Current pain and headache reports
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"Cardiac cephalgia" is a type of secondary headache disorder, usually initiated by exertion that is related to myocardial ischemia. Primary exertional headaches such as sex-, cough-, or exercise-induced headaches are typically benign. Cardiac cephalgia, on the other hand, can have life-threatening complications. ⋯ However, the management of these conditions is unique, and treatment of cardiac cephalgia with vasoconstrictors intended for migraine can potentially worsen myocardial ischemia. Thus, it is important to make the correct diagnosis by evaluating cardiac function with an electrocardiogram and/or stress testing. In this review, we examine reported cases of cardiac cephalgia from the past 5 years to highlight the importance of this condition in the differential diagnosis of a headache in a patient with a history of cardiovascular risk factors, as well as to discuss the appropriate approach to diagnosis and the proposed pathogenic mechanisms of this condition.
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Although the efficacy of behavioral interventions for migraine (e.g., relaxation training, stress management, cognitive-behavioral therapy, biofeedback) is well established, other behavioral interventions that have shown efficacy for other conditions are being adapted to treat migraine. This paper reviews the literature to date on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based interventions, and behavioral interventions for common migraine comorbidities. ACT and mindfulness interventions prioritize the outcome of improved functioning above headache reduction and have demonstrated efficacy for chronic pain broadly. These emerging behavioral therapies show considerable promise for improving outcomes of migraine patients, particularly in reducing headache-related disability and affective distress, but efficacy to date is limited by small trials, short follow-up periods, and a need for comparison or integration with established pharmacologic and behavioral migraine treatments.