No More HeadachesEliminate headaches without medication

Under the guise of ‘scientific research’, misleading statements are currently published on sites that claim to be resources for migraine information. On the front page of My Migraine Connection, Teri Roberts boldly states ‘Yes, Migraines can cause brain damage’. Linking to the same article is Diana Lee, administrator of the headache blog carnival on Somebody Heal Me, who simply presents a link stating ‘Migraines can cause brain damage’. It scares me to witness these two ‘migraine experts’ blatantly presenting misinformation that could influence people to take prescription drugs.

If you read the article presented on Teri’s site, there is NO PROOF that migraines cause brain damage, only an assumption of increased risk. Two test groups were formed, each with 28 females. One group experienced regular migraines, the other did not. When detailed brain scans were performed, some of the ‘no headaches’ group had brain lesions, while a few more of the migraine group showed similar brain abnormalities. There is no clarification of exactly how many women had brain lesions, only that there was ‘significant difference’, which could mean two in one group and four in the other.

Though these observations were gathered scientifically, there is NO PROOF of causality. What caused the brain lesions in the group that never experienced migraines? What else differentiated these groups besides migraines? Though the study suggested a correlation between migraines and brain lesions, it could be just as scientific to suggest the cause of brain damage is migraine medication. After all, the 28 women with migraine history most likely took a lot more pills than the group without headaches.

Inventing a statement of causality, Teri then suggests that ‘the importance of preventing migraines has never been more clear’. On the same site, people are then motivated to consider becoming test subjects for drug experimentation. Following the excited statement ‘The Trials Are Open!’, we are told that drug giant Merck seeks to experiment with the body chemistry of 1000 to 3000 desperate people. How many readers used ‘prevention of brain damage’ as part of their decision to volunteer?

I do not know Teri Roberts and cannot question her motivation. Many people state that she has helped them. Her dedication is apparent. My issue is that a case is being built on the Internet that encourages the use of pharmaceutical drugs and much of the information used is false or misleading. The migraine industry makes billions of dollars each year. Research is often slanted to present specific viewpoints. Every trick in the marketing book is used to increase consumption.

In my unprofessional opinion, preventing brain damage is NOT a good reason to start taking migraine medications. There is NO PROOF that migraines cause brain damage. Research clarifies that there are            NO SYMPTOMS associated with the brain lesions discovered through imaging. Also, evidence proves that some of the ‘hundreds of available medications’ have much more severe impact on brain health. Symptoms such as slurred speech and memory loss are mentioned by many migraine bloggers. Perhaps some medications cause more brain damage than they prevent. Perhaps the ‘progressive disease’ is an accumulation of pharmaceutical toxins.

Please do not be intimidated into taking new medications. There are many correlations in life; the biggest correlation is between who you are and why you experience migraines. There are many ways to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines without taking pills. While the skills may be difficult for some to develop, even the smallest step can make a difference.

Copyright 2008 Glenn Stewart Coles