Despite so many medical breakthroughs, Migraine remains to be one medical condition that cannot be cured completely. Migraine headaches can cause severe pulsing or throbbing in a part of the head and is usually followed by vomiting, nausea and an intense sensation to sound and light. However, proper medical therapy can help you control the intensity of migraines. If a therapy didn’t work for you once, it’s best to consult your doctor for proper medication. In addition to proper medical guidance, change in lifestyle and eating habits can also make a huge difference.
Causes
Migraines can be caused because of several reasons. Some of them are mentioned below:
1) Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes that a woman undergoes during puberty or pregnancy could also be a cause of migraine.
2) Eating habits
Your eating habits can also lead to migraine headaches. For example, overuse of caffeine, mono sodium glutamate, cheese, chocolate, and aspartame are usually responsible for instigating an attack.
3) Physical cause
Sexual activity can also lead to migraines.
4) Stress
Busy work-life and stress in personal life can also give rise to the migraines issue.
Mostly migraine headaches start from a small age. It could first occur in teenage or adolescence. The four stages in any migraine attack are prodrome, aura, attack and postdrome. Extreme cases must have undergone all four.
Symptoms
Migraine basically encompasses four stages: Prodrome, Aura, Attack, Postdrome. However, not everyone may experience all four.
1. Prodrome
Some of you may start noticing mild changes one or two days prior to a migraine attack. The below mentioned symptoms signify an upcoming migraine:
a) Irritability
b) Neck stiffness
c) Diarrhea
d) Constipation
e) Food cravings
f) Depression
g) Hyperactivity
2. Aura
You may experience migraine headaches without aura. They can be visual or verbal disturbances or of sensory, motor. Every symptom begins gradually and lasts for 10 to 30 minutes. Examples are followed below:
a) Speech or language problems
b) Vision loss
c) Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light
d) Pins and needles sensation in an arm or leg
Though it is not so common, but it can be affiliated with limb weakness (hemiplegic migraine) or aphasia.
3. Attack
A severe migraine attack usually lasts 72 hours. It may vary from people to people but some tend to ignore it as just another headache. You may get several attacks of migraine in a month or much less repeatedly. Few symptoms of an ongoing migraine are:
a) Lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting
b) Pain that has a pulsating, throbbing quality
c) Pain on one side of your head
d) Nausea and vomiting
e) Sensitivity to light, sounds and sometimes smells
f) Blurred vision
g) Diarrhea
4. Postdrome
This phase is considered as a final phase that usually occurs after a migraine attack. It makes you feel washed out and exhausted, whereas few of you may feel slightly euphoric.
Urgently consult your doctor if you are facing any of these signs and symptoms. This could signify a severe health issues:
a) Headache after a head injury, especially if the headache gets worse
b) New headache pain if you’re older than 50
c) Headache with fever, stiff neck, rash, mental confusion, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness or trouble speaking
d) An abrupt, severe headache like a thunderclap
e) A chronic headache that is worse after coughing, exertion, straining or a sudden movement
Diagnosis
Science had shown tremendous progress in finding the daignosis of any disease. The beginning of diagnostic criterion for both migraine with and without aura which is usually know as “classic” and “common” migraine, respectly, founded by the International Headache Society (IHS). There are two ways to diagnose migraine:
First form of diagnosis (migraine without aura)
Mostly five headache attacks can occur one after another. They are mostly of pulsating quality, has a unilateral site, aggravates by climbing stairs or similar physical routine. Other symptoms could be nausea or vomiting (or both), and even moderate to severe intensity headache that lasts anywhere between 4 to 72 hours.
Second form of diagnosis (migraine with aura)
Here the patient suffers at least two headache attacks. No aura symptom lasts for less than 60 minutes. Mostly one aura symptom develops gradually over 4 minutes or two, hence, followed by more symptoms that occur in succession.
Treatment
1) Proper medication with doctor’s consultation will surely help control and cure your migraine problem.
2) Healthy eating habits with a good sleeping habit (between 6 to 8 hours a day) is necessary to keep your migraine problem away.
3) Avoid taking stress at workplace or home. Keep yourself engaged in activities you love to do and stay surrounded by people you love.
4) Proper exercise and yoga in conjunction with proper medication also helps in treating migraine.
Prevention
Mostly migraines go untreated and are not easily diagnosed. However, it is important to keep track of migraine attacks to report it properly to the doctor. This will help him devise an effective plan depending on your case. Daily therapy and proper medication will help you to over come migraines headaches slowly. Consult your doctor in emergency and proper medical guidance will surely cure your migraines.
Also, eliminating stress and following healthy eating habit can help curb its occurrence. Eat healthy and Stay healthy.