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The Not So Wonderful World of Migraines

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By raymondphilippe


The Not So Wonderful World of Migraines

The Not So Wonderful World of Migraines

Have you, or do you know of anyone diagnosed with migraines? The pain and other symptoms of a migraine can really have a negative impact upon your life. Sufferers usually wish they could just bury themselves into a dark, quiet hole and lie down until the pain subsides. Some individuals are lucky enough to receive a warning in the form of an aura (if you call that lucky). The aura is a flash of lights, a dark blind spot in the center of vision or a tingling in the arms and legs. Nausea and vomiting and sometimes sensitivity may also accompany the aura to light and sound. The pain one suffers when they have a migraine can be excruciating. Sometimes a person with a migraine is not able to function at full capacity for hours or even days.

Management for migraine symptoms has greatly improved over recent years. There is still no cure for migraines but science and medical doctors have been able to isolate a few combinations of medications, therapy, and remedies that together help to bring relief to those who suffer from migraines.

You may have heard that there are various symptoms that are common when the culprit is a migraine including a moderate to severe intensity of head pain, pain that is on just one side, or it can be on both sides. The pain generally worsens if the individual attempts to do some sort of activity. You may experience nausea either with or without vomiting. Typically the individual is also sensitive to both light and sound.

If the individual chooses to not treat or is unable to treat a migraine they are probably looking at a minimum of anywhere from four hours to 72 hours of migraine symptoms.

Some individuals swear they can tell that they will be getting a migraine in advance because they may feel an intense energy, or a feeling of elation. They may experience cravings for sweets or salty food; they may experience extreme thirst, drowsiness, irritability or even depression.

What makes having a migraine, ìnot so wonderfulî, is how the symptoms affect everyday life. The pain, nausea and vomiting makes it difficult to function at work, school, even doing simple things around the home like cooking, cleaning or relating with other family members through a haze of pain and other discomforts. If you happen to not have a diagnosis yet, these symptoms can be very disconcerting as you wonder what is wrong with you. Seeking medical advice and a diagnosis can put your mind at ease. Your life can truly start to head towards being wonderful, once the treatment plan starts to yield results and you feel relief from your symptoms.


Why Do You Suffer From Migraines?

Why Do You Suffer From Migraines?

Many people wonder why they have to suffer the pain of migraines and others do not? Migraines can be disabling, cause loss of wages, and disrupt lives. There are many reasons or causes for why individuals suffer from migraines. The exact cause for why a migraine occurs is not known but certain triggers are known based on studies and history of those who suffer from migraines. Researchers have pinpointed some possible functional changes that occur in the trigeminal nerve system, which is our major pain pathway to our nervous system. It is responsible for any imbalances of brain chemicals, including that of the brain chemical - serotonin. Serotonin, plays a major role in regulating the pain messages that are perceived by the brain.

These serotonin levels drop when we have headaches. It is believed that when this drop occurs the trigeminal nerve than releases another substance called, "neuropeptides". These neuropeptides travel to the outer covering of our brain called the, "meninges". The neuropeptides cause the blood vessels contained in the meninges to become inflamed and to dilate. This inflammation and dilation process is what results in the pain we experience during a headache.

Researchers believe that migraines are triggered by different things in our environment and within our bodies such as hormones, the foods we eat, stress, sensory stimulus, sexual activity, physical exertion, weather, seasonal changes, changes in altitude, barometric pressure medications, and changes in our sleep and wake patterns.

What makes some people susceptible to these triggers and they do not phase others? Scientists believe that risk factors may have exposed us to be susceptible to these triggers. The risk factors include family history, youth, being female, the state of pregnancy and other hormone inducing situations such as when birth control pills are consumed or hormone replacement therapy occurs. Individuals who have migraines may have one or more of these risk factors and also have the experience of being exposed to one or more of the triggers for migraines.

Why do you suffer from migraines?

Do you recognize any of the triggers or risk factors mentioned above? Do you experience any of the migraine symptoms listed above? Do you have a diagnosis of migraines or suspect that you may have migraines? If you have not been diagnosed yet but suffer from any of the symptoms of migraines you owe it to yourself to seek a medical diagnosis. You do not need to suffer from migraines. Once a diagnosis is reached, a treatment plan can be devised that will be able to bring about relief from your pain and suffering.

Migraines can affect every facet of your life, disrupting moments that should be fulfilling and enjoyable for you and for those you care about. There is no need to suffer when there have been so many advances in the diagnosing and treating of migraines.

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Treating the Most Important Migraine Headache - Yours

Treating the Most Important Migraine Headache - Yours

If you have ever experienced a migraine you know how desperate you are for relief. Treating your pain becomes the most important thing to you. Migraine treatment plans can contain many different approaches in order to give relief to the sufferer.

Your doctor will discuss your symptoms, the duration of the symptoms, how your symptoms have affected your daily routine and what remedies you have tried to date, and the results that you have had regarding migraine pain relief. Treatment may include over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, and alternative methods such as acupuncture and chiropractor manipulations, ice, biofeedback, and relaxation techniques.

Medication therapies may include over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). There are two different types of NSAIDs (aspirin and non-aspirin). The non-aspirin NSAIDs is ibuprofens such as Advil, Nuprin, Motrin IB, and Medipren. Naproxen is also a non-aspirin NSAID. Certain NSAIDs are prescription only. Individuals who use acetaminophen over long periods of time especially if they consume alcohol while taking acetaminophen should know that there is a possibility of liver damage. If taken in large doses, acetaminophen can also damage the kidneys.

If using OTC analgesics to treat your migraine you need to be careful not to give aspirin to children or teenagers due to the risk of developing Reye's syndrome. Aspirin can aggravate balance disorders or those with hearing difficulties. Aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs should not be taken by those who take blood thinners such as Warfarin (Coumadin). Aspirin should also not be taken by anyone who as active ulcers of the stomach or duodenum. Individuals who have advanced liver disease should also not take aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs.

Triptans and ergot preparations are used to stop the cause of the headaches, which would be the enlargement of the temporal arteries.

Another drug used to stop the cause of migraines is midrin. Individuals who have high blood pressure should not use this medication. Other patients who should not use this medication are those with atherosclerosis, glaucoma, kidney disease, liver disease or those who are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

Non-medicated ways to treat migraines include:

Avoiding migraines by making sure that you understand what triggers your migraines and then learning how to avoid those triggers. Triggers include stress, sleep disturbances, fasting, hormonal imbalances, flickering lights or bright lights, scents or odors, tobacco smoking or alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption and certain foods can also trigger headaches.

Regular exercises can also help by improving your sleep quality.

Relaxation techniques can help to reduce your stress.

Keep a food diary that not only records your food intake but your history of headaches.

Your treatment plan will be specific to the type of migraine headache you are experiencing and your health condition. Your doctor will also take into account the past treatments that you have used and the result of those treatments.

Migraine Headache

Migraine Headache
Migraine Headache

Yoga, Massage, and Migraine Muscle Pain

Yoga, Massage, and Migraine Muscle Pain

Migraine pain is not simply confined to the highly debilitating headaches even non sufferers are familiar with. Instead, a migraine attack may also affect the musculature to such an extent that walking and other uses of the extremities are severely curtailed. Even as medications currently exist, they generally only serve to dull the pains and help the sufferer make it through the worst of the attacks. Prevention of a full blown migraine attack, however, thus far appears to be primarily accomplished with the help of holistic approaches.

Yoga and migraines

Yoga is an exercise regimen that appears relatively benign, yet when looking at the techniques up close and personal, it becomes obvious almost immediately that it is the premier means of achieving muscle relaxation and stimulating a conscious driven overall muscle relief. There are several positions that are challenging to the novice, but even for the first timer there are many introductory Yoga poses that will offer tremendous benefits to the migraine sufferer.

When done consistently as a daily regimen, Yoga serves to keep the musculature of the body relaxed, stretched, and limber. In addition to the foregoing, it will serve to relax the stress away that is sometimes blamed for triggering debilitating migraine episodes. This of course is due to the breathing exercises that accompany the Yoga poses and which foster an even deeper relaxation and muscle relaxation control.

Massage and migraines

Understanding the importance of muscle relaxation makes the versatility of massage therapy quite clear. It is unfortunate that many times insurance companies refuse to cover massage as a prophylactic measure ñ while they are quite happy to cover the treatment of migraine symptoms and associated medications ñ yet even if you have to reach deep into your own pocket, the benefits of the massages for the migraine sufferers greatly outweigh the cost factor.

Even the most conscientious migraine patient will eventually suffer from muscle tensing that fails to respond to relaxation techniques, hot baths, or even Yoga. In some cases it may be the result of stressful life events and outside help in the form of a massage may spell the difference between a migraine attack with debilitating pain or headache, and a much curtailed migraine episode or perhaps even the prevention of any symptoms whatsoever.

Other holistic means of avoiding migraine pain

Sleep, nutritious meals, the avoidance of stress, and of course the practice of relaxation techniques all factor into the holistic means of avoiding migraine pains. It is oftentimes the combination of these approaches that prevents migraine symptoms from plaguing a patient. On the other hand, there is the school of thought that believes some patients will do better with one form of relaxation technique and muscle control than another.

Considering that all of these approaches are healthy, beneficial to total bodily wellbeing, and overall lead to a desirable healthy lifestyle, the discussion over the best kind of holistic approach may be somewhat moot. Migraine sufferers will do well to incorporate them all into their daily lives.

What Is a Migraine Trigger and How Do You Avoid It?

What Is a Migraine Trigger and How Do You Avoid It?

Migraines are neurological disorders that present with severe pain, extended duration of suffering, and overall bodily symptoms that may last between one and three consecutive days. Since the severity of the pain puts migraine headaches in a class of their own, sufferers from such agony are willing to do just about anything to avoid another episode from occurring. This requires not only a conscious decision on the part of the sufferer but also a thorough understanding of the various events that may cause the pain from surfacing.

Learning what a migraine trigger is and how to avoid it does not have to be complicated, but once the information becomes available, migraine patients find that more often than not they have to make some lifestyle changes.

* Migraine headaches that strike in the morning are frequently associated with caffeine withdrawal. Patients are urged to avoid the use of caffeine altogether. On a side note, the one exception to this rule is when a migraine episode can be felt coming on; in this case a high dose of caffeine can open up constricting capillaries in the brain and actually avoid or dramatically lessen the effect of the migraine headache.

* Migraines which occur after a day of irregular eating point to a connection between unstable blood sugar and a trigger event. Lightheadedness is a known side effect of bottoming blood sugar, and in some cases this symptom can lead straight to a migraine headache. Patients will do well to eat regular meals and carry on the go snacks for in between meal nutrition. The goal is a level maintenance of the blood sugar level.

* Stress is a well known trigger for migraines, but the jury is still out on how much stress is too much and leads to a trigger event. To this end it is advisable to avoid stress as much as possible, and mitigate the effects of stress on a daily basis. This requires daily use of relaxation techniques, hot baths for muscle relaxation, and also aromatherapy to help relax the mind as well as the body.

* Weekly respites help with the maintenance of a healthy body and mind. This keeps up your overall bodily health and also provides the mental fortitude that will lessen your susceptibility for a trigger event. Acupuncture and also massage therapy has been found to be a useful tool in the quest for weekly relaxation and body as well as mind maintenance.

* Bad habits, such as responses to stress, may create trigger events. Biofeedback is a known method of learning about such potential triggers and disarming them.

Other triggers are more personal and may not affect a lot of people in the same manner as they affect you. These triggers refer to food and associated substances. For example, you might be borderline lactose intolerant but do not know it, yet when you seek to ingest milk, cheese or yogurt, you will trigger a migraine event that stems from the bodyís inability to properly process the items.

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Comments

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compu-smart profile image

compu-smart  says:
14 months ago

Migrains can really be a pain in the butt! not litterally lol! So when i do get one again, i will try and work out what the cause is from this article!

I find drinking lots of water really helps which is handy!:)

jikanv profile image

jikanv  says:
3 months ago

Migraines are really hard to handle. I was a chronic migraine sufferer which means having it 15 or more days per month. I am free of it now for about 15 months. I feel great knowing my migraines aren't coming back as long as I do my daily teratment that takes about 10 seconds or less. I can eat and do anything and it just not coming back unless if I stop doing my daily treatment. So it have to be ongoing but that daily ten seconds is wirth it. When I had it I was really suffering. Had nausea and throwing up, coudn't even open my eyes it was so bad many times. But Now thanx to http://sufferingfrommigraine.com cure I am free of it and not even a hint of migraines

GeniusMuslim  says:
6 weeks ago

What about serotonin re-uptake inhibitors? TOPAMAX®(topiramate)

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