Migraine Headache Pain

A condition I see all too often is the non-specific migraine headache pain. A suffering event with pain that is many cases is physically and emotionally debilitating.

A migraine is a headache with throbbing pain that is usually worse on one side of the head. The pain is often severe enough to hamper daily activities and may last from four hours to three days if untreated. More than one in 10 Americans, including one in 6 women, have migraines, but many have been told mistakenly that they have a sinus or tension headache. Foods, stress, and hormones can be migraine triggers.

The symptoms are a throbbing pain typically occurring on one side near the temples, forehead, and eyes. Migraines can make you very sensitive to light, sound, or mild exertion, such as climbing the stairs. Many people have nausea, vomiting, or vision problems. The pain can be disabling, forcing people to miss work or other activities. About 20% of people who suffer from migraines will have an aura about 20 minutes to an hour before the pain. They may see flashing lights, wavy lines, or dots, or they may have blurry vision or blind spots. These are called "classic migraines."

Warning signs of an impending migraine are that some people may have a change in mood before a migraine begins. They may become more excitable or irritable or depressed. Others may detect a sensation, such as a funny smell or taste. They may feel more fatigued, yawn frequently, or experience muscle tension. About 1 in 4 people experience this prodrome phase, which can occur as early as 24 hours before any head pain.

The exact cause of migraines is still not well understood, but the problem is considered to be neurological (related to the nervous system). It is believed that  brain chemicals, blood vessels, and nerves of the brain are involved. They may be set off by some specific cause, such as flickering lights. This could be a reflection from snow or water or from fluorescent bulbs or television or movie screens. Wearing polarizing sunglasses outside and using daylight spectrum fluorescent bulbs inside may help. Most non-specific headache pain I have found in my practice is digestive in origin.

The migraines may be triggered by emotional stress. While it's impossible to completely avoid stress, relaxation exercises can help you cope. Inhale and exhale slowly, letting the air fill you and then deflate like a balloon. Some people find that thinking of a peaceful scene or listening to favorite music can help. It's important for people prone to migraines to have a regular pattern of meals and sleep. Low blood sugar from skipping meals can trigger a migraine. Eating too much sugar also can cause a spike, then a "crash" in blood sugar. Drink water throughout the day to avoid dehydration and sleep at least six to eight hours a night.

For many women, migraines are tied to their menstrual cycle, occurring either a few days before or during their period, when estrogen levels drop. Some women may benefit from anti-inflammatory medication before their headaches begin, or hormonal birth control such as pills, patches, or rings. Others may have no benefit or worse migraines with hormonal birth control.

Migraine sufferers often report that certain foods trigger their headaches. Common culprits include MSG, red wine, cheese, chocolate, soy sauce, and processed meats. However, scientific studies haven't confirmed any particular food as a migraine trigger. Aged, fermented, and stored foods have higher levels of tyramine, a substance created from the breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine. Tyramine may cause blood vessels to constrict then expand, and it may be a trigger for some migraines. Some headache experts advise limiting fermented or aged foods, such as cheese, soy sauce, pickles, and pepperoni.

When combined with some pain medications, caffeine can help provide relief. Most migraine sufferers can drink a cup or two a day of coffee without any problems. However, too much caffeine can lead to headaches when the stimulant effect wears off.

Find out what triggers your migraines by keeping a headache diary. Each time you suffer from a migraine, make a note about the warning signs (the "prodrome"), triggers, and severity. If you can discover some of your personal triggers, you may be able to avoid future headaches.

Women are three times more likely to have migraines than men. If you have a close relative with migraines, you are much more likely to have migraines, too. Experts believe migraines may be related to mutations in genes that affect certain areas of the brain. Migraine is also more common among people who have epilepsy, depression, asthma, anxiety, stroke, and some other neurologic and hereditary disorders.

About 5% of the children with headache problems suffer from migraines. Both boys and girls can get migraines, but after puberty they are more common among girls. Children may have symptoms other than headache, including stomach pain (abdominal migraine) or forceful and frequent vomiting (cyclic vomiting). If young children become wobbly on their feet, pale, and fussy, or have involuntary eye movements or vomiting, they may have a form of migraine.

Calculating headache burden is important. Before you begin treatment, your doctor may want to assess your "headache burden" -- how much your life is affected by your migraines. A simple questionnaire asks how many times you have missed work, school, or family or leisure activities because of your migraines.

Treatment combinations of common pain relievers and anti-inflammatories may help: aspirin, naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. Some have been formulated specifically to treat migraines. However, overuse may actually make headaches worse or may lead to ulcers or other gastrointestinal problems.

Because of possible serious drug interactions, including the over-the-counter meds, you should also include chiropractor to your list of doctors. Why? We work with the nervous system and hormonal systems of the body treating the cause of the problem, not the symptom. Make certain to talk to your doctor about alternatives and especially the side effects with medications, including nausea, dizziness, tingling, numbness, and chest pain.

Limit any use of medication. Overuse of medications can sometimes lead to chronic headaches. You shouldn't take prescribed medicines more than two times per week. You can get rid of the chronic headaches by tapering and discontinuing your medication – under a doctor's supervision. Pain medicines containing narcotics should be taken only when other medications fail to relieve pain because they can be habit-forming.

Any new headache that is unusually severe or lasts more than a couple of days should be examined by a doctor. It's also important to let your health care provider know if the pattern of your headaches change. If you have a headache accompanied by paralysis, confusion, fever, or stiff neck, seek emergency medical care.

From Acorn To Oak

Do you count material blessings and belongings in a big way? Little things count also, so try to never discredit  those small things - especially yourself because you might feel so minor in this great world of ours. Someone once said, "An oak tree is only a little nut that held its ground long enough to grow up." How true!

Have you ever stopped to ponder that everything, regardless of size, starts from a small beginning? The whale was once a little mammal in a great ocean, the giant Sequoia tree grew from a seed, almost as tiny as a mustard seed. The largest skyscrapers began with a single brick. Hoover Dam started with a bag of cement and a yard of sand. And so it goes....

Every giant enterprise or important invention started with a simple idea. Most found their beginnings in a home or even a garage setting. The iron teakettle singing on the stove produced the original idea for the steam engine. A spider web across the garden path may have suggested the suspension bridge. An apple falling from a tree gave Sir Isaac Newton the idea which is known today as "the law gravity". A bullet wound in the abdomen of a patient aided a doctor in studying principle of digestion.

All these were little things, yet what tremendous wonders they held in store when the right moment arrived for the world to see the light and find the way.

The revolution in the world of healing has been magnificent. More and more, instead of treating effects of pain and discomfort with drugs and surgery, we are recognizing in mass that healing is done by clearing the cause of most disease. And that is done effectively by opening the nerve channels, thus allowing nature's healing forces within the body to function normally.

The nervous system is the directing and controlling medium of the body. Through the nervous system sensation is flashed to the brain informing the Innate Mind of the needs of the body, or the dangers to it. These impressions are interpreted and responding impulses are flashed back over the nervous system to the glands, organs and muscles of the body awakening them to normal activity.

Little things like discomfort, sleepless nights or even an emotional day may be signs of something bigger. See your doctor and grow healthy and strong.

We only have this life once .... and never again.  Make it happen.

Wash Your Fruits And Vegetables

A frustrating part of our culture is thinking other people are completing simple tasks which should be our responsibility. We take much for granted in our quest for an easier life. Thus, many of us get sick and question why.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a necessity of life. They provide nutritional benefits that keep us healthy and full of energy. However, all foods must be clean or they can cause stomach aches, diarrhea or worse. Fruits, along with potatoes, leafy greens, tomatoes and sprouts and other "fresh" produce are the most likely to trigger food-borne illness. They can harbor salmonella, norovirus, E. coli and other problems if produce is exposed to contaminated water or mishandled during processing or shipping. Presented in the well-displayed isle of your favorite grocery store does NOT mean the fruits and vegetables are clean. The "mist" is not a way to clean the produce, it just makes them look fresh and enticing. They also can pick up microorganisms in your kitchen if you don't store or cook them properly, or if they come in contact with raw meat or seafood.

These are prudent instructions for the safety of you and your family:

• Wash your hands for before and after handling any and all produce.
• Cut away discolored or soft spots and outside or wilted leaves. Always cook sprouts.
• Wash produce in running water - use no soaps or disinfectants. Be certain to dry to further remove contaminants.
• Scrub firm produce like melons, potatoes or cucumbers with a vegetable brush. Dry well.
• Cooking produce to 160 degrees, for even a few seconds, will kill parasites, viruses and most bacteria. 

Better to be safe ... than to be sorry!