Subscribe to New York Headache blog

Three out of four migraine sufferers may have reactive hypoglycemia, which may be contributing to their headaches. Reactive hypoglycemia is the so called sugar crash – a drop in blood glucose level after eating or drinking a large amount of sugar...

Thirty-two percent of patients with multiple sclerosis experience both migraine and pain with neuropathic (related to nerve damage) characteristics, according to a report by French researchers led by Xavier Moisse. These two symptoms appear to be...

Many medical specialty groups of doctors have been coming out with “Choosing Wisely” campaign where they recommend avoiding five things in their field. Headache specialists just came out with their own list of items that offer low-value and can...

More patients with fibromyalgia suffer from migraine headaches than those without this fibromyalgia. Those with fibromyalgia are also more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and panic attacks. Fibromyalgia has been a mysterious...

Migraine headaches can be triggered by exposure to a variety of chemicals, including fumes, MSG, artificial sweeteners and many other. Now, scientists at the university of Kansas Medical Center published a study suggesting that BPA, a ubiquitous...

White matter lesions (WML) are more common in people who suffer from migraine headaches with or without aura and my recent post mentioned yet another study confirming this finding. Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine just published...

Botox injections are currently approved for the treatment of chronic migraines but not cluster headaches. However, my experience at the New York Headache Center suggests that Botox injections may also help relieve cluster headaches, which some...

The previous post mentioned a study confirming that caffeine makes headaches worse in adults 20 years or older. A study by pediatric neurologists from the Cleveland Clinic, Chad Whyte and David Rothner showed that this is also true in adolescents...

A study of 13,573 people by a Harvard physician Catherine Beuttner examined the role of nutrition in patients with migraines and severe headaches. Among these participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were 20 years...

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are needed for our body to produce pain-relieving and pain-enhancing substances. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a randomized, single-blinded, parallel-group clinical trial...

Vertigo presenting during the peri-menopause can be related to migraine, according to a report by Nashville neurologists led by Dr. Jan Brandes. They collected information on 12 women who presented with a new onset of vertigo during their...

Dihydroergotamine (DHE-45) is considered to be the most effective injectable migraine drug. In addition to injections, it is been available in a nasal spray form (Migranal), but the nasal spray is much less effective than the injection. Early next...

Fainting spells (syncope) are more common in people who suffer from migraine headaches. Compared with control subjects, migraineurs have a higher lifetime prevalence of syncope (46 vs 31%), frequent syncope (five or more attacks) (13 vs 5%), and...

Topamax (topiramate) has been reported to cause inability to sweat which can lead to hyperthermia or overheating. At first, this condition was reported as a rare complication, but a study of 173 children showed that 22 of them or more than 10%...

Botox injections is the only FDA-approved treatment for chronic migraine headaches. This is a very effective (works in 70% of chronic migraine patients) and very safe treatment. The only major drawback is its cost. However, there is a great...

Cleveland Clinic doctors established that migraine patients who are educated about sumatriptan (Imitrex) and other triptans tend to do better. It is not a surprising discovery, but it highlights the importance of patient education. The study...

Migraine affects people in all socio-economic categories, however it is more likely to occur in poor, according to a report in the latest issue of Neurology. Researchers examined the data from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study...

Performing an MRI scan is unnecessary in the vast majority of migraine sufferers. However, many migraineurs end up having this test because they are concerned about having a brain tumor or another serious condition and because many doctors order...

It is hard to believe the report of a group of Danish doctors who found 28 out of 61 (46%) patients undergoing surgery for a herniated lumbar disc to have a bacterial infection in those discs. Just like the idea that stomach ulcers are caused...

Migraine aura seems to indicate a different underlying brain condition than that of migraine without aura. We know that the risk of strokes is higher in patients who suffer from migraines with aura. The increase in this risk is very slight...

At the New York Headache Center we always try to avoid using medications and use alternative (i.e. non-drug) therapies first. We often succeed, but unfortunately, many of our patients do end up taking some drugs. However, when choosing among...

A variety of electrical devices have been tried for the treatment of headaches and have been mentioned in several of my previous blogs. One study showed that passing direct current through the head may help migraines and depression. Another study...

Fish oil supplements may protect the heart in stressful situations, according to a study conducted in Michigan with 67 healthy volunteers. The researchers, led by Jason Carter, looked at the effect of fish oil on body’s stress response. The volunteers...

Advances in MRI imaging have allowed visualizing the trigeminal nerve and a group of Australian researchers reported on their findings in three conditions which cause facial pain. Trigeminal nerve supplies sensation to the face and facial pain...

The manufacturer of Petadolex brand of butterbur sent me an email saying that the FDA conducted an inspection of their manufacturing plant in Germany. However, my concerns about butterbur, which I mentioned in a previous blog post, has...

Bipolar disorder and other psychiatric problems are 2-3 times more common in those who suffer from migraine headaches and migraines are 2-3 times more common in patients with mental illness. Those who suffer from migraines are very familiar with...

Surprisingly, Botox appears to relieve hemiplegic migraines, according to a report by two neurologists from the Mayo Clinic. They describe 5 female patients who suffered from very frequent and severe migraine headaches with four of them having...

Auditory hallucinations can be associated with chronic headaches, according to a report by our own Dr. Sara Crystal and three other neurologists from the Bronx. These four doctors reported on 7 of their own patients and also described 8 patients...

The vascular theory of migraine suggested that changes in the blood vessel size and blood flow were responsible for the development of migraine attacks. This theory went out of fashion and for the past 20 years most headache experts thought that...

Increased intracranial pressure is an under-diagnosed cause of difficult to treat headaches. Persistent chronic headaches that do not respond to treatment may be due to increased pressure inside the head. These headaches may resemble...