Migraine. What You Should Know!

                                                            What is Migraine?

Migraine is a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are between moderate to severe. Typically, the headaches affect one half of the head, are pulsating in nature, and last from two to 72 hours. The pain generally goes worse when engaged in physical activities.

Migraine may be classified into two categories, namely:

Migraine Without Aura

Migraine with Aura: This is that which has symptoms such as double vision, fainting loss of balance etc. This can also be addressed as ‘migraine with brainstem aura’ where symptoms such as loss of balance, double vision, or fainting may occur.

Also, Familial hemiplegic migraine, where reversible paralysis occurs, is also classed as ‘migraine with aura’. There are other rare forms of migraine, which are classed separately.

Symptoms of Migraine

For many people, the main feature is a painful headache on one side of the head. Other symptoms may include disturbed vision, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, feeling sick and vomiting. Migraine attacks sometimes can be very frightening and may result in you having to lie still for a long time.

The most common symptoms of a migraine attack include throbbing headache, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea (feeling sick), vomiting (being sick) and lethargy (lack of energy).

The symptoms vary from person to person and individuals may have different symptoms during different attacks. Your attacks may differ in length and frequency. Migraine attacks usually last from 4 to 72 hours and most people are free from symptoms between attacks. Migraine can seriously affect your work, family and social lives.

What are the Causes of Migraine?

There is no known cause for migraine, although most people with it are genetically predisposed to migraine. 

Meanwhile, Migraines are believed to be end results to a mixture of environmental and genetic factors. Changing hormone levels may also play a role, as migraines affect slightly more boys than girls before puberty and two to three times more women than men. The risk of migraines usually decreases during pregnancy. The underlying mechanisms are not fully known. They are, however, believed to involve the nerves and blood vessels of the brain.

If you are susceptible to migraine there are certain triggers which commonly occur. These include stress, lack of food, alcohol, hormonal changes in women, lack of sleep and the environment.

 

It is often difficult to predict when a migraine attack is going to happen. However, you can often predict the pattern of each attack as there are well defined stages.  It is these stages and their symptoms which distinguish a migraine from a headache.

In adults, we can divide a migraine attack into four or five stages that lead on from each other:

• Premonitory or warning phase
• Aura (not always present)
• The headache or main attack stage
• Resolution
• Recovery or postdrome stage

Learning to recognise the different phases of a migraine attack can be useful. You might suffer from one, all, or a combination of these stages, and the combination of stages may vary from attack to attack. Each phase can vary in length and severity.

Recognising different symptoms at different times during your headache attack can give your doctor information which may help diagnosis. Also, taking medication before the symptoms have fully developed may reduce the effect of an attack. A child’s migraine attack is often much shorter than an adult’s attack, and it may therefore not be possible to fully make out the different headache phases.

Premonitory stage

This describes certain physical and mental changes such as tiredness, craving sweet foods, mood changes, feeling thirsty and a stiff neck. These feelings can last from 1 to 24 hours.

Aura

The aura of migraine includes a wide range of neurological symptoms. This stage can last from 5 to 60 minutes, and usually happens before the headache. Migraine without aura does not include this stage.

In some people, changes in the cortex area of the brain cause changes in their sight, such as dark spots, coloured spots, sparkles or ‘stars’, and zigzag lines. Numbness or tingling, weakness, and dizziness or vertigo (the feeling of everything spinning) can also happen. Speech and hearing can also be disturbed, and sufferers have reported memory changes, feelings of fear and confusion, and more rarely, partial paralysis or fainting. These neurological symptoms are called the ‘aura’ of migraine. In adults, they usually happen before the headache itself, but in children, they may happen at the same time as the headache. It is possible to have the aura symptoms without the headache.

The headache or main attack stage

This stage involves head pain which can be severe, even unbearable. The headache is typically throbbing, and made worse by movement. Some sufferers describe a pressing or tightening pain. The headache is usually on one side of the head, especially at the start of an attack. Some sufferers get pain on both sides of the head, or over the forehead, but not usually at the back of the head. Nausea (sickness) and vomiting (being sick) can happen at this stage, and the sufferer may feel sensitive to light or sound, or both.

Resolution

Most attacks slowly fade away, but some stop suddenly after the sufferer is sick, or cries a lot. Sleep seems to help many sufferers, who find that even an hour or two can be enough to end an attack. Many children find that sleeping for just a few minutes can stop their attack.

Recovery or Postdrome stage

This is the final stage of an attack, and it can take hours or days for a ‘hangover’ type feeling to disappear. Symptoms can be similar to those of the first stage, and often they are mirrored symptoms. For example, if you lost your appetite at the beginning of the attack, you might be very hungry now. If you were tired, now you might feel full of energy.

Treatments for Migraine

Asides from medical solutions and the use of medications prescribed by physicians, the following remedies may be just what you need to get rid of migraine, today, tomorrow, anytime and anywhere.

1. Acupressure: Acupressure is the practice of applying pressure with the fingers and hands to specific points on the body to relieve pain and other symptoms. According to a certain review, acupressure is a credible alternative therapy for people in pain resulting from chronic headaches and other conditions. Another study found acupressure may help relieve migraine-associated nausea.

2.  Ginger: Ginger is known to ease nausea caused by many conditions, migraines inclusive. As you may want to know, ginger powder decreases migraine severity and duration as well as the prescription drug sumatriptan, and with fewer side effects.

3. Magnesium: Magnesium deficiency is directly or indirectly linked to headaches and migraines. Studies show magnesium oxide supplementation helps prevent migraines with aura. It may also prevent menstrual-related migraines or headaches.

Magnesium can be gotten from foods that include almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, peanut butter, oatmeal, eggs, milk and so on.