MAGNUM Model Taylor Burchfield is seen here sporting a pair of the adult FL-41 Anti-Migraine Eye-Wear By Makers Axon Optics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
© Michael John Coleman for MAGNUM 2011
FMRI Evidence of Precision Ophthalmic Tints Such As Axon Optics to Reduce Cortical Hyperactivation in Migraine Making These "Dark Glasses" An Excellent Migraine Preventive!
WASHINGTON, DC; FRIDAY, OCTOBTER 14th, 2011(MAGNUM)—UPDATED SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH, 2011—As a Migraine suffer if you have had the chance to obverse the Republican Presidential candidate Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at a sunny afternoon public event and watch her as she speaks what do you fellow Migraineurs notice when you watch the evening news later that day or happen to walk by a news stand with all those glossy photos of the photogenic Congresswoman the following day? Could it be something odd? Something strange, no there is nothing odd about the Congresswoman herself, back off you far-left-wingers, no place for harsh gotcha political tactics here readers, this is a health column—not a political column! Having said that, we perused hundreds and hundreds of rally and event photos on Google and other databases with tens of hundreds of smiling Congresswoman Bachmann ALL sans Dark Eyeglasses or Tinted Eyeglasses of any type? For a self proclaimed Migraineur that seemed odd! But not unless she simply chooses to risk a possible Migraine trigger for sake of having what many might think is a more marketable image. These are choices Migraineurs are often forced to take whether we wish too or not every day.
Republican Presidential candidate Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on a sunny afternoon public event sadly sans sunglasses no doubt due to her public relations handlers. Both of MAGNUM Directors Terri Burchfield and Michael John Coleman have taken several PR courses offered by Pfizer in Italy and GlaxoSmithKline in Iceland to name a few where you are "Migraine disease educated" on behavior such as never wearing dark eye-wear at a media event as it blocks your eyes and makes you look inappropriate. We have not called her office and put her in an uncomfortable position by asking, and we will not as it is a personal health matter. But we wish she would feel comfortable with the public--after all she did go public with her state of health. And as a Migraine suffer it is normal to wear tinted eye-wear as a preventive act of treatment regarding her neurological condition. She has it within her power to be a quiet spokeswoman for 36 million Americans with the simple Jackie O fashion statement. [For those of you too young to know that 'Jackie O' reference we where referring to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis who was former wife and First Lady of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy! Who made wearing sunglasses fashionable for the average American woman in the 1960's when many thought it was in poor taste for a woman even to wear sunglasses in public.]
Now for a woman who has gone on the public record in June regards to her Migraine disease: “Let me be abundantly clear — my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by Migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief,” Mrs. Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, said in a statement. She described the headaches as “easily controlled with medication.” Which may be another reason she feels confident about taking a risk with photophobic triggers seeing as hers are “easily controlled with medication.” Now we bring up Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann because she is one of the most photographed persons in the United States and if you take the time to peruse those countless Bachmann images you will notice one sunny day after another sunny day with thousands of Paparazzi snaps and professional photojournalists capturing the Minnesota Representative never wearing her Migraine preventing sunglasses, or tinted glasses Migraineurs so often don’t go home without!
Walking with then front runner Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts Migraineur Congresswoman Michele Bachmann both seen here walking on a sunny afternoon, while other members of the group do wear sun glasses.
Over the years this health advocate never goes anywhere without tinted eyewear so I thought it was interesting to see Ms. Buchmann forgoing most Migraine doctor’s advice to avail her possible campaign managers advices. Do I know this for a fact? No. The purpose of using this public figure as an example was to draw attention to the fact for most Migraineurs are photosensitive and can benefit from the proper protective eyewear from a common Migraine trigger. In no way do we think she is exaggerating her Migraines, just the opposite. To that fact it appears to highlight how we Migraine sufferers have to take decisions as simple as what some might consider a fashion statement can affect our risk to future attacks. We applaud all Migraineurs who give up a choice which might help them avoid a trigger to better interact at work or play.
Sample of a fMRI Brain Scan, but not part of the study, we wanted to give readers an idea of the power amount of information this type of medical technology offer researchers.
If timing is everything in politics then how nice a major science backed study much stronger than the 1991 Photophobia Filter Study et al R.H.Taylor , F. R. C. S. & M.J. Mortimer, M.R.C.G.P. “The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine” back when Congresswoman Bachmann made her Migraine disease decree a very hardy study in the prestigious Headache and Migraine disease medical publication called Cephalalgia Magazine came both occurred in June of 2011! “fMRI Evidence that Precision Ophthalmic Tints Reduce Cortical Hyperactivation in Migraine” What is important for those who don’t realize just how hard it has been to get NIH or any other medical body to conduct Migraine disease or headache disorder research, but that is a whole other story and you can get started by reading up about Headache On the Hill to learn more about the inequity of medical studies. So we are always grateful to see any, especially ones done by major institutions , and keep in mind studies based around high tech devices such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging or functional MRI (fMRI). The advantages is they allow researchers to actually map the brain and brain function of vetted Migraineurs and you do not need thousands of patients such as a double blind study as it would be very redundant and a waste of very expensive resources as well as cutting into research time for other struggling diseases. We still hope to see more such studies on Migraines continue which is one of the reasons we are writing about it.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) Machine as you can see is no small piece of diagnostic equipment.
This study took place in two continents, in the center of our nation off the Great Lakes in Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan in the United States and across the pond at the University of Essex, in the UK. The Source was the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Birmingham, England, also in the U.K.
Background:
Certain patterns can induce perceptual illusions/distortions and visual discomfort in most people, headaches in patients with Migraine, and seizures in patients with photosensitive epilepsy. Visual stimuli are common triggers for Migraine attacks, possibly because of a hyperexcitability of the visual cortex shown in patients with migraine. Precision ophthalmic tints (POTs) are claimed to reduce perceptual distortions and visual discomfort and to prevent Migraine headaches in some patients. We report an fMRI visual cortical activation study designed to investigate neurological mechanisms for the beneficial effects of POTs in Migraine.
Methods:
Eleven Migraineurs and 11 age- and sex-matched non-headache controls participated in the study using non-stressful and stressful striped patterns viewed through gray, POT, and control coloured lenses.
Results:
For all lenses, controls and Migraineurs did not differ in their response to the non-stressful patterns. When the Migraineurs wore gray lenses or control coloured lenses, the stressful pattern resulted in activation that was greater than in the controls. There was also an absence of the characteristic low-pass spatial frequency (SF) tuning in extrastriate visual areas. When POTs were worn, however, both cortical activation and SF tuning were normalized. Both when observing the stressful pattern and under more typical viewing conditions, the POTs reduced visual discomfort more than either of the other two lenses.
Conclusion:
The normalization of cortical activation and SF tuning in the Migraineurs by POTs suggests a neurological basis for the therapeutic effect of these lenses in reducing visual cortical hyperactivation in Migraine.
Introducing Axon Optics With Off The Shelf Anti-Migraine Glasses
So what can you do if you wish to run out an acquire tinted or dark glasses you can wear at night or during the day. Better yet are you looking for a fashionable pair a anti-Migraine glasses you too can wear dark glasses and have you boss call you in to ask you “Hey kid why are you wearing sun glasses in my office?” and you can just print at this article or send him to Axon Optics website and learn about an excellent line of Migraine glasses the MAGNUM staff has been product testing the Axon FL-41 line of anti-Migraine eyewear for the last two months. MAGNUM contacted Axon Optic before the fMRI study came out but we are very happy to see such supportive scientific action.
We did speak with Bradley J Katz, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A Moran Eye Center, University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and he was kind enough to send us a copy of the The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine Cephalalgia Magazine 31:533:536 19911. We can tell you if you are looking for a high quality pair of Migraine glasses that MAGNUM stands behind, go visit www.axonoptics.com today and select and order a pair today. They are well made and cost around one hundred US dollars per pair, and they do come is various powers you would find on other quality readers, or you can send in your Rx and they will fill a pair in your prescription. The day that UPS or other shipping company package with your new Axon Migraine eyewear arrives will be the beginning of a much improved Migraine preventive care program in your daily life. Not to mention you will look more cool too!
To learn more about preventive Migraine eyewear-
Follow Axon Optics: twitter.com/axonoptics
Join Axon Optics At: facebook.com/axonoptics
Visit http://www.migraines.org/treatment/treatalt.htm
ON A TIGHT BUDGET?
For those of you who are on a very tight budget you could consider a lower quality off the self sun reader that will offer limited Migraine preventive care by turning to a sun reader. The best is probably either Peepers and you can visit there website at www.peeperspsec.com we have selected a sample sunreader which is an effective Migraine preventive pair—the Casablanca model of sun reader which offers 100% UV to helps when using as an indoor or nighttime eyewear. http://www.peeperspecs.com/Gold_Casablanca_Peepers_Reading_Glasses
Yet one other alternative choice for our readers is a website that offers a quality sun reader line which can be used as a Migraine preventive eyewear is Boomers In The Know and you can visit them here; http://www.boomersintheknow.com/merovistsunr.html good luck now! MAGNUM visitors will find the sun readers run about $15.00 to $40.00 a pair with power running from 1 to 4 a few go to a 5 power. Happy shopping for your Migraine preventive care, keep in mind that these ‘meds’ last for about a year or two, so $95.00 for a high end pair at Axon or $20.00 at Peepers works out to .19 cents a day for the high end Migraine Dark Glasses for two years, in addition just .2 cents a day for the low end Peepers two years cost of Migraine Prevention. I have to say for years I have used the Peepers Migraine Prevention with very positive results, and the two months we have had the Axon Optics, the main difference is my ability to see at night and in dark environments. Simply a much better product for the Migraineur, you will love it.
http://www.peeperspecs.com/Gold_Casablanca_Peepers_Reading_Glasses
