Effective Treatment for Migraine Symptoms

Symptoms of Migraine, Prevention, Cures and Painkillers

Oct 24, 2009

Aura of Classical Migraine, S. Jähnichen

Migraine is not the same as a headache, although it is sometimes called a migraine headache. It is characterised by a one-sided pain, nausea and an aversion to light.

Chronic migraine causes excruciating pain and misery for millions of people every day. In fact, one in four women and one in 12 men suffer from this debilitating condition on a regular basis (Migraine NHS UK, 2009).

Common Migraine and Classical Migraine

There are different types of headaches, from cluster headaches to tension headaches, but migraine is completely different and has its own distinct set of symptoms of which any of the following may feature:

Excruciating pain on one side of the head, although both sides may sometimes be affected
Aversion to light and noise
Nausea
Lethargy
Stiff neck
Constipation
Regular occurrences from a few times per month to a couple per year
Pain may last from a few hours to three days

Classical migraine has the added symptoms

Visual disturbances, sometime called an aura, may consist of flickering lights, zigzags or blurry patches across the vision. In rare cases, the sufferer may temporary lose vision and fear they have suffered a stroke, in which case a GP should always be consulted

Causes of Migraine

Although migraine is not yet fully understood, it has shown to have “trigger factors,” which may cause the blood vessels in the brain to constrict in a spasm. In some patients, this may cause prododromal or pre-headache symptoms, portending of an oncoming migraine. This may consist of symptoms such as constant yawning, lethargy an aura or an odd taste in the mouth. It is when the blood vessels start to dialate that the pain starts. Various triggers have been found to contribute to migraine in some sufferers, the most common are:

Chemicals such as tyramine found in certain foods. Chocolate, cheese, red wine, citrus fruits and artificial additives have been found to trigger symptoms (Report by J Gordon Millichap, MD, published in the journal Pediatric Neurology)
Smoking
Lack of sleep
Missing meals
Stress
The pill may worsen symptoms
Hormonal surges in the menstrual cycle

Migraine Help

Preventing migraine is better than cure. Keeping a migraine diary will help identify trigger factors which may help in prevent or reduce migraine symptoms in the future. The following courses of action may help, although a consultation should always be sought from the GP first.

Cutting out offending foods that has been found to trigger a migraine attack
A healthy, alkaline diet such as the PH diet
Sleeping and eating regularly
A course of Feverfew herb extract has been proven to reduce migraine attacks (Migraine, University of Maryland online resource, 2009)
Extra caution should be taken towards the end of the menstrual cycle

Migraine Pain Relief

If migraine strikes, strong painkillers must be taken as soon as possible. Anti-sickness medication can be taken alongside the painkillers. Although over the counter medicine such as Aspirin and Paracetamol is effective, a stronger course of painkiller might be in order for more powerful pain relief. Triptan is a family of drugs that helps combats the dilating action of the blood vessels thought to contribute to migraine. However, if all fails, the sufferer may need to be referred to a migraine clinic.

The copyright of the article Effective Treatment for Migraine Symptoms in Holistic Nutrition is owned by Rachel Wills. Permission to republish Effective Treatment for Migraine Symptoms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.