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Aromatherapy makes an excellent complementary therapy for migraineurs that most physicians agree to. Though it has not been shown to eliminate migraine headaches, but when used to complement traditional therapy and medication it can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. It is a natural healing method that uses plant-derived essential oils to achieve a desired therapeutic affect. It is not known precisely how aromatherapy works, whether it is the scent or a chemical action of the essential oil itself that provides relief. Essential oils commonly recommended for migraine aromatherapy are lavender, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, sandalwood, clary sage, ginger, ylang-ylang, basil, marjoram, and chamomile.

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When we think of Migraine we often think it is just a very painful headache. The reality is that the attack usually has several symptoms and can be broken down into four phases. We might experience some during one attack or we don’t experience during the next. Not everyone experiences all the phases at one point.
The four phases of a potential Migraine attack in which they occur in order are Prodome which is sometimes called preheadeache; Aura the most talked about symptom; Headache the most debilitating and postdrome.
If we pay closer attention to our bodies we will distinguish the changes and determine if we are having another migraine attack.

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Most of the women I know get’s extreme headaches so often than not. This is because they have migraine which affects women more frequently than men. A migraine headache is a throbbing or pulsating headache that is often one sided (unilateral) and associated with nausea; vomiting; sensitivity to light, sound, and smells; sleep disruption; and depression. Attacks are often recurrent and tend to become less severe as the migraine sufferer ages.

The most commonly identified migraine triggers are alcohol, food that contains caffeine, stress, glare, hunger, perfume, environmental factors like extreme heat or cold, lack of sleep and hormonal changes. The exact cause of migraine remains unknown. The condition may result from a series of reactions in the central nervous system. There is often a family history of the disorder, suggesting that migraine sufferers may inherit sensitivity to triggers that produce inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves around the brain and scalp, causing pain.

The treatment of migraine begins with simple painkillers for headache and anti-emetics for nausea, and avoidance of triggers if present. Specific anti-migraine drugs can be used to treat migraine. If the condition is severe and frequent enough, preventative drugs might be considered.

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For some, migraines are infrequent. On the other side of the spectrum are people who have frequent recurrences and whose lives can be debilitated by pain. Fortunately, progress is being made in migraine management. Although an individualized treatment approach is often necessary, most people can be helped.

Migraine headaches are severe, usually one- sided headaches that often occur with nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light or sound. People often describe migraine headaches as throbbing or piercing. The pain may range from mild to terribly severe.

Although migraine headaches are usually one- sided, there may be pain on both sides of the head. In some people, the pain may switch sides each time they have a migraine.

Migraine headaches sometimes occur with an aura, a group of symptoms that usually develop 5 to 30 minutes before a migraine begins. Visual disturbances, such as flashing lights, distortion, in the size or shape of objects, or blind or dark spots in your field of vision are the most common symptoms of an aura.

A typical migraine attack produces some or all of these signs and symptoms:

* Moderate to severe pain, which may be confined to one side of the head or may affect both sides
* Head pain with a pulsating or throbbing quality
* Pain that worsens with physical activity
* Pain that interferes with your regular activities
* Nausea with or without vomiting
* Sensitivity to light and sound

When left untreated, a migraine typically lasts from four to 72 hours, but the frequency with which headaches occur varies from person to person. You may have migraines several times a month or just once or twice a year.

Not all migraines are the same. Most people experience migraines without auras, which were previously called common migraines. Some, however, have migraines with auras, which were previously called classic migraines. If you’re in the second group, you’ll likely have an aura about 15 to 30 minutes before your headache begins. Auras may continue after your headache starts or even occur after your headache begins. When you’re experiencing an aura, you may:

* See sparkling flashes of light
* Perceive dazzling zigzag lines in your field of vision
* Experience slowly spreading blind spots in your vision
* Feel tingling, pins and needles sensations in one arm or leg
* Rarely, experience weakness or language and speech problems

Whether or not you have auras, you may have one or more sensations of premonition (prodrome) several hours or a day or so before your headache actually strikes, including:

* Feelings of elation or intense energy
* Cravings for sweets
* Thirst
* Drowsiness
* Irritability or depression

Migraine symptoms in children
Migraines typically begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood and may become less frequent and less intense as you grow older. In addition to physical suffering, severe headaches often mean missed school days and trips to the emergency department, as well as lost work time for anxious parents.

Children’s migraines tend to last for a shorter time. But the pain can be disabling and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness and increased sensitivity to light. A migraine tends to occur on both sides of the head in children.

Children may also have all of the signs and symptoms of a migraine � nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light and sound � but no head pain. These “abdominal migraines” can be especially difficult to diagnose.

The good news is that some of the same medications that are effective for adults also work for children. Your child doesn’t have to go through the pain and disruption of migraines. If your child has headaches, talk to your pediatrician. He or she may want to refer your child to a pediatric neurologist.

Source: MayoClinic.com

There are many people in every corner of the world who suffers from migraine. Upon researching and browsing sites about migraine, I came across with a forum wherein they share different experiences of breakthrough about their migraine-free day. They have this countdown or tracker wherein the last day they experienced migraine is indicated. There is one woman there that she is experiencing 10 days without migraine. For her, this is a great gift for her. I admire her positive and appreciative attitude. She is right, you need to give thanks with your every single day, hour, or second, that you feel comfortable and happy. Enjoy life!

Knowing that there are 29.5 million Americans suffer from migraine, surely, there are even a lot more people around the globe who are also suffering from this. Since there are various treatments, symptoms, preventions, tips, and other issues related to migraine, it is good to be updated with the latest news. With the power of the internet, you can learn so many things and you can also help so many people.

With the mymigraineconnection.com, you can connect with those people who can relate with your experiences most especially regarding migraines. You can join the forum and share different issues about migraine. Good isn’t it?

Before, I thought only people of old age suffers from migraine. But now I realized that even children are not safe from the attacks of migraine. According to www.emedicinehealth.com, ten percent of kids can get migraine. Migraine is hereditary that is why it is expected that at the early stage of childhood, this head pain can be experienced already.

Children with migraine usually feel headaches, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, cramps in the abdomen, and sensitivity to light, smell, and sound. The ultimate medicine for children migraneurs is basically, SLEEP. There are medicines available to reduce headaches but as for children, it is not that advisable to apply this. Thus, avoidance from eating or drinking migraine triggers is recommended.

There are many factors that trigger migraine. These are the food you eat, beverages you drink, time of sleep, and condition of your environment. Take note of the following points:

Food - chocolates, nuts, cheese, Chinese food, shellfish, and other kind of sweets
Beverage – coffee, alcohol, and other caffeinated drinks
Activities – staying up late, lack of sleep, crowded environment, too much heat, and skipping meals

Discipline can be your key to avoid suffering from migraine. If you cannot cure it, avoid it! It can be easy for you to overcome and manage this illness if you are a good follower and master of your health.

By nature, in the early stage of life, migraine usually occurs among boys rather than girls before they experience puberty. By the age of 12, when girls already have menstruation, they became more prone in suffering with migraine. This is the time wherein there is already hormonal imbalance among them that is why migraine attacks.

Some women prefer to take oral contraceptives to reduce pain. But the truth is, these cannot ease the pain thoroughly, in fact, this can trigger migraine more. This can even cause a stroke among women who take contraceptives. What an enlightening one! Visit womenshealth.about.com for more information.