FIGURE 2
Figure 2 A real-life example of an individual user’ s Protector, Trigger, and No Association Maps™. Factors found closer to the center of the target indicate a higher degree of association with respect of decreasing( protector) or increasing( trigger) risk of migraine attacks.
automated diaries only accelerate a manual process. They are not able to dismiss suspected triggers that, in fact, are not associated with attacks. Additionally, the ability to identify protectors – factors that are associated with decreasing the risk of an attack-- has not been within reach of conventional diaries.
The Curelator Headache / NHF study demonstrates that a different kind of diary approach can enable a technology that identifies both triggers and protectors and also dismisses non-relevant factors. This approach, when applied on an individual basis, reveals an extraordinary difference between individuals, and can help us untangle the complex interaction between triggers and protectors that governs attacks.
What’ s next? Since some factors can be triggers in some individuals and protectors in others, the Curelator Headache / NHF study shows the importance of daily tracking and measuring possible triggers, protectors, prescription therapies, and even alternative therapies on an individual basis. The next phase of the Curelator Headache / NHF study will be to expand the study to a larger population in collaboration with headache specialists who will receive referral coupons that allow their patients to enter the study costfree. Participants must obtain a referral coupon through their physician and be willing to be interviewed about their experience after receiving their results.
In parallel, Curelator Headache and the NHF are planning to initiate a similar study with a pediatric population. The pediatric study will focus on factors more relevant to children and adolescents. Additional information, including how to register, may be found on the Curelator Headache website( www. curelator. com). Migraineurs who are interested in the product for their own use, can purchase it on the Curelator Headache website. HW
www. headaches. org | National Headache Foundation 25