Latest Research And Treatments

At the American Headache Society's 52^nd Annual Scientific Meeting held in Los Angeles in June 2010 over 200 research papers were presented to the 500 specialists attending. The next symposium is scheduled for November 2010 in Arizona and is aimed at health professionals who want to learn more about migraine and headache management using the latest techniques and treatments. Some of the things discussed that are helping migraine sufferers include Botox, magnetic stimulation and various drugs.

Botox

Botox isn't only good for removing your wrinkles. It has also just been approved as a treatment for chronic migraines in the United Kingdom. Ask your doctor to prescribe this for your migraine attacks and if it doesn't work, at least you won't have any wrinkles!

Drug Treatments

There are several new drugs now available or soon to be released in the United States. Nautilus Neurosciences, Inc has just released diclofenac potassium in an oral solution under the brand name CAMBIA ^TM which can be used at any time during a migraine attack. MAP Pharmaceuticals new LEVADEX TM is also offers promising news for menstrual migraine sufferers and those who suffer a migraine with allodynia.

Magnetic Stimulation

Magnetic stimulation is the latest treatment for a variety of brain problems including depression and addiction. It now looks like it can help 'migraines with aura' sufferers too. Using a hand held device that gives a magnetic pulse to the back of the head, sufferers experience relief of symptoms for up to 48 hours. This non-invasive treatment has to be given at the start of the migraine attack. Further research is needed but it seems that this could soon be a major step forward in migraine treatments. If costs can be reduced, enough sufferers could even self-treatment at home without having to go to the doctor's office.

Massage

Even getting a simple head massage can help relieve tension headaches and migraines. However the massage should be around half-an hour to an hour, so you might want to try an Indian Head Massage at your local alternative health center to see if it helps you.

Migraine Treatment Trial

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is currently recruiting migraine sufferers from all over the United States to participate in a randomized medical trial. If you suffer from chronic migraines why not ask your physician to refer you to the researchers to see if you qualify. Of course participating in a medical trial is not without risks and you should make sure you are fully informed of all the disadvantages as well as the potential benefits before you agree to take part.

Sleep Deprivation

Latest research shows that not getting enough sleep, and in particular not getting enough REM sleep, that's the dreaming type of sleep, can increase and even trigger migraines. So perhaps if you can increase your sleep you may find that your migraines will lessen or even go away altogether.

Benefits Of Migraines

Although it's hard to think of any benefits of having a migraine, especially when you are in the middle of an attack, in actual fact suffering from migraines means you are much less likely to suffer from breast cancer! 26% less likely according to research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in 2009. Of course that doesn't mean just because you get migraines you should stop going for your mammograms, but at least it can give you some comfort while you lie in the dark feeling awful.

MigraineHelper.com