Migraines are more than just a headache

Anyone who has ever experienced one can tell you a migraine is more than “just” a headache.  In fact, a migraine is not simply a bad headache — migraine is a neurological disease and a headache is a symptom of that illness.

If you suffer from migraines, you are not alone. These pounding headaches have a way of disrupting lives like almost no other head pain and affect up to 28 million Americans, according to statistics gathered by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

The word migraine comes from the word “hemikrania” which is a Greek word that means “half of the head.”

Migraines can be described as an intense pulsating or throbbing pain that often — but not always — affects only one area of the head.

Migraines are caused by the narrowing and subsequent widening of blood vessels, which creates intense pain, according to the Family Doctor Web site.

Recent studies show that low levels of the hormone serotonin may cause the widening of blood vessels.

A migraine is often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting. Some individuals can predict the onset of a migraine because it is preceded by an “aura,” visual disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zigzag lines or a temporary loss of vision.

Auras might also bring on fatigue, cravings for certain foods and moodiness.

Sometimes “complex migraines” take on frightening symptoms similar to a stroke, with numbness, speech problems and even deafness.

People who have recently experienced a migraine are typically very sleepy or feel exhausted.

Dr. Cecile Becker, a neurologist with Springfield Clinic, says women are much more likely to suffer from migraines.

“I’d say that I see four women to every one man when it comes to migraines,” she says, adding that the headaches can “absolutely” be largely attributed to hormones.  “Migraines also tend to run in families, so it is mainly an inherited condition.”

Although young children do get migraines, usually the headaches begin in adolescence.

“Typically the onset (of women’s migraines) is in the teens and 20s,” Becker says.

“I see women up to 60 to 70 years old, but migraines are less common by the time a woman in her 60s.”

Women who are pregnant sometimes find that after their first trimester, migraines disappear, only to reappear after the baby is born.

Some women tend to have fewer attacks and milder symptoms after menopause.

Other migraine triggers are certain foods, strong smells (such as perfumes, colognes or paints), caffeine (which Becker describes as a “potent trigger”), cigarette smoke and bright lights.
In fact, Becker says she remembers her first migraine, which she experienced at just 7 years old. “I was outside, the sun was very bright and that’s when it started,” she says.

Most of Becker’s migraine patients are referrals from primary care physicians.

“I do prefer that patients keep a headache calendar at the beginning (to check for migraine triggers) and also to see if treatment is working,” she says.

Generally, she will prescribe a preventive medication if patients are getting one or more migraines a week.

According to Becker, tension headaches and sinus headaches are sometimes confused with migraines.

In fact, more than half the men and women in the United States who suffer with migraines have not been diagnosed with the disease.

As with any medical problem, if you or your child is experiencing severe headaches, you should make an appointment with a primary-care physician.

Common symptoms of migraine …

• Throbbing or pulsating headache on one side of your head.
• Moderate to severe headache intensity.
• Your headache getting worse with routine physical activity.
• Nausea, vomiting, or both.
• Sensitivity to light and noise, and sometimes smells.

— Source: WebMD.com