Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Cause for Migraine Headaches

By Lucille Green

People who suffer from migraine headaches feel like this problem is impairing their strength and vitality. Migraine headaches and stress are considered by some to be two sides of the same coin. Still, even now, science does not fully understand migraine, its causes or what can remedy it.

It is not uncommon to see migraines passed from parents to their children and while it may be considered to be a neurological disease, it does have very real symptoms. Certain steps can be taken prior to a migraine attack that can help reduce the effects as laboratory studies in rats and humans have concluded. Triptan drugs for instance, can be used, and have been on both rats and humans to control the effects at any stage of the attack. This type of medication can help both with reducing the number of attacks and preventing them as well.

There are many painful aspects to a migraine attack including a throbbing headache most usually on one side of the head, followed by a sensitivity to light, poor sleep and sometimes nausea. The pain of a classic migraine headache (migraine with aura) is described as an intense throbbing or pounding felt in the forehead-temple, ear-jaw or around the eyes.

Many migraines are so intense that they incapacitate their victim so they cannot work or carry out any day to day tasks. The Lancet medical journal highlighted a correlation between dairy and wheat foods and a migraine reduction of eighty five percent in sufferers when these foods were avoided. The effect of these dairy and wheat foods may be to tighten the arteries in the brain while at the same time dilating the muscular scalp arteries and this aspect is treated by alternative therapies.

Magnets are known to stimulate hormone production within the body and it is this action that can make magnets effective in the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches. The compound riboflavin was one of the first remedies considered as scientific researchers had noticed the low energy production in migraine suffers brain cells and riboflavin has the effect of increasing the body's energy production.

Although many migraine sufferers are trying natural and homeopathic remedies, there is no conclusive evidence that these are any more effective at warding off migraines or reducing the frequency of attacks.

Whatever be the cause for migraine, you need not listen to what others did for tackling migraines. Keeping a migraine diary that lists dates and other information such as food eaten etc.

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