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Migraines are usually referred to as headaches when in fact the two are different. Most people can have headaches from time to time but how would you know if you are already suffering from migraine? Here are some simple diagnoses, if you have a combination of these symptoms, you should see a physician for your treatment:

Weakness causing you to stop from daily activities.

Blurred visions

Dizziness

Sensitivity to odors, light or noise

Abdominal pains: an upset stomach followed by vomiting or nausea

Appetite loss

Fever, although rare

Aura characterized by flashing lights or dots, jagged or wavy lines and blind spots

A feeling of being very cold or warm

Paleness

Throbbing or pounding pains which can be moderate to severe. The pain can affect the entire head or pains can shift from one head part to another.

Fatigue

According to statistics, in Canada alone, approximately 200,000 children and 3,000,000 adults are suffering from migraines. The intensity, symptoms and frequency differ from a person to another. 28 million Americans are diagnosed of having migraines every year. Women comprise the 70% of migraine sufferers; they are two to three times more probable to develop migraines.

Migraine should be taken seriously because the reoccurrence of pains can paralyze a victim.

The attack usually lasts for a few hours or days but the afflictions typically hits unexpectedly. To have a better understanding of migraines, you have to know its different types.

Two of the most familiar types of migraine are classic and common. The standard symptom for both types is sensitivity to light; both can have equal intensity of attack. What then are the differences between the two?

Classic migraine has an aura or visual symptoms which arise 10 to 30 minutes prior to an attack. The symptoms can include sights of zigzag lines or flashing lights. Aura can be characterized by hearing and seeing strange things. It can affect the senses of touch, taste or smell.

A person suffering from classic migraine can lose vision temporarily. There is weakness of leg or arm, confusion, speech difficulty or tingling of hands or face. Classic migraine is more common among women than men.

On the other hand, common migraine occurs without an aura; but the person suffers from the symptoms vomiting and nausea.

In addition to the common and classic types of migraine, other forms of migraine are:

Hemiplegic migraine which can cause temporary one sided paralysis and sometimes loss of balance and dizziness (vertigo). The symptoms occur 10 to 90 minutes before the actual attack.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine which can be felt around the eyes. This can involve disturbances in the vision; an example is having double vision and tired eyes.

Benign exertional headache is characterized by a brief headache which is caused by bending, running, coughing or lifting. The headache rarely lasts for a long time but usually begins prior to the start of any activities.

Menstrual migraine is more predictable and usually occurs during menstrual periods.

Basilar Artery migraine is a pain connected to the main artery of the brain. The pre migraine symptoms can include double vision, poor muscle coordination or dizziness. This kind of migraine is common among young adult women and adolescents and is usually associated with menstrual cycle.

Status migrainosus is exemplified by long lasting and intense headaches and nausea. The attack can last for 72 hours or longer. Behavioral symptoms such as depression and anxiety often follow the distress. It is very rare and extreme and usually requires hospitalization; some drugs can also trigger this kind of migraine.

Headache free migraine is characterized by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and other visual problems. Patients suffer from all the said symptoms except headaches.

Another form of migraine is the abdominal migraine which is typical among children. The pain is severe in the midline abdomen and can last from 1 to 72 hours.

There are different migraines brought about by certain activities or tensions in life. While the differences are not that extremes, certain medications should properly be given to avoid further illnesses. Consulting a physician is always a good move to know the health problem and to acquire the necessary treatments for you.

By: nathfiset

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Migraine headaches affect millions of individuals around the world. They are extremely painful and hard to bear. Migraines can last anywhere from one hour to three or four days. Within that time, it may literally be impossible for migraine suffers to function properly. Although relief might not come right away, there are many options available that soothe or cure migraine headaches.

A migraine is classified as a serve headache that can often impair one’s judgment. When a migraine occurs, suffers regularly experience the following symptoms:

Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
difficulty seeing

It is not uncommon for migrane suffers to be unable to look at lights or the sun without suffering intense pain. Migrane headache may be brought on by a variety of things. Children and adults are susceptible to migraines, and they often happen unexpectedly. Migraines can be brought on by stress, certain foods, a poor eating habits, or hormones. Migraine headaches are also hereditary, therefore, there are many families may experience migraine headaches at the same time.

The best way to get relief from migraine headaches is by speaking to your physician. If you suspect that you are suffering from migraines, you most likely are, however, many treatment options must first be prescribed by a healthcare professional. There are physicians who specialize in migraines and other head related pains, however, your family physician can often diagnose and offer treatment options for receiving relief from migraine headaches.

Over the counter pain killers are the best available option for getting quick relief from migraine headaches without visiting a physician. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen are common over-the-counter drug medications that are available at most drug or department stores,and they can normally be purchased at a fairly low price. If you regularly suffer from migraine headaches, it may be a good idea to have some of this medication on hand. There are even over the counter medications designed specifically for relief from migraine headaches. It is important to remember that an excessive dosage of these over-the-counter drugs can cause liver or stomach damage. They relieve, but do not cure, your migraine headaches, nor do they preven them from returning. Over-the-counter medications offer temporary relief for your migraine headaches, often until you have been properly examined and treated by a physician.

One of the easiest ways to receive relief from migraine headaches is by sleeping. Although it will not eliminate your pain, rest and relaxation is an effective way to help minimize or reduce the excruciating pain of migraine headaches. If you are able to take a break, laying down or just resting inside a dark, quiet room may allow you to order your thoughts and to reduce your stress levels. Sleeping or resting may offer much needed pain relief from migraine headaches.

If you are unable to control the pain associated with your migraine headaches, it is extremely important that you contact your physician. Beta blockers, along with other medications, offer quick relief from migraine headaches, however, they are only available with a prescription. If you experience migraines, do not suffer any longer than you need to. Contact your physician or healthcare professional for effective ways to receive relief from your migraine headaches.

Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Migraines occur more commonly in women than in men and typically occur in people aged 15 to 55 years.

A recent study of 171 migraine sufferers, published in the journal Headache, suggests that over-the-counter Excedrin Migraine works better the prescription Imitrex (sumatriptan) for treating migraines. The patients who took the Excedrin Migraine at the onset of a headache experienced less pain after four hours than those who took Imitrex.

This result is probably true for some patients but not all. Excedrin Migraine contains acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. The problem with continual use of this combination is that it often leads to rebound headaches. You should also not take more than two tablets per day and no more than twice per week. This greatly reduces your chances of rebound headaches. If you are experiencing more than two migraines a week, you will need a prescription medication.

Another study found that taking an NSAID, like naproxen, with Imitrex (sumatriptan) works much better than taking either medication alone for migraine headaches. The researchers concluded that the best combination is 50mg of Imitrex (sumatriptan) combined with 500mg of naproxen.

Imitrex (sumatriptan) is in a class of medications called triptans. There are seven triptans currently available in the United States. They are Imitrex (sumatriptan), Maxalt (rizatriptan), Zomig (zolmitriptan), Amerge (naratriptan), Frova (frovatriptan), Relpax (eletriptan), and Axert (almotriptan). Triptans are used only for migraine treatment because they are effective only at relieving the pain caused by migraines. They are slightly useful for some other headache types but not for all headache pain or for any other type of pain.

The current guidelines for migraine headaches state that NSAIDS are first line therapy. That means they should be used first. If someone is allergic, or the NSAIDS do not work, then the triptans are the drugs of choice.
Patients who suffer from migraine headaches should have a treatment plan in the event they get a migraine. This plan should include both preventive medication and medications to stop the migraine. The first line medications, NSAIDs and triptans, are the primary choices.

This study suggests that the NSAID combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine is more effective than oral sumatriptan at relieving migraine headache pain, when taken at the onset. More studies should be conducted to confirm these results since patients with headaches that cause vomiting or require the patient to lie down were not studied. This study did confirm that both the combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine and triptans appear to be effective first-line therapies for patients with migraine headaches.

I would recommend using a store or generic brand headache medication containing 250mg of acetaminophen, 250mg of aspirin, and 65mg caffeine first, for mild migraines. This combination costs about 4 per pill. If this is ineffective, or the migraine is severe, move up to the triptans. They are expensive at about $17.00 per pill. Anyone with a migraine will tell you that cost is not a consideration when it comes to migraine relief.

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.

As a chiropractor Dr. Larry A. Johnson, D.C. has treated migraine headache patients for 25 years. If you would like more information about migraine headaches visit his site about migraines.

Along with enhancing mood and relieving insomnia, tryptophan has many other health benefits. There is a lot of evidence that tryptophan may help to alleviate migraine headaches and irritable bowel syndrome. Tryptophan can also help those people who are trying to lose weight by decreasing cravings for carbohydrates that usually can frustrate dieters.

Tryptophan depletion seems to worsen the symptoms that are found in the majority of both migraine sufferers and non-migraine sufferers. The effects of tryptophan depletion on both migraine and non-migraine sufferers were examined by measuring sensitivity to light, headache, and nausea five and eight hours after depletion or not. Those patients who were tryptophan-depleted experienced more glare and light-induced pain. After eight hours of tryptophan depletion, not only did migraine sufferers have increased headaches, but all participants experienced aggravated nausea. Another study compared motion sickness in thirty-nine migraine sufferers and thirty-seven non-migraine sufferers. The results concluded that tryptophan depletion increased dizziness, nausea, and the illusion of movement in non-sufferers to levels approaching those of migraine sufferers.

One treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the manipulation of serotonergic activity by the application of serotonin modulators. Patients with depleted levels of tryptophan have significantly higher levels of urge and pain ‘visceral perception’ has been seen than those control patients.

Some people who are attempting to lose weight struggle with craving both sweets and starchy foods including breads, cakes, and candy, especially if they are stressed. For example, those people who have seasonal affective disorder or premenstrual syndrome, or even those who are trying to quit smoking have elevated levels of stress and crave these types of food. This is understandable because eating carbohydrates increases the synthesis of brain serotonin, which, in turn, calms the person.

Additionally, serotonin plays a critical role in regulating energy balance and controlling appetite. These facts suggest that tryptophan treatment could help people lose weight. In several studies participants were place on a weight-loss diet for three weeks, results showed a decrease in blood tryptophan. However, people given 5-HTP not only lost weight but also have eaten less than those individuals who were untreated in the same studies.

Before beginning to take l-tryptophan , be sure to tell your doctor or other health care practitioner if you have liver disease, kidney disease, eosinophillia, or a muscle disorder such as fibromyalgia. Any of these conditions may prevent you from using L-tryptophan, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment. Do not use L-tryptophan without telling your doctor or health care practitioner if you are pregnant, as it is unknown whether l-tryptophan would be harmful to an unborn baby.

Also, do not use L-tryptophan without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. L-tryptophan may interact with other medicines, so before using it, make sure to tell your doctor or health care practitioner if you are using medicine for depression, a MAOI, a sedative or tranquilizer, a phenothizine drug, or any drugs that make you sleepy such as alcohol, cold medicine, pain mediation, muscle relaxants, and medicine for depression and anxiety.

By: Darrell Miller-1603

More information on tryptophan is available at VitaNet ®, LLC Health Food Store. vitanetonline.com/