Manage Your Migraines

This Migraine Awareness Week learn how to improve this painful affliction

From the LifeMinute Team

September 14, 2015

Dr. Sait Ashina, a migraine specialist in New York spoke to Laurie Jennings, the Deputy Editor of Good Houskeeping Magazine recently about the preventative changes chronic migraine sufferers can make, and the only FDA approved prescription proven to alleviate the pain.

First, some information on migraines. According to Dr. Ashina, they can affect individuals on fifteen or more days a month with each headache lasting more than four hours a day.

"You could be missing very important meetings at work, you might not want to go for a promotion because of your condition, you're missing doing things with your children or other important life events," says Jennings.

"Indeed every patient or person with frequent headaches should seek medical attention. You should get an appointment with a headache specialist or a neurologist who specializes in headache treatment. The reason for that is that we need to get an accurate diagnosis. When you get the right diagnosis for chronic migraines there are treatment options available. One of the first treatments for headaches would be controlling trigger factors," says Dr. Ashina,

Keep migraines at bay:

Prioritize sleep

Keep stress down

Eat at regular intervals

Avoid alcohol and certain foods

Keep a headache journal

Keeping a record of your life is helpful for doctors when you go to your appointment; it can be crucial in helping to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

According to Dr. Ashina , in 2010 the FDA approved Botox for the treatment of chronic migraine, and until today it still remains the only FDA approved treatment for the prevention of chronic migraine. It is usually administered every three months and the duration of the administration of the medication is very short. Patients tolerate the medication well and it results in reduction of headache frequency as well as migraine symptoms.

Today there's more hope than ever for migraine sufferers. Take heart that help is out there in the form of tracking your lifestyle choices, choosing the best doctor and being consistent in your treatment schedule.

For more information you can check out botoxchronicmigraine.com where you can download a headache diary or journal and you can also find doctors in your area who specialize in headaches or migraines.

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