Suffer From Migraines? Miriam Hospital Researchers May Be Able To Help

Posted Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Women who are overweight and suffer from migraines are more likely to have frequent and severe headaches. That’s why researchers with The Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center have launched a new study, funded by the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to explore new strategies for reducing and managing migraine headaches in this group of patients.

Women’s Migraine Health is a no-cost research program designed to test two different behavioral treatments for reducing migraine headaches in women who are overweight. One will focus on changing weight-related behaviors such as diet and exercise, since previous studies have shown that weight loss can improve migraines; the other treatment will provide participants with education and instruction on migraine symptoms and triggers, standard medications to treat and prevent migraine headaches, and various behavioral and alternative treatments.

Miriam researchers will compare both treatments to determine which is most effective for reducing headache frequency in overweight women who suffer from migraines.

Participants will be randomly assigned to 16 weekly group sessions of either treatment strategy and asked to keep track of their headaches for four weeks prior to treatment, after the treatment and at the end of the follow-up period. During the study, participants will have access to experts in migraine and weight control (including neurologists, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, physicians, health educators and psychologists) who will be available to help patients adopt strategies to reduce their migraines. Free neurological diagnosis and use of state-of-the-art mobile phone measures to monitor migraine headache patterns will also be provided, as will personalized feedback on measures related to participants’ migraines.

Participants may be eligible to participate if they:

• Are between the ages of 18 and 50

• Suffer from migraines

• Have a BMI between 30 and 50

• Live within easy driving distance of Providence, RI

• Additional eligibility criteria may also apply.

For more information, or to discuss eligibility, please contact the Women’s Migraine Health research staff at 401-793-8940 or visit www.weightresearch.org.

Filed under: Miriam, Research,