Robbins Headache Clinic Blog
Mental Health Awareness
Research at the National Institute of Mental Health shows that mental health disabilities are on the rise, even as physical disabilities are declining. Hundreds of thousands of Americans age 65 and under rated their difficulties with tasks, and then chose the reason...
Thomas Jefferson and Headache
Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States has often been included in lists of famous migraineurs. Diamond S.; and Franklin M.A. of Diamond Headache Clinic have suggested in their abstract The Jeffersonian Headache that Jefferson actually was afflicted...
Why Migraine Patients May Not Treat Migraine Attacks as Early as Desired
A study by Global Outcomes Research, Merck and Co., Inc., looked at reasons why patients do not treat their migraine pain as early as they may want to treat it. Adult patients were asked questions regarding time of treatment, whether the attack was treated when...
Headache in Young Children Rarely due to Life-Threatening Illness
Though commonly assumed that headache in children is caused by an underlying condition, research presented at the 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society says that is not true. "Primary headache appears to be the most common headache type in...
The Limbic System and Anxiety
The limbic system is a key area for the regulation of emotions and anxiety. The limbic structures process incoming stimuli and regulate our emotional responses. There are various structures involved(the all important amygdala, the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus,...
Psychological Comorbidities
What drives where we go with headache meds are comorbidities: psychological, medical, the GI system etc.. If someone has high blood pressure, we treat with that type of med, if another person has irritable bowel syndrome(a "serotonin" central sensitization syndrome,...
Arachnoid Cysts in Children with Headache
A recent abstract in the American Headache Society's journal, "Headache", discusses the occasional discovery of Arachnoid cysts in children presenting with headache. Arachnoid cysts are common, fluid filled cysts found on the inside of the brain... you can't see them....
Rebound Drug Withdrawal Headache
Rebound, or drug withdrawal, headache is a popular diagnosis given to many chronic daily headache sufferers. It occurs later on in the day, or the next day, due to the effects of a drug(usually high caffeine containing meds, such as Excedrin, or opioids/butalbital)....
Risks of Sleep Deprivation
Being deprived of sleep-even for only one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shut downs, described as "brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness", according to David Dinges, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dinges'...
Side Effects of Food Additives
There are additives in so much of the food we consume. Ingredients are often unfamiliar, and what's considered safe is changing constantly, as all food additives undergo periodic safety reviews as understanding and methods of testing improve. There are over 2,800...