Archive for the ‘Migraines/Headaches’ Category
Monday, September 29th, 2008 |
Most physicians agree that aromatherapy makes an excellent complementary therapy for migraineurs. Aromatherapy has not been shown to eliminate migraine headaches, but when used to complement traditional therapy and medication it can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.
Aromatherapy is a natural healing methodology that uses plant-derived essential oils to achieve a desired therapeutic affect. It is not known precisely how aromatherapy works, whether it is the scent or a chemical action of the essential oil itself that provides relief. Because of this unknown factor some doctors worry about potential essential oil interactions with standard drugs used in treating migraines.
When trying aromatherapy to relieve migraines, keep in mind a few safety precautions.
* Always talk to a doctor before trying anything new.
* Speak to an experienced aromatherapist, if possible.
* When combining aromatherapy with other medications, watch for adverse reactions and report them to a doctor immediately.
* Buy real plant-derived essential oils designed for aromatherapy. Good ones will be sold in dark containers and stored away from direct sunlight.
* Use a carrier oil or aromatherapy diffuser. Essential oils can be powerful irritants and should not be applied directly to the skin.
Essential oils can be used in a number of ways. They can be used in an aromatherapy diffuser and inhaled two or three times daily. Oils can added to a large bowl of hot water and the aroma inhaled with eyes closed. While essential oils can also be added to carrier bath, face, or massage oils and applied to the body or bath, this should only be done after consulting with a knowledgeable aromatherapist to make sure the oils used are safe for this purpose.
Some of the essential oils commonly recommended for migraine aromatherapy are lavender, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, sandalwood, clary sage, ginger, ylang-ylang, basil, marjoram, and chamomile.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008 |
There are a number of commonly held beliefs about migraines that make it hard for sufferers to get proper diagnosis and treatment.
1) Migraines are not real (all in the head, an overreaction to a normal headache, etc.).
Not true. Migraines are a biologic primary headache disorder. Even migraine pain is not confined to the head, though that is generally where it is worst.
2) Migraines have a known cause.
Sadly, no. There have been several interesting theories put forward in the last decade, but no single, definitive biological cause of migraines has been identified thus far.
3) All migraineurs have the same symptoms.
No, they don’t. This is one of the things that makes migraines so hard to diagnose, particularly if a patient’s doctor is only familiar with the most common symptoms.
4) A doctor can tell if it’s a migraine or not.
Not always. The wide spectrum of symptoms that can accompany migraine can make it difficult to diagnose, more so if the patient is not forthcoming with their doctor about all their symptoms.
5) Migraines are curable.
Again, no. Once properly diagosed many migraineurs still have to devote a lot of time and energy to managing their condition through medications, natural and homeopathic remedies, and diet and lifestyle changes. The various available coping methods work differently for each individual, so there is not even a single protocol of care.
6) Migraines are a woman’s headache.
Women migraineurs do outnumber the men 3 to 1, but there is no evidence the condition is sex-linked in any way.
7) Only adults get migraines.
Migraines have been diagnosed in teenagers, children, and even infants.
Every headache a migraineur is a migraine
Not true. Migraine sufferers can have regular sinus, tension, or stress headaches just like anyone else.
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Sunday, September 21st, 2008 |
You have a migraine. You have a job. Now what do you do?
Deciding if you are able to go out when you have a migraine is a tough decision. You are in pain, you do not feel well, and more likely than not you are not thinking clearly. The ability to determine when you are okay to leave home when you have a migraine is a big part of learning to manage your condition. Here are a few things to take into consideration when deciding if you are in or out for the day.
How do you feel?
Yes, you have a migraine, but can you function? Only you know your personal headache pattern, is it likely to get better or worse from where it is now? What’s your mood? Are you sufficiently enthused about the day to be willing to function while in pain?
What did you take?
Stop and think about your pain relief for a minute. Did you take an over-the-counter remedy, or something a little stronger? If it was a prescription medication, go read the label and see what it says about driving and operating heavy machinery. If you aren’t supposed to do those things, it’s probably a good idea to hang out at home. This is not a hard and fast rule since only you know how you react to a medicine, particularly one you are familiar with. If you don’t think you’ll be impaired by your medications, great, but really think about it first.
Why?
Why are you going out? Basically, you have to decide how important it is that you go out. Work is important, but not if you have a job where potentially impaired function can be dangerous. Errands can always be run later. The class play? That might be worth it, if you can handle it.
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Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 |
Many migraineurs (people who suffer from migraine headaches) relieve the pain of a migraine with the judicious application of heat or cold. This type of pain abatement is particularly popular with people trying to minimize or avoid prescription medication use, especially among pediatric patients and their families.
Below are a few techniques that can help ease the pain of a migraine. Not all techniques work for all patients. While some migraineurs find comfort in cold, at least as many are more uncomfortable in the presence of cold. The same is true of heat used for pain relief—for some it helps, for others it makes the pain worse.
Apply a compress, hot or cold, to point on the head where pain is most severe. This is frequently on the temple where a large artery runs, or in front of the ear, another arterial locale.
For patients who feel their migraine pain “stabbing into the back of the eye” a damp cloth (warm or cool) laid over the eyes often provides relief. As a side benefit, covering the eyes in this manner also eases the discomfort of photosensitivity for many patients.
Taking a hot or cold shower with the water directed at the head and neck is another method to try, as is taking a warm (neither hot nor cold) bath. The latter is further enhanced with the use of appropriate aromatherapy techniques.
Some patients find relief in by alternating hot and cold cloths at the point where the migraine pain is most intense. Sometimes hot and cold used simultaneously can ease the pain. A migraineur may apply a cold compress on their forehead while at the same time soaking their feet in a container of warm water.
Rarely are patients simultaneously sensitive to both hot and cold, but it should be watched for.
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Friday, September 12th, 2008 |
Aging is a fact of life. Getting older means increasing frailty and susceptibility to illness, but it can also be a boon to migraineurs (people who experience migraine headaches). Only 2-10% of the elderly population experiences migraines (as opposed to up to 28% of adults under 65), and elderly women are still more likely to have them than their male counterparts.
Migraines can happen at any age, but they peak around age 40. The frequency of migraine attacks after 40 decreases for most people. Many migraineurs who have suffered with this condition for years experience a reduction in the frequency and severity of attacks after age 55.
About two thirds of migraineurs stop having attacks altogether by age 65. Patients over 65 who still have migraines report drastically decreased severity, duration, and frequency in their attacks. They are also less likely to experience the gastrointestinal upset that accompanies migraine in younger people.
The downside to all this good news is that adults over 65 who suffer from migraines are more likely than younger patients to experience disability because of their affliction. Many physicians are uncomfortable with treating senior citizens for migraines because therapeutic methods used on younger people are often not tested for safety in an older patient.
Additional conditions and the medications used to treat them complicate the problem. Seniors are more likely to be on one or more prescription drugs and each new medication increases the risk of adverse drug reactions. This possibility makes some doctors reluctant to offer senior migraineurs pharmaceutical assistance.
The onset of migraines after age 50 is very rare and should be investigated with a doctor to rule out the possibility of secondary causes. Late onset does not rule out migraine (only one third of senior headaches are due to secondary conditions) but it makes it less likely.
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Monday, September 8th, 2008 |
Anyone who has ever had a migraine will say they do not just happen in the head. The headache is usually the worst and most painful part of a migraine, but there’s more. Most migraineurs (people who suffer from migraines) will talk about photosensitivity (sensitivity to light), phonosensitivity (sensitivity to sound), scent sensitivity, gastric pain, cramping, and vomiting.
Sometimes the abdominal symptoms show up without the other typical migraine symptoms. When they do, a patient is said to be experiencing an abdominal migraine. An abdominal migraine is pain, usually varying from mild to medium, in the abdomen. The pain is either along the midline or unspecified and is frequently accompanied by abdominal tenderness, cramp-like spasms, bloating, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Since abdomen pain can be caused by a wide variety of conditions other causes need to be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. In a classic abdominal migraine, no gastric cause for the pain can be identified. Migraineurs need to let their doctors know about their migraines when they experience unspecified abdominal pain so that the doctor knows abdominal migraine may be a possibility.
Abdominal migraines are most common in children. Children who experience abdominal migraines frequently grow up to be migraineurs. While abdominal migraine is not unheard of in adults, it is rare. Like most other types of migraine, it is also more common in females than in males.
While the exact cause of abdominal migraines is unknown, it is highly likely to be related to serotonin deficiency. Serotonin deficiency has been linked in several studies to migraines, and 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gastric system. Serotonin deficiency causes cascading waves of nerve reaction in the brain when triggering a migraine and a similar process may be in effect in the abdomen.
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Thursday, September 4th, 2008 |
The relationship between exercise and migraines is quixotic. Science says that exercise, by promoting the regular release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain controllers, should help ease the frequency and severity of migraines. Many migraineurs claim that their attacks are triggered by physical exertion. Who is right?
Like many other aspects of migraines, the answer is contradictory because both groups are correct. Strenuous exercise can cause migraines in people who are prone to them. Regular exercise can reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches as well as increasing overall health and wellness.
Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It also helps improve sleep patterns and relieves stress. All of which can subtly affect the likelihood of migraines.
Migraineurs who gave up exercise as a headache trigger should try again. Common exercise migraine triggers are things like:
* Not eating properly before exercising and causing a dramatic drop in blood sugar to occur
* Not taking in enough fluid and becoming dehydrated while exercising
* Starting a new eating plan and a new exercise plan at the same time
* Attempting strenuous exercise without warming up properly
To pinpoint exertion-related migraine triggers, migraineurs should keep an exercise log. It should include specific information:
* Time of day when exercising
* Last meal prior to workout
* Fluid intake
* Medication details
* Whether or not a headache occurred during or after the workout
The best type of exercise for migraineurs is regular, moderate aerobic exercise, at least 30 minutes three times a week. Recommended activities include:
* Power Walking
* Jogging
* Cycling
* Swimming
* Dancing
Any new exercise plan needs at least six weeks to discover if it has a beneficial effect on migraines.
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Saturday, August 30th, 2008 |
Children get migraines, too, they are not a condition confined to adulthood.. Studies have even indicated that infants may get migraines, but this is hard to verify.
Current estimates indicate that up to 10% of children between 5-15 years old suffer from migraines, increasing to 28% in the 15-19 age range. Migraine headaches have a real impact on quality of life for children. The high percentage of children that experience migraines makes them a top childhood health problems.
Diagnosing pediatric migraine is similar to diagnosing adult migraines with a few notable exceptions. The International Headache Society’s criteria states that the headache must last 4 to 72 hours. Children’s migraines are generally shorter and this fact needs to be taken into account when attempting to diagnose them. Adult migraines are frequently one-sided, but children’s frequently involve pain on both sides of the head. These headaches should not be dismissed just because they are not one-sided.
For most child migraineurs (people suffering from migrainous headaches) the headaches begin between 5 and 11 years of age. Prior to puberty, the number of male and female children with migraines is roughly equal. After puberty, girls are considerably more likely than boys are to have migraines, most likely due to the same hormonal issues that make the number of adult women migraineurs three times that of the men.
Many child migraineurs are fortunate enough to have their condition disappear during puberty or upon reaching adulthood. However, people who have migraines as children are much more likely to become adult migraineurs than those who did not have them as a child.
Adult migraine sufferers should watch for migraine symptoms in their children, particular if the other parent also experiences migraines. A child with two migraineur parents has a 70% chance of becoming a migraineur.
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Sunday, August 24th, 2008 |
Migraine sufferers are turning to non-pharmacological options to reduce the number of headaches they have. Prophylactic drugs aimed at migraine prevention can have many unpleasant side effects and do not work at all for some migraineurs (people who have chronic migraines).
A migraineur’s lifestyle impacts the severity and frequency of the attacks and lifestyle changes, like those mentioned below can prevent migraine recurrence.
Sleep:
Migraineurs need to learn how much sleep they need and make sure they do not get too little sleep or too much more than they need. Patients who do not get enough sleep during the workweek who try to make up for it over the weekend may trigger a headache.
Exercise:
Physical exertion in moderation is good for everyone, including migraineurs. Establishing a regular exercise routine, at least 20-40 minutes of physical activity a minimum of three times a week, relieves stress that triggers headaches and exercise-induced endorphins are a natural analgesic.
Stress Management:
Migraineurs are susceptible to attacks during periods of high stress. If stress is unavoidable, they should build time for stress relief into their routine to prevent a headache. Good stress management techniques for migraineurs are massage, exercise, adequate sleep and a healthy diet.
Eating:
Migraineurs should eat regular meals at roughly the same time daily and not skip a meal unless it is an emergency. A good, healthy breakfast goes a long way in preventing headaches.
The most important thing is to be consistent with any lifestyle change. Migraineurs need regular behavior patterns and they must be applied on weekends and holidays, not just during the week. Getting out of sync two days a week by sleeping in, skipping meals, or staying up late defeats the purpose of lifestyle changes and upsets the balance created by having a pattern the rest of the week.
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Monday, August 18th, 2008 |
Hypnosis is not just an entertainer’s trick to please and amuse crowds. Hypnotherapists are helping migraineurs ease their pain. Sometimes they are even able to relieve other migraine symptoms like vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound, too.
The hypnotist’s goal is to relax patients into a trancelike state in order to access their subconscious mind. A good therapist will then place gentle suggestions in the subconscious that will help migraineurs deal with their pain by changing how they perceive it.
Rather than focusing on pain perception, some hypnotherapists work with patients to learn to identify and avoid their personal migraine triggers. This can be doubly effective for migraineurs who smoke if it is one of their triggers. Hypnotherapy has been a recognized smoking cessation technique for decade.
Some patients enjoy this type of therapy so much, since it usually very relaxing, that they decide, either on their own or with the aid of a therapist, to learn self-hypnosis. Oxford Hypnotherapy has a free downloadable book and audio course available on their website for people who would like to learn more about self-hypnosis. You can find it at http://www.hypnos.info/pages/freeselfhypnosis.html.
Hypnotherapy is an excellent option for patients who do not respond to traditional migraine therapies. It is a great alternative for those who are either sensitive to migraine medications or are unable to take them for medical reasons. Hypnotherapy is highly recommended for migraineur women trying to avoid medications during a pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Hypnosis is not magic. Patients are not under a spell or in the thrall of the person who puts them into the trance. Hypnotherapy is an interactive process between therapist and patient.
Hypnotherapy should only be undertaken with a certified hypnotherapist. To find a good one, check with the American Association of Professional Hypnotherapist (online at www.aaph.org) or the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (www.natboard.com).
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Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 |
When a migraine strikes, many migraineurs head for home and settle in to wait out the excruciating headache. This may be the problem. While current genetic studies of rare migraines types show the condition to be about sixty percent inherited, the other forty is environmental. If someone already prone to migraines is exposed to an environmental trigger, fireworks, or at least a few prodromal symptoms, will ensue.
How can migraineurs make sure their homes aren’t giving them headaches? Clear out known offenders, one at a time. Things to look out for:
* Common household allergens, things like mold, mildew, and dust and dust mites. Changing the air filter and switching to cotton sheets both help with these household horrors.
* Tobacco smoke. Whether it’s a cigarette or a pipe, ask smokers to take it outside.
* Carbon monoxide. This odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas can come from poorly ventilated fireplaces, furnaces, gas appliances, or cars running in the garage. Installing carbon monoxide detectors near possible carbon monoxide sources and checking the batteries regularly may not only prevent migraines, it may save a life.
* Water-borne impurities. Eliminating potential chemical trouble from the faucet can be as simple as purchasing a small water filtering pitcher for drinking water. For extremely sensitive people a household filtration or softener system may be the answer.
* Pesticides. No one wants to share their home with insects and rodents, but the chemicals used to repel them may be inviting in migraines. Temporarily eliminating pesticide use or switching to organic pest control may help.
* Pet dander. Migraineurs who are allergic to their pet may want to consider allergy treatment to help them live with the problem.
* Cleaning solutions. The number and variety of harsh chemicals found in cleansers is boggling. Switching to all-natural cleansers may clean up migraines.
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Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 |
Phonophobia, an extreme sensitivity to noise is one of the most unpleasant side effects of migraine headaches. Doctors can’t help with this sensitivity, but there is hope. The phonophobia most migraine patients experience is particularly sensitive to very loud noises or sudden noises. White noise can help.
What is white noise? If you’ve seen Pollyanna, you know that white light is actually composed of light from every color of the spectrum. White noise is a combination of all audible frequencies. The sounds are spread evenly across the frequency band so that no one single sound or frequency stands out. When the frequencies are mixed they cancel each other out and create a deadening effect.
This deadening effect has helped some migraine sufferers by masking other, more painful sounds during a headache. One of the best natural ways to relieve migraine pain is to sleep through it. Migraine pain makes it hard to fall asleep, especially when you add in the photo- and phonosensitive elements. A white noise machine or recording can help soothe the sensitivity long enough to allow a migraineur to fall asleep.
For migraineurs who experience prodrome symptoms, symptoms that let them know a migraine is coming, white noise can help stave off a headache. For many migraine sufferers, noise is a headache trigger and the noise canceling properties can help stop a headache by removing the noise trigger from the environment. One article even suggested that white noise machines be made available to migraineurs at work as a prophylactic measure to reduce lost time due to headache.
Some people find relief from migraines by staring at the static–visual white noise–on a television screen set between channels or with the cable unplugged. Some report that the migraine disappears completely. Those who use visual white noise recommend doing so with the sound off.
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Friday, August 1st, 2008 |
A rebound headache, also known as a medication overuse headache, is one of the most unpleasant side effects of migraines for many sufferers. These headaches are often blindingly painful, and are sometimes migraines in their own right.
How do people get rebound headaches? Put simply, they try just a little too hard to find relief from their migraine pain. The migraineurs is in pain and takes medication. They are still in pain later and take a little more. That does not help, so they try more medicine to relieve their suffering.
A rebound headache is when a migraine (or other severe headache) spins off into another headache as a result of medication overuse. A rebound headache is basically the original headache, which is only temporarily masked by all the drugs. When the body is finally clear of all the medications, the headache pain returns or rebounds.
Sometimes the rebound is a migraine or a continuation of the previous migraine. Others it is a blindingly painful new headache in its own right. The new headache is excruciatingly painful but without the additional symptoms, like nausea and photosensitivity, that often accompany migraines.
The overuse of any over-the-counter or prescription pain reliever can cause a rebound headache, but the two most frequent culprits are aspirin and acetaminophen. Other drugs often involved in the rebound cycle include caffeine, opiates, prescription combination medications like Midrin, codeine, ergotamine titrate, and drugs that contain barbiturates.
While all really painful, chronic headaches should be discussed with a doctor, there are a number of indicators that someone is probably suffering from medication overuse headaches. These include:
* daily or every other day headaches
* medications no longer provide the relief they used to
* prophylactic medication use
With the help of their doctor, rebound headache patients can break the cycle.
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