Understanding Your Migraine
How Understanding the Science of What is Happening to You, May Help Find a Cure.
“Why the ‘H’ does this hurt so bad?!?!”
Maybe this thought has gone through your head before, as the pain of your latest Migraine bangs against the inside of your skull.
Well we have wondered it, so we decided to search for the answer…
So, what exactly is a migraine?
When researching this question, you may have read that migraines are a type headache that typically effects one side of your head, often accompanied by nauseous, or aura. They are often precipitated by some kind of trigger and treated with a range of medications.
However, if you are reading this article, you do NOT need another break down on “what a migraine is”. What you may need, is actual insight to how a migraine ‘works’. After all, understanding our pain, and how it works, is the path to finding actual solutions to it. Not just being able to categorize it, and give it a name for conversations sake.
Unfortunately, migraines, like IBS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, are labeled based on the symptoms they elicit. NOT because the underlying cause. What does this mean? That, like IBS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the underlying cause of migraines is not actually known for sure.
But do not despair!
We have done our research and will share with you what is known about the biology of a Migraine. Information we think is critical, because it gives us clues to finding what may be causing migraines. As well as gives us insight into solutions to stop them.
The Biology Behind a Migraine
The latest research says it all starts with a “trigger” that activates nerves in your brainstem. These nerves then experience abnormal excitability, sending messages via pain pathways throughout your head and face.
Your brain responds by releasing chemicals called neuropeptides. These chemicals cause inflammation and dilation of blood vessels, causing an increase in blood flow in the brain. These chemicals also cause the nerve endings around the brain to send signals to your central nervous system. Both of which are ‘thought’ to be the cause of the throbbing head pain you feel.
Scientists also know these chemicals communicate with the part of your brain that controls skin sensation, appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Hence, why you may experience symptoms in those areas. These chemicals also end up in your gut as they cycle through your system, potentially upsetting that way as well.
After about an hour of these chemicals continually firing signals for pain into your central nervous system, your body enters a kind of hypersensitive phase. It is in this phase where medications become less effective. Hence, why Migraine sufferers know how important it is to “catch a headache early”.
Low Serotonin levels are also present during migraine episodes and scientists believe that is a factor. Serotonin is a chemical that not only affects your mood, but regulates and constricts your blood vessels when needed. This chemical has long been shown to be low in general for many migraine sufferers. Those of you on Sumatriptan, are utilizing the same blood vessel constricting effects, as the Serotonin this drug actually it mimics.
OK, so why is understanding the biology of a Migraine important?
Understanding the biology of a migraine, might get us closer to finding a cure.
First, it starts with a trigger. You may have heard this before. But as we can identify those better for ourselves, we may be able to cut off a migraine at its root, so to speak. Want to know more about “potential triggers”, stay tuned as we release another article on that next week.
Second, there is evidence that the base of the brain, the hypothalamus, and even the neuron activity in the brain, may actually work differently in migraine sufferers. This is thought to likely be hereditary, at least in part. This type of brain function also seems to mimic, to some degree, the brain activity at the onset of an epileptic seizure. Something those of you on Topamax (an anti-seizure drug) might find very interesting.
Third, the dilation of our blood vessels and the correlation to low serotonin levels, points to another anomaly in Migraine sufferers. Low serotonin levels (remember Serotonin minimize blood vessel dilation). Depression medicine, is a leading RX prescribed for migraine sufferers. It counteracts those low levels of serotonin, and mimics its ability to constrict your blood vessels as needed. Those of you on Sumatriptan also might find it interesting, that this other popular RX drug mimics the vessel constricting ability of Serotonin as well.
Lastly, taking your meds within one hour of onset is absolutely critical. Because as the science says, your body transitions into a higher, more resilient state of hypersensitivity and pain beyond that point. So “catching a migraine early”, seems to finally make scientific sense.
We correlate a lot of RX solutions to the above science.
But we believe there are other ways to solve, or interrupt these painful biological sequences, as well.
We don’t claim to be geniuses, but we are hopeful the more we know about our Migraines, the more likely we are to find solutions that work, and don’t cause side effects or other lasting damage.
New science around Migraines is only slowly being discovered. But we are hopeful that the Migraine community will continue to dig deeper on the science behind our pain, so we can come up with better solutions for solving for it. We continue monitoring new findings, and are dedicated to bringing our readers the latest in insights and information.
At the Life Without Pain Project we focus on natural solutions, that are proven to work. Like the above, we correlate the solutions to the science.
Check out our latest Migraine and Headache Project, and read about how each of our suggested natural solutions can affect the biology of your Migraine, and are proving to provide relief to Migraine sufferers time and again.
