MIGRAINE HEADACHE

MIGRAINE HEADACHE

Migraine is the commonest from of vascular headache. It is  characterized by altered body perceptions, severe headaches,  nausea, photophobia or flickering vision there is altered  sensitivity to noise and sounds. It can begin in childhood,  adolescence or early adult life which tends to decrease in intensity and frequency as age advances. These are periodic headaches which are typically unilateral and are often associated with visual disturbances and vomiting.

A rapid widening and narrowing of blood vessel walls in the brain and head cause migraines. The fibres in the blood vessel wall become irritated and cause the pain. Blood vessels in the scalp are often involved in Migraines. Sometimes the throbbing pain of migraine is caused by an abnormal release of neuro chemicals in the brain such as serotonin or noradrenaline. Migraine sufferers might have born with a hypersensitive nervous system that makes them prone to headaches.

THOSE WHO ARE LIKELY TO GET MIGRAINE

In female there is a strong hereditary tendency towards the migraine especially associated with menses. Cases have been recorded as young as 3 years old as old as 78 years.

It is unusual for the older person to have their first attack after the age of 50 years.

It may strike any one man or women. Men with tension worry and anxiety are likely to be effected more.

Types

a. Hemiplegic migraine

Involves muscle weakness or partial paralysis lasting less than an hour;

b.Ophthalmoplegic migraine

Involves temporary eye dysfunction, such as droopy eyelid or pupillary changes,      lasting from several days to weeks;

c. Basilar artery migraine

Involves neurological spasm lasting for about six to eight hours; and

d. Status migranosus

Involves a severe migraine attack, lasting longer than 24 hours.

What are the causes?

a. Physical (fatigue / over – exertion / relaxation)

b. Psychological (depression / worry / shock / anxiety)

c. Diet (consumption of alcohol / various type of food and drink, e.g. chocolates).

d. Medication-related (medicines including nitroglycerin, lithium, and certain anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and bronchodilating drugs), or

e. hormone-related (such as menstrual periods, hormonal treatments, or birth ontrol pills).

f. Other factors (loud noises / glaring lights/ TV/ strong smells).

What are the symptoms?

Migraine headache with or without aura, are proceeded by a group of symptoms that are collectively known as prodrome. The prodrome symptoms tend to appear about an hour before the main symptoms begin.

The prodrome often includes.

– Anxiety or mood changes

– Altered sense of taste and smell

– Either an excess or lack of energy

People who have migraine with aura experience a number of further symptoms before migraine, includes:

– Visual disturbance such as blurry vision and bright flashes.

– Pins and needles, numbness or sensation of weakness on the face or on side of body.

The main symptoms common to both types of migraine then develop. These symptoms include

– Headache that is severe, throbbing made worse by movement, and usually   felt on one side of the head, over one eye or around one temple.

– Nausea or vomiting.

– Dislike of bright light or loud sound.

A migraine may last from few hours to few days and then eventually cleans up. After a migraine, patient may feel tired and unable to concentrate.

How to prevent a migraine?

There are many factors which are known to trigger a migraine. You need to identify the one that affects you.

– Avoid the food you find brings on attack. More common are cheese, chocolate and whine.

– Eat regularly because missing the meal may trigger the attack.

– Follow a regularly sleep pattern.

– Try doing relaxation exercise.

Homeopathic symptoms and treatment

Homeopathic remedies are prescribed by symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. There are many symptoms which can be effectively treated by homeopathy ­­­­­few symptoms are given below.If your symptoms are matching to any of the symptoms given below, it can be cured mail the disease and symptom number at drraishyam@gmail.com to know your medicine.

1. Frontal, vertical or occipital headache with great pain in eyeballs, better by pressure and stupefying pain in head, especially forehead. Pains are pressing inwards and outwards; they are increased on slightest touch.

2. Headache worse by binding the hair, biting the teeth together, before and during menses, stepping heavily, better by cold air and cold application, moving the head and from walking.

3. Headache relieved entirely by eating; worse during motion and working.

4. When trauma (injury) is the cause, pain aching. Bruised, occasionally sharp, as if nails were being driven into the brain; mental confusion. Aching pain is worse by rinsing the head and is relieved by having the head elevated.

5. Headache in plethoric and healthy persons. The cause is some disturbance of the circulatory system. The headache is violent and throbbing. Throbbing and bursting headache in temples with fiery red and hot face. Eyes become red. Face flushed. The pains disappear as suddenly as they appear, Unconsciousness.

6. Migraine headaches that start in the upper neck or back of the skull and extend to the forehead on the right. Intense headaches often begin in late morning or afternoon. migraines come suddenly, very intense, throbbing exploding, pressing outward, starts in the right back of the head and extends to the forehead and eyes.  It’s worse at 3 p.m., jarring, light, sun, washing the hair, stooping, and menses. Better by lying in the dark quiet room, binding the head, sitting up in bed, bending the head back.

7. Headaches with a steady, sharp pain in the forehead that may radiate to the back of the head; these types of headaches worsen with movement and light touch, but improve with firm pressure; individuals who are irritable and may also experience nausea, vomiting, and constipation

8. Pulsating throbbing centralized near or into the left eye. Symptoms include early morning headaches and dry mouth, disturbed by noise and movement

9. Headache when stooping as if brain would burst through forehead. Worse by motion. Headache brought on by playing or watching the play.

10. Chronic headache in fatty persons with tendency for sweating of the face. Icy coldness of extremities.

11. Headache of school girls and boys who apply themselves too closely to their books, especially children who are growing rapidly and whose mental development is out of proportion to their physical strength.

12. Headache with peevishness. The patient is cross and angry. Headache occurs normally in patients who use alcohol in excess and take opium to counteract its effect or who take strong coffee.

13. Headache congestive, throbbing and hammering like on temples, better by hard pressure. Headaches resulting from dehydration, weakness or anemia.

14. Migraine and throbbing headache. headache associated with the menstrual period, stiff neck pain, and feelings of gloom or despair.

15. Headaches or Migraine resulting from worrisome behavior or insomnia. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Pain in the back of the head, as if the parts were alternately opening and closing. Headache comes on like a shadow. Can hear what is going on while asleep, even snoring. Nervous headache with giddiness and nausea and vertigo. Holds the nape of neck firmly with hands owing to the severity of pain.

16. Migraine associated with dizziness, blurred or dimmed vision, or eye spasm. Symptoms include earache, dry mouth or thirst, and weakness. Sensitivity to cold or open air. Emotional upsets.

17. Specific for sick headaches. Listless and apathetic. Dull frontal headache over root of nose. Over eyes, through temples, worse stooping and moving. Migraine associated with acidity.

18. Headache caused by loss of sleep following excitement.

19. Nervous headache with characteristic symptom of spitting constantly.

20. Pains beginning in the nape of neck and shift over to head, causing a bursting sensation in the forehead and eyeballs. Feels as if head is full and big. Unconsciousness. blurred vision, sensation of tight band or vise clamped around skull, frequent urination, and difficulty holding head straight or opening eyes. Pain usually originates in the back of the head and may be relieved following urination; extremely weak and have difficulty keeping their eyes open

21. Headache due to working under gaslight, in the sun when heat falls on the head. Head feels enormously large, Sunstroke and sun headache without unconsciousness. pounding migraines as if the head would explode.  The pain increases and decreases with the sun’s rise and fall.  Worse from heat, alcohol, tight collars, shaking the head.  Better from pressure, lying in a dark room, cold washing, getting into the shade, wearing a hat.headaches that result during the period of menopause

22. When due to grief in hysterical patients. Terminates with a profuse flow of urine. Headache in hysteria. Pain as if a needle or nail were driven into the head.

23. People suffering from nausea and vomiting associated with migraine. accompanied with lack of thirst, constant production of saliva and weak pulse

24. Ice pick headaches and stress headaches. Symptoms include back or muscle spasms and feelings of grief, disappointment, or sadness. for pain that may be described as a feeling of something being driven into the skull; these types of headaches tend to be triggered by emotion, including grief or anxiety, and the treatment is appropriate for both children and adults

25. Headaches or migraine that typically comes during the weekend or during rest periods. With school teachers it comes on Saturday or Sunday and with preachers on Monday. The patient usually vomits bitter bilious substances and the vomiting gives relief to the pains in the head. Migraine of the eye with constipation. Objects could only be seen in halves. Bilious headache with burning and acidity. migraine with vomiting and nausea

26. Periodic migraines that begin with blurred vision, especially after eating sweets; pain usually occurs on one side of the head and may be partially relieved by gentle movement and/or fresh air

27. Headache begins with blurred vision aching and pressing pains on the forehead (particularly between and behind the eyes); may be accompanied by sinus congestion or nausea and vomiting; prefer to lie down in a dark room and better by warmth and eating

28. Violent headache during the menstrual period when the flow slackens. Headache, like the menstrual pain is relieved by the flow. Bursting and hammering headache.

29. Headache increases with the rise of the sun and stops at sun-set Headache with sweat, greater the pain the greater the sweat. Headache of schoolgirls or boys, worse on eye straining. Hammering headache as If hammers are knocking the head. women who suffer from migraine induced by sun’s exposure. Occurrences of migraine just before or after the menstrual period Excruciating headaches occurring due to grief or emotional, better cold applications, sweat, pressure, closing the eyes, lying in a dark room

30. Tension headaches, hangovers, toxic headaches from noise, sensation as a “nail being driving into the head;” often accompanied by nausea and/or dizziness; patient is constipated and irritable

31. Due to strain, or eye strain; vertigo; nervous headache, neurasthenia

32. Headache relieved by cold application and is worse in a warm room and by warm applications. Sense of coldness in the base of brain.

33. Headache due to hunger, wants to eat but cannot eat enough.

34. Bilious headache with gastric symptoms, pain in stomach, sour vomiting and acidity. Feels as if the head is full of boiling water.

35. Brought on by reading and eye-strain.

36. Headaches triggered by weather change (specifically before storm occurs).

37. Headache caused by indulgence in alcohol or tea, by hot weather over study and worse by strong odours. Increased flow of urine during headache.

38. Headache relieved by wrapping and covering. Worse in the dark and bettter in light. Nervous headache caused by excessive study at school.

39. Nervous headache beginning in the morning at base of brain, spreading over the head and locating in eye orbit and temple of left side. Intolerable pressive pain in the eye balls. Pain disappears in the evening.

40. Headache is centralized into the right eye. Symptoms include eyestrain, vomiting, and sharp or splitting head pain. right-sided headaches that begin in the neck and move upwards, recur in a predictable pattern (such as every seven days), and are accompanied by nausea and vomiting; pain is aggravated by motion, light or sun exposure, odors, and noise; craving for spicy or acidic foods, despite having a general aversion to eating due to the headache

41. Migraines that are accompanied by nausea and are relieved when the individual is lying down; light and movement tend to worsen symptoms; moody and don’t like being alone, but worry about being with others

42. Left-sided headaches. Heart palpitations or other heart issues, stiff neck and shoulders, stinging, burning, or throbbing pain, often on the left side of the head; symptoms tend to worsen with exposure to cold weather and with motion, but are temporarily relieved by cold compresses and when the individual is lying on the right side with the head propped up