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Guide to Headache Migraine Treatment

January 27th, 2010

Migraine headaches are repeated or recurrent headaches, possibly caused by changes in the diameter of the blood vessels in the head. Migraine headaches are often classified in two main types — migraine with aura (formerly called classic migraine) and migraine without aura (formerly called common migraine). Most people with migraines do not have any warning before it occurs. However, in cases of “classic” migraine headache, a visual disturbance called an aura happens before the headache starts. Classic migraine is different from “common” migraines (which have no warning sign or aura) or “complicated” migraines (which occur with speech, movement, or other problems in the nervous system). Auras usually last less than an hour. The headache typically begins less than an hour after the aura ends. About two in 10 people who have migraines experience auras, which are sensory or motor disturbances that precede the actual headache. Most auras consist of visual disturbances, such as a blind spot or a flickering zigzag line or crescent in your field of vision. Another type of aura involves unusual sensations, such as numbness and tingling of the lips, lower face and fingers. A third type affects motor function, causing problems with movement or speech.

Migraine headaches are a common type of chronic headache. Migraine pain can be excruciating and may incapacitate you for hours or even days. Some people do experience a variety of vague symptoms before common migraines – mental fuzziness, mood changes, fatigue, and unusual retention of fluid. Migraines occur in women more than men, most often between the ages of 10 and 46 years. In some cases, they appear to run in families. Migraines without aura strike without the unmistakable warning sign of disturbed vision or sensation. Still, some people say more subtle symptoms, such as mood changes and loss of appetite, alert them to oncoming migraines. True migraine headaches are not a result of underlying brain tumors or other serious medical problems. The pain of a classic migraine headache is described as an intense throbbing or pounding felt in the forehead/temple, ear/jaw or around the eyes. Classic migraine starts on one side of the head, but may eventually spread to the other side. An attack may last one to two pain-racked days. Influences in a person’s life that tend to overload the nervous system are risks. Once identified in your life, you can counteract the negative effects of risks with the positive results of protective activities.

Migraine headaches constantly accommodates changes in hormones, emotions, and thoughts as well as the many chemicals in our food and beverages. Migraines are the most studied of all headaches, and there are various competing theories about what may actually cause them. Hormones seem to influence migraine development. Some women who take oral contraceptives or estrogen experience worsening headaches while others improve. Similarly, some women have an increasing headache pattern during pregnancy while others have diminished headache intensity. Other women develop migraines for the first time when they are pregnant. Headaches may increase in some women in the days before their menstrual period. Women who do not have migraines may develop migraines as a side effect to using Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP). Many scientists now believe that migraines arise from problems within the central nervous system. These problems, which tend to run in families, affect the chemical messengers inside your brain — making you more sensitive to the types of triggers that can cause migraines. Many internal and external factors can trigger migraine such as ,Common foods — aged cheese, red wine, caffeine, chocolate, dairy products, pickled foods, lunchmeat, aspartame, MSG, peanuts, lima beans, bananas, raisins. Physical factors — fatigue, hormonal changes, missed meals, decreased sleep, oversleeping, stress

Guide to Headache Migraine Treatment Tips

1.Many medications can reduce the frequency of migraines such as ,Beta-blockers (e.g., propanolol) Anti-depressants (e.g., amitriptyline) Anti-convulsants (e.g., valproic acid) Calcium-channel blockers These medications are less useful and tolerable to patients with infrequent headaches.

2.Other medications are taken when there is the first sign of an impending migraine attack. In the case of classic migraine, Ergots (e.g., DHE-45) Serotonin agonists / triptans (e.g., sumatriptan) and Isometheptene.

3.Other medications are primarily given to treat the symptoms of migraine. Used alone or in combinations, these drugs can minimize pain, nausea, or emotional distress caused by the migraine.Anti-emetics (e.g., prochlorperazine) Sedatives (e.g., butalbital) Anti-inflammatories (e.g., ibuprofen) Acetaminophen Narcotic analgesics (e.g., meperidine)

4.Most patients with migraine can identify certain foods that are closely associated with their migraine headaches. To find out which foods are responsible, avoid all of the above-mentioned foods and then gradually work each food back into the diet.

5.Hormone therapy may help some women whose migraines seem to be linked to their menstrual cycle.

6.Stress management strategies, such as exercise, relaxation, biofeedback, and other therapies designed to help limit discomfort, may also reduce the occurrence and severity of migraine attacks.



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Tension Headache Causes, Symptoms and Home Remedies

January 26th, 2010

Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache. As many as 90% of adults have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. Many people confuse tension headache symptoms for migraine, and can end up with the wrong treatment. One problem is that many symptoms overlap, and many people with migraine get frequent tension headaches as well.

About 90% of the headaches that strike are tension headaches. Tension headaches are also called muscle contraction headaches. Most of your skull is covered with a layer of muscle. When this muscle contracts abnormally, it can decrease the blood flow in your head. One of the tension headache symptoms can be tenderness around your head.

Tension Headache Causes

Muscle Contraction Headache or Acute Tension Type Headache occurs in about 50% of the population on a monthly basis but is usually low impact which is why it is not seen a lot in primary care. The exact causes of tension headache are not known but stress and tension play a part. Typically the tension headache is mild to moderate only, non-pulsating and bilateral. Sensory sensitivity to noise or light is more likely to be associated with migraine. Difficulties arise when patients who are suffering from migraine are misdiagnosed as having tension headaches. They then do not receive appropriate pain management. Patients often describe their head pain as a “feeling of tightness or squeezing”.

Most often, it is the vata humor that is out of balance when you have a headache. Some of the many possible causes include:

1. Mental stress

2. Fever

3. Excessive caffeine or nicotine

4. Reading without proper lighting

5. Sitting too close to the television, or watching too much of it

6. May also be a symptom of some other disease

7. Side-effect of another medication.

Home remedies for tension headache

1. For tension headaches massage few drops of peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil on temples.

2. Massage the scalp with slightly warmed sesame oil. This relieves tension headache and induces sleep.

3. Regular exercise, yoga and meditation reduce the stress levels and keep the tension headache at bay.

4. Persons of vata type can use hot water bags on aching parts and a hot shower will be of good help.

Natural Headache remedy using Henna

The flowers of henna have been found valuable in curing headaches caused by hot sun. The flowers should be rubbed in vinegar and applied over the forehead. This remedy will soon provide relief.

Aroma therapy cures.

Sniffing peppermint oil, rose oil, Lavender oil, Chamomile oil can give relief from headaches. Try burning some candles made with these oils to get a fragrant room while the headaches vanish. Try and consult a aroma therapist for a specific oil recommendation best suited to your problem or experiment with a few smells.

Drinking a glass of water (warm water in winter and cool water in summer), mixed with a teaspoon of honey first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy. Copious drinking of water throughout the day is also advised.



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What are the Different Types of Migraines?

January 24th, 2010

If you’ve been suffering from migraine headaches, you may have noticed the symptoms are almost the same for everyone – a painful ache in one spot that becomes worse and spreads over one side of your face – sometimes almost entirely. The nausea and vomiting you feel are also common symptoms of most migraines. So, since these symptoms are so much the same, there’s only one type of migraine, right?

Actually, there are quite a few types of migraines, but most people suffer from one of two types, the common migraine or the classic migraine. The difference between these two headaches is that the common migraine does not have an aura and classic migraines do have an aura.

An aura refers to visual symptoms that begin before the classic migraine actually starts. These symptoms may include seeing jagged lines in front of your eyes or actually losing vision for a few minutes, hearing ringing or other noises that aren’t actually there, feeling numb or having tingly sensations, or smelling odd odors. This aura can actually be useful, because it can and does serve as a warning that a very painful migraine is on the way. This would at least allow you to take some preventive measures. For people who suffer from a common migraine, there is often no warning. Suddenly, they feel pain in their jaw or eye socket and it rapidly spreads and increases in intensity until they have a full blown migraine.

While few people develop one of the rarer migraines, there are several you may want to know about. These migraines are just as painful as the more common migraine types.

* Exertion Migraines are over more quickly than most types of migraines. You can develop one of these migraines if you overextend yourself while you are exercising and develop dehydration at the same time, if you lift something heavy, if you have a sneezing fit, or even if you bend over.

* Retinal Migraines are migraines that cause you to temporarily lose vision in an eye. You will probably lose vision before the head pain actually begins.

* Hemipleic Migraines have a rather scary symptom. If you suffer from this type of migraine, you’ll actually develop temporary paralysis on the side of your body that the migraine is forming on.

* Ophtalmoplegic Migraines are one of the longest lasting types of migraines. This form of the disease begins with pain around the eye and eye problems continue throughout the entire migraine. Visual distortions and blurred vision are common symptoms of this type of migraine.

* Noctural Migraines are fortunately very rare and develop during the night. They are intense enough to wake the migraine sufferer from their sleep.

* Basilar Artery Migraines are usually limited to teen girls or young women. This migraine develops by causing the basilar artery to constrict, which leads to dizziness, poor co-ordination, vomiting and even problems with speach. This migraine type eventually should become the more standard classic migraine, with its accompanying aura.

* Abdominal Migraines are a type of migraine that doesn’t actually involve head pain. Instead, this migraine usually causes stomach pain. The normal nausea and vomiting other migraine types cause occurs after the stomach pain starts. This migraine type occurs most commonly in young children.

So as you can see although most people simply refer to a migraine headache there are many, many different types of migraine itself. That being said most people tend to suffer from either the classic or common migraine.

You can learn more about migraines and what you can do to treat them, naturally and otherwise, by following the links at the end of this article.



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