Migraine Headaches and Herbal Supplements

When a person develops a migraine headache, the primary and immediate concern is relief from the incredible pain. All too often individuals in this situation grab a bottle and down one, two or three of the common over-the-counter headache medications to fix the issue. The problem is, that does not fix the issue.

People who take 2-3 or more of these medications per week are at strong risk to become caught in a desperate rebound headache cycle, where they have near daily headaches of one degree or another. There has got to be a better way to fight this modern day scourge on mankind. A person in such a situation has lost control of his or her life. They are slave to an evil taskmaster that will not allow them to do many of the things that they would like and not to enjoy so much of what life has to offer.

Through testing, three of the most effective herbal remedies for migraines are feverfew, butterbur and pine bark. Let's take a look at all three of these promising alternative treatments for migraine. In tomorrow's blog we will start to look at each of these three herbal remedies.

I hope all is well. I received a great comment on CoQ10 and a more common dosage (200-300 mg per day and 90 days to assess benefits), thanks to Mary Kay! If any one has information to share, please do so. We are all in a learning process!

Tom Thorne

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Migraine Headaches - Magnesium as a Headache Treatment

In this third article featuring some of the most promisign and effective nutritional supplements for headaches, magnesium is being featured. There is help for those of you with headaches, and it does not have to be only temporary.

Magnesium Magnesium is a mineral that is used for many purposes. The hsbaltimore, Health Series Institue e-Alert (September 14, 2004) website informs us a good intake of magnesium may promote bone flexibility, help prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease.Recent studies show that magnesium is also essential for keeping your teeth healthy.

There have also been studies on a relationship between magnesium and headaches. A study by A. Trauninger (Oral magnesium load test in patients with migraine, Headache, 2002, 42(2): 0, 114-9) showed magnesium deficiencies to be common in those who suffer from migraines. Another study by A. Bianchi (Vitamin Horm, 2004, 69: p. 297-312) has found sufficient, though not definitive, evidence of magnesium's ability to help treat migraines. Current recommendations are to take 500-1000 mg of magnesium per day.

The Bottom Line The three natural remedies for migraine headache discussed here all have shown promising results as affective natural headache remedies. When looking at alternative treatments for migraines, these three appear to be at the top of charts. But the two biggest advantages alternative treatments have over prescription medications is their lack of side effects, and the fact that you are not going to go broke trying these supplements for migraines. These points plus the positive test results shown should be reason to include nutritional supplementation to help treat migraines.

For more information on natural supplements, alternative treatments for migraines and a great selection of vitamin products visit the - Riboflavin, Coenzyme Q10 and Magnesium - Three Powerful Alternative Treatments for Migraines.




Here's to Good Health!
Tom Thorne
http://www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Migraine Headaches - Coenzyme Q10 as a Treament Method

Headaches can be miserable, but there are alternative treatments for migraine headaches that work. In this second of our series on nutritional supplements for migraines we will take a look at Coenzyme Q10.

Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ10)

First identified in 1957, Coenzyme Q 10 is also known as "Ubiquinone" because it is found everywhere in the body. The highest amounts are in the heart, liver and pancreas. The lowest amounts are in the lungs.

The first applications for CoQ10 were in 1961, when it was found that cancer patients were deficient in the enzyme. Research has shown CoQ10 to be a very versatile supplement for a number of other conditions such as heart disease and migraines. Recent studies have also shown that CoQ10 may help in the treatment of Alzheimer Disease (X.L. Wang, Co-supplementation with vitamine E and coenzyme Q10 reduces circulating markers of inflammation in baboons, Am J Clin Nutrition, 2004. 80(3): p. 649-55). Reports on CoQ10 and migraines have been very positive. From an article in the April, 2002 issue of the journal of the International Headache Society, Cephalalgia, encouraging results have been reported from an open label trial of CoQ10 as a Migraine preventative.

The article "Open label trial coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive" by Rozen, Oshinsky, Gebeline, Bradley, Young, Shechter and Silberstib from Cephalalgia 22 (2) p. 137-141 we are told "At present there are very few efficacious migraine preventatives and fewer without significant side-effects... Migraine can be a disabling disorder and migraine preventives have been shown to not only reduce headache frequency, intensity and duration but also to improve quality of life.

Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring substance and essential element of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. It has been the most extensively studied agent for the treatment of mitochondrial disorders and has been shown to have almost no identifiable side-effects in humans. There has been a recent interest in the role that mitochondria may play in migraine pathogenesis...The objective of this investigation is to assess the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 as a preventative treatment for migraine." The dosage used in the study was 150 mg of CoQ10 daily.

Key points from the trial included:
61.3% of the patients in the trial achieved at least 1 50% reduction in frequency of Migraine attacks by the end of the four-month trial.

It took time to achieve optimum results. Data from the study suggests that it takes 4-12 weeks to achieve more than 50% reduction. Coenzyme Q10 is effective for both migraine with aura (classic migraine) as well as migraine without aura (common migraine).

For more information about nutritional supplements for migraines as well as Herbal Supplements for Migraines visit the FeelingOutstanding.com website.

Here's to your health. Here's to victory over sickness!

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Migraine Headaches - Riboflavin

Don't be so sad! Help is on the way with alternative treatments for migraines! There is a better way. A good herbal or nutritional supplement treatment plan can provide relief without the pain of rebound headaches. In this first of three articles, we will look at one of the most beneficial natural supplements for headache treatment.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin is also known as Vitamin B-2. It plays a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is yellow or yellow-orange in color. In addition to being used as a food coloring it is also used to fortify foods such as baby-foods, breakfast cereal, pastas, processed cheese, fruit drinks and sauces. It is also widely used in vitamin supplements.

For over 30 years Riboflavin has been used as a part of the phototherapy treatment of neonatal jaundice. It has recently been used in a new treatment to slow or stop the progression of the corneal disorder keratoconus (corneal collagen crosslinking). There have been studies conducted on riboflavin and its affects on headaches. In both a European and American study riboflavin was shown to effectively treat migraines at a dose of 400 mg per day. (European study: C. Boehnke, High-dose riboflabin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care center. Eur J Neurol, 2004, 11(7): p. 175-7. American study: A.J. Yee, Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis, Neurology, 1999, 52(2): p. 431-2)

In a separate study performed by Sandor, Afra, Ambrosini and Shoenen riboflavin has shown that when combined with beta-blockers it may be a useful treatment of migraine headaches. (Phophylactic treatment of migraine with beta-blockers and riboflavin: different effects on the intensity dependence of auditory evoked cortical potentials. Headache,. 2000, Jan). In an open-label trial (no placebo control group), as reported by the Mother Earth News (MEN) web site (Natural Health/2007-03-01/Natural-Headache-Remedies), 400 mg a day for six months cut migraine headache frequency in half and decreased medication use. MEN goes on to say that "another study showed that three months of riboflavin led to a 50 percent improvement in almost 60 percent of the volunteers, versus a 15 percent improvement over the people taking a dummy pill."

For more information about the causes of headaches check out our website. I have been through it for 40 years. I have had amazing relief in the last 8 months. I want to share my story and provide items that have helped with as many as possible.

Tom Thorne

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Migraine Headaches - Nutritional Supplements

This guy looks like I used two about 2 or 3 days out of every week. A migraine headache, or even just a headache is miserable. At times you do not want to live any more, the pain is so bad. This fellow really looks like he has a bad one.

There are three nutritional supplements that have been tested and shown to have good results in treating migraine headaches. They are, Riboflavin (B-2), Magnesium and Coenzyme Q-10. In upcoming blogs I want to go into these three in more depth.

Once again, trying a natural remedy for headaches is a good idea. It's not going to cost a fortune, nutritional supplements (in most cases) are not going to cause unpleasant side-effects, and they may do some real good. The issue with alternative treatment for migraines is that in most cases immediate relief is not going to happen. If a take an excedrin or B.C. powder I will very likely feel better within an hour. Although, this relief in a great many cases is totally temporary. It is likely that if you take this medications often you will receive a rebound headache with 24 hours or so.

You probably will not feel that kind of immediate benefit from natural methods, but over time many studies have shown significant improvement from alternative treatments for migraines.

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com

Freedom at a HighLevel!

Yellowstone National Park, August, 2008.

Freedom. We talk a lot about our desire, our striving, our need for freedom. Two of the more common areas that are talked about are freedom of religion and freedom from debt. Certainly in this country we have a large amount of freedom of religion. I don't think we have enough freedom from debt though!

I would like you to consider another area of freedom. Freedom from pain, freedom from misery, freedom from sickness. For 40 years I suffered with recurring and frequent migraine headaches. For about the last ten years I suffered with near daily headaches of one degree or another. I tried and tried but could not find anything to help for more than a very short period.

Beginning in January of this year I started to strike gold. Small pebbles at first. This is August, 8 months later and I can honestly say that my headaches have shown at least 85% - 90% improvement. I have not had a migraine now in three weeks. There was no silver bullet, it took several different fresh, new ideas and a few new products. Some of the most helpful were the VEMMA nutritional supplement, some changes in eating habits and the Native Remedies MiGone Plus herbal remedy. If you, or anyone you know of suffers from migraine headaches please direct them to these websites. I am very confident they can provide some good information to help relieve this modern day plague.

The freedom I feel over this painful affliction now is incredible. Although I still get headaches occasionally, they are not near as frequent or severe as they were for many years. I feel like I am no longer a slave to this ugly taskmaster. I'm not quite 100% of the way there yet, about 85% - 90%. But I am heading in the right direction, toward the goal post, toward the finish line. It's a freedom like I have never felt.

www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Aura - Is There a Silver Lining

In previous blogs on the subject of aura I discussed the indicationsof aura as well as the fact that not all migraine headache victims experience aura before they have headaches. In my final post on this subject I want to look and see if there is anything good about aura.

Aura not only happens to those who have migraine headaches but it also can happen to people who have epilepsy before a seizure. It would seem that this could be a benefit if acted upon immediately. But what about our subject of migraine headaches? If I knew that I was going to have a migraine headache 1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes before it happened, would that help? Or would it tend to push me to a point of despair? I'm afraid that I cannot answer this question since I have never experienced aura.

I know that there are certain things I can do (outside of taking pills) when I start to get a headache that often times relieves the pain. The most helpful practice that I do when I start to feel headache pain is work out. If I am at home I hit the Total Gym for about 30-40 minutes. Most of the time if the headache pain is slight to moderate that will relieve it completely. If I am in the office I do a good set of push ups followed by a nice walk at lunchtime. This often provides natural headache relief as well. Whether that could be done at or right after aura, I do not know.

If anyone has any ideas they can share with us regarding if there is anything that can be done at the sign of aura please do so. Headaches afflict many people and we appreciate the help!

Have a great evening!

Aura -- Does Aura happen to Everyone who has Migraine headaches?

In my last couple of postings I started to talk about aura, or the experience some people have before they come down with a migraine headache. As we saw yesterday, there are many different manifestations of an aura. The question remains, does this happen to everyone who has migraines?

I once had a friend who lived near the west coast and she was telling me about these wild experiences that she had before migraine headaches. Bright lights, distortions of objects, strange smells, etc. I had heard and read about this but never had anyone describe it to me as vividly as she. This lady was an excellent employee of one of the major phone companies. there was definitely nothing wrong with the way she communicated and put out work. She was very competent at her job. She had migraines often, and she did experience aura.

On the other hand, I have been a migraine victim for many years and I never recall having aura. My mother also, who before she passed away fought migraine headaches for years never experienced aura either, to the best of my knowledge.

My conclusion is that some people do have aura before migraine headaches and some do not. Aura, in and by itself is not an indication of how severe your headache will be. The friend I spoke of earlier who did experience aura had very severe headaches. My mother and I who never did, also have had excruciating headaches.

One of the things that has helped some people with their tension, stress and headaches are aromatherapy herbal packs. These beautiful, handcrafted eye and neck pillows come in 5 celestial colors and patterns with optional lavender and peppermint scents. They provide wonderful comfort and great relaxation as many testimonials show. A great bargain and a great gift item.

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Aura Sensations

An aura is a perceptual disturbance experienced by some migraine headache sufferers before the headache occurs. What are the different sensations that can be experienced?

• Visual Changes such as bright lights, zigzag lines, distortions in the size or shape of objects. A spot in the visual field in which vision is absent or deficient. Tunnel vision, slowly spreading spots, kaleidoscope effects, total temporary monocular (in one eye) blindness (in retinal migraine).
• Auditory changes such as hearing voices or sounds that do not exist or a modification of voices or sounds in the environment. Buzzing, amplitude modulation or other modulations.
• Strange smells.
• Feelings of numbness or tingling on one side of the face or body.
• Feeling separated from one's body.
• Feeling as if the limbs are moving independently from the body.
• Feeling as if one has to eat or go to the bathroom. Anxiety or fear.
• Anxiety or fear.
• Nausea.
• Weakness, unsteadiness.
• Saliva collecting in the mouth.
• Being unable to understand or comprehend spoken words during and after the aura.
• Being unable to speak properly, despite the brain grasping what the person is trying to verbalize.

All of these may be an aura, an indication that a migraine headache is coming soon.

It happens often, when you have an important business meeting, when you're going to a nice social obligation, or maybe going to a concert or somewhere else for downright fun. A rotten headache sets in that puts a huge damper one everything. We have to fight the causes of headaches to eliminate them! Check out the Feeling Outstanding website for more information on headaches and a great selection of nutritional supplements at good prices.

Aura - A telltale sign of migraines or not?

You may have heard or read about 'aura'. Or you may have experienced it. An aura is the perceptual disturbance experienced by some migraine sufferers before a headache. It s also an indication realized by some people with epilepsy before a seizure. There are many sensations that an aura can include such as a strange light, an unpleasant smell or hearing voices that do not exist.

In upcoming blogs I would like to discuss the following:

• What are the indications of aura?
• Aura normally leads to bad things, but it there a silver lining?
• Does this always happen to migraine victims?

Stay tuned, there is some good information coming.

People who have frequent headaches suffer miserably. Especially those with frequent migraines. There is relief, there is help. It takes effort from a person, but there can be natural headache relief, and there are products that assist immensely. The Native Remedies MiGone Plus product is an excellent herbal and homeopathic tool to use in the struggle against headaches. There are also several good strategies to use to determine the causes of daily headaches and to fight and win the battle.

Here's to Feeling Outstanding!

Rebound Headaches--A Personal Story

I want to talk about a personal story today. The story of a person who suffered from one long rebound headache. This person was my mother. My mom had headaches periodically throughout her life, like many of us do. When she turned about 40, they started increasing. At the same time, her usage of over-the-counter headache medication started increasing too. She used several different brands so I don't think it's fair to pick on any on in particular here. Maybe I should just pick on them in general. She also like her Chinese food that was loaded with MSG.

As can be expected, as her increase in these so-called medications increased, so did her headaches. Was this a coincidence. I don't think so. She got to the point where she was taking two at a time, every day, and sometimes more than once a day.

Two questions are critical at this point. Were these medications that she was taking leading to analgesic rebound headaches? Were all of these medications really decreasing the amount of migraine headaches she received? The way she suffered nearly every single day for the last 15 years of her life show me without a doubt that she was suffering terribly from the rebound headache syndrome.

But what about migraines, if she only had small headaches that didn't bother her much were they not worth it? If the headaches were only small, I would tend to agree. The issue was they were not only small, insignificant little blimps on the radar screen. Sure, she would have a small headache every day, but just about every week she would have a migraine. And sometimes they would last 2-4 days.

When a person gets deeply the rebound headache cycle, they come to fear migraine headaches so bad that they will do nearly anything to avoid them. The common medications do appear to alleviate migraines. Sometimes they do (for a period of time), but not always. When a person gets in the cycle bad enough I don't think they do anything to help. They cause more harm than a person who rarely or never has headaches can ever imagine

.

What's the solution? We have to stop taking the drugs. A good exercise program , being careful what you eat and drink and a good nutritional supplement can do wonders to combat headaches.

Here's to Feeling Outstanding!

Migraine Headaches and Patent Foramen Ovale - My Experience

As I concluded yesterday's message, I made an appointment with a cardiologist to check and see if I had a PFO. I was sure I did, I had almost so many things checked for headaches and turned up empty on everything so far.

I had a thorough exam. They did the the echocardiogram and a stress test. I even made the office's "wall-of-fame" for lasting longer than any other who had done the test. I'm not sure how long the period of time their recoreds covered but I made the top of the list.

I had a great talk with the nurse who told me how much fun her job was and that she was making pretty good money. I had a talk with the doctor, almost pleading for him to say that the tests were positive.

After the tests were over (it took about an hour) I was sent home with the assurance that I would be told either a "ya" or "nay" within a week. I went home with a headache (naturally) but my spirits were high. The folks in church noticed a difference on Sunday. I was far happier than normal.

The day for my results rolled around. I called the office as I was instructed. They said "we have good news, your heart is in great shape. Nothing at all wrong." That was not the news I wanted to hear. I wanted something to be wrong. I wanted to know what was causing the headaches that I suffered with for all of these years. It was back to square one, back to the drawing board. But, at least I knew that being 48 years old my heart was healthy. Better than a lot of people. It did seem like small compensation, but honestly I am glad.

The PFO was not my problem. I think in the past several blogs I have shown that PFO is a real cause for migraine headaches for some people and a promising new avenue for relief. It just was not my saving grace.

I have been taking the VEMMA nutritional supplement now for seven months and I know it has boosted my energy level and helped my overall health. You might want to give it a try.

I hope all is well. If you are suffering from headaches I hope that this series of blogs plus my previous series has been some help or given you some ideas.

My Experience with Patent Foramen Ovale

The Superstition Mountain wilderness area, about 100 miles from Phoenix, AZ. If anyone wants a guided tour I can hook you up with a person who knows the mountains almost like the back of his hands. Let me know if you do.

It was around October - November, 2007 when I became aware of the relationship between a PFO and migraine headaches. It was in this same time frame that I started visiting Dr. Teresa Latendress, a naturopathic physician from the Hickory, NC area. Dr. T. also brought up that I might have a PFO.

This was just too coincidental I thought. I saw this article in the back pages of a newspaper and then Dr. T. mentioning this to me within a couple of short weeks. Wow, I thought, this has got to be my problem.

I threw all financial caution to the wind and immediately made an appointment with a cardiologist to be checked. I didn't even check with my insurance company on coverage, I was so sure this was the resolve to my 40 year experience with headaches that I didn't care what I had to pay to get it fixed.

I went in for my first appointment with the cardiologist in Lincolnton, NC. We had a nice discussion. She was questioning me severely, asking why I thought that there was a connection between PFO and migraines. I laid it on the line to her. I have had headaches for 40 years, I have not found a fix, I have done research into the subject on the web and have found that many doctors feel there is a link between the two. I showed her some of the articles that I printed out and nearly had to force her to read them.

After a long pause she admitted to me that a relationship between PFO and migraine headaches had been suspected for a while. She said there was no "proof" of it yet and therefore she wasn't able to actually discuss it. But, she did agree to have me tested for a PFO. I think she realized that there was enough evidence to back my theory up.

At the same time we discussed methods of dealing with my insurance company. She agreed to put on her report that we were checking for a PFO because there was a history of stroke in my family (which there is). This way she was confident that the big boys with the power, money and influence (insurance companies) wouldn't deny payment. She told me that if she reported that we were checking for a PFO as a cause of migraine headaches all payment would probably be denied.

What did I find out? That's the subject of my next blog.

Natural Headache Relief, Causes of Daily Headaches, MSG and Headaches are all discussed in the FeelingOuststanding.com web page. If you suffer from headaches, check them out. The information may be very helpful.

Here's to your health, here's to feeling outstanding!

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure and Migraine Relief

A British double-blind study designed to evaluate the effect of PFO close on Migraine called the MIST (Migraine Intervention with STARFlex Technology) was completed.

Doctors Peter Wilmhurst and Andrew Dowson jointly presented the results at the American College of Cardiology's 55th annual Scientific, Late Breaking Clinical Trials Sessions. Dr Wilmhurst is Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury. Dr. Dowson is Director of the King's Headache Service, Kings College Hospital, London.

A PFO is a common heart defect that is a risk factor for migraine headaches in some patients. The PFO allows venous blood, unfiltered and unmanaged by the lungs, to enter the arterial blood circulation. The unfiltered venous blood may contain elements that can trigger migraines in some patients.

The results of this study, which tested 147 patients indicate an approximate 37% reduction in Migraine burden (number of headaches multiplied by the length, in hours of headache) in those patients who received the testing procedure (a STAR implant to close the PFO).

Dr. Dowson commented,
"For the first time we can see trends in a prospective study to suggest that PFO closure may be an effective way to treat certain types of migraine. A reduction in headache burden for a patient with sever migraine may allow that individual to gain more control and lead a more fulfilling and productive life. The key now will be establishing the criteria that will help to determine which patients should be referred to the invenventional cardiologist for further treatment."

This can a a huge breakthrough for migraine headache victims that cannot determine the causes of their frequent headaches. Headaches are miserable and painful. There are natural solutions to many headache problems. MSG is a huge contributor to headaches and goes by many hidden names. But sometimes there is no apparent cause, this may be a case of a PFO.

There we have in on PFO and migraine headaches. There appears to be a definite correlation between the two and the closure has shown a reduction in headache burden for a high percentage of those tested. Let's hope that further research takes place and this becomes a real consideration for those who suffer from the drastic affects of frequent migraine headaches.

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Here's to your health, here's to feeling outstanding. Never give up, never quit trying!

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure and Migraine Relief

We have previously noted a correlation between PFO presence and migraine headaches. Yesterday we saw one study that indicated the closure of the PFO to reduce frequency and severity of migraines.

Also, a link between migraine and stroke risk has been seen. One hypothesis is being investigated is that patients with migraine more often have a PFO and PFO make them more prone to stroke.

Let's take a look at another study that was performed to see if the closure of the PFO has any effect on headaches. In 2004 two groups of researchers from Belgium and Switzerland studies whether percutaneous closure (closing the PFO by a technique that does not require a major surgical procedure) would lead to few Migraines.

The Belgian group gave a questionnaire was given to people after PFO closure. The Swiss group gave a questionnaire both before and after the closure. Frequency of migraine was decreased in both studies after PFO closure.

These studies are critical. If PFO closure proves effective for Migraine prevention, that makes PFO a potentially correctable migraine trigger! Tomorrow we can take a look at another study that compared Migraine patients who had PFO closure with those who didn't. This could be great news to people who suffer headaches and they cannot figure out why. After we look at this next study I will share my experience when I was examined for a PFO.

Exercise! The legendary center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, Jimmy Piersoll used to say that running was the best exercise. I have done a lot of running for exercise in my life. It is great exercise although in my mind, it's boring and very tough our the knees. My favorite piece of exercise equipment is the Chuck Norris Total Gym that has been advertised on TV for years. It's easy to get hooked on! Once you do, you'll get in shape faster than you think possible.

Patent Foramen Ovale Closure and Migraine Relief

Does the closure of the Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) provide headache relief? There have been studies on this very subject done over the past couple of years. Let's take a look at results of some of them.

Dr. Markus Schwerzmann, MD, of the Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern, in Switzerland (now at the University of Toronto) lead a study in which a group of patients who had a patent framen ovale, a previous stroke, and subsequent patent foramen ovale close. They asked these patients about their migraine frequency before and after the PFO closure to determine whether the intervention had an impact in reducing migraine headaches.

In 215 patients, the prevalence of migraine with and without aura was established using International Headache Society criteria. The impact of PFO closure on headache frequency and headache impact on daily life was investigated using the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6).

What was determined was that patients with a PFO and a history of stroke had migraine much more often than expected in the general population. If the PFO was closed for stroke prevention reasons, the frequency of migraine attacks was also reduced! This was an unexpected finding at the time of the study. After PFO closure, the frequency of headache attacks was reduced in both types of migraine (with and without aura). In migraine with aura by 54% and in migraine without aura by 62%. A decrease in the frequency of nonmigraine headaches did not reach statistical significance. The HIT-6 score improved in all groups, but significantly more for migraine than nonmigraine headache.

I think this is important news for some migraine headache sufferers. Of course, this does not apply to all headaches or migraines but it may be a huge knowledge gain in the battle! Many suffer from from headaches. Click on this link for information on the causes of daily headaches and for strategies to gain natural headache relief. Or for my favorite workout program check out the Chuck Norris Total Gym.

Tomorrow we will take a look at another study that has been done.

Here's to your good health!

Diagnosis and Treatment of PFO - Part 1

I think it has been pretty well established that individuals with a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) are more prone to migraine headaches than than those without a PFO. (For discussion on what a PFO is and studies related to this point see the previous three postings related to the subject).

PFO can be detected by echocardiogram. In some cases the patient is asked to cough or perforn the Valsalva maneuver to increase pressure in the right atrium. This can increase the flow of blood from the right to left atrium. Transesophageal echo can provide a closer and more detailed view of the PFO.

People with PFO do not need any treatment if there are no associated problems, such as a stroke. Patients who have had a stroke may be placed on some type of blood thinner to prevent recurrent stroke.

For some patients closure of PFO may be recommended. Does closure of PFO provide headache relief at all. We will look at that beginning tomorrow.

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Stay tuned to see whether the PFO closure has helped people gain headache relief or not.

Hope you are all FeelingOutstanding!

Patent Foramen Ovale - Correlation with Headaches - Part 2

"Patients with a history of stroke and patent foramen ovale have a higher prevalence of migraine with aura than the general population" (Neurology Review.com, Feb04). In a separate paper, the same investigators reported interim findings of an ongoing study examining the prevalence of patent foramen ovale and ischemic brain lesions in patients with migraine compared with healthy controls. Once again the data suggests an increased prevalence of patent foramen ovale and migraine patients.

From the same article in neurology review Dr. Markus Schwerzmann, M.D. of the Swiss Cardiovascular Center is quoted as follows" "What we found was first, patients with a patent forman ovale and a history of stroke had migraine much more often than we expect in the general population. Of the 215 patients, 48 (22%) suffered from migraine...compared to an expected 10%- 12% in the general European population."

In an interim report of a second study Dr. Schwerzmann noted that the patent foramen ovale was present in 25 of 57 patients with migraine with aura (44%).

Another study that was conducted by BTU Doctors Peter Wilmhurst and Andrew Dowson (study conducted in the United Kingdom) enrolled 147 patients who suffered from migraine. Of those patients over 60% had a right to left shunt, a heart defect, which allows blood to cross from the right to the left chambers of the heart, bypassing the lungs. Of those patients, almost 40% had a moderate or large to moderate PFO.

With the studies that have been done, I think that a correlation can be made between migraine and the PFO. This obviosuly, is not the only cause of headaches. Click here to get more information about the causes of headaches and MSG and headaches. Tomorrow we will begin to take a look at what can be done to PFO victims.

I hope that all is well. Look for people to help you out tomorrow, expect it. Here's to Feeling Outstanding.

Migraine Headacches and PFO, Correlation with Headaches?

Before we get into the question of whether there is a correlation or relationship between the PFO and headaches I think a little more description of the PFO is in order. Referring to the picture on the right

• The septum is the muscular wall separating the heart into the left and right sides.
• The atrial septum is the wall separating the atria (the two upper chambers).
• The ventricalar septum is the wall separating the ventricles (the two lower chambers).

The foramen ovale is a small hole located in the atrial septum that is used during fetal circulation to speed up the travel of blood through the heart. When in the womb, a baby does not use it's own lungs for oxygen-rich blood, it relies on the mother to provide it from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the fetus. Therefore, blood can travel from the veins to the right side of the baby's heart and cross to the left side through the foramen ovale and skip the trip to the baby's lungs.

Normally the foramen ovale closes at birth when increased blood pressure on the left side of the heart forces the opening to close. If the atrial septum does not close correctly, it is called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). This usually work like a flap valve, opening during conditions when there is more pressure inside the chest. If the pressure is great enough, blood may travel from the right atrium to the left atrium. If there is a clot or particles in the blood traveling in the right side of the heart, it can cross the PFO, enter the left atrium and travel out of the heart to the brain, possibly causing a stroke, or a coronary artery, or a migraine headache.

According the the Cleveland Clinic web page migraine headaches are more common in patients with PFO. Neurology seconds this by saying "Research has shown a higher prevalence of PFO among Migraineurs. (April 2004:62:1399-1041)"

What kind of tests have been done to come to this conclusion? Does closing the PFO make any difference? We will examine some studies done on the PFO and Migraines beginning with my next post.

There can be Natural Headache Relief.

Check out the Causes of Daily Headaches web page. The author blows the whistle on the common over-the-counter headache medications in use today. Does today's headache medication cause tomorrow's headache? What is an analgesic rebound headache. This page may be a shock for some, but not for those who have suffered the rebound headache syndrome.

Here's to Feeling Outstanding. Never give up!