WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF MIGRAINE HEADACHES WHAT TRIGGERS THEM AND HOW DO THEY TREAT MIGRAINES PART ONE

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A Young Woman Walked Into A Major Urban Medical Center Complaining of a Horrible Headache

A young woman walked into the emergency room of a major urban medical center a few years ago complaining of a horrible headache, a stiff neck and vomiting. The doctor examined her for the headache and wound up sending her home, with the admonition to take Motrin and Tylenol for the pain. Several days later an aneurysm, a weakened blood vessel in her brain ruptured and she had a stroke. She survived but with disability. Filtering out the causes of headaches can be a tricky proposition and it's better to err on the side of caution. I have a bad headache. I have a bad migraine. People often use the two phrases synonymously. A migraine headache can certainly be a bad headache. And a bad headache can certainly be migraine. But not all bad headaches are migraines.






Headaches are frequently tension headaches but they can also be high blood pressure headaches,head injury,meningitis and migraine headaches or sometimes even the result of a cerebral hemorrhage or brain tumor. There is even more than one type of migraine headache. I will talk about headaches and migraine headaches in a series of posts on healty medical Blog.






Several areas of the head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. Also sensitive to pain, because they contain delicate nerve fibers, are the muscles of the head and blood vessels found along the surface and at the base of the brain. The ends of these pain-sensitive nerves, called nociceptors, can be stimulated by stress, muscular tension, dilated blood vessels, and other triggers of headache. Once stimulated, a nociceptor sends a message up the length of the nerve fiber to the nerve cells in the brain, signaling that a part of the body hurts. The message is determined by the location of the nociceptor. A person who suddenly realizes "My toe hurts," is responding to nociceptors in the foot that have been stimulated by the stubbing of a toe.



The prevalence of migraine headache in the general population is approximately 6 percent in men and 15 percent in women, peaking at 40 years of age and then declining. (According to Stewart WF, Shechter A, Rasmussen BK. Migraine prevalence. A review of population-based studies. Neurology 1994;44(6 suppl 4):S17-23.)

What are the types of migraine headaches?

The most common are classic migraines and common migraines. Classic migraines start with a warning sign called an aura. An aura can change the way you see things. You may see flashing lights and colors, or you might not be able to see things to your side. Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes. Pain usually comes after the aura, but sometimes the pain and aura happen at the same time, or the pain never happens. The pain of classic migraines might be on one side of your head or on both sides. You may also have a strange prickly or burning feeling, or feel weak on one side of your body. You may have trouble talking. You may also feel depressed, grouchy, and restless.





Migraine headaches may be related to changes in the amount of a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is a chemical found in the gap between nerve cells in the brain and helps to carry the signal across the brain. We know that serotonin has a big impact in how you feel. It's no coincidence that one class of medication for depression is called SSRI. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. When serotonin levels are high, your blood vessels shrink. When serotonin levels are low, your blood vessels swell. This swelling can cause pain and other problems. Many things can affect the level of serotonin in your body, including certain foods and your level of blood sugar. In women, changes in the amount of a hormone called estrogen can affect serotonin levels.



A litany of things trigger migraines in some people. Things that trigger migraines can include strong smells, bright lights,loud noises,weather,stress,sleep alterations and many foods.