Are your painful headaches actually migraines? A simple self-administered test devised by neurologist, Dr. Richard Lipton, MD and a team of researchers at Albert Einstein University has been shown to be a very effective screening tool. It's used by physicians and dentists around the world as a tool to diagnose migraines. The three question ID Migraine screener can be taken at home but your results should be shared with a health care professional.

1.) Has Headache limited your activities for a day or more in the last three months?
YES / NO

2.) Are you nauseated or sick to your stomach when you have a headache?
YES / NO

3.) Does light bother you when you have a headache?
YES / NO

An answer of "YES" to any 2 of the questions above suggests that your headache is a migraine. The questions are intended to determine if your headaches are debilitating, nausea-inducing and if you suffer from sensitivity from light, known as photophobia. Many options are available for migraine treatment and prevention. One often overlooked option is the NTI-tss Plus. In a clinical trial submitted for FDA approval, 82% of medically diagnosed migraine sufferers experienced a 77% reduction in migraine events. Ask your dentist about it. The NTI may change your life.
 
^{1 Lipton RB, Dodick D, Sadovsky R, et al. A self-administered screener for migraine in primary care: the ID Migraine™ validation study, Neurology 2003;61:375}

At one time or another we've all experienced the pain of a headache. Sure, some are worse than others and the pain may linger a bit longer in some instances but do you know that a headache is not simply "a headache?" Some may seem to be little more than a nuisance, while others may render us incapacitated for days. Emerging research is even showing that some migraine sufferers are at greater risk for stroke than non-migraineurs.

There are several types of headaches and each one is accompanied by a unique type of pain, whether it be the location or the sensation itself. The contributing factors to the onset of headaches , from teeth clenching to genetic factors can also be unique to each type. As we learn more about the specific causes of sinus, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as migraine, the medical and dental fields are also developing more effective treatments. Read more to see which of these eight headache types fit the description of your headaches.

For years, scientists and researchers have searched to discover  a genetic risk factor among migraine sufferers. An article in the most recent issue of Nature Genetics presents some compelling information that the EAAT2 gene may be a contributing factor to migraine.