Migraines & Headaches Resource Center

Migraines have become widely known as the headaches that are debilitating and often very stubborn and difficult to treat.  They are often confused with cluster headaches or just plain old bad headaches, sending many to doctors and neurologists only to find that they are not suffering from a migraine at all.

Over 28 million individuals actually do suffer from migraines and women suffer from migraines over 3 times as often as men do.  It is interesting that pregnant women in their 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters of pregnancy actually experience a decrease in migraines, a phenomenon that is being studied by researchers.

How do you know if you have a bad headache or a migraine?  For one thing, migraines usually come on with pain on one side of the head or the other.  This is not always the case, though, as up to 40% of migraines can affect both sides of the head. 

Often, migraines come on with other symptoms, such as nausea, extreme sensitivity to light and noise and other symptoms including not being able to tolerate things that you normally tolerate well.  These could include not being able to wear a headband or pull your hair back into a pony tail, not being able to wear a necklace or anything that feels tight around the neck, limbs or body, and not being able to lie down on a pillow.

Migraines are triggered by various stimuli.  Some of these are MSG (found in Chinese and other foods, including meat tenderizer and Accent), nitrites (found in hot dogs and other meats), caffeine, chocolate, certain nuts, alcohol, sleeping too much or not enough, hormonal changes, menstrual periods, pregnancy, humidity, barometric pressure and other foods or smells. 

Migraine medication and treatment has advanced a great deal during the past decade.  There are many types of medications available to treat migraines, as well as treatments including biofeedback, relaxation therapy and more.

If you feel you are having any of these symptoms and are having difficulty eliminating or controlling them, contact your doctor to see what will work for you.  The first thing is knowing how to identify migraines.  The next is knowing that help is available.

It used to be said that kids don’t get headaches, much less, migraines.  That’s not what physicians and researchers say any more.

Most children get headaches and many of them have gotten some pretty intense migraines.  Migraine headaches are usually a pounding type of headache on one side of the head or the other of the temple or behind the eye. 

Up to 5% of school aged children get migraine headaches.  The percentages increase as children get older, topping at 20% for high school aged children and adolescents.  Girls suffer from migraines more often than boys do, often having them two or more times per week.

Some children say that their migraines make them feel like throwing up.  Others say that they feel like their heart is pounding in their chest when they have a migraine, or they feel like they are in a huge bass drum when a migraine hits.  They also report feeling like they need to lie down in a dark room.

These symptoms are very similar – and some of them are the same – as adult symptoms of migraines.  The causes are the same, too.  Smells, foods, stress, being too tired and eating certain foods can all be triggers to migraines.  The foods and smells vary depending on the child but additives, such as MSG, smoked or processed meats with nitrites, nuts and pickles can be triggers.

Some children get migraines that are bad enough, often enough so that the doctor prescribes medication for the child.  Instructions will be given as to what to do if a migraine comes on, and how to handle the situation.  As with adults, lying in a dark, quiet room can help.  Using an ice pack can also help. 

If you have a child or adolescent that suffers from frequent headaches – especially migraines – take them to see their doctor.  The doctor will perform tests and do a thorough examination and will probably prescribe medication to help tame the migraines when they come on. 

Take these headaches seriously.  They are not life-threatening, however, they are very uncomfortable, and now that there is more information and a variety of medication available to deal with them, there is no reason for children to suffer with migraines the way they did before research provided us with answers

The military has studied all branches to see how migraine headaches are affecting individuals across the board.  What they found is that there has been a 27% increase in migraines between 2001 and 2007, leading to more time off work and other related issues.

There are many reasons that headaches in general are of concern to the military.  Some of the main reasons are that they often come on with no warning and can end up being debilitating to the person who is suffering from them.  In addition to striking without warning, they can affect operations and they can become quite costly as a result. 

From 2002 to 2007, the incidence of migraines in males in the military increased over 60%, which is an enormous jump.  Because this has been a time period of active battle in Iraq and other areas, the increase is thought to be related to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression an/or traumatic brain injury. 

It is thought that the amount of individuals suffering from headaches – especially migraines – is actually higher than studies suggest because many individuals do not seek medical attention for the headaches, but treat them through self-medication with over the counter medications.  In addition, these numbers include only active duty personnel, they do not include those that are deployed in other areas.  This applies to personnel who received a hospital discharge or outpatient diagnosis of migraine.

Determining the number of individuals that have migraines is an important first step to helping control them.  Often, the right medication taken on a regular basis or taken at the initial onset of a migraine can prevent the migraine from becoming full-blown and debilitating.

Now that the military has gathered the information on active duty personnel, it is hoped that there will be a similar study involving deployed personnel as well.

There have been numerous discoveries during the past two decades regarding the causes and treatments of migraines.  Both are as widely varied as the people who suffer from them.  The interesting facts involving both the causes and the treatments of migraines is that even though there is not specific information that works somewhat across-the-board for most people in general, there are a couple of classes of medication that work well for diminishing or eliminating the symptoms of many migraines in many people.  Many of these medications are similar, and most of them work quickly if taken at the onset of a migraine.

Now there is a good chance that there is something else to add to your arsenal against migraine suffering.  The new anti-migraine defense is Oxygen.  Yes, you heard right.  This is good news – especially for individuals who prefer not to take prescription drugs or other medications if at all possible.

The scoop on oxygen is that there are two types of oxygen therapy that could help treat migraine headaches.  One type of oxygen therapy involves patients inhaling pure oxygen at normal room pressure.  The other type of oxygen therapy involves patients inhaling the oil in a hyper baric chamber under high pressure. 

It has been determined that oxygen therapy – especially in a hyper baric chamber – helps many migraine sufferers within 15 minutes of starting the treatment.  At normal room pressure, oxygen took about 45 minutes to work.  This same is true of cluster headache, though the symptoms of cluster headaches seem to be eliminated with oxygen therapy sooner than migraines.

Researchers feel that most of the time, doctors will use oxygen at normal room pressure due to the fact that most doctors don’t keep hyper baric chambers in their offices and there aren’t that many of the chambers available.

It should make migraine sufferers breathe easier to know that they may be able to tame the symptoms of their migraines with just plain, pure oxygen.

A decade or two ago if you suffered from migraines there weren’t many things you could do, especially if it was after hours.  Many individuals would take an over the counter pain reliever at the first sign of a headache – especially if they thought it was going to turn into a migraine.  They would pay attention to the symptoms to see if there was an actual set of symptoms leading toward a migraine. 

In combination with or instead of using pain relievers, a person might use ice packs, drink a caffeinated soda, lie in a dark quiet room, and hope for the best.  If things continued getting worse and the migraine intensified, once the individual could not take it any more, they would often end up being taken to the local hospital emergency room by friends or family. 

Once at the emergency room there was usually a long wait because the ER usually takes the most critical cases first, rather than first come, first served, which makes total sense.  Since a migraine is not considered a critical issue (even though it feels critical at the time), a migraine sufferer had to hold on long enough until there was an open bed. 

Once inside the ER, the wait was often another half hour to an hour as your headache intensified.  After the standard blood pressure, pulse, health history, etc., a doctor would come in and take a look at you.  If you looked like you felt pathetic enough you usually got a shot of Demerol or some other pain medication, a couple of prescription pain pills (or a prescription for purchasing some at the pharmacy), and got driven home to go to bed.

Things have changed a lot since then.  Today, there are lots of medications available for migraines, and even the non-prescription medications are better than the old ones.  In addition, doctors often have migraine sufferers keep their migraine medicine on hand so they can take it at the fist sign of a migraine. 

Migraines can be controlled in the privacy of your own home without the drive to and the wait at the ER.  Instead of waiting for hours and trying all sorts of tricks to ease the pain of a full blown migraine, it is entirely possible to deal with the symptoms as the sufferer is first aware of them, avoiding the pain and the expense of treating migraines at the ER and getting migraine sufferers back on track again in minutes rather than hours.

A migraine can be debilitating.  There are the headache itself, the extreme nausea, your eyes hurt and you just plain feel like someone is pounding on your head as hard as possible.  You need a dark room to lie down in and it needs to be quiet.  Hopefully it will go away sooner, rather than later.

Most of us who have experienced migraines are adults.  Or are we?  Well, the majority of us still are adults, however, there are more and more teens and younger children experiencing migraines that are debilitating for them, as well.

Researchers have determined that many times when a child has a headache, it has not been determined to be a migraine however often, and that is a mistake.  It has been discovered that kids and teens often suffer recurrent migraines that are the same as or similar to those of adults. 

Part of the problem with children getting migraines is determining how to treat them.  Many times the medications that adults can take for migraines can create very intense side effects in children and some teens.  As a result, even the lowest doses of the medications can’t be used or don’t work.  Worse yet, some of the intense side effects are as bad as or worse than the migraines themselves.

It is important, however, for diagnosis to be thorough and careful.  For instance, a 12 year old girl whose migraines started at age 10 after some dental work, was extremely ill with debilitating migraines.  Once she had been getting them for over two years after having the dental work done, she was referred to a dentist by her doctor.  The results: her migraines were being caused by TMJ, a disorder that kept her jaw out of line, creating pain and the headaches.

There are many reason for headaches, and migraines are no exception.  If your child or teenager is suffering from repeated severe headaches, keep track of what they have done and/or eaten just prior to the headache.  Let your doctor know and ask if it could be migraine or something else.

We have blamed a million things on our parents – some of them logical and actually deserving of being blamed upon them – and others, well, you know the drill.  There are the typical issues such as hereditary baldness, flat feet, eye color, hair color, pudginess and more.

Then there are those other things.  You were too strict.  You weren’t strict enough.  You liked my sister or brother better. 

Now researchers have found yet another thing that can be legitimately blamed on our parents – migraine headaches.  If a person has a family history of migraines, it is more likely that they will end up battling migraines themselves.  The extent to which this is true depends on a couple of factors.  If both of your parents suffered from migraine headaches, you have a higher probability of having to deal with them as well.  If only one of your parents was afflicted by these debilitating and painful headaches, your risk of having migraines is increased compared to the general population but it is not as high as it would be if both your parents had them – especially on a semi-regular basis.

As for other factors for migraines, guess what ladies…Yes, women are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men are.  If you are a relatively young women, your chances of having migraines are higher still.  Interestingly, during their earlier years, boys and girls get headaches somewhat equally, but with the onset of puberty, young women’s amounts of headaches increase, most likely having to do with hormone issues.

The good news for all migraine sufferers is that, unlike treatment that was available for our parents, there are more types of effective treatments and medications readily available today than ever before.  Regardless of whether we blame migraines on our parents along with everything else or just try to deal with them and not place blame, at least we have options that previous generations did not have.  Besides, we have On-Star Navigational Systems, Costco and ColdStone ice cream.  That’s got to be worth something!

Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center have been looking at an electronic device called a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS) to stop migraines before they become full-blown. 

The TMS device work by interrupting a migraine and eliminating migraine pain and other symptoms if the device is used at the earliest stage of the migraine.  Many people who suffer from migraines describe having an “aura” before their migraine starts.  The aura which has been described as a sort of electrical storm in the brain causing the sufferer to see visions such as zigzags and shooting stars, flashes of light, spots, weakness or tingling in the body, usually signals the onset of a migraine.

The TMS, if used at the beginning of the aura has successfully prevented the migraine from progressing any further and has eliminated the symptoms already present.  The study at Ohio State involved 164 individuals.  39% of these individuals reported being symptom and pain free two hours after the TMS was used on them to treat migraine symptoms.

The TMS works by sending a magnetic impulse through a metal coil which then creates a very intense magnetic field.  When the magnetic pulse is held near the person’s head, the migraine aura is interrupted.  By using the TMS in this way, migraine headaches can be stopped before they really get going in many people, eliminating the need for medication in the situations where the TMS works well for the individual.

In the past, studies were conducted on a similar machine, however, it was large and difficult to handle.  The TMS is much more compact and user-friendly, and it can be used at home, at the office or in transit.  In addition, since there were no adverse reactions reported in the Ohio State Study, this brings hope that many migraine sufferers will be able to be treated without medication in the near future. 

The list of maladies that insurance doesn’t cover is growing larger, and it seems that nearly every day we hear of something else that has limited or no coverage.  While the list of the “not covered” or “just barely covered” is growing, the other list – of things that most people feel are necessary when it comes to health coverage – is dwindling.  Add to that the fact that monthly premiums for health insurance coverage has skyrocketed to the point where many cannot afford to buy coverage at all and it is a sad state of affairs which leaves too many people too vulnerable for too many conditions that need to be treated.

One of the latest casualties when it comes to insurance limitations is migraine headaches.  Years ago, there was much to be learned about migraines, so these debilitating headaches were treated with various forms of pain medication and/or tranquilizers and muscle relaxers. 

During the 80’s and 90’s newer prescription medications were developed specifically for the treatment, control and relief of migraines.  Sometimes they were used alone and sometimes in combination with pain medication and other medications.  The good news is that now in the 21st century numerous medications specifically for migraines have been developed and are available to migraine sufferers in many places throughout the U.S. and beyond.  The bad news is that many of these medications cost an arm and a leg and are covered in only a limited amount or not covered at all by heath insurance

Some migraine sufferers are limited to ten or twelve pills per month by their health insurance, and, as a result, they have to choose which migraines to use one of their precious pills on, even though they should really be using this medication on every migraine they have.  If they run out of pills during the month and have to re-order, the insurance won’t help, so it becomes an out-of-pocket expense.  The expense for some of these medications is astonishing and migraine sufferers simply can’t afford to pay for them so they continue to suffer, even though they faithfully pay their insurance premiums.

It is unfortunate that now that the medicines have been invented and are available, the insurance companies make it difficult, if not impossible, to get the medications they need.  Are migraine sufferers just the latest casualty of insurance cuts or  will something be done to get better coverage to help migraine sufferers get the medication they need?

If you suffer from migraines like over 20 million other people in the U.S., you probably have heard many tales – some true and some not – about what foods to avoid so you don’t trigger migraines and possibly a few foods to keep close by in case you get a migraine.  It depends upon the individual, of course, but there can be properties in many foods that actually do create migraines or do help ease them.  No foods have actually been proven to do either, however, there are enough people who suffer from migraines that have talked about the same or similar foods that there may be a link, and it is probably worth it to try them.

According to Keri Glassman who appeared on The Early Show Tuesday, there are several migraine contributors or triggers, such as Tyramine, an amino acid found in aged cheese, wine, chocolate, smoked, pickled and cured meats, eggplant, avocado, raspberries and bananas, as well as some other fruits and vegetables. 

Another big group of contributors includes nitrites, food additives and MSG.  These are often found in Chinese Food, cheese powders, Campbell’s soup, potato chips, frozen meals and some salad dressings.  It is important to check ingredients in these to see if any of these additives are used.  MSG is also packaged under the name of Accent, which comes in a red and white salt-shaker shaped carton.

Other contributors include aspartame (artificial sweetener) which has been shown to make neurons fire spasmodically.  Another strong contributor is alcohol which affects different individuals in different ways. Some people have difficulties with red wine because of the sulfites in it, others cannot drink hard liquor such as tequila or gin without triggering a migraine.

As for migraine relievers, the possibilities are ginger, Omega 3s from fish or nuts, Vitamin B2/Riboflavin, Magnesium and Caffeine.  Migraine preventatives are said to be exercise, sleep, eating and not skipping meals and keeping a migraine diary that will help you determine what you did, ate or drank right before a migraine and see if there is a pattern you need to eliminate.

For those who do not wish to use medications or various treatments, it might be a good idea to give these things a try.  Though not proven, some people with migraine histories swear by these, and you might just find a natural remedy to decrease or eliminate your migraines, just as they have.

There are numerous medications and other treatments that are being suggested and used to help migraine sufferers to control or end their migraines.  A lot of the medications available will stop a migraine within a few minutes if taken as the migraine is beginning.  There are other medications that can be taken regularly to keep the migraines away.  There are also treatments that include everything from aromatherapy and massage to ice packs and magnets.

The latest addition to the arsenal against migraines is surgery.  The surgery isn’t new – it has been in use to do facial plastic surgery for quite a while.  Recently, the surgery, which actually removes the corrugator muscle above the eyebrows, has been pioneered in the U.S.  It is felt that this will eliminate migraines in many sufferers because it eliminates the muscle, which interacts negatively with nerves in the area to create migraines.  This is a radical change from traditional migraine treatment and it is a drastic move to treat these debilitating headaches.

The surgery basically eliminates the trigger point of migraines.  By eliminating the muscle there is no longer a point at which the muscle can interact with the surrounding nerves creating extreme pain and pressure.  This will not work on all migraines; it is only designed for migraines that are triggered by the corrugator muscle and this particular group of nerves in the head.  It is necessary to have a screening to determine if a person’s migraines are triggered in this way and if they would be an appropriate candidate for the surgery.

Another essential point is that the surgery, though eliminating the trigger and the pain of migraines, does not eliminate the root cause of the person’s migraines.  This is important because, even if the symptoms and the pain are eliminated, the underlying cause could be a serious physical, biological or physiological issue that needs to be addressed and treated.  Migraines have been linked to many health issues including tumors, aneurism, high blood pressure, heart problems, stroke and more.  Whether or not you decide to explore the surgery you should work with your doctor to determine the actual cause of your migraines.

The fact that this surgery has been discovered may be a source of huge relief to many migraine sufferers.  It is critical to research the ramifications of surgery, as surgery is no small thing and should be avoided unless necessary.  If the cause can be determined and the symptoms can be relieved people with migraines will be able to enjoy day to day life without the pain that migraines bring.

The number of strokes that people are having has gone up a great deal during the past decade or so.  Many strokes happen seemingly without warning, however, it is important to know the warning signs and symptoms of stroke, as these could help you prevent a stroke or lessen the impact of a stroke if you were to have one.  It is especially for women to know these signs because more women have strokes than men, and strokes in women account for more deaths than strokes in men.

Some risk factors for stroke are different than those for men and less talked about than major risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, high cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle and family history.  These are factors in both men and women. 

Factors that are more exclusive to women include taking birth control pills after age 35, which often raises the risk of stroke for a woman by 50%.  Another factor is pregnancy.  During pregnancy, there is a higher risk of stroke because during that time there is a higher blood volume and a higher risk of thrombosis which involves blood clots.

Another serious risk factor for stroke involves weight and triglycerides, especially in post-menopausal women.  It weight is too high or triglycerides are more than 128 mg/liter, a woman has over five times the risk of stroke as a postmenopausal woman without these issues.  In addition, women who have had more than one miscarriage usually have a higher incidence of blood clot issues, which can lead directly to stroke.  Heart defects which usually affect women more than men and are present in the form of mitral valve prolapse usually lead to strokes more often in women than men.

Last but not least Migraine Headaches are more common to women than to men, and are often directly linked to stroke.  It is important to take migraines seriously and to discuss them with your doctor, as with any and all of the risk factors listed above.

The good news about migraines is that there are effective medications available that can help get these debilitating headaches under control.  Many medications available today are not simply taken as a migraine forms and escalates.  There are medications that an individual takes to deal with prevention of migraines, and therefore, these medications are taken daily whether the person has a headache or not. 

It is important to discuss any of these issues with your doctor in advance.  Most often, especially with women, doctors do not bring these risk factors up, and when you have figured them out, it’s too late.  Don’t wait.  Talk to your doctor now.  Minimize your risk of stroke by addressing symptoms and controlling them.

There are between 11 million and 20 million people who suffer from migraine headaches on a regular basis.  Some of these individuals are able to get relief by using various medications.

There are some individuals who suffer from migraines but do not get relief from medications – either because they don’t take them, won’t take them or they take them and they don’t work. 

There are some alternatives available and some of them seem to be helping migraine sufferers with even the most intense migraines.  The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx has found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can help migraine sufferers if they use it at first warning and signs of a migraine headache.  TMS is a portable, handheld, lightweight and rechargeable.

The TMS machines are portable and made for home use.  The American Headache Association is researching further.  Since migraines are thought to be caused by a disturbance in the cortex of the brain, disrupting the brain signals, the TMS machine works to eliminate the disturbances. 

There are other types of treatment that don’t involve medication.  Some of these treatments include acupuncture, regular exercise, avoiding triggers from food or other substances including alcohol, herbs such as feverfew and pine bark, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, and other combinations of vitamins and herbs. 

Migraine headaches continue to be complex and mysterious.  Researchers continue to look for temporary remedies and permanent cures.  They also look for ways to determine what the best way is to do their testing, clinical trials and other research. 

Research has come a long way and will continue to move forward, helping millions of people who have suffered from migraines.  Given enough time there will be more information, more assistance and – hopefully – a cure.

For years there have been all sorts of ideas about what causes migraine headaches, what are the individual triggers, how to diagnose migraines and what can be done to provide treatment or therapy for migraines.

There a new medications coming to the marketplace on a regular basis.  Relief that once took hours or days can now be available in a matter of a few minutes, depending upon which medication is prescribed and which one is the right one for you.

Research is still continuing to find more causes for medications for migraines and more treatments for migraines, as well.  One of the latest studies has been looking at clues to the biological causes of migraine headaches that 15 to 20% of people worldwide are suffering.

The studies which have been done by medical scientists, focus on a rare, inherited form of migraines determined that there are genetic mutations that are connected to familial migraines.  These rare, inherited familial migraines alter the way sodium channels work in the brain.  Sodium funnels and flows though membranes in the brain cells that are part of the conduction of electrical currents in nerve impulses.

The studies, being conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found various specific cellular events that may cause or trigger migraines.  These events are even more specific to the aura that precedes migraines when people see spots and flashes of light and other abnormal sights and feelings prior to a migraine headache that signals that a migraine has been triggered and is about to take place.

The studies have suggested that it is important to look at medications that focus on and target sodium channels to treat some types of migraines.  Since there are various triggers for migraine headaches, it is logical and important that researchers continue trying to find various treatments.  Depending on the results that the studies at Vanderbilt yield, the results could help a great number of people get relief from this most debilitating of medical issues.

If you suffer from migraine headaches, you know how intense and debilitating they can be.  You have probably spent some time lying in a dark, quiet room with an icepack on your head or neck, trying to wait it out.  Sometimes that helps, sometimes it doesn’t.  Stress reduction and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization (picture yourself in a place that you enjoy and that is relaxing to you) or try to clear your mind and think of “no pain.”

If you have just started having migraines, you will probably be advised to use aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the pain.  In addition, it is important and quite helpful to identify your migraine triggers, for instance, if you have a glass of wine, some chocolate or some nuts and get a migraine headache within a few minutes or hours, eliminating these things from your diet will quite possibly eliminate the headaches. 

Often, however, migraine medication is needed in addition to or in place of these ideas.  During the past decade, there have been many improvements in existing migraine medications and there have been new medications developed.  In addition, new uses for medications designed for other health issues have been discovered.

For instance, beta blockers (for high blood pressure) and tricyclics (for depression) have proven effective against migraines.  Beta blockers open the blood vessels and can have a relaxing effect on the nerve cells that cause migraines.  Anti-depressants also relieve pain and can be used even if you do not suffer from depression.

Most medications taken for migraines should be taken as soon as you feel the migraine symptoms coming on.  It is recommended that you don’t take any more medication any more often than prescribed by your doctor.  If you still continue to get frequent migraines, your doctor will likely prescribe medication that prevents migraines for you to take regularly to reduce the frequency and intensity of your migraines.  These medications do not cure migraines  the condition sometimes subsides as you get older, especially after age 45.

For more information about migraines and their medication and treatment check the National Migraine Association at www.migraine.org.