Migraine Headaches
This page on HealthMBA.com is about the debilitating effects of migraine headaches. This is a description of the triggers, symptoms and possible treatments for the intense pain, and about the advances in medical research for understanding and overcoming migraine headaches.
Everyone will experience headaches in their lives, but millions of people are afflicted with with sever migraine headaches that are overwhelming and debilitating. Sufferers commonly describe the headache as a throbbing pain, and the condition can include nausea, extreme sensitivity to sound and light, and feeling weak and tired. This phenomenon is still not fully understood, and the causes seem to be very diverse. Some people tend to have them commonly, while others never seem to suffer the effects. Women seem to have migraines more than men, and the causes and symptoms very great between each person. For many migraine sufferers there are often signs of a headache building up, such as feeling of fatigue, feeling dizzy, or having abnormalities in their vision.
It can build up to be intensely painful and usually last for one to two hours, then slowly dissipating. For others the effects can last much longer, and they may need medical attention to deal with the effects. For those who have suffered through the painful migraine headache attacks they have tried many possible medications and medical treatments to understand the causes and avoid further episodes, but often it is difficult to isolate the triggers. Body chemistry and many external factors can combine to cause such strong reactions, so it is a problem that goes very deeply into the workings of the body.
Headaches are typically the side effect of swelling blood vessels in the brain, so scientists have studied the chemical and physical factors that could have such an effect. Serotonin is one fundamental chemical in the brain that can effect the swelling of the blood vessels. Fortunately there are also medications that can reduce the swelling and return the blood vessels to a more normal state, which relieves the pain for normal headaches. However, migraines tend to be much more intense that normal headaches, and there seem to be even more factors and effected areas of the brain, so finding simple relief for the pain has been elusive.
For some people the main triggers are some foods or alcohol, and for others a migraine headache may be triggered by intense physical activity or changes in body chemistry. It is important to start treating the migraine as soon as the symptoms are apparent. Treatment can include taking a rest and getting away from intense stimulations, but it is usually necessary to take pain-relieving medications, such as some over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Recent medical investigations have resulted in medications that are effective in many cases of painful migraine headaches. These painful episodes can be very disruptive to a person's life, but by getting to understand the triggers and recognizing the symptoms, it is possible to quickly treat the condition and not miss a step in your plans.
