Migraine

It will require a search warrant to catch a person who never had headache in his life. Headache  is perhaps the most common of all symptoms afflicting the human race. The good thing is that most headaches are more or less transient – here today and gone tomorrow.  But some seem to recur frequently over periods of months or years. For some, it has become an integral part of their life. Such headaches may be due to a wide variety of causes such as:

• Head injuries

• Sinus

• Eye condition

• Infection of the nose, throat and ears

• Tension

• Anxiety

• Fear

• Sulking

• Anger

• Drunkenness

• Constipation

• Various tumours

The above list is still indicative and not exhaustive. This section, is however confined to Migraine or megrim headaches.

Migraine or  Megrim Headaches

Megrim headaches are among the most common forms of headache these days. It is so common that one person out of ten has it at some time or other. It is most common in early adult life, women being more frequently affected.  Often there is a history of Migraine headaches in the family.   The good news is that this type of headache begins to subside after the age of fifty. In a way it is a self-inflicted injury as it comes on when a person is either under intense nervous strain or when the tension suddenly subsides. The nervous strain is most often the consequence of either anticipating an unpleasant situation or being already amidst it. One should never assume that this headache is due to some serious disease.  It is a functional disease not in any way related to any organic changes in the brain.  It is like some children developing headache, stomach pain, vomiting, fever etc. during their examinations.  

Symptoms: This is most likely to be a one sided headache. It usually follows a pattern. In one attack, the right side of the head may be involved, in the next, perhaps the left. It is often preceded by short period of depression, irritability, restlessness, and loss of appetite.  These symptoms  tend to disappear just before the setting in of the headache or may continue and even increase the pain. Its other symptoms may include:

	Numbness and tingling sensation on the headache-side of the face or the body.
	Blind spot in the vision.
	Nausea/Vomiting
	Desire to be left alone.
	Feeling cold
	Blood vessels on the side of headache are prominent and pulsating.

The Duration and Frequency:  The attack may last for hours or days at a time. Some patients may have it daily, others at odd times, and still others , perhaps only once or twice in several years.

Its Cause: Migraine headaches are usually thought to arise from some reflex  spasm or tension in one of the arteries leading to the brain. This reduces the normal flow of blood to that area. Just above the spastic portion of the vessel, the walls of the artery loose their normal tone and become greatly dilated.  This causes intense pulsation and stretching of the walls of the vessel, producing acute pain and headache. This is theory. No one as yet knows for sure the cause of migraine headaches. 

Its Cure:

The best treatment for migraine headache or for that matter most of headaches is to prevent them from coming on.  As has already been said earlier, migraine headache always arise from the stress and strain of living.  This evidently builds some kind of electrical storm within the brain, and from there the trouble spread to the stomach and intestinal organs.  Here are some suggestions for its prevention:

1. Do not be a perfectionist and exacting with yourself and others. Plan your work well, but don’t fret or worry when things go wrong. It may not be your fault if something has gone wrong but it will be certainly yours if you lose your balance.

2. Get plenty of sound sleep each night.  Sleep is the best battery, the nature has given you to re-charge yourself.

3. Avoid things to which you are sensitive, such as bright lights, noise, tobacco smoke, strong perfumes, heavy traffic, and perhaps some of your neighbours, relatives and friends.

4. Don’t be a victim of the rat race. You may win it, yet will remain a rat race.

5. Come out of the approval seeking behaviour syndrome. Be self-directed. 

6. Learn to say NO  what you don’t  want to do.

7. Be sensitive but not sentimental. 

8. Make morning walk your habit.

9. A hot foot bath for about 20 minutes will often relieve severe headache. An ice-cold cloth to the head will also bring relief and make the hot foot bath even more effective.

Read the section:

Can We Be Healthy Without Being Happy

In the webhelp for Self help to keep the headache away from you.