text_1: Constant migraines may be from an unlikely culprit: a deviated septum
text_2: This story advances the claims of a book author/ear, nose and throat surgeon who says that many patients with migraines actually suffer from migraine-like headaches caused by a deviated septum in the nose. While the idea sounds reasonable enough, what’s lacking here is evidence. Most problematic is that the story unquestioningly passes along the author’s claim — based entirely on his own practice data — that he has a 90% success rate when treating headache patients with deviated septums. That’s a statistic that will probably help sell lots of books and drive more patients to the author’s practice, but we doubt it accurately reflects the benefits that the typical patient can expect from this treatment. Also troubling is the story’s failure to mention any possible harms associated with the surgery promoted in the book. Considering that septoplasty itself can provoke new chronic pain in some patients, this omission is particularly glaring. Migraine headaches can have a huge impact on people who suffer with them and  these patients may seek out multiple treatments in the hope of finding some relief. When evaluating these therapies, journalists need to go beyond sources who stand to gain financially from promoting them, including book authors. The most important question to keep in mind is: Where is the evidence that they work?