In a study of 160,000 patients, Dr. Lipton, from the Montefiore Headache Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that approximately two percent of individuals who take migraine medication at least three times a month may become dependent on the drugs.  This dependency causes them to develop more migraines, and as such, they may have to change medications or treatment options.  But, these medications provide such great relief in the interim that it is difficult to give them up.  What can an individual do when he/she is suffering from such debilitating headaches without relying on medication?  ABC News offers some suggestions about how to manage migraines without drugs.  These guidelines may also help people to function better, as they will not have to suffer through medication side effects in addition to the migraine pain.

First, try to keep a routine schedule, which means the same bedtime, mealtime, and wake up time every single day of the week, including weekends.  This means avoiding sleeping in on weekends or rainy days, and avoiding big changes to this schedule whenever possible.  Next, try to keep a journal detailing what foods provoke a migraine and then avoid those particular items.  Don’t want to go through trial and error of finding what foods cause headaches?  Then, get a food list from the American Council on Headache Education and try to limit your consumption of these items.  It is also suggested that you exercise moderately and often.  In this same vein, you should avoid smoking and manage or avoid stressful situations.  Finally, try to get evaluated for any neck or jaw pain, as there could be an underlying cause of your headaches that is easily fixed with a neck pillow or a mouth guard.  If a headache has already developed, you can apply ice to the head and temples, and heat at the neck to stave off further pain.  Although all of these suggestions may not work for every migraine, they may help to curb some of the pain and may also result in fewer instances of medication overuse.

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According to AccuWeather’s blog, variable highs and lows in atmospheric pressure, oppressive heat, extreme humidity, and precipitation can cause the brain’s blood vessels to contract and expand. Migraines and their severe symptoms of nausea, pain, and difficulty functioning often occur because of the changes in the size of blood vessels. In fact, the blog notes that a certain study found that temperature changes with humidity, changes in barometric pressure, and varied weather patterns are the largest contributors to a migraine attack. The particular study was conducted in 2004 in Connecticut where researchers examined migraine sufferers’ diaries and compared them with local weather reports for a period of time. They found that approximately half of the participants reported an onslaught of migraine headaches during weather changes. Moreover, about sixty percent of the individuals felt that they were sensitive to abrupt weather disruptions.

Another study, conducted in Canada, found that individuals also reported more migraines when winds changed in their local region. What’s more is that the individuals in both studies indicated that while weather was an important factor in migraine occurrence, it was only heightened when other conditions, such as stress or lack of sleep, were present. Fortunately, AccuWeather has developed a forecasting tool that allows people to assess what the likelihood of having a migraine due to weather may be. The tool targets a local region and you can see how the weather may impact a migraine suffer on any given day. It rates the likelihood of an attack from a beneficial weather forecast to an extreme risk of developing a migraine.

Perhaps, with tools such as this one, people who live with these difficult headaches can better prepare for their day. If the weather is such that a migraine may occur, a person can try to limit other factors and also ensure that they have their medication. It is just this kind of preemptive treatment that can really allow individuals to better their quality of life without worrying that a disabling headache is just around the corner.

Dr. Smith, who is an ear, nose, and throat doctor, believes that many migraine sufferers are actually suffering from a deviated septum. This occurs when the cartilage separating the right and left airways becomes damaged or otherwise displaced. Dr. Smith thinks that this damaged septum can come in contact with sensitive tissue in the nose, thereby triggering headaches, such as migraines. He encourages individuals to visit a neurologist and get a MRI to reveal if any tumors or other abnormalities are present. If none are discovered, he believes that patients should then get a CT scan of their sinuses to look for signs of a deviated septum. If this is found Dr. Smith proposes a relatively easy and quick procedure that will not only repair the septum, but also possibly the migraine headaches. The twenty minute procedure called a septoplasty has resulted in ninety percent of Dr. Smith’s patients reporting relief from debilitating headaches.

Deviated septums, according to Dr. Smith, usually occur after some type of trauma to the nose. Additionally, he notes that many athletes who complain of severe headaches, but are constantly subjected to damaging trauma may in fact have a deviated septum. Even childhood accidents can lead to a damaged septum. Dr. Smith believes that if more people were tested for a deviated septum, not only would they feel relief from migraine pain, but would also save thousands of dollars on health care every year. Furthermore, individuals with migraines are recognized to have a disability if they are unable to continue working. He believes that more people will be able to continue working if they have their septums fixed and find migraine relief. Migraines are difficult to manage and can cause debilitating pain that have no identifiable cause. Hopefully, Dr. Smith’s hunch is correct and the way to relief is through your nose!

The research team divided study participants into two groups: one group had never suffered from migraines, while the other group consisted of individuals who experienced chronic migraines.  The participants were asked to focus on a small white light, while light noise played in the background.  This light noise was akin to the television static that comes on when the cable is out or programming is discontinued.  The researchers noted that when the background noise was not on, the healthy participants, as well as the migraine sufferers could each find the white light with little to no problems.  In this instance, those living with migraines did not complain of any difficulty or pain.  When the background was turned on, however, those migraine sufferers had a very difficult time finding the white light when compared with the healthy participants.  It is important to note that those who were prone to migraines were not suffering from any at the time of the study.

The researchers concluded that people who suffer from migraines recognize visual cues better when there are no distractions around, such as the background noise in the study.  What was surprising to the researchers is that this was true even when they were not suffering from migraines.  They concluded that migraine sufferers are likely at a disadvantage when they are attempting to focus on a particular object or details in a cluttered environment.  Unfortunately, our environment is chock full of objects, noise, lights, etc. that may prevent these individuals from being able to focus.  This may explain why being in a dark room devoid of distractions allows an individual with a migraine to focus better and relax their eyes, contributing to some pain relief.

This also may the reason people with migraines find it so difficult to maintain employment and will often file for Social Security Disability. The work environment often involves noise, light, other people’s perfumes, etc., so it’s no wonder migraine sufferers have such a tough time on the job.

If you suffer from migraines, you may benefit from decreasing the amount of distractions present in your environment – be it at work or at home.  Additionally, when a migraine hits, it is prudent to escape to a quiet, darkened room to ease the adjustment to all that is present around you. If your migraines are so bad that even these measures do not help you, it may be time to file for Social Security Disability.

In the first study, researchers from Taiwan examined the results of previous studies using naproxen at a dosage level of 500 to 825 milligrams for approximately 2,168 migraine patients.  The researchers found that naproxen reduced the migraine intensity, pain, and symptoms within two hours of taking it, according to Reuters.  This resulted in a “desirable outcome” as defined by the International Headache Society.  Despite this favorable outcome, the researchers also found that naproxen did not always offer the same clinical benefits as triptans, the traditional migraine drugs.  Moreover, the researchers also found that aspirin provided better relief than naproxen in regulating migraine pain.  In fact, according to Reuters, the research team concluded that a 1,000 milligram dose of aspirin was the best treatment option for migraines when compared to naproxen or acetaminophen.  However, many people cannot take triptans or aspirin because of their harsh side effects.  Because of this, Aleve and Tylenol may provide the best alternative to migraine pain management.

In the second study, the manufacturers of Tylenol conducted an examination 378 migraine sufferers who were randomly given Tylenol or a placebo.  Over ninety days, the researchers found that those taking the Tylenol reported reduced pain within an hour of taking the pill, and after two hours, fifty-two percent report little to no pain.  Conversely, those in the placebo group continued to report pain after two hours at a rate of sixty-eight percent.  They also found that Tylenol reduced other migraine associated problems such as nausea and light sensitivity, whereas the placebo did not.

This is great news for migraine sufferers who have reached their wits’ end about how to effectively counter the effects of a migraine.  Taking Tylenol or Aleve are low cost, effective alternatives to the traditional migraine drugs on the market.  Further, it may be easier for people to purchase and take them without having to wait for a prescription or worry about injecting a medication while at work or school.  Because these medications are not approved by the FDA as a migraine treatment, it is best to speak with your doctor about taking them as part of your migraine therapy.  Hopefully, you will get the green light to take something already in your medicine cabinet and get the relief you have been looking for.

According to USA Weekend, studies published between 2008 and 2009 show that women who suffer from migraines have a twenty-six to thirty-three percent lower risk of developing breast cancer.  After these studies, researchers began to wonder whether it was the actual migraines or the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that reduced the risk of breast cancer.  The USA Weekend article notes that both aspirin and these types of drugs have been shown to reduce the overall risk of breast cancer and are often taken to combat migraines.  The researchers found that migraine sufferers were eleven percent less likely to develop breast cancer and seventeen percent less likely to develop hormone sensitive breast cancer, even if they were not  taking any of the aforementioned drugs.

The research team believes that the estrogen’s role in breast cancer and migraine attacks is the reason for these associations.  They cite the evidence that more women experience severe headaches around the time of menstruation and that pregnant women have fewer migraines once the estrogen stabilizes in the middle of pregnancy.  How estrogen actually influences these conditions is still largely unknown and more research will be needed in this area.  It does provide some hope, however, that those who suffer with migraines may be able to better manage them depending on their estrogen levels.  It is also significant that having such a debilitating condition can actually decrease the chances of developing another serious disease like cancer.

The article talks about how migraines occur when blood vessels in the head become engorged and press down on the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for pain behind the eyes and on the side of the head. This compression of the nerve produces the intense pain often associated with a migraine. This nerve, however, also has another function in which it controls the temporalis muscle and other muscles in the lower jaw. The temporalis muscle is located between your eye and ear, and when you clench your teeth, you can feel it bulge. Dr. Sheldon notes that when this particular muscle is strained, the trigeminal nerve begins firing. He goes on to point out that most people grind or clench their teeth in five second intervals during the night and it usually goes unnoticed. That is, until a migraine occurs. Dr. Sheldon cautions that the continuous grinding makes the nerve fire over and over, which in turn engorges the blood vessels, and finally, a migraine develops. Additionally, approximately forty-eight percent of migraines begin to occur between four and nine in the morning, just after a night full of teeth grinding.

Dr. Sheldon admits that most people do not think that they grind their teeth, and therefore, have no idea why migraines begin to develop. He advises people to take a good look at their teeth and if they are flat or the edges are jagged, it can usually be attributed to grinding. So, what can you do? As I mentioned earlier, most dentists and neurologists recommend wearing a dental appliance that can reduce the clenching and grinding, thereby reducing the excessive muscle and nerve tension leading to migraines. These appliances have been shown to reduce the severity and frequency of migraines. As much as it may pain you to have to get fitted for one of these mouth guards (I know I wouldn’t want to do it) the migraine pain probably far outweighs your painful pride!

The device itself transmits a trans cranial magnetic stimulation pulse to the back of the head, thereby interrupting the electrical activity in the brain that can trigger a migraine aura to occur. These early symptoms are usually associated with flashing lights, nausea, numbness or tingling, and other disturbances. The device was tested by approximately two hundred patients from sixteen various medical centers across the United States. The participants were randomly assigned the actual device or a placebo device that looked identical to the real one. Additionally, all of the individuals had previously been diagnosed with aura type migraines. Over the course of three months, they were asked to give two pulses to the back of their heads when they began to experience early signs of a migraine. Then, they were instructed to record their pain levels right after using the device, thirty minutes afterward, and then, after one, two, twenty-four, and forty-eight hours.

The researchers found that thirty-nine percent of the patients were pain free at the two hour mark after using the device. Moreover, some were even pain free forty-eight hours after using the product. As a comparison, those using the placebo device reported having no pain after two hours in approximately twenty-two percent of the test population. What is more is that no significant side effects were reported and the device was relatively easy to use.

Although, as with most studies, additional research into the device’s use will be necessary, it is a welcome advancement for the migraine treatment field. Many people who live with disorder are reluctant to take drugs or shots, due to their side effects and inconvenience. Even though the drugs are supposed to lessen the impact of the migraine symptoms, people find that they often need to leave work, school, or other activities to take them and wait out the pain. This can contribute to people not being able to work because of the disorder and corresponding treatment. With this device, however, people can take it with them, and experience relief from pain in a relatively short amount of time. Although it is not as small as the palm of your hand, nor is it an application that you can download on your I-Phone, this new device is likely to make a big impact on many migraine sufferers.

The dermatologists examined eighteen patients who were considering having Botox done for cosmetic purposes and who also suffered from migraines. Ten of these patients experienced ocular or crushing migraines, while the other patients suffered from exploding or pressure building headaches. Some of the patients even complained of experiencing both types of migraines. After three months of Botox treatments, the dermatologists found that thirteen of the patients reported a reduction in migraine pain, including all ten of the ocular headache sufferers and three of the exploding headache sufferers. Specifically, for those living with ocular migraines saw a decrease in their headaches from seven per month to one per month. In the exploding headache group, the patients saw a decrease from approximately eleven per month to nine per month.

Although this and previous studies appear to indicate that Botox may be beneficial for migraine treatment, use of the drug is still not largely advocated by the medical establishment, and the American Academy of Neurology has advised against its use for these debilitating headaches. The dermatologists conducting this study, however, believe that additional research is necessary to determine if Botox could be an alternative treatment for certain migraine sufferers who do not experience relief with traditional therapies. They assert that this small study, coupled with the prior Botox studies, make a good argument for the use of Botox for ocular migraines. In fact, some doctors, who have a patient who has not responded to regular migraine treatment, refer them to a dermatologist for Botox. Although insurance does not cover the treatments, approximately fifty percent of patients report a reduction in the headaches. What would be really interesting to know is what a person’s face looks like after all of the injections to keep the migraines at bay…

The study, the first large-scale on of its kind, sought to recognize and understand the role that migraines play in the development of multiple sclerosis.  The research team examined data from 116,000 nurses who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study for sixteen years since 1989.  Researchers found that approximately 18,000 reported having migraines at the beginning of the study and 375 were eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis throughout the course of the study.  The research team then adjusted the data for those who already had risk factors for multiple sclerosis and concluded that having a history of migraines correlated to a forty-seven percent risk for developing the neurological disorder.  Those conducting the study already knew that women were twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis as men, and three times as likely to suffer from migraines.  Both of these conditions are usually diagnosed before the age of fifty.  What the researchers did not know, however, was whether there was a clear association between migraines and multiple sclerosis.  It appears from this study that the two disabilities do correlate with one another somehow, although the actual reason behind the interplay is still unknown.  The research team published the conclusions of the study and plan to present the findings at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in April.  One part of the study that the researchers did not publish was the fact that being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis is associated with an increased risk of developing migraines.  As such, it seems that these conditions are linked in a particular manner, and it is a relationship that goes both ways.

This study is important to the millions who suffer with migraines and the many who must eventually file for social security disability benefits due to their inability to work.  This information may help their cause because if migraines are linked to the development of yet another disability, such as multiple sclerosis, examiners and judges are much more likely to recognize the chronic, debilitating effects.  The study is also important because knowing that migraines are part of multiple sclerosis will help in recommending the correct treatment option.  If you suffer from migraines or multiple sclerosis, and feel that you may be developing symptoms of the other, please visit your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and therapy.