Migraine attack again!

             

Overview


A migraine is a severe throbbing headache or a pulsing sensation, usually on just one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and tremendous sensitivity to light and sound. Just snapping your fingers or clapping around them can cause excruciating pain to be disabling. An attack may occur anywhere from once a week to once or twice a year, lasting for hours to days.

Bio-chemistry


Traditional research has described migraine as vascular headaches involving excessive dilation or contraction of the brain's blood vessels.

Recent studies viewed the source from within. Though a scan performed shows a visible inflammation in the meninges (brain’s outer covering), it is not the source of the pain. The throbbing pain comes from activated nerve surrounding the skull, blood vessels and head muscles. It starts off with chemical imbalances in the brain, especially when the chemical serotonin (vital for sleep, mood and appetite) drops during a headache. This triggers an impulse along the nerve to blood vessels in the meninges. The stimulated nerve releases substances called alcitonin gene-related peptides which both induce inflammation and send messages to pain receptors in the meninges.

Causes

+  A large study on 50000 samples taken in Finland, Germany and the Netherlands has discovered a genetic risk factor associated with common migraines arising from a build-up of this chemical glutamate, known to affect also those with Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s Disease and glaucoma. The typical profile of a migraine sufferer is a woman who is hardworking, productive perfectionistic, rigid and meticulous with family history of migraine. These women should avoid birth control pills to or may encounter precipitate attack or severe complications. On the other hand, men are usually the victims of cluster headaches occurring on both sides of the brain with high pain intensity on each round lasting 15 mins - 3 hours.

* Glutamate is one of the ordinary 20 amino acids which are used by the body to make proteins and other typical metabolic functions like energy production and ammonia detoxification.  It is required only in small amounts by the nervous system, to perform the role of transmitter and assist in normal brain function including cognition, memory and learning. However, presents in high concentrations this compound can be toxic but it is commonly used as a food enhancer (best known as “monosodium glutamate” or “MSG”).
--  Another food additive - aspartame is also capable of triggering migraine.

+  Both headaches and migraine can be induced by food intolerance, particularly those that contain high level of amine compounds such as coffee, chocolate, aged cheese, oranges and red wine, or nitrates (eg. bacon, hot dogs and salami) commonly used in salty and processed foods.

+  Low blood sugar level can also trigger headache as sugar is the food of the brain cells. The lower the sugar level, the more severe the attack. Similarly, skipping meals or fasting can induce an attack.

+ The one-sided headache can affect women having their menstrual periods with low levels of estrogen, mostly occurring in their age group 20-35 which tends to decline with age. It can be so extreme to cause limb numbness, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting. Others have an increased tendency to develop migraines during pregnancy or menopause. Hormonal medications, such as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, may find comfort for some women whilst others experience worsening effect.
+  Dizziness and vertigo often occur when the sufferer has migraine with aura. The sensations are actually related to the inner ear, leading to problems like sound sensitivity, hearing loss, ringing in the ears and coordination difficulties.

+  Personal factors include stress, poor nutrition intake, allergies, constipation, inadequate sleep, emotional changes and lack of exercise.

+  External factors such as environmental factors, pollution and bacterial infection (cold).

+  Liver damage can cause severe headache and detoxification must be quickly carried out.

Warning signs 


For most sufferers, a day before the onset of a headache, there may be noticeable changes in mood, speech and memory problem. Come the actual moment, some sufferers may see flashes or patterns of light, blind spots and/or experience numbness of the hands, feet or on one side of the face due to decreased blood circulation.  This is followed by a headache affecting either one or both sides of the head and feeling nauseated that may linger on even when the headache dissipates. Poor appetite due to slow food absorption and extreme tiredness put the sufferer into sleep easily.

Treatment

+  Migraine attack can be ended if the sufferer breathes slowly and deeply into a bag, inhaling his expired air to raise the carbon dioxide level of circulating blood.  The arrest can be done in 10-30 mins.
 
+  A drug Sumatriptan provides quick relief to acute migraine attacks by increasing the serotonin in the brain but has common side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety and malaise. Other drugs listed below can also treat the problem but have disastrous results such as coronary artery constriction and hypertension.


+  A better alternative is to take food which can raise the level of tryptophan in the brain as this substance processes serotonin, leading to a calming effect. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, spirulina, bananas and peanuts. Also note high protein foods promotes the production of dopamine and norepinephrine (both are neurotransmitters) which promotes alertness.

+  Other choices are taking caffeine with its calming effect and soy-based product lecithin for better nerve transmission.

+  Listening to soothing music and practise other relaxation techniques.

VIVA corner:

VIVA Green Barley can help to stabilise blood sugar level. Together with VIVA Cleanse Tea, can help the body to rid the pollutants piled up as we are living in a virtual sea of chemicals these days. Viva B-easy provides the full range of Vitamin B needed for a healthy nervous system and helps to increase the blow flow to the brain.

VIVA Biolecithin contains choline, which assists in the function of nerve transmission and strengthening nerve tissues. VIVA CalMag & Magnesium helps to regulate muscular tone and to transmit nerve impulses throughout the body and the brain.

VIVA Liquick Gingko enhances cerebral circulation and draws back oxygen and nutrients.