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Migraines are very common: 6 percent of men and 18 percent of women suffer from these disabling headaches at some point in their lives -- most commonly between the ages of 25 to 55. Of those people, 60 percent have at least one fairly severe migraine every month -- often severe enough to warrant calling in sick, says U-M neurologist Linda M. Selwa, M.D. "Migraines are a significant cause of disability in this country, resulting in an estimated $13 billion dollars in lost work hours each year," she says.
"Migraines differ from tension headaches in that they're usually only on one side of the head. They are often severe enough to be associated with nausea and to make sufferers shy away from light and sounds. Many have visual disturbances, and often migraineurs are not able to keep up with their usual daily activities," says Selwa.
Chris Holden has suffered from migraines for more than 20 years. "The pain goes to an entire side of my head. My ear hurts, my teeth hurt, it feels like someone's jabbing me with a pick. I get sensitive to light, very sensitive to smell, and the nausea and vomiting begin," says Holden. "At their worst, my migraines are totally debilitating."
For those unlucky enough to suffer from migraines, the triggers are lurking everywhere. Stress; sleep deprivation or fatigue; skipped meals or certain foods; sensory overload in the form of bright lights, loud noises or strong smells; certain types of physical activity; and hormone fluctuations can bring on the severe and lasting pain of a migraine.
But what about caffeine? Known medically as trimethylxanthine, caffeine has been linked to everything from sleepless nights and jitteriness to birth defects and breast cancer. Yet caffeine is likely the most popular drug in the world -- about 90 percent of Americans consume it in one form or another every single day.
Now Selwa and her colleagues at the U-M Health System are studying the importance of caffeine as a trigger for migraine.
"Many of my patients have told me stories about needing caffeine when they feel a headache coming on, or having headaches on the weekends when they haven't had their usual work-day amount of caffeine," says Selwa.
"In fact, caffeine is a key ingredient in almost all of the over-the-counter migraine medications. That's because caffeine is useful in stopping a headache once it starts," she continues. "The unfortunate thing is that, in patients who use caffeine chronically, they're much more likely to get a migraine as the caffeine begins to wear off."
Participants in Selwa's study are asked to stop consuming caffeine entirely for a period of one month to determine if they will continue to have intermittent migraines or if the headaches will subside. Selwa often provides patients with medicines to make the transition easier, particularly for those who are highly addicted to the caffeine.
"In several patients, we've been able to get them off their migraine medications as long as they stay away from caffeine," says Selwa.
"Dr. Selwa identified that I was drinking a lot of caffeine on a daily basis, something I knew but didn't think twice about," says Holden. "It was extremely difficult to go off it because I'm a caffeine addict, and it took about two to three weeks to flush it out of my system, but then the migraines reduced in frequency and severity. It was amazing!"
"To this day, I stay away from caffeine in foods and chocolate, and may soon be able to decrease or stop my medication," Holden continues.
Migraine Facts:
-Symptoms include throbbing or pounding headache; extreme sensitivity to light or sound; blurred vision; nausea and vomiting; and numbness or tingling of the face or one side of the body. These symptoms may last from a few hours to a few days.-The American Headache Society classifies migraines as either with aura or without aura. An aura is an unusual neurological manifestation or brain symptom that can sometimes accompany the pain and nausea of a migraine, most commonly a visual one such as jagged or flashing lights.-Prevention is important and may include dietary changes; relaxation and biofeedback to manage stress; keeping a headache diary to track food, beverage or medication triggers; and taking prescription medications that help prevent the headache from becoming severe.
Caffeine Trivia (source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/caffeine.htm):
-The actual source of caffeine is the coffee bean, tea leaf, kola nut and cacao pod.-The caffeine for colas and other products is derived from the process of decaffeinating coffee and tea.-Medically, caffeine is useful as a cardiac stimulant and also as a mild diuretic (it increases urine production).-Caffeine is an addictive drug. Among its many actions, it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine and heroin use to stimulate the brain.
For more information, visit the following web sites:
University of Michigan Health Systemhttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_mihead_crs.htm
American Council for Headache Education (ACHE)http://www.achenet.org
National Headache Foundationhttp://www.headaches.org
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov
American Headache Societyhttp://www.ahsnet.org
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