Saturday, September 11, 2010

Migraine

A migraine is a common type of headache that may occur with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light. In many people, a throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head.

Some people who get migraines have warning symptoms, called an aura, before the actual headache begins. An aura is a group of symptoms, usually vision disturbances, that serve as a warning sign that a bad headache is coming. Most people, however, do not have such warning signs.

Causes:

A lot of people get migraines -- about 11 out of 100. The headaches tend to first appear between the ages of 10 and 46. Occasionally, migraines may occur later in life in a person with no history of such headaches. Migraines occur more often in women than men, and may run in families. Women may have fewer migraines when they are pregnant. Most women with such headaches have fewer attacks during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

A migraine is caused by abnormal brain activity, which is triggered by stress, certain foods, environmental factors, or something else. However, the exact chain of events remains unclear.

Scientists used to believe that migraines were due to changes in blood vessels within the brain. Today, most medical experts believe the attack actually begins in the brain itself, where it involves various nerve pathways and chemicals. The changes affect blood flow in the brain and surrounding tissues.

Migraine attacks may be triggered by:

  • Alcohol
  • Allergic reactions
  • Bright lights
  • Certain odors or perfumes
  • Changes in hormone levels (which can occur during a woman's menstrual cycle or with the use of birth control pills)
  • Changes in sleep patterns
  • Exercise
  • Loud noises
  • Missed meals
  • Physical or emotional stress
  • Smoking or exposure to smoke

Certain foods and preservatives in foods may trigger migraines in some people. Food-related triggers may include:

  • Any processed, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods
  • Baked goods
  • Chocolate
  • Dairy products
  • Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • Foods containing tyramine, which includes red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and certain beans
  • Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus fruit)
  • Meats containing nitrates (bacon, hot dogs, salami, cured meats)
  • Nuts
  • Onions
  • Peanut butter

This list may not include all triggers.

True migraine headaches are not a result of a brain tumor or other serious medical problem. However, only an experienced health care provider can determine whether your symptoms are due to a migraine or another condition.


Symptoms:

Vision disturbances, or aura, are considered a "warning sign" that a migraine is coming. The aura occurs in both eyes and may involve any or all of the following:

  • A temporary blind spot
  • Blurred vision
  • Eye pain
  • Seeing stars or zigzag lines
  • Tunnel vision

Not every person with migraines has an aura. Those who do usually develop one about 10 - 15 minutes before the headache. However, it may occur just a few minutes to 24 hours beforehand. A headache may not always follow an aura.

Migraine headaches can be dull or severe. The pain may be felt behind the eye or in the back of the head and neck. For many patients, the headaches start on the same side each time. The headaches usually:

  • Feel throbbing, pounding, or pulsating
  • Are worse on one side of the head
  • Start as a dull ache and get worse within minutes to hours
  • Last 6 to 48 hours

Other symptoms that may occur with the headache include:

  • Chills
  • Increased urination
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Numbness, tingling, or weakness
  • Problems concentrating, trouble finding words
  • Sensitivity to light or sound
  • Sweating

Symptoms may linger even after the migraine has gone away. Patients with migraine sometimes call this a migraine "hangover." Symptoms can include:

  • Feeling mentally dull, like your thinking is not clear or sharp
  • Increased need for sleep
  • Neck pain

Treatment

There is no specific cure for migraine headaches. The goal is to prevent symptoms by avoiding or changing your triggers.

A good way to identify triggers is to keep a headache diary. Write down:

  • When your headaches occur
  • How severe they are
  • What you've eaten
  • How much sleep you had
  • Other symptoms
  • Other possible factors (women should note where they are in their menstrual cycle)

For example, the diary may reveal that your headaches tend to occur more often on days when you wake up earlier than usual. Changing your sleep schedule may result in fewer migraine attacks.

When you do get migraine symptoms, try to treat them right away. The headache may be less severe. When migraine symptoms begin:

  • Drink water to avoid dehydration, especially if you have vomited
  • Rest in a quiet, darkened room
  • Place a cool cloth on your head

Many different medications are available for people with migraines. Medicines are used to:

  • Reduce the number of attacks
  • Stop the migraine once early symptoms occur
  • Treat the pain and other symptoms

REDUCING ATTACKS

If you have frequent migraines, your doctor may prescribe medicine to reduce the number of attacks. Such medicine needs to be taken every day in order to be effective. Such medications may include:

  • Antidepressants such as amitriptyline
  • Blood pressure medicines such as beta blockers (propanolol) or calcium channel blockers (verapamil)
  • Seizure medication such as valproic acid, gabepentin, and topiramate
  • Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as venlafaxine
  • Selective norepinephrine uptake inhibitor (SNRIs) such as duloxetine

STOPPING AN ATTACK

Other medicines are taken at the first sign of a migraine attack. Over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin are often helpful, especially when your migraine is mild. If these don't help, ask your doctor about prescription medications. (Be aware, however, that overuse or misuse of such pain medications may result in rebound headaches.Chronic rebound headaches typically occur in people who take pain medications more than 3 days a week on an ongoing basis.)

Your doctor can select from several different types of medications, including:

  • Triptans -- the most frequently prescribed medicines for stopping migraine attacks -- such as almotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig)
  • Ergots such as dihydroergotamine or ergotamine with caffeine (Cafergot)
  • Isometheptene (Midrin)

These medications come in different forms. Patients who have nausea and vomiting with their migraines may be prescribed a nasal spray, suppository, or injection instead of pills.

Some migraine medicines narrow your blood vessels and should not be used if you are at risk for heart attacks or have heart disease, unless otherwise instructed by your health care provider. Ergots should not be taken if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, because they can cause serious side effects to an unborn baby.

TREATING SYMPTOMS

Other medications are primarily given to treat the symptoms of migraine. Used alone or in combinations, these drugs can reduce your pain, nausea, or emotional distress. Medications in this group include:

  • Nausea medicines such as prochlorperazine
  • Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
  • Sedatives such as butalbital
  • Narcotic pain relievers such as meperidine
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen

If you wish to consider an alternative, feverfew is a popular herb for migraines. Several studies, but not all, support using feverfew for treating migraines. If you are interested in trying feverfew, make sure your doctor approves. Also, know that herbal remedies sold in drugstores and health food stores are not regulated. Work with a trained herbalist when selecting herbs.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

love

What do you think about love? Do you believe in true love? Or love at first sight? Well, i believe in love. To me, love is something that can change you, something that'll make you do stupid things, something that you'll fight for, and most importantly, love is something beautiful. I believe true love always exist. If you tell me you don't believe in it, well, i think it's because you just havent met that meant-to-be person. Love, is very abstract,nobody can give the exact definition of love. So, i don't think you'll only discover the real meaning of love until you meet the right person that has the definition of love for you.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Composing~

Holidays so boring..besides watching tv and onlining, there is 1 more important thing to do! Trying to compose caklempong song..quite hard...but i'll try my best~cuz if you never try, u'll never know~hehe ^^ everything is possible! gambateh for the future!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Good job all choir members!

Today choir practice went so good~can't believe all the choir members are very committed! Almost all came to practice today!~and all of them can sing 2 pages of the song lightly row le~so nice...we predicted maybe need 2 weeks to finish this 2 pages~but just in 2 days,they can finish 2 pages!~!~good job everyone!!~
Dear all choir members, please continue your hard work! and remember to practice a lot!~i'm sure if you all continue like this, we can probably win the state choir o!!~ hahahaha~ good job! well done!~

My "Shui Mo Hua"


this is my drawing after one day "shui mo hua" camp at katolik.... nice leh~~i also think very nice~suddenly feel like me very geng~~hahaha~~i will continue practice and draw more~and next time i will post some nicer drawings~+ oil + oil!~

Friday, November 20, 2009

I love Saturdays~~

I can hear the tapping of rainwater on my roof..everything was still blurrr...suddenly! I remember something...Quickly, i opened my eyes and looked at my watch~it's already 9.55! I jumped out of bed and run down the stairs~the tv was switched on..luckily! Ben 10 haven start~if not, i'm really going to kill myself..so, i watched Ben 10 til 10.30 while eating my breakfast..then, i continue watching some anime on ntv7..cartoons and animes are always so nice~~that's why i like saturdays! because there will be lots and lots of nice cartoons and animes~so~don't disturb me on saturdays' morning! if u dunwan to make me angry!~

Thursday, November 19, 2009

So sad~

It's almost end of 2009 le.. means I'm going to be form 5 next year le.. my responsibilities also increase le..so many things i have to do next year...so many...however, i can't be selfish and just use reasons to escape from my responsibilities.. this is what i sign up for.. and i'm going to do it until the end..no matter what happens..this year had been like a roller coaster..going up and down..so many dissapointments and rage..but of course happiness at the same time...especially in choir and caklempong..we had so much fun..i bet next year too..to every true friend of mine, i thank you all for giving me all this fun experiences..let's fight together for our better future and happiness!!!!~ XD