Migraine Facts

Although the experience of more than 29.5 million Americans, most people still do not understand what migraines are all about. According to the National Foundation headache (NHF), some of the most commonly held myths about this debilitating disease include:

Myth: Migraine headaches are simply wrong.
Reality: Migraine is a debilitating disease that affects 13% of the population. More than just a headache "bad migraine sufferers" have also experienced a multitude of residual effects that can include nausea, pain and weakness in the head, face, neck and shoulders, and sensitivity to light and sound, and even mood swings and depression. Attacks may last for hours or days, and to prevent the victim from going to work, school, or essentially the completion of normal daily tasks at home, at work or school.

MYTH: Caffeine can help relieve a migraine.
Reality: The effects of caffeine in migraine have been well studied and the results are surprising: while caffeine is a trigger for some patients, it seems to help relieve the symptoms in others. The best way to determine that caffeine may have on a particular victim, it is recommended to keep a detailed food diary to determine its effect, positive or negative.

Myth: Migraines are not triggered by stress,
Reality: Stress has been shown to trigger migraines in the vast majority of sufferers. Stress can be physical or emotional, and both may trigger a migraine. It is believed that migraine brains are very aware that, during periods of stress, the release of certain chemicals that cause vascular changes in the brain that cause pain and other symptoms associated with migraine. Stressors can include anxiety, worry, physical exertion, depression, excitement and mental fatigue.

Myth: Exercise does nothing to help prevent migraines
Reality: Many people with migraine report that chronicles the subject of regular exercise seems to help reduce (or at least a lesson) symptoms, while others noted an increase in attacks when participating sports or other physical exertion. If exercise or physical effort, causing a headache, it is important to check with your health care provider to determine what other activities you can take to stay healthy.

Myth: Dietary supplements do not contribute to the treatment of migraine
Fact: There are several vitamins that have been proven to help prevent and treat migraine. They include:

Magnesium - helps to relax blood vessels, and reduce the severity and frequency of migraines.
cell riboflavin (vitamin B2) - nerve helps to produce higher levels of ATP, which has been linked to cells that reversed an energy crisis "during an attack.
Myth: Sleep does not migraine
Reality: Lack of sleep has been shown to cause the symptoms of migraine. The best remedy: go to sleep at the same time every night, has also awakened at the same time each day to maintain a natural circadian rhythm in the body.

Myth: Migraines are not hereditary
Fact: Unfortunately, the chances are if someone in your family suffers from a migraine, too. The child who suffers from migraine has a probability of 50% of them have, and if both parents suffer from migraines, their children have a 75% chance the same thing. Even distant relatives who have migraines may increase the chances of a person to be affected. Nearly 20 percent of all patients report an aunt, uncle, cousin or other relative who also has symptoms of migraine on a regular basis.

Migraine sufferers may be difficult to treat, but learning more about what causes and ways to prevent and treat a patient can help to meet their PHY.