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Headaches are comprised of two major categories, primary and secondary. Headaches belonging to the primary group are not caused by underlying medical conditions while secondary headaches are the result of a medical condition such as trauma, infection or possibly even a brain tumor. Most headaches belong in the primary category.

The primary category headaches include migraine headaches and tension headaches. These two headache types are the most common of all headaches with tension-type headaches being the most common. Tension headaches constitute about 75% of all headaches while migraine headaches affect as many as 30 or 40 million Americans, or approximately 10% or more of the American population.

Migraine headaches can become chronic in nature, but are typically experienced at most once or twice a week, not daily. Females experience the pain of migraines about 3 times as often as males, or about 75% of the time. Migraine headaches can be severe and disabling. They can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and a sensitivity to light. About 20% of migraine patients will experience an aura. An aura is a disturbance in vision that consists of brightly colored blinking lights that move across a person’s field of vision.

There are many types of treatment methods that are available to migraine sufferers, both natural and unnatural. The most common method of treatment are pain relievers that are bought without a prescription, or over-the-counter. Non-prescription drugs can include aspirin, Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin (ibuprofen), or a combination of acetaminophen and aspirin. These are the most commonly purchased types of non-prescription pain relievers. Migraine headache patients experiencing more severe pain may need prescription medicine.

There are also many types of natural treatment methods that don’t involve the use of non-prescription or prescription medications. These methods of treatment can often relieve migraine headache symptoms and are increasingly gaining popularity in today’s society as people are becoming more educated on the potentially dangerous side effects of drugs. One of these natural treatment methods is putting an ice pack on the back of the neck at the base of the skull. When using an ice pack there should be a barrier between the ice pack and the skin such as a wetted cloth or t-shirt that has had the water squeezed out of it. Ice therapy can lessen the flow of blood to the head resulting in less pressure in the head. It can often help relieve the throbbing pain of a migraine headache by decreasing the flow of blood to the head. It is often beneficial for a person to put their feet in a container of warm water at the same time. This can have the effect of attracting the blood to the feet instead of to the head.

Migraine headaches can sometimes be caused by foods and can be prevented by eliminating these food triggers. Foods that can trigger migraine headaches include, but are not limited to, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, MSG (monosodium glutamate), nuts, cheese, beans, onions and others. Eliminating the trigger may eliminate the migraines.

Another natural treatment method for migraine headaches is simply to reduce stress by relaxing. Many migraines are caused by stress, so eliminating the stress can relieve the pain. Relieving stress can sometimes be achieved by getting plenty of sleep, lying down in a dark quiet room, or a combination of lying down in a dark quiet room with a small ice pack positioned on the neck at the base of the skull as explained above.

This article is a general overview with regard to natural migraine headache treatment methods and may not apply to everyone. As always it is a good idea to seek the help of a professional before treating yourself for a potentially serious health condition.

Migraines are frequently undiagnosed and untreated, that may lead to a more serious illness. A person experiencing migraine may track and record their attacks, and may refer to these following signs and symptoms, which may indicate other, more serious medical problems:

An unexpected, severe headache, similar to thunderclap
Headache after a head injury, especially if the headache becomes worse overtime
A persistent headache that is worse after coughing, physical exertion, straining or a rapid movement
New headache pain if you’re 45 and up
Headache with stiff neck, mental confusion, fever, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness, or trouble in speaking

A migraine headache is a disabling illness that will leave you helpless once it attacks. The sad thing about migraines is that there is virtually no cure for them. However, there are different kinds of treatments and medications that can help in easing the pain and help you make your life easier.

Basically, migraine headaches can be triggered by sound, light, smell, stress, and some medical conditions. Although there is no specific knowledge on how a person gets a migraine headache, it is believed that it is linked to genetic factors. So, if your parents or grandparents suffer from this kind of illness, there is a great chance that you too will suffer from migraines.

Females are often more prone to migraine attacks than are males. This most likely has to do with changing hormones during monthly menstrual cycles. Often times, woman who are pregnant and undergo massive hormonal changes will either see a drastic increase or decrease in the number and severity of migraine headaches. Woman reaching menopause often see a decline in the number of migraines and the severity as well.

There are several treatments that can help in easing the attacks of migraine. The first is by going to the doctor and getting some prescription medication for migraine in order to prevent future attacks; the second is by applying ice packs or hot packs on your head; and you can also try lying down in a dark room and try getting some sleep.

There are no known cures for these debilitating headaches. However, by preventing stress and by avoiding the triggering factors of migraine attacks, such as bright lights, stress, and other factors, you will be able to minimize the attacks of migraine headaches.

These are the things that you should know about migraines. By managing it properly, you will be able to live a normal and productive life. So, always remember that you should avoid conditions that can trigger the attacks and take the prescribed medications that your doctor gave you.

Awareness is an essential aspect of curing any kind of sickness. That is why Migraine.org was put up in order to reach out to a wider audience who would want to know more about this disease. The website was a result of the dedication and goodwill of a group of people who also suffer from migraine and who believe that “knowing” about the disease will help lessen the struggle of those who are also enduring this painful neurological syndrome.

Migraine.org has one goal: to make available – in a single location –
all the major news about migraine headache research.

Now, migraine sufferers and researchers can get together to form a unified educating body to spread consciousness all over the world.

Source: http://www.migraine.org/

Are you one of the thousands searching for aura migraine information every day? The internet has so much information but also too much misinformation. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get the facts.

In this article you will find the basic aura migraine information that eludes a lot of people, you will also find out how to treat migraines naturally without the use of dangerous prescribed drugs.

There are many different types of migraine but you are going to learn about the classic migraine which refers to a migraine with aura. A relatively small percentage, about 20% of migraine sufferers have the signals or symptoms of a migraine with aura.

Aura refers to the visual disturbances, speech problems, distortions of smells and sounds, numb hands, feet, and lips that are experienced by the sufferer or migraineur as migraine sufferers are becoming known. Each migraineur’s experience is different and it rarely affects two people in the same way. This is why when searching for aura migraine information, a lot of the evidence is contradictory and not tailored to each specific migraineur.

Some migraineurs experience auras occasionally, where as others have never had a single aura during their entire lives.

Most migraineurs don’t experience auras. So if your headaches don’t come with auras, you aren’t automatically placed in a different headache category, in fact you are in the majority.

To fully discus all the symptoms and factors concerning migraines with aura is far beyond the scope of this or any other article.

There is another type of headache called migraine headache. This type of headache usually starts from the teenage years , and the causes can be traced to the use of alcohol, caffeine or other drugs, neurotransmitters which is changes in the chemical level of the body, coughing, sneezing, dehydration, dental problems like pains, in the grinding of the teeth or from the canal root, eating and drinking cold food and drinks, emotional stress, exposure to smokes or fumes, eyestrain, fever, high altitude, lower oxygen levels, high blood pressure which leads to hypertension,.

Medicines can cause headaches as well, and many medicines are in this category.

Though not common, headache may be a sign of a serious illness. When this is the case, the person may notice symptoms like vomiting, dizziness or changes in the vision. Headaches can equally be caused by injuries or illnesses like:

*A head injury.

* Injury to the brain,

* Injury of the skull,

* Bleeding in or around the brain,

* Brain tumor, this leads to swelling within the brain.

* Encephalitis which is an infection of the brain or the membranes surrounding the and the Spinal cord.

* Stroke, which is a problem that occurs when the arteries that supplies blood to the brain blocks or bursts or is blocked by a blood clot.

* A rupture of the blood vessels with bleeding in or around the brain.

HEADACHES AND OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS:

There are other negative health conditions that can contribute to headache, and some of them are listed below.

* FIBROMYALGIA: This is a condition that is responsible for widespread muscle and soft tissue pains and tenderness.

* GLAUCOMA: This is an eye disease that damages the nerves and back of the eye.

* HYPERTENSION: This is an offshoot high blood pressure.

* HYPAGLYCEMIA: This is also known as high blood sugar and its twin brother is called HYPOGLYCEMIA which is low blood sugar.

* ARTHRITIS: This is the appearance of lupus, giant cell arthritis and other inflammatory problems.

* Waste build up in the blood as a result of kidney problems.

* Hypocalcemia ie low calcium level in the blood or over activity of the gland that helps control the release of calcium into the blood (hyperparathyroidism)

* LYME DISEASE: This is an infection caused by bacteria which spreads by some kinds of ticks.

* Anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.

* Preeclampsia, severe high blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy.

* Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

Review the emergencies and check your symptoms sections to determine if and when you need to consult your doctor. Indeed, headache can be a serious problem if it is left unattended to.

Headache is a general problem of people around the world. The attack can occur in every age, every opportunity and both sex. To diagnose and treatment of headache, the physicians have to know the cause and characteristic of each type headache.

Migraine and cluster headache are the severe head pain. The basic physiology of migraine and cluster headache involve with the dysfunction of trigemino vascular system cause vasodilation (enlargement of blood vessel) and neurologic inflammation. But migraine is afflicted more than cluster headache. However many patients can suffer from mixed both type.

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In 1979, the highly respected Lancet Journal published an article identifying caffeine as a suspected migraine trigger. Various theories about caffeine and other substances in products that contain caffeine have since been explored.

As is frequently the case with food intolerances, one person will not react to a specific food, whilst another can suffer a severe reaction to the same food. Consider the shellfish – a killer for some, a healthful food for someone else.

Reports of the effect of caffeine on migraines are contradictory; some people believe it to be a trigger, but it remains a major ingredient in many headache medications. Many studies have been carried out, focusing on the efficacy of caffeine when used to relieve migraines; as a natural vaso-constrictor, it would seem that caffeine might help rather than intensify migraine pain. Several studies have shown that when caffeine is included as an ingredient in migraine medications, relief is faster and more complete(1).

However, there is some evidence to suggest the link between caffeine and migraines hinges on a borderline addiction. Weekend headache or Sunday migraine often occurs when the usual daily routine is disrupted – or in other words, when a person sleeps in and misses their 6am, 7am and 8am cups of coffee. The body goes into withdrawal mode, resulting in a migraine. The headache clears after the caffeine ingestion.

In a study on the subject at the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, London in 1992, a set of migraine sufferers was chosen that showed a marked tendency towards high caffeine use during the week. Among the 151 patients, 33 were identified as having weekend migraine. Of these, everyone reported sleeping in late on weekends; with a subsequent average consumption of 734 mg. per day of caffeine.

In contrast, of the remaining 118 patients only 43% slept late on weekends, and of these the average caffeine was only 362 mg/day(2). This lends credence to the idea that it is the withdrawal from dependency that is the trigger rather than the coffee or tea being the cause.

Soda seems a slightly different story – a study done on adolescents who drank a liter of cola a day and suffered from daily migraines showed a marked improvement across the board when cola was cut from the diet. This led to the recommendation that children with daily recurring headache be researched as to caffeine intake(3).

The scientific studies are fascinating and useful, but however much we enjoy it, caffeine is a substance we can live without. The simple way to discover if it’s a problem for you is just cut it out for a few weeks. If you suffer enough with your migraines, you might find the exclusion brings relief. However, be aware that there will be a tendency to suffer an initial increase in headaches, due to the possible “withdrawal syndrome” as discussed above. Consult your GP or health professional if you are concerned.

For coffee, tea and cola drinkers, instead of complete elimination, a gradual lessening of daily caffeine consumption may be the best way to remove the possibility of the excess or lack of it triggering a migraine. Speaking personally, I was a heavy consumer of coffee and suffered badly with migraines. I rarely get a migraine now and enjoy one cup of coffee per day, having found this an acceptable level which doesn’t cause any me problems.

(1) Stephen J. Peroutka; James A. Lyon; James Swarbrick; Richard B. Lipton; Ken Kolodner; Jerome Goldstein Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Volume 44, Number 2, February 2004 , pp. 136-141(6)

(2) EGM Couturier, R Hering, and TJ Steiner, Weekend Attacks in Migraine Patients: Caused by Caffeine Withdrawal? Cephalalgia 12(2):99-100 (Apr 1992)

(3) Hering-Hanit R, Gadoth N. Caffeine-induced headache in children and adolescents. Cephalalgia 2003;23:332-335.

Is there a link between candida and migraine symptoms?

Migraines normally start with a throbbing sensation on one side of the head, and if left untreated can start to move to the other side also. In most cases around about 60% of migraine sufferers will get some symptoms about 24 hours prior to a migraine attack.

They may find that they have mood changes and crave particular types of foods. They also may yawn repetitively and feel fatigued.

Dehydration can be a cause of migraines and a person may feel dry and thirsty, but unfortunately they also find that they may retain fluids and feel a little bloated. However, consuming more water will help with the elimination of toxins, which are believed to be one of the reasons that a candida infection can cause migraines.

Interestingly, some candida is present in and on our skin all the time. It is no threat to the host, and is considered beneficial if maintained in balance in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is only when it is allowed to colonize that it becomes a threat to the host and can cause any one of dozens of symptoms, including migraines.

When there is a candida infection, the body has to deal with more toxins and there is a greater strain on the immune response. An example of one of the toxins that is releases is acetaldehyde, which is considered a responsible for a person’s symptoms when they have an alcohol “hang-over”.

In a study carried out which looked at the relationship between Candida and migraine attacks it was found that 13 out of the 17 sufferers responded to change of diet and medication within 3 months and so suffered from less severe and fewer migraine attacks.

Also blood tests were carried out during this study and it was found that the number of Candida antibodies had decreased as well.

The remaining 4 did not respond to the program during the study because they did not actually follow the regime provided by the research team.

So, the first step to take if you believe that you have a migraine that may be caused by candida is to get the candida infection diagnosed.

This step may not be as simple as it sounds, as yeast infections are not always easy to diagnose as we already have candida present in our bodies. However, there are various tests that can be carried out that you can ask your doctor about.

There are also a number of symptoms that can be identified that are associated with candida; these should also be mentioned to your doctor if they are identified.

Once diagnosed there are a number of treatment options, which are designed to one or more than one of the following; kill the fungus, starve the fungus, improve the diet, bolster the immune system.

There are also natural methods that can be used to relieve the symptoms.

Continue reading to discover how you can get a copy of our free newsletter, designed to help people understand the symptoms and eliminate candida infections for good.

Unfortunately, when a treatment starts to bring the candida infection under control, even more toxins can be released into the body. However, this is a necessary evil to remove the long-term symptoms.

One way to eliminate toxins quicker, and also help with migraines is to increase the volume of water drunk during the day. Water can help flush out toxins in the body, and it also helps reduce the symptoms of the migraine.

There is one final thing to consider once the candida infection is under control. You will need to understand what triggered the candida infection in the first place. The above treatments may help eliminate the candida infections, but they could come back if the root cause is not understood and resolved.

So, if there is a candida infection, eliminate the impact of candida and migraine symptoms should ease or disappear.

Those who think of migraine as “just a bad headache” may be surprised to hear about hemiplegic migraine, a type of migraine that can involve weakness or even paralysis on one side of the body. But those familiar with migraine know that it’s much more than a headache. In fact, it’s often not a headache at all! Migraine attacks involve a number of symptoms. Headache is a common one, but there can also be nausea, skin sensitivity, a sensitivity to light or sound, confusion or weakness.

Hemiplegic migraine is a specific type of migraine. Usually, it’s divided into two types – sporadic hemiplegic migraine and familial hemiplegic migraine. Both types are similar, the difference being that those with familial hemiplegic have a close relative that gets migraine with aura – particularly the symptom of weakness.

If you’ve got hemiplegic migraine, either familial or sporadic, you may experience:

* Sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the body (temporary)

* Numbness, a pins-and-needles prickling sensation

* Difficulty speaking

* Headache

Headache and hemiplegic migraine may go together. This is considered to be one of the most severe forms of migraine, with reason. The sufferer can be incapacitate by an attack. This is good reason to see a doctor, and if diagnosed to make sure that you carry with you some sort of medical identification at all times.

There are other challenges when it comes to hemiplegic migraine. First, the number of severe symptoms that need to be treated all at once, including weakness or paralysis. Second, the connections with stroke mean that the most common migraine-targeting medications (triptans and egotamines) are not recommended.

There is good news! For one thing, new genetic research is helping us to diagnose this type of migraine more easily. Also, there are many other migraine treatments and medications that can be used, and that have been used successfully. The important thing, however, is to seek expert help as soon as possible. If you’re already aware of a migraine connection, find a headache and migraine specialist if at all possible. If you’re not sure, make sure you see a doctor so that she can rule out other severe problems, such as stroke. If you seek help right away, you can avoid serious problems. There is help available, as we understand more and more about migraine, paralysis and other types of headache.