Robbins Headache Clinic Blog
Medical Device For Migraine Prevention Approved
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first medical device for preventing migraines. The device, called Cefaly works by stimulating nerves beneath the forehead. It's shaped like a tiara and is placed above the person's eyes. It delivers an electric...
How Swimming Saved One Pain Patient
A new book, titled A Nation in Pain, by Judy Foreman deals with the enormity of pain in our country, the genetics of pain, the mind-body in pain and just about everything else. One chapter in the book, titled Exercise The Real Magic Bullet discusses the importance...
New Research Sheds Light on Marijuana’s Anxiety Relief Effects
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found that cannabinoid receptors, through which marijuana applies its effects are in a key emotional hub of the brain which helps to regulate anxiety and the flight-or-fight response. This is the first time cannabinoid...
Common Source of Abused Prescription Meds? Friends
A government study has found that most people who abuse addictive prescription painkillers get them from friends or relatives, while drug dealers are a relatively infrequent source for those at highest risk for overdoses. Dr. Leonard Paulozzi, a researcher at the...
“Into Every Life, a Little Pain Must Fall”
Jane Brody, the "Personal Health" columnist for the New York Times seems to always get it right, when writing about pain and health issues. Recently, she shared with her readers that she and her friends, all well into their Medicare years, often joke that "If nothing...
Are Physical and Social Pain Linked?
A new study suggests that "social" suffering can hurt us in a physical way. The distress caused by, for example, experiencing an injustice, or losing a friend activates brain circuits related to physical pain, according to researchers from The International School for...
Dehydration: Happens in Winter Too
What we may not realize, is that it's as easy to become dehydrated in winter as well as the summer. Each day the body loses about 8 cups of water, and that fluid needs to be replenished. When you become dehydrated your blood becomes thicker making your heart work...
Boston Doctor Makes Deal With Patients: “Silence Your Phone and I’ll Silence Mine”
Boston doctor, Suzanne Koven has increasingly noticed the distracting presence of cell phones in her office when she is talking to patients. She acknowledges it's a two-way street - the patients' phones as well as her own can sidetrack the conversation they're trying...
Another Reason to Love Dogs – They’re Helping Scientists Identify Patterns in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Certain dog breeds, including German shepherds, Doberman pinschers, and Shetland sheepdogs are prone to high rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including licking their paws to the point of injury. Scientists have suspected that some of the same genetic...
In A Few Minutes Or Less – Tips For Dealing With Work Stress
What does work stress feel like for you? Is it a 100 pound chain bolting you to your chair? Is it a migraine that comes on because you haven't had anything to eat? Or is it too much coffee that makes you feel jittery. Whatever it is, most people experience...