New York Headache Center

Magnesium is effective in preventing migraine headaches according to a new study published in the last issue of journal Magnesium Research.  The researchers found that patients treated with magnesium, compared to those treated with placebo, had fewer migraine attacks and the attacks were milder.  In addition, magnesium treated patients had improved blood flow in their brains, while those on placebo did not.  This is just another confirmation of previous findings of the efficacy of magnesium in the treatment of migraine headaches.  Since magnesium is very inexpensive and extremely safe, every patient with migraine headache should be given a trial of magnesium supplementation.

15,056 patients with migraine and tension-type headaches were treated with acupuncture in a largest acupuncture study, which was financed by the German government.  Results published in the latest issue of journal Cephalalgia by S. Jena and colleagues indicate that “acupuncture plus routine care in patients with headache was associated with marked clinical improvements compared with routine care alone”.  This study should dispel any remaining doubt about the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of headaches.

Progressive muscle relaxation is an integral part of biofeedback training, but can be used by itself for the treatment of migraine and tension-type headaches.   A group of researchers at the Ohio State University published an article in the journal Pain which reports the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on experimental pain in healthy volunteers.   A single 25-minute tape-recorded session of progressive muscle relaxation resulted in a higher pain tolerance and reduced stress from pain.  It can be safely assumed that regular practice sessions will result in even better results and all pain patients, including those with headaches should be encouraged to learn this simple technique.