Migraine headaches are severe painful headaches that are associated with nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound etc. Despite the huge leaps in medical science, the exact cause of migraine has not yet been pinpointed. Migraine is believed to be a strongly inheritable disorder as suggested by occurrence in families.
Genetic factors:
Genetic susceptibility combined with multiple other factors predisposes a person to get repeated attacks of migraine. Certain types of migraine like Familial Hemiplegic Migraine are found to run in families. Yet there is much more to explore on the genetic aspect as a causative factor of migraine.
Triggering factors:
Triggering factors are not sole causes of migraine by themselves, but just provoke the attack of migraine in an individual whenever he or she is exposed to these factors. Some of the factors which are found to be associated with migraine are as below:
1) Hormonal changes Cause Migraine:
- Migraine associated with menses: There is a strong relation between migraine and hormonal changes occurring before and after menses. Many women are found to get migraine 2-3 days before the start of their menses or 2-3 days after menses are over.
- Women may get migraine during periods in life when they go through hormonal changes like puberty, menopause or pregnancy. During these periods of life, attacks of migraine may worsen in intensity and frequency in those women who already have migraine.
2) Low serotonin levels as a Cause of Migraine:
Patients suffering with migraine are found to have low serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical that carries signals between two nerves, thus enabling them to communicate with each other. Imbalance in serotonin levels is found in many patients known to have migraine. Low serotonin is not the exactly the cause of migraine but a factor associated with migraine, depression and anxiety.
3) Emotional triggers that Cause Migraine:
One of the most important trigger is Stress and it is found to be the triggering causes of migraine in many people.
Migraine is found to be associated with psychiatric diseases like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Low serotonin levels are found in both migraine and several psychiatric disorders like anxiety or depression. Studies suggest that there are common genetic traits underlying these 3 conditions.
4) Insufficient sleep or altered sleeping patterns as a Cause for Migraine:
Deprivation of sleep due to jet lag or due to night shifts at work place or keeping awake till late night due to any reasons is a triggering factor for many individuals suffering with migraine.
5) Skipped meals or irregular meal timings may act as triggering causes of migraine.
6) Food triggers may act as Migraine Causes:
There is no scientific research or theory which has established any of the food as causes for migraine. Nevertheless, some people do find that certain foods trigger their migraine episodes.
- Foods like alcoholic beverages, chocolates, caffeinated soft drinks, coffee, or old cheese.
- Processed food and certain food additives, sweeteners and preservatives like monosodium glutamate.
- Food rich in tyramine (a substance that is naturally found in certain foods like aged cheese and smoked fish) and tannin (found in tea and coffee).
7) Medications may Cause Migraine Attacks:
- Some of the medications for sleeplessness
- Oral contraceptive pills & hormone replacement therapy are also one of the commonly found triggering factors that cause migraines as they induce hormonal changes in women. However in some of the women migraine attacks lessen after they start with these two treatments.
8) Exposure to bright lights, scorching sun, intense smells of perfumes, cigarette smoke or loud noises can trigger the migraine in some individuals. These factors act as sensory stimulus to trigger the migraine.
9) Excessive physical exertion or excessive physical work out, excessive sexual activity.
All the people who suffer from migraine may not get an attack from all of these triggers. However, knowing about these triggers for migraine causes one to be aware and thus find what triggers your migraine. Preventing exposure to these triggers naturally helps you prevent an attack. In addition to preventing these triggers, homoeopathic treatment for migraine can help reduce the intensity and frequency of your migraine headaches. To know more, get in touch with our doctors at LifeForce Homoeopathy today via the form below. Alternately you can give us a call on + 91-22-66-888888, visit us at http://www.askdrshah.com/app/migraine/ or email us at info@lifeforce.in
