Migraine Awareness and Prevention

A migraine is a neurological condition that can primarily be characterized by debilitating headaches, nausea, vomiting, difficulty speaking, numbness or tingling, and sensitivity to light and sound. This condition can run in families and affects people of all ages, more commonly females.

People describe migraine pain as pulsating, throbbing, pounding, and debilitating. It can also be described as a severe, dull, steady ache. While the pain may feel mild at first, without medication, it can escalate to moderate or severe. Migraine pain usually affects the forehead area. It is usually on one side of the head, but it can occur on both sides or shift.

Most migraine attacks last approximately four hours. However, if left untreated, they can last for up to a week.

The cause of migraine attacks has not been definitively identified by researchers, but it is believed that the condition is due to abnormal brain activity that affects nerve signaling and the chemicals and blood vessels in the brain. Common migraine triggers include:

●       Bright lights

●       Severe heat or other weather extremes

●       Dehydration

●       Changes in barometric pressure

●       Hormone changes in females, like estrogen or progesterone fluctuations during menstration, pregnancy, or menopause

●       Excess stress

●       Loud sounds

●       Intense physical activity

●       Skipping meals

●       Changes in sleep patterns

●       Use of certain medicines, such as oral contraceptives

●       Unusual smells

●       Certain foods

●       Smoking

●       Alcohol use

●       Traveling

Migraines can’t be cured, but your doctor can help you manage migraine attacks by treating the symptoms. Treatment may lead to fewer attacks in general and can help make migraines less severe. Your treatment plan depends on a variety of things, such as age, migraine attack frequency, migraine severity, and other health conditions. Your treatment plan may include a combination of:

●       Lifestyle adjustments, including stress management and avoiding migraine triggers

●       OTC pain or migraine medications, like Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen (Tylenol)

●       Prescription migraine medications that you take every day to help prevent migraine headaches and reduce how often you have headaches

●       Prescription migraine medications that you take as soon as an attack starts to keep it from becoming severe and to ease symptoms

●       Prescription medications to help with nausea or vomiting

●       Hormone therapy if migraines seem to occur in relation to your menstrual cycle

●       Counseling

●       Alternative care, which may include meditation, acupressure, or acupuncture

Migraines affect more than 10% of people worldwide and are easily treatable. If you are suffering from migraines, contact your doctor. Migraines have been historically overlooked, so spreading awareness could assist people in recognizing their symptoms and seeking treatment.

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