Headache & Migraine News Blog

A recent study seems to show a pretty solid link between migraine and allergies.  We're talking specifically about pollinosis, hay fever, nasal allergies, seasonal allergic rhinitis, those nasty sneezy things that hit a lot of people when the grass starts growing and the flowers start blooming.

The study simply took about 300 children and adults, and checked to see if they had hay fever and migraine.  Of those with hay fever, 34% also had migraine.  That's an astonishing number, considering that only 4% of those without hay fever had migraine symptoms.

What does this mean?  Researchers are wondering if histamine, a chemical released during allergic reactions, is actually triggering a migraine attack.  Or it could be that there's a deeper cause that is common to both migraine and nasal allergy symptoms.

What research like this can do right now is put us (and doctors) on the alert that one may come with the other.  There's no evidence that antihistamine medications (used for hay fever) relieve migraine.  So it we may need to look elsewhere to treat some of those spring headaches we assumed were coming from the dust and pollen.

Remember, congestion is a symptom of migraine as well, so many people are probably tricked into thinking that they have nasal allergies when in fact it's migraine.  They take an antihistamine, and the symptoms go away - not because of the drugs, but because the migraine ran its course.  They could have gotten faster, more effective relief with migraine medication.

Read more about the study in this news article from Reuters, Migraines common among nasal-allergy sufferers.

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European Migraine Day of Action
September 6, 2006 8:33 am

It's on the 12th of September, 2006 - the first ever European Migraine Day of Action.  Various patient support representatives throughout Europe are working to make the day a success - it's about getting information to people about how to handle migraine, and about raising awareness among health professionals.  The message is simple -

Migraine is common - current research suggest it affects 11% of Europe's population.  Some research indicates that there are 20 million migraine attacks taking place every day in the world.

Migraine is disabling.  The World Health Organization rates migraine as the 19th leading cause of disability worldwide.  A recent Irish study on migraine says that work performance issues and absence alone from migraine costs the country €240 million (over $300 million in US dollars).  That doesn't even take into consideration the costs to personal lives, families, health care costs, and other impacts on community.

Migraine is treatable.  Many people don't know about the support and specific treatment options that are available to them.  Not only is migraine treatable, it should be treated.  A growing body of research shows that untreated migraine may cause more problems that are obvious right away.

The new European Headache Alliance is endorsing the day.  Nobel prize winner Mr John Hume will be launching the EHA in the European Parliament on the same day.

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Other bloggers - fixed?
September 8, 2006 8:19 am

I've been featuring other bloggers here for a long time, but today I came across some problems.  First, my post from August with some recent entries from other bloggers got damaged somehow, and some of the links didn't work.  So if you didn't see the post or couldn't get the links to work, please go back and have a look.

And, as our regular visitors may know, I've had some ongoing challenges with my permanent page which shows recent posts from headache and migraine bloggers.  Well, everyone, that page is now greatly improved.  I'm still working on making it great, but now it's at least pretty good.  Most of you should be able to see the posts, and it seems to load fairly quickly.

So please, go and check out these blogs from migraineurs, chronic headache sufferers, clusterheads, and more.  Sometimes they write about pain, sometimes just about life, but it's another reminder that we're not alone.

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Mind over Migraine simulation
September 11, 2006 8:13 am

I wrote earlier about the Mind over Migraine simulation from Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc. - see my original post here.  I thought I'd post it here for your convenience.  Bring someone you know over to the computer and show it to them - it's a great conversation starter about how migraine attacks impact people.  Talk about how your attacks are the same, and how they're different...

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Invisible symptoms in pictures
September 19, 2006 9:28 pm

A photo of a migraine?  How about a tension headache?  Many people have tried to illustrate invisible symptoms in art and photography.  The results can be striking, and sometimes disturbing and even headache inducing.

I like to keep an eye on how headache and migraine are being illustrated in art.  Above is a photo from Flickr user Saffanna.  Below are some other great examples - if you appreciate them, be sure to comment.  (I've left out some of the very disturbing ones - I realize to fully get the point across, the photo must be disturbing.  You can search and find more of these on your own):

What migraines look like.

I think this one's fantastic - Migraine

A simple but effective illustration of a tension headache.

A little photo manipulation often gets the point across - Migraine

What does aura look like?  Check out a couple of examples - migraine aura and My Migraine (not sure if that last one was intended to be aura, but either symbolic or otherwise it works)

Photo on the side entitled Headache, courtesy of Ende

There are many more out there.  Have you taken a photo that illustrates your symptoms?  Be sure to leave a comment.

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New ways to encourage your friends
September 25, 2006 7:52 am

How do you encourage someone who is sick?  That's challenging enough, but what about someone with a chronic illness?  What about someone that is sick over and over, or even every day?  Running out of ideas?  This might be the book for you.

Lisa Copen lives with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, diseases that are debilitating and yet invisible.  She began an organization known as Rest Ministries, a Christian support to those with chronic illness.  So she knows what it's like to need encouragement, and also to encourage others.

Lisa Copen has written a book that might be a help if you're looking for new ways to help someone with chronic illness.  It's called, Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend.  It's just what it sounds like - 505 quick, point form easy to read ideas that you can use.  Now of course they all aren't for everyone - some may sound trite to you, others will be just what you've been looking for.  But isn't that always the case?  The book assumes you know your friends, and that you'll know which ones will be appropriate.  After all, your friend will appreciate the extra effort and thoughtfulness.

This book is written from a Christian perspective, but most of these ideas will work well for anyone.  At under US$5, it's reasonably priced.  It seems that helping someone else often makes us feel better.  And who knows?  If this book is on your shelf, maybe someone will think to try some of the ideas on you too.

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