Learning About Migraine Treatments
March 4th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you suffer from migraine headaches you know how debilitating they can be. You have probably tried a number of migraine treatments with little or no relief as well, which makes you feel like banging your head against the wall.
Why not, it couldn’t hurt any worse, right? You dread the moment you get the first sign, or aura, of a migraine coming on. You start to see spots, feel sensitive to light, smells, or sounds, and may feel dizzy or nauseated.
You just want to find a dark room and tuck yourself into bed somewhere. Migraine sufferers are unable to function at work, school, or anywhere else for that matter. According to The National Migraine Association, also known as MAGNUM (www.migraines.org), reports that 36 million people in the United States suffer from migraine headaches.
With improved recognition of symptoms and diagnosis by health care providers, a 60% increase in migraine sufferers has been noted over the past decade. Migraines are different in each individual and not everyone experiences the same symptoms, which is why some migraine treatments are more effective than others, making the process somewhat complicated.
Migraine headaches are a neurological disease with biological causes that are often hereditary. Migraine treatments have improved immensely over the years, but are not effective for everyone, not to mention the side effects that some people experience.
Migraine treatments are divided into separate group. There are preventive or prophylactic medications and alternative therapies for migraine treatment, and there are those that work to ward off symptoms once a migraine has ensued. Prescribed medications used in migraine treatment are beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, anti-depressants, and Depakote (an anti-seizure drug).
Alternative prophylactic migraine treatments include feverfew leaf, butterbur root, vitamin B12, and magnesium supplementation. New research is also looking to the gut, which may be the origin of migraine headaches in some sufferers.
If preventive therapy is not completely effective, prescription medications such as Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig, Relpax, Midrin, and Migranal can be used which lessen the severity and duration of migraines by initiating cerebral vasoconstriction.
If migraine treatment is sought in a physician’s office or emergency room, a narcotic injection can be administered, such as Stadol, Phenergan, or Vistril, which are non-vasoconstricting agents used in the event other treatments are contraindicated.
These are all effective migraine treatments, but remember that not all will help every migraine sufferer. Other alternative treatments such acupuncture, biofeedback, and chiropractic manipulation have also proven to be effective migraine treatments in some patients.
Avoiding certain migraine triggers is an important intervention that can be used by all “migrainuers”, such as avoiding certain foods and alcoholic beverages than have caused migraines in the past, and wearing sunglasses in bright sunlight.
If you suffer from migraine headaches and you are not getting relief from your current migraine treatment regimen, then schedule a consultation with your health care provider. It is possible to get better relief and have fewer episodes, which will greatly improve your emotional outlook and quality of life.
About the author Scott Michaels
Learn how to avoid triggers for headaches and your options when it comes to seeking migraine treatments. http://1migrainetreatments.info/
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Finding Migraine Headache Triggers and Natural Ways to Cure them
January 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
How do you go about Finding Migraine Headache Triggers and preventing them from Occurring
It helps to find as much information as possible on how migraine headache triggers your body and how you can stop them before they start. You must understand what is the root cause of your migraines so you can do some research to learn the best potential cures. Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache and they can have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light.
A migraine is caused by the enlargement of the temporal artery, which is the artery that lies on the outside of the skull and under the skin of your forehead. When this artery enlarges, it stretches nerves around it and they in turn release certain chemicals. These chemicals are the cause of the pain that is called a migraine, and they also cause the artery to enlarge even more – more pain, more enlargement. Migraines are just a never-ending circle of agony. When considering how migraine headache triggers work, it’s important to understand the circle, so that you at least don’t do anything to make it worse.
What Causes Migraines Headache Triggers
Obviously the cause of migraines is going to be different for everyone. However, to consider migraine headache triggers, it helps to remember that stress hormones cause migraines and can be released by such things as fasting, bright lights, caffeine, and artificial substances such as MSG or aspartame. There may be other sensitivities that you yourself have like muscle strain in the neck, upper back or shoulder muscles pain, eating or drinking cold foods or liquid, eye strain, alcohol, caffeine or dental problems such as grinding of the teeth or pain because you need a root canal.
One of the steps involved in how to prevent a migraine headache is to keep track of the specific trigger for you. If you suffer from frequent migraines, you should keep a foods causing migraines diary to see if there are certain triggers for you. Since bright lights also trigger this particular nerve in some people, think of how this might be applicable to you. For example, do you work in a place where the lights change frequently, such as a movie theater or type on the computer all day and stare at a screen?
How to Cure Migraine Headache Triggers Naturally
There is good reason why migraines do not normally respond to regular headache medications. This type of pain caused by migraines activates what is known as the sympathetic nervous system, that “fight or flight” response that is common during stress. This reaction pulls blood and oxygen from the digestive system in order to divert it to the muscles of your legs. This keeps oral medications from being absorbed in the intestinal systems.
So when considering how migraine headache triggers work, you see how regular aspirins and other oral medications are probably going to do little to help. They are simply not absorbed the way they should be so you could try some of these natural remedies: massage, heat, a hot shower, relaxation techniques or any activity that puts aside the worries for the moment and relaxes the body.
Another way that people seem to think treats migraines naturally is acupuncture, which seems to calm that temporal artery and the sympathetic nerve system after it.
When considering how to prevent a migraine headache naturally, try oils such as lavender or peppermint. These can be put in a vaporizer or washcloth. Calcium and magnesium relieve muscle tension, so consider taking a supplement with these elements.
Don’t forget the more obvious remedies of giving you a mini massage and staying in a darkened room. Watch your diet and keep a look out for foods causing migraines plus get rid of artificial sweeteners and substances. And if all else fails, see your doctor – he or she can accurately diagnose your condition and give you additional pointers on how to cure migraine headache triggers permanently.
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Related Tags: cures for migraines, different types of migraine headaches, foods causing migraines, Instant Migraine Headache Relief
