How to cope with Migraines

Katherine Slessor

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

A migraine is a severe, and often debilitating, headache usually felt as a throbbing pain at the front or on one side of the head, and commonly accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light. It is a common health condition, affecting about 15% of adults in the UK, with some sufferers having frequent attacks, up to several times a week. As Jo Liddal, past director of the Migraine Action Association aptly commented: "Migraine may not be life-threatening but it is certainly quality-of-life-threatening."

There are five distinct stages to a migraine, although not everyone follows this pattern:

'Prodromal' (pre-headache) stage. Some sufferers experience changes in mood, energy levels, behaviour and appetite, and sometimes aches and pains several hours or days before an attack.
Aura. Some people experience a sensation, or aura, just before their migraine starts. Symptoms of aura include flashes of light or blind spots, difficulty focusing, and seeing things as if you are looking through a broken mirror. This stage normally lasts around 15 minutes to an hour.
Headache stage. This is usually a pulsating or throbbing pain on one side of the head. You usually have nausea or vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to bright light and loud sounds, with a strong desire to lie down in a darkened room. This stage lasts for four to 72 hours.
Resolution stage. Most attacks gradually fade away. Some people find the headache stops suddenly after they have been sick. Sleep often relieves the symptoms.
'Postdromal' or recovery phase. There may be a stage of exhaustion and weakness afterwards.

Whilst the cause and cure for migraines vary between sufferers, they are often put down to stress, hormonal changes and dehydration, and there are several homeopathic routes to take.

"Migraine has been my ultimate foe, merciless and efficient. It has destroyed my career, my relationships and my reliability as a person. It has derailed my dreams and my goals. It has stolen from me over time - days, months, and now years. It has all but taken my life." (A personal account by Maree, a chronic migraine sufferer.)

The above extract of a personal account demonstrates the extent to which migraine can disrupt an individual's life. Countless sufferers, to some degree at least, concede that their lives are indeed at the mercy of migraine, rendering them with a sense of helplessness. Many who suffer migraine either don't realise that they do or they misdiagnose themselves - describing their attacks as bad headaches that they have to endure or live with.

They then run the risk of exacerbating the problem: experiencing chronic rebound migraine as a consequence of incorrect or excessive self-medicating. First and foremost, the individual migraine sufferer needs to understand their condition and be actively involved in the direction of their treatment. Before any relevant treatment regime can be contemplated one needs to recognise the symptoms that set migraine apart from other headache syndromes. They should not necessarily passively accept treatment prescribed by their therapist unless they are satisfied it is right for them.

In their book ‘The Migraine Brain' Dr Carolyn Bernstein and Elaine McArdle discuss migraine prevention, treatment and how to find your personal triggers. ‘Treating your headache in isolation is not the best way to feel better. There's no magic pill to cure you. The more you examine your overall health and well-being, and make changes as needed, the less migraine will affect your life.' This means really looking at your lifestyle and diet choices to see whether the cause of your migraine is to be found there. While this may seem obvious, it is all too easy when you feel a migraine coming on to pop a pill and go to bed, when it might be something simple that acts as your trigger. For example, chocolate and oranges are a less well-known cause of migraines for some sufferers, but because they are not usually considered, the migraine sufferer believes that ‘nothing will help.'

Bernstein and McArdle recommend the following complementary and alternative therapies:

Biofeedback, acupuncture and relaxation techniques- A formal and structured way to relax and take control of your own treatment. Biofeedback can teach you how to respond differently to stress, whilst deep-breathing techniques and acupuncture have been shown to significantly help migraine sufferers.
Yoga and Meditation- Through stretching postures and breathing, yoga promotes balance and wellness in both mind and body: reducing stress and giving you meditation techniques you can use at home.
Massage and ice massage- tight muscles, a further sign of stress, can be reduced by massage, again equipping you with techniques you can use at home. Ice massage is particularly effective, acting as an anti-inflammatory, and is available almost anywhere!
Nutritional supplements- magnesium, riboflavin, or coenzyme Q10 are all shown to be effective, and can be taken preventatively.
Energy healing- based around the idea that the body has seven energy fields, or chakras, energy healing seeks to re-align them. Reiki is a very popular example of this.

There are also several at-home remedies, which can be simply, and easily, grown in your garden- on hand should you feel a migraine coming on.

Feverfew

Effective when signs of an impending attack come on, Feverfew can be taken in capsule or leaf form. For longer term sufferers a course of treatment is suggested, then only when symptoms start.