Natural Home Remedies for Migraines Headache at Headaches-Migraine-Relief.com

Many doctors believe that people commonly mistake a migraine headache for a sinus headache. This can be because migraine headache causes can be similar to what most people think causes sinus headaches.

One of the migraine headache causes people commonly mistake for sinus headache causes is the weather. The change in air pressure causes many people to have migraine headaches, some people are so sensitive to this change that even high humidity can change cause migraine headaches.

Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities can also cause migraine headaches. Common foods are dairy products, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, alcohol, processed meat products (lunch meat, hot dogs), caffeine, and most fatty foods.

For a person to determine if their migraine headache cause is food related there are simple tests that can help to make this clear. A doctor may suggest omitting the suspect food from the person’s diet for a set amount of time or keeping a food and headache diary, recording what foods the person eats and which of those days headaches occur to try to establish a pattern.

Environmental Factors

Some migraine headache causes are from a person’s surroundings such as bright lights, strong smells or rhythmic motion. There are many external migraine headache causes which people cannot always avoid, these people may be able to take some precautions such as wearing sun glasses or taking an over the counter motion sickness medication if the nausea leads to headaches when traveling.

Mental Stress

Stress is a common cause of migraine headaches. Many people have anxiety from situations in the work place, at home, with family, and many other situations which lead to severe headaches.

Depression has also been linked as a possible migraine headache cause; when people suffer from depression they tend to use extra stimulants such as coffee or nicotine to compensate for their moods which can also cause migraine headaches. Some people also tend to consume alcohol when they are depressed to cope with their feelings. An excess of alcohol is also a known cause of migraine headaches.

Physical Causes

A disruption in a person’s normal sleeping pattern can also be one of a migraine headache’s causes, every person’s body requires a unique amount of sleep, for most people that is between six and nine hours each night. When a person has trouble sleeping it can affect their whole next day by plaguing them with severe head pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light or sound.

This can also be true if a person is getting too much sleep either all at once or by napping throughout the day. Most people thrive on sleeping for a set amount of time each day waking and sleeping at the same times, for some migraine headache sufferers regulating their sleeping pattern could reduce their occurrence of headaches immensely.

There are many more migraine headache causes, if a person thinks they may be suffering from migraine headaches, they should consult a doctor. No one should suffer with migraine pain because there are so many medications, some with very rare and mild side effects which can help migraines last less than an hour instead of hours or days which are common to some sufferers.

Topamax is a drug originally designed for use with epileptic patients. It’s now become the drug of choice for prescription to migraine sufferers. Other conditions this drug is being used for include: bipolar disorder, obesity, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder, bulimia nervosa, obsessive compulsive disorder among other conditions that it is being investigated for.

It is designed to be taken continuously in order to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. To its credit it has helped in preventing migraines and for many people who suffer with very frequent migraine attacks as they had few alternatives.

The purpose of this article is to give a full account of the pros and cons for taking a drug like topamax so that my fellow migraine sufferers can make an informed decision.

Through my research on topamax users I’ve found that many discontinue using it because of its severe side effects while others continue using it reasoning that the side effects are worth the result of relief from migraines.

The side effects that have been most commonly experienced by patients on topamax include:
-psychomotor slowing
-memory problems (short term memory loss)
-fatigue
-feelings of pins and needles
-confusion
-somnolence (increased desire for sleep also called hypersomnia)
-upper respiratory tract infections
-diarrhea
-nausea
-loss of appetite (leading to rapid weight loss)
-dizziness
-kidney stones

And recently the FDA has issued a notification alerting physicians and patients about the risk of vision loss through the development of acute myopia or glaucoma. The initial symptom of this is pain in or around the eyes which typically occurs within the first month of usage.

The cost of topamax in the United States ranges from a whopping $120 to over $400 respectively for 25mg to 200mg bottles containing 60 tablets.

So does topamax help migraineurs?

Pros: As I stated earlier it has definitely shown that it does help to reduce occurrences of migraine attacks.

Cons: Mild to severe to devastating side effects potentially worse than your migraines.

My personal view is that based on all the possible side-effects a decision to go on a drug like this should not be taken lightly and only after all other alternatives have been explored. After all why would you want to simply trade one problem for another? At least your migraines are free!

Health and Personal Care Disclaimer
The content in this email is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist or other health care professional. You should not use this information for self diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. When you receive an item carefully read all labels, warnings or directions before use. Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown in this email or on our website. Contact your health care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Information and statements concerning dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease or health condition.

Patrick Ogunnaike has suffered from migraine attacks for over 25 years but has developed natural techniques to reduce his migraines attacks from 3-4 times a month to 1 attack or less. And where his migraines previously lasted 12-24 hours now they tend to only last between 4-6. Now with the release of his nutritional supplement Migraine Complex he is helping other migraineurs find drug free solutions. To learn more visit http://www.migrainecomplex.com

Who get migraine?

Physiologically, migraine headache is a neurological condition that is more commonly known to afflict women than men. Women experience migraines at least three times more often than men, probably because of hormonal changes. However, migraines can occur in children also, but they mostly appear in people in their twenties or thirties.

Studies have revealed that migraines could be inherited. For example, if one parent is afflicted with migraine, there is a 40% chance that the child will have migraine. If both parents have migraine, the probability increases to 75%.

Although, there is no specific migraine personality, most migraine sufferers have been found to be perfectionists, high-strung, conscientious, orderly, analytical and critical.

Symptoms and treatment of migraine

Symptoms of Migraine

Migraine pain generally differs from other types of headache; it has specific symptoms that may vary in intensity, character, frequency and duration. Migraine attacks can appear from a couple of times a year to almost every day. The two main types of migraine are:

Classical Migraine – migraine with aura Common Migraine – migraine without no warning or aura

A few migraine patients may experience an aura, which is normally treated as a sign of the pain to come. The aura consists of bright spots or zigzag lines and blurred vision or temporary visual loss. In rare cases numbness or tingling of the face and lips can also be observed. However, these symptoms generally disappear within an hour and are then replaced by a headache. In some cases the aura may not be followed by headaches.

Common migraine headache mostly begin without warning and are most commonly experienced by children. Common symptoms of this migraine are associated with:

Intense head pain (the pain begins on one side of the head and spreads downward to the eye, face and even neck; the pain can also switch sides or affect both sides at once) Relentless throbbing or pounding deep in the head Nausea Vomiting Strong and painful reactions to light and loud noises Activity associated pain (the simple act of moving may be difficult during the migraine attack) Not being able to carry out day to day activities. The need to lie down during attacks

People may sometimes experience all or some of the symptoms which are either moderate or severe. Migraine attacks may last from anywhere up to four hours to three days. This affliction has the potential to severely disrupt your work and family life as well as your social activities.

Migraine trigger

Migraine, it is believed, is triggered by changes in the neurotransmitters and blood vessels in the brain. However, certain factors have been identified that can trigger attacks in susceptible people. They are:

Stress (or sometimes the relief of stress) Lack of food or infrequent meals Certain foods products containing monosodium glutamate, caffeine, tyramine or alcohol Overtiredness (both physical and mental) Changing sleep patterns (e.g. weekend lie ins, sleeplessness or shift work) Hormonal factors (e.g. monthly periods, contraceptive pill, HRT or menopause) Extreme emotions (e.g. anger, grief etc.) Physical activity Environmental factors (e.g. loud noise, bright or flickering lights, strong perfumes, hot stuffy atmosphere, VDUs etc.) Climatic conditions (e.g. strong winds, extreme heat or cold)

For most people, afflicted with migraines, it is usually not any one trigger but a combination of factors which collectively work against a person’s threshold and an attack is triggered.

Cefaly medical device for migraine

Cefaly is a medical device that relieves pain in people suffering from migraines and cluster/tension headaches as well as trigeminal neuralgia and frontal sinusitis. It has a full EEC medical certification. A patented system, it bears the ISO and CE medical mark.

The unit consists of a band that is worn around the front of the head and it then sends electrical impulses through an electrode patch placed in between the eyebrows. This device works on the trigeminal nerves at the front of the face. It works at three programme levels. They are:

Programme 1 – Is a treatment programme, based on TENS technology. It works on blocking the flow of pain at the entrance of the spinal cord. Programme 2 – Is the preventive or endorphinic programme. It increases the endorphins (natural painkillers) in the central nervous system. Programme 3 – Is the anti-stress and relaxation programme.

Numerous tests and clinical studies have been conducted that prove that Cefaly is effective, with almost 85% of its users being extremely satisfied with the results.

Migraine is a severe disorder that affects and interrupts the lives of millions of people. Figures show that twenty five percent of migraine sufferers experience more than four attacks a month and it has consequences for employers, family and friends as well as the sufferer.

One of the best self help measures for sufferers is migraine prevention via education, as it can help you self-diagnose and provide your physician with an intelligent approach to assist him with diagnosis so you get the right migraines treatment. The main drawback is that although there are thousands and thousands of Internet websites for headache, they are erratic and inconsistent. However joining organizations like the American Council for Headache Education and local organizations can play an excellent part in educating yourself about migraine.

Many self help books containing migraine headache info could be described in the same manner, but my advice is to look for those sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology or other such reliable bodies.

Getting a correct diagnosis is the first step to managing migrain, and I have always found it useful to keep a headache diary or calendar to record the severity of my migraine headache pain, and my response to migraine drugs treatment. This includes information such as dosage, time taken and also any non-drug therapies, what you ate at mealtimes, exercise and sleep habits. Honestly recording what you actually do and when you did it will help you doctor treat your more effectually, give you the correct medication for migraines and will help you to identify triggers.

I’m not saying that you should become obsessive and give your headache calendar more attention than necessary but keeping one for a few months before the first visit to a migraine specialist can provide him or her with a great deal of information, and it may be worthwhile maintaining this afterwards. For example I have discovered that sitting at my computer worsened my condition, but when I changed chairs it lessened the stress on my neck and helped me somewhat.

Stopping smoking and starting regular aerobic exercise are valid self-help measures for migraine. Movement encourages the brain to produce more endorphins, which are natural pain fighting hormones, and exercise reduces muscle tension, anxiety, increases energy levels, refreshes and helps you focus. However some migraine sufferers find that this can aggravate and worsen their condition, under these circumstances walking can be beneficial. Remember when you are exercising it is important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Helping yourself and cooperating with you physician can also lead to the exploration of natural remedies for migraines, as these are becoming more popular with many being backed by research. Remedies for migraine headaches, which are likely to be offered include relaxation techniques such as hypnosis, biofeedback, progressive relaxation, meditation, guided imagery and breathing exercises.

Other alterative treatment for migraines include:

Acupuncture for migraines
Chiropractic care
Massage
Herbal supplement
Physical therapy
Vitamin (B2) and mineral supplements
Magnesium supplementation
Feverfew
Butterbur
Co-Enzyme Q10
Acupressure
Essential Fatty Acids supplementation
Hydrotherapy
Yoga

Stress does not initially cause migraine headaches but does seem to trigger them if you are a migrane sufferer. Consequently, as stress is closely linked to a migraine headache and because the severity of the condition can disrupt family life causing depression, then you may also be offered behavioral therapies such as psychotherapy and stress management training.

This is by no means a comprehensive manual on migraine prevention but it will hopefully be enough to get you started.

Health and Personal Care Disclaimer
The content in this email is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist or other health care professional. You should not used this information for self diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. When you receive an item carefully read all labels, warnings or directions before use. Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown in this email or on our website. Contact your health care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Information and statements concerning dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease or health condition.

Patrick Ogunnaike has suffered from migraine attacks for over 25 years but has developed natural techniques to reduce his migraines attacks from 3-4 times a month to 1 attack or less. And where his migraines previously lasted 12-24 hours now they tend to only last between 4-6. Now with the release of his nutritional supplement Migraine Complex he is helping other migraineurs find drug free solutions. To learn more visit http://www.migrainecomplex.com