The “Headwise Project”

(This post is ’sticky’, always appearing at the top of this page. Please scroll down to read the latest post.)

This website will be moving to a new, dedicated address. It will also become known as the “Headwise Project”. The Headwise Project aims to create a movement by and for people with neurological health needs. The Headwise Project needs people who can commit some of their time to help build it.

For more information and to keep up-to-date, please visit the Headwise Project page: http://porillion.wordpress.com/headwise-project/

Open Journal Article: The association between use of electronic media and prevalence of headache in adolescents: results from a population-based cross-sectional study

Astrid Milde-Busch, Rudiger von Kries, Silke Thomas, Sabine Heinrich, Andreas Straubel and Katja Radon.

BMC Neurology 2010, 10:12doi:10.1186/1471-2377-10-12
Published:     9 February 2010
Abstract (provisional):

Background

Use of electronic media, i.e. mobile phones, computers, television, game consoles or listening to music, is very common, especially amongst adolescents. There is currently a debate about whether frequent use of these media might have adverse effects on health, especially on headaches, which are among the most-reported health complaints in adolescents. The aim of the present study was to assess associations between frequent use of electronic media and the prevalence of different types of headache in adolescents.

Methods

Data were derived from a population-based sample (n=1,025, ages 13-17 years). Type of headache (i.e. migraine, tension-type headache, unclassifiable headache) was ascertained by standardized questionnaires for subjects reporting headache episodes at least once per month during the last six months. Duration of electronic media use was assessed during personal interviews. Associations were estimated with logistic regression models adjusted for age group, sex, family condition and socio-economic status.

Results

Most of the adolescents used computers (85%), watched television (90%) or listened to music (90%) daily, otherwise only 23% of the participants used their mobile phones and only 25% played with game consoles on a daily basis. A statistically significant association between listening to music and any headache (odds ratio 1.8; 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.1 for 30 minutes per day, 2.1; 1.2-3.7 for 1 to 2 hours per day; 2.0; 1.2-3.5 for 3 hours and longer listening to music per day) was observed. When stratifying for type of headache, no statistically significant association was seen.

Conclusions

Apart from an association between listening to music on a daily basis and overall headache, no consistent associations between the use of electronic media and different types of headache were observed.

You can read the full article here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2377-10-12.pdf

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

Blame headaches in teens on music, not gadgets. www.newkerala.com London, Feb 9 : Use of electronic gadgets is not associated with headaches, at least not in adolescents. A study of 1,025 teenagers, found no link between the use of computer games, mobile phones or TV and occurrence of headaches or migraines.

The Safety of Sumatriptan and Naratriptan in Pregnancy: What Have We Learned? www.medscape.com 02/08/2010 Marianne Cunnington, PhD; Sara Ephross, PhD; Paige Churchill, BA. (Report Abstract).

OnabotulinumtoxinA (botulinum toxin type-A) in the prevention of migraine. www.mdlinx.com 02/09/10. (Report Abstract).

Capsaicin jelly against migraine pain. www.mdlinx.com 02/09/10. (Report abstract).

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

CoLucid in money hunt for migraine drug. www.bizjournals.com Friday, February 5, 2010. Frank Vinluan. Medicine is now in phase II trials, with company hoping it has less impact on human body than those on market.

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

York Study Maps The Effects Of Acupuncture On The Brain. www.redorbit.com Thursday, 4 February 2010, 17:44 CST. Important new research about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment. The study, by researchers at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School published in Brain Research, indicates that acupuncture has a significant effect on specific neural structures.

Migraine seminar in Castlebar. www.advertiser.ie Mayo Advertiser, February 05, 2010. International headache expert Ria Bhola will speak at the Migraine Association of Ireland’s information seminar in the TF Hotel, Castlebar on Tuesday February 9.

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

Aradigm Receives $4 Million Milestone Payment Upon First Commercial Sale of SUMAVEL* DosePro*. finance.yahoo.com Aradigm Corporation On Thursday February 4, 2010, 7:00 am. HAYWARD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aradigm Corporation (OTCBB:ARDM – News) (the “Company”) announced today that it received the $4 million milestone payment from Zogenix, Inc. (“Zogenix”) based upon the first commercial sale in the U.S. of SUMAVEL* DosePro* (sumatriptan injection) needle-free delivery system. The Company will receive quarterly royalty payments on all SUMAVEL DosePro sales.

Finding the mighty mineral magnesium. www.vancouversun.com By Samara Felesky-Hunt, For The Calgary Herald. February 3, 2010. Magnesium is found in abundance in your body, second only to calcium. It is found in all your body’s cells, where it maintains fluid balance by pumping sodium and potassium in and out … Research shows that magnesium may help prevent migraine headaches and ease PMS symptoms in women.

[A quick bit of research suggests that several studies have been done on magnesium deficiency and migraine. However, this news item should be taken with caution. If you want to experiment with increasing your magnesium intake, you should consult your family doctor first. You will need to be careful in keeping a food/migraine diary that you are not experiencing a craving for magnesium-containing food as a predominal stage of migraine. The best way to do this is to keep a diary of your migraine for several weeks before increasing your magnesium intake. Then keep a diary during your experiment. You can then look at any differences. The longer the before and during diary the better, to rule out any random variation from other possible causes.]

Open Journal Article: Neurofeedback and biofeedback with 37 migraineurs: a clinical outcome study

Abstract (provisional):

Background

Traditional biofeedback has grade A evidence for effectively treating migraines. Two newer forms of neurobiofeedback, EEG biofeedback and hemoencephalography biofeedback were combined with thermal handwarming biofeedback to treat 37 migraineurs in a clinical outpatient setting.

Methods

37 migraine patients underwent an average of 40 neurofeedback sessions combined with thermal biofeedback in an outpatient biofeedback clinic. All patients were on at least one type of medication for migraine; preventive, abortive or rescue. Patients kept daily headache diaries a minimum of two weeks prior to treatment and throughout treatment showing symptom frequency, severity, duration and medications used. Treatments were conducted an average of three times weekly over an average span of 6 months. Headache diaries were examined after treatment and a formal interview was conducted. After an average of 14.5 months following treatment, a formal interview was conducted in order to ascertain duration of treatment effects.

Results

Of the 37 migraine patients treated, 26 patients or 70% experienced at least a 50% reduction in the frequency of their headaches which was sustained on average 14.5 months after treatments were discontinued.

Conclusions

All combined neuro and biofeedback interventions were effective in reducing the frequency of migraines with clients using medication resulting in a more favorable outcome (70% experiencing at least a 50% reduction in headaches) than just medications alone (50% experience a 50% reduction) and that the effect size of our study involving three different types of biofeedback for migraine (1.09) was more robust than effect size of combined studies on thermal biofeedback alone for migraine (.5). These non-invasive interventions may show promise for treating treatment-refractory migraine and for preventing the progression from episodic to chronic migraine.

You can read the full article here: http://www.behavioralandbrainfunctions.com/content/6/1/9

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

Pinpointing the pain crucial to finding relief. www.delawareonline.com DR. SETH TORREGIANI. February 2, 2010. Pain, particularly chronic pain, is a common problem that can be a challenge to treat. Often, options are limited to medications, which can have undesirable side effects, or invasive procedures, which may carry significant risk.

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

Migraine history and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women. www.mdlinx.com Journal of Clinical Oncology, 01/28/10. Li CI et al. – Both migraine and breast cancer are hormonally mediated. Two recent reports indicate that women with a migraine history may have a lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer than those who never suffered migraines.

For migraine sufferers, early intervention is key. www.kentucky.com Monday, Feb. 01, 2010.  By Lesley Alderman – New York Times News Service. Migraines might be right up there with root canals and childbirth as one of life’s more painful experiences. But unlike having kids or dental surgery — which can be dulled with standard pain medications — migraines are notoriously tricky to treat. Those who suffer from these disabling headaches often try a dozen or so medications before they find something that works.

Off-label drug use raises safety concerns. www.edmontonjournal.com By Sharon Kirkey, Canwest News Service. Susan Dudley, a nurse, became depressed and suicidal after taking a medication, prescribed to her for pain but not approved for such use.

Migraine Daily News

Here is today’s round-up of news relating to migraine and visual snow:

Cardiovascular disease tied to reduced triptan use for migraine. www.reutershealth.com 2010-01-26 12:10:22 -0400. By David Douglas. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Migraineurs with risk factors for cardiovascular disease have lower triptan use than other migraine sufferers, researchers report in a December 29th on-line publication in Headache. This finding, in individuals with no contraindication to triptan use, “suggests that doctors may be concerned about the onset of cardiovascular events in individuals with migraine, and patients may be concerned with potential side effects,” lead author Dr. Marcelo E. Bigal told Reuters Health by email.

BMJ feature story peers into MIST controversy. www.theheart.org January 26, 2010. Shelley Wood. London, UK – A four-page feature article in the January 23, 2010 issue of BMJ recounting the falling out between Dr Peter Wilmshurst and NMT Medical over the Migraine Intervention  with STARflex Technology (MIST) trial—first reported on heartwire—swivels on an irony now all but lost amid the various twists and turns in this tale. According to reporter Jonathan Gornall, an early email between NMT employees referred to Wilmshurst as a “seminal thinker” in the field of patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure and its potential link to migraine and notes that he is “recognized as an ‘ethical physician.’ “