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In the 21st century, intranasal medications for the treatment of migraines have been increasingly prescribed to certain patients. The intranasal administration of migraine medications is often considered to provide faster and more efficient relief, but a 2004 study by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York suggests that most patients prefer oral medications when it comes to the reactive or preventative treatment of migraines. Still, there is one peculiar intranasal...
When medical researchers study the migraine condition, they often focus on systemic issues. Migraines are caused by vascular and neurochemical irregularities, but there is also a strong behavioral factor associated with migraine episodes.
The idea of “dropping acid” or ingesting hallucinogens and psychedelics to treat headaches is not exactly new, but it has been undergoing a resurgence over the last few years. This is a trend related to both medical research as well as to shifts in societal attitudes, and we can credit the ongoing efforts to legislate the medicinal use of marijuana in various jurisdictions across the United States for this renewed interest in psychedelics as therapeutic aids.
There is absolutely no question that exercise is one of the best therapeutic activities that migraine patients can undertake. Exercise is the most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, which in turn is known as the best effort that migraine patients can put forth for the purpose of preventing headache episodes. For the majority of migraine patients, prevention is very much attainable through moderate physical fitness.
One of the most memorable legislative achievements during the administration of former President George H. W. Bush was the passing and enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. When Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa introduced the bill before Congress, he actually used sign language in certain parts for the benefit of his brother, who lives with a hearing disability. This important law essentially prohibits the discrimination of Americans based on their disabilities.
For quite a few people who live with chronic migraine conditions, the holiday season if not only filled with cheer but also with dread at the thought of encountering environmental and nutritional triggers that could ruin the time they are supposed to enjoy with their loved ones.
On the popular television sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, a recent episode dealt with a physiological issue that affects millions of people around the world, but not most of them are barely aware of it. One very interesting aspect of The Big Bang Theory is the way it cleverly makes fun of scientific topics, particularly those dealing with physics, but a recent episode actually dealt with an anatomic condition that is known to be a trigger of migraine attacks.
When does a migraine condition turn into a chronic disease? Although physicians often refer to chronic illnesses as those that persist for more than 12 months, migraine conditions tend to be a little different. For example, a woman who regularly suffers three migraine episodes per year that collectively last a couple of hours can be considered as a chronic migraine patient, but her quality of life is decidedly better than that of a patient who suffers one episode each week.
Some of the most influential writers in history were besieged by their migraine conditions even as they penned their masterpieces. We are talking about Adeline Virginia Stephen Woolf, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. To a certain extent, the migraines suffered by these notable authors had a profound effect on their literary canon, which in turn contributed to the betterment of society through entertainment,...
