Migraine: The Unbearable Headache :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Migraine The Unbearable HeadacheI often remember my grandmother lying exhaust on the couch with an agonizing look on her face. At times like these, shed frequently ask to turn down the volume of anything seemingly similarly loud, or to dim the lights. Grandma was going through her common, yet terrible incidents of migraine concerns. As a child, I never really understood why aspirin wouldnt help her pain. After all, thats what we all took when we had a headache, and soon enough we were back to feeling fine. Little did I know of her condition until, as an adolescent, I experienced, for the first time, what my sisters and I jokingly called, the grandma episodes. The pain was so terrible I could barely eat, drink, move, talk or see things they elan they normally looked. blink lights overtook my vision and a nauseating feeling kept me hidden in my totally dark bedroom attempting to make the overall disgust go away. I went from prescription pills that would only relieve the other symp toms, to inhalers that would knock me out after a couple of minutes. I also tried green apples, stopped deglutition caffeinated substances, made a journal, tried breathing exercises, and nothing really helped. So, where was science? Why was it not coming to my aid? Controversies over the origin of migraines, and TV specials regarding what to do about them, would always leave me empty-handed. In time, I came to accept the fact that no one had real answers and that I had to live with my condition the best way possible. But what exactly do scientists say is a migraine headache and what does science have to say in contribution to this? A migraine headache is considered a vascular condition that is associated with changes in the size of the arteries within and outside of the brain causing them to throb and spasm. The National Headache Foundation estimates that 28 zillion Americans suffer from migraines and these occur about three times more frequently in women than in men. A quarter of all women with migraines suffer four or more attacks a month 35% experience one to four severe attacks a month and 40% experience one or little than one severe attack a month. Each migraine can last from four hours to three old age. Occasionally, lasting longer. Studies have shown that per 100 people, about 5.5 days of activity are restricted per year due to migraines.