Migraine Therapy - How effective it is?

Migraine Therapy Now

In today’s world if there is something more dangerous for human health than pollution, it is migraine. A migraine is a severe, painful headache that is often preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is about three times more common in women than in men. For many years, scientists believed that migraine were linked to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. Investigators now believe that migraine is caused by inherited abnormalities in genes that control the activities of certain cell populations in the brain.

Migraine Therapy - What are the Symptoms?

Migraine is a long-term condition with repeated attacks. Most, but not all migraine attacks are related with headaches. Migraine headaches normally are identified as a severe, pulsing or pounding pain that involves one temple. Sometimes the pain is built-up in the forehead, around the eye, or at the back of the head. The pain usually is on one side of the head, although about a third of the time the pain is bilateral. The unilateral headaches typically change sides from one attack to the next. In fact, unilateral headaches that always occur on the same side should alert the doctor to consider a secondary headache, for example, one caused by a brain tumor. A migraine headache usually is aggravated by daily activities such as walking upstairs. Motion sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, facial paleness, cold hands, cold feet, and sensitivity to light and sound commonly attach to migraine headaches. As a result of this sensitivity to light and sound, migraine sufferers usually prefer to lie in a quiet, dark room during an attack. A typical attack lasts between 4 and 72 hours.

Migraine Therapy - What Triggers Migraine and Treatment?

Individual who suffer from migraine can clearly recognize triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot. Possible migraine triggers include:
- Allergies and allergic reactions
- Bright lights, loud noises, and certain odors or perfumes
- Physical or emotional stress
- Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep
- Smoking or exposure to smoke
- Skipping meals
- Alcohol
- Menstrual cycle fluctuations and birth control pills
- Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans), monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs, and salami)
- Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products, and fermented or pickled foods.

Migraine Therapy – How to Prevent Migraine?

There are two ways to prevent migraine headaches like by avoiding factors that triggers the cause the headaches, and by preventing headaches with medications such as prophylactic medications. Neither of these preventive strategies is 100% effective. There is no permanent cure for migraine symptoms as until now the actual cause of a migraine has not been established. In the past it was believed that a migraine was caused due to some chemical changes in the blood vessels present in the brain. Recent research has propagated the theory that the chemical changes do not occur in the blood vessels present in the brain but it is the brain which is affected by the chemical changes. The chemical changes mostly occur through the nerve pathways which function within the brain.

Migraine is often under-diagnosed and under-treated. There is no cure for migraine. Nevertheless, there are numerous measures that may help improve the life of migraine sufferers. The choice of these measures should take into account the individual aspects of each migraine sufferer. Triggering factors, nerve inflammation, blood vessel changes, and pain are each addressed aggressively. Individualizing treatment of Migraine is essential for optimal outcome. The best one can hope for is to reduce the frequency of headaches.