Headaches / Migraine Blog

If you're the type of person that enjoys indulging in the occasional frozen treat -- then it's likely you've experienced "brain freeze" -- that sharp pain in your temples that comes on instantaneously when something cold hits the inside of your mouth. And I know we've said a little sugar can be good for warding off some types of headaches -- if that sugar is in the form of a triple gelato scoop - beware! For decades, researchers were clueless about why brain freeze occurs. Recently, several  studies have shown that people who get migraines are also more likely to get brain freeze.

Because it can be hard to study the standard kind of headache in a laboratory environment, scientists are now looking at using brain freeze as a model. Brain freeze can be a useful model because while a headache may come on unpredictably, brain freeze can be induced on the spot. That means you can control when it comes on and off. In a recent study, 13 volunteers were asked to sip ice water through a straw until it brought on brain freeze.  When the subject signaled the researcher that the brain freeze was brought on, the scientists used imaging techniques to measure the patterns of blood flow in the vessels surrounding their brains. What the study aimed to map is whether the same patterns of blood flow that cause the pain in brain freeze cause the pain in migraines. But further studies are needed to really make the link.

Are you a migraine sufferer that regularly experiences brain freeze? If so, tell us about it.

Results from the 2012 United States Cluster Headache Survey revealed that alcohol remains the main trigger for cluster headaches. More than half of all survey participants stated that alcohol was their main headache trigger. In some European countries the rates of alcohol induced headache are much greater (Sweden 79%, UK 63%) or approximately the same (Germany 54%).

The main source of alcohol for US respondents was beer (57%) followed by red wine and hard liquor (about 50%). Most survey respondents reported that they stopped drinking at the onset of a cluster headache. Interestingly, the data also supported a well-known fact that beer is the number one consumed alcoholic beverage in the United States. Hence, the question is still out as to whether these numbers would look different in other countries - where other alcoholic beverages reign...

Tell us about your experience with alcohol and headaches.

Easter season brings lots of things to our household. It brings the excitement of having to whip out the rolodex of sitters, playdates and long lost relatives to try to entertain our 6 year old who's on Spring break (note to self: don't wait until the week before a school holiday to price Disney World tickets). It brings inches to my waistline as I can't resist those Peeps placed strategically at every supermarket checkout line and drug store counter. It also brings the Easter Bunny -- what could be wrong about that?

Step away from the chocolate bunny ears.

So while staving off hypoglycemia-induced headaches by popping a chocolate egg here and there seems like a noble cause, "binging" on the many sugary chocolate temptations around us can be a serious migraine trigger.

Are chocolate Easter candies staring you in the face? How will you cope this holiday season?

I must admit these past few days of warm weather have been pretty delightful. But seasonal weather changes can also signal that a sinus "nightmare" is waiting to erupt. And the headaches that come with sinusitis are amongst the most painful of any headache I've had to bear. While over the counter remedies can provide some relief, many of us have sought out a physician's care, and a prescription pad.

Sinusitis is often referred to as a sinus infection. If any infection is bacterial -- antibiotics are usually the way to go. But it's often hard for a doctor to quickly determine if your sinus pain is from a bacterial infection, a viral infection or something else (like a migraine). A recent study from the Infectious Disease Society of America shows that while sinus infections are the 5th leading reason for physicians to prescribe antibiotics, they are probably ineffective in most cases because it appears most sinus infections are actually viral in nature. In fact, when antibiotics are overprescribed -- they can actually lead to antibiotic resistance, which means you can develop "superbugs" -- microbes that are so strong they won't respond to antibiotics.

The authors propose guidelines for treating pain related to sinus infection that include irrigating the nose with saline and taking acetaminophen for the pain -- but laying off antibiotics...

Do you suffer from seasonal sinusitis and sinus headaches? How do you cope with the pain? What do you do for treatments? We want to know...

"Not tonight dear - I have a headache..." Who would have guessed that one of the biggest cliches in Hollywood might actually have some scientific evidence to back it up. A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine,  from researchers at the University of Pavia in Italy shows that 90% percent of women who sought medical treatment for headache and migraine report significant problems in their sex life.

The study looked at 100, 40-year old women who were long-term, chronic headache sufferers. The women gave detailed medical histories about their sex lives and submitted to a neurological exam. Most women reported having low sexual desire, and low sex drive. Women who suffered the longer chronic headaches tended to report greater levels of stress related to sex.

It was noted that women with headaches also have higher levels of depression and anxiety, which could also contribute to sexual dysfunction and lead to stress.

Do you have problems with sexual function because of chronic migraines or headaches? Have you talked with your doctor about problems in your sex life?

A recent report from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that women who suffer from migraines have a greater chance of developing depression later in life. Researchers who were part of the Women's Health Study reported that out of the nearly 37,000 women who were enrolled in the study, 18% reported having active migraines or a history of migraines. They followed up with the women over 14 years and found that 11% of them were also clinically diagnosed with depression.

We've discussed the link between migraine and depression before. We've talked about studies that suggest that some of the same genes involved with migraine could also be involved with depression. But what makes this particular study so exciting is that they were able to look at so many women (over 6,000 migraine sufferers) and follow these same women for so many years. Hats off to these women for hanging in there for over a decade.

We also know that men suffer from migraines -- but this study doesn't include men. Scientists noted that these effects would probably translate to men as well.

Do you or someone you know suffer from migraine-related depression? I'd love to hear your story...

It feels like only yesterday that I was cradling my newborn in my arms. I remember each of those amazing few months with exquisite detail - the first smile, the first coo and who could forget that first tooth. And right along with those delightful memories are also the memories of those  8 PM - midnight squeals of displeasure -- also known as colic. Dad and I used to do the the tag-team-trade-off; pacing like zombies down a dark hallway with baby in our arms until those little lungs gave way to sleep. If you've ever parented a baby with colic then  you know exactly what I mean...

So when the American Academy of Neurology issued a report yesterday  that suggests moms with migraines are more likely to have babies with colic -- I had a eureka moment (which was actually second to my first instinct mode of  mom defense  - which goes something like "...hey, don't going blaming moms for everything..."). But when you think about the idea that genes may be responsible for our migraines -- then it makes perfect sense.

Child neurologist Amy Gelfand led a study that looked at 154 mothers and their babies. Babies with colic were defined as those children who were healthy -- but who showed periodic signs of distress for no apparent reason. Mothers with a history of migraine were 2.5 times more likely to have a baby with colic than those who didn't report suffering from migraines. The researchers suggest that that colic in newborns may be an early sign of a syndrome that could eventually look like migraine in later years.

Now back to my eureka moment -- let's think about some of those behaviors associated with treating migraines. They're not too far off from the things we did to soothe our colicky baby boy -- going into a dark room, soothing massage, limiting auditory and visual stimulation...sound familiar?

I can't help but wonder if I was a colicky baby...

Were you?

It's not that I need celebrities to validate my pain -- but when I try to explain to non-migraine sufferers just how debilitating an attack is -- a celebrity event of similar magnitiude can sometimes be a good jumping off point.

I thought about this recently when reading that Sean P. Diddy Combs was hospitalized (briefly) for a migraine attack following a Playboy mansion party after this weekend's Grammy awards. Not long before that, comedian Russell Brand suffered a migraine with nausea while performing on a Hollywood stage.

And because those guys were brave enough to say '...hey...I can't hang right now...I'm having a migraine...' maybe the world will be a bit more sensitive to the times when we (the not quite celebrities) also need to retreat from our situation to heal.

I see this kind of media exposure as an opportunity to educate - what do you think?

We've read about lots of groundbreaking new work on genetics and headache over the past couple of years. This week there's a chance to hear directly from those leaders in this field. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is sponsoring it's 10th  research symposium on February 7-9, 2012 in Miami Beach Florida. The event is titled:"The Genetics of Pain: Science, Medicine and Drug Development.

It promises to be an interactive program that will be highly focused on genetics, clinical interventions and persistent pain conditions. Invited speakers include an international panel of experts from the pharmaceutical industry, academic research  and clinicians in the field.

What would you want to ask a geneticist about headache and migraine? Do headaches and migraines run in your family?

10th IASP Conference: The Genetics of Pain - Science, Medicine, and Drug Development

My five year old and I came to a recent agreement, which is that we would put the brakes on 3D movie viewing. His reasoning was something like, "...those glasses make my nose feel funny..." My reasoning was something like, "...are we really paying an extra $7 per ticket to see this elf dance in 3D...plus, those glasses make his nose feel funny..."

Well, a recent report suggests we may not be entirely out of the ordinary for taking a pass on 3D viewing. A recent study in the Journal of Vision shows that 3D images may place demands on our eyes that can cause the type of eyestrain discomfort that leads to headaches . To visualize images in 3D, our eyes have to shift back-and-forth between the light that comes from the screen, and the 3D image that is at some distance away from the screen. This can create eyestrain. As a matter of fact, Consumer Reports put out a recent study that said that 15% of moviegoers experience headaches during 3D movies.

In the current study, twenty-four adults were asked to focus on objects in front of or behind a screen, and then were evaluated for discomfort. When there was a short distance to the screen, such as when subjects were viewing a mobile phone or desktop monitor, they reported feeling more uncomfortable when objects were placed in front of the screen. It was as if the object was in the space of the viewer's room. When there was a longer distance, like a movie theater screen, the subjects felt more uncomfortable when the object was behind the screen. In those instances they felt as if they were looking through a window.

Interestingly, this UC Berkeley conducted study was funded in part by Samsung -- makers of 3D entertainment.The researchers hope that data from the study will influence how 3D entertainment, medical technology and other forms of telecommunication are developed. They also hope to expand their study by including children as subjects in the future (hopefully with no surcharge).

What do you think? Have you ever experienced any discomfort in front of a 3D movies screen?

The zone of comfort: Predicting visual discomfort with stereo displays