Of all the headaches anyone will ever have, 7% of them will be migraines. A migraine headache is a debilitating event that causes excruciating pain and almost always prevents the sufferer from carrying out even the least strenuous part of their daily activities. Most migraine headache sufferers find that the older that they get, the fewer migraines they have. Many experience complete remission of their migraines by the time they are 50 years old. More women have migraine headaches than do men and almost always between the ages 10 to 30 years of age.

What Is A Migraine

During a migraine, the pathways to the brain are too easily triggered. The results are changes and inflammation of the blood vessels surrounding the brain. A chemical that transmits messages in the brain called serotonin is involved in migraines, say researchers. Migraine medications work by binding to serotonin sites called receptors. Migraine symptoms include…

Extreme sensitivity to light
Severe headache, sometimes on just one side of the head
Extreme sensitivity to noise
Nausea
Vomiting
Changes in vision

Trigger Time

There are several triggers involved in bringing on a migraine headache, including…
– Glare from harsh lights
– Stress
– Hunger
– Changes in climate
– Certain kinds of foods and beverages
– Medications like oral contraceptives
– Menstruation
– Physical or mental exhaustion
– Too much or too little sleep

How Medication Works

There are several medications designed to either prevent or help migraine pain. Migraines are extremely painful and can last from one to three days at a time. Most sufferers of migraine headaches experience three or four full-blown migraines per year. If you notice any changes in either the severity or frequency of your migraines, consult your doctor immediately as this can be significant. The next time you feel a migraine headache coming your way, try these pain-controlling steps.

– Find a cool and quiet place to lie down
– Use an ice bag covered in a cloth for your head
– Over The Counter painkillers can be effective if used before the pain becomes too great, however, avoid taking OTC medications more than twice per week, and limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels that surround the brain, which is very bad for migraines as they are already affecting those vessels.
– Try meditation, yoga, or other muscle relaxing, stress reducing techniques.

What Is The Good News

There is great news for migraine headache sufferers. New medications, combined with self-help techniques like those mentioned above, have been making significant progress in controlling and in some cases, completely eliminating migraines. The key, according to new studies is to identify your triggers, or the series of events that precede the onset of a migraine headache, which can be done by keeping a diary of your symptoms. Once you have identified your triggers, you can improve your preventative measures and often avoid the pain.

Protect Your Secure Information

If your migraine headache becomes too much to bear, you may want to pay a visit to your local emergency room for immediate relief. While this is a perfectly legitimate reason, you have no way of knowing where you will be when a migraine strikes. If you are far from home, do not worry. Since the introduction of the HIPAA Security Rule, your medical information can be sent to whatever medical facility you visit without compromising your identity-theft sensitive information.

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Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: muscle relaxing,Medication,Severe headache,What Is A Migraine,Migraine Headache