Tips & Ideas Archives

Migraines

 

 

HEADACHES ARE HEADACHES
and MIGRAINES ARE SOMETHING ELSE!
by Yvette Eastman

There are many forms of headaches – some caused by food, or the lack of it, some by neck tension, some by bowel problems, by sleeping in the wrong position. They hurt, they impede your life and they are bearable.

Migraines, on the other hand, are unbearable. They generally attack one side of the head, often directly behind the eye. The pain is said to be the highest on the pain threshold that we can bear. They often announce their arriving with visual distortion, nausea, tingling in parts of the body.

 

 

 

 

Migraine is a disease, a headache is only a symptom. In the migraine, pain is caused by vasodilation in the cranial blood vessels (expansion of the blood vessels), while headache pain is caused by vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels). During a migraine, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain, i.e., neurogenic inflammation, exacerbates the pain. Medicine often prescribed to treat a headache, such as beta-blockers, dilate the blood vessels and therefore can make a Migraine worse.

Unlike a headache, the Migraine disease has many symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, auras (light spots), sensitivity to light and sound, numbness, difficulty in speech, and severe semihemispherical head pain. One Migraine attack alone can last for eight hours, several days, or even weeks.

As mentioned above, the Migraine disease is induced by various trigger mechanisms, that usually work in combinations, and which can be broken down into two primary categories: uncontrollable and controllable. Migraine is a disease that involves a heightening of all of one's senses. A Migraineur is more sensitive to his or her surroundings, including light, sound, smells, taste (chemicals in foods), and touch (including the touch of the atmospheric pressure on one's body). Awareness of one's environment is critical for a Migraineur. An informal phone in research program in Germany found that the frequency and severity of Migraines was in direct ratio to the drop in barometric pressure, the passing of a warm front, high temperature and humidity, rain and wind from the southeast and barometric changes.

Another common uncontrollable trigger is the menstrual cycle, often developing around the time of the first menstrual period, called the menarche. The Migraine appears to be the result of falling levels or reduced availability of estrogen. Migraine sometimes becomes worse in the first trimester of pregnancy, but many women are Migraine-free later in their pregnancy. Menstrual Migraine is often more difficult to treat than other types of head pain.

Controllable triggers, on the other hand, include bright light, chemical smells, second-hand smoke, particular alcohols such as red wine and some hard alcohols such as scotch, foods that are known vasodilator such as fish, chocolate, aged cheese, licorice, often preservatives in foods especially nitrates and the radical vasodilator MSG.

Conventional theory says that, if one avoids controllable triggers during Migraine-weather or menstrual cycles, one may be able to escape a Migraine attack. Another tip: take abortive medication prescribed for Migraine at the earliest sign of a Migraine attack. Oftentimes, if one waits to take the medication until the attack has matured, the medication may prove practically ineffective. This includes various herbal remedies.

Migraine disease can be life threatening, and it can have a devastating and disruptive effect on normal living. Migraine sufferers experience not only excruciating pain, but social ostracism, job loss, disruption to personal relationships, and prejudices in the workplace. People often believe that those with Migraines just can't handle life, or, in reality, are drug addicts or alcoholics. Such perception can be formed when, for example, people see a Migraineur wearing sun glasses indoors (photo sensitive), lying in a dark and silent room (photo and sound sensitive), making frequent trips to the rest room (nausea and vomiting), leaving early, working late, slurred speech, all what they may think is erratic behavior.Historically, patients with the most intractable Migraines experience a downward spiral in terms of income and contributions to society.

If you are not a Migraine sufferer,be aware of advice offered to the person in your life that suffers from Migraines. Make sure it's not toxic (i.e., you need to avoid stress, cheer up, don't drink Coke, or other well-meaning but emotionally debilitating statements). Rather, offer to turn down the lights and the TV, and let them know you understand. Remember: Migraine is an "invisible" disorder.

AND NOW FOR THE NON-CONVENTIONAL APPRAISAL OF MIGRAINES

Let’s take an in-depth and totally alternative look at your friend, the Migraineur. Here is a person who is always “on”. She is a person (I will use the “she” since so many more migraine sufferers are women) who is constantly on the go, rarely resting, always busy. Her mind is always trying to figure out the best way to do something, striving for solutions and looking for any possible problem she may have to deal with. She is totally reliable and responsible. She is the ideal employee or career person. She may not get ahead more than now (although she has these aspirations) because she is so good at what she does that nobody could replace her. Her mind and body are always ready for action. She is tireless. Her name is Zealous Fireball! She does not seek the limelight, yet she is always “on”. I am sure you know what I mean.

This causes her adrenal glands to constantly pump out “get-up and go” hormones. These are also the “fight/flight” hormones and when you think about the adrenal glands, you should think about stress. Stress can take many forms: taking an examination, recovering from a broken bone, running away from an invading army, or maintaining proper levels of energy substrates in the face of even mild starvation.

SOME TECHNICAL STUFF ABOUT STRESS AND THE ADRENALS

Norepinephine and epinephrine are stored in electron-dense granules which also contain ATP and several neuropeptides. Secretion of these hormones is stimulated by acetylcholine release from preganglionic sympathetic fibers innervating the medulla. Many types of "stresses" stimulate such secretion, including exercise, hypoglycemia and trauma. Following secretion into blood, the catecholamines bind loosely to and are carried in the circulation by albumin and perhaps other serum proteins.

In general, circulating epinephrine and norepinephrine released from the adrenal medulla have the same effects on target organs as direct stimulation by sympathetic nerves, although their effect is longer lasting. Additionally, of course, circulating hormones can cause effects in cells and tissues that are not directly innervated. The physiologic consequences of medullary catecholamine release are justifiably framed as responses which aid in dealing with stress. These effects can be predicted to some degree by imagining what would be needed if, for example, you were trapped in Jurassic Park when the power went off. A listing of some major effects mediated by epinephrine and norepinephrine are:

Common stimuli for secretion of adrenomedullary hormones include exercise, hypoglycemia, hemorrhage and emotional distress.

The adrenals have about 50 different functions. When they become exhausted, all parts of your system suffer – from drying skin to water retention to the ability to deal with your stressful life.

When life is stressful, the adrenals keep on chugging away, doing what they are designed to do – manufacturing and delivering stress relieving hormones.

Can you see how exhausted the adrenals become in the ideal employees Miss Zealous Fireball’s life?

BACK TO MISS FIREBALL

It is evening, (or Friday after work, or holiday time), and Ms. Zealous Fireball attempts to ease out. She is relaxing. Her adrenals check out the situation and exclaim, “Thank Goodness! We can quit pumping now, and rest!” And so the adrenals stop pumping. But the Fireball’s body is used to the hormone energy and now it goes into withdrawal. This withdrawal is similar to any withdrawal from any drug, and with it comes nausea, hallucination, pain and other noxious feelings. Witness the migraine.

They tend to come when Miss Zealous is resting, sleeping or relaxing. They are the body’s inability to come down from stress, to relax and rehabilitate.

The hardest thing about the Migraineur is to change his/her lifestyle so as to pace herself and relieve herself of the burden of perfection and of the constant spotlight which only she knows about!

 

A CORRECTION FOR MIGRAINES

The following is a “band-aid” for the problem. It does not solve it but assists in relief from the incredible pain.

The first thing to do is to raise your blood sugar as soon as you feel the start of a migraine. So if you have a window where you feel sick or see auras, immediately eat an orange. This will raise your blood sugar and may stop the advent of the migraine.

Should the migraine continue, there are several steps to take. If any one works, stop – there is no need to continue with the rest of them. If there is little or no result go on with the next step.

1. Place a comb over the top of the palm of your hand, where the fingers join the palm, the teeth pressing into the palm of your hand. Use the hand on the same side as the migraine.
2. Close your hand over the comb, pressing its teet down, into your hand. This cuts off pain centres to/from the head.

 

3. Now take a towel, dampen it, heat it in a microwave and place it around your neck. Cover it with a plastic bag and a scarf, to keep the heat in. In a migraine, the capillaries in the muscles around the skull dilate, while the ones in the neck contract. So blood cannot flow properly. The heat will dilate the neck vessels. Some people will feel good applying ice or cold to the pain area of the head. Some need only heat in the neck.

 

 

4. Now find the spot in the heel of the thumb that hurts a great deal when pressed. Find it by rubbing your hand into the corner of a table or chair till you locate the pain. Leave your hands in place and lean into the corners with that painful spot. Use the hand on the same side as the migraine.

 

 

 

5. Now comes the least desirable of the corrections. Take 2 drops of FRESH lemon juice which you squeezed into a spoon or eye dropper. Place those two drops in the nostril of the affected side. Do NOT snort it up your nose, just let the juice flow in, hold your head up for a moment, then, bring your head back down. A droplet might flow out. That is OK. Usually, within 15 minutes, you will find great relief. Now you can go back to sleep or return to what you were doing.

6. DO realize that, along with the stress you deal with, food can be a major trigger for migraineurs. Avoid chocolate, red wine, cheese, shell fish, licorice.

HERBS AND STUFF

Petasites Hybridus (Butterbur root) is a new non-drug preventive treatment available in the United States. It is available under the name of Petadolex™ from the well respected German firm of Weber & Weber. In recent double blind studies it was shown 77% effective as a Migraine prophylaxis. Dose is one 50mg capsule twice a day.

Feverfew Leaf is a good non-drug preventitive treatment you may want to explore. Its main uses are for migraines and arthritis. Studies at the London Migraine Clinic have increased interest in this herb. This herb continues to undergo extensive scientific investigation of the parthenolide content, and how it normalizes the funtion of platelets in the blood system by inhibiting platelet aggregation, reducing serotonin release from platelets and blocking the formation of pro-inflamatory mediators. Seventy percent of the patients in these studies report fewer attacks of migraines and less painful attacks. Researchers believe that Feverfew prevents the spasms of blood vessels in the head that trigger migraines. This herb also relieves the inflammation associated with arthritis. Other benefits include: relief from nausea and vomiting; improvement of digestion; more restful sleep; and, relief of dizziness, brain, and nerve pressure.

Vitamin B2 supplements is another preventative non-drug treatment you may want to consider taking. A study in Belgium found that people who took 400 milligrams of vitamin B2 daily had about one-third fewer migraines than did those taking a placebo. The study, published in the February issue of the journal Neurology, included 55 patients in Belgium and Luxembourg who normally had two to eight migraine attacks each month.

Magnesium as an alternative preventive treatment has mixed support in the medical community. Research is not complete and observations have not been confirmed yet
Perhaps oral magnesium supplementation should be a part of treatment for migraine as a preventive. Taking a 100% of the USDA recommended DV (daily value) would be safe and prudent. That would be 400mg of magnesium (from magnesium oxide or magnesium sulphate) a day. A Canadian approach suggested that physicians advise migraine patients to consume at least 6 mg magnesium per day for each kilogram of body weight. An even higher intake of 10 mg/day per Kg of body weight may be desirable provided that it does not trigger a laxative effect. Breaking the dosage into three or four parts taken at different times of day helps prevent laxative effect. Magnesium hydroxide is NOT recommended because of poor bioavailability and because they know of no instance of it having any beneficial use other than as a laxative. Other Magnesium compounds appear to be better, including Magnesium oxide, Magnesium sulphate, and Magnesium citrate. Natural magnesium in water (magnesium carbonate dissolved in CO2-rich water) is 30% more bio-available than Magnesium in food or pill, and offers much greater cardio-protection. If pills are used, they suggest chelated, Krebs cycle, with several Magnesium compounds; this gives greater bio- availability, and doesn't upset the stomach.