The findings are published in the December 4, 2007, issue of Neurology ?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Our findings have important clinical implications,” said study author Michel D. Ferrari, MD, PhD, with Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. “Since many people with this type of migraine are initially misdiagnosed and not given the proper treatment, understanding the genetic basis of this type of migraine may help clinicians in diagnosing and treating the problem. Most patients are initially diagnosed with epilepsy, stroke or other disorders and are treated accordingly with non-effective medications that are associated with a high risk of side effects rather than with effective agents to treat migraine.”

For the study, genetic testing was performed on 39 men and women with sporadic hemiplegic migraine, which is a rare, often severe subtype of migraine with aura in which attacks are associated with a weakness affecting one side of the body. The participants, who had no known family members with this type of migraine, were screened for mutations in the three known genes for familial hemiplegic migraine: the CACNA1A gene, the ATPIA2 gene, and the SCN1A gene.

The study found variants of these familial genes in 18 percent of the study participants. Variants in the ATPIA2 gene were the most prevalent.

Learn more: hnews-medical.net

MYTH: MIGRAINE IS CAUSED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, SUCH AS STRESS AND DEPRESSION.

REALITY: MIGRAINE IS A NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE, NOT A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER.

Migraine is a true organic neurological disease. A Migraine is caused when a physiological (not psychological) trigger or triggers cause vasodilatation in the cranial blood vessels, which triggers nerve endings to release chemical substances called neurotransmitters, of which the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HTT) is an important factor in the development of Migraine.

Dr. Saper stated in his endorsement letter to M.A.G.N.U.M. that “[Migraine] is not a psychological or psychiatric disease but one which results from biological and physiological alterations.” Similarly, Dr. Fred D. Sheftell, M.D., Director and Founder for the New England Center for Headache specifically stated in his letter of endorsement that “Migraine is absolutely a biologically-based disorder with the same validity as other medical disorders including hypertension, angina, asthma, epilepsy, etc. Unfortunately, there have been many myths perpetrated in regard to this disorder. The most destructive of which are ‘It is all in your head,’ ‘You have to learn to live with it,’ and ‘Stress is the major cause.’”

Misdiagnosis of Migraine as a psychological disorder can lead to a doctor prescribing unnecessary, counterproductive, and even dangerous medication. It is common for a Migraineur to be diagnosed, for example, with clinical depression and prescribed unnecessary drugs, leaving the Migraines unaffected. The continued presence of the Migraines may lead the doctor to believe that the Migraineur is unable to “handle” problems and is still “depressed”, leading to continued unnecessary drug treatment … and so on.

As mentioned above, the Migraine disease is induced by various trigger mechanisms. Trigger mechanisms can be broken down into two primary categories: uncontrollable and controllable. The Migraine triggers usually work in combinations.

Remember, Migraine is a disease that involves a heightening of one’s senses, all of one’s senses. A Migraineur is more sensitive to his or her surroundings, including light, sound, smells, taste (chemicals in foods), and touch (including the touch of the atmospheric pressure on one’s body). Awareness of one’s environment is critical for a Migraineur.

A good example of an uncontrollable Migraine trigger is weather patterns. Germany, for example, offers a telephone number that people such as weather-sensitive Migraine sufferers can call to find out the risk to their health of that day’s weather pattern. A recent study entitled “The Effects of Weather on the Frequency and Severity of Migraine Headaches” conducted in Canada arrived at the following conclusions: 1) “Phase 4″ weather, characterized by a drop in barometric pressure, the passing of a warm front, high temperature and humidity and oftentimes rain, is closely associated with higher frequency and severity of Migraine attacks.; 2) a high humidex discomfort index during the summer is associated with an increased frequency of Migraine attacks; 3) wind from the southeast was shown to be associated with more attacks than wind from any other direction; and 4) a number of Migraine sufferers may be sensitive to extreme rates of barometric pressure changes.

Another common uncontrollable trigger is the menstrual cycle. As explained by Dr. Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D., F.A.C.P., Co-Director, The Comprehensive Headache Center at Germantown Hospital and Medical Center, Migraine usually develops around the time of the first menstrual period, called the menarche. The Migraine appears to be the result of falling levels or reduced availability of estrogen. Migraine sometimes becomes worse in the first trimester of pregnancy, but many women are Migraine-free later in their pregnancy. Menstrual Migraine is often more difficult to treat than other types of head pain. Women who have Migraines only with their period can often achieve relief by taking preventive (prophylactic) medication just before their period begins. If severe menstrual Migraine cannot be effectively controlled by any of these medications, hormonal therapy is a possibility.

Controllable triggers, on the other hand, include bright light, chemical smells, second-hand smoke, particular alcohols such as red wine and some hard alcohols such as scotch, foods that are known vasodilator such as fish, some chocolate, aged cheese, and foods which contain nitrates and/or the radical vasodilator MSG.

Therefore, if one avoids controllable triggers during Migraine-weather or menstrual cycles, one may be able to escape a Migraine attack. Another tip: take abortive medication prescribed for Migraine at the earliest sign of a Migraine attack. Oftentimes, if one waits to take the medication until the attack has matured, the medication may prove practically ineffective. The drugs commonly prescribed to Migraineurs fall into two groups: abortive and preventative (prophylactic). There are some common problems and adverse effects associated with a host of the medications. Some of the more pronounced are: from abortive drugs, dizziness from Stadol, tolerance to barbiturates, rebound headache from overuse of Ergotamine and over-the-counter non-narcotic analgesics (e.g., Tylenol, aspirin and NSAIDS); and from preventative drugs, beta-blockers and calcium channel-blockers can trigger headaches/Migraines. Get to know your pharmacist, he or she can be an important source of information.

Source: migraines.org

MYTH: A MIGRAINE IS JUST A BAD HEADACHE.

REALITY: MIGRAINE IS A DISEASE, A HEADACHE IS ONLY A SYMPTOM. IN ADDITION, THE CAUSE OF MIGRAINE PAIN IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE CAUSE OF HEADACHE PAIN.

Migraine is disease, a headache is only a symptom. Migraine pain is caused by vasodilation in the cranial blood vessels (expansion of the blood vessels), while headache pain is caused by vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels). During a migraine, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain, i.e., neurogenic inflammation, exacerbates the pain. Therefore, medicine often prescribed to treat a headache, such as beta-blockers, dilate the blood vessels and therefore can make a Migraine worse.

Unlike a headache, the Migraine disease has many symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, auras (light spots), sensitivity to light and sound, numbness, difficulty in speech, and severe semihemispherical head pain. One Migraine attack alone can last for eight hours, several days, or even weeks.

Migraine is a genetically-based disease. We first learned this in the mid-90’s, as it was specifically stated in correspondence with M.A.G.N.U.M. by Dr. Stephen J. Peroutka, M.D., Ph.D., President & CEO of Spectra Biomedical, Inc., a group of research physicians dedicated to understanding the genetic basis of Migraine and other illnesses, the “data are unequivocal: Migraine is a genetically-based illness. Individuals with a single parent having Migraine have approximately a 50% chance of having Migraine. This susceptibility is neither psychological nor induced by environmental causes.”

The the really exciting genetic discoveries where yet to come! And it came from down under by an Australian genetic research team at Grithiths University, north of Sydney. The Millennium year was a breakthrough year for Migraineurs as the Australian team, lead by Professor Lynn Griffiths, discovered not one, not two, but three genes for Migraine disease! MAGNUM had the opportunity to interview Dr. Lyn Griffiths, one of the world’s top experts on Migraines and genetics. Dr. Griffiths is the director of the Genomics Research Center at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University, in Queensland, Australia. She told us that the research clearly shows that almost all Migraineurs have a close relative who is also a Migraineur. Migraineurs have a real ally in Dr. Griffiths as we where very impressed with her resolve for follow her research as far it goes, which just may lead us to a cure in the future.

A Migraine is induced by various controllable and uncontrollable triggers. Uncontrollable triggers include weather patterns and menstrual cycles, and controllable triggers include bright light, aspartame, and alcohol. The severity and frequency of Migraines for one person depends upon how many triggers an individual must experience before a Migraine is induced. The combination of triggers is different for each person.

Source: migraines.org

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.

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.

Based on www.womenshealth.about.com, estrogen fluctuation among women can be the main reason why most of them suffer from migraine than men. We all know that part of women’s life is having menstruation; this is the time wherein migraine usually attacks because of the normal hormonal fluctuation experienced by them.

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.