Health >> Migraines
What Are Migraines?
Migraines are a common neurological condition characterized by a number of debilitating symptoms.
They are a neurological disorder caused by what is thought to be related to a hormonal effect of sorts. The exact nature of migraines still remains unknown, but there is a lot that we do know about them too.
Migraines effect approximately 18% of women and 6% of men which means that approximately 12-15% of our population today, suffer from migraines although many cases still remain undiagnosed. Migraine sufferers should be aware that there are triggers which often cause migraines and these can be as broad as environmental changes such as the weather, or as obvious as a blow to the head. It is imperative that each individual migraine sufferer finds out what their own triggers are and avoids them as much as possible. It is also important for migraine sufferers to be properly diagnosed and advised by a medical professional.
What Causes Migraines?
There are many different causes to migraine headaches. The most evident cause of migraines, however, would seem to be the onset of hormonal changes. In a study conducted on young people, there was shown to be no notable variation between male and female migraine sufferers. When they looked at adults in the study, it was evident that females were the major migraine sufferers with many cases closely tied to ovulation times.
What causes a migraine attack?
A migraine attack may be brought on by just about anything. Hormonal changes, bright lights, certain foods, bad posture and many more. These things are called 'triggers' and are different for each individual migraine sufferer. Many people find that they can avoid having many migraine attacks, simply by avoiding their known triggers, but others find this extremely difficult.
While there is still no directly specific cause to a migraine, hormones play a large role, and it is likely to vary from person to person.
What Are The Different Types of Migraines?
There are various different types of migraines which people may suffer from. These include:
- Migraine without aura (common migraine)
- Migraine with aura (classic migraine)
- Abdominal migraine
- Basilar type migraine
- Familial hemiplegic migraine
- Acephalgic migraine (headache-free migraine)
- Ophthalmoplegic migraine
- Benign exertional headache
- Status migrainosus
What Are The Dangers of Migraines?
Migraines are a neurological condition and do have associated dangers. Apart from the obvious hazards one may experience whilst suffering a migraine attack, there are more subtle and more deadly dangers lurking beyond the typical migraine episode.
Many people who suffer from migraines suffer symptoms of photophobia (light sensitivity) and phonophobia (sound sensitivity) as well as what is called "aura" and possibley partial loss of vision. This can obviously be dangerous depending on where you are at the time of an attack. If you are driving your car for example, and you suddenly notice a partial loss of vision, there are clearly some extreme dangers here.
Other than this however, migraine sufferers are in fact up to 6 times more likely to suffer a stroke, than everyone else. That is a 600% likelihood as compared with a normal, healthy adult. This also has effects on the lives of migraine sufferers as stroke sufferers often lose their lives in an attack. This alone can be very dangerous for the migraine sufferer.
How Can Migraines Be Treated?
Conventional western treatments
Convential western medicine has not yet discovered a cure to migraines although there are drugs available which may be helpful in relieving the symptoms and/or preventing the onset of migraines.
Typically these include:
- Anticonvulsants
- Antidepressants
- Beta Blockers
Clearly there are many side-effects to using these drugs and they should be used with caution under the guidance of a medical professional.
The problem with this type of medicine is that it is generally focussed on altering the functions of the body with synthetic drugs which is highly undesirable. Still, it may be better than suffering migraines, but it may even become worse. A condition called medication overuse headache (MOH) or rebound headache is something that can occur from medication overuse. MOH sufferers may experience chronic daily headaches.
Physical therapy
Many specialists have conducted studies on the benefit of physical activity to migraine sufferers and have found that it is beneficial in most cases. Something as simple as exercise can actually be extremely helpful in the prevention and elimination of migraine headaches.
Alternative treatment
Incense, aromatherapy, scents, accupunture and accupressure are all alternative treatments which have been shown to have beneficial effects for many migraine sufferers. The most helpful scents determined by migraine sufferers were found to be peppermint and lavender.
Herbal remedies
Many herbal remedies exist for migraines. These include
- Butterbur
- Cannabis
- Feverfew
- Kudzu Root
- Magnesium Citrate
These have all been shown to be useful in the treatment of migraines but it is important to seek professional advice before undergoing treatment.
The Absolute Migraine Freedom Program offers migraine sufferers a chance to win the battle with migraines 
once and for all and eliminate the need for dangerous prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs. The program provides a simple, comprehensive solution that anyone can follow to completely and permenantly free themselves from migraines once and for all!
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