People who suffer with migraines, though, are far more likely to develop depression than people who do not have these severe headaches.

On the other hand, people who are depressed are more likely to suffer with migraines.

Scientists view the marriage of migraine and depression as a chicken and egg scenario.

Does one cause the other? If so, which one starts the whole process, the migraine or the depression?

The answer is never simple. Migraines, depression, and, surprisingly, insomnia, are in fact associated with both inflictions and have something in common.

All three are in a way associated with the lack of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Professionals believe that while they are associated with, depression and migraine headaches both have distinct causes with the same neurobiology.

Doctors blamed depression in migraine suffers on their loss of life quality.

Now it looks as though the link between the two is a biological shared condition rather than psychological one.

A danger for clinically depressed migraine sufferer is possible pharmaceutical interaction between their depression medication and their migraine medication.

July 2006 the FDA recognized one such red zone, that of mixing triptans for migraines with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or SNRIs (serotonin and nor epinephrine uptake inhibitors), used to treat depression.

By having a marriage of these drugs can lead to a nasty condition called serotonin syndrome.

This condition occurs when the serotonin levels in the body are too much.

Symptoms can involve hallucinations, heart rate and body temperature fluctuations, quick changes in blood pressure, and stomach complaints.

Sometimes a migraine sufferer has no other choice but to take these pills together, but the need to discuss options with their medical practitioner is paramount.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine details more than 800 energy points in the human body which are located along meridians which run through your body. Your life energy, or chi, is believed to flow along these lines and through the energy points. In healthy people this energy flows fluently. Illness and pain is thought to be caused by blocked energy lines.

To release chi and invigorate the body’s healing mechanisms acupressure massage exerts pressure to these energy points. Pressure is brought to bear on these energy points by massaging the body with fingers, thumbs or blunt or rounded objects.

The easiest acupressure technique a migraineur can learn is the complete head massage. All you need to do is massage your head as if you were washing your hair with shampoo. You can do this yourself by sitting at a table with your elbows resting on it and your head sitting lightly in your hands. This should prove to be the least tiring method of doing it.

The best relief for the migraine pain is to apply pressure to the GB20 points which are located on either side of the neck, about one inch to each side of the spinal column and just below where the skull and neck muscles join. The Chinese terminology for this location is “The gates of Consciousness”.

Press firmly on your GB20 points with your thumbs for a couple of minutes at a time and breathe deeply and this will bring relief from your headache and neck pain. If this proves to be painful at first, start off by exerting pressure for only five to fifteen seconds at a time.

There are migraine headaches treatments that are available and effective. So next time you experience a migraine headache try this migraine headaches treatment before reaching for the painkillers.

No matter what your cause of migraine is there are effective migraine headaches treatments available, some of which, like acupressure don’t require the use of drugs or painkillers. Find out more about your cause of migraine and the migraine headaches treatments available to you

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Types of Migraine:

• Migraine without aura, also known as “common migraine”.

• Migraine with aura

• Others: basilar artery migraine, hemiplegic migraine, ophthalmoplegic migraine, retinal migraine, abdominal migraine etc.

Symptoms:

The signs and symptoms of migraine attacks vary greatly among individuals. There are 4 phases of a migraine attack commonly described, but not all phases are experienced by all individuals.

Prodrome Phase:

Prodromal symptoms occurs in about 40 – 60% of migraine sufferers. Symptoms include altered mood, irritability, fatigue, yawning, craving for certain foods etc, and may precede the actual headaches by several hours or days.

Aura Phase:

These migraine auras may be visual, sensory or motor disturbances, with the visual auras being, by far, the most common. Visual disturbances may include flashes of light, zigzag lines, cloudy vision etc. These auras usually do not last more than an hour.

Headache Phase:

Migraine headaches are typically severe, throbbing/pulsating, one-sided headaches, lasting from several hours to as long as 3 days. The headaches are usually accompanied by nausea, with or without vomiting. Typically, migraine sufferers in this phase, get comfort by sleeping in a darkened and quiet room.

Postdrome Phase:

This is the “hangover” phase, where one feels tired and weak.

Triggers:

Many factors can potentially trigger a migraine attack. These factors include:

• Emotional, mental or physical stress

• Changes in sleep pattern

• Bright lights, loud noises, certain odours

• Weather changes

• Alcohol

• Smoking or exposure to smoke

• Alcohol

• Hormone related eg. menstrual cycle fluctuations, taking oral contraceptive pills

• Certain foods eg. foods containing tyramine (eg. red wine, aged cheeze), monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates (in bacon, salami, sausages), chocolates, nuts, banana, citrus, diary products, onions etc.

Management:

The management of migraine headaches involves treating the acute attacks and preventing future attacks by taking of prophylactic medication and avoiding triggers.

Treatment of acute attacks:

1. Simple pain-killers such as paracetamol (with or without a muscle relaxant) and the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) group of medication, may be used for pain relief. An anti-emetic (anti-vomiting) may be added to control nausea.

2. Ergot derivatives eg. Ergotamine are also useful as abortive rescue medication for acute attacks.

3. Triptans eg. Sumatriptan, Zolmitriptan, Naratriptan, Eletriptan, are also effective in aborting acute attacks.

Prophylactic treatment:

Prophylaxis (preventive) treatment should be considered with your doctor if your headaches are very frequent A whole range of medication can be used for prophylaxis and they may include beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, NSAIDS, angiotensin blockers etc.

Trigger Avoidance:

A “migraine diary” is useful in helping to identify possible triggers. Unless one knows what triggers one’s migraine, it would be impossible to avoid them.

Dr Ang C.D. is has been in medical practice for over 12 years. He graduated with an M.B.B.S. degree from the National University of Singapore in 1997 and subsequently completed his post-graduate diploma in Family Medicine.

He has had training in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery and Urology.

Dr Ang currently practices in a family clinic in Singapore, seeing a good mix of paediatric, adult and geriatric patients.

With the goal of providing local and international patients with a resource for specialist care in Singapore, Dr Ang has founded SingaporeDoc.com, a Web Directory of Specialists in Private Practice in Singapore.

http://singaporedoc.com

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