Article ID # 20061003
The Big Squeeze
by Susan Weiner
Energy Times, October 3, 2006

Like a hammer pounding the skull or a vise clamped to the cranium, a migraine headache can be among the most excruciating and debilitating pains a person can experience. If you suffer from this malady, here are some ways to minimize your misery.

Cyndy Roseman-Puccio didn't know what a migraine was until she turned 50. Preparing for a cross-country trip to the east coast from her home in Half Moon Bay, California, Roseman-Puccio awoke one morning with a disquieting headache. Thinking it would quickly subside, she and her husband headed to a local restaurant for breakfast, where Roseman-Puccio spent the entire meal throwing up in the restroom. "It was horrible and I was so nauseous," she recalls. "It felt like a vise was clamped to the sides of my head and someone was tightening it." From that point on, migraines became a routine part of her life. Roseman-Puccio later learned that her migraines were brought on by menopause and foods that had abruptly become triggers for the intense head pain. "All of a sudden, chocolate and red wine became my worst enemies," she says before admitting she still indulges in the occasional fudgey treat. "Hey, I'm not going to stop living because of migraines."

For more than 29.5 million Americans-mostly women-migraine headaches range from painful to downright debilitating. Talk to anyone who suffers from migraines and they describe dealing with the pounding in their heads with words like "excruciating," "incapacitating" and "unbearable." Many spend long days in bed and are forced to miss work; the World Health Organization cites migraines as among the most debilitating of ills, costing employers nearly $13 billion a year in lost productivity and another $1 billion in medical care. Many migraine sufferers are also forced to forgo activities and lose time with family and friends. Others are trapped into devouring a never-ending succession of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, which may mask the pain but never get to the root of the cause.

Migraine Madness
If you've never experienced a migraine, consider yourself very lucky. The word "migraine" comes from the Greek hemikranion, or pain affecting one side of the head. That definition is mild compared to the reality. Imagine a fierce throbbing in your head that may last up to 72 hours, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Any sort of exertion-even climbing stairs-aggravates the pain. Additional symptoms can include blurred vision, irritability, depression, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and the inability to concentrate. Some people will complain that their hair "hurts" and the pain may become so intense that even wearing glasses or jewelry becomes unbearable. Migraines can afflict anyone at any age. But women, due to fluctuations in estrogen levels, are three times more likely to suffer from them than men. Adding insult to malady, the National Migraine Association reports that nearly 60% of women with migraines have never been properly diagnosed.

Where do migraines come from? Current theory suggests that they are triggered from within the brain itself, the pain arising from an interaction between the trigeminal nerve, the one that controls sensation in the face, and blood vessels in the coverings of the brain. While there is currently no definitive test to confirm the diagnosis of migraine, establishing a record of symptoms, other headache characteristics and family history helps to determine if the headaches are, indeed, migraines. If you've ever felt like you're having "the worst headache of your life," then your sinus, tension or menstrual headache may actually be a migraine, since migraines are often misdiagnosed. Many factors can trigger migraine attacks, such as altered sleep-wake cycles, certain foods, medications, bright lights, stress, depression and excessive noise. If you have any of the following symptoms, you may want to consult with your healthcare provider to determine whether your headaches are actually migraines:

• Is the pain affecting your daily activities?
• Are you bothered by light or sound?
• Is the pain pulsating, throbbing or pounding?
• Is there any nausea or vomiting?
• Is the pain worse on one side of your head?
• Is the pain worse when you move or bend over?
• Have you experienced at least five similar headaches?
• Do the headaches last for one to three days?

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