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Recently I got an email from Scott, who had just been diagnosed with a "deviated septum".  He has daily headaches, and was wondering if a deviated septum could be responsible.

First, a little background.  What is a deviated septum?

Your nasal septum is the partition between the right and left parts of your nose.  When a person has a deviated septum, it’s pulled over to one side or the other (the one in the illustration is deviated to your left).

There can be a number of causes, and sometimes we can’t be sure why one particular person has a deviation.  Sometimes surgery can cause this, or an injury, or perhaps a traumatic birth, or it may even occur during the baby’s development in the womb.

Question #1 - can a deviated septum trigger headache symptoms?  Yes, in some people it can.

Question #2 - how likely is it that a deviated septum is the primary trigger or cause?  In other words, what are the chances that surgery will solve the headache problem in any given person?  In most cases, it’s not very likely that surgery will solve your headache problem.

A deviated septum is actually very common - 4 in 5 people have it.  One way to see if you might have a deviation is to try breathing through either nostril while blocking the other.  If there’s a significant difference in air flow, you may have a deviation.

There are at least two reasons this may cause headaches.  Most commonly, the septum may block mucus, causing frequent recurring sinus infection.  That’s a major recipe for a headache!

Drs Young and Silberstein have also noticed a different kind of "deviated septum headache", which they write about in their book Migraine and Other Headaches:
Rarely, a deviated septum may cause a one-sided headache on the side toward which the septum deviates.  If the septum deviation is causing the headache, placing a small piece of paper soaked in an anesthetic (lidocaine or Novocaine®) will relieve the headache.  The treatment is surgical straightening of the deviated sinus.

Note that this is rare - it’s more likely that, if you have problems, it will be with a sinus infection.

If neither of these situations seem to fit you, chances are surgery will not help.

If you do opt for surgery, it’s called a septoplasty, and it’s done in a day.  It usually won’t change the look of your nose.  It is a fairly safe surgery, though with all surgery there are risks.  It won’t instantly cure sinus infections, but it can make you less susceptible.  The more deviated the septum was, the greater the improvement usually is.  Read more about surgery for a deviated septum here.

Have you had experience with surgery for a deviated septum?  Did it help you with your headaches?  Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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Let’s face it.  Stocking up on drugs is not an idea that makes your insurance company happy.  But the challenge of having the right drugs on hand at the right time is adding to worldwide migraine pain.

This is actually a study from June 2007, but it’s worth looking at.  Dr. Robert A. Nicholson, assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Public Health headed up a study of 233 migraine sufferers who took triptan drugs.  Here’s what he found…

42% of patients said that their insurance plan restricted the number of triptan doses covered each month.  37% said they had a prescription for triptan drugs, but hadn’t filled it because of the cost.

Of those with no limitations, 79% took a triptan at first sign of a migraine attack (as most doctors recommend).  Of those with prescriptions, only 49% took a triptan at the first sign of an attack.  Of those who took a triptan right away, 51% said that migraine had a severe negative impact on their lives.  But of those who hesitated to take the drug, 79% said that migraine had a severe negative impact on their lives.  In fact, one in three of these people ended up in the emergency room at least once in the previous 12 months.

In summary - if someone’s insurance company is limiting their triptans per month, or if cost is keeping people from using them, they have more severe attacks and more frequent visits to the hospital.  Not only does this seem bad for health, it doesn’t seem very cost effective for the insurance company.

The good news is that triptans, when used right away, are working.

One more interesting note.  Dr Nicholson notes that many people delay in taking migraine medication because they want to be sure it’s really a migraine.  Don’t worry, he says.  Statistics show that your first guess is almost always right.

What can we do about this?  Look for another insurance company?  Find other alternative treatments (for when your pills run out)?  What’s your strategy?

Read more:  Insurance, Cost Issues Prevent Many from Treating Migraines

Popularity: 48% [?]

When you go to church, or to a synagogue, or any place where there’s a community of people that you would expect would be supportive, do you find it to be a welcoming place, or a headache sufferer’s nightmare?  Is it easy to be a part of what’s going on, or are there barriers?  Recently Rest Ministries asked people with chronic illness how their churches specifically could do a better job.  They got 8000+ answers, and recently posted the top 20.  Many of these will apply to any kind of community of faith or support group.  For example:

• Send encouragement emails
• Ask volunteers to call people with chronic illness just to check on them when they don’t make it to services.
• Offer me ways to serve within the church that can be performed regularly, but not on a set schedule.  I still want to contribute, but I need some flexibility so that I can do a job when I feel well enough to do so.
• Just talk about chronic illness! Mention it in sermons as one of the challenges many people face just like unemployment.
• Have Christian volunteers from church that will clean house for small fee.  Some have offered to clean my house, but I cannot accept charity yet, but neither can I afford to pay a regular house cleaning service.
• Help even a fraction with the cost of encouraging books and resources for the church library for the chronically ill.

What would you suggest for the community you’re involved in?  How could they pull down barriers and even help you with your migraine and/or headache complicated life?

Read the full list at Chronic Illness and Pain Support.

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So you want to enhance the romance in the month of love, but you don’t want a spike in the migraine scale.  What you need are some aphrodisiacs - aphrodisiacs designed just for the romantic with migraine.

Although science has given very limited credence to the concept of natural aphrodisiacs, over thousands of years certain foods have been used in the real world to add a little extra passion to relationships.  Here are the picks most compatible when one or both sweethearts are migraineurs:

1. Ginger - thought to increase desire because of of the way it stimulates the circulatory system, it’s also a headache and nausea fighter.  It’s even included in migraine supplements.  Just the thing for that romantic stir fry.
2. Honey - yes, they call it a honeymoon because in medieval times lovers gave each other a drink containing honey.  We recently learned it was a great home remedy for headache.  The Migraine Cookbook includes the Roast Duck with Spiced Honey recipe, which includes a powerful tryptophan ingredient (duck).  The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, and low levels have been linked to migraine, depression, and lack of concentration.
3. Ginko biloba - a popular though still hotly disputed herb for headache, Ginko is said to increase blood flow to improve alertness and get oxygen to the brain, alleviating headache, including headache from migraine.  It’s also a famous aphrodisiac.  (be careful of taking ginko with headache medications - check with your doctor!)
4. Passionflower - anxious about that romantic evening?  Passionflower is believed to lower anxiety.  It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory and painkiller.
5. Garlic - the "heat" of garlic is said to increase passion.  Needless to say, this is one you’ll want to make sure you eat with your partner, and not alone.  Garlic is a migraine-fighter, possibly because of its blood-thinning properties.  An elegant Italian meal with roasted garlic may be just what the doctor ordered.
6. Cinnamon - Toast with cinnamon and brown sugar has been tried to fight nausea due to migraine, but it’s also helpful for digestion and fighting the bad bugs that might get in your tummy.  A HeadWay subscriber - Greg from the USA - recently told me that he takes 1/8 of a teaspoon on his cereal each morning, and has seen fewer and less severe headaches as a result.
7. Almonds - these last three need to be eaten with caution, since for some people they are classic migraine triggers.  But if nuts don’t bother you, eating almonds (especially raw almonds) can keep that migraine attack away.  They’re also high in tryptophans Almonds are also believed to increase passion in the females of our race.
8. Bananas - this classic aphrodisiac can trigger migraine in some, but they’re also high in magnesium, which is a great migraine-fighter.  It might help to make sure the banana you eat is not over-ripe.  Bananas are, of course, a classic aphrodisiac.
9. Chocolate - I have done an unusual amount of research into chocolate.  Yes, I know that chocolate is a familiar migraine trigger.  Some people just can’t eat it.  But in moderation, "real" chocolate may also be a migraine fighter.  Real meaning dark chocolate with a high % of cacao (or cocao).  It is also a source of magnesium, and has more "antioxidant capacity" than fruits and vegetables.  Chocolate seems to cause the body to increase serotonin production.  And you’re not going to believe me on this one, but in spite of what the label may say chocolate contains little or no caffeine.  Read more about chocolate and headache here.

A couple more notes.  First, be careful of alcohol.  Though it can lower inhibitions, it can also cause changes in the body which make it an anti-aphrodisiac.  It’s also a common migraine trigger.  Finally, if too much passion gives you a headache, you might want to check out this article.

May you have new strength to show true love to many in this month of love!

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