Migraines Essay

For the most part, migraines affect women. Men are more likely to get cluster headaches, where the pain is still very bad, but it doesn’t last as long.

Yet all told, almost 40 million people suffer from migraines. A few million people experience migraines regularly, and nearly all have to miss work or school when one strikes.

Treatment seems to be limited for many, who simply reply on OTC pain relievers. Despite the severity of the condition, only half get a diagnosis. Furthermore, only a quarter of people turn to a physician for migraine treatment.

It seems like this terrible affliction can only be accepted by those struggling. To be fair, lack of treatment is probably most common among those who suffer episodic migraines, not chronic

Naturally, chronic migraines occur more frequently - approximately half of all days feature migraine symptoms.

More troubling, it’s as though with the variation in migraine symptoms and types, not all kinds of intervention are effective.

Why does this happen to people? Why do some get regular migraines, but others don’t? What are its secrets?

The thing is, no one really knows. The best answer you can get is that migraines are genetic. But if you ask me, that’s not much of an answer.

After all, we don’t know exactly what the family history triggers in terms of an underlying cause. Potentially, migraines are just a symptom of what that genetic predisposition really impacts.

However, researchers and doctors have some ideas. The cause of migraines could be a vascular problem in the brain. It could also potentially be a central nervous system problem or chemical imbalance, such as a drop in serotonin.

In the end, perhaps no one knows better than the person suffering from migraines. People with personal experience in dealing with the pain have noted some factors that can trigger migraines, such as:

Not eating enough or skipping meals
Eating salty or processed foods
Alcohol