What Do We Mean When We Talk About A Migraine Headache?
One of the most common migraine headache symptoms is a sharp throbbing pain which is generally situated on only one side of the head close to the temple. Unlike normal headaches, migraines are also often accompanied by additional symptoms that can include sensitivity to noise and light, nausea and occasionally vomiting.
Migraines are reasonably common and affect about one in ten people in the United States, or over 28 million Americans. They are also much more often seen in women than in men (about three times as many women suffer from migraines) and can also be sse sometimes in children.
Although migraine headaches are so common and usually very painful with an attack lasting anything from a matter of hours to two or three days, only roughly half of all sufferers ever consult their physician and the rest choose to suffer in silence.
Migraines had long been thought to be were the result of a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, even though there is no general consensus, medical opinion seems to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic basis for this condition. Current thinking is that migraines results from the interaction of certain brain chemicals like serotonin with the nerve cells. At this time however the truth is that we really do not know what cause a migraine headache.
There are in fact two different forms of the condition, the first of which is referred to as ‘classical migraine’and is characterized by an accompanying ‘aura’. Here ‘aura’ is used to refer to visual light effects that are experienced immediately before the arrival of a headache including such things as flashing lights and bright light spots. In a few cases a total loss of vision can be experienced for some minutes before the onset of the headache.
The second form of the condition is simply a migraine with no ‘aura’.
In exactly the same way that we do not know what causes a migraine, we also have little idea about just what triggers an attack, though there are some factors that do appear likely to trigger an attack. For instance, too much sleep appears to be one factor and so does skipping meals or eating particular types of food such as cheese.
Hormones are also thought to influence both the onset of attacks and their severity and one piece of evidence for this is the higher incidence of migraines among women. In part this is thought to be because of the effect of estrogen on the blood vessels and it has been noted in some studies that there is a connection between contraceptive pills (which contains estrogen) and migraine headaches.
Just to confuse matters however studies have also demonstrated that simple everyday activities like walking up stairs can trigger an attack, as can exposure to loud noises, cold and heat, flashing lights and even stress.
Luckily, there are a variety of migraine medications available, although no one treatment is really effective in all cases. Over-the-counter medications are however seldom effective and, if you are unlucky enough to suffer from migraine headaches, you would be best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding a solution that works for you.
