Migraines and the Migraine Syndrome

"I feel tired. There I go yawning again. Why did I come into the bedroom anyway? I wish I could find that box of chocolates I stashed away. My neck sure is stiff today. That spot on my head is hurting again. It always starts hurting when I get one of those sick headaches! Oh, maybe it's happening again! I can feel the throbbing pulsation on the side of my head and in my sinuses. I need to turn off that noisy radio and lie down. I believe I will draw the shades first. This room smells musty. Maybe that's what's nauseating me. I cannot think right now, so I might as well go to sleep. Oh my, my head is killing me." This patient has a common migraine headache. If presented with aura (usually visual disturbance or tingling of the skin prior to the headache), then this would be a classic migraine headache. A migraineur, a person who has a history of having migraines, may have variations on the presentation of headaches or other symptoms. Some headaches will not follow this pattern. This person falls into the migraine syndrome profile. Let me explain what I mean by the migraine syndrome. It is the outward expression of the body's sensitivity to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. Some people are more sensitive than others; therefore, their reactions to different stimuli are greater. This sensitivity can be manifested in the body as migraines, sinus headaches, neck aches, palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness or vertigo, reactive hypoglycemia, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), panic attacks, and/or fibromyalgia. Now that's a mouthful! Understanding what is going on with you is very important in the healing process.