Migraine Cure – Where Medicine Meets Fiction

Chronic migraine headaches are estimated to affect some 11% of the US population, and they follow a pattern with symptoms that are moderate to severe in nature. Saying there is a migraine cure, puts forth the idea that medical science understands what causes migraines precisely, and why one person is disposed to chronic migraine headaches and another is not.

Though research is progressing slowly, those facts are beyond medicine at present. There is no migraine cure, there are however treatments and preventions that can control or avoid migraine headache episodes or relieve the intensity of the migraine headache.

A migraine headache is a throbbing pain in the head that can be and often is unilateral (one sided) and it can be extremely painful as well as long lasting. The migraine headache progresses in stages with not all persons experiencing all of the stages.

The first stage is a prodome stage and the symptoms are often a change in energy level, in mood, in bowel habits, urination frequency, and sometimes sensitivity to light or sound. This is a broad spectrum of symptoms but a person with chronic migraine headaches learns to recognize this stage.

Only one in five persons with chronic migraines experiences the next stage, which is the aura. Often visual distortions, lights, black splotches or colors are present. Sometimes sounds, tastes or smells are distorted or present. Though often heard of it is not as common a symptom.

The migraine headache stage is what most persons with chronic migraine headaches experience. Only one in twenty persons who have chronic migraines avoids the pain stage. This stage is often characterized by nausea, possibly dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound in addition to the migraine headache pain.

The final migraine headache stage is recovery or Postdrome. The person may be disoriented with scalp tenderness or pain even though the headache is gone. Visual disturbances may linger and weakness or lack of coordination may continue during this stage.

A migraine headache can progress rapidly through all these stages in a matter of 3 – 4 hours or can linger for several days. It is no wonder a migraine cure is sought so avidly by those who experience migraines.

The exact reasons why a person has chronic migraines and others do not is unknown, there is ongoing research into genetic links, and research into how the trigeminal nerve in the face functions but the real answer is still out there. No one has a migraine cure, but there are treatments and means to help identify and prevent migraine headache episodes.

The most effective means thus far and the closest to a migraine cure are prophylactic medications, identification, and avoidance of migraine headache triggers.  Just as the stages and symptoms of a migraine headache vary from individual to individual there are some common triggers that can help the person avoid them. As time progresses the person with chronic migraine headaches can identify more of their individual triggers.

Though not a migraine cure, acupuncture and relaxation therapy have helped some persons with chronic migraine headaches manage the symptoms and avoid triggers such as stress.

With a chronic disorder as painful and potentially disruptive as migraine headaches, the temptation to reach for the fiction of a complete migraine cure is understandable. There is no magic pill that is a cure, but there are prescription medications that can act as preventatives or help lessen the severity of an episode.

With proper attention to diet, lifestyle and with the right medication the person who experiences chronic migraine headaches can have fewer headaches and lead a fuller and more comfortable life and this is the closest thing available right now to a migraine cure.