New York Headache blog

Almost 1.5 million Americans visit emergency rooms every year for the treatment of head trauma. Headache, not surprisingly, is one of the most common symptoms of head trauma. What is very surprising is that until now, there...

We know that physical emotional, and sexual abuse in childhood increases the risk of developing chronic pain and migraines later in life. Dutch researchers looked at several other potential predisposing factors. The results of their...

Post-traumatic headaches (PTH) are classified as a distinct category of headaches. There is growing evidence, however, that headaches that develop after a head injury are migraines. A study just published in Cephalalgia by Dr...

The goal of personalized medicine will be achieved through the exponential growth of computing power. Epigenetics, pharmacogenomics, and machine learning are some of the approaches that are being driven by our ability...

This blog has many posts about the role of magnesium in the prevention of migraines and clinical trials of magnesium. Another study was just published by Iranian doctors in The Journal of Headache and Pain. Unfortunately, like other studies...

Weight loss in overweight migraine sufferers – including that produced by bariatric surgery – leads to a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks. In a previous post and in my new book I mentioned the use of metformin...

COVID-related lockdowns have saved many lives. We don’t yet fully appreciate, however, the other side of the ledger – the harms the lockdowns have caused. These include delays in diagnosing cancers, alcohol and drug abuse...

The headache of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure can be very severe. Its main feature is that it gets worse on sitting or standing and improves upon lying down. Sometimes, this change is quick but occasionally the...

The term postural orthostatic tachycardia means that the heart rate becomes very fast upon standing up. POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that is associated with abnormal blood flow regulation. Almost all patients...

Cyclic vomiting is considered to be a form of migraine. It is most common in children. Surveys indicate that 2% to 3% of children may be suffering from this condition. These children often develop typical migraines as they get...

Magnesium supplementation for the prevention of migraine headaches has been gaining wider acceptance. Dozens of studies, including several of our own, have shown that migraine sufferers often have a magnesium deficiency...

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a very frightening condition. Suddenly, you feel confused and disoriented. You don’t know where you are, what time it is, what you are supposed to be doing. You can’t remember what you...

Cluster headaches are considered to cause the most severe pain of any type of headache. Once the cluster period begins, headaches occur once or several times a day with each attack lasting 1-3 hours. We do have a new...

My new book, The End of Migraines: 150 Ways to Stop Your Pain, was just published by Amazon. It is also available on Google Play and Kobo. I am very grateful to all my colleagues who took the time to read the book and...

The loss of the sense of smell is the second most common presenting symptom of COVID. It occurs in 65% of patients. Fatigue occurs in 68% and headache, in 43%. Severe loss of the sense of smell was still present in 11% of...

Persistent post-traumatic headache (PTH), paradoxically, is more common after a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) than after a severe one. In a recently published study, researchers in Indiana examined possible...

Nerivio device is approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of migraine attacks in adults. A study just published in the journal Headache indicates that it may be effective in the treatment of migraine in adolescents, aged 12 to 17...

Researchers in Cincinnati, OH led by Dr. Andrew Hershey reviewed information about the diagnosis, headache features, medication overuse, functional disability in a group of 1,170 children and adolescents with continuous headaches...

Feldenkrais method can appear magical but it is rooted in good science. It has withstood the test of time. Moshe Feldenkrais, a prominent Israeli physicist, developed his method over 70 years ago. You can read more about the...

This is a common question I get from patients. Botox was first approved by the FDA in 1989. The CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in 2018. Long-term safety of Botox is well established. I’ve treated many pregnant women...

Zonisamide (Zonegran) is an epilepsy drug similar to topiramate in its mechanism of action. Unfortunately, it shares its side effects as well. These include fatigue, difficulty with concentration and memory, nausea, and other...

Cefaly is a neurostimulation device that was approved by the FDA in 2014. Until October of this year, it required a prescription. Several clinical trials proved the device to be not only effective but also very safe. Now it can be...

Zolmitriptan (Zomig, Zomig ZMT, Zomig NS) is one of seven triptans sold in the US. It is available in tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, and nasal spray. The nasal spray is approved for children 12 and older. Both tablets and...

Many studies have shown that virtual reality experience can relieve pain. The first such study in burn patients was published 20 years ago. A comprehensive review of this topic, Immersive Virtual Reality and Virtual Embodiment...

Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin) is an effective drug for the prevention of cluster headaches. It is sometimes used for migraines as well. However, the evidence for its efficacy is weak. A double-blind crossover trial by Dr. Glen Solomon...

Fortunately, migraines improve during pregnancy in the majority of women. None of the preventive drugs for migraine are approved by the FDA for pregnant women. The only medicine that is considered safe is a beta-blocker...

People who suffer from migraines often have a variety of visual symptoms. These include seeing an aura prior to the onset of headache, blurred vision, difficulty reading on screens or even on paper, and eye pain. Patients with...

Venlafaxine (Effexor) is the first drug in the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) class. It was approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression in 1993. At low doses, venlafaxine works as a selective serotonin reuptake...

If you’ve never experienced a hangover headache, a group of Spanish researchers can tell you what it feels like. They set out to evaluate and characterize what the international headache classification calls the “delayed alcohol-induced...

Tramadol (Ultram) is a mild narcotic (opioid) pain killer. Just like other opioids it is not a good choice to treat an acute migraine attack. Besides its addiction potential, it does not work well for most migraine patients, can cause nausea...