What is migraine and how to treat it. Frequent migraine attacks: symptoms, causes, how to relieve? Certain foods

Most often, a migraine is an excruciating headache and poor general well-being. The disease is characterized by various neurological disorders:

• intolerance to loud noise;
• vomit;
• or nausea.

It is almost impossible to completely get rid of migraine symptoms, but they can be made less pronounced. Treatment also improves well-being and reduces pain in the skull.

Migraine is a chronic disease with exacerbations. With an illness, pain is observed in the orbital-temporal region. Intense headache has periodic repetitions and is accompanied by general weakness and drowsiness. Patients suffer from phono and photophobia - they cannot tolerate loud sounds and light. The disease is complicated by psychological problems - patients are in constant fear that they are about to be overtaken by a migraine attack. It is noticed that the development of migraine can be triggered by the genetic characteristics of the body and heredity.

Causes of migraine

The disease is quite common, as medical practice shows. According to current medical statistics, about 14% of the world's population suffers from migraines. A migraine attack at least once bothered about 80% of people. The representatives of the weaker sex most often complain of a headache. Doctors claim that pregnancy and hormonal changes in the body affect the occurrence of seizures. With the onset of menopause, many women migraine disappears.

Some people have seizures more often than others. The development of migraine is purely individual. The mechanism of development of the disease is a strong vasospasm. With it, a large number of neuropeptides enter the bloodstream. Substances together with serotonin cause stretching of the vascular walls. There is severe pain in the frontal part and temples.

The main causes of migraine are:

• pathology of the trigeminal nerve;
• hereditary predisposition;
• instability of the emotional background;
• severe stress;
• change in weather conditions;
• improper diet;
• the presence of chronic diseases.

Migraines can be triggered by eating citrus fruits, foods high in sodium glutamate, chocolate, and caffeinated drinks. The feeling of hunger, as practice shows, also provokes the appearance of a headache. You should not take a long break between snacks, so as not to overtake an attack.

In women, the use of certain hormonal pills, as well as the presence of menstruation, can cause headaches. PMS is often the main cause of female migraines.

Especially often headache occurs in people who are prone to melancholy and have low stress resistance. To overcome a migraine, you should stabilize your emotional background and be a mentally stable person. Headache often occurs against the background of various neurological disorders, neurosis, depression.

Seizure symptoms

Usually a migraine is preceded by a certain condition. Poor health is expressed in the flickering of flies before the eyes, the appearance of flashes of lightning. Sometimes there are visual hallucinations or vision is lost. There are general weakness of the body, a feeling of chills, goosebumps, problems with speech. Vegetative symptoms include:

• strong heartbeat;
• dizziness;
• flies in the eyes;
• noise in ears;
• sweating;
• respiratory failure;
• tingling or burning in the limbs.

This condition is medically referred to as an "aura". Similar health problems are further accompanied by a severe headache. The attack itself takes place in several stages. Initially, the prodromal stage develops, after which an aura occurs, which is accompanied by a headache.

The prodromal stage of migraine can begin to develop a day before an acute headache. It also includes drowsiness, loss of working capacity, fatigue, change in the thought process, the occurrence of dizziness. All these neurological features indicate problems in the work of blood vessels. The symptoms are non-specific, so it is difficult to associate them with an oncoming migraine. However, if the aura is repeated repeatedly and is accompanied by pain in the temporal part of the skull, then one should think about the approach of an attack.

Pain during a migraine can change its location. The disease is characterized by throbbing excruciating pain. It can start in one temple and spread to the forehead. Over time, the pain increases.

The main manifestation of the disease is the patient's inability to endure high-pitched loud sounds and bright lights. They further increase the pain in the cranium and provoke a deterioration in well-being. Painful sensations are often accompanied by dryness in the oral cavity, chills, fever, impaired urination. In some cases, the patient may faint or experience pre-syncope. Health problems bring a lot of discomfort and discomfort to a person. The headache becomes very painful and can last for about 3 days.

Headache can also be accompanied by digestive disorders and stool disorders. Even after an attack, the body needs a lot of time to restore its functions and strength. Migraine is not only painful, but also has an extremely adverse effect on all human systems.

When a headache begins to develop and weakness appears, you should comfortably sit in a soft comfortable chair, relax and perform a light head massage. Massage the forehead, temples, back of the head, neck. An ice bubble is required to be placed on the skull. The cold will help constrict dilated blood vessels. A crumpled cabbage leaf is placed on the problem area. Its juice will help relieve pain. It is also necessary to drink sweet strong tea or coffee.

The above method is quite safe and can be used to eliminate migraines even during pregnancy. It is useful to learn some effective technique of complete relaxation and use relaxation during an attack. In a critical situation and pain that does not go away, you should take a pill for a headache. During pregnancy, you can use Paracetamol, which is non-toxic.

Treatment with physiotherapy

There are various approaches to headache therapy. Non-drug treatment includes:

• physiotherapy (ultraviolet exposure, diadynamic current, circular shower);
• laser therapy;
• psychological trainings and psychotherapy;
• massage;
• correction of nutrition and mode;
• acupuncture;
• hirudotherapy;
• pine baths.

Physiotherapy is of particular importance in the elimination of migraine attacks. This approach has a beneficial effect on the entire body of the patient. Various methods are based on biocommunication. Physiotherapy helps to stabilize the tone of blood vessels.

Hydrotherapy procedures in the form of various baths help to eliminate migraines. Their therapeutic effect is to eliminate vasospasm, completely relax the body, and calm the central nervous system. Baths for migraine should be used for a long course and do not skip procedures. It is necessary to draw warm water into the bath - 38 degrees. It has a powerful antispasmodic effect. With a severe headache, you can take a bath, wash your hair and direct the shower jet to your head, massaging it. You can add to the bath:

• decoction of calamus rhizomes;
• decoction of cones and branches of pine or cedar;
• sage;
• motherwort;
• nettle;
• primrose;
• seaweed;
• lavender oil;
• sea ​​salt.

To prepare a bath, you need to prepare a decoction in advance. The raw materials must be crushed and brewed with boiling water, let it brew, and then pour into a bath of warm water. It takes about fifteen minutes to take a water procedure with complete relaxation of the muscles.

Massage and self-massage is another way to get rid of pain in the temporal and frontal parts of the head. If you intensively massage your fingers, the pain will begin to pass. You should start the movement with the thumb, and end the massage with the little finger. You can also massage the “collar” zone, the back of the head, forehead, temples with circular smooth movements. Massage improves blood microcirculation and relieves vascular spasm.

Mimic gymnastics helps well with migraines. It helps to relax the necessary muscles and relieve pain. Perform facial exercises for migraine should be as follows:

• raise your eyebrows and relax them;
• raise alternately the left / right eyebrow and lower;
• wrinkle the nose and then relax the nostrils;
• yawn widely, slowly opening your mouth;
• close your eyes and turn the apples of your eyes under your eyelids;
• open your mouth and move your jaw;
• twist the faces.

After gymnastics, you should completely relax. You can take a pill for a headache - the main thing is to be completely calm. Various relaxation techniques and yoga are good for migraines.

With a headache, an ice compress or a heating pad can be applied to the problematic part. This will help relieve the spasm. Ice eliminates the rush of blood to the head vessels and stabilizes the blood flow.

Acupuncture is a technique that many people use to treat migraines. The procedure must be performed by a reflexologist. Acupuncture contributes to the complete relaxation of the necessary areas on the human body, which eliminates headaches. Stimulation of the body with needles is an effective method of treating psycho-neurological disorders and migraines. The needle stimulates nerve impulses, the work of the central nervous system, the production of endorphins and hormones. Acupuncture is not dangerous and brings great help to the human body, relieving nervous tension.

Hirudotherapy is a method that is often used for hypertension and headaches. Leeches stimulate blood production, change its composition and improve it by releasing useful substances into the bloodstream. After a course of hirudotherapy, patients notice a noticeable improvement in well-being, normalization of sleep and blood pressure, stabilization of the pulse, disappearance of headaches. However, hirudotherapy should be used 2 times a year.

Laser treatment of migraine is carried out using a special device. Laser radiation neutralizes a paroxysmal attack, which is caused by a local disturbance of blood microcirculation in the head vessels. The laser acts on certain areas and relieves pain. Irradiation of the cervical vessels helps to eliminate congestion in the blood and stabilize the patient's condition.

Medical therapy

Taking some medications will help to eliminate the headache during an attack. To do this, take:

• means - serotonin agonists;
• ergot alkaloids;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• analgesics.

Take the pill should be at the first sign of the onset of an attack. Directly with the development of a headache, Ibuprrofen, Naproxen, Analgin are taken. To eliminate nausea, take Cerucal, Metoclopramide, Domperidone. The combined remedy Askofen includes caffeine, which is a good pain reliever. If the patient has vomiting, then a rectal suppository with an analgesic is inserted into the anus. For this purpose, you can use Voltaren suppositories.

In a situation where analgesics do not have the desired therapeutic effect, triptans are taken. These medicines include:

• Zomig;
• Sumamigren;
• Naratriptan;
• Imigran;
• Ergotamine;
• Nomigren.

Various preventive measures are used to prevent an attack and stabilize blood pressure. It is necessary to take adrenoblockers, which stabilize blood pressure and prevent vasodilation. For this purpose, the doctor may also prescribe antidepressants, anticonvulsants, calcium channel blockers. As an adjunctive therapy, medicines are used:

• Amitriptyline;
• Topiramate;
• Prozac;
• Anaprilin;
• Cordaflex;
• Corinfar.

The use of prophylactic drugs should be kept to a minimum. The choice of the necessary medication in the treatment of migraine should be carried out by the attending physician. With an unbearable headache, medication and alternative treatment should be used in combination.

Folk remedies for migraine

There are several ways to reduce headaches:

1. Attach lemon or onion slices to the temples of the head. Hold until the pain disappears.
2. Put a cabbage leaf compress on the problem area, bandage your head.
3. Inhale the mixture of apple cider vinegar and water (bring the product to a boil and inhale the steam for a few minutes).
4. Inhale the aroma oils of lavender, pine, lemongrass.
5. At the beginning of the attack, drink the juice of raw potatoes.
6. Take a bath with valerian root infusion.
7. Make a hot mustard bath for your feet.
8. Put a swab soaked in the juice of raw onions or beets into the ear.

To prevent an attack and deterioration of well-being, it is recommended to regularly take decoctions and tinctures from medicinal herbs. Medicinal plants have long been used in the treatment of migraine. These infusions were not neglected by aristocrats and royalty. Some effective recipes for migraine treatment with herbs have survived to this day.

Helps get rid of headaches spinach and dandelion. Raw materials should be mixed in equal parts, brewed and drunk in a third of a cup three times a day. The juice of blueberries, black currants and carrots helps to stabilize the work of blood vessels.

With a migraine attack, you can take this remedy: break a chicken egg into a glass with hot milk removed from the fire and drink the resulting cocktail.

Daily use of coltsfoot decoction has a positive effect on the functioning of the vessels of the brain. The plant has the desired therapeutic effect and triggers the necessary mechanisms in the body to relieve headaches. For relaxation with migraines, decoctions of valerian, lemon balm, viburnum, clover are used. You can take a decoction of dogwood, wild rose and mountain ash.

Video: treatment of a migraine attack

Headaches are a real scourge of people, because life is filled with constant nervous and physical tension, chronic stress, etc. etc. But migraine occupies a special place, because an attack of this pain in the head lasts from several hours to several days and the usual pills for it do not help.

The very word "migraine" in translation means "half of the head" and this explains the localization of the problem - a person experiences excruciating pain in exactly half of the skull. To manage a migraine, it is important to know the causes of this pain and the types of treatment.

Causes

Migraine is caused by vascular disorders, which consist in the fact that the walls of the vessels, due to which the brain is supplied with blood, expand and compress the surrounding nerve cells. It is also believed that a significant role in the formation of a migraine attack in the activation of the nucleus of the trigeminal nerve.

In different cases, psycho-emotional overload, excessive physical activity, smoking, hormonal disorders and a sudden change in weather can lead to the appearance of a migraine in general.

Some foods can also cause short-term vascular disorders - cheese, chocolate, red wine, etc.

migraine symptoms

In general, a migraine is a throbbing and gradually increasing headache, often localized in only one half of the head and accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and even chills.

It happens that people notice photophobia and aversion to loud sounds, as well as the flickering of flies before their eyes, halos around luminous objects and drowsiness.

Migraine is divided into three types with slightly different attack symptoms:

1. classic migraine- is distinguished by the appearance of the so-called aura, which refers to a number of signs of migraine, noticeable a few minutes or days before the attacks. Violated vision, concentration, mental activity. And then there is a throbbing pain in one part of the head with a feeling of nausea. Within an hour, the pain reaches a peak, blanching or redness of the skin is noted.
2. Common migraine- there is no neurological aura, but there are changes in the emotional background: irritation, aggression, or vice versa, euphoria. Often this is hunger or drowsiness. Then there is pain in the frontal, temporal or occipital part of the head, the attack most often occurs at night or in the morning and lasts up to 18 hours.
3. Associated migraine- combines all of the above symptoms, with the connection of more serious pathological neurological conditions. This may include paralysis of facial or visual muscles, mental failures, etc.

How to quickly relieve pain

As soon as it becomes clear that, it is advisable to immediately remove all irritating factors from the nearest space (strong odors, bright light, etc.), and, if possible, go to a quiet and dark ventilated room, taking the medicine. This may be a drug or one of the traditional medicine, which will be described below.

Next, you need to tightly tie a towel around your head, make a cold compress on your head and try to fall asleep, or stay lying with your eyes closed. So a migraine attack can end quickly, before reaching its painful peak.

Massage for migraine

Since migraine is based on squeezing certain parts of the brain with dilated vessels, you can try to relieve this physical tension with the help of massage. In this case, it is advised to use essential oils - especially oils of lavender, mint and rosemary, which show high efficiency in such cases.

Additionally, it is indicated to massage not only the head and the temple area, but also to touch the neck.

Classic massage

The simplest massage can relieve a migraine attack in a few minutes, especially in its early stages. For it, you need to sequentially perform the following manipulations:

• fold your palms one on top of the other, place them on your forehead and perform 40 hand movements from side to side, i.e. left-right;
• place the palms on both sides of the head so that the thumbs are next to the ears. Make 40 movements with your hands up and down;
• put the palms on the back of the head so that they touch with the little fingers and the edges of the hands massage the back of the head in the direction from the bottom up;
• with your thumbs, press on the temples, closing your eyes, for 1 minute;
• squeeze your head with your palms on both sides and maintain this position for 30 seconds;
• press immediately with both thumbs on the place between the eyebrows for 15-20 seconds.

Acupressure

With the right impact on certain points, a migraine attack can end very quickly - it is recommended to insert your thumbs into your ears and press on the tragus in the direction from the inside forward, and then slightly up towards the eyes.

Press, release and repeat 3 times with an interval of 1-2 minutes. It is believed that this massage can relieve not only migraines, but also headaches of any origin.

Acupuncture massage for migraine

As a result of a number of studies, it was found that acupuncture point effects on certain neurons can cure migraines. Acupuncture stimulates or irritates the nerve endings that are responsible for pain and the levels of important substances in the blood, the lack of which can lead to an attack.

Acupuncture massage can both remove attacks and act on the cause of migraine in the period between them. But only a proven specialist should do it, otherwise the procedure may worsen the condition.

Therapeutic baths

Since migraine is largely associated with nervous overstrain, such a relaxing procedure as a bath can help to eliminate it. It can both reduce the clinical manifestations of migraine and accelerate its end.

Noticeable effectiveness is shown by adding mustard to baths in any of its forms according to the following methods:

• with mustard powder- dilute a handful of powder in water to the state of gruel and dilute it in a bathtub filled with comfortable water. Take a bath for 10 minutes.
• with mustard seeds- pour 2 large spoons of raw materials with 2 cups of water, add 1 large spoon of dry sage herb and leave for half an hour. Then add to bath.
• with mustard oil- Add 10 drops to a mug of warm water and shake the mixture in some other closed container. Then add the composition to a warm bath.

Important! If mustard is too irritating to the skin of the body or causes allergies, as a replacement option, you can use an infusion of lemon balm or chamomile, citrus oils, or even ordinary (or flavored sea salt). These components will also help.

Compresses

With migraine, compresses with contrasting properties are shown, since they act on the vessels in the necessary way. You can simply soak towels in hot and cold water and put one on your forehead and the other under the back of your head and change places every two minutes. So you need to do 6 times in a row, after which the migraine attack should noticeably recede.

In addition, slices of raw potatoes, a raw cabbage leaf, or aloe leaves cut lengthwise can be applied to the forehead and temples, securing them with a plaster and a bandage on top. And another folk recipe for a migraine compress is a fabric soaked in infusion of oregano.

Herbal decoctions and infusions

Traditional medicine is inseparable from the use of various herbal infusions and decoctions. Helps well with migraines oregano- it can be used not only for compresses, but also as a decoction for oral administration. If migraine attacks occur frequently, it should be drunk daily three times a day (according to the instructions on the package) until the condition is relieved.

To prevent an attack in case of signs that foreshadow it, a drink from black tea brewed together can with raspberry leaves and stems.

Helpful and soothing teas from chamomile, motherwort, hawthorn, valerian- individually or as part of a collection.

Another option is alcohol. infusion of walnut partitions. It must be taken 1 large spoonful before meals for 25 days for the infusion to be effective.

Contraindications for migraine

To prevent migraine treatment from being in vain, it is important to know what is prohibited in the case of this problem. The main contraindications here include alcohol intake and smoking, as well as the consumption of dark chocolate and cheese, because all this is nothing more than provoking factors.

Lack of sleep and overwork are also prohibited.

Other effective treatments

One of the most effective folk methods is considered decoction of garlic in milk- to prepare it, you need to chop 10 cloves of garlic, pour them with 50 ml of milk, heat to a boil, hold on fire for a couple of minutes, then cool and strain. The finished product must be instilled into each ear a few drops, holding it there for a minute and pouring it out.

Another recipe with milk includes a chicken egg. It must be broken into a mug and poured with boiling milk, stirring gently and immediately drunk in small sips. Within a week, such a remedy should be consumed in one serving, and the disease will recede.

You can also do acetic vapor inhalation. To do this, mix a mug of water and natural apple cider vinegar, put the mixture on fire and wait for steam to appear. And then you need to tilt your head over the container with the finished composition and carry out inhalation.

Effective Medicines

Migraine treatment at home can only consist of taking medications. It is important to consider that the usual painkillers are ibuprofen, no-shpa and. etc., in case of migraine are useless.

The most effective drugs are those from the triptan group - Sumatriptan, Frovatriptan, Zomig, etc. And with mild migraines, analgesics such as Tempalgin and Citramon can help, but it is important to drink them at the very beginning of an attack. In extreme cases, take Midrin or Dihydroergotamine.

Migraine Prevention

Migraine is not a one-time problem, so it makes sense to take steps to prevent it from occurring or significantly reduce the frequency of attacks.

If you remove “dangerous” products in this case from the diet - fast food, smoked meats, sausages and seafood, as well as give up alcohol and normalize the daily routine, migraines will appear less frequently. In parallel, you need to switch to fractional nutrition and take vitamins.

Avoiding stressful situations through conscious control of emotions or meditation techniques, as well as avoiding the use of products with a rich smell in everyday life, are very important preventive measures.

The same applies to sources of noise and light - they must be minimized so as not to provoke seizures.

It should also be taken into account that a sharp change in climate (choice of a place to rest) can cause an exacerbation of migraine. In order for this not to happen and the rest is not spoiled, it is worth taking. These are effective pills for jet lag, insomnia and migraines, based on herbal ingredients.

Migraine is a neurological disease. More than 10% of the world's population suffer from this disease. Women are more prone to migraines than men. The frequency of migraine attacks is different: from several times a year to daily. But most often the attacks appear 2-8 times a month.

During an attack, a person loses his ability to work, and since it is impossible to predict the moment of its manifestation, the patient’s ability to fulfill his labor duties fully is called into question. This fact necessitates the establishment of the patient's disability.

There are two types of the disease: migraine with aura and ordinary migraine.

Aura is a harbinger that appears 10-30 minutes before an attack. During this period, the patient may experience flickering in the eyes, vision partially disappears, sensitivity is lost. Migraine with aura is considered classic.

With classic migraine (with aura), acute throbbing pain can be localized both in one half of the head, and in both. At the same time, there are:

• intolerance to light and sounds;
• nausea or even vomiting;
• state of fatigue, drowsiness;
• general weakness;
• visual impairment: flashes of light, bright spirals, zigzags, etc. flash before the eyes.

The above symptoms worsen within a few minutes. But none of them last longer than an hour.

The symptoms of a common migraine are:

• paroxysmal throbbing headaches lasting from four hours to three days. Moreover, the pain is localized in one side of the head;
• decrease in activity;
• light-, sound-phobia;

Causes

The main causes of migraine are:

• hereditary predisposition;
• stress;
• nervous and physical overload of the body;
• hormonal disruptions. This category also includes the effect on the body of hormonal contraceptives;
• atmospheric pressure fluctuations;
• lack or excess of sleep;
• food and alcohol;
• impaired blood supply to the brain due to vasoconstriction;
• uneven expansion of cerebral vessels;
• disorders of the central nervous system;
• metabolic dysregulation.

At-risk groups

1. Residents of large cities fall into the risk group, because here a person often finds himself in stressful situations. People who live in rural areas are less prone to migraine due to a calm, measured lifestyle.
2. A typical migraine patient is an ambitious person who is trying with all his might to move up the career ladder.
3. Emotionally unstable and depressed people.
4. People with diabetes, smokers, taking high doses of estrogen.
5. Children with both parents suffering from migraine.

comforting news

But these are all external or physiological reasons. Recently, medical scientists from France decided to use the reverse method to study what changes in the brain occur during a migraine attack. As a result of research, they found increased activity of the hypothalamus during a migraine attack.

The hypothalamus is an area of ​​the brain that occupies 5% of its total mass. Despite such a small size, the hypothalamus regulates the entire endocrine system of the body. The hypothalamus receives all the information about the activity of the cardiac and respiratory systems. It is in it that the centers of hunger and thirst are located, as well as regulating the emotional behavior of a person. It is the hypothalamus that is responsible for regulating vascular tone and controls a person's response to external factors that provoke a headache.

Scientists hope that the discovery will help develop drugs that can save a person from migraine.

migraine symptoms

Immediately make a reservation that there are no laboratory tests that can confirm or refute the diagnosis of migraine. But, nevertheless, experienced doctors determine the disease even by the external image of a person.

A person suffering from migraine, as a rule, is internally very tense, irritable. It is difficult for him to make contact with the people around him, he is conservative. A patient with a high level of intelligence is too conscientious in his duties. And if all of the above is combined with the symptoms characteristic of, then it is difficult to make a mistake in the diagnosis of this debilitating disease.

Migraine: treatment

Treatment of migraine is reduced to the restoration of the nervous system.

Most patients are convinced that migraine cannot be cured. They come to such a disappointing conclusion after repeated attempts to get rid of the disease. And the failure lies in the fact that many consider migraine to be a vascular disease. Hence the wrong approach to the treatment of migraine. As a result, the patient develops the psychology of a hopeless patient.

But after all, even in the most severe cases, there are periods in the patient's life when he is not bothered by headaches. Therefore, the brain can work in a balanced way, albeit for a short period. The task of the doctor and the patient is to regulate the nervous system so that it is less susceptible to excitation.

There are two types of migraine treatment:

• first aid during an attack;
• prevention of future attacks.

To relieve an attack, each patient should have with him properly selected migraine pills. Most often taken are anti-inflammatory drugs (non-steroidal), and triptans.

Triptans for migraine appeared relatively recently - in the nineties of the twentieth century. Unlike older generation drugs, triptans act in several directions at once:

• constrict the vessels of the brain, thereby removing the painful pulsation. The most interesting thing is that triptans do not have any effect on other vessels;
• act on a group of receptors in the brain that release substances that cause headaches and inflammation. As a result, the amount of these substances decreases, and the headache subsides;
• have an analgesic effect, reducing the sensitivity of the nucleus of the trigeminal nerve.

Migraine drugs containing caffeine or codeine work well, but they are addictive: the brain remembers their stimulating effect and will try to create a situation (another attack), forcing the person to take potent drugs again and again. This is our independent brain. Painkillers are also not worth getting carried away!

Migraine prophylaxis is carried out if the attacks recur more than twice a month. This treatment is long, it is carried out in courses. Such a scheme helps to balance the work of the brain, while not inhibiting the patient's performance.

A huge role in the successful treatment of migraine is played by a person's lifestyle!

First, all kinds of artificial stimulation of the body should be abandoned.
Often, patients try to fight poor health by increasing physical activity: they start visiting gyms, jogging in the morning, drinking stimulating drinks. At first, these measures have a positive effect. But in the end, the body wastes energy reserves, and the general condition worsens.

Secondly, it is necessary to normalize sleep, since it is the main source of energy. The formation of energy in our body is a very complex process, and it takes place only in a state of sleep. You can eat only healthy foods, but until a person falls asleep, the substances contained in food will not turn into energy. Moreover, from three o'clock in the morning the mechanism of energy consumption is launched, so going to bed late will lead to energy exhaustion.

Thirdly, you should give up smoking, alcohol, coffee. All these foods deplete the body's energy reserves, forcing you to absorb more and more of them in large quantities. In other words, stimulants slowly kill a person.

Fourth, it is important for people suffering from migraine to organize proper nutrition.

No need to resort to various trendy diets, you need to eat all the products, but you can’t take breaks between meals for more than five hours. Of course, it is worth as much as possible to exclude semi-finished products intended for long-term storage, preservatives. Food should be natural and, if possible, freshly prepared. Do not give up meat, eggs, dairy products. Be sure to eat fruits and vegetables. Do not be lazy, make mayonnaise yourself, it will be much more useful than store bought. Don't overuse spices. Be sure to have breakfast!

Fifth, take exercise seriously. If up to 30 years a person is able to endure overload, then after thirty their intensity should be reduced. It is useful to walk, swim for pleasure, and not for speed, do exercises without dumbbells. In other words, move as much as possible, but at a moderate pace.

Folk remedies

are a good help in the treatment of migraine drugs. Nature has given us many herbs that can heal our ailments. Unfortunately, only a few of us know how to properly apply them, and even more so know how to treat migraines. Most people, especially city dwellers, don't even know what medicinal herbs look like.

However, in folk medicine, there are many plants that alleviate the suffering of a migraine patient:

• meadow clover. Its decoction is taken for migraine, as a prophylactic;
• fresh leaves of cabbage and lilac. Applied to sore spots, they will relieve pain within a couple of hours;
• fresh potato juice. It refers to the means of ambulance: it is taken when a headache occurs;
• an effective remedy for migraine is strong green tea, as well as viburnum and currant juices. Taken during seizures;
• Siberian elder flowers. An infusion of them is a prophylactic;
• herbal collections. For example, a collection consisting of highlander grass, hawthorn flowers, shepherd's purse grass, white mistletoe grass. A decoction of this collection is taken during a migraine attack.

But do not forget: the effect of herbs on the body is diverse. And most people have problems with different organs. Unknowingly, treating migraines can harm the liver or stomach. Therefore, before you start taking an herbal remedy for migraine, inform your doctor. He will tell you which herbs are safe for you.

Massage for migraine

Massage is used as an aid in the treatment of migraine. Avicenna also advised how to get rid of a migraine: you need to rub the temple area on the affected side with your hands or a coarse cloth. Yes, and each of us, when pain occurs in the head area, instinctively begins to rub his temples. And it helps!

A person suffering from migraine should not trust an inexperienced massage therapist: out of ignorance, he can aggravate his health. Massage is carried out both during relative well-being and during attacks. In the latter case, only that part of the head is massaged, in which the patient feels only echoes of pain. The head massage is completed by relaxing the muscles of the shoulders and neck. After performing the procedure, it is better for the patient to lie down for about thirty minutes in a dim room. Prevention of migraine consists in massage courses of 10 or 15 sessions every other day. It is useful to rub the Asterisk balm during the massage.

Migraine during pregnancy

Migraine during pregnancy usually worries expectant mothers in the first three months. If you know the cause of a disease state, you can be cured by eliminating repetitions of adverse situations. The reasons, in general, are standard: sleep disturbances, the use of unwanted foods. As a rule, after three months of pregnancy migraine passes. But in some cases, migraines torment women during the entire period of pregnancy.

It is impossible to treat the disease on your own: most drugs have a negative effect on the fetus. This also applies to medicinal herbs: some of them can lead to miscarriage.

It is best for women who suffer from migraines to do light exercises, enough rest. The best remedy for migraines during pregnancy is to avoid stressful situations.

You can do yoga under the supervision of an experienced instructor, undergo acupuncture or reflexology procedures. It is proved that these actions do not have a negative impact on the mother and her unborn child.

cervical migraine

At the heart of cervical migraine is a problem with the vertebral artery. It is located inside the canal, which is formed by the processes of the cervical vertebrae. If the body's metabolism is disturbed, then salts are deposited in the cervical spine. The vertebrae are deformed and, when moving, touch the vessel. This leads to throbbing pain, tinnitus, dizziness. The pain originates in the back of the head, gradually spreading to one side of the head. It was because of the one-sided pain that the disease was called cervical migraine. Unlike a true migraine, the pains are short-lived. Most often they occur at night, when a person does not control the turns of the head.

Treatment of cervical migraine is long-term. In addition to drugs, massage or manual therapy is used. Sometimes treatment does not help and surgery is required.

Abdominal migraine

Abdominal migraine is not related to headache at all. This disease is expressed in paroxysmal pains in the abdomen, which are accompanied by cramps in the muscles of the abdominal wall. This disease is most often manifested in young children and young men.

Pain in abdominal hypertension is severe, can last up to several days and is accompanied by vomiting and nausea. Such patients are subject to hospitalization in the neurology department.

Eye migraine

Ocular migraine has another name - atrial scotoma. It manifests itself in the periodic disappearance of the image in some parts of the field of view. This disease is quite common, but despite the awesome term "migraine" is painless.

Ocular migraine does not require treatment. But if there are blind spots, lightning and zigzags in the eyes, you still need to see a doctor, because retinal detachment has the same symptoms.

Eye migraine is still little studied, so you will not wait for any recommendations from doctors. The only thing that is known is that this condition is not associated with the eyes, but with the visual center of the brain.

Migraine in children

Diseases are getting younger, and now children are familiar with migraine disease. Most often suffer from migraine children, whose parents are also prone to this disease.

Migraine manifests itself in children in the same way as in adults, but the treatment is fundamentally different. Most migraine drugs have not been tested on children, so the effects of such treatment are unpredictable.

If the child is of school age, be sure to notify the nurse and teacher about the child's illness. They will be ready to help him with a migraine. But undue attention to the illness of the baby is not necessary. Otherwise, he will feel like an invalid. Or (more likely) he will use this circumstance to manipulate his parents.

Frequent migraines are a reason for long-term drug treatment.

Migraine attacks in children are provoked by the same reasons as in adults, therefore, in order for them to be bothered by migraine headaches as little as possible, it is necessary to make every effort to organize proper nutrition and the child’s daily routine. It is useful for children to play sports: it distracts them from illness and gives confidence.

Parents should thoroughly study the rules for managing migraine and teach them to the child. Although this disease is not fatal, it should not hinder its normal development.

Many people think that a migraine is just a headache. Many are even ready to admit that it can be very strong. But in fact, this is not entirely true.

In reality, a migraine attack is not only a headache. It usually consists of 4 stages or phases. And each of them can disrupt your life. Of course, not every time the attack is represented by all 4 phases. But the symptoms described below may be more common than you think. Know that these symptoms do not just happen, are not your whim, but are part of a migraine attack. And the migraine attack itself can begin and disrupt your well-being long before the onset of a headache.

So, a classic migraine attack consists of:

• Harbingers (prodrome)
• Of the headache
• And postdromes.

Prodrome

A migraine attack can begin long before a headache. Many patients begin to feel “something wrong” hours or even days before the headache. These harbingers can be seen as a "yellow light" - a warning of impending pain. About 30% of people feel the approach of an attack in advance. Of course, the symptoms-harbingers interfere with you long before the migraine, but they can also be considered from the other side. Forewarned is forearmed. The prodromal period can be used to prepare for an attack - find pills or even run to the pharmacy to get them.

Typical precursors of a migraine are:

• desire to eat something special, such as chocolate
• mood swings - depression, irritability
• increased mood, creativity, inspiration
• anxiety
• muscle tension, especially in the neck
• fatigue
• yawn
• drowsiness
• chills
• sweating
• frequent urination.

How you feel during the different stages of a migraine attack

Listen to yourself. If every time you feel a little strange, and then it all ends with a headache - these are the harbingers of a migraine, that is, a migraine attack has already begun. Use this time to be prepared to deal with the pain.

Aura

Aura is possible only with a special form of migraine - migraine with aura. And it happens to be the most diverse. I will write a separate article about this.

The aura phenomenon is named after Aurora, the Greek goddess of the dawn. The aura can be frightening, as it is very bright in most patients. Especially for the first time, all this may even end in hospitalization, because doctors are also scared and prefer to conduct diagnostic tests. The fact is that the symptoms of the aura, as we have already said, arise as a result of a short-term spasm of blood vessels in the brain, at a time when the blood flow in the brain is reduced. That is why the symptoms of the aura resemble a transient ischemic attack (this is how doctors call a pre-stroke state that manages to stop in time without the formation of brain damage).

The symptoms are also frightening because visual disturbances in the aura are very strange - some patients experience visual distortion. In addition to all this, the aura always starts suddenly - at work, while driving - its onset is impossible to predict. And here just again we would like to note the importance of forerunners. Try to pay attention, maybe some symptoms predict the onset of an attack? This will allow you to assume in advance that an aura may soon begin, which means reducing the risk of parking, for example.

Most patients experience the so-called visual aura - various visual disturbances that last from 5 minutes to 1 hour. Like the prodrome, the aura is a precursor to a headache, and some pain medications can be taken as early as the end of the aura to prevent headaches or keep them as mild and short as possible.

Headache

Headache is the most unpleasant stage of a migraine attack. Migraine headaches can be very severe. Moreover, it pulsates unpleasantly and intensifies from the slightest movement, even turning the head. And that is not all.

Migraine headache is accompanied by nausea, which increases up to vomiting. However, vomiting does not always provide pain relief. During a headache, light and sound begin to irritate, so watching TV, talking, and even just being among people is extremely painful. During a severe migraine attack, most patients can only lie in a quiet dark room and not move.

The classic migraine pain is one-sided, that is, the head hurts sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left, and sometimes during the attack it can go to the second half of the head. The pain can even spread to the face, jaw, behind the eye. The pain lasts up to 72 hours.

During a headache, other symptoms often develop. Diarrhea (diarrhea), swelling or frequent urination are not uncommon companions of a migraine attack. Patients during severe pain can "throw in the heat, then in the cold", dizziness often develops.

Separately, let's talk about blood pressure. Many patients ask if this is the cause of their pain and diligently measure their blood pressure during a headache. During a headache, abrupt changes occur in the vessels - they first narrow for a few minutes, and then expand sharply. The cause of pain in this case is inflammation in the wall of the dilated vessels. That is why a migraine headache cannot in any way be a consequence of high blood pressure. Indeed, in order for the brain to suffer from high blood pressure, the vessels in it must narrow. In addition, migraine headaches are very often unilateral. And if the blood pressure rises, then this happens in all vessels at once, and cannot in any way cause a local headache, say, in the right temple.

Many patients note that when the head hurts very badly and pain medications have not helped, blood pressure is slightly elevated compared to normal blood pressure - up to 140/90 millimeters of mercury. This is a consequence of stress, because severe pain in itself and anxiety about how long all this will continue and why the painkillers taken do not help are sufficient reasons for increasing blood pressure. As soon as your pain subsides, your blood pressure will also return to normal, and you do not need to take special blood pressure medications.

Headache resolution

Even if you do not take any medication at all, the migraine attack will stop on its own. It can last from 4 to 72 hours. Therefore, at some point, the pain still begins to recede. Very often this happens after vomiting. Or, which should always happen!, if you accepted . In any case, over time, the intensity of the headache decreases, during this period you usually want to sleep.

Postdromal period

The end of the headache does not mean the end of the attack. Many patients, as if all previous suffering was not enough, also experience a postdromal period. Full recovery of well-being can occur only after a few more hours, and sometimes even after one or two days. Many describe their condition during this period as “feeling like a zombie”, “like a hangover”, “there is no pain, but I am completely exhausted.” This feeling is often associated with medications that are taken during pain. Many of them can reduce concentration, and if you called an ambulance doctor and you were given an injection of a sleeping pill or sedative, then severe drowsiness after the pain has ended is all the more understandable.

However, such poor health can also be a natural stage of migraine. It's possible to feel exhausted after enduring many hours of intense pain, possibly vomiting multiple times. Imagine how you feel after all this? Yes, that's right, a state of exhaustion and extreme fatigue.

Usually, after the end of the headache, patients most often complain of:

• Decreased mood, depression
• Feeling of fun, euphoria (much less often)
• Fatigue
• Violation of concentration, ability to concentrate
• Inability to do intellectual work.

As you can see, many patients remain disabled for a long time even after the end of the headache. The feeling of physical fatigue and the inability to pay attention to small details, in particular, makes it difficult for accountants, teachers, engineers, those whose work involves responsibility for others - air traffic controllers, pilots, doctors. But often even ordinary housework, caring for a small child becomes impossible. Misunderstanding that the postdromal period is not your invention, but a real and natural stage of a migraine attack, underlies many disputes and misunderstandings with relatives and boss.

As you can see, a headache is just one of the stages of a migraine attack. Not all patients experience all the stages of an attack listed above, and it is not necessary for each attack to proceed "in full", with all stages. Yes, each time the course of an attack is unpredictable. That is why, you always need to be on the lookout - know what drugs help you, how to use them and always carry them with you. And then all this horror can be avoided!

Listen to yourself. Migraine warning symptoms and migraine aura symptoms should be your call to action. In addition, now you know that your fatigue and bad mood are natural consequences of a migraine attack, and they will soon pass. Learn to control your migraine and be prepared for it! Once you learn this, it's already a big step forward.

A migraine is much more than a headache. Migraines are attacks of severe headache with various other unpleasant symptoms, and each attack goes through one to four stages of development and can disable you for many hours.

Migraine is perhaps the oldest disease known to mankind. The first mentions of this disease were found in the writings of shovers who lived 3000 years ago, and then migraine became generally a “disease of aristocrats” ... For many years, doctors and scientists not only classified and differentiated the disease in question, but also found out how and what can be done to help to their patients.

General about migraine

The disease in question is not dangerous to human health or life, some scientists generally conclude that migraine helps people keep their mind, memory longer ... Agree, the dubious positive qualities of the disease, if such can occur at all. What doctors and scientists know about migraine:

1. Migraine attacks always go through 4 stages of development:

• prodrome- the patient is disturbed by a feeling of anxiety, he clearly feels the onset of an attack;
• aura- tactile, visual and auditory disturbances begin before an attack;
• migraine pain- always very strong, paroxysmal, pulsating and localized in a certain part of the head;
• postdromal period- the pain recedes, the person feels general weakness, weakness.

1. In some patients, migraine develops in just 3 stages - there is no aura, but this does not mean that the disease in question should be immediately ruled out.
2. There is a severe course of migraine - in addition to the usual signs, patients note nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision in the form of darkening in the eyes, short-term paralysis of the upper or lower extremities.
3. Young children may complain of regularly recurring bouts of abdominal pain and unmotivated vomiting - these symptoms of unknown etiology in some cases indicate the development of migraine at an early age.
4. More often, the disease under consideration is diagnosed in women, and the first attacks can develop as early as 13 years old. Almost every woman migraine recedes at the onset of menopause.
5. It is impossible to get rid of migraine "once and for all", but doctors will be able to teach patients with such a diagnosis to lead a normal life. Well, almost normal...
6. Normally, migraine attacks should be no more than 2 times a month, and the duration of each attack should not exceed 2 hours.

What should be done to control migraine, reduce the number and quality of attacks? First, you need to understand the variety of provoking factors (triggers) and learn how to avoid them. Secondly, you will need to explore a variety of pain medications and migraine remedies in order to quickly relieve pain during an attack. Thirdly, to carry out a number of activities that will help reduce the number of seizures.

Triggers - migraine and triggers

Migraine cannot be classified as an ordinary headache, albeit an intense one - this disease is defined by doctors as an increased sensitivity of the brain to some irritating factors. And these same triggers must be identified - if they are excluded from ordinary life, then it will be possible to reduce the number of migraine attacks to the maximum possible.

Migraine triggers:

1. Diet. If you are used to taking long breaks between meals, you prefer to starve a little, and only then eat calmly, then expect migraine attacks. The fact is that the biggest “glutton” in the body is the brain, which requires a certain level of glucose in the blood. In the absence of food, this indicator decreases, and the brain will definitely respond to such an attitude. This trigger is very easy to remove - just have a snack every 3-4 hours, even if the appetite is completely absent.
2. Alcohol. This is the most "bright" trigger, champagne and red wine are especially dangerous for migraine patients. In general, any alcoholic drink contributes to the expansion of cerebral vessels and can provoke pain even in those who are not familiar with migraine attacks.
3. Liquid. Doctors assure that a healthy person needs to consume at least one and a half liters of pure water per day - this will normalize metabolic processes, ensure the rapid removal of toxins and toxins from the body. If a person prone to migraine attacks is engaged in active sports, training, then the amount of clean water consumed should increase. Remember - you need to use clean water, not tea / coffee / juices!
4. Food. There are a number of foods that most often trigger migraines:

• in the first place - beer, smoked meats and blue cheese, which contain a large amount of tyramine;
• the next most dangerous triggers are, chocolate and citrus fruits;
• ambiguous triggers - and strong ones, which scientists and doctors are still arguing about.

Note:Recently, there has been evidence that migraine attacks can provoke - an additive to foods and dishes, which is used almost everywhere. But these statements have not received official recognition from science.

In addition to these triggers, it is also worth highlighting a sharp change in the weather - a migraine attack is highly likely to occur in weather-dependent people. And the number and quality of attacks of the disease in question can be affected by a violation in the psycho-emotional background - for example, frequent stress, neurosis, depression.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common as painkillers - they not only relieve headaches, but stop the inflammatory process in the vessels of the brain. We can say that such drugs not only relieve the symptoms of the disease in question, but also have a healing process. However, it is worth knowing that some drugs in this group include ingredients that have a sedative - the choice of specific drugs for diagnosed migraine should still be done by a specialist. But here are a few of the most commonly used:

• ibuprofen;
• Paracetamol;
• Naproxen;
• Baralgin, analgin;
• Voltaren / diclofenac;
• Ketanov;
• Ksefokam.

The listed drugs with analgesic action are single-component. Ketanov and xefocam turned out to be the most effective - these painkillers can relieve even acute toothache, reduce the intensity of hepatic colic, therefore, with a diagnosed migraine, they are most often prescribed not only in the form of tablets, but also as injections.

There are certain drugs with an analgesic effect that are used to get rid of migraine pain, which are multicomponent:

• Pentalgin;
• Citramon;
• Migrenol;
• Tempalgin;
• Antipal;
• Spazmalgon;
• Kaffetin.

Note:if a person decides to endure a migraine attack or makes a mistake in choosing an anesthetic drug, then most likely everything will end in such intense pain when the patient literally “climbs the wall”.

Of course, this should not be allowed, but if this fact takes place, then only injections can quickly, urgently help get rid of severe pain:

1. Baralgin - 1 ampoule contains 2500 mg of analgin, which is equivalent to 5 tablets. If the headache during the next attack is no longer tolerable, vomiting has appeared, then it is the injection of baralgin that will be the best solution to the problem.
2. Ketorol - 1 ampoule contains 30 mg of ketorolac, has a more pronounced effect compared to baralgin. The main problem is that this tool is not cheap and is never available from the ambulance brigade. Therefore, experts recommend purchasing Ketorol and syringes on their own in order to be able to quickly provide assistance.

In pharmacies, there are also specific anti-migraine drugs, united in one group - triptans. These include:

• Sumamigren;
• Naramig;
• Imigran;
• Zomig;
• Amigrenin;
• Relpax.

It is worth knowing that triptans have a powerful vasoconstrictive effect, therefore they have many contraindications. For example, it is strictly forbidden to use any drugs from the triptan group for previously diagnosed:

• unstable blood pressure (for example, if it rises uncontrollably);
• coronary artery disease;
• in history;
• in history;
• pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding;
• children's age up to 18 years;

Note:triptans should not be used during the aura - this will only prolong the aura stage, and make migraine pain more painful and prolonged. It is necessary to get advice from your doctor, especially since there is always a danger of overdose.

Usually, patients with a migraine attack feel in advance, so doctors have developed a series of actions that need to be performed at this moment. In principle, it is recommended to use the following recommendations for each patient:

1. If you are away from home, then immediately go there - take time off from work, leave the lecture hall, and so on.
2. Take a warm shower (not hot, not cold!). You can have an aromatherapy session using lavender, bergamot, and patchouli oils - choose one that usually works.
3. Drink a cup of sweet tea or weak coffee with milk, have a light snack if you have not eaten for a long time, take an aspirin, motilium, and if there is a feeling of nausea, then cerucal.
4. Go to your room, lock yourself up (no one should bother you), close the curtains, turn out the lights and lie down in bed - you need to try to sleep.
5. If after 40-50 minutes the attack has not passed, then you can put a cold compress on your forehead, and lower your legs into a bowl of hot water. Give yourself a massage or ask someone close to you for this procedure.
6. If the pain has not improved after 2 hours, then it is time to take an analgesic or any drug from the triptan group.
7. If even after taking the last medicines, the attack did not reduce the intensity, vomiting begins, then you need to either call an ambulance team or inject baralgin or ketorol.

Migraine cannot be cured completely, but by familiarizing yourself with the features of this disease, it is quite possible to take it under control. Only in this case, migraine attacks will not be the “end of the world”, but will either occur extremely rarely or proceed in a “lightened” form.

Tsygankova Yana Alexandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category.