Over twenty million people suffer from migraines. This is a relatively high number; one would think that with all the advancements in modern medicine that there must be a cure or magic pill one could take to rid oneself of migraine pain. Sadly, there is no magic pill. And though it is true that modern medicine has advanced in many areas to bring healing and pain reliefs to large groups of people, those who suffer from chronic migraines are excluded from that list.
Migraine headaches is considered to be a vascular headache due to the effect the headache has on the brains arteries. Migraines are not your typical headache they are much worse. Migraines intensify as the migraine sufferer moves through the four different migraine stages. A migraine headache is brought on by the enlargement of the blood vessels in the brain it could take several hours or up to several days for the blood vessels to fully expand. As the blood vessels enlarge, they release a harmful chemical into the brain to attack the brains arteries therefore classifying them as a vascular headache.
During the duration of the migraine, the body begins to experience several physiological changes as the migraine runs its course. Migraines are often thought of in four different stages:
1) Prodrome
2) Aura
3) Headache
4) Postdrome
Each migraine stage brings with it it’s own unique symptoms and treatment options that could help lessen the migraine intensity during that stage.
Prodrome – prodrome is considered to be a preemptive stage or the “warning” stage that alerts the future migraine sufferer that a headache is on the way. Physiological changes being during this stage causing an individual to begin to feel fatigue, weak and moody. Treatment during this stage would include preemptive migraine treatments such as triptans or Motrin.
Aura – not every migraine sufferer endures this stage, but for those that do blurred visions, spots behind the eyes and a whitish haze will appear when looking at objects. This stage comes just a few hours before the onset of the third stage.
Headache – the third stage is the most intense stage. Pain in the head becomes a throbbing pulsating feeling that leaves migraine sufferers seeking a dark quiet area to wait it out.
Postdrome – Is the after effect of the migraine. This final stage could last up to two days as the body readjusts itself to the stress it was put under. One of left feeling weak, sore and cognitively confused after a migraine.
Tags: headache, migraine, migraine attack, migraine headache, migraine headaches, Migraine Medication, migraine relief, migraine symptoms, migraine treatment, neurological condition, vascular headcahe
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