Alternative Treatments
Physical Therapy for Migraine
When traditional migraine treatments aren’t effective enough on their own, combining them with alternative options, such as physical therapy, may help. According to research, physical therapy can help reduce the impact and disability of migraine disease and improve strength, endurance, and mobility. In addition to medications and medical devices for migraine, patients may benefit from…
Read MoreLight Therapy for Migraine
Though light sensitivity is often a migraine symptom, light therapy is an emerging treatment option for those with migraine and chronic pain. Research shows light exposure to be a safe, effective treatment that reduces the frequency, severity, and symptoms of migraine attacks. It comes with a very low risk of side effects and no risk…
Read MoreVision Therapy for Migraine
Have you ever wondered if treating your vision could help with the frequency and severity of migraine attacks? As a long-time glasses wearer, this is something I’ve often thought about. Like most people, I see an ophthalmologist regularly. At my appointment each year I tell my doctor about my migraine, eye fatigue, and visual aura…
Read MoreNew Blog Series: Exploring Migraine Treatments
While there is currently no cure for migraine, there are many treatment options that can help. People with migraine often experience the most success managing their disease with a toolbox approach. This involves combining multiple different treatment options to create a well-rounded plan that can help you better manage life with migraine. Finding the best…
Read MoreFinding Answers: Taking Control of Chronic Migraine
Managing migraine day-to-day requires constant effort, no matter how long you’ve lived with migraine disease. People with chronic migraine – defined as a minimum of 15 migraine/headache days per month – may find this especially challenging. Not everyone has access to a certified migraine specialist. Very few people with chronic migraine receive a proper diagnosis and…
Read MoreWhen Migraine Hurts Can A Positive Attitude Help?
Migraine and other chronic pain conditions take a huge toll on your general well-being. There are days filled with anger, sadness, anxiety, and hopelessness. Some days it’s like the people around you don’t see how pain is affecting you, and then you can also start feeling resentful and frustrated. Pain causes stress, which then causes…
Read MoreMigraine Myths: You Get Migraine Because You Don’t Take Care of Yourself
Do you ever feel judged for having migraine? Like everyone in your life believes that if you were just a little healthier you would be cured and feel better? Or maybe it’s you who is hard on yourself when a migraine attack strikes. Have you ever blamed yourself for an attack and thought … “If…
Read MoreMigraine Myths: Only Medication Can Help Migraine
Don’t we all wish there was a magic pill that could cure our migraine forever?! Unfortunately, that is just not the case. Migraine is a complex neurological disease that presents itself on a wide spectrum of frequency, severity, symptoms, attack triggers, and responses to treatments. While medication is an important part of any treatment toolbox, it’s…
Read MoreMy Experience with Ketamine Infusion at Jefferson Headache Center
Ketamine is a medication that is sometimes used off-label for migraine treatment, and headache specialists on the cutting edge of migraine treatment sometimes prescribe it as a nasal spray or by in-patient infusion. Many patients aren’t aware that this is an option, and there is little known about what it is like to get an in-patient infusion,…
Read MorePreventive Care Toolbox
With approximately 40 million people in the US alone living with migraine and a stunning lack of mandatory education on headache disorders in medical schools, many people with migraine remain at a loss how to navigate preventive treatment. Visits to doctors often end up with a “one and done” attitude, not taking into account the importance of a toolbox approach. Between following insurance denials and guidelines for step therapy, and a devastating shortage of certified headache specialists, patients living with this disabling disease often find themselves without adequate and current information. Having a preventive care roadmap can go a long way to help figuring out how to maintain a quality of life that most people take for granted.
Read MoreManaging Acute Pain: Building a Migraine Comfort Plan
We’ve all had those moments. You’re going about your day when suddenly that all too familiar pain starts building as a migraine attack shows up, hell-bent on taking over. The anxiety and stress about what is to come creeps in. Often, the first step in controlling the pain is keeping calm, which is easier said than done! For times like these, it may be helpful to create a migraine comfort plan so you can be prepared and have everything you need close by in order to help you get through an attack.
Read MoreThe Migraine Treatment Toolbox: Medical Devices
FIVE reasons to add an FDA-cleared medical device for migraine to your treatment toolbox! In a recent post, we walked through several questions to consider when building your migraine treatment toolbox. Today, we’ll take a deeper look at non-invasive medical devices for migraine. These can help block migraine pain or cluster attacks, and some even are FDA-cleared for preventive treatment to help stop attacks from starting. Currently, there are five FDA-cleared, devices for migraine available—CEFALY®, gammaCore Sapphire™, Nerivio®, Relivion®MG, and sTMS mini™.
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