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.
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