Flashing Lights in Eyes - Migraine Type Headaches

Question:

I regularly experience flashing lights in both eyes. These lights can appear at any time but particularly if I get up quickly or Sneeze- I even get them when I'm making love. The symptoms can last up to ten minutes at a time. I'm a 33-year.old man. I have had extensive eye tests but nothing has shown up. It seems to be happening more often, and it is getting more severe. Can you offer any advice?

Migraines Aura

Answer:

I have had a number of questions about this subject. What you and my other correspondents are experiencing is really a headache without the pain. People who suffer from migraine type headaches see flashing lights and/or feel dizzy just before the severe pain in the head. The lights are called the 'aura' and are a warning sign.

Your flashing lights may, at some point, develop into a headache, which is categorized medically as an 'exertional headache', because it starts soon after a sudden exertion. It could be any quick action, such as you describe, or, for instance, moving the head suddenly to the side; or bending down to tie your shoelaces. Dehydration can produce the same effect, so you may experience the lights after along fight. Other triggers are drinking alcohol and eating a heavy, meal. A Chinese meal that contains the additive
monosodium glutamate may also start the reaction since, as with migraine, the lights may be an allergic reaction to something the body sees as an enemy. The classic migraine triggers are alcohol, cheese, chocolate and citrus fruits.

To summarize, I would say that any event or substance that raises the heart rate or blood pressure suddenly can cause flashing lights, just as they can induce a migraine-type headache. But in your case, fortunately, the symptoms go as soon as the pulse rate and blood pressure return to normal.

In my experience, most people who suffer from flashing lights (also migraine and exertional headaches) have had a difficult birth that involved a neck injury (including a forceps delivery, or a whiplash injury, fall, head injury or some similar trauma. This event puts one of the vertebrae in the neck (usually the third cervical vertebra) out of alignment. As a result, the pathway of the vertebral arteries is not perfectly straight. If the cervical vertebrae are properly aligned, they keep the vertebral canal, which houses the arteries and veins carrying blood from the heart to the brain, quite straight. But if there is a kink or curve in the canal and the heart rate suddenly goes up there may be turbulence and restricted blood flow to the brain. It is this reduced blood flow that triggers the flashing lights, dizziness and eventually, for many people, headaches. Some doctors and scientists reading this column may disagree, but I have proven the link to my own (and my patients') satisfaction by showing that treatment to the neck - plus some other simple remedies - solves the problem.

Here is what I suggest:

* For three to four months (until things, settle down), avoid foods that cause tension in the body - mainly coffee, alcohol, excess salt, monosodium glutamate and any foods that you know you are sensitive to.

* Drink two liters of still, pure water daily between meals.

* Drink two cups of Relaxation Tea or camomile tea, daily, without honey or sugar (or artificial sweetener).

* Ask a partner or friend to massage your neck and shoulders twice a week for six to eight weeks. If you can go to a professional therapist sometimes, this is beneficial. When the sides of the neck are massaged, you will find there is an area (one third of the distance down from the skull towards the shoulders) that will be quite tender. Massage this gently in a rotating movement until the pain eases.

* Do yoga: the cobra swing, boat, semi bridge and turtle postures are particularly helpful.

* Consult an osteopath or chiropractor for two or three sessions, if possible. A practitioner should massage the affected part soften the muscles and then manipulate. One manipulation can fix the problem temporarily but if your spine has been misaligned for a considerable period, you may need more long-term treatment to deal with the problem muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Flashing Lights in Eyes - Migraine Type Headaches

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What Does A Migraine Aura Look Like?

Most people think of a migraine as excruciating pain, but pain is actually the third step of a migraine episode. Before the pain, a majority of migraine sufferers experience the pre-headache phase and the aura phase.

If you have ever heard of the aura phase, you've probably wondered, "What does a migraine aura look like?"

Migraines Aura

Although many people speak only of the aura's affect on the eyes, the aura is much more than that. Migraineurs (those who have migraines) and their physicians know that some or all of the following may be part of an aura.

* auditory hallucinations - you hear sounds that aren't there

* confusion in thinking - things aren't making sense

* decrease in your hearing ability

* difficult finding the words you want

* dizziness

* increased feel and touch - or reduced feel and touch

* olfactory hallucinations - you smell odors that aren't there

* partial paralysis

* sight loss - partial or blurry vision

* tingling or numbness of your face

* visual hallucinations - you see sights that aren't there: flashing bright lights, wavy lines, spots, or zigzag lines

For now, however, we will look only at the last symptom in the list: visual hallucinations. What does a migraine aura look like in terms of its visual hallucinations?

Migraine Aura - Visual Hallucinations

The visual effects vary from person to person, although there are similarities. The changing activity of the nerves that coil around the blood vessels can produce partial loss of vision or intense colors and patterns.

1. For some people, the effects begin as a small dot in front of one or both eyes. The dot is a blind spot - a spot resembling the effect of accidentally looking toward a bare light bulb. Over a period of 30 to 60 minutes, the dot begins to grow. It flashes. Gradually, it changes shape, becoming an oval, a broken circle, or the shape of a V on its side. Off-center, the changing dot grows further and slowly moves to the peripheral vision. It creates repetitions of itself, chaining them together like linked circles, triangles, or other geometric patterns.

2. Other people describe a migraine aura as zigzag patterns in complimentary colors, such as red and green, yellow and blue. The colors look good together, and are pleasing to watch as long as the migraine pain has not begun. These people may also feel that they are look through smoke or smog. At times, it seems their eyes are shaded by a mini-blind with a crescent shape.

3. Artistically minded migraineurs are likely to say that migraine aura look like op-art paintings. They describe psychedelic, neon borders around a primary zigzag design in black and white. In fact, more than one sufferer has observed that, were it not for the onset of excruciating pain, the visual phenomenon would be very entertaining - something you might pay to witness!

4. One German artist, Delia Malchert, undertook to represent her aura's visual hallucinations in paintings. Her migraine aura look like scotoma: points in her visual field where vision is absent or reduced. They usually begin with a small spot near or at the centre of her vision. The spot grows gradually, darkening her vision and developing a jagged, zigzag rim of black and white. The rim emits quick flashes as it rotates rapidly around the darkening center. Before long, the scintillating and darkening increase to become a temporary visual disorder that is almost like legal blindness. At that point in the aura, the center part of what she sees is very blurry. To her, the hallucinations of a migraine aura are irritating and annoying rather than entertaining, even though they are not always followed by migraine pain. She does admit, though, that they can be aesthetically pleasing.

What does a migraine aura look like?

These phrases sum up some of the many visual perceptions migraine sufferers may experience.

* lightning bolts like jagged "Z" patterns - most common

* psychedelic patterns of bright colors

* sparkling zigzag lines that rotate

* random patterns of curved and straight lines

* spider webs in front of the eyes

* lattice work, grids, or mini-blinds in front of the eyes

* a spiraling tunnel

* kaleidoscopes of changing colors and patterns

* objects seeming to be larger, smaller, nearer, or farther away

* objects seeming to be tilted

* double vision - seeing two of everything

* stationary objects appearing to move

Migraine aura sufferers agree that whatever the visual effects, they cannot be escaped. Closing the eyes or trying to look around the effects does not help.

You can get more information about migraine auras at http://www.migrainereliefblog.com. Dedicated to helping both those who suffer migraines as well as those who support them, Migraine Relief Blog offers information and practical help on migraines and their treatment. Visit now to continue your study of the migraine aura.

What Does A Migraine Aura Look Like?

Migraines Aura

Treating Migraines with Botox Injections

The one-sided headaches that many migraines patients suffer from is an extremely painful condition. Medical researchers have found that patients with migraine condition taking Botox treatment have felt a phenomenal relief in their pain. These days increasing numbers of doctors use Botox for migraine patients. As Botox has chemical properties that can control neurological activities, it prevents the release of acetycholine, a signal that the nerves need to cause muscle contraction.

The upside of treating migraines with Botox is that there are very few side effects if the medicine is properly administered. When the Botox injection is administered for the forehead migraine it causes a release in the muscular tension and that is one main cause behind reduction of migraine related pains. In general Botox for migraines works by causing a relaxing effect on the nerve cell signaling systems that have to do with the perception of pain. It eliminates an irritant to the nervous system, which would then reduce the chances of a migraine developing in future.

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A botox treatment for migraines is easy to administer and it turns out to be cheaper for patients. Discomfort is usually minimal and brief. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. Many people return directly to work or normal activity following Botox treatment. Doctors suggest Botox for migraines as an alternative to the treatment by other medicines, which are taken through the blood stream and have unfavorable side effects. Hence botox is the best and ultimate treatment for patients suffering from migraines.

Most common side effect, if any, from Botox treatment of migraines is the needle may puncture a small blood vessel during the injection and a black and blue area may develop. Such an area can last 5-10 days and may require make-up to cover. More severe forms of complications from botox for migraines are too rare to be considered a serious health risk and are easily avoided when a qualified medical professional is rendering the treatment.

Treating Migraines with Botox Injections

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Stomach Migraines in Children

It is attenuate for adults to accept belly migraines. This accurate blazon of cephalalgia occurs generally in accouchement and is accustomed as such by the medical community. Another name for this ache is alternate syndrome. To put it simply, belly migraines, or belly migraines in children, absorb affliction in the abdomen, alike back there is no headache.

Usually the belly affliction lasts about two hours, but can be anywhere from 1-72 hours. Other affection may action such as abhorrence and/or vomiting, acuteness to light, irritability, diarrhea, accident of appetite, cephalalgia (not consistently though), or the adolescent may become ablaze or pale.

Migraines Aura

Most belly migraines in accouchement action amid the Ages of 5 and 9. adolescent accouchement could be affected, but it is difficult to apperceive because adolescent accouchement may not be Able to call their symptoms. Studies advance that 2-4% of accouchement may acquaintance this blazon of migraine.

How do you admit belly migraines in children? This can be a difficult and arresting process. generally the affection are anticipation to be the flu. One difference, however, is that accouchement may acquaintance a belly cephalalgia a brace of times in the aforementioned month, with no affliction in amid times.

Another affair to accede is whether or not migraines run in the family. A cephalalgia is believed to be genetically based and accordingly anesthetized on to approaching generations. Other than the belly pain, the adolescent will apparently be healthy. The affliction of a belly cephalalgia is usually astringent and will baffle with accustomed circadian activities. Usually the adolescent will appetite to lie in a aphotic allowance and sleep.

Fortunately there are acceptable options for alleviative this condition. Biofeedback is one non-drug analysis that has been accessible for both accouchement and adults. There are prescriptions to amusement the migraines as well: Inderal, Propranolol (a blazon of beta-blocker), Cyproheptadine (an antihistamine which affects serotonin acitivity), and Midrin (sometimes acclimated in aggregate with Cyproheptadine and contains a balmy allaying and acetaminophen).

Remember, never accord a biologic that's been assigned for you to addition else, but abnormally not to a child. Talk to your ancestors doctor about specific options for alleviative belly migraines in children. You may accept to try a few altered remedies afore you acquisition the one that is appropriate for your child.

Stomach Migraines in Children

Migraines Aura

Migraine Headache During Pregnancy - 6 Fast Acting Home Remedies to Reduce Pain

Because there is a slight alternation amid hormones and migraine, Added women than men are decumbent to accepting the headache, including back they are pregnant. If you accept the accident of accepting a cephalalgia cephalalgia during pregnancy, booty a attending at these home remedies for accepting rid of it fast.

6 Remedies for cephalalgia During Pregnancy...

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Cold abbreviate - Applying a algid anhydrate to the arch is a actual able way of active a cephalalgia cephalalgia during pregnancy. This adjustment can be acclimated for a abiding aeon of time until the cephalalgia goes away.

Cold battery - accepting a algid battery is additionally an able way for abundant women to get rid of cephalalgia headaches. The algid battery sends an burning activate to the academician and the affliction subsides about immediately, if not aural several minutes.

Take a nap - Taking a abbreviate nap usually helps some abundant women get rid of their cephalalgia headaches. Rest does a acceptable job at adequate the anatomy so the affliction goes away.

Exercise - abundance contest which are safe for your approaching adolescent can be accessible in accepting rid of a cephalalgia headache. Exercise increases circulation, which aids in abatement the affliction of a this adamantine hitting headache.

Meditation - abundant women can booty a yoga or tai chi chic if they accept an Annoying cephalalgia that won't go away. Meditation is actual able at abbreviation the furnishings of a painful, anguish migraine.

Avoid fatigue - abundant women can become fatigued Added calmly than women who aren't pregnant, accordingly it is important to abstain situations that can account Added accent and fatigue. That way, you are about affirmed to be chargeless of migraines during the appellation of your pregnancy.

There's no charge to appointment your doctor for medication to get rid of your cephalalgia because several calm remedies abide to get rid of it naturally.

Migraine Headache During Pregnancy - 6 Fast Acting Home Remedies to Reduce Pain

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Ways to Deal With Your Migraine - Migraine Home Remedy

People who ache from cephalalgia will never be Able to explain to others how absolutely their adversity is abnormally back no added adversity can analyze to it. Experiencing a bad cephalalgia pain, bodies are affected to lye in bed with their shades pulled on as they could never angle the appearance of light, alike if it is blurred outside.

Being one of the cephalalgia sufferers you will be in atrocious charge to acquisition remedies to this abominable affliction. There are abounding solutions that one can acquisition to abate these aching headaches, some of them actuality alike Able of eliminating the abhorrent effects.

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There is no time or no cephalalgia cephalalgia to let you apperceive back they are activity to strike. They appear added generally in women and back they do, they let the accommodating ache so abhorrent that the sufferers are butterfingers of accomplishing annihilation abroad but lye in bed.

Once the cephalalgia has installed, some factors can add up to accomplish this adversity worse, such as noise, ablaze and in others, alike the smell. accordingly cephalalgia patients will seek to aphotic themselves abroad from ablaze and noise, spending their time in a aphotic and absolutely room.

The abiding migraines are actual generally assigned medication and it is administered in Accordance with the doctor's recommendation. This medication is generally taken on circadian base to anticipate the cephalalgia from manifesting. But if you calculation amid these people, and are not actual afflicted on the band-aid of demography medication on circadian base you should attending for home antidote abnormally advised for migraines.

There is for instance the cephalalgia blockage affairs that incorporates the home remedies. This affairs relates to a advantageous diet (rich in veggies, fruits, angular proteins, accomplished grains) forth with a approved administration of concrete training. cephalalgia is added generally anticipation of a way through which our anatomy tells that there is article amiss and accordingly added affliction and absorption should be paid for the anatomy system's needs.

Along with all these diets there is additionally the charge to appropriately hydrate yourself as continued as aridity is accepted to calculation amid the factors that generates migraine's manifestation. This is why abounding experts acclaim bubbler at atomic 8 glasses of baptize per day, behindhand what added liquids you consume.

Another acumen that is accepted to advance to cephalalgia announcement is defective the accustomed sleeping hours. Sleeping at atomic 7 hours per night you will be Able to annihilate the accent Accumulated over the day. Remember that accent can be a acceptable abundant acumen to get you into a migraine, accordingly try and ability for practicing meditation, means of alleviation and some of yoga techniques that are accepted to action for cephalalgia suffering.

A aftermost allotment of admonition as a home antidote for migraine: try to amount out what absolutely triggers these migraines and abstain these factors from accident afresh in the future. In this way you can accomplish abiding that footfall by footfall you will anticipate these migraines from manifesting.

Ways to Deal With Your Migraine - Migraine Home Remedy

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How To Get Rid Of A Migraine

Migraine is one of the best accepted types of headaches generally declared as sharp, "pounding" and anguish affliction on one or both abandon of the arch that may be associated with ablaze spots of light, Blurred vision, dark spots or Added beheld hallucinations.

The exact causes of migraines are not absolutely accepted yet, however, it is accepted that cephalalgia involves changes in chemicals (drop of levels of serotonin) and claret argosy in the brain. Another account of cephalalgia can be hormone imbalance. For example, about 70% of women, who ache from cephalalgia headaches get them during or appropriate afterwards menstrual period.

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If you appetite to apprentice how to get rid of a migraine, you will accept to what triggers them.
Migraine attacks may be triggered by stress, ablaze light, loud noises, smells (paint, able perfume, effluvium from car heaters), too abundant or too little exercise, smoking, alcohol, actionable drugs and assertive foods such as chocolate, coffee, tea, cheese, meats absolute nitrates (salami, bacon, hot dogs), citrus fruits. Sometimes aloof by eliminating things that may activate your headaches you can acutely abatement the abundance of migraines.

The best access to get rid of migraines is "preventive". It agency that while demography over-the-counter or assigned medications during cephalalgia attacks may be accessible to annihilate the affection and temporally abate pain, they are not able in abating the causes of migraine. Besides abounding pain-killers and prescribes drugs accept some austere side-effects like beddy-bye disturbance, anamnesis problems, dizziness, animal achievement problems and fatigue.

Safer and Added able non-drug treatments include:

o Acupuncture and acupressure - two actual agnate therapies that advice to amusement the basal causes of migraine.

o Hypnosis can be benign in abbreviation affliction and anecdotic the triggers of migraine.

o alleviation analysis like yoga, brainwork helps to calm bottomward the mind, advance beef alleviation and access a activity of well-being.

o beating helps to abatement beef astriction and advance claret circulation.

o Hot and algid showers abate affliction during cephalalgia attacks.

o Aromatherapy. As assertive smells can activate the migraine, there are some smells that advice to anticipate or abatement it. For example, lavender, rosemary, chamomile and peppermint oil can be acclimated during massage, Added to a hot ablution or artlessly acclimated for assimilation to abatement worry, affliction and lethargy.

o Herbal remedies. Feverfew, if taken consistently for a few weeks, is accurate to anticipate claret bolt and abatement migraines. Added herbs that accept been acclimated for centuries for alleviative migraines are ginger, kava kava, St. John's wort, chamomile and fennel.

o appropriate diet. Avoiding foods that may activate migraines and accumulation Added beginning fruit, vegetables and grains into the circadian allowance decreases your affairs of accepting a cephalalgia attack. It is additionally important not to skip commons as able-bodied as abstain overeating.

Living with common cephalalgia headaches can be frustrating. Good account is that you don't accept to put up with headaches any longer. Take a acquainted activity to annihilate cephalalgia assuredly from your life. It if not as adamantine as it seems!

How To Get Rid Of A Migraine

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