One of the commonest symptoms of a migraine is an intense throbbing pain that is usually situated on one side of the head close to the area of the temple. Migraines are also frequently accompanied by other symptoms which include sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Migraines are reasonably common and affect about 10% of the population of America, or over 28 million Americans. They are also much more commonly experienced by women rather than men (about 3 times as many women suffer from migraines) and can also be found occasionally in children.
Although migraines are so common and generally very painful with attacks lasting anywhere from a matter of hours to two or three days, only roughly half of all sufferers consult their physician and the rest choose to suffer in silence.
Migraines had long been thought to be were the result of a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, despite the fact that there is no general consensus, medical opinion seems to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic cause for this problem. It is now believed that migraine headaches are produced by the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. At this point in time however the truth of the matter is that we are really not sure what cause a migraine headache.
In fact there are two different forms of migraine, the first of which is called ‘classical migraine’and is characterized by an accompanying ‘aura’. In this case the term ‘aura’ is used to refer to visual light effects which are experienced immediately prior to the arrival of a headache including such things as flashing lights and bright light spots. In some cases a total loss of vision can be experienced for several minutes before the onset of the headache.
The second type of migraine is a migraine with no prior symptoms of an ‘aura’.
Just as we do not know what causes a migraine headache, we also have very little idea about exactly what gives rise to an attack, although there are some factors which do appear likely to trigger an attack. For example, getting too much sleep seems to be one factor, as does missing meals or eating particular foods like cheese.
Hormones are also believed to influence both the onset of attacks and their severity and one piece of evidence for this is the increased incidence of migraines among women. This in part is thought to be because of the effect of estrogen on the blood vessels and it has been noted in some studies that there is a link between the contraceptive pill (which contains estrogen) and migraine headaches.
Just to confuse matters however studies have also demonstrated that simple everyday activities like climbing a flight of stairs can trigger an attack, as can exposure to loud noises, cold and heat, flashing lights and even stress.
Fortunately, there are a number of migraine medications available today, although no one treatment is really effective in all cases. One thing which we do know though is that over-the-counter medicines are seldom effective and, if you suffer from migraine headaches, you are best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding an answer that works for you.
Tags: migraine, migraine causes, migraine headache, migraine symptoms, migraine treatment, migrane