Find out how to relieve symptoms and manage migraines Don't let migraines disrupt your life. This handy pocket guide explains how migraines differ from other headaches, describes the latest prescription and non-prescription drugs, and helps you identify and avoid migraine triggers. You'll get expert advice on how to deal with everyday life when suffering from migraines and ways NOT to treat a migraine. Open the book and find: What makes a migraine a migraine The different types of migraines and migraine myths How to find relief with prescription drugs Over-the-counter medications that can help Lifestyle changes that minimize migraines
If you get migraines you know how laughable it is to hear them described as “headaches.” As one poet put it, “the migraine is a beast from Hell, a bone-crushing, brain-twisting, heart-rending, apocalyptic scourge—an insult to all that’s holy.” And that’s putting it mildly. People have been trying to tame the migraine beast for thousands of years. Some early healers bored holes into their patients’ skulls, the Greeks inhaled the smoke of burning coffee beans, while in ancient Egypt, doctors tied herb-stuffed clay crocodiles to migraine sufferer’s heads. Fortunately, we live in more enlightened times and there are now medically sound approaches that are relatively simple and inexpensive—and they don’t leave scars or involve extreme fashion statements. Your complete guide to taking charge of your migraines and getting your life back, Migraines For Dummies offers a focused, fleshed-out program that works in the real world. This friendly guide fills you in on what you need to know to: Understand migraines and why you get them Relieve symptoms Pinpoint pain triggers Sort through the various medications Evaluate alternative remedies Make simple migraine-busting lifestyle changes Stop migraines from disrupting your family and work lives Find a good doctor to help you manage the beast The authors look at the whole spectrum of the problem—from dealing with the number-one issue of pain relief, to handling the peripheral problems like absences from work skepticism from friends, and impact on family. They also explore a range of critical related issues, including: Different types of migraines, including abdominal, ocular, hemiplegic, opthamoplegic, and women’s hormonal migraines Triggers, such as environmental allergens, stress, dietary triggers, and even exercises that can cause migraines Over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbal supplements Biofeedback, meditation, massage, acupuncture, and other alternative remedies The pros and cons of prescription remedies, including ergotamine derivatives, antidepressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, botox and more You’ve tried Aunt Edna’s camphor-soaked head cloths. Now explore a sensible, medically sound approach, and get on the road to full-fledged pain relief with Migraines For Dummies.
Despite their widespread occurrence, migraines are often misunderstood in terms of both origin and treatment. Shifflett examines the causes of these painful headaches, many of which can be corrected by the individual. The author defines the roots and symptoms of migraines as well as the interactions between the source of pain and the rest of the body.
The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.
Providing practical guidance about the various self-helpmeasures, conventional medical options and complementary therapies, these jargon-free question-and-answer guides provide practical advice about coping with various forms of arthritis and migraines. Contains up-to-date research on the latest treatments and complementary therapies Features comprehensive sections on diet and exercise
A neurologist specializing in headache treatment outlines ten simple techniques to help relieve and prevent migraines, including drug therapy, lifestyle enhancements, and complementary therapies, including supplements, diet, and exercise.
Deeply researched and beautifully written, this fascinating and accessible study of one of our most common, disabling—and yet often dismissed—disorders will appeal to physicians, historians, scholars in medical humanities, and people living with migraine alike.
Providing details of the pros and cons of common prescription medications, this text explains Dr. Mauskop's patient-tested, seven-step programme for migraine relief. It includes tips on avoiding migraine triggers in food, the home & the environment.
