Migraines Get Worse With Barbiturates, Opioids

Ouch!  Seems that some of the more potent drugs used to treat the pain of migraine headaches can cause more frequent and harsher migraines in the future.  Barbiturate and opioid use has been linked to a progression of the disorder from episodic migraine to chronic migraine in a study that involved 24,000 Americans. Read more

High Blood Pressure Means Fewer Migraines

Nobody wants high blood pressure clouding their lives but researchers in Norway seem to have found a silver lining in that cloud.  Seems the stiff, hardened arteries often associated with high blood pressure may actually protect against the agonizing pain of migraine headaches.  Their research indicates that people with low blood pressure are more prone to these crippling headaches. Read more

Meningitis Likely As NY Student Dies, 2 Hospitalized

Two incidents on two separate New York campuses point to bacterial meningitis, leading school and public health officials urging any students who might have come in contact with these students to seek immediate preventive antibiotic treatment. Read more

Americans at Highest Risk for Stroke

Men in the U.S. are 61 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than European men. U.S. women have almost twice the likelihood of suffering a stroke than European women. These statistics were recently provided through a study at the American Stroke Association’s International Conference. Read more

School Bans Outfits that Cause Migraines

No stripes or spots allowed at this school. A Stockholm, Sweden preschool has received criticism for its banning children from wearing spotted, striped or patterned clothing because it gives one of the teachers there severe migraine headaches. Instead the children are required to wear solid-colored clothing.

The ban was imposed three years ago after a staff meeting where the teacher complained about recurring migraine attacks when working with children wearing spotted or striped patterns. The ban has been in effect without a complaint until recently they received a complaint from a parent who said the ban prevents the child and parent from choosing what they want to wear.

Some researchers claim that striped, spotted or even checkered patterns can cause migraines since they affect the brain and the eye’s visual impressions.
Anita Israelsson, a spokeswoman at the Swedish Work Environment Authority, said the clothing ban, since it deals with people’s work environment, does not violate Swedish law and is usually handled by individual workplaces.