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Botox relieves migraine headaches and other painful conditions, such as sciatica, neuralgias and neck pain. A recent study of 43 patients with arthritis of the shoulder suggests that Botox may relieve arthritis pain as well. This was a double-blind...

A recent study published in Neurology showed that migraine sufferers have thicker gray matter in the part of the brain that perceives pain. Thickening of the gray matter indicates larger number of brain cells in that area, which is not...

This is a common question people ask when we suggest that they start taking a daily preventive medication. A groundbreaking study just published by Hans-Christoph Diener and his colleagues answers this question. Over 800 patients were placed on...

We always recommend exercise as one of the most effective preventive treatments for migraines and tension-type headaches. However, it appears that some patients may have difficult time exercising because of low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D...

It appears that women respond better to morphine than men and men respond better to a different opioid (narcotic) drug, butorphanol. This was the conculsion of a study presented at the American Pain Society. The next step that the researchers...

A recent study by Richard Harris presented at the American Pain Society’s meeting of 18 patients with fibromyalgia showed different brain mechanisms for true and sham acupuncture. It appears that placebo response in sham acupuncture can be...

Many patients tell me that monosodium glutamate (MSG) gives them headaches, but we never had a scientific study to explain or support this observation. A study by Brian Cairns and his colleagues in the November issue of journal Pain reveals possible...

“Anne Frank’s headache” is the title of an article just published by RF de Almeida and PA Kowacs in the journal Cephalalgia. This is an abstract of the article: “There are a significant number of famous people who suffered from frequent headaches...

Postpartum headaches are very common and are usually benign. A study presented at the meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine by Dr. Caroline Stella and her colleagues looked at 95 women with severe headaches that started 25 hours...

Migraine is known to subside in most people, often when they reach their 40s or 50s.  A recent report from Sweden suggests that even patients with more severe migraines who end up going to a headache clinic have favorable...

Results of a phase II study of a new headache medicine was published in journal Neurology. Merck and Co. is starting phase III trials of this drug, which works by blocking the release of a neurotransmitter CGRP. Previous migraine medicines, such as...

Pain of migraine can be localized to the face and around the mouth according a two recent reports. Dr. Gaul and colleagues reported in journal Cephalalgia on two patients who had dental pain as well as typical migraine symptoms, including...

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new formulation of Imitrex Injection that allows a convenient way for patients to take a 4mg dose using the Imitrex STATdose System®. Imitrex Injection is indicated for the acute...

Oliver Dolly, an Irish researcher who devoted many years of his work to the study of botulinum toxin, has just published results of a new study which may help explain this question. Twelve years ago when I started using Botox for the treatment...

Depression (and anxiety) is 2-3 times more common in those suffering from migraines than in people without migraines. Depression is not caused by migraines because patients who develop depression first are 2-3 times more likely to develop...

It is no big news that acupuncture helps migraine patients. Nevertheless, it is good to see yet another study confirming this. Maybe, once the health care mess is straightened out and common sense prevails, the insurance companies will notice...

A study just published by Dr. Mathew and his colleagues in the journal Headache reports that patients with chronic migraine headaches responded to Botox better than patients with chronic tension headaches. Patients who had headaches predominantly...

Prolapse or herniation of the upper cervical disc is known to cause not only neck pain but also so called cervicogenic headaches. Dr. Diener and his German colleagues reported (in journal Cephalalgia) on 50 patients who had prolapse of lower...

A study just published in the British medical journal Lancet reports on the effect of food colorings in children. This study found that food colorings cause symptoms of attention deficit disorder in young children. Many of my patients report that...

Dr. Tietjen reports in the current issue of Neurology on a survey performed at six headache clinics. A total of 949 women with migraine completed the survey: 40% had chronic headache (that is headaches occuring on more than 15 days each month) and 72%...

Hemiplegic migraine can be safely treated with triptans (drugs like Imitrex, Maxalt and other). This is the conclusion of a study published in the September issue of journal Cephalalgia. A group of Finnish doctors gave triptans to 76 patients who...

Researchers at several companies are using brain images obtained by an MRI machine to train people with chronic pain how to control their pain. These MRI images are not of the type that are routinely taken to look at the brain structure...

Noise is a well-known trigger of migraines. Recent findings by WHO researchers indicate that excessive exposure to noise causes other health hazards as well. Noise from daytime traffic can result in chronic stress with an increase in the risk of...

A recent survey by Beatrice Golomb and her colleagues which was reported by Reuters Health discovered that when patients reported adverse reactions to drugs their doctors routinely denied that the drug was responsible for these side effects...

I just received an announcement for the “2nd Annual Surgical Treatment of Migraine Headaches.” The event is sponsored by Case Western Reserve University and presented by its Department of Plastic Surgery. Ten of the 12 speakers on the...

In a study presented at the recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association Dr. Stephen Woolley found that adults suffering from severe headaches have a 30% to 50% increased chance of having suicidal thoughts or behaviors, independent...

Brain damage from migraines? Maybe, if you are a mouse. A recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience discovered that a process that simulates migraine in mice leads to brain damage similar to that seen with repeated ministrokes...

Cluster headaches are much more common in men. Cluster headaches are much more common in men. However, they do occur in women and in the latest issue of journal Headache Dr. T. Rozen presents the first report of a woman who was having...

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) affects 10% of the population with 3% suffering from severe symptoms. Patients suffering from RLS complain of difficulty falling asleep because of uncomfortable sensation in their legs which is temporarily improved...

A recent small study suggests that wearing red colored contact lenses can relieve pain of a migraine attack. A recent small study suggests that wearing red colored contact lenses can relieve pain of a migraine attack. At the NYHC we have tried...