Migraines…What you should know.
by Letitia Holloway Owens

What are they?

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A Migraine is actually a disease. The pounding we might experience, the headache, is only a symptom. Migraine pain is caused by an expansion of the blood vessels in the brain. On the other hand, headache pain is caused by narrowing of the blood vessels.

During a migraine, the tissue surrounding the brain becomes inflamed, making the pain worse. Therefore, medicine often prescribed to treat a headache, such as beta-blockers, open the blood vessels and therefore can make a Migraine worse.

Migraines have been shown to be a genetically-based illness. Individuals with a single parent having Migraine have approximately a 50% chance of having Migraine.

Who Suffers from Migraines?

Migraines affect 25 to 30 million people in the United States alone.

• As many as 6% of all men and up to 18% of all women (about 12% of the population as a whole) experience a migraine headache at some time.
• 75% of migraine sufferers are women.
• Among the most distinguishing features is the potential disability accompanying the headache pain of a migraine.
• Migraines are felt on one side of the head by about 60% of migraine sufferers, and the pain is typically throbbing in nature.
• The World Health Organization in 2004 in a Blue Book report noting that Migraine & Headache disorders are a global public health calamity.
• WHO ranks Migraine as one of the top twenty causes of years of healthy life lost to disability.

Migraine Symptoms

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• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Severe head pain on one side
• Auras (light spots)
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Numbness
• Difficulty in speech

One Migraine attack alone can last for eight hours, several days, or even weeks.

Common Triggers

Physiological (not psychological) trigger or triggers cause an expansion of the blood vessels in the brain, which triggers nerve endings to release chemical substances called neurotransmitters, of which the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HTT) is an important factor in the development of Migraine.

Migraine triggers are categorized as controllable and uncontrollable.

Uncontrollable triggers include weather patterns (rain, high heat and humidity) and hormonal fluctuations (menstrual cycles, pregnancy).

Controllable triggers include bright light, chemical smells, second-hand smoke, particular alcohols such as red wine and some hard alcohols such as scotch, foods that are known vasodilator such as fish, some chocolate, aged cheese, and foods which contain nitrates and/or the radical vasodilator MSG.

The severity and frequency of Migraines for one person depends upon how many triggers an individual must experience before a Migraine is induced. The combination of triggers is different for each person.

Finding Help

• Migraine can bring on a host of other serious physical conditions: strokes, aneurysms, permanent visual loss, severe dental problems, coma and even death so please make sure you see your doctor.
• Keep a "headache diary" so that you can give a detailed account of the frequency and severity of your migraines to your physician.
• Ask your Primary Doctor for a referral to a neurologist.

Migraine versus Tension-Type Headaches: Know the Difference

Columns A and B show the symptoms commonly seen in two types of headache. Compare your symptoms with those listed and determine what type of headache you may have by noting whether your symptoms are most like those in column A or B. Some people have both of these types of headache. If your headaches are very severe or if you think they are some other type, do not delay in seeking professional medical attention.

Source: www.migraines.org, www.health.gov.

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