What Really Causes Migraines?

Do you have migraines because you're just "too sensitive"? The answer, researchers are finding, is YES. For years, doctors believed that migraines were a vascular problem. They found that the blood vessels swelled in your head, bringing on the pain of a migraine. Therefore, all the research on treating migraines and developing drugs for migraines concentrated on dealing with swelling blood vessels.

Now, researchers are finding that the swelling of blood vessels in the brain is not what starts a migraine -- in fact, it's a result of what actually brings on a migraine. Doctors are finding, with the use of new technology such as PET scans that can watch a brain while it's actually having a migraine, from start to finish, that the migraine really starts in the brainstem. Migraines are not a vascular problem, they are a neurological disorder.

Apparently, due to an inherited set of malfunctioning genes, the brains of migraineurs are simply over-sensitive to stimuli. The brainstem, when it gets a message of overstimulation from whatever your migraine triggers are, sends a message to the brain, causing it to be come hyperexcited. Like a sudden crash of an arriving thunderstorm, your brain has a storm of neuronal activity. Then, like the calm in the center of a hurricane, your brain activity drops to a very low level. Your neurotransmitters have all been used up in a very short time, and now your brain activity becomes sluggish and slowed. That is probably one reason why doctors have found that treating people who get migraines with antidepressant SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) helps -- because your serotonin level drops drastically. People with migraines often feel fatigued, "can't think", "feel stupid". That's because your brain becomes like a drag racing car that uses up all of its fuel in a quick burst and then runs out.

This activity irritates and excites the trigeminal nerve, which THEN causes your blood vessels to expand in your brain. Brain scans have shown an increase of blood in your brain of up to 300% before your headache pain even begins. The blood level then returns to normal or even goes below average. THEN, your migraine starts. What does this mean? It means that drugs that work to keep your blood vessels from dilating and causing your headache are not really attacking the cause.

What does this mean for you? It means that identifying what your migraine triggers are and doing your best to prevent them even starting a headache is your best policy. It also means that finding a doctor who understands the latest research into the cause of headaches and doesn't just automatically write you a prescription is the best way you can live a healthful and happier life.

Scott Dawn has suffered from life-long headaches. You can learn what kind of headache you suffer from and what you can do about it at curesforheadaches1.com.

You can improve your life with Cures for Headaches.

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