Thursday, April 17, 2008

Looking Tan Can Be a Real Headache for Migraine Sufferers

It is getting to be that time of the year when we enjoy more of our leisure time outdoors or at least we want others to think that we do. And what better way is there to let them know we appear to be having time to have fun in the sun, than a nice tan?

Many people today who don't have the time or inclination to actually get a tan in the sun turn to artificial methods to do the same thing in less time. Tanning beds, booths, and spray tan systems have been popular for quite some time. Another "tanning" way to get a tan is to use one of the sunless self-tanning products available for use in the privacy of your home.

Using a self-tanning lotion to get a tanned look is generally not a problem for most people. However, for those suffering from migraines, it can be a totally different experience – within 24 hours of use, these products can produce extreme headaches for migraineurs [name used to describe those who suffer from migraines].

"Because these headaches can start several hours after applying the self-tanning lotion, many migraineurs may not be making the association between the two events", says Lyle Henry, Research Director for the Prevention of Migraines at Tuliv Ltd. formally Christian Body Research Foundation.

"During this time of year, even our own migraine-free clients using our Migraine Defense product will call us complaining of what we call a "break-through headache". One of the first question we ask is whether or not they are using a self-tanning product. If so, we suggest they stop using it immediately and their headaches will stop. They call back in a couple of days to thank us as they are once again migraine-free."

"Our research to discover why some of these products can have this negative effect on migraineurs has shown that they contain specific amino acids that we have identified as problematic for migraines, two of which are L-tyrosine and L-arginine," adds Mr. Henry, in his explanation of the migraine syndrome. You can read more about the migraine syndrome on his blog at Tuliv.blogspot.com.

L-tyrosine is a nonessential (the body can produce it on its own) amino acid that is important to the structure of almost all proteins in the body. It is also the precursor of several neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which, explains Mr. Henry, may be the reason it is also found in many protein drinks. However, when L-tyrosine is applied directly to the skin it is converted by the skin cells into melanin, the dark pigment that protects the body against the harmful effects of ultraviolet light, i.e. tanning of the skin is a natural way to protect us from the sun.

L-tyrosine and L-arginine both cause an increase in the production and levels of nitric oxide in the body which is the essential culprit that causes the pain in the headache during a migraine.

If you are a migraine sufferer, the next time you think about making your body look tanned ask yourself, is tanning the skin worth the pain in the head? It may be better to stay pale, than to have another migraine headache. Besides, the latest Hollywood fashion trend appears to be on the pale side.

Don't give up - your migraines can be prevented. Read More

Thursday, April 10, 2008

New Ways Stop (Abort) Migraines – Will they be showing up in garage sales?

Each day I read of a new “device” that claims to be able to stop a migraine headache. Migraineurs may already be familiar with the “migraine skull cap”, “special headache ice packs”, eye covers, pillows, music, and the list goes on. Today Apr 10th, 2008, I read in the Baltimore Sun another report about a new TMS unit being studied for use in aborting migraines.


In the migraine study, subjects place the 3-pound device at the back of the head when they feel a headache beginning. The press of a button sends two high-frequency waves into the brain. The lead investigator in the trial, Richard Lipton, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, says the pulses act as a kind of "reset" switch that stops the electrical storm causing the migraine.” Baltimore Sun


A three pound device on the back of the head – need I say anything about what additional pain that may cause a person who is already having a throbbing headache - not to mention that many migraineurs already suffer from neck and shoulder pain. Perhaps some sort of back pack carrier is in the works.

I am certain Dr. Lipton is a well respected neurologist, but I would differ in his assessment that a migraine is caused by an electrical storm in the head. Our research, and the hypothesis from which we operate in our work to help migraineurs at Tuliv, demonstrates that the reason a person gets migraines is directly linked to his or her genetics (family history of migraines.

More conclusively, DNA that appears to carry the propensity for migraines has been reportedly isolated within the mitochondria of specific hormone producing cells. This genetic condition seems to play an influential role within the cell in the creation of an overabundance of the actual chemical that does ignite the migraine process that causes the pain in the head. All of these events, which are controlled through the endocrine system, come into play during times of hormone fluctuation in the body.

In other words, if your ancestors had migraines, then you have a very good chance of also having migraines during your lifetime.

In my opinion, it is better to seek prevention than to spend time and money trying to find new ways to abort migraines. By the way, according to the article, a round of treatments with the TMS typically runs between $5,000 and $7,000 and the effects may not last more than a few days or weeks.

Don’t ever give up - Migraines Can Be Prevented.

Lyle

Tuliv Migraine Research

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Frova for Menstrual Migraine FDA Application Withdrawn

FDA Application Withdrawn for FROVA for Prevention of Menstrual Migraines

Apr 7, 2008 -- Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., today announced that it has notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the withdrawal of the supplemental new drug application for the additional indication of FROVA for the short-term (six days a month) prevention of menstrual migraine. FROVA is already approved and marketed for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults where a clear diagnosis of migraine has been established.

"The decision to withdraw the unapproved supplemental application was complex; however, after a lengthy and detailed evaluation of the points raised in the FDA 'not approvable' letter, we have determined the withdrawal to be the appropriate course of action at this time," said Dave Holveck, Endo President and Chief Executive Officer. "We appreciate the guidance from the FDA during the development program and its comprehensive review of the supplemental application."

This does not come as a great shock to me. FROVA and other triptans are considered to be vasoconstriction drugs. The source cause of migraines is not the same as the reason your head hurts when you have a migraine. Triptans are used to abort a migraine in progress.

Our research has indicated that menstrual migraines, as do the majority of all migraines, occur in a direct relationship to the hormone production that is controlled by secretions through the endocrine system. This is why most migraines for women occur during the three days prior to the start of the actual period, the day after the flow stops, and at ovulation.

Therefore, based on our research, prevention of menstrual migraines is best served by the management of the cause of menstrual migraines long before they can become a pain in the head.

Don’t ever give up - Migraines Can Be Prevented.

Lyle

Tuliv Migraine Research

Monday, April 7, 2008

Antidepressants Do Not Help Migraines

This is a question I took directly from the Mayo Clinic site as a question that was asked today, April 7th, 2008, because it comes up often. I am also quoting the answer given by Mayo Clinic neurologist Jerry Swanson, M.D along with my comments on the subject.

"My doctor prescribed sertraline (Zoloft) for my migraines. Is this an appropriate migraine treatment?
I don't have depression."
- Lori / New Mexico

This is the answer of Dr. Jerry Swanson (whom I respect):

"There's no good evidence that sertraline (Zoloft), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), can prevent migraines.

Certain antidepressants can help prevent migraines. Most effective are tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline(Pamelor) and protriptyline (Vivactil). In fact, these medications are considered among first-line treatment agents and may reduce migraines by affecting the level of serotonin and other chemicals in your brain. Also, you don't have to have depression to benefit from these drugs.

However, newer antidepressants — such as Zoloft and other SSRIs — generally aren't effective for migraine prevention.”


Since Dr. Swanson is one of the most renowned neurologists on the subject of migraines, why are doctors not listening to him and taking his advice?

When interviewing migraineurs, I find that the majority have been prescribed one or more of the SSRI drugs for their migraines. However, my research indicates that the majority of migraineurs are actually “up” type of people. Rarely do I visit with someone who tells me he or she has been clinically diagnosed as suffering from depression or bi-poplar syndrome.

That begs the question, why are doctor’s prescribing SSRIs when there is no evidence they work to prevent migraines and why do they think the migraine patient is suffering from depression?

In my opinion there are three separate reasons why this happens.

First, in regard to prescribing SSRIs we must ask the question, “If there is no evidence of success, then who is hyping the idea that these drugs should be prescribed for migraines?”

Doctors are “detailed” by drug company marketing representatives to describe the various things for which the doctor should prescribe the drug. These may not be the same things for which the drug was approved by the FDA. There are no rules that prohibit drug representatives from making suggestions about “other” uses for the drug product, i.e. migraine prevention.

The second reason, and one that I hear from many of my migraine clients, is that “anti-depression” drugs are being prescribed to counter the side-effects of the other drug(s), namely the anti-seizure meds that were prescribed to the patient as “migraine preventives”.

Let’s take a quick look at what every doctor who prescribes TOPAMAX® (for example) should know from the Full Prescribing Information.

“Adverse events most often associated with the use of TOPAMAX® were related to the central nervous system and were observed in both the epilepsy and migraine populations. In adults, the most frequent of these can be classified into three general categories: 1) Cognitive-related dysfunction (e.g., confusion, psychomotor slowing, difficulty with concentration/attention, difficulty with memory, speech or language problems, particularly word-finding difficulties); 2) Psychiatric/behavioral disturbances (e.g. depression or mood problems); and 3) Somnolence or fatigue.”

Rather than recognizing, or admitting, the side effects of the “migraine preventive” drugs do exist and may be causing the depression, many doctors dismiss the reality of the true cause and simply prescribe an SSRI drug for the depression. One drug begets another drug which begets another drug.

Third reason is that I believe doctors often confuse a patient’s frustration with depression. Having spent years accompanying my wife Eileen as we made the rounds between neurologists and headache clinics before discovering migraine prevention, I can attest to the frustration level felt by Eileen and me. When a doctor refuses to listen, makes absurd statements, can’t answer migraine questions, and tries to repeat prescriptions that have already failed, the migraine patient may show signs of disappointment, frustration, resentment, and even say things like “I wish I were dead.”

Making any statement that is negative will likely get labeled as a sign of depression, which in turn causes the prescription pad to come out and the doctor to prescribe the most recent SSRI drug for which he or she was “detailed”.

Having interviewed thousands of migraineurs, I have found less that 5% who thought they were depressed in life. Most have a well adjusted outlook on life, but desire a time when they would live a migraine-free life.

Don’t ever give up - Migraines Can Be Prevented.

Lyle

Tuliv Migraine Research

Friday, April 4, 2008

My Migraines Start In My Neck

“It feels like my migraines start in my neck and move forward. My chiropractor told me I have migraines because my neck is out of alignment. Can you explain this to me?” Jan Anderson.

I have been asked to explain this many times while visiting with migraineurs in person or by phone and have even had migraineurs tell me their headaches are caused by misalignment of their “headache bone” (there is no such thing).

Before I give you an explanation, I must clarify that I am talking about classical hemispheric migraines (compound, complex, chronic, cluster, etc.) and not talking about headaches resulting from a clarion malformation or some other physical reason such as a car accident.

To understand what is happening during this migraine neck pain association, we must look at how the body handles any headache, including those associated with the after affects of drinking too much alcohol.

Our bodies have only one physical remedy to ease the pain in the head and that is to hold the head as still as possible. Even taking a single step can be a thunderous event when your head hurts. The only way to keep the head from moving is for the neck muscles to constrict – to tighten up. Repetitive constrictions can cause painful knots in the muscles.

In my work in migraine research and prevention I don’t hear young migraineurs complaining about neck pain associated with migraines; whereas, Eileen, who suffered for 43 years with migraines (before we discovered migraine prevention), actually had such neck pain associated with her migraines to the point where I could feel the knot at the base of her skull.

Most migraineurs tell me they can sense a migraine forming before it actually reaches the painful state. Even before you become conscious of a migraine forming, your body has already received the message, and in particular, your neck muscles are starting to react.

Your neck muscles have been trained throughout the many years of headache pain to constrict whenever they get the message of a pending migraine. These muscle constrictions can cause a great deal of lingering pain in your neck.

The pain in your neck happens because you get migraines and not the other way around. However, because the neck pain precedes the actual migraine headache pain (separate pains) it feels as though the neck pain has caused the migraine.

Now you know. The neck pain is not the cause of your migraines. The actual cause and reason you get migraines is far removed from any pain or discomforts that you may feel in your neck, jaw, or the stuffiness you may feel in your sinus area. I will explain the latter two in future articles.

Don’t ever give up - Migraines Can Be Prevented.

Lyle
Tuliv Migraine Research