Friday, December 31, 2010

Stop Headaches In Minutes - 2000 Year Old China Remedy



Clinical
History
The typical headache of migraine is throbbing or pulsatile. It is initially unilateral and localized in the frontotemporal and ocular area, then builds up over a period of 1-2 hours, progressing posteriorly and becoming diffuse. It typically lasts from several hours to a whole day. Pain intensity is moderate to severe, prompting the patient to remain still as it intensifies even with routine physical activity.

* The attack commonly occurs when the patient is already awake, although it may have already started upon awakening and less commonly may awaken the patient at night.
* Nausea and vomiting usually occur later in the attack in about 80% and 50% of patients, respectively, along with anorexia and food intolerance.
* Some patients have been noted to be pale and clammy, especially if nausea develops.
* Photophobia and/or phonophobia also commonly are associated with the headache.
* The headache usually subsides gradually within a day and after a period of sleep; a majority of patients report being tired and weak afterwards.
* About 60% of people who experience migraines report a prodrome, often occurring hours to days before headache onset. Patients describe a change in mood or behavior that may include psychological, neurological, constitutional, or autonomic features.
o These symptoms may be difficult to diagnose as part of the migraine complex if they occur in isolation from the headache or if they are mild. The prodrome of migraine has yet to receive significant investigational attention.
o Because of the set periodicity of migraine, linkage to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus that governs circadian rhythm has been proposed. Discovering the central trigger for migraine would help identify better prophylactic agents.
* The migraine aura is a complex of neurologic symptoms that may precede or accompany the headache phase or may occur in isolation.
o It usually develops over 5-20 minutes and lasts less than 60 minutes.
o The aura can be visual, sensory, motor, or any combination of these.
o The most characteristic visual aura of migraine is a scintillating scotoma (occurring in about 64% of cases), beginning as a hazy spot from the center of a visual hemifield followed by shimmering light of different patterns expanding peripherally to involve a greater part of the hemifield with scotoma (see images below).
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Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma a...
Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma as described by a person who experiences migraines. Note the visual loss in the center of vision.

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Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma a...

Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma as described by a person who experiences migraines. Note the visual loss in the center of vision.
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Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma a...
Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma as described by a person who experiences migraine headaches. Again note the visual loss in the center of vision.

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Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma a...

Migraine headache. Example of a central scotoma as described by a person who experiences migraine headaches. Again note the visual loss in the center of vision.
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Migraine headache. Example of a visual migraine a...
Migraine headache. Example of a visual migraine aura as described by a person who experiences migraines. This patient reported that these visual auras preceded her headache by 20-30 minutes.

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Migraine headache. Example of a visual migraine a...

Migraine headache. Example of a visual migraine aura as described by a person who experiences migraines. This patient reported that these visual auras preceded her headache by 20-30 minutes.
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Migraine headache. Example of visual changes duri...
Migraine headache. Example of visual changes during migraine. Multiple spotty scotomata are described by a person who experiences migraines.

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Migraine headache. Example of visual changes duri...

Migraine headache. Example of visual changes during migraine. Multiple spotty scotomata are described by a person who experiences migraines.
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Migraine headache. Frank visual field loss can al...
Migraine headache. Frank visual field loss can also occur associated with migraine. This example shows loss of the entire right visual field as described by a person who experiences migraines.

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