Poison knocks out migraine

A toxin associated with food poisoning cases could offer an effective treatment for debillitating migraine attacks.

The powerful botulinum toxin paralyses nerves and muscles, but has been used by doctors to treat muscular disorders such as eye spasms.

Cosmetic surgeons have also used the substance to relax facial muscles to improve wrinkles and furrows.

Chance discovery

Dr William Binder, a Los Angeles plastic surgeon, discovered that some patients injected with botulinum toxin said that their migraines improved as well.

He carried out separate research, and found that a series of facial injections produced a significant improvement in a number of migraine sufferers.

Although a migraine attack is not a simple headache, but can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and light sensitivity, 39 out of 100 patients undergoing the injections reported complete relief, and 29 noted at least a 50% reduction in the number or severity of attacks.

However, the injections did cause temporary local pain and small purple patches on the patients' skin.

Existing treatments for migraine attacks include painkillers, anti-sickness medication and and drugs which affect the levels of the brain chemical seratonin.

Other drugs are taken to try to prevent attacks.

Ann Turner, director of the Migraine Action Association, said that while the new technology was "promising", more research needed to be done to make sure the injections did not cause side effects.

She said: "If you were getting very frequent, debillitating attacks, you would try anything which could help.

"But if you were getting attacks only once every couple of months, you might not be so keen."

Food poisoning

Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria which cause botulism food poisoning.

Before the invention of machines which help patients to breathe, it had a devastating effect on the respiratory muscles of botulism sufferers, 70% of whom died.

Now the number of cases, and the death rate from botulism in the UK are both extremely low, although patients may need intensive care for months while their muscles recover.