MIGRAINE affects 10% of the U.K. population and is more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined.

What causes migraine?
Migraine is probably caused by the release of a chemical called serotonin or 5HT into the bloodstream from its storage sites in the body, resulting in changes in the neurotransmitters and blood vessels in the brain.
A migraine usually begins with an intense, gripping pain on one side of your head that may gradually spread. Migraines typically last from 4 hours to 72 hours, but the frequency with which they occur can vary from person to person.

Although there are several kinds of migraines, the most common are classic migraine — which is a migraine with aura , and common migraine, which has no aura.
If you're among the 10 percent of adults who have migraines with aura, you'll likely have warning signs about 20 minutes before the headache begins. These may include: Sparkling flashes of light, Dazzling zigzag lines in your field of vision Slowly spreading blind spots in your vision Weakness, numbness or tingling in your face, hand or leg Difficulty seeing or speaking

Although a migraine without aura has no classic warning signs, you may have one or more symptoms several hours before your headache actually strikes, including:
feelings of elation or intense energy cravings for sweets thirst, drowsiness irritability or depression
Migraine triggers are numerous and varied and occur in combinations peculiar to each individual.
For most people there is not just one trigger but a combination of factors which individually can be tolerated but when several occur together or accumulate a threshold is passed and an attack is triggered.
Although twice as many women as men suffer from migraine because of the involvement of hormonal factors, migraineurs come from all walks of life, all areas of the world and ethnic groups, and all social classes.

Trigger management is important in preventing Migraine attacks. Examples of triggers include changes in weather or air-pressure, bright sunlight, glare, fluorescent lights, chemical fumes, menstrual cycles, and certain foods such as processed meats, red wine, beer, dried fish, broad beans, fermented cheeses, aspartame and MSG; stress, anxiety, worry, emotion, excitement, depressions, may also exacerbate the condition.
Caffeine, which constricts blood vessels, is not a trigger, and, in fact, may help relieve mild Migraine pain caused by vasodilatation.

Migraine attacks vary in intensity from mild to excruciating among the population of sufferers and within individuals. Mild or even moderate headaches may be satisfactorily alleviated or even aborted by simple, non-prescription analgesics, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol. Severe headaches seldom respond to such medications. Relief from these generally requires use of a triptan, ergotamine, or dihydroergotamine, or an opioid (narcotic). All these medication can cause drowsiness or other severe side effects

SELF HELP FOR MIGRAINES
Feverfew Leaf is a good non-drug preventative treatment;good for relief from nausea and vomiting; improvement of digestion; more restful sleep; relief of dizziness, brain, and nerve pressure.

Vitamin B2 supplements is another preventative non-drug treatment you may want to consider taking. A study in Belgium found that people who took 400 milligrams of vitamin B2 daily had about one-third fewer migraines than did those taking a placebo.
Petasites hybridus (Butterbur root) is the latest non-drug preventive treatment to become available under the name of Petadolex™ from the German firmWeber & Weber. In recent double blind studies it was shown 77% effective as a Migraine prophylaxis. Dose is one 50mg capsule twice a day.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT:
Acupuncture: recommended by the World Health Organisation for this condition, acupuncture can eliminate the pain and general malaise extremely quickly, and over a period of time, reduce migraines in frequency and intensity.
Homeopathy: good homeopathic prescribing can be suprisingly effective, homeopathy does not have any side effects, and is particularly safe for pregnant women.
Herbal medicine and aromatherapy: the use of western or Chinese herbs is proven to be effective, without the side effects of modern drugs; essential oils can play an important part in the treatment of migraines triggered by hormonal fluctuations in women.