By Alexander Germanis
In various parts of the world, mankind has erected cities that lie below sea level. Over the centuries, it has become evident that in order to keep the sea at bay, certain structures needed to be put in place for the protection and continued survival of the city. While these levees and dikes certainly provide aid and peace of mind to the inhabitants, they do not bring a permanent end to floods. Rising water remains a threat, no matter how high the levee.
People who suffer from migraines understand that feeling on a personal level. Whether they take prescription or over-the-counter medication, preventative or experimental, the threat of the migraine still lingers. Nothing will guarantee its eradication.
Physicians often feel the same way about many ailments. Dr. Benyamin, founder of the Millennium Pain Center in Bloomington, willingly points out: “We often don’t have good tools to actually cure things. If you have bacterial pneumonia, you take antibiotics. If you have a fracture, we put it in a cast. If it’s appendicitis, we take out the appendix.” There is no magic wand, the doctor goes on to say, that physicians can simply wave to instantly eradicate any physical problem.
As Dr. Benyamin stated earlier in this series, there are some ways to prevent migraines, such as avoiding triggers; however, migraines are on that long list of maladies with no actual cure. Medical science is constantly searching for new, more effective ways to counteract the surge in migraine suffering. “There are some oral medications that have been helpful in reducing the frequency and intensity of the attacks,” Dr. Benyamin says. Medicine used for such a purpose is known as maintenance therapy.
Beta-blockers, such as the drug propranolol, are one such form of maintenance therapy. Beta-blockers work by inhibiting adrenaline and noradrenaline from reaching the adrenergic beta receptors of the sympathetic nervous system. In short, they keep the body from producing the fight-or-flight response, which includes an increased heart rate and, subsequently, an increase in blood pressure.
Anyone who has felt the pounding, pulsating pain of a migraine understands the benefit of reducing blood pressure. Often the temporal artery, the artery next to the eye and above the cheekbone, will throb with each beat of one’s heart — an outward sign of the inner pain. However, with beta-blockers, the heart beats at a slower rate and with less force, thus lowering blood pressure. The blood vessels also open more, improving blood flow and hopefully reducing that thudding pain.
There are other classes of medication used to treat migraine attacks as well. “Unfortunately,” Dr. Benyamin counsels, “a lot of them have serious side effects that make them less appealing to some.” One such class of medication is the triptan class of drugs. Triptans affect serotonin, which causes a narrowing of the brain’s blood vessels.
However, a major side effect of these classes of drugs is that of coronary vasospasms.
A coronary vasospasm occurs when there is a contraction of the blood vessels between the lungs and the heart, meaning the oxygenated blood flow to the heart is restricted. Chest pain can result and there is a serious risk of cardiac problems.
“Because coronary vasospasm is one of their mean side effects,” the doctor says, “their use is limited to once or twice a day. I never prescribe these medications myself,” Dr. Benyamin adds.
There are, fortunately, more effective maintenance therapies for migraines available. Perhaps the most surprising one is something used in the cosmetic therapy industry.
To learn more about how that popular therapy is now being used to successfully fight migraines, read “Troubleshooting Migraines, Part 4” in next month’s issue of Healthy Cells Magazine®.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Millennium Pain Center at 309-662-4321, www.millenniumpaincenter.com. The office is located at 1015 S. Mercer Ave. in Bloomington. The practice provides the most advanced and comprehensive pain management for a wide variety of conditions, including a new treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Drs. Benyamin and Vallejo have been selected among 70 of the Best Pain Physicians in America.