Headache & Migraine

Triggers of headache.

Although many sufferers have a family history of migraine, the exact hereditary nature of this condition is still unknown. People who get migraines are thought to have an inherited abnormality in the regulation of blood vessels.

"It's like a cocked gun with a hair trigger," explains one specialist. "A person is born with a potential for migraine and the headache is triggered by things that are really not so terrible."

The migraine process.

Research scientists are unclear about the precise cause of migraine headaches. There seems to be general agreement, however, that a key element is blood flow changes in the brain. People who get migraine headaches appear to have blood vessels that overreact to various triggers.

Scientists have devised one theory of migraine which explains these blood flow changes and also certain biochemical changes that may be involved in the headache process. According to this theory, the nervous system responds to a trigger such as stress by causing a spasm of the nerve-rich arteries at the base of the brain. The spasm closes down or constricts several arteries supplying blood to the brain, including the scalp artery and the carotid or neck arteries.

Why Does it Hurt?

What hurts when you have a headache? The bones of the skull and tissues of the brain itself never hurt, because they lack pain-sensitive nerve fibers. Several areas of the head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. Also sensitive to pain, because they contain delicate nerve fibers, are the muscles of the head and blood vessels found along the surface and at the base of the brain.

What is the prognosis?

Taking a combination of drugs to prevent and treat migraine attacks when they happen helps most people with migraine to limit the disabling effects of these headaches. Women whose migraine attacks occur in association with their menstrual cycle are likely to have fewer attacks and milder symptoms after menopause.

What research is being done?

Environmental

• Changes in barometric pressure indicating changes in the weather
• Noises
• Fumes/Odors

Physiological

• Hormonal Changes
• Sleep Disturbances (either too much sleep, or not enough sleep)

Causes: Physiological Understanding

Migraine is a neurochemical chain reaction that involves 5 distinct phases of a neurological process: prodrome, aura (may or may not be present), mild, moderate, or severe pain, and postdrome. Once the reaction is ‘triggered’ the trigeminovascular system releases chemicals which cause an inflammatory response, perceived as pain. The cascades moves rapidly up the brain stem through the hypothalamus to the cortical regions of the brain. The escalation of pain will last for hours, or even days; incapacitating its victim.

Although the exact cause of migraines is not clear, there are known triggers. Common ones include:

• stress
• menstruation
• skipping meals
• too much caffeine

Follow the link below to learn about the many different types of headaches and what causes them.

Editor's Note:

"Race" is sometimes mentioned as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers and a number of other diseases. When you read this in a discussion about an illness, note that the explanation seldom refers to anything biological. Instead, it usually refers to behavior, such as eating habits. The kinds of behavior usually mentioned as risk factors are culturally determined. They are not genetic or biological.

Americans believe that if it's marketed, it's safe. They do not understand that there is little if any regulation for the products they use.

US companies are now scrambling to change formulations of their products, so they can be marketed in the EU. Noharm.org reports in this article that "Among the compounds now phased out or restricted in Europe but still used in high volumes in the United States are the pesticides atrazine, lindane and methyl bromide; some phthalates, found in beauty products, plastic toys and other products; and nonylphenol in detergents and plastic packaging. In animal tests, those compounds have altered hormones, caused cancer, triggered neurological changes in fetuses or damaged a newborn's reproductive development."