If you talk to medical professionals, you may get a variety of answers ranging from heated skepticism to passionate acceptance – and if you talk to people who have tried homeopathy, you’re likely to hear the same.

The fact is homeopathy works for some people – and works extremely well.

So what is homeopathy anyway?

The simplest definition is found in the name itself; the word homeopathy actually means “similar” (homeo) “disease” (pathy). The idea behind homeopathy is to use “like to cure like.”

So what does that mean?

It is the same methodology used when a person who suffers allergies begins allergy treatments to desensitize the body to a particular allergen. It was also the initial thinking behind the beginnings of using radiation, a cancer causing agent, to cure cancer.

How does homeopathy work?

Homeopathy uses highly diluted substances found naturally in plants, animals, and minerals to start the body’s self-healing immune response.

Let’s say, for instance, that you have hay fever or a cold and suffer with teary eyes and a runny nose. A homeopathic practitioner may recommend a formulation of Allium cepa (onion) to relieve those symptoms.

Using an extremely diluted form, one part per trillion or more – which is a definitely extreme – the homeopathic onion formulation will jump start your body’s immune system and provide relief from watery eyes and a runny nose – symptoms that are experienced when one is exposed to the full-strength juice of an onion. This is one example of the “like cures like.”

The practice of homeopathy is centuries old and is used all over the world. For many, it may be a good alternative to the side effects caused by chemical-compound-based medications.

That may be the explanation behind America’s surge of interest in homeopathy in the past decade.

Are homeopathic formulations safe?

When used correctly, highly diluted homeopathic formulations are extremely safe and can be extremely effective for some people.

However, it is important to know that not all formulations labeled homeopathic are highly diluted and some may cause side effects. It’s important to investigate the benefits and side effects of any medication prior to taking it.

If you are considering a homeopathic treatment and are currently taking other medications prescribed by your health care provider, you may want to talk to him or her before you start taking a homeopathic formulation to make sure that there are no drug interactions or other cautions you should be aware of.

Homeopathic formulations are not addictive. Once you feel relief, you can stop taking the medication until it is needed again.

Are homeopathic medications regulated?

Yes.

Homeopathic formulations must be made from natural plant, animal, and mineral ingredients approved by the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS). Also, formulation manufacturers must comply with the good manufacturing practice (cGMP) policies established by the US Food and Drug Administration and are regulated in the same manner as non-prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

Even amid controversy, the evidence for homeopathic effectiveness through scientific studies grows.

During the past 20 years, more homeopathic drugs have be subjected to increased testing using double-blind, placebo (a substance having no pharmacological effect) controlled clinical trials. These studies show that homeopathic drugs produce positive results and are proven to be highly effective. As a result they have gained broader acceptance as a valid treatments for common illnesses such as colds, allergies, and headache.

This acceptance may be due to the increase in credible testing and to the positive experience of many people choosing to use homeopathic formulations.

For instance a recent research article titled, “Comparison Between the Efficacy of Ginger and Sumatriptan in the Ablative Treatment of the Common Migraine” published in the  Phytotherapy Research journal conducted a direct comparison of sumatriptans (prescription medications such as Imitrex®) and ginger powder (a common element used in homeopathy) through a double-blind randomized trial. One hundred patients received either the sumatriptan or ginger powder for five consecutive migraine attacks; the patients did not know which they received. According to the abstract published on Wiley Online Library:

“Efficacy of ginger powder and sumatriptan was similar. Clinical adverse effects of ginger powder were less than sumatriptan. Patients’ satisfaction and willingness to continue did not differ. The effectiveness of ginger powder in the treatment of common migraine attacks is statistically comparable to sumatriptan. Ginger also poses a better side effect profile than sumatriptan. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ,”

While ginger in this instance was not part of a homeopathic formulation, these results are similar to those of a double-blind placebo-controlled study of a formulation that DID use homeopathic dilutions of ginger and feverfew for acute migraine treatment. The results showed the formulation was highly effective for migraine treatment and produced less side effects.

But, the controversy remains and begs the question: Does homeopathy really work?

Well, again, it really depends who you talk to.

We know that LipiGesic® M, a homeopathic formulation of feverfew and ginger for the treatment of acute migraine, works for the majority of people, but like all medications, it doesn’t work for everyone. During our own double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted by three of America’s leading headache experts and published in the top-tier medical journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, LipiGesic M performed significantly better than an actual placebo.

Yet, for the people whose bodies don’t respond to LipiGesic M’s active ingredients of feverfew and ginger, we are labeled snake-oil salesmen.

On the other side of the controversy, people who use LipiGesic M and experience relief from migraine headache – and there are many – praise us highly, often saying that we’ve changed their lives.

It’s for these people, many who have searched for migraine relief for years, and others like them that we will continue to produce, promote, and market LipiGesic M. If we can give one more person freedom from a life of migraine, we will gladly withstand the controversy surrounding homeopathic medicine.

While science may not yet grasp an understanding of how homeopathic formulations with extremely diluted active ingredients work, many reputable clinical studies provide evidence of effectiveness that is significantly greater than the placebo effect (the power of the mind to influence a reaction in the body).

How about you? Have you tried homeopathy? What was your experience?

The post Homeopathy: It’s been declared both snake oil and a real medical solution, which view is true? appeared first on Lipigesic.

We also know that there is no migraine treatment that works 100% of the time for everyone.

But, in her recent article “Drugs Can Sometimes Prevent Migraines, but at a Cost,” Barbara Bronson Gray reported a few statements that you may find surprising.

First it said that most of the prescription migraine treatments available today, were not developed specifically for the treatment of migraine, and secondly many health care providers may not be aware of the severe side effects caused by some of the medications.

Both of these statements explain why finding an effective treatment can be challenging.

If you suffer migraines, you know it often means living through a series severe side effects as you try medication after medication.

If you and your health care provider are still searching for an effective treatment, be sure to let him or her know what side effects you are suffering or if your prescription is working. That will help you and will help your provider be better informed.

If your treatment is working, it’s no time to rest. You should continue to educate yourself on the “hidden” side effects. Some long-term side effects are not seen immediately.

New reports are surfacing everyday about migraine treatment side effects. Just recently, an article released by the Food and Drug Administration about a possible decrease in the IQ babies whose mothers take prescription migraine treatments made the headlines. This is not good news for expectant mothers who suffer debilitating migraines, but it does help them keep their babies safe.

Fortunately, because of Gray’s article we became aware of another interesting piece of news. A new study by Dr. Tatyana Shamliyan, published in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine balanced the effectiveness of episodic migraine medications against the side effects they cause.

This is a step forward, but more study needs to be conducted as Gray points out, “…there’s a lack of research available about the long-term effects of drug treatments, especially on quality of life.”

Gray concluded her article with the following quote from Dr. Jason Rosenberg, director of the Johns Hopkins Headache Center, “In my practice, I’m prescribing off-label as much as on-label. This, while state-of-the-art, should be a call to action, he added. “It’s totally unacceptable that all the drugs we’re using were invented for other diseases.”

I guess Dr. Rosenberg hasn’t heard about LipiGesic M, though while not a prescription, it was created specifically for the treatment of acute migraine; it’s highly effective, is non-drowsy and has no severe side effects when taken as directed.

What do you think? Have you had experience with prescription medications? Did you suffer side effects? How long did it take for you to find a prescription migraine treatment that worked …or are you still looking for relief?

The post Warning: your treatment may be worse than your migraine appeared first on Lipigesic.

The article, Sublingual Feverfew/Ginger (LipiGesic M) Reanalysis of Data (attributed to Roger Cady, MD; Richard Lipton, MD; Daniel Serrano, PhD; and Rebecca Browning, BS) quoted Dr. Serrano, who provided the reanalysis as saying, “In conclusion, irrespective of design-type employed, the efficacy of sublingual feverfew/ginger (LipiGesic M) appears robust…”

The original double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial for LipiGesic M, completed in 2010 and published in the July 2011 issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, concluded that 64 percent of patients who used LipiGesic M found relief.

“This reanalysis not only confirms LipiGesic M is a highly effective, over-the-counter medication for the treatment of acute migraine pain,” said Russell Mitchell, chairman and CEO of PuraMed BioScience. “It also shows that if our study had included a larger patient population, LipiGesic M would have demonstrated a stronger efficacy across all measurement points.”

In a preceding article published in Drugs in 2012, Ryan Cady, Candace Shade, and Roger Cady, MD, describe LipiGesic M as an “excellent first-line therapy.” The article “Advances in Drug Development for Acute Migraine” goes on to cite LipiGesic M’s lower cost, its OTC availability, its unlikelihood to cause rebound headache, and its compatibility with other treatment options as advantages in acute migraine treatment.

“We have provided a safe, highly effective, OTC solution to migraine pain that performs as well as, if not better than prescription medications without the high cost, drowsiness, or the need for a doctor’s visit,” said Mitchell. “We are looking forward to the findings of the children’s study that was recently concluded to compare results across all age groups.”

LipiGesic^®M is distributed nationally in Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy stores.

The post Reanalysis of Clinical Trial Data Confirms LipiGesic® M has Robust Efficacy for Treatment of Migraine Headache and Associated Symptoms appeared first on Lipigesic.

As reported in the article, Migraine: Placebo Response Stymies Treatment in Kids, by Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today, an editorial accompanying the two reports written by Marco A. Arruda, MD, PhD, of the Glia Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, stated, “When no evidence is available, or when first-line therapies have failed, select a drug based on plausibility, proven efficacy in studies with adults, and proven safety of the drug in children.”

So what is a parent to do?
It’s hard to watch your child experience the pain of migraine. But based on Dr. Arruda’s comment, hope for an effective treatment for your child’s migraine is as near as your closest Walgreens or CVS/pharmacy store.

Two years ago, the effectiveness of LipiGesic® M was determined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 60 migraine patients between the ages of 12 to 60, who collectively suffered a total of 221 headaches. Five of these participants were younger than 18 years of age. When compared to studies of prescription migraine medications, the results of the LipiGesic M study showed that LipiGesic M’s homeopathic formulation of feverfew and ginger was safe and as effective as the top-selling prescription migraine medication.

What does the current study involve?
The current study is being conducted based on the criteria developed by the International Headache Society. It is a multi-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that will check the levels of relief at key intervals to determine LipiGesic M’s effectiveness in children.

LipiGesic M’s clinical study for children has also been reviewed and approved by a recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB conducts a stringent review of ingredients and administration prior to the start of a clinical study and has very strict criteria regarding safety issues during the clinical studies, especially when those studies involve children.

LipiGesic M is an all natural homeopathic drug designed to treat migraine sufferers of all ages. We expect that the results of the children’s study will reinforce the fact that LipiGesic M provides safe, effective and fast treatment for children and adolescents.

With LipiGesic M you will also have the peace of mind that the medication that you give your developing child does not cause severe or debilitating side effects.

As with all medication, it is important to check with your child’s healthcare provider to determine any special conditions that may need to be considered before administering LipiGesic M or any other medication. To assist you in your discussion, you may download a summary of the clinical study here.

The post To medicate or not to medicate … that is the question when your child suffers with migraine. appeared first on Lipigesic.

Authors Ryan J. Cady, Candace L. Shade, and Roger K. Cady, MD, reviewed 11 drugs, which are considered advancements in acute migraine treatment. LipiGesic M was the only product described as “an excellent first-line therapy for very early intervention, as it is compatible with all other acute treatment options.”

“With this ‘excellent first-line therapy’ designation, consumers can be assured that headache experts have reviewed the clinical study evidence for LipiGesic M’s efficacy and have determined that LipiGesic M is the first medication sufferers should take to relieve migraine pain and migraine associated symptoms,” said Russell Mitchell, president and CEO of PuraMed BioScience.

LipiGesic M is an over-the-counter, homeopathic formulation of feverfew and ginger delivered in a sublingual (under-the-tongue) gel for the acute treatment of migraine. Sublingual delivery preserves the effectiveness of the active ingredients since they are absorbed directly into the blood stream bypassing the digestive system where breakdown occurs.

“Migraine sufferers are looking for relief, but many current treatments produce severe and often debilitating side effects,” said Mitchell. “Our non-drowsy formulation can relieve migraine headaches without medication hangover symptoms at a fourth of the cost of the top-selling prescription treatments. Inclusion in the article as the only over-the-counter product in the advancement of acute migraine treatment with the advantages of lower cost and little to no risk of medication overuse or rebound headaches is encouraging.

“This article and the results of the soon-to-be-completed LipiGesic M children’s study are significant milestones as we continue to build awareness within both the medical and consumer markets,” said Mitchell.

Currently, LipiGesic M is available at both Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy stores. One box of LipiGesic M typically treats four headaches at a cost of approximately $5 per treatment.

About PuraMed BioScience^®, Inc.:

PuraMed BioScience, Inc. engages in the research, development, and marketing of non-prescription medicinal and healthcare products. PuraMed has completed a double blind placebo clinical trial for its leading product, LipiGesic^®M, a sublingual acute treatment for the relief of migraine headaches, which was published in the top-tier medical journal, Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

LipiGesic^®M has national distribution and is available nationwide in some of the largest chain drug stores in the United States. In addition to LipiGesic^® M, the Company also has plans to launch LipiGesic^® H for tension-type headaches as well as LipiGesic^® PM, which provides a remedy for insomnia and other sleep disorders.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding PuraMed BioScience, Inc., and its future business plans, which statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties may cause actual results and future achievements of PuraMed BioScience to be materially different from those implied by these forward-looking statements. PuraMed BioScience has and undertakes no obligation to provide public updates and revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in its expectations of future events.

The post LipiGesic™ M is Recognized by Headache Experts as an Excellent First-Line Therapy for Acute Migraine Treatment appeared first on Lipigesic.

The study, conducted by researchers at Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical company, and published the October 2012 issue of Neurology, a highly cited peer journal, found that children ages 5 to 12 who suffer migraines do not perform as well in school as other children who do not suffer migraine. According to the American Academy of Neurology, this may have future consequences for children suffering from migraine since elementary and middle school performance have a bearing on high school and college results.

The study collected data on Brazilian children between ages 5 and 12 and found that 33 percent of children suffering episodic migraine (defined as migraines which occur 14 days or fewer each month) and 37 percent of children suffering chronic migraine (more than 15 migraines per month) performed below average when compared to their peers.

While the study may provide hard documentation on migraine’s effect on performance, that fact is a condition that many migraineurs understand all too well.

Non-migraineurs may not understand is that children suffer many of the same migraine symptoms as adults. They may have intense headache pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Imagine being a child in school and having a migraine attack – school is not usually a dark or quiet place.

To be most effective, migraine treatment for children should be administered as soon as the onset of a migraine is detected, just as it in adults. However, for children that is not often the case.

Children who suffer migraines at school may encounter adults who do not take the child’s migraine seriously because the adult does not understand the nature of migraines.

A child who complains of headache before a test, field trip, presentation, or an unpleasant event may be experiencing a stress-induced migraine. Stress, like certain types of food, can trigger a migraine cascade. When this situation occurs frequently, it may look like the child is trying to avoid school.

If a child says his or her head aches, asking a few simple questions may help you, the teacher, parent, or school nurse detect a migraine and administer appropriate treatment. Here are three questions to start the discussion.

1. Where is the pain located? Usually migraine is on one side of the head. It may also be located behind the eyes.

2. What makes it feel better? A child with a migraine might say that it feels better to lie down, to be quiet, or to be in a dark room.

3. Is your head the only thing that hurts; do you feel sick? Migraines may also include nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

If a child identifies these symptoms, he or she may be experiencing a migraine.

LipiGesic™ M may be able to help. LipiGesic M is a homeopathic formulation of feverfew and ginger that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of migraine and its associated symptoms.

During its first clinical trial, two 3 ml of LipiGesic M were used to treat each migraine that occurred in individuals 12 to 60 years of age. LipiGesic M was shown to provide safe, effective relief for 64 percent of headache occurrences when used at the onset of migraine.

If your child suffers migraine, you may want to try LipiGesic M to treat it. If your child is under the age of 12, you may want to contact your health care provider or pharmacist about the recommended dosage.

Currently, a clinical trial is underway involving children aged 12 years and younger. We are anxiously waiting for the results.

If you would like to know when the result of the LipiGesic M clinical trial for children is complete, please let us know and we will share the results with you.

The post “Mom … my head hurts! Could your child’s headache be a migraine?” appeared first on Lipigesic.