Posted by gary g on March 22, 1999 at 13:51:10:
In Reply to: How dows it work? posted by Bob P on March 22, 1999 at 11:01:06:
oxygen-depriving effect of smoking is an absolute
no debate about that part of the deal - it is just pure cultural BS that there is any beneficial effect to smoking IF you "do the numbers"; lots of people talk about how it makes their lives better through relaxation, etc - - I'm not saying it doesn't - I'm saying there are BIG health costs in doing so, and MUCH LESS HARMFUL ways of acheiving the same thing - and those methods may VERY POSSIBLY help the CH situation !
latest research is suggesting CH is NOT primarily vascular (VERY unlike migraine, but we knew that)-
get wrapped around that idea, and a LOT of things start making sense and falling into place
seems to be primarily neurological, with the vascular disturbances a produced, distress-contributory effect
my OPINION is the key is to block the neurological misfire (which is probably what we are sustaining when we have the precursor aura)
involves hypothalamus w/melatonin & seratonin,which in turn start drining the whole histamine component of the attack
hypothal reacts to environmental factors - including o2 levels
DOESN'T automatically follow that if high o2 helps, low o2 must be the problem - - the biochem is mopre complex than that - - too many variable reactions involved to make that reach
BUT high 02 can cause the hypothal to react - perhaps that reaction involves a mechanism that stops the CH attack event at the neurological level
I've been reconsidering a lot of my mechanical abortives (boiling hot showers, extreme breathing, etc)and guess what - everything that works at all can be looked at as at least related to different hypothal activities
I do not KNOW this, and I am only a layman; but
I also believe that it is important for me to be the leading expert in the world on MY individual case - -
(and, of course we all know 95% of the docs out there don't know shit about CH, so it still pays to take information on it's own merits, then do our own research to keep it straight in our own minds - - not hard to do with the web and a good medical dictionary - - - in connection with that, THANK GOD for the few MDs who DO make the effort to keep current on this)