Migraine Phases, Energy Conservation and Two Treatments

Lifestyle changes are inevitable whenever you are diagnosed with a condition which has no cure and can debilitate you for several days. Migraine episodes are one of those conditions and they come with a number of symptoms which can harm the victim immensely and really mess up there day. Now one important lifestyle change that needs to be made is to conserve your energy. When the body is fatigued, it cannot allow the blood to heal the affected area because it is being used for muscle movement and brain cognition. Sleep has always been seen as the many source of treatment for most any illness; well, this goes double for migraines. Now if you can’t get rest as easily as you might like to, then you should focus on supplementing the energy lost with Riboflavin, AKA vitamin B2, which is the chief component in energy maintenance throughout the body. You can find B2 over the counter as a supplement or through natural means like: leafy greens, mushrooms, meats, milk, cheese, soy and various nuts. Conserve your energy and conserve health.

Stages Of The Migraine Epidemic

When a migraine develops it causes the blood vessels in the brain to expand to the point of causing severe throbbing/pounding in the head but when does the pain start? Unlike a headache a migraine develops overtime and takes a while to fully manifest and cause pain. As you get to know the different stages of a migraine it becomes clear as to which stage the migraine pain develops and which stage brings relief.

v  Stage #1 – The Prodrome stage is the most vital of the four migraine stages; it is the stage that presents the best chance for the migraine sufferer to put into play a treatment. The first stage of a migraine comes with no pain only symptoms like fatigue, obsessive yawning, food cravings and depression. The symptoms of the first migraine stage lasts for two or three days.

v  Stage #2 – The Aura stage is not experienced by all but when the aura stage is experienced, it brings with it symptoms like blurred vision, black spots behind the eyes and even moments of dizziness or temporary blindness in one eye. The aura stage creeps on mere hours before the onset of the worst of the migraine pain. Also one of the most frustrating things about the Aura stage is the chance that you could experience Cortical Spreading Depression. This occurs when nerves are slowly depressed over time and a great amount of nerve inflammation take place in the head as a result.

v  Stage #3 – The Headache stage is the worst of the migraine pain. The headache stage can last up to three days and brings with it miserable symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, extreme vertigo, cognitive confusion and sensitivity to light and sound.

v  Stage #4 – The Postdrome stage is the fourth and final migraine stage. It is during this fourth migraine stage that migraine victim has several days to try and recoup from the migraine marathon. During this fourth migraine stage, mild symptoms are still felt like head pain and muscle weakness, like they are hung over from a night of partying.

Therapeutic Massage

Massage Therapy can be a very useful migraine treatment, especially if the headaches and migraines are triggered by stress or tension. A massage therapist is trained in working the muscles around the head, neck, shoulders, and back in order to increase blood flow in those areas and help relieve muscle tension. Additional studies have shown that the use of massage therapy along with chiropractic care can be even more beneficial. This is because when given first, massage therapy can help to loosen the muscles in the head, shoulders, and neck and produce better results with spinal manipulation.

Chiropractic Manipulation

Chiropractic care or spinal manipulation therapy has been a proven method for people searching for an alternative migraine therapy. Research has shown that in the case of tension and migraine headaches, manipulative therapy can be as effective as preventative medications in aiding the migraine sufferer in stopping the onset of a migraine attack. Once a migraine has begun, chiropractic therapy can also greatly reduce the painful symptoms if care is given in a timely manner.

Tags: aura, headache, migraine stages, migraine symptoms, migraine treatment, postdrome, prodrome