Migraine Headaches and Massage Therapy

A migraine headache is a severe and sometimes excruciating pain most often felt on one side of the head or in the forehead around the eyes or temples. The pain is so severe at times that beside vomiting sufferers can become incapacitated, ultra sensitive to light, sounds, and movement. The tension experienced can cause blurred vision, and a loss of balance. Though migraine pain can attack at any time it is usually felt in the morning, and can last from a few hours to a couple of days.

Headaches are big business according to the National Headache Foundation (NHF) headaches account for 50 billion dollars in loss a year due to employee absenteeism and medical treatment. Migraine sufferers lose up to 157 million workdays each year. Sufferers spend over 4 billion dollars a year in over the counter medication alone, most of which are ineffectual.

The causes for migraine remain elusive but suffers do have some things in common. It affects people between the ages of 15 and 55 years old, becoming less severe and frequent as migraine sufferers age. Migraines are more common in woman and there is often times a family history of the condition. Though much study has been conducted scientist still don’t know what causes these headaches. There are several theories, the most popular being blood flow, chemical, and gene theory.

Blood flow theory suggests that blood vessels in the brain at times constrict causing dizziness and impaired vision. Other times the blood vessels may dilate causing pressure on the surrounding nerves in the brain, which causes great pain. Another theory focuses on the chemical changes in the brain itself, which is the cause of the constriction or dilation of the blood vessels. The hypothalamus in the brain assembles chemicals called peptides, (small chain amino acids) into neuro peptides which are the messages shared by the innumerable cells of the body providing the vital messages that the human body needs in order to function. Some of these neuro peptides instruct the blood vessels in the brain to narrow or widen.

More recently, genes have been linked to migraine. People who get migraines may inherit abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells. And something the person’s body is sensitive to in some way triggers the chemicals to be produced in the hypothalamus, which in turn instruct the blood vessels to constrict or widen. These triggers vary from person to person.

Some of these triggers include type or lack of food, changes in sleep patterns, bright light or loud noise, hormonal changes during menstrual cycles, stress, anxiety, weather changes, chocolate, alcohol, drugs, and nicotine. To help pinpoint your headache triggers, it may be helpful to keep a headache “diary.” Each time you have a migraine, write down the time of day, point in your menstrual cycle, where you are at the time, and what you were doing when the migraine started. Talk with your doctor about what sets off your headaches to help find the right treatment for you.

Research conducted by respected institutions like the University of Miami’s Touch Research institute have indicated that migraine sufferers receiving massage frequently experience a significant reduction in migraine attacks as apposed to test subject that did not receive massage treatment. In the light of these studies many Doctors are recommending to their patients massages as a good way to decrease the frequency of migraine attacks. While most massage modalities are affective there are three that have been credited as the most successful, they are CranioSacral, Trigger Point Therapy, and Neuromuscular Therapy. For more information on these techniques and how you can find specialists in these effective massage modalities in your area please visit our Website at www.ahhthatsthespotmassage.com.