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A nasal spray once a day can help keep migraines at bay. The spray, which is being tested by hundreds of people in the US, contains the hormone oxytocin.
Although oxytocin is most commonly associated with triggering labor contractions, it also has pain-relieving properties.
Previous research has suggested that people have more migraines when oxytocin levels are low.
Symptoms include one-sided, throbbing headaches and visual disturbances, as well as vomiting, tiredness and sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Seizures can be associated with triggers, including stress, tiredness, flashing lights, and certain foods or drinks.
Some patients are prescribed triptans, drugs that help reverse changes in the brain thought to cause migraines.
A nasal spray once a day can help keep migraines at bay. The spray, which is being tested by hundreds of people in the US, contains the hormone oxytocin.
Symptoms include one-sided, throbbing headaches and visual disturbances, as well as vomiting, tiredness and sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Seizures can be associated with triggers, including stress, tiredness, flashing lights, and certain foods or drinks.
For frequent or severe migraines, medications including topiramate (usually used to treat seizures) and propranolol (a high blood pressure medication) are used to help prevent new attacks.
However, these are not suitable or work for everyone and can cause side effects, such as problems with sleep and appetite.
Known only as TNX-1900, oxytocin spray should be used once or twice daily as a preventative.
It is designed to prevent headache in two ways. First, by preventing pain signals from passing through the trigeminal nerve, the main nerve to the head. The trigeminal nerve carries sensory information from the face, including the scalp, forehead, and area around the eye, to the brain, and is involved in most migraine headaches.
The spray also prevents trigeminal nerve cells from releasing a compound, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which increases during migraines. CGRP triggers inflammation and pain, and makes headaches last longer, although the exact mechanism is unknown.
When sprayed in the nose, oxytocin binds to cells in the trigeminal nerve, disrupting pain signals and also stopping the release of CGRP.
The spray also contains magnesium, which helps oxytocin bind to nerve cells.
Using a nasal spray instead of an oral drug or an injection concentrates the drug in the area where it is needed, reducing the risk of systemic side effects.
During the new trial, led by the Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute in the US, 300 patients will use the oxytocin spray or a placebo spray once or twice a day for three months. The doctors will then check the frequency of the participants’ migraines.
Dr Andrew Dowson, Clinical Lead at NHS East Kent and Bromley Headache Services, said: “This is interesting research.” It’s always good to see innovative thinking being tried in a condition that causes so much disability and remains poorly understood and without universally effective treatments.
‘There is a rational reason to study CGRP. It is a protein that has been extensively studied and has finally been shown to be related to migraine. I’m sure other proteins will also be identified as playing a role.”
A healthy diet can reduce the number of migraines, suggests new research in the International Journal of Neuroscience.
Nearly 300 women who suffer from migraines were questioned about their diet and the frequency of their headaches.
The antioxidant content of their diets was then calculated by measuring the levels of vitamins A, C and E, as well as selenium, zinc and manganese. The researchers found that those with low levels of antioxidants were twice as likely to have seizures.
Oxidative stress, an imbalance between compounds called free radicals and antioxidants, is thought to be involved in migraines, and increasing antioxidant levels may reduce this.
Diabetes drug to delay Parkinson’s disease
A drug used to treat type 2 diabetes may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
In diabetes, exenatide tricks the pancreas into releasing the hormone insulin.
Now, scientists at University College London and other centers are testing to see if it can prevent the death of brain cells that produce dopamine, which helps control movement. Loss of cells causes Parkinson’s.
Previous laboratory studies have suggested that exenatide may help protect these cells.
Papaya gel could replace the dental drill
Could a gel rub offer a painless way to treat tooth decay? A dental drill is currently used to remove cavities, but this can lead to the loss of healthy teeth.
The new gel contains enzymes from the papaya fruit that break down the decayed piece of tooth, leaving the healthy parts intact. The liquid is applied to the cavity and left for 30 seconds, until it turns cloudy, then washed off. The process is repeated until all spoilage is gone.
Previous research has suggested that enzymes in papaya kill strep mutans, the bacterium that causes cavities in the mouth.
MINI MUSCLE COULD
This week: gluteus medius
Small muscles that play big roles
This muscle runs off the hip joint and works with the main gluteal muscle, the gluteus maximus, to stabilize the pelvis. It also allows you to rotate your hip out and lift your leg out to the side.
A strong gluteus medius prevents the knee on the same side from falling in and the hip from falling out. If the muscle is weak, the resulting poor stability can lead to lower back pain, as well as knee and hip problems.
Clare Lewey, an Oxfordshire-based physiotherapist, says this can particularly affect middle-aged women if their buttocks flatten and weaken with age.
To strengthen it, he recommends “shells”: Lie on your side with your feet and hips stacked and your knees bent at 90 degrees, then lift your top knee away from your bottom knee, keeping your feet in contact.
“Monster rides” can also help, she says. Wrap a strong resistance band around your thighs, lean into a squat position, and keeping your legs apart, walk back and forth a few steps at a time.