has the new requirement solved the problem? Not a chance. One study found that only 22% of the eligible trials had been reported after 12 months! (see Compliance with mandatory reporting of clinical trial results on ClinicalTrials.gov) Another study found that 50% of trials funded by the National Institutes of Health were published after 30 months, and a third of them were still unpublished after 51 months. (see Publication of NIH funded trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov) Yes, that’s over 4 years!

Another study found that even when studies were reported on Medline (an online database of trials), they weren’t properly tagged and indexed. (see Understanding why evidence from randomised clinical trials may not be retrieved from Medline)

–>>> This means basically that someone could do a well-designed clinical trial related to cluster headache or migraine, then not report the results for a few years. Even when they do report it, they can leave off tags so that no one can find it. Even if they do find it, many will miss studies that are so old.

Why is this happening? Don’t scientists want to publish their work?

Admittedly, some of this could come from a misunderstanding of the rules, laziness, simple mistakes, and so forth. There’s also time and expense to consider – it may be easier for a large company to publish than a smaller one with limited resources.

But the reality is that many of these studies are sponsored by the companies that sell you the medication you use. If a study says something the drug company doesn’t like – the study may just disappear. And that’s a scary thought.

Often researchers will publish a meta-analysis of the available studies. For example they could take the data from 12 trials of a certain drug, and tell us that, according to 8 of the studies, the drug is very effective. That sounds good until you realize there could be 12 more trials out there somewhere that say the opposite. One study found just that – the missing data often contradicted what the meta-analysis studies were telling us. (see Effect of reporting bias on meta-analyses of drug trials: reanalysis of meta-analyses)

The answer isn’t easy. Clinical trials can be tricky to regulate. And it’s even harder if you’re a small fish playing in the same pond with the huge drug companies.

But if the rules are there, they need to be enforced. And the public needs to know when they’re not being enforced.

The world of clinical trials is not as pure, easy to understand, and efficient as many people believe. It’s more important than ever for the buyer to beware – do your own research, be cautious, and don’t believe everything you read – even if it’s in a medical journal. What’s missing may change a whole lot.

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

The Case of the Missing Studies: Patients missing critical information

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Want to Promote your Product?

James — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:25:13 +0000

We talk about a lot of items here at Headache and Migraine News that we think will be useful to someone. We’ve talked about medications and supplements, machines, movies, sunglasses, and even water bottles and pillows!

Sometimes people have sent me products to review – and you’re welcome to do that (just contact me). However, today I want to talk about another great way to promote your product – give it away!

That’s right, I’m looking for companies who would like to give away their products for contests and give-aways here at Headache and Migraine News. Obviously prescription meds aren’t what I’m looking for, but there are plenty of other possibilities. The main rule here is that they have to be useful to someone with chronic headache or migraine or cluster headache.

For example, what about naturally and gently scented soaps? How about a supplement (have to be careful here – no "cures" please, and I’ll need something from a reputable source)? Or a biofeedback device? Or a special kind of ice pack? A good quality book? Even a special water bottle, or quality food product would be great. Preference given to items specifically designed for headache or migraine sufferers.

Obviously I will be picky. We don’t give away junk here. I’m looking for quality products. And in some cases I will need to have personal experience with it as well, so I know it’s of a high quality level.

Why would you want to give something away?

Haven’t you heard that to give is better than to receive? It’s great just to help people – for free! And I know that many of those who create these products really do want to help.

But there’s another reason – exposure for your product. In a contest or give away, your product is likely to be mentioned several times – on Twitter, Facebook, on this site, and in our free ezine. So we’re talking about tens of thousands of people – including over 13,000 "Likes" on Facebook and over 10,000 subscribers to our ezine.

So you can help people in two ways – give some one a free high quality product, and give others a chance to know about it and purchase it! And helping people is what we’re all about – by fighting headache and migraine. It’s about time we fought back, isn’t it?

Get involved!

If you’re interested in giving away a high quality product that will help those with chronic headache, migraine, or cluster headache, please contact me here. I may not be able to respond to all inquiries.

Note to our regular readers: We’ve had quite a few contests and give-aways here in the past. Most, if not all, have been paid for out of my own pocket. So the idea is not that I’ll stop doing that, but that we can have more contests thanks to generous sponsors.

From the Headache and Migraine News Blog

Want to Promote your Product?