Botox for Headaches

BOTOX® has been found to give relief to Migrane sufferers. The treatment of severe headaches really belongs to neurologists, not plastic surgeons. But the BOTOX® for migraine help is gaining acceptance.

Benefits of the Botox for Headache Treatment

Botox is under study as a treatment for chronic headaches, especially tension headaches and migraines. A tension headache is often brought on by stress-induced muscle tightness that causes mild to moderate pain across the forehead, at the back of the head, or throughout the head. Migraines tend to produce pulsating or pounding pain on one side of the head and may be accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, or visual disturbances.

Millions of Americans live in constant pain from daily headaches. For some sufferers, these headaches erupt into full-blown migraines. Now, Botox is giving some people the relief they've been waiting for.

Botox relaxes the muscles to the point of paralyzing them, depending on the dose injected and thus, prevents the releases of acetylcholine, which contracts the muscles and creates wrinkles in the process.

How does Botox Work

Botox, also known as botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxin (a toxin that attacks nerve cells). It was originally approved by the FDA for use in conditions where hyperactivity of muscles was an underlying problem of related health and medical conditions. The theory is that Botox weakens or paralyzes muscles by inhibiting the release of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is an ester of choline that is thought to play an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses at synapses and myoneural (muscle-nerve) junctions. By inhibiting the release of acetylcholine the nerves cannot cause a muscle contraction, thus relaxing the muscle. Botox is administered by being directly injected into the affected muscles.

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