Almost everyone has had a headache at one point in his or her life. Headaches are of different types. In a migraine, throbbing pain is felt on one side of the head. The most important symptom you will probably have with your migraine headache is pain, and as you know, the pain can be very severe and last many hours.

Migraine attacks can some times be so severe that person may have to abandon his or her routine activities for three or four days at a stretch. The attack lasts couple of hours to several days and has a tendency to relapse. Migraines can do more than ruin your day - they can interfere with your life.

Migraines are easily the most common headache syndrome. Migraines have a strong impact on the quality of a person's life. It affects our well-being, our productivity and even our social existence. It may sometimes cause extreme nausea, vomiting and altered vision.

What Cause Migraine?

Migraine headache resulted from the expansion (or dilation) of blood vessels in the brain and scalp. There are many different kinds of triggers, and every person has different ones. Migraine triggers are numerous and varied and occur in combinations peculiar to a individual.

The precise cause of migraine is unknown, but it is probably related to chemical changes in the blood vessels supplying the brain and its coverings. Cheese (pizza) is also a triggering factor in some people, while in others it only aggravates an already existing condition. Although the cause of migraine headaches is often undetermined, we do know that they present in different ways, and may involve different areas of the head and/or neck area. Some women have migraines just before, during, or just after menstrual periods. Stress is one of the major factors that can contribute to the onset of a migraine.

Migraine can be triggered in susceptible individuals by tyramine-containing foods, some food additives and sugar substitutes, as well as by skipping meals. Staying up late or drinking too much coffee will bring on a headache every time. What causes migraines is still somewhat of a mystery. People who get migraines are thought to have an inherited abnormality in the regulation of blood vessels.

Possible Remedies For Migraine

There are a lot of things you can do for yourself to help treat each of your migraine headaches. If the migraine attack is coming, try to get to a dark quiet room, since noise and bright lights seem to aggravate the symptoms of migraine. For occasional tension headaches, over the counter pain relievers are often used. Individuals with occasional mild migraine headaches that do not interfere with daily activities usually medicate themselves with over-the-counter (OTC, non-prescription) pain relievers (analgesics). Individuals with mild and infrequent migraine headaches that do not cause disability may require only OTC analgesics.

There are many natural remedies for migraine headaches. These include stress and tension reduction, ice therapy (used at the base of the skull), eliminating food triggers, getting the proper amount of rest, biofeedback, headache pillows or cushions, exercise and many others.

Individuals who experience several moderate or severe migraine headaches per month or whose headaches do not respond readily to medications should avoid triggers and consider modifications of their lifestyle. If early enough in the attack, then many of us try a simple painkiller or analgesic. The most common ones are ASA (aspirin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Besides using medication, preventing the onset of migraine headache is equally important. knowing what triggers attacks is a major step towards preventing them. Herbalists tend to regard the headache as a symptom of some underlying disorder rather than an illness in its own right. If the pain is severe, which it frequently is during a full-blown migraine attack, then you may need medication.

Please remember that a good general practitioner is your best ally when it comes to diagnosing, preventing and treating migraines. Before treating your health problems with drugs it is wise to seek the advice of a health professional. I would encourage you, once again, to learn all you can with regards to migraine and discuss it with your physician or other health professionals. Migraine headaches should be treated at the first sign, not when the pain becomes worse.