allaboutmigraine.com

Glutamate is a food additive that has long been used by man from ancient times when they found out that certain foods taste better when their aroma and basic taste is improved on by other food derivatives. Fermented fish sauce, first used by the early Romans is rich in glutamate that to this date, many countries all over the world still use the fishy derivative of fermented fish to add flavor to their dishes.
As it turns out, the term given by the Japanese scientist during the early 1900′s “UMAMI” is derived fro the Japanese word that describes the pleasant savory flavor certain foods attain when cooked to not only taste good but smell good as well. They started to derive the very first MSG additives from seaweed but later synthesized it in the lab making it more affordable to most people. Today, it comes in little packets(mostly by the Japanese food group Ajinomoto) which manufactures most of the world’s supply of the food additive. it can be found in most markets globally which may be testament enough to it’s safety and longevity in the quest to make ordinary food, extraordinary for everyone!

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.

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.

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.

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.