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Abdominal Migraines: What Are They And How Do You Get Read Of It?

January 28th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Most Americans are familiar with migraines, those headaches that take bites out of workdays, leave people weak and nauseous and come back in episodes over and over again. What many people don’t know is that migraines can attack different parts of the body. One example of this is the abdominal migraine. Read below for more information on abdominal migraines and how they are most effectively treated.

A Migraine…In Your Abdomen?

Believe it or not, there is such thing as an abdominal migraine. Although there have been reports of abdominal migraines occurring in adults, it is most common in children. In fact, abdominal migraines are most common in female children. The symptoms often last from 1 to seventy two hours. But what do sufferers of abdominal migraines face?

The most common symptoms of an abdominal migraine include vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain. In addition, abdominal migraine sufferers may or may not have a headache or aura during this type of migraine, but may still suffer from the fatigue and sleepiness. While headaches are pretty self-explanatory, aura is a little more complicated. Aura produces hallucinations such as flashing lights, smelling odors that don’t exist, vertigo, hearing things and much more.

It’s A Migraine If…

Abdominal migraines are hard to pinpoint, but there is specific criteria the International Headache Society has established to make it easier to determine if it is a migraine or not. These include: making sure that the symptoms are not contributed by another disorder, ensuring that symptoms include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, pallor or at least two of these, pinpointing that the abdominal pain is in the midline section, identifying that the abdomen is sore, or the abdomen pain is moderate to sever, monitoring that the pain lasts for 1 to seventy-two hours, and there are at least five attacks that relate include the above.

Treating Abdominal Migraines

Treatments for these migraines are similar to other types of migraines. These include triptans such as Imitrex, Zomig, Maxalt, etc. In addition, some doctors prescribe medicine for nausea and vomiting such as Reglan and Phenergran. As with all migraines, abdominal migraines are often triggered by foods or other substances that our bodies react to. These migraine triggers include substances like MSG, caffeine, sunlight, stress, anxiety, eggs etc. Reducing these triggers can help reduce the number of episodes that you experience.

Finding the best migraine medicine for you

January 27th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Migraine is a common complaint affecting thousands of Americans, especially women. It presents as severe headache coupled with nausea and discomfort. The sufferer is quite unable to do any useful activity during a bout of migraine. Episodes come unannounced and for no apparent reason. Pain could subside on its own or by taking migraine medicine. Thus, it is not possible to predict onset of migraine and hence, migraine episodes interfere with his or her routine activities. Hence, those who suffer migraine usually follow certain remedies that include medication as well.

The exact cause or origin of migraine is not yet clear. Therefore, treatment strategies focus on relieving symptoms as and when they arise. Relief from migraine depends on the severity and duration of attack. For moderate intensity and short duration, one could rest lying down preferably in a dark room. If lucky to get sleep, the pain would pass on waking up. This is not however an ideal solution for it could eat away time from other tasks lined up. Hence, patients turn to migraine medicine.

There are three types of medicine that are effective in relieving migraine pain. The first group includes pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs. Examples are acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen. Acetaminophen is a popular over-the-counter drug that is suitable for mild attacks of migraine. For frequent moderate to intense episodes, you could use a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen after consulting your doctor. Although these are safe, non-steroidal drugs, it is better to check for adverse effects in long-term use of migraine medicine. Always use according to directions on the package. A possible home remedy is to drink black coffee after taking the pill.

The other categories of drugs used as migraine medicine are triptans and prophylactics. Both are prescription medication and adequate medical supervision is necessary while taking them. Your doctor would suggest them in the case of severe attacks depending on the timing of seeking advice.

Triptan that is available commercially as Imitrex can reduce or eliminate symptoms when you know a headache is imminent. If you delay, oral medication may not work because of the changes resulting from progression of the migraine.

Prophylactic migraine medicine includes beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and anti-depressants. These work best as preventive drugs and are used on a daily basis as maintenance treatment. Appropriate medical evaluation is necessary and doctors prescribe them for those who have frequent attacks or are prone to injure themselves in migraine episodes.

Migraine Aura

January 9th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Migraine Aura: Foreseeing an Upcoming Attack

A warning that a migraine is about to come on causes a change in the functioning of the brain and is referred to as a migraine aura. The symptom may be visible and, may take the form of a curved sparkling crisscross line or the vision may blot or, even both. There may be other signs as well including numbness on either the left or right side of the face and hands, weakness, altered consciousness or unsteadiness. For quite some time, these symptoms were believed to be due to spasms of blood vessels supplying parts of the brain.

The Cortex Of The Brain Changes

Migraine aura can be the result of changes taking place in the cortex or the brain’s outer layer. The brain has nerve cells which are always active and they generate electrical activity and, it is believed that when increases or decreased nerve cell activity takes place in the brain of a person suffering from migraine, following a migraine trigger, then the migraine aura appears.

Decreased activity of the nerve cells may cause impairment in the functioning of the part of the body controlled by such cells and, may lead to loss of vision or strength. On the other hand, increased activity of brain nerve cells can cause flashing lights or tingling in the face and hand. The typical migraine aura can be induced by a slow spreading of depressed nerve cell activity.

With migraine aura, symptoms can grow gradually and, may transfer from visual regions or from left to right side of the body. Migraine aura may cause a person to notice a black spot in their vision and, the black spot may have corresponding flashing lights or bright crisscrossing lines. As minutes pass, the black spot becomes larger and, the typical migraine aura will consist of loss of vision as well as flashing lights and, crisscross lines.

There is not a complete understanding as to what exactly is the cause of the sequence of events that precede the migraine aura. It is known that it could be due to inborn vulnerability or due to changes in the body’s chemistry like menstruation, consuming some food types as well as changes to the environment such as weather, all of which may trigger a migraine attack. When internal or external events cause different nerves of the brain to be stimulated and, such stimuli are relayed to nerve centers in the brain it may cause the nerve impulses sent to the cortex of the brain into causing a migraine aura.

Child Migraine

January 9th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Basic Understanding Of Child Migraine

Nothing is worse than seeing your child in pain, and it is often the case that a child doesn’t know how to express what is really wrong. It is hard for a parent to tell what a child means when they say that their head hurts, if it is just a head ache, or if it is a child migraine. It is important that you know the difference, because both headaches and child migraines are caused by different things, and both of them have different repercussions.

What is Different?

When a child complains that their head hurts, they might either be suffering from a headache or a child migraine. If they are having a headache, it is only going to be their head that hurts. You can ask them about other symptoms, but all they will be able to tell you is that their head hurts. So you know that it is probably not a child migraine. This is a good thing, because a headache in children can be caused by many things, not having the correct glasses, watching too much television, having a fever etc. Usually, you can find the source of a headache in children quite easily.

However, a child migraine is a different story. If your child doesn’t want to be in the light, or if they don’t’ want to be around things that make noises, they might be suffering from a child migraine. If this is the case, they might throw up or get sick in another way. They might want to stay in the dark and cry if there are loud noises. If your child has these symptoms along with the headache, and it lasts for along period of time, they are probably suffering form a child migraine.

How To Help Your Child

There are many things that can be done to help your child if they are having a child migraine. You should give them Tylenol or other drugs that are meant for children, but you should never give them aspirin. You should give them drugs meant to help a child with pain. If a child has a child migraine more than once, you need to take your child to see the doctor, because this could be something serious and should be checked out. If your child is having headaches often, you should get their hearing and sight checked, because problems with both of these are some of the things that might lead to headaches and also to a child migraine.

Migraine Cure

January 9th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Relieve Your Miserable Migraine Pain

Migraines plague millions of Americans each year, leaving them at home and unable to work. There are many treatments for migraines, though there is no one cure that is universal and perfect for everyone. Read below for what some may consider cures, but are actually cures for symptoms.

Migraine Cures That Can Easily Be BoughtÂÂ

While there may not be a true migraine cure, there are several over-the-counter medicines that can ease migraine symptoms. Such over the counter medicines include aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol, caffeine, and anti-histamines. These mainly help with pain relief, and the caffeine can help the body absorb the painkillers.

In addition to over-the-counter pain relieving medicines, anti-sickness medication is also recommended for migraine sufferers. Such drugs include domperidone which can be taken in tablet forms. Buccastem M is another medication available over the counter for the treatment of sickness. If taken at the first sign of a migraine, the combination of pain relievers and sickness medicines can be a preventative migraine cure.

Prescription Medicines

Prescription medicines are available for those who do not respond well to over-the-counter medicines. Doctors can prescribe doses of NSAIDS, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and prescription sickness medication. Though these may not cure migraines, the combination can ease symptoms.

The Natural Migraine Cures

In addition to over-the-counter and prescribed medicines, there is also a host of natural migraine treatments available. One such natural method is acupuncture, a practice originally created by ancient Chinese. In two studies, acupuncture was shown to help with migraine symptoms when compared to people who were given sham acupuncture or flunarizine respectively. Natural preventative actions can also be taken to reduce the occurrence of migraines.

In addition, there are many herbs and nutrients that may help reduce the severity of migraines. These include 5-HTP, Feverfew, magnesium, melatonin, pine bark, vitamin C and vitamin E.

How To Prevent It Using Medicine

An ounce of migraine prevention is worth a pound of migraine cure; so is true with migraines. Most migraines are set off by a trigger; these triggers are very different for different people. One set of triggers involves lack of sleep and stress. Keeping yourself on a regular schedule and finding ways to relax will help keep stress and tension from invading your life.

In addition, foods from cheese and chocolate to caffeine and MSG can be migraine triggers. Knowing what triggers cause migraines for you can be key in the prevention of further occurrences. Monitor your headaches and stay away from those items that tend to bring about headaches for you.

Migraine Cause

January 9th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

How To Find the Migraine Cause

Migraines afflict more than 28 million Americans, and most of these migraine sufferers are women. These severe headaches can strike at any time, and often take their victims out of commission for hours or even days. Many migraine sufferers live in constant worry over when the next migraine will hit. Because these headaches can be so debilitating, most migraine sufferers hope to find a way to get this condition under control, or even eliminate it altogether. The first step to effectively treating migraines is to understand what the causes of migraines are.

What Is Happening With the Body?

While doctors have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of a migraine, they do understand a little bit about what happens to the body during one of these episodes. Most migraines appear to be the result of a combination of enlargement of the blood vessels in the brain, and a release of chemicals from the nerve fibers that are wrapped around the blood vessels. This combination can cause inflammation and pain that tends to intensify throughout the duration of the headache. This process also affects the central nervous system as well as the digestive system, which is why many migraine sufferers also experience nausea and diarrhea during one of these migraine episodes.

How To Find Your Migraine Triggers

While doctors do not know exactly what the catalyst is to begin this physiological process that causes migraines, there are a number of external factors that seem to trigger the process in some way. Some of the more common migraine triggers are large doses of caffeine, processed meats and cheeses, red wine, and cigarette smoke. Many of these common triggers are easy for migraine sufferers to cut back on, or eliminate entirely from their lifestyle. Other triggers that are not so easy to avoid include lack of sleep, stress, and hormonal changes. Another interesting trigger that causes migraines appears to be bright lights that can cause the vision disturbances that tend to precede many migraines. By identifying your specific triggers, you can make significant progress in reducing your number of migraines or even eliminate them altogether.

Migraines are a difficult medical condition that millions of Americans must deal with every day. Migraines are one of the top reasons for doctor’s office and emergency room visits each year. These debilitating headaches can result in lower productivity in the work place and lower quality of life for the sufferers. The good news is that by identifying the causes of migraines, you can take a large step to controlling your condition.

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