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On any given day and in any given federal district courtroom across the United States, a case involving the Family Medical Leave Act and migraines is likely being argued. In July 2014, for example, a court in the Southern District of Indiana ruled in against the plaintiff in Hamilton v. Republic Airways, in which a flight attendant was fired because she claimed to be unable to work a specific flight due to her alleged migraine episodes.
When summer comes around and the temperatures become warmer, perfume designers and manufacturers tend to switch their marketing efforts away from fragrances that have earthy, musky, woodsy, and spicy overtones in favor of fruity and flowery scents that are lighter. There is a clinical reason behind this change from full scents such as pine to lighter ones such as citrus, and it has to do migraines.
The economic toll of migraines is often mentioned in terms of labor productivity; for example, the Migraine Research Foundation explains that more than 100 million work days are lost in the United States each year due to employees taking time off to recover from migraine episodes. What about the financial strain that migraine patients must deal with as a result of their condition?
American pop music celebrity Selena Gomez is known for her background as a Disney actress, her hit songs and her tumultuous romance with Canadian teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. Gomez recently joined the ranks of celebrities such as Seal, Lady Gaga and Toni Braxton, who have all been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Epidural anesthesia is applied in nearly half of all births in the United States and the United Kingdom; however, there has been a surging interest in natural, drug-free deliveries in the last few years. Many expecting mothers are now considering giving birth at home and with the assistance of midwives and doulas. Such is the case of singer Kimberley Walsh of the pop musical group Girls Aloud, who has combined singing lessons with breathing exercises to help her during labor.
Patients who deal with chronic migraines often feel as if they are sidelined from life by their conditions. For professional athletes such as Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos, this feeling was a reality on more than one occasion.
Ongoing clinical research studies into the causes of migraines and possible treatments are revealing more options for prevention of episodes. The two major pharmaceutical strategies for the migraine condition are abortive and preventative. The former involves the use of medications that can bring quick pain relief when taken before or during a headache episode; the latter focuses on medicinal regimes that can forestall auras and triggers.
The way business is carried out in the pharmaceutical industry has become extremely dynamic. For pharmaceutical giants such as GlaxoSmithKline, a multinational company based in England, mergers and acquisitions are no longer attractive. The real money is in offering investors to hold some of the rights to certain medications. Such is the case of Imitrex, a triptan drug often prescribed for the treatment of migraines.
As with most other chronic health issues, migraine episodes can strike anytime and thus create a sense of dread and terrible anxiety for patients who feel as if they are forced to live with their adverse conditions. One of the most dreadful aspects of living with migraines is the possibility of a debilitating attack taking place far from home, in an unfamiliar place and during a difficult situation.
