MIGRAINE FACTS

ABOUT MIGRAINES
Migraine headaches are experienced by millions of people all around the world. Old or young, it doesn’t matter. The youngest ever documented was a child of 18 months, however, they occur mostly around the ages between 15 and 55. More women than men suffer from these painful headaches probably because of all the hormonal changes from puberty, pregnancy or menopause. They are bad and what’s worse is that there is no cure.
Characterized by a throbbing and pulsating pain in the head, migraines are so painful that your head feels like it wants to explode. Most of the time, the pain is centered at the back of the head or on one of the sides. Sometimes it feels like it is in back of the eyes. The word Migraine is derived from a Greek word meaning “half the head” because it affects one side of the head most of the time. Migraines are the most common form of disabling headache around. They are either primary (not caused by any other disease or condition), or secondary (caused by other conditions, diseases or infections).

Migraines can also have an “aura” that is either followed by the pain or doesn’t have any pain with it at all. The aura acts as a warning sign that a migraine is eminent. Auras are categorized as either positive or negative. Positive auras manifest themselves as stars or wavy and squiggly lines with or without color that can use a portion or take up the whole area of vision. Negative auras reveal themselves as blind spots, blurred or double vision along with other visionary abnormalities. Other neurologic symptoms occurring with an aura are cognitive disturbances such as confusion, not knowing where you are, trouble with speech and a tingling, numbness or weakness in the limbs.
Beside the vision problems, the pain usually intensifies with loud noises, bright lights and putrid smells. Nausea, vomiting and cognitive difficulties follow suit. The sufferer generally wants to find a quiet dark place to lie down and try to sleep which sometimes eases the pain.
Migraines are classified as a neurovascular syndrome produced by muscular tension or interaction between blood vessels and nerve abnormalities. There are four phases to a migraine. The prodrome phase usually precedes the migraine by a few days and shows up in symptoms like mood changes, sensitivity to light or sound, irritability, depression, restlessness and changes in appetite. This is frequently followed by the aura phase. The actual attack is the third phase, which can last from 4 to 72 hours. Physical activity, bright lights, sunlight through leaves or trees, loud music or sounds and certain smells all have an intensifying effect on the migraine and soon makes the patient pale and feeling cold. Some minor symptoms such as runny or congested nose, red or tearing eyes may accompany the migraine attack.

The postdrome phase occurs after the attack is pretty much on the way out and leaves the person drained, tired and foggy-minded, but mostly exhausted. There are those few individuals, however, that actually feel revived or “cleansed” by the migraine experience.
Tension headaches are the most common primary form encountered. Cluster headaches which in fact are a type of migraine are secondary in nature. It might sound a little confusing, but any headache lasting 4 to 72 hours that reoccurs often and produces the other tell-tale symptoms would be considered a migraine headache.

MIGRAINE TRIGGERS
There are many triggers of migraines that are listed such as bright lights, loud noises or music, odd smells and even certain foods like spicy foods, food additives, caffeine, aged cheeses, but there are a few triggers not really noticed or thought of that most of us in the course of living have come in contact with that would really surprise the average person.

Just imagine being seated and waiting for a stage production of a Christmas program to begin. Suddenly the stage lights go on and the production commences and along with the lights a roving light shoots out across and around the audience in your eyes and then away only to come back on and off your face as well as everyone else’s face. A person next to me was experiencing the onset of a migraine induced by the roving light while I didn’t experience anything at all. Granted, strobe lights at a dance or laser light shows at concerts have all been experienced by most people, but for those individuals sensitive to this stimuli, migraines can be detrimental to their health. It is very important for people susceptible to migraines to know their triggers.

Migraines will always be around. The best way to prevent them is keeping a journal of the environment you’re in, foods eaten, the time of the attack and the possible circumstances involved and that might help in pinpointing the triggers of migraines and save you a lot of pain.

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