VoLUME
8, ISSUE 4
July
2003
July 8th Meeting:
Dr.
Stephen Peroutka was the guest lecturer for the third
meeting of the East Bay Headache Support Group,
We
are pleased to have him speak again, this time on
The
meeting will be held in the Monterey Room, downstairs
at John Muir Medical Center, on Tuesday, July 8, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Call 925-938-5252 for more information.
A
Revolution in
Thursday, June 5, 2003 (HealthScoutNews)
— Not long ago, migraine sufferers
had no choice but to head for darkened bedrooms to wait out the pain.
Or they could down powerful painkillers that could lead to ferocious
“rebound” headaches and, ultimately, addiction.
Often, doctors
couldn’t—or wouldn’t—help much. As
But dramatic breakthroughs
in recent years have led to
That’s a message
specialists are hoping to convey during National Headache Awareness Week, June
1-7.
Dr. Lisa K. Mannix, a
neurologist who has been treating headaches exclusively for seven years since
completing her residency, says migraine care has been “revolutionized” in
the past decade. “I often joke
that I didn’t have to practice in the dark ages, which makes some of my
[older] colleagues a little jealous,” says Mannix, who’s in private practice
in Cincinnati. Unlike her
predecessors, she says,
A huge advance in the
treatment of migraines came in 1993 when the first triptan medication hit the
market. Sumitriptan, also known as
Imitrex, mimics the neurotransmitter serotonin, whose supply drops off during
migraines. Sumitriptan causes blood
Over the past decade, six
other triptans have hit the market. Like
other classes of drugs such as antidepressants and antibiotics, different
triptans might work for some people, but not others.
So more choices mean more hope for migraine sufferers.
Other new treatments appear
to help prevent migraines or reduce their frequency and severity.
These include Botox, better known for its ability to smooth away facial
wrinkles, as well as beta blockers and calcium-channel blockers, both used to
treat high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, experts say.
Antidepressants that affect serotonin levels can
help prevent migraines. And
anti-seizure medications, used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorders, also
have shown promise for their ability to prevent migraines.
And more new treatments seem
likely. Dr. Seymour Diamond,
executive chairman of the National Headache Foundation, says he knows of 14
Still, millions of sufferers
aren’t getting the newer, proven medications for their migraines.
One reason: Experts say
Americans with migraines are
never properly diagnosed. “It’s
an awareness issue, and I do think people are suffering needlessly,” says
Diamond, founder and director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago.
On a more positive note, the
number of doctor visits for migraines nearly doubled from 9.4 people per 1,000
to 18 per 1,000, from 1990 to 1998, a recent Wake Forest University study says.
This jump in visits may reflect the newer treatment options.
However, the study also
found that many migraine sufferers rely on too many addictive painkillers that
provide only short-term relief instead of more effective drugs, such as triptans.
What’s more, many migraine
sufferers remain unaware of the triptans and other newer treatments, including
the preventive drugs, experts say. This
ignorance stems in part from earlier, failed treatment for migraine sufferers,
relatives or acquaintances, says Mannix, a member of the headache foundation’s
board of directors.
“People may not come back
to the medical system because they may not realize we have better drugs,” she
says. “People say, ‘I went 10
or 15 years ago and got side effects and [treatment] didn’t work.’
Or they say, ‘It didn’t work for my mom so why should it work for
me?’”
Mannix says that about 25
percent of migraine patients could benefit from preventive medications, such as
anti-seizure drugs, but only 5 percent take them. “So there’s some serious under-treatment going on
here,” she says.
Primary care doctors—the
front line in treatment of most migraines—typically don’t have the time
necessary to assess the headache patient thoroughly and decide the best
treatment, Diamond explains.
Besides medication,
practical steps such as eating and sleeping well, exercising regularly, and
reducing stress can help fight migraines, specialists say.
But for persistent
migraines, Mannix says, “The big thing is you don’t have to suffer.
We’ve sort of unraveled some of the mystery, and there’s a lot of
good treatment available.”
As part of Headache
Awareness Week, the National Headache Foundation has introduced a new tool for
sufferers called MAP, or Migraine Attack
By tracking the duration of
individual headache attacks with MAP, doctors can learn which aspects of a
migraine affect a patient most, how long each phase of an attack lasts, and what
tends to make them get better or worse. Eventually,
a pattern appears and doctors can use this information to help select the most
appropriate medication for the patient, as well as identify the
For a free copy of the Migraine Attack Profile, contact the headache foundation at 1-888-NHF-5552 or visit www.headaches.org.
Found
on the Internet at Yahoo! News
Headache
According to some studies,
what we eat and when we eat it plays a significant role in headache and
migraine. Over-activity of the
arteries in the head has been found to cause pain, and wildly fluctuating blood
sugar levels can prompt these vessels to spasm in susceptible people.
Caffeine, a com-pound commonly found in coffee, tea and chocolate, has
been linked to headache. Researchers
believe that people who are prone to headache and migraine may be sensitive to
the effects of caffeine. Limiting
drinks or foods containing caffeine is generally recommended.
Food additives and naturally occurring food chemicals can also trigger
headache in some people. If you
suspect that your headaches may be linked to your diet, it is important to seek
medical attention so that your sensitivities can be properly diagnosed.
Arteries are
Affected by Insulin
Most cells in the body need
to burn glucose with oxygen to produce energy.
The digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates we eat into glucose.
This simple sugar is then transported to each cell via the bloodstream.
A gland of the endocrine system called the pancreas secretes a
hormone called insulin, which helps the glucose to migrate from the blood
into the cells. If the food eaten
is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream, then the pancreas has to respond with
a strong hit of insulin. The sudden
drop in blood sugars seems to encourage the arteries in the head to constrict.
During a migraine, visual disturbances such as the characteristic aura
may be due to this arterial constriction.
Hypoglycemia means low
If you skip a meal, your
blood sugar level may drop too low for your brain to function comfortably.
In order to boost the amount of glucose to the brain, the body releases
hormones which may also cause an increase in blood pressure because they narrow
the arteries. This narrowing of the
arteries can contribute to headache and migraine.
Caffeine withdrawal
The chemical adenosine helps
to regulate the diameter of the arteries inside the head.
Caffeine is structur-ally similar to adenosine and counter-acts it by
constricting the arteries. To
compensate, your body produces even more adenosine.
When you stop consuming caffeine, such as during sleep, the high levels
of adenosine will make your arteries dilate.
The excessive blood flow then causes a throbbing headache, which only a
cup of coffee can ease.
Foods can cause headache
Some people who suffer from
frequent headache and migraine may be sensi-tive to certain food chemicals, both
naturally occurring and artificial. Common
food chemicals that have been found to affect the arteries of the head include:
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
– a common flavour enhancer, but also found naturally in such foods as
tomatoes.
Nitrites –
these preservatives are found in processed meats and some cheeses.
Amines –
common compounds found in a wide range of foods, including spinach, tomato,
potato, small whole fish, tuna, liver, dark chocolate and alcoholic drinks.
Treatment
options
It
can be challenging to discover the exact food or foods that may contri-bute to
headache and migraine. It is best
to consult health care profession-als to ensure an appropriate diagnosis and
course of action. Generally
speaking, treatment options can include:
·
Blood sugar headaches
– avoid high glycaemic index foods, or at least combine them with low
glycaemic foods to lessen their impact. Keep
your blood sugar levels constant by eating regularly.
·
Caffeine headaches
– don’t quit suddenly or else the withdrawal will cause severe headaches.
Your body needs time to adapt. Gradually
reduce the amount of caffeine you consume over a period of days, weeks or even
months.
·
Food chemicals –
a health professional will devise ways to test your sensitivities to various
foods. It is important not to
self-diagnose, because you may restrict your eating unnecessarily, or fail to
find all of your dietary triggers.
Where to get help
·
Your doctor
·
Dietitian
·
Naturopath
Things to remember
·
Large fluctuations in blood sugar
levels can cause the arteries to spasm, leading to headache.
·
Consuming a lot of caffeine
regularly can cause withdrawal headaches in susceptible people.
·
Sensitivities to food chemicals
need to be assessed by a qualified health practitioner.
0
This page
has been sourced from the Better Health Channel and produced in consultation
with, and approved by:
headache.com.au,
an Australian headache and migraine information Web site.
Found on
the Internet at http://www.disability.vic.gov.au/dsonline.dsarticles.nsf/pages/Headache_and_diet?OpenD.