What are Migraines?

Long thought to be a particularly severe type of headache, migraines are now categorized as a neurological disease with a number of causes and a variety of symptoms, ranging from annoying to life-threatening.

Unlike regular headaches, which are felt when blood vessels in the head constrict, migraines are felt when they expand. If a migraine sufferer takes medicine for a regular headache, it will only make the pain and other symptoms worse.

Those suffering from migraines can experience a wide range of effects, from numbing pain to sensitivity to light, from having difficulty speaking to seeing spots of light, or auras. It is thought that these symptoms are caused by overly-sensitive neurons, firing in a cascade effect at the presentation of a trigger.

A number of different triggers can instigate migraines in those susceptible. Some are out of the individual's control, such as particular weather patterns or phases of the menstrual cycle. Other triggers can be identified and avoided; these include foods such as chocolate, fish, certain cheeses and monosodium glutamate. Environmentally, smoke, bright lights or certain smells can also play a part.

Since the causes of migraines are invisible, it is all too easy for people around the migraine sufferer to minimize the problem. Migraines and migraine disease should be taken seriously; the pain is quite real, and potentially dangerous.

Migraines at their worst can lead to life-threatening aneurysms or strokes; migraine sufferers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those free of this disease. Birth control pills can increase the risk, so if you suffer from migraines, talk to your doctor before choosing this method of birth control.

There is no known genetic component to having a predisposition to migraines. Certain forms of epilepsy can effect some migraine sufferers, such that a migraine can trigger a seizure and vice versa.

New drugs are now available to assist in managing migraines. They are of two types; one is taken regularly to prevent or lessen the likelihood of attacks and the other is taken at the onset of a migraine to stop its progress.