Migraine

In simple term, migraine is a severe painful type of headache. The pain is pulsing or throbbing in one area of the head. During migraines, people only think of finding a dark and quiet place to lie down. They temporarily lose vision and can only see flashing lights or zigzag lines. Many a time they also become nauseated and hence vomit.

Talking in the language of science, migraines are chronic disorder. The two most common of them are migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Other less common types are abdominal migraine, basilar artery migraine, carotidynia, headache-free migraine, ophthalmoplegic migraine and status migrainosus.

Often migraines are undiagnosed and untreated. One is suggested to make an appointment with a doctor if he or she experience signs and symptoms of migraine.

The symptoms of migraines are:
• Sever headache that is abrupt.
• Associated with fever, stiff neck, rash and mental confusion.
• Chronic headache getting worse after coughing, exertion, straining or sudden movement.
• If one is above 50, a new headache.

The main reasons for migraine are:
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Lack of food or sleep
• Exposure to light
• Hormonal changes (this is found in women)

It is to be noted that migraines are more common in women than in men. According to data, up to 17% of women and 6% of men have experienced this disease. In America alone, more than 29.5 million people suffer from migraine.

Though there is no cure to migraine but medications help in reducing the frequency and stop the pain. Pain-relieving medications are taken during the attacks and preventive medications are taken as a regular dose to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines. Apart from these medications, self-care measures also helps in easing the pain of a migraine. Self-care includes enough of sleep, taking proper rest and trying muscle relaxation exercises. Sometimes non-traditional therapies are also practiced to overcome the migraine pain such as acupuncture, biofeedback, massage, herbs etc.