Warmer Weather Triggers Migraines

(NEWSER) - A novel plastic-surgery procedure on the forehead could cure migraines entirely, Time reports. The surgery removes certain muscles—or “migraine triggers”—around the trigeminal nerve branches, which some think are the source of the painful headaches; it also smoothes wrinkles. In a recent study, more than half of 49 migraine sufferers reported no symptoms after the surgery, and 83% said the frequency of attacks has declined by half. More»

High blood pressure may interfere with pain signals

(NEWSER) - Beta blockers and other medications that lower blood pressure are routinely prescribed for migraines, but now a new study has discovered that people with high blood pressure had 40% fewer headaches. "This is a paradox," the lead researcher told WebMD. One possibility is that high blood pressure interferes with the pain mechanism. More»

Stress-induced headaches leave her unable to 'function at all': sources

(NEWSER) - An odd issue regarding Michele Bachmann has come to the surface, causing some to question her ability to serve as president of the US: severe headaches. Bachmann suffers from migraines, three sources tell the Daily Caller , and the stress-induced episodes are fairly frequent and quite debilitating. One former adviser says they leave her "incapacitated," unable to "function at all," and "out of commission for a day or more at a time." (Bachmann herself has blamed the headaches on uncomfortable shoes; her spokesperson says the migraines are "under control with medicine.") More»

Findings reverse idea that headaches cause depression

(NEWSER) - Conventional wisdom holds that bad headaches lead to bad moods, but a new study points to a genetic link between the two. "Most people think that migraine patients are depressed because they have headaches," one researcher tells Time . "We found that there is a genetic predisposition by people with migraines to be depressed." More»

Launches public campaign on behalf of headache research

(NEWSER) - Cindy McCain has publicly survived everything from miscarriage to stroke to a painkiller addiction—but the malady she took aim at last week was one she's endured in secret: migraines. “I’ve missed part of my life,” she told an American Headache Society luncheon. “People don’t really understand, because a headache’s more than just a headache.” More»