This is important news, though I suspect that most chronic headache sufferers have already given up coffee and caffeinated drinks. When a person tries to control their headaches through diet, giving up caffeine is the first logical step.

There is a paradox here though, and that is that many medications for headaches contain caffeine. Migraine headaches, in particular, are thought to have a vascular component and it is well known that caffeine constricts blood vessels. So, if migraine headaches are caused by the dilation of blood vessels it makes sense that constricting blood vessels by taking a dose of caffeine as the headache begins will be beneficial. And, it is also well known that if a person drinks caffeinated drinks regularly it is almost inevitable that they will suffer caffeine withdrawal headaches if they stop drinking roughly the same amount of caffeine each day; these are known as caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Unfortunately the researchers who did this study don’t know why drinking increased amounts of caffeine increase the potential to suffer more headaches, even so this study is helpful by suggesting that anyone prone to headaches should approach caffeine intake with caution.

Read the review by Science Digest

1) Eat regularly and don’t skip any meals.
2) Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
3) Get frequent and consistent exercise.
4) Recognize what triggers migraines (examples may include stress or overexertion) and try to avoid those triggers.
5) Identify any foods that may trigger a migraine. Common examples are chocolate, caffeine, cheese and processed meats.
6) Talk to your child’s pediatrician about medication if migraines can’t be controlled by other methods.

While I can agree with all these I would add another tip before number 6. Unfortunately this list suffers from the all too familiar discounting of the role muscle tension in the face, jaw and shoulders plays in triggering migraine headaches. If you have a child who is prone to headaches, watch their forehead and between their eyes. Do they squint regularly? Do they furrow their brow when worried? Do they clench their teeth? If you say yes to any of these, reminding your child to relax those tight muscles before a headache starts (or as it is starting) can avoid many, many headaches. The same advice goes for adults. Getting rid of the muscular triggers that stimulate migraine headaches will stop the majority of migraines from even getting started.

Kids do worry and kids do carry tension in the muscles of the face and neck. The good news is that kids can get rid of the tension much easier than adults. As a parent you have the opportunity to train your child to learn how to detect and then relax muscle tension in their face and jaw and shoulders. By doing this very simple training you could save them countless hours of pain and misery.

This is great news for chronic headache sufferers, especially those with migraines. We have long been advocates for the importance of reducing chronic tension in the muscles of the jaw, face, head, neck and shoulders as a way to reduce or eliminate chronic headaches. Since botox works by paralyzing muscles (this is why wrinkles are smoothed when botox is used cosmetically) why in the world would botox help anyone with chronic migraine headaches unless tight muscles were triggers for migraines? If muscles are not involved in triggering migraines paralyzing them with botox would have no effect at tall. According to Richard B. Lipton, MD (lead author of one study and Director of the Montefiore Headache Center in New York City) the results of using botox were “highly statistically significant and reflects clinically meaningful improvements in functioning and vitality, and a decrease in psychological distress.”

For so many years prevailing wisdom has been that muscle tightness has nothing to do with triggering migraine headaches and that migraine headaches were entirely a vascular (blood vessels in the head) event. But recently, studies like these are showing the importance that muscular triggers play in the triggering of migraine headaches. We think the results of these studies are great news because they help make the picture clearer. Getting rid of the myth that tight muscles are not involved in headaches is important. We have long advocated that headache sufferers (migraine, tension, mixed migraine/tension and persistent daily headaches) learn how to relax the muscle of the head and neck. Botox can’t be used to paralyze muscles that are necessary for chewing or turning the neck or lifting the arm but relaxation training works just fine to reduce and eliminate tension in any and all the muscles that trigger headaches. In over 30 years of teaching patients how to relax the muscles of their head, neck and shoulders with biofeedback we have seen 98% of those who eliminate chronic tension significantly reduce their headache frequency and severity. We also can truly say, just like Dr. Lipton, that those who learn how to reduce their muscle tension experience “meaningful improvements in functioning and vitality, and a decrease in psychological distress.”

If you suffer from frequent headaches start to pay attention to whether or not you can feel tension any muscle of your face, head, neck or shoulders. Unfortunately, this tension may be hard to feel at first but keep looking. Over time you will be able to tell when your muscles are tight and that is when you can start to do something about it.

Check out the details at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164027.php

“Botulinum neurotoxin type A for treatment of chronic migraine: PREEMPT 1 trial double-blind phase”
Aurora SK et al
“Botulinum neurotoxin type A for treatment of chronic migraine: PREEMPT 2 trial double-blind phase”
Dodick DW et al
“Botulinum neurotoxin type A for treatment of chronic migraine: analysis of the PREEMPT chronic migraine subgroup with baseline acute headache medication overuse,” Silberstein SD et al.
“Botulinum neurotoxin type A treatment improves health-related quality of life and reduces the impact of chronic migraine: results from the double-blind phase of the PREEMPT clinical program,” Lipton RB et al.

A new blog about a subject we have expert knowledge about

Where to start?

Well how about our reaction to this article in the Houston Chronicle, “So many ways to treat so many types of headache”. Here is the part that pushed us over the edge.

Nerve Decompression Surgery: Involves an incision at the back of the head to remove thick tissue that squeezes occipital nerves. Recommended for people who have had daily, constant headaches for more than 6 months and do not respond well to medications.

Unbelievable, going under the knife to relieve headaches like we treated in our biofeedback practice for over 30 years and online for 12. We were horrified at the these barbaric treatments headache sufferers are offered instead of non-invasive, non-drug options.

It’s the last straw for us. We have been playing way to small and there are way too many people enduring needless pain when there is a proven, natural solution that works and has absolutely no negative side effects.

We would like to get to know the people with headaches who find their way here. You are looking for answers. We want to know about your personal journey in search of headache relief and prevention. If you suffer from chronic headaches (we define that has having more than one migraine, tension or mixed headache per month), we really want to hear from you.

We are counselors and biofeedback therapists. We’ve had a lot of success teaching people like you how to prevent headaches for over 30 years. We are experts and we truly want to help.

You see, it is more important than ever that you get the truth about how to manage your chronic headaches using a healthy, non-drug approach.

We are so tired of all the promises that doctors and drug companies make to people who suffer from chronic headaches. In fact, every time we see another prime time advertisement on TV from the drug companies about another new drug for headache pain, it makes our heads hurt because we know that the real solution is not being shared.