Migraine is one of the most horrifying and common neurological disorders of contemporary times. It is accompanied by headache on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light, sound and smell. Migraine pain can range from mild to severe intensity and can prolong for 4 to 72 hours. Migraine is known to affect women three times more than men and can cause a great deal of discomfort to them.

Factors that trigger migraine pain:

• Excessive sleep or lack of sleep.
• Intake of alcohol.
• Excessive smoking
• Stress, physical, psychological or emotional tension and depression
• Hunger or delayed meals
• Exposure to allergic substances or toxins
• Intake of foods such as chocolates, nuts, fermented, processed or marinated foods, aged cheeses, foods containing monosodium glutamate etc.
• Intake of wine
• Exposure to bright, flashy lights
• Changes in weather conditions, seasonal changes, altitude changes and barometric pressure.

Treatment for migraine pain:

Various formulas such as Excedrin Migraine, Motrin Migraine and Advil Migraine can be taken. General non-prescription pain killers include aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. Tryptans such as Sumatriptan, Rizatriptan and Eletriptan are available on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner. Botox injections are also given intramuscularly to treat migraine pain.

Non-medicinal treatments include:

Aromatherapy: Essential oils of lavender, sandalwood, peppermint and clove oil are recommended for treating migraine pain.

Acupuncture: This traditional Chinese technique is used to treat the symptoms of migraine by relieving the pressure points.

Meditation: This helps relax the mind and body through various deep breathing exercises and helps alleviate stress, one of the triggers of migraine pain.

Exercise: regular exercise helps release endorphins in the body that are natural chemicals known to terminate pain.

Herbs: These include cayenne, feverfew, peppermint, chamomile, gingko biloba and rosemary. They can be taken as teas or capsules in controlled doses to reduce migraine pain.

Ginger: Peel and chew ginger root to get instant relief from migraine headache.

Icepacks: they help normalize the size of the dilated blood vessels and can be kept on the pain point to get relief.