The migraine headaches is frequently a painful disease that in severe form can adversely affect the quality of life of women and men who suffer from it. The worst thing is that many people suffering from the disease believe that there is no cure. If you belong to the “club of the helpless victims of migraine headaches” you can learn more about migraine headaches remedies by focusing on: the migraine headache causes, the symptoms of migraine headaches and treatment of migraine headaches.
You are not the only one who suffers from migraine headaches
If you suffer from migraines, consider whether a close family person has the same discomfort, as it has been observed that the disease can occur in more than one family member. Beyond this, however, is usually a disease that affects approximately 10% of the population. The majority of patients suffered their first crisis in childhood or adolescence. This, of course, is not absolute, because migraine headaches can make an unwanted visit anytime. Overall, however, occurs more frequently in people aged 25 to 55 and affects three times as many women than men.
Most people who suffer from migraine believe that the crisis is triggered by specific factors and conditions. Perhaps, for example, you have noticed symptoms of migraines during periods of intense stress or while trying to relax after a hard day. Or even, you may find that migraine headaches are associated with the time you sleep, the duration of sleep, the duration you rest, climate changes, bright light, or your eating habits. Foods that can be a cause of migraines are chocolate, cheese, red wine, coffee and tea.
Moreover, many women observe that migraine crises associated with hormonal changes during the course of their menstruation cycle.
A migraine headache crisis usually has the following stages. These are:
1. The warning phase: usually lasts several hours, but may hold even days. Characterized by fatigue, anger, appetite for specific foods and sensitivity to light, sounds and smells.
2. The aura phase: The aura is a symptom that begins 20 minutes to an hour before the outbreak of the headache. At this stage, is likely to have impaired vision, such as illumination. It may also be hard to talk or hear, to feel confusion, disorientation or feel numbness in your body. The aura could disappear before the start of the pain, but there is also the possibility to remain throughout the duration of migraine.
3. The Headache phase: This is the most painful stage of the crisis, which is distinguished by vibrant pain, usually localized to one side of the head. However, the pain may affect a different side of the head, but sometimes can be extended across the skull. The pain is exacerbated during physical activity, while many may feel nausea or vomiting. A usual symptom of migraine is photosensitivity, so it is possible to relieve your symptoms if you withdraw into a quiet and dark room.
If migraine headache is not treated, it would last for four hours to three days, but usually last for a day.
4. The recovery phase: Many of you probably need a few days until you return to your normal pace. You may experience the migraine headaches once or twice a month, but you may also suffer more often. Each crisis can vary in intensity and there is no way to predict when it will hit you.
Migraine headaches treatment
There are two basic ways for the treatment of migraine headaches: firstly changing your lifestyle and second taking medication
Lifestyle changes: You may have noticed that you experience the migraine after a hard day at the office or even during the weekend, while trying to relax from the tension of the week, when your meals are irregular, or if you are too tired or have problems sleeping. It has been shown that stress and sudden changes in daily routine can cause this form of headache. If your migraines are then displayed using a specific pattern, you can benefit by making small variations in your life and avoid stress as much as possible by following relaxation techniques.
Very important also is to not consume foods and beverages such as chocolate, dairy products, alcohol, fried and full fat foods, tea and coffee, and seafood. However, your sensitivity to these foods is mitigated or exacerbated depending on your levels of stress, how well you sleep and whether you are in a phase of menstruation cycle (for women).
Finally, it is very important to keep a diary to record the time / date and conditions that you had migraine headaches. This can help your doctor determine the causes of migraine headaches and suggest the appropriate treatment.
Medication: Medication is usually taken for treatment of migraine headaches in order to alleviate the symptoms after migraine starts. Such medications are aspirin, paracetamol and the mefenamico acid, which can be taken without prescription. However, the abuse of these drugs can cause a condition called chronic daily headache. For this reason, if you resort to medication almost daily, it is preferable to visit your doctor for further examination and to recommend, possibly, a more appropriate treatment. These usually consist of a combination of these medications, but have a stronger effect. In cases where the treatment is inadequate, the doctor may give you ergotamine (a very powerful medicine that may cause other side effects) or triptanes (a new class of medication, which are effective in combating serious forms of migraine).
There is also the preventive treatment given to people who suffer frequently from migraine headache crises. Although this reduces the frequency of crises, it does not totally protect you from migraine.
However, you may need to take the same medication for more than once to see if it is effective for you. Do not use painkillers more than two or three times a week and do not increase the dosage without first getting medical attention.
Migraine headache symptoms that need immediate attention
Look for medical help immediately if presenting any of the following symptoms:
– Sudden headache without warning symptoms
– Change in the type of headache, especially if you are over 55
– Headache accompanied by fever or cervical stiffness
– Headache accompanied by disturbances in vision, weakness, sensory loss, weakness on one side of the body or difficulty in walking.
– Headaches that are getting worse in frequency, duration or intensity.
– Headache, which appeared after an accident or trauma to the head
– Constant headache that does not decline.
Migraine headaches are a painful disease that in severe form can adversely affect the quality of life of women and men who suffer from it. This article presented a detail overview of migraine headaches remedies, explaining the causes of migraine headaches, symptoms, phases and treatment.
More information for migraine headaches:
Migraine Headaches cause and cure
Eye and Headache causes and cure