Migraines are a common problem that afflicts about ten percent of the American population. This condition seems to affect men, women and children but is more prevalent among women, particularly menopausal women. In fact, out of every hundred people who get migraine attacks, thirty would be women. These attacks could last anywhere from a few hours to three whole days. A surprising thing to note is the fact that not many people go to their physician to consult about it and seek a solution.
A typical symptom for a migraine attack would be a constant throbbing localized pain on one side of the head, usually in the temple region and it may be accompanied by one or more symptom such as vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and loud noise. Migraine attacks are generally of two kinds. One is called the 'classical migraine' attack which is usually preceded by certain warning symptoms such as hallucinations, seeing bright spots and flashy lights and even some loss of vision. These symptoms are called 'aura' which has nothing to do with the usual meaning of the word which refers to the energy field surrounding the body. When a woman gets these symptoms, she knows that a migraine attack is close at hand.
The second type of migraine attack comes unannounced and is not preceded by any symptom. There is no general consensus among researchers as to why menopause triggers migraine in so many women. Some people hold the view that it is because of the dilation of blood vessels but there are not many takers for this theory. The current viewpoint is that this could be a genetic problem which impacts the quality of the interaction between serotonin and nerve cells.
Then there is the question of who is at a greater risk? Is it the menopausal woman who sleeps too little or the one who sleeps a lot? Does eating certain types of foods like cheese bring it on or does skipping meals too often cause this problem? All these reasons could be a cause, but nothing is clearly indicative of the fact.
We now come to the question of when will a migraine prone person get an attack? Again, there appears to be several factors such as stair climbing, physical exertion, intolerance of extreme heat or cold, noise, flickering lights and the most important of all, which is 'stress'. When two or more factors come together, a migraine attack takes place.
Besides the factors already mentioned, hormonal factors are also key players in bringing on an attack of migraine. One clear rationale is migraine is far more prevalent among women than men. Another plausible reason is also that with so many women on contraceptive pills whose main ingredient is estrogen, it is no wonder that their estrogen balance could go awry which affects the blood vessels. Any one of the above mentioned reasons could be the cause of migraines.
Doctors are now recommending that women who get frequent attacks ought to maintain a diary of their attacks and try and write down in as much detail as possible about their circumstances during the attack so that they can, in course of time be able to pin point the why's and the wherefore's of their attacks. This would definitely give them a clear idea about the pattern of their illness, the triggers and so forth. Often, understanding the problem can provide the solution too.
Finally we come to the issue of medication for this illness. There are many options, but none of them appear to have the track record of being highly effective. Acetaminophen works for a lot of women and for those with far more severe symptoms, Triptans are recommended. For those who are determined to overcome their migraine attacks, a threefold approach of using medication, lowering their stress levels and keeping a diary to understand the triggers for their attacks will help them achieve success eventually.
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