Answers to "What Is a Migraine"?

By John Edward Fox

What is a Migraine?

There are different classes of headaches, but in my opinion the migraine headache is the most devastating headache of them all.

A migraine attack may occur at any time day or night, (although researchers have found that most migraines strike in the A.M., as opposed to later in the day.)

A migraine may develop in many different ways, in some cases lasting hours, and sometimes the migraine attack can linger for days.

There are Migraines with Auras, which may include several pre-migraine symptoms, such as numbness in the extremities, followed by aural anomalies that may include flashing or undulating lights that normally last up to one hour.

After the pre-migraine episode has concluded, the pain phase begins. This phase, which causes extreme headache pain, may last for days.

It is relatively common to experience migraines without the pre-migraine symptoms, but the headache will usually be just as painful as the Migraine with Aura attack.

What causes a Migraine

Researchers have concluded that migraines are caused by a combination of events.

It is thought that blood vessels in the head become dilated, and this dilation causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that encompass these blood vessels.This occurrence is the main reason for the extreme pain associated with migraine headaches.

At the same time, the Temporal Artery, which is located on the outside of the skull, just beneath the skin, also becomes enlarged, causing inflammation, which increases the migraine headache pain.

The migraine attack will often cause the Sympathetic Nervous System to come into play. The Sympathic Nervous System controls the body's respnse to stress, which is thought of as the " Fight or Flight " response. Once activated, the Sympathetic Nervous System is responsible for feelings of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The increased Sympathetic Nervous System activity also heightens sensitivity to light and sound, may cause impaired vision during a migraine.

This system will also slow down the release of food from the stomach into the intestine, which makes absorption of migraine medications much less effective.

The causes and cures of migraine headaches are constantly being debated by the scientific community, but with the advances in medical science, i'm quite sure a cure for this very painful, and chronic condition is in the foreseeable future. Until then, we should keep searching for information and ideas that we can use, and be proactive in treating this agonizing malady.

To Your Health,
John Fox

John Fox lives in New York, and writes articles on pain related topics.

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