If you've been suffering from migraine headaches, you may have noticed the symptoms are almost the same for everyone - a painful ache in one spot that becomes worse and spreads over one side of your face - sometimes almost entirely. The nausea and vomiting you feel are also common symptoms of most migraines. So, since these symptoms are so much the same, there's only one type of migraine, right?

Actually, there are quite a few types of migraines, but most people suffer from one of two types, the common migraine or the classic migraine. The difference between these two headaches is that the common migraine does not have an aura and classic migraines do have an aura.

An aura refers to visual symptoms that begin before the classic migraine actually starts. These symptoms may include seeing jagged lines in front of your eyes or actually losing vision for a few minutes, hearing ringing or other noises that aren't actually there, feeling numb or having tingly sensations, or smelling odd odors. This aura can actually be useful, because it can and does serve as a warning that a very painful migraine is on the way. This would at least allow you to take some preventive measures. For people who suffer from a common migraine, there is often no warning. Suddenly, they feel pain in their jaw or eye socket and it rapidly spreads and increases in intensity until they have a full blown migraine.

While few people develop one of the rarer migraines, there are several you may want to know about. These migraines are just as painful as the more common migraine types.

* Exertion Migraines are over more quickly than most types of migraines. You can develop one of these migraines if you overextend yourself while you are exercising and develop dehydration at the same time, if you lift something heavy, if you have a sneezing fit, or even if you bend over.

* Retinal Migraines are migraines that cause you to temporarily lose vision in an eye. You will probably lose vision before the head pain actually begins.

* Hemiplegic Migraines have a rather scary symptom. If you suffer from this type of migraine, you'll actually develop temporary paralysis on the side of your body that the migraine is forming on.

* Ophtalmoplegic Migraines are one of the longest lasting types of migraines. This form of the disease begins with pain around the eye and eye problems continue throughout the entire migraine. Visual distortions and blurred vision are common symptoms of this type of migraine.

* Noctural Migraines are fortunately very rare and develop during the night. They are intense enough to wake the migraine sufferer from their sleep.

* Basilar Artery Migraines are usually limited to teen girls or young women. This migraine develops by causing the basilar artery to constrict, which leads to dizziness, poor co-ordination, vomiting and even problems with speech. This migraine type eventually should become the more standard classic migraine, with its accompanying aura.

* Abdominal Migraines are a type of migraine that doesn't actually involve head pain. Instead, this migraine usually causes stomach pain. The normal nausea and vomiting other migraine types cause occurs after the stomach pain starts. This migraine type occurs most commonly in young children.

So as you can see although most people simply refer to a migraine headache there are many, many different types of migraine itself. That being said most people tend to suffer from either the classic or common migraine.

You can learn more about migraines and what you can do to treat them, naturally and otherwise, by following the links at the end of this article.

Suffering from migraine headaches and can't deal with it anymore? Why not check out the current migraine headache treatments that are available right now. Click on over to http://www.migraineheadachereport for more information.

WHAT IS A MIGRAINE?

A migraine headache is a form of vascular (blood vessels) headache. Migraine headaches are caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges. (The temporal artery is an artery that lies on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple.) Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.

The above results in periodic attacks of headaches on one or both sides of the head. These may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light (photophobia) with visual disturbance and flashes (aura), increased sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), dizziness, blurred vision, cognitive disturbances, and other symptoms. Some migraines have these symptoms but do not include headache, and migraines may or may not be preceded by an aura.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TENSION HEADACHE AND A MIGRAINE?

The difference between a migraine headache and a tension headache is that while a tension headache involves the muscles and fascia of the scalp and neck tightening and causing pain, a migraine involves a large chemical change that affects the entire body. Blood vessels in the brain become wider, serotonin is lowered, and nerves misfire - causing severe pain - along with a host of other symptoms like those mentioned above that usually do not occur in non-migraine headaches.

HEADACHE vs. MIGRAINE

Headache Duration - Hours to days

Migraine Duration - 4 to 72 hours

Headache Location - Over the entire head

Migraine Location - Often one-sided but not always

Headache Pain Intensity - Mild to moderate

Migraine Pain Intensity - Often Severe

Nature of Headache - Dull, pressing

Nature of Migraine - Pounding, throbbing, increases with activity

Other symptoms of Headache - Minimal to none

Other symptoms of Migraine - Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and odors.

WHAT CAN CAUSE A MIGRAINE?

When the temperature climbs, so does the likelihood of developing a migraine or other severe headache. In one recent study, researchers found a 7.5% increase in headache risk for every 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Low barometric pressure, which often precedes rain, was linked to a small bump in non-migraine headaches.

Strong smells -- even nice ones -- trigger migraines in many people. Why this happens is unclear, but the odors may stimulate the nervous system. The most common culprits are paint, dust, perfume, and certain types of flowers.

Cheese - One of the most common migraine triggers is aged cheese, including blue cheese, brie, cheddar, feta, mozzarella, parmesan, and Swiss. These foods contain tyramine which can cause a migraine. Red wine and some alcoholic drinks also contain tyramine.

Cold cuts and processed meat - These contain both tyramine and nitrates which can also affect many migraine sufferers.

Caffeine - Though caffeine is found in many headache medications, it is actually a cause of rebound headaches though it is difficult for people who are used to consuming large amount of caffeine to withdraw from it, doing so can significantly reduce migraine frequency and intensity.

OTHER TRIGGERS:

Dairy products*

Chocolate

Eggs

Citrus fruits

Meat**

Wheat (bread, pasta, etc.)

Nuts and peanuts

Tomatoes

Onions

Corn

Apples

Bananas

* Includes skim or whole cow's milk, goat's milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

** Includes beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, etc.

Certain beverages and additives - These can be particularly bad and include alcoholic beverages (especially red wine), caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, and colas), monosodium glutamate, aspartame (NutraSweet), and nitrites.

A summary of triggers include stress, sleep disturbances, fasting, hormones, bright or flickering lights, odors, cigarette smoke, alcohol, aged cheeses, processed meats, chocolate, monosodium glutamate, nitrites, aspartame, and caffeine. For some women, the decline in the blood level of estrogen during the onset of menstruation is a trigger for migraine headaches.

WHAT LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN HELP?

Making a few minor changes in your lifestyle can make your migraines more bearable. Improving sleep habits is important for everyone, and especially those with headaches. What you eat also has a huge impact on migraines, so dietary changes can be extremely beneficial, too.

Avoiding Food Triggers. - (See triggers above)

Eating A Healthy Diet - One study indicated that a low in fat/ high complex carbohydrate diet may significantly reduce the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches.

Eating Regularly - Eating regularly is important to prevent low blood sugar. People with migraines who fast periodically for religious reasons might consider taking preventive medications.

Consuming Fish Oil - Some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, have anti-inflammatory and nerve protecting actions. These fatty acids can be found in oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, or sardines. They can also be obtained in supplements of specific omega-3 compounds (DHA-EPA).

Drinking Plenty Of Water. - Even if you don't feel thirsty, you can still be dehydrated. Dehydration is thought to play a role in over 50% of all migraines. Drinking an 8 ounces glass of water every hour or so, can really help with migraine frequency and intensity.

Aerobic Exercise - Exercise relieves stress. Low impact, moderate exercise has been shown to help prevent migraines. Walking, hiking, treadmill or elliptical machines are good choices. Remember to warms up and not do anything to suddenly or vigorously..

Behavioral Treatments - Many neurologists who specialize in treating migraine patients recommend behavioral techniques that reduce stress and help patients to identify it. Research indicates between 35 - 50% reduction in migraine and tension-type headaches with these techniques generally including: biofeedback therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques.

Avoiding Oral Contraceptives - Oral contraceptives (OCs) have been associated with worse headaches in 18 - 50% of women and have also been linked to a higher risk for stroke in women with classic migraines (with auras). This is due to the hormonal modulation that these kinds of drugs cause.

WHY DOES YOUR PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS WORK AGAINST YOU?

Many migraine suffers use either prescription medicines like triptans (i.e. Immitrex, Zomig) or over the counter medications many of which contain caffeine. When these medications are consistently used many times a week they actually cause significantly more migraines to happen, even though they may help the current migraine at hand.

Many prescription drug users will find the need to take more of the drug in a day or two because they think the migraine they had returned, when in fact it is a new migraine. THIS IS REFERRED TO AS MEDICATION-OVERUSE HEADACHE (MOH) and this problem is rampant, especially in chronic migraine sufferers. It is very important for migraine sufferers to be aware of their MOH problem because it stops them from responding to preventive techniques and medicines. PREVENTING A MIGRAINE IS A MUCH BETTER OPTION THAN TRYING TO TREAT ONE AFTER IT HAS OCCURRED.

WHAT EFFECT DOES PMS HAVE ON MIGRAINES AND FREQUENCY IN SOME WOMEN?

As previously mentioned under the contraceptive pills section, the changes in hormonal balance that occurs during various stages of the menstrual cycle can have a large impact on the occurrence of migraines. 18-50% of women report that there is a menstrual component to their migraines. An all natural preventive supplement like MigreLief-M which addresses many of the causes of migraines as well as the symptoms of PMS is the perfect choice for women who experience "Menstrual Migraine".

CAN MIGRAINES BE PREVENTED NATURALLY?

A combination of Magnesium, Riboflavin and Puracol Feverfew have been known to reduce the symptoms and severity of migraines and often prevent them completely. Each individually has been known throughout the world for its positive impact on migraines for various reasons. Consumed together they are most likely to address the problem. A product called MigreLief contains all three at highly effective levels proven effective in clinical studies. (Two forms of Magnesium, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), and Puracol(TM)--a proprietary source of the herb Feverfew.)

HOW IS MAGNESIUM RELATED TO MIGRAINE PREVENTION?

The benefits of Magnesium are well documented. Studies show that Magnesium deficiency may be linked with migraines. Magnesium helps keep the blood vessels in the brain properly toned and open, prevents the spasm of arteries, stabilizes cell membranes, and prevents platelet aggregation.

HOW IS RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2) RELATED TO MIGRANE PREVENTION?

Riboflavin is involved in energy production in every cell, and studies suggest it can have a dramatic benefit. A deficiency of cellular energy has been observed in some people with migraines, and Riboflavin can help correct that deficiency.

WHAT IS PURACOL(TM) FEVERFEW AND HOW IS IT RELATED TO MIGRAINE PREVENTION?

Feverfew is a traditional medicinal herb that has been safely used for centuries in Europe by migraine sufferers. Puracol Feverfew is a combination of a proprietary Feverfew extract PLUS a proprietary source of the whole herb. This combination assures a broad and concentrated range of the active ingredients to deliver maximum benefits.

CAN A MIGRAINE DIARY HELP WITH MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT?

Absolutely! Keeping a headache and migraine diary is an effective tool for documenting the frequency and severity of migraines, the effectiveness of your prevention supplement and any medications. It is also useful in discovering patterns to your migraines and headaches, tracking triggers, and assisting doctors with diagnosis. When starting a preventative program, it is a great way to note a decreasing dependency on prescription drugs.

For the world's most advanced patented herbal prevention formula - recommended by neurologists and top headache clinics, visit: http://www.Migrelief.com

Your anti-aging scientist, Curt Hendrix, M.S., CCN, CSN Helping you to get well, stay well, and stay young and vibrant well into the later years of life!

While Curt continues to share his vast knowledge and expertise on health and nutrition, he remains dedicated to his research and development of safer, more effective medications and supplements. For more information, please feel free to visit his blog at CurtHendrix.com. Learn about the bio-chemistry (made easy) of aging, and what you can do to stop it.

To many people, a migraine headache is a migraine headache. They assume, falsely, that all migraines are pretty much the same. So when one of the 15% of our population that suffers from migraine says they have an ocular migraine, non-sufferers may raise a skeptical eyebrow. The truth is, however, that there are many different kinds of migraine.

Define Ocular Migraine

An ocular migraine is a type of migraine that focuses on that part of the aura in which visual symptoms predominate. There may never be an actual headache.

Symptoms of Ocular Migraine

If you are familiar with regular migraine pain, and now hear of ocular migraine, you may very well ask, "How do I know if I have an ocular migraine? I have no headache."

An ocular migraine is sometimes called a migraine without headache. It is a migraine that distorts images when you look at them. The distortion usually begins in the image's center, and then moves to one side. Ocular migraine is likely to affect only one eye at a time. As an ocular migraine progresses, images may turn grey or wavy. You may even lose your sight temporarily.

Doctors differ in their understanding of ocular migraine. Some say that ocular migraine is more likely to occur as you get older. Others say it is typically seen in young adults. It can be quite frightening, as you may think you are losing your sight forever.

Physicians differ, too, in their understanding of ocular migraine symptoms. Some use the term to explain visual disturbances of aura without headache. Other use it to refer to one-sided blind spots in the field of vision, or blindness, that lasts less than an hour and is associated with a headache.

Do you have ocular migraine? With or without a headache, if you have the visual disturbances of an aura in only one eye, yours may be an ocular migraine.

Specific Symptoms of Ocular Migraine:

How do I know if I have an ocular migraine? I will have one or more of the following specific symptoms. See if any of these is true of you.

1. Holes in your field of vision - places where there is nothing. Perhaps you are looking at a flower, and the center of the flower is missing. Or you are watching television, and you can see the outside of the screen, but cannot see the center of the picture. When you close the unaffected eye, you can see that portion of the screen. The affected eye, however, has a blind spot.

2. When looking through the affected eye, you see everything as though hidden behind a shade of gray. It is as though you were watching television and someone slipped a piece of thin gray cloth over the screen.

3. Another test for ocular migraine is to see if the affected eye sees things as though looking through a window with rain streaming down over it. The watery glass effect will be limited to one eye.

Ocular Migraine Symptoms Are Temporary

Although you may feel, during an optical migraine episode, that you will never see clearly again, the symptoms are temporary and will not cause lasting damage to your eye.

While they are present, however, ocular migraine symptoms will interfere with daily activities such as reading and driving.

Why Ocular Migraine Is Not Just Another Migraine Aura

Ocular migraine and migraine with aura are very similar, and some people have difficulty distinguishing between the two. The source of the visual disturbances is the key. If it is migraine with aura, the source of visual trouble is the brain's occipital cortex. If it is ocular migraine, the source is the eye's retinal blood vessels.

Test Your Suspected Ocular Migraine

A relatively good test for ocular migraine is to cover or close one eye. If the symptoms remain, cover or close the opposite eye. If the symptoms stop, you probably have an ocular migraine. If the symptoms do not stop, but affect both eyes, you are probably experiencing traditional migraine aura.

CAUTION: Although yours may be ocular migraine, it may be something else. You are urged to seek advice from your physician. You will want to rule out serious eye disease, or a blood vessel disorder in vessels near the eye.

?2007, Anna Hart. Migraines are a part of Anna Hart?s family history, and although she personally does not suffer ocular migraine, Anna can sympathize with those who do. For that reason, she has turned her teaching and speaking skills to informing others about migraines. She posts regular migraine-oriented articles at http://www.migrainereliefblog.com If this article on ocular migraine has been helpful to you, Anna invites you to read about ophthalmic migraine in her current and upcoming blog entries.

Migraine headaches put a heavy load on society. According to the National Headache Foundation, migraine headaches affect more than 28 million Americans and cost society over $13 billion each year. That is just the tip of the iceberg though. Migraines frequently precipitate depression, which is three times as frequent among migraine sufferers than non-headache victims (Fasmer, O.B., The Prevalence of migraine in patients with bipolar and unipolar affective disorders. Cephalalgia, 2001. 21(9): p.894-899). And don't forget about the countless number of people whose quality of life has been severely damaged by headaches.

Traditional treatment methods are just not working without side-effects. We need to examine alternative treatments for migraines. We need to attack headaches at the root, we need to stop treating the effect and eliminate the causes of headaches. For years the common cry has been that headaches were caused by stress. From mine and others experiences as well we can agree that stress can be a cause, but it is hardly the only cause. It goes much deeper and is much more complicated than a simple platitude like that. Let's take a look at some of the most common and promising vitamins for headaches, supplements for migraines, and alternative treatments for migraines.

Riboflavin Riboflavin is also known as Vitamin B-2. It plays a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is yellow or yellow-orange in color. In addition to being used as a food coloring it is also used to fortify foods such as baby-foods, breakfast cereal, pastas, processed cheese, fruit drinks and sauces. It is also widely used in vitamin supplements.

For over 30 years Riboflavin has been used as a part of the phototherapy treatment of neonatal jaundice. It has recently been used in a new treatment to slow or stop the progression of the corneal disorder keratoconus (corneal collagen crosslinking). There have been studies conducted on riboflavin and its affects on headaches. In both a European and American study riboflavin was shown to effectively treat migraines at a dose of 400 mg per day. (European study: C. Boehnke, High-dose riboflabin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care center. Eur J Neurol, 2004, 11(7): p. 175-7. American study: A.J. Yee, Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis, Neurology, 1999, 52(2): p. 431-2)

In a separate study performed by Sandor, Afra, Ambrosini and Shoenen riboflavin has shown that when combined with beta-blockers it may be a useful treatment of migraine headaches. (Phophylactic treatment of migraine with beta-blockers and riboflavin: different effects on the intensity dependence of auditory evoked cortical potentials. Headache,. 2000, Jan). In an open-label trial (no placebo control group), as reported by the Mother Earth News (MEN) web site (Natural Health/2007-03-01/Natural-Headache-Remedies), 400 mg a day for six months cut migraine headache frequency in half and decreased medication use. MEN goes on to say that "another study showed that three months of riboflavin led to a 50 percent improvement in almost 60 percent of the volunteers, versus a 15 percent improvement over the people taking a dummy pill."

Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ10) First identified in 1957, Coenzyme Q 10 is also known as "Ubiquinone" because it is found everywhere in the body. The highest amounts are in the heart, liver and pancreas. The lowest amounts are in the lungs.

The first applications for CoQ10 were in 1961, when it was found that cancer patients were deficient in the enzyme. Research has shown CoQ10 to be a very versatile supplement for a number of other conditions such as heart disease and migraines. Recent studies have also shown that CoQ10 may help in the treatment of Alzheimer Disease (X.L. Wang, Co-supplementation with vitamine E and coenzyme Q10 reduces circulating markers of inflammation in baboons, Am J Clin Nutrition, 2004. 80(3): p. 649-55). Reports on CoQ10 and migraines have been very positive. From an article in the April, 2002 issue of the journal of the International Headache Society, Cephalalgia, encouraging results have been reported from an open label trial of CoQ10 as a Migraine preventative.

The article "Open label trial coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive" by Rozen, Oshinsky, Gebeline, Bradley, Young, Shechter and Silberstib from Cephalalgia 22 (2) p. 137-141 we are told "At present there are very few efficacious migraine preventatives and fewer without significant side-effects... Migraine can be a disabling disorder and migraine preventives have been shown to not only reduce headache frequency, intensity and duration but also to improve quality of life. Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring substance and essential element of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. It has been the most extensively studied agent for the treatment of mitochondrial disorders and has been shown to have almost no identifiable side-effects in humans. There has been a recent interest in the role that mitochondria may play in migraine pathogenesis...The objective of this investigation is to assess the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 as a preventative treatment for migraine." The dosage used in the study was 150 mg of CoQ10 daily. Key points from the trial included:

61.3% of the patients in the trial achieved at least 1 50% reduction in frequency of Migraine attacks by the end of the four-month trial.
It took time to achieve optimum results. Data from the study suggests that it takes 4-12 weeks to achieve more than 50% reduction.
Coenzyme Q10 is effective for both migraine with aura (classic migraine) as well as migraine without aura (common migraine).

Magnesium Magnesium is a mineral that is used for many purposes. The hsbaltimore, Health Series Institue e-Alert (September 14, 2004) website informs us a good intake of magnesium may promote bone flexibility, help prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease.Recent studies show that magnesium is also essential for keeping your teeth healthy. There have also been studies on a relationship between magnesium and headaches. A study by A. Trauninger (Oral magnesium load test in patients with migraine, Headache, 2002, 42(2): 0, 114-9) showed magnesium deficiencies to be common in those who suffer from migraines. Another study by A. Bianchi (Vitamin Horm, 2004, 69: p. 297-312) has found sufficient, though not definitive, evidence of magnesium's ability to help treat migraines. Current recommendations are to take 500-1000 mg of magnesium per day.

The Bottom Line The three natural remedies for migraine headache discussed here all have shown promising results as affective natural headache remedies. When looking at alternative treatments for migraines, these three appear to be at the top of charts. But the two biggest advantages alternative treatments have over prescription medications is their lack of side effects, and the fact that you are not going to go broke trying these supplements for migraines. These points plus the positive test results shown should be reason to include nutritional supplementation to help treat migraines.

For more information on natural supplements, alternative treatments for migraines and a great selection of vitamin products visit the Riboflavin, Coenzyme Q10 and Magnesium - Three Powerful Alternative Treatments for Migraines web site.

Tom Thorne
http://www.FeelingOutstanding.com

When I was a boy my mom used to get really bad migraine headaches. She would lock herself in her room and not come out all night sometimes. A few times, the pain was so bad I had to take her to the emergency room to get an injection. Now that I'm grown up, my girlfriend Jessica also gets frequent migraines. She will often have to stay home from work or sometimes go to the emergency room as well. Since two of the most important people in my life are afflicted with these painful headaches, I found myself wanting to know more about migraines in the hopes that I can do something to help. Both my mom and Jessica have taken prescription medications for their migraines in the past with differing results. None of the medications end up being a permanent solution. Often these medications are expensive and come with unwanted side effects, plus I just don't my loved ones taking more medication, so I want to avoid conventional medicine and stick to homeopathic treatments if possible.

So what makes a migraine? What causes them? Why do some people get them and others don't? What can be done to prevent them naturally, without medication? I have found that there are numerous causes for migraines. These headaches are well researched, and there are many natural remedies and dietary suggestions for preventing them. In order for people to stop their migraines they need to analyze their lifestyle and dietary habits that cause them. In this essay I will explore the causes of migraines and what can be done to prevent them without conventional modern medicines.

First I'd like to clarify exactly what a migraine headache is. The best definition I found was in an article on MedicalNewsToday.com titled "What is Migraine? What Causes Migraines?", which defines a migraine as, "a severe, painful headache that is often preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light and sound." Now that we know what a migraine is, let's continue exploring what causes them and how they can be prevented.

Migraine headaches are difficult to study scientifically because they deal with pain, which is subjective, and varies from person to person. Not everyone feels pain equally and there is no real scientific method of properly and consistently measuring the pain of a headache. Because of this, not all experts agree about exactly what causes a migraine ("Causes & Treatments"). We do know that the majority of migraine sufferers are women ("Migraine Headache"). We also know that the cause of the physical pain from a migraine headache is the enlargement of blood vessels just underneath the skin of the head. The blood vessels enlarge and the nerves surrounding these blood vessels release chemicals which cause pain, inflammation, and further enlargement of the blood vessels ("What is Migraine"). The pain of a migraine can last for hours or even days.

Although we know what causes the physical pain of these headaches, the triggers for migraines are numerous and the true underlying cause of is still unknown. Some people get them from previous head injuries, some only get them at certain times on certain days, and some only when they eat specific foods ("Migraine Headaches"). The possible triggers for migraines are so numerous, in fact, that they can be split into seven different categories. An article on Berkely.edu titled "Migraine Triggers" lists the seven categories of migraine triggers as dietary, sleep, hormonal, environmental, stress, stress letdown, and physical. There are many possible reasons a person will get a migraine and it's difficult to tell which trigger is setting off a particular person's headache. A migraine could be set off by someone skipping a meal; taking a certain medication; changing their sleep pattern; being around bright lights, odors, pollutions, smoke; or being put under mental or physical stress. Obviously migraines can be set off by a lot of different factors. So what can we do to prevent them?

Just as there are numerous amounts of possible triggers for migraines, there are also quite a lot of prevention measures that sufferers can take to avoid getting these painful headaches. Even better, there are a lot of measures you can take that do not involve taking medication. First, let's talk about dietary suggestions to prevent migraines. Food triggers do not affect everyone equally and some triggers will affect a person only on occasion ("Migraine"). Some examples of foods known to cause migraines are beverages with chocolate, cocoa, alcohol, and caffeine; fruits like figs, raisins, avocados, papayas, and overripe bananas; vegetables like beans, sauerkraut, green beans, peas, garlic, olives; and the list of foods to avoid goes on and on. Some migraine sufferers will see an increase in headache frequency after eating these foods. However, it's important for each individual to learn which foods trigger the headaches for themselves, since the triggers vary from person to person. Luckily there are many natural remedies for migraines, such as drinking ground up grapes, grinding lemon rinds into a paste and placing on the forehead, drinking vegetable juices, and applying a cabbage leaf compress to the forehead among others ("Migraine"). It's clear that the causes of migraine headaches are numerous and vary widely among the people who suffer from them. So in order to determine the best way to avoid the headaches for themselves, migraine sufferers need to analyze their dietary and lifestyle habits to identify their particular triggers.

Now that I have found this wealth of information of possible causes and prevention methods for migraines, I plan to talk to Jessica and my mom about their headaches a bit more. I know both of them know some triggers that cause their migraines; for example, Jessica knows she'll get migraines if she drinks coffee too much. However, both my mom and Jessica get migraines somewhat frequently, so I suspect neither of them know all of their triggers. I think it's going to take time and a bit of effort for both of them to really get to the bottom of these headaches, but now they've got me to help them figure it out and armed with this new information, we should be able to figure it out together.

I started out researching this essay wanting to know what exactly causes migraines and what can be done to prevent them. I figured it was a straightforward question, with, more than likely, an equally straight forward answer. On the contrary, I found that the possible causes for these headaches are numerous and their true source is still unknown. Luckily though, the numerous food triggers and natural remedies for migraines are well documented. Using this information any migraine sufferer can analyze their lifestyle and dietary habits to determine their own personal migraine triggers and hopefully prevent the migraines altogether by avoiding these triggers. In the end it's up to each migraine sufferer to work out for themselves why they get the headaches and how to prevent them as much as possible.

Works Cited

"Causes and Treatments of Migraine and Related Headaches". emedicinehealth.com. 11 Oct. 2005. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Law, Kristy. "Migraine Headache: Symptoms, Causes, and Triggers". health.learninginfo.org. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

"Migraines". home-remedies-for-you.com. 2008. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

"Migraine Triggers". uhs.berkeley.edu. Web. 29 Nov 2010.

"What is Migraine? What Causes Migraines?". medicalnewstoday.com. 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Eddie Olivas is from Eugene, Oregon.

http://eddieolivas.com

Everything seems to be going well in your every day life. You are able to get everything done with your routines. However, this can easily stop once a migraine begins to take over your daily activities. If you are dealing with migraines, you want to make sure that you can find the best migraine treatments. This will give you the ability to continue with your daily life, and to enjoy the most out of all of your activities without having the pain get in the way.

Holistic Migraine Treatments

Getting rid of your migraines with the prescription medicines that are available is not always the best answer. However, you don't have to keep getting a headache over it. Instead, you can find alternative answers to stop the strain. By doing this, you can begin to get rid of your migraines when they start. Knowing the options that are available to you will help you begin your journey that doesn't start with a headache.

One of the under stated treatments for migraine relief comes from one of the causes of migraines. Generally, migraines are known to be a reaction in the brain from expanded blood cells. If you want to work on an easy migraine treatment, then you can build a check list that includes things such as reducing your stress level, relaxing more, and exercising correctly. This will help you to minimize the effects that migraines may have on your daily life. Most recommend that a change in lifestyle is an important supplement to curing your migraine pain.

Of course, if you are finding that this is not effective in slowing down the pounding in your head, than you can consider something different, such as acupuncture. Using acupuncture starts with finding pressure points in your body. Most of the time, these are directly linked to pressure points that are related to migraines. While there is little research that indicates that this is effective, most that use acupuncture as an alternative treatment note that it is effective in curing migraines.

Another option that you can use is to simply place a heated pad or a cool pad over your forehead. This will mostly be effective for mild migraines or migraines that you catch before they begin to worsen. There are now kits that offer a migraine treatment as a cooling pad that you can find almost anywhere in order to help calm your head from the migraine. This, in combination with a dark room is known to slow down a migraine so that it is not as painful.

A third potential way to help heal your migraine is through an herb known as feverfew leaf. This particular herb has gone through a wide range of research, all which points out to its effectiveness in being able to help cure migraines. This particular herb is known to work because it has parthenolide content in it. This particular chemical, when released works with the blood system by slowing down serotonin release and stimulating the platelets in the blood. The result is that the spasms that cause migraines to occur are slowed down, and sometimes even stopped. This particular herb can be taken with very few side effects as a supplement.

For other alternative herbs that can be used as supplements for migraine treatments, you can look into magnesium and Riboflavin, also known as B12. Both of these supplements are known to provide preventative care. By simply adding in extra doses of these vitamins every day, you will have the ability to stop your migraines from happening in the beginning.

Prescription Medicines for Migraine Treatment

If you want something that has different types of supplements, then you can turn to the scientists for prescription medicines. There are a variety of available medicines that you can use, all that have been through the white coat test in order to offer the best relief. This, as an alternative to help the healing of your migraines is one that many consider in order to help solve the painful event of a migraine.

The first set of migraine treatments that you will want to consider are ones for mild migraines. It is always best to take medication for a migraine before it gets worse, allowing you to stop the pain from taking over all of your daily activities. Any type of pain reduction medication, such as Aspirin can help to stop the migraine before it spreads too far.

If you want something stronger than a pain reliever, and want to find something that focuses completely on migraines, then you can look at the various types of prescriptions that have been formulated for your headache. For example, Sumatriptan is a serotonin that has been made in order to trigger the chemicals in your body that link to the headache. The result is that your migraine will stop.

Another possibility for prescription medication is Metoclopramide. This is a set of barbiturate compounds that are used not only for migraine headaches, but also for contraction headaches. Any type of medication that has this specific compound in it, or a combination of this and Sumatriptan, will be the most beneficial for soothing your migraines.

No matter what the severity of your migraine, or the needs that you have, there are solutions that are waiting for you. Finding the correct solution doesn't have to be a headache. Instead, it can help in taking it away. Alternatives for the correct migraine treatments are available for all walks of life and all levels of migraines so that you can begin to dissolve the problem.

For effective relief of migraines try migravent.

About Migraines

A migraine is a severe headache that tends to recur with symptoms like nausea and vomiting. The pain is usually on one side of the head and there is an added sensitivity to bright lights and noises. Moving around can make the headaches feel worse. Although, there are many forms of migraine headaches, classic and common are the two major varieties. People with migraines are called migraineurs. About 15% of the population is affected by migraines. Three times more women than men are affected. Over 80% of migraineurs have family members who are regularly afflicted with migraines. Prominently migraines are of three types. They are:

Migraine without aura (common migraine): Accounting for 80% of all migraine headaches, no aura is seen before this common migraine affects an individual.

Migraine with aura (classic migraine): Usually preceded by an aura, this type of migraine is generally much worse than a common migraine. Usually, an aura is said to be a visual disturbance, that is, outlines of lights or jagged light images.

Status migrainosus: Generally, a long-lasting migraine, it does not go away by itself.

Causes of Migraine headaches

The medical fraternity thinks that the migraines are caused by a chemical or electrical problem in certain parts of the brain. A key element of a migraine headache is blood flow change in the brain. According to hypothesis, the nervous system responds to a trigger such as stress by creating spasms in the nerve-rich arteries at the base of the brain. The spasms constrict several arteries supplying blood to the brain, including arteries from the scalp and the neck. As these arteries tighten, the flow of blood to the brain is reduced. At the same time, platelets clump together and release a chemical called serotonin which also acts as a powerful constrictor of arteries. This further reduces blood and oxygen supply to the brain. In reaction to this, some arteries in the brain expand to meet the brain's energy needs. This dilation is believed to cause migraine headaches. Because, migraine headaches tend to run in families, it can be assumed that genetic factors may also contribute to a person's susceptibility to migraines.

Headache triggers can be things that are eaten, smelt, heard or seen. They are:

o Stress and time pressure, major hassles and losses, anger and conflict

o Smells and fumes, tobacco smoke, light glare or dazzle and weather changes

o Monthly periods, birth control pills, estrogen therapy and too much, too little or interrupted sleep

o Hunger, fasting and specific foods or beverages

o Excessive activity

o Certain medications

Certain foods that might trigger a migraine:

o Aged Cheese

o Bananas, figs and raisins

o Beer, wine and hard liquor

o Caffeine as well as caffeine withdrawal and chocolates

o Dairy products such as ice cream, milk, yogurt, cheese, whipped cream and sour cream

o Fermented and pickled foods

o Monosodium glutamate (MSG), seasoned salt, canned soups, TV dinners, processed meats, and some processed nuts and snack chips

o Most citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit and lemons

o Nuts and peanuts

o Onions

o Pea pods or lima beans

o Processed meats, deli sandwich meats, hotdogs and other nitrite-containing meats

o Saccharin or aspartame in diet foods or diet sodas and drinks

o Sulfites in shrimp and processed potatoes, like boxed mashed potato mix

o Yeast-containing products, such as fresh breads and donuts

Medicines that might trigger a migraine headache are:

o Cimetidine (brand name: Tagamet)

o Estrogens (including birth control pills)

o Fenfluramine (brand name: Pondimin)

o Indomethacin (brand name: Indocin)

o Nifedipine (brand name: Adalat, Procardia)

o Nitroglycerin (brand name: Nitrostat)

o Pain killers (either overuse or withdrawal from them)

o Reserpine containing medicines (brand names: Ser-ap-Es, Hydropres, Regroton)

o Theophylline (brand name: TheoDur, Theo-24)

Migraine Guide

Having ridden the migraine train on several occasions, you may have an aura the acts like a warning whistle of the approaching headache. The pain builds slowly and steadily until you are in no position to tolerate the bright light and loud noises. You may even feel nauseated or end up vomitting. Lying down in a dark, quiet room is the only means that will help you ride it out.

While scientists still debate the exact mechanisms in the brain that cause migraines, there progress has helped them find treatment medications that may either be taken as soon as a migraine comes on or taken on a daily basis to help prevent migraines.

This guide will help you weigh the pros and cons of a variety of treatments, to help determine the best course of action for your migraine.

Although, much can be done to prevent the onset of migraines like avoid triggers, exercise regularly and keep stress under control - most people with migraines will need medication. Providentially, medication options for migraines have expanded greatly in the last decade which helps keep migraine disruption to a minimum.

Migraine medications can be divided into two broad categories of migraine treatment. They are:

o Acute - Taken after the onset of a migraine

o Preventive - Taken every day to ward off migraines

o Various nontraditional and emerging therapies may be helpful in some cases, too

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A migraine headache can be extremeely painful and often debilitating. The severest forms of migraine can completely take over your life until you're unable to live normally. If you are suffering from migraines as well, your best defense in your condition is to understand how migraines work and what you can do to treat them effectively.

What is A Migraine?

Unfortunately for people suffering from this condition, the cause for migraine is still undetermined. Migraine is a severe type of headache and of which pain may originate from almost any part of the head. It can last from several hours to a few days at the most. Migraine is endemic in people from fifteen to fifty-five years old. It also affects more women than men and those whose medical history include migraine.

Possible Triggers of Migraine

Although the cause of migraine is unknown, several factors have been noted as possible triggers of migraine.

Food and Sleep - People who are having sleeping problems and eating insufficient amount of food are more prone to suffering from migraine. If you are making use of an inappropriate diet and one that is close to starving you instead of keeping you healthy, that can also trigger a migraine attack.

External Surroundings - Places where the light is too strong or when the noise levels are too high can also lead to migraine attacks. If you've noticed this happening in your case, you might wish to avoid such places in the future especially if you're alone and there's no one to help you when you're suddenly having one of your migraine attacks.

Menstrual Periods - Because of the hormonal changes that are occurring in a woman's body during her monthly cycle, she may also be liable to suffering a migraine attack during these instances. Although a direct link between hormones and migraines hasn't been satisfactorily established yet, women should nevertheless prepare themselves for a migraine attack whenever they're having their monthly course.

For some individuals, a sleeping pill or painkiller is usually sufficient in keeping both migraine attacks and dysmenorrheal pain at bay.

Stress - Migraine attacks may also be triggered by unnatural levels of stress and anxiety. People with a history of migraine should therefore make a conscious effort not to feel stressed or pressured if they wish to avoid a migraine attack. If this is your situation as well, there are natural and medical treatments available to help you manage stress.

Climate and Temperature - Moods and werewolves are not the only things that are affected by a change in climate. The frequency of migraine attacks may also depend on the weather so if you're sad during a particular type of weather, prepare yourself from a possible migraine attack as well.

Addictions - If you have a habit of too much smoking, drinking, or eating chocolate, these are just some of the vices of which overindulgence can lead to suffering from migraine attacks. Kill two birds with one stone by eliminating these addictions from your life and effectively reducing the chances of suffering from migraine attacks as well.

Foods - Studies have also shown that there are certain types of foods that can cause people to have migraine attacks. Although the most commonly cited food as a possible trigger of migraine attacks are those containing additives, the type of food is usually dependent on a case-to-case basis.

Types of Migraine

Classic - Your period of suffering will last half an hour at the most, and your migraine might temporarily impair any or all of your senses. Women, more than males, are more likely to suffer from this type of migraine.

Common - People suffering from common migraines may not have impaired senses but may still be prone to vomiting and feeling dizzy.

Having a Productive Consultation with Your Doctor about Migraines

To help your doctor reach an accurate diagnosis about your condition, make sure that you've taken note of pertinent details about your situation such as the frequency of your headaches, which parts of your head is affected, the duration of these attacks and possible events that may have triggered it.

As yet, there's still no universal cure for migraines and even a completely healthy lifestyle won't be able to guarantee protection from migraines. Nevertheless, support and care from your family and friends will definitely go a long way in alleviating the discomfort brought by migraine. If symptoms persist, consult a doctor immediately.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://headache.topicgiant.com where you can learn more about the cause and treatment of all types of headaches including the migraine headache [http://headache.topicgiant.com/Articles/Migraine_Headache.php].

The pre-migraine symptoms that lead to a full blown migraine attack are known as the Prodrome. For some, the Prodrome can be the first indicator that a migraine is on the way. Although not everyone claims to experience the warning signs of migraine, it's been reported that up to 60% of Migraineurs do experience Prodrome.

Identifying your pre-migraine symptoms and knowing how to treat them can be your best defense in migraine prevention. Think of the Prodrome as your friendly warning sign for practicing some natural migraine relief strategies that stop migraine from attacking.

Prodrome symptoms can include:

o changes in emotions such as depression, irritability or confusion

o upper body muscular tightness, especially in the shoulders, neck and face

o food cravings

o feeling cold/ poor circulation

o dizziness

o hyperactivity

o fatigue

o increased frequency in urination

The Prodrome can occur as much as a few days before a full blown migraine attack. The good news is that having these warning signs can give you the opportunity to practice some natural migraine relief tactics and avoid the full blown migraine attack.

In my earlier years with Migraine disease I was never aware of any warning signs. I undoubtedly would have argued that I didn't experience the Prodrome. What I experienced, seemingly out of nowhere, was the migraine aura. Then 20- minutes later a migraine headache would follow. The only warning sign I was aware of at the time was the aura.

As my Migraines became increasingly more frequent in my thirties I became more proactive in my quest for migraine relief. I began a journey of deepening my relationship with my body; a necessary journey for anyone seeking true migraine relief. This involved becoming more aware of my thoughts, feelings, behaviors and physical sensations. I was pleasantly surprised to find that doing so allowed me to recognize the pre-migraine warning signs known as the Prodrome.

It is my strong belief that these pre-migraine symptoms were always present, I just needed to become more present with myself to recognize them.

My shoulders and neck muscles would feel like iron ropes. My vision was foggy, tired, and weak. To be honest, some of my pre-migraine symptoms were hard to put into words. They still are today. Perhaps that is one reason why I was unable to identify them as pre-migraine symptoms for so long. I was at my clumsiest about 48 hours before a migraine. I'd walk into walls, jam my fingers on something, stub my toes, break a glass while washing dishes, etc.

Becoming aware of your pre-migraine symptoms is equally as important as knowing your migraine triggers in your quest for natural migraine relief. We hear so much about avoiding migraine triggers, but recognizing your pre-migraine warning signs will give you an even better chance of avoiding a migraine attack.

Many natural migraine relief techniques can relieve all of the above Prodrome symptoms. Forms of meditation that include breath-work, muscle relaxation techniques and the balancing of your nervous system can dissolve your pre-migraine symptoms and stop migraine dead in it's tracks.

The Prodrome is a blessing. And learning to spot your pre-migraine symptoms is something that you can do with a little patience and greater willingness to be more present with yourself. Even if you believe that you are already 100% present with yourself I invite you to question that belief. Identifying my pre-migraine symptoms and treating them with natural migraine relief techniques has saved me from numerous migraine attacks. The same can happen for you.

Begin tracking your pre-migraine symptoms with a free copy of the Daily Emotions Log for migraineurs and learn more about the emotions that feed your stress and migraine disease.

Diana Bertoldo is a Natural Migraine Relief Coach and expert author on taking control of Migraine Disease. She spends her time coaching others to cultivate daily habits for migraine relief. To receive a FREE copy of Diana's 6-part mini-course series Natural Migraine Relief Secrets you can visit her at http://www.naturalmigrainereliefforlife.com

Diana's latest multi-media program Natural Migraine Relief for Life is now available and will help you become a master in natural migraine relief in 12 weeks or less.

If you are like me and 28 million other people in the United States, you get migraine headaches. Some of us have the classic migraine with the flashing zigzag lights in the eyes that warn you of an impending migraine. Others, like me, get no warning. It just comes on. Bang. Suddenly everything is too loud and too bright. The nausea isn't much fun, either.

It is estimated that nearly half of the people in the United States who have migraine headaches do not get diagnosed and treated. So, potentially, there could be even more than the 28 million.

More women than men get migraine headaches. Approximately 35% of all women with migraines suffer four or more a month. About 40% experience one or less than one severe attack a month. They may last from four hours to three days. Some may last longer.

The sad thing is that I am afraid that most migraine sufferers have the same experience when seeking help that I did. I finally went to see a neurologist. After about an hour and a half of questions and testing, he told me that, yes, I had migraine headaches, which I already knew. Then he asked me what I wanted from him. I told him that I wanted him to help me figure out why I get them and how to stop having them. He told me that I get them because I get them and sent me away with some pills that basically made my life even worse. And it was pretty bad to begin with.

I do not have classic migraines; the kind that give you warning and last for a couple of days. I had them every day for a little over four years. I have not had a single migraine headache for about six years now. For a few years prior to that, I would have the occasional migraine as I continued to work it all out. It requires dedication and persistence, but it is all well worth it.

No matter what a doctor might tell you, there is a reason why you get a migraine headache. Sadly, when I was at my worst, the medical community was mainly focused on prescribing drugs. This is slowly changing to a more holistic approach. However, it is still mainly up to you to figure out why and modify your life so that you no longer get them. I had a great deal of motivation because my life had pretty much ended due to having migraines every day. So the sacrifices that I have to make in order not to have them really do not seem all that bad these many years later. Actually, only others consider them sacrifices. I am probably healthier now that at any other time of my life.

There are so many different things that will trigger a migraine for a susceptible person that it is hard to believe. Some people have one or two triggers and they do not encounter them all that often and so they have only a few migraines a year. Others, like me, have a lot of triggers. This can make it very hard to find all the triggers and eliminate them from your life. The following is a list of my triggers, some of them are common to quite a few people: milk and anything made from milk, including butter; wheat; corn including corn oil, corn starch and corn sugar; bananas; strawberries; chocolate; caffeine; nuts; peanuts; mushrooms; yeast; environmental fungi; artificial sweeteners; artificial colors; artificial flavors; preservatives; citrus fruits; alcohol, whether in beverages or in the environment (as in hairsprays); fragrances (not just perfumes, but any fragranced product); and most petrochemicals.

Among the general population the most common migraine triggers are: aged cheese; chocolate; alcoholic beverages; excessive salt intake; nitrates (a preservative); monosodium glutamate (MSG); changes in the weather; excessive fatigue; skipping meals; changes in normal sleep pattern; dehydration; bright light and emotional stress, in no particular order. Migraine headaches can also be triggered when you are finally able to relax or just after physical exertion.

For women, sensitivity to food substances can be much greater during premenstrual and menstrual days than at other times of the cycle. Entering into menopause can also increase sensitivity to migraine triggers. Many women who have never had migraines before develop them during menopause. In some cases however, menopause brings about a cessation of migraine headaches. Also, in general, birth control pills will increase the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.

Approximately one man for every four women will get migraine headaches. But, they do get them. Also, men are more prone to a form of migraine headache called cluster headaches. Some individuals consider cluster headaches to be far worse than migraine headaches, if you can imagine anything worse than that. Another name for cluster headaches is "suicide headaches". At one point, I did consider that might be my only option.

On the rare good day, I would have a couple of hours in the afternoon when I could actually do a little something. On some of those days, I would take myself to the library and check out everything I could find on headaches in general, migraines in particular, allergies, food sensitivities, stress and the like. All of my reading indicated that I should, first, focus my attention on foods.

When you suspect just about everything that you are eating of causing a migraine headache, it makes it a little hard to do food challenges. The first step in the challenge is elimination. You must stop eating the foods you suspect of causing a migraine for at least two weeks. Then one by one, add them back. Keep a migraine diary. In it, keep track of what you eat day by day, and a few notes about how you are feeling and what you did. For two weeks, I ate nothing but eggs, hamburger, apples, oatmeal and spinach. I drank nothing but water. After two weeks, I had significantly fewer migraines, but they did not go away all together. As it turned out, there was a stress factor to be dealt with, as well. Ideally, you should come to a point where you have no migraine headaches. Obviously, this method is easier to implement the more frequently you have migraine headaches, because you do not have to spend as much time in elimination before you come to a point where you are not having migraines.

Also, the fewer triggers you suspect, the longer period of time you can spend in eliminating them because your diet will not be too limited. Two weeks was about all the time I could manage on such a restricted diet. The point is to be as certain as you can that you are no longer having migraine headaches before adding back your suspected triggers.

A migraine can take up to 48 hours to develop after eating a trigger. So, ideally, you should add back one food for two days. Do this to be certain your body is aware of it. Also, some people can tolerate small amounts of a trigger, but not necessarily two days in a row. Then wait for three days before considering that food to be safe and adding a new food. If any of your suspects triggers a migraine, eliminate it from your life. I have a friend who knows that chocolate gives her a migraine headache, but she eats it anyway. Then she complains about the headache. I have never understood this. Except that she does use it as an excuse to stay home from work. Still, why would you purposely do something that you know causes you so much pain?

As mentioned previously, foods are not the only causes of migraine headaches. Most professionals agree that treatment of migraine headaches consists of: removing or modifying triggers; controlling exaggerated biological responsiveness and relieving the pain once manifest if it cannot be prevented.

Personally, I think the first two options are the best. For me, having migraines every day, it would have been seriously dangerous to take vasoconstrictors every day. As the name implies, they constrict your veins and arteries and thereby raise your blood pressure; sometimes dangerously. So, I concentrated on identifying and removing my triggers. In effect, this leads to the control of exaggerated biological responsiveness.

It is generally agreed that migraines are caused by cyclic dilation and constriction of the blood vessels. Basically, as I have come to understand it, what happens is that some food or environmental factor causes your vessels to dilate. This causes a drop in blood pressure which the body sees as unfavorable and so it constricts the vessels to compensate. But, the trigger is still present and so the vessels dilate again. This cycle will continue for a while until, essentially, the body gives up and leaves the vessels dilated. This is when the migraine headache occurs. The cycle may begin just as easily with constriction as with dilation. Just exactly why dilated vessels should be experienced as pain in some individuals is not yet totally clear.

As previously mentioned, foods are not the only triggers of migraine headaches. Emotional stress and physical exertion can also cause them. These can be a little harder to deal with. But I have found, once you break the cycle of migraine headaches, it becomes a lot easier to manage them. The cycle of them can be a lot like a Catch 22, or to paraphrase the neurologist, you get them because you've had them. That's where controlling the exaggerated biological responsiveness comes into play. I have found that by eliminating my triggers from my daily life, I can tolerate very small amounts of mushroom or corn products on a very infrequent basis.

If you determine that post-exertional letdown is a trigger for you, it is recommended that you pace your daily physical activities so that they are never too extreme. If you like to work out, consider doing it in two or three parts, rather than all at once. If you have a very physical job, consider changing it. I have had to extremely rearrange how I earn an income because of all my environmental triggers. And I understand that some of these decisions can be very difficult.

If emotional stress is one of your triggers, well that beggars the obvious. However, this might be one of the most difficult factors to manage. Quite often, emotional stress will lead to tension of the muscles in the neck, back and shoulders. This can lead to a tension headache, which can actually trigger a migraine headache in susceptible individuals. Migraines aside, eliminating stress from your life will lead to all around better health.

There are probably as many ways to deal with stress as there are people in the world. I found that changing my attitudes about certain things that stressed me was the most affective. I went from "worrying" about a meeting to "anticipating" a meeting. Changing your labels for things can be helpful. Waiting in line at the grocery store is not "a waste of time and could you all please hurry up", but a time to relax and do nothing but breathe for a little while.

If you can not get a handle on the emotional aspects of your stress, consider trying biofeedback training. This can help you to realize when you are tensing your muscles and to gain control over relaxing them. Also, it is proven that if a person can learn to selectively raise the temperature of their hands, they can short circuit the migraine. Some people have found yoga or meditation to be of benefit. I took the biofeedback route in conjunction with changing my labels and have never regretted the time or the expense.

I would like to add a few final notes. I gave up my dependency on pain killers. They can cause rebound headaches which can trigger migraine headaches. Do try to get regular physical exercise. It's wonderful for your health and can help reduce your level of stress. Laugh as much and as often as you can. Correct existing health problems such as high blood pressure and blood sugar disorders. Don't smoke. Eat at least four evenly spaced meals every day. Try to go to sleep at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Did I mention laugh?

Remember, nothing stays the same for long. Everything changes. It might seem bad right now, but it won't always be. Work toward positive changes. I'm still here and my life is good.

Oh, on the plus side, I took up a hobby that I could do at home. One that I could pick up and put down as my migraine headaches dictated. That was making jewelry. I have also become a much better cook because of my migraines. I had to eliminate so many foods that I could no longer eat out and if I wanted really yummy food, I had to make it. My husband has been grateful for this. Around every dark cloud, there is a silver lining.

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Migraines cure and remedies start from identification of particular symptoms for each individual. The symptoms define which type of migraine the person has.

Migraine is a common disease, affecting population across age groups worldwide. It is not transferable like some - a simple cold; it is not directly life-threatening. But the sickness has been one major reason for loss of productivity of the working populace. As such, migraines cure and remedies have been sought by individuals who suffer from this incapacitating disease.

One of the classic symptoms for migraine is an excruciating headache. For some individuals, this occurs like a pulsating motion in one side of the head. Other symptoms that a person may experience are nausea, sensitivity to light and movement. Some people may experience "aura" or visual disturbances as warning prior to migraine episodes. Auras may come in the form of shimmering lights, blind spots or zigzag lines in the field of vision. Migraines cure and remedies are used either to prevent these symptoms from occurring or to relieve the person from pains.

It is important to know that migraines cure and remedies do not, in fact, cure the person. Neither the vaccine nor the complete cure for migraines is still underway. Some of the pills recommended for migraines may also be used for other conditions that are similar to migraines such as ibuprofen or aspirin for simple headaches. Some of the known migraine medications are antidepressants, narcotic pain relievers and anticonvulsants. The intention of these medicines is to target the pain trails connected with migraine headaches.

What do migraine cures and remedy medications exactly do? Medicines with acetaminophen alleviate headache pains. Isometheptene minimizes the dilation of blood arteries that caused the blood flow changes in the brain. Specific medicines such as Rizatriptan or triptans help the person suffering during the migraine episodes. It does not thwart potential migraines from occurring. One may use Topiramate instead to stop migraine headaches from taking place.

There are two techniques employed by migraine cures and remedies. One is called abortive method wherein the aim is to relieve the migraine symptoms after it has occurred. The other one is called preventive method which is used to literally prevent the migraine symptoms from happening. Care should be taken when medications are taken. Because some may have adverse effects on the person. Migraine management is done in these two ways but not both at the same time.

Other way to round up management of migraines through migraine cures and remedies is trigger management. This means that the person may minimize the migraine occurrences by eliminating the effects of identified and specific trigger marks.

Migraine cures and remedies are effective method in handling migraine-associated symptoms at the onset or during a migraine episode. It is another matter which medications should be taken by the person. This is where the important medical diagnoses come to picture. As with any diseases, self-medication is not recommended. Thus, seek professional help when migraine attacks become severe or frequent in nature. They will help the person to know more about their symptoms as well as which medications or treatments they should pursue.

Agatha Green has been a migraine sufferer for years. On her website she unveils more than one year of research on migraines and how she managed to treat her own disease. For more great information on migraines cure, visit http://www.migrainestreatmentsecrets.com/.

Migraines are less common than tension-type headaches but represent a much larger health problem. In North America, about 1 in 5 females and 1 in 15 males suffer migraine attacks of varying frequency and severity. The condition is considered to be chronic if migraines are experienced for 15 days or more a month. Intense head pain is the hallmark of migraines but they are much more than this.

The migraine experience

There are five phases to a migraine attack. Victims of migraine may not experience every phase but will tend to experience the same phases each time.

The prodrome phase affects more than half of all migraine victims and precedes the headache phase by several hours or even days. Symptoms may include a dramatic change in mood, a heightened sensitivity to light, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea or any other significant change from normal well being. Every migraine victim, or migraineur as they are called, will experience their own particular symptoms. Recognizing the prodrome symptoms provides an opportunity for early abortive treatment.

The aura phase affects about 20% of migraineurs. The symptoms are neurological and can be quite frightening. They develop gradually over 5 to 20 minutes and usually last less than an hour. The aura phase is named after the most common type of symptom which is a disturbance of vision. This may involve flashing lights, dazzling zigzag lines, blurred, cloudy or shimmering vision, tunnel vision or even a zone of visual loss. Other symptoms include a tingling sensation moving from one hand up the arm and into one side of the face, auditory or olfactory hallucinations, vertigo, difficulty in communicating and hypersensitivity to touch. Migraines with an aura are referred to as classic migraines and those without an aura are called common migraines.

The pain or headache phase usually begins within an hour or so after the aura phase has ended. Head pain with migraines is much more intense than with tension-type headaches and at its worse can be almost unbearable. It typically occurs on one side of the head and tends to be a throbbing kind of pain. Other typical symptoms include nausea and vomiting and an abnormal, distressing sensitivity to light, sounds, smells and touch. Some sufferers may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, trembling, cold sweats or poor balance. The pain phase usually lasts between 4 hours and 3 days. Migraines are often made worse by physical activity and for many, a migraine attack is so debilitating that they are bed ridden during the pain phase.

The resolution phase occurs when the head pain gradually subsides over a period of several hours.

The postdrome phase has been called the migraine hangover phase. It can last as little as a few hours or as much as several days. During this time the migraine victim will feel tired and irritable, may have a queasy, sick stomach, have difficulty concentrating and may have sore muscles. Eventually even these symptoms subside as the body fully recovers.

What causes a migraine?

Although the exact cause of migraines has not been proven, the prevailing theory suggests that migraines are a genetically inherited neurological disorder involving the brain stem, the trigeminal nerve and the blood vessels on the surface of the brain.

Before the onset of pain there is a phenomenon call cortical spreading depression. CSD is a malfunction in the electrophysiology of the brain, in which a slowly expanding wave of depolarization depresses neurological activity over an area of the cortex. At the leading edge of the CSD there is a brief period of stimulated neuronal activity and this is thought to be the cause of the strange symptoms that occur during the aura.

At about the same time as the CSD occurs; parts of the brain stem become highly activated. This abnormal neuronal activity moves from the brain stem through the trigeminal nerve toward the blood vessels on the surface of the brain. Serotonin levels drop triggering the trigeminal nerve to release chemicals called neuropeptides. These cause the blood vessels to dilate and become inflamed which causes the intense pain.

This neurological disorder appears to be triggered by a multitude of environmental, dietary, and lifestyle conditions as well as hormonal changes and medications. Some triggers are fairly common but they can vary considerably between individuals. A change in estrogen level in the body is known to trigger a migraine which explains why more women suffer from migraines than men and why their migraines are often tied to their menstrual cycles.

Treatment and prevention of migraines

Migraines can not be cured and no medication exists at this time that is completely effective in relieving the symptoms. Living with migraines requires treatment to reduce symptoms during an attack and prevention to reduce the frequency of attacks. Some experimentation is needed to discover what works best for you. If you suffer from migraines you should seek professional medical help.

Your first priority should be prevention. It is easy to respond to a splitting headache but working to avoid the next headache takes a little dedication. Keep a diary and try to identify your headache triggers. Begin by researching and checking common triggers. Eliminating known triggers can be the most productive way to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Be more conscious of your health. Strive to maintain regular patterns for eating and sleeping and maintain a regimen of moderate exercise.

Medications called triptans are usually the first choice in treating migraines. They are designed to stop a migraine attack after the pain phase begins by stimulating serotonin to reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels. Triptans are effective in reducing the symptoms of typical migraines in the majority of patients but they may not work for unusually severe migraines. Triptans carry the risk of serious side effects and it taken too frequently will cause medication overuse headaches. They should not be used during pregnancy or if you have high blood pressure or a heart condition. They are an expensive medication for anyone not covered by a drug plan.

Aromatherapy - a complementary therapy

Few migraine sufferers are happy with results delivered by migraine medication alone and try alternative therapies to ease their discomfort. Aromatherapy is a good choice for a safe complementary therapy. Although some migraineurs with acute sensitivity to odors and touch can not use Aromatherapy, many have discovered that it delivers significant improvement in pain and nausea relief.

Several essential oils are effective in reducing headache pain but peppermint oil (menthe piperita) is the first choice. Clinical studies have shown that its analgesic effect is comparable to acetaminophen. It will also help to alleviate the nausea and can be used in conjunction with prescribed medications. Dilute a few drops of peppermint oil with carrier oil such as Jojoba or Almond and rub the blend into your temples, onto your forehead, or on the back of your neck at the hairline. Alternately you may inhale the peppermint by using a diffuser or a personal inhaler or by simply placing a few drops on a tissue.

Other essential oils worthy of consideration are Lavender, Rosemary, Roman Chamomile and Marjoram.

Ginger essential oil has been found to be very effective in reducing nausea and many find it to be very helpful during a migraine attack.

Migraines are a serious illness that can significantly disrupt your life. Always consult your doctor and try to find the treatment that works best for you.

You may find that Aromatherapy is an effective and safe complement to prescription migraine medication.

Marilyn Flook manages the Forever Fragrant website which promotes aromatherapy and natural products Tension-type headaches are less severe than migraines but they are much more common. Read how aromatherapy can ease the discomfort of tension-type headaches

The pain of a migraine headache is one of the most excruciating pains that can be felt. A migraine headache is different from a tension headache both in its cause and severity - often intensely throbbing and one-sided. Migraines affect approximately 8% of the Canadian population, females three times more frequently than males, and can cause huge losses in time spent away from work and pleasure. Migraine sufferers (migraineurs), also have to contend with nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivities to light and sound in addition to the throbbing pain. The headaches can last anywhere from hours to days; and many people end up in the emergency rooms looking for relief. Migraine headaches are vascular - small blood vessels in the brain expand and press on nerves causing the pain; whereas tension headaches are due to muscular contraction.

Although the treatment of migraine has advanced somewhat in recent years with the advent of abortive medications, there is still a huge amount of suffering. As usual, not enough time is spent on creating programs of prevention or alternative methods of treatment other than medication.

From a preventive aspect migraine headaches can be divided into 3 categories:


Allergies and intolerances
Stress
Hormonal
Some or all of the above


Migraines can be triggered by many different substances in the diet. Most commonly these are substances such as sulphites contained either naturally or as a preservative both in wine and some juices, particularly concentrated lemon and lime juice, as well as dried fruits. Here is a partial list of foods that might contain sulphites - check the labels - canned vegetables, pickled foods, dried fruit, potato chips, vegetable juices, grape juice, apple cider, fresh or frozen shrimp, guacamole, maraschino cherries, and dehydrated pre-cut or peeled potatoes. Sulphite-containing ingredients to look for on food labels include: Sulfur dioxide, Potassium bisulphite or potassium metabisulphite, sodium bisulphite, sodium metabisulphite or sodium sulphite.Monosodium Glutamate or MSG, a flavouring used in many prepared foods and often in Chinese food can also precipitate migraines as well as other symptoms. Migraines can also commonly be triggered by a substance known as tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid that is often present in larger quantities in aged cheese, fava or broad beans, sauerkraut, pickles, olives dark chocolate and red wine. Any fermented soy products may contain tyramine - for example miso, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce. Marmite® and Vegemite®, processed fish and meats containing nitrites (such as hot dogs), citrus fruits, and caffeine can also be suspect. Almost any food can precipitate a migraine - I have seen both wheat and diary very specifically bring on a migraine headache.
Stress can precipitate migraines as well. Sometimes however, migraineurs do not get their headache until after the stress is over. This paradoxical stress response is common. People with migraines often push themselves to do more than they can comfortably manage, and they do well during the stress itself, and the migraine comes on only after the stressful period is over.
The hormonal aspect of migraines is probably the most overlooked aspect. We know that the birth control pill can make migraines worse and that it can also precipitate migraines in those who have not suffered prior to taking it. There is a danger in taking the pill if you have migraine, especially if you have an 'aura' before the migraine comes on, as there is an increased likelihood of stroke in migraineurs with auras and those who take the birth control pill. Migraines can occur exclusively premenstrually, coming on 7-10 days prior to the beginning of the cycle, and then magically disappearing a few days after the cycle begins.
We all tend to look for a single cause for migraines or any illness for that matter, and more often than not it is a combination of factors that can precipitate any illness, and migraine is no exception. This makes prevention somewhat tricky. It means that you have to consider all of the above elements in prevention. As a start I would recommend the following.

The Bottom Line in Migraine Prevention


Diet - eliminate all processed foods and pay special attention to the foods listed above that contain tyramine, sulphites, and MSG. If nothing from this elimination helps, then next eliminate milk and dairy first, and then wheat, rye, oats, and barley (all gluten contain foods) from your diet. If you do this around the time of your expected migraine attacks, you should only have to eliminate these for 1-2 weeks before you know if they are having a negative impact. Do NOT eliminate these staple foods for any longer period without assistance from a health care practitioner.
Decrease stress through a regular relaxation/meditation program (as usual I recommend my "Learn to Unwind & Enjoy Your Life" CD available from Accessing Resources for Empwerment). Above all, migraineurs should pace their lives as much as possible, prevent stress and manage it well, rather than actually getting stressed and then having a migraine, if that is your pattern.
No migraineur should be on the birth control pill. If your migraines are related to your menses (i.e. they come on within a week of getting your period on a regular basis), and if they were ever absent during a pregnancy, you have a very good chance of preventing any further attacks by having a program developed by my father, Dr. Nevil Leyton of Harley St. London, UK, using a natural hormone called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). This treatment is 80% effective in preventing migraine in hormonally induced situations. More details can be found at Dr. Leyton's website in the 'free articles' section, scrolling down to the article "Migraine - a natural preventive treatment for the sufferer of hormonally related migraines". This treatment must be given by a physician.
Consider all of the above as possibilities as well as the following: The use of some herbs has been found helpful - as a preventive feverfew is one found in many health food and drug stores. Recently one vitamin and two notable antioxidants have been found to be useful in prevention. These are important new studies. Two studies have shown that taking a supplement called Coenzyme Q10 in doses of 180 mg/day can reduce attack frequency by 50%. Another study using riboflavin (Vitamin B2)at a dose of 400 mg daily can reduce attack frequency and severity by 50%. Both of these take from 1-3 months to take effect. Nobody has studied these two together, but they both act in the same area of the cell, so they may be synergistic. The other study shows that the antioxidant lipoic acid may have some potential benefit at 600 mg/day, but this is by no means conclusive. Side effects are non-existent in these new treatments.

For those interested in following this research the references to these are below.

Lancet(1942);1:488 Leyton, Nevil. Med. Press and Circ.(1944);11:302 Leyton, Nevil. A New Approach to the Treatment of Migraine.

Med. Press and Circ.(1951) 226:46 Leyton, Nevil

Migraine and Periodic Headache- A Modern Approach to Successful Treatment by Nevil Leyton MA, MRCS, LRCP. William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd.(1954 - 2nd edition)

Headache 2007 Jan;47(1):52-7 Lipoic Acid A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of thioctic acid in migraine prophylaxis

Neurology 2005 Feb 22;64(4):713-5.Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial.

Cephalalgia 2002 Mar;22(2):137-41.Open label trial of coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive. Rozen TD, Oshinsky ML, Gebeline CA, Bradley KC Young WB Shechter

Canadian Family Physician 2003 October;49:1291-3 High-dose riboflavin for prophylaxis of migraine Corinne Breen, MD Adrian Crowe, MD Heather J. Roelfsema, MD, MSC Inderpal Singh Saluja, MD Dale Guenter, MD, MPH

© 2007 Edward Leyton MD FCFP CGPP © 2007 Accessing Resources for Empowerment

There are four basic principles to health:
1. Good nutrition
2. Good exercise
3. Good thinking and emotional states
4. Good self-care

These embrace the mind, body and spirit of good health and well-being. This article and Dr. Leyton's monthly newsletter addresses one or more or more of these principles. These health tips are short and simple. All tips, where applicable, are based on quality research that is being done in the medical field.

You can subscribe to the free newsletter by signing up at http://www.arfe.ca You will see links throughout the newsletter to take you to more detail if you wish...or you can simply read what's there.

On this site Dr. Leyton also has many free articles as well as CDs and MP3s for your health benefits.

What causes migraines? And if you suffer from the unbearable pain of this debilitating condition, what is the top Migraine Treatment?

Throughout the world, about 20 million sufferers get a migraine headache each day. So, what causes migraines and how can we find the most effective migraine treatment? Following is a daily breakdown on the most common complaints of what causes migraines.

Most people who get migraine headaches claim that attacks are usually brought on by specific events. The number one cause of migraines for most people is the weather. Nearly 21%, or 4,200,000 of migraine sufferers say that changes in the weather bring on their headaches. This is one of the most prevalent reasons of what causes migraines.

The second most common reason of what causes migraines is missing a meal. Nearly 18%, or 3,600,000 individuals report that a migraine is likely if they skip a meal. (I suspect that one of the best migraine treatments for these people is to schedule their meals at regular intervals.)

Next on our list of what causes migraines is stress. Nearly 17%, or 3,400,000 sufferers claim that their migraines are brought on by stressful situations. And unfortunately, stress is much more common than it was in years past. And when you consider the terrible state of the world economy, it is no wonder people are stressed.

Alcohol is the next item on our list of what causes migraines. About 16% , or 3,200,000 people report alcohol as a contributing factor. And although I don't claim to be the brightest bulb, one of the easiest migraine treatments for these people is to eliminate alcohol from their diet... DUH!)

Food also plays a major roll in the list of what causes migraines. 15% , or 3,000,000 individuals mention food as a contributing factor. One of the best migraine treatments for this group is to keep a food diary. Carry a small notebook with you and make note of everything you eat and the effect it has. After a few weeks, you will probably see a pattern. If certain items bring on migraines, eliminate those items from your diet.

And finally, we come to the end of our list of what causes migraines. About 13% , or 2,600,000 women claim that their menstrual cycle is a major factor in what causes migraines for them. Most individuals suffer silently with migraines, believing that there are no valid treatments for this disabling condition. But that's not at all true. There are effective migraine headache cures available.

If you suffer from the disabling pain of migraines, there is hope. There are migraine treatments that can effectively eradicate migraine pain forever. The remedy that worked for me is called The Migraine Solution. It involves an easy, simple 3 step system. And if you've ever had a severe migraine headache, you appreciate how important a prompt remedy can be.

Using this simple 3 step system, people throughout the world have eliminated migraines from their lives forever. If you are afflicted by frequent migraine headaches, you know you need to do something. Isn't it time that you got rid of the disabling pain banished migraines forever?

If migraine headaches are a significant problem for you, check out this incredibly easy 3 step system. It is one of the best migraine treatments available. For more information, get all the details on this incredible Migraine Headache Cure.

What causes migraines is still somewhat of a mystery. Doctors believe that it has to do with the blood vessels in the head contracting and then expanding. This happens from time to time to most people, but with migraineurs this tends to be more intense and painful. The exact cycle of events taking place in our brains during a migraine attack is still not fully understood.

Why You Should Know Your Triggers

Knowing what triggers attacks is a major step towards preventing them. If you can avoid the triggers, then you can avoid the pain and suffering of the attacks, right? Well, not quite.

There are many possible triggers for migraines and they differ from one migraine sufferer to another. Sometimes you're not dealing with one single trigger at a time, but with a combination of potential triggers, which makes it all the more difficult to determine what exactly it is that you need to avoid.

Of course, knowing that something may trigger your migraine doesn't always mean you can avoid it. Some possible triggers, such as certain weather conditions, or certain times of the month for us ladies, may be unavoidable.

However, preventing even some of your potential migraine episodes can be a blessing. Every migraine avoided means less suffering and an enhanced quality of life. It won't mean that your migraines are cured, but that your condition becomes more manageable.

Possible Triggers of Migraine

The list is very long and if you're serious about identifying your own migraine triggers, you need to look at ideas from more than one website, as well as do some thinking of your own... I will try and list a few common triggers to get you going.

Food-Related Triggers

First of all, for many people, going without food can trigger a migraine. For some migraineurs skipping a meal is all it takes.

Cheese (especially the old smelly type), alcohol, nuts and alas, chocolate are the prime suspects in the food department. Also, anything that contains nitrates (such as sausage and hot dogs), Monosodium Glutamate and certain artificial sweeteners.

The Menstrual Cycle

Many female migraineurs report a correlation between their menstrual cycle and migraine episodes, often with migraines coming prior to, or during menstruation. Another fact that links migraines and female hormones is that many women no longer suffer from migraines once they reach menopause. For some migraine sufferers, though not all, pregnancy can bring about a change in the frequency and intensity of migraines.

Environmental Triggers

You may find it hard to avoid them, but for some people, environmental changes can trigger a migraine. Changes in temperature, humidity and barometric pressure are all potential migraine triggers. A change in altitude is also a possible trigger.

Stress and Depression

Blaming your mental state for migraines is a wee bit problematic. You see, for centuries, female migraineurs have been looked upon as sensitive, or even hysterical, women with a bad headache. Today, migraine is acknowledged as a serious neurological condition and patients are no longer "blamed" for their condition. The national Migraine Awareness Group (MAGNUM), takes special care in their website to stress that migraine is a purely physiological disorder and not a psychological one.

However, many other resources include stress and depression on the list of possible triggers. Some even go to say that a migraine maybe triggered by the end of a stressful situation, so that when it's time to relax - your body lets go... and gets hit with a migraine.

Keeping a Good Record

You may find it easy enough to identify what triggers a migraine for you. Maybe it's as simple as the date of the month, eating lots of chocolate, a spell of dry weather or skipping a meal. Or maybe that explains only some of your migraines, but not all of them.

If you're not sure what triggers your migraines, you may want to start keeping a record. Like a little migraine diary. Following a migraine, you will have to write down what happened during the 24 hours previous to the attack. Make sure you note your schedule for that day, what you had to eat, how much sleep you got, environmental conditions and your general state of mind.

A final note: Please remember that a good doctor is your best ally when it comes to diagnosing, preventing and treating migraines. The information contained in this article is for educational and entertainment purposes only. In no way is the author of this article engaged in providing medical advice via this article and she will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this article.

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About The Author

Anne Moss is a web developer and a freelance writer. She is also a migraine sufferer and the owner of Migraine-Notes.com. Visit her website for more articles about Migraines, Anne's migraines blog and personal stories by fellow migraineurs. This article may be reproduced on your website, provided that you keep this resource box and an active link to http://www.migraine-notes.com.