Migraine Headaches - Why You Should Ignore Them

This article about headache treatment is appealing for those interested about this topic is written by James Cottrill

------------

I'm guessing that if you've read this far, you're either hopping mad, totally confused, or very curious. After all, how on earth can I suggest that you ignore the horrible disabling pain of a migraine attack? Am I one of these people that think that if you just ignore the pain, it will go away?

Rest assured, I'm not going to suggest that your migraine headache is imaginary. Migraine is, after all, a real disease. As research has progressed, we've been able to see that the brain of someone with migraine is actually different. There is a growing consensus that migraine is at least partially genetic.No, migraine is real, and your headache is not going to vanish just because you want it to.But I do really believe that a lot of people are missing out on the treatment they really need because they're paying too much attention to their migraine headaches. Doctors are doing the same thing. The prescribe painkillers, tell you to use an ice pack and call them in the morning.The problem is, migraine disease and migraine headache are two very different things.

Yes, headache is one possible symptom of migraine. But there are many people who have migraine attacks with no headache at all. Migraine is a disease that goes far beyond a bad headache.Treating the headache in someone with migraine is kind of like trying to kill a weed by pulling off a leaf. Sure, it might help, but it's not getting to the root of the problem.People with migraine will tell you that painkillers may, at best, dull a bit of the pain. Sometimes that's what you need. But far better to get to the root of the problem. To stop the migraine chain reaction before it even gets to the headache phase.Now you see what I'm getting at, don't you? When doctors (or patients, for that matter) treat migraine like just another headache (a bad one, but still just a headache), they're missing the point. Not only will you get poorer treatment with this attitude, it could actually make matters worse. Many patients have been prescribed painkillers so many times that their bodies get used to them. They may stop being effective - they may even start to cause more headache symptoms!Studies have suggested that there are many, many people with migraine who aren't properly diagnosed in the first place. When they are diagnosed, they are still far too often given drugs designed to mask pain, instead of treatment (drugs or other treatment) designed to halt the migraine attack itself.

A migraine study in 2006 found that 20% of migraine sufferers were given migraine-specific triptan drugs (an abortive drug for migraine), but over 50% were given narcotics and opioid analgesics! These are drugs that may temporarily mask the pain, but they are a long way from a solution, and may make matters worse.Don't get me wrong. If you have the pain of a migraine headache, you want to get rid of the pain. But if you're getting migraine attacks on a regular basis, you don't need a temporary solution. You need to get rid of the whole migraine attack, and if possible stop it from starting.There are many, many options out there. Don't let your doctor keep you in the dark - find out about the many treatments, medications, supplements and lifestyle changes that can fight migraine disease. You deserve better than the old fashioned "take two aspirin" approach.The best way to get rid of migraine headache pain is by ignoring the migraine headache and attacking the root of the problem. Find a specialist that won't give up on you, and you'll be helping yourself and others that come after you.