Sciencenews.org has a very interesting story about the accidental result of surgery to close a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is a hole between the upper chambers of the heart that all fetuses have, but that are supposed to close over on their own after the baby is born. In the U.S., complete closure doesn’t occur in 25% of the population.

The accident is that the patients report being cured of migraine headaches. Although comprehensive studies have yet to be done, the theory is that the hole allows foreign objects in the blood like air bubbles, clots or dissolved chemicals to bypass the lungs where they would be exhaled or broken down, and head straight up to the brain, causing migraines, and eventually, strokes. It’s the stroke victims that have had this procedure done that are reporting migraine relief.

I’ve suffered from headaches and migraines my entire life; I can’t pretend not to find this extremely interesting.