Dr. Mercola September 29 2001 5,118 views
The proportion of migraine sufferers remained stable in the past decade, according to the results of a new national headache survey. However, doctors say many of the 28 million US migraine sufferers are still being undertreated for their disabling headaches.
Researchers conducted a nationally representative survey of 20,000 US households to examine the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of migraine headaches.
Migraine headaches are especially disabling headaches that usually occur on one side of the head, last 4 to 72 hours, and cause symptoms such as sensitivity to light and nausea.
The researchers reported that the proportion of migraine sufferers seems to have remained the same in the past decade, with about 13% of Americans over age 12 suffering migraine headaches, as defined by the International Headache Society.
The research found that the proportion of men and women experiencing migraines remained largely the same, with women still three times as likely as men to have migraine headaches. The new survey found that 18% of women and 6.5% of men reported migraine headaches.
The proportion of patients seeing a doctor for their migraines increased, with 48% of those with migraine headaches obtaining physician diagnoses in 1999 compared to 38% in the previous survey.
However, the research also showed that compared to a decade ago, the same proportion of headache sufferers -- a little more than half -- were still using over-the-counter pain medications to treat their migraines, while 41% were now using prescription medications, up from 37%.
Headache July/August 2001; 41: 638-645, 646-657
The research is clearly biased, as it was funded by grants to the National Headache Foundation from Glaxo Wellcome, makers of the popular migraine drug 'Imitrex'. The intent is clearly to increase awareness that migraines are not being treated and that there are in fact expensive drug options to solve it.
The researchers, and Glaxo Wellcome, hope more migraine sufferers choose their new prescription drugs as a solution for their migraine.
However, if you have read this newsletter for some time you will realize that drugs are NOT my first solution for this, or most any health problem for that matter.
Following the eating plan seems to reduce migraines by about 80%. Avoiding wheat, grains, sugar and all fluids but water seem to be particularly effective.
However, the eating plan does take some time to work. In the past I have used intravenous magnesium to relieve the headache pain, but now I find that EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to be incredibly effective at removing the pain in a few minutes.
I am sure it does not work for everyone, but I have yet to find anyone that it did not work on. It is amazing. EFT can also be used to eliminate food cravings and to help follow the eating plan.
Please be sure to read my other comments on EFT in this issue.
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I have been a migrain sufferer since I was 10 years old. I am now 48 years old. The one thing I found that cured my migraines was to use "mind over matter," and work through the head pain and not let it get to you. There was one time I had no choice BUT to work through the migraine, and that is when my battle to "rid the head pain" began. Every time I had a "head banging, head rocking, sick to my stomach" migraine, I worked on, and got the job done. The head pain got the hint. Now, all I am left with is the "aura" and sometimes a dull sensation and that is it. I can go through the day and laugh at the so-called "migraine."
According to these statistics, over 90% of people resolve migraines with pills (over-the-counter & prescription). The strange thing is that people with migraines still feel pain for a while after taking the pills and still get headaches again and again. Obviously painkillers only mask what is really going on.
The medical industry would have you believe that migraine is an incurable genetic disease. What this implies is that you have it for life, and the only way to deal with it is medication to numb the pain. Some people even get botox shots in their scalp to deaden the nerve endings!
I had migraines and cluster headaches for twenty-two years. Now they are gone. I don't take medications or require any special medications. Basically, it is possible to learn how to not have headaches. I try to document my experiences and discoveries at my free blog, www.headache-mgmt.com
Glenn Stewart Coles
I have almost eliminated my migraines with diet modification however there seems to be no way to reasonably avoid all the triggers, like dust and dander for instance. I find it incredible that a responsible physician would actually recommend going in to an ER or to their office for IV magnesium treatment when there are reasonable rescues available. The cost is prohibitive and not everyone has access to transportation to just hop on over to the office or ER.
i have sufferred from migraines for a long long time and i remember that this doctor that i had gave me a script for a nasal spray called stadol and you talking about something that got rid of the pain instantly this is the stuff it also put me to sleep in which this is what i wanted to do when i had a migraine. when i woke up i didnt feel groggy at all. my migraines now wake me up every night at about the same time. i got toget to the doctor to see if he will write a script for this med.