Migraine And Headache Questions

MigraineClinic asked:

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Cluster migraines are often confused with regular migraine headaches, but these are two different maladies entirely. Make no mistake; migraines are terribly painful, and people who have them have a difficult cross to bear. But cluster migraines are, believe it or not, even worse. Only those who have actually experienced the horror of them actually know what it’s like. In this article, I’ll give an overview of cluster migraine symptoms, for those who are living with them but don’t know what they’re called.

Cluster Headache Symptoms: The Major Symptoms

Cluster headache symptoms often begin just after going to sleep. Doctors don’t know why this is, exactly, but it’s a common pattern. It’s not universal, though; they can come on at any time of day or night. Also, the pain is located on only one side of your head or face, which is where many people mistakenly think the name cluster headaches come from, because the pain isn’t spread out evenly, but instead clusters in a particular area. (The name actually refers to the fact that cluster headaches occur in clusters of time, with attacks happening over a period of weeks or months, then stopping.) In the vast sufferers, the pain is on the same side of the face in during nearly every headache, while a small minority of people report that the attacks alternate between both sides. That is, one attack will be on the left side of the face, and the next one will be on the right side, etc. But in all cases, the pain stays only on one side during a particular cluster period.

You’ll immediately recognize the onset of a cluster migraine because its first symptom is a terrible pain in one eye. Victim after victim report the same thing – a horrible sensation that feels as if they’re being stabbed in the eye with a knife or a pair of scissors. The pain, which is almost unbearable, will be at its worst about 10 minutes after the headache begins. This is accompanied by the other major symptom, which is the sensation of tiny little electrical shocks, which only worsen the pain during the cluster period. The cluster period usually lasts between 30 minutes to an hour and a half.

Cluster Headache Symptoms: The Minor Symptoms

Cluster headache symptoms fall into two categories, major and minor. The really big one is the stabbing sensation in one eye, or one side of the face. If you’ve ever had this happen to you, and it lasted for around an hour or so, you probably had a cluster headache. But there are a great many minor symptoms that accompany cluster headaches.

The first minor cluster migraine symptoms you might notice are problems with your eye on the affected side of your face, in addition to the terrible pain. Cluster headaches are poorly understood by medical experts even today, so doctors really can’t say what causes this reaction, but the affected eyelid may have a noticeable droop during the duration of the headache. In addition, the eye itself may shed tears. These aren’t really tears of pain, because both eyes would tear up in that case. And the droopiness and tearing may occur individually, or together. But they’ll always happen to the eye on the same side of the face as the headache.

Nasal problems are also classic cluster headache symptoms. It’s common to experience either a runny nose or a stopped up nose, and, just as with the eye, it only happens in the nostril on the affected side of the face. Other symptoms include a pronounced restlessness, or anxiety, which is certainly understandable given the intense pain. Finally, profuse sweating and a flushed face are common cluster headache symptoms. One thing to note, although it’s not really a symptom, but more of an indicator, is that cluster headaches usually occur in January or July. The reason for this is not known, and is part of the medical mystery of cluster headaches.

If you’ve been suffering from these symptoms, you’ve probably been having cluster migraines but didn’t know it. It’s important that you seek an effective treatment, because they rarely stop occurring on their own.

By: Leslie Bogaerts

About the Author:

Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain
by David Buchholz
Amazon Price: $10.04
Customer Review: This is absolutely the best book I've ever read about headaches. After suffering with chronic, debilitating migraines for over 40 years, I thought I had read and heard everything there was to know about migraine headaches. Not true. I had no idea my ...

The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health
by Carolyn Bernstein, Elaine McArdle
Amazon Price: $8.99
Customer Review: i have suffered with migraines since the age of 5. i have read lots of books and pulled lots of research, but when i happened upon this book...i had no idea how much it would change my life. this book is a great compilation of all the info you will e...

A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary
by Andrew Levy
Amazon Price: $16.50
Customer Review: As a migraine sufferer for over 17 years, I have read much on this topic and find few books or articles that surprise me....until this book. When a friend recommended this after seeing an article about the book, she said, "Im not sure if you are hav...

Matthew asked:


I am 16 and whenever I am about to have a migraine headache I see lights wherever i look and it feels terrible I wanted to know if anybody knows why I see lights before a migraine headache

Migraine, by definition, means half the head. The word migraine is most commonly used to describe an intense headache. The migraine headache affects approximately 15% of the population. Women are affected 3 times more than men. Children can also experience migraines, but they often experience abdominal migraines (stomach pain without the headache).

Causes of Migraine

In the past, scientists believed a narrowing and widening of blood vessels in the brain caused a migraine. Medical science now believes a migraine headache is caused by a disorder in the brain that may be genetic (passed through the family line). In this disorder electrical changes in the brain cause the release of inflammatory (swelling) chemicals, irritating nerve roots in response to certain triggers.

Triggers of Migraines

Migraine triggers can include food or chemical (particularly alcohol) intolerance, bright flashing lights, stress, physical activity, weather changes, hormonal changes, episodes of low blood sugar from poor food choices and nutritional deficiencies, or any combination of these.

Stages/Symptoms of Migraines

There are four stages typical to a migraine headache. Not all sufferers experience all stages.

1. The Prodromal Phase

This first phase experienced by 40-60% of migraine sufferers comes between just hours to several days before the headache. Symptoms include sleepiness, stiff neck, fatigue, irritability, depression, increased urination, altered bowel habits, and craving sweet foods.

2. The Aura Phase

This second phase is experienced by 20-30% of migraine sufferers. It comes just before the headache. Symptoms of this phase include seeing flashing/kaleidoscope like lights, dizziness, pins and needles/numbness on one side of the face or down one arm, difficulty speaking, an intense sense of smell, or hearing noises.

3. The Headache

The majority of migraine sufferers experience this third and main phase. It varies in intensity and is generally on only half the head. Vomiting and nausea, diarrhea, and sweating often accompany the headache. Many migraine sufferers find it necessary to lie down in a darkened room until the worst passes. This phase can last several hours to several days.

4. The Postdrome

Most migraine sufferers experience this final phase. The individual generally feels tired, irritable, and has difficulty concentrating.

Treatment

Conventional treatment includes medications to prevent the headache or to shorten the attack and relieve the headache. Alternative treatment involves a holistic approach. This would involve identifying and reducing triggers with changes in life style and diet, reducing stress, correcting nutritional deficiencies and neck and spinal misalignments.

Here are 8 top migraine cures:

Keep your blood sugar balanced by eating a wholefood diet with regular meals and avoiding refined foods made from white flour, sugar in any form including honey and syrup. Take a nutritional supplement designed to correct a blood sugar imbalance. Take a reputable food and chemical intolerance test to identify food and chemical sensitivities and avoid them. Get a hair mineral analysis done to identify mineral deficiencies especially magnesium and use diet and supplements to correct these. Take steps to balance your hormones through diet and nutritional supplements. Reduce or avoid stress and practice relaxation techniques or yoga regularly. Avoid known triggers like excessive or strenuous exercise or flashing lights. Get an osteopath or chiropractor to check that your neck and spinal bones are not out of alignment.

By finding your particular triggers for migraine and eliminating them you can cure your migraines for good.

By: Sandy Halliday

About the Author:

Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain
by David Buchholz
Amazon Price: $10.04
Customer Review: This is absolutely the best book I've ever read about headaches. After suffering with chronic, debilitating migraines for over 40 years, I thought I had read and heard everything there was to know about migraine headaches. Not true. I had no idea my ...

The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health
by Carolyn Bernstein, Elaine McArdle
Amazon Price: $8.99
Customer Review: i have suffered with migraines since the age of 5. i have read lots of books and pulled lots of research, but when i happened upon this book...i had no idea how much it would change my life. this book is a great compilation of all the info you will e...

A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary
by Andrew Levy
Amazon Price: $16.50
Customer Review: As a migraine sufferer for over 17 years, I have read much on this topic and find few books or articles that surprise me....until this book. When a friend recommended this after seeing an article about the book, she said, "Im not sure if you are hav...

babaramdev asked:

Baba Ramdev -Yoga for Migraine & Epilepsy (Hindi) – Yoga Health Fitness. This video will provide relief for Migraine and Epilepsy sufferers. Here Baba expounds on the virtues of Pranayama, Yoga Asanas, Acupressure and home remedies for getting rid of migraine and epilepsy. The International Headache society has recognized 60 types of headaches in 1988. But not a single type of headache can be cured permanently. Here we show how to treat all the types of headaches including migraine and help you to get rid of them for ever. Click www.rajshri.com to watch more Baba Ramdev Videos

kxan asked:

There is headache help from a popular wrinkle filler. Researchers said Botox could help migraine sufferers. Researchers In a small study found people who got Botox injection shad fewer and less painful migraines.

smilee n asked:


im sufferin in severe migraine. i took many treatements. but ,still im suffering. i want to know the best treatments for migraine i need ur advice. that will help me to cure

Bob asked:


I think I’ve been experiencing migraine headaches and I needed to know what are the more common migraine headache symptoms?

Migraine sufferers often don’t receive the sympathy that they deserve as the condition is often tagged as ‘just a headache – everybody gets headaches’, but anybody who suffers a migraine knows just how debilitating the condition really is. All too often all that a sufferer can do is go and lie down in a dark quiet place and wait for the migraine to pass.

What causes a migraine?

There are a large number of theories on why a person suffers a migraine, and unfortunately for the ladies 75 percent of migraine sufferers are female. A number of triggers have been identified which include alcohol (red wine), foods that contain caffeine or MSG, glare, hunger, lack of sleep, perfume and stress, but recent reports indicate that the one common trigger is a lack of oxygen in the brain.

Now as simple as this may seem, almost all migraines can be cured if you know how to get more oxygen into your bloodstream and in particular to the brain. Our modern way of living presents a whole lot of problems that need to be overcome to allow better blood flow to the brain. What are you talking about you may well ask? Things like posture and the associated problems in the neck that incorrect posture induces all contribute to less blood flow to the brain.

Migraines were virtually unheard of a century ago, so it has something to do with our present lifestyle. People sitting at their desks all day and living in cities where there is a lot more air pollution are just a couple of things that have caused the incidents of migraines to dramatically increase in recent years.

It is not all doom and gloom. With a few simple exercises you can improve the flow of oxygen to the brain and eliminate migraines. I appreciate that some people who suffer migraines will be cynical of this information, but what if the information is true, as we know it is. That means that you will never have to purchase any expensive medications that have nasty side effects. In fact I reckon I could write a whole article on the nasty side effects that migraine medications cause. And if a migraine is the result of your brain screaming out for more oxygen, how many other benefits will there be if you increase the amount of oxygen in your blood? We would suggest there will be many additional benefits apart from eliminating your migraine, and just let me say that again – eliminate your migraine. No more laying down in that dark quiet place waiting for it to pass, no more bright lights and the other 1001 symptoms of migraines – Gone.

I also wish to point out that these exercises can be completed by a person at any level of fitness. You do not need to be super fit with tight abs to be able to complete the necessary exercises. They are just gentle exercises that anybody can complete – no excuses.

By: Dover Read

About the Author:

Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain
by David Buchholz
Amazon Price: $10.04
Customer Review: This is absolutely the best book I've ever read about headaches. After suffering with chronic, debilitating migraines for over 40 years, I thought I had read and heard everything there was to know about migraine headaches. Not true. I had no idea my ...

The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health
by Carolyn Bernstein, Elaine McArdle
Amazon Price: $8.99
Customer Review: i have suffered with migraines since the age of 5. i have read lots of books and pulled lots of research, but when i happened upon this book...i had no idea how much it would change my life. this book is a great compilation of all the info you will e...

A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary
by Andrew Levy
Amazon Price: $16.50
Customer Review: As a migraine sufferer for over 17 years, I have read much on this topic and find few books or articles that surprise me....until this book. When a friend recommended this after seeing an article about the book, she said, "Im not sure if you are hav...