MedicalMigraines.com

The actual word “migraine” comes from the meaning of half of the head. And because of it’s name, migraine’s usually inflict pain only on the left or right side of a person’s head. However, many people experience pain on the whole head when undergoing a migraine attack.

Migraine headaches are usually caused by hormonal fluctuations. When hormonal fluctuations occur, they cause blood vessels in the head and neck to contract and resulting to
dilate. The first phase of a migraine headache is called the “contraction phase.” This phase may last up to minutes, hours, or even days to it’s severity. Symptoms of this phase include: Spots in the eyes, cold finger tips, and difficulty in concentration.

The actual headache pains start when the blood vessels start to dilate. Instead of the blood vessels contracting to their normal state, the blood vessels dilate much wider and thats when it starts to cause pain. Apparently, the hormones over-react. Not only do the blood vessels cause the pain, but other causes such as certain chemical releases, muscle tension, swelling of the brain, all contribute to the pain also.

Below are some listed treatments that are natural and non-medical. They are not 100% guaranteed to work, so they are only suggested.

-You should avoid coming in contact with bright or flashing light.

-Go and lie down in a dark room.

-Take a shower or bath.

-Put a cold compress on your forehead and put your feet in a container of warm water.

-Have a drink of water or natural juice, like tomato juice.

-Massage your own neck, shoulders, face, head, or getting someone else to do it might help. You need to relax your muscles.

-Massage the fleshy area between the forefinger and the thumb.

-There are two pressure points on the back of your neck…They are two inches apart just below the base of the skull. Pressing on these pressure points for a couple minutes or so will help endorphins that fight against pains.

-Stretch the head and neck muscles by gently leaning your head to the left and right. Relax any tense muscles.

-Avoid any source’s of stress. You should also cancel any physical activity that might worsen the symptoms of your migraine.

-Avoid doing exercise during a migraine as this might also worsen the symptoms of a migraine.

-Take some Niacin. Niacin is a form of a B vitamin, and will help provide a flush and thus providing relief from the headache pain. Be careful though as Niacin has side-effects also such as: Heart burn, liver damage, flushing. And it is possible that Niacin itself can trigger a migraine.

-Take some vitamin B6, tryptophan, magnesium, and vitamin C.

Dealing with Migraines:

Some of you reading this right now know that a migraine is more than just a simple headache. From those who have experienced and are currently experiencing an episode of a migraine know how terrible it is. In the U.S., about 10% of the general population experience migraines. Migraines are usually described as a throbbing pain on one side of the head and is near impossible to ignore.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of having a migraine may vary from person to person on a individual basis. Unlike regular common headaches, migraines can last from several hours to several days. Migraine attacks usually come in three stages: pre-headache, headache, and post-headache period. With some people, the final stages of a migraine can last up to a couple days. Associated symptoms of having a migraine may include: Fatigue, body aches, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, mood swings, muscle tenderness, neck and shoulder tension.

Aura Symptoms:

Some individuals may experience an “aura,” which is usually characterized by light flashes which are then followed by blind spots, zig-zag lines, and numbness in some areas of the limbs. This may include the neck and face. This is a severe symptom of a migraine episode, and 1 out of 3 migraine sufferers may experience this. Aura symptoms compared to real migraines may only last up to an hour, depending on the individual.

Serotonin:

Different things may happen during a migraine attack but when it happens it’s due to a great amount of serotonin released. The release of serotonin may cause interaction between the trigeminal nerve and a number of blood vessels in the brain. A number of the pain processing regions in the body become overloaded and the feeling that results is a certain level of skin sensitivity on the scalp and head of an individual.

Cause of a Migraine?

There really isn’t a direct reason of why migraines occur, because there are different things that may contribute to a start of a migraine headache. Each person that experiences a migraine is different from one another, so causes and symptoms of migraines may all vary. There are multiple reasons of why migraines start up and they may include: diet, excessive hunger, severe weather changes such as when the air pressure suddenly dips or rises, activity, environment, emotions, medications, and hormones. Genetics and heredity also play an important role in the predisposition of individuals. And as soon as a patient finds out the source of why they have migraines, they should take proper caution and measure of avoiding these causes. Some of these measures may also include taking medication to reduce the effects of migraines.

A migraine is a type of headache and is a recognized medical condition. Migraines are widespread throughout the human population. In the United States, six percent of men and eighteen percent of women report of having atleast one migraine episode in the past year. About 30 millions of Americans are affected by migraines. They can occur at any age, ranging from age 10 to 40 years of age. Usually after age 50, migraine symptoms diminish. Some people may experience several times a month where as some people may only experience migraines a couple times during their whole lifetime. According to statistics, about 75% of migraine sufferers are females.

Migraines Treatment Tips

1. Conventional treatment focuses on three areas: preventive drugs, trigger avoidance, symptomatic control.

2. Moderate your consumption of caffeine and alcohol, be consistent with sleep habits, and eat regular meals on a daily basis.

3. You may also want to look into Triptans.

4. You can use ergot drugs to be used as a preventive therapy, although they can be relatively expensive.

5. For chronic migraine attacks, you can use sumatriptan and related selective serotonin receptor agonists.

6. Sometimes anti-emetics by injection or suppository may be needed in cases where vomiting dominates the symptoms.

7. You can also look into a amidrine prescription for common migraine headaches.

8. Intravenous chlorpromazine has proven very effective in treating status migrainosus—intractable and unremitting migraine.

9. Diet, visualization, and self-hypnosis are also alternative treatments and prevention approaches.

10. Massage therapy and physical therapy are often very effective forms of treatment to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines.

11. Massage therapy of the jaw area can also reduce such pain.

12. Botox is being used by many headache specialists for patients with frequent or chronic migraines with encouraging results.

13. Try to avoid any factors that have triggered a migraine in the past.