Posts Tagged ‘Headaches’
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Curious Migraine Symptoms Explained
“Alice in Wonderland” Syndrome
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a form of migraine aura that causes visual, tactile, and auditory hallucinations. Migraine headache patients describe seeing nearby objects like windows and doors as being suddenly “miles away,” and undergoing a distorted reaction to images, sounds, and time, only minutes before a migraine attack strikes. Similar to the “curious and curiouser” observations described by Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland classic stories, migraine auras might have provided the inspiration for Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole- it’s a well-known fact that Lewis Carroll suffered from migraines- but there’s no evidence that he ever experienced the eponymous migraine symptoms as defined.
Who gets Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
AIWS aura usually strikes young children during the evening. “Night terrors” may wake them up from their sleep, causing them to appear disoriented for several minutes. Some child migraine sufferers eventually grow out of it when they reach their teen years. However, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is not restricted to children; it can occur in adults, as well, and at any time of the day.
What are the symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
AIWS can distort body perception, auditory abilities, and other sensory skills. Below are some of the most common symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome auras:
Distorted body image
“It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered aboutby mice and rabbits.”
-Alice
Distorted body image, sudden magnification or elongation of arms, neck, or midsection, similar to what you would see in a funhouse mirror.
6-year-old Olivia Watts described experiencing odd sensations during school; at times, it would seem that people’s heads would become exaggeratedly large and stretched out, only to return to normal minutes later. Many children who experience AIWS keep it to themselves, afraid of others calling them mentally ill.
Auditory hallucinations
“Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves.”
- The Duchess
Some migraine patients hear unusual sounds during an aura- noises that only they can hear. Sometimes their perception of volume falters and background noises like television, road traffic, or appliances either become louder or suddenly dim.
Loss of spatial awareness
“What if I should fall right through the center of the earth… oh, and come out the other side, where people walk upside down.”
-Alice
Another bizarre symptom of AIWS is loss of spatial awareness, which causes dizziness, vertigo, and confusion. Twenty-one-year-old undergraduate Rick Hemsley, in his interview with The Guardian, described the first time he experienced Alice in Wonderland Syndrome:
“Floors either curved or dipped, and when I tried walking on them, it felt as though I was staggering on sponges,” he said.
Speech abnormalities
“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, Sir, because I’m not myself you see.”
-Alice
Speech abnormalities are a common side effect of auras, including those associated with AIWS. Explained one migraine sufferer to reporters, “I thought I was making perfect sense, but I was told I was speaking gibberish.”
What causes Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
Physicians don’t know the exact causes of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome; only that it correlates with a variety of conditions. These include:
- History of migraines in family
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
- Brain tumor
- Drug use
- Epstein Barr viral infection
If you have experienced any of the symptoms described for AIWS migraine auras, then it is crucial that you visit a neurologist and submit to an MRI, so that any life-threatening conditions may be ruled out.
Related Reading:
Perfumes and Migraines: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Stinky
Top 10 Headache Symptoms that Point to Migraines
Sources:
Alice in Wonderland syndrome as persistent aura of migraine and migraine disease starting- PubMed
The Body Odd – When the world looks like a real-life Wonderland
‘Alice in Wonderland’ syndrome
Experience: I have Alice In Wonderland syndrome | Life and style | The Guardian
Tags: 'Alice in Wonderland' syndrome, AIWS, AIWS aura, Alice in Wonderland Hallucinations, aura, aura Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll, child migraine, disease, doctor, Headaches, infection, medical, migraine aura, Migraine aura body perception distortion, Migraine disease aura, migraine headache, migraine symptoms, Migraines, neurological disorder, rare, What are the symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, Who gets Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Posted in Types of Migraines | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Will Cindy McCain be successful in raising awareness and funds for chronic migraine headache research? We hope so. Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, is one of millions of women who suffer from migraine headaches. Chronic migraine symptoms include severe head pain, nausea, stomach cramping, visual disturbances, and extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and scents.
“Torture.”
A bottle of spilled perfume served as the Kryptonite to her chronic migraines a year back while Cindy was traveling overseas; the overpowering smell nearly knocked her unconscious. Her migraine radar went into maximum overdrive, causing a migraine attack unlike any she had ever experienced. Head throbbing madly, nausea threatening to consume her entire body, Cindy disembarked and returned home.
Cindy speaks up
Since then, Cindy has pledged to do everything in her power to educate American citizens about migraines as a neurological disorder, and to raise funds for migraine treatment. Currently, Congress favors $13 million towards migraine research, a pitiful sum compared to the $20 billion deficit per year accrued through migraine-related lost wages, disability, and medical bills. Migraine Sufferer to World: It’s not just a Headache, People!
Cindy feels your pain- really.
Migraine symptoms may discriminate by sex (women get more migraines than men by 3 to 1), but when it comes to wealth and status, they’re an equal-opportunity destroyer. Unlike popular belief, migraines are not a poor woman’s disease. Related: 6 Migraine Myth-conceptions
Mrs. McCain describes the following symptoms when speaking to the public about her migraines:
- Excruciating head pain comparable to Traumatic Brain Injuries, the medical term for head trauma received by soldiers in heavy combat.
- Ultra-sensitivity to light. Even a moderate light setting can trigger fierce migraine attacks. “Sunglasses are a migraine sufferer’s best friend,” she says.
- Stress-related weight loss. At 5’7”, Cindy once weighed less than 100 pounds.
- Because of migraine stigma, Cindy avoided migraine diagnosis until the age of 40, fearing others would think she was “neurotic.”
- Sleep deprivation led to debilitating migraines that sent her to the emergency room on more than one occasion.
- Migraine symptoms varied for Cindy. She often experienced migraine auras, tinnitus (ear ringing), nausea, and blindness in her left eye, depending on the migraine headache trigger.
- After suffering a stroke in 2004, Cindy stopped taking preventative migraine medications. She now relies on triptans, a form of abortive migraine treatment.
A cure for migraines or die trying
After addressing a crowd in Philadelphia, Cindy hopes to continue her campaign to Capitol Hill. Her mission: to convince Congress to raise funds allocated towards migraine research. Cindy hopes to appeal to them by bringing to their attention the astounding numbers of migraine sufferers, many of whom suffer in silence.
“I’m missing a large part of my life,” she said. “I want to stay active. I want a cure.”
Sources:
Cindy McCain Breaks Her Silence on Migraine ‘Disability’
Migraines: Silent Wounds of War
Cindy McCain’s Secret Struggle with Migraines
Tags: campaign, capitol hill, chronic migraine symptoms, cindy mccain, congress, disability, doctors, fitness, headache, Headaches, health, health research, health studies, healthy lifestyle, Healthy Living, lifestyle, medical research, medical studies, medicine, Migraine, migraine headache trigger, migraine headaches, migraine stigma, migraine treatment, migraine treatments, research, studies, Traumatic Brain Injuries, triggers, well being
Posted in Migraine News | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
How to tell if your migraine headaches require emergency attention
Migraine headaches are a neurological disorder that causes sharp, throbbing head pain, in addition to queasiness, vomiting, visual disturbances, and extreme sensitivity to bright lights, strong scents, and loud noises. Migraine pain can be unbearably draining and excruciating. If you’ve ever been in the middle of a migraine attack, then you understand the urgency to find something that will immediately alleviate your agony.
Stay home, or call 911?
Millions of migraine sufferers visit their local hospital emergency rooms every year, hoping for some quick migraine pain relief. Unfortunately, unless your headache symptoms are severe enough to suggest a stroke, you will probably wait many long hours before even seeing a nurse. As far as the ER ranking system goes, you are going to be somewhere very near the bottom of the patient chain.
So, how does one know when to call the doctor, when to call 911, or when to call in sick and just stay home?
Headache warning signs
Below are eight common red flag headache warnings that necessitate a trip to ER, followed by some less urgent migraine conditions that can wait until your visit to the headache doctor.
Call 911 or go to the emergency room if any of these headache symptoms occur:
- A migraine headache that has lasted longer than 72 hours
- Migraine head pain that is more severe than usual
- Headache accompanied by fever, hypertension, sore neck muscles, or a rash.
- Migraine pain that wakes you up out of a deep sleep in the middle of the night
- Severe headache combined with intense stomach upset, such a nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.
- Headaches that result from head trauma, a car accident, or a bad fall
- If you are over the age of40*, and have not been diagnosed with migraines, then any new or uncommon pattern of headaches that could suggest migraines
- Symptoms that indicate neurological damage:
- Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision, flashing orbs of light, blind spots, or hallucination
- Dizziness, loss of balance and sudden weakness
- Numbness or tingling sensations
- Speech difficulties, such as stuttering, slurring and muttering incoherently
- Seizure
- Confusion
- Any other peculiar behavior (Read Strange but True: Migraines can Give You a British Accent)
The following scenarios do not require a trip to ER, but do call for a visit to a neurologist:
- You are having more than three migraines every week
- You are using pain medication every day, or at least four times per week to treat headaches
- Migraine head pain increases in severity, and doesn’t alleviate
- Headache triggers that include physical exertion, coughing or sneezing, and bending over
- Any unusual shift in your typical migraine pattern
- You have not been diagnosed with migraines, but you suspect your chronic headaches are related, and you are under the age of 40*
Also read:
Brain Tumor, Stroke and 8 other Illnesses you probably don’t have
Top 10 Headache Symptoms that Point to Migraines
Sources:
When to Call the Doctor About Your Migraines or Headaches
Migraine: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Migraine- When to Call A Doctor
Should I Visit the Emergency Room for a Migraine?
Tags: emergency room, ER, headache doctor, headache symptoms, headache warnings, Headaches, health, Migraine, neurologist, Pain
Posted in Migraines | No Comments »
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Preventing Headaches for Children’s Health
Millions of individuals suffer from headaches, and children are no exception. Stress headaches account for 90% of pain symptoms in school-aged children. Migraine headaches, though less common, afflict 10% of adolescents. Therapists attribute children’s migraine and non-migraine headache symptoms to nerves, peer pressure, school performance, or fears. In certain situations, kids’ headaches may be treated without the use of pain medication.
How Migraines Appear in Children
Listed below are 7 alternative treatments for treating headache pain:
1) Prevention: Often, headaches are caused by a specific headache trigger, whether it be food, light, scents, weather changes or irregular sleep patterns. Identifying exactly which sensitivities are causing your child’s chronic pain is half the battle. Wine, Cheese, Perfume, and other Headache Triggers
2) Tell a story: Headache treatments which use subliminal suggestions are a popular form of alternative pain relief, albeit one which takes practice. Ask your child to imagine himself swallowing some pain medicine, and then have him tell a story about the pill’s headache-fighting powers, or its journey through the body as it combats evil headache henchmen and blasts away pain bubbles. If he prefers, he can just imagine a quiet, restful place or time.
3) Keep a headache journal: Ask your child to jot notes in a headache diary every time he feels head pain. Important details are time, day, pain level and relevant activities. Read this comprehensive list of 10 Clues your should Include in your Headache Diary Today.
4) Blow a mental balloon: Therapists often use the following method for inducing child headache sufferers in to state of relaxation and soothing headache pain. Ask the child to take deep abdominal breaths, focusing on a point a few inches below the belly button, while imagining a balloon expanding and releasing. Ask her the following three questions:
- What color is the balloon?
- What shape is it?
- How heavy is it?
Have her continue taking some more deep breaths, and then ask her the three questions again. Repeat for 5-10 minutes. What are Abdominal Migraines?
5) Talk to the pain: Ask your child to pretend to have a conversation with the “pain,” asking it why it came, what it is trying to tell her, and what prescription it can give her for relief. Then, have her follow the pain’s orders, or pretend to. She might discover that all she had to do was relax, take a nap or have a healthy snack.
6) Use color imagery: Have your child describe the pain symptoms he’s having, and try to associate relief with a color. To put out a fiery headache, quench it with jets of cool blue water. For brain freeze, imagine warm golden sunshine.
7) Imagine the pain floating away: A common meditation used for pain relief is imagining the pain as a red bubble and consciously willing it to leave. Ask him to hold his hands parallel to his head, several inches away from the source of pain. Tell him to imagine that his hands are a magnet, and that his head pain is naturally drawn away from his head and towards his hands, where they disintegrate into nothingness.
Also read:
The Teen Headache Connection
Migraine Pain, Portrayed through Art and Poetry
Migraine Pop Quiz: How Well do you Understand your Headaches?
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlotte-reznick-phd/kids-headaches_b_870013.html#s287277&title=Melt_away_the
Tags: Alternative Treatments, Children's Health, chronic pain, headache treatments, headache trigger, Headaches, Healthy Living, Healthy Living News, Huffington Post, Kids Headache Prevention, Kids Headaches, migraine headache symptoms, migraine headaches, migraine medications, migraine treatments, Migraines, pain medication, pain symptoms, prevent migraines, Preventing Headaches, stress headaches, Treating Headache Pain
Posted in Migraine Prevention | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
U.S. News Best Hospitals for Neurology
Out of 1,200 hospitals that were reviewed for excellence in treating chronic migraines, the US News has narrowed their list down to the 10 highest ranking hospitals in the fields of neurology and neurosurgery.
1) John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (410) 955–5000: In addition to placing #1 for migraine treatment and prevention, John Hopkins Hospital also made the national #1 Honor Roll for treatment in ENT, Rheumatology and for gynecology.
2) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota (507) 284–2511: World-famous Mayo Clinic ranked #1 for diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, and kidney disorders; they also have a strong online presence in providing current information about migraine headache symptoms and common headache triggers.
3) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (617) 726–2000: Massachusetts General Hospital ranked #1 center in Boston for treating migraines, and #1 in the USA for their psychiatry department.
4) New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York (212) 746–5454: In addition to neurology, NY-Pres also ranked #4 in psychiatry and kidney disorders.
5) University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California (415) 476–1000: The UCLA teaching hospital was voted the #1 hospital for treating migraine pain in all of San Francisco.
6) Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio (216) 444–2200: Cleveland Clinic ranked best hospital in Cleveland for providing migraine headache relief, and #1 US hospital for treating heart disease and conducting heart surgeries.
7) Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California,(310) 825–9111: The UCLA Medical Center was voted the best clinic in Los Angeles for treating chronic migraines, and #2 in the USA for excellence in Geriatrics.
8) St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona (602) 406–3000: This prestigious hospital was also voted the third best neurological center in Phoenix, Arizona.
9) NYU Langone Medical Center, New York (212) 263–7300: The NYU Langone Medical Center made the national Honor Roll for excellence in 14 fields of medicine, including neurology and neurosurgery. Additionally, they placed #2 for best hospital in New York for migraine headache patients.
10) Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Saint Louis, Missouri (314) 747–3000: The Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University made the Honor Roll as #1 best migraine treatment center in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Tags: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, best hospitals, best hospitals migraines, best hospitals neurology, chronic migraines, Cleveland Clinic, headache relief, headache triggers, Headaches, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, mayo clinic, Migraine, migraine and aura, migraine causes, migraine drugs, migraine headache symptoms, migraine headaches, migraine news, migraine pain, migraine pain relief, migraine remedy, migraine treatment, migraine treatments, Migraines, migrane, New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, NYU Langone Medical Center, Pain, prevent migraines, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, San Francisco Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Symptoms, University of California, US News, US News hospitals, women and migraines
Posted in Migraine Treatments | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 30th, 2011
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic migraine headaches. So why do you feel all alone? Your closest family members and friends don’t always understand the depth of your pain, but know that there are vast communities out there who can help you understand your migraine symptoms, share their experiences with migraine remedies and provide emotional support.
 When Alice had a migraine, she found even the pretty things were too much to bear. Here are 20 excellent migraine resources, listed in alphabetical order, including non-profit headache research sites, personal blogs and chronic migraine patient forums:
1) ACPA – American Chronic Pain Association: To provide support to patients diagnosed with chronic migraines and to their families, to help them find appropriate healthcare, education and to raise public awareness about migraines.
2) American Pain Society: Another excellent resource for finding out about recent advances in migraine treatment and other pain management tools.
3) Blog Carnival: A rotating collaboration of blogs which address health issues such as migraine headaches.
4) The Daily Headache: Blogger Kerrie Smyres writes about the issues migraineurs want to know about, including research, opinions and forum.
5) Head Wise: Migraine blogger Steph shares some inspiring life stories about her battle with migraines.
6) Help for Headaches: Managed by leading migraine expert Teri Robert, author of “Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches,” Help for Headaches is a great landing base for all topics related to migraines and other headache symptoms. Robert’s posts can also be viewed on Migraine.com and Health Central’s My Migraine Connection.
7) LiveJournal: Online migraine patient support group.
8) MAGNUM: The National Migraine Association: Their mission is to raise public awareness about migraines as a debilitating neurological illness. Find out how you can help.
9) Meetup: Find out about local migraine support groups, and meet other headache sufferers in your area.
10) Migraine.com: Join the largest virtual community of migraine patients and experts on the web. Migraine.com features articles written by some of the top experts in migraine treatment, education and social issues, including the Migraine Girl, Teri Robert, Diana Lee, Prof. Joanna Kempner and Dr. Whyte.
11) The Migraine Action Association: Formerly a British association, this website features quarterly newsletters, a telephone hotline and current migraine information.
12) Migraine Chick: You’ve seen her pics on some of our blog posts. Blogger and artist Deborah Leigh shares her unique, thought-provoking attitude about the social impact of migraines on our culture.
13) MigrainePage.com: Online community of migraine sufferers. Participate in chat discussions, forums or the online migraine journal.
14) Migraine Puppet: Anecdotes about life and pain management, and an updated list of blog posts by fellow migraine patients.
15) Migrainista: Unique, nostalgic and sometimes controversial insights by blogger Migrainista.
16) The National Headache Foundation: The world’s largest non-profit voluntary organization for finding migraine treatment clinics, resources and local community programs.
17) Painfully Speaking: Blogger Jessica opens up about her battles with chronic headache pain and anxiety.
18) Somebody Heal Me: Famous blogger Diana Lee writes about chronic pain management and headaches, and shares her database of sites, blogs and organizations which deal with a variety of health issues.
19) WebMD- Migraines: WebMD is a comprehensive website which provides health tips, information, slideshows and support for medical issues from A to Z; their migraine page is particularly helpful.
20) WHA- World Headache Alliance: Migraine news, global headache awareness activities and links to support groups.
Some good reads:
Migraines Caused by Eye Strain? Tinted Glasses can Help
Migraine Sufferer to World: It’s not just a Headache, People!
7 Headache Categories:Which Type of Headache do you Have?
Tags: causes migraines, chronic migraine headaches, chronic pain, Headaches, Help for Headaches, migraine pain, migraine relief, migraine remedies, migraine symptoms, migraine treatments, Migraine.com, Migraines, Teri Robert
Posted in Migraines | 4 Comments »
Monday, May 2nd, 2011
More chronic migraine headache patients are using Botox as a migraine treatment, but skeptics still worry about reported side effects linked with Botox injections. Do you suffer from low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) headaches? If so, researchers are convinced that regular injections of Botox treatments can end your pounding migraine headache symptoms for good. Even if the headaches which plague you aren’t specifically CSF headaches, there’s still a good chance that Botox health benefits still apply to you, according to scientists like Michal Cutrer, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist.
Scientific study finds that Botox injections excel at providing headache relief
A recent study focused on a chronic headache patient who had been suffering from low cerebrospinal fluid headaches for over 20 years. CSF headaches are caused by leakage of cerebrospinal fluids, causing a decrease in brain pressure while the patient is standing or sitting upright. CSF headache symptoms vary according to the severity of the condition. In this study, the patient had been experiencing excruciating pain for half of her lifetime.
Because of the nature of CSF headaches, the sufferer can only experience headache relief while lying completely flat. According to the World Headache Alliance, migraine headaches such as CSF are among the top 20 causes of disability.
Migraine Pop Quiz: How Well do you Understand your Headaches?
Dr. Cutrer has been testing the effects of Botox headache treatments on migraine patients with low cerebrospinal fluids. What he discovered was that Botox injections were able to relieve pain more effectively than any other migraine treatment. On a scale of 1 to 10, with a 10 being the most debilitating level of pain, patients who received Botox treatments went from an 8 to a 2 or 3.
Dr. Cutrer is quick to point out that Botox treatments are not a cure for migraine headaches; once the patient stops treatment, the headaches will return.
Are there any dangerous side effects associated with Botox treatments?
There have been several allegations and studies which have pointed to negative side effects of frequent Botox usage. Recently, Allergan, a manufacturer of Botox, was sued and settled for over $200 million in a case which attempted to link Botox with the brain damage of a senior citizen. Others have reported side effects such as bruising, speech impediments and skin rash. And recently, a study published by Social Psychological and Personality Science made the claim that overuse of Botox injections can lead to emotional problems.
Read: Considering Botox for Headache Relief? Read This First…
While the FDA stands behind the decision to approve the use of Botox for chronic migraine treatment, patients are still warned about possible adverse reactions. According to the warning label, botulinum toxins can leak to other parts of the body and produce symptoms similar to botulism, such as difficulty breathing, and can be life-threatening.
Also read: New Study Warns against Taking these Painkillers with Antidepressants
Sources:
Huffington Post, LA Times, FDA
Tags: Botox, Botox Headaches, Botox Health Benefits, botox migraines, Cerebrospinal Fluid Headache, Cerebrospinal Fluid Headache Botox, Cerebrospinal Fluid Headache Treatments, CSF Headache Botox, CSF Headaches, cure migraine headaches, Headache Treatment, Headaches, migraine treatment, Migraines
Posted in Migraine Medication | No Comments »
Saturday, February 26th, 2011
 Photo credit: Jef Bettens Women who experience PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, are more likely to experience hormone-induced headaches — but some headaches may actually be a type of migraine called a menstrual migraine.
According to Headaches.org, an estimated 60 percent of women suffer from these hormone-induced headaches, and many delay receiving treatment because they do not think they can be treated.
Today we’re going to help you identify them — and explain why they are not the same as regular headaches.
The Symptoms of Menstrual Migraines
So what symptoms should you look out for? Here are the most common symptoms of menstrual migraines:
- A throbbing, nauseating pain that occurs on one side of the head.
- A sudden sensitivity to light or sound.
- Vomiting or extreme stomach unease.
- An increase in the severity or frequency of headaches right before or during menstruation.
Essentially, the symptoms of period-induced migraines are very similar to regular migraines — the only difference is that it occurs before or during menstruation.
How is it Different From a Menstrual Headache?
You’re probably wondering — how does it differ from a regular period headache? Here’s how the symptoms of a menstrual migraine differ from a regular period headache:
Symptom 1: Unlike a migraines, a period-induced headache is accompanied by acne, fatigue, joint pain and irritability. As the body prepares for menstruation, it can cause a number of effects of the body, literally tiring you out and making you more sensitive to pain. Regular pain medications cannot always alleviate these symptoms.
Symptom 2: If you have a period-induced headache, you may feel more hungry — you’re more likely to lose your appetite if you have a legitimate migraine. Migraines are usually accompanied by dizziness and nausea, which may make you vomit and lose your appetite. People with period-induced headaches may actually crave more food — it is rarely accompanied by dizziness or nausea.
Symptom 3: You have sudden cravings for food, such as carbohydrates or sweets. PMS can cause you to crave high caloric foods, but a menstrual migraine will not cause these cravings. In fact, women with any sort of migraine rarely crave any food because of the nausea. Overall, menstrual headaches are more likely to affect the entire head and cause moderate pain, unlike menstrual migraines — they cause more severe, debilitating pain.
Tags: Headaches, menstrual migraine, Migraines, PMS, Symptoms
Posted in Migraines | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
There are migraine symptoms that may indicate a more serious medical condition. The following is a list of migraine symptoms that require a visit to a doctor:
One: A very sudden headache that gets progressively worse, and may include nausea, vomiting or dizziness (may be caused by a stroke).
Two: A spontaneous headache that is worse than any other headache (may be caused by an aneurysm).
Three: Terrible headaches that start after age 50.
Four: Headaches that are followed by impaired memory or balance, dizziness, numbness or tingling in extremities (may be caused by a stroke).
Five: Headaches that get worse with coughing or sneezing (may be an infection in the brain).
Six: Headache that sets in following an injury to the head (may be caused by a hemorrhage).
Seven: Headaches that are present simultaneously with a fever (may be caused by spinal meningitis).
Eight: A pulsating pain around the eye that may spread to the ear or neck and is not alleviated by pain medication (may indicate a blood clot).
If you are unsure as to whether or not your headaches are indicative of a dangerous medical issue or just an ordinary migraine, you should see a neurologist to be safe.
Tags: condition, Headaches, migraine and symptoms, migraine symptoms, nausea vomiting, Pain, serious medical condition, sudden headache, Symptoms, tingling in extremities, visit
Posted in Migraines | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Some migraines can be indicative of a more serious medical condition. Here is a list of symptoms that would necessitate a visit to a doctor:
- A very sudden headache that gets progressively worse, and may include nausea, vomiting or dizziness (may be caused by a stroke).
- A spontaneous headache that is worse than any other headache (may be caused by an aneurysm).
- Terrible headaches that start after age 50.
- Headaches that are followed by impaired memory or balance, dizziness, numbness or tingling in extremities (may be caused by a stroke).
- Headaches that get worse with coughing or sneezing (may be an infection in the brain).
- Headache that sets in following an injury to the head (may be caused by a hemorrhage).
- Headaches that are present simultaneously with a fever (may be caused by spinal meningitis).
- A pulsating pain around the eye that may spread to the ear or neck and is not alleviated by pain medication (may indicate a blood clot).
Those who suffer from migraines may benefit from Migravent, a dietary supplement made specifically for migraines.
Tags: condition, headache, Headaches, list, Migraine, Migraines, migrane, migranes, nausea vomiting, Pain, pain medication, serious medical condition, sudden headache, tingling in extremities, visit
Posted in Migraines | No Comments »
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