Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Migraine Ice, helping relieve migraine for all the family

SEPTEMBER 4-11 IS MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK:

MIGRAINE ICE
— helping relieve migraine for all the family

Migraine can be very much a family affair – it’s no respecter of age, sex or race and can affect any member of the family from the youngest to the oldest.

The debilitating pain of a migraine can last for as little as 3 hours or as long as three days and while some sufferers may be able to soldier on, others are simply unable to work or play.

Around six million people in the UK suffer from migraine – that’s more than diabetes, asthma and epilepsy combined* – and with no cure in sight, sufferers need treatments which bring relief and suit their lifestyle.

That’s when many reach for Mentholatum Migraine IceTM patches, a drug-free, cooling therapy which can be used alone, or alongside prescribed or over the counter migraine medication to help enhance the level of relief.

Migraine Ice — from the makers of Deep Heat — is applied to the forehead, temples or the back of the neck, bringing instant, cooling relief that lasts for hours.

The patches are based on ‘cooling therapy’ and incorporate a water-based gel. You simply peel back the protective film and apply the soft, flexible patch when you feel the pain coming on. The patches can be cut to fit the forehead, back of the neck or temples — wherever the pain is worst.

A spokesman for The Mentholatum Company said: “People who suffer from migraine regularly usually know the trigger factors which can provoke an attack and if you keep a pack of Migraine Ice handy in the car, your pocket or handbag or in your desk or locker at work or school you’ll know that cooling relief is not far away.”


Each pack of Migraine Ice contains two large patches in a resealable foil pouch and retails at a recommended £2.99. Migraine Ice is available from Boots, Sainsbury, Tesco and all good pharmacies nationwide.

May 2004

*Source: Migraine Action Association website – www.migraine.org.uk


For more info on this press release, to request colour images or samples or to discuss a reader giveaway, contact
Lesley Keen at
Tony & Lesley Keen PR on 01483 764729
e-mail: lesleykeen@ndirect.co.uk




SEPTEMBER 4-11 IS MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK:
TRIGGER FACTORS
Migraine sufferers have pinpointed a long list of possible causes or trigger factors which can spark off a migraine. Not all sufferers will be affected by any or all of these triggers, but for most, it will be a combination of factors experienced together which can be identified.

Sufferers may find that can experience one or two triggers without problems, but adding a third or fourth may be enough to bring on an attack.

While it makes sense to avoid substances and situations which are known to cause a problem, this is not always possible, so sufferers should make sure they have a supply of the medicines they find to be of most help.

Among the trigger factors which can play a role in migraine are:

Hunger or disrupted meal patterns
Food containing monosodium glutamate
Caffeine
Red wine and other forms of alcohol
Chocolate
Cheese, especially mature cheese
Stress
Anxiety or depression
Disrupted sleep patterns
Overtiredness
Heightened emotion such as grief or anger
Extremes of temperature or a change of climate
Travel and change of routine
Hormonal factors such as menstruation, menopause, or taking the contraceptive pill or HRT
Loud noise
Bright or flickering lights
Strong perfumes
Too long spent in front of a computer screen
High blood pressure



SEPTEMBER 4-11 IS MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK:

TEN TIMES IN LIFE WHEN YOU
REALLY NEED MIGRAINE ICE!

Migraine and severe headaches can be triggered by different factors in different people. It is always wise to keep a pack of Mentholatum Migraine Ice handy for these top ten circumstances which may contribute to migraine and severe headaches:

1.ON A JOURNEY - when the stress of the journey, a change in time zone, climate, food and routine make themselves felt

2.WHEN EMOTIONS RUN HIGH - if you are very angry, very upset or coping with grief.

3.WHEN THE DEADLINE IS LOOMING – and you are under extreme pressure to finish a job on time

4.THE MORNING AFTER - when last night’s excesses are decidedly painful the next day

5.WHEN YOU’VE SPENT TOO LONG IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN OR IN A CLUB - and the bright or flickering lights have provoked a problem

6.IF YOU’RE WORKING TOO HARD AND PLAYING TOO
LITTLE - and your head is telling you you need a break

7.WHEN SOMETHING IS KEEPING YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT - and all the morning brings is a pain in the head

8.AFTER TOO MUCH OF A ‘TRIGGER FOOD’ - it may
be red wine, chocolate, cheese or any of the other known triggers

9.WITH A SUDDEN CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE - a few days of hot, heavy weather or a sharp cold snap

10. AT THE MENOPAUSE - causing physical and emotional changes as
hormones go through another upheaval


SEPTEMBER 4-11 IS MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK:

WHAT IS MIGRAINE?

Migraine is said to be the most common neurological condition in the developed world.

It is more than just a headache, lasting up to 72 hours in some sufferers and there are two main types — migraine with aura (formerly known as classical migraine) and migraine without aura (formerly common migraine).

In migraine with aura, the sufferer experiences neurological symptoms which usually last between a few minutes and an hour, normally before the headache itself comes on.

These symptoms can show up as:

visual disturbances, with the sufferer complaining of blind spots, flashing lights or zigzag patterns in the field of vision
confusion
concentration problems
problems in articulating clearly or in physical co-ordination
sensations such as pins and needles, numbness or tingling in the side of the body affected

It is possible to suffer only the aura, without the headache.

In migraine without aura, which affects the vast majority, sufferers experience some or all of the following symptoms:

an intense, throbbing headache, which usually affects just one side of the head
a feeling of nausea with or without actual vomiting
diarrhoea
increased sensitivity to light and/or noise
increased sensitivity to smells

Stiffness in the neck and shoulders and some of the non-visual problems associated with migraine with aura may also be experienced.

Some sufferers experience warning signs the day before an attack.

In spite of the fact that migraine is so widespread research is still trying to establish exactly what causes the aura and the headache.

Until the last decade it was commonly believed that migraine began with a
constriction of the blood vessels in the head which caused the aura, then dilation of blood vessels inside and outside the head which increased blood flow and caused the headache.

But new advances diagnostic equipment and a better understanding of neurotransmitters have led researchers to the theory that migraine begins in the central nervous system and causes the aura, while a secondary action on the blood vessels, leads to the headache.

It is also suggested that some people are genetically predisposed to migraine.