The Migraine Relief Center Blog

Medical science never rests, and that’s good news for migraine sufferers. While a range of medications exist that are capable of treat migraines, many are only effective for some patients and several have unpleasant side effects. Researchers are exploring new brain insights and other options in an effort to find innovative therapies, and some of these were discussed at the American Academy of Neurology’s April convention in Boston. We rounded up a few of the most exciting developments in 2017...

A number of medical conditions have confusion or “brain fog” as a symptom or side effect, including migraines. Acute confusional migraines, known as ACMs, are still in the early stage of medical research, and only a small number of cases can be found for study purposes. These typically affect children and teenagers, but you don’t have to have an actual ACM to experience confusion.  

Teachers are as susceptible to migraine as anyone else, but having to go to school and face groups of rowdy children or teens when your head is splitting might not feel very normal. For migraine sufferers, the school week often starts with the tired, heavy feeling that signifies a headache is on the way. By break time, migraine aura is in full swing and the pain is starting to announce its arrival like a hot poker behind your eyes. If this is a common occurence, here are some methods you can...

With Halloween on the way this month, it’s likely your kids are planning their haunted house and Trick or Treating trips already. For migraineurs, however, this fun, festive activity can be a traumatic event filled with triggers. Fall already carries migraine risks of its own, and Halloween adds another layer of potential problems for patients. With careful advance planning, however, you can enjoy it and possibly even avoid a migraine attack.

Around 15 percent of the U.S. population currently experiences migraine headaches, which affect both genders and all age groups. In children, similar numbers of boys and girls suffer from the disorder, while after 65 years of age the headaches diminish equally in both genders. During the reproductive years, however, women make up more than twice the number of patients than men, and hormones are believed to be a major reason for this.

The old saying “love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage,” also applies to migraine headaches and neck pain, although with a lot less enjoyment!

Sensitivity to sound is a common migraine trigger, particularly in the prodrome phase, but patients often don’t realize the extent of its effect on their headaches. In a March 2015 report published in Neurology, researchers discovered a connection between migraine patients and people with heightened awareness to sound, which suggests that suppressing certain sounds during a migraine can help to avoid making it worse.

The irritating buzzing and ringing in the ears that signifies an attack of tinnitus is a common issue, affecting around 50 million Americans. Interestingly, it’s not an independent medical condition but a symptom of several other problems, including many types of headache disorders. Patients often mistake migraines for inner ear problems and vice versa, partly because both can cause tinnitus. Here are the differences between tinnitus and migraine, and details on how they are connected.

Surgical interventions for migraine are becoming more popular as the number of patients who successfully undergo the procedure increases. Medicine naturally evolves and becomes more effective as knowledge deepens through research and data gathering, but there is still some confusion around the question of undergoing surgery for migraines.

Fatigue is an unwelcome side effect of migraine that affects many sufferers. In fact, studies reveal that up to 84% of people with migraine are also battling this issue. In some people fatigue can actually trigger migraines, or it may be a warning of an imminent attack. The fatigue might not appear until after the pain goes away, or it could be present throughout the episode.