Migraine is not usually seen as a friend. In the U.S., more than 28 million Americans are migraineurs, suffering regularly from visual and aural disturbances. They usually suffer from an accompanying, excruciating headache as well. How could such a thing be termed a friend?

Despite the pain and inconvenience, migraines have been shown to have benefits – at least to women. Recent studies (early 2007) by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland show that there is a sense in which migraines can be a friend to women, though not to men.

Migraine and Women

The Johns Hopkins study, carried out with 1,448 women over a period of 12 years, indicated that migraines could reduce memory loss in women. Researchers administered a series of thinking tests to the women over the 12-year period. The assessments were word-recall tests. They were designed to show how well the memory was performing.

At first, the migraineurs performed worse than others who did not suffer from migraines. Something unexpected happened, however. By the end of the study, the decline in the migraine patients’ ability to recall words was 17-percent less than that of the women who did not suffer migraine. Migraine patients who were more than 50-years old showed the least amount of memory loss.

Migraine and Men

On the other side of the coin, it seems that migraine may not be such a good friend to men. Another new study suggests that they can lead to increased risk for heart disease in men, and can be very detrimental to an aging man’s heart.

This study was done by researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. They asked 20,084 men who had no previous history of heart disease to answer questions detailing their cardiovascular health over 24 years. The questions inquired into heart problems like stroke, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, and angina. The researchers found that men who reported migraine episodes during the first 5 years of the study were more likely to suffer heart disease or heart attack later. According to their findings, out of every 10,000 men without migraines, only 8.5 reported heart disease. Out of 10,000 men who had experienced migraines, 10.4 had some form of heart disease.

This study, the researchers say, indicates that migraines in men could be linked to two additional risk factors for heart disease: high body mass indexes and artherosclerosis.

Visual migraine. What is it? The term seems to imply that it is one of those excruciating headaches that remove you from circulation for 3 or 3 days. A visual migraine may not do that, however. It may occur without headache.

Visual migraine is probably responsible for many of the wonderful events and descriptions of the classic children’s book, Alice in Wonderland. In one scene, Alice sees things on shelves, but they are always moving. They keep slipping into her peripheral vision. When she tries to look at something directly, it suddenly “moves” to a shelf above or below, or off to the side.

Shimmering Light of a Visual Migraine

Visual migraine is a temporary visual disturbance without the headache of a migraine. A visual migraine is caused by a vascular spasm in the sufferer’s brain. While this may be true of other migraine, this spasm results in decreased blood flow to the part of the brain associated with vision.

Visual migraine often manifests itself with a sensation of a shimmering light in the peripheral vision. The light might be described like sunlight on a glassy ocean or lake. Others might say it resembles heat waves rising from a hot road.

With the shimmering light of visual migraine may come other light - flashing and pulsating light. This, too, is in the peripheral vision. Direct vision seems not to be affected.

Blurred, Distorted Vision of a Visual Migraine

With the lights, the person may notice that his or her vision is blurred, probably on one side or the other. The lights are within the blur. This kind of blurred vision is called a positive scotoma. The word “scotoma” means blind spot. It is called positive because there is something happening inside the blind spot of a visual migraine.

Duration of Visual Migraine

A visual migraine usually lasts only 10 to 30 minutes. It goes away, and although it is followed by a mild headache in about half of sufferers, the other half experience no headache at all.

Treatment of Visual Migraine

No treatment is needed for visual migraine. Usually, visual migraine is triggered by stress or fatigue. In women, it may also be triggered by changing estrogen levels.

CAUTION: On rare occasions visual migraine is associated with other, more serious problems. Please consult your physician or ophthalmologist when symptoms such as the above occur.

Treatment for migraine is commonly by prescription if you seek the help of a physician, but many people prefer not to use prescription medications unless absolutely necessary. For them, self treatment for migraine is a better option.

Possible Self Treatment for Migraine

If you decide on self treatment for migraine, you have a number of options.

1. Dark Room Treatment

Sometime a mild episode will respond to a treatment for migraine as simple as lying down in a quiet, darkened room. If you can sleep, it is even more helpful.

2. Ice Treatment

A second self treatment for migraine that is effective for a surprisingly larger number of migraineurs is to apply an ice pack to the head. The ice will cause dilated blood vessels to become smaller, lessening the pressure on sensitive nerves.

3. Herbal Treatment

Try an herbal remedy as your self treatment for migraine. “MiGone Plus” is an herbal remedy that we reviewed elsewhere on this blog site. To read our review, click on the “MiGone Plus” button above, under the picture of the male migraine sufferer. An herbal remedy may restore your body’s normal functions, restoring balance and giving pain relief.

4. Aromatherapy Treatment

Aromatherapy is a self treatment for migraine that has given relief to many people. Migraines often are related to stress. Aromatherapy helps reduce stress, thereby allowing blood vessels to return to their normal state. Pressure on nerves in the head is relieved, and the headaches go away. Lavender is especially noted for relieving migraines. Read our review of “Lavender Love” at the top of the page. You can reach the review by clicking here, or on the button under the red header.

5. Mineral Treatment

Magnesium is another natural treatment for migraine. Magnesium is important in your diet, and can be instrumental in causing migraine when levels of the mineral dip too low. Magnesium maintains blood vessel tone, a vital part of any treatment for migraine. Natural health stores sell magnesium in tablet, capsule, or powder form. Ask your doctor for advice on the amount of magnesium you should take.

6. Riboflavin Treatment

Riboflavin, also called Vitamin B2, is highly recommended as an alternative treatment for migraine. Clinical studies show that Vitamin B2 gave ongoing Migraine Relief.

7. Over-the-Counter (OTC) MedicationYou may get relief from an OTC medication. This self treatment for migraine controls the pain for many, even if it does not totally alleviate it. Look for pain relievers such as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

If you are pregnant, be sure you ask your health care professional before using any self treatment for migraine. All migraine sufferers should seek professional care if headaches are intense or frequent.