Silver lining I know it may not be much of a consolation to the thousands of people who suffer from the debilitating pain of migraine headaches, but it looks as though people with this condition actually have less cognitive decline than those who don't. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine here in Baltimore studied the relationship between migraines and cognitive function in 1,448 women. They found that over a 12-year period the women who suffered from migraines that featured an aura (see "What is..." below for more information on migraine-related auras) had 26 percent less decline on immediate recall tests and a whopping 47 percent lower decline rate on delayed recall. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the study was that while researchers aren't certain what causes the brain-protective effects associated with migraines, they actually acknowledged that it could be due, at least in part, to alternative treatments people use to manage migraine attacks -- things like getting plenty of sleep, reducing caffeine intake, and using relaxation techniques. They plan to continue their investigation, but in the meantime I think we can look at the current findings as a silver lining in the cloud that migraine sufferers find themselves under so often. Nutrition & Healing Source:
"Migraine may protect against cognitive decline," Reuters Health News, 4/24/07
"How migraines impact cognitive function: Findings from the Baltimore ECA," Neurology 2007 68(17): 1417-1424 | 
