2009 November 13
(This post is “sticky” – always appearing at the top. Please scroll down to read the latest post.)
In the New Year I want to make some substantial changes to this website. Before I do that, I want to ask you what you want to see. Please click on the “More” link below and complete a quick set of polls. Or either add a comment or e-mail me privately at nospamporillion@hotmail dot co dot uk – obviously remove the “nospam” bit and type the last bit as hotmail.co.uk
2009 December 2
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, even when it comes to pain. www.newswire.ca TORONTO, Dec. 1 /CNW … The TYLENOL(R) Canadian Pain Survey* conducted by Vision Critical, found that women report experiencing headaches more often than men, and that they experience somewhat more pain than men,(1) which supports findings from existing research.
PuraMed BioScience Secures Funding, Enables Company to Air Direct Response Commercial in Test Markets and Pursue Additional Goals and Objectives. money.cnn.com December 01, 2009: 09:00 AM ET. SCHOFIELD, Wis., Dec. 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE). PuraMed BioScience (OTCBB:PMBS), a pharmaceutical company engaged in the development and marketing of a line of revolutionary, new, non-prescription medicines that treat migraine headaches, insomnia and tension-type headaches under the brand name LipiGesic(TM), announced today that it has recently secured funding through a private placement in the amount of $500,000, the largest amount to date, which will allow the Company to initiate further efforts to reach its goals and objectives as outlined in its business plan.
Neuros Medical to Present Poster at 13th Annual North American Neuromodulation Society Meeting. www.businesswire.com CLEVELAND–(BUSINESS WIRE). Neuros Medical, Inc., a medical device company developing innovative neurostimulation technology for the treatment of chronic pain, announced they will present a poster on clinical applications at the upcoming North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 13th Annual Meeting this week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Google to limit free news access. news.bbc.co.uk Newspaper publishers will now be able to set a limit on the number of free news articles people can read through Google, the company has announced.
2009 December 1
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Asylum seekers more likely to suffer from migraines. www.irishtimes.com Tuesday, December 1, 2009. CATHERINE REILLY. ASYLUM SEEKERS are particularly prone to migraines but may be unaware of available supports, the chief executive of the Migraine Association of Ireland (MAI) has said.
I Hate Headaches LLC Creates A New Website Offering Hope To Millions Of Headache Sufferers. www.earthtimes.org Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:00:42 GMT … The new website http://www.ihateheadaches.org concentrates on how neuromuscular dentistry can be used to reduce or eliminate tension-type headaches and migraines.
The ‘power’ of the sugar pill. www.gulf-times.com Monday30/11/2009November, 2009, 10:53 PM Doha Time. Ben Goldacre/London. This month Britain’s Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee looked into the funding of homeopathy on the NHS (National Health Service, Britain’s healthcare system) and the evidence behind the decision of the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), which regulates medicines, to allow homeopathy sugar pill labels to make medical claims without evidence of efficacy.
Hospital stays reduced to half by ‘Hilotherapy’. topnews.us Mon, 11/30/2009 – 21:57. Amit Pathania. Patients visiting some of UK’s most progressive cosmetic surgery clinics now have the advantage of a new revolutionary healing therapy called Hilotherapy. Adaptable cuffs are used and cool water is circulated through it which in turn helps in reducing the pain.
Mt. Vista Medical Center lecture series. www.azcentral.com Nov. 30, 2009 11:10 AM. Mountain Vista Medical Center at 1301 S. Crismon Rd., Mesa, has scheduled a series of free lectures on various medical issues for next month, … Keeping Your Cool – Managing and Controlling Your Blood Pressure” is the title of Dr. Fayz Yar Khan’s look at hypertension and the latest treaments for blood pressure from noon-1 p.m. Dec. 10. Dr. Allison Kaplan from 6-7 p.m. Dec. 17 will discuss chronic headaches and migraines, their causes and treatments.
2009 November 30
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
The problem with wind farms. www.timesofmalta.com Friday, 27th November 2009. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. When turning with the sun behind them, turbine blades cast moving shadows across the landscape and houses, described as a strobe effect (flicker) within houses, which can be difficult to block out … People with a personal or family history of migraine, or migraine-associated phenomena such as car sickness or vertigo, are more susceptible to these effects.
AVOIDING HEADACHE: Orofacial Pain, Jaw Muscle Pain, Migraines Tension-Type Headaches Closely Related. www.prlog.org Nov 30, 2009. Study shows majority of TMJ disorder patients and Orofacial Pain patients have Muscle problems in common. 502 TMJ and Orofacial Pain patients were evaluated and 49% had Tension-type Headache, with over 30% having some type of migraine.
Migraine Headache Prevention. www.valpolife.com Written by Dr. Jim Arnold. If you’re one of the 40 million Americans who suffer from migraine headaches, it’s possible that you may find some relief from your pain in the dental chair … Dentists have discovered that a small plastic device worn over the two front teeth can break the cycle of stress-induced jaw clenching.
Headaches can’t be cured, but they can be treated. www.silive.com November 30, 2009. Staten Island Advance. Medications, as well as biofeedback, acupuncture and certain vitamins and herbs can help symptoms.
[Note: I have not yet found any evidence that magnesium helps migraine, except for an earlier news article. According to Wikipedia, "Evidence that [feverfew] prevents migraine is limited … [It] is not a remedy for acute migraine attacks … If feverfew is taken for any length of time as a medicinal herb, sudden discontinuation can result in a withdrawal syndrome consisting of headache, irritability, trouble sleeping and joint pain. As with any other medicinal herb, consult with a knowledgeable practitioner before beginning treatment with this herb.” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feverfew]
2009 November 27
I may have had an insight into my own “persistent episodic visual amnesia” (PEVA). This is what I call the problem talked about in the Visualisation FAQs page. “PEVA” is my own name for the problem, which others have shared here too. None of us have found any facts about a known medical condition.
One of the things that I notice is that I have vivid, full-colour dreams. But these dreams are almost always set in the distant past. They almost never take place in the period after my early twenties when PEVA first started. But in the early hours I awoke with a migraine. The dreams I had after I fell asleep were in the present. The setting was not the usual stereotype of a past family home. The characters in my dream were my current partner and one of her boys.
I am diagnosed with persistent migraine aura, and frequent and severe migraine. About half those who have commented on this site have a migraine diagnosis. This is a high number, but it is a statistically small sample. One of the ideas my family doctor has is that PEVA is due to my persistent aura. This is a constant electrical disturbance in the brain. In me, one way it shows up is through visual snow. For more information, please see the PMA & Visual Snow FAQs page.
So, it is interesting that I should have rare dreams of the present during a migraine. The attack was still there when I awoke after the dreams. I don’t know how that may work, as the theory is it is permanent aura that disrupt my memory. Also, it is not scientific. One example is not statistically significant. And one person’s anecdotal report is also suspect. But without facts we can find, it could be a start.
If anyone else reading this has PEVA, please could you let me know:
Take care.
2009 November 27
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Uganda Health News: Ugandans suffer from migraine headaches. www.ugpulse.com First published: 20091126 5:46:35 AM EST. By Walakira Nyanzi, Ultimate Media. The number of people suffering from migraine headaches is on increase in Uganda. Migraine is a severe and repeated headache with pain on only one side of the head or face and typically with disorder of the eyesight.
Central Nervous System Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report – new report released. www.pr-inside.com 2009-11-26 17:03:02. Central Nervous System Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report – a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Market-Report/central-nervou .. The Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report contains detailed information on the allergy drug pipeline.
2009 November 26
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Don’t close eyes to warning signs of sight loss. www.guardian.co.uk BMJ Group. Wednesday 25 November 2009 00.00 GMT. People who get flashes of light in one eye, or dark patches floating across their vision, should seek immediate medical help, authors of a new study say.
[Please note that visual snow symptoms that are benign seem to be much more common. But if you have these symptoms, you should always see your family doctor for a diagnosis. Please read the PMA & Visual Snow FAQs page for more information.]
New Information on the Triptans in Pregnancy. headaches.about.com. Wednesday November 25, 2009. It is rare to do actual drug research on pregnant patients so it is always a boon when good research comes out that relates to pregnancy. Glaxo-SmithKline has a drug registry that has tracked pregnant women taking sumatriptan ornaratriptan since 1996.
Dr. Marcela Romero-Reyes to study migraine treatment to manage orofacial pain. www.wdjournal.com 25 November 2009. New York University College of Dentistry professor Dr. Marcela Romero-Reyes has been selected by the Migraine Research Foundation and the American Headache Society as the first recipient of the Heftler Migraine Research Award.
Wikipedia ‘loses’ 49,000 editors. news.bbc.co.uk Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia “lost” 49,000 of its volunteer editors in the first three months of 2009, University research suggests.
Homeopathy on the NHS is unethical, doctors tell MPs. www.guardian.co.uk Ian Sample, science correspondent. Wednesday 25 November 2009 20.03 GMT. Giving homeopathic remedies to patients on the NHS is unethical and a dubious use of public money, scientists and doctors told MPs today.
Pulmonary Drug Delivery Technologies – A Global Market Perspective. www.pr-inside.com 2009-11-25 12:39:42. Pulmonary Drug Delivery Technologies – A Global Market Perspective – a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com
Trends in the U.S. intranasal drug delivery market. www.news-medical.net 25. November 2009 08:09. Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Intranasal Drug Delivery – US Market Trends & Analysis http://www.reportlinker.com/p0164267/Intranasal-Drug-Delivery—US-Market-Trends–Analysis.html
New data from National University illuminate research in headache and migraine. www.newsrx.com November 23rd, 2009. “To delineate if the change in cortical excitability persists across migraine attacks, visual evoked magnetic fields (VEF) were measured in patients with migraine without aura during the interictal (n = 26) or peri-ictal (n = 21) periods, and were compared with 30 healthy controls. The visual stimuli were checkerboard reversals with four different check sizes (15′, 30′, 60′ and 120′),” scientists in Taipei, Taiwan report.
2009 November 25
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Company vs cardiologist: MIST lawsuit in limelight as UK justice secretary seeks libel law overhaul. www.theheart.org November 24, 2009. Shelley Wood. London, UK – The case of a British cardiologist embroiled in a libel suit with NMT Medical over comments he made to heartwire about the conduct and reporting of the Migraine Intervention with STARflex Technology (MIST) trial is now making news across the UK, amid growing calls for government to reform libel laws in that country.
Data from St. Antonius Hospital provide new insights into headache and migraine. www.newsrx.com November 23rd, 2009. According to recent research from Netherlands, “Migraine with aura (MA) is associated with cardiac right-to-left shunt. We prospectively studied the association between pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) and MA in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).”
Trent Consultants News ANXIETY DISORDERS LINKED TO PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. www.24-7pressrelease.com NEW YORK, NY. November 24, 2009. University of Manitoba researchers have found that anxiety disorders appear to be independently associated with several physical conditions, including thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches. Their findings, published today in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, suggest that this co-occurrence of disorders may significantly increase the risk of disability and negatively affect quality of life.
Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller. news.bbc.co.uk A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.
Daily salt intake allowances ‘were set too high’. news.bbc.co.uk The government’s maximum daily salt intake target has been set too high for people to avoid unnecessary stroke and heart deaths, UK experts are warning.
2009 November 24
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
B.C. researchers develop virtual reality for pain sufferers. By Kelly Sinoski, For Canwest News Service. VANCOUVER — A virtual walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered for chronic pain sufferers … The technique is one of several programs used around the world to aid sufferers of chronic back pain and migraines.
Health tip: determining migraines in children. (HealthDay News) — Migraines are common in kids, affecting up to 5 percent of grade-school children, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. Announces Positive Data on NGX426 in the Potential Treatment of Neuropathic Pain. Posted November 24, 2009. Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. Announces Positive Data on NGX426 in the Potential Treatment of Neuropathic Pain … Christopher M. Starr, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Raptor, commented, “We are encouraged by these results suggesting that NGX426 could be effective in the treatment of acute pain such as migraine and chronic pain, such as neuropathy.”
Migraine—Are more effective treatments in sight? Migraine is a largely inherited neurological disorder leading to a combination of symptoms including headache, visual and aural effects. As any long-time migraine sufferer will tell you, migraine pain is debilitating, and the current treatments are not always very effective. How well do we really understand the mechanism of migraine, and what treatments are available? Are there better treatments coming in the near future? How can we maximise the therapeutic effect of existing treatment?
Reports summarize headache and migraine study results from J.C. Cole and co-researchers. November 23rd, 2009. According to recent research from the United States, “To propose minimal important differences (MID) for the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire version 2.1 (MSQ v2.1). To our knowledge (to date), no published MID values exist for the MSQ v2.1 in any population.”
New Study Finds Brow Lifts Can Reduce Signs of Aging – And Severe Headaches Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Robert Zubowski Welcomes Finding. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:03:37 GMT. PRWeb.
2009 November 23
Abstract:
Background
Subjective tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of any physical source. It has been shown that tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of the auditory cortices. Accompanying this hyperactivity, changes in non-auditory brain structures have also been reported. However, there have been no studies on the long-range information flow between these regions.
Results
Using Magnetoencephalography, we investigated the long-range cortical networks of chronic tinnitus sufferers (n = 23) and healthy controls (n = 24) in the resting state. A beamforming technique was applied to reconstruct the brain activity at source level and the directed functional coupling between all voxels was analyzed by means of Partial Directed Coherence. Within a cortical network, hubs are brain structures that either influence a great number of other brain regions or that are influenced by a great number of other brain regions. By mapping the cortical hubs in tinnitus and controls we report fundamental group differences in the global networks, mainly in the gamma frequency range. The prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex and the parieto-occipital region were core structures in this network. The information flow from the global network to the temporal cortex correlated positively with the strength of tinnitus distress.
Conclusion
With the present study we suggest that the hyperactivity of the temporal cortices in tinnitus is integrated in a global network of long-range cortical connectivity. Top-down influence from the global network on the temporal areas relates to the subjective strength of the tinnitus distress.
You can read the full article here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1741-7007-7-80.pdf
2009 November 23
Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:
Reports from University of Erlangen, Institute of Physiology advance knowledge in headache and migraine therapy. November 20th, 2009. New investigation results, ‘Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist olcegepant acts in the spinal trigeminal nucleus,’ are detailed in a study published in Brain. “Several lines of evidence suggest a major role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the pathogenesis of migraine and other primary headaches. Inhibition of CGRP receptors by olcegepant and telcagepant has been successfully used to treat acute migraine and to reduce the activity of spinal trigeminal neurons involved in meningeal nociception in rodents,” researchers in Erlangen, Germany report.
