I can handle most things -- I once fell down a flight of stairs at work and toughed it out as best as I could for the rest of the day -- but headaches... well, they can bring me to my knees. And my headaches can't even be classified as migraines. So I can only imagine how painful and debilitating true migraine headaches can be.

If you suffer from migraine headaches, your doctor can prescribe medication to help alleviate the symptoms. But there are many things you can do to help manage the pain, too:

• Seek a calm environment. Soft, low lighting is your best bet when you feel a migraine coming on. Also, try massaging painful areas, using cold compresses, and drinking a caffeinated beverage.
  
• Sleep well. Poor sleep can trigger a migraine. Stick to a consistent bedtime schedule and help yourself wind down at the end of the day.
  
• Eat wisely. Eat healthful, regular meals. There are certain foods that can trigger migraines; try eliminating any foods you think might be causing problems for you.
  
• Exercise regularly. Exercise helps to reduce stress and just makes you feel better overall. But be sure to start slowly; vigorous exercise can trigger migraines for some people.
  
• Manage stress. A stressful life can trigger migraines. Try simplifying your schedule and asking for help if your need it.
  
• Keep a migraine diary. Keeping track of your headaches can help you recognize your own triggers and what methods help to minimize your pain.
  

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The Norwegian National Headache Center found that people with high blood pressure were less likely to have migraine headaches. Previously, it was believed that high blood pressure was a causative factor for migraine headaches, but research shows otherwise.

The study followed more than 50,000 adults and included information on headache frequency, use of blood pressure medication, and blood pressure readings. People with the highest pulse pressure had up to 50% fewer headaches.

Knowing that high blood pressure doesn't cause migraines is a good thing -- it leads researchers closer to better understanding painful migraine headaches. Also, blood pressure medication is sometimes prescribed for migraines and this study may prove that is unnecessary or ineffective. However, it's clearly not a reason to stop treating high blood pressure. As my grandmother used to say, "don't trade one evil for another." High blood pressure is a dangerous condition that increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and can even lead to reduced function later in life.

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Migraine headaches are not pleasant -- ask anyone who has had them. Therefore, it's rather unfortunate that a new U.S.-based study finds that many migraine sufferers don't ever get the right or appropriate amount of medications for those migraines due to insurance amount restrictions -- in addition to fears of actually running out of certain migraine-reducing drugs.

The result? Migraine suffers cope with more pain and the potential for complete or partial disability from many things in life due to cost control by insurance companies. These folks almost certainly begin leading, at some point, a lower quality of life than they should.

After looking at the results of the study here, it seems that business decisions continue to take precedence over patient welfare. What else is new?

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Migraines are a nasty thing. The lingering and often painful headaches can be a source of job and even martial strife in many cases. Sure, there are over-the-counter and even prescription drugs that can alleviate symptoms, but do they work for all migraine suffers?

A new drug shows better promise than the existing grab bag of possible solutions, at least according to new findings. Although there is a lack of detail on this new drug -- codenamed MK-0974 -- the silence won't last for long most likely. A study that focused on the drug found that is part of a class of drugs which can block a brain chemical that helps send pain signals.

Hence, migraine pain signal blocking using chemical means inside the body could become a reality. When it does, migraine sufferers the world over will have a clear head -- permanently.

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Does your teen have consistent and chronic daily headaches? If so, the possible risk for psychiatric disorders, depression and suicide may be a result, according to a new study out of Taiwan.

Chronic is defined as having headaches more than 15 days per month (roughly half) that last a few hours a day or more. The study looked at 7,900 students (ages 12 to 14) and identified 121 teens with chronic daily headaches out of that group.

Those from that subgroup were then screened for psychiatric disorders. 50% of those had at least one psychiatric disorder and about 20% were considered high suicide risks.

If your teenager shows sign of chronic headaches, some prudent follow-up may be in order if you haven't investigated it already, yes?

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