Nanny to Mommy

A migraine is a painful and disabling condition characterized by a throbbing pain in the head, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. A 2016 cross-sectional study¹ by the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) estimated that migraines and tension-related headaches affect about 3 billion people worldwide.

The most common symptom of migraine is the intense throbbing head pain. This pain can be so severe that it interferes with your day-to-day activities. It can also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as sensitivity to light and sound. But a migraine can look very different from person to person. Migraines, which affect children and teenagers as well as adults, can progress through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome. Not everyone who has migraines goes through all stages.

1. The prodrome stage occurs 24-48 hours before an impending attack. You might experience sudden mood changes, constipation, a stiff neck, food cravings, and frequent urination.

2. The aura stage might happen just before or during a migraine episode. Common symptoms include photopsia (flashes of light, floaters), tingling sensations in the arms and legs, numbness, hearing sounds, and uncontrollable jerking.

3. The attack stage happens when you experience a full-blown migraine. You’ll likely feel throbbing or pulsing pain on one or both sides of the head. You might also experience light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, and loss of sensation.

4. The postdrome stage follows after the migraine subsides. You may experience fatigue or confusion for up to 24 hours.

What can trigger a migraine?

- Hormonal changes in women. Fluctuations in estrogen, such as before or during menstrual periods, pregnancy and menopause, seem to trigger headaches in many women.

- Hormonal medications, such as oral contraceptives, also can worsen migraines. Some women, however, find that their migraines occur less often when taking these medications.

- Drinks. These include alcohol, especially wine, and too much caffeine. And not drinking enough water.

- Stress. Stress at work or home can cause migraines. 

- Sensory stimuli. Bright or flashing lights can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells - such as perfume, paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others - trigger migraines in some people.
- Sleep changes. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep can trigger migraines in some people.
- Physical factors. Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, might provoke migraines.
- Weather changes. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine.
- Medications. Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines.
- Foods. Aged cheeses and salty and processed foods might trigger migraines. So might skipping meals.
- Food additives. These include the sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods.

I have highlighted my triggers. And thankfully, CEFALY has the CeCe app which is a migraine management app that helps you track your migraines and symptoms.

The Cefaly Dual Device is a non-drug treatment that you place on your forehead for migraine relief. It uses a therapy called external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS). eTNS release electrical impulses that tell your brain to stop producing chemicals that raise the intensity and frequency of migraine attacks.

1. Before placing the device, clean the area between the eyebrows on your forehead.

2. Place the device on the forehead with the logo facing outwards and the lower edge sitting between your eyebrows. The electrode patch should stick firmly against your skin.

3. Turn on the power button and adjust the intensity levels as you wish.

4. Wear the device for 20 minutes each day for prevention. For migraine pain relief, 60-minute treatment is ideal.

Change the electrode patch when it loses its stickiness or after a few uses.