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.