If you have never had a migraine headache you have probably hear people talk about the excruciating pain sufferers feel with the onset of the migraine. Although the cause for migraine is not known, there has been a lot of research into migraines and it is now believed that scientists are understanding more about them, and with continued work with the drug companies may one day develop a cure.
The current thinking is that the most likely cause for migraine is to do with serotonin and dopamine – these occur naturally in our bloodstream. It is possible that these two chemicals are affecting the blood flow in and out of the brain and around the body, which could be the primary cause for migraine headaches. We know from research that serotonin and dopamine are linked to the pain which is a cause for migraine headaches.
Further research is required before the cause for migraine can be completely pinned down, but research strongly suggests that these two chemicals are primarily responsible.
Although many sufferers of migraines claim that there is no forewarning to their headaches, there probably are unnoticed triggers which can be a cause for migraine headaches. Understanding these triggers will help to establish the cause for migraine in that particular patient.
Stress is believed to be one of the most common triggers for migraines and hence an important cause for migraine headaches. As stress is a very difficult trigger to monitor it is also a difficult cause for migraine to monitor. It is however known that stress causes a chemical reaction in the body which can be monitored; the difficulty lies in understanding the level of stress stimulus which will then trigger the chemical reaction which will then be exacerbated by the serotonin and dopamine imbalance. For successful results the whole chain of stimulus and reactions needs to be documented and analysed.
One other aspect to be considered as a cause for migraine is smoking. For some reason smoking seems to be a trigger for migraines. Further research is needed to understand the connection between stress and smoking. Smokers have the added difficulty that it appears that many migraine treatments are not as effective on smokers. The advice to migraine sufferers, who smoke, is to quit immediately.
There are also beliefs that some foods are triggers for migraines as is missing a meal. This also refers back to the issue of dehydration being a likely cause for migraine headaches. Some research suggests that as many as ninety percent of can be avoided by preventing dehydration. Can the water really a primary cause for migraine headaches? Research suggests that water is a major factor in headaches, but it is not a miracle cure.
Scientist are still a long way from establishing all the causes for migraine headaches, but there is a lot of information already available to sufferers which may help to reduce the frequency of the headaches, or perhaps reduce some of the symptoms.
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