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How Do You Know If You Have A Migraine Headache And What Are Its Symptoms?
One of the most common migraine symptoms is an acute throbbing pain which is normally located on only one side of the head near to the temple. Migraines are also often accompanied by additional symptoms that can include sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Migraines are fairly common and affect about one in ten people in the United States, or in excess of 28 million Americans. They are also far more commonly experienced by women rather than men (about 3 times as many women suffer from migraine) and can also be see sometimes in children.
Despite the fact that migraine headaches are so common and often very painful with an attack lasting anything from a matter of hours to several days, only about 50% of all sufferers consult their physician and the remainder elect to suffer in silence.
It had long been thought these headaches resulted from a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, although there is no general consensus, medical opinion appears to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic basis for this problem. Current thinking is that migraine headaches results from the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. Currently however the truth is that we are really not sure what cause migraines.
In fact there are two types of migraine, the first of which is referred to as 'classical migraine', which is characterized by an accompanying 'aura'. In this case 'aura' refers to visual light effects which are experienced immediately prior to the onset of a headache including things like flashing lights and bright light spots. In some people a complete loss of vision can be experienced for a few minutes before the start of the headache.
The second type of migraine headache is simply a migraine without the 'aura'.
Just as we do not really know what causes a migraine, so too we have very little idea about exactly what gives rise to an attack, though there are some factors that do appear likely to trigger an attack in sufferers. For example, getting too much sleep appears to be one factor, as does skipping meals or eating certain types of food like cheese.
Hormones are also believed to influence both the onset and severity of attacks and this is evidenced the increased incidence of migraines in women. In part this is thought to be because estrogen affects the blood vessels and it has been noted in some studies that there is a connection between the contraceptive pill (containing estrogen) and migraines.
Just to confuse matters however studies have also shown that simple everyday activities like walking up stairs can trigger a migraine attack, as can exposure to heat or cold, loud noises, flashing lights and even stress.
Happily, there are a number of migraine treatments available, though no one treatment is really effective in all cases. One thing which we do know though is that over-the-counter medicines are seldom effective and, if you suffer from migraine headaches, then you would be best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding a solution which works for you.
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