Description
This article is from the Natural Migraine
Cures FAQ, by an588@freenet.carleton.ca (Catherine Woodgold)
with numerous contributions by others.
3) Definition of Migraines
The word "migraine" comes from words meaning "half the head",
and sounds like "demi-cranium", because migraine headaches often
hurt on only the left or right side of the head. However, many
people with migraines always have pain on the whole head.
A migraine headache is caused by hormonal fluctuations which
cause blood vessels in the head and neck to contract and then
dilate. The first phase, or contraction phase, may last minutes,
hours, or days. During this phase, symptoms can be spots in
front of the eyes, difficulty concentrating, and cold fingertips
and hands. This is called an "aura". Many people recognize this
phase of their headaches; many others don't notice any symptoms
at this time. Some people who think they don't have an "aura"
can learn to recognize it.
When the blood vessels dilate, the headache pain starts.
Apparently the hormones over-react. Instead of just going from a
contracted state back to normal, the blood vessels dilate much
wider than normal, causing pain. Other things also happen about
the same time: swelling of the brain, release of certain
chemicals, and perhaps muscle tension. These things add to the
pain.
There are a number of different processes that can cause the
interplay of hormones leading to contracted and then over-dilated
blood vessels. It's not always the same hormones that are
involved. Some of the natural treatments listed here focus on a
single process. Different things work for different people.
Some people may need to use several treatments at the same time.
Some people who think they have "tension headaches" are actually
helped by migraine treatments. Many headaches are probably a
combination of muscle tension and migraine.
Because migraines occur in a two-phase process, with levels
of certain hormones high in one phase and low in the other
phase, a lot of treatments can either help or make the headache
worse, depending on timing. For the same reason, treatments that
help one person can make a headache worse for another person.
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health, migraine, headache, biofeedback, herbs, treatment, cure
