So we're smart people with brain damage?
May 1, 2007 7:52 am
Migraine sufferers may be suffering brain damage, but apparently their brains end up in better shape than most people's. So went the paradoxes as the news stories came out the last few days.
Ok, so what's this all about? First of all, the brain damage study, from researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center. This was an animal study published in Nature Neuroscience, suggesting that brain cells become starved of oxygen. Similar damage takes place after a concussion or stroke. It may be that giving oxygen during an attack (a valid treatment, by the way) may help stop the bad effects.
This was a study done with mice, and there is certainly disagreement over how it really relates to us humans. However, we do know that there is a strong link between migraine and stroke, so this is really not all that surprising. We just need more studies to understand exactly why there is such an increased risk. Here's an earlier post about some related studies on migraine and stroke.
At the same time, research showed that there is less cognitive decline in migraineurs than in the general population. What's this all about?
This study, published in Neurology on April 24th, followed 1448 people over 12 years. They were given regular tests, such as word tests, to see what kind of decline there would be over the years. Most of the patients were in their late 40s and early 50s when the tests began.
It turns out that migraineurs didn't show as quick a decline as everyone else. In fact, those who suffered migraine with aura did significantly better than their non-migraine counterparts.
This isn't the first time results like this have shown up. For example, Neurology reported on a study in Denmark that showed life-long migraine didn't seem to do long term damage to your ability to think.
It's even more of a paradox because during a migraine attack, many people do suffer from cognitive problems - difficulty recalling words, troubles with memory and in general a "foggy brain".
In the end, we do know that migraine seems to do some kind of long term damage. Though it may have a minimal effect on your ability to think over time, it does increase your risk of serious damage from stroke and even heart problems. It's important to not just stop the pain, but to stop the migraine chain-reaction that can do this damage.
For more information on the first study, read Headaches may act like tiny transient strokes. Read more about the second study in Migraine sufferers have less cognitive decline: Study.
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Band-it
May 8, 2007 8:12 am
Last month I wrote about José María Morelos, the famous Mexican who fought for his country's independence. Morelos suffered from migraines, and used to wrap a cloth around his head to alleviate the pain.
This is actually a common headache treatment in Korea, according to Dr Robert Milne and Blake More, who recommend the treatment for several headache types, including tension, rebound and cluster. Koreans tie the cloth tightly just above the eyebrows. According to one study, wearing a snug headband helped 1/4 of the study participants to obtain 50% or more relief. Not bad.
Another study, reported on in the January 1993 issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, reported that 87% found some relief. Most of these had relief over 80%, which is significant.
Another treatment they suggest is wrapping rubber bands around your fingers. Put one rubber band on each finger, at the joint closest to your fingernail. Leave them on for no more than 9 minutes (remember, your fingers are probably turning a purple and hurting a bit. We don't want any finger injuries here!) In spite of the slight finger ache, you may find your headache is gone.
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My monitor is too BRIGHT!
May 14, 2007 8:32 am
When I'm in the middle of a major migraine attack, there are few things worse than a bright computer screen. On the other hand, sometimes doing something on the computer can get my mind off the pain. So, I dim the screen a lot.
On some computers, this is easy. On others, it isn't. Here are some quick tips for getting that screen dim when you want it dim...
Dim the internet: This is the killer idea that inspired me to write this post. It's called the Darken bookmarklet. Open up that page using Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera, and install the bookmarklet as directed. Then, whenever you need less light, wherever you are on the net, click the button. BANG! The page now has a dark background with grey type. Much better.
The drawback is that you do need to do this for each page you visit. If you're surfing wildly, that could be difficult. However, if you use the Firefox browser (and you might as well - it's free), you can use the Greasemonkey extension to do all kinds of nifty things to the websites you visit. In this case, you can install a Darken script that allows you to permanently darken certain pages.
A couple other dim ideas? Here's a screen dimmer for Mac, with a lot of options. Finally, a screensaver that simply gradually dims your screen - great if you're stuck in the same room with your computer and you need to leave it on. All three of these ideas came from Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide (no, they didn't pay me for the mention!).
One final idea for you. On some computers, especially laptops, there are settings for dimming your monitor. You may need to make sure you have the latest software from your laptop's manufacturer, especially if you've upgraded your laptop since you bought it (ie to XP or Vista). You might even be able to have a setting on your computer labeled Ack! I have a headache!, so that you can click it and automatically dim your screen.
Any other good tips out there for dimming your computer screen?
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Migraineurs and retina disease
May 21, 2007 10:31 am
Dr. Kathryn Rose of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her team came out with a report last week about migraineurs and retina disease, specifically retinopathy. The short story is that migraine sufferers have an increased risk of the disease.
According the the Mayo Clinic, retinopathy is refers to damage to the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish the retina, the tissue at the back of your eye that captures light and relays information to your brain. It's a common in diabetes patients, but has a much wider scope, being a common cause of blindness.
Actually, the study found that those with a history of migraine or headaches were between 1.3 and 1.5 times more likely to have retinopathy. If you removed patients who had diabetes or hypertension, the likelihood increased among those with migraine or headaches with visual disturbances.
My first thought was that this relates to the strain on the blood vessels often caused by migraine, and the leaking and inflammation that occurs. Does this eventually lead to the damage of the retina? Dr Rose doesn't think so.
"What I think this suggests is that there's probably the same problem that underlies both retinopathy and the headaches where there's some dysfunction or problems in the small blood vessels in the retina and the brain", said Dr Rose in a telephone interview.
So it's another arrow pointing to the underlying causes of migraine. More reasons to visit your optometrist and have that checkup you've been putting off...
News release from the university - History of migraines associated with increased risk of retinopathy
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