Migraine headaches must be one of the most debilitating illnesses on earth. If you are a sufferer you will know what I mean. The frequency and severity can vary from person to person but many people still loose 2 or 3 days a month to migraine. Yes, that is lost money in your pay cheque or lost quality leisure time with family and friends.
That intense throbbing pain usually at one side of your head and often accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting completely knocks many people of their feet. The lucky ones may get some warning a few days before such as cravings for certain foods like sweets and chocolate or general lethargy. In such cases if you can recognise these warning signs it may be possible to eliminate the cause or start treatment before the onset. Other people will have what is known as an "aura" for a short time before the migraine kicks in. The most common symptoms of the "aura" are flashing lights in front of your eyes or zig zag lines disrupting your vision. More disturbing symptoms which can occur are numbness down the side which is effected my the migraine or speech difficulties i.e. slurring etc.
There are many triggers which can bring on an attack. In this day and age probably the most common cause is stress in the work place, the feeling of being constantly placed under pressure can cause great anxiety thus fuelling the migraine.
Certain foods may also be to blame such as cheese, chocolate, alcohol - red wine in particular, and processed or canned foods which often contain monosodium glutamate. On the other hand lack of food can also act as a trigger.
Strong smells such as perfume, paint, stale smoke or being in a stuffy atmosphere often contribute.
To be truthful it takes more than one of these factors to trigger an attack and the combination is unique to each individual.
Before you can think about how to tackle the symptoms, prevent or reduce the severity of attacks it is important that you work out what the combination of factors is that may bring on the headache. Try keeping a diary of foods consumed, dates when you felt under increased stress, and so on to gradually build a picture or pattern of events leading up to attacks.
For women (who incidentally are more likely to suffer from migraines than men) it is important to keep track of your monthly cycles as hormonal changes in the body before and during your monthly period are often the trigger. The contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy can also sometimes increase the occurrence of migraine.
So, you have established the cause what do you do now?
There are a great many "over the counter" drugs designed to relieve the symptoms, both pain and nausea, however in sever attacks these may not be enough. Prescription drugs from a doctor may be more effective and can usually be tailored more to suit individuals.
However, lots of sufferers these days would rather not take drugs but rather try other methods usually aimed more at prevention rather than cure.
There are a few things you can try. Here are some examples:-
1. Try different methods of relaxation for instance; yoga or meditation, going along to one of these classes may turn out to be fun! Alternatively you can teach yourself these techniques using books or DVDs
2. Ensure you get enough sleep most people need between 7 and 9 hours per night.
3. Take some form of exercise for example walking or swimming - nothing too excessive because too much exertion can bring on a migraine!
4. Set aside at least one hour a day just to do something you enjoy which will relax you such as reading a book, watch your favourite television show, do some gardening - fresh air can work wonders after a day at the office!!
5. Eliminate foods from your diet completely which you have established act as triggers for the headaches. Have some fun trying out recipes using alternatives.
6. A gentle massage can be very effective and other more alternative treatments appear to help in some cases such as acupuncture.
7. If you have an attack try lying in a darkened room and place an ice pack at the back of your neck - for others a hot water bottle may be more effective.
8. Apply gentle pressure to the painful areas of your head and if possible sleep.
9. There are herbal medicines that can be taken as preventative measures such as feverfew and butterbur or supplements containing magnesium and vitamin B2. If you suspect or are pregnant or breast feeding do not use any of these items without professional advice.
10. The most important thing to remember when trying to prevent or reduce migraine attacks is to eliminate one or more of the contributory factors - the triggers.
Related Articles
Migraine Headaches: Are Pain-Killing Drugs Worth the Risk?
By: Dr. Larry A. Johnson, D.c. | 25/12/2005 | Health
Patients with migraine headaches seek over-the-counter pain pills by the multimillions. But are these migraine headache sufferers actually helping themselves or are they taking dangerous risks that they are unaware of?
Health Without Fear
By: melvin polatnick | 29/11/2007 | Mental Health
An open mind without sexual inhibitions will let out the stress that is responsible for migraine headaches.
Identify Migraine Symptoms for Treatment and Relief
By: Tom Sample | 27/03/2007 | Non-Fiction
A tension headache on the other hand, affects the whole head and rarely lasts as long as a migraine.
Are Pain Killers Causing Your Headaches?
By: Dr. Larry A. Johnson, D.c. | 05/01/2006 | Health
Do you take analgesics (pain pills) for your chronic headaches? If you do you are not alone, but you may be surprised to learn that the pain-killers you're taking may actually be promoting your chronic tension or migraine headaches.
Get Rid of your Allergies and Migraine Headaches With Hypnotherapy
By: Dr. Bunny Vreeland | 02/02/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Americans, today, are suffering from a serious pandemic of diseases associated with dysfunction of the immune system. Hypnotherapy helped me get rid of my allergies and migraines and can help others do the same.
Migraine - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
By: Juliet Cohen | 22/05/2007 | Diseases and Conditions
Migraine is a neurological disease of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head.
Can the Cure for Headaches be Worse Than the Pain?
By: Dr. Larry A. Johnson, D.c. | 22/02/2006 | Health
Most people are oblivious to the fact that pain-killers can kill more than just pain. Whether you are searching for medications to relieve your migraine headaches, lose weight or eliminate your stomach aches being cautious could save you a lot of grief.
Headache Treatment and Prevention Tips
By: Peter sams | 16/02/2008 | Alternative Medicine
A Tension-type headache is the most common type of primary headache. Many people have 1 or 2 headaches of this type every month. Sometimes they develop more frequently, typically during times of stress. Approximately 3% of people have a tension-type headache on most days.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Non-Fiction Articles
Don't Let Good Grammar Spoil Good Writing
By: Philip Yaffe | 19/08/2008
Good grammar is fundamental to good writing, right? Wrong. However, years of experience working with people who use English as a second or third language have demonstrated that focusing too much on grammar can actually be detrimental to good writing. It's a question of priorities.
Modern Helicopters-the Eh-101 Merlin
By: K. Crockett | 16/08/2008
AgustaWestland is a joint venture formed by Agusta of Italy, makers of the A-109, and Westland of Great Britain, makers of the Lynx. The EH-101 is a direct competitor to the Sikorsky S-92 and was developed for both military and civil roles.
Animals
By: shivani suraiya | 15/08/2008
All about animals. About their origin, their lifestyles and their habitats including some interesting facts on different subjets. mostly based on mammals overing all extinct mammals around the world and which are not very well known.
The Three Speech Writing SECRETS You MUST Know - The Definitive Speech Writing How to Guide
By: Stuart Brown | 15/08/2008
In this article I am going to explore several techniques as to how you can improve your speech writing abilities, and also how to approach writing a speech for certain different circumstances. Whether it be for a wedding, where perhaps you are the best man, or for an important business meeting where you really need to impress. And tell you the three secret ingredients every speech needs.
Writing Your Thoughts – the Carrot and Stick Strategy
By: Nick Sanders | 14/08/2008
When you are writing, having a strategy in mind is rather useful – especially when you are wanting your reader to commit to something or someone. You will want to lead the reader in the direction you intend to finish upon and don’t want to cause confusion and misdirection in your writing. Here are a few tips on the carrot and stick strategy of writing that is good to use in a time of need.
Science: Guaranteed to Curb Creative Thinking!
By: Natasha | 13/08/2008
In today's sci- fi world dominated by facts and figures, the essence of life and belief in God's miracles have been thrust aside as illogical and futile, nonetheless God NEVER fails to surprise us....
How to Develop Your Book’s Structure
By: Melinda Copp | 12/08/2008
A man came to me last week because he needed help writing his book. He told me that he’s had this project on his to-do list for years, but he just couldn’t seem to get started. He’s literally been staring at the task—start writing my book—almost every day, and when he came to me, he still hadn’t done it.
How to Write a Bibliography
By: Stuart Brown | 11/08/2008
If you're like me, you probably put your heart and soul into creating a wonderful paper, essay or article. You know that you conducted the necessary research and that you wrote a sound paper. However, you are now at the end and you may be wondering, how can you write a bibliography? Well, I am here to tell you how.
More from Ken Snow
Know Your Fishing Location With Combined Fish Finder And GPS
By: Ken Snow | 20/03/2007 | Sports and Fitness
The most revolutionary change that fish finders have undergone has been of the amalgamation of the Global Positioning Systems within the sporting unit in the usual models and the portable units. One of the first aspects that you will think of while shopping for a fish finder is likely to be the GPS since it is such a useful tool.
What Are Radar Detectors?
By: Ken Snow | 20/03/2007 | Automotive
Radar detectors are products that have been developed to allow you to escape the harassment of being pulled over by policemen. It can be extremely harrowing when you are cruising at a nice even speed with no other vehicle in sight and yet you are forced to pull over by the local police.
Healthy Eating Tips For The Elderly
By: Ken Snow | 02/03/2007 | Health
The body composition of man is always in a dynamic state and hence keeps changing, especially in old age. This affects the nutritional requirements of the body and hence healthy eating can be a challenge particularly for the elderly.
Can You Afford To Retire?
By: Ken Snow | 22/02/2007 | Non-Fiction
Looking to make investments for retirement always seems to be something that you think I'll do it in another few years. However, anyone thinking in this way couldn't be more wrong.
The Benefits Of Exercise For Seniors
By: Ken Snow | 22/02/2007 | Fitness
Fact is as we grow older, we need to keep in shape more than the younger generation. With age the capabilities of the entire body system, muscles, organs, and mind, deteriorate and need more care than before.
Provide For Your Funeral Costs With Burial Insurance
By: Ken Snow | 22/02/2007 | Non-Fiction
Most of us avoid talking about death and funerals but the fact is that there are funeral costs to be borne and in the event one has not provided for it, the family has to undertake the expense. Funeral costs are not only a matter of affordability but of timing as well.
What Is Time Management?
By: Ken Snow | 13/04/2006 | Self Help
Because each of us is unique and different, we have to find out what works best for us in our own ways. This path to this starts with the basics in our own time management. Basic time management is setting up goals and plans that are reachable.
Staying On Budget - Package Vacations V Independent Travel
By: Ken Snow | 13/04/2006 | Travel
When you have to travel on a budget, one of the biggest questions is whether it is best to plan each part of your trip independently, making separate airfare and hotel reservations, or to opt for a package deal where everything is included for one price.
Writing 
