Headache: I Think Not

Headaches can cause discomfort, frustration and even the inability to function for short period of time, but they are not debilitating. For those who do not know better the mistake is often made between headache pain and migraine pain. A headache is often labeled as migraine and a migraine is often labeled as a tension headache. The purpose and goal of this article is to clear up any confusion that one might have between a migraine and a headache.

What Is A Migraine?

A migraine headache is more than just an excuse to get out of responsibilities for a day, migraine headaches are in truth a chronic neurological disorder. A migraine headache is caused by an enlargement of blood vessels that creates a series of chemicals to be released and attack arteries in the brain. Once the chemicals have been released to wreak their havoc, the enlarging of the arteries begins to send painful symptoms that only magnifies until the arteries have stopped expanding or migraine relief has been found.

The Symptoms A Migraine Manifests

Symptoms of a migraine headache can vary from moderate to intense and can affect people differently, however, listed below are the more common symptoms associated with and described by migraine headache sufferers.

• An intense throbbing, pounding feeling      typically located on one side of the forehead
  • Pain can also generate in the back of       the head
  • Pain can formulate right above one       eye
• The pain is often described as      unilateral meaning the pain is typically felt or experienced on one side      of the head.
  • Reports have shown that about one       third of most migraine headaches are described as being felt on both       sides of the head also referred to as bilateral.
  • The pain felt from the migraine on       one side of the head can alternate to the other side of the head during       the next migraine attack. If you frequent migraine attacks on the same       side of the head please speak with your doctor immediately this could       imply something more serious is occurring.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Paleness
• Coldness in the hands and feet
• Sensitivity to light and sound

You Can Distinguish The Two

Though both a headache and a migraine have some similarities, there are a few distinct characteristics of a headache that sets it apart from a migraine.  Pay close attention to the next few bullet points they should explain in more detail what a headache vs. a migraine looks like.

• A headache attacks quickly and with no      warning where as a migraine we learned has preemptive warning signs.
• Migraines can last up to three days      headaches a few hours.
• A headache though bothersome does not      typically result in a loss of productivity and the inability to function.
• Headaches feel more like a pulsing      feeling inside your head; migraines on the other hand tend to be felt only      on one side of the head.
• A bout of irritability might occur      with a headache but typically resides after some over the counter medicine      has been taken, sadly those suffering with a migraine do not bounce back      as quickly.
• Feelings of nausea, dizziness,      sensitivity to light and sound are all characters of a migraine and will      not be present with a headache.
• Most headaches are often short lived      with no cause for concern there are times when a headache causes severe      tension in the facial muscles putting a strain on the neck, shoulders eyes      these headaches are called tension headaches and can be treated with over      the counter medication.

Some forty million people suffer with headaches throughout a given year making headaches a very common complaint, the concern is not that a headache has occurred but the frequency of the headache as well as the length in which the headache last. If frequent headaches (not migraines) occur and last longer than a few hours, medical attention might be needed in order to insure that the pain being felt is truly a headache and not something more.

Treating Migraines

The early stages of a migraine can be treated with over the counter medicines such as Tylenol and Aleve, but as the pain increases something more intense is needed to ease the migraine pain. Migraine treatments can consist of the following options:

• Medications
• Massage Therapy
• Chiropractic Care
• Herbal Supplements

Tags: headaches, migraine attacks, migraine treatment, Migraines, side effects, symptoms, treating migraines, vascular headachce