Migraine Headaches and Getting on With Life

People who endure Migraine Headaches are true champions in my book. Besides the pain, there is the disruption of their daily lives and all relationships. I admire the migraineur’s ability to bear up under such circumstances AND how they manage to carry on with life as each episode resolves. These are truly courageous people.

For those of us who occasionally suffer from otherwise “normal” headaches, a migraine is an entirely different experience. All activities of daily living come to a complete halt until the migraine subsides.

As debilitating as they are, the good news is that migraine headaches can be successfully managed.

What Are Migraine Headaches?

The short answer is that medical science is not completely sure.

For a while, the theory was that migraines resulted from dilation of blood vessels in the head. Now the thinking is that migraines are a problem in the nervous system. A small event (a trigger) occurs in a susceptible person and a small reaction in their nervous system starts. Left unattended, that small event eventually expands to include the brain and whole of the central nervous system.

One of the difficulties with migraines is that pain cannot be seen or measured directly. We all experience pain but it is really just an event in our brain. Patients can describe the pain. Doctors can see some of the physical effects but even with all of the sophisticated medical technology at our disposal, none can show us the pain.

What Is A Migraine Like?

For anyone unfamiliar with the migraine sufferer, a migraine headache is generally characterized by

• Severe pain, usually on one side of the head
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and/or sound

Migraines can last from a few hours to several days. During the time of migraine pain, many suffers are incapacitated to the point of being unable to participate in normal daily activities. All-in-all, a very challenging event for both the sufferer and their loved ones.

Migraines also come in a wide variety of presentations.  Some are associated with pregnancy, some happen with monthly hormonal changes in women, and some can even occur in places other than the brain (such as in one eye or in the abdomen). Some people even experience what is called an aura. This is when the person experiences a physical symptom (like seeing spots or lines) that signals a migraine is starting. Recognition of these signals then becomes essential in successfully managing the approaching migraine.

What Causes the Headache?

While the origin of the Migraine Headache is still somewhat unclear, there are clear triggers that can make them occur. (Asking about what triggers a patient’s migraines is usually one of my first questions of a person who thinks they experience migraines.)

Migraine triggers can include certain foods, food additives, dairy, artificial sweeteners, medications, alcohol, stress, and yes, sometimes even chocolate. (Sorry.) Each person’s headache trigger, or triggers, are unique.

Diagnosis of the triggering events or foods is done the old-fashioned way – trial and error. A detailed history of the patient is obtained. Suspected triggers are eliminated or reintroduced to see if the migraine results. The process takes time and relies on a trusting relationship between the patient and doctor. Whether the person is consulting a medical doctor or a complementary and alternative physician, the doctor with experience in working with migraine patients is priceless.

The successful migraine headache treatment can be elusive because the headaches often result from a number of different factors. If every disease or symptom had just one treatment that worked for all patients, we would see far fewer drug companies and hospitals.

Treatment Options

Migraine Headaches are not cured. They are however treatable events and a number of successful options are available.

• Lifestyle

  Identification and avoidance of migraine headache triggers is a tremendously successful treatment. As with so many other lifestyle options, the choices can sometimes be tough. (Any chocoholics out there willing to give up all chocolate consumption to avoid bringing on your next migraine? Like I said, sometimes a tough decision.)

  • Eat a Good Diet – I know, old news but good food supports a healthy body. Avoiding trigger foods is one thing but eating a balanced healthy diet helps the body respond well to a health crisis.
  • Get Quality Rest – If a migraine is an over reaction of the nervous system, then a well-rested and relaxed lifestyle can go a long way towards prevention. Sleep is often the only activity a sufferer can manage when a migraine is active. It works too.
  • Regular Exercise – Getting out and moving on a regular basis helps your body manage and adapt to daily needs. It is a terrific way to manage stress and keep things working smoothly.

• Environment

  Migraine Headaches are characterized as the nervous system getting excited, so an appropriate treatment can be to reduce the excitation of the senses. Finding a quiet room with the lights off is often an effective response to those early stages of the migraine. Many people have such quiet rooms set up at home. Family members have explicit instructions that there are absolutely no interruptions when the space is being used.

• Conservative Care

  There are a number of treatments that have reasonable success to treating and managing migraine headaches. Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and cranial-sacral work, to name just a few. Again, what helps one person may not be as helpful in another. The key is to try out several until you find one that works for you. If it works, use it.

• Medications

  There are a number of medication options that you can work on with your medical doctor. In the nervous system scenario described above, some medications work only in those initial minutes of a migraine being triggered. As the migraine progresses through the nervous system, the meds are ineffective. Timing is everything with medications.

Take Away

Migraine Headaches are manageable.

As migraines come from multiple causes, successful treatment is by taking multiple actions. Working closely with your physician to identifying triggering events or foods and finding that right combination of treatments is how manage migraines. There is a lot of work. Just do it. Life can be enjoyed.

As a patient once told me, there is always HOPE (Hold On, Pain Ends).

 

That no one dies of migraine seems, to someone deep into an attack, an ambiguous blessing.
-Joan Didion

Recipe

Now I can make a meal out of a good salad and this one is no exception. Of course, you may want to have an entrée with the salad because grilled chicken, fish, beef, or tofu all work well with legumes.