When your head is pounding, your eyes light-sensitive, every sound is a roar and you feel nauseated, the chances are good you are having a migraine headache.

A headache that comes and goes over the years and long-lasting is most likely a migraine or a vascular headache related to blood vessels. Symptoms include recurrent pain, throbbing, and pressure all of which can last for days.

There are many causes for migraines including stress, insomnia, barometric pressure, altitude changes and some foods. It is no longer unusual these days to find that children and teens also suffer from migraines along with adults.

Recently a new association for migraine has come to light, the patent foramen ovale (PFO) or a hole in the heart. Usually this congenital defect closes on its own, but many people live their whole lives with it open and without negative effects. However, for some it can be the cause for a stroke or migraines.

There is no proof of this yet and research is ongoing, but one out of every four to five patients with migraines have holes in their hearts. Apparently closing the PFO provides relief from the migraines and people who have their PFO closed feel more energetic, and their hands and feet feel warmer.

Preventive therapy usually includes an anti-inflammatory, seizure medication, or an anti-depressant heart medication.  A physician may also order a migraine-specific drug that turns off the pain center in the brain.

Whatever the treatment, the advice is to see your physician first.

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Filed under: Mind and Body

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