MigreLief Blog

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Summer doesn’t officially end until midnight September 22, but if you are planning to hit the road for one last fun in the sun hurrah, take safety precautions; tell someone where you are going, wear your seat-belt, stay-well hydrated, dodge your migraine triggers and avoid Labor Day migraines!

Labor Day the first Monday in September, was first celebrated on September 5, 1882.  It is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is traditionally marked with parades and other celebrations, and is a time for Americans to take a break from their jobs and honor the historic role that the labor movement played in the creation of the middle class, the rise of living standards and the strength of the country.

Labor Day has also come to represent, for most Americans, the symbolic end of summer.  School starts for most students the day after Labor Day Monday, however many schools have switched to resume in late August.  Nevertheless, for many of us, it is the last hurrah to partake in traditional summer activities, lazy beach and picnic outings, camping trips, and travel away from home.

According to AAA, 35.5 million Americans traveled at least 50 miles away from home last year on this weekend.  Labor Day has also become an important sale weekend for many retailers, many claiming it is second largest sale date only to Christmas season’s Black Friday.  It also marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons.  Old school etiquette considers Labor Day the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white.  It is believed that this tradition originated long ago, when the high society crowd wore white during their summer vacation getaways and then changed back to dark colors when they returned to the sooty, dusty city.

If you are planning to get out and about, this Labor Day weekend, remember to stay safe and avoid your migraine triggers.

LABOR DAY SAFETY TIPS: Labor Day weekend is one of the most dangerous and deadly holidays for traveling, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration –  Drive safely and be prepared for any type of emergency.  Always keep a first-aid kit in your vehicle. –   Let someone know where you are going, the roads you are taking and when you expect to get there and return. –   Wear your seatbelts and don’t drink and drive.  Be prepared for sobriety and seatbelt checkpoints

STAY WELL HYDRATED: –        Keep plenty of water on hand.  Keep a bottle of H20 with you if the weather is hot and you will be outdoors for a considerable amount of time.  If plain water doesn’t interest you, try adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drink.  If you’re going to be exercising, make sure you drink water before, during and after your workout.  Start and end your day with a glass of water.  When you’re feeling hungry, drink water. The sensation of thirst is often confused with hunger.

AVOID HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES AND HEAT STROKE.  Sweating heavily without replacing enough fluids can lead to dehydration or heat cramps. If the body cannot shed enough heat for any reason, there is a risk of heat exhaustion and, in extreme cases, heat stroke – a medical emergency.  Children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, because their bodies do not get rid of heat as efficiently as adults’ do. Make sure you know how to prevent, recognize, and treat heat-related illness.  Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of water and salt, often as a result of exercise in hot weather. If it is not treated, it may progress to heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include: Normal or elevated body temperature, although not as high as 40°C (104°F) Profuse sweating – Pale skin – Skin may be cool and moist – Fast, shallow breathing – Fast, weak pulse – Headache – Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea – Dizziness, weakness, or fainting – Heat cramps or Exhaustion.  If you or a child  experience any of these symptoms, move to a shady or air-conditioned area and lie down. Remove extra clothing and sports equipment, if any. Cool down with cold water, fans, or cold towels. If not nauseated or vomiting, drink water, juice, or a sports drink.

TIPS TO AVOID END OF SUMMER MIGRAINES

*Drink an 8 ounce glass of water every couple of hours.  Bright sunlight can often lead to migraines in photosensitive sufferers so a good pair of polarized sunglasses can really help.*Scents and odors can trigger migraines. Don’t hang around people who smoke and ask those close to you (friends, family, co-workers) to go easy on the cologne of perfume.

*Avoid bight or flickering lights if possible. If you work a lot on a computer use an anti-glare screen/filter.

*Eat healthy snacks every hour or so to prevent drops in blood sugar than can also serve as triggers to migraines.

*Pay attention to prodromal symptoms (symptoms like dizziness, visual or speech impairments) which occur prior to the pain of the migraine striking. Taking a MigreLief-NOW during this period can make all of the difference.
*Small amounts of caffeine may help with migraine pain, but large amounts will cause more migraines to occur.
*Barometric Pressure Headaches Strategies: Some migraineurs have reported that lying down in a dark room can ward off the pressure headache, but if you are or want to be an outdoor enthusiast, you have to figure out other ways to deal with it.
The good news is that there are gadgets that can help you. If you are one who prefers gadgets over devices and apps, Newspring Power International Company, Ltd. offers a fishing barometer designed to check the barometric pressure at specific locations. The application for migraineurs is that you can set the device for up to six places where you might wish to go for the day, and program it to warn you when a storm is approaching any of those places. If you prefer a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), there are several smart phones and tablets which have barometric sensors with free apps that will send you alarms when pressure reaches the danger zone for you.”
*Avoid stress. If you are preparing a Labor Day picnic or festivity, remember that after a flurry of activity and preparation, when a person finally has a chance to relax, headaches often set in. The beginning of the weekend or a vacation is a common time for migraines to occur. Take it easy, plan in advance, and just agree with yourself or family members that the number one key to everyone enjoying the time is to relax and be unhurried in everything.
*Don’t forget to take your MigreLief twice a day, once in the a.m. and once in the p.m., to keep blood levels of the beneficial ingredients consistent for controlling your migraines.  Visit MigreLief.com or go to MigreLief.US and enter your zip code into our store locator.
Have a wonderful and safe, migraine free Labor Day. Enjoy this delicious and eye-catching salad if you are looking for something new to prepare and serve this weekend.

The MigreLief Team at Akeso Health Sciences

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MigreLief Triple Therapy with Puracol™ and Fast Acting MigreLief-NOW…  Recommended for all types of headaches and migraines; chronic, common, classic, hemiplegic, pediatric, transformed, complex, abdominal, acephalgic etc.

7-layer Salad
Ingredients

Salt

8 ounces farfalle (about 4 cups)

2 stalks broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1 lime

Freshly ground pepper

2 avocados, diced

1 12-ounce piece deli ham, diced (about 2 cups) –or substitute with chicken, turkey or garbanzo beans

8 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shredded

1 small head romaine lettuce, sliced

2 tomatoes, diced

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (about 2 minutes less than the label directs), adding the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and broccoli and rinse under cool water; shake off the excess. Remove the broccoli and pat dry.

Whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, 1/4 cup chives, the parsley, half of the lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the pasta and a few tablespoons of the dressing in a medium bowl.

Assemble the salad: Toss the avocados with the remaining lime juice in a large glass serving bowl and season with salt; arrange in an even layer. Top with layers of the ham, broccoli, pasta, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon chives, or cover and refrigerate the salad and dressing separately up to 6 hours.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  (Recipe from Food Network)

Enjoy!

If you’re a Healthcare Professional recommending Butterbur (Petasites) to your patients, it’s important that you stay up-to-date on the latest information (see links at the end of this post).

As a chemist, medical researcher, and drug developer, four of the multitudinous questions you ask yourself when trying to decide if you should invest time and money into developing, using or recommending a particular compound are:

1.) How likely is it to be effective for the specific condition it’s being considered to treat?
2.) Are there any known or potential side effects or adverse events that could hypothetically occur?
3.) How do the answers to question #2 impact the risk/reward profile of the compound.
4.) Are there any other competing compounds that seem to have similar benefits with lower risk?

Over 15 years ago when we received multiple patents describing the use of a combination of two magnesium sources, high dose riboflavin, and special extracts of feverfew for prophylaxis of migraines, butterbur had not yet been shown in a randomized clinical trial to be effective for migraine prophylaxis.  Of course back in 2002, when the study by Lipton et al was published showing efficacy, I paid a lot of attention to butterbur and strongly considered creating an additional formula or adding it to our existing patented combination (now known as Akeso’s MigreLief with Puracol™).  Since the release of our Original MigreLief with Puracol™ we have formulated new products with additional ingredients, for example MigreLief+M for menstrual/hormonal migraines and MigreLief-NOW a fast-acting “as needed” formula, yet none of our products contain butterbur.

It was clear that the response to butterbur was favorable and by not offering it in one of our products we would be losing out on the additional revenue it was sure to generate. Nevertheless we decided never to use butterbur in any of our products. We could never get comfortable with the fact that we had to rely on a manufacturing process to consistently remove the Hepato-toxic and carcinogenic pyrolizidine alkaloids that are found in unprocessed butterbur.   Of course this was just our company’s decision and many companies and healthcare professionals used or recommended butterbur.  In fact, the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society supported butterbur.

As healthcare professionals we all try to stay current on as much of the medical literature and reporting as possible.
In the last few years, much new information has surfaced regarding butterbur and we are providing you with links to that third party information to enable you to make the best decisions for your patients (see below).

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix
Chief Scientific Officer,  Akeso Health Sciences

RESOURCE LINKS FOR BUTTERBUR:

Update on the efficacy and safety of Petadolex®, a butterbur extract for migraine prophylaxis – Dr. Joseph M. Prietto.
DovePress March 10, 2014

Migrane Preventative Butterbur Has Safety Concerns
NEUROLOGY TIMES – JANUARY 28, 2015

“…Despite butterbur’s potential efficacy, doubts are increasing about the long-term safety of this supplement given the risk of liver damage and the lack of an actively regulated preparation. Due to the mounting concerns, the American Headache Society is currently evaluating a position statement cautioning against its use.” Migraine Preventative Butterbur Has Safety Concerns