Do you suffer from migraines and have had to put your life on hold, just like Carol had to do? Carol Patterson, a 35-year-old homemaker, who was once a kindergarten teacher suffered from migraines regularly, until she had a Botox treatment.

Research shows that every day, as many as 90,000 people are forced to stay home from school or work due to a migraine. Now, relief could be on hand for sufferers from an unusual source: the anti-wrinkle cosmetic procedure Botox.

Performed by a handful of plastic surgeons in the US, the new surgical technique to treat migraine uses the anti-wrinkle drug Botox to pinpoint which specific muscles in the forehead, back of the head or temple areas may be serving as \'trigger points\' to compress, irritate or entrap nerves, causing the migraine. Because Botox temporarily paralyzes muscles, usually for about three months, it can be used as a \'litmus test\' or \'marker\' to see if headaches go away or become less intense while the effects of the Botox last.

If the Botox is successful in preventing migraines or lessening their severity, then surgery to remove the targeted muscle is likely to accomplish the same result, but on a more long-term and possibly permanent basis.

Doctors point out that while patients may get temporary relief; after the Botox wears off they will have to go back and get more injections or continue with medication for migraines.