Poisoning your headaches away

Botox: It's not just a bad idea for wrinkles anymore. It's a bad idea for migraine headaches, too.

The feds are moving a step closer to approving Botox as a treatment for migraines, despite that fact that it doesn't exactly freeze headaches the way it does facial features.

In fact, two of the clinical trials being used to push this toxin on migraine patients were thoroughly unimpressive.

In one, Botox did no better at reducing the total number of headaches when compared to a placebo. Botox users, however, did have slightly fewer days in which they had headaches-- 1.4 fewer days per month than those who took the placebo.

That means Botox users actually had more headaches on the days they did have them.

Is that really better?

In another trial, there was a slightly bigger drop in headache days per month--9 fewer for those who got Botox shots, versus 6.7 fewer days among those taking the placebo, or 2.3 fewer headache days overall for Botox users.

Worth it? You decide--but remember, Botox injections come with some pretty serious risks.

After all, the "tox" part of Botox comes from "toxin"--as in botulinum toxin, one of the most toxic proteins on the planet. It can lead to flulike symptoms and stomach problems as well as muscle weakness and even paralysis-- and not always at the injection site.

But you don't have to take those risks--because when you look at the safe, natural and effective treatments out there, this one's a no-brainer.

Just don't expect to hear about those safer options in the typical doctor's office.

I recently went into detail on some of the natural alternatives for migraine sufferers, from the vitamins and minerals that will help chase the headaches away to the treatments that have helped millions beat this chronic condition, and you can read all about them here.

In addition, a growing number of patients have had success using transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. Think of it as a magnetically charged magic wand. Although it's not quite "one wave and it's gone," studies have proven that these treatments can, over time, reduce both the pain and the frequency of migraines.

It may not be as glamorous as those injections favored by Hollywood stars... but it's a heck of a lot safer.

On a mission for your health,

Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls