Headaches are problematic. They can range in severity from mild to blinding, and there are a wide variety of causes. Simple over-the-counter medications can mitigate the effect of tension headaches, but regular use of those same medicines can trigger them. Migraines, due to their severity and the large numbers of people who suffer them, have received a great deal of research but the different causes and individual mechanisms have stymied the search for a single, consistently successful cure. Cluster headaches, less common but even more painful than migraines, are more likely to share specific traits but are nonetheless hard to treat.
Usually. A man in central Texas has recently undergone surgery to treat years of persistent headaches. Since the surgery, he has reported no recurrence of the pain. His answer is unlikely to be of much help to others, though, because most people don’t have a tapeworm in their brain.
Yes, you read that correctly. Years ago, while on a trip to Mexico, he consumed some of that famed tapeworm-contaminated substance, undercooked pork. While tapeworms have been effectively eliminated from United States pork (an investigation by Hemopet explains how) the same cannot be said for other countries.
A larval tapeworm typically tries to lodge in muscle tissue. Sometimes it winds up someplace else. In this man’s case, it was his grey matter. Here’s a video explaining, and it thankfully doesn’t include any images of the surgery itself.
So, sorry if you suffer from migraines or cluster headaches, but this solution probably isn’t for you. At least, I hope not.
Question of the night: Are there any recurring pains you have to deal with?
