NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer migraines are about twice as likely as people without the painful headaches to suffer a stroke caused by a blood clot, a new research review finds.

The latest study, published in the March, 2008 journal, Headache confirms that acupuncture significantly reduces migraines and works better that drugs alone.

The study, conducted at the University of Padua in Italy by Dr. Enrico Facco and his colleagues, included 160 participants that were divided into four groups; a true acupuncture treatment according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in migraine without aura, a standard mock acupuncture protocol, an accurate mock acupuncture healing ritual, and an untreated control.

Scientists have also found some intriguing links between asthma and migraine. For example, one large British study found that people with migraine were 1.59 times more likely to develop asthma than counterparts without migraine. Other research has shown that children with asthma were 5.5 times more likely than non-asthmatic children to have a parent with migraine.

So, Treat your migraine ASAP.

Latest research: Aug. 24, 2010 -- Evidence is accumulating that migraines with aura -- a transient visual or sensory disturbance, such as light flashes or zigzag patterns-- may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Researchers have also found that migraine with aura seems to boost the risk of earlier death from any cause, including cardiovascular disease, compared to those who don’t have the condition, and that women with migraine with aura may be at increased risk for an additional type of stroke called hemorrhagic stroke. ( Source:Webmd)

However, the risk to any individual is very small. If you're concerned about your risk of heart problems or a stroke, controlling your weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels is a good step.