allaboutmigraine.com

A migraine attack can be quite a torture to endure. The pain can be so intense that the migraine sufferer cannot function properly. When this happens, either rest or strong pain medication is what is needed.

But for some migraine sufferers aromatherapy can alleviate the pain associated with migraines. Scents like lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, or peppermint have been known to help alleviate the pain of a migraine and also help the sufferer to relax. Aromatherapy can actually be used as a complimentary solution to migraine medication. Just take the medication that is prescribed to you, retreat to your room, prepare some aromatherapy candles or essential oils in a diffuser, turn off the lights and relax.

Are you tired of hearing about water – the arguments over how important it really is, and how much water you should drink? Everyone knows some facts about water: that it has a simple formula (H2O) and covers more than 2/3 of the earth’s surface. But that doesn’t mean the subject is trivial or that you know everything there is to know about it. Water can do more for you than you can imagine. And it’s key to migraine headache prevention.

How Important Is Water?

Most of your body is water — salt water, to be accurate. To keep your body functioning well, you need water and salt on a regular basis. Water is needed to ensure adequate volume inside your cells. Salt is needed to control the water outside your cells and in circulation.

With sufficient water in your body, all the parts of your body have the raw materials they need, the freedom of movement to carry out chemical reactions, and the ease of ridding themselves of waste.

What Does Water Do?

Water is a solvent and transporter — it carries oxygen and removes various wastes from the body. But water has more than a mechanical role in the body. It is an active participant in body chemistry. For example, it is essential in the breakdown of proteins and fats.

Can’t You Just Drink When You Get Thirsty?

No. As you get older, you lose your ability to know when you need water. You can be dehydrated — short several glasses of water — and not know it.

But Being Thirsty Isn’t Serious, Is It?

Being dehydrated on a long-term basis has the effect of strangling crucial processes throughout your body. This may cause most of the diseases of the human body — as well as producing serious pain (including migraines).

How Does Dehydration Cause Pain?

Without adequate water to flush them away, acidic waste products build up in your cells. The acid irritates your nerve endings, sending pain messages to the brain. Dehydration can lead to migraines.

So Drinking More Water Will Change My Life?

It could make a surprising change for the better. Chances are you will digest your food better, sleep better, have fewer aches and pain — for starters. Long-term benefits can include a reduction in migraines.

A lot of people tend to think that what ever problem they have, it can be solved on their own. The reality is that most problems need to be solved by people that have knowledge in the field. This is why so many people use a migraine book to try and solve their problem once and for all!

The more people know about migraines, the easier it is to not only treat them, but to prevent them from happening in the future. The more the sufferer reads, the more likely it is that they will not experience the pain for much longer.

The question most people want to know is; what will an online migraine book include?

An online book will include lots of things such as

Triggers – Most have an extensive section that allows sufferers to see why they are getting a headache in the first place. This will hopefully help them to prevent it happening in the future.

Symptoms – If a sufferer uses a book, they will find that the symptoms are some that they did not expect. Even things down to loss of appetite are a sign that a headache is on its way, so they can prepare for what is to come.

Prevention techniques – Of course, this is possibly the most important part of any migraine book. The user needs to understand the triggers and symptoms, and then they can go ahead and look into the prevention techniques that are listed. A lot of these techniques are natural.

Using a migraine book is certainly a great way to try and rid yourself of attacks for good.

Some people suffer from headaches on a regular basis. They have these aches and pains, sometimes pounding headaches that are caused by all kinds of things, from the weather to stress to hormones that are naturally in the body. But there is a type of headache that is much worse than the others put together and is enough to bring even the strongest of us to our knees. This is what is commonly known as a migraine headache, and if the problem persists it can actually become chronic.

Migraines are typically broken down into two distinct types, some that come with an accompanying set of symptoms and another that does not have those symptoms. They include the following that may or may not accompany the headache, and usually occur before the headache begins. Light flashes and zigzag lines could be within your vision, and you may experience a hole in your line of sight, as if you can not see things when looking directly at them.

I know that my wife, when she has these signs can overcome the migraine by working on it at that point. The headache will then progress to perhaps a pain that is on one or both sides of the head, perhaps with pulsating or pounding sensations, nausea and an inability to function because of the pain. Some of the things that can cause a migrane headache are what are known as common triggers. They include hormonal changes in the body, different types of food, drinks, caffeine, nicotine, changes in the way that we sleep and in our environment and some medications that we may be taking.

I’ve suffered from migraines for many years and I have to be reasonably careful about what I do or don’t do in order to prevent an attack. For instance if I’m in a meeting, I have to sit with my back to the window otherwise the glare of the sun against the window can trigger an attack. I’m teetotal because drinking alcohol is a sure-fire way to make me ill. I don’t eat bananas, I avoid excessively salty food, I try to ensure that I get between 7 to 8 hours sleep a night …. the list goes on and on.

Exercise and Migraines

One of the main things, however, that triggers a migraine is exercise – but of course I can’t avoid doing that! It’s worse in the summer because it’s hot and the sunlight is very bright. We went for a long walk with the dog yesterday evening and I was ok for the first hour. But then we started walking with the sun in our eyes, and within a few minutes I knew that an attack was iminent. By the time I got home, my head was hurting, my eyes were hurting, my chest felt tight and I was sensitive to smells.

Nevertheless, I made dinner. What I’d rather do when I have a migraine is sit down, ignore everyone and everything, and sleep. However, I get migraines so frequently that I would just be a recluse! Instead I rely on my prescription migraine tablets, which are a god-send. They are evil little things: they increase your risk of heart attack and stroke and the side-effects are quite severe, but they do stop an attack if I take one soon after I feel it coming on.

Food and Migraines

So I took a tablet and carried on with my evening. However when the headache is particularly bad, the tablet takes longer to work and the side-effects are stronger – and I get an overwhelming craving for something sweet. It’s hard to explain it – my body almost cries out for it. We don’t buy chocolate or sweets, so Marc made me toast with jam. Within 5 minutes, I felt much better, but of course this isn’t great for trying to lose weight! But it’s yet another reason why I don’t lose weight despite the fact that I generally eat well and do a moderate amount of exercise every day.

Migraine ‘Cures’

As an aside, I have been to the doctor’s numerous times to find out what I can do about my migraines. Needless to say, all that is offered is more tablets. In fact, I was finally referred to a headache specialist a while ago. Great, I thought – someone is finally going to help me! I went in with high hopes and a long list of triggers, but the specialist wasn’t interested. All he did was suggest that I take a high dose of beta blockers every day, a tablet for (I think) reducing blood pressure that they’ve found also works for migraine sufferers. That taking beta blockers isn’t recommended for women of child bearing age didn’t seem to be a concern for the specialist, which I am still astounded by. Of course, I threw the prescription away and cancelled my follow up appointment.

Sinusitis is a pretty common ailment that afflicts millions of individuals worldwide. The reason for sinusitis is that the paranasal sinuses within our skulls are irritated either by bacteria or allergies that cause the sinus passages to swell and constrict. When this happens, a sinus headache ensues. The areas affected by a sinus headache can be found where the swollen sinuses are which happen to be in the face or check areas, between the eyebrows, and behind the eyes.

Sinus headaches can be very sever and is always accompanied by stuffy nose and a persistent green or yellow colored nasal discharge. There are several very effective over the counter cures for sinus headaches and sinusitis. Unfortunately, these treatments have been known to fail among individuals who have mistakenly diagnosed themselves to have sinusitis and therefore suffer from sinus headaches.

Studies have been reported to produce results that show that among individuals who think they suffer from sinus headaches, up to 97% of them actually suffer from migraine instead. It was found that people and sometimes doctors mistake migraine for sinus headaches, resulting in false and useless treatments. Imagine suffering needlessly with these supposed headaches and not getting the much sought after relief from use of sinusitis medication. Naturally, if you suffer from migraine and not sinus headaches, you must get migraine specific medication.

Otherwise, you will continue to suffer from migraines without getting proper treatment and this of course can result to a serious impediment on the quality of life you deserve to enjoy.

It is quite easy to mistake migraines for sinus headaches because some individuals who suffer migraine also suffer from sinusitis like symptoms such as pain in the face area as well as a stuffy nose and ref puffy eyes. Although, people must keep in mind that if it is indeed a sinus headache induced by a sinus infection then along with the other symptoms, the person with sinusitis will have constant yellow or green nasal discharge. Without this, it is not a sinus headache from sinusitis. It could be migraine.

To help you and your doctor be able to correctly diagnose the root cause of your headache and determine whether it is indeed sinus headache or migraine, it has been said that it is helpful to keep a headache diary. Keeping tabs and taking notes every time one experiences a headache can help one accurately log the experience and details that may otherwise have been neglected will be highlighted and will help in proper diagnosis.

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.

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.

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.