In a draft report by the British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), it has been recommended that Botox injections should be used as a treatment option for chronic migraines. It is thought that Botox may help with migraines by blocking pain signals, as well as making muscles relax.

Dr. Giles Elrington, from the National Migraine Centre, said that the success rate proves the injections can have far wider benefits than just erasing wrinkles. "Botox is mostly used to cause partial muscle paralysis, and that's why it works for wrinkles, spasms and stiffness. It's not just a treatment for ladies who lunch," Elrington said. "The funny thing about Botox and migraine is that it's working on sensory pathway, and what it does is not cause muscle paralysis but reduce the sensory traffic coming from the head through to consciousness."

The 36 million Americans that suffer from migraines are always looking for a new treatment option that will bring relief without tying them to constant medication. 12 years ago, a surgeon realized he may have a new option for those suffering. Dr. Bahman Guyuron, chairman of the plastic surgery department at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland discovered that several of his plastic surgery patients reported that their migraines improved after a cosmetic procedure known as a forehead lift. And, other women reported migraine relief after they had received Botox injections that cosmetically smoothed furrowed brows by paralyzing muscles.

The surgery that was developed works by seeking out a structural reason for pain, a nerve compressed or impinged by surrounding bone or soft tissue. A study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2009, found that just fewer than 85 percent of the patients who underwent the nerve decompression surgery reported at least a 50% reduction in migraine, calculating pain, frequency, and duration. Nearly 60% reported a complete elimination of pain.

The National Headache Foundation (NHF) has declared June 6th - June 12th, "National Headache Awareness Week." Their goal for the week is to raise awareness about the plight of headache sufferers, increase education about treatments, preventatives, proper screening and diagnosis. They've listed resources throughout the US and provided a wealth of information on their site.

The common misperception among the public about this topic is that headaches and migraines are no "big deal" and many simply don't understand the painful, debilitating nature of chronic headaches. Whether you or someone you care about is suffering, provide them with this information. Over the past decade, there have been numerous advances in the field of headache medicine; from screening tools to Botox and the NTI-tss Plus, the most effective drug-free, FDA approved migraine preventative. Help is available.