How is Migraine different from Headache?

If you ask someone if they have heard of migraines, almost everyone you speak to will say yes. Then ask them what a migraine is and very few can give you an accurate answer. The vast majority will say “a bad headache”. If you were to ask them what symptoms distinguish their migraine from a headache, very few offer anything but pain severity.

In this confusion of identifying the symptoms of migraine appropriately for a long time, the disease remains undiagnosed, undertreated and poorly managed. So, let us first understand the basic difference between a migraine and a headache.

Common Symptoms of Migraine

In general terms, symptoms of migraine are experienced as a headache of at least moderate severity usually on one side of the head accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, pain behind one eye or ear, pain in the temples, seeing spots or flashing lights, sensitivity to light or sound, temporary vision loss, and vomiting.

Then there are migraine triggers also which may make your condition worse during the moment. These include emotional anxiety, contraceptives, alcohol, hormonal changes, and menopause.

Individuals suffering from migraine headaches often can’t sit upright and need to be in a dark, cool space until the pain subsides.

Regular Headache Symptoms

Headaches can vary greatly in their duration, cause and severity. A hangover headache, for example goes within a few hours and headaches associated with an infectious illness improve when the illness is over.

It is really important to identify the type of headache you have so you can get the right sort of treatment and advice. A headache can be the result of a whole variety of factors such as head injuries, infections and other medical conditions and the pain may or may not get better on its own. While migraine, like diabetes and thyroid, is a life-long condition and needs a proper treatment plan.

To help your doctor in diagnosing the condition and get a clear picture of your headache, keep a record in the diary. By being able to distinguish between the types of headaches the right treatment can be selected.

Homeopathic medicines for migraine have proven to be effective in treating migraine holistically from the root. Homeopathy applies the concept of individualization, which means that even if two people are suffering from the same type of migraine, they would not be given the same homeopathic medicines for migraine.

A homeopathic doctor will study the whole case history of each of the patients — their exact nature of symptoms, temperament, feelings, likes and dislikes, causes for migraine — and then suggest homeopathic medicines for migraine suitable for each of them to ascertain deep-rooted and permanent cures.