One of the most frequent migraine symptoms is a sharp throbbing pain that is generally situated on one side of the head near to the temple. Migraines are also often accompanied by additional symptoms which include sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and occasionally vomiting.
Migraines are relatively common and affect about one in ten people in the United States, or more than 28 million Americans. They are also much more often experienced by women rather than men (about 3 times more women suffer from migraines) and can also be found occasionally in children.
Although migraine headaches are so common and normally very painful with attacks lasting anything from a matter of hours to several days, only roughly 50% of all sufferers ever consult their doctor and the rest elect to suffer in silence.
It had long been thought migraine headaches were the result of a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, despite the fact that there is no general consensus, medical opinion appears to be changing in favor of a genetic basis for this condition. Current thinking is that migraines are produced by the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. Right now however the truth of the matter is that we are really not sure what cause a migraine headache.
There are in fact two different forms of migraine, the first of which is known as 'classical migraine', which is characterized by an associated 'aura'. In this case the term 'aura' is used to refer to visual light effects that are experienced just prior to the onset of a headache including things like bright light spots and flashing lights. In some people a complete loss of vision can be experienced for some minutes before the start of the headache.
The second type of migraine is simply a migraine with no 'aura'.
Just as we do not really know what causes a migraine, we also have little idea about just what triggers an attack, although there are a variety of factors which do appear likely to trigger an attack in sufferers. For example, too much sleep seems to be one factor and so does skipping meals or eating particular types of food like cheese.
Hormones are also believed to influence both the onset of attacks and their severity and this is evidenced the increased incidence of migraines in women. In part this is thought to be because estrogen affects the blood vessels and it has been noted in some studies that there is a connection between contraceptive pills (containing estrogen) and migraine headaches.
Just to confuse matters however studies have also demonstrated that everyday activities such as climbing a flight of stairs can trigger a migraine attack, as can exposure to heat or cold, loud noises, flashing lights and occasionally stress.
Fortunately, there are various migraine treatments available today, though no single treatment is really effective in all cases. Over-the-counter medications are however seldom effective and, if you suffer from migraines, then you would be best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding an answer which works for you.
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