Migraine Advocacy Update
This February witnessed the tenth anniversary of “Headache on the Hill”, the highly successful annual advocacy event, sponsored by the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA), designed to draw attention to the need for increased funding for migraines and related headache disorders. Apart from being the tenth consecutive advocacy year, this year was also remarkable for another reason: the passage
Migraine and Epilepsy
“Epilepsy is more than a seizure. It’s a life changing and threatening condition affecting the person and their families terribly.” (Julie Clark, Scotland, UK, 2017) We can easily substitute migraine and headache into that quote . The result would be a commonly acknowledged expression assigned to migraine disease: Migraine is more than a headache… which is also life changing and affects people’s lives terribly. Coincidence? Probably not. It brings us to
Vestibular Migraine
The Vestibular Migraine Mystery The medical community is just now waking up to the high prevalence of vestibular migraine (VM). Current estimates vary but VM appears to affect up to 1- 3% of the general population. 10% of all migraineurs may suffer from VM. And more than 50% of people complaining of dizziness have VM. We are talking about
Holiday Migraine Prevention Strategy
The holiday season is already hard upon us. For some it is a time for celebration-parties, eating and drinking, enjoying time with family, and all too often, stress, a recognized migraine trigger. Remember, there exists both good stress and bad stress, but in the end it is all stress. For the migraineur this stress can be a prescription for a
Novel Approaches to Migraine Treatment
The last few years has seen a groundswell of promising research and innovative medications and devices designed to prevent or abort a migraine episode. The Association of Migraine Disorders reports on what we believe to be credible research and treatments that will withstand rigorous testing. When AMD refers to “novel approaches” we do not mean two minute YouTube guided imagery
Anti-CGRP Medications: An Update
A breakthrough year indeed! With CGRP antibodies leading the charge. It has been over a year since we reported on the great promise of CGRP antibodies and the immense promise they hold for a true, scientifically validated, migraine prevention medication. Our Twitter postings, for those that follow us, have kept pace with the developments, but it seems an opportune
5 Apps that might help you manage your migraines
It seems nowadays there is a computer app to accommodate nearly every need. The migraine world is no exception. In reviewing the various migraine app products two major and separate classes emerge. The first includes those applications allowing a migraineur to both record and interpret critical data. This data could include dietary information, sleep patterns, medications, stress levels, date/time and more.
Migraine Disease and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
“Merriam-Webster” definition of disability: “a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions” Controversy surrounds the question of whether or not migraine disease, in any or all of its manifestations, rises to the level of a disability.
2017: A breakthrough year for migraine?
The last year has been one of enormous promise for the prevention and treatment of migraine disease. Vigorous clinical trials of CGRP antibodies being aggressively pursued by Big Pharma, groundbreaking genetics research, and new developments in the area of neuromodulation have all led a renowned migraine expert, Dr. David Dodick, Chair of the American Migraine Foundation, to declare “2017 will be
Childhood Migraine Disorders Revisited
There are several reasons we are re-visiting this subject, the focus of a newsletter 8 months ago. First, recent tweets on this subject have shown an enormous interest in this oft misunderstood area of the migraine spectrum. Second, a recent study on medications for childhood migraine called into question their efficacy. Specifically, placebo was shown to be as effective as
Advances in Non-Drug Therapies for Migraine
If you follow our Twitter postings with any degree of regularity you may recognize many of the devices/procedures summarized here. It was the recent release of the Cefaly II device that caused me to think that our followers deserved an up-to-date look at the devices available, especially if one was looking to add it to their treatment regimen. Migraine treatment
A Prospective Randomized Cross-over Trial of Nortiptyline and Topiramate
Full Project Title: A Prospective Randomized Cross-over Trial of Nortiptyline and Topiramatenin the initial Treatment of Vestibular Migraine Principal Investigator: Anthony Mikulec MD, MPH Professor, Chief, Otology and Nuerotology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine Update: Despite the high number of migraine patients in our clinics, it continues to be more challenging than anticipated to identify patients who have not previously
Taking Stock
As an ardent follower of the recent advances in the understanding and treatment of migraine disorders I am impressed with the great strides made over the last 24 months. It is remarkable that since the 1990s and the introduction of triptans, so much significant work in both prevention and treatment is now coming to fruition. So why now? What forces
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Migraines
Traumatic Brain Injury and Migraines: Civilian and Military Implications Consideration of this subject brings us to the intersection of some of the most critical issues challenging the migraine treatment community. With Memorial Day fading in the rear view mirror, we at AMD began to reflect on a number of these issues and thought looking at Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) may
Migraine: Myth versus Reality
“There is no condition of such magnitude that is as shrouded in myth, misinformation, and mistreatment as is this condition [Migraine], and there are few conditions which are as disabling during the acute attack.” -Dr. Joel R. Saper, M.D., F.A.C.P., Director, Michigan Head-Pain & Neurological Institute A young science such as the one attempting to rid the world of migraine
Genetics: The Holy Grail of Migraine Research
In the end, it may be applied funding in genetics that discovers the cure or prevention that will end migraine disease. I would submit to you the “cure” or “grail” in the search for the ultimate root cause for this affliction may well be found in genetics. Our Excalibur is the science of genetics applied to migraine disease. With the
Dr. Godley Answers Five Questions in Providence Business News
1. What is a migraine, and how can you know you’re having one? A traditional migraine headache is an intense, throbbing pain that most people associate with the top of their heads. Those who suffer from migraines, also known as migraineurs, know a headache is coming on when they experience distortions of their vision or when their headache is accompanied by
2014 AAO-HNSF Conference
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery held its 2014 Conference in Orlando, FLA, last week and the Association of Migraine Disorders was an active participant on many levels. We manned a very busy booth for 3 days and interacted with literally hundreds of physicians, many of whom requested more information on AMD’s perspective on the spectrum of migraine
A Pharmaceutical Industry Update
This month, just prior to June Migraine Awareness Month, AMD is providing a comprehensive update on the FDA’s news and approvals of migraine medications. We think this is useful as it gives you a longitudinal look at the most current developments in migraine research including approvals, drugs in clinical trials, and recent industry news which could impact treatment options down
Migraine Caregiver Stress
How is it possible that such a devastating illness in all its expressions could not have far-reaching, negative effects in all relationship areas of a migraineurs life? It’s not, of course. Only recently have we begun to see research that looks at subjects like family burden and the disruption chronic migraine causes in the lives of sufferers. Very few of
Brown University Brain Fair
On March 19, 2016, The Association of Migraine Disorders participated in the Inaugural Brown “Brain Fair” held at Brown University at Sayles Hall. The turnout was excellent as scores of interested Fair-goers explored numerous interesting exhibits pertaining to brain science, many of which were interactive, and showcased the growing RI neuroscience community. The AMD exhibit garnered even more attention than
