What Causes Migraine Headaches?
by Anna Hart
Filed under Causes of Migraine Headaches, Featured Content
Migraine headaches cause extreme suffering for many people globally. The pain can be excruciating, the nausea and other effects overwhelming. Migraines create throbbing pain that takes over the entire head, causing hundreds of thousands of lost work days every year.
Because of their severity, migraines lead many people to voice the question, “What is the cause of migraine headaches?”
The Physicians’ Answer
Physicians are not entirely sure what the cause of migraine headaches is. They believe the condition may stem from the nervous system’s reaction to changes in the body or in the environment. They have observed that family history plays a big part as a cause of migraine headaches.
Migraine Triggers
Most physicians believe that, rather than a cause of migraine headaches, there are migraine triggers. Each person has his or her individual triggers that can set a migraine in motion.
* Alcohol
* Weather change
* Temperature change
* Caffeine
* Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* Sunlight or glare
* Hormones
* Sleep loss
* Stress
* Medications
* Etc.
Migraine Treatments
While the cause of migraine headaches may not be specific, many treatments are available to sufferers.
* Prescription medications. A common treatment for women is hormone therapy. Other medical treatments include anti-depressants, ergots, midrins, and analgesics.
* Natural Treatments. Those who prefer not to take medications may opt for stress management, acupuncture, or herbal remedies.
Whatever the cause of migraine headaches, it is important to get advice from your health care professional about treating your migraines.
Hi there, my name is Ciro and I’m 22 years old!
I have been having this strong migraine sinnce November-Dicember. Before it was only sometimes during the week, now from two months already it comes regularly everyday. It’s not fun at all, it comes when I less expect, and it doesn’t seem to happen at the same time-frame everyday. One day I get it in the morning, the other in the afternoon, or even in the evening, sometimes even altogheter. My migraine takes place on my left side, always the left side, and it expands on the left side like mmh imagine a rader with the circular waves, that’s it, that is a good example, it’s so strong I can’t think of anything else. Rarely sometimes is followed by a headhache. I don’t exactly know what the cause is. However, I have a couple of guess. It could be because of stress (I’m currently going through the process of the uscis) or alimentary migraine, since I eat kind of bad sometimes, but it hurts, and I don’t know what to do. I went to the Doctor who said it was a sinus infection and gave me antibiotic. However, nothing changed, actually it got worse. Could somebody please help me?
Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called “fight or flight” response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms associated with migraine attacks; for example, the increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.