How does migraine happen?
What the cause of it?
What the symptoms?
How to stop it?
Any food I should avoid from preventing migraine?
Can it be cured?
2006-12-05 18:57:02 · 5 answers · asked by bulce g 2 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
Migraines are a form of headache. They are classically quite severe and may come on with some sort of "aura" - a visual disturbance that the migraine sufferer usually knows is associated with an oncoming migraine.
Recent advances in neuroradiology have shown that there is some form of electrical depolarisation of the brain which is often widespread in migraine. This is quite different to the previous theory that it is associated with brain blood vessels going into spasm.
Symptoms
Prodrome / Aura - sometimes visual disturbance occurs. Other things that precede migraines can include: depression, euphoria, yawning, fatigue, craving chocolate or other foods ...
Headache phase - headache (severe), nausea, diarrhoea, photophobia, phonophobia ...
Some people experience abdominal pain
How to stop it:
Prevent - trigger avoidance - beta blockers
During the Aura Phase - Take aspirin, if you are able to. Drink plenty of water. This may abort a migraine before it reaches headache phase proper.
Caffeine seems to be helpful
Analgesics - eg. opioid analgesia - can be useful to get rid of the pain of migraines, but not uncommonly migraine sufferers can develop rebound headaches when the opioids wear off.
Ergot alkaloids and serotonin agonists are effective in the actual headache phase
Foods are contraversial - caffeine withdrawal can sometimes precipitate migraines, yet Johns Hopkins Hospital lists it as a possible trigger to be avoided:
"Dr. David Buchholz, a neurologist who treats headaches at Johns Hopkins Hospital, has a longer list of suspected migraine triggers. He also recommends eliminating the triggers from the diet altogether, and then reintroducing them slowly after many weeks to measure the effects. His list includes: coffee (including decaf), chocolate, monosodium glutamate, processed meats and fish (aged, canned, preserved, processed with nitrates, and some meats which contain tyramine), cheese and dairy products (the more aged, the worse), nuts, citrus and some other fruits, certain vegetables (especially onions), fresh risen yeast baked goods, dietary sources of tyramine (including the foods listed above), and whatever gives you a headache."
At this stage there is no cure, but there are many strategies that keep patients migraine-free and quite functional.
See the wiki page.
2006-12-05 18:58:58 · answer #1 · answered by Orinoco 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do get migraines. I got a medical discharge from the military because of them. Everyone suffers from migraine syndrome differently, in some way, but the typical symptoms are: 1. Ache/throb on one side of the head 2. Sensitivity to light 3. Sensitivity to sound 4. Nausea, etc. I personally also have a sensitivity to smell, and tend to lose some of my equilibrium as well. Most people feel better sitting or lying down in a cool, dark room. Some people need caffeine, others find that their headaches are triggered by it. One of the first things to do is to figure out what gave you the headache in the first place and try to steer clear of that (those) thing(s). I usually end up sleeping mine off. I hope this helps...
2016-03-13 03:56:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had them for 7 years now. They can be different for each person that has them. We can all have different "triggers" sometimes it's food, or stress or whatever...
The symptoms.. intense pain, on one side, feeling of a hot poker in one eye. Nausea, and even throwing up. Your hair hurts, your scalp hurts.
They are misunderstood, and many times doctors treat the migraine as if it's your fault, as a mental rather than a medical disorder.
If you are getting them, start a food diary and a pain diary. Then you can check to see what you ate when you had a migraine. I did this for several years and didn't really find a connection, BUT many other people have. Chocolate, caffeine, kinds of cheese, and red wine are a few to be cautious of.
The best advise is to educate yourself, read everything you can, there are many different kinds of preventative medication you can take as well as things you can take before during and after. Hope this helps, and good luck to you.
2006-12-05 19:11:00 · answer #3 · answered by Theresa M 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pain of a migraine headache is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. It is often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting. There can be many causes and food can be one of them. You should keep a headache journal and try to pinpoint a cause so you can effectively treat the pain or even eliminate it. This site has wonderful info all about migraines.
2006-12-07 05:59:21 · answer #4 · answered by oilman11977 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html
2006-12-06 15:01:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋