Contents
It pierces and pierces and grows with every minute. Migraine pain cannot be confused with any other. Will relaxation, restful sleep and a few drops of lavender oil allow us to overcome the “aristocratic disease” on vacation?
- In the event of a migraine attack, the most important rule is to take your pain reliever as soon as possible
- Doctors advise patients to keep an attack diary and learn to spot the most common migraine situations
- It is also worth avoiding stress as much as possible
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Migraine – unsolved mystery
Migraine was called a globe, the main suffering and disease of intellectuals … Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Claude Monet, Beethoven, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud suffered from it. Today we know that it can affect anyone – it is estimated that up to 20 percent suffer from migraines. population, mainly women.
Migraine pain is specific – intense, pulsating and distressing, usually located on one half of the head, most often behind the eye. Other characteristic symptoms are nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and watery eyes. Some patients also experience the so-called an aura that heralds an attack. Usually these are visual disturbances: colored lights, tunnel vision, blurring of the contours of objects, zigzag patterns appearing in the field of view. The aura may also be accompanied by tingling, numbness, and speech disturbance. As a rule, a migraine attack develops within several minutes and lasts from 4 to 72 hours. The question is how to cope with the famous “globe” while on vacation?
First of all: stock up on a first aid kit
Although migraine is not life threatening and usually does not require urgent medical intervention, it remains an incurable disease. In acute treatment, painkillers, ergot derivatives or triptans are used. In case of pain, the most important rule is to take the drug as soon as possible. This is important because oral medications do not act immediately – their absorption time is between 30 and 60 minutes. If the migraine is accompanied by nausea or vomiting, an antiemetic may be needed.
Second: learn about migraine pain triggers
Although it has not been established to date what causes migraine, scientists agree that genetic and environmental factors are responsible. People struggling with migraine headaches should lead the so-called an attack log to let them know about potential ‘triggers’. Some of us react intensely to changes in the weather, lack or excess of sleep, severe stress and fatigue. Avoid unventilated and intensely lit rooms.
Third: watch your plate
Migraine can also be caused by certain foods. First of all, limit your alcohol, especially red wine. Also, large amounts of coffee and caffeinated sodas can cause a throbbing headache. If you are a cheese lover then we have bad news for you. Scientists suspect that the tyramine contained in camembert, gorgonzola and cheddar may affect neurotransmitters and cause pain. The censored section also includes sausages and frankfurters, smoked fish, olives and citrus. And one more thing – long breaks between meals, which cause a drop in blood sugar levels, are also inadvisable.
Fourth: avoid stress
Contrary to appearances, holidays can be very stressful. Not knowing the language, fear of boarding a plane, jumping exchange rates, rising overdraft… and the possibility of sudden bankruptcy of a travel agency. Psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe have already ranked the holidays among 43 of the most stressful life events! Therefore, instead of racing with your friends from FB for the best holiday photos, focus on simplicity – that is, rest in the bosom of nature. It’s best to book for more than a week.
Fourth: the torrential pyrethrum
You can also look for ways to deal with migraines in natural medicine. One of the most frequently recommended preparations is tansy, a perennial native to the Balkans, used since antiquity as an antipyretic and analgesic. Pyrethrum helps to fight not only the headache, but also the accompanying nausea and photophobia. In herbal medicine, both fresh or dried herb and pyrethrum juice are used.
Fifth: reach for the banana
In the literature, there are reports of attempts to use magnesium preparations in prophylactic treatment. It turns out that hypomagnesaemia (low magnesium level) may disturb the proper tone of the cerebral arteries, leading to their pathological contraction and the occurrence of a pain stimulus. As a preventive measure, eat foods rich in magnesium: buckwheat, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, almonds and bananas
Sixth: it has already begun
If you’ve been going to spend the whole day at the beach and your head is throbbing, here are some proven symptom relief measures that will help you get through the tough times. First of all: find a dark and quiet room where you will cut yourself off from sounds and light. Second: put a cool compress on the forehead and eyes. Massage and aromatherapy may also be helpful in the fight against migraine. The following oils are usually recommended: lavender, mint, rosemary, marjoram or basil.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, Dr. Agnieszka Bolikowska – the founder of Linguistics, creator of the 6oMethod® method, will tell us about what slow learning is. How to break the language barrier? How to learn to make mistakes? You will learn about this and other aspects of language learning in today’s episode. Listen!