Natural Health
| Treatment For Migraine Headaches |
| By : Ajit Hari Sahu | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 22 Dec, 2005 | Total Views : 248 |
Scientists have been able to come to a clear conclusion about the exact causes of migraines. It has been said however that generally the key element is blood flow changes in the brain. Migraine sufferers appear to have blood vessels that overreact to different triggers.
Migraines are diagnosed by determining whether some of a person's recurrent headaches meet migraine criteria though not every migraine needs to meet “all” of these criteria. For example, a person may have a left-temporal throbbing headache of moderate intensity worsened by physical activity. These headache features meet migraine criteria. However, this headache may not be accompanied by nausea or hypersensitivity to light or noise and, therefore, not fulfill all the criteria for migraine. Yet, if some of this person's other headaches meet all the migraine criteria, then one can say that this headache is also a migraine.
The pain of a classic migraine can be described as intense, throbbing or pounding. This is felt in the forehead, temple, ear, jaw, or around the eye. The pain may spread to both sides of the head but usually one side is worse. Attacks generally last from 4-72 hours depending on what type of migraine.
Treatment for migraines, or migraine therapy is largely based on the use of medications (drugs), but some people may respond to other measures, such as stress reduction, exercise, discontinuation of an oral contraceptive, or avoidance of certain foods or beverages, most notably red wine. The drugs fall into two main classes: (1) the alleviatives and abortives and (2) the preventives (prophylactics). The former affect the headache, but not the neurological symptoms. The latter decrease the frequency of migraine attacks whether they occur with or without neurological symptoms (auras).
Avoiding triggers and keeping consistent lifestyle habits are keys in prevention of migraines. Non-pharmacological, including behavioral and physical treatments, are also helpful. Preventative medications, taken once daily to reduce the frequency of the attacks are also very common in preventing migraines.
Post-migraine effects may vary, but usually consist of soreness (sometimes very stiff or painful neck), fatigue, dizziness, relaxation from muscles being so tense during the attack. Some may take a few days to recover from a severe attack and or the effects of an abortive medication.
Approximately 28 million people in the United States aged 12 and older - approximately 13 percent of the population - suffer from headaches that fit the medical definition of migraine established by the IHS. This is equal to one migraine sufferer in every four U.S. households. The percentage of patients whose headaches fit the medical definition of migraine who are being diagnosed has increased compared to a decade ago. However, more than half of these sufferers still have never received a physicians diagnosis of migraine (52 percent) and most are not receiving the most appropriate treatment, despite new and effective therapies designed specifically to treat the pain and symptoms of migraine. There have been no dramatic changes in the way physicians approach their treatments in the past 10 years.
Written By : Ajit Hari Sahu
