Migraines traumatize all ages and both sexes. In many ways, a migraine is an equal opportunity menace. More than 28 million Americans suffer from this particular type of headache. That is over 18% of all women and over 6% of all women. Women, therefore, are three times more likely to have a migraine. This is a truly a miserable physical event in a person's life that can affect their productivity, the sense of wellness and their self-esteem. The symptoms are quite variable and are variable also in their intensity. I had a migraine once in which I lost the left side of my vision. After this I had the worst pain of my life. I was actually a sophomore in medical school. I knew just enough to be dangerous. I thought I was having a stroke. I can tell you that I was more afraid for my health at that point than anytime since. I was luckily sitting in a lecture by an internist and I was made a "teaching case" for the class. Anything for education!

Migraines can be described as:

• Severe pain that has an effect on one side of the head
• Pulsating, sharp, or throbbing in pain quality
• Disruptive of normal activities.
  
• Nausea with or without vomiting
• Light and sound sensitivity
• Loss of vision or visual disturbances:  Auras

Many migraines start with an aura. Most auras are described as blurred vision, bright spots, fuzzy lights, floating lights or blind spots. For me, it was like a curtain came over my vision. When the aura is gone, typically, there can be a sensation of anxiety, numbness or tingling and profound fatigue. This is highly disturbing for the individual and quite disruptive. Most migraines are a single event and can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, requiring emergency treatment for many. Oftentimes, they can be very consistent and occur once a month. Many women will have them in relation to their menstrual cycle. With proper hormone testing and treatment, oftentimes we can alleviate these migraines.

There is a tendency for migraines to run down the family line. If you have a migraine, there is a good chance that at least one of your parents had or has had migraines. Typically, migraines start between the ages of 12- 30. There are a few people that quit having migraines after they reach a certain age, typically around 50 or so.

Migraines are not typically understood but to the best of our knowledge we know that it starts with the blood flow to the brain. If the blood vessels located around the protective covering of the brain are not able to dilate or constrict appropriately or evenly, then there is too much dilation of the blood vessels overall and we get an excessive amount of flow to this layer. The result is a migraine. Depending on the degree of the migraine, they are subdivided into three categories: Common, Classic, and Complicated.

The conventional treatment of migraines involves a medication that constricts the blood flow of the above mentioned blood vessels, this leads to a constriction of the vessels. There are other drugs such as Imitrex that will actually boost the effects of a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Serotonin is our calming and feel good neurotransmitter. 

Over the next few days, I am going to talk about the other types of migraines and at the end of the week, I will talk about some of the non-conventional treatments that I have seen work most of the time.

Remember, if you are interested in improving your health, it starts first with your nutrition. If you are overweight or obese and you want to reduce your dependence on medications, you owe it to yourself to come to our seminar that is help every Tuesday night. Tonight, I am talking about carbohydrates and insulin. I will be talking about how HIGH INSULIN is the precipitating cause of Type 2 Diabetes.  If you have reactive hypoglycemia, chances are Type 2 Diabetes is headed your way. Look around at the people in your family. If any of them are obese or overweight with diabetes, they may have the condition known as Diabesity. I will be discussing this condition this evening. If you want to improve your health, come tonight! I highly encourage you to "Take Charge" of your health--do so Today!

Seating is Limited! Call Deanna, Dana, or any member of our Team and make your reservation. We are offering a special rate for those that come in Tonight. I am excited about the success of my patients. Don't you want to be on less medications! Would you like to increase the odds that your migraines STOP! Within two weeks of my seminar, many of my patients are able to stop their blood pressure medications. Come tonight and I will show you how you can reduce your chances of premature disease and death!

If you don't like where you are headed, you should really think about changing directions.  If you come tonight, I will help you turn it around!

To your Health,

Dr. Michelle Haendiges