Experiencing a Migraine? When To Call Your Doctor

 

By Emma Sturgis

 

Migraines are often described as one of the most painful experiences a person can have. A migraine is usually classified as an intense, throbbing headache and is very difficult to get rid of. Migraines can be accompanied by a wide variety of side effects and symptoms. Oftentimes, when people have migraines, they may assume that if a lot of water is consumed, an adequate amount of rest is achieved and a few painkillers are taken, the migraine will go away. Granted, this will sometimes be an effective treatment. However, there are situations when the migraine will not get better and demands immediate professional medical attention.

 

 

Waking Up in Pain

Whether it’s a nap or deep sleep, if a migraine can wake a person from sleep, it is time to get out of the pajamas and march straight to the doctor’s office. Typically, getting rest can help a headache go away. If the opposite is happening, professional help is recommended.

 

 

Interruption Of Daily Life

When migraines seem to be never-ending and interfere with one’s daily schedule, there is a problem. A migraine has the ability to be so painful that it may render the sufferer unable to complete a full day at work, spend time with family and friends and enjoy their usual activities. This is another indicator that a visit to see the doctor must happen sooner rather than later.

 

 

Long-lasting Pain

Typically, when people feel the symptoms of a migraine, they will assume it is an intense headache and treat it as such. The way most people treat a headache is through drinking a large quantity of water, getting a lot of rest and swallowing a few painkillers. However, when all of those attempted remedies don’t work and the pain lasts for more than 72 hours, go to your doctor as soon as possible. Long-lasting pain could also include habitual migraines which can be expected regularly. It is important to note that migraines should never be a part of one’s regular routine.

 

 

Other Symptoms

Migraines are painful on their own. When coupled with other symptoms, migraines can feel unbearable. There are many signs the migraine is serious and needs to be treated immediately. If a patient dealing with a migraine experiences other symptoms including fever, dizziness, slurred speech, loss of consciousness or diarrhea, they should seek medical attention, as these symptoms can manifest as a result of serious illness. Occasionally, a migraine will be accompanied by vision loss in one or both eyes, which an optometry specialist from Optometrists Clinic Inc says could be indicative of a more serious condition. In the event of vision loss or disruption, a migraine sufferer should seek professional assistance.

 

Don’t delay in seeking medical attention when even one of these components are present. It’s ideal to experience optimal health and the pain from a migraine is never an experience one should get used to. Migraines can be treated by most doctors, so make the right decision and call the doctor when the above-listed symptoms occur.

 

 

Categories: call, doctor, experiencing, migraine

What Differentiates A Migraine From A Headache?

The cause of migraines is unknown but the symptoms can be very debilitating – those suffering with a migraine will experience a throbbing, intense headache, far worse than the mild headache we all experience from time to time. During an attack, the blood vessels in the brain dilate and draw together with stimulation from the nerve endings near the affected blood vessels. Researchers agree that these changes to the blood vessels are probably what causes the pain, though they don’t have a full understanding of how a migraine works or what brings them on. Those who suffer with migraines tend to do so because of a predisposition for the condition in their family but, again, it is not fully understood what role genetics play in the development and risk of migraines. Around 20 percent of females and 6 percent of males suffer with migraines, making it a fairly common condition. It’s rare for people to develop them in later life though, as 90 percent of sufferers have their first attack before they’re 40 years old. Researchers suggest hormones are connected to migraines, as many women often find they start getting them around puberty. Most believe that certain foods make the problem worse, so it may be worth avoiding cheese, chocolate, wine and citrus fruits – these can cause an attack. Furthermore, emotional triggers can be worth trying to avoid where possible, such as anxiety, and stress. The contraceptive pill, travel, bright lights and exercise are all connected to migraines according to sufferers.

 

People often refer to a regular headache as a migraine, but there are differences that set these two ailments apart. The ‘classical’ migraine has a variety of specific features, including headaches which affect one side of the head at a time, regular headaches which occur in bouts of roughly four to 72 hours, nausea and vomiting, preceding symptoms such as flashing lights and a blurred vision, and sensitivity symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound, and a tingling sensation in the body. In rare cases, people with migraines experience a transient loss of the power of a limb, or temporary difficulty with speech, but this is not commonly associated with migraines. The initial diagnosis requires great care, as the first attack of a migraine can look like other serious concerns, such as meningitis or a stroke. However, once several attacks have occurred it makes it easier to spot patterns that can determine whether or not the individual is suffering with a migraine problem.

 

Many women find that the oral contraceptive pill makes attacks worse, and if this is the case then this should be stopped. The best solution when you’re suffering with a migraine is to rest in a quiet, dark room – bright lights can make it worse. You’re best treating a migraine as soon as it starts, as the treatment becomes less effective the longer you’ve had it. The treatment varies depending on your age and the severity of your problem, so you should speak to your GP before buying over the counter remedies if possible. However, simple painkillers can be effective in relieving the symptoms – they’re usually the first form of treatment tried, so may be worth trying if you’re suffering with the symptoms. Some people find that homeopathy helps, including acupuncture. It may be worth speaking to your GP anyway though, in order to ascertain if this is the best course of treatment and also to see if there are any other changes you can make to lower your risk of having an attack.

Categories: Attack, blood vessels, contraceptive pill, headache, migraine, migraines, people, Symptoms

Could Natural Therapies Help Reduce Your Migraine Headaches?

Categories: blood vessels, Coenzyme Q10, fish oil, headaches nbsp, migraine, migraine headaches, natural therapy, nbsp, q10 supplements, reduce

Migraine Misery: Eight Simple Steps to a Pain-Free Mind

Migraine is a big health concern for those whose wellness is afflicted by it, causing extreme headaches, nausea, vomiting and visual, sensory or motor irregularities. Scientists believe that migraine has some connection with a change in the brain chemicals, nerve pathways, brain tissues or blood flow to the brain, and multiple lifestyle triggers can set it off. However, you can find relief from your pain using eight simple and natural remedies.

 

1. Stop stress. Anxiety and stress can severely aggravate your migraine so try to find a stress-reducing technique that works for you. This may include having a relaxing bath with a few drops of essential oil added to it, using lavender candles, listening to soft music or having a aromatic body massage.

 

2. Breathe better. You may tend to take shallow breaths when your pain is at its peak, but deep slow breaths will help you relax, and so overthrow your migraine.

 

3. Secure your sleep pattern. Nothing helps your wellness quite like a good night’s sleep, so make sure you go to bed early enough and get your regular eight hours. Having a regular, healthy sleep pattern will help you to feel more fit, fresh and energised.

 

4.  Enjoy exercise. Not only does exercise help to reduce stress, but it also gets the blood pumping round your brain. However, after a bad migraine attack, something too strenuous could negatively affect your well-being, so go for walking or yoga.

 

5. Make time for a massage. Getting someone to massage your head with up and out strokes helps to boost your blood circulation in the brain and ward off migraine. Tell your masseur to start at the back of your neck, move up towards the base of your skull, and pull downwards again. This should be followed by pressure on the side of your head.

 

6. Fear the food triggers. If you’re going through a particularly bad spell of migraines, try to avoid foods that will set you off. This means eliminating chocolate, processed foods, carbonated and/or caffeinated drinks and foods high in additives.

 

7. Dream of darkness. A dark, quite environment can be a major help when you’re suffering a migraine, so switch off the lights, place an ice pack on your forehead and lie down. This will help to lessen the inflammation of veins in your forehead.

 

8. Have hope in herbs. Certain herbs can improve the blood circulation in your brain, so try yarrow, ginkgo, cayenne, dong quai and tindel flowers.

Categories: blood circulation, Brain, Food Triggers, herbs, migraine, nbsp, sleep pattern

Dizzying Concerns: Do You Have an Underlying Health Issue?

Dizziness is a major health concern, as it can seem to pop up out of nowhere. There are several conditions that can cause dizziness, as can medications and lifestyle factors, such as stress. If you experience dizziness often, it’s worth getting checked out by your GP. Here are some of the conditions that may be at work:

1. Vestibular neuritis (labyrinthitis). This is a viral infection of the inner ear that can affect your wellness with a sudden onset of dizziness with a spinning sensation (vertigo), nausea (feeling sick) and general unsteadiness. You tend to develop these symptoms after a bad cold or influenza (the ‘flu), but it’s rare for this to last for more than a few weeks. You can take anti-vertigo drugs, like those used for motion or travel sickness, to treat this condition.


2. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This is a minute bout of intense dizziness with a revolving or spinning sensation. It’s brought on by particular head movements, such as turning over in bed, or looking up to place a book on a shelf. You can probably stop BPPV from impacting your wellbeing by simply avoiding the trigger head movements. However, at its worst, BPPV causes a specific nystagmus (jerking movements of the eye) unique to the condition, which may require treatment.


3. Migrainous vertigo. This is vertigo as the main or only symptom of your migraine. As well as taking medications to reduce the pain and inflammation of migraines, you can also try to reduce stress, stop smoking, avoid certain foods – such as chocolate, cheese and alcohol – and get plenty of sleep.


4. Ménière’s disease. This involves repeated attacks of intense dizziness which can last from two to 24 hours and often involves vomiting. You may notice a change in your hearing before or after an attack, and feel a tenderness or pressure in one of your ears.  The impact of Ménière’s disease tends to worsen over time, progressing to deafness, and there’s no warning sign that a dizziness attack is going to happen. While the main treatment of a strict low-salt diet and diuretic medication can help reduce the frequency and intensity of each vertigo attack, this will not necessarily slow down the progression of the deafness. However, if you take anti-vertigo drugs as soon as the first symptoms of Ménière’s disease develop, this may help.

Categories: Dizzy, migraine, Vertigo

Bite-Sized Pain: Are Your Teeth Causing Your Migraines?

Migraines can really take their toll on your wellbeing, but if you’re like most migraine sufferers, you may not even realise it. You may mistake the pain to be nothing more than a harsh headache, and so you may run the risk of not getting the right treatment to provide the fastest release.

The national migraine association MAGNUM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life of migraine and head pain sufferers, estimates that 60% of women and 70% of men with migraine have never been diagnosed. And even if you know your wellness is affected by migraines, you may not know the cause. This is according to the International Centre for Nutritional Research, who note that a bad bite is “one factor often overlooked” as a cause of your migraine pain.

Dr Mark Duncan, clinical director of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, explains that migraines often go misdiagnosed in women because they are often asked by their GP if the headaches are related to their hormone cycle. As there’s a week in which you can attribute many wellness concerns to being “due on”, another where you’re actually menstruating, and a third in which you can think “well, I’ve only just finished…”, that’s a huge chunk of your cycle that you may wrongly attribute migraine pain to your hormones. This means that your Doctor, in turn, mistakenly diagnoses your headache pain as hormone-related migraines, when in reality you have bite-related muscle cramps in your temples, or malocclusion.

You can tell if you have malocclusion by biting your teeth together. Ideally, only about 1mm of your lower teeth should disappear behind your front teeth when you bite down, so if more than the tip of your lower front teeth is covered, your bite could be the culprit for your pain. This is because your jaw is forced backwards in relation to your head, which causes muscle strain. Also, you may be at risk of malocclusion if your dentist has talked to your about toothbrush abrasion. Luckily, there is an answer to this dental problem; calming and supporting those muscles so that the pain disappears. Consult a neuromuscular dentist, as he or she will be trained to look at all the muscles that support your bite.

Categories: Bite, Malocclusion, migraine

Sex: Why It’s The Ultimate Headache Cure

In a new trial, neurologists looking into the effects of sexual activity have discovered that it can help to either partially or completely remove the symptoms of a headache or migraine. At the University of Munster in Germany, researchers found that contrary to using a headache as an excuse to avoid sex, it could actually be a better cure than painkillers! This is thanks to the release of hormones which occurs during sex, as well as the improved circulation which can help to cure headaches in some cases.

 

More than half of the patients analysed who were suffering from migraines found that their symptoms dissipated after sex, or at least their symptoms improved. One in five patients left the trial with no pain at all, whilst many others (particularly men) found that sex was used as a therapeutic tool to alleviate stress or anxiety. This is because sex releases endorphins which help to work as the body’s own painkillers by impacting the nervous system – this helps it to reduce or remove the pain associated with a headache. Sex also works to prevent attacks in some cases, which could spell great news for those who suffer with migraines.

 

As part of the study, researchers sent 800 random migraine patients and 200 cluster headache sufferers a questionnaire which asked for responses as to how sexual activity impacted their symptoms and whether it removed it at all. Two out of every three patients stated that their migraine was significantly improved after sex – three out of four reported that they felt complete relief from the headache, and a third stated that it got worse. With the cluster headache group, researchers found that 37 percent of those questioned said that their condition was improved with sexual activity, and 90 percent said they felt moderate or complete relief.

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Sex: Why It’s The Ultimate Headache Cure

Categories: migraine, new study, sexual activity