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DESCRIPTION:
A migraine
is a painful headache
that may be preceded by a warning sign, also called an aura or a prodrome, such
as a flash or flashes of light, dizziness
or numbness. Migraine
pain can be excruciating and may leave the afflicted individual
incapacitated for hours or even days. While these headaches
usually last from between four to 72 hours, the frequency with which they are
experienced varies from individual to individual. They may occur just once or
twice a year or several times a month.
How does a migraine headache develop?
Migraine
headaches commonly start during childhood
(between 2.5 percent and 22 percent of children
experience extreme
headache pain) and may lose their intensity and frequency as one ages.
Children as young as two can suffer from migraines.
In addition, they tend to run in the family – if one's parents suffered from migraines,
there's a 74 percent chance the children will as well. During childhood, boys
and girls
experience these headaches
with the same frequency. After puberty, however, girls tend to suffer more. The
intensity of headaches
may increase for women
during the first few months of pregnancy
as well as during menstruation.
Research suggests that migraines
may be caused by functional changes in the trigeminal nerve
system, a major pain pathway in the brain,
and by imbalances in the chemical serotonin,
which acts as a regulator to pain messages going through this pathway. Other
studies utilizing brain
scans have shown that the volume and amount of blood
reaching the brain
is restricted during migraine
attacks. In addition, the mineral magnesium, which is involved in nerve
cell function, drops right before or during migraines,
indicating that low levels of magnesium may cause nerves in the
brain to misfire.
Migraine
headaches are often triggered by something a person ingests, such as alcohol;
aged cheeses; chocolate;
fermented, pickled or marinated foods; monosodium
glutamate; caffeine;
and aspartame.
Other types of triggers can include physical and psychological factors such as stress
and fatigue,
intense physical activity, weather
changes, season and altitude level and time zone changes. Changes in sleeping
or eating patterns, bright lights, medications,
low
blood sugar, tobacco,
secondhand smoke and strange odors can also bring on a migraine headache.
What are the
symptoms of a migraine headache?
Migraines usually begin with an intense pain on one side of the head that
may gradually spread. Severe nausea,
vomiting
and hypersensitivity
to light and sound can accompany a migraine headache.
Experts claim that 10 percent of adults
who have migraines with an aura will most likely have warning signs
approximately 20 minutes before the headache starts. Warning signs include
flashes of sparkling light, zigzag lines in the field of vision, blind
spots that slowly spread into the field of vision, numbness, tingling or a
feeling of weakness in the face as well as hand
or leg,
and sometimes difficulty seeing or speaking.
Other forms of migraines (ones without an aura) may still have one or more
symptoms of premonition several hours before the headache actually starts. The
symptoms or signs can include feelings of elation or intense energy,
a craving for sweets,
a feeling of thirst, irritability,
drowsiness or depression.
Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of migraine
headaches but they do not address the root of the problem. Discover why we
believe that natural
medicine treatments are the best way to treat migraine headaches and may
end migraine forever.
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