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Migraine Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Migraine is a disease affecting approximately 30 million Americans and millions more around the world. Aside from being debilitating, it is also expensive. In the US alone, recent studies have shown that migraine costs employers more than $24 billion in healthcare every year.
Despite these statistics, though, this disease still remains as one of the most misdiagnosed. Moreover, there seems to be several misconceptions about how to identify migraine symptoms, what causes them and how to administer proper treatment.
Contrary to general perception, migraine is not a severe type of headache. Rather, it is a neurological disease commonly characterized by an intense, throbbing pain in the head, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine symptoms vary between individuals in their intensity, frequency and duration. One could feel the pain for a few hours two or three times a year and another could have monthly attacks lasting several days.
Although there is still no precise explanation on why migraines occur, experts believe that it is caused by the combination of enlarged arteries in the head and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers found around these blood vessels.
An attack begins with an enlargement of the temporal artery, which is found just under the skin of the temple. When this happens, the nerve fibers coiled around the artery release chemicals that cause inflammation and pain. The presence of abnormal amounts of these chemicals inside the brain makes the artery enlarge further and the sufferer then begins to sense migraine symptoms.
Migraine attacks are brought about by substances or events called “triggers”. Like migraine symptoms, triggers vary from person to person. Certain substances and foods have been known to cause migraines such as MSG, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, cheese and nuts. Missing a meal, oversleeping or not getting enough sleep, being under a lot of physical and emotional stress, hormonal changes, weather, strong odors and smoking are also known triggers.
It is important for the sufferer to know his exact trigger and then to avoid it. As mentioned, migraine, as a disease, is not fully understood and an effective treatment is difficult to pinpoint; hence, the best treatment is to stop the attack from occurring in the first place.
There are two approaches to treating migraine: preventive and abortive. Avoiding triggers is certainly preventive because it is one way of halting the onset of migraine symptoms. An example of this would be observing the right migraine diet to avoid triggers commonly found in food and beverages.
From a physician’s viewpoint, preventive medication is prescribed for migraine sufferers who have more than one attack per week, to lessen their frequency and severity. These include anti-depressants, anti-allergy and anti-seizure drugs. The dosage for these medications is usually once a day.
Abortive treatment, on the other hand, seeks to stop an attack once it starts. Medications give relief from headaches and vomiting and can be taken as often as needed.
Even if migraine is a painful and cumbersome disease, those who suffer from it can still continue to live productive lives when it is properly managed. To do this, one must first have to be properly diagnosed so the right treatment can be provided.
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Recommended Books:
The Migraine Solution
4.5 out of 5
Filled with scientifically backed, natural solutions to stop migraines, this book is written in an easy to understand manner.
The Migraine Relief
4.25 out of 5
This book talks about a comprehensive migraine relief system that deals with preventing a migriane attack, what to do when you have one, and how to treat it naturally.
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