All of us suffer from an occasional headache; in fact, 20 million Americans see their doctors each year because of headaches. Headaches are also the leading cause for missing school and work in this country.
There are many different types of headaches ranging from just ordinary pain, to pain associated with a disorder or serious medical condition.
I’d like to discuss the worst type of headache. The type of headache I’d like to discuss, the Migraine, although intense in its pain, is not associated with a medical condition or injury. The Migraine is a recurring throbbing headache, affecting only one side of the head and often accompanied by many symptoms. Although many people use the word “Migraine'; to describe any severe headache, this is not correct. Migraines are a specific headache caused by changes in the blood vessels that supply the brain.
Usually, Migraines become less frequent with increasing age and are relatively uncommon after the age of 50. After interviewing my grandmother, who is a special case Migraine sufferer, she told me that her Migraines began when she was seven. Often in school she would have the classic migraine symptoms- she would see only half of her teacher and bright lights and flashes up to 20 minutes before her Migraine began. These symptoms are called auras and once they are gone the Migraine begins. The Migraine itself can lead to vomiting, slurred speech, makes the sufferer sensitive to light and worsens when ther...
The borders between the different forms are very fluid and the specific conditions are often misdiagnosed as a strong migraine, causing the patients to suffer significant pain before treatment is started. Which directly links to another problem: The treatment. Oxygen treatment seems promising, yet it is not readily available to the patients. Orally administered triptans are usually too weak and nasally administered triptans (e.g. ZOMIG) cannot be used in a sufficient frequency to relieve the pain during the whole day, especially in the case of Paroxysmal Hemicrania where attacks are generally of shorter duration yet of higher intensity. Therefore, patients still need to resort to taking a significant amount of painkillers which is medically problematic since an attack period can last up to several months or even years in the case of chronic conditions which 10-15% of cluster headache patients suffer from.
Migraine headaches affect an estimated 36 million Americans, or about 12% of the population, surpassing asthma at 8.3% (25 million) and diabetes at 7.8% (23.6 million). Migraines are much more common in women than in men--about 3 times more common. Nearly 30% of women will experience at least one episode of migraine headaches in their lifetime, most commonly in the third and sixth decades of life. However, migraines can affect anyone at any age and from any ethnic group. In addition to indirect expenses like missed work/school and lost productivity, the American Migraine Foundation estimates that migraines cost Americans more than $20 billion annually. Migraine sufferers are also more likely to experience anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, fatigue, and other pain conditions, and those who experience visual disturbances called “auras” associated with migraines are at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Unfortunately, there is no cure for migraines. The best treatment options available only to seek to reduce frequency of attacks or treat an attack once one has begun, and medication use is often limited by side effects and difficulty of administration. The American Migraine Foundation itself labels current treatment options “far from perfect” and concludes, “Undoubtedly, better treatments are needed.” Filling this therapeutic void is the primary objective of NuPathe Inc. (very recently acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.) with Zecuity®, a sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal system.
Migraines, which are three times more dominant in women than in men, are characterized by frequent attacks of moderate to severe, painful headaches that are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light. This headache pain typically occurs on one side of the head and is described as pulsing, pounding or throbbing pain lasting 4-72 hours if left untreated. Migraines may also present with or without an aura (sensory warning symptoms).1
Maybe you had no clue what these symptoms indicated at the time, but you may soon discover that you could have suffered from a migraine so it is important that you are aware of this debilitating illness for possible future occurrences.
However, hundreds of people have similar triggers which can be managed in the same ways. The article states, “Everyone has different triggers, but there are few common culprits that affect a large number of people living with migraine” (“Top 101 Migraine Triggers”). The text explains that migraines can be managed by sleeping well, eating right, and calming stress. Therefore, there are many different things that prompt migraines which can be managed in multiple
If an individual has never experienced a migraine headache, it is difficult to understand. Migraines are more than just a headache and can touch many areas of someone’s life. Migraines have played a significant role in how I go about each day, how I feel about myself and how I interact with people in my life. Migraines have affected my work life and have had a major influence on my personality, not to mention the impact it has made on my finances.
Headaches are a neurologic disorder that causes pain to any region of the head, scalp, face and neck area. Determination of the type of headache primary or secondary is necessary for proper treatment. A complete history to include age needs to be obtained to include family history, furthermore information on frequency, location, duration, time of day, precipitating factors, related factors, and types of medications used, a must be took in account to identify the specific headache.
Patients who endured moderate to severe migraines were interviewed a physician and had to complete a migraine diary for one month and a migraine headache information form. Patients who met the criteria were then offered to participate in the study followed by completing several questionnaires. Before undergoing the surgery, the patients were then injected botulinum toxin type A in the area where they felt the most pain from their migraine. Depending on where the patients
“The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) estimates that fully 90% of adults will experience one or more headaches during their life… About two-thirds of children have had a headache of one type or another by the time they reach the age of 15 years” (Pray, 2014). Making headaches one of the top complaints patients have when visiting the doctor's office. Due to the wide spectrum of headaches it is important for a patient to know when the option of self treatment with over the counter drugs is relevant, and when it is time to seek further medical care by a physician. The patient can make this decision by first knowing what kind of headache they are having, which will allow them to make the call of what to do next in terms of treatment. These are the topics that will be discussed in the following.
Headaches is one of the most common ailments in the United States but that does not mean you just let them run your life. Out of all the headaches, migraines can be the worse but they are definitely not the end of the world or your life. Other Types of Headaches. As you can see, there is a lot that is associated with migraines, but what if the headache you have is not as severe as that? The other type of headache that is most common in the United States as well are tension headaches. Headaches, which are also called cephalgia, can accompany many diseases and conditions like emotional distress.
1. The types of specialists that can help with a migraine diagnosis are doctors who focus on treating people with migraines. These doctors can be internal medicine doctors, family practice doctors, neurologists, or other specialists who see many patients with headache disorders. Most migraine & headache specialists have completed additional training and have additional certification in treating headaches. They may also work in a clinic dedicated to treating headaches. In addition, a neurologist is a doctor trained in diagnosing and treating disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. Neurologists examine and treat the nerves in the head and neck as well as diagnose problems with memory, balance, speech, thinking and
There have been many reports of people drinking caffeine as medicine for headaches, but some complain and say that caffeine gives them headaches or migraines. That means those people could have drank one of many drinks that contain of caffeine in them.
Migraines are not as common as many believe, actually, only about 12 percent of the U.S population gets migraines (Reinald Shyti, Boukje de Vries, Arn van den Maagdenberg, 2011). The recurring headache can range anywhere from moderate to severe. There are four stages of symptoms starting with Prodrome symptoms which occur one to two days before a migraine attack. Prodrome symptoms include constipation, mood changes, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased thirst and urination, and frequent yawning. The second stage is Aura which lasts for about 20 to 60 minutes and may occur before or during a migraine. Symptoms of the Aura stage include flashes of light, vision loss, pins and needles sensation in arm or leg, numbness or weakness on face or one side of the body, speech difficulty, hearing noise or music, and uncontrollable jerking. The third stage is the Attack stage that can lasts 72 hours if not treated. Symptoms of the attack stage include pain on one side or both sides of the head, pain that feels throbbing or pulsing, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and lightheadedness sometimes followed by fainting. The last stage is Post-dromed symptoms which occur after a migraine.
The aura happens before the actual headache begins. When a person has an aura, one can experience flashes of light, blind spots, dizziness, and sensitivity to light. In addition, some people who experience migraines isolate themselves in dark quiet places such as closets and under the covers to help reduce the pain. According to (Estemalik and Tepper 2010) In the U.S., 18% of women suffers compared to 6% of men. Women suffer more from migraines due to the many roles played daily. In a household, women are full-time workers, hold high positions at their employment and juggle family
He sees this with the adjustments he makes on each of us. This is making sense to me know after reading this study. I did this exactly: I would get headaches as a child and decided it would be better for me not to participate in P.E. at school because I felt it would cause headaches. It became my way of life. When in reality, if I had been more physically active and developed that habit early on, the regular exercise would’ve helped me possibly have fewer headaches overall. These types of things are considered “modifiable” risks and also include things as obesity, stressful life events, caffeine overuse, and snoring/sleep apnea. All these things can be addressed and altered in the migraine sufferer’s life. These studies also marked how there is a direct impact to migraine sufferers, their families, productivity at work, and extra cost for health services. I feel that society’s and doctor’s attitudes need to change in regard to migraines. From these studies, I feel there is evidence to support that if there were better treatment combinations for migraine patients, involving both behavior therapy and medication, those of us with migraines could be better contributors to our families and society instead of