Migraine :: A Painful Disorder

A severe headache often associated with visual disturbance and nausea or vomiting.
It's a commonest form of headache increasing nowadays due to modern habits and these migranous attacks could be successfully treated with homoeopathic system of medicine.

Migraine is the commonest from of vascular headache. It is characterized by episodic throbbing hemicranias, beginning in childhood, adolescence or early adult life which tends to decrease in intensity and frequency as age advances. These are periodic headaches which are typically unilateral and are often associated with visual disturbances and vomiting.

- First attack usually occurs by age 30 incidence decreases with age.

- More common in females.

- Some time run in families.

- Stress and certain food can trigger the attack.

What are the Types?

There are two major types of migraine headache::

- Migraine with aura

- Migraine without aura

An aura is a group of symptoms, mainly visual that develops before the onset of the main headache. Migraine with aura accounts about 1 out of 5 cases. Some people experience both at different time.

What are the causes?

The underline cause of migraine is unknown, but increased blood flow as a result of blood vessels in the brain is known to occur during the migraine. About 8 in 10 people who have migraine have a close relative with the disorder. Stress and depression may be trigger factors. Other trigger factors are missed meal, lack of sleep, certain foods, such as cheese and chocolate. Many women find that their migraines occur at the time of menstruation.

- Physical (fatigue / over - exertion / relaxation)

- Psychological (depression / worry / shock / anxiety)

- Diet (consumption of alcohol / various type of food and drink, e.g. chocolates).

- Medical (contraceptives/ blood pressure / menstruation)

- Other factors (loud noises / glaring lights/ TV/ strong smells).

What are the symptoms?

Migraine headache with or without aura, are proceeded by a group of symptoms that are collectively known as prodrome. The prodrome symptoms tend to appear about an hour before the main symptoms begin. The prodrome often includes.

- Anxiety or mood changes

- Altered sense of taste and smell

- Either an excess or lack of energy

People who have migraine with aura experience a number of further symptoms before migraine, includes:

- Visual disturbance such as blurry vision and bright flashes.

- Pins and needles, numbness or sensation of weakness on the face or on side of body.
The main symptoms common to both types of migraine then develop. These symptoms include

- Headache that is severe, throbbing made worse by movement, and usually felt on one side of the head, over one eye or around one temple.

- Nausea or vomiting.

- Dislike of bright light or loud sound.

A migraine may last from few hours to few days and then eventually cleans up. After a migraine, patient may feel tired and unable to concentrate.

How to prevent a migraine?

There are many factors which are known to trigger a migraine. You need to identify the one that affects you.

- Avoid the food you find brings on attack. More common are cheese, chocolate and whine.

- Eat regularly because missing the meal may trigger the attack.

- Follow a regularly sleep pattern.

- Try doing relaxation exercise.

How the migraine diagnose?

Diagnosis is made mainly from history

- Long duration of illness

- Onset during childhood

- Positive family history

- Relief with ergot derivatives is in favor of migraine.

At least two of the following features:

- Unilateral location

- Throbbing character

- Worsening pain with routine activity

- Moderate to severe intensity

At least one of the following features:

- Nausea and/or vomiting

- Photophobia and phonophobia

CLASSICAL MIGRAINE

Here episode begins with prominent neurological symptom such as visual disturbances as zig zag fines, spreading scotoma homonymous hemianopia, field defects or rarely total blindness, sensory disturbances as affecting one half of body or parasthesia, disturbances of speech or hemiparesis may be present. These symptoms are associated with focal cerebral oligeamia. There is commonly a sensation of white or colored lights, scintillating spots, wavy lines or defects in visual fields. Sometimes there may be numbness of both hands and around the mouth. These symptom may last for up to half an hour and are followed by head ache which begins in one spot and subsequently involve the whole one side of head, this may be same side or side opposite to the visual or sensory disturbances.

The side affected is not constant with each attack and headache often becomes bilateral. The pain is usually severe and throbbing and is associated with vomiting, photophobia pallor sweating and prostration, which may necessitate the patient taking to bed in a dark room. All these events may last for 1-2 days. In majority of cases duration is much shorter

ANOTHER CLASSIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FORMS OF MIGRAINE

- Classical migraine - visual or sensory symptoms precedes or accompany the headache.

- Common migraine - no visual or sensory features, associated with headache, nausea, vomiting and photophobia.

- Basilar artery migraine - occipital head ache preceded vertigo, diplopia, dysarthria with or without visual and sensory symptom, sometimes associated with loss of consciousness.

- Hemiplegic migraine - prolonged headache lasting hours or days followed by hemiparesis, which recovers slowly over several days.

THOSE WHO ARE LIKELY TO GET MIGRAINE

In female there is a strong hereditary tendency towards the migraine especially associated with menses. Cases have been recorded as young as 3 years old as old as 78 years.
It is unusual for the older person to have their first attack after the age of 50 years.
It may strike any one man or women. Men with tension worry and anxiety are likely to be effected more.

Homoeopathic Therapeutics

Actea R .: Frontal, vertical or occipital headache with great pain in eyeballs, better by pressure and stupefying pain in head, especially forehead. Pains are pressing inwards and outwards; they are increased on slightest touch.

Alumina silicate : Headache worse by binding the hair, biting the teeth together, before and during menses, stepping heavily, better by cold air and cold application, moving the head and from walking.

Anacardium : Headache relieved entirely by eating; worse during motion and working.

Arnica Montana : When trauma (injury) is the cause, pain aching. bruised, occasionally sharp, as if nails were being driven into the brain; mental confusion. Aching pain is aggravated by rinsing the head and is relieved by having the head elevated.

Belladonna : Headache in plethoric and healthy persons. The cause is some disturbance of the circulatory system. The headache is violent and throbbing. Throbbing and bursting headache in temples with fiery red and hot face. Eyes become red. Face flushed. The pains disappear as suddenly as they appear. Unconsciousness.

Bryonia : Headache when stooping as if brain would burst through forehead. Worse on motion. Headache brought on by playing or watching the play and fro ironing.

Calcarea carb : Chronic headache in fatty persons with tendency for sweating of the face. icy coldness of extremities.

Calcarea phos : Headache of school girls and boys who apply themselves too closely to their books, especially children who are growing rapidly and whose mental development is out of proportion to their physical strength.

Chamomilla : Headache with peevishness. The patient is cross and angry. This headache occurs normally in patients who use alcohol in excess and take opium to counteract its effect or who take strong coffee.

China Off : Headache congestive, throbbing and hammering like on temples, worse by slightest contactand better by hard pressure.

Chionanthus : Specific for sick headaches. Listless and apathetic. Dull frontal headache over root of nose. Over eyes, through temples, worse stooping and moving. Migraine associated with acidity.

Cocculus : Pain in the back of the head, as if the parts were alternately opening and closing. Headache comes on like a shadow. Can hear what is going on while asleep, even snoring. Nervous headache with giddiness and nausea and vertigo. Holds the nape of neck firmly with hands owing to the severity of pain.

Coffea : Headache caused by loss of sleep following excitement.

Damiana : one of the excellent remedy for migraine.

Epiphegus : Nervous headache with characteristic symptom of spitting constantly.

Gelsemium : Pains beginning in the nape of neck and shift over to head, causing a bursting sensation in the forehead and eyeballs. Feels as if head is full and big. Unconsciousness.

Glonine : Headache due to working under gaslight, in the sun when heat falls on the head. Head feels enormously large, Sunstroke and sun headache without unconsciousness.

Ignatia : When due to grief in hysterical patients. Terminates with a profuse flow of urine. Headache in hysteria. Pain as if a needle or nail were driven into the head.

Iris V : Periodical nervous sick headache, which comes on after the patient relaxes, form a mental strain. With school teachers it comes on Saturday or Sunday and with preachers on Monday. The patient usually vomits bitter bilious substances and the vomiting gives relief to the pains in the head. Migraine of the eye with constipation. Objects could only be seen in halves. Bilious headache with burning and acidity.

Kali Bi : If headache begins with blurred vision.

Lachesis : Violent headache during the menstrual period when the flow slackens. Headache, like the menstrual pain is relieved by the flow. Bursting and hammering headache.

Natrum Mur : When the headache increases with the rise of the sun and stops at sun-set Headache with sweat. The greater the pain the greater the sweat. Headache of schoolgirls or boys, worse on eye straining. Hammering headache as If hammers are knocking the head.

Onosmodium : Due to strain, or eye strain; vertigo; nervous headache, neurasthenia

Phosphorus : Headache relieved by cold application and is aggravated in a warm room and by warm applications. Sense of coldness in the base of brain.

Psorinum : Headache due to hunger, wants to eat but cannot eat enough.

Robinia : Bilious headache with gastric symptoms, pain in stomach, sour vomiting and acidity. Feels as if the head is full of boiling water.

Ruta : Brought on by reading and eye-strain.

Sanguinaria Canadensis : Biliious headache when going without food. Headache once in seven days begins on waking in the morning in occiput and travels to the right eye and temple; the patient is driven into a dark room and has to lie down. starts vomiting bile, which relieves him. Heat of palms and soles. Bursting headache worse with sunrise. Has false hunger with aversion to thought and smell of food.

Scutellaria : In nervous sick headaches, excitement and over-exertion cause.

Selenium : Headache caused by indulgence in alcohol or tea, by hot weather over study and aggravated by strong odours. Increased flow of urine during headache.

Silicea : Headache relieved by wrapping and covering. Worse in the dark and bettter in light. Nervous headache caused by excessive study at school.

Spigelia : Nervous headache beginning in the morning at base of brain, spreading over the head and locating in eye orbit and temple of left side. Intolerable pressive pain in the eye balls. Pain disappears in the evening.