Key Questions
- Can significant improvement be made with nonmedical approaches to treatment?
- How necessary is exercise?
- Do those with migraine tend to exercise more or less than the general population?
- And how does this change with increasing migraine frequency?
- How effective is exercise in reducing migraine severity and frequency?
- What physiological benefits does exercise offer to how we sleep, our brain, our stress levels, and our mood?
- What is exercise?
- How would you define it?
- Is all exercise equal?
- What types are best suited or safest for those with migraine?
- How much exercise do you need to do to see results? Based on your research how much exercise is optimal for patients?
- Can exercise still be effective for someone who suffers from chronic migraine with a high frequency of attacks?
- How can exercise as a trigger be managed?
- Do you have any guidance for those who find that sexual activity triggers a migraine attack?
- Who is the ideal migraine patient that would benefit from exercise?
Interview Notes
Find more about Mattias Linde, MD, PhD and his work here:
Key Questions
- What relationship is there between our posture and migraine?
- Is neck pain or discomfort a trigger or a symptom of migraine?
- Is there such a thing as postural headache?
- What is a healthy head and upper body posture?
- How does tension-type headache compare to cervicogenic headache?
- What is massage therapy and how effective is it?
- What is orthopedic massage?
- What is a hypertonic muscle?
- Is walking considered an active therapy that can address muscle stiffness?
- What is postural correction?
- What risks are involved in seeing an osteopath or a chiropractor?
- Where can people find active alternatives to help address neck issues?
Interview Notes
Find more about Mark Braschinsky, MD and his work here:
Key Questions
- How important are food triggers with migraine?
- Are we really getting enough nutrition from our diet?
- What is a ketogenic diet?
- What is ketosis?
- Do carbohydrates contribute to inflammation in the body?
- Is there any evidence that low-carbohydrate diets are helpful for migraine?
- Are ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diets safe?
- How is sugar intake related to migraine?
- What are some ways of dealing with nausea?
- Is there a recommended diet for migraine?
- What are some good strategies for staying on a healthy diet?
- What are some important nutrients for people with migraine?
Interview Notes
Find more about Angel Morent, NP and his work here:
Key Questions
- What are the differences between acute therapies and preventive therapies for migraine?
- How does a physician decide where to start with a patient if it’s determined that they do need some kind of preventive?
- Why are medications developed for other conditions, such as hypertension and epilepsy, helpful in migraine prevention?
- What are some of the neuromodulation devices available and how can they help with migraine prevention?
- How effective has Botox proven to be as a migraine preventive?
- How do the anti-CGRP treatments compare to the other “off label” preventive treatments that have been around longer, such as Botox, topiramate, and propranolol?
- Can a combination of pharmaceuticals, neuromodulation devices, and alternative or natural treatments be synergistic in migraine treatment?
- How effective are supplements such as magnesium, riboflavin, butterbur, and feverfew in migraine prevention?
- Is it recommended or even possible to combine two preventive pharmaceuticals, such as Botox and CGRP treatments?
- How long does a patient need to be on a particular preventive treatment therapy or approach before they can determine if it’s working?
- What are the guidelines for preventive therapies based on migraine frequency i.e. for patients with high frequency versus low frequency per month?
Interview Notes
Find more about Anna Andreou, PhD and her work here:
Key Questions
- How many women have hormonal migraine?
- What is the relationship between hormonal migraine and other types of migraine?
- Why is hormonal migraine often missed?
- What are three different types of diagnoses related to hormone and migraine?
- How important is the exact diagnosis for treatment?
- Is it possible to effectively manage menstrual migraine?
- Is there a standard treatment for menstrual migraine or should it be customized to each individual?
- Who is the best person to see for a hormonally-related migraine condition?
- Why is record-keeping so important to treatment when a woman suspects hormonal migraine?
- Which hormones are involved in hormonal migraine and how does their involvement impact treatment?
- How can NSAIDs be used in symptomatic treatment and prevention of menstrual migraine?
- What role can contraceptives play in treatment of hormonal migraine?
- What is a common strategy some doctors will use for hormonal migraine?
- Are hormone level measurements helpful in treating menstrual migraine?
- Why do hormones cause a migraine in some women and not others?
- Is there anything wrong with the hormone levels of women with hormonal migraine?
- What is the connection between migraine and other conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, or hypothyroidism?
- How does someone’s general health affect their migraine condition?
- What are the safety considerations related to stopping periods as a treatment for menstrual migraine?
- What is the optimal contraceptive method/option for someone with hormonal migraine?
- What is the difference between pre-menstrual prevention and regular migraine prevention?
- What type of migraines are more severe, refractory to treatment and longer lasting than others?
- What options do women with migraine with aura have for treatment?
- Can women with migraine with aura safely take the contraceptive pill?
- Are there natural alternatives that can be used to treat hormonal migraine?
- What other advice would you give to your patients?
Interview Notes
Find more about Anne MacGregor, MD and her work here:
Key Questions
- How common is neck pain in people with migraine?
- Which comes first: neck pain or the migraine attack?
- Is neck pain a cause of migraine, a symptom of migraine, or both?
- What is occipital neuralgia and its relationship with migraine?
- What is the relationship of cervicogenic headache with migraine?
- Can someone have migraine with neck pain and without head pain?
- What role can head and neck injuries play in migraine?
- What precautions should people be aware of with treatments such as chiropractic manipulations?
- What approaches may be helpful in addressing neck pain symptoms?
- What role can exercise play in treating neck pain?
- What does emerging research suggest about the role of C1 nerve root characteristics in migraine?
- When might neck pain be a sign of something serious other than migraine?
Interview Notes
Find more about Andrew Charles, MD and his work here:
Key Questions
- What’s the difference between a side effect and an adverse event to a medication?
- How common are side effects and adverse events?
- Why are migraine patients at higher risk of medication-related adverse events?
- What are typical side effects for common migraine medications, such as topiramate, propranolol, valproate, antidepressants, and triptans?
- What is serotonin syndrome and how do you know if you have it?
- What are the most common supplements migraine patients take, and what are their potential side effects?
- When should a migraine patient report symptoms of a possible adverse event?
- What should you do if you’re taking a brand new drug and you think you may be experiencing an adverse event?
- What is pharmacogenetics and why is it important for migraine patients?
Interview Notes
Find more about Shivang Joshi, MD, RPh and his work here:
Key Questions
- What are the two primary types of migraine?
- Can migraine with aura occur without the head pain?
- What types of head pain can occur with migraine?
- Are patients with aura more at risk of stroke?
- Should women with migraine with aura take estrogen-containing pills for contraception?
- How can we tell the difference between migraine with aura and a stroke
- How soon after an aura begins should the patient take their migraine medications?
- What are some medications used to prevent migraine with aura?
- What are some medications for patients with hemiplegic migraine or basilar-type migraine?
Interview Notes
Find more about Shazia Afridi, MD, PhD and her work here:
Key Questions
- Why do some people with migraine experience dizziness or balance issues while others do not?
- Is it true that you can have migraine without having headache?
- How is vestibular migraine diagnosed?
- Why are individuals with vestibular migraine often misdiagnosed?
- What are some of the symptoms that people with vestibular migraine experience?
- Do people with vestibular migraine have different triggers than people with migraine in general?
- What treatments are available for vestibular migraine?
- Is physical therapy or vestibular rehab an alternative treatment available for those with vestibular migraine?
- Is diet something that should be considered when living with vestibular migraine?
Interview Notes
Find more about Michael Teixido, MD and his work here:
Key Questions
- Why is low-pressure headache misdiagnosed as chronic migraine?
- What is postural headache?
- What exactly is cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)?
- What are high- and low-pressure headaches?
- What are the risk factors for high- and low-pressure headaches?
- What are the symptoms of high-pressure headache (pseudotumor cerebri or idiopathic intracranial hypertension)?
- What is papilledema and how is it used to diagnose high-pressure headache?
- What is a spinal tap?
- How is high-pressure headache treated?
- What is low-pressure headache (spontaneous intracranial hypotension, or SIH)?
- What are the treatments for low pressure, or SIH?
Interview Notes
Find more about Deborah Friedman, MD, MPH, FAAN and her work here:
Key Questions
- What are the features or symptoms of cluster headache?
- How can we tell the difference between cluster headache and migraine?
- Why is it called “cluster” headache?
- What is chronic cluster headache?
- What are common triggers of cluster headache?
- What are the best ways to treat cluster headache?
- What are some alternative and less well known potential treatments for cluster headache?
- What are “shadows” in cluster headache?
- What commonly prescribed medications often do not work well for cluster headache?
- Are there any devices that might be helpful for the treatment of cluster headache?
- What kinds of cutting-edge research can we participate in, and how can we register for clinical trials?
- What are TACs?
Interview Notes
Find more about Brian McGeeney, MD and his work here:
Key Questions
- How common are mistakes in medicine?
- Why do errors occur?
- How can patients and doctors avoid the problems inherent in overly industrialized medicine?
- Where are treatment rates for people with migraine low?
- What can we do to raise treatment rates?
- How can patients receive the best possible care from their doctors?
- What are the direct, indirect, and societal costs of migraine?
- How much can we improve productivity just by helping people with migraine who come to work during an attack?
- What is the most important thing for patients to give their doctors?
- How does a patient know if they should find a new doctor?
Interview Notes
Find more about Zaza Katsarava, MD, PhD and his work here:
