Know About Migraine : Home Remedies, Treatment And Cause

A migraine is a throbbing painful headache, usually on one side of the head, that is often initiated or "triggered" by specific compounds or situations (environment, stress, hormones, and many others). They occur more often in women (75%, approximately) and may affect a person’s ability to do common tasks.

Migraine Symptoms:
Throbbing pain, usually on one side of a person's head, can be intense enough to cause a person to be unable to do simple tasks or to work. The headache pain may radiate toward the eyes, forehead, or temple and make a person develop nausea, vomiting, vision problems, and sensitivity to normal light or mild exertion.

Trigger:
Flashing Lights: Migraine headaches are often triggered to occur when the person is exposed to a specific set of circumstances. One of the most common triggers is strong flickering light. For example, faulty fluorescent lights, a television picture rapidly going on and off, or sunlight reflected off of waves in a lake or the ocean are all potential triggers.


Anxiety and Stress:
As mentioned, stress is sometimes a trigger for migraines. While it is unlikely that people can live stress-free lives, many people can reduce their stress and avoid triggering migraines by using relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and other biofeedback techniques.

Lack of Food or Sleep:
Regular daily patterns of meals and sleep work well for some individuals to avoid migraines. Sleep interruptions and lack of adequate fluid and/or food intake and even some food binges may trigger a migraine.

Hormonal Changes:
Many women's migraines are linked to their menstrual cycle. The hormonal increases and decreases are thought to be responsible for triggering migraines in some women. However, patterns differ from person to person so one type of hormonal therapy may benefit one woman, but it may be unhelpful or even increase migraine symptoms in other women.

Headache Foods:
Although studies have not proven that any food is a migraine trigger, patients often suggest certain foods trigger their migraines. Common food or food ingredients cited by patients are red wine, cheese, chocolate, soy sauce, processed meat, and MSG.

Tyramine:
Tyramine, produced from the amino acid tyrosine, may be a trigger for migraines because it can cause blood vessel constriction and expansion. Many aged and fermented foods that are associated with migraines like cheeses, soy sauce, pickles, or aged meats like pepperoni contain tyramine.

Home Remedies for Migraine:
Lavender Oil: Not only does lavender smell great — it’s also a useful home remedy for headaches and migraine pain. Lavender oil can be either inhaled or applied topically. Two to four drops for every two to three cups of boiling water are recommended when inhaling lavender-oil vapors as a headache treatment. Unlike many medicinal oils, this home remedy can also be safely applied externally without the need to dilute it. Lavender oil should not be taken orally.

Peppermint Oil: Peppermint is a soothing home remedy that has been shown to benefit tension headaches. This fresh-smelling oil has vaso-constricting and vaso-dilating properties, which help control blood flow in the body. Headaches and migraine pain are often due to poor blood flow, and peppermint oil helps to open and close the vessels that promote flow. Peppermint home remedies also open up the sinuses so that more oxygen can get into the bloodstream.

Basil Oil: Basil, the strong-scented herb used as a topping for pizzas and pastas, certainly tastes and smells good. And for people in need of a natural headache treatment, the oil derived from basil plants can also be a useful home remedy. Basil works as a muscle relaxant, so it is especially helpful for headaches caused by tension and tight muscles.

Scalp Massage: Scalp massages can be an effective way to alleviate migraine pain, and they feel great. Researchers in Brazil showed that massaging the greater occipital nerve — the area in the back of the head, at the base of the skull — reduces migraine pain. Massage in general has been identified as a useful home remedy for headaches, especially reflexology (massaging reflex points on the hands and feet).

Feverfew: Feverfew, as its name suggests, is used to treat fever, but it’s most commonly known as an herbal headache treatment. This home remedy became popular in the 1980s, when a landmark study in Great Britain showed that 70 percent of participants had less migraine pain after taking feverfew daily.

Flaxseed: Some headaches are caused by inflammation, which can be reduced by consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed can help provide headache relief because it’s rich in omega-3s. Flaxseed can be used as a home remedy in several forms, including as an oil and ground or whole seeds.

Treatment of Migrane:
Pain-relieving medications:
Take pain-relieving drugs as soon as you experience signs or symptoms of a migraine for the best results. It may help if you rest or sleep in a dark room after taking them. Medications include:

Pain relievers. Aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) may help relieve mild migraines.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), also may help relieve mild migraines in some people.
Drugs marketed specifically for migraines, such as the combination of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine (Excedrin Migraine), also may ease moderate migraine pain. They aren't effective alone for severe migraines.

Triptans- These medications are often used in treating migraines. Triptans make blood vessels constrict and block pain pathways in the brain.

Ergots. Ergotamine and caffeine combination drugs (Migergot, Cafergot) are less effective than triptans. Ergots seem most effective in those whose pain lasts for more than 48 hours. Ergots are most effective when taken soon after migraine symptoms start.

Anti-nausea medications. Medication for nausea is usually combined with other medications. Frequently prescribed medications are chlorpromazine, metoclopramide (Reglan) or prochlorperazine (Compro).

Opioid medications. Opioid medications containing narcotics, particularly codeine, are sometimes used to treat migraine pain for people who can't take triptans or ergots. Narcotics are habit-forming and are usually used only if no other treatments provide relief.

Glucocorticoids (prednisone, dexamethasone). A glucocorticoid may be used with other medications to improve pain relief. Glucocorticoids shouldn't be used frequently to avoid side effects.

Preventive medications:
Cardiovascular drugs: Beta blockers, which are commonly used to treat high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, may reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.

Antidepressants: Tricyclic antidepressants may be effective in preventing migraines, even in people without depression.

Anti-seizure drugs: Some anti-seizure drugs, such as valproate (Depacon) and topiramate (Topamax), seem to reduce the frequency of migraines.

OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox): OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) has been shown to be helpful in treating chronic migraines in adults.