Headache and Migraine Cure

The migraine treatment varies according to the migraine attacks that occur for a person. The migraine is a kind of headache that occurs on one side of the head that results in the impaired functioning of the blood vessels in the brain. The duration of an attack of the migraine headache vary in different individuals, ranging from 4 hours to 3 days. The migraine may be preceded by a set of symptoms called aura. A typical aura consists of symptoms like nausea and light sensitivity. The severity may range from moderate headaches, with symptoms of the aura to a temporarily debilitating type of headache. The migraine treatment would consist of preventing further episodes of the migraine attacks, to study the causative factors and avoiding them, to stop the attack before it set in and to provide relief from the pain that the person suffers during the attacks.

Certain chemicals and drugs are found to prevent the attacks of migraine. One such chemical with very less side effects is the Beta-blockers. Some of the antidepressants have worked on to manage pain. The narrowing of blood vessel is prevented by use of calcium channel blockers. The altered serotonin levels in blood have known to cause migraines. Antidepressants and Methysergide have proven to be effective in working against this and consequently proving to be effective in migraine treatment. Luckily, they have been found to have fewer side effects, too. Small doses of Divalproex Sodium have also worked for migraine treatment.
Prevention of migraine also calls for a deeper understanding of what actually causes the migraine and avoiding those things. Some of the common factors that can result in migraines are foods like processed meats, cheese, dried fish, beans, etc. Beverages like red wine, beer and substitutes like Aspartame have been found to be some of the culprits to have triggered migraine attacks in people. Environmental conditions that have known to cause migraines are change of weather, exposure to extreme levels of lights, odors and sounds. Incidentally, conditions like anxiety or excitement or even depression may not cause migraine.
In spite of the prevention measures, the victim may feel the onset of the migraine attack. When intervened at this stage, the person can be spared of the intense pain and agony he might undergo during the episode. The medications taken at this stage include those that work on the blood vessels and stop their constriction. The medicines such as Midrin TM, Amerge TM, etc are made for such causes.
And finally, in the event of the pain, the only things that work against are the analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the like. But care has to be taken that the person does not get addicted to these drugs. The NSAID have also known to cause bleeding in the digestive system if they are used for a longer periods of time. However, simple analgesics are sometimes the most effective migraine treatment.

A migraine headache occurs when the artery that lies under the skin of the temple undergoes changes in size. The blood vessels become bigger in size and may cause release of toxins from the nerve cells that strangle to blood vessels. This results in inflammation and pain, which we call as migraine headaches. They may occur along with other symptoms like giddiness, visual changes, nausea and vomiting. Some may also experience sensitivity to sound, cognitive disturbances as well. The set of symptoms that occur before the migraine is called aura, which may or may not be followed by the actual migraine headache.

To get into the root cause of migraine, it is important to understand the difference between a headache caused by stress and the actual migraine attack. The stress headache shows on the facial muscles as they clench and cause the pain, while a migraine is the result of the changes in the chemical levels of blood. There is dilation of blood vessels of the brain and serotonin levels in the blood are reduced. The nerves send constant impulses to the brain causing the agonizing pain.
While a stress headache lasts for a few hours to a few days, the migraine typically lasts for about 4 to 72 hours. The pain is focused on one side in migraines in contrast to the pain in the entire head, in a headache. Also, the intensity of the pain is very severe in migraine as compared to other headaches. Regular headaches are usually dull and uniform all over the head. But migraines cause the agony of throbbing and pounding headaches, which becomes more severe if the person does not get enough rest. The main distinguishing feature of the migraine is that it is generally preceded by aura and occurs with other symptoms like vision changes, aural changes, nausea etc.

Migraines can be triggered by temperature changes, changes in atmospheric pressure, and also the smells around us. Other nasal stimulants like the perfume, dust, pollens, and paints are also known to cause migraines. Some foods like the various types of cheese, processed meat, and some beverages are attributed to trigger a migraine. They contain a substance called tyramine, which is the culprit.

Caffeine is used as a headache reliever, but they are also known to cause rebound headaches. The headaches occur as symptoms of withdrawal from caffeine, which will be relieved only by consumption of more caffeine. It is essential to gradually reduce caffeine consumption, and eventually quit, for effective migraine prevention.

Many other foods such as diary products, tomatoes, corn, bananas, chocolate, meat from cows, pigs, fouls etc., nuts, beverages (both alcoholic and caffeine), monosodium glutamate, nitrites and sweeteners like aspartame are considered to trigger migraine. The physical triggers may be lack of sleep, tension, starvation, hormonal changes, exposure to smoke or changing lights and smells. Some women also find that their migraine is elevated if they take oral contraceptive pills. The hormonal changes that these drugs cause have been found to influence about 35 to 50% of women, and make them vulnerable to migraines, sometimes ending up in stroke, too. Migraines may also occur in women due to the natural hormonal changes they undergo during the menstrual cycles, and are called menstrual migraine. This kind of migraine has a solution in the supplement like MigreLief-M, which prevents the regular symptoms of PMS as well.

An understanding of the substances or situations that cause migraine goes a long way in migraine prevention. An effective migraine prevention program calls for changes in life style. A well-balanced, nutritious diet, eaten at regular intervals and well-managed sleep patterns go a long way in making those pains more and more bearable. Eating at regular intervals, keep the sugar levels in the blood at a constant level. Religious fasts must be accompanied by medications for migraine prevention.

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are found to have anti-inflammatory factors. They are extracted from fish like salmon and from cod fish and are made available commercially.

Water is the simplest measure one can take towards migraine prevention. Keeping the brain hydrated eventually reduces migraine to a great extent. It is better to drink water at regular intervals even if one is not feeling thirsty. A person must consume at least 3 liters of water everyday.

Exercise relieves stress, which in turn has a good effect on the migraine. The exercise need not be heavy. Mild to moderate physical activity such as walking or biking is a good way to stay healthy and away from the migraines. Some of the neurologists have come up with behavioral therapy for migraine. This involves the identification of stress causing factors and eliminating the stress. Cognitive behavioral therapy, combined with relaxation techniques and biofeedback therapy have been found to have made a great deal of difference in migraine prevention.

However, use of drugs like triptans or other medicines for headache relief has been found to aggravate the migraines. This happens because these drugs contain caffeine, which may cause withdrawal symptoms, resulting in headaches. The persons suffering from persistent migraines may find temporary relief from the headache when they take the drugs, while they would find themselves reaching out more and more for the drug. This kind of dependence on the drug is termed as Medication-overuse Headache.

As the age-old saying goes, Prevention is better than cure. Prevention necessarily means using natural sources to work on the triggers and causes of the migraine. Some of the Vitamins and minerals are known to help in migraine prevention. Magnesium deficiency has known to cause migraines. The function of magnesium in the human body is to help keep the blood vessels in the body and brain in shape. Deficiency may cause narrowing or even spasms, and reduces the number of platelet formation. The cell membranes may get stabilized. All these factors contribute to migraines. All these factors aggravate the migraines.
Riboflavin acts on the cells to produce the energy, which reduces migraines drastically. Puracol Feverfew is a commercial product derived from herbs, a well known ancient remedy for migraines.

Each of these individual agents works for different kinds of headaches, and when put together, they get rid of the migraines totally.

Management of migraines requires a good understanding of the patterns in which they occur. If each of the migraine attack is recorded according to the date and hour of occurrence, duration, causing factors, etc, it would be easier to chalk out a treatment plan, and eventually towards migraine prevention.
Herbal formulas are recommended by neurologists and other specialists in dealing with these kinds of headaches. Curt Hendrix, a scientist researching the effective natural remedies for migraine prevention, has come out with a lot of safe medications and supplements, which prevent migraines and also aging.