Cause of Migraines

Missing A Few Pieces – Migraine Headaches

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If you have ever had a migraine you know how it affects your health and well being. It is not just another headache. If you are not sure if you have ever had one, here is a brief rendition of a bad one…

I suffer from migraine headaches. Plagued for many years, I do not know why I get them and the doctors have a wide variety of opinions. Today’s migraine was a doozy.

If you have ever had a migraine you know. If you are not sure if you have had one, here is a brief rendition of a bad one…

I dropped my daughter off at nursery school. I had a few hours to get through my list of errands. First stop was Sears to take care of some billing matter. I was in the store for quite some time and they had floruesant lighting. This is a known culprit for causing a migraine headache. There is something about the flickering pattern of the lights that goes unnoticed by most people. The zigzag patterns and flashes of electric light started echoing in my eyes. No one else can see them except me and other migraine sufferers. When the zigzags start it makes it difficult to see clearly. I was happy to get out of there, but not happy that I had a migraine coming on.

The next stop was Kmart. I only had one item that I needed to buy, but I would have liked to comb through the store and do some shopping. The flickers of electric light intensified in my eye sockets. This reminded me to get what I came for and get out of there as soon as possible.

I was hungry, so I thought that might be aggravating the migraine (another reported cause of migraines – low blood sugar). I stopped to get something to eat. I still had some grocery shopping on my agenda, so I ate lunch quickly. I watched the clock and tried my best to out run the inevitable.

Migraine Triggers synopsis from http://www.NYM.org
A wide range of events and conditions can alter conditions in the brain that bring on nerve excitation and trigger migraines. They include, but are not limited to the following:
– Emotional stress (although the headaches often erupt after the stress has eased).
– Intense physical exertion.
– Abrupt weather changes.
– Bright or flickering lights.
– High altitude.
– Travel motion.
– Changes in sleep patterns.
– Low blood sugar has been known to trigger headaches and fasting can often precipitate migraines.
– Chemicals found in certain foods may trigger headaches in some people. More than 100 foods have the capacity to trigger migraine headache.

At the supermarket, my migraine headache was in full swing. My patience was wearing thin, my list of items was not near complete and the numbness started in my left hand. By the time I got to the check out counter I was nauseous. The numbness had moved from my left hand, across my face and was tingling my right hand. The woman at the counter asked if I was ok as I flexed my right hand trying to regain feeling. I was afraid and unable to talk at that point I just shock my head, no. Once I get to that stage of the migraine my speech is impaired. I am unable to speak in complete sentences, so I did not even try to answer her. I made it to the car in a complete panic.

The supermarket was only a few minutes drive from my house. I pulled in the driveway, dropped my pocketbook at the door and left the groceries in the car. I yelled to my husband to pick up my daughter and get the groceries. I took a few aspirins and went straight to bed. A cold compress and sleep is the only remedy that works for my migraines.

Three hours later, my husband woke me up for dinner – God bless his soul. He knows my migraine routine all too well and took care of the kids while I was on sabbatical.

It took about an hour after waking up to fully recover. The migraine was gone, but I did not have much of an appetite. Your brain also feels like it has voids. Empty spaces that need to come together before you feel normal again. It is an unsettling feeling not being in control of your mind. The aftermath is like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle, but you are missing a few pieces.

About the author:
Suzi Batta aka Mrs. Long Island is the Chief Operating Officer of LongIsland.com, a local guide with free news, weather, maps, classifieds, business, press releases, jobs, real estate, experts, articles, events, restaurants, schools, towns, newsletter, night life, lirr, shopping, malls, info, weddings Long Island New York.

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Prevent A Migraine Headache

Michigan is the eighth most populous state in the United States. Many people there suffer from migraine headache – what should they do about it?.

A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. Migraine headaches typically last from 4-72 hours. They may occur as often as several times a week to only once a year. People who have migraines are called migraineurs. Migraine headaches affect about 15% of the population. Three times as many women as men have migraines. Over 80% of migraineurs have family members who have migraines. Migraines are classified according to the symptoms they produce.

The two almost popular types are migraine with atmosphere and migraine without atmosphere. Migraines almost usually are establish in women, with a 3:1 female-to-male ratio. In childhood, however, migraines are more popular in boys than in girls. Migraine with atmosphere is characterized by a neurological phenomenon (atmosphere) that is experienced 10 to 30 minutes before the worry. Most auras are visual and are described as sunny shimmering lights around objects or at the edges of the area of imagination (called scintillating scotomas) or zigzag lines, curly images, or hallucinations. Others see short-lived imagination departure.

Common migraine accounts for 80% f migraines. There is no "atmosphere" before a popular migraine. Migraine without atmosphere is the almost rife character and may happen on one or both sides (multilateral) of the chief. Tiredness or climate changes may be experienced the day before the worry. Nausea, vomiting, and sensibility to illuminate (photophobia) frequently follow migraine without atmosphere. A kind of drugs have been specifically designed to handle migraines. Medications used to fight migraines slip into two comprehensive categories. Pain-relieving medications too known as intense or unsuccessful handling.

These drugs are designed to halt symptoms that have already begun. Preventive medications types of drugs are taken regularly, frequently on a regular ground, to fall the hardship or frequency of migraines. Try to avert foods or new things that appear to induce migraines for you. Get lot of slumber and drink lot of fluids. Try to loosen and cut the strain in your living. Most migraineurs can handle mild-to-moderate attacks at house. Using a cold compress to the region of pain. If sure foods appear to get triggered your headaches in the past, consume something else. If sure scents are a trouble, attempt to avert them.

By: Juliet Cohen

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Juliet Cohen writes articles for Health Problems. She also writes articles for Stye and Sunburn Treatment.

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Cluster Headaches – What You Should Know

Cluster headache is a severe, debilitating pain that attacks one cluster of the head, usually above an eyelid or at the temple. The pain is usually characterized as being repeatedly stabbed in the eye with an ice pick. When the pain attacks, one may notice the drooping of the lids from the affected eye as well as nasal congestion on the affected side.

The pain of a cluster headache is no joke. It tends to be so sever that some people say that it is nothing compared to things like childbirth or migraines. At the height of a cluster headache attack, even morphine does very little to assuage the pain. This piece of information is from the few individuals who have actually been correctly diagnosed with cluster headache.

Usually, severe headaches are just thought to be migraines but unfortunately remain understood and untreated. It is very important to correctly diagnose cluster headache because it is extremely painful and debilitating and it has a tendency to attack for a few minutes to a few hours.

The difficulty in realizing that it is cluster headache instead of migraine is that sometimes, people who suffer from cluster headache also experience the usual nausea and sensitivity to light that migraine sufferers experience. You can tell that it is cluster headache though from the fact that its attacks follow a pattern.
There is such a thing as chronic and episodal cluster headache. Actually, one who suffers from cluster headache can experience switches from chronic to episodal attacks and vice versa. The chronic attacks can easily be noticed because the cluster headache attacks at the same time everyday for several weeks and even months.

Episodal cluster headache attacks are episodes that happen also at the same time everyday for a few days or weeks and goes into long remission states. While the suffering from cluster headaches is benign, there have been reported cases of actual suicides from the extreme pain.

This is why it is quite important that if you feel that you or a loved one may be suffering from attacks of cluster headaches, do get yourselves diagnosed properly and receive treatment. Consult with your doctor and find out some of the triggers of a cluster headache and avoid them.

Also, at the onset of a cluster headache, one can actually get treatment that can abate the attack. For instance it has been reported that inhalation of pure oxygen at the onset of an attack will abate the assault of cluster headache.

By: Low Jeremy -

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