April 20, 2020

Aftermath of Seizures Troubling for Those With Epilepsy

FRIDAY, April 17, 2020 -- The main focus of epilepsy treatment is seizure control, but the aftereffects of seizures are also a major concern for many patients, experts say.

More than 70% of people with epilepsy say they have complications after a seizure -- including confusion, fear, exhaustion, headache, emotional reactivity, memory problems and behavioral changes -- that can last for hours or days, according to the International League Against Epilepsy.

April 9, 2020

In Some Cases, COVID-19 May Harm the Brain

THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 -- The woman worked in the airlines industry and was in her late 50s. She arrived at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit with a cough, fever and mental confusion that had arisen over the prior three days.

A nasal swab test showed she was infected with the new coronavirus. And as doctors tried to track down the cause of her "altered mental status," brain scans revealed an encephalopathy -- swelling in some areas of the brain -- as well as small areas of brain cell death.

March 30, 2020

Trial Finds Acupuncture May Help Prevent Migraines

THURSDAY, March 26, 2020 -- A new clinical trial supports acupuncture as an option for reducing migraine headaches, and researchers believe doctors should inform patients it is a possible treatment.

The Chinese study "helps to move acupuncture from having an unproven status in complementary medicine to an acceptable evidence-based treatment," said Dr. Heather Angus-Leppan, a neurologist who wrote an editorial that was published with the study in the BMJ on March 25.

March 20, 2020

Heart Drug Combos Might Also Lower Your Dementia Risk: Study

FRIDAY, March 13, 2020 -- Certain combinations of cholesterol and blood pressure drugs may do more than help the heart -- they might also lower a person's risk of dementia, a new study finds.

The drugs in question include two common types of blood pressure medications -- ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) -- as well as cholesterol-lowering statins.

March 11, 2020

10 New Weapons in the War on Migraines

TUESDAY, March 10, 2020 -- There is no cure for migraines -- a headache disorder that can cause sensory disturbances and nausea -- but several new treatments may help people with the debilitating condition, a neurologist says.

"Ten new treatments for migraines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] over the past six years," said Dr. Stephen Ross, from Penn State Health Neuroscience Institute, in Hershey, Pa.

March 9, 2020

Could Smartphones Be Making Migraines Even Tougher to Treat?

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 -- If you have raging headaches and you spend a lot of time on your smartphone, a new study suggests you might want to put your phone down whenever you can.

Researchers found that folks who use their smartphones frequently and have headaches or migraines also tend to need to take more medications than those with headaches who do not have smartphones.