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Even with current remedies, people typically wait until they have a full-blown headache to start treatment, which limits its effectiveness, Dr. Charles said. His advice to patients: Learn to recognise your early symptoms signalling the onset of an attack and start treatment right away before the pain sets in. Conditions that can trigger a migraine […] More

Before it was possible to study brain function through a functional M.R.I. or PET scan, migraines were thought to be caused by swollen, throbbing blood vessels in the scalp, usually affecting one side of the head. This classic migraine symptom prompted the use of medication that narrow blood vessels, drugs that help only some patients […] More

Despite being the seventh leading cause of time spent disabled worldwide, migraine “has received relatively little attention as a major public health issue,” Dr. Andrew Charles, a California neurologist, wrote recently in The New England Journal of Medicine. It can begin in childhood, becoming more common in adolescence and peaking in prevalence at ages 35 […] More

Effective migraine treatments are available—but many migraine sufferers don’t take advantage of them, either because they don’t seek help or they mistakenly believe they’re just suffering from regular headaches. “l think 80% of all migraine sufferers can be effectively helped, but only about a quarter of them are effectively helped at the present time,” says […] More

Migraines are often misunderstood, or dismissed as “just a headache.” Yet, they have the capacity to disrupt a person’s life, relationships, and sense of well-being. A study from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that chronic migraine sufferers experience as much social stigma as people with epilepsy—a disease that produces far more obvious and dramatic […] More

Previous studies have suggested that people who sleep less than five hours a night have a 15% greater risk of death from all causes than people of the same age who get a goodnight’s sleep. In a survey of workers in Britain, more than 5% claimed to sleep no more than five hours a night. […] More

The changes, which affect more than 700 genes, may shed light on the biological mechanisms that raise the risk of a host of ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, stress and depression, in people who get too little sleep. “The surprise for us was that a relatively modest difference in sleep duration leads to these […] More

Getting too little sleep for several nights in a row disrupts hundreds of genes that are essential for good health, including those linked to stress and fighting diseases. Tests on people who slept less than six hours a night for a week revealed substantial changes in the activity of genes that govern the immune system, […] More

Now, a large study by researchers in Taiwan suggests people diagnosed with the condition have an increased risk of suicide attempts. Writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from Taipei Veterans general hospital in Taiwan describe how they analyzed nationwide data from 8,960 women and girls aged 12 to 64 diagnosed with PCOS, covering […] More

Women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome may have an increased risk of attempting suicide, research suggests. PCOS is a common health condition thought to affect about 1 in 10 women in the UK, although many cases are undiagnosed. The condition can cause irregular periods, acne, obesity, and cysts in the ovaries among other symptoms, with the […] More

Remarkably, 2 months after antidepressant discontinuation, Ms Adrian started experiencing menstrual irregularity and hair growth. Ten months later, MDD recurred. During the next 4 years, she was on treatment with escitalopram at 20 mg/d and remained symptom-free. Meanwhile, she achieved notable menstrual cycle improvement and reduction in hirsutism. As Ms Adrian was feeling well, she […] More

In 2003, Ms Adrian presented for treatment of MDD (Major Depressive Disorder). Escitalopram—a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, not an oral contraceptive pill—was administered at 5 mg/d, with the dosage reaching 20 mg/d in 3 weeks. After 4 weeks of treatment, she experienced clinically significant depressive symptomatic relief.  Remission was achieved in 8 weeks. Over the […] More