China Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Headaches may be good for your brain Migraine sufferers in study show less decline By JOHN FAUBER Posted: April 23, 2007 Is it possible that suffering through years of migraine headaches actually might have a beneficial effect on the brain? A provocative new study has raised that improbable prospect after finding that longtime, middle-aged migraine sufferers showed less cognitive decline and memory loss over a period of 12 years than a group of migraine-free adults. Researchers can't explain what could be a silver lining in the agonizing cloud that is migraine, but it's possible that the physiological changes that accompany the headaches might protect brain cells over the long haul. Beyond offering a modicum of solace to the 30 million migraine sufferers in the United States, the strange finding, if verified, could offer researchers new leads into ways to preserve memory in aging brains. "This is really a surprise," said Bhupendra Khatri, director of the Center for Neurological Disorders at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center. "This is going to stimulate a lot of research." If anything, migraine sufferers might be expected to have more cognitive decline, said Khatri, who was not a part of the study. He noted that they tend to suffer from more depression, anxiety, seizures and stroke than people who do not have migraines. However, there has been a lack of research looking at the long-term effect of migraine on memory and cognitive function, he said. The research, published today in the journal Neurology, is the first prospective study looking at the lifetime effects of migraines on memory and cognitive function. The study involved 1,448 people, including 204 who had migraines, who were given several cognitive tests and followed for an average of 12 years. Click on the link for the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I can see it now, a memory pill that enduces migranes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzo53 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Is it possible that some migraine treatments have beneficial long-term side effects of which we were unaware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mufumonk Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I'd rather suffer memory loss than the cluster migraines that I experience every few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Is it possible that some migraine treatments have beneficial long-term side effects of which we were unaware? makes more sense doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 I actually found a good preventative treatment for my migraines (finally!!!!); inderal. I was to the point where I was getting migraines twice a week. It was really decreasing my quality of life pretty drastically. I had to do something. Inderal is actually used to treat high blood pressure, which I didn't have, but since a lot of migraines are caused by vaso-constriction, it works for them too in some people. It was funny though, when I started taking the inderal, my BP dropped to like 102/50 and my heart rate one day when I checked it at work was 44. They've both crept back up a little as I've adjusted to it, but less strain on the heart I would say is a "good" side effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzo53 Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 They've both crept back up a little as I've adjusted to it, but less strain on the heart I would say is a "good" side effect. Of course, if your heart kicks back with a beer, turns on the TV and kinda forgets about the whole pumping blood thing, you might have problems. Glad something's working for you, and welcome back buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowghost Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 What does it mean if you never get headaches. :paranoid: I have only had them when my ears were infected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Of course, if your heart kicks back with a beer, turns on the TV and kinda forgets about the whole pumping blood thing, you might have problems. Glad something's working for you, and welcome back buddy. Early on, I swear it did just that. My usual resting heart rate was around 70 or 72 at the time. When I first took that, and it dropped 44, that was a little unnerving. But like I said, I've adjusted to it, and it works great. Thanks for the WB, pal, good to be back among friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondie Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 This is interesting to read......since I have been at home all day today...in the dark......trying to get my head to stop hurting. I KNOW mine is my blood pressure.....it gets out of whack sometime. The last two days have been hard. It finally went away around 6 this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 This is interesting to read......since I have been at home all day today...in the dark......trying to get my head to stop hurting.I KNOW mine is my blood pressure.....it gets out of whack sometime. The last two days have been hard. It finally went away around 6 this evening. Blondie, if you have BP problems anyway, I'd HIGHLY recommended asking your doc about inderal. I spent almost 10 years trying to find something that worked. Since I started taking it about six months ago, I've had ONE migraine. (And that was the night my wife told me she fild for divorce...go figure.) Seriously, it works. Good luck, and I'm glad you're feeling better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reic Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Migranes landed my mom in jail She got addicted to one of her perscriptions and started writing her own and forging doctor's names. Wasn't good at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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