Migraine Headaches

Migraine Symptoms, Cause And Cures

Almost everyone has had a headache at one point in his or her life. Headaches are of different types. In a migraine, throbbing pain is felt on one side of the head. The most important symptom you will probably have with your migraine headache is pain, and as you know, the pain can be very severe and last many hours.

Migraine attacks can some times be so severe that person may have to abandon his or her routine activities for three or four days at a stretch. The attack lasts couple of hours to several days and has a tendency to relapse. Migraines can do more than ruin your day - they can interfere with your life. Migraines are easily the most common headache syndrome. Migraines have a strong impact on the quality of a person's life. It affects our well-being,our productivity and even our social existence. It may sometimes cause extreme nausea, vomiting and altered vision.

What Causes a Migraine?
Migraine headaches resulted from the expansion (or dilation) of blood vessels in the brain and scalp. There are many different kinds of triggers, and every person has different ones. Migraine triggers are numerous and varied and occur in combination's peculiar to a individual. The precise cause of migraines is unknown, but it is probably related to chemical changes in the blood vessels supplying the brain and its coverings.

Cheese (pizza) is also a triggering factor in some people, while in others it only aggravates an already existing condition. Although the cause of migraine headaches is often undetermined, we do know that they present in different ways, and may involve different areas of the head and/or neck area. Some women have migraines just before, during, or just after menstrual periods. Stress is one of the major factors that can contribute to the onset of a migraine.
Migraine can be triggered in susceptible individuals by tyramine-containing foods, some food additives and sugar substitutes, as well as by skipping meals. Staying up late or drinking too much coffee will bring on a headache every time. What causes migraines is still somewhat of a mystery. People who get migraines are thought to have an inherited abnormality in the regulation of blood vessels.

Possible Remedies For Migraine
There are a lot of things you can do for yourself to help treat each of your migraine headaches. If the migraine attack is coming, try to get to a dark quiet room, since noise and bright lights seem to aggravate the symptoms of migraine. For occasional tension headaches, over the counter pain relievers are often used. Individuals with occasional mild migraine headaches that do not interfere with daily activities usually medicate themselves with over-the-counter (OTC, non-prescription) pain relievers (analgesics). Individuals with mild and infrequent migraine headaches that do not cause disability may require only OTC analgesics.
There are many natural remedies for migraine headaches. These include stress and tension reduction, ice therapy (used at the base of the skull),eliminating food triggers, getting the proper amount of rest, biofeedback, headache pillows or cushions, exercise and many others.
Individuals who experience several moderate or severe migraine headaches per month or whose headaches do not respond readily to medications should avoid triggers and consider modifications of their lifestyle. If early enough in the attack, then many of us try a simple painkiller or analgesic. The most common ones are ASA (aspirin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Besides using medication, preventing the onset of migraine headache is equally important. knowing what triggers attacks is a major step towards preventing them. Herbalists tend to regard the headache as a symptom of some underlying disorder rather than an illness in its own right. If the pain is severe, which it frequently is during a full-blown migraine attack, then you may need medication.
Remember that a good general practitioner is your best ally when it comes to diagnosing, preventing and treating migraines. Before treating your health problems with drugs it is wise to seek the advice of a health professional.

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Headache Types And Treatments

Headaches can do more than ruin your day - they can interfere with your life. There are many different types of headaches and in this article, we are going to discuss a few of them.

Migraine Headache
If you have a stable pattern of recurring headaches accompanied by nausea at least some of the time, you probably have migraine. Migraines may sometimes cause extreme nausea, vomiting and altered vision. Symptoms may include tiredness or moodiness as early as 12- 18 hours before onset of the headache.

Migraine tends to recur periodically but what really causes migraines is not well understood. Migraine headaches can do more than ruin your day - they can interfere with your life. Headaches are of different variations.

Migraine headaches are usually described as a one-sided, throbbing pain of the temple, forehead, or eye. Once the pain of a migraine sets in, it is sheer agony. How bad are your headaches? The most important symptom you will probably have with your migraine headache is pain, and as you know, the pain can be very severe and last many hours.

Migraine headache resulted from the expansion (or dilation) of blood vessels in the brain and scalp. It is possible for people to have migraine even when nobody in the family has it. Though it has been seen that migraine does run in families, it is not necessary that children of migraine patients will also have it. Stress is one of the major factors that can contribute to the onset of a migraine.

Tension headache
Tension headaches are also common in many people. Stress and anxiety are causes for tension headaches. Tension headaches often start in the middle of the day. Tension headaches usually begin slowly and gradually. Tension headaches commonly come on in the middle of the day. If you have tension headaches almost every day or over-the-counter medicines don't help your pain, you should see a medical practitioner.

For a person who is prompt to tension headache, the moment the person gets tense about something, the person will develop a tension headache. People with tension headaches may also suffer from pain, throbbing or a sensation of tightness in the head. Contrary to popular belief, tension headache is not necessarily the result of emotional stress, but rather, like migraine, probably as a result of a neurochemical process inherent in the brain of the headache sufferer. Most tension-type headaches respond to simple analgesics like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but some can be somewhat disabling.

Tests are not usually required to diagnose a tension headache. If you only have tension headaches occasionally, an over-the-counter (available without a prescription) pain reliever can probably help. These headaches come on slowly, and gradually increase in intensity. Some people report that their tension headaches are worse than a migraine headache.
Common Headache Treatment Options
There are a lot of treatment options presently available for your migraine and tension headaches. Some of you will get spectacular results with one or more of these treatments and others will not. Sometimes a separate visit to your physician to discuss your headaches specifically may be necessary. Migraine can be triggered in susceptible individuals by tyramine-containing foods, some food additives and sugar substitutes, as well as by skipping meals.

Selective serotonin-agonist drugs like sumatriptan have revolutionized treatment of migraines and dramatically changed the lives of millions of people. Most commonly used drugs for migraine headaches are regular analgesics available over the counter like Tylenol, Aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil). There are several natural solutions that can help you fight headaches, but the first thing you need to do is work out what sort of headaches you're actually suffering from.

There are many natural remedies for tension headaches. These include stress and tension reduction, ice therapy (used at the base of the skull), eliminating food triggers, getting the proper amount of rest, biofeedback, headache pillows or cushions, exercise and many others. Sunglasses can often even prevent the headaches.

All treatments for migraine and tension headaches have the same treatment goals in common. They are designed to take away your headache symptoms. There is no need to endure the pain when you really have an option. Follow the tips given here and you will be amazed to find that the prevention is actually in your hands.