Migraines and Headaches - types and causes

Pathological process of migraine
Triggers that disrupt the levels of serotonin
Other common types of headaches
    Tension headaches
    Cluster headaches
    Organic headaches
    Sexual headaches

It is believed that the root cause of most migraines is disruption of serotonin levels ( a pain supressing hormone - one of the most powerful most powerful weapon of our body in its counterattack against pain). When the levels of serotonin can be normalized, migraines usually cease.

Pathological process of migraine

Migraines start to hurt when the blood vessels in the brain expand, leak blood, and irritate nerves. Thus migraines are, in a sense, a form of inflammation. However, just before the blood vessels begin to expand, they generally tighten up, or constrict. The painful expansion is a reaction against this constriction.

Many things cause the blood vessels to constrict. The most common cause is eating a food that contains an abundance of a vessel-constricting amino acid called tyramine. Foods that contain high levels of tyramine include red wine and aged cheese. Another common constrictor of blood vessels is caffeine. Stress also causes constriction. Even substances such as perfume and carbon monoxide can do it.

However, most people who are exposed to these vessel-constricting substances don't get migraines. That's because most people have sufficient quantities of the chemical that regulates blood vessel elasticity. This chemical not only helps stop constriction, but also allows blood vessels to constrict temporarily without then expanding.

This chemical is serotonin, which, as you know, is the neurotransmitter that fights pain, but also has many actions outside of the brain. One of those actions is helping blood vessels stay flexible and not get "stuck" in either a state of constriction or of expansion. Here are some strong evidence indicating the role that serotonin plays in migraines:

     - The most effective drug for migraines, Sumatriptan, works by mimicking the effects of serotonin.
     - Almost all migraine patients have a limited ability to retain the serotonin in their blood platelet membranes.
     - Migraines are almost always preceded by a decline in blood levels of serotonin.
     - As a rule, low levels of serotonin in the blood accurately predict vulnerability to migraines.
     - Disruption of estrogen levels, which markedly decreases serotonin, is a prime trigger of migraines.

Normalizing serotonin levels helps cure headache by doing more than just improving the elasticity of blood vessels. Serotonin does four other important things that help stop pain:

     - Raises the brain's pain threshold
     - Promotes healthy patterns of sleep
     - Reduces pain-amplifying anxiety
     - Reduces pain-amplifying depression

A migraine is not just a headache. In fact, it is a serious malfunction of the brain and the body. Here are the most common symptoms:

     - Severe, pulsing pain, generally on one side of the head.
     - Nausea, vomiting, and also loss of appetite.
     - Depression, anxiety, and impaired cognitive function.
     - Digestive tract disturbances, including diarrhea and constipation.
     - Painful reaction to light and noise.
     - Excessive urination, or excessive retention of water.
     - Congestion of the nasal cavities, with watery discharge, often accompanied by tearing of the eyes.
     - Inability to distinguish colors.

Migraines are much different from common tension headaches.
The primary difference is the vastly greater seventy of pain. The pain is described as feeling like repeated blows to the head, inflicted by a sharp, heavy object. The other main difference is the occurrence of widespread symptoms throughout the body.

Migraines, unlike other forms of chronic pain, are most common among women. Women tend to more frequently suffer from all types of chronic pain because the fluctuations in female hormones destabilize serotonin levels. However, before puberty, female are no more vulnerable to migraines than males. When menstruation begins, women become far more vulnerable (65% of all migraines are linked to the hormone fluctuation). Similarly, after menopause, migraines usually go away. However, when menopausal women undergo hormone replacement therapy, their headaches often remain. Using birth control pills greatly increases vulnerability to migraines.

Triggers that disrupt the levels of serotonin

The most frequent triggers that disrupt the levels of serotonin are these:

- Foods-the worst offenders are high-tyramine foods, food additives, caffeine, and citrus fruits.

- Environmental factors-include carbon monoxide from auto exhaust or cigarette smoke, perfumes and other strong odors, changes in the weather, very bright incandescent light, fluorescent light, cold food or cold drinks, lengthy exposure to computer screens, visual irritation caused by ineffective glasses or contact lenses, changes in altitude, and vigorous, sudden exercise.

- Stress-severe stress can trigger vascular constriction, especially if it occurs at the same time as exposure to a nutritional or environmental trigger.

- Genetic predisposition-If one parent is a migraineur, the parent's offspring has a 50% chance of developing migraines. If both parents are migraineurs, their children have a 75% chance of developing migraines. This strongly supports the theory that migraines are chiefly a physical phenomenon rather than a psychological one. The primary genetic factor that is passed along is an instability of serotonin levels.

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