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Migraine:       

Migraine is a severe pain and is usually felt in one side of the head. You may also get other unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and cold hands and feet.    Migraine does involve a degree of depressed blood flow to the brain which can be severe.

There are two types of migraine, common and classic.

The common migraine occurs slowly, producing a throbbing pain that might last for two to seventy-two hours. The pain is severe and is often centered at the temple or behind one ear. Alternatively, it can begin at the back of the neck and spread to one entire side of the head (the word "migraine" comes from the Greek hemikrania, which means "half a skull"). It is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and tingling and numbness in the limbs that can last up to eighteen hours.

A classic migraine is similar to a common migraine, but it is preceded by a set of symptoms referred to as an aura, which can consist of speech disorders, weakness and disturbances in the senses of vision and/or smell. It often starts an hour or two before the headache starts. And aura can also consist of brilliant stars, sparks, flashes, or simple geometric forms passing across the visual field. The most common symptom is an inability to see clearly. Visual disturbances may last only a few seconds or may persist for hours, then disappear.

Migraines are fairly common - about 11 to 18 million Americans or up to 10% of the population. An estimated 8.7 percent are women and 2.6 percent of the males in the United States suffer from migraines. The may occur anywhere from once a week to once or twice a year, and they often run in families.

What causes migraines?

The dilation of blood vessels in the head. But what pulls the trigger? 

Any number of things can trigger a migraine in a susceptible individual, including allergies; constipation, emotional changes, hormonal changes, sun glare, flashing lights, lack of exercise, and changes in barometric pressure. 

Low blood sugar is frequently associated with migraine; studies have shown that blood sugar levels are low during a migraine attack, and the lower the blood sugar level, the more severe the headache. A study involving 35 migraine sufferers showed that when a high protein, sugar-free regime was substituted for the previous heavy-in-refined-carbohydrate diet, they all were delivered of their migraines.  Another study had 118 sufferers on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet distributed over six  feedings, rather than three to keep their sugar level properly elevated.   90 days later, 85 of the sufferers were improved by at least 75 percent.

Sticky blood cells that bunch together also contribute to migraines.  In one study, 77 percent of the migraine patients had excessively high rates of platelet aggregation.  Omega 3 essential fatty acids have been found to make the platelets less sticky.  So has garlic.  

Smoking can cause an attack because the nicotine and carbon monoxide cigarette smoke contains affects the blood vessels - the nicotine constricts them while the carbon monoxide tends to expand them. 

Many different foods may precipitate an attack especially those which contain tyramine, an agent powerful in dilating blood vessels.  Some of the most common offenders are chocolate, banana, beef and chicken livers, pickled herring, soy sauce, sour cream, cured meats such as ham, hot dogs, salami and beer, citrus fruits, alcohol (especially red wine and certain champagnes), and any food that is aged, cured, pickled, soured, yeasty, or fermented.   Some food additives - monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nitrate and nitrate used to preserve bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami and various other types of sausage - are also activators of migraine, particularly when in tyramine-containing foods.  

Once factor behind the higher incidence of migraine in women may be the fluctuations in the level of the hormone estrogen.

Migraines are 2-3 times more common in women than in men and the gender difference begins at puberty and often ends after menopause. Many hormone-related events exclusive to women, such as pregnancy, menopause, and the cycles of menstruation can trigger the onset of migraines. Like many health problems that affect women in greater numbers than men, migraines were relatively neglected by medical researchers until fairly recently and when studies had been done they more often were done using male subjects.

Scientists are fairly certain that changing levels of female hormones contribute to migraine; however, exactly how these hormones work is still a mystery.

Approximately 60% of women who chart their migraine attacks will note that their headaches are partly or wholly synchronized with the menstrual cycle. The medical community divides these hormonal migraines into two categories.

1. True Menstrual Migraine- attacks that occur two days prior, during and up to three days after the menstrual period and at no other time.

2. Menstrual Related - attacks that occur during mid-cycle or around the time of ovulation. Many women with migraines who suffer from PMS believe their headaches are just another part of PMS. However, scientists believe that PMS and menstrual migraines are separate entities, both driven by a woman’s hormonal cycle and affecting the central nervous system. To further support that they are different syndromes, often; the treatment for one does not help the other.

Although charting symptoms is very important, it does not provide the complete picture. Saliva testing which measures free level of hormones in the body provides a precise account of the fluctuations in hormone levels. Cycle mapping measures both estradiol and progesterone levels at 13 points throughout a 28-day cycle. The health care professional can utilize symptom charting and test results and make a complete evaluation to develop the subsequent plan of treatment

Considerations:

The frequent use of over-the-counter painkillers may actually increase the likelihood of migraine attacks.

A study reported in the British medical journal The Lancet © found that when allergic foods were eliminated from the diets of migraine sufferers, as many as 93 percent of them found relief.

Some find migraine relief by taking lecithin (a soybean derivative). In one study, those who took between three and six 1,200-milligram capsules when they felt a headache coming on had fewer, milder migraine attacks.

A study of the herb feverfew conducted at the University of Nottingham in England found that participants who took the herb got an average of 24 percent fewer migraines then those who did not, and also that vomiting was reduced, with no side effects.

Women who suffer from migraines may benefit from the use of natural progesterone cream.

Studies showed that high daily doses of riboflavin - 400 mg a day - sharply reduced the number and severity of migraine attacks for over half the participants. The researchers think it works because people who get migraines have low cellular energy reserves in their brains. Riboflavin helps the cells use energy better, which seems to help prevent the migraines to begin with and make them less severe when they do happen.

Other help: exercise, taking alternate hot and cold showers, and taking feverfew & hyssop. 

Walking, jogging or running for 30 minutes three times weekly over 15 weeks was found to reduce migraines in half.

A study claims that hot-cold shower routine has called an abrupt halt to many a migraine and regular headaches as well.

Other remedies include:  rubbing arms and hands in a basin of hot water to draw blood away from the head & placing an ice bag on the forehead of the back of the neck.

Nutrients that have been known to help:

RECOMMENDED:

Get More Info on MiGone Plus for Headache and Migraine Relief.

Here's some nutritionals that should help.

Calcium & magnesium - minerals that help to regulate muscular tone and to transmit nerve impulses through the body and to the brain.

Coenzyme Q10 - Increases blow flow to the brain and improves circulation.

Dimethylglycine (DMG) - improves brain circulation.

Essential Fatty Acids - Needed for brain cells and for fat metabolism.

Primrose oil - An anti-inflammatory agent to keep the blood vessels from constricting.

Vitamin B3 (niacin) - increases the blood flow to the brain.  Caution: do not take niacin if you have a liver disorder, gout or high blood pressure.

Rutin - removes toxic metals, which may cause migraines.

Garlic - a potent detoxifier.

Feverfew - alleviates pain.  Caution: do not use during pregnancy. This is in the reccomended MiGone.

Where can I get these vitamins?

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