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A couple of weeks ago we were talking about easy ways to log your migraine attacks or headaches on the go - specifically, by phone using Jott.  But an email from Ben in the United States got me thinking in a different direction about keeping track of headaches online.

Ben has a great idea - or at least the start of a great idea, in a site he created called HeadacheLog.com.  He actually created the site for his wife, who suffers from chronic headaches.

Here’s the idea.  You enter your specific headache information, along with what you recently ate, how bad the attack was, how much sleep you had, and so on.  Also, you log approximately where you were at the time (ie what city.  Unfortunately, this only works in the USA).

Being all on computer, computers can now do what they do best - calculate.  After a while, you can get reports, and see what you commonly ate before a headache, for example.  And, one nifty part of the program is that it checks what the weather was in the area, so you can also check for weather triggers.

I think it’s a fantastic idea - as long as, of course, you use it as a tool and not as a absolute rigid perfect prophetic headache bible.

Now, I said it was the start of a good idea.  In my opinion, the program needs to be developed.  For example, you can only choose from certain foods you may have eaten, and you can’t add your own.  There are other things that could be added - menstrual cycles, for example.  Being able to add symptoms would also be helpful, since all headaches are not created equal.

But I certainly think the idea is worth developing - I can’t believe I haven’t seen more sites or programs like this before.  The more detailed you could make a program like this (without making it complicated, of course) the more useful it would be.

One more clever thing on this site - it allows the headache stats to be aggregated.  If a program like this came into wide use, pretty soon we might start learning things about migraines and headaches that we didn’t know before.

Check it out and give it a try here.  If you find it helpful, or have used something similar, share your comments.

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It’s that time of month for the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival!  This month’s topic - Coping strategies for migraine.  There’s quite an eclectic set of posts, as always.  Not only are there some articles about coping, there are a few posts on other topics.

If you’re a migraine blogger yourself, you may want to participate.  Next month’s topic is Migraines and Physical Activity: How do you remain active?

Exercise and headache is a hotly discussed topic.  To get started, read these exercise tips for those with headache, this article about how exercise can fight headache and migraine, and these tips to stop getting a headache from exercise.

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The New York Times has a nice slideshow of migraine art up on the web.  There may not be anything new here, but it’s a nice display and you can easily share the presentation via facebook, del.ici.us, etc. As you look, think about what we were talking about last week regarding the patterns in migraine aura.

For newer art, be sure to visit our very own migraine art page right here.  There are several pages of art here from our visitors.  You can comment on what’s there, or you can submit your very own art!  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of the art currently hosted here.

Click the picture to the left to see a portrait by Connie VanPatten of Labany, NY, USA.

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Dr. Jerry Swanson is the chairman of the headache division in the Neurology Department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA.  Last week there was an interview published with frequently asked questions about migraine.

There’s nothing new here if you’re well familiar with migraine, but the article does provide a good summary of where the standard understanding of migraine is, and what common treatments are.  You won’t read a lot about alternate treatments here, but you will get an understanding of what standard drug treatments to expect at many headache clinics.

Regarding the old theory of blood vessel dilation and migraine, he says:  At one point in the past, there was a theory that migraine was primarily a blood vessel problem. The vessels probably play a role, but it’s really a passive role, being driven largely by the nervous system. There is evidence that some vessels tend to dilate and that may contribute to the pain, but the headache itself seems to begin in the brain.

He also talks about who would be considered for preventative treatment, the role of caffeine, and stress and migraine.

If you’re getting ready for your first visit to a headache clinic, this will give you an excellent preview.  Read Migraine FAQs: An interview with a Mayo Clinic specialist, and share your opinion.

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