Migraine Myths and Reality

Myth #1:

Migraines are easily recognized and diagnosed by doctors.

Reality:

Migraines are among the least properly diagnosed and most mistreated of all illnesses.

Up to 70% of migraines sufferers have never been properly diagnosed with having the illness. Migraines remain seriously underestimated and misunderstood, even among doctors treating the problem.

Myth #2:

Migraines are annoying and uncomfortable, but there’s nothing life-threatening about them.

Reality:

Migraines can induce several life-threatening conditions such as stroke, aneurysms and coma.

27% of all strokes experienced by those under the age of 45 are preceded by a severe migraine headache. 25% of all cerebral infarctions are associated with migraines. In addition, studies have also found links between migraines and epileptic seizures.

Myth #3:

Migraines are nothing more than really bad headaches.

Reality:

The headache is really just a symptom of a disease and the cause of the migraine pain is the opposite of the cause of the headache pain. Migraines are a disease that are genetically based. Those with a single parent who experience migraines themselves have a 50% chance of developing migraines.

Myth #4:

Migraines are psychological in nature, caused by external environmental factors.

Reality:

A migraine is a neurological disease, not a disorder.

Migraines truly are neurological diseases, caused by physiological and not psychological triggers. Migraines happen when cranial blood vessels dilate, causing nerve endings to release serotonin, a crucial factor in the development of the headache.

Myth #5:

Only women suffer from headaches.

Reality:

Women, men, adults and children all suffer from migraines.

While it’s true that the overwhelming majority of migraine patients are adult women, a significant number of suffers are male and an increasing number of children are being treated not just for migraines but for a particular type called abdominal migraines.

Myth #6:

There’s no doubting about whether that headache you’re suffering is really a migraine or not. If you’ve got a migraine, you’ll know it.

Reality:

Millions of people suffer from migraines without having been correctly diagnosed or thinking that it’s just a regular tension headache.

Myth #7:

If you aren’t suffering from the most severe symptoms like nausea and auras, then it’s probably not a migraine.

Reality: Only 20% of migraine suffers experience the kind associated with auras. And many never experience the more extreme symptoms such as nausea or vomiting.

Myth #8:

My headaches are triggered by allergies or changes in the weather conditions; therefore they are probably sinus headaches.

Reality:

Allergic reactions and changes in the weather can trigger migraines, but they are never the cause. In addition, migraines are offer accompanied by symptoms such as a runny nose or watery eyes that can be mistaken for sinus-based headaches.

Myth #9:

Migraines are caused by stress and tension.

Reality:

Again stress and tension can be triggers for migraines, but unlike tension headaches, migraines are not actually caused by any rise in your tension or stress levels.

Myth #10:

Only hypersensitive, uptight, perfectionist, compulsive types get migraines.

Reality: Research has been concluded that there is no such thing as a particular personality type who develops migraines. Therefore, put to rest all misconceptions you may have about a so-called “migraine personality."

Myth #11:

You can make the pain go away and feel better if you take more medication.

Reality: Far from providing relief, exceeding the recommended dosage of migraine medication may do far more harm than good. In fact, taking more medicine than recommended could result in even more serious health problems.

Myth #12:

People who complain about migraine headaches are just lazy slackers trying to get out of work.

Reality: Migraines are one of the most disabling diseases around. It disrupts lifestyles, affects relationships and is the cause behind over 10,000 annual visits to a physician each year. Most people who take days off from work due to migraines would be more than willing to trade in the pain for the work.

Myth #: 13

People bring migraines on themselves. It’s psychosomatic, man.

Reality: Only to the extent that heart disease or diabetes is brought on by sufferers. Migraines have a physiological cause that takes place inside one’s head. That does not mean that it is all in your head!

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Caffeine Withdrawal and Migraines

Taking in too much caffeine has been found to cause migraines.   On the other hand taking in just enough caffeine has been found to successfully prevent migraines.  What’s the deal?

Caffeine withdrawal is the primary cause of caffeine-related migraines.  Therefore, using caffeine as a preventative method in migraine relief can be done in two ways.  The first is the easiest, and paradoxically also the most difficult.   Simply limit your ingestion of caffeine to zero.  No caffeine, no caffeine withdrawal.  Get it?  The second method involves a little work, but it does work.  All that is required is to take in enough caffeine over intervals that occur close enough together to ensure that you don’t go into withdrawal.  Both methods have their advantages and their disadvantages, both require certain sacrifices, but more importantly both work to keep caffeine withdrawal at bay which keeps migraines at bay. 

You would think that complete abstinence from caffeine would thoroughly rid yourself of migraine headaches.  And yet this is not always the case.  In theory, it works just fine, but as a relief program it suffers the same fate as sexual abstinence: Not everybody is capable of sticking with the program; the urges are just too strong to deny.   Another problem is that the all too easy intake of caffeine without realizing you are doing it.    Complete and total caffeine abstinence requires educating yourself on all available sources of caffeine.  It’s not nearly enough just to give up coffee and Mountain Dew.  In order to successfully avoid caffeine you have to be aware of all the sources of caffeine.  If you are going to take the route of giving up caffeine altogether, for instance, you’ll have to be prepared to give up or use alternative non-caffeinated versions of: tea, chocolate, liqueur, pudding, pain-relief medications, energy drinks, diet pills, stay-away pills.

So perhaps, then, the route of maintaining caffeine intake appeals to you.  The advantage here is that you don’t have to print out a twenty-page list of all the products in the world that contains caffeine.  You just merely need exert control over when you take in caffeine and how much you ingest.  Once you establish that control, however, you can practically kiss your migraine goodbye.  

This method involves the process of making sure you receive doses of caffeine  It works best if you set out a pattern whereby you can intake the caffeine at regular intervals.  Now don’t get all excited about stopping by Starbucks throughout the day or going to the coffeemaker.  Coffee and tea rely on caffeine infusion methods and therefore aren’t the best method of ingestion in this particular method.  Because of the diffusion, your caffeine amount varies significantly from cup to cup.   Ideally, you should purchase either caffeine tablets or soda.  Using these gives you much more precision over controlling the amount of caffeine you are actually taking in.

You can find caffeine tablets that contain 100 mg or 200 mg per dose.   Save yourself a little money by purchasing generic rather than brand name tablets.   As for soda, the amount of caffeine varies somewhat with Mountain Dew on the high end, though if you want to take the trouble to search them out you can also find higher-dosage soft drinks specifically designed to you a jolt.  For instance, Jolt Cola! 

The following caffeine amounts are found in 12oz servings of these soft drinks:

Mountain Dew: 55 mg of caffeine.

Coca-Cola: 34 mg of caffeine

Diet Coke: 45 mg of caffeine

Pepsi Cola: 38 mg of caffeine

Once you have decided how you are going to go about ingesting the caffeine, the next thing to do is make sure you keep a detailed journal of your dosing.  Keep an accurate record of the date and time you take the dose, the amount of the dose, how you ingested the dose (tablet, soft drink, medication, etc.), the time of dose and the amount of dose, etc. Also note any headaches you get and be sure to include such information as date, duration of headache, severity, etc. If you don’t see a change immediately, try altering it a little by either changing the times you ingest the caffeine or the amount.  And make sure you keep to the regimen once you’ve found one that words.

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Anger and Rejections

Rejections are normal and we all are told no on many occasions. Some persons have difficulty handling rejections and may react hastily to the other person involved. If you walk in a bank and apply for a loan and are rejected you might stomp out the door shouting obscene talk to the lenders. This is not an appropriate way to handle the situation. This in fact can get you in trouble and it is obvious that rejections are triggers to your emotions that enforce your anger. Now that you see this is a trigger you will need to learn how to cope with your anger and emotions. We can start with the technique to work through your anger by reducing your stress. If you are a spontaneous person then you will need to learn how to cut back on stressors. If you feel pressured in the morning before going to work, try picking out the clothes you will wear for that day the following evening. This will provide you an extra few minutes during the morning to prepare for work. If you are running like a mad person to meet classes, then you might want to set up a schedule for your self that includes time management. This can help you learn to prepare ahead and stay on top of things without rushing. Instead of roaming thoughts through your head about what you, need to do each day, try handling one task at a time. This works wonders once you practice and continue with your strategy. When you feel angry, try taking a few deep breaths before you speak. You may also want to practice exercising since this burns energy and often reduces your chances of exploding when your emotions are threatened. If you cannot handle rejections, coach your mind to believe that the person is not centering you out. Repeat over in your mind that no is a positive in many cases. For example, if you are married, you enjoy going to the bar to chat with your friends, and your husband does not want you to go, and then think why he said no? Obviously, your husband cares about you since he knows that danger is potentially high at bars. He does not want you to get hurt therefore, he is saying no in your best interest. If the bank turns you down on a loan there is a legit reason. Maybe your credit report needs some repairing, or maybe they felt you income would not cover the loan amount. Therefore, you best interest was at heart again. We all hear no throughout our lifetime and most times, it is for the best reasons. If you apply for a job and are turned down, it might be in your best interest, since the employers felt that your skills were not on the level that the job required of you. Alternatively, you may be over qualified for the job and when you are rejected, the employers are merely saying we do not have the cash to pay you for what you are worth. Thinking positive is always great for managing anger. If you are prompt to explode when your emotions are interrupted then it is difficulty to manage your life. If you are angry most likely, all areas of your life seem like an uphill travel. When you gain control this often benefits everyone, including your self. Your life starts to improve and your mind is thanking you for removing stress from its cavity. If you are prone to beat your self up when rejections come your way, you might want to find a positive side of your being and enforce it in your mind repeatedly. Practice makes perfect and this is a great way to train your mind so that you gain control of your mind and anger. If you are frustrated easily, it is probably because you do not take time out of a day for your self to relax. There is nothing wrong with relaxing. Therefore you can sit down for 30 minutes each day and yoga or think of nothing at all. Finally, we are closing so I wanted to let you know that once you practice the strategies for dealing with anger, pat your self on the back each time you make effort and achieve.

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A Grandiosity Mind Trapped in Anger

When we have a grandiosity personality type then we are prone to anger outbursts. A person with grandiosity thinking may believe that he or she was centered out from everyone else when he or she does not get his or her way. People with grandiosity attitudes will say things like that was a lousy idea since those people are stupid anyway. A person of this nature may believe that other people would have behaved the way that they did in a similar situation. There are many traits to grandiosity that are disturbing and when a person has a disturbed mind, he or she is prone to anger. This type of person will have a difficult time dealing with stressors and stress and will often act out on emotions when they feel threatened. This means they are prone to assaulting others intellect, cursing at the problem, attacking another persons mental status, and even acting out violently when they are mad. This type takes us to a whole knew level of understanding anger, since a mental illness is often underlying the emotions. A person of this magnitude of anger is known as a narcissistic personality type. Paranoid schizophrenias, histrionic personality types and a few other have a grandiosity personality underlying the diagnose. When we see that a person is angry due to a mental illness then anger management may or may not work. Most histrionic personality types are firm in their way of thinking, therefore more extensive therapy is needed to deal with this type. If you experienced anger outbursts, you realize that you feel remorse after the interruption takes place. On the other hand, if you have a histrionic or paranoid personality remorse is not in the picture. A person has to have a sense of remorse to become subject to recovery in anger management. Although the psychotherapist may find a resolve, it will be minimal. Unfortunately, in some cases of this type of anger, there is no resolve and the patient may eventually destroy another person’s life. Uncontrolled anger includes, striking, hitting, punching, assaulting mentally, verbally assault, and even murder. Now we are looking at a serious problem since anyone is at risk of being subjected to these types of personality. A more common form of anger is a mild name calling, such as you were acting like a jerk. Alternatively, damn why did you do that? Some of us might even say why you centered me out as a target to anger. The person will raise the voice assertively, and often walk away when the person does not reply as he or she intended. There are forms of anger that can be dealt with and some are rooted from jealousy. Well, the world is acting out of accordance to man’s beliefs most of the time so in a lot of instances there is just cause. The problem is dealing with it so that it does not get the best of you. For example if you are married and suspect that your spouse is having an affair you might confront this person rather than accusing. Find out the details before you blow up and cause a commotion. If the person is cheating then you have two options. You can forgive the persons infidelity and move on or you can hire a lawyer and find a more suitable, trusting mate. I would choose the latter since cheaters are liars and thieves trying to get away with something, therefore the person are not trustworthy in most cases. See the reasoning behind this? Of course, it is going to hurt, but in the end, you will see that you made a good choice. If you decide to stay with the person, remember your forgave so do not bring up failures when another problem occurs. Failure is success flipped over and if you review failure in a positive light, you problems will reduce as you move forward in life. If you have a grandiosity personality, you will need help, since the mountains are more difficulty for you to climb. Do not be a failure control your anger before it controls your life.

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Biotin and Hair Loss- an Overview

It is onehundred percent true that Biotin plays an important role in the prevention of hair loss. According to nutritionists biotin is an important vitamin for hair growth. It is also highly advisable to take biotin in addition to other medcial treatments such Minoxidil, Poscar or Propecia.

Biotin and hair loss are inter related. Deficiency of biotin may cause unhealthy and breakage of hair, which might finally lead to hair loss. Biotin is an important component not only to new hair growth but also keeps the skin and nails in perfect health.

Try to avoid raw eggs in your diet since the high amount of protein contained in raw egg binds biotin and makes it non-available to the body which in turn causes deficiency of biotin and hair loss. Always use shampoo, which is enriched with biotin and silica for preventing hair loss.

Supplements are necessary to restore B12 levels, which will completely prevent hair loss. Since Biotin and hair loss are closely related, it is highly advisable to include biotin regularly in your food. Food containing a lot of biotin are egg yolks and liver. You would have to consume thousands of calories daily to get what your hair needs. That’s why I suggest biotin supplements.

People with blood type A don’t have the ability to absorb B vitamins. As we already know Biotin, a family member of Vitamin B, is required for hair growth. Adding high doses of 5—8 grams to your food twice daily will prevent hair loss extensively. No side effects are known.

Biotin and hair loss are closely related. So good food full of biotin include brewer’s yeast, green peas, oats, soybeans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, green peas, bulgur and brown rice may definitely help to prevent hair loss.

You should be aware that persons with heartburn, acid reflux, or GERD that are taking antacids may absorb biotin less and hair loss may definitely occur. So avoid over-the-counter medications of antacids for better assimilation of Biotin and hair loss prevention.

Biotin is hair food! If you suffer from hair loss I highly recommend taking a biotin supplement and using a biotin enriched shampoo.

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